Still Waters by Ash Parsons

I have a bad habit of choosing books based on their jackets. I know, I know, you can really miss out on some gems by doing that. So, I decided on my most recent trip to the library to check out a book that was missing its jacket. And I did precisely that. Still Waters was the only book by Ash Parsons on the shelf, and its jet black binding and simple white title was nothing special. However, I stayed true to the promise I made myself and picked it up. I started it this morning while laying in bed, being completely blind to what it was about. After reading the first twenty pages or so, I was hooked.

Still Waters is about a high-schooler named Jason, who has a little sister named Janie that he adores and an extremely abusive father he can't wait to get away from. His upbringing has bred a fight-or-flight attitude, so his first instinct when popular-prom-king Michael approaches him with a wad of cash to hang out with him and his friends is to fight. While Jason understands that his reputation is that of a tough guy, he doesn't understand why this crowd wants him to hang around--however, as the plot unravels, things become more and more clear to Jason, and his internal struggle to become more than a victim becomes a struggle to survive and keep his sister, his best friend, and any he loves out of danger's path.

This book is an absolute roller-coaster ride. I was physically tensed the entire time I was reading it, and that doesn't happen often when I'm not reading a horror novel. The plot was so intricate and well-written that I not only didn't have a clue what would happen next, I literally could not find the strength to stop reading until I reached the end, the resolution. Parsons did an excellent job with every bit of dialogue, plot line, and character development in this novel.

Another aspect of Still Waters that I absolutely loved is the character of the nameless abusive father. I think this character could be representative of an evil in families that not only is the father, but the mother, husband, child, etc. that is abusive. The character being a drunk father fit well for Jason and Janie's situation, but readers could interpret this character and Jason's constant struggle to be victorious and lose his "victim" status over this character in their own way, making it an extremely relatable plot for millions of readers.

One thing that a lot of writers seem to struggle with is making their characters relatable/real enough for their audience to identify with and feel for them. I can tell you that throughout this novel, I felt real, emotional pain for several characters, and fear/loathing towards others. I was anxious and emotionally charged throughout this entire novel, and that made the sensory reading experience that I had so much more. Just more.

After reading Still Waters, I broke down and looked up the cover of the jacket. It's not a remarkable cover (or the one I saw wasn't) and didn't really portray anything about the context or content of the plot. However, on the back of the jacket, there are four words that really sum up this entire novel for me, and that is more indicative of how I feel about this book than anything I could ever write above:

Intense. Gritty. Chilling. Powerful.

I recommend Still Waters 10/10.

My Favorites From This Month: November

Hello all! It's time again for "My Favorites From This Month"! It's November, the month of Thanksgiving, and I can tell you, I am very thankful to have read the following books!

1. Emma by Jane Austen: classic literature, coming-of-age, romance
2. Speak Softly, She Can Hear by Pam Lewis: suspense, horror, fiction
3. Oil on Water by Helon Habila: historical fiction, African fiction
4. A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams: play, drama
5. The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes: horror, fiction
6. Gerald's Game by Stephen King: horror, fiction
7. A World Without You by Beth Revis: fiction, mental illness, loss
8. Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery: fiction, coming-of-age, 2nd in "Anne of Green Gables"
9. King Lear by Shakespeare: play, tragedy, family
10. Long Division by Kiese Laymon: African American fiction, coming-of-age

I seriously recommend all of these very strongly. They are all good reads that will really make you think, and will allow you to reflect on your life and be thankful for what you have in this month of thanksgiving. Happy reading!

xoxo

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

So, I've heard A LOT about Cassandra Clare and her "Mortal Instruments" series. However, when browsing at the library, I saw this book, Clockwork Angel, that looked different from the other six books on the shelf. When reading the synopsis, I saw that CA as well as another book called Clockwork Prince were the prequel series to the "Mortal Instruments" series. Personally, I like to read the prequel(s) to series AFTER reading the original series, just because I think it really adds to the reading experience. It gives you new insight to the series you've already read, and I think it's just cool to look back and find reasons and history behind a story.

