Book Reviews for Bookish People

Posted on October 22, 2017 by bookreviews628 · 2 Comments

Book Tropes I Absolutely Hate Pt. 2

I’m technically supposed to be studying right now, but in order to stop myself from freaking out, I decided to rant a bit more about book tropes that I’m tired of seeing. Side note: Is it weird that I stop myself from studying out of fear that I’m “over studying?” Does anyone else do that? Anyways, back to my rant, I’m going to share a few more tropes I can’t stand and I would love to hear your feedback.

Overly-Possessive Relationships – This trope tends to pop up more in the fantasy genre more often but this fictional couple just needs each other. They can’t be apart from each other for whatever nonsense reason that the author gives them. Jealousy may be a natural part of a relationship but it turns into abuse when taken to the extremes. We shouldn’t be seeing relationships bound together with too much love. Examples of this are Bella and Edward from Twilight, Catherine and Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights, and Ana and Christian from Fifty Shades of Grey.

The Snark Master – Listen, I’m a very sarcastic person and I love sarcastic characters but their personality can’t be solely that they are the sarcastic one. I want to see character traits outside of quips and one liners. It’s the worst when this character cracks jokes even during dire moments. At a certain point, it even gets cringey so please use sarcasm respectfully.

Overly Metaphorical – Metaphors can make your book or break your book. We’ve all seen the memes from The Fault in Our Stars about the cigarette as a metaphor. You know, that’s fine but what I hate is when a writer tries to shoehorn in as many metaphors as they can. Most books are set around one over-arcing metaphor or have several running metaphors throughout but it’s just bad writing if every other person, object, or situation is a metaphor of some kind.

A Whole Lot of Exposition – World building is a wonderful thing for writers. In fact, I admire writers who create entire fantasy worlds. But, what I don’t like is when a novel has to stop to give you a history lesson about the world. You can weave in the backstories without taking away from the ongoing narrative.

The Awkward Virgin – This character knows nothing about sex. Their parents never gave them the “birds and the bees” talk. They must have slept through high school sex ed or even just biology because they are just so shocked by any sort intimacy. Female characters like this are typically supposed to be “cute” because of this while male characters like this are laughed at. How about we don’t shame people for being virgins as much as we shouldn’t shame them for being sexually active?

Hip with the Kids – I may be only 21 but I struggle with learning the newest slang. Adults authors may feel the same way and you shouldn’t use modern slang if you don’t know what it means. Urban Dictionary is a great reference, honestly. If you want to write convincing teen characters, don’t try too hard. Teenagers aren’t completely stupid or self-centered and they don”t speak a different language.

The Wimp – This character is the complete opposite of “The Punching Bag” that I mentioned in my other book trope rant. A cold breeze blows and this character is all of a sudden in a coma, or something. This character is taken down with one hit and is somehow saved by the other characters. We don’t all have to be good fighters but don’t make your character completely useless if you’re going to put them in a combat situation.

The Romantic Weakness – This character is written as strong and stoic until their true love rolls around. Then, just like magic, this character melts into some kind of romantic mess from a completely different story. This sudden personality shift is so lame and takes the reader out of the moment.

I realize that this is more of a writing ranting as opposed to a book trope rant but I still hope some of you share my thoughts and feelings. I’ll link you to my previous book trope rant. I would love to hear some of your most hated book tropes. Maybe we can even make this into a tag. Book Tropes I Absolutely Hate

Posted on October 21, 2017 by bookreviews628 · 2 Comments

Spiraling Out of Control: Reviewing Turtles All the Way Down by John Green

So I’ve pretty much recovered from my cold just in time to run through a gauntlet of midterms starting on Monday. I decided to finish the book so I wouldn’t have any distractions while studying. I mean, I’ll find distraction anyway but my urge to finish this book will not be one of them. Just a note for all of you have not finished the book, I promise to not spoil it. In fact, all of my reviews have been spoiler free but I can happily do some spoiler discussions on my blog if you are interested. For now, I will give you my review of Turtles All the Way Down, John Green’s latest literary venture.

Aza Holmes is trapped in her own mind with her recurring thoughts of bacterial microbes. When a local billionaire, Russell Pickett, goes missing, she finds herself thrust into a world outside of her worries. Along with her best friend and famous Star Wars fan-fiction author, Daisy Ramirez, Aza sets out to find out what happened to Pickett and bring his son, Davis, closure. Green’s latest novel is a journey of self-relization, over-thinking, and coming to terms with the world on a micro and macro scale.

