Kategorie: Book Review

Book Review : Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

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Processed with VSCOcam with a6 preset Editon : Mass Market Paperback (566 pages)
Publisher : Crown (2012)
Genre : Fiction, Mystery
Source : Bought from Thalia Buchhandlung
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My Thoughts

I’ll be honest. It’s quite hard to make a review of this book without giving out spoilers because of the exciting plot and twists so i’ll make it short and simple.

Amy Elliot and Nick Dunne fall in love with each other and eventually, they get married. After losing their job in New York because of recession, they transfer to Nick’s hometown in Missourri. To support them, Nick borrowed Amy’s money to buy a bar that he’s managing together with his twin sister, Go. On their 5th anniversary, Amy goes missing leaving Nick as the primary suspect of her disappearance. He claims he is innocent but all the evidences are clearly pointing at him. The book is told from Amy’s diary and Nick’s narration after the disappearance.

Though a bit slow at the beginning, Gone Girl is incredibly well-writen and the characters voices are convincing. I feel like watching the movie, seeing and hearing Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike saying the words while I’m reading. Though I think Neil Patrick Harris (Dessi Collings) fits the role of Tanner Bolt. I’m saying this because of Bolt’s character and attire (especially the tie). This book made me feel like hugging/punching the characters (Nick and Amy to be exact) at the same time. It’s confusing (in a good way) and I didn’t know what to believe anymore. While I’m still under the state of confusion, another revelations appeared which made me more curious and excited. I honestly don’t know what to feel about the ending. Somehow I’m disappointed because that’s not how I want it to end and at the same time, I’m also thinking that it’s the perfect ending for them.

Because every morning you have to wake up and be you.

This is my first time to read Ms. Flynn’s book and I’ve heard that her other works are also amazing so I think I’ll enjoy reading them. She’s a very talented writer and I like how she played my emotions. I recommend this book to anyone who loves a superb mystery/suspense novel.

My Rating
4stars

Book Review: Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler and Maira Kalman

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Editon : Kindle (368 pages)
Publisher : January 2011
Genre : Young Adult, Realistic Fiction
Source : Amazon
Date Read : January 2013
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Sixteen-year-old Min Green writes a letter to Ed Slaterton in which she breaks up with him, documenting their relationship and how items in the accompanying box, from bottle caps to a cookbook, foretell the end. (via Goodreads)

My Thoughts

The title says clearly what the book is all about. The reasons why Min broke up with Ed was written (as a letter) together with the items (which are also related to both of them of course) inside the box. Min drop it in front of Ed’s house.

This book (paperback) was on my wishlist last Christmas but unfortunately it’s not available. Well, I still got the other books so it’s okay. I admit that at first I got a bit bored specially when Min talks about the movies that she likes. I love watching movies but not those kinds. I also (somehow) don’t have any idea or clue on how they will break up then I’ve realized at the end that it’s very obvious. I’m so lame. Haha.

The plot is still interesting although sometimes it’s a bit slow. I’m always excited to see the next picture (every chapter starts with an illustration) so I read a bit fast. I think those were my favorite parts. I love books with pictures.I can say that maybe I cannot really relate myself to the story since my highschool “love-life” is not really colorful and I still have my virginity that time. But I’m still recommending this book.

My Rating

3stars

Book Review: The Catastrophic History Of You and Me by Jess Rothenberg

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The Catastrophic History of You and Me

Editon : Kindle (400 pages)
Publisher : Penguin (2012)
Genre : Young Adult, Romance, Paranormal
Source : Amazon Kindle
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“You can obsess and obsess over how things ended—what you did wrong or could have done differently—but there’s not much of a point. It’s not like it’ll change anything. So really, why worry?” – Brie (chapter 9)

My Thoughts

This is about a girl named Brie who died after her heart got literally broken by her boyfriend, Jacob. To be more precise, she had a heart failure (acute congestive cardiomyopathy in medical world) and died. She ends up in a pizza parlor called “Little Slice of Heaven” where she met a guy in his leather jacket and 80’s style named Patrick. The book will take you to Brie’s afterlife experiences while going through the five stages of grief before she can finally rest in peace.

