Book Reviews

[Alvedansen]

^no idea, the only gay romance i can think of is "Brokeback Mountain"

but here is a list with books of the genre 'gay books' and on the side you can see "more lists" with even more. hope this is at least a little help

 

[bunburyist]

perhaps not exactly a romance but 'Kiss of the Spider Woman' might be of interest

 

[mint condish]

A little while back, I tried to read The Carrie Diaries by Candace Bushnell about Carrie Bradshaw's misadventures in high school. I got kind of bored and put it down.

I recently bought Summer and the City, about Carrie Bradshaw's adventures in New York City when she moves there for a summer when she's about eighteen years old. She meets Samantha and Miranda! I'm really enjoying it so far It's really readable and fun! I recommend.

 

[FelipeV]

The Mysterious Benedict Society, by Trenton Lee Stewart
3.7/5

wired.com

I have to admit that I only buy this book for the cover, and the end result was . It's a book full of cliches (orphan kid, wise old man, faithful friends) that I imagine, came after the success of Harry Potter.

Basically it's a group of children with high intellectual qualities that must work together within a school, and try to discover the evil plans of the director (who tries to control the world). Leaving aside the cliches, the reading is amusingly unpredictable, full of riddles and mysteries, there are 2 more books in the series but I don't think I'm gonna read them.

 

[Alvedansen]

roccoart.blogspot.com

Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan

I recently finished the last book in the series and i gotta say, it was a struggle. i've read some bad books, but Riordan is definitely one of the worst writers i ever got across. not once in the series i got anxious, excited or worried about the characters, there was barely any character development, no chemistry between the characters and i couldn't connect to and start to care about any of the characters (including Percy). all of the books started the same with them meeting at the camp and all of a sudden they only had 5 days for some stupid task and then one little fight after the other happened, this way you never get to really see the characters interact on a normal basis (like you can see the Potter characters grow up in front of your eyes) and there was no real buildup. overall they just felt way too soulless, structured and predictable.

1-2 stars out of 5

 

[chickadee]

Nervous Conditions by Tsisti Dangaremba is about the effects of colonization in an "independent" Zimbabwe (then Rhodesia). The language is so intoxicating. I really love how it's written more than anything else, which is saying something because the story is pretty good as well. It starts off with "I was not sad when my brother died." That's the first line of the book, so I don't think it's really a spoiler. But it's really good and really hearbreaking. Especially the end. These two girls are exploited and broken (in very different ways) not just by the men in their lives but by colonization as well even though they were born well after Zimbabwe gained its independence. Loved it. A-

 

[Squizree]

Has anyone read "The Day of the Locust"? Can someone review it for me please? But without ruining it before I read it lol Thanks!

 

[Squizree]

"Letters from the Inside" by John Marsden 5/5

goodreads.com

Directed at a more adolescent audience, "Letters From the Inside" is about a continuous exchange of letters between high school aged Mandy and Tracey who both begin to discover each other and themselves through each others writing. Each girl hides a worrying secret, only one of which we are confronted with.

What makes the book so engaging is not what it tells, but what it doesn't tell. It proves that there are always multiple layers in any text, even in what appears to be a harmless exchange of teenage-written letters. The story leaves huge room for personal imagination and interpretation, so there are literally hundreds of ways in which you could interpret this text. The absence of a narrator forces the reader to use the only resource available: the letters - which are truthful but also deceiving at the same time.

Highly recommended for everyone.

 

[kito09]

The Bronze Horseman by Paulina Horseman.

towers.com
The first book of the heartbreaking trilogy is truly epic. The story is set in 1941, during ww2 and takes you deep into the Leningrad siege, telling the tragically endearing love story of a young girl named Tatiana and a Red Army officer with a secret that threatens his existence, Alexander. They both endure the tragedies of the cruel war, loss, hunger, and the pain that their love brings to those closest to them and themselves. A beautiful novel to lose yourself in, only to find your self completely intact with raw feeling. Highly recommended.

 

[Jenna-maria]

filmirulla.blogspot.com

Life Of Pi by Yann Martel

Seriously, this book is amazing!
well written and great storyline.
When I started to read this book
I could not put it down.
I laughed so much and
I cried so much while reading this.
And after finishing this wonderful book
I couldn´t start new book for a week
because I tough so much about this
story afterwards.
This is a book that everyone should read.

I will give this 10/10
YESSS, this was perfect book!!!!!

Oh, and Ang Lee is making movie from this.
I hope he will not fu*k it up.