I’m a bit biased because I’ve been a John Green fan since high school but I have to say that this book struck a cord with me that the other books have not. Aza is a chronic over thinker and so am I. Though she deals with OCD whereas I deal with anxiety, I still understood where she was coming from. Green uses his signature wit and philosophy to create a narrative about dealing with the uncontrollable. He isn’t afraid to tackle any kind of illness, mental or physical, and how it affects teens. The plot summary on the book makes it sound like a road trip kind of story but it’s more of an internal journey about finding how to cope with your problems, knowing that they may never leave you. That may sound depressing but I promise that the novel is way more hopeful than that. John Green fans will certainly not be disappointed by his latest endeavors and new readers will understand Green more through this novel. Turtles All the Way Down is a step forward in teen literature in its own honest and remarkable way.

Posted on October 19, 2017 by bookreviews628 · 2 Comments

The Guilty Reader Book Tag

I found this one on Books Are Only The Beginning so check out her blog. I’m a little under the weather right now so I have some time to blog a bit more. Hopefully, I’ll feel better soon and I can get you a review of Turtles All The Way Down, which should be arriving via Amazon today. In the meanwhile, let me tell you about all of the things I’ve been guilty of as a book lover.

Q: Have you ever re-gifted a book that you have been given?

A: I know I’ve gotten book that were re-gifted but I don’t think I’ve ever re-gifted a book. I might have given someone a book and told them it was a re-gift because I figured that they would like it more than me.

Q: Have you ever said you’ve read a book that you haven’t?

A: I have lied about reading The Diary of Anne Frank and Dante’s Inferno. I’ve lied about finishing plenty of books but I at least tried to read them and then just skipped to the ending after getting bored and/or frustrated.

Q: Have you ever borrowed a book and not returned it?

A: I have this book that I got as a kid titled The Other Emily about a girl named Emily who thinks her name is so unique until she meets another girl named Emily. I liked finding a book with my name in it so I just kind of kept it. No one said anything.

Q: Have you ever read a series out of order?

A: I accidentally read The Vampire Diaries out of order because the books don’t have numbers or editions on them so I had to guess to figure out if I was reading the correct one. Also, there are a few “non-series” that I read out of order. By “non-series,” I mean that the books all feature the same character or something like that but the stories aren’t directly connected by the events of the previous stories. A lot of detective novels work this way.

Q: Have you ever spoiled a book for someone?

A: Kids in grade school would ask me to spoil the books for them because I always read ahead and they didn’t want to read. I actually got in trouble for that once. Also, I’m pretty sure I spoiled one of the Harry Potter book for someone.

Q: Have you ever dog-eared a book?

A: No, because I’m not a monster who was raised by rabid raccoons.

Q: Have you ever told someone you didn’t own a book when you do?

A: I was hesitant to tell people I had the Twilight books. I’ve since given them to Good Will.

Q: Have you ever told someone you didn’t read a book when you did?

A: I haven’t read anything that I would be particularly embarrassed about. We all go through phases. I’ll admit I took part in the vampire craze.

Q: Have you ever skipped a section or part or chapter of a book?

A: I just finished North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell and I kind of skipped through the rest of that for the sake of time. I reviewed The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt and ended up skipping chunks of the book in order to finish it.

Q: Have you ever bad-mouthed a book that you liked?

A: I’m not afraid to admit that my favorite books have flaws but I’ve never just completely ranted against a book I liked.

That’s the end of the tag. I can’t wait to here your responses. Let’s all be guilty little bookworms together.

Posted on October 19, 2017 by bookreviews628 · 2 Comments

Monsters, Fathoms, and Witchcraft: Reviewing The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

I’m surprised it took me as long as I did to get to reading this book. In a moment of weakness that I experience whenever I am in a bookstore, I decided to add yet another Neil Gaiman book to my growing collections. What can I say? I’m guilty of being a Neil Gaiman fan. I will now tell you about The Ocean at the End of the Lane.

When a middle aged man returns to his childhood home for a funeral, he finds himself drawn back to an old farm where his friend, Lettie Hempstock, lived. As he stands by Lettie’s “ocean” (that was really a pond) behind her farmhouse, he remembers a frightening, magical, and fantastical time in his life that no small boy could have even imagined. The Ocean at the End of Lane follows the journey of children trying to make sense of a strange world where adults aren’t always right and magic inhabits the forest.

