All the Books.

"A genuine, heartfelt story of how a dog with a curious talent for finding physically disabled cats and caring for them, changed one mans life, for the better." 4 STARS Pros:  Amazing how much your life can change when you let yourself love and think of others instead of focusing solely on yourself.  Cons:  Not the best written book but it's heartfelt and genuine and you can tell Gonzalez writes the truth.  Full Review:  Philip Gonzalez was born and raised in New York. He spent his youth fighting in Vietnam, battling those inner demons from that terrible experience and spending most of his adulthood as a Construction Worker. He made good money and spent most of his time traveling, going out to clubs and generally having a good time. But when he's involved in a terrible accident at a job site that costs him the use of his right arm, he starts to realize some hard truths. Those he thought were his friends aren't around anymore, even his family stops visiting. And ...

"The world has changed, so much so that women fall under the category of "seen and not heard. Every woman, regardless of age, is limited to 100 words a day. They cannot work, read, write or express themselves in anyway shape or form. Their only job is to stay at home and raise the children. But Jean McLellan, once a thriving Neurolinguist, is offered an opportunity to drastically change things when the President's brother suffers an accident and she may be the only person who can help." 3 Stars Pros:  This is a startlingly frightening possibility/I could see something like The Pure Movement happening at any time and it's horrifying.  Cons:  The ending was all rather convenient for everyone, I must say.  Full Review:  Jean McLellan, once a renowned Neurolinguist with a thriving career, promising research into Wernicke's Syndrome and the affects it has on language, and a future of possibly changing the world, watches as it all comes crashing down. It all star...

"A genuine and touching story about how the true power of friendship can change your life and yourself as a person overall." 3 Stars Pros:  Freak (Kevin) and Max make an endearing and heartwarming team/The novel strives to prove that everyone has a story worthy to tell.  Cons:  It was never really explained what Freak (Kevin's) condition was/The parts with Max's father seemed rushed.  Full Review:  Maxwell Kane, the son of a notorious murderer who has spent most of his childhood as either violent or mute, starts to learn about himself and about friendship when a small boy with a physical disability but an incredible brain moves in next door. Freak (Kevin) is astonishingly intelligent, while Max is gigantic and strong and together, they form a symbiotic friendship. As Max says, he didn't have a brain until Freak came around and let him borrow his for awhile.  It's a heart warming story about the power of true friendship but also with a darker side regarding ...

"Much in the way that Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace left me feeling at loose ends and confused, so did Tao Lin's novella. But perhaps that was the point. It was something fleeting, temporary, but thought provoking enough to make you stop and think and wonder about what you just read. I'm honestly not sure." 2 Stars Pros:  It definitely painted a pretty accurate picture of the younger generation of today, constantly on their phones/email/Disinterested, aloof.  Cons:  I couldn't tell if this was satire or not and it left me feeling a little lost. Much like Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace Full Review:  This novel follows the life of a young, writer. He often feels lost, at loose ends and unsure as to what to do with himself. He chats with his friends on GMail Chat, goes from place to place and never seems to really set roots anywhere. The relationships he has are fleeting though he seems to genuinely like the people he chooses to sleep with. But after ...

"This is not John Green or Nicholas Sparks "boy and dying girl meet and fall in love" cookie cutter romance. It is a brutal, sometimes cruel, but honest look at that horrifically awkward phase of life, High School, and the connections we make that we're not even aware of." 3 Stars.  Pros:  Definitely not your average "fall in love with the sick girl YA Romance" but at the same time it was honest, heartfelt and deep in its own way.  Cons:  I understand it's from a teenagers POV and teenagers are just awkward in general but some of the terms are just...stupid.  Full Review:  ***Spoiler Alert*** Greg Gaines has managed to make it through most of High School by existing on the periphery of all of the Social cliques. He doesn't really belong to any of them and yet he is not hated by any of them either. He exists solely on the outskirts, and he likes it that way. The one person who could possibly be considered a friend is Earl, a boy he makes horrifi...

" It had potential to be good, introducing new characters/new powers/new situations but it all just fell flat in the end. A true disappointment to what could have been a very fun series." 2 STARS Pros:  It had the same fun, adventurous feeling of Caraval and Legendary but it wasn't enough to make this series great.  Cons:  They went to all that trouble to save their Mother and her storyline is short and pointless/Donatella's feelings and back and forth with Legend got so obnoxiously overdone and old that it ruined the book for me.  Full Review:  ***Spoiler Alert (sort of) *** Scarlett and Donatella have risked life, limb and then some to escape the violent control of their Father and find their long lost Mother. And they have apparently succeeded by each winning the annual festival of Caraval in Caraval and Legendary.  And I feel that Finale could have been great. It had a lot of new characters with new powers to explore but instead Garber focused on Donat...

