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Posts Tagged ‘relationships’

The Inexplicable Logic of my Life by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Posted in reviews, tagged , , , , , , , , on February 25, 2017| Leave a Comment »

The Inexplicable Logic of My LifeThe Inexplicable Logic of My Life by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Oh wow! Reading this was like being on a rollercoaster of emotions. Such beautiful writing that had me connected and a part of the story and loving the characters, and then all of sudden having that feeling of a block of cement in my stomach while my heart broke a little with the tragedies that were unfolding.
I absolutely loved Benjamin Alire Sáenz’s ‘Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe’ and I had high expectations of this one. And while the writing was beautiful, it did take me a little while to get right into the story and realise what it was all about.
Sally (Salvador) was a strong character who just about always did the right thing and because of this, it was a little heartbreaking to see him struggle with his identity and where he fit in.
Samantha and Frito, Sally’s two friends were fantastic characters, each having their own demons to battle but in the end, this group of three friends had such a strong relationship it was hard to think of anything stopping them.
And the basis of their strong relationship was Sally’s father, Vicente. Yes, he wasn’t perfect but he came damn near close to being. How could anyone not be positively impacted by him.
Overall, this was a perfect read, it left me feeling differently about the world and also left me feeling love and hope.

Thanks to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children’s Book Group for the ARC via NetGalley

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Holding up the Universe by Jennifer Niven

Posted in reviews, tagged , , , on August 22, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Holding Up the UniverseHolding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was busting out of my skin to read this book as I absolutely loved All the Bright Places and while it didn’t give me all of the feelings that ATBP did (like my heart had been ripped out and chewed up and I didn’t stop crying for hours), I really enjoyed it.
I really liked Libby and connected with her hopes and fears. I didn’t feel sorry for her at all, and I think that is what I liked so much about her – she knew who she was and what she wanted and had so much guts to confront all of the assholes that she had to deal with, she didn’t feel sorry for herself and deserves respect and admiration.
I liked Jack also, but didn’t really connect with him. It was interesting reading about someone with face blindness and how he coped with it, the strategies that he had development just to get through each day and what he thought he had to do to fit in.
Overall I enjoyed this story which highlights the age-old fact that it is what is on the inside that counts, that being kind is like magic to some people and that there are loads of assholes in the world.

Thanks to Penguin UK and Netgalley for a copy of this book.

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Dead Dog in the Still of the Night by Archimede Fusillo

Posted in reviews, tagged , , , , , , on February 19, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Dead Dog in the Still of the NightDead Dog in the Still of the Night by Archimede Fusillo
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was an easy read but it wasn’t the type of book that had me flipping through the pages, hanging onto every word and holding my breath to find out what was going to happen next.
Primo is a teenage boy, who makes some bad decisions but I did feel empathy for him and what he was working through with his family. As the story went on, the more you got to understand his family and why he does some of the things he does. He has an awesome best mate and tolerant girlfriend and the ending is very satisfactory.
A very Australian, Melbourne suburbs setting was the background to a good, solid story.

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The Future of Us by Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler

Posted in reviews, tagged , , on January 9, 2012| Leave a Comment »

The Future of UsThe Future of Us by Jay Asher
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I had a great time with this book, maybe because I was a teenager in the 90’s and so a lot of things were just like my own memories! Emma and Josh made me laugh out loud. If you are old enough, imagine it is 1996. You have a computer with windows 95 on it and there is that screen saver of the brick wall maze thing or the pipes (it is all coming back!). Emma is connecting to the Internet for the first time and all of a sudden Facebook appears, except Facebook was actually around back then and so Emma is looking at Facebook 15 years in the future. She gets her friend Josh involved and as they sit there reading through Facebook comments and likes and pokes they are not too sure what is going on. I loved it when after reading comments by Emma about what she was cooking for dinner, about getting a haircut, about seeing a therapist, that Josh is sure it is all a prank. He says something like, ‘Why would people write these crazy things about themselves on the Internet… ‘

There really were two parts to this story, one was the comical, OMG-that-is-my-future part where Emma keeps on trying to change things so she gets a better husband and is happy, but the other part of the story is about Emma and Josh’s friendship and how it got a bit broken but also about how they can fix it.

