Book Review | Anthem by Ayn Rand

“My happiness is not the means to any end. It is the end. It is its own goal. It is its own purpose.” 

Title: Anthem

Author: Ayn Rand

Series: Standalone

Format: Paperback (Borrowed)

Genre: Dystopian

Goodreads

SPOILER FREE

Blurb:

He lived in the dark ages of the future. In a loveless world, he dared to fall in love. In an age that had lost all trace of science and civilization, he had the courage to seek and find knowledge. But these were not the crimes for which he would be hunted. He was marked for death because he had committed the unpardonable sin: standing out from the mindless human herd.

Plot: ★★★

Since this is such a short book, I find that everything is very rushed, which is understandable to an extent. I've never been a fan of dystopians, but I had been recommended this book so much that I decided to give it a try. You're kind of just thrown into the world without much information at all, and just as you start to get used to the world and plot, the book is over. I didn't really like the direction the plot took, I thought it was all kind of predictable and nothing jumped out at me. I mean, this book did have some nice messages in it, but it's definitely just a way for the author to get her political views out, in my opinion.

Characters: ★★★

Again, we don't really get to know the characters very well. I do like the main character, he stands out and doesn't believe what the rest of the people there believe, but he's kind of your generic dystopian heroes. I mean, I have to give this book some credit because it was one of the first dystopians, but I've read too many for it to stand out to me. And the other main character, the girl, I can't stand. I can't stand their relationship, or her personality, or the MAJOR case of insta-love. I just can't stand her. 

Writing: ★★★

This book is pretty solidly average for me, and the writing didn't stand out at all. The writing felt rushed and all over the place, and again, nothing stood out to me. A lot of things aren't explained or elaborated on either, and that drives me crazy. 

Ending: ★★

So predictable. I wasn't given a sense of satisfaction or happiness, except that the book was over and I didn't have to read any more. I didn't like the way it ended, I felt like that's what I was expecting before I even started the book, and it was boring. 

Rereadability: No. 

Final Rating: ★★★

It was just an okay book for me. If you like dystopians, you might like this. It just felt like Ayn Rand was ranting about her political views instead of writing a story.

Book Review | Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling

"It makes me cry because it means that fewer and fewer people are believing it's cool to want what I want, which is to be married and have kids and love each other in a monogamous, long-lasting relationship."

Title: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)

Author: Mindy Kaling

Genre: Non Fiction - Memoir

Length: 222 pages

Publication Date: November 1st, 2011

Publisher: Crown Archetype

Format: Paperback

Goodreads

Synopsis:

Mindy Kaling has lived many lives: the obedient child of immigrant professionals, a timid chubster afraid of her own bike, a Ben Affleck–impersonating Off-Broadway performer and playwright, and, finally, a comedy writer and actress prone to starting fights with her friends and coworkers with the sentence “Can I just say one last thing about this, and then I swear I’ll shut up about it?” In Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, Mindy invites readers on a tour of her life and her unscientific observations on romance, friendship, and Hollywood, with several conveniently placed stopping points for you to run errands and make phone calls. Mindy Kaling really is just a Girl Next Door—not so much literally anywhere in the continental United States, but definitely if you live in India or Sri Lanka.

Review:

First of all, funny lady memoirs are my thing right now. It started with Lena Dunham's memoir (Not That Kind of Girl) and is continuing with this one. Bossypants and Yes Please are most definitely next on my list. But anyway, this book is a masterpiece. It is so completely Mindy inside and out, her voice as a writer is incredible. I could hear her saying everything as I was reading it, and I loved it. By the time the book ended I was sad, as it meant I had to say goodbye to a friend. 

Mindy is an inspirational and hilarious woman. First of all, she's not skinny and she knows it. She accepts it. That's something so admirable. One of my favourite parts in her book is when she's talking about her weight, and she says being skinny isn't something she really cares to do. It's low on her list of things to accomplish, and I love that. I love that she doesn't care. She's amazing. 

She's such a hardworking woman, which is something else I really admire. She's gotten so far, knowing from a young age exactly what she wanted to do and going for it-- and she made it happen. I really look up to everything she went through to get where she is today. I just really love this book, it has a really special place in my heart and I've gained so much love and respect for this woman, it's insane. I think I rank this book above Not That Kind of Girl, which is saying a lot. Lena Dunham has been my role model and inspiration for a long time, and now she's sharing the spotlight with Mindy.