"As the title says, Teagan Frost is the girl who can move sh*t with her mind and though her life is interesting enough, a situation unfolds that puts her and everyone around her in extreme danger and she has to move fast to try and clear her name." 3 Stars Pros:  Teagan was an honest and heartfelt narrator. Her growth as a character was well paced and the story evolved well.  Cons:  After awhile the slang of how everyone talked with "aight", "yo, we tight" etc, got tiresome. I know people do talk like that and Ford was just trying to make the characters more relatable but, it started grating on the nerves after awhile.  Full Review:  Teagan Frost, who was born Emily Jameson, to two geneticist parents, has been able to move things with her mind since birth. She had two older siblings, twins, Adam and Chloe, who were also gifted. Chloe could see on all levels of the spectrum and Adam did not need to sleep, though that would have disastrous consequences in th...

"Shusterman is a master storyteller and once this book hit its stride, all you can do is hang on and enjoy the ride. Everything is brought together and tied up in a deep, meaningful, heartfelt way and though I'm sad to see the series end, I finish it with contentment and satisfaction." 5 Stars.  Pros:  Greyson Tolliver is an interesting character. He's spent his whole life wanting to serve the Thunderhead and now, he truly can. He's humble, down to earth and realistic in a world that's becoming increasingly terrifying.  Cons:  A little slow to start but once it hits its pace, in true Shusterman fashion, it never lets up/Citra always being right and always being able to find the answers to things is tiresome but it makes the plot move.  Full Review:  ***Spoiler Alert *** Greyson Tolliver is the one remaining link to the Thunderhead, since the omniscient AI classified all of humanity as unsavory and went silent. He had been hiding out in a Tonist monastery bu...

"Starting right where Caraval left off, we are thrust back into the magical world of Master Legend as he brings his performers to the Elantine Empire's capital city of Elantine and holds another Caraval in honor of the Empress' 75th birthday. This time it's Donatella who plays the game and things seem much more serious/on the line than they did the first time around." 4 Stars Pros:  It had its good amount of twists and turns to keep the story going/Though the character of Jacks is evil, he was entertaining, as most villains are.  Cons:  Donatella, the girl who will never love, finds love, it was all rather saccharine, but this is YA fantasy so I'm taking it as it is.  Full Review:  Starting off right where Caraval left off, we're thrust back into the world of Caraval and the mysterious Master Legend. Donatella (Tella) and Scarlet (Scar) travel with the performers to the capital city of the Elantine Empire, Valenda. Legend has agreed to hold another Caraval...

  "A book that defies description. Profound, beautiful, dark, depressing, fatalistic but at the same time filled with such kindness and joy, it's something that has to be experienced first hand and cannot properly be described, no matter how hard I try." 5 Stars Pros:  A truly unique narrator/A heartbreaking, gut wrenching, moving story that must be read to be truly understood.  Cons:  Some of Zusak's descriptions were hard to imagine but it wasn't a con per se, it was just difficult to picture it in your mind. It didn't take away from the book in any way shape or form though.  Full Review:  I don't feel it's an exaggeration to say that I cannot properly find the words to describe this book. It was beautifully written, Zusak's prose takes you exactly where he wants you to go. The characters are all so important, even the minor ones and they all have a role to play. And Liesel, the protagonist, is stuck in a world that she doesn't understand and...

  "An intriguing and enchanting mix of The Hunger Games,   The Night Circus,  and the dark carnival from  Something Wicked This Way Comes " Garber has created an elaborate world with complex, mysterious people and I'm eager to see more of it as the series continues.  4 Stars Pros:  The idea of Caraval is intriguing, like Morgenstern's The Night Circus  meets Bradbury's dark carnival in Something Wicked This Way Comes , it was an adventure but a serious and deadly one.  Cons:  Points of the novel were pretty predictable but there were times where I was surprised, so it wasn't that bad. There were times at the end where it felt like "Lord of the Rings: Return of the King" where it could have ended but it didn't.  Full Review:  Scarlett (Scar) and Donatella (Tella) are the daughters Governor Dragna, the ruler of Trisda, a small island of the Conquered Isles. Ever since their Mother disappeared without a trace and their Father turn...

