Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli 5/5 stars

Hey, guys!  I've been seeing a lot about Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda so I thought I'd give it a shot.  I don't even think I read the description first, the first sentence ("It's a weirdly subtle conversation.  I almost don't notice I'm being blackmailed.") got me hooked, and I loved it.

The Cover:

The Cover:
The title is simple, Simon's invisible body with a speech bubble.  I like it.  The title itself is a play on "the homosexual agenda" which ends up being pretty clever and relevant to the book.  A+ cover.

Official Description:
Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now Simon is actually being blackmailed: if he doesn’t play wingman for class clown Martin, his sexual identity will become everyone’s business. Worse, the privacy of Blue, the pen name of the boy he’s been emailing, will be compromised.
With some messy dynamics emerging in his once tight-knit group of friends, and his email correspondence with Blue growing more flirtatious every day, Simon’s junior year has suddenly gotten all kinds of complicated. Now, change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he’s pushed out—without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he’s never met.

My Review:
This is one of my favorite teen romance novels.  It's cute and actually funny with all of the action-packed drama that you can possibly hope for.

The characters are fantastic.  They are multidimentional and the relationships between the characters are super realistic and complex.  However, there were not a lot of characters, so the mystery of how Blue really was seemed a bit predictable to me (though I was thrown off by the end!).

Even though it was a romance book, the plot was fast-paced and kept me on the edge of my seat.  I read the whole book in a day (and wished I still had more to go).

I'd definitely recommend Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda for anyone in the mood for drama, romance, or humor.

Phrase:
The Tumblr

If You Liked This Book, You May Also Like:
Anna and the French Kiss
Every Day
Winger
The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley

If you're looking for a good book, check out my Suggestions Page!

Happy Reading!

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The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie 4.5/5 stars

Hey, guys!  I just kept hearing about The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian on both bestselling lists and banned books lists, so I decided to give it a shot.

The Cover:

The Cover:
It is a simple cover with action figures of stereotypical Indians.  It works for this cover, I think.  A+ cover.

Official Description:
Bestselling author Sherman Alexie tells the story of Junior, a budding cartoonist growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Determined to take his future into his own hands, Junior leaves his troubled school on the rez to attend an all-white farm town high school where the only other Indian is the school mascot.
Heartbreaking, funny, and beautifully written, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, which is based on the author's own experiences, coupled with poignant drawings by Ellen Forney that reflect the character's art, chronicles the contemporary adolescence of one Native American boy as he attempts to break away from the life he was destined to live.

My Review:
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian was very well-written.  With a heavy dose of dark humor, the incredibly dark events of this book did not feel as heavy and depressing as they could be.  In a way, that made them more impactful.

It was a short book, only 250 pages and it is a fast read.  I ended up reading it in only one day.

The writing was just good.  It was engaging and makes you really care for Junior, a really complex character.  All of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian's characters were easy to connect to, especially through Junior's eyes.

One of the main goals of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian was to talk about the modern Indian, the good and the bad.  It speaks about how close the community is, while mentioning how completely hopeless they are.  From alcohol issues, to poverty, to discrimination.  It will open eyes to the plight of the people on the reservation, but at points, it got a little bit too preachy.  Like it was trying to shove a lesson at me.

Throughout the book, small comics were inserted.  They were often funny/ quirky little thoughts.  I don't think they were necessary, but it helped to maintain the light mood.

I think The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is mostly aimed at middle schoolers.  However, there are moments that a bit mature (probably why it was banned from some libraries).  It is definitely fine for older audiences as well.

Overall, I enjoyed The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.  It was well-written with memorable characters and a good narrative voice, if a bit heavy-handed on the message.  I'd recommend it if you like dark humor.

Phrase:
Rules of Fistfights

If You Liked This Book, You May Also Like:
Darkly Dreaming Dexter
Reality Boy
Thirteen Reasons Why
Perks of Being a Wallflower

If you're looking for a good book, check out my Suggestions Page!

Happy Reading!

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Speaker for the Dead (Ender #2 or 3) by Orson Scott Card 3.5/5 stars

Hey, guys!  About two years ago, I read Ender's Game (great sci-fi book by the way) and was afraid to read the sequel, thinking it would ruin it.  Speaker for the Dead was very different from Ender's Game but still good.

