Hey y'all!
So, a few days ago, I contently finished Room by Emma Donoghue. I've been wanting to read it for a while, hearing the news of the upcoming film adaptation of the book starring Brie Larson as Ma. I can't watch the trailer without getting choked up!
So, how was this book? Is it really worth seeing the movie?
The answer is yes. Yes yes yes yes.
A quick synopsis of Room: The story is told by Jack, a five year old boy and his mother, whom we only know as Ma. Jack and Ma are confined to a eleven-by-eleven shed they call "Room". Room is all Jack knows, all because he's never stepped foot outside of it. The story takes a dramatic turn when Ma makes a proposal- and Jack doesn't know how he feels about it.
Oh my sprinkles. This book was impossible to put down. I read it in less than three days. I'm in love with Room beyond words. Donoghue portrays life through a five year old's eyes fabulously. I'm currently writing a novel told from the perspective of a nine year old girl, and even that's hard! She makes it seem as though a little boy sat down at the computer and wrote it. She gives Jack such personality- it's impossible not to fall in love with him.
Donoghue shows the unbreakable bond between Ma and Jack without even saying it. Ma never once tells Jack that she loves him- and it's not necessary. Donoghue vividly shows the immense amount of love Ma has for Jack between the lines. Room is merely centered around the bond the pair holds, and it's tear jerking.
In conclusion, Room is a masterpiece of it's own, flecked with it's own originality and character. Donoghue is a literary saint when it comes to writing a novel in a tricky perspective. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good drama with suspense, and not to mention a book that will hit you right in the feels.
Yours,
Rylie
Showing posts with label Adult. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Adult. Show all posts
Thursday, November 5, 2015
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Horror or bore?
Here's my only negative review ever-
Recently, I finished The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson. This true story tells the terrifying tale of the most infamous haunting of all time: Amityville, New York in 1975. This novel follows the all too true tale about a young family who moves into a new house that's seemingly perfect and fits all their needs. But that's until the discover that mysterious, horrible murders had taken place there before they moved in. The family then discovers that their once perfect house is now infested by ghosts. They remain in denial that it's just their imaginations; that's until the supernatural phenomenons worsen.
I, frankly, was a bit disappointed by Amityville. The true story itself is incredibly fascinating, but the way Anson describes it almost takes away from the story. I dove into Amityville expecting to be scared sockless, but I ended the book with a sense of "Really? That's it?". A major problem with the book is one word- Fluff. Anson drowns the story in irrelevant fluff and boring content that takes away from the story. Anson constantly stuffed unneeded content between the margins that just only stretched the story longer and added no emphasis. I was also disappointed by the important parts, like the major happenings in the haunting. I'm a chicken. I hate horror movies and ghosts. But Amityville didn't scare me. Anson could've exaggerated those parts a little more. This may sound cruel, but I honestly think Anson used the exclamation point to it's death. That's the only emphasis he ever used. Wrong kind of emphasis, if you ask me!
In conclusion, Amityville neither horrified nor haunted me, unlike the unfortunate family's home in the story. Even the recent film adaptation starring dreamy Ryan Reynolds butchered the story line (I believe the director only threw in shirtless scene just to liven up the plot. Who said I was complaining?), which doesn't make my saltiness for the story lessen. I honestly believe that Anson could have defined the ever-so intriguing story more. I might say that the story didn't scare me, but I didn't mention that a few parts shudder their way through my mind in the middle of the night, like the horrifying fact that this wasn't made up. Needless to say, the overall idea of the Amityville haunting still leaves me questioning whether my home was built on a ancient Indian site for torture and if my house is infested with pig-faced demons. Well, looks like I'll be sleeping fabulously tonight!
Yours,
Rylie
Recently, I finished The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson. This true story tells the terrifying tale of the most infamous haunting of all time: Amityville, New York in 1975. This novel follows the all too true tale about a young family who moves into a new house that's seemingly perfect and fits all their needs. But that's until the discover that mysterious, horrible murders had taken place there before they moved in. The family then discovers that their once perfect house is now infested by ghosts. They remain in denial that it's just their imaginations; that's until the supernatural phenomenons worsen.
