[FOR THE PARENTS] Lie to Me by Kaitlin Ward

"Lie to Me," by Kaitlin Ward follows the story of a young girl who found herself in the hospital after falling - or being pushed - off a cliff.  The entirety of the book consists of her questioning everyone around her as she tries to find the answers as to what really happened to her.  Was she pushed?  Or was it an unhappy accident?  And if she was pushed, then...who hates her enough to want to kill her?

This was recommended to me by a reluctant reader at the school I'm currently teaching at. She absolutely consumed this book and another by the same author. She's 13, a typical middle school girl and I think the exact demographic that this book is aimed for.

I'm 29, well-read and I figured out the mystery just from reading the back cover. I'm not this book's demographic and it's not a book that is going to transcend ages.  It's very much meant for middle school readers and there's nothing wrong with that. 

I think this is an excellent book for reluctant readers because the action starts from the beginning. It does grab you from the first page and doesn't let you go, which is fantastic for those who find reading boorish.  There's quite a bit of romance and I would even say the romantic aspect is a bit more prominent than the mystery aspect, which I was a bit bummed about, but for young girls, it's certain to keep them entertained.

Most readers will likely gather what the mystery is at least halfway through the book, but there is enough of a creep factor to keep them reading.  

What I liked:

• The heroine and her brother have a nice relationship
• Depression is handled delicately and mental illness in general is not portrayed as anything to be ashamed of.
• Bisexuality is represented well, as is lesbianism.
• The family unit is solid and there is respect for the parents.
• Adults are not made out to be the bad guys and are turned to for help.

What I would warn parents about:

• There is a lot of physical contact; while there is no sex, there is plenty of kissing, handholding, etc.
• There is one scene in particular where she grabs her boyfriend by the belt in her bedroom while they're kissing; it does imply that they could go further, but they don't
• There is quite a lot of mention of homosexuality (bisexuality & lesbianism)

Who I would recommend this for:

• Young people who are questioning their sexuality.
• Reluctant readers. (Her writing style is very easy to read and flows well.) 

Overall, I think this is a nice 7th or 8th grade book for a quick read and might get those reluctant high school readers finally opening a book! 

BOOK REVIEW | The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

"The circus arrives without warning..."

It is a place of dreams, all in black and white, with spots of red on certain customers.  In this circus, you can watch a trapeze act that defies gravity, enter into a tent of stories, witness kittens jump through hoops, make wishes on wells, have your fortune read and more.  It is opened from sunset to sunrise and only stays a few weeks before packing and changing location.  Maybe it will come back to your town, but maybe it won't.

The Night Circus is a beautiful book about a whole cast of characters.  We have Celia, the magical protege; Marco, the studious student; Tsukiko, the contortionist; Bailey, the dreamer; Herr, the clockmaker; Poppet and Widget, the eccentric twins; Chandresh, the master; Tara, the one who saw too much; and many more.  They all work in a magical circus doing various activities, from performing to creating tents to handing out food.

What makes this circus so magical is that inside, unbeknownst to anyone except for the players, lies a game.  The rules are vague, the boundaries are flimsy and not even the participants really understand what's going on.

"I have never fully grasped the rules of the game, so I am following my instincts instead."

I would say how the game works is exactly how this book was written.  The language Morgenstern uses is beautiful and poetic, but very often it was hard to imagine exactly what she meant because she constantly keeps her reader in mystery.  This is done on purpose to create an atmosphere that could perfectly mimic the circus.  Although I loved how atmospheric this book was, sometimes not understanding the game and the temporal displacement of the novel were a bit too much.  There desperation of the characters was never properly conveyed to the reader, but we were told often of how one of the players was exhausted/on the brink of a meltdown, etc.  I never saw these meltdowns or complaints.  I never felt them.

As the game progresses and more and more lives are at stake, I could never really feel how on edge everything was.  There were very few moments when the circus would have a ripple that would cause something drastic, and when these drastic things happened I felt the panic in the moment, but never the build up.  Because the rules and stakes of the game were so vague, it was hard to feel any crescendo towards a climax.

The novel is full of beautiful imagery that gives a new name to originality:

"When she opens her eyes, they are standing on the quarterdeck of a ship in the middle of the ocean.  Only the ship is made of books, its sails thousands of overlapping pages, and the sea it floats upon is dark black ink."

