Eman

This book is for you if you: like stories set in offices, were alive in the 90's (you'll probably get the references), love romantic comedies that aren't so cliche, like Dungeons and Dragons, love the 90's, and if you feel like you can't move on.

I think this might make it onto the list of books that stay with you for a long-ish time. I might be too generous to give it 5 stars, it could be 4.5 stars, but right now I'm still a little too invested and think it deserves 5 stars. Moving on...Our main character gets to know two women, but not in the traditional sense. Lincoln works in computer security, which means part of his job is reading peoples emails that get flagged. Beth and Jennifer constantly send each other personal emails at work, and they almost always get flagged. Lincoln's job is quite boring, and he slowly starts to get attached to those emails, but more importantly to Beth. I don't think there was anything I disliked about the book, I tried to, but couldn't find anything. However, a whole lot of references completely went over my head because the book is set in 1999, so I felt like I was missing out a little. I loved that Rowell showed us the excitement about the new year, and new millennium. I loved how sarcastic some characters were about it, and how others stocked up their basements with canned food. Some expected the worst, others just wanted something different to happen, even if they didn't quite say it out loud. You could almost feel everyone's disappointment on the first of January 2000. I really enjoyed this.I loved how Jennifer's character develops throughout the book, even though she would be just a sidekick. I really liked her character, I was happy whenever she was, and really upset when she was. When Beth and Jennifer stopped sending each other emails for weeks, I was unsettled. But I was glad that they were back eventually. I think I was worried they found out Lincoln was reading their emails.Lincoln's mother and sister are represented realistically and you can't help but dislike them sometimes, and love them at other times. They always wanted the best for him, and I liked that Eve always gave him little pep talks in her own bossy-older-sister-way. I don't completely hate Sam's personality, what she did to Lincoln was mean, but it was inevitable. I thought he should have moved on earlier, 9 years seemed quite long, and naturally I was happy to see him move on throughout the book. I almost wanted him to storm off when Sam just came up to him and rambled on about her life, even though it would have been childish of him to do so. I was proud of him for not reacting dramatically about it, or calling her back. Now, onto the main plot, Lincoln and Beth's complicated and somewhat nonexistent relationship. To be honest, I thought it would be wrong for them to end up together, what with him reading her email for months. I didn't think it would go well at all to tell her that, but also it wouldn't be right if he never told her. Especially after she and Jennifer have been calling him McG/YcG (My/Your cute Guy). Towards the end, when Beth starts moving on with her life, and Lincoln quits his job, I thought that was the end of it and was slightly upset, but it was the right thing to do. I'm not quite sure how I feel about the anonymous letter he left her. He should have known that Beth could easily ask around and find out, which is okay if he actually moved away. But he stayed in the same town and running into each other was inevitable (especially in a cinema, I thought he might be going to the cinema for that very reason, but it wasn't explicitly mentioned so I don't really know). So when they do run into each other at the cinema, it was only right for him to try to escape, but I didn't expect her to go up to him. I thought it was weird, they had a lot of talking to do but they didn't do that then. I was glad that they finally spoke and got all the weird and creepy stuff out of the way. This isn't a proper review, I know. But .. meh? It's a great book, hilarious, somewhat sad, but mostly just fun. It is a quick and easy read, but not the kind of quick read that you can't ever put down. I loved the alternating chapters; Lincoln's pov, and Beth and Jennifer's emails. I didn't get terribly excited about anything, the book didn't have my heart aching with pain/happiness (most of my 5 star books fit in that category), but the story was always on my mind. The characters grew on me, even though it is a relatively short book (I think that might be what makes me want to give it 5 stars). I think I'm rambling. I have too many thoughts on this book. 4.5 stars. (5 because I'm already attached to this book).

I love Cecelia Ahern's books but was disappointed when I read the two short stories. The Girl in the Mirror wasn't all too bad, but the ending didn't make much sense. I honestly couldn't get myself to finish The Memory Maker, the writing didn't capture my attention and it was all over the place. It also reminded me of the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

There are many times that I've caught myself thinking “I'm not an actual writer. How dare I share my work with others? How dare I even think that my work is good enough? What if my work is horrible? ... etc.” I think this novel is great for any aspiring artist, author or songwriter. It comes to show many of us that we can't grow with all the self doubt and pessimism.

I only picked up Page by Paige because I've always wanted to read a graphic novel and I'm glad I did. It's simple, easy to follow and oddly relatable. However, I think the greatest thing about this novel is the art, as it is extremely metaphorical. The novel is narrated by Paige and is technically her sketchbook, giving the reader a look in Paige's head.

Hans Fallada certainly managed to capture the atmosphere of WWII - the constant fear and paranoia, kindness was only ever treated with suspicion, there was no such thing as trust, and not to mention the sadistic characters - considering the fact that he wrote the book in 24 days. It gives a clearer insight as to how things were in Berlin and is based on a true story. It all seems quite surreal, especially with the photographs of the reports, mug shots and confessions.

I started this book expecting a more detailed account of all the postcards and the thrill of it all which would've made it exciting but instead I found a lot detailed description of the characters, some of whom weren't all that important to the story.

