Instead of writing post after post of reviews of books I read over the Christmas break I decided to do a single post, giving a brief description and a rating out of five for each one. Shorter, sweeter and gets me into the habit of not rambling. To the point. Abrupt. Etc. I read these over December and early January.
Numero uno:
The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Rating: Four (and a bit) out of five.
All about the illusion of living vs the reality. A book about 'society'. A 'self absorbed decadence' is a phrase I read somewhere that I thought rang really true to this book. It's stark and brilliant. It's teeny tiny, a novella really, and written beautifully. Eloquent. Read this book. And in all honesty, Baz Lurhman did a great job on the new film. But I might just be biased because I have an immense crush on Baz Lurhman's films anyway. I didn't think I'd like 'The Great Gatsby'. But I did. Because it wasn't pretentious, affected or egotistical. Some of the characters were, but the book was not. It was just magic.
Read it to the end, just for those last couple of lines.
The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Rating: Four (and a bit) out of five.
All about the illusion of living vs the reality. A book about 'society'. A 'self absorbed decadence' is a phrase I read somewhere that I thought rang really true to this book. It's stark and brilliant. It's teeny tiny, a novella really, and written beautifully. Eloquent. Read this book. And in all honesty, Baz Lurhman did a great job on the new film. But I might just be biased because I have an immense crush on Baz Lurhman's films anyway. I didn't think I'd like 'The Great Gatsby'. But I did. Because it wasn't pretentious, affected or egotistical. Some of the characters were, but the book was not. It was just magic.
Read it to the end, just for those last couple of lines.
Number two:
The Fault In Our Stars, John Green
Rating: Four out of five.
I read this book becasue it's one that goes on 'walkabouts' often at my library (basically it get's stolen) and it's all the students at my school can talk about. It's all they request. It's all they want to read. "John Green" this and "John Green" that and "OHMYGOD you know John Green?!"
The Fault In Our Stars, John Green
Rating: Four out of five.
I read this book becasue it's one that goes on 'walkabouts' often at my library (basically it get's stolen) and it's all the students at my school can talk about. It's all they request. It's all they want to read. "John Green" this and "John Green" that and "OHMYGOD you know John Green?!"
So I decided to see what all the fuss was about.
It's depressing and really good. That's kind of all I can say without giving any of the plot away. Hazel has a terminal lung cancer and meets Augustus at this cancer kid support group. So it's kind of a teen romance novel but the twist is that neither of these kids will live for very long. I can see why the kids at school love it. It's written well and seems well researched and isn't too 'fluffy' about any of the cancer stuff. It is honest and blunt. Why only four out of five? I sort of loved the characters and sort of felt they were ever so slighly too...I don't even know. Hipster? For want of a better word. Maybe I'm just getting old (THE HORROR). I really like the idea that was given, that even when Hazel gets her 'wish' (a charity in the book grants wishes to termanilly ill children), it isn't all it's cracked up to be. More reality. The plot doesn't pity their illness and I think Hazel (and the reader) like it that way.
It didn't make me cry and I feel like it should have done. Maybe I've read worse, or maybe I've just got a heart of stone.
It's depressing and really good. That's kind of all I can say without giving any of the plot away. Hazel has a terminal lung cancer and meets Augustus at this cancer kid support group. So it's kind of a teen romance novel but the twist is that neither of these kids will live for very long. I can see why the kids at school love it. It's written well and seems well researched and isn't too 'fluffy' about any of the cancer stuff. It is honest and blunt. Why only four out of five? I sort of loved the characters and sort of felt they were ever so slighly too...I don't even know. Hipster? For want of a better word. Maybe I'm just getting old (THE HORROR). I really like the idea that was given, that even when Hazel gets her 'wish' (a charity in the book grants wishes to termanilly ill children), it isn't all it's cracked up to be. More reality. The plot doesn't pity their illness and I think Hazel (and the reader) like it that way.
It didn't make me cry and I feel like it should have done. Maybe I've read worse, or maybe I've just got a heart of stone.
Tres:
Maddaddam, Margaret Atwood
Rating: Five out of five. And so much more.
I finally got a copy! Many thanks to my Mum and Dad! (For my comments on the previous books in this 'series', and general Atwood lovin', see my review of 'The Year Of The Flood').
Maddaddam, Margaret Atwood
Rating: Five out of five. And so much more.
I finally got a copy! Many thanks to my Mum and Dad! (For my comments on the previous books in this 'series', and general Atwood lovin', see my review of 'The Year Of The Flood').
What can I say,? She finished off the trilogy so, so perfectly. It didn't always necessarily end well but it definitely ended. I felt satisfied, even if a bit sad. She doesn't give the whole game away about the future of the survivors, but she rounded off the characters lives we all knew so well by then, Toby, Zeb, Adam etc, very eloquently and movingly. I cannot sing this woman's praises enough. It was nice to hear more from the Crakers perspective (a peaceful species we were introduced to way back in the previous books that have been bio-engineered to replace humans) and understand their flaws and characters. She makes you think - and as I've said before, the books that can do that, are worth reading over and over. I could literally start reading the series over again right now. Anyone who hasn't had the pleasure, go buy/beg/borrow a copy of Oryx and Crake and begin this journey.
I'm sorry for the lack of posts recently. Lack of a laptop/internet and moving around a lot over the Christmas period hasn't left much time for me to do much here. More posts soon!
Over and out.
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