"Inside, the train is opulent, gilded, and warm.  Most of the passenger cars are lined with thick patterned carpets, upholstered in velvets in burgundies and violets and creams, as though they have been dipped in a sunset, hovering at twilight and holding on to the colors before they fade to midnight and stars."

 In a way, a lot of the creativity of this story reminded me of The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making.  Beautiful images, exciting prospects, interesting concepts.  The writing is what really propelled the book from being a nice read to being an amazing one.

Overall, I would recommend this book for fans of beautiful writing, for fans of experimental writing and for those that like fairy tales.  If you're the kind of reader who needs proper foreshadowing and likes to have concepts and situations thoroughly explained to them, this might not be a book for you.  For me, however, this book was beautiful and possibly the type of book you could read and re-read, finding more and more hidden secrets within.

BOOK REVIEW | Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories by Sandra Cisneros

Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories contains 22 short stories about the female experience, from one paged drabbles, like "My Lucy Friend Who Smells Like Corn," to short stories that are so long they could be considered novellas, like "Eyes of Zapata."

This collection is less than 200 pages yet packs more of a punch than 500 paged novels I've read. Sandra Cisneros is extremely readable an accessible. I read that her goal was that anyone could pick up her books and understand them, and I believe she accomplished that desire. That's not to say that there aren't layers to this, because there are, but at the same time her meanings aren't shrouded or concealed. The more you read and re-read the stories, more aspects are revealed.

For this review, I wanted to focus specifically on her story, and the namesake of this collection, "Woman Hollering Creek." This short story follows Cleofilas, a young woman who moves from Mexico to Texas for marriage. In a very short time, her dreams of living in America happily are destroyed when her husband turns out to be abusive and a cheater.

Close to where Cleofilas lives is a river called Woman Hollering. Because of her experiences, she believes that the only time a woman hollers is when they're angry or sad. As her life gets darker and more abusive, she begins to relate to the sorrow that she sees in the river.

Two women end up liberating Cleofilas from her situation and on her way out of Texas, one of them lets out a whoop of triumph.  She hollers in joy, and suddenly everything Cleofilas has thought about herself, about women and about the creek are challenged: "Then Felice began laughing again, but it wasn't Felice laughing.  It was gurgling out of her own throat, a long ribbon of laughter, like water."

There are more aspects to this story, like feminine displacement, oppression, La Llorona, motherhood, etc. And each time I read the story, a new part jumps out at me. This is just one story, and not even my favorite one! (My favorite is "Eyes of Zapata.") I love that Cisneros is easy to read, but not afraid to portray a powerful, even controversial, message. Highly recommended.

BOOK REVIEW | The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

I feel like I was deceived before even opening this book.

I was reassured that this book is dark, very dark, and I was excited to read a YA novel that isn't afraid to test the boundaries of creepy, scary and evil. It's one of the reasons I can really appreciate Kresley Cole's YA novels. I like dark things because they show the nature of reality. I've been told often that I'm an idealist, but that's only partly true. I like to consider myself an idealistic realist which I am positively, kind of sure, might be a real thing.

That being said, this book really isn't very dark at all. Part of my disappointing reading experience lies with me: I was just too excited for this dark and disturbing world that Bracken created. But I didn't find it dark. I didn't find it disturbing. I found her world to be implausible and riddled with inaccuracies.

I'm not a psychologist by any means, but I am reasonably sure that if you separate children from each other based on their sex then when they finally live co-ed again there is going to be a decent amount of sexual awakening, awkwardness and inappropriate come-ons. There was none of this. I really think that Bracken missed out by not exploring the sexual side more. She could have made that part really dark and disturbing, but, other than a brief moment of intimidation in the beginning, the kids get over their meeting very fast... and fall in love even faster.

I was trying to let Ruby and Liam's relationship slide because they had been barred from the opposite sex for so long, but the more I thought about it, the more the relationship seemed impossible. I could easily believe Liam capable of falling in love with someone in two weeks. He's a perfect setup: positive, idealistic, good natured, laid-back... But Ruby is a different story. She is reserved and wary. Of course, these traits are due to her traumatic past, but they are still traits she possesses and I did not believe that she lost her inherent wariness of people in two weeks over a boy.

