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Be Prepared for a Semi-Hiatus

Hello all! I just wanted to give you a quick heads up. You may not be seeing my reviews that regularly as December rolls on. For starters, I don’t really have anything to review at the moment and I’m anxiously waiting to see what books I might get for Christmas. I might even do a post about my Christmas book haul. The next thing is that I’m about to run a gauntlet of finals because my schedule is crazy this time around. Afterwards, I’m going to need a break.

I also wanted to take your attention to my previous post regard my idea for Bad Fan Fiction Fridays. I really want to do a regular blog series and I think this would be a hilarious and interactive way to do so. I outlined my ideas so you can check out my previous post for that. I also wanted to give a shout out to mistybookspace for tweeting out my post. To summarize my idea, I want to have you guys send me a variety of bad fan fiction from across the internet and I will do an in-depth review of one every Friday. I really hope that this takes off because it would be so much fun.

Anyways, thank you for taking the time to read this post. I hope the holidays are good for you and that you feel confident that 2018 will be fantastic because you are going to succeed.

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Counting Stars, Cars,and Prime Numbers: Reviewing The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon

Since Thanksgiving is approaching soon, I decided that I wanted to tell you all something I’m thankful for. I’m thankful that we live in a world where more and more people are getting the representation that they deserve in the media. Mark Haddon’s novel is one example. This is the last book I have to read for my YA Literature class and I was surprised by how much this novel sucked me in. I will now tell you my thoughts about The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime. 

Christopher John Francis Boone sees the world differently than everyone else. He can count all the prime numbers, he knows all the capitals of every country, and he wants to be an astronaut. He has a hard time connecting to people but loves dogs. When his neighbor’s dog is found dead, Christopher decides to take the case into his own hands like his favorite detective, Sherlock Holmes. Soon, Christopher finds more secrets than he bargained for as he explores the world in his own unique way.

What I really enjoyed in particular about this novel is the authentic voice. The narrator, Christopher, has Asperger’s and has a particular way of viewing the world that makes you, as the reader, think more about how other people see things. I can’t speak for everyone but, in my experience, I have known people on the autism spectrum who are a lot like Christopher. Haddon creates a moving and heart-wrenching story that has poignancy and warmth. I found that I couldn’t put this book down. The voice feels so authentic in this day where things like autism are easily misunderstood. I recommend this book for anyone looking for such a unique narration and I hope it gives you some understanding of what the world is like for those whose minds work differently.

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Dead Men Tell Tales: Reviewing Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice

Hi everyone. First of all, I’m really proud of doing two reviews in one weekend. Since Thanksgiving break is coming up for me, I’ve had a little bit of time to catch up on my reading. This book stood out to me in particular because I remember watching the movie adaptation when I was pretty young. It was the first R-rated movie I had ever seen. It’s certainly not the most intense movie but, for an 11-year-old, it was wild. We can all just admit that we went through a vampire phase in the early to mid – 2000s. I remember being obsessed with Twilight for a time. Dracula is still one of my favorite novels.I decided I wanted to read something in between Dracula and Twilight so I will now tell you what I thought about Interview with the Vampire. 

A young man named Louis was riddled with guilt over his brother’s death when the mysterious Lestat appeared in his life. Louis soon falls victim to Lestat’s charms and finds himself transformed into a vampire. He is pulled down into a dark world of the undead and must navigate the dangerous society with the young Claudia by his side. After hundreds of years, Louis decides it is finally time to reveal his secrets to a young man and hold back nothing.

Like I said above, It’s been a while since I’ve read a vampire book and decided to give this one a shot. Anne Rice has written some of the most popular vampire novels. After reading this novel, I can see why. Louis makes for a great narrator as he is sympathetic and a bit of an underdog. He’s the closest thing to a protagonist in a book where there are little to no “good” characters. Normally, a book with one character talking would be boring to me but I found myself enjoying it more than I thought. Lestat is one of the more intriguing antagonists with his charismatic and intense nature. Claudia was even creepier in the novel than she is in the movie but it makes for a good horror element. While the book isn’t super violent or graphic outside of what you might expect with all of the blood drinking, it has enough to make it intense. I would definitely recommend this book for anyone interested in a supernatural novel, specifically a vampire one. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would and I would read it again.

Note: Anne Rice is a bit of a controversial figure but her life is pretty interesting so I’m going to leave a link to her wikipedia page if you’re interested in reading more about her.

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In Space, No One Can Hear You Steal: Reviewing Artemis by Andy Weir

You don’t even know how excited I was to finally get this book. I had been patiently waiting for the longest time for the release date. I don’t know how a bunch of you got a copy ahead of time but I’m glad that I can finally enjoy this novel with the rest of you. I’ve gushed over The Martian enough so it’s time to gush about another book. I will now give you my review of Artemis, Andy Weir’s second ever novel.

Life on the moon is great if you’re rich. If you’re not rich, then it sucks. Jazz Bashara has spent most of her life on Artemis, the first and only city on the moon, making a living meager living as a porter for the wealthy eccentric businesspeople. When one eccentric businessman offers her an opportunity to get rich quick, Jazz decides to take matters into her own hands in order to escape her crappy life. Soon, Jazz realizes that she is caught up in a much larger conspiracy that puts the entirety of Artemis at risk. Jazz must use her quick wit and tech knowledge in order to save her city and defeat the criminals who seek to control it.

Like I said before, I was so excited to finally read this novel and I was happy with what I had read. Weir incorporates his signature wit and humor into each character he created. It is not a fantastically futuristic book but it is founded in real science, much like The Martian was. I think what makes the setting more interesting is that it does have real science. I’m not a science person by any manes but I was fascinated with Weir’s realistic world he created. Jazz is a funny, sarcastic, and realistic heroine who definitely stands apart. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and highly recommend it for any of you sci-fi lovers out there. Andy Weir’s second novel is a fantastic and hilarious space thriller that will keep you turning the pages.