I, frankly, was a bit disappointed by Amityville. The true story itself is incredibly fascinating, but the way Anson describes it almost takes away from the story. I dove into Amityville expecting to be scared sockless, but I ended the book with a sense of "Really? That's it?". A major problem with the book is one word- Fluff. Anson drowns the story in irrelevant fluff and boring content that takes away from the story. Anson constantly stuffed unneeded content between the margins that just only stretched the story longer and added no emphasis. I was also disappointed by the important parts, like the major happenings in the haunting. I'm a chicken. I hate horror movies and ghosts. But Amityville didn't scare me. Anson could've exaggerated those parts a little more. This may sound cruel, but I honestly think Anson used the exclamation point to it's death. That's the only emphasis he ever used. Wrong kind of emphasis, if you ask me!
In conclusion, Amityville neither horrified nor haunted me, unlike the unfortunate family's home in the story. Even the recent film adaptation starring dreamy Ryan Reynolds butchered the story line (I believe the director only threw in shirtless scene just to liven up the plot. Who said I was complaining?), which doesn't make my saltiness for the story lessen. I honestly believe that Anson could have defined the ever-so intriguing story more. I might say that the story didn't scare me, but I didn't mention that a few parts shudder their way through my mind in the middle of the night, like the horrifying fact that this wasn't made up. Needless to say, the overall idea of the Amityville haunting still leaves me questioning whether my home was built on a ancient Indian site for torture and if my house is infested with pig-faced demons. Well, looks like I'll be sleeping fabulously tonight!
Yours,
Rylie
Sunday, October 18, 2015
Rylie's review for "The Road"
So, I recently finished The Road by Cormac McCarthy. Here's my input;
The Road is a critically acclaimed, multi award winning novel that follows the story of an unnamed father and son wandering through what the reader can only assume is post-apocalyptic America. McCarthy stresses on multiple levels that the world is "ashen and grey" from what we can only guess was the aftermath of a nuclear war. McCarthy demonstrates the micro family's struggle to survive in the wasteland that is now America.
I was left stunned, horrified, but mainly captivated by this novel. McCarthy is a phenomenal writer beyond words, and his descriptions of what this father and son must endure leave you gritting your teeth. McCarthy has a particular writing style, one that gives this novel an eerie essence to the story line. He lacks the typically essential quotation marks in his writing, which usually would be a writing sin. In this case, it only adds to vibe he's giving off.
Overall, I loved this novel, as dark and as gloomy as it is. I highly recommend this book to anyone with a love for Dystopian based novels. This one, however, holds a deep sense of reality that leaves you with lingering thoughts about it even after you finish it. Five stars, for sure!
The Road is a critically acclaimed, multi award winning novel that follows the story of an unnamed father and son wandering through what the reader can only assume is post-apocalyptic America. McCarthy stresses on multiple levels that the world is "ashen and grey" from what we can only guess was the aftermath of a nuclear war. McCarthy demonstrates the micro family's struggle to survive in the wasteland that is now America.
I was left stunned, horrified, but mainly captivated by this novel. McCarthy is a phenomenal writer beyond words, and his descriptions of what this father and son must endure leave you gritting your teeth. McCarthy has a particular writing style, one that gives this novel an eerie essence to the story line. He lacks the typically essential quotation marks in his writing, which usually would be a writing sin. In this case, it only adds to vibe he's giving off.
Overall, I loved this novel, as dark and as gloomy as it is. I highly recommend this book to anyone with a love for Dystopian based novels. This one, however, holds a deep sense of reality that leaves you with lingering thoughts about it even after you finish it. Five stars, for sure!
Saturday, October 17, 2015
Bringing Humanity Back
Hey, again! I have also recently finished Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. She was selected as a finalist for the Pen Faulkner Award and as the Michigan read by the Michigan Humanities Council (or something like that, I can't remember the exact names). I also had the chance to meet her in person and go to a reading for this book. It was wonderful and I was super awkward but she was the first author I met in person and I got my first book signed!