You are all aware of my bias as I am a Neil Gaiman fan but, regardless, this novel is a delicate and dark look at childhood and the struggles that come with it. Gaiman takes his signature dark storytelling and turns it into a fairy tale that is surprisingly relatable. It’s a quick read too, at only 273 pages but Gaiman makes every last page count. This coming-of-age story presents the reader with a new outlook on adulthood, humanity, bravery, and kindness. The Ocean at the End of the Lane takes you a whirlwind journey through the magic world that we grow out of.

Posted on October 15, 2017 by bookreviews628 · 2 Comments

The Trouble with Titles

If you are anything like me, then you dread having to give your book or short story a title. I’m awful at giving things titles but I have good reasons for it. After spending a great deal of time browsing the bookstore shelves (or sometimes window shopping online), I’ve noticed some patterns that come up when it comes to book titles. Here I present to you my observations about the do’s and don’t’s of book titles. Note: This is my personal opinion. I don’t mean to hate on any books but sometimes, the titles could use improvement. Also, I don’t mean to hate if your stories have titles like the ones I’m about to complain about.

Edgy Buzzwords: Darkness, shadow, smoke, death, ash, night…these are all words that pop up when you’re browsing the sic-fi or fantasy section. YA lit tends to use these “edgy” words in their titles more because the authors realize that teenagers want to feel rebellious in how they choose their literature. Adult books are guilty of this too. So, if you want to refer to darkness or fire in your title, just know that the market is currently saturated with these “gothic” book titles. Sometimes, it just feels as though the authors are trying too hard to be dark.

Avoid “And The…”: Ever since Harry Potter debuted, it’s been common to see titles that sound something like “So-and-so and the Thing of the Thing” or whatever. This typically only works for series, though. I suggest avoiding “and the” titles for standalone novels. If I read a “and the” title my mind immediately assumes that this is part of a series. Think carefully using the “and the” title.

Make the Title Relevant to the Whole Book: A big pet peeve of mine is when the title of the book only refers to once specific scene in the book in one part of the book. For example, in Twilight there is only once scene that is set at twilight and that’s it. Stephanie Meyer thought she was being really clever with her metaphorical titles but they hold no real relevance to the story itself. Think of an ongoing motif in your story or an event that your novel is set around. Example, The Hunger Games is obviously set around the titular event or Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is set around them finding the Deathly Hallows. You don’t always have to make your titles a stretch.

Titles Based on Quotes Work: For years, authors have been using parts of quotes from other books in order to titles their books. You know what? This works. I’m a big fan of quotes so if I see a book title that refers back to another story I like then I’m tempted to read it. This mostly works with references to plays or poetry. A few good examples are: Of Mice and Men, The Fault in Our Stars, The Sound and the Fury, A Raisin in the Sun, As I Lay Dying, No Country for Old Men

Be Careful with Long Titles: Some of you out there might be fans of Panic! At The Disco or Fall Out Boy. Do you remember when they had those super long and ridiculous song titles that made you laugh and love the song more for its quirky title? Well, it works with books too. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them all own their long and weird titles. Just make sure these titles are still attention grabbing and not tedious to read. Especially be careful with subtitles.

Make it Meta: Meta titles are some of the best. By this, I mean that I like titles that refer to stories within the stories. Self-aware stories are fun so make the title self-aware. Examples: The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith refers to the title of a book of a murdered author that helps Cormoran Strike solve the murder. Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman centers around the prophecies predicted by the witch and how they come true throughout the novel.

Bonus: I found some links of examples of really bad book titles and covers (sometimes a combination of the two). If you’re bored then check these out.

Bored Panda: 40 Worst Book Covers and Titles

eBaum’s World: 35 Hilariously Bad Book Titles and Covers

Buzzfeed: 26 Hilariously Bad Book Covers

Posted on October 14, 2017 by bookreviews628

The Horror Movies Book Tag

It’s October so I might as well do something Halloween-themed. Shout out to Thrice Read for posting this tag on their blog. I welcome you all to do this super spooky tag too.

Zombie Apocalypse: Name a book you would save when civilization ends.

If I were to pick a series, then I would say Harry Potter. If I were to pick a standalone novel, then I would pick The Odyssey.

The Vampire: Name a book you would stake through the heart.

The Circle by Dave Eggers pissed me off to no end with its infuriating characters who don’t learn anything at all. I get that the point of the book is that sometimes you can’t escape innovation (good or bad) but I thought that was a little pessimistic.