The author created a realistic and likeable characters in this book. Brie for example, is adorable, strong, sarcastic and selfish (at times). Her love to her family and friends is also undeniable. She made some unfavorable decisions during her journey through the five stages of grief which I think is understandable since well, she’s a teenager and a (dead) human. The good thing is she grew as a person (or spirit) during and after the stages. I like her love for the 80’s music which is very rare for teenagers nowadays. (80’s kid here by the way). Then there’s Patrick, an appealing, sweet and mysterious guy who became Brie’s guide in the afterlife and partner in crime during her “revenge” plan. And mind you, “love at first sight” didn’t happen between the two of them, not even “love triangle”. The revelation of his past is unexpected but it made sense through out the story. My favorite character in this book is actually not a person but an adorable basset hound named Hamloaf. He’s so cute and smart.

The chapter titles are clever and also the way how the story was divided into five parts made me fall in love with this book. The author knows exactly what her reader wants not to mention the unpredictable plot twists. A combination of paranormal, contemporary and fantasy, this book will make you think of what is waiting for us after death. What does it look like and how does it feel like. How painful and heartbreaking it would be seeing your family and friends continuing their lives without you. But thankfully, this book is not only about death, afterlife and goodbyes. It’s also about acceptance and moving on, living and loving the life you have while you still have the chance. Life can be full of lies, betrayals and revelations but how you handle and accept these things can make your life easier and more happier. Life is far too short to be sad and miserable.

This is a great book and I’ll recommend this not only to young readers who’s heart got broken but also to those people who’s having a hard time moving on. This one is a good book for you.

My Rating
5stars

Book Review : Guilt by Jussi Adler-Olsen

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Guilt

Guilt is the fourth novel of Department Q series by Jussi Adler-Olsen and this is also my first time to read a Adler-Olsen’s novel. I read this in english by the way and it’s also published as “The Purity of Vengeance” and “Journal 64”.

In 1985, Nete Rosen is happily living her life with her husband, until he meet Curt Wad again. Two years after the death of her husband, Nete Hermansen returns with her maiden name and with a plan. She will make her revenge to those people who were responsible of making her teenage life miserable. In 2010, Detective Carl Mork from Department Q which handles cold cases, investigates the disappearance of Rita Nielsen, owner of a brothel. Upon reviewing of the case, Rose, Carl’s new assistant, discovers a series of other missing persons disappeared at the same time as Rita.

This book was a gift from my fiance (who’s into mystery/thriller/crime novels) and he was the one who chose this book. He said the author is great and I guess he’s right.

What I like with this book is that I (and also the readers for sure) know already who’s responsible for the crime (missing persons) and the reasons after reading the few first chapters. It’s like I want to go inside the book and tell Carl and his crew about it but obviously, I can’t. And towards the end, I was surprised because the things i thought I knew was wrong. I wasn’t expecting that. Sprogo Island played an important part in this book and I’m glad because I’ve learned something about Danish history. This book can also considered as stand-alone but I think I still need to read the previous books because I, somehow, cannot relate to the incident that happened to Carl and his partners.

I can say that my favorite character here is Assad, Carl’s Syrian assistant. He’s funny, smart, mysterious because no one knows where he lives and eccentric. I’m looking forward to know more about him.

The story is entertaining and shocking. No wonder why Jussi Adler-Olsen is one of the great crime fiction author. Highly recommended.