Self acceptance is something a lot of people have trouble with (myself including) and Mindy just discusses it so well in this book, without ever really discussing it. I think everyone should read this book, every gender and age could take something away from it, and I love that. 

Have I mentioned that I love this book? 

Rating: ★★★★★

Book Review | The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides

"In the end, the tortures tearing the Lisbon girls pointed to a simple reasoned refusal to accept the world as it was handed down to them, so full of flaws."

Title: The Virgin Suicides

Author: Jeffrey Eugenides

Series: Standalone

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Format: Ebook

Source: Bought

Genre: YA Contemporary

Goodreads

SPOILER FREE

Blurb:

The shocking thing about the five Lisbon sisters was how nearly normal they seemed when their mother let them out for the one and only date of their lives. Twenty years on, their enigmatic personalities are embalmed in the memories of the boys who worshipped them and who now recall their shared adolescence: the brassiere draped over a crucifix belonging to the promiscuous Lux; the sisters' breathtaking appearance on the night of the dance; and the sultry, sleepy street across which they watched a family disintegrate and fragile lives disappear. 

Plot: ★★★.5

I enjoyed the plot quite a bit, it was different from anything else I'd ever read. The book is told from the point of view of a group of guys that are obsessed with the Lisbon sisters, watching them and analyzing everything they do. Even 20 years down the road after the suicides, the boys are still obsessed with these girls, compiling everything they can find that had anything to do with them. This point of view can get creepy at times, especially near the end when you find out that the infatuation never went away. And this POV also results in a sort of disconnect from the characters, making it hard to really relate to the story. The way the story is told is definitely different, and I'm not sure if I liked it or not. Also, there was too much stuff in the story that I didn't care about, and not enough that I did care about.

Characters: ★★★

Like I said, it was hard to connect to any of the characters, it always felt like we were on the outside, unable to break the barrier between us and the Lisbon sisters. I felt I didn't get enough information about them. Cecilia and Lux were the only two sisters that stood out and felt as though they had a personality of their own, the other three just blended in with one another. I often couldn't tell who was who, Also, the guys who were telling the story weirded me out, and I hated the Lisbon parents. They were so useless. 

Writing: ★★★★★

This was the best part of the book. Jeffrey Eugenides has such an incredible writing style. It's beautiful and poetic, and he uses analogies that are so out of the ordinary (some of them were a little too weird, but I still could appreciate them). I definitely want to read his other two books, just because I loved the writing style so much.

Ending: ★★★★

The ending was good, it got real and made me think about everything. The middle dragged on so much that the ending was kind of a relief, it was as fast paced and interesting as the beginning was. I may have cried a little bit. 

Rereadability: I think so. I think it's one of those books you should read more than once. 

Final Rating: ★★★★

[Note: This was the Better Read Than Dead Book Club (x) read of the month! We will be doing a live show on Saturday, January 31st at 3pm EST discussing this book in great detail. Check it out if you're interested.]

Series Review | Mara Dyer Trilogy

"If I were to live a thousand years, I would belong to you for all of them. If we were to live a thousand lives, I would want to make you mine in each one."

  

Title: Mara Dyer Trilogy (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, The Evolution of Mara Dyer, and The Retribution of Mara Dyer)

Author: Michelle Hodkin

Series: Trilogy

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Format: Ebook

Source: Own

Genre: YA Paranormal

Goodreads

 MOSTLY SPOILER FREE UNTIL SPECIFIED

Blurb:

Mara Dyer believes life can't get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there. It can. She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her strangely unharmed. There is. She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love. She's wrong.

Plot: ★★★★★

The plot is amazing. It's mysterious and suspenseful, and keeps you hooked throughout all of the books. There are so many cliffhangers and these books are definitely page turners. It's very well thought out throughout most of the trilogy, I just felt the last book was a bit rushed at the end. Like the author is trying desperately to tie up loose ends, but misses a bunch of them. I would love a novella or even just a little extra at the end of this book to clear up some other unanswered questions, but I do love the twists and turns the books took, for the most part. 