Haunted House: A book that still haunts you

The Secret History by Donna Tartt has stuck with me since I read it for the first time, not knowing what I was getting into. It’s easily Tartt’s most quotable book. Bonus: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini and The Book Thief by Markus Zusak also stuck in my mind after I read them.

The Psychological Thriller: A book with a twist that you didn’t see coming.

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn definitely threw me for a loop. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher also does a great job with plot twists as Hannah tells her story. Bonus: American Gods by Neil Gaiman (that I love) includes some great plot twists as well. Red Shirts by John Scalzi has a really meta plot that messed with me.

The Creepy Doll: A book that seems innocent but it’s not.

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck and The Fault in Our Stars by John Green both begin out innocently enough only to rip your heart out and stomp on it. (I mean, you can say that for most John Green books, though. I can’t say the same for John Steinbeck.)

The Monster: A book that you could barely tackle.

I reviewed The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt before I actually finished because the book was so long, at least for me. I still enjoyed it, though. Admittedly, I’m still not quite finished with IT by Stephen King either.

The Comedy Horror: A book with mixed genres that worked or didn’t work.

Rooms by Lauren Oliver did a really good job mixing a ghost story with a family drama. Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman is a great combination of supernatural elements and comedy as well.

The Cliched Teen Horror: A book you found super cliche.

The Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer was riddled with cliches. I also found An Abundance of Katherines by John Green to be a bit cliche but it wasn’t nearly as bad as Twilight if you ask me.

The Demonic Possession: A book that was so gripping that you needed an exorcist to escape it.

The Harry Potter series, The Percy Jackson series, American Gods, The Princess Bride, Looking for Alaska, The Little Friend, The Lost Symbol

The Science Fiction: A book you would sacrifice to the aliens for the good of mankind.

I would happily give the aliens The Book Thief and To Kill a Mockingbird in order to illustrate the best and worst parts of humanity.

Posted on October 12, 2017 by bookreviews628 · 1 Comment

Book Tropes I Have Yet To Get Tired Of

I already did my rant about book tropes that I hate and I’m glad to see that a lot of you feel the same way. As I was thinking about that, I realized that there are also book tropes that I still find endearing. I don’t feel books need these tropes in order to be be good but, if they show up, I thoroughly enjoy them. Let me know if any of you like these too or if you have some beloved book tropes that you enjoy.

Opposites Attract – I already talked about how I hate uneven couples but this is a bit different. I like the couples or friendships who have opposite personalities or ideas but still connect. Whether you have the optimist and the pessimist or the overachiever and the slacker, these relationships are charming in how they both see the world differently but compliment each other’s differences. These character pairs also provide a good foundation for character development. (The gif below is an example.)

Villain Turned Weird Ally – I don’t see this one too often in literature but I love this trope regardless. There is nothing quite as funny (in my opinion) as seeing the once mighty villain end up befriending the hero in some way, even becoming their best ally. It’s a weirdly specific trope but I think it’s a good one. (Again, I present another example in gif form.)

The Grand Romantic Gesture – I have never been a huge fan of romance novels but I’m a big sap at heart so when I read about some heartfelt romantic gestures I tend to melt inside. I’m a bit of a hopeless romantic somewhere deep in my heart so I can’t help but find some unique expression of sincere love.

The “Alice in Wonderland” Plot – Honestly, I really don’t mind the plots that involve a relatively normal character suddenly finding themselves in a topsy-turvy world unlike their own. I think they can be done really well. As long as the story isn’t trying too hard to be like Lewis Carol’s most famous novel then I will continue to eat up the general plot.

The Over-Eager Hero – While I am a fan of the reluctant hero trope, I do find the over-eager hero to be an enjoyable trope as well. I think it’s quite entertaining to have a character who only wants to help in whatever capacity that they can. They’re typically young and wide-eyed but they have all the best intentions. The budding young hero must transform and mature in order to fulfill their dreams of saving the world. (This character can sometimes come across as annoying but they mean well.)

Girls Who Don’t Take Anyone’s Shit – You’ve got to love a well-written, strong female character who is not there to mess around. She knows exactly what she needs to accomplish and she will not let anyone stop her. The world may look down on her but she doesn’t care because she is so sure of herself. These fictional girls should be known the world over as the inspirations that they are. The world can never have enough of these characters in any medium, not just literature.

The Reluctant Companion – This kind of ties into the “Opposites Attract” trope but I love the relationship between the one character who wants to do dangerous and stupid shit and the other character who can’t stop their friend from doing dumb shit so they might as well tag along to make sure their friend makes it out alive. I relate to both of these characters and I love to read about them.