There was a big problem with the government in this novel. People protect their young. It is an instinctual trait that we all share. No "normal" and "sane" person wants to see a child get hurt. I cannot fathom an entire world turning on their children because they have turned into "monsters". I can believe the rehab part of it, but not the torture chamber aspects. It just doesn't make any sense and the more I think about it, the more I feel like it was just a hodgepodge of "what-if" scenarios thrown together to create another YA dystopia.  This would've been more believable if only a section of the children had "problems," but basically all children were there.  So, we're going to torture an entire generation?

I gave this two stars because the ending flew by for me, which means there is a lot of good-storytelling abilities. Personally, I will not be picking up the sequel, but I hope that others have a better reading experience than I did. You may enjoy this if: you're looking for a quick read, you love sensitive and kind heroes, and/or you love reading about road trips.

SEPTEMBER WRAP UP

I cannot believe that October, my favorite month, is finally here!  I had an okay reading month. I think I didn't realize how much time school would suck out of me, haha.  So, my OCTOBER TBR will be a little more modest. ;)

 


Lilus Kikus and Other Stories by Elena Poniatowska.  Loved this so so so so crazy much.  I have a review HERE if you'd like to read more about it.






 

In the End by Demitria Lunetta.  Not as impressed by this one as I was by the first. There were a lot of parts that just didn't really make sense... I didn't post a review here, but I have a mini-review on Goodreads that you can check out HERE.





 


Rumble by Ellen Hopkins.  This book and I did not get along.  This was my only one-star read this month... and for a very long time, actually.  Find out why I didn't like this book HERE.

 


Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass.  Perfect.  A book that absolutely everyone should read.  I'm working on a review of this one and should hopefully have it up by the weekend.







Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel.  A very weird and magical book.  When I finished it I wasn't sure if I loved it or hated it. Turns out, I kind of loved it.  But I'm warning you that things get a little strange.  It's called magical realism for a reason.

 


Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom by William and Ellen Craft.  This was my favorite book I read this month.  Only around 50 pages, full of information about the complexity of using race as a reason for slavery as well as a compelling and amazing story of how to people became free.  Really, really, really recommended. 



 


Woman Hollering Creek by Sandra Cisneros.  This was a collection of short stories written by Cisneros, who has a very declarative, staccato style.  But she also can weave a sentence so beautiful it's like watching someone paint.  Put those two contrasting styles together and you have the very interesting work of Sandra Cisneros.  Her Eyes of Zapata story was my favorite. 

What did you read this month?

If you'd like to follow what I read more closely, check me out on Goodreads.

If you'd like to see pretty pictures of what I'm reading, and books in general, you can find me on Instagram.

BOOK REVIEW | Bound by Night by Larissa Ione

2 blood sucking stars.

I am so disappointed to be giving this book two stars. I should preface this by saying everything else by this author has been a great hit for me. I love her Demonica series and can't wait to start her Lords of Deliverance series, which I have heard is equally fantastic. One of the things I love about Demonica is how crazy sexualized the demons were.  I mean, that series is one where you will find yourself blushing throughout the entirety of it.  And it's awesome.  

I didn't have that same giddy, excited feeling with this book.  This series deals with vampires, not crazed sex demons, so clearly there are going to be vast differences. I had acknowledged that in my head, but I'm not sure I had accepted it yet until I realized that all of the craziness that I loved in the Demonica series just wasn't going to happen. I mean, there's still plenty of sex. I think there were four decent scenes, and the chemistry between the two characters is... okay?  I guess I just wanted something more, if that makes sense. It's probably unfair because I'm comparing apples and oranges demons and vampires, but I think anytime you've ever read an author's work previously, you always have expectations.

On to the flaws and merits of the book: I have to question the basic premise. Why are vampires slaves if they're better than humans in every way? They're stronger, faster, have better eyesight... they're a natural predator to humanity. This being the case, wouldn't history have taken a different turn than the one presented in the novel? The logical course would be vampires rising into dominance and enslaving the humans, but, instead, the reader is meant to believe that it is vampires that have been "domesticated." I couldn't help wondering how this happens and, unfortunately, a concise answer was never given. It is possible that it is a slow reveal throughout the series, but my review is intended for this book. 

I also didn't like how Riker and Nicole, the two main characters, had sexy-times with each other even though there was so much hatred between them. I know hate-sex is a thing, but this wouldn't fall into that category. Nicole was literally afraid of him. She is terrified of vampires and their culture and everything they stand for because of what happened to her as a child, but she suddenly forgot about all that fear in the heat of the moment? She forgot about something she's been in therapy for years for because she wanted to bang a vampire? I have to question how she'd even want to have sex with a vampire she didn't love after all she'd been through. I didn't think that this was a believable build up of the characters or the tension between them.  And, unfortunately, this feeling of "unbelievable" permeates throughout the entire novel.

