The Great Believers - by Rebecca Makkai - Book Review

Time for a #60secondbookreview! And this week, we'll be discussing "The Great Believers" by Rebecca Makkai.

Tin Man by Sarah Winman - Book Review

#60secondbookreview time, and this is a good one, readers! "Tin Man" by Sarah Winman is the story of two boys, Michael and Ellis, who become the best of friends, fall in love - and then everything that happens after that. Sometimes a book hits you in one or two emotional soft spots - this book hit me in at least six. It's impossible for me to tell you what those are without just epic, novel ruining spoilers, but just know, lots of tissues, so many tissues. A huge part of that is Sarah Winman's writing, it is breath taking and haunting, and this entire book review could just be me listing off quotes from this book I loved, like -  

"there's something about first love, it's untouchable to those that played no part in it, but it is the measure of all that follows."

"he clung to every word as if they were hand holds up a cliff face."

This little book, it is under 200 pages, but it packs a disproportionately large emotional gut punch. If like me, you enjoyed "The Hearts Invisible Furies", you will likely love this book. My only struggle reading "Tin Man" was that there is no punctuation for dialogue. It made sense as an author choice considering the events in the book, but it definitely made the book harder for me to read and pulled me out of the story at times, which is pretty remarkable because this is definitely a story I did not want to be pulled out of. 

Have you read "Tin Man" by Sarah Winman? Comment down below and let me know what you thought of it!

Simon vs. the Homosapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli - Book Review

"Simon vs. the Homosapiens Agenda" by Becky Albertalli
Book Discussion and Review

"Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda" is a YA contemporary novel that follows a high schooler named Simon. He has been emailing secretly an unknown classmate with the code name Blue. Simon is gay and knows that Blue is another boy at his high school, but he isn't sure who. One of his peers, named Martin, stumbles upon these private emails. I will forever hate Martin for this, and really, people with the name Martin start off on the wrong foot with me now. The blackmail that ensues and the decisions Simon has to make to protect his privacy and Blue's privacy were the driving force for the book, and definitely a page-turner. I really enjoyed this book! Becky Albertalli is one of the YA authors, that as an adult I can read, and it doesn't feel cringy or contrived, it's just a good book. Was it a little slower or predictable at times? Maybe. But it was also so cute and deep during those moments - that I kind of don't care! Have you read "Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda"? Let me know what you thought of it below in the comments! 

Book Review of "The Heart's Invisible Furies" by John Boyne

 

"The Heart's Invisible Furies" by John Boyne follows a gay Irish man named Cyril through his entire life. And I can not think of an adjective that even touches on what this book accomplishes. Keep reading for more of my thoughts on this unforgettable novel!

 

 

The Heart's Invisible Furies

by John Boyne

 

goodreads // amazon // library

 

Cyril Avery is not a real Avery -- or at least, that's what his adoptive parents tell him. And he never will be. But if he isn't a real Avery, then who is he? Born out of wedlock to a teenage girl cast out from her rural Irish community and adopted by a well-to-do if eccentric Dublin couple via the intervention of a hunchbacked Redemptorist nun, Cyril is adrift in the world, anchored only tenuously by his heartfelt friendship with the infinitely more glamourous and dangerous Julian Woodbead. At the mercy of fortune and coincidence, he will spend a lifetime coming to know himself and where he came from - and over his many years, will struggle to discover an identity, a home, a country, and much more. In this, Boyne's most transcendent work to date, we are shown the story of Ireland from the 1940s to today through the eyes of one ordinary man. The Heart's Invisible Furies is a novel to make you laugh and cry while reminding us all of the redemptive power of the human spirit. ( from amazon.com)

 

Book Review and Discussion of
"The Heart's Invisible Furies" by John Boyne

 

 

"The Heart's Invisible Furies" tackled so many difficult ideas and moments in history with so much grace and so much humanity. And I felt so many emotions while reading, I laughed out loud a handful of times and almost cried quite a few times, as well. "The Heart's Invisible Furies" is a chunk of a book, and usually novels this long are kind of a begrudging thing for me, and by the end of the reading experience I just resent the book for being so long! That was not the case at all with "The Heart's Invisible Furies" - I am so glad it was 500 pages, and I would have gleefully read 500 more because I never wanted the book to end or to say goodbye to the characters. I have a new favorite author, and this book definitely lives up to the hype.

 

Have you read "The Heart's Invisible Furies"? Let me know what you thought of it down below or tell me your favorite book that tackles a difficult topic!

The 57 Bus by Dashka Slater - Book Review

"The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater is a non fiction book that I discovered through Book Riot ( god bless you, Book Riot). This book follows the lives of two teenagers - Richard, a black male teenager, and Sasha, a white agender teenager. One day, while Sasha was napping on the bus, Richard lit Sasha's skirt on fire which resulted in severe injuries for Sasha. Of course, Richard is arrested and then asked why he committed the crime, and when pushed to give reason to his thoughtless crime, his answer boiled down to hate. Richard is then charged with multiple hate crimes, and is facing life imprisonment. I loved the journalistic approach that Dashka Slater brought to this story. Each side of the story is presented in a way that is so relatable and understandable, and for that, also heartbreaking and incredibly confusing.

If you have read "The 57 Bus" I would love chat with you about it, please comment down below!

The Best Kind of People by Zoe Whittall - Book Review

Something I run into frequently reading adult fiction, are books with a really cool premise. Those ideas and topics that I am so excited to see the author explore, and for me to explore myself- that I scoop the book up as soon as I read the back cover- unfortunately, sometimes those books don't live up to the hype I've created in my mind. Keep reading to find out where I feel "The Best Kind of People" fell short.

The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli - Book Review

When I started blogging and making videos on Youtube, I knew that I would probably start adding more YA books to my TBR- and I was definitely not mad about it- but I maybe wasn't that excited either? YA lit is, not exaggerating,*everywhere* in the online book community! Generally, I don't tend to enjoy YA( sorry)- which is a bummer. I'll hear about a YA book and think- wow, the premise sounds great - but once I am actually reading the book- the voice of the narrator, or the YA tropes, or the fact that I am a middle-aged woman, hits me, and I don't end up enjoying the book. "The Upside of Unrequited" is one of the few YA books I have read recently that defied those terrible odds. Keep reading to see what I loved so much about "The Upside of Unrequited" by Becky Albertalli