Characters: ★★★★★

Oh my goodness, the characters are amazing. I have a thing for unreliable narrators, and this story definitely has one. But Mara is strong, and fierce, and stands up for herself, and does what she has to in the face of danger. She is no way dependent or weak. And then Noah Shaw. I shouldn't even have to say any more, Noah Shaw is just the epitome of everything I love in a character. He's funny, and adorable, and charming, and he loves Mara so completely and unconditionally, and he's just perfect. He has a tragic backstory I would love to know more about, and his arrogance and humour are just so...perfect. There's no other way to describe him. I think I could go on forever. And then there's Jamie, whom I love so much. He's funny and seemingly carefree and he's understanding and the perfect friend to Mara. I love kickass friendships like this one. And of course Daniel is another really important figure in Mara's life, and I love how he comes in near the end of the last book and helps them through everything AND I LOVE THAT HE BELIEVES MARA. The fact that Mara would do anything for him and her family is so heartwarming and beautiful. I really dislike her parents, but I think that's the point. They try to do what's good for her, but that have no idea. They're just ignorant, it's not their fault. And even the villains in this series you love to hate, and sort of feel bad for them when you discover their backstories. Like Jude, you can't help but feel sympathy toward him, even if you still hate him. All of the characters are just really well rounded and you can tell there is a lot of thought put into them. I really appreciated all of them and their relevance to the story.

Writing: ★★★★.5

I've read better, but Michelle Hodkin definitely knows her way with words. The story was haunting and deep, and a lot of it was almost poetic. There are so many quotes in this book that stood out to me, one of the main ones being: "I felt a dragon slept inside me and exhaled poison with every breath." So beautiful. Also, I loved how in the second half of Retribution, we got to read some scenes from Noah's point of view. I liked getting into his head. 

Romance/Feels: ★★★★★

YES YES YES ALL THE FEELS. Mara and Noah are so incredibly perfect, and although they had their ups and downs, they are made for each other (quite literally). Nothing could tear them apart, and I really love that. (I also love the lack of love triangles, just saying.) It did get a little too Romeo and Juliet for me during the last book, but I can get over that.

Ending: ★★★★

This is what I had a problem with. I feel like I still have so many questions and not enough answers. I like how it was pretty much a happy ending, but I would really like to know a lot more about what happened. I'll discuss this more under the spoiler line. 

Overall Enjoyment: ★★★★★

I love this trilogy so much, and I highly recommend it. It's suspenseful, there's a ton of action and romance, it's funny, it'll probably make you cry at some points, and it's so interesting. I think there's something in here for everyone, and I just want to give these books to everyone I've ever met and tell them to read them. It kind of changed my perspective on a lot of things, in a way. I'm still in a huge book hangover. 

Rereadability: 100%

Final Rating: ★★★★★

SPOILERS NOW OCCURRING UNDER THIS CUT

OKAY so I really wanted to discuss some of the specific problems I had with this series, the last book in particular. 

• First of all, the fact that Mara and Noah both died and came back to life seriously annoyed me. It felt.. messy and unnecessary and kind of predictable. I mean, it felt obvious to me that neither of them were going to die for real, so I felt like that bit could have been left out. At least Noah's part, I think. Having it happen once would have been okay... but twice? Unrealistic. 
• Also, Stella getting fed up with Mara and leaving the group felt a little.. unnatural to me. I mean, she knew who Mara was. She had experienced her killing before, she knew that Mara could be harsh. And Jamie was in on it too, making the assholes climb down into the subway tunnel, so why wasn't she upset with him? It just felt like that was something Stella and Jamie had already accepted, and then suddenly she was up and leaving because she was scared of Mara, and Jamie had admitted that as well. I didn't get that part, and I was expecting her to come back at some point, which didn't happen. We didn't get any closure or answers about what happened to her, which really bummed me out. I loved her character. 
• Something else that bugged me with the series as a whole was how Mara would predict things, and then it would happen. It killed some of the mystery for me, and bothered me a lot. I know she's not clueless and could have guessed some of what was to happen, but I felt like the author could have... portrayed that better, I guess.
• And again with the ending, I just would really like to know what happened with Mara's parents, and Stella (like I said), and where the gang ended up and what they did and what else happened with Mara and Noah and there were just so many more questions I had. I don't feel like I got complete closure. 

