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Book Review: Mr. Mercedes

via Wikipedia

Mr. Mercedes

By Stephen King

4 Stars.

"Everybody likes the ice cream man." 

Bill Hodges is a retired detective who has lost his passion for living; until he receives a mysterious letter from the uncaught killer who mowed down a crowd of people in a stolen Mercedes. Now he's taken it upon himself to find this killer before he can do something even more destructive. 

This book, like all books of the great Mr. King, was fantastic. I listened to the audiobook read by Will Patton, and the narration was phenomenal. I loved how King showed you the inner workings of the killer's mind. His past, his motives, the way he saw the world, and the little mistakes he made that lead to his capture. The book is full of suspense and had me on the edge of my seat, especially when the killer was right under Hodges' nose. 

This book is a great read if you're a fan of true crime. While some parts of it are fiction, the story is super realistic. The characters are really in depth and all have a fascinating arc, and the plot is riveting and addicting. Overall, I gave it four stars. 

Thanks for reading another one of my reviews! I'll see you next week, (unless net neutrality is repealed and I can no longer afford the internet) with a review of The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. Have a good week! (And watch out for the ice cream man)

Book Review: The Rose and The Dagger.

via Amazon.

The Rose and The Dagger (The Wrath and The Dawn #2)

By Renée Ahdieh

4 stars.

"He did not belong to her, And she did not belong to him. It was never about belonging to someone. It was about belonging together." 

A war is brewing between lands, and Shahrzad is separated from her husband Khalid. Shahrzad must find a way to undo Khalid's curse, while also learning to master her own power. 

This book was a perfect ending to the series. I didn't like it as much as I did the first one, there was a little too much politics and a little less magic. Plus, not having Shahrzad and Khalid together made me very sad. The ending of the book is super cute and a great wrap up to the duology. 

This writing and characters are definitely the best qualities of this book, and overall I gave the book four stars. 

"The peace you seek is here. Fight for it." 

Thanks for reading another review! Be sure to join me on Monday for the December Releases you need to know about!

November 2017 Wrap Up

Hey There Internet! I'm enjoying some Christmas music and drinking some orange tea as I'm thinking about all the books I read this month. (Seriously, Audiobooks make it so easy to read more!) So without further ado, here is my November wrap up! (I still can't believe the year is almost over!)

1. The Rose and The Dagger by Renée Ahdieh.

via Amazon.

I gave this book four stars. It was a really great sequel to The Wrath and The Dawn, but I found the first book to be more suspenseful and action-packed. Although this book held a lot of twists I wasn't expecting!

2. Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King.

via Wikipedia.

I listened to this book on Audible (Will Patton is a great narrator btw) and I really enjoyed it. I know a lot of people don't really like this series because it leans more towards the grocery store spy novels instead of the legendary stuff King is known for, but I really enjoyed this book and felt really wrapped up in it. I do love serial killers though, so this book captivated me instantly. I gave it four stars!

3. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.

via Penguin Random House.

I read this book in my Women Writer's class, and I really liked it. I wasn't a fan of the ending, but I was amazed by the world that Atwood built. Everything in this dystopian society is based on something that has happened before in the world, and it's absolutely fascinating that she was able to put this world together. I gave it four stars.

4. Why Can't My Life Be A Romance Novel? by Melinda R. Cordell.

via Amazon.

I was sent this audiobook for free from the author in exchange for an honest review. This is a cute short story about a girl who has a crush on a boy in her class and makes comparisons between him and her favorite romance novel. The pace seemed rushed and I didn't really understand the ending, but it was a cute, goofy little story. I gave it 3 stars.

5. Jane Eyre- The Graphic novel- by Charlotte Brontë.

via Amazon.

I read this one for school, and I enjoyed it. I had never read Jane Eyre before, and I'm sure I missed a lot of stuff reading the graphic version. The story was a little extra, but I liked how there was a plot twist in the middle instead of them just falling in love and getting married. Mr. Rochester was kind of a douche though. I gave this book 3 stars. 

6. Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys

via Paris Review.