Anyways, I checked the book out from the library and brought it home to read during my recovery from surgery and over the Thanksgiving break. (Yes, I had surgery. All is well, and I am recovering surrounded by mounds of books! :) ) It took me four hours to finish this 476 page book. Let me tell you, I could NOT put it down. Clare is an exceedingly talented storyteller, and I cannot wait to finish this series as well as the "Mortal Instruments" series.

When beginning this post, I was trying to find the best way to summarize this plot without giving anything away. I couldn't think of one, so I have decided to post the synopsis provided by Clare herself here: When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean from New York to find her brother, her destination is London, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, Nephilim warriors dedicated to keeping the world free from demons, keep order amidst the chaos. Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, the shadowy figure who runs the Club will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own. Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy all Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping the Nephilim save the world...and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.

Sounds interesting, right? Well, it is. My favorite part about this book was the way Clare created a world that, while the idea is not a new one, is unique in its own way. Fantasy young adult novels all tend to have very similar characteristics, whether shown in the characters, settings, or plot points. And while Clockwork Angel does share all these similarities, Clare somehow differentiates this world of Nephilim and mundanes from all others, making it a unique, attention-keeping story that I simply couldn't put down.

The character development Clare uses is also interesting and unique. A lot of times, authors will give characters a shady past in order to not have to make up stories about their past or to divert attention from them. However, Clare uses the pasts of her characters in order to develop them in a way that is both mysterious as well as enlightening. It left me wanting so much more, but not in a bad way. (Really, it functioned to make me want to immediately drive back to the library and pick up the second book.)

While I loved this book, I did find a few flaws that are worth mentioning. There always seem to be background characters in books--it is a common thread that works to flesh out major characters as well as provide substance to a story. However, in my opinion, there really were no minor characters in this novel. It seemed as though every single character was extremely important, and all were given pretty extensive background. This didn't serve to make the book more interesting, but actually became confusing on a couple of occasions, and it didn't add much in the way of fleshing out the story. It became cluttered, distracting, and the fluidity of the story was interrupted.

A second flaw, while not completely ruinous, was the actions of a certain character that didn't really line up with his development in the beginning of the story. It seemed as though Clare was going forward really quickly with a plot line for this character, but towards the end, she wrote in some dialogue/situations that really seemed to contradict his previous development. I think she was attempting to make his past seem shady in the mind of the main character, and to make him seem deeper and more troubled than the main character originally thought he was, but it just served to confuse me.

All in all, Clockwork Angel is a unique, fun, thirst-quenching reading experience for anyone who likes a good, well-written (for the most part) fantasy novel. A few flaws here and there, but overall a really advanced, different version of a story you may or may not have heard before.

I recommend Clockwork Angel 8/10.

NOTE: for a young-adult fantasy, this novel is dark. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone under 15/16 or so.. it took some dark turns emotionally, and while that made the book better for me, I feel as if it might confuse or scare younger children/adolescents.

Survival in Auschwitz by Primo Levi

Memoirs are a favorite of mine, simply because they not only tell the story of an individual, but often tell the story of many individuals. In Levi's memoir Survival in Auschwitz, he tells a chilling tale about his time in this concentration camp, and the moral/psychological/physiological struggles that he and many of the people he met there were facing. He not only gives an account of the way he and others were treated in Auschwitz, but he also gives his readers a look into the mind of someone facing systematic dehumanization, and what it takes to keep what makes you human alive.

Every facet of this book is wonderful. I drank up his words and his anecdotes. His strong spirit, and the spirits of many others, was so evident in every word of this memoir. Many memoirs about the Holocaust and other genocides are heavily focused on the inhuman behavior of the "bad guys", but Levi focused more on the psychological effect that the Nazi's system of dehumanization had on human beings. He connects the problems that the prisoners in concentration camps were facing to broader, common problems that are faced by humans every day; those of relationships, maintaining morality, and keeping up the human side of oneself. It was a new interpretation of the Holocaust that was really insightful. (Note: I am in no way downplaying the inhumanity and horrors of the Holocaust, nor was Levi. That isn't at all what I'm saying!)