All in all, if this had been my first Larissa Ione book, I might have enjoyed it more. But because I've already read other books by her - books that I really, really love - it felt flat and ill-planned. I'm not too sure if I'll end up reading the second, but I do want to know what happens after the Epilogue, which was my favorite part of the book (and is quite telling as to how unenjoyable the rest of it was).

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BOOK REVIEW | Lilus Kikus by Elena Poniatowksa

5 deconstructing stars.

Lilus Kikus by Elena Poniatowksa, on the surface level, is about a young girl and her adventures as she grows up.  This book was first published in 1954 erroneously as a child’s novel due to the age of the protagonist (although her age is never clearly defined) and the simplistic writing style.  However, Lilus Kikus is bursting at the seams with a feminist and anti-patriarchal agenda.  

 As a modern reader, the evidence of this book’s agenda is so apparently and blunt that the only explanation as to how it could ever be passed as a children’s novel is because the publishing industry in the 50s, especially in Mexico, was dominated by men and they just didn’t expect this sort of commentary from a woman.

The reader is first introduced to Lilus when she is outside playing.  Lilus does not like to play with dolls (which are traditionally feminine), instead she prefers to play doctor and perform experiments (traditionally masculine roles).  As she grows up, she joins an all-girls school where one of her closest friend, the “Lamb,” is being sent away due to pre-martial sex that resulted in pregnancy.  

When Lilus is talking to her next door neighbor, the Philosopher, he says this of the Lamb:

“The lamb, the lamb… let me think.  Ah yes, the feminist.  The free thinker.  … Well, life started too early for her.” Lilus herself is neither fully feminine nor fully masculine, but she knows better than to try and stand up for her female rights.  She knows she will end up exiled like the Lamb and decides that "she would rather keep quiet.  It is better to feel than to know."

Indeed, the Lamb was born into the wrong time period, where women are not allowed to commit the same “sins” as men or hold the same positions.  They are meant to be beautiful, vivacious and submissive: “Also, Lilus had heard it said that dummies were the most enchanting women in the world.”  

One of my favorite parts of this book is when Lilus is describing her good friend, Chiruelita, who is very naiive and innocent.   Chiruelita is the picture perfect idea of a "feminine" lady, of a "delicate" woman.  She ends up marrying an artist and obeying him easily, until the one day she decides to think for herself and “with a languid gesture, the eccentric artist wrung her neck!”

If that's not a blatant statement comparing the patriarchy to the silencing of women, then I don't know what is.  It is baffling to see how original readers missed all of this subtext.

Eventually, Lilus cannot be contained and is sent to a nunnery where she is completely oppressed, both by the patriarchy and the Catholic religion.  The ending is open – it can be read as Lilus searching for signs of rebellion or as Lilus searching for signs of God.  Either way, the message is clear: the woman’s place is in the silence of the men’s voices. 

All this in a “children’s” book.

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BOOK REVIEW | The End of the Affair by Graham Greene

4 crazy stars.

First things first: I listened to this narrated by Colin Firth and he has a sexy voice. I feel like it's pertinent to note this.

I described The End of the Affair like this to one of my friends: It's about a crazy man lusting after his crazy ex-lover under the watch of a crazy god in a crazy world.

If I do say so myself, I believe my synopsis nailed it.

The writing was gorgeous, pensive and fluid.  Quite often, it can be hard to appreciate good writing when listening to an audiobook, but this book boasted such gorgeous prose that I believe it doesn't matter what format you devour it in.  The characters were tainted, innocent, corrupt and complicated. This is the kind of book where the synopsis sounds crazy (a man wanting to stalk his ex-lover), but the writing makes it almost philosophical. 

Morris, the narrator, is a jealous man; jealous to such a degree that I don't think I have ever met anyone so jealous. When Morris meets Henry again, the husband of his ex-lover Sarah, he finds that Henry has been suspecting his wife of an affair. Our narrator then hires a private investigator to stalk both Sarah and Henry, becoming inextricably linked into their lives again, falling deeper and deeper into their relationship and his own jealousy.  He wants to know if Sarah is having an affair and he also wants to know more about Henry, the man Sarah chose over them.  And in becoming so utterly involved in their lives, he begins to love them as well.