  "An easy, quick read that tries to get the message across that even someone who seems like they have it "all together" is really struggling on the inside. Everyone gets overwhelmed from time to time and this novel shows the reader that it takes more strength and courage to ask and seek help than it is to just give in." 3 Stars Pros:  If you've ever spent any time in a psychiatric ward, it definitely caught the vast majority of characters.  Cons:  I had to keep reminding myself that the character was supposed to be a teenager and teenagers are inherently controlled by their hormones and don't think. This kid's "friends" were just...awful and I guess I'm lucky that I don't have jerks like that in my life.  Full Review:  Craig Gilner has worked for as long as he can remember to get into the best school in New York. And when he finally does, it all starts to go downhill. The workload is intense, he stops eating, stops sleeping, stops doin...

"A deep, gut wrenching, emotional roller coaster of a novel that take awhile to hits its stride but once it does, it never lets up. An interesting look at what life could actually be like in North Korea and it makes me grateful for the life that I have and all the freedoms that come with it." 5 Stars Pros:  Jun Do (John Doe) is an everyman, an easily relatable character who does as he's told, even when he knows they're wrong. He does it because he's seen that those who question, are punished. It was a frighteningly, eye opening, fantastic, thought provoking read.  Cons:  It took a little bit to get going but once it did, it was amazing and terrifying all at once.  Full Review:  Raised as an Orphan, all Jun Do knows is that his mother was a singer. He tries to take care of the other Orphans but they're all carted away eventually and he too grows out of the orphanage. He starts working in tunnels until he's approached by a military commander who takes him on...

  "When Christopher finds the neighbors dog, killed with a pair of gardening shears, he decides to do some "detecting" and solve the mystery. What he manages to do is dig up pieces of his own past that are both astounding and painful and shows how some people we love will lie to us to save us and themselves from pain." 2 Stars.  Pros:  It was an interesting take on a narrative, for sure, unique and the plot was interesting enough to keep me reading, just to see how everything turned out.  Cons:  I understand that Christopher is extremely logical and doesn't "get" social cues but...the narration, especially the dialogue of "I said, then Father said, then I said" quickly grated on my nerves.  Full Review:  Christopher is an extremely intelligent boy. His mind is almost machinelike in its ability to solve complex mathematical equations and figure out the logistics of almost every situation he finds himself in. But, when it comes to interacting w...

  "An honest and beautiful tribute to a man who led with his heart. He seemed to genuinely care about the people of America and instead of striving for greatness or accolades, he tried to do what he could to understand people and share in their lives. He was a decent, moral, compassionate man and now, more than ever, we could use people like him at the helm." 5 Stars Pros:  Beautifully written and designed, the articles flowed into each other and painted Bobby in a true, honest way. He was ruthless yes, but behind that ruthlessness was a man dedicated and driven to see things through.   Cons:  It would have been interesting to hear from his family more, since he had 11 children.  Full Review:  Often thought of as the runt of the litter, compared to Joe Jr, Jack and his other older siblings, Bobby was unremarkable. He managed to get through school but didn't have the same charisma that his brothers did. But when JFK became the President, he made Bobby h...

"What you think will be a comedy of errors turns out to be a dark, depressing novel that focuses in on the petty, cruel relationships between Judd and his siblings and his celebrity mother. I read it quickly simply to get it over with.." 1 Star.  Pros:  I liked how the ending was kind of open for interpretation but that was really about it.  Cons:  The characters were just crass and cruel to each other. I thought this was going to be a comedy but instead I just ended up feeling kind of depressed.  Full Review:  Judd has recently discovered that his wife is cheating on him with his boss. He's renting a basement apartment, has no job and is depressed and to make matters worse, he gets a call from his sister. His father has died and the man's last wish was that his family sit Shiva (Jewish tradition of mourning) for seven days. Judd and his siblings don't exactly see eye to eye. They all have different lives and clashing personalities, so the idea of spending ...

  "A seamless, honest and beautiful tribute to a truly inspiring person." 5 Stars Pros:  Stunning photography, poignant, honest articles, a true testament to John Fitzgerald Kennedy, a man who believed from his heart in equality, fairness and the golden rule, treat others as you would be treated.  Cons:  I honestly can't think of a single con for this Magazine. It was beautifully written and the articles flowed seamlessly. Full Review:  John Fitzgerald Kennedy was the second oldest in a large Irish Catholic Family. His father, Joe, was a hard, taciturn man who made everything, even childhood games, a competition. JFK learned early on that Kennedys didn't lose, Kennedys didn't cry. It was a difficult home to grow up in, when perfection and graceful poise was always expected and emotions were seen as weakness.  JFK was quick to prove himself a hero in WW2 when his ship was destroyed and he rescued his surviving crewmates and wrote an SOS on a coconut shell. B...