All that being said, I am in love with series. Just a couple of things that bugged, but that doesn't change my opinion as a whole. It's a wonderful YA trilogy full of mystery! 

November Wrap-Up

I read a total of 6 novels and 1 short story during November!

1. The Cider House Rules by John Irving

My friend and I did a thing where we lent each other our favourite books, and this was one he gave me. He has incredible taste in books, let me tell you! This was so good! (A central theme in the novel is abortion though, so if you're not into reading about that, I wouldn't recommend it.)

Rating: ★★★★★

2. Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

DON'T LET THE DUMB TITLE AND CHEESY COVER FOOL YOU. This is the second book in the companion series by Stephanie Perkins, the first one being Anna and the French Kiss. I read the first one forever ago and absolutely loved it, so I don't know why I picked this one up so late! I think I may have liked this one a little better than Anna, but they're both incredible. I seriously need to read the third one. 

Rating: ★★★★★

3. The Humans by Matt Haig

I did a full review on this book, so click here if you would like to know my thoughts!

Rating: ★★★★★

4. The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien

A short story I had to read for my lit class, and I really enjoyed it! Insightful, beautiful, and sends a good message about identity and what is worth holding on to. 

Rating: ★★★★

5. The Outsider by Albert Camus

Another book I had to read for class! I didn't really like any of the characters, but I did like the writing style. I have a thing for unreliable narrators, and Meursault was definitely one. I found it interesting, but at the same time it wasn't really my cup of tea. I might do a full review on this. (You might also know this book as The Stranger or L'Etranger. They're all the same thing.)

Rating: ★★★

5. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

I'm planning on doing a series review on these books when I finish the third one, so I'm not going to say much! 

Rating: ★★★★★

6. The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Saw this one coming, didn't you? Again, I plan on doing a review as soon as I finish the third book!

Rating: ★★★★★

Book Review | The Humans by Matt Haig

“Advice for a human:

86. To like something is to insult it. Love it or hate it. Be passionate. As civilisation advances, so does indifference. It is a disease. Immunize yourself with art. And love.” 

Title: The Humans

Author: Matt Haig

Series: Standalone

Publisher: Canongate Books

Format: Paperback

Source: Borrowed

Genre: Adult Science Fiction

Goodreads

~~~~~~SPOILER FREE~~~~~~

Blurb:

When an extra-terrestrial visitor arrives on Earth, his first impressions of the human species are less than positive. Taking the form of Professor Andrew Martin, a prominent mathematician at Cambridge University, the visitor is eager to complete the gruesome task assigned him and hurry home to his own utopian planet, where everyone is omniscient and immortal. He is disgusted by the way humans look, what they eat, their capacity for murder and war, and is equally baffled by the concepts of love and family. But as time goes on, he starts to realize there may be more to this strange species than he had thought. 

Plot: ★★★★★
Okay, I don't even know where to begin. This book really makes you think about, well, everything. It makes you question everything around you. The plot is hilarious at times and heartbreaking at others, but no matter what, the novel is incredibly honest. The concept of this is incredibly beautiful, and although at times I thought it might be going a little too fast, that was probably just because I wanted the book to last longer (forever).

Characters: ★★★★.5
I'm only giving this 4.5 because I felt as though some of the other characters could have been built up a little more! There's always the problem of relating to characters when you have a story told by an unreliable narrator like this one, but I still loved them all the same. Especially Andrew's son, I felt he was a really important character that had a good solid background.

Writing: ★★★★★
Definitely 5 stars, no question about it. The writing is almost poetic in a way, and he uses words in such a beautiful way. It's definitely one of the top books I've read as far as writing goes!

Romance/Feels: N/A
There was a relationship here, but I'm saying N/A because it wasn't really the main focus! I mean, finding love was definitely a theme, but I just don't think I should star romance in this book.

Ending: ★★★★
There were a lot of questions that weren't answered, and to be honest I just really hate open-ended questions. I like my answers.

Overall Enjoyment: ★★★★★
IT WILL CHANGE THE WAY YOU THINK ABOUT EVERYTHING, I ASSURE YOU. READ IT RIGHT NOW IF YOU HAVEN'T.

Rereadability: YES.

Final Rating: ★★★★★