Perks of Being a Wallflower is one of my most treasured possessions. I love this book like I would do a child. I would say that it’s hard to describe Perks of Being a Wallflower is one of my most treasured possessions. I love this book like I would do a child. I would say that it’s hard to describe this sort of affection towards a book, but let’s face it, we’re on Goodreads, and if YOU people don’t get it then you shouldn’t be on here.
Charlie. Dear, sweet, loving Charlie. The book is told through a series of letters that he is writing to someone he has never actually met. Charlie tells this anonymous person everything about what is going on his life. It starts with him talking about his friend who has recently committed suicide and then goes on to his new friendship with Patrick and Sam.
Patrick is the best. There is nothing I can put into words that sums it butter than that. Read the damn book and find out for yourself.
Charlie is in love with Sam. She is cool and sophisticated and beautiful, but not in the traditional way, or so Charlie says. She’s kind and funny and accepting.
Charlie is learning to participate in life instead of standing on the outskirts and being a wallflower. Not just participating in life but experiencing it. He goes out, he drinks, he tries drugs, he gets a girlfriend, he learns the difference between being what someone needs vs what someone wants. And most importantly he learns what it means to be your own damn person.
As the story progresses we see the writing in these letters develop. Charlie is perfecting his craft and his dream of being a writer seems more and more plausible. He loves books. The most recent book he read is his new favorite book ever time.
But Charlie is… different. There has been a lot of speculation as to whether he has a form of autism or not. I think the ending of this book explains Charlie's "odd" behavior enough that I haven't ever given it much thought. He’s socially awkward-overly honest without realizing the truth can sometimes be hurtful. He sees everything without fully understanding what he is seeing and there is a level of nativity that can’t be ignored. Charlie is special though, about that there is almost no argument.
The struggle of finding oneself in those painful teenage years can certainly be a brutal experience. It can also be rewarding in ways we didn’t think possible. I find myself reminiscing about some of my own experiences, sometimes with fondness, sometimes with tears. Regardless of how we feel about those experiences, they do in fact make us who we are in the here and now. And that is what this book is about: life.
A truly wonderful coming of age story that will have you smiling, gasping, laughing, crying and gritting your teeth in anger. If there is one book out there that could possibly help someone who feels lost, I think this is the one that I would recommend. I am so glad I took the time to re-read this one.
Goblet of Fire is almost everyone’s favorite Harry Potter book…or Prisoner of Azkaban. My personal feelings differ, but there is literally not a singl
Goblet of Fire is almost everyone’s favorite Harry Potter book…or Prisoner of Azkaban. My personal feelings differ, but there is literally not a single Harry Potter book that is bad. Having re-read these books so many times I have lost count, I have to say Goblet is on the lower end of my rankings. As it stands now, my favorites are in the following order: Order, Hallows, Prince, Stone, Prisoner, Goblet and Chamber. Now, be mindful of the fact that they ALL get 5 stars. We are talking about such a small difference in love it is hardly worth commenting on. But, I digress.
In Goblet of Fire we encounter all sorts of new and exciting things. We get to see the Quidditch World Cup! We get to see Death Eaters tormenting muggles and muggle-borns! We get to see just how much work goes into hiding the wizarding world from muggles on an everyday basis. We are introduced to Mad-Eye Moody and his intriguing career. We have our minds blown at the what-should-have-been-obvious fact that there are OTHER schools throughout the world…NOT just Hogwarts.
Upon his arrival at Hogwarts after the events of the Quidditch World Cup, Harry is shocked to hear that there will be no Quidditch this year at Hogwarts. However, he can barely register his shock when Dumbledore announces that in its stead Hogwarts will be host to an event that has not happened in over a century….the TriWizard Tournament. Representatives from two other schools will be joining the students and worthy champions will be selected by the Goblet of Fire to compete. Rules are aplenty though, as we find out just why the tournament has not been held in so long… students have died. So no student under the age of 17 is permitted to enter their name into the goblet.
So how does it happen that Harry’s name comes floating out of that Goblet? Being 3 years younger than his fellow champions surely puts him at a disadvantage. There must be dark magic involved. Someone is out to kill Harry…
Goblet of Fire is a fast-paced and exciting read; a wonderful addition to the series and a crucial one. The series starts to take a dark turn here and is just the tip of the iceberg for what happens in the next three.
