Can you ever truly know another person?

It must be said that John Green is an absolutely phenomenal writer. The only experience I had with his writing was The Fault in Our Stars which is completely different from Paper Towns (except for the main characters being teenagers). There is another similarity in that you are made more aware by reading this book. It's an excellent book for introspection. You're almost led to believe that the book is about Margo Roth Speigelman when in point of fact it's about Quentin "Q" Jacobsen and in actuality he is really just a stand-in for the reader. (This book is also a love letter to Walt Whitman. Seriously.) This is the story of someone who everyone felt they knew but at the same time was unknowable. It is more the story of someone who wanted to know that person as utterly and completely as they knew themselves. We are all so many facets and pieces put together and what we choose to show to the world may not even be a true reflection of what lives inside of us. John Green somehow articulates this and makes it okay that it is not always possible to get to the root of a person and that even if you do you might discover that what you find there is nothing like what you imagined or hoped. 10/10

I'm definitely the kind of person that sees a commercial for a film or tv series and when I see that it was based off of the book I immediately write down the title. That's how I came to discover Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke. This book is 1,006 pages long. Nope, that wasn't a typo. It's the story of two very different magicians living in the early 19th century in England. They join forces to fight in the war against France but for one of them there is a pull toward the dark side of magic and everything is in danger of collapse. I like magic. I like the early 19th century. I definitely like England. This should hopefully be a no-brainer.

If you're a longtime reader of the blog, thanks for making my blog a part of your life and I hope that you're getting as much out of it as I am. If you're new, I encourage you to take a look through my posts either randomly if that's your thing or by using the search bar to look through the tags. No matter what camp you fall into I hope that you drop me a comment and let me know if you're reading the same book or if you have any recommendations for me. HAPPY READING!!

Mystery and crime in New York City

It's no mystery that I'm a fan of crime and mystery novels (that is the corniest sentence I have ever written on this blog...or anywhere). You'd think that I'd have heard about the Mystery Writers of America before now but I guess I've just been stumbling around in the dark. There was the time that I reviewed their cookbook but that's quite different from the collection of short stories that comprise Manhattan Mayhem. It introduces the reader to a variety of writing styles, tropes, and authors which you may or may not have heard of (along with a list of their written works which will be added to my TRL). I really enjoyed the pace of this anthology. Not only is the reader bounced around to different areas of Manhattan but also to different time periods. It's a grab bag where you're left asking, "What's going to happen next? Is it a story about the mob? Is it a cold blooded murder? Will it be obvious who are the good guys and the bad guys?". This would probably be an excellent choice for "book to take while on vacation". For fans of crime and/or mystery stories, you can't go wrong with this one.


I guess there are still people out there who haven't heard of John Green (even though you guys should remember when I reviewed The Fault in Our Stars). Anyway, you might have seen a trailer for a film called Paper Towns which is due out on *frantically checks Google* July 24th in the U.S. It is the story of Quentin Jacobsen and Margo Ruth Spiegelman. I have to applaud John on his creation of unique names. He is undoubtedly the master at creating names (and making his readers think critically and cry while doing so). I'm not going to say anymore about this until I've read it. dun dun dun CLIFFHANGER


If you're a longtime reader of the blog, thanks for making my blog a part of your life and I hope that you're getting as much out of it as I am. If you're new, I encourage you to take a look through my posts either randomly if that's your thing or by using the search bar to look through the tags. No matter what camp you fall into I hope that you drop me a comment and let me know if you're reading the same book or if you have any recommendations for me. HAPPY READING!!

Yep, epically bad idea

When I first bought The Fault in Our Stars, it was simply because I had great admiration for the author and wanted to show my support.  I had heard from a lot of people that it was very well-written and that he was known for breaking hearts with his words.  These people were not wrong.  It's no secret (to those that know me off of the Internets) that someone that I loved very much was beaten by cancer.  She was young and vibrant and simply Jessica.  I've read other books about cancer and each of them has stabbed at me in differing ways.  This one focused on the dying part of cancer and not really the fighting part.  Yes, there was the "battle with cancer" aspect but the main character has terminal cancer and she knows that she is simply biding time.  She's accepted her fate.  I did cry while reading this book.  All I could think about were those short yet endless months of my friend's last days and how at the end it wasn't really a fight anymore.  She had accepted her fate.  It wasn't so easy for the rest of us.  Still isn't.

Oh the review.  The book was excellent.  I highly recommend it but I do caution that it will cause you to feel.

The next book in the rotation is a Victorian murder mystery with a bewitching love story (or so the back of the book says).  I chose it because there's a dude with a top hat on the cover.  I'm a sucker for top hats. The book is The Meaning of Night: A Confession by Michael Cox.  

I don't have a witty title for this one.  It's always been my opinion that the best kind of literature is the kind that can completely take us out of our own reality.  It's not every book that makes you feel transplanted into the story.  It's not every book that makes you feel as if you are the main character.  The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is exactly that kind of book.  The existence of those living in a concentration is explored through the eyes of a child on the outside looking in.  The point of the book was to make the reader really explore what it means to put up a fence between two groups of people.  It's something that is still happening today.  A real tearjerker and definitely worth a read.

I wanted something a little more lighthearted but I'm not entirely sure I've chosen wisely.  The Fault in Our Stars is written by a fantastically nerdy man by the name of John Green.  I came to his literature through his vlog that he started with his brother Hank.  He's the reason that I know there is such a thing as a nerdfighter and that I know I am most definitely one of their number.  Anyway, he is highly popular among young adult readers and one of those reasons is because he doesn't shield the reader from hurt.  He throws it all out there in your face and you just have to take it (or stop reading I suppose).  I haven't the foggiest notion what this book is about but it was recommended to me by several people.

Edit: I just read the dust jacket blurb and I am in big trouble here.  I don't think there are enough Kleenex in the world!