Speaker for the Dead was the second book written in the Ender universe and is the intended sequel. Another book, Ender in Exile was added between Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead about twenty years later.  I decided to read it in publication order. So this book is the 2nd or 3rd depending on your viewpoint.  Either way, Speaker for the Dead is mostly a standalone, with Ender's Game providing context.

The Cover:

The Cover:
It shows some spaceships.  Nothing really to do with the story and it doesn't catch my attention.  C- cover

Official Description:
In the aftermath of his terrible war, Ender Wiggin disappeared, and a powerful voice arose: the Speaker for the Dead, who told of the true story of the Bugger War.
Now long years later, a second alien race has been discovered, but again the aliens’ ways are strange and frightening…again, humans die. And it is only the Speaker for the Dead, who is also Ender Wiggin the Xenocide, who has the courage to confront the mystery…and the truth.

My Review:
Speaker for the Dead had a very different style to Ender's Game.  The writing itself seemed more mature.

The characters were fun, if not extraordinary.  You could tell them apart, and the relationships developed in interesting ways as the story continued.

The plot was fast-moving with plenty of unexpected developments.  Ender and the other characters try to understand the piggies (the aliens).  How does their society work and what causes them to kill humans so brutally? As the mysteries of the piggies are revealed, the character's secrets are revealed too.

Large portions of the book spend time talking about religion and ethics.  It was interesting but droned on a bit too long.

Overall, I liked Speaker for the Dead.  It was a fast read without any real problems, but it wasn't memorable.  It was a fine sequel, but pales compared to Ender's Game.

Phrase:
Father trees

If You Liked This Book, You May Also Like:
Ender's Game
Dotwav
Human.4
The Dark Side of Nowhere
Speeding Bullet

If you're looking for a good book, check out my Suggestions Page!

Happy Reading!

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The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness (5/5 stars)

Hey, guys! Continuing my tour of Patrick Ness's books, I decided to read The Rest of Us Just Live Here.  It was really good, but not as advertised.

Other Books by Patrick Ness:

Chaos Walking series 

More Than This

Monsters of Men

The Cover:

The Cover:

Official Description:

What if you aren’t the Chosen One?
The one who’s supposed to fight the zombies, or the soul-eating ghosts, or whatever the heck this new thing is, with the blue lights and the death?
What if you’re like Mikey? Who just wants to graduate and go to prom and maybe finally work up the courage to ask Henna out before someone goes and blows up the high school. Again.
Because sometimes there are problems bigger than this week’s end of the world, and sometimes you just have to find the extraordinary in your ordinary life.
Even if your best friend is worshipped by mountain lions.
Award-winning writer Patrick Ness’s bold and irreverent novel powerfully reminds us that there are many different types of remarkable.

My Review:

When I started The Rest of Us Just Live Here, I expected it to be about a normal kid who everyone around them were Chosen Ones and was left on his own.  That wasn't really what it was about.  Really, very little about Chosen Ones were mentioned.  It all went on in the background.  The majority of the book centered on the very real world struggles of Mikey as he starts to transition from high school to college, moving on from his small town world.  It was much better than I expected.
Also, The Rest of Us Just Live Here is aimed at an older age group than I first expected.  It's definitely a more sophisticated book than it seems, probably aimed more at the high school age group, though there's nothing inappropriate for younger ages.

The characters were all very easy to like.  Mikey, the main character, was a very interesting character.  Misguided but I cared more about him than I have for any character for a long time.  The supporting  characters were not entirely developed, purposely.  In fact, as the book developed, the characters grew more complex as Mikey starts to understand them.

One of the main plot points was the mental illnesses of Mikey and Mel.  It was a perspective that you do not often see in books and is incredibly impactful.  (A style kind of similar to Challenger Deep.)

The plot was a small part of the book, yet it was still intense.  While not the focus, the plot was interesting and kept me completely engaged.

One thing you should know before reading The Rest of Us Just Live Here is its formatting.  At the beginning of each chapter, there is a paragraph or so about what is going on with the Chosen Ones in the meantime.  Be aware that these paragraphs are background to the story, not the story itself.

Overall, I would recommend The Rest of Us Just Live Here for people who have liked Patrick Ness's other books or books that make you think.  It's not the book you should read if you want a book about magical powers, etc.  Not what I expected, but I liked it more than expected too.

Phrase:
Deer

Other Books By Patrick Ness:
The Knife of Never Letting Go/ The Ask & the Answer / Monsters of Men

More Than This

If You Liked This Book, You May Also Like:

Challenger Deep

If you're looking for a good book, check out my Suggestions Page!