Here's my overview:
Jeevan Chaudhary is a EMT in training. He has his whole life ahead of him with his cranky girlfriend and a quiet life in Toronto, Canada. He is quietly sitting in the audience of a performance of King Lear when the famous actor Arthur Leander collapses on stage of a heart attack. Wanting to help, Jeevan rushes on stage and attempts to save Arthur's life but to no avail. That night the flu swept through the city and the rest of the world, causing civilization to come to a grinding halt within a matter of weeks.
Twenty-six years later, pockets of humanity remain alive and functioning. A troupe of musicians and actors move through what was formerly northern Michigan and Canada performing Shakespeare's treasured works. They are called the Traveling Symphony and they bring happiness and distraction to the cities they visit, providing a brief respite from the harsh world they now live in. When the Symphony arrives in St. Deborah by the Water, a city they had been hitting in their route for years, they find that it has changed drastically. A man who claims he is a prophet runs the city now and threatens the way of life for the small band of travelers.
Alright! I really liked this novel and am glad I got to experience so much along with it. Unlike other dystopian novels, Station Eleven focuses more on the recuperation of civilization and the factor of the live/performing arts. It's a great twist on something that has been quite hot in the past couple of years (oh, hey, The Hunger Games and Divergent). There are three different stories that go on within the novel; one takes place pre-plague and two post-plague. I really liked Jeevan's story though I wish I had gotten more of it to read about it. I also liked all that had to do with the Symphony. I love the idea that someone would keep going on with music and acting and that not everything would die out. I do wonder what would stay and what would go in the event that humans were pretty much wiped out. Another good aspect of this novel is that Mandel doesn't dive into any political theories or environmental stances, I think that would take a lot away from what the main focus of the novel. It is a very hopeful novel, especially the ending. I thought it was an okay ending, but many other people that I've spoken with thought it fit it perfectly. I can definitely see that because it's an extremely positive note it ends on. Overall, it was well written and I loved seeing how all three stories intertwined. That was my favorite part, I think.
Okay, happy reading!
Sophie
Here's my overview:
Jeevan Chaudhary is a EMT in training. He has his whole life ahead of him with his cranky girlfriend and a quiet life in Toronto, Canada. He is quietly sitting in the audience of a performance of King Lear when the famous actor Arthur Leander collapses on stage of a heart attack. Wanting to help, Jeevan rushes on stage and attempts to save Arthur's life but to no avail. That night the flu swept through the city and the rest of the world, causing civilization to come to a grinding halt within a matter of weeks.
Twenty-six years later, pockets of humanity remain alive and functioning. A troupe of musicians and actors move through what was formerly northern Michigan and Canada performing Shakespeare's treasured works. They are called the Traveling Symphony and they bring happiness and distraction to the cities they visit, providing a brief respite from the harsh world they now live in. When the Symphony arrives in St. Deborah by the Water, a city they had been hitting in their route for years, they find that it has changed drastically. A man who claims he is a prophet runs the city now and threatens the way of life for the small band of travelers.
Alright! I really liked this novel and am glad I got to experience so much along with it. Unlike other dystopian novels, Station Eleven focuses more on the recuperation of civilization and the factor of the live/performing arts. It's a great twist on something that has been quite hot in the past couple of years (oh, hey, The Hunger Games and Divergent). There are three different stories that go on within the novel; one takes place pre-plague and two post-plague. I really liked Jeevan's story though I wish I had gotten more of it to read about it. I also liked all that had to do with the Symphony. I love the idea that someone would keep going on with music and acting and that not everything would die out. I do wonder what would stay and what would go in the event that humans were pretty much wiped out. Another good aspect of this novel is that Mandel doesn't dive into any political theories or environmental stances, I think that would take a lot away from what the main focus of the novel. It is a very hopeful novel, especially the ending. I thought it was an okay ending, but many other people that I've spoken with thought it fit it perfectly. I can definitely see that because it's an extremely positive note it ends on. Overall, it was well written and I loved seeing how all three stories intertwined. That was my favorite part, I think.
Okay, happy reading!
