Currently reading
Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know
The Magical Worlds of Harry Potter: A Treasury of Myths, Legends, and Fascinating Facts
Ashes, Ashes
I listened to this as a podcast from podiobooks.com. I really enjoyed it. In the beginning I was kind of confused since we were just entering the lives of so many people and it seemed random. However, I appreciated how Hutchins tried to differentiate between each of the clones with different names, though, in reality, they probably would have had the same name. This is one of the first audiobooks i've ever listened to and I love the ideas of audiobooks as well as the content of this book. Time to start the next one!
The Secret History
I felt that this book took off kind of slow. All of the lectures of Julian's seemed to run on forever, but maybe it just wasn't my particular cup of tea. I really liked the perspective that this book was written from. It wasn't a detective novel, but a book from the killers POV. Makes everyone look much more human. The grammar in the book seemed to get me sometimes, it seemed that Tartt often misused was and were. However, this was still a page turner and I would definitely recommend it to anyone.
The Great Gatsby
It was nice to read this book on my own as opposed to reading it rushed in school, as I did the first time. I still loved it! Not much else to say except it is a classic that everyone should read
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The Elegance of the Hedgehog
I originally was very excited to read this book after hearing of the great reviews. I even paid full price at Barnes and Noble for it, something I rarely do. However, as I came into it with good intentions, I found myself not really interested in the story line. For once in my life, I was not that excited to read my nightly chapter before bed. To hold my attention, a book does not have to be action packed or have a high degree of suspense. However, something about this story could not hold my attention. I thought that the writing style was beautiful and i appreciated much of the vocabulary but this was not enough
Magician King
I wish I didnt leave as much time in between the two books as I did (almost a year) but I still found this sequel very enjoyable. While Quentin's pessimism gets to a lot of people, I find it realistic and therefore inviting. Little things often when unexplained, such as whatever causes the minor earthquake before Julia passed her tests or when poppy and josh were made aware that they could stay. Lastly, i felt that there should have been somethig between inserting the keys and the world being saved. Everything was drawn out except this part, which seemed to fast. An epilogue would be an added bonus as well that may tie up many loose ends. however, the ending wrapped up the story well and slight wonders of the future of the characters isnt always a bad thing. I also appreciated how this book isn't a perfect fairy tale as many quest novels end up being
The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry
As a Psychology major, I enjoyed this books quite a bit. The only critique I have is that some of the people and names were hard to follow or remember their connection to the story line. I would like a little more information on "Being and nothingness" as it still confuses me.
Room: A Novel
I give this more of a 3.5 than a 4 but goodreads doesn't let me do this! I really liked the idea behind the book and the actual action involved. It was different than many other books that have become best sellers. I enjoyed reading this book quite a bit and had a hard time putting it down, often because of long chapters. I just felt like something somewhere was missing and I just couldn't figure it out. Maybe it needed an epilogue? Either way, I already have decided that I liked it. Maybe there will eventually be a sequel?
The Book Thief
This was one of the best books I have ever read. Between the original narration and extreme ability to evoke emotion in its' readers, this book was one of a kind. I have read one other book by Zusak and am hooked. However, when I went to the bookstore to check out more of his work, I was disappointed to find him in the Teen Fiction section, with only one other, not too interesting, novel as a choice. Hopefully he will have more interesting books in the future.The Book Thief is a book that has the ability to shape our generation. The only pro to this being in the Teen section, is that hopefully it will get today's youth reading books such as The Book Thief as opposed to Romance novels or the Twilight books. This is the kind of book that can seriously leave an impression on your life and I will highly suggest it to everyone I know.
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Ender's Game (Ender, Book 1)
While many parts of this book may be viewed as if for younger generation, I felt that Ender tapped into my emotions in a way that children would not comprehend. While the specific topics discussed were out of my interest zones, the plot kept me enticed. This book is quite the page turned though details of battles were often above my head. On the contrary, I was not a huge fan of the last chapter. It confused me as it deviated from the normal logical sequence of the book. I felt that it was rushed and a bit forced. I would have been fine if the bookended a chapter sooner, leaving many questions but also a sense of completion and full circle.
Their Eyes Were Watching God
I appreciated this book much more now that I read it in college as opposed to when I read it in high school. I think it is a pretty easy read that keeps you hooked without being too extreme. In this sense, it stays realistic to a point
A Passage to India (Penguin Classics)
This was the first book I was able to finish for my English class. While parts were confusing and it was not the most "action-packed" book, I enjoyed reading it to a pretty high extent. The language is very nice and the way Forster described some parts was utterly comical. I wish I didn't have to rush through the book but at least I got to finish it.
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and Dubliners (Barnes & Noble Classics Series)
Again, I wish I had time to finish this book. My teacher thinks that her class is the only class we have homework for. While not much "action" occurs in this book, I really felt ties to it that made me want to keep reading. I think it was the whole European Boarding School atmosphere that made me think of Harry Potter.
 - James Joyce)
Heart of Darkness (Green Integer)
I ended up sparknoting it because my English teacher expected us to read the entire thing between two classes. Based on that, I didn't think it sounded too great. I know this is a ridiculous claim to make without actually reading the book but I did read parts of it and just couldn't get attached.
The Turn of the Screw and Other Short Fiction (Bantam Classics)
I didn't actually get to read this book. My english professor seemed to think it possible to read the entire thing between one class and the next. Therefore, I didn't even start because I figured I would never finish. However, the sparknotes made it sound really interesting and kinda made me feel bad for never having a chance to pick up the book ):
I Am the Messenger
I liked the setup of the chapters and how the handwriting was tied in. The humor made it a great read but I felt that the intertwined love story was too forced. The book comes complete full circle and doesn't leave much to the wandering mind. Either way, it was an entertaining read.
Reader
This book was a fast but very good read. I loved the writing style especially in the language and how everything was worded. The only downfall is that, being a fast read, it did not stick in my memory as other books do.
