Mystic River by Dennis Lehane tells the coming-of-age tale of three boys in a sleepy suburban neighborhood. The narrative follows their lives from childhood to mid-adulthood. The four main characters go as follows:
Category: Review
Snuff by Chuck Palahniuk
Summary (taken from Wikipedia): Cassie Wright, porn priestess, intends 
to cap her legendary career by breaking the world record for serial fornication porn movies, on camera, with six hundred men. Snuff unfolds through the perspectives of Mr. 600, Mr. 72, Mr. 137, and Wright’s personal assistant, Sheila. With his satirical narrative and thorough research, Chuck Palahniuk reveals through these four characters the
little-known facts and histories of not only pornography and sexual deviance, but also acting and life in and out of the spotlight, and throughout the novel shows the rarely acknowledged presence of pornography in modern America.
City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare
Summary (taken from the Shadowhunter wikia):
The demon, Lilith, has been destroyed and Jace has been freed from his captivity. But when the Shadowhunters arrive to rescue him, they find only blood and broken glass. Not only is the boy Clary loves missing, but so is the boy she hates,Sebastian, the son of her father, Valentine: a son determined to succeed where their father failed, and bring the Shadowhunters to their knees.
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Summary (taken from Librarything): At the age of thirty-one, Kathy H. is coming to the end of her time as a carer – a milestone that prompts her to reflect on her unusual life. She begins, naturally, with her childhood at Hailsham, where she and her friends Ruth and Tommy negotiated the lessons and Exchanges set by their guardians, as well as the constant social pressures of school life. As her recollections progress, however, Kathy must take care not to delve too deeply into the tangled knot of her own emotions. The past holds no refuge for her; even since childhood, the knowledge of what the future holds has always been there, deep down – and some truths are too terrible to be confronted.Read More »
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
Summary (taken from Goodreads):
When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder — much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It’s hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing―not even a smear of blood―to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?
This is Clary’s first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It’s also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace’s world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know…
Exotic and gritty, exhilarating and utterly gripping, Cassandra Clare’s ferociously entertaining fantasy takes readers on a wild ride that they will never want to end.
* * *
Things I enjoyed:
- The blossoming romance that occurs to Jace and Clary only for it to be completely ruined in the end.
- Alec is gay. LGBT representation is always a good thing.
- Beautiful character development, especially for Valentine and Clary.
- Isabelle is a bad-ass; the world needs strong female supporting roles.
- Never dull, always interesting. I never wanted to stop reading.
- Awesome writing style. Casual and easy to understand; although it still has some complex topics in it.
- Perfect lead-in to the next novel.
Things I didn’t enjoy:
- It gets kind of confusing near the end, although all of it was cleared up in the second book.
- Jace is made to be the golden boy, which would be kind of annoying if he didn’t seem so perfect.
Overall grade: B+
Buy it for $3.50 here.
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Summary:
This book is the revolutionary ending to “The Hunger Games” series, and it takes place in District 13—the place to be rumored non-existent for centuries. At the end of Catching Fire, after Katniss Everdeen, the protagonist, rigged the stage in the 75th Hunger Games, some unlikely allies helped her survive, and took her to District 13.
There, everything seemed more dystopian than the first two books did. The members of District 13 had to live underground, because no one yet knew their existence. There was once a District 13, but it was rumored to be up by nuclear bombs. Underground, there was a specific set schedule that was imprinted on each citizen’s arms daily. They weren’t allowed to go above ground, and their food portions were really scarce, and downright disgusting.
Katniss, the face of the revolution that was building in the other 12 Districts, decided that she was to be the Mockingjay—a symbol of revolution based on a pin that Katniss wore in the 74th Hunger Games. So, by agreeing to be their Mockingjay, she agreed to be the official symbol/spokesperson of the impending uprising among other districts.
During the war in Panem, the Capitol (think of the government, but more corrupt) tried to keep their troops and officials in check, much to their dismay. District 13 pretty much made sure that the Capitol was to crumble.
People die, war wages on. But who will make it in the end—the oh so popular and powerful Capitol, or the underdogs with scare supplies and soldiers, District 13?
Review:
As I’ve said in my other review on Catching Fire, I didn’t like the first Hunger Games book. It was stupid and predictable, and it was just a bore to read. Catching Fire was different, and it made me want to continue with the series. Within a minute of finishing Catching Fire, I had already started Mockingjay. I don’t usually do that.