The book was difficult to read at times but I assume that is because of the translation. I certainly enjoyed Eva Kluge's little story. It may have been the only part of the book where kindness and trust were treated normally. To Eva, Kuno was a fresh new start, one that carried hope for a better future. I believe the happiest moment throughout the whole book was the moment Kuno was adopted.

The demise of both Otto and Anna was rather unexpected, as he carries his key to freedom for months but waits too long, and she chooses to throw her's away. It was sad to know that all their hard work had gone to waste.

However, the fact that the book was written in third person narrative was one of it's downfalls. Not only are there many characters thrown at you from the very beginning, but there is no distinction between which character the narrator is talking about. Often the narrator would jump from talking about one character to the next, leaving you confused for quite a while. It was only 100 pages in that I started to get a feel for the writing.

I also think some of the characters and their stories were a waste of time; yes they may have been quite enjoyable, and gave a better understanding to the way that things were, but those stories didn't interfere with the main story in any way.

Overall, I think the actual story about Otto & Anna/Otto & Elise was interesting and the book has left me with a better insight of the lives of regular people in Germany during WWII.

It's always the books that are ‘alright' that are more difficult to review and rate.

Anyhow, Magic Under Glass is a young adult tale set in a world with fairies. Our main character Nimira, Nim for short, is what they called a ‘Trouser Girl'. Life couldn't get any worse for her, until the mysterious man appears, Hollin Parry, and hires her to sing along with an automaton that plays a piano.

It is no surprise to us that there is a fairy trapped in the automaton, and Dolamore tries to portray the development of the relationship between Nim and the automaton, Erris. At times it felt quite artificial, and there were some inconsistencies with the characters, like there might have been gaps that were months long between each chapter, however we know that Nim only stayed at Vestenveld for a little over a month. The Hollin Parry you meet at the beginning is nothing like the one we get to know later on. I did enjoy the main character though, Nim is a strong willed girl who stood up against Smollings when even Hollin couldn't. I'm not sure if we were supposed to like Hollin or Erris, we get some backstory from each of them, both with ‘heartbreaking' pasts, but I didn't feel upset for either one. I did however, get irritated whenever I thought of how Erris spent 30 years trapped in the automaton and couldn't move, talk or feel. It didn't help to know that there was no body that he could be restored into. I liked Hollin's wife, Annalie, despite the fact that she was locked away and thought to be dead and or mad by everyone, she doesn't seem to lose herself in it all. In fact, it was her who saved them all. Linza, despite being a minor character in the book, has some great character development which I enjoyed. Smolling's was the average antagonist that was to be feared and as expected, he was annoying.

I felt like the world in which they lived in wasn't quite clear. We are told of fairies that live there, and how they look just like humans. We are also told that there has always been trouble between fairies and humans, which brings me on to the next point. The characters feared a war between fairies and humans, and went as far as using dark magic in order to prevent it. I didn't enjoy all the politics, especially at first because it wasn't explained and I felt bombarded with all the names and didn't know who was who.

The writing was rather easy to read, with just a few odd names here and there. I enjoyed the first 200 or so pages more than the last 100, and almost didn't want to put the book down. I liked the story, and it reminded me of the Infernal Devices. If you like automatons, magic, and/or the Infernal Devices, you might enjoy this book. I only wish the author had elaborated and wrote some more.

All in all, I would give this book 3.5 stars, and I might read the sequel someday.

Eleanor and Park is an extremely captivating book, I wish there was more but unfortunately it's over. I enjoyed every single thing about this book, and again couldn't help but feel like something tragic was going to happen. Thankfully, it worked out in the end. The writing style is clear, but doesn't always flow. There are a lot of music references that music lovers can enjoy. The two main characters are well written and lovable. It'll make you laugh and it'll make you cry, it'll also make you want to hug Eleanor and Park. At first, Eleanor's actions towards the end of the book seemed irrational and I didn't like it what was happening. After some more thought, I finally saw it from her point of view, and understood why she did what she did. It could've been a happy ending, but is it what it is.

There's a lot that can be said about Of Mice and Men, but I'll keep this short. I had to analyze and study this book, and I honestly think I enjoyed it more because of that. As soon as you start reading it, you can tell that something tragic will be happening, and the suspense will keep you going. The writing is straightforward, it may be difficult at first as Steinbeck writes as his characters would speak. The title is extremely fitting to the story, and I loved how the juxtaposition between the character's dreams and the poverty they lived in reveals that their “American Dream” was nothing more than a hopeless dream.

I wasn't surprised to find that I couldn't put this book down, since this is exactly what it was like reading The Fault in Our Stars and Looking for Alaska. However, I was pretty surprised by the actual plot, and I loved almost every bit of it.

Through his search for Margo, Q not only learns more about her, but he also inadvertently learns a lot about himself and I think it gives him a better look at the world. He reevaluates his friendships and realizes that there's more to people than the eye can see.

Margo, on the other hand, seems a little lost and confused despite the fact that she seems to have it all planned out from childhood. To Q, she was a mystery that he had tried to solve but she didn't want to be discovered. I found her to be a little pretentious at times, but she also has these marvelous plans and pranks, which were rather exciting to read.