Throughout the book, there are many references to God and how the characters don't believe in Him. They are so adamant about it, so absolutely certain to the point that it doesn't sound certain at all. Sometimes things happen -- these things that happen everyday can be seen through the lens of rationality or faith; meetings can be coincidence or fate; healings can be psychological or supernatural; love can be a simple mixture of neurons and synapses or magic. What is comes down to is that it is about how much you're willing to see, in both directions. Morris wasn't willing to see anything. Morris, quite frankly, was blind.

Recommended for fans of The Great Gatsby and Their Eyes Were Watching God.

BOOK REVIEW | Rumble by Ellen Hopkins

1 controlling star.

RUMBLE, by Ellen Hopkins, tells about the life of 18-year-old Matt, who has been on edge ever since his younger brother Luke committed suicide. Since then, his life has gone to shambles. He's lost his brother, his best friends, his parent's marriage is falling apart and his own relationship with his girlfriend is being tested to an uncomfortable point. Acting out in anger is one of the only ways that Matt can cope with all of these issues and he begins a steady cycle into self-destruction.

I admire what Ms. Hopkins tried to do in this novel. She tried to showcase the after-effects of suicide, the importance of forgiveness, and the destruction of relationships all within 500 or so pages. There is a strong chance she could have done this successfully as well if she hadn’t warped, perhaps, the main point of her novel: Control.

Matt is suffocating himself with his desire to control. He wants to control his parent’s marriage, he wants to control his girlfriend, he wants to control his environment (“I need order. I’m used to order”). And who can blame him? He has lost his brother, which was out of his control, his parents are at each other’s throats, something else that is also out of his control, and his own relationship is slowly, but surely, disassembling itself. With all of this pressure, it’s no surprise that the only way he feels like he can regain his life is to enforce every bit of dictatorship he can muster.

There were many passages referring to his girlfriend, Hayden, that reek of Matt’s desire to not only control her, but to literally possess her:

“Hayden turns, waves and her smile is all for me. I think. She gives Jocelyn a quick hug and as she starts away the guy touches her arm, redirecting her attention toward his goodbye. I definitely want to kick his spindly ass.” (Jealousy over innocent gestures by other men.)

“Any guy with a libido and half a brain would want to possess her…” (Trying to justify his powerful feeling of possession over her.)

“Arm still firmly wrapped around Hayden’s waist…”(He is even controlling in his body language.)

“The way she believes every word. The control that gives him.” (This basically spells it out for the reader.)

Perhaps the most frightening of all:

“Having no one to rape and nothing to pillage but myself, I step into the hot water stream, lather up with Mom’s fancy rosemary bath gel, and when I close my eyes, it is Hayden I imagine ramming into, take extreme pleasure in her pain.” (Rape is one of the ultimate forms of control.)

Hayden can feel this control, jealousy and possessiveness in him. It, quite rightly, scares her.

“But sometimes I worry if I tell you what’s on my mind, you’ll freak.”
“Sometimes you scare me.”

All of this control, all of this jealousy, finally culminates into a stand off where Matt physically forces his possession onto Hayden,

“Our hands unlace and I think our lives have, too, and I just can’t let that happen. I maneuver her back against the building, place one hand on each side of her face and repeat, ‘What are you saying?’” (Here he has quite literally trapped her in place, as he's been trying to metaphorically trap her into their relationship the entire time.)

As the book goes on, Matt learns to relinquish some of that control. This comes in the form of forgiveness. All of this time he has been playing the blame game when it came to his brother’s suicide. He blamed his father, his mother, his friend’s, his girlfriend, her friends, himself and, most importantly, a book that is based on interpretation. These grudges he has been holding (which are also a form of control) one by one slip lose and he steps back into the light of forgiveness.

“I blamed the Bible, when its words were not at fault, only the way they’re interpreted by those too willing to wield them like chain saws, cutting other off at the knees.”

However, the rest of the control remains, especially when it comes to his relationships with women, and it is covered up and sugared over, which is where this book lost its merit. Matt never realizes he has a control problems in terms of intimacy. Yes, he acknowledges his OCD-like issues with cleanliness, but there is so much more under the surface that he needs to deal with, and never does. Instead of working on his problems, he finds a girl who will perfectly suit his needs for possession, a girl who is desperate enough to be whatever he wants her to be, unlike Hayden.