Posted on October 7, 2017 by bookreviews628 · 1 Comment

The Anything but Books Tag

It’s no surprise that I’m doing yet another tag but I figured I do one that is not related in anyway to books so that you all can get to know me a bit more. I found this tag from Charlotte Annelise so check out her blogs. In the meanwhile, feel free to learn some things about me.

Name a Cartoon that You Love – I’ve actually become a fan of Rick and Morty recently. Normally, I’m not a huge cartoon person outside of Disney movies but this cartoon matches my sick sense of humor.

What is your Favorite Song right now? – I’m currently a fan of “Angel on Fire” by Halsey, “Too Good at Goodbyes” by Sam Smith, and “Heroin” by Lana Del Rey.

What could you do for hours that isn’t reading? – I’d probably be watching movies/tv shows/YouTube videos because I’m a bum like that.

What’s something you love to do that your followers would be surprised by? – I don’t know but I guess you all might be surprised that I like cooking. I don’t do it often but I do own cookbooks that I’ve used.

What is your favorite unnecessarily specific thing that you like to learn about? – I’m a bit of a conspiracy theory buff. Do I exactly believe what in those theories? No. Are they still fascinating to learn about? Yes, if you ask me. Also I just love learning weird facts so feel free to send me some good ones.

What’s something unusual that you know how to do? – I actually know a lot about camping stuff, like how to tie certain knots or properly cook food over a fire. I used to camp a lot when I was younger and was a Girl Scout for a time.

Did you make something in the last year, and if so, can you show it? – I’m pretty darn inartistic. My mom, on the other hand, is super crafty so if I had a picture I would show you one of the Halloween wreaths that she made.

What is your most recent personal project? – I’ve had a novel and some short stories on the back burner for a while now but I’ve done anything with them in a while.

Tell us something that you think about often? – What am I going to eat next?

Give us something that is your favorite but oddly specific – Hair-brushing ASMR, Songs with a Person’s Name in the Title, Jalepno Poppers that have Cream Cheese Filling, Vintage Ghost Photos, and Dark Blue Boot Cut Jeans

Say the first thing that pops into your head – what the fuck is happening now?

Posted on October 6, 2017 by bookreviews628

As Above, So Below: Reviewing Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

I bet that you’ve been waiting for me to talk about how much I love Neil Gaiman’s novels. Well, I’m back to tell you about another one of his novels. I meant to write about this one a while ago but I forgot. I have since re-read the book and will now share with you my thoughts on the strange world of Neverwhere.

Richard Mayhew was doing pretty well for himself with a nice job and wonderful fiancee in London. All of that changed when he stumbled across a dying girl on the sidewalk. Soon, Richard finds himself trapped in the bizarre and macabre world of London Below where he must fight to get his life back and reach the surface against all odds.

Neil Gaiman is the master of creating vivid settings and characters with just his words. Neverwhere is a wild and wonderful take on the classic “Alice in Wonderland”-type story. Gaiman’s wicked sense of humor shines through in this whimsical novel. Neverwhere is a testament to Gaiman’s world-building abilities. If you are looking for a thrilling and special tale, then I recommend Neverwhere in order to escape from this world to one below.

Posted on October 5, 2017March 16, 2019 by bookreviews628

Wilting, Falling, Rooting, Rising, Blooming: Reviewing The Sun and Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur

I may have said before that I have never been a huge fan of poetry. I’m awful at writing it and it doesn’t hold my attention for long. Older poetry tends to bore me, though I have a few exceptions. In the modern era, though, poetry has been redefined to become more relatable and powerful. I will now present to you my thought on Rupi Kaur’s second collection of poetry, the sun and her flowers.

Rupi Kaur continues her exploration of life and its struggles in her new set of poems. Kaur doesn’t hold back as she talks about her own personal experiences with pain and how she has learned to recover. Each poem, long and short, is carefully crafted to provide profound insight into her life and the lives of others. Her simple illustrations create a dreamy feel that fits her ongoing aesthetic. With the metaphor of flowers and foliage, Kaur leads the reader through her life’s struggles while providing a relatable narrative for almost anyone.

I truly think Kaur’s books should be read by every woman. Kaur is such a powerful feminist writer and she isn’t afraid to talk about more taboo issues, such as rape or dealing with body image. Poetry isn’t my “thing” but Kaur is my exception. If you’re already a fan then you should read this second collection and, if you aren’t a fan, go out and read this poetry. You might realize that these were things that you needed to read.