3.5 stars Miles Halter doesn’t really have any friends in his Florida high school and persuades his parents to send him to the same boarding school in Alabama that his father once attended. When he gets there, he is quickly included in the already established circle of friends including his roommate Chip, usually referred to as the Colonel; the intense and unpredictable Alaska, whom Miles falls in love with pretty much at first sight; and Takumi, who seems like the most sane of the group. […]
I think the book should have been about Ben or Radar instead
Quentin “Q” Jacobsen is a fairly average, if overly anxious teenager. He has lived next door to Margo Roth Spiegelman for most of his life, and been in love with her for as long as he can remember. Margo is one of the most popular girls in school, has a nearly legendary reputation. Of course, she also barely seems to know that Quentin or his friends Ben and Radar exist, but that doesn’t stop Quentin from dreaming of her from afar. So when Margo climbs […]
The secrets that we keep
4.5 stars I can’t believe it’s been nearly a month since I read this book. Because of my massive backlog, I’m going to resort to my favourite short-cut, stealing the blurb from Goodreads: A murder…a tragic accident…or just parents behaving badly? What’s indisputable is that someone is dead. But who did what? Big Little Lies follows three women, each at a crossroads: Madeline is a force to be reckoned with. She’s funny and biting, passionate, she remembers everything and forgives no one. Her ex-husband and […]
Existentialism and friendship in contemporary Japan
This novel was my first taste of Murakami, and while I found it a fascinating (and not Japan-specific) foray into the minds of 20-30 somethings, I found Murakami’s story rather emotionally chilly. Of course, any book which devotes at least half of its pages to death, death wishes, and repressed sexual urges, is bound to be more than a little chilly, even downright depressing, but the book is saved by a combination of sometimes lovely prose, a mystery that kept me turning pages almost despite […]
Books Set in Australia are Best on Audiobook
I recently listened to the audiobook of Liane Moriarty’s Big Little Lies, and it was wonderful. First, I love Australian accents, and I could happily listen to the narrator all day. Second, the book is just so dang well written . The relationships between all the characters is just wonderfully depicted, and I love how distinct the narrators’ three voices are. After finishing this, I had to immediately go out and get more of Moriarty’s books.
Objectivity is for the weak.
I’m going to try hard to be objective and coherent in this review, but I make no promises because I love this book to a ridiculous degree and it’s hard not to just post, “ZOMG I LOVE IT, READ IT AND TALK ABOUT THE FEEEEEEELS WITH ME.” But since I really do want people to read this book (and the rest of the series!), I will give coherency a go. Blue Sargent is sixteen years old and the only girl born into her family with […]