“’They say puppies are good for mending broken hearts,’ she joked once. ‘Woof, woof. You can pet me if you want.’” (Willing to change herself for his benefit.)

“She winks. ‘Anything I can do to entertain you, my dear.’” (Willing to demean herself for his benefit.)

The worst part of this is that the author never mentions it. She leaves her character blind to this particular short coming and expects the reader to forget his earlier problems with control and Hayden. I don’t think the author was blind to his controlling personality. Why else mention the fact that he has OCD tendencies? Why else mention how he wants to literally possess Hayden and spend every waking moment with her? My issue is that she did not even attempt to resolve it.

Perhaps the worst part of this is that by the end, after Matt has forgiven himself and those who bullied his brother, he thinks: “Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned through all this, it’s to have faith in love.” He mentions his parent’s loss of love and how his father had found it in someone else, and how Matt found a new, and supposedly better, love with Alexa. I cannot believe that his innate issue with possession gets thrown to the side to try and make this novel about him not trusting love.

This was never about love. This was never about forgiveness. This was never about faith. This book was about a young man who needs to learn how to live his life without having to control every aspect of it, and that was not given the proper attention. Matt should have been in counseling for his control problems, not his problem with forgiveness,because his problems with forgiveness will go away as he learns to let go of wanting to be in charge of everything. He should have never entered into another relationship without even fixing what went wrong in the first.

This novel had the opportunity to convey a strong message but, in my opinion, never reach its goal

BOOK REVIEW | The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux

4 musical stars.

The book is nothing like the musical.

I just thought I'd give everyone a heads up in case they're thoroughly in love with the musical and don't want to read anything that deviates from it, even though technically the musical deviated from the book. I read a few reviews where the reviewers were disappointed because the book was so inherently different. That being said, while I'm a fan of the musical, I have never been 100% in love with it. In fact, it turns out I prefer the book over the musical.

The book holds a much more complicated relationship with the reader than the musical does with the viewer. There is more going on in the plot, there are more plots in general, and it is just over-the-top, gothic horror fun. I am surprised by how much I enjoyed reading this! It is almost a satire of itself.  It is overdone, dramatic and juvenile.  Christine is so virginal, Raoul is so heroic (yet gentle), and the Phantom is so creepy (yet pathetic).

What struck me the most was that this was a re-telling of the Persephone and Hades story from Greek mythology -- and it was a solid re-telling that added more depth to the story, making it more complex. (Of course, it also has traditonal Christian elements as well:  Christine (Christ) and The Angel of Music (a common occupation for the Devil/Lucifer).  I have seen the movie adaptations of the musical, I've seen the musical itself on Broadway, but never have I connected the dots so clearly as when I was reading it. The lake to the Phantom's house is the lake to the Underworld. This underworld is where the Phantom (Hades) dwells and he goes to the upper world to capture the beautiful Christine (Persephone) to make her his. What impressed me was that there were flowers in the Phantom's underground chamber. Persephone, in classical Greek mythology, loved three things: sunshine, laughter and wildflowers.

Although all the characters themselves felt sympathy for the Phantom, I never once did, and I'm not entirely sure how much Leroux wanted me to.  Certainly, the Phantom is a victim of his time, but being a victim does not give one the right to become a villain. It was hard for me to feel sympathetic for a sociopath, hellbent on getting what he wants, everyone else be damned. I know there are many readers who love the Phantom, but even in the musical version where he is presented as a much more sympathetic character, I could never bring myself to like him. 

Either way, this book is a quick read, hilarious and I would recommend it to everyone. You may love it, hate it or feel ambivalent about it, but I definitely think it's a book worth reading once in your life.

BOOK REVIEW | Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

5 squealing stars.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell follows the story of Cather Avery, a 18-year-old college freshman hailing from Omaha, Nebraska who is obsessed with a franchise called Simon Snow. (Think Harry Potter.*) Cather is a twin who was raised by a mentally unstable father and an absent mother, and suffers from anxiety. She finds solace, comfort and acceptance in the world of Simon Snow, but has sort of forgotten how to live in her own.

When I was younger, I loved writing fanfiction. I never "fangirled" over books (that would happen when I was older and started reading Game of Thrones...) but I fangirled like craxy over video games. My fanfictions were various stories using the characters from franchises like Kingdom Hearts, FFX, FFVII, most of the Final Fantasies... and even a few anime, like Sailor Moon. But then I got older and my fangirl tendencies seemed to have faded away. (For the most part. Damn you, George R. R. Martin.) (Just kidding, I love you.)