Delee is a first-timer to the series and was supposed to read this one with me, but life happens sometimes and it got set aside temporarily. She’s lucky I love her as much as I do…or she’d be locked in my basement with Mr. King and that MahFah Jeff. But, I decided to give her a pass… this time.
The Metamorphosis begins with one of the most iconic lines in all of literature. The translation to English, however, is not nearly as profound[image]
The Metamorphosis begins with one of the most iconic lines in all of literature. The translation to English, however, is not nearly as profoundly shocking as it is in German. Many years ago I read this book in my high school German class. My teacher had these neat handouts with original sketches that I scoured the internet for but could not find. I tried my best to replace them with what I was able to find.
“Als Gregor Samsa eines Morgens aus unruhigen Träumen erwachte, fand er sich in seinem Bett zu einem ungeheueren Ungeziefer verwandelt.”
And since most of you are English-speaking people, here is the slaughtered version:
“As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect.”
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This is the story of Gregor Samsa. He has transformed during the night into a giant insect. Immediately he begins to worry about how he will provide for him family. His first concern is them, not himself or how he will get out of this predicament…or why he is in it to begin with. Gregor, being the sole-provider for his family is expected to be at work. His family is completely embarrassed and ashamed that he missed his morning train. But when his supervisor shows up Gregor is forced to get up and try to offer an explanation.
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When he opens his mouth and speaks to them all they hear is a horrifying insect noise. Gregor is forced to open the door for them to see for themselves what has happened. It is here that we see their initial reactions. The father is angry, the mother terrified and the sister is shocked but willing to try to help Gregor.
As Gergor goes about his day-to-day life his worry over his situation continues to grow. But he soon realizes that his family had been hoarding away his earnings all along though and they are able to live quite comfortably without him at work. They also are able to rent out a room in their home, keeping Gregor closed off completely. He finds himself dreaming of escape.
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As time goes on the feelings towards Gregor grow to indifference. The family stops feeding him, stop caring whether his living space is clean and stop thinking of him at all as someone they once loved. In fact, his father throws an apple at him which lodges in his back and injures him pretty severely.
[image]
At this point Gregor has become nothing but a horrifying burden to his family. They grow to resent him and even show their contempt.
The overall sickening part for me is the ending where (view spoiler)[ Gregor dies and the family moves on ever-so-happily (hide spoiler)] It is so unfair and awful. My heart broke for him.
Kafka was known for writing stories that pointed out the insignificance of the everyday man. His stories are almost never uplifting. Typically we see the down-trodden man facing a severe obstacle. The Metamorphosis is another of example of that.
A story as unique as its opening line, the Metamorphosis is a book everyone should read. It explains s much about Franz Kafka and I think you’d be hard pressed to find another book that will affect you as much as this one.
I’d like to thank my favorite pantless-platoon for reading this one with me! It was a great experience to re-read it in English! ...more
What better day to post a review for this book than on Stephen King’s birthday?
Happy Birthday, ya crazy bastard. ;)
Anyway- as most of the GR communi
What better day to post a review for this book than on Stephen King’s birthday?
Happy Birthday, ya crazy bastard. ;)
Anyway- as most of the GR community knows I am the real life Annie Wilkes a huge fan of Stephen King. He has been a major influence in my life since I was about 10 years old. His writing changed my life. His books changed my mind; my way of thinking.
Listen, not everyone knows this but I’m about to out myself. I am an aspiring writer. I don’t flash it, I don’t wave it out there for all to see; I am just me. I am insecure, I am scared and I lack the confidence it takes to put myself out there. It’s terrifying.
My whole life I have been a writer. I won several awards throughout my high school career and college professors begged me to change my major and focus more on my writing. It’s just that writing for me is a hobby. I’m afraid if I focus on writing it will become a chore. So I write when the mood strikes me and don’t when it doesn’t. There are a handful of close friends on here who have read what I’ve written and have given me feedback. I even went so far as to submit a short story to www.Tor.com. As of right now, that’s enough for me.
I picked up On Writing for several reasons, the first being that I’m obsessed with Stephen King. Duh! Another was because it’s listed as part memoir and I was dying to know more about his life. And lastly, I thought maybe, just maybe, he might have a few good pointers for the wannabe writer.