I observed while reading this memoir that Levi never disguised the feelings of despair and lost hope that he and other prisoners felt. He never claimed that hope was what got him through his time there; in fact, he wrote often about how there was no hope, and that feeling any kind of hope was a death sentence. This was interesting to me, as I had never heard this perspective before. He claimed that remaining human, resisting the Nazi's efforts to strip them of their humanity, and retaining morality was much, much more important than hope.

A good example of the interesting way in which Levi writes is that he describes using a classic literary passage in order to teach someone Italian. He writes that he was so, so angry with himself when he couldn't remember every word exactly from this passage, because it felt as though this connection to an art form (literature) was a piece of his humanity that he just could not lose. This really touched me, because as you probably already know, literature is near and dear to my heart. This memoir is full of moments like this, and it will bring tears to your eyes as he describes the struggle to remain a human being.

Overall, Survival in Auschwitz gives its readers a very different perspective on the Holocaust. I liked Levi's subtle cuts at the Nazi's dehumanization tactics, his heart-warming anecdotes, and the way he described the relationships he formed in Auschwitz. His spirit shines through, and you can really tell that he wrote this memoir in order to keep the memory of everyone who suffered this atrocity alive. He told the stories of those who were not able to tell their own, and that is a beautiful, incredible, human thing. I highly recommend this memoir to everyone. Not just history buffs, not just lovers-of-memoirs, but everyone.

I recommend Survival in Auschwitz 10/10.

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

If you've read any of my previous reviews, you probably came across one about the book "I'll Give You the Sun". After reading it, I fell in love with the quirkiness and brilliance that is Jandy Nelson. She writes in a way that is appealing to both young adults and grown-ups alike. I had previously thought that she had only written the one book. But, to my surprise, this gem is also in her bibliography. As I was browsing in Barnes & Noble, I saw it, and I had to get it. (Yes, HAD to.)

NOTE: I try to read and review books as objectively as possible. Therefore, I will not write this review comparing TSIE to IGYT :)

I'll start with a brief synopsis. "The Sky is Everywhere" is a novel about a girl named Lennie (Lennon) who has lost her sister, Bailey. She is lost without her, and so are her relatives Uncle Big and Gram, whom she lives with. As life without Bailey goes on, Lennie is torn between her grief and two beautiful guys. As the tagline of the book states, "One helps her to remember. One helps her to forget." Lennie discovers things about herself, her mother, her sister, and the rest of her family that she never knew, all in an attempt to celebrate her sister's life in the best way she knows how.

My favorite thing about this book is the subject matter and how it is approached. There are countless novels about grieving and losing someone that you love, but never one (that I've read) that has described it so beautifully. The way Nelson personifies Lennie's grief is so skillfully crafted that you can't help but feel her emotions yourself. (I cried several times.)

Nelson also addresses the idea of a nuclear family, and how one is not always necessary to be "normal" and loved. Gram and Big have their very own personalities and quirks, so not only do you feel close to Lennie, but you also begin to sympathize and feel the things that Gram and Big feel. Not to mention, Bailey is a character that, while not present throughout the novel, is developed so well that even without dialogue or an inner monologue, you feel as though you know what she would say or think at times throughout the novel.

As for negatives in "The Sky is Everywhere", it definitely feels a lot like a young-adult novel. There are some really cheesy, questionable dialogue choices a few times throughout the story, and the teenage characters (besides the main characters) are extremely stereotypical, which got annoying at certain points. There are two characters that lack development, and that I would have really liked to have read more about.

