Completed: 11 May 2012
Summary: Jacob Jankowski’s life is turned upside-down when his parents are killed in a car crash. He flees from his life, leaving behind his almost-Cornell-Veterinarian-Degree and joins the Benzini Brother’s circus. It is there that he meets some very interesting characters of the circus, along with August and Marlena. It takes place in a series of flash backs, and relays Jacob’s stories of his life in the circus.
Quote: “I close my eyes and reach for the far corners of my mind. They’re no longer clearly defined. My brain is like a universe whose gases get thinner and thinner at the edges. But it doesn’t dissolve into nothingness. I can sense something out there, just beyond my grasp, hovering, waiting— and God help me if I’m not skidding toward it again, mouth open wide.”
Review: I have been very lucky, so far, to have read such amazing books this year. This book is definitely one of them. My big sister made me watch the movie with her (as I originally had no interest) and I fell in love with the movie. I, then, remembered that I had the book and I just had to read it. And I fell even more in love. The book was better than the movie (wow, imagine that) and just UGH. It made me feel things. Pick it up. Read it. It’s worth it. It’s one of few books that I would re-read.
Rating: ★★★★★
@2 weeks ago with 4 notes
#5 Star #Water for Elephants #Sara Gruen
Completed: 3 April 2012
Summary: After her escape, Lena finds herself struggling to live in the Wilds. But when something unexpected happens, she finds herself in a sticky situation. What will she choose?
Quote: “I’m pushing aside the memory of my nightmare, pushing aside thoughts of Alex, pushing aside thoughts of Hana and my old school, push, push, push, like Raven taught me to do. The old life is dead. But the old Lena is dead too. I buried her. I left her beyond a fence, behind a fall of smoke and flame.”
Review: OH MY GOD. *breathes*. Okay. So. This is an excellent sequel to it’s predecessor. The two books are both completely excellent, but completely different. While Delirium had a lot of “Awww” moments, Pandemonium has a lot of “OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD” moments. And this one leaves you wanting to throw the book across the room in suspense at the end. I screamed. And freaked out. Literally. I was on a bus, and I freaked out the people around me. AND NOW I HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL FEBRUARY 2013 TO GET MY NEXT BOOK.
Rating: ★★★★★
@1 month ago with 2 notes
#Pandemonium #Lauren Oliver #5 Star
Completed: 8 March 2012
Summary: Tim O’Brien was in the Vietnam War, looking back and telling stories. It’s an eclectic bunch of stories that he runs together to make one larger story, and one that is most definitely worth the read.
Quote: “The thing is, I believed in God and all that, but it wasn’t the religious part that interested me. Just being nice to people, that’s all. Being decent.”
Review: This book is only what I could call life changing. No, I’m not going into war, so it didn’t give me any insight on that. Nor do I have anyone in my family who has gone to war, so it wasn’t sentimental value. And no, I’m not a war story kind of person. In fact, I’m rather opposed to them. But this novel— God. It’s so beautifully written. It’s intriguing, it’s captivating, it gives real life lessons. It will make you laugh and sigh and gasp and maybe even cry. It’s awful and it’s awesome. It’s everything all in one.
Rating: ★★★★★
@2 months ago with 3 notes
#The Things They Carried #Tim O'Brien #5 star
Completed: 15 January 2012
Summary: Hazel is a cancer-ridden girl who has been bought some time by Phalanxifor, a cancer-shrinking drug. Forced to go to a youth support group by her mother to “live her life”, Hazel runs into someone new— and hot. Would this new guy, Augustus Waters, be the one to leave a mark on Hazel’s life?
Quote: “‘Desperately Lonely Swing Set Needs Loving Home,’ he said. ‘Lonely, Vaguely Pedophilic Swing Set Seeks the Butts of Children,’ I said.”
Review: There isn’t really much I can say about this book. Okay, well, that’s a lie. I can spew for hours about this book, but you don’t want to read all of that. So I’ll try to sum it up as best I can. This book is heartbreakingly beautiful. I didn’t receive my copy from Amazon until last night (the 14th), and my best friend was spending the night so I couldn’t read it then. So I was forced to wait until today to start it. Once I did, I couldn’t put it down. I finished it within hours. I have to say that this book came into my life at both the best and worst possible moment, with my grandfather on the final descent from his four year battle with cancer (or, I suppose, battle with himself). But it says something of a book to make you laugh wholeheartedly in a time like this. It also says something of a book to both take you away from your harsh reality and yet force you to face it. And lastly, it says something of a book to make you laugh while sobbing. Now, I may show the slightest bias, because ever since I read Looking for Alaska, John Green has been Number One on my Favorite Author List, which is a very big testament toward him, considering I read incessantly.
Note to Author: Now, John Green, though I doubt you’ll ever read this, especially since you’re on tour, (I get to meet you in less than a week!!!) I need to thank you, wholeheartedly, for this masterpiece that you’ve written. I really could never begin to tell you the amount that this book has affected me, my life, and my outlook on life. Your words have inspired me beyond imagination, and they will continue to help me through this sort of shitty time of my life. I thank you so much, John. I can’t wait to meet you (and Hank) in person to tell you both how much you have changed my life for the better.
Rating: ★★★★★
@4 months ago with 4 notes
#The Fault in Our Stars #TFiOS #John Green #5 Star
