Book Blog #192: A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray

Title: A Thousand Pieces of You
Author: Claudia Gray
# of Pages: 373 (paperback)
Genre: YA, Science Fiction, Romance
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Synopsis: Marguerite Caine's physicist parents are known for their groundbreaking achievements. Their most astonishing invention, called the Firebird, allows users to jump into multiple universes—and promises to revolutionize science forever. But then Marguerite's father is murdered, and the killer—her parent's handsome, enigmatic assistant Paul— escapes into another dimension before the law can touch him. Marguerite refuses to let the man who destroyed her family go free. So she races after Paul through different universes, always leaping into another version of herself. But she also meets alternate versions of the people she knows—including Paul, whose life entangles with hers in increasingly familiar ways. Before long she begins to question Paul's guilt—as well as her own heart. And soon she discovers the truth behind her father's death is far more sinister than she expected.
Review: You've got to admit: the cover is gorgeous.

When I started to read this book, I had no idea what it was about. All I knew was that I had to read this book with the beautiful cover that a few of my friends were reading.

The book got off on a rocky start with, with some small inaccurate details annoying the heck out of me.

"I’d come in from piano lessons, and I quickly ditched my sheet music so I’d look less like a kid. "

Since when does sheet music make a person look like a kid? Even professionals use sheet music sometimes, depending on what they're working on. Details like this one is what make the book unrealistic; someone who is learning music wouldn't find holding sheeting music embarrassing. Like in the quote, the protagonist's feelings/reactions aren't realistic enough as the author is probably not writing from experience and isn't able to fake the details.

"We don’t have much family aside from Aunt Susannah, who seems to think Thanksgiving is some barbaric American custom that would give her the cooties."

Here's another example of where the author seems to get the idea wrong. As an adult, Aunt Susannah probably doesn't dislike Thanksgiving for the cooties - that's a very five year- old thing to say. In the same manner, Meg, a young adult, would probably not use cooties as a justification for her Aunt's displeasure with the holiday, even if she were saying so mindlessly. Sure, the author can make her characters say and think how she wants. But it's uncharacteristic for them to have cooties in their vocabulary.

What freaked me out about this book was that I had actually thought up a similar concept of multiple dimensions being created for a every possible decision. I was shocked that for the second time in my life, someone thought up the same concept as me.

However the story improved overtime as the plot thickened, and of course I'm can't resist a good love triangle.

If you're looking for a light, easy about a unique concept paired with a cliché love triangle, this is the book for you.

Book Blog #191: Kill the Boy Band by Goldy Moldavsky

Title: Kill the Boy Band
Author: Goldy Moldavsky
# of Pages: 320 (paperback)
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Humor
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Synopsis: Just know from the start that it wasn’t supposed to go like this. All we wanted was to get near them. That’s why we got a room in the hotel where they were staying. We were not planning to kidnap one of them. Especially not the most useless one. But we had him—his room key, his cell phone, and his secrets. We were not planning on what happened next. We swear. 
Review: This is going to be a stream of consciousness review!

(As in, I'm going to include some of my thoughts I had as I was reading the book and thoughts I had after finishing).

---

"Why did I love The Ruperts? It was a fair question, and one that I got all the time from schoolmates, randoms on the street, concerned parent, but it was still a difficult thing to answer. Was it their music? It was fun, and I listened to it almost exclusively, but even me, a die-hard Strepur, could admit that it wasn’t anything groundbreaking. I’ll be the first to defend The Ruperts when people say that their music is just bubblegum (who doesn’t enjoy the simple deliciousness of gum sometimes?) or that it didn’t merit any accolades because none of it was written by them (most of the greatest singers in the world don’t sing their own music). But I can also call The Ruperts’ music what it is: catchy, mindless pop."

"Did I love them because they were hot? Because they were hot, minus Rupert P., of course. Rupert K. would always be my favorite, but the others had their charms. Rupert L. was a beefcake. A babe. One hundred percent bona fide. And Rupert X. may have been the most conventionally blond-pretty boy I have ever seen."

Thoughts on the excerpts during reading: I’m a die-hard fan who hates it when my favorites’ music is called bubblegum, so I find it odd that the protagonist is trying to embrace this quality of The Ruperts's music. For me, appearances are a nice bonus, but I'm more concerned with how personable the members of the group are. But I wouldn’t call my favorite groups's music “mindless pop”; even newspapers have been praising their lyrics for their women empowerment and anti-haters themes. But maybe that’s just my inner fangirl showing.