159808525stars
Original Title : Journal 64
Original Language : Danish
Series : Department Q #4
Editon : English | Paperback (560 pages)
Publisher : Penguin Books (2014)
Genre : Mystery, Crime
Source : Bought by B from Relay Buch- & Presseshop
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Book Review: The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan

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Series : Percy Jackson and the Olympians #2
Editon : Paperback (288 pages)
Publisher : Dysney Hyperion Books (2007)
Genre : Fantasy
Source : Amazon
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synopsis

The heroic son of Poseidon makes an action-packed comeback in the second must-read installment of Rick Riordan’s amazing young readers series. Starring Percy Jackson, a „half blood“ whose mother is human and whose father is the God of the Sea, Riordan’s series combines cliffhanger adventure and Greek mythology lessons that results in true page-turners that get better with each installment. In this episode, The Sea of Monsters, Percy sets out to retrieve the Golden Fleece before his summer camp is destroyed, surpassing the first book’s drama and setting the stage for more thrills to come.

my thoughts

„I am Thalia,“ the girl said. „Daughter of Zeus.“

That line has made me more excited to read the third book. Grover was captured by Polyphemus (an evil Cyclops) and needs to be rescued. The tree of Thalia has been poisoned which made the magic walls of the Camp Half Blood open to monsters. The quest of finding the golden fleece (that can heal Thalia’s tree) was given to Clarisse but Percy, Annabeth and Tyson (a baby Cyclops, which happened to be Percy’s half brother) will also do the quest with the help of Hermes.

I love this book more than the first one. I think even if I didn’t read the first, I can still follow the story. It’s also good that Riordan included some background stories about the characters or names that was mentioned. It’s very helpful for those who don’t have a lot of knowledge about Greek Mythology (Ahem). My favorite character here is Tyson. He’s cute (not to mention that Douglas Smith played his character in the movie) and he likes Rainbow (a Hippocampus).

my-rating5 / 5 stars
Date Read : August 2013

 

Book Review : Why Men Love Bitches by Sherry Argov

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Editon : eBook (288 pages)
Publisher : Adams Media Corporation (2008)
Genre : Self Help, Non-Fiction
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Why are men so romantic in the beginning and why do they change? Why do men take nice girls for granted? Why does a man respect a woman when she stands up for herself? Full of advice, hilarious real-life relationship scenarios, „she says/he thinks“ tables, the author’s unique „Attraction Principles,“ and an all-new bonus chapter, „Why Men Love Bitches“ gives you bottom-line answers. It helps you know who you are, stand your ground, and relate to men on a whole new level. Once you’ve discovered the feisty attitude men find so magnetic, you’ll not only increase the romantic chemistry you’ll gain your man’s love and respect with far less effort.

„Being a bitch does not mean you lose your femininity. And it also doesn’t mean you overtly try to wear the pants in the house. It just means you don’t allow anyone to walk all over you.“

 My Thoughts

The title caught my attention so I’ve decided to add it on my to-read list and I also enjoy reading “self-help” books like this.

This book defined “bitch” in a different way. A bitch (Babe In Total Control of Herself) is a strong and independent woman who will not let anyone, specially a man, treats her like a “doormat”. The Author also wrote 100 Attraction Principles which are very helpful for women (us). While I’m reading this book I keep on asking myself if I’m a “nice girl” or a “bitch”. Well, I don’t know the answer until now. All I know is I’m sometimes a “nice girl” and a “bitch” most of the time.

This book is a perfect read for girls who are in a not-so-happy relationship and for those who always treated badly by their man. Time for you to stand up for your rights!

„Throughout life, people will try to shake your faith in yourself. When this happens, remind yourself that the only way they can succeed is if you allow it. When you walk down the street of life, always hold your head high and keep walking. Don’t ever let anyone shake your faith in yourself, because that’s really all that you have.“

My Rating
4stars
Date Read : April 2013

 

Book Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth

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Divergent

Series : Divergent #1
Edition : Paperback (487 pages)
Publisher : Katherine Tegen Books
Genre : Young Adult, Dystopia, Fiction
Source : Bought from Thalia Buchhandlung
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“Fear doesn’t shut you down; it wakes you up”

My Thoughts

I can’t help not to think of “Matched” trilogy my Ally Condie while reading the first two chapters of this book. I’m aware that almost everyone is comparing this to THG but I didn’t felt like that. I don’t have any idea about the story of Divergent though everyone (in blogospere) was talking about it specially before the movie came out. So i think i don’t need an introduction for this.

