Hey everyone!
In terms of books, here's what I've read more-or-less recently, and how I rate it.
Heroes of Olympus: House of Hades
Author: Rick Riordan
This spinoff series to the Percy Jackson and the Olympians books just keeps getting better and better. This fourth instalment in the series charts Percy and Annabeth's journey through Tartarus, while simultaneously following the adventures of Piper, Jason, Leo, Nico, Hazel and Frank as they attempt to reach the Doors of Death and close them for good.
Key points to note about this book:
1. Gay rights is rapidly becoming a cause that many authors are championing. ***SPOILER ALERT!*** Nico Di Angelo's homosexuality addresses this issue and takes the book from an easy read to something with real depth, something definitely more YA than the book's predecessors.
2. Percy and Annabeth's love for each other. You'll have to read it to understand, but Riordan's "Percy" POV conveys his love for Annabeth without the flowery language everyone tends to associate with love stories.
3. It's very Disney in the way that the characters always find their way out of bad situations. However, right up till they get out, you will be on the edge of your seat. It's that intense.
My rating: I'm pretty liberal with my ratings so I'm going to give this a 5/5! I was really impressed. Definitely something I'll re-read, just for comfort.
Ostrich
Author: Matt Greene
After The Fault In Our Stars and other successful John Greene novels, we had high expectations for Matt Greene's debut novel Ostrich. From the synopsis, it seemed like exactly the kind of book I could appreciate, and something in the same vein as TFIOS with the characters having to deal with tragedy.
The story is written from the perspective of Alex, a 12-year-old boy recovering from brain surgery. Written in a non-linear, slightly disjointed pattern, readers of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time will be able to see clear similarities between the protagonists of the two books.
Key Points:
1. THIS IS NOT A BOOK FOR CHILDREN. I cannot stress this enough, so please take my advice when I say that to any parents reading this, this is not for your pre-teen or early teen child. I'm seventeen, and I know for a fact that my mother would not want me to be reading this. The book is written from the point of view of a 12-year-old boy and it includes every aspect of his life. This means that the novel includes and addresses wet dreams, pornography, infidelity etc., in quite explicit detail.
2. Personally, I did not like the ending of the book. I read through the entire book convinced that eventually, somehow, all the weird little tangents in Alex's head would line up and create some huge revelation that would change my life. However, the book disappointed in terms of conclusion. I'm still not sure what happened at the end, and I spent a while obsessively Googling it for answers, but I came up blank.
3. This review is coming up pretty negative so far, but there were plenty of good things about it. For example, every now and then, the book has charming little misspellings ("I already know what it's like to feel ostrichized, which is a better word for excluded (because ostriches can't fly, so they often feel left out)." Alex often goes off on tangents (in his head (like this (using the brackets, I mean (Alex prefers calling them parentheses)))) which are quite interesting to read, but they do get distracting and tiring after a while.
4. This book is humourous. It really, actually is funny and had me laughing out loud quite a few times. For example: "(The hat accent on top of the A is called a circumflex. It indicates that something is missing. I think a hat always indicates this.)"
5. Alright, so there weren't "plenty" of good things about the novel. Quite frankly, I doubt I'll read it again. At least, not for a while. Perhaps I'll re-read if I feel like I need to understand the ending. I was pretty excited about this novel, which could be the reason I was so disappointed at the end.
My rating: I give this book a 3/5. It was interesting and fairly engaging but ultimately I thought it was a bit of a waste of time.
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and The End of the World
Author: Haruki Murakami
I actually have nothing to say. This book was incredible, beautiful, insane, mind-boggling. When I was finally done reading (I think it took me over a month to finish it, because I couldn't handle more than five pages at a time) I felt like my brain had turned into soup. I can't even explain what it's about because it's simultaneously about so many things while actually being about nothing. Prepare to read about unicorns, about carnivorous, sewer-dwelling subterranean creatures, about Japanese cuisine, about sex, about what it's like to live your last day on Earth.