This book.
No really, you don’t understand. This book changes everything. A lot of what he says is great advice, but it’s the things he didn’t say that really resonate. I know what you’re thinking- this crazy MahFah has done lost her mind! But really- the simplicity of it all is laid out before you. It’s up to you to see it.
I really can’t imagine how my life might be if my uncle had never bought me Bag of Bones. Would I have eventually picked a different one up? Would I have become the super fan that I am today? Would Stephen King be locked in my basement?
I can’t answer those questions. I can only say how thankful I am that he came into my life when he did; a writer who has shaped my life in ways unimaginable. He has enriched my life and saved me countless times. Thank you, Stephen King for giving me books that make life seem like it isn’t ALL bad. I’m your #1 Fan. ;)
My favorite thing about reading a classic is that I am usually way off in my pre-reading assessment of what it is. I love being wrong….in that scenari
My favorite thing about reading a classic is that I am usually way off in my pre-reading assessment of what it is. I love being wrong….in that scenario. When I think I know what a book is about and find out it’s something completely different is a great feeling. It’s even better when what it really is is better than what I thought it was….Follow me so far?
Great! Let’s keep going!
Here’s what I thought it was (try not to laugh too hard):
I thought that Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was a tale of split personalities. That Dr. Jekyll was really this crazy doctor man who had another identity that he was completely unaware of but was essentially his evil half.
Here’s what you all already knew that I didn’t:
Dr. Jekyll drinks a magic potion (that’s what I’m calling it, so leave me alone) and becomes Mr. Hyde. In essence, I wasn’t too far off. Mr. Hyde is the vilest parts of Dr. Jekyll; the side of himself that he refuses to acknowledge because he is afraid and disgusted with it. Drinking the magic potion and becoming him gives him the chance to exercise those disturbing and awful habits without having to take responsibility for his own actions….he’s someone else; not himself.
After reading this book with some pretty awesome MahFahs I found out there is a lot of speculation into what those habits are. I can assure you that I am completely clueless as to what they may be. I’m sure if I had read this in an academic setting I may have gotten more background to substantiate those claims. But for now, I plead the fifth. I know nothing.
Coming in at a whopping 100 pages, this story is much shorter than I realized. I have to say that I really enjoyed this. I especially loved Dr. Jekyll’s written confession at the end. That was probably my favorite because it explained a lot that was murky in the first part of the book. I can see why this story line has been adapted so many times. I think the only one I have ever seen personally was the Nutty Professor and it was so long ago, I just remember fat Eddie Murphy and skinny Eddie Murphy….So, pick it up if you haven’t already. You might just be pleasantly surprised with what you find. Not all classics suck, Anne! ;)
2015 Goodreads Choice Winner: Best Young Adult Fiction
"The great thing about this life of ours is that you can be someone different to everybody.2015 Goodreads Choice Winner: Best Young Adult Fiction
"The great thing about this life of ours is that you can be someone different to everybody."
THIS book.
Do I really need to say more? Yes? Ok. You’ve been warned. This will probably be one of my longer reviews.
I have spent a majority of my life feeling out of place; like I don’t fit in to any one category or group. In my experience it’s the people who do fit in that think feeling that way is unnecessary or “not important”. It’s easy to say that when you’ve always belonged. Feeling insignificant and alone in a room full of people is just one tiny symptom that tends to go hand in hand with depression.
"We are all alone, trapped in these bodies and our own minds, and whatever company we have in this life is only fleeting and superficial".
When it comes to depression our society leans towards the “Get over it”/”Don’t talk about it” side of things. I hear people make remarks like “what does she have to be sad about?” or “that’s life, suck it up” The thing that people don’t understand is that depression isn’t a choice. It is an illness. I am so thankful for an author who finally understands this- that it doesn't just mean someone is sad and cries.
"It's my experience that people are a lot more sympathetic if they can see you hurting, and for the millionth time in my life I wish for measles or smallpox or some other easily understood disease just to make it easier on me and also on them."
The real taboo topic in this lovely country of ours is suicide. If I hear one more person use the word selfish to describe a suicide I think I might go crazy. If you don’t understand depression or any other mental illness, do the rest of us a favor and keep your opinion on how selfish suicide is to yourself. We love to generalize everything, create categories and labels so that everyone fits into their place, so we have something to say about them.