  "With stunning photography and graphic, detailed accounts of "storming the beaches of Normandy" and the following campaign, this magazine depicts the strategic and decisive planning needed to run a successful military campaign but it also shows how truly horrible war is." 3 Stars.  Pros:  Absolutely stunning photography.  Cons:  Some of the maps of the D-Day invasion and the following months campaign, as well as the Battle of the Bulge, were a bit confusing and hard to follow.  Full Review:  From the beginnings of the Allied forces gathering together to plan out "Operation Overlord" to the actual day of storming the beaches at Normandy, this magazine described it all in great detail. With stunning and horrifying photographs of the conflict and aftermath, these visuals bring home the difficulty that the Allied forces encountered. D-Day didn't just take place on June 6th, it lasted for months with heavy casualties on both sides.  From the first ti...

"More or less a family history of the De Leon's and how a curse "fuku" seems to have followed them through the generations. Nevertheless, against all odds, Oscar, the ungainly, overweight, socially awkward Geek, is going to live his life as truly as he can." 3 Stars Pros:  I appreciated all the geek references, LOTR, The Matrix etc/Diaz does have an entertaining narrative, makes it feel like you're sitting beside him and listening to someone tell a story/The ending was what I expected but at the same time, a pleasant surprise.   Cons:  During most of the novel I felt like it was more about the Dominican Republic and its horrific political troubles than it was about Oscar's life.  Full Review:  Oscar is the stereotypical geek. Overweight, socially awkward and he falls in love with almost every girl he meets. His family and friends try to help him "better" himself so he can get a girl, but in the end, he's always true to himself, even to a fa...

"The title speaks for itself. A magazine dedicated solely to the art of gratitude, for accepting life as it is and cherishing what we have and how to make the most out of every day." 3 Stars.  Pros:  Full of articles about self-reflection, inspiration, creativity, this magazine had an interesting article for almost anyone.  Cons:  Near the end the articles started getting a bit repetitive but, they were all valuable lessons to be learned.  Full Review:  This magazine was full to bursting with a lot of informative and inspiration articles and things you wouldn't even necessarily consider. How to express gratitude, the different between FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) and JOMO (Joy of Missing Out), that life is not a race and living in the moment and being grateful for what you have and all that you've accomplished is the real "win."  It helps you realize that you have to take time out for yourself, to truly relish some quiet time, to carve out time in your d...

"A man and his son travel south through the burned out wasteland that is America. Their days are routine and monotonous but at the same time every moment is rife with terror as they don't know who else or what horrors await them on the road." 3 STARS Pros:  There's a real sense of desperate isolation with just the man and the boy in a burned out world/The ever present ash is a small hint of whatever catastrophe happened, and paints a terrifying scene of desolation/The ending was painful but powerful.  Cons:  The man and the boy's conversation is stunted and short. Perhaps it's McCarthy's way of showing the reader what kind of terrible world they live in, that even the light of conversation is as gray and dead as everything else is but at times their conversation is so stunted that it's frustrating/By the end, the monotony of their lives begins to get repetitive but again, it just feeds into that feeing of hopelessness.  Full Review:  A man and a boy tr...

"Bonded in their loneliness, Alice and Mattia seem destined for each other but life and time work their cruelty and they always seem to drift farther apart." 5 Stars Pros:  For anyone who's ever felt like an outsider, Alice and Mattia are two extremely relatable characters/Every action has a consequence and precious seconds tick by, chances we should/could have taken slip past without us even knowing it and this book captures that feeling perfectly.  Cons:  Though I understand that people actually "talking" to each other is an impossible feat, I think a lot of the characters problems in the story would be solved if they were actually just honest with one another/The ending left me wanting but at the same time, life doesn't always work out the way you planned it. Full Review:  Alice and Mattia meet in high school. Alice has a stiff leg, the result of a skiing accident in her youth. As with most teenage girls, she just wants the popular girl, Viola, to like he...