Mockingjay was, by far, the best book of the trilogy. It was written perfectly, everything made sense, and it was unbelievably unexpected. I wasn’t too happy about a couple of the best characters dying, but it was all a part of the experience.
Sure there were some parts that could be considered ‘dull,’ but honestly it seemed like the author did that to build anticipation rather than attempt to add filler. It satisfied all of my complaints about the first book, as well as showed that Collins was more than capable of producing a note-worthy book. The character development was immense, and it kind of exposed each character to who they were.
Katniss discovered that while she was brave, she was actually rather annoying and immature. It finally admitted that in the last book—something that most authors don’t attempt to do. While other authors made their primary characters seem perfect and unflawed, Collins wasn’t afraid to make it own what a downright asshole Katniss is sometimes (excuse my French).
This was a thrilling and wonderful conclusion to the Hunger Games series, and it didn’t really leave me disappointed. Like the Harry Potter books, this book featured an epilogue, which told the main characters’ lives years ahead. This implies that there won’t be any more books—no surprises.
This book leaves little to the imagination, and I’m glad it ended up that way. I hate being at the end of the book and not knowing what’s going on.
Overall:
I liked: The plot, characters and ending.
I didn’t like: The unexpected characters’ deaths.
Rating: A
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Summary:
Catching Fire is the sequel to the Hunger Games, making it the second book in the famous trilogy. It takes place in a dystopian society—called Panem–long after the society we have now crumbles. There is one president, and the rest of the government workers are just known as people in the Capitol. There are twelve districts, each one making something important to contribute to the society as a whole.
Katniss Everdeen is from District 12—the mining district. Every year, the Capitol sponsors events called the Hunger Games. Each person’s name is entered into a raffle, and two people from each district are pulled. They are called “tributes,” and they are forced into an arena to fight to the death. The winner receives a lot of food for their District, and they also get to move into a fancy new house.
In the first book, Katniss’s sister, Primrose Everdeen, got pulled for the raffle, and Katniss, not wanting to see her hurt, then volunteered as the female tribute for District 12. Peeta Mellark, the local baker’s son, was also drawn from the names. For the Hunger Games, they didn’t really get along at first, and Katniss attempted to kill everyone on her own. When Peeta was injured, she swooped in to help, but they knew that only one person was to make it out alive. By the time they killed the last person, they made a vow to die at the same time by eating berries that were known as poisonous. As they did this, the Headmaster of the Hunger Games announced that there could be two winners because they were from the same district. So, they both got out alive. They blamed the suicide pact on being in love with each other and not seeing the other one to die, but the reader quickly finds out that it’s a hoax, and they aren’t really in love. The important thing is, they won the games together and they found a loophole.
This finally brings us into the second book, which takes place approximately a year after the Hunger Games that Peeta and Katniss won. They both got new houses, as well as their mentor Haymitch. They pretty much lived in luxury as far as the District was concerned. Katniss and Peeta went to different ceremonies and such, promoting the Hunger Games.
Things only got odd when the president of Panem, President Snow, appeared at Katniss’s doorstep one afternoon. He told Katniss that he didn’t believe in the romance that Katniss and Peeta supposedly shared, and that he knew that she was into her best friend, Gale Hawthorne. Every Sunday, Gale and Katniss would hunt together, and one day, they happened to kiss. He pretty much threatened her and said that he wants her to make him and the Capitol believe the love story.
When Katniss told Peeta, he was scared; however, at the next showing, he proposed to Katniss—stunning the audience.
Hell only broke loose when President Snow proposed that for the 75th Hunger Games featured all of the past tributes that have won past Hunger Games. This meant that Peeta and Katniss must go back into the ring once more—and they’ll make sure that only one victor comes out this time.
Review:
I read the first book in a day, and to be quite honest, I wasn’t all that impressed with the writing style, nor the story. It didn’t really come across as something remarkable, but I definitely grew a new appreciation upon seeing the movie (and might I add, Jennifer Lawrence was astounding). With the new Catching Fire movie coming out only weeks ago, I decided that I would try to read the accompanying novel and go from there. I was instantly sucked in.
This book offered something that the other book didn’t: believability. The other one just seemed so bogus with the way that it was executed, and of course, both of the main characters survived. Shocker. By the time I was finished the first book, I just shrugged and didn’t return to the series… Until now.