Thoughts on the excerpts after finishing the book: It's undeniable that this book is some version of a One Direction fanfic. The Ruperts are a British boyband who sing "bubblegum music," or music that usually has an upbeat song marketed to pre-teens and teenagers possibly produced in an assembly line process (Wikipedia definition). Although the members of One Direction have participated in writing some of their songs (based on a brief glance at their discography wiki page), Kill the Boy Band is obviously taking a jab at those under this genre who having many songs written by others.

I am not, and never have been, a Directioner, but I'm in a similar fandom. Even though those in the K-Pop fandoms tend to be at some sort of war with One Direction fans, we have more in common than either side are willing to admit (including, for some of us, our unwavering support of the groups). So while The Ruperts are obviously modeled after One Direction (and an even less subtle parody 5sos is revealed at the end of the book, dubbed "6SoG"), I can still relate to the type of obsession with a boyfriend that the book is trying to depict.

However, the excerpt made fangirls seem as if they mindlessly listen to "trash" music while KNOWING its trash. If a fangirl likes a group for the right reasons (for their work as an artist),  she won't think the music is meaningless. Not all fangirls like boy bands ONLY because they're hot.

"She was so lucky her parents got divorced. I would give anything to fly to Europe and see the boys in concert." 

Thoughts on excerpt during reading: I can't believe this line is in the book. She might be trying to look at the situation from a fangirl's perspective and how "lucky" her friend's situation is because she can play her parents off each other to get what she wants, but it makes me dislike the protagonist. As someone who has seen how negatively divorce has affected my friends, the protagonist shouldn't be saying random things like "she's so lucky her parents got divorced" without at least some pretense of understanding.

“I loved being a Strepur. Maybe I was obsessed, but so were millions of other girls. I wasn’t out of my depth. And I was happy in my obsession. But was Erin right? Was I just a drone, wasting my time and potential on boys who would never know I existed?"

Thoughts on excerpt during reading: What I do love about this book is how it explores different perspectives of fan culture, including how people outside of the fandom perceive the fans. There are many fans who are self-aware that their obsession won't last beyond a couple of years but are going to enjoy the fun while it lasts. If fangirls understand their obsession is ridiculous, it's only understandable that people perceive fangirls to be incredibly ridiculous. Our protagonist is going through her struggle with her obsession in this book. It's a question fangirls always ask; are we taking our obsession too far? Is this really worth our time? Not many books talk about fan culture, and it's great how this book is starts this discussion.

General notes after reading: While the book is nothing incredibly thought provoking (the story is told with the voice of a stereotypical teenage girl), for fangirls of boy bands, the qualities described of the protagonist will be surprisingly relatable.

However, for someone who has a neutral or negative views of fangirls in general (i.e. someone who does not consider themselves to be a fangirl, someone who thinks fangirls are being silly/stupid) shouldn't read this book. The appeal is for fangirls to read and relate to a book about other fangirls, and if the reader can't relate, then the poorer qualities of the book stand out more to the reader. The fangirls depicted in Kill the Boy Band are extremists - most fans wouldn't go so far as to kidnap a member of the band, given the opportunity (I hope). The level of craziness of these fangirls is a whole different level, and this can give the wrong impression to a reader who is unfamiliar with the culture.

After reading a few other reviews for this book, I realize that although I found parts of the book relatable and other parts humorous for their exaggeration, some readers may not differentiate the truth from the fiction. The fangirls' actions are not representative of most fans.

This is an extremely quick read; the writing style is rather simplistic (and sometimes irritating with the occasional "obvs" and "quiet frankly"s) and can easily be read in one sitting. I recommend this to fangirls/past fangirls.

Book Blog #190: Othello by William Shakespeare

Title: Othello
Author: William Shakespeare
# of Pages: 314
Genre: Fiction, Classics, Plays
Rating: ★★☆☆☆
Synopsis: In Othello, Shakespeare creates a powerful drama of a marriage that begins with fascination (between the exotic Moor Othello and the Venetian lady Desdemona), with elopement, and with intense mutual devotion and that ends precipitately with jealous rage and violent deaths.
Review: I don't have too much to say about this play. It was exactly what I expected from a Shakespearian play: difficult to read and a predictable, simplistic plot line. Although it may have been revolutionary for its time, it can't even compare to more modern works.

