Upon reading the premise of this novel, I was immediately drawn in: it’s like someone rooted around in my brain and picked out the exact kind of story I wanted to write. But the actual writing and way things played out, I can’t say that I enjoyed. All the ingredients are there to make a compelling read, but ultimately didn’t come together quite so easily. To be fair, the timeline of the book spans quite a number of decades, but perhaps addressing all that time […]
History is Storytelling
“And in my village we have a saying about separated sisters. They are like a woman and her reflection, doomed to stay on opposite sides of the pond.” I don’t think I’ve ever read a book that has managed to stuff so much history, trauma, heartbreak, love, hardship, and resilience into so few pages. At just 300 pages, Yaa Gyasi manages to weave a rich web of connecting stories, spanning hundreds of years in history over 7 generations. We begin with two sisters, Effia and […]
Talk About a Bittersweet Symphony
What would you do if you were informed that you had less than a day to live? This is a rhetorical question you may have heard at some point (or many) in your life, whether just posed as a discussion topic or perhaps something to truly face in the circumstances of life. In They Both Die at the End, Adam Silvera explores this question through the eyes of two teenage boys, in a world wherein a new system called “Death Cast” will at midnight predict everyone […]
*Chef Kiss*
First and foremost I will say that this is the first Rainbow Rowell novel I have read: I know she’s been pretty popular around here the past few years and always meant to pick up one of her books, but just never did for some reason. Until my friend gave me Carry On as a gift, thinking that it looked very Lisa™. And you know what? She was right! I loved this book! I mean, it’s a little corny at times, don’t get me wrong, […]
I Can Pretend All I Want to be Cynical, My Heart Still Melts Time and Time Again
I’ve definitely seen Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda reviewed a number of times by Cannonballers in the past few years, and was always interested to read it but for some reason never did. Enter my best friend who surprised me with an early birthday present of some books, with this among them. And immediately after receiving it we went to a movie and what do we see? A preview for the upcoming movie adaptation called Love, Simon. Talk about coincidence, especially since I was […]
Easy and Breezy
A magical little journey that was delightful but also didn’t quite have the teeth for me to really sink in with it. I am of course familiar with Hayao Miyazaki’s movie version of Howl’s Moving Castle, but heard that the novel was quite different. And it is in some ways, but also follows a similar plot in others. It really is fun and delightful, and not too serious which was great for me to read through at work while in the midst of some personal issues. […]
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