Sophie
Sunday, August 16, 2015
A Long Lost Book
Hiiiii! Okay so my sister ordered me this off Amazon for me and when it came in the mail I literally squealed. I have been waiting anxiously since the announced publication. Especially since I love Harper Lee. Enough to name one of my cats after her. (She's adorable btw.) Go Set a Watchman has been my long-awaited book for a long time now and I was so excited to read it. I had to bring it with me to band camp so I could finish it and I finished after lights out (I'm a hard-core rebel, I know) and it was so good. Except the ending I was a little let down about. Whatever.
Here's my overview:
Jean Louise "Scout" Finch is twenty-six years old and on her way back to Maycomb for a visit from New York. Things are starting to stir up and trouble is brewing in her beloved town. During her visit she discovers things about her past she never knew about and has revelations about people she holds dearly.
Sorry for the short description but I don't want to reveal to much and that's about as much what the book jacket gives you.
I really am kind of undecided on this one. I really love To Kill a Mockingbird and my sister loves it so much she named her first daughter after Scout. This took the characters I love and my preconceived notions about them and turned them on their heads. Remember this is set in the 1950s so the American Civil Rights movement is just starting to stir up trouble, especially the NAACP. *Just a note; the NAACP was and is an African-American special interest group. They helped Rosa Parks with her case and took several legal cases to the Supreme Court like Brown v. Board of Education which declared separate schools were not equal in quality and started to upend segregation's mentality of "separate but equal." (Forgive me for the brief history lesson, I took U. S. History last year and thought a little background into the story might help.)* Anyway, back to the book! So Scout discovers things about herself and we are kind of surprised at her naivety at some things but I still liked her. I wanted to smack her in the back half of the book but nevertheless she absolved herself in the end. Two new characters are introduced in this book too. Okay, Uncle Jack isn't new but he is a more developed character and I liked that. He was a really cool old guy. We also meet a love interest for Scout but throughout the novel she refuses to marry him. Which was interesting to me but I could see her reasoning a bit but she was really hard on him. I am not exactly where their relationship is at the end of the novel and wish there was little bit more specificity in the matter. We also get to see Atticus again but as an old man. I actually liked the new facet of Atticus's character because it shows that we can't idolize people. As John Green says in Paper Towns, "What a treacherous thing to believe a person is more than a person." Very powerful words I would say, don't you think?
Okay, okay, I'll get off my soap box now. Happy reading!
Sophie :)
Here's my overview:
Jean Louise "Scout" Finch is twenty-six years old and on her way back to Maycomb for a visit from New York. Things are starting to stir up and trouble is brewing in her beloved town. During her visit she discovers things about her past she never knew about and has revelations about people she holds dearly.
Sorry for the short description but I don't want to reveal to much and that's about as much what the book jacket gives you.
I really am kind of undecided on this one. I really love To Kill a Mockingbird and my sister loves it so much she named her first daughter after Scout. This took the characters I love and my preconceived notions about them and turned them on their heads. Remember this is set in the 1950s so the American Civil Rights movement is just starting to stir up trouble, especially the NAACP. *Just a note; the NAACP was and is an African-American special interest group. They helped Rosa Parks with her case and took several legal cases to the Supreme Court like Brown v. Board of Education which declared separate schools were not equal in quality and started to upend segregation's mentality of "separate but equal." (Forgive me for the brief history lesson, I took U. S. History last year and thought a little background into the story might help.)* Anyway, back to the book! So Scout discovers things about herself and we are kind of surprised at her naivety at some things but I still liked her. I wanted to smack her in the back half of the book but nevertheless she absolved herself in the end. Two new characters are introduced in this book too. Okay, Uncle Jack isn't new but he is a more developed character and I liked that. He was a really cool old guy. We also meet a love interest for Scout but throughout the novel she refuses to marry him. Which was interesting to me but I could see her reasoning a bit but she was really hard on him. I am not exactly where their relationship is at the end of the novel and wish there was little bit more specificity in the matter. We also get to see Atticus again but as an old man. I actually liked the new facet of Atticus's character because it shows that we can't idolize people. As John Green says in Paper Towns, "What a treacherous thing to believe a person is more than a person." Very powerful words I would say, don't you think?