However, as I am not used to Shakespeare's writing style, I was able to find more amusement in the No Fear Shakespeare version...but that's not the version I'm reviewing. If Shakespeare was modernized, I would have given it three stars. But since Shakespeare's writing style hinders comprehension, I had to take off a star.

For recreational reading, I would not recommend this play, unless you are already interested in Shakespeare's works. While classic literature is always worth reading, I feel like I wouldn't have been missing much if I hadn't read Othello.

Book Blog #189: Demian by Hermann Hesse

Title: Demian
Author: Hermann Hesse
# of Pages: 49 (pdf)
Genre: Fiction, Psychology, Classics
Rating: ★★★★☆
Synopsis: Emil Sinclair is a young boy raised in a bourgeois home, amidst what is described as a Scheinwelt, a play on words that means "world of light" as well as "world of illusion". Emil's entire existence can be summarized as a struggle between two worlds: the show world of illusion (related to the Hindu concept of maya) and the real world, the world of spiritual truth. In the course of the novel, accompanied and prompted by his mysterious classmate 'Max Demian', he detaches from and revolts against the superficial ideals of the world of appearances and eventually awakens into a realization of self.
Review: 

"I grew more and more accustomed to idly drawing lines with a dreaming paintbrush and to coloring areas for which I had no model in mind, that were the result of playful fumblings of my subconscious" 

"Finally, one day I produced, almost without knowing it, a face to which I responded more strongly than I had to any of the others"

 "The storm became audible and rain rattled down mixed with hail. A brief, incredible, terrifying roar of thunder cracked across the rain-lashed landscape and immediately afterwards a gleam of sunshine burst through"

---

A K-Pop group called BTS made their comeback yesterday. Their teasers for said comeback were heavily influenced by Demian, a book I had never heard of until last month. In my struggle to understand the meaning behind their videos, I decided to read Demian so I could interpret their meaning myself. 

I was surprised; I usually do not enjoy reading classics recreationally, but I found the story of Sinclair fascinating. Since I just recently finished studying Oedipus and Antigone, I loved how Demian discussed the question of whether a person has free will. About half way through, the book begins to discuss Sinclair's struggles through puberty, which I found to be less pleasant to read. However Demian absence from that portion of the story may have been a contributing factor. 

As this book is extremely short, I would recommend that everyone reads Demian. (Also, you should definitely check out BTS, their Wings teasers, and Blood Sweat & Tears MV).

Book Blog #188: Oedipus the King by Sophocles

Title: Oedipus the King
Author: Sophocles
# of Pages: 114 (paperback)
Genre: Fiction, Plays, Classics
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Synopsis: In presenting the story of King Oedipus and the tragedy that ensues when he discovers he has inadvertently killed his father and married his mother, the play exhibits near-perfect harmony of character and action.
Review: With little knowledge of Greek anything, I was surprised (and delighted) to find that this play's story precedes Antigone. This play is definitely a short read that fits the definition of a tragedy perfectly.

Although I cannot say I would read this play again during my free time, Oedipus the King lives up to all expectations as a Greek tragedy.

Book Blog #187: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Title: Pride and Prejudice
Author: Jane Austen
# of Pages: 432 (paperback)
Genre: Classics, Romance, Historical Fiction
Rating: ★★★★☆
Synopsis: Pride and Prejudice—Austen's own "darling child"—tells the story of fiercely independent Elizabeth Bennet, one of five sisters who must marry rich, as she confounds the arrogant, wealthy Mr. Darcy. What ensues is one of the most delightful and engrossingly readable courtships known to literature, written by a precocious Austen when she was just twenty-one years old.
Review: It surprised me that I was able to get this far along in life without actually knowing what Pride and Prejudice was about.

At one point the whole 1995 BBC series was played in front of me, but I didn't care enough to pay attention. Years later, when I opened this book, the only part of the story I could remember was that there is character named Mr. Darcy.

I'm a sucker for cheesy romance, and this fits the bill quite well. In a world filled with plenty of romance novels (not to mention the fanfiction), I doubt this book would have done as well as it did in its time.

Don't get me wrong; I enjoyed the book very much. I sent hours straight reading it just so I could find out more about Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. What I am trying to say is that the plot is incredibly predictable, but maybe that's part of the charm of the book. Or maybe this book has been so revolutionary that it has shaped how modern romances are depicted.