Happy Reading!

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Lola and the Boy Next Door (Anna and the French Kiss #2) by Stephanie Perkins 3/5 stars

Hey, guys!  After reading Anna and the French Kiss and Isla and the Happily Ever After (all of which you can read out of order), I decided to read the second and final (for me) book in this "series" of teen romance books.  I was disappointed.  It was much worse than the other two books.

The Cover:

The Cover:
It shows Lola is a fairly normal outfit and a purple wig in a neighborhood with Cricket, the main love interest.  It's boring but okay.  B- cover.

Official Description:
Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion... she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit — more sparkly, more fun, more wild — the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood.
When Cricket — a gifted inventor — steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

My Review:
Honestly, just from the description, I knew I wasn't going to like Lola and the Boy Next Door nearly as much as the other books by Stephanie Perkins. It was somehow cheesier.

I hated the main character.  Lola might be one of the most unlikable protagonists that I've ever read about.  Instead of facing her problems, Lola decides to avoid them at all costs and through a variety of ways such as: playing detective, creating drama, talking to the moon, leading Cricket on, and costumes.  Lola would not wear normal clothes, instead wearing elaborate costumes and daily wigs as her everyday clothes.  Her dream is to wear a two-foot-long wig to her school's dance.  When reading Lola and the Boy Next Door, you are supposed to support Lola's fashion choices and praise her as "original" and "creative."  It wasn't.  It was weird, not just in a quirky way but in a stay-away-from-me way.  Lola also just spent the whole book acting really immature.  She didn't feel like a junior, but like a sixth grader.

Stephanie Perkins also had an agenda when writing this book.  There's no problem with agendas in general, but one of her main points is the relationship between Lola's two fathers.  She was trying to prove that two men could raise a perfectly normal child (which I don't doubt), but she failed at proving it.  Lola was anything but normal.  In fact, she might have been clinically depressed at one point.  If you can't make your agenda work, don't try to prove it! 

Most of this review is just an explanation of why I hated Lola.  The other characters were fine.  I actually really like Cricket and Calliope.  Some of the characters were fun to read about and the writing in general was engaging.

If the main character was anyone other than Lola, I would recommend this book.  It was cute and had good writing; however, Lola was so awful I couldn't do that to you.  If she doesn't sound irritating to you, feel free to read Lola and the Boy Next Door it was generally good, with the exception of the main character.

Phrase:
Tea leaves

If You Liked This Book, You May Also Like:
Anna & the French Kiss
Eleanor & Park
Isla and the Happily Ever After
An Abundance of Katherines
This Lullaby

If you're looking for a good book, check out my Suggestions Page!

Happy Reading!

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Dexter in the Dark (Dexter #3) by Jeff Lindsay 3/5 stars

Hey, guys!  About six months ago I started reading Dexter in the Dark and put it aside for a few days (which ended up being months) and I've finally finished.  I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as I enjoyed the first two books (Darkly Dreaming Dexter/ Dearly Devoted Dexter) but it was still alright, if slow. I still plan to finish the series.

The Cover:

The Cover:
It shows Dexter... in the dark.  Not much to say about this one.  It's fine but not exciting.  B- cover

Official Description:
In his work as a Miami crime scene investigator, Dexter Morgan is accustomed to seeing evil deeds. . . particularly because, on occasion, he commits them himself. But Dexter's happy existence is turned upside down when he is called to an unusually disturbing crime scene at the university campus. Dexter's Dark Passenger – mastermind of his homicidal prowess – immediately senses something chillingly recognizable and goes into hiding. Dexter is alone for the first time in his life, and he realizes he's being hunted by a truly sinister adversary. Meanwhile he's planning a wedding and trying to learn how to be a stepfather to his fiancé's two kids – who might just have dark tendencies themselves. Macabre, ironic, and wonderfully entertaining, Dexter in the Dark goes deeper into the psyche of one of the freshest protagonists in recent fiction

My Review:
In Dexter in the Dark, Jeff Lindsay starts to focus on the origin of the Dark Passenger, the thing telling Dexter that being a serial killer is a good idea.  Large portions of this book were focused on Dexter's pondering of the origin of the Dark Passenger, which seems more like an alien than anything else.  It got a bit too weird for my tastes in that regard.