This was a mixed bag for me, laughing out loud one minute, feeling sad the next minute, wanting to give Emma a bit of a shake to tell her to wake up to herself and then also feeling all warm and fuzzy.

It did leave me thinking though…. I wonder how much we can change the future by doing things just a little bit different now..and also…. What kind of stuff do I put on Facebook!!

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Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John

Posted in reviews, tagged , on January 3, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Five Flavors of DumbFive Flavors of Dumb by Antony John
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Quote, p187: I would have cried too, but then I pictured Jimi bringing his guitar to life, his whole body transported by the pure power of music. And he didn’t look sad or regretful – he brimmed with energy, savoring every stolen moment of untainted joy. Live in the moment, he seemed to be saying. And for once, I heard the words perfectly. Live in the moment. I could do that. We could all do that.

So, this book wasn’t about Jimi Hendrix. It was based in Seattle and so Jimi and Nirvana both got a few mentions but I just had to add that quote because I love it. And I also love this book. I always enjoy books that have anything to do with music and this one didn’t disappoint. You find out at the beginning that Piper is deaf, and also that she has landed herself in the role of Band Manager for DUMB, the local high school band who are coming off a win at the Battle of the Bands. The first half of the book, I found it to be more about Piper and her relationship with her mother, father, younger brother and baby sister. The band members are hovering around the story and don’t get me wrong, it is a good story and Piper is a great character but I wasn’t really connecting with her.

And then somewhere in the middle it was like BANG, I was emotionally invested in her and her father and her mother and her brother and..the band. Now the band – Will didn’t really feature for me until the end but his role was so very important. I found Tash to be a proud, tough girl but it was all part of her exterior. Josh was….well there had to be a Josh and I held out hope for the entire story that he would be the kind of lead singer that I wanted him to be….Kallie was a bit like Will for me, although she was definitely a part of the story she didn’t really feature until the end and then there was Ed. A sweet, kind, coffee making drummer. I can’t leave out Finn, Piper’s younger brother who was like the invisible cord that bound the story together for me. And Piper, she had a few issues she was dealing with but I loved watching her discover music and how it can make you feel. So, this was a great book. A book about music, a book about relationships, about friendships and a book about a band (and i guess because I secretly wish I was in a band, this book really did it for me!).

Quote, pg 332: With a final deep breath I leaped in the air and began throwing my body back and forth, my right hand yanking the strings of my silent guitar like I needed my fingers to bleed. And when I closed my eyes, it wasn’t out of fear. It was because what I was feeling right there on that stage consumed me. I felt every part of that animal music, felt it eat me up and spit me out, and what emerged was a me a thousand times more powerful that Piper Vaughan. I was Piper Vaughan, guitar hero – spiritual descendant of Jimi Hendrix and proponent of pure anarchy. And I ROCKED.

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Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler

Posted in reviews, tagged , , on January 1, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Fixing DelilahFixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wow, what a great story. Sarah Ockler certainly has a way of writing that draws me right in. I read this book in one sitting and that was mainly because I got so involved in the story and it was so easy to read and before I knew it I had finished and a few hours had passed. This is a story about relationships, mother, daughter, sister, friend and it is also about family, about people and how they cope with the things that happen. There were also three separate times where i found myself with tears falling down my cheeks, my heart a giant lump in my throat but for anyone who likes a bit of swoon *raises hand* there are some awesome kissing scenes!! Delilah is a nice girl who seems to be making her way through life without really knowing who she is and it was good to get to know her and watch her relationship with her mother, with her aunty, with her new friend Emily and with ‘the boy’, Patrick. Patrick was adorable and has jumped onto my list of book boy crushes. Caring, funny, gentle, nice, a little bit sexy and…. He plays guitar and sings… What is not too like! A nice, easy read, that might break your heart in a few places but it will also put it back together with the kind of ending that I like!

Here is a passage that I really liked, the scene is Patrick performing with his guitar for Delilah for the first time.

‘And oh my God. Patrick can sing. I don’t mean la-la-la sing. I mean, sing sing. Goose bumps, holding-our-breath, lumps-in-our-throats, tears-in-our-eyes, all-we-need-is-love kind of sing.

He belts it straight out, his voice like milk and honey and everything rich and warm and good. I want to drink it. To take off my clothes and slip into his music like a hot bubble bath..’

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