While the writing style may take some a little getting used to, this story is filled with all the romance and humor I expected from it. Would recommend.

Book Blog #186: Candide by Voltaire

Title: Candide
Author: Voltaire
# of Pages: 176 (paperback)
Genre: Fiction, Philosophy, Classics
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Synopsis: One of the finest satires ever written, Voltaire’s Candide savagely skewers this very “optimistic” approach to life as a shamefully inadequate response to human suffering. The swift and lively tale follows the absurdly melodramatic adventures of the youthful Candide, who is forced into the army, flogged, shipwrecked, betrayed, robbed, separated from his beloved Cunégonde, and tortured by the Inquisition. As Candide experiences and witnesses calamity upon calamity, he begins to discover that all is not always for the best.
Review: In the past two weeks, I've read One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, One Hundred Years of Solitude, and Antigone, all of which (spoilers) end generally in an unhappy manner.

Candide, a book directly challenging the philosophy of optimism, just puts the icing on the cake for my series of "downer" reads.

The beginning of Candide was definitely enjoyable; Voltaire's use of satire and irony made a story I initially had no interest in more than endurable. However, Candide's numerous encounters with the world's misery not only lowered the morale of the characters, but the morale of the reader. While the ending is somewhat hopeful, I have been shocked so much by the despair and pessimism that I have realized that I do no like this book as much as I did initially.

Very depressing. Although the story is pretty interesting, I would not recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a "feel-good" book.

Book Blog #185: Antigone by Sophocles

Title: Antigone
Author: Sophocles
# of Pages: 80 (paperback)
Genre: Fiction, Classics, Plays
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Synopsis: The curse placed on Oedipus lingers and haunts a younger generation in this new and brilliant translation of Sophocles' classic drama. The daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta, Antigone is an unconventional heroine who pits her beliefs against the King of Thebes in a bloody test of wills that leaves few unharmed. Emotions fly as she challenges the king for the right to bury her own brother. Determined but doomed, Antigone shows her inner strength throughout the play.
Review: I believe this is the first play I've read.

I was intimidated at first of reading something by Sophocles, but I found the translation by J.E. Thomas very easy to read, even with very limited knowledge of Greek history/mythology.

The Prestwick House Literary Touchstone Edition provides plenty of background information and a glossary to guid understanding of the story. Throughout the play, little notes were made in the margin to explain allusions in the dialogue, which is incredibly helpful.

A very short and simple read, I recommend it to anyone who is already interested.

Book Blog #184: One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez

Title: One Hundred Years of Solitude
Author: Gabriel García Márquez
# of Pages: 429 (paperback)
Genre: Adult, Fiction, Classics
Rating: ★★☆☆☆
Synopsis: The novel tells the story of the rise and fall of the mythical town of Macondo through the history of the family. It is a rich and brilliant chronicle of life and death, and the tragicomedy of humankind. In the noble, ridiculous, beautiful, and tawdry story of the family, one sees all of humanity, just as in the history, myths, growth, and decay of Macondo, one sees all of Latin America.
Review: A past teacher recommended this book to me, praising it as "favorite book". But I don't get it.

After I finished reading One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest,  a book that actually takes place in an insane asylum, I thought I (foolishly) thought I couldn't read a book any weirder this year. But, of course,  I was wrong.

This book reads more like a history book for Buendia family with very little dialogue. Combined with the absurdities of this families life (including loose morals and plenty of incest to go around), I had a hard time reading, let alone enjoying, One Hundred Years of Solitude.

Winner of the Nobel Prize? I MUST be missing something. But right now, I wouldn't recommend this to anyone.

Book Blog #183: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey

Title: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Author: Ken Kesey
# of Pages: 325 (paperback)
Genre: Classics, Fiction, Psychology
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Synopsis: In this classic of the 1960s, Ken Kesey's hero is Randle Patrick McMurphy, a boisterous, brawling, fun-loving rebel who swaggers into the world of a mental hospital and takes over. A lusty, life-affirming fighter, McMurphy rallies the other patients around him by challenging the dictatorship of Nurse Ratched. He promotes gambling in the ward, smuggles in wine and women, and openly defies the rules at every turn. But this defiance, which starts as a sport, soon develops into a grim struggle, an all-out war between two relentless opponents: Nurse Ratched, back by the full power of authority, and McMurphy, who has only his own indomitable will. What happens when Nurse Ratched uses her ultimate weapon against McMurphy provides the story's shocking climax.
Review: This was a very...strange read. But I should have expected as much from a book that takes place in a mental hospital.