After reading Catching Fire, I was enthralled. I haven’t seen the movie yet, but I fully intend on it now. Upon finishing the book, I picked up Mockingjay and started reading immediately. Usually, I write an article first, and then I continue to read, but this one was different.
Not only was there much more character development on behalf of all the characters involved, there was also a solid and believable plot that made sense in retrospect. When I figured out she was going into the arena once more, I felt that twinge of pain that I typically felt when I know something bad was going to happen.
Honestly, I’m not going to go deep into detail about the plot, but I will heavily recommend this book to anyone needing something new and good to read. Chances are, though, if you were going to get interested in the series, it would have happened by now. But if, by chance, you’re a late bloomer like me, then I suggest that this is really something you should consider.
Overall:
What I liked: Character development, plot, and believability.
What I didn’t like: The writing style. But when you can get past that, it’s honestly a good, solid book.
Grade: A
The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold
Summary:
The narrator of the story is a woman named Helen Knightly, and she is likely in her mid-late forties. She takes care of her almost 90-year-old agoraphobic mother, Clair Knightly, as she slowly ages and disintegrates; she is unwilling to go into a nursing home. The first sentence describes the plot rather well: “When all is said and done, killing my mother came easily.”
The story takes place within the span of the 24 hours after she killed her mother. During this time, she relives past memories of her childhood up to adulthood. Throughout the story of her life, it’s easy to see why she killed her mother.
Review:
This book was one of the first I’ve read in a while that hasn’t turned into a movie, although I’m almost positive that it will (if it’s not in the making already). I don’t remember where I got it, but I know that I got it because the author, Alice Sebold, wrote the acclaimed novel, The Lovely Bones.
That being said, this book was definitely a lot more ‘grown up’ than her other novel. It almost takes someone as dark and devious as Helen herself to read this novel. I understand what it’s like to take care of a stubborn, sick mother; however I’ve never, ever, thought about killing her.
Reading about her childhood, it was kind of easy to see why she killed her mother. It seemed as though her mother was never there for her, and her father had some mental issues that weren’t brought up often.
It was probably Clair leeching off of Helen’s father that drove him to madness. Every night he polished a rifle off, but no one ever thought anything of it.
After Helen killed her mother, she called her ex-husband and had him come up to Pennsylvania from Arizona. She then proceeded to have sex with her best friend’s son before the ex-husband arrived. I suppose she was trying to get it out of her system.
The characters were good and believable. The book felt more like a memoir than a story. Sure, there are parts where it seemed to drone on, but that happens in almost every novel. The only thing that really bugged me was her sentence structure, but besides that, it’s a good, solid novel.
Overall:
It’s a good read if you have some spare time. Not a necessity, but pretty good.
What I liked: The memoir-like feel to the book, the believability.
What I didn’t like: The sentence structure.
Rating:B+
I Am Legend by Richard Matheson
Summary:
This book was probably meant to take place in the future; however, since the book was written in the 1950’s, it likely took place somewhere in the 2000’s. The main, and only (most of the time) character was a man named Robert Neville.
Neville was living alone when the book started, only being about three months or so since the infection hit everyone officially, killing his wife, Virginia, and daughter, Kathy. It wasn’t really known what the infection was, but Neville soon finds out that it causes everyone infected to turn into vampires—not the sparkly, glamorous kind, but rather, the kind that’s afraid of garlic and crosses (depending on their religion before being infected).
Every night he makes sure that everything is secured, and that his windows and doors were boarded up. The vampires sleep during the day and come out at night.
He doesn’t know for sure, but he’s pretty sure that he’s the only human left.
Review:
I got this book on sale at one of the local used bookstores. Due to the misleading name, I had thought that the story itself was 300 pages itself—an intimidating number, however, that’s pretty average for a length of a novel nowadays. What I didn’t know was that I Am Legend is actually a novella, and I had bought almost an anthology of sorts full of Richard Matheson’s works. This isn’t to say that I’m disappointed, however, the book ended a lot sooner than I thought it would, being as by the time I was finished, I still had about 150 pages left. Needless to say, I was a little bit beside myself because I didn’t see the ending coming, literally.