"But I’m not a compilation of symptoms. Not a casualty of shitty parents and an even shittier chemical makeup. Not a problem. Not a diagnosis. Not an illness. Not something to be rescued. I’m a person."
This book.
It has such beautiful and profound writing. Its topics are dark and dreary and so heavy the weight of it threatens to drag you down and down into the deep cavern of sadness and grief. But it is revolutionary. It brings to light the reality of what happens when we ignore the signs; when we accept the symptoms rather than the person.
Theodore Finch stole my heart. His character was so captivating and warm. I wanted to reach my hands through the book and hold on to him and hug him and squeeze him and tell him how much I love him. I wanted to hang out with him and be his best friend. I wanted to sit around eating Chinese food and listening to him explain the Jovian–Plutonian gravitational effect. I want to go wandering with Finch and see life through his eyes.
Violet Markey, or Ultraviolet Remarkeyable, starts out as a girl I can’t quite like but ends up one that I absolutely love. She was a cheerleader, a writer, an IT girl with lots of friends and a great future ahead of her. She lost her sister in a car accident that she blames herself for and is contemplating suicide from atop the school’s Bell Tower when she and Finch first meet.
This story is one about loss, grief, depression, Bipolar Disorder, suicide, apathy and what it means to find all the bright places in life before you go. This book tops my list of Young Adult books and might be my favorite of the whole year. It will certainly go on my “Hands Down Favorites” shelf. This book is life-changing. Do yourself a favor and start reading it.
"Your hope lies in accepting your life as it now lies before you, forever changed. If you can do that, the peace you seek will follow. Forever changed. I am forever changed."
Ps. I would like to thank Kelly for her lovely review. She's the reason I found out about this book- hence the "I Blame Kelly" shelf. ;)
And Shelby also wrote a beautiful review that I wanted to share with you as well.
If my words don't convince you, maybe theirs will.
That I’m kind of indifferent about it? Yes. That seems to be the most a3.5
What can I say about Middlesex?
That I loved it? Almost.
That I hated it? No.
That I’m kind of indifferent about it? Yes. That seems to be the most appropriate.
First of all, I would like to thank my gal pal, Lisa for her generous gift to me. She gave me this book on audible and I hope I am not doing her a disservice for not being head-over-heels about it. To be fair, she told me that I was to be honest and so, here I am; in the dreaded middle ground.
Here are a few things that stuck out to me:
Our main character, Calliope Stephanides, tells the story of how she was born twice. She was born the first time as a female and later in her life as a male. I won’t go into too many details as to how that comes to be- and not to worry, that is told to you, I believe, in the opening line of the book. Right off the bat I knew I would enjoy this story. And I did. The storytelling was incredible. The deep history of Calliope’s family going all the way back to when her grandparents were children fleeing a war was fascinating!
I found myself completely wrapped up in the story. I loved the historical references; it made me feel as if I were taking a history lesson-which in this case I didn’t seem to mind. I was invested in the storyline. What I seemed to enjoy the most was watching as each generation was born, watching the family develop into what it came to be.
Family life is so personal. I mean, when you really break it down, how much of your home life do you disclose with those around you? The inner workings of a family are concealed, protected and typically aren’t disclosed outside of the family unit. Learning about each generation in this book then, made me feel almost as if I were imposing on this family. There were parts that had me laughing, parts that made me shake my head, parts that downright angered me and parts that just had me baffled.
The writing was excellent. The narration was perfection. So, why the 3.5 star rating?
Here’s the thing. I felt like Calliope was telling a story that didn’t pertain to her. I felt a huge disconnect between her and her own life. (I apologize for continuously referring to her as a female, for the sake of ease, I will continue on that way.) The realization that she has both male and female parts along with her female upbringing made for some truly incredible storytelling, but where was the outrage, the anger, the grief, the reaction at all that one would think would come along with this? Instead, Calliope, to me, felt as if she were numb to the whole experience. It felt as if it had happened to someone else, and I guess in some ways, once she accepts her male identity, it did happen to someone different.
