The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo

Overview

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid is a brilliantly written novel, published on June 13, 2017.

Story

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo follows the main character, Monique Grant, a seemingly random reporter who has been picked to do an interview with The Famous Evelyn Hugo, who lived one of the most successful careers in Hollywood. This comes as a shock to the world as up until now, Evelyn had been hiding from the public eye for years.

She starts off with her history, and how she became Evelyn Hugo. Then, she tells Monique about having to be cunning to survive in Hollywood. She talks about her relationships, and about how all of her seven husbands played a part in her life. Monique quickly finds out that Evelyn’s life was full of scandalous secrets, strategically kept from the public eye.

And as Evelyn’s story becomes more twisted and complicated, Monique also finds out about a secret relationship that no one would ever have thought that The Evelyn Hugo would be part of, and she finds out that Evelyn Hugo has cunningly tricked the public many times. But, Monique also finds just as in everything else in Evelyn’s life, she had a calculated reason for picking Monique to be her reporter.

Conclusion

I absolutely love this book. It is enthralling and once you pick it up, you can’t put it down. There are twists in every chapter and you will absolutely love all the complicated characters, especially Evelyn Hugo.

10/10

They Both Die at the End

Overview

They Both Die at the End is a novel by Adam Silvera. It was published on September 5th, 2017.

Story

In a world with a death cast, people get a call telling them they are going to die sometime in the next 24 hours. This call doesn’t tell them how or where, just that their death is going to occur.

When the two completely unrelated main characters of this book get the call, they both decide to go on a website that helps people who got the death cast meet each other. When they meet, they never would have believed that they, two very contrasting people, made a very good match. And they never would have thought that they would live more in their 24 hours than they had before in their lives.

As they discover more and more about the world, each other, and themselves, we also learn about more characters in this world. Even though the title spoils the ending, you don’t see it coming, and the ending hits harder than you would’ve thought.

Conclusion

I really loved this book, and the character dynamics and morals were all really interesting. Would definitely recommend!

9/10

If He Had Been with Me

Overview

If He Had Been With Me by Laura Nowlin is a contemporary teen romance book published on April 2nd, 2013.

Story

This book is about a girl named Autumn, who loves literature and writing. She lives next door to Finny, with whom she has been best friends since they were born. Until, all of a sudden they weren’t friends anymore, and Autumn had to find another friend group at the start of high school.

She found a new friend group, and she finds a boy in this newly formed friend group. When they start dating, Autumn discovers more and more things about herself. She feels conflicted and thinks about what could’ve been as she is thrown into love, regret, and deep sadness.

Conclusion

In this heartbreaking book, even though you see the ending coming, it still hits hard and still has twists. Would recommend, though it got a little repetitive in the middle.

7.8/10

My Objective Thoughts on 1984 (Yes, the Book)

I’m going to be completely honest here. Trust me when I say that this book, yes this classic book that is praised and practically used as a political chunk of evidence, is in fact, overrated. It just is. I know so many people say that this is what a dystopia truly would look like, and they’re not wrong, it’s simply that this doesn’t hold up to a lot of modern aspects of society and that the book doesn’t actually focus on the dystopia itself, but the act of living in it.

I’m not saying the book is bad, but it certainly isn’t great. Orwell has a very superior book that actively portrays a dystopia and the effects of one better. And that book is Animal Farm. Now this isn’t going to be some compare and contrast essay. I just wanted to point out the fact the Orwell has a better book on this subject. I suggest you read that instead.

Now the main problems I have with 1984 is that it is segmented into three parts. Well, I am not mad about this, but it all comes down to the execution. The different parts of the book are so clearly separate that it doesn’t feel all too coherent. Basically it has a very good exposition that sets down a lot of rules in this world but then the second part is almost purely raunchy. Like, this is the raunchiest stuff I’ve read. Although that says a lot about me I suppose. But, it also says a lot about the active lack of plot. And then the third part is one very drawn out torture scene.

It just feels not good enough for something that is supposed to be the best example of a dystopia. It just isn’t.

Anyway, those were my objective thoughts on 1984.

Book Review: The Namesake

Background:

The book The Namesake by: Jhumpa Lahiri was published in September 2003. This is a domestic and realistic fiction novel. It tells the story of the Ganguli family, their arrival to America, and their life in America. This novel focuses on their firstborn Gogol who eventually changes his name to Nikhil.

Story:

The main character is Gogol Ganguli, named after Nikolai Gogol. This book starts out explaining Gogol’s parents and their marriage. His parents did not know each other before they were married. They decided to wed