That being said, I think this was actually a pretty good book. I was impressed because on the back, Stephen King said, “Books like I Am Legend were an inspiration to me.” Not that I really much care about what Stephen King has to say (his writing style just isn’t my thing. It’s not that he isn’t a good writer, but when you hate someone’s writing style it becomes too overly distracting and takes away from the plot immensely), however, he’s a popular writer, therefore he’s to be trusted.
I’ve literally just noticed that almost all of the books I’ve reviewed have been books that turned into movies, and for that I apologize; I will try to come up with some more obscure titles to read at some point.
Regardless, I was impressed with the story. It was almost like a horror novella, which is pretty cool. I could see it all played out in my head, being as Matheson knows how to use words to his advantage, not just adding in fluffy sentences (probably like what I’m unintentionally doing right now). It was actually maddening to see the progression of the plot and how things are handled.
You feel the loneliness that Neville feels. You feel the anger that Neville feels. And sometimes, you feel scared like Neville feels. He’s a relatable character. Although we aren’t living in a world ravaged by vampires, we’ve all felt the loneliness that Neville feels throughout the entire novella. He’s a character you want to root for, despite his drinking and anger problems.
If only the world were full of people like Neville. He was diligent and persistent, and taught himself things that he had no prior knowledge of, such as learning how to collect, analyze and interpret germs. I think everyone has the capability to be like him, just not the motivation.
This book is pretty decent, however, the only thing I have a problem with is the fact that the ending snuck up on me. Not just in terms of it actually doing so, but I just didn’t think the book should have ended as soon as it did. There was so much that could have happened, but just didn’t. And then it ended.
Overall:
It’s a quick read. While it isn’t the best book I’ve ever read, it’s something worth spending the time to read.
What I liked: Robert Neville.
What I didn’t like: Being blindsided by the ending.
Rating: A-
Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen
Summary:
This story is set in the 1960’s, where almost everyone with some sort of issue is sent to a mental institution for treatment. This book is a memoir of Susanna Kaysen’s life in McLean Hospital—a place that’s seen the likes of Ray Charles, Sylvia Plath and James Taylor—with the records to prove it.
Kaysen went to a psychiatrist that she’s never been to before, and it doesn’t mention what for. Upon arriving, the doctor said it was mandatory for her to go to McLean for a couple of weeks, because she “looked like she needed some rest.” A couple of weeks turned into a couple of years.
While there, she’s seen patients come and go, but most of the time they stayed. She had a group of friends: Lisa, a girl with a past drug addiction whom ran away frequently; Polly, who had drenched herself in gasoline and burned herself alive; Georgina, a schizophrenic girl that saw nothing but darkness in her head and Daisy, a girl that lived on laxatives and chicken.
Of these people, Lisa is the most prevalent (and if you’ve seen the movie, she’s played by Angelina Jolie). She does almost everything with Kaysen throughout the novel.
In the book, Kaysen recalls some crazy instances that happened on the floor, and how the nurses treated them like they were feral. She talked about the lack of trust and the ratios that they kept for patients and staff.
She was discharged two years after entering, and she went off to get married and have a job.
Review:
This book didn’t live up to everything I expected it to be. I was thinking it’d be some great, sensational novel that could possibly change my life in some sort of way. Boy, was I wrong.
Perhaps I had such high expectations because of the movie. Not only did they cast some all-stars (Angelina Jolie, Winona Ryder and Brittany Murphy), but also they made things look and sound more interesting than in the book.
Usually, I’m the one advocating that nine times out of ten, a book will be better than its corresponding movie. This is not the case. I started and completed the book in a few hours, and by the end I was disappointed. Not often am I disappointed for a book.
It’s kind of like, when you want something really, really badly, and then it comes, and it’s nowhere near as good or enjoyable as you thought it was. Like a video game that was supposedly critically acclaimed, so you spend your 60 dollars on it, and then you find out that there’s nothing distinguishable about it at all. That was how this book was, in my opinion.
The only thing I liked is that it reminded me of The Bell Jar, by Sylvia Plath. I’m sure that it was some kind of inspiration for Girl, Interrupted.
Besides the lack of interesting information and the anticlimactic nature of the book, Kaysen also talks about a parallel universe, and babbles on about something or another that doesn’t really matter.
Overall:
Don’t read it, especially if you have The Bell Jar accessible, or even the Girl, Interrupted movie handy.
What I liked: It was reminiscent of The Bell Jar.
What I didn’t like: It was boring, droned on, anticlimactic, and overall, not very memorable.
Rating: C
simple little reviews 