"More terrifying for the fact that you can't actually "see" what's happening or the creatures that hunt her, Malories story is tragic, terrifying and inspiring all at once. It shows the lengths a mother will go to keep her children safe in a world that has crumbled into chaos around them." 3 Stars.  Pros:  The fact that you never actually see the creatures definitely keeps the suspense up/The mixing of past and present keeps the reader engaged and wondering how it is Malorie found herself alone with the two children.  Cons:  I understand it's fiction but there just seem to be so many variables that don't add up/I feel like paddling a boat down a river while blindfolded is something Evil Knievel would have done, it just seems a tad too far fetched.  Full Review:  Malorie lives in a house with her two children. She stands at the kitchen counter, looking at the dew on her hands from when she went outside that morning to collect water from the well. She ...

"Brown again delivers with a riveting, gut wrenching, soul shattering novel that follows Darrow and his continued quest for peace. Even as he fights for freedom, for people to be equal, there are forces at work, evil that knows no bounds and goes far deeper than anyone could ever guess. These books are bloody damn prime and I can't wait for the next one." 5 Stars.  Pros:  Brown still knows how to surprise even after five books of a series/My sneaking suspicion was proven right to my pleasure/Every character has a part to play and everyone is important, to the most minute detail.  Cons:  The first 100 pages were just full of jargon and slang and it was REALLY difficult to get into the story/Sometimes the characters genius level IQs and ability to solve every problem gets old, but at the same time, characters don't see something that's right in front of them/Though not necessarily a con, Brown doesn't pull any punches at ALL and kills his characters off so very ...

"A fitting end to the series. " 5 Stars.  Pros:   With a surprising but understandable twist, the series is wrapped up. We learn of some characters fates while others are a mystery but Kirkman respects the reader enough to let them decide and not continue to write a story long after a good ending point has been reached.  Cons:  There are or course questions that want answering but nothing so vital that you can't make your own guesses. Aside from the choice of President in the end (seemed kind of convenient), this was a good ending to a good series.  Full Review:  Of course the people of the Commonwealth rebel and tensions erupt. Rick tries to keep the peace, Pamela Milton is at first suspicious but then she decides to surrender. And it seems that thing will end peacefully. There's talk of an election and Rick, is of course, an obvious candidate for leader. But he's decided that his place is in Alexandria, that he doesn't want to stay in the Commonwealt...

"Good group has good thing, seemingly other "good" group has good thing but is not actually so "good." Good group, IE Rick Grimes, will take steps to help but things escalate and here comes another war." 3 Stars Pros:   At least Eugene has a girl who cares about him now and Carl's "help" at trying to get Sophia some action is pretty hilarious.  Cons:  I don't know what crawled up Maggie's ass but she's being a real beast all of a sudden/Same old - Good place, Bad place, War, Zombies/Rick Grimes is God, the best leader ever of humanity, ever.   Full Review:  After taking Pamela on a tour of Alexandria, Oceanside, the Sanctuary and the Hilltop and introducing her to the "leaders" he goes back to the Commonwealth to meet her people and see how they live. He's very taken by what he sees. But Dwight understands that the system is broken. That the people who aren't in charge are oppressed. And this comes to light in a ...

" The group that set out to find Eugene's mystery lady, Stephanie, from the CB Radio, find her amongst a massive new group called the Commonwealth." 5 Stars.  Pros:   Michonne's surprise and again, the revelation of new communities and how they live their lives.  Cons:  You'd think in a world that's been radically changed, people would be more accepting of "law and order", a way of life, a routine, though it makes sense that there would be differing opinions/Again, Princess is obnoxious.  Full Review:  The group that went out in search of Stephanie, the woman that Eugene had been speaking to on the CB Radio he bought at the fair, meet with a cadre of armed and fully armored guards. They are forced to give up their weapons and brought to the "staging area." Before they get there, they come to the "wall of the lost" which is a bulletin board of photos of basically "missing persons." Michonne finds a picture of herself and ...

  "The Communities rebuild, characters strengths are tested, and a small group ventures out to meet the mystery lady that Eugene has been talking to, Stephanie." 5 Stars  Pros:   Negan and Lucille's backstory/Maggie and Negan's stand off.   Cons:  Princess is probably the most obnoxious character that's been in this series and I don't know why they introduced her so late.  Full Review:  All the Communities begin to rebuild and attempt to recover from the Whisperers zombie horde attack. Carl goes back to the Hilltop to start helping in the rebuilding project. Negan goes off on his own with food and finds a place to settle down. Maggie has Dante follow him and mark exactly where it is that Negan's living. It's obvious she's planning her revenge since she can't believe that Rick just let Negan walk away. Dwight feels the same way and tells Rick that he thinks his time as Leader of Alexandria is over and that Dwight should step in. Rick makes it ...