Currently reading
Murder in Mississippi
Cyndi Lauper: The Autobiography. Cyndi Lauper
Thirty Scary Tales
Americanah
4.5 starsi'm not sure what this says about me, but any book that makes me cry will get a high rating! essentially this is a funny book but i burst into tears more than once.
the story focuses on the intense friendship that exists between two teenage girls, renee and flo. i could relate a lot even though it's been over ten years since i was at high school now ...
i've loved dawn porter ever since watching her documentaries and i was so happy that i actually enjoyed this book.
my only criticism is that it all worked out SO WELL in the end. up until the last chapter or so it had all been believable.
the artwork in this book is amazing. however, the story is strange, and not really in a good way. i found myself constantly abandoning it to read more enthralling things ...
Written on the Body
Time that withers you will wither me. We will fall like ripe fruit and roll down the grass together. Dear friend, let me lie beside you watching the clouds until the earth covers us and we are gone.i am in love with jeanette winterson.
this particular book has a rather loose story-line but every word is magic.
before reading this book i was completely ignorant about the biafran war and chimamanda ngozi adichie brought it into view perfectly. i am horrified, but astounded by people's strength. this story is an interesting mix between fiction and real-life and she manages to contain so many human truths. it really gave me a lot to think about.
BEAUTIFUL. adichie is really good at creating atmosphere. i think i've found a new favourite author!
Under the Dome
this book gave me a really claustrophobic, suffocating feeling, which i suppose is a testament to how well it was written! i love stephen king. half of the characters infuriated me and the other half made me love them. well worth the (looong) read.
3.5 stars.although this is billed as an adult novel, and a major theme within this story is nostalgia (which i loooove), it still felt like i was reading YA - and a YA novella at that. i wish there had been more to this story.
there was definitely some really beautiful writing, but i couldn't quite find the normal neil gaiman spark.
maybe this is my fault and my hopes were too high ...
you know those uninhibited weirdos (no offence, dudes) who read in public and have no problem with squawking out loud because the thing they've just read is so funny? i am definitely not one of those people. but david sedaris might turn me into one. essay collections are kinda hard to rate. in terms of content, this book doesn't contain as many family-centric stories as the earlier ones, but there are a lot of hilarious travel tales and i loved the satire pieces. definitely an A+++++++++ read.
this book is seriously unsettling. i actually had a hard time falling asleep last night after staying up to a very irresponsible hour finishing it ...gillian flynn is a master and i would like her to hurry up and write her next book please.
Dark Places
so what did you do with your saturday night?because i stayed up until almost 2 AM finishing this book, and it was totally worth it.
gillian flynn is really good at writing fucked-up characters who you can't help but sympathise with. for most of this book i couldn't help thinking about damien echols and the west memphis three case, especially in regards to ben and the 'devil worship' and adoring fans. i'm glad she pulled away from that reference towards the end.
Babycakes (Tales of the City Series #4)
the third in this series continues to be my favourite for now, but any excuse to read more about these characters. i especially loved the addition of wilfred and lord roughton. michael's storyline broke my heart.
the only problem i had with it was mary ann's behaviour throughout was out-of-character to the extreme. i don't know, maybe she has really changed that much since we last saw her but it felt forced.
i know these books are the epitome of ridiculous AND THAT'S PARTIALLY WHY I LOVE THEM but "surprise baby!", really?? haha
so i don't really know how to review this one. it's an intriguing, extremely fast-paced thriller and once i got into it i could not. stop. reading. it's a true testament to the author that i really cared about what was going to happen, considering the fact that both these characters are completely unlikeable. as some other reviewers have noted however, it's funny how diary amy is supposed to be the likeable one, when she is simpering and awful and basically every cliche for a poor little rich girl ever. i found sociopath amy a lot more interesting! i also think the police would've been a bit savvier when interviewing amy. everyone knows that if you're going to tell a convincing lie you can't give all the details out straight away. that's incredibly suspicious!
also, i know it's only a very, very small part of the story but it really irritated me when they kept making the assumption that a weedy little college boy couldn't possibly be a rapist. insignificant to the story, yes, but it's just lazy writing.
mixed feelings on the ending. i would've liked to have had a bit more closure, and it just seemed a bit too sudden given the amount of detail throughout the entirety of this book.
4 1/2 stars for keeping me guessing!
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