I personally enjoyed how Tris (Beatrice) evolved through the Dauntless initiation. I love the idea that she cannot be manipulated to do something or believe something that she don’t want to. I wish I can be somehow like her. Well i know that i’ll also choose Dauntless if given by chance but my result (on the quizz in the book) is Abnegation. Oh, just like her. So now let’s talk about Four. *sigh* Four *sigh* Haha! I definitely love this guy. I love the fact that he let Tris to know his weaknesses. for me that’s one of the characteristics of a real man. I have to admit that Theo James (who played Four in the movie) didn’t get much of my attention. So i’ll just keep on imagining another guy as Four. Some chapters made me cry specially the pages 443 and 471.

It’s a brilliant book that it kept me insterested in what’s going to happen on the next chapters. I also love the playlist specially the songs from Flyleaf. Kudos to Ms. Veronica Roth considering that this is her first novel.

I’m still waiting for the DVD to be available here and I’m excited for Insurgent.

My Rating
5stars

Book Review: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

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Editon : Kindle (240 pages)
Publisher : Vintage (2004)
Genre : Fiction, Contemporary
Source : Amazon
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Christopher John Francis Boone knows all the countries of the world and their capitals and every prime number up to 7,057. He relates well to animals but has no understanding of human emotions. He cannot stand to be touched. And he detests the color yellow.

This improbable story of Christopher’s quest to investigate the suspicious death of a neighborhood dog makes for one of the most captivating, unusual, and widely heralded novels in recent years.

My Thoughts

Christopher, an autistic teenager, discovered their neighbor’s dead dog one night and decided to make an investigation (He’s a Sherlock Holmes fan) to find out who murdered it. During his investigation, he accidentally discovers the truth about his family. Siobhan, his friend, explains everything to him specially the different emotions of people.

I can somehow compare Christopher to Sheldon Cooper (of The Big Bang Theory). Both of them don’t understand human emotions and they both love physics and maths and I love their attitude. There are some parts of the story, I’m talking about the math formulas, that I had to read fast (didn’t read at all) because it’s MATH. Am i the only one? Haha! The story was unpredictable and it has a great twists.

All in all, the book is incredible.

“Sometimes we get sad about things and we don’t like to tell other people that we are sad about them. We like to keep it a secret. Or sometimes, we are sad but we really don’t know why we are sad, so we say we aren’t sad but we really are.“

My Rating
4stars

Book Review : To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han

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Edition : Paperback (288 pages)
Publisher : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (2014)
Genre : Young Adult, Contemporary, Fiction
Source : Bought from Hugendubel Buchandlung
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Lara Jean keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her.

They aren’t love letters that anyone else wrote for her, these are ones she’s written. One for every boy she’s ever loved—five in all. When she writes, she can pour out her heart and soul and say all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. Until the day her secret letters are mailed, and suddenly Lara Jean’s love life goes from imaginary to out of control.

my thoughts

„I think I see the difference now, between loving someone from afar and loving someone up close. When you see them up close, you see the real them, but they also get to see the real you.“

I didn’t think twice on buying this. The title is catchy, i love the cover and it’s my first Jenny Han book. I was expecting to read a lot of handwritten love letters but it’s not, there are like 3 or 4 short letters. At first I thought It’s Gogo who sent the letters, but I’m wrong.

I can somehow relate to Lara Jean when it comes to “costume parties”. I can only be Yoruichi (Bleach) even I want to be Fujiko. Hahaha! Back to the book, I like Josh more than Peter but I like Peter’s character more than Josh. I also want to have a little sister like Kitty. She’s so smart and adorable.

I’ve read that Ms. Han is working on the sequel and the title is „P.S. I Love You„.

my-rating4starsDate Read : July 2014