If you're looking for a novel that paints grief from the standpoint of a quirky, lovable teenage girl, then this one's for you. Also, if you live in a home without a nuclear family, or even if your family members are a little "out of their trees" (strange), then this book will be relatable and fun for you.

I recommend "The Sky is Everywhere" 7/10.

Owning Up to my Shortcomings

Hello! This post is just an explanation as to why I haven't posted a review in FOREVER. Recently I have been really cracking down on my schoolwork, and work has been really busy. All that plus trying to maintain a normal sleeping schedule and social life, and I have had zero time to read for pleasure OR blog on this blog or my personal blog. I'm also taking several English classes, therefore my readings in those have taken up a lot of my attention and time.

Excuses, excuses. I know, they're all excuses. BUT, I am going to try and be better about posting reviews, even if it's classic literature like Dostoyevsky and Voltaire, because HEY, they deserve love too. Thanks for your patience and understanding!

xoxo
Sydney

Welcome to Night Vale by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor

Lord have MERCY. I knew just from the cover of this book that it was going to be a reading adventure, but I had no idea what a wild ride I was about to be taken on. I'll start this post by giving you a little background on how this book became to be, well, a book.

I'm pretty sure there's no way I can explain this book better than the synopsis on the inside cover, so I'm going to put that here just so you can get a feel for what the book is actually about. However, this book is actually based on a popular podcast about a strange town called Night Vale, created by the glorious minds of Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor, who also wrote the book. Below is the synopsis given by the authors.

"The Man in the Tan Jacket is back in Night Vale and he has been leaving strange pieces of paper with people, all of which say "King City". While Night Vale is used to the strange and bizarre, the Man in the Tan Jacket's arrival puts the town at odds. Jackie Fierro, the owner of the town pawn shop, is determined to figure out the mystery behind both the man and the paper. Meanwhile, Diane Crayton has her own issues: her son has been changing and while this is average for most teenage boys, her son is literally a shape shifter and looks different each time she sees him. When she begins to see her son's father around town and Josh begins to show new interest in the man, Diane knows that this cannot end well." 

As you can tell, this book seems strange and odd and completely radical. I was very excited to read it. My favorite part of the book was the satire used throughout, or maybe it would be better explained as symbolism. For example, the "city council" of Night Vale is a group of terrifying, hideous creatures that eat anyone who appears before them. I think this is a nod to the power and attitude of many in the real world that hold a position of authority. Another symbol is the helicopters that fly over Night Vale day and night, and the "vague yet menacing government agencies (Welcome to Night Vale p. 37)" that are always around, always watching the towns' citizens. This, to me, seemed like another nod to the omnipresent "big brother" ideology we as Americans have towards organizations like the NSA. 

Another extremely powerful point in this novel was the idea of interconnecting lives. I know you've read stories before where the characters throughout all end up being connected in some way, but Welcome to Night Vale does an excellent job connecting its characters without being too abrupt or in-your-face. The subtleties of the connections are so light and transparent that unless you're paying attention, you might miss them. 

The only problem that I had with this book was some of the dialogue choices. While Fink and Cranor aren't renowned authors, the dialogue still could have been written in a more fluid, cohesive way. Instead, many times it was jumbled, forced, and didn't fit with the flow of the other narratives (which were very well written, so I was surprised..) 

All in all, this book is extremely interesting, funny to those who have a dry, strange sense of humor, and a great debut novel for Fink and Cranor. I'm definitely going to be giving their podcast a listen, because the way they created an entire place that holds so much weirdness and oddities really intrigues me. 

I recommend 9.5/10! (only because of the dialogue)

P.S. I am posting here the link to the Welcome to Night Vale podcast site. It is updated twice monthly, and is complete fantasy. I will be giving it a listen ASAP, and you should, too! 