I'm a bit hesitant in writing this review, although I find myself writing it nonetheless, following the habit of writing reviews almost immediately after finishing the book. But I feel I have not actually READ the book; I just did a "quick," surface-level read through.

However, I did find the whole mentally ill (or not?) vs Nurse Ratched conflict very interesting. I'm cheering for McMurphy in his fight against the evil nurse and yet I can not entirely support him and the other patients due to some of their reckless decisions (i.e. their last "victory" in part 4). The prevalent misogyny also attributes to my slight distaste for the book.

This is among the many book on my required reading list. If I had been given a choice, I would not have read it. Would I chose to read it over other books? Definitely - although some parts of the book are confusing (when the narration is by a patient in a mental hospital, what can you expect?) and make it a difficult read. But would I read it again? Not if I can help it.

Book Blog #182: H2O by Virginia Bergin

Title: H2O
Author: Virginia Bergin
# of Pages: 327 (paperback)
Genre: YA, Science Fiction, Thriller
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆
Synopsis: .27 IS A NUMBER RUBY HATES. It's a number that marks the percentage of the population that survived. It's a number that means she's one of the "lucky" few still standing . And it's a number that says her father is probably dead. Against all odds, Ruby has survived the catastrophic onset of the killer rain. Two weeks after the radio started broadcasting the warning "It's in the rain. It's fatal, it's contagious, and there's no cure," the drinkable water is running out. Ruby's left with two options: persevere on her own, or embark on a treacherous journey across the country to find her father--If he's even still alive.
Review: "Everyone was staring out the windows at the rain. It just looked like rain normally looks. You know, drippy."

Wow. How profound.

This book is the embodiment of "don't judge a book by it's cover". Other than reading the back cover, I basically picked it up because the cover design is fantastic. There are actually holes in the cover to illustrate the deadliness of the rain the book's plot revolves around. I didn't have my expectations very high; I was just looking for a nice, cliché, dystopian-romance, and, considering the recent trend in the YA section, I thought this book would fit the bill.

But that's not what I got.

This book is told from the POV of our protagonist Ruby, a girl who is SUPPOSEDLY 15 years old. However, her overall despicable personality exhibits traits of characteristic of a sassy 9 year old than someone who could be a freshman in high school (in the U.S., Ruby is British). Darius, one of the other characters, calls her a "clueless" bully and a "snob" (210). I couldn't agree more.  Sure, maybe the author made her this way to show growth. To show how the most terrible situations can bring people together and make people better themselves.

Well, spoiler alert, it didn't happen. She's just as annoying at the end of the book as she is in the beginning. Ruby/the author seems proud of teen stereotypes (i.e. being obsessed with her cell phone amid everyone she knows and loves dying, looting stores for makeup and giving herself a spray tan in a house that is filled with the smell of rotting corpses). It's ridiculous; I can't imagine anyone, no matter how self-absorbed they are, acting like that in an "end-of-the-world" situation.

Her obsession with her cellphone is brought up repeatedly throughout the book. But why would she need her cell phone in the first place? It was already established that cell phones don't work anymore. The author is trying way too hard to make Ruby seem like a teenager by overusing the "addicted-her-cellphone" generalization many people make about teens.

Bergin needed to talk to more fifteen year olds before she wrote this book. She can call her "utterly unique" all she wants (and as she does on her webpage) but a certain level of realism is expected. I'm disgusted by Ruby and her lack of maturity.

Cursing. Bergin must hate it because instead of including it in her book or taking it out all together, she puts in a little butterfly symbol and tells us to "add our own swear words" (16). But don't worry! Ruby curses "all the time" (16) because she's so MATURE.  No. Just no. If you want to put cursing in your book, then do it. Or if you don't, then don't (I've read plenty of books that had little to no cursing, and the lack of strong language did not affect my enjoyment of the story). But DO NOT use "something beautiful" (as Ruby calls it) to cover it up. It's as if the children's section married the young adult section, and this was their child.

A huge waste of my time. DO NOT READ THIS BOOK. But if you insist on judging it yourself, do yourself a favor and check it out at the library instead of buying it like I did. It's not worth a single penny.

