Book Reviews

I love to read. To me, there's nothing better than the smell of a new book. I have been known to have this thing where I walk into Borders and open up the newest paperbacks only to inhale their freshly printed goodness. I know, I'm wierd. Um, anyway here's a few books I've read in my day and what I think of them. I'm not trying to pretend I'm some classy book connoisseur, far from it. So yeah, take these for what it's worth. And if you've read a good book lately, please, let me know.

Can You Keep A Secret? by Sophie Kinsella I got into the story as I was reading it, but when I got to the end, I realized this book was nothing more than an unrealistic, predictable chick flick embodied in 357 pages and a pink cover. However, it was enjoyable as a whole, and unlike the movies, I was able to get inside the head of the slightly neurotic and delusional leading character, Emma Corrigan. She was likeable enough. But I'm still going to make a mental note to stay away from bright pink novels.

Superstud by Paul Feig I'll admit it: I judge books by their covers. Judging from this cover, wouldn't you say this book is awesome? Well, it is. It's an autobiography of sorts, which describes one man's journey to the land of ... er, losing one's virginity. It's kind of like a collection of sombody's most embarassing secrets, and you know, we all love those. GREAT book.

Angels & Demons by Dan Brown SO AMAZING. This was the prequel to the Da Vinci Code and I can't really say anything about it other than it blew me away. Dan Brown is a freaking genius to the millionth power.

Mystic River by Dennis Lehane This was a murder mystery, which are generally awesome page turners, and this one was ... up until the end. Let's just say it wasn't what I expected. Anyway, apparently they did a good movie adaptation of this book, it got a few Oscar nominations. So, I'd see the movie instead of reading the book. But *shrug* that's just me.

Shopaholic Ties the Knot by Sophie Kinsella This one sucked. Don't get me wrong, I love the character Becky, and true this book was funny in its own way, but the story was shallow and it had a painfully predictable ending.

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold This book is about a young girl's rape and murder and the events surrounding it. Despite that, this was one of the most uplifting books I've read. I actually teared up a bit several times while reading it. It's one of those books that you think about days and weeks after reading it. It really makes you appreciate life and the ones around you. Highly recommended.

Shopaholic Takes Manhattan by Sophie Kinsella I fell in love, figuratively speaking, with Confessions of a Shopaholic's main character, Becky Bloomwood, that I had to pick this one up to read about her relocation to NY, the land of designer clothes and sample sales. She's so extremely delusional about shopping. I think all the ladies out there can identify with her in some way. I know I can.

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown Wow. Wow. Wow. I read this in 2 sittings, believe it or not. In the first sitting I read about 50-60 pages and in the second I read about 400. The pages were glued to my eyes... I just could NOT put it down. The greatest part about this book is that it's a novel based on factual information. And the factual information is what really blew me away. This book is the perfect mixture of fact, fiction, religion, politics, society and suspense. It's fuel to anyone who wonders why the world is what it is. I love this book. An easy favorite.

Kick Me: Adventures in Adolescence by Paul Feig Omigod, THIS BOOK IS SOOO FUNNY. It's a personal memoir about growing up in suburbia. I remember I was at Walgreens waiting for a prescription and I had this book handy. I read the chapter entitled "My First and Bestest Girlfriend" and I swear I bruised my kidneys trying to hold in my laughter. One man noticed my twisted face, took a look at what could possibly be causing it and said "Kick You? Where?" Creep. But this is a GREAT book. (Thanks Charisse!)

Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella I picked up this book in hopes that it would inspire me to change my shopping habits. I can identify with the main character so much, it's scary. It certainly made me aware of my impractical shopping habits, but unfortunately I couldn't change them. But still, I enjoyed this book very much.

The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling But of course. If I were to think of a time when I was truly happy, one of them would have to be that one winter where I was snuggled under a warm comforter in the dark, reading Harry Potter with a faint glow of a booklight. That sounds pathetic, but it's so true. These books have the power to whisk me away from the mundane and into a world where I'm happy. There really are no words to describe how much I LOVE these books. The bestseller list speaks for itself. I love these books so much I dressed like Hermione one year for Halloween. LOVE THEM LOVE THEM LOVE THEM.

naked. by David Sedaris This is a personal memoir. How one man can put humor in the mundane is beyond me. I was reading this one day in the science building snack room at my school and I wanted to laugh so hard while reading it. My face was painfully scrunched up while trying to hide impending shrieks of laughter. A lot of people were looking at me funny. The chapter entitled "The Drama Bug" was the culprit in my case. If you decide to pick this one up, I suggest avoid reading it in a public place unless you are comfortable spitting all over yourself out of laughter in front of strangers. Hilarious.

About a Boy by Nick Hornby Hmmm. This book was simply alright ... it tended to drag in places. It was about a single guy, an eternal bachelor, and a little boy's challenge to open up his heart. Kind of reminded me of The Perks of Being a Wallflower as it centers around a lonely boy looking for acceptance. Maybe I'm just not the type to enjoy stories like that. Either way, this is the one case in which the movie is actually better than the book.

The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides I think this book is classified as Young Adult Literature, which made me half-ashamed to purchase it, but after reading, I realized that it was pretty far from it. It's a haunting story so beautifully written, and I'm not even exaggerating here. It was like, 300 pages of poetry. It was so beautifully written, it made me actually want to be a part of such a somber tale. There's a movie based on this book. Skip the movie, read the book. No offense, Sophia Coppola.

The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Steven Chbosky This book has a huge cult following, which is why I decided to pick it up. Maybe I'm not "artsy" or "abstract" enough, but I really don't see why so many people liked it. It was a bit slow for my taste. The story is loosely based on The Catcher in the Rye, and needless to say, it doesn't live up to it. Why would anyone want to mimic a classic anyway? It's not like they can realistically surpass it.

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger "When I really worry about something, I don't just fool around. I even have to go to the bathroom when I worry about something. Only, I don't go. I'm too worried to go. I don't want to interrupt my worrying to go." - Chapter 6 This book is one of my favorites. Holden Caulfield, the story's main character is intriguing. I love his deadpan honesty. If I had a choice to meet anyone fictional or dead, he's my man. (It helps that I imagine him to look like a young Michael Vartan.) A true classic.

Social Blunders by Tim Sandlin The third book of the GroVont trilogy. It takes place 10 years after Sorrow Floats. It was interesting seeing how each character further developed, but overall, the trilogy ended with a relatively dissapointing plot (or lack thereof). It failed to make me laugh as much as Sorrow Floats did and I barely remember anything else about it.

Sorrow Floats by Tim Sandlin This is the second book of the GroVont trilogy, the sequel to Skipped Parts. It's about a crazy crazy road trip across the country that takes place about a decade after. I read this a long time ago and don't remember my initial feeling about the book, but I do have vivid memories of me shrieking in laughter as I lay on my side reading it. The situations the characters find themselves in are pretty ridiculous it's funny. Not a bad book. I like comedic novels.

Skipped Parts by Tim Sandlin Ahh, to most, this book may be um, interesting, but I happened to like it. It centers around a somewhat strange scenario played out by pretty eccentric characters, and I won't spoil it for you here. I'll tell you this though, I don't suggest reading this book if you're any kind of a prude.