Overall, it was a great story paired with great writing. I just wanted more of an emotional impact, a sucker punch to the gut that made me feel what she might have felt at those cruicial moments in her life. I will still recommend the book- especially the audio version, but I don’t think this will be on my favorites list. (Hopefully you can forgive me, Lisa?) ...more
Unlike most people, I had never heard of Dorian Gray. Go ahead, take a minute and throw your stones so we can go on. (All set? Great!) My first encounUnlike most people, I had never heard of Dorian Gray. Go ahead, take a minute and throw your stones so we can go on. (All set? Great!) My first encounter with Dorian was through this incredible 8 episode series on Showtime called Penny Dreadful. If you haven’t had the chance to watch this show and consider yourself a fan of “classic horror” I strongly suggest you check it out. I’d tell you more but the great part about the show is seeing who will be introduced next. ANYWAY…I’ll move on to the book review now.
As most of you know, I don’t like knowing what a book is about before I read it so I rarely read the description. It was a free download on my kindle and I had the wonderful vision of Reeve Carney dancing in my head for the read. When I first started the read I was intrigued to find out more about Dorian. I was completely head over heels with him because of the show and couldn’t wait to fall even more in love with him while reading the book.
Dorian is vain, there is no question there. But what lengths will he go to in order to preserve his incredible good looks….his youth? This book made me question my own obsession with age. Age and death, wrinkling and ailments. The thought of growing old and dying scares me more than any monster in any book I have ever read. I could relate to Dorian- if not in his vanity(though, to some degree I think we can all relate)- in his longing to be young and carefree forever. I can’t say if I were given the opportunity to stay young forever that I would turn it down.
I felt that the book lost me for a while in the middle. I don’t know if it is because I was reading it at night and I would drift off to sleep and then try to figure out the next night where I actually left off, or if I was just confused by the language and subtlety of the writing. It picked back up though and I was able to soldier on.
I am fairly certain that my brains are still on my pillow and that they will remain there for a long time. When I got to the ending, it was something that I had never even imagined. Of course there were hints and signs, but I prefer to remain blind while reading. It makes it more enjoyable for me. I like to stack those little hints in the back of my mind and let them gather dust back there until “The Big Reveal” causes them to explode inside my mind leaving me with the most amazing book high ever. It’s kind of my thing.
While reading the first part of the book I remember thinking to myself “Hmm, I wonder if I will like this as much as I like the show version of Dorian. It doesn’t seem likely!” After I had finished it I wanted to pick it up and start over. With the combination of the book and show-Dorian has become one of my all-time favorite literary characters. He has stolen my heart, devilish little bastard that he is. ;D The Picture of Dorian Gray has become of the few books that I cherish. It is one I know I will be protective of and that I will be cautious of recommending due to the fear of someone else not appreciating it. There really are only a select few that hold that standard. This is truly an amazing book and I am forever changed. ...more
Apparently I have been living under a rock my entire life because I had never even heard of Bridge to Terabithia before a friend of mine brought it upApparently I have been living under a rock my entire life because I had never even heard of Bridge to Terabithia before a friend of mine brought it up in conversation one day. She says, it’s a short read, I’ll bring you in my copy. Sure! I replied!
I had been under the impression that this was a children’s fantasy book and therefore had visions of Narnia dancing in my head. A few weeks after she had given me her copy I told her I would finally be getting around to it (I was finishing up a book I had been reading). I said to her: I need a nice light read to pick up after the soul-crusher that is The Fault in Our Stars. I wish I had taken a picture of the horrified look on her face that screamed: BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA IS A SOUL CRUSHER. I had been warned.
When I first started reading it I’ll admit I was pretty bored. Again, I had been under the impression it was a fantasy book filled with a mysterious land called Terabithia and that I would soon be immersed in a world I had yet to discover. That was not, however, what I got. Instead I got a story of ten year old kids who become best friends and build a fort on the edge of the forest. Their lives seem rather sad and mundane, except for the few instances where they actually get to escape to their secret hideaway, Terabithia.
I wish it had been more of a fantasy story but the story I did get was satisfying. A complete tragedy that brought me to tears, but the innocence of youth can’t be held onto forever…
Although this book was far from what I thought it would be, I still enjoyed it and thought it was a great book; a book that everyone should read at least once in his/her life. ...more
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