 

[nita-karoliina]

This is a good thread. I read around 3 books a week so this is like godsend to me. Keep it going!

 

[Jenna-maria]

^
write reviews from the books you read here too!!!

 

[mint condish]

I just finished JPod by Douglas Coupland! I really enjoyed it! I love workplace humour, so it was really up my alley. I was worried I wouldn't be nerdy or technical enough to enjoy it lol But I really did. Thanks to the posters here who recommended it.

Note, I have read other books by Coupland, like Microserfs, and All Families are Psychotic, and I didn't enjoy them, so I was really happy to enjoy JPod!

 

[Belowen]

The Day Of The Triffids by John Wyndham [3/5]

I do love me some apocalyptic fiction, and although this is touted as a modern classic, for me it failed to hit the mark. It was reasonably modern and quite witty, despite being written and published in the early 1950s but despite the potential of the plot (Earth being overrun with man eating giant plants) I didn't find the storyline that interesting or scary.

Recommended for: Those interested in apocalyptic fiction, who like the charm of a 1950s classic.

cover source: bookdepository.co.uk

 

[Belowen]

Bossypants by Tina Fey [4/5]

I adore Tina Fey and had very high hopes for this book. To be honest, it wasn't what I had initially expected (though I'm still not sure what that was) but I loved it all the same. It was an interesting insight into Tina Fey, her history & her life and had some laugh-out-loud moments for me, which was kind of embarrassing on the train ride home from work each day.

Recommended for: Fans of Tina Fey

cover source: bookdepository.co.uk

 

[kito09]

pauabooks

I could not put this book down, not even for a second. The Seamstress kept me up with weary eyes in the middle of the night (and as a result I slept in between classes ). In short, the novel is a tale of two young orphaned sisters Emilia and Luzia, who grow up in a small village in 30's Brazil. Two very different lives await them both as they are both separated with the twist of fate and events, yet their lives intertwine in the most fascinating way. A wonderful mix of criminology, courage, and fate. The Seamstress is a novel you will remember even long after you close the last page of the lengthy novel. Recommended particularity for those who are interested in criminology and/or love a book with a bit of suspense. A beautiful read that not only takes you into the interesting and strange world of the Santos sisters, but also takes you into the entrancing Brazilian scrubland and revolution.

 

[chickadee]

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

Hands down, this is the best novel I have read yet. Toni Morrison is perhaps my favorite author of all time--so prolific, so thought-provoking, and imaginative, and always depressing (but I end up loving it anyway). The book is about a girl named Pecola Breedlove (told from the perspective of her neighbor/friend Claudia) who, at a very young age, endures a tremendous amount of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. Her one wish is for blue eyes not only because she thinks they will make her beautiful, but because she also wishes to change the way she sees. She feels as if the world around her will be much better if she could see it through blue eyes. It's a really poignant and moving story that makes you consider not only the devastating effects for ethnic girls who can't fit within the widely touted European standard of beauty, but girls of all races who can't live up to that impossible criteria. Moreover, it's about how women, particularly, minority women had very few choices back then. There's a lot of themes about feminism and what it means to be a woman, especially in relation to a man. Absolutely loved it.

 

[Jenna-maria]

MR VERTIGO by Paul Auster

faber.co.uk

This is story about Walt rescued from the streets of St. Louis
and taught to fly by Master Yehudi,
Walt soon becomes a national sensation.

I LOVED this book!
The story was great and it
was written so well.
Everyone who likes good books should read this

 

[Belowen]

Brief Interviews With Hideous Men by David Foster Wallace [2/5]

I wanted to love this book so much, as I am a huge David Foster Wallace fan but I just could not bring myself to enjoy it. I'm not sure if it's because I'm not a great lover of short story collections or what, but I really struggled to push through this book. There were a couple of short stories that really stood out, and at one point I was absolutely amazed at the skill and genius of David Foster Wallace's writing but the collective as a whole falls slightly falls for me.

Recommended for: Patient readers & fans of DFW

cover source: bookdepository.co.uk

 

[Belowen]

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins [4/5]

The second book in the Hunger Games trilogy, Catching Fire picks up a little while after where The Hunger Games left off. I was immediately drawn back into Katniss' world and this book was just as fast paced as it's predecessor. I was really happy with this book, and powered through it in a few days.

Recommended for: YA readers or those looking for a fast, enjoyable and easy read

cover source: bookdepository.co.uk