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We Have Always Lived In The Castle (by Shirley Jackson)

7/10

 

 

 

 

 I found the writing very good and the content a little eerie, but I never felt disturbed or chilled by the almost perverse writing style. The reviews on Goodreads make this novel out to be provocative, disturbing, occult, and twisted. I was met with a mildly creepy tale of a young, disturbed, woman.

I admired that the novel was from the perspective of Merricat! Her being an unreliable narrator really added to the novel and set the mood. The entire book I found myself wondering at her. I couldn't figure her out and still, even after finishing the book, don't know what exactly is going on in that head of hers.

Having been reading this during a road trip I was preoccupied with the scenery and would often stop after paragraphs to look out the window. Having not been fully diving this novel my attention was probably the cause of my disappointment in the classic. I will definitely go back and read this book some other time when I'm in the mood for something dark and see if it changes my review.



Readers Block

I am having the absolute worst reader's block! I want to read so bad phantom plot lines are hovering at the edge of my mind and my fingertips twitch with the urge to turn pages. I skim novel summaries on Goodreads, stare at my overflowing pile of "to be reads" and start countless books only to give up a couple chapters in. I'm thirsting for something amazing, a reprieve from reality, a little work of literary genius. I can't find it! Why have all of the books I pick up seem to have no luster? Please go away reader's block!!!

The Opposite Of Loneliness (by Marina Keegan)

9/10

An affecting and hope-filled posthumous collection of essays and stories from the talented young Yale graduate whose title essay captured the world's attention in 2012 and turned her into an icon for her generation.

Marina Keegan's star was on the rise when she graduated magna cum laude from Yale in May 2012. She had a play that was to be produced at the New York International Fringe Festival and a job waiting for her at the New Yorker. Tragically, five days after graduation, Marina died in a car crash.

As her family, friends, and classmates, deep in grief, joined to create a memorial service for Marina, her unforgettable last essay for the Yale Daily News, "The Opposite of Loneliness" went viral, receiving more than 1.4 million hits. She had struck a chord.

Even though she was just twenty-two when she died, Marina left behind a rich, expansive trove of prose that, like her title essay, captures the hope, uncertainty, and possibility of her generation. The Opposite of Loneliness is an assemblage of Marina's essays and stories that, like The Last Lecture, articulates the universal struggle that all of us face as we figure out what we aspire to be and how we can harness our talents to make an impact on the world.

My two favourite short stories in the novel were:
Challenger Deep & Reading Aloud

My two favoured essays where:
The Opposite of Loneliness & Why We Care about Whales

This book was incredible. Each sentence fragile as a petal and teaming with the insecurities of the human heart. Marina Keegan fully understands human nature and the shyness behind how we love. Relatable, sad, funny, gritty, inspiring and witty I fell in love with the short stories and essays.
This novel could be stretched out over a long period of time or eaten up in one sitting. I personally found that the short stories improved gradually as the novel progressed. Whether it was because I had less of a preference for the first one or two stories or if it simply took a bit for me to get a taste for her writing I'm unsure. Yet as a whole the short stories and essays are truly moving and well worth the read.  

More...

I stumbled across this today and it simply spoke to me. 

Enjoy little bibliophiles...

Slammed (by Colleen Hoover)

8/10

Following the unexpected death of her father, 18-year-old Layken is forced to be the rock for both her mother and younger brother. Outwardly, she appears resilient and tenacious, but inwardly, she's losing hope.

Enter Will Cooper: The attractive, 21-year-old new neighbor with an intriguing passion for slam poetry and a unique sense of humor. Within days of their introduction, Will and Layken form an intense emotional connection, leaving Layken with a renewed sense of hope.

Not long after an intense, heart-stopping first date, they are slammed to the core when a shocking revelation forces their new relationship to a sudden halt. Daily interactions become impossibly painful as they struggle to find a balance between the feelings that pull them together, and the secret that keeps them apart.

So if you haven't already read the Slammed trilogy you need to get on it! As far as a romance novel goes these three books were fantastic! Heart wrenching, dramatic and sexy without ever being inappropriate. I truly enjoyed reading them. 

Though I will have to say that I preferred reading in Layken's point of view...I don't know what it was about the second two books, but how Will perceived Layken made her personality seem other than what it had been in the first book. Now I don't know if that was just my own observation but I found it irritating at times to say the least.  The first book would make an excellent stand alone! The second two felt a little forced and "fillerish"; I wish the series would of developed more organically. 

Although my negative commentary aside Slammed was a cute read that required the reader's emotional investment and undivided attention. It demanded to be read! 

All The Light We Cannot See (by Anthony Doerr)

10/10

100% non-spoilery (I don't even name characters or places so if you are wanting to go in blind I've got you covered.)

This book singlehandedly destroyed me! I fell into it and lived every moment along with the characters. I am in love with this book!!!

The writing: 
I am new into the world of Literature and Adult Fiction. I spend most of my time reading stereotypical YA novels and easy, fast reads to give my brain a little reprieve. If this is what the land of mature books tastes like I am hooked! The novel was written like a song; lyrical and stitched together with such literary mastery I had to stop and reread lines. Every paragraph, line, sentence and word was raw, tentative and rich with colour. The novel simply sparkled with the emotion of an author truly in love with the story. I would recommend this novel for it's literary genius alone!

The Plot:
This is a WWII historical fiction, in no way is it a breezy read. The storyline was achingly beautiful and kept building all the way through the story to come crashing at an ending so fiercely emotional I felt an ache in my chest and tears ran down my face. The novel brought you there and followed the timeline of the war so perfectly, you could feel the tension and gradual build up of the war. Starting out sweet and sparkling with childhood innocence, this novel will carry you from childhood to the impending and tragic loss of innocence that only war can bring on. Building at a steady crescendo you will be shown the fall and rise of the human spirit in bright technicolor.
The alternating points of views and periods in time was done so perfectly it added to the novel rather than took away from it as so many other books I've read do. Never was I confused as to who's voice in the story I was reading or where and when I was reading in regards to the story. It was seamless.

The Characters:
The characters where so real, so organic, so full of human weakness and light they themselves were works of art. Not one character at any time was boring to follow or forced. Each character had it's own light, it's own glimmer of humanity that it became impossible to truly hate any character. All suffering in some unspeakable way you could see why they where acting as they where and feel such a strong empathy towards them.

Overall this book was incredible and a read full of both literary and human brilliance! In no way can I gather my thoughts and feelings towards it enough to fully do it justice. It is simply amazing, you'll just have to take my word for it!