Welcome To Night Vale Podcast Main Site

Edit: not sure why all of this text is highlighted in white, but I'm on a Mac that doesn't belong to me, so fixing it at this time isn't an option.. sorry for any inconvenience or displeasing aesthetic energy! :)

The Fireman by Joe Hill

If you've read pretty much any of my previous posts, you know that my favorite author is Joe Hill. With that being said, I'm so, so excited about writing this review, and if you only read one book for the rest of your life, you should pick The Fireman.

I'll start by saying that I'm going to be as unbiased as possible when reviewing this novel, because as I've already stated, my favorite author wrote it. But I'll go ahead and warn you, the review is extremely positive, because this is in the running for the most structurally beautiful novel I've ever read, and I'm calling it my favorite I've ever read, as well.

The Fireman is Hill's fourth full-length novel. It's a post-apocalyptic horror/fantasy novel about a spore that causes humans that are infected to spontaneously combust...literally. That's the only plot information I'm going to give, because I want you to read this book.

As always, the character development is phenomenal. Hill has a habit of lengthy descriptions, which usually bothers me, but he executes them in a way that is beneficial to the story as a whole, and really makes you feel more for the characters/places/things he is describing. There is a certain character present throughout the novel that has become one of my favorite literary characters of all time. From main characters to background characters, the way they are developed by Hill is beautiful and deep and I really felt as if I had developed a relationship with each one.

Another characteristic of this book that I really admired is that Hill took a really overdone concept (post apocalyptic worlds) and made it completely original. From the way the "world" seemingly "ends", to the societies created within the story, everything is new and fresh, steering away from the world ending to a brighter, more subtle existence. All the components of a post-apocalyptic story are present, but there are fresh twists that make them feel brand new. It's hard to decide who to side with in this story, the infected or the healthy, and that made the reading experience, for me, much more interesting and involved.

I don't use the word perfect often, but I would say that the way Hill ends The Fireman is almost perfect, if not completely. It is surprising and unexpected, and it fits perfectly with the entire mood of the story.

The last thing I'll say about The Fireman (because if I don't stop now, I never will..) is that it isn't at all like Hill's other works, which was also refreshing and showcased his ability to write something other than horror really well. It is more of a fantasy/sci-fi novel than a horror, and while he brings a new definition to the word "horror" for our generation, he has also shown that he is extremely gifted at writing a variety of different genres.

As you can probably tell, I loved this book, and I think that anyone who likes a good fantasy novel should definitely read it. The only suggestion I have is not to let a younger audience read--it is definitely geared towards adults, and the language/some of the plot points are more mature than a younger person should be exposed to. If you want to read a thrilling, beautiful story, pick up The Fireman as soon as possible.

I recommend 10/10 (as if I even needed to clarify that..)

 

My Favorites From This Month

I know this is a book reviewing blog, but I figured I would try and post a list of reads every once in a while that I've recently read that I may/may not have reviewed, but thoroughly enjoyed and recommend from 7 to 10 on a scale of 1-10. I will list the genres beside them so that you can choose from the list and decide what you might be interested in picking up. These are all MY OPINIONS, so you may/may not enjoy them, but I think they're well written, fun to read, and just all around good books.

Pick Em' Up:

1. The Beautiful American by Jeanne Mackin: historical fiction
2. We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler: psychology, family, relationships
3. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte: classic, gothic fiction
4. The Fireman by Joe Hill: fantasy, horror
5. The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey: young adult fiction, sci-fi, fantasy
6. Inherent Vice by Thomas Pynchon: detective fiction
7. The Host by Stephanie Meyer: young adult fiction, fantasy
8. Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell: young adult romance
9. All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven: mental illness, romance
10. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn: mystery, suspense, fiction
11. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins: psychological thriller
12. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah: historical fiction
13. Carry On by Rainbow Rowell: young adult, fantasy
14. The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman: war fiction
15. Night by Elie Wiesel (Rest in Peace): historical fiction, Holocaust fiction, memoir

I really hope you will check out some of these, because I thoroughly enjoyed all of them. Happy reading!

xoxo