Okay, okay, I'll get off my soap box now. Happy reading!
Sophie :)
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
If You Could Tell Your Younger Self Something...
Hi there! I've been trying to write as I read and honestly, since it's summer, I've been eating my way through books and constantly am always picking up new books before I've even finished the stack I brought in. Today I finished the last audiobook I checked out from our wonderful library and therefore decided to bring back 3 more because why not, right?
Anywhoo, I just finished Landline by Rainbow Rowell. (I love her, I must read all of her novels.) I liked it throughout the entire thing. (Though after just finishing I'll Give You the Sun it was super hard not to compare Rowell's to that one. But still, it was good in its own way.)
Here's my summary:
Georgie McCool is a successful, independent, eccentric, married woman in her late thirties. She has built her career as a tv script writer with her best friend, Seth, whom she has known since her freshman year in college at UCLA. She is undeniably in love with her husband Neal and their two daughters, Alice and Numi (full name: Naomi). Since they had gotten married, Georgie has known how her career, her lifestyle grates on Neal's nerves. After 14 years of this, their marriage is on the rocks and when Georgie gets her big break - her own show with Seth - she has to take it. But in choosing this, she has to skip Christmas in Omaha with Neal and the girls at her in-law's. When she suggests they skip it this year, Georgie knew Neal would be angry - but she was not prepared for him to pack up with the girls and leave her in LA. Faced with spending the holiday alone to get ready for her important meeting she ends up at her mother's house. In an attempt to contact Neal, she has to rely on a clunky old landline and ends up getting him... 15 years earlier. Is this a sign? Is she supposed to fix her marriage before it even happens?
Okay!! So it was super great. I really did like it a lot. It was filed in the library under the 'Adult' section but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle (I'm in high school). It reminded me of the novel Gimme a Call by Sarah Mlynowski, in which the main character Devi breaks her phone and it inevitably calls her own number 4 years before. Rowell writes dialogue really well. I like to hear books especially because of the different intonations of the characters' voices.I can't wait to read Carry On and Attachments by Rowell. Oh my goodness I'm quite in love with her writing.
Alright, I'll let you go now.
Happy reading!!
Sophie :)
Anywhoo, I just finished Landline by Rainbow Rowell. (I love her, I must read all of her novels.) I liked it throughout the entire thing. (Though after just finishing I'll Give You the Sun it was super hard not to compare Rowell's to that one. But still, it was good in its own way.)
Here's my summary:
Georgie McCool is a successful, independent, eccentric, married woman in her late thirties. She has built her career as a tv script writer with her best friend, Seth, whom she has known since her freshman year in college at UCLA. She is undeniably in love with her husband Neal and their two daughters, Alice and Numi (full name: Naomi). Since they had gotten married, Georgie has known how her career, her lifestyle grates on Neal's nerves. After 14 years of this, their marriage is on the rocks and when Georgie gets her big break - her own show with Seth - she has to take it. But in choosing this, she has to skip Christmas in Omaha with Neal and the girls at her in-law's. When she suggests they skip it this year, Georgie knew Neal would be angry - but she was not prepared for him to pack up with the girls and leave her in LA. Faced with spending the holiday alone to get ready for her important meeting she ends up at her mother's house. In an attempt to contact Neal, she has to rely on a clunky old landline and ends up getting him... 15 years earlier. Is this a sign? Is she supposed to fix her marriage before it even happens?
Okay!! So it was super great. I really did like it a lot. It was filed in the library under the 'Adult' section but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle (I'm in high school). It reminded me of the novel Gimme a Call by Sarah Mlynowski, in which the main character Devi breaks her phone and it inevitably calls her own number 4 years before. Rowell writes dialogue really well. I like to hear books especially because of the different intonations of the characters' voices.I can't wait to read Carry On and Attachments by Rowell. Oh my goodness I'm quite in love with her writing.
Alright, I'll let you go now.
Happy reading!!
Sophie :)
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