I don’t read a lot of horror, nor do I watch a lot of horror, because generally speaking, I’m not the kind of person who derives entertainment or thrills from being scared. A little suspense is great, and I can also handle a pretty good amount of gore, so it’s hard to say what goes from acceptable to nightmare fuel, but in any case, when it gets to be too much, I’m out. So, a book, movie, or show labeled “horror” needs a lot of […]
Beware the gossipy glitter birds
3.5 stars I experienced highs and lows during Reconstructing Amelia, a maybe-maybe-not YA mystery that alternates between the point of view of fifteen-year-old Amelia and her mother following what appears to be Amelia’s suicide at her swanky private high school. As her mother, Kate, tries to make some sense of the details around Amelia’s death, we also go back to Amelia’s life in the months before her death and are treated to the slow reveal of her spiral. The closer Kate gets to the truth, […]
One voice with the burden of representing many in the mainstream YA landscape
I’m going to keep this simple: as much as it was the case with The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian I don’t have it in me to *critique* If I Was Your Girl on the same level as I would a more … normative … book. It’s is very simple, mostly very pleasant, with Amanda, a milquetoast, blank-slate protagonist who wants nothing more than to be liked, to fit in, to have friends, to be confident, to be safe, and to be […]
A story about a flea, and also about how magic and fantasy are taken away from us
The Ocean at the End of the Lane is two things: it’s a fantasy story about a seven year old boy who encounters some terrible, unbelievable things, as well as some wonderful, unbelievable things. It’s also a neat little ode to childhood and commentary on growing up. The unnamed narrator returns to his childhood home, which isn’t even there any longer, to attend a funeral, and finds himself taking a diversionary trip to the farm at the end of the lane. He vaguely remembers there […]
Find out who you are and do it on purpose
3.5 stars Willowdean “Will” Dickson is a teenager in a small town in Texas, with nothing much to recommend it, except being home of the oldest beauty pageant in the state (possibly the country, I don’t remember). The Miss Teen Bluebonnet is a big deal and Will’s mother’s biggest claim to fame is that she won it when she was young, and still fits into the evening dress she wore. She now wears it every year, as she presents the pageant. Will is not skinny […]
“His life was two lives now: the life he would have and the life he would forever wonder about.”
I’ll start this review by giving particular props to the narration on the audiobook. As a newcomer to the world of audiobooks, Beautiful Ruins earned the distinction of being the first where I can honestly say the audio narration elevated the reading/listening experience and did more than just get the job done. I was not surprised when I learned that it won an award for the format in its year of eligibility. So good on you, Edoardo Ballerini. The story is one of those where […]
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