Book Blog #181: A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

Title: A Game of Thrones
Author: George R.R. Martin
# of Pages: 837 (paperback)
Genre: Adult, Fantasy, Fiction
Rating: ★★★★☆
Synopsis: In a land where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime, trouble is brewing. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes of the north of Winterfell, sinister and supernatural forces are massing beyond the kingdom's protective Wall. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the land they were born to. Sweeping from a land of brutal cold to a distant summertime kingdom of epicurean plenty, here is a tale of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and bastards, who come together in a time of grim omens. Amid plots and counterplots, tragedy and betrayal, victory and terror, the fate of the Starks, their allies, and their enemies hangs perilously in the balance, as each endeavors to win that deadliest of conflicts: the game of thrones.
Review: With everyone talking about the Game of Thrones HBO series, I had to find out for myself what was so great about this series.

I had picked up this book several times before at the bookstore but was unimpressed with the prologue. While I was skimming through the pages, I realized there would a lot of character development for a lot of characters...and third person POV switching (if you didn't know, I strongly dislike POV, although it is more tolerable in third person than in first). Additionally, I had read (or attempted to read) other books with a similar writing style to Martin that I struggled to finish. However, when I picked up this book for the third time at the bookstore earlier this month, I was determined to struggle through it, even if it took me a month.

Which it did.

Usually, I can finish a book of this length within a week or two. If it takes any longer, I probably don't like the book. However, A Game of Thrones is a different case. The POV switching was disruptive to the flow of the book; right when I would become immersed in one character's story, it would switch over to a different character experiencing a situation that barely overlaps with the previous's. But if there weren't these changes in POV, I do not believe Martin would have been able to depict this world as well as he has or successfully depict how much impact the characters has when carrying out their role in the plot.

The beginning was a struggle; as I predicted, there were many characters who's stories all intertwined with each others' in someway or another. But once I got past the first hundred or so pages, this book was enthralling. I felt as if I was there; I could feel the joy, pain, sorrow, anger of the characters and the despair they felt in this world of lies and deceit.

No, this is not the book for everyone; it contains strong language, graphic depictions of violence, incest, rape, etc. But if you are not uncomfortable with these components of the book, I would highly recommend you read A Game of Thrones.

Book Blog #180: The Duff by Kody Keplinger

Title: The Duff
Author: Kody Keplinger
# of Pages: 280 (paperback)
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance
Rating:★★☆☆☆
Synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper may not be the prettiest girl in her high school, but she has a loyal group of friends, a biting wit, and a spot-on BS detector. She's also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush, who calls Bianca the Duff--the designated ugly fat friend--of her crew. But things aren't so great at home and Bianca, desperate for a distraction, ends up kissing Wesley. Worse, she likes it. Eager for escape, Bianca throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with him. Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out Wesley isn't such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up, too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she's falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone.
Review: "I tried to convince myself that this was completely cheesy and ridiculous." -The Duff (Page 119).

Oh, don't worry; it doesn't take much to convince yourself of that in regards to this book.

When I saw this book in the bookstore, I purchased it because I had seen the trailer for the movie on TV. On the off chance that I decided I wanted to see the movie, I wanted to be prepared to read it before I watched it. However, I never went to see the movie, and I had to take a break from reading to concentrate on more pressing matters in my life. These brings us to today, in which I began to read recreationally again and picked up this book to start myself off.

I shouldn't have expected much from a book with the title "The Designated Ugly Fat Friend". But if there's a movie, it must have a quality story, right? Wrong. I should have known that if Fifty Shades of Grey got a movie, anything can.

This book is very superficial, for the lack of a better word. The plot is entirely romance-based, if you can even call it that (the relationship the two leads have is mostly physical...and incredibly unhealthy). The setting was your stereotypical high school filled with the jocks, cheerleaders, nerds, and any other stereotype you can think of. And of course everyone fit the image of their label; for example, Toby is suppose to be the "perfect" smart student , but he is described as "kind of scrawny with hardly any muscle" (225), fulfilling the traditional role of the "nerd".

Characters also lacked a unique voice, such as how various characters describe Bianca as "cynical" (such as Casey and Wesley) despite not associating with each other and how both Bianca's dad and Toby suggest the use of a "strongly worded letter" (the likelihood of two such people using the exact same word choice is very low).

