pickThe Book Thief follows Liesel, a young girl who‘s sent to live with a foster family that teaches her to read. She steals books not just for the thrill, but for the love of words. The story shows how some people quietly resisted fascism and offers a different perspective on everyday German life during WWII. What makes The Book Thief unique is that its narrator is Death—a sorrowful observer who witnesses humanity and the stories we leave behind.
pick4.5/5 stars! In 1970, Bean and Liz go to live with their uncle while their mother continues to “find herself.” Much like The Glass Castle, The Silver Star follows children forced to grow up too fast and realize adults aren‘t perfect. Set in small-town Virginia during school integration, the story weaves family secrets, racial tension, and a town bully who seems untouchable.
“Don‘t be afraid of your dark places,… If you can shine a light on them, you‘ll find treasure there.”
pickMarina is a gothic tale about young love, as 15-year-old Oscar finds a chosen family with Marina and her father. Set in 1979 Barcelona, the two unravel a 30-year-old mystery of greed and betrayal buried in the depths of the city‘s forgotten past. Zafón‘s books may be rooted in history, but his storytelling style is timeless.
pickLegendary Children looks at queer history through the lens and structure of RuPaul‘s Drag Race to shine a light on important figures and moments that paved the way for the show to exist. The culmination of queer culture could easily get lost in time, but this book, and the show, helps keep the love alive.
pickA doctor working with bonobos at a research facility studying language through hand signs becomes separated, and a down-on-his-luck journalist desperate for a big story is drawn into the chaos. Ape House may not have the same impact as Water for Elephants, but Sara Gruen has a gift for exploring humanity—and for revealing that humans are often the real animals.
so-soWitch Child follows fourteen-year-old Mary, who flees England in 1659 for the New World near Salem, Massachusetts. Though she hopes for a fresh start, suspicion still follows as the town faces hardship and fear. I was hoping for something a bit more witchy, but it‘s more about survival and harsh colonial life. Told through Mary‘s discovered journal, it starts slow, yet by the end I was curious to see what happens next and would read the sequel.
so-soI couldn‘t help but wonder, was the original source material that different? After two series and two movies I still needed more. I needed to know where it all began. Sex and The City, although similar in voice to the early seasons, is more like a collection of tales of dating in NYC in the mid-90s. Filled with familiar names and episode themes, but lacking any larger narrative. And just like that, I got my answer.
#sexandthecity
pickThe Secret History
The cold, dreary college life feels tangible, threaded with drug and alcohol abuse, but at its core, the novel is about relationships—and the secrets they try, and fail, to keep. Donna Tartt‘s sophisticated, lyrical prose weaves an alluring story like falling snow: gentle, yet covering everything.
#thesecrethistory
pickElephants were my first favorite animal, and still hold part of my heart, I wish the world had more of them.
“...there were themes one could neither paint nor put into words. Themes so vast that only composers could even approach them. If at all. All other artists must practice humility before them.” 🙌🏼
pickWhat's the meaning of art? How does tragedy shape the way we see the world? Can beauty be stolen? What's legacy without love? I don't have the answers to these questions, but I enjoyed asking them.
TFW you find a good book so you read it slowly in short bursts to savor it
pickWow. I never thought a story about a horrific prison could be so beautiful. The writing is amazing, and I loved way the story is told from the perspective of the mute prisoner on death row.
Page 3! Feeling like this might be a great read already :)
pick448 pages and I just read the last 272 today. Great page turner! Genius time traveling plot device, I only wish it were real. I definitely want to read the sequel!
It's all a scam! Capitalism is the real evil.
"It's a foolish culture that entrusts its food supply to simpletons."
Boom! Probably the cause of many rural industries lacking brain power.
Humanity has seriously screwed itself.
Humans suck.
I've always thought this, not just about food, but how a young country with plenty of space, coming of age during the greatest industrial and technological advances, so we're like teenagers growing up without adult supervision.
pick636 pages and I can't think of what to say... Some of my favorite moments are the simplest, yet they made me think of much larger questions of life. Not every hero wins, and not ever hero wears a cape, but everyone needs a purpose.
"As with many lonely children, his problem was not solitude itself but that he was never left free to enjoy it."
"Put him in front of a roomful of people at work and he would be impossible to shut up; work was not work for him. Parties were work." Amen
pickHard book to review. Writing 5 stars, pacing 3 stars, historical detail 4 stars, storyline 3.5, narrative device 4 stars, characters 3 stars, so I would give it 3.8 overall. The telling and history of the battle of Thermopylae feels more real than watching 300, and I kind of wished they had used this book as a script instead.
pickPretty epic conclusion, Quentin does (thankfully) grow up over the course of the trilogy. The different worlds feel just as real as their magic. I like the series as a whole, and individually, which can be hard for some stories to accomplish. I've been living in this world for almost two months, wanting to see how it ends but not able to let go of the magic. Goodbye Fillory, at least I can watch the TV show now.
#bookhaul from the library Fall book sale, $2 for hardbacks #booksnob #readingisfundamental #nevertoomanybooks
pickPretty good second book, more adventure than the first. And I have no idea what could be in store for the third, which I like!
pickAs wild and ridiculous as that ride was, the world and characters are flawed and crazy which makes it feel grounded and real somehow. "Harry Potter goes to college"...and then goes to Narnia. Except I wanted to smack this Harry Potter several times. All that intelligence and magic and some how he's still that clueless? The story is not predictable as I thought it would be, which enrages me more!
pickI am immensely proud to live in my hometown of Portland, Oregon, which has the worlds largest independent bookstore @Powells which offers a map for visitors because you will get lost for hours exploring other worlds! Try to walk out empty-handed! Lol #getindie
so-soConnie is a Grad student who stumbles upon a key and a name that leads her on a unique witch hunt. Researching her way around Salem 1991, while in 1692 Deliverance stands trial, can Connie find the spell-book lost to history in time? ---The first half was kind of slow, but the second half made up for it.
Finally watched the movie! Of course the book is better as so much detail and emotion is in his thoughts, but they made good edits for time and still kept the story intact. I miss Rosie already 🐘💗
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