The humor continues to be dark, though successfully funny.  The suspense builds nicely, and I really enjoyed the dynamic between Dexter and Rita's kids.  It was fresh and wrong in the way that the Dexter books love to be wrong.  

Overall, if you liked the first two books, this book continues the same trends and was still fun to read, if you are patient enough to get through the parts about the Dark Passenger.  In my opinion, the good and the bad about balanced each other out.  Read it if you want to, but if you stop enjoying it partway through, it doesn't get better.

Phrase:
MLK

If You Liked This Book, You May Also Like:
Darkly Dreaming Dexter/ Dearly Devoted Dexter
The Running Man

If you're looking for a good book, check out my Suggestions Page!

Happy Reading!

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A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness (idea by Siobhan Dowd) 5/5 stars

Hey, guys!  I just read a book that reminded me why I love reading.  I was beautiful and dark in a way that no other media can properly convey.  Before I even get into the review, I'll let you know that you should read it, no matter how skeptical you are.

I read Patrick Ness's Chaos Walking series and More Than This but I think A Monster Calls outshines those other, outstanding books.  I decided to read A Monster Calls simply because I liked Ness's other books and had high hopes.  I wasn't disappointed.

The Cover:

The Cover:
It shows the monster in front of Conor's house, looming.  It doesn't show much but it captures the spirit and content of the book.  A+ cover

Official Description:
The monster showed up after midnight. As they do.
But it isn’t the monster Conor’s been expecting. He’s been expecting the one from his nightmare, the one he’s had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments, the one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming…
This monster is something different, though. Something ancient, something wild. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor.
It wants the truth.

My Review:
A Monster Calls is a story of a thirteen year old boy whose mother is dying of cancer.  One night a monster made from the old yew tree outside his house begins to tell Conor stories, with the promise that Conor will tell one of his own at the end.  It's a story about grief, guilt, and change.  It breaks your heart but does so in a way that doesn't leave you sad but hopeful.

A Monster Calls was in a word: beautiful.  The very sentences were artfully composed.  Patrick Ness has completely conquered the old adage "show don't tell."  With a few words, you know exactly what is going on without ever being informed.  It made the story feel more significant as you come up with the ideas yourself without having them shoved down your throat. 

Within a few short paragraphs, I understood Conor perfectly.  He was a character you couldn't help but stand behind.  All of the characters, in fact, were deeply, deeply flawed, but still lovable.  From the dad who abandoned his family to the uptight grandma, the characters felt like real people going through a tough situation.

Once every twenty pages or so, there is a beautiful illustration (in the style of the cover).  It added to the book.  Don't be fooled into thinking the illustrations make it on par with The Magic Treehouse.  It is intended for older audiences.  I would say middle school and up.  Adults could easily appreciate A Monster Calls so do not be discouraged.

A Monster Calls can be looked at on two levels: the monster is/is not real.  It doesn't matter if you think of it as a fairytale or as a beautiful metaphor, the story remains incredible.

I would recommend A Monster Calls to everyone, especially the people who appreciate good writing. It was just amazing.  I feel like I am still within the story.  Definitely worth reading!

Phrase:
Sometimes there is no villain.

Other Books By Patrick Ness:
The Knife of Never Letting Go/ The Ask & the Answer / Monsters of Men

More Than This

If you're looking for a good book, check out my Suggestions Page!

Happy Reading!

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Dotwav by Mike A. Lancaster 4/5 stars

Hey, guys!  I managed to get my hands on an advanced copy of Dotwav by Mike A. Lancaster.  I really enjoyed his earlier books (the Human.4 series) and wasn't sure what to expect when I started this book but enjoyed it nonetheless.

The Cover:

The Cover:
It shows a pair of headphones pumping sound waves into a head.  It's simple and fits the book's theme of mind control by music.  I like it.  A+ cover

Official Description:
“There’s something in that sound. Something bad. Something dangerous.”
Fifteen-year-old Ani Lee is a skilled hacker researching a strange .wav file that she’s downloaded when it behaves as no file ever should.
Joe Dyson is a seventeen-year-old American transplant recruited into a secret teen division of the British intelligence service who’s looking into the disappearance of a friend caught up in an underground music scene that might be more than it appears.
When Ani and Joe’s investigations intertwine, they discover that the .wav file and the music are linked—someone’s embedding the file into tracks to create a mind-controlled teen army.
But who’s behind it? And why? And how do you stop a sound?An exhilarating sci-fi techno-thriller that blends music, mind control, and conspiracy perfect for fans of Little Brother, Brain Jack, and Proxy. 