This book is the unofficial prequel to Jane Eyre and tells the story of Bertha, the madwoman in the attic. I didn't actually finish this book because I got behind in class, but I liked the first few chapters all right. (Don't hate me!!)


And there you have it! All the books I read in November. Let me know what you read in November and what you're favorite reads of the month were! I'll see you all on Friday for another book review!

Book Review: Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness. (5 Stars!!!)

via Wikipedia

Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness

By Susannah Cahalan

5/5 Stars

Susannah is a successful reporter for the New York post when she is overcome by a rare autoimmune disease that almost puts her in a home for the rest of her life. Or worse, kills her. This memoir tells of the month when her brain betrayed her. 

I love this book. I mean love this book. I originally saw it on a Buzzfeed list and decided that it would be an interesting read. I figured it would be about mental illness, something I'm interested in, but it ended up being something much more fascinating. The author also takes time to talk about how neurological disorders and psychiatric disorders should be grouped in the same category since they both affect the brain and human behavior, which I absolutely agree with. 

I listened to this book on Audible, and it was fantastically read by Heather Henderson, who also narrates Finding Your Way In A New World and Earth Moved. Her performance of this made me feel like I was in Susannah's mind, especially during the scenes when she would scream out for help.

Overall, this book is amazing. It's one of the best memoirs I've ever read, and it turns out to be more of a thriller as well as a memoir. A Themoir? Or a memller? Either way, it's great. The book is thoroughly enjoying and insightful, and I'd recommend it to anyone, especially those interested in psychology and rare illnesses. 

Thanks for reading another one of my reviews! I'll see you all on Monday for my November Recap and my top five December releases!

Book Review: Americanah.

via Goodreads.

Americanah

By Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

4 stars.

"You should never ever let the boy be in charge of your own protection. If he does not want to use it, then he does not care enough about you and you should not be there." -Adichie

Ifemelu is a Nigerian woman who moves to America in order to get a better college education than she can get in Nigeria. She realizes how different and difficult life in is America for immigrants, and after building a successful platform for herself decides to move back to her hometown in Nigeria.

This book is really great. Adichie is a fantastic author, and I was really excited to start this book after I read The Thing Around Your Neck last year. This book is sort of autobiographical, as it parallels Adichie's life in a sense. 

Looking at race and immigration in American through the lens of someone that isn't my own was so eye-opening. I am a white woman who was born in the United States, so I have no idea of the experiences that happen to others unlike me. It's really great to see all of that through Adichie's eyes.

One thing that was rocky with me in the story was the way that divorce and marital affairs are discussed in the book. While I could see the reason behind the situation, I also felt uncomfortable with the narrator expecting her love interest to just leave his wife and small child behind to be with her. 

Overall, I really liked this book. It's extremely insightful, and the writing is fantastic. I recommend it to everyone, especially if you haven't read a lot of African authors and you want to reach more into that genre. 

"It terrified her, to be unable to visualize tomorrow"- Adichie.

Thanks for reading! I'll see you all next week with my review of Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan. 

Book Review: Written on The Body.

Hey There Internet! This week we're discussing love and loss with Written on the Body, by Jeanette Winterson.

via Amazon.

Written on The Body

By Jeanette Winterson

4 Stars.

"As a friend, I had been amusing. As a lover, I was lethal." 

The narrator has no name or gender. They explain their exploits with many boyfriends and girlfriends, most of them married people. Then, the narrator meets Louise, who will change her perception of love forever. 

I thought this book was really interesting and compelling because the narrator has no gender. I think the author was trying to take gender out of the equation in order to focus on her point that love has no gender. The writing is very poetic and the story is sad and ironic, but I did find it enjoyable. However, the writing makes it easy to get lost while you're reading, and I do wish the ending was different. Overall, I enjoyed the book and recommend it to readers interested in gender theory. 

The best parts of this book are the quality of writing and the characters, and the weakest parts are the ease of reading and the pace of the story. 

Thanks for reading another one of my reviews! Join me next Friday when I review Americanah, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.