This sci-fi novel is a work of creative genius, in my opinion. It's sci-fi without being overwhelmingly so (which is a good thing because I really don't like sci-fi). Murakami's imagination is actual insanity. I have never read anything like this, ever.
Please read this. But don't make the mistake of thinking you'll finish this in two days. It's a difficult read, and it takes a lot out of you, but when you're done and your brain has melted, it will all be worth it. You will need patience, dedication and an open mind. Opening this book is less like reading something new and more like starting an exhausting project. But I promise you, your mind will be blown.
My rating: I give this a 4.5 out of 5. It's crazy, bewildering, intense. Sometimes filled with too many complicated concepts. Definitely recommended!
That's all for now, guys! It's been a while since I posted anything because reviews honestly are a huge time investment, but I'm attempting to get more serious about blogging in general.
anything to say? leave a comment.
The story is written from the perspective of Alex, a 12-year-old boy recovering from brain surgery. Written in a non-linear, slightly disjointed pattern, readers of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time will be able to see clear similarities between the protagonists of the two books.
Key Points:
1. THIS IS NOT A BOOK FOR CHILDREN. I cannot stress this enough, so please take my advice when I say that to any parents reading this, this is not for your pre-teen or early teen child. I'm seventeen, and I know for a fact that my mother would not want me to be reading this. The book is written from the point of view of a 12-year-old boy and it includes every aspect of his life. This means that the novel includes and addresses wet dreams, pornography, infidelity etc., in quite explicit detail.
2. Personally, I did not like the ending of the book. I read through the entire book convinced that eventually, somehow, all the weird little tangents in Alex's head would line up and create some huge revelation that would change my life. However, the book disappointed in terms of conclusion. I'm still not sure what happened at the end, and I spent a while obsessively Googling it for answers, but I came up blank.
3. This review is coming up pretty negative so far, but there were plenty of good things about it. For example, every now and then, the book has charming little misspellings ("I already know what it's like to feel ostrichized, which is a better word for excluded (because ostriches can't fly, so they often feel left out)." Alex often goes off on tangents (in his head (like this (using the brackets, I mean (Alex prefers calling them parentheses)))) which are quite interesting to read, but they do get distracting and tiring after a while.
4. This book is humourous. It really, actually is funny and had me laughing out loud quite a few times. For example: "(The hat accent on top of the A is called a circumflex. It indicates that something is missing. I think a hat always indicates this.)"
5. Alright, so there weren't "plenty" of good things about the novel. Quite frankly, I doubt I'll read it again. At least, not for a while. Perhaps I'll re-read if I feel like I need to understand the ending. I was pretty excited about this novel, which could be the reason I was so disappointed at the end.
My rating: I give this book a 3/5. It was interesting and fairly engaging but ultimately I thought it was a bit of a waste of time.
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and The End of the World
Author: Haruki Murakami
I actually have nothing to say. This book was incredible, beautiful, insane, mind-boggling. When I was finally done reading (I think it took me over a month to finish it, because I couldn't handle more than five pages at a time) I felt like my brain had turned into soup. I can't even explain what it's about because it's simultaneously about so many things while actually being about nothing. Prepare to read about unicorns, about carnivorous, sewer-dwelling subterranean creatures, about Japanese cuisine, about sex, about what it's like to live your last day on Earth.
This sci-fi novel is a work of creative genius, in my opinion. It's sci-fi without being overwhelmingly so (which is a good thing because I really don't like sci-fi). Murakami's imagination is actual insanity. I have never read anything like this, ever.
Please read this. But don't make the mistake of thinking you'll finish this in two days. It's a difficult read, and it takes a lot out of you, but when you're done and your brain has melted, it will all be worth it. You will need patience, dedication and an open mind. Opening this book is less like reading something new and more like starting an exhausting project. But I promise you, your mind will be blown.
My rating: I give this a 4.5 out of 5. It's crazy, bewildering, intense. Sometimes filled with too many complicated concepts. Definitely recommended!
That's all for now, guys! It's been a while since I posted anything because reviews honestly are a huge time investment, but I'm attempting to get more serious about blogging in general.
anything to say? leave a comment.
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