That being said, I really couldn't identify with Cather. She is reclusive, scared and avoids nearly all human contact, which is about as opposite of me as it gets. To be honest, when the book first began, I was afraid I was going to end up disliking the novel because I couldn't get over how clingy she was. However, Rainbow Rowell has a gift. Not only did I get over Cath's imperfections, I ended up really liking her, even before she began to open her eyes to the real world.  This speaks wonders about the author, because she was able to create a sense of empathy in me for a character that I originally found irritating.

Cath somehow got me rooting for her. I wanted her to go out and have fun with her room mate. I wanted her to be a regular 18-year-old girl and not have to worry about her possibly-alcoholic twin, disappearing-and-now-reappearing mother and her wonderful-but-sadly-disturbed father.  I became invested in her problems and her terrible coping skills.

Watching Cath grow was fulfilling. When she finally began going out with her room mate, Reagan (who was a hilarious and very real character), and starting her own romance with Levi (a sweet, adorable 21-year-old with the patience of a saint), I felt really satisfied as a reader. Rowell gently led into Cath's growth and I felt like I was growing with her. Of course she still did things I didn't understand (like hold a kiss over Levi's head for three months... get over yourself, girl), but by then I understood her so thoroughly that it made sense.

Cath also grows as a writer. As her personal world is broadened from the world of Simon Snow to her own, she realizes the endless possibilities that she could write. About herself. About her world. That was a great metaphor for how she had finally accepted her reality.  She grows as a writer as she grows as a young adult, subtly yet powerfully.

Overall, I absolutely adored this book. The characters were so fleshed out and real that I felt like I was reading a book about my own friends. Rainbow Rowell, next to having a fantastic name, has a fantastic writing style that is easy to read, easy to relate to and funny.

* There is mention of Harry Potter in this book, which sort of confused me. She set up Simon Snow as the Harry Potter of that universe and then threw in HP randomly... I sort of wish that had been edited out. I don't understand the reasoning for that inclusion

BOOK REVIEW | Noughts & Crosses by Malorie Blackman

4 heart broken stars.

Oh, there's my heart: in pieces on the floor.

Good God, this book was like taking a stab directly in the heart. Noughts & Crosses is an alternative world where blacks, called Crosses, are the ruling class and whites, called naughts, are the lower class -- its setting seemed like a mix of the-right-now, in terms of technology, and the 1960s, in terms of racial acceptance. The story centers around Persephone Hadley, a very rich, Cross girl and Callum McGregor, a very poor, naught boy. The two formed a friendship when they were kids and Callum's parents worked for Sephy's. This friendship survived the years of racism they both must endure, as well as the crumbling of their respective families.

I want to start off with what I didn't like because it is far less than what I did. I'm not sure if there was a formatting issue from the book version to Kindle version, but the format of this was all over the place, which means that grammatical errors abound. This edition would sometimes capitalize the "n" in naughts (also spelled noughts, occasionally), leave out much needed periods or commas and was just all around a mess. I wish I had the paperback to compare it to. In terms of the story, I did feel like Callum and Sephy's character developments were a bit rushed and the reader wasn't able to really see them grow except when it was shoved upon them because we were in their point-of-view. Maybe the author was afraid of this story being too long, considering it's almost 400 pages as is, but I think this story could have been really epic had she slowed down and really polished certain parts.

What I did love is perhaps the most important story when trying to give a social commentary: the content. Blackman created an entire different universe that is, in essence, the same as our own universe. The reader watches as the two main characters are torn apart by bigotry and racism, not allowed to be together simply because of the color of their own skin. It's hard to believe that something this stupid ever happened - and is still happening! - today. She thought of everything, from the color of bandaids to the hiding of white people from the history books. I have to say that this opened my eyes a lot. I had never even considered the color of band aids before, yet now I can see it. I can see it clearly.

I especially loved the following quote. It is so easier to think the world would be better if only you were in charge or someone else could take the lead, or this President weren't in office, or this governor hadn't be elected. If only it had been someone else. Well...

"I'm not sure I share your faith in a society ruled by naughts," Jack tells me thoughtfully. "People are people. We'll always find a way to mess up, doesn't matter who's in charge."

Highly recommended. This was a three-star up until that ending, but that ending. Wow. I won't say anything more, but wow.