My Review:
I loved reading Dotwav.  It was quick, fast-paced, and a truly inventive science-fiction book.   I flew through the story, it wasn't perfect but it was still very enjoyable.

The writing style itself was compelling.  It kept me hooked and entranced in the plot.  It was super descriptive (perhaps too much so during some gross/violent scenes).  It really put you into the scene.

The characters were likable.  Joe & Ani were both complicated characters with their own baggage. However, at times they acted more like adults than the teenagers they were supposed to be.  It may have been a result of their backstories but they seemed a little too grown-up.

The plot was exciting and full of action and adventure.  There were lots of fun fight scenes.  The technology was creative and easy to imagine, some a bit too out-there for me, but still original.

Honestly, the only part of the book I completely disliked was the assumption that the quadratic formula was some kind of complex math.  As a bit of a math nerd, I couldn't get past this.  I doubt that a simple use of factoring could select for intelligence, especially since you only have had to passed Algebra I.  That little assumption distracted me terribly whenever it was mentioned.  Small but inaccurate, in my opinion anyway.

Overall, I liked Dotwav.  I believe that it is the first book in a series and I plan on reading the next book.  Dotwav was inventive and exciting.  The good outweighed the bad, and I would recommend it to science fiction fans.

Dotwav comes out on September 6, 2016.

Phrase:
Worms

If You Liked This Book, You May Also Like:
Human.4
Ender's Game
The Dark Side of Nowhere
Speeding Bullet

If you're looking for a good book, check out my Suggestions Page!

Happy Reading!

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(Note: This book was given to me by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.)

This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen 3.5/5 stars

Hey, guys!  Back in October at Yall Fest, I was handed a few free books.  One was Isla & the Happily Ever After and another was This Lullaby.  I had heard of Sarah Dessen and wanted to give her a try, plus I was in a romance mood this weekend.  It wasn't perfect but was still enjoyable and easy-to-read.

The Covers:

The Cover:
The first is the more popular cover and the second is from the edition I read.  I like the second one better.  It shows a guitar with a heart-shaped pick.  I think that sums up This Lullaby pretty well : music and romance.  A grade A cover

Official Description:

When it comes to relationships, Remy doesn't mess around. After all, she's learned all there is to know from her mother, who's currently working on husband number five. But there's something about Dexter that seems to defy all of Remy's rules. He certainly doesn't seem like Mr. Right. For some reason, however, Remy just can't seem to shake him. Could it be that Remy's starting to understand what those love songs are all about?

My Review:

I enjoyed reading This Lullaby.  It was an easy read that I powered through in just a day.  

The characters were strong.  They were distinguishable from one another and pretty easy to like. They all had backstories (some less developed than others) that added to their characters.  They were all flawed, even the love interest was not the stereotypical "perfect guy" of teen romances.

The biggest problem I had is a major pet peeve of mine.  A major theme of teen romances is to prove the female protagonist is smart by saying she went to an Ivy League school while not proving it any other way.  The girl will not act intelligent except for when mentioning how in the fall she is going to Stanford in this case.  I cannot stand it.  Frankly, there is no way that Remy could've possibly gotten in to a school of that caliber.  It seems like a cheap way to get out of proving a character is intelligent. If she's going to Stanford, she must be smart, no need to prove it.  I just hate it.  It's a small detail, but everytime it was mentioned (frequently), I was ejected from the story.  It wasn't believable.

I was also not satisfied with the ending.  It wrapped everything up but it was as if the main storyline was left to the side as This Lullaby wrapped up the subplots that were inconsequential.  I would've liked more "screen time" for the main plot around the end.  Within the last five pages it was covered but not at all in the thirty leading up to it.  It left me unsatisfied.

Overall, I had a few issues with This Lullaby but it was still cute and well-written.  I did read it in a day and enjoyed it.  I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend it, but it's a nice summer romance, especially if you like the idea of a band.  Not outstanding but still good.

Phrase:
Extra Large Zip Diet

If You Liked This Book, You May Also Like:
Anna & the French Kiss
Eleanor & Park
Isla and the Happily Ever After
An Abundance of Katherines

If you're looking for a good book, check out my Suggestions Page!

Happy Reading!

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