The writing style in general is very sloppy. Keplinger does not provide enough description to make many of the moments in the book feel realistic enough/allow me to be absorbed into the book. One example is when Bianca's mother is speaking to her in the car; her mother goes from whispering to shouting in the snap of a finger, not to mention the usage of the verb "shouted" (124), which is weak in the context of the situation. This word does not articulate the way her mother is talking to her to the level I would have wanted.

Keplinger includes dialogue with acronyms in the lines "'WTF Bianca'" (156) and "'OMG, are you pregnant'" (188). If the character is saying the acronym as written (W-T-F and O-M-G), it's a poor choice of words (letters?). Although I have heard some say "oh em gee", almost no one says the acronym WTF in regular conversation. And if these acronyms were meant to represent the speaker saying "oh my god," it should have been written out because the way it is now seems amateur-ish.

Despite all of this, I was addicted to reading this book the same way people become addicted to cliché soap opera plots. I found many parts of the plot hilarious (whether this is intentional is unimportant to me) and therefore entertaining enough for me to consider rating it three stars (which I decided against doing because Cassandra Clare's TMI series is worlds better than this book).

In the end, I'd advise against reading this book. There are so many books out there that are more deserving of your time.

Book Blog #179: The Overachievers by Alexandra Robbins

Title: The Overachievers: The Secret Lives of Driven Kids
Author: Alexandra Robbins
# of Pages: 448 (paperback)
Genre: Nonfiction, Education, Psychology
Rating: ★★★★☆
Synopsis: In The Overachievers, journalist Alexandra Robbins delivers a poignant, funny, riveting narrative that explores how our high-stakes educational culture has spiraled out of control. During the year of her ten-year reunion, Robbins returns to her high school, where she follows students, including CJ and others: Julie, a track and academic star who is terrified she's making the wrong choices; "AP" Frank, who grapples with horrifying parental pressure to succeed; Taylor, a soccer and lacrosse captain whose ambition threatens her popular girl status; Sam, who worries his years of overachieving will be wasted if he doesn't attend a name-brand college; Audrey, who struggles with perfectionism; and The Stealth Overachiever, a mystery junior who flies under the radar.
Review: "Everyone is searching for that summer feeling again. School does not let a kid live...competitiveness and work combine to create one of the most stressful environments."

Anyone who has gone or is going through high school will know of (or embody) an overachiever. With a rigorous class load and the constant pressure to get straight A's, high school life can seems extremely stressful. This books shows overachievers that they are not alone. People across the United States have been enduring the same struggles even before the publication of this book in 2006. If you're an overachiever, this book is incredibly relatable.

Robbins brings up some great points; how anything less than perfect is viewed as failure, how college's shouldn't be judged by their title (to name a couple). When the reader realizes that the dreaded "oh" reaction to college decisions isn't limited to his or her school, reality finally hits. Workaholism is a problem on a much greater scale than most of us realize.

This is probably one of the best nonfiction books I've ever read. Although a little long winded (Robbin's began to be a little repetitive with her topics near the end), overall this book is incredibly value in the hands of students, parents, teachers, administrators, and many others. I recommend this book specifically to those who consider themselves or are considered by others to be overachievers.

Book Blog #178: The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

Title: The Grapes of Wrath
Author: John Steinbeck
# of Pages: 464 (paperback)
Genre: Classics, Historical Fiction
Rating:★★★☆☆
Synopsis: First published in 1939, Steinbeck’s Pulitzer Prize-winning epic of the Great Depression chronicles the Dust Bowl migration of the 1930s and tells the story of one Oklahoma farm family, the Joads-driven from their homestead and forced to travel west to the promised land of California. Out of their trials and their repeated collisions against the hard realities of an America divided into Haves and Have-Nots evolves a drama that is intensely human yet majestic in its scale and moral vision, elemental yet plainspoken, tragic but ultimately stirring in its human dignity.
Review: Although this book exceeded my low expectations (I did not find Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men or Cannery Row particularly memorable), the shock value of the ending was lost on me. A friend had assumed I was never going to read the book and spoiled the ending years ago.

While this book reveals the shocking conditions of the migrant farmers during The Great Depression and emphasizes the importance of unity within family and community, the repetitious scenarios Steinbeck uses to enforce his message seem excessive - I am confident that he could have had the same impact without at least a hundred less pages.

As it is an important and well-known piece of literature, I would recommend that everyone should read it at least once in their lifetime. However,  I do not plan to read it again in the future.