Considering all the hype that Angie Thomas’ debut novel has received, I honestly thought there was no way it could possibly live up to it. I assumed it would be a good book, even a great one, but I didn’t really expect it to leave such a lasting impression or to inspire this level of soul-searching. However, given the incredible reviews this book has gotten, I just had to pick it up and see for myself. Only a couple pages in, and I was hooked. The story starts with Starr feeling out of place at a huge neighbourhood party. Her […]
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kdm's Reviews:
I don’t have to put up with this! I’m rich!
Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
I decided to step outside my comfort zone and pick up Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan in anticipation of the incredibly-cast movie coming out this year. (Constance Wu in ALL of the things!) After a brief prologue story to set up just how crazy rich these families are, we get to our main characters: Nick Young and Rachel Chu, enjoying their relatively simple lives in New York City. Two professors at NYU (history and economics, respectively), they’ve been dating for 2 years when Nick invites Rachel to spend the summer with him in Asia, where he will be best […]
It’s a Tide ad.
Slammed in the Butt by My Handsome Laundry Detergent Pod by Chuck Tingle
A new year, a new Tingler. (NSFW OBVS) What in seven hells possessed me to start this tradition? But in fairness, how could I possibly resist THIS: So our story begins with Greg Henderson speeding down a desert highway, cool wind in his hair, warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air. (I assume this applies to desert highways in Arizona as well as California). As Greg hustles to get to a big car show, he makes sure to let the reader know that he’s not just some loser. His car “…isn’t an extension of some lacking self-esteem…”, but […]
I’d rather spend one minute holding you than the rest of my life knowing that I never could
Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon
I was wary of reading another YA romance-du-jour, as I find that some of them are just too cliché, though this could be a side-effect of not being in the target age demographic. But I read so many absolutely glowing reviews for the movie adaptation of Everything, Everything that I had to check out the book first. And dude. DUUUUUUDE. This book is incredible. The book starts by throwing you right into the daily existence of Madeline F. Whittier, as she describes her love of reading, even if those books must always be brand new and shrink-wrapped. Madeline […]
Once you name it, you start getting attached to it!
Attachments by Rainbow Rowell
I’ll admit, I was late to the party – everyone was already gushing wildly about Rainbow Rowell, especially the YA love story Eleanor & Park, by the time I finally picked up one of her books. There’s just something about THAT much effusive praise that makes me wary. But then I read the blurb for Fan Girl, and I just couldn’t deny my interest anymore. Of course, just as so many have fallen before me, once I read one of her books, I immediately had to buy them all, while cursing my contrarian nature for depriving me of the Rowell […]
It will be nice working with proper villains again
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Not gonna lie, I first picked up this book based purely on the cover and those gorgeous black edges: Seriously, it’s one of the most beautiful books I’ve seen in a while. But every time I picked it up in store, I hesitated to buy it based on the fact that it’s set in the same world as Bardugo’s previous Grisha trilogy, which I haven’t read yet. So instead I bought Shadow and Bone – the first in that series and recommended by pretty much the ENTIRE internet. And it was…ok? I didn’t hate it, but for some reason it […]
Fortunately, I am mighty!
Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman
IT’S HERE! IT’S HERE!! IT’S FINALLY HERE!!! *Ahem* Apologies, but I have a lot of feelings about Neil Gaiman’s books, and it seems like this one was announced 742 years ago. However, I got my hands on it a week and half before the official release date, because I’m bullshit lucky and someone at my local bookstore put it on the shelves early. One of my favourite books in recent years was Philip Pullman’s retelling of some classic fairy tales, Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm, and I was hoping this book would take a similar approach – namely, staying […]
Look at that fluffy unicorn! It’s so fluffy, I could die!
Fake News, Real Boners by Chuck Tingle
Warning: DEFINITELY NSFW, and all of the spoilers. In keeping with tradition, I decided to start CBR9 off with a bang…or at least, a Tingle. As I’ve already covered 2 of author Chuck Tingle’s preferred 4 types of erotica (living objects and dinosaurs), I figured that it was time to grab this one by the horn. I swear this gets harder every year. …Dammit. What I mean is that these books are getting more and more difficult to swallow. OH FFS. Our story opens with “If you ask someone who their favorite writer is, most will immediately jump to the classics of […]