I particularly loved the third part of the book; the actual journey. Q and his friends, new and old, each had talents that fit perfectly with the roles needed on the road trip. They're a hilarious bunch, and I wish there was more of their adventures to read.

The actual plot was amazing, but the ending seemed too simple and quite frankly, a little boring compared to the whole novel. I think I would've given it 5/5 if it weren't for the ending, but all in all, it's a great read.

Absolutely blown away by this book. Went into it not knowing anything at all about the story, but I don't think that changed much (although I've heard it's best this way). The writing style definitely complements the story itself. I loved the little fairytales in between. We Were Liars is so well written and well structured with a perfect pace. I think it deserves another re-read just to fully appreciate E. Lockharts writing and the sneaky little hints here and there.

The Death of Joan of Arc by Michael Scott tells the story of Joan's death in France, 1431. It is extremely short, and I think that the book should've been read after the 4th one in the series. Unfortunately I didn't do that and quite honestly can't remember Joan and Scathach's story lines. I'm also a little confused because of the timey-wimey stuff, but nonetheless, Michael Scott's writing was as expected and followed on from the series. I didn't read the blurb, so the 12 pages were full of suspense and Scathach's appearance was a wonderful surprise. I also enjoyed that it wasn't from Joan's perspective, but I definitely wouldn't mind reading that too.
All in all, I think it must be read if you are already reading or will start reading The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series.

Mia is stuck in a coma after a horrible car accident that kills her parents and younger brother. She's not exactly a ghost, but she is aware of everything around her. The story takes place over 2 days, and it is a quick and easy read.
Throughout the whole novel I kept thinking “you've been given a second chance Mia, you should definitely stay”, and I think that is mainly because we don't get to feel Mia's losses the way she does. Forman hasn't delved too deep into each character, we get little bits and pieces about her parents and Teddy. I certainly think that if the story wasn't as rushed, then the book would be quite emotional.
The idea of the book is rather interesting, how a patient in a coma can decide whether to stay or not, given all the losses and pain around them. All the characters that spoke to Mia during her coma seemed to think that she could hear them, and that she could control her fate, which I found to be a little odd.
All in all, I think I would give Where She Went a try, I'd like to know more about Mia and Adam, hopefully there will be some character development.

The Snow Child is a heartwarming story of a childless couple, and the child they made of snow one day. It's a story of hardships, relationships, friendships, and parenthood (almost wrote parentships there). The language is easy, but slow at times, as it is filled with descriptions of the Alaskan wilderness and snow. Lots and lots of snow. The book will make you feel cold sometimes. It's easy to forget that it's set in the 1920's, but towards the second part you start to notice the little things, here and there, that make it clear it's the 20's. I'm glad I took my time reading this book, because it meant I could spend more time with the characters, and their developments felt more realistic that way. The Snow Child is divided into three parts, so I'll divide this review into three parts.

The first part: This is where we get to know Mabel and Jack, it was slow but it was also explaining their day to day lives in Alaska. We get a lot of background about the old couple, and their longing for a child. The second part: We meet the child, Faina, Mabel and Jack's characters slowly develop during these chapters. The chapters are somewhat faster, and months go by. It isn't always clear how much time has gone by between each chapter, but the weather and seasons are always mentioned. I guess that the characters also measured time with seasons. It is during those chapters that we meet the Bensons, and really get to know Esther and her son Garret. Mabel and Jack face a lot of hardships, and we watch them both grow into better people as they deal with the harsh Alaskan winters and the lack of crops. The Russian book Mabel owns clearly foreshadows a tragic ending, although we don't quite know how it will all end up. I loved how it felt like Garret was their son. It was also a little sad, how Faina was like a daughter to them, but they could never force her to live with them as she wasn't really their daughter. The third and final part of the novel goes by too quickly. Six years have gone by, Faina is much older, and so is Garret. It's exciting, because the Benson's finally meet Faina, and now they know that Mabel didn't have "cabin fever" for the past six years. You can almost predict that Faina and Garret will be good friends, and they do. I loved how they both changed throughout the book, and couldn't help but love them. The same applies to Mabel, Jack and Esther. The ending wasn't shocking, it is already known that Faina is going to go somehow, even though I hoped it wouldn't be that way. It was still sad when she was gone. It makes you think that maybe the same thing happened to her mother. I felt like the ending was satisfying, the epilogue is set a few years after Faina is gone, and Eowyn Ivey wraps it all up so that there are no unanswered questions. There are quite a few chapters that make you go aww and smile, whilst getting teary-eyed; Mabel and Jack having a snow fight and building a snow child; skating with Faina; Garret going to Jack to ask for Faina's hand in marriage; pretty much all the scenes where Mabel and Jack really felt like they were parents; and the wedding.

I've heard quite a lot about A Series of Unfortunate Events, and tried reading it at 11 years old. Back then I seemed to think that it was awfully sad and so I stopped reading it. But now that I finally read it all, I don't think it lived up to the hype around it, and that's slightly disappointing. I realize that the book is aimed at younger audiences, which is why I think I didn't fully enjoy it. I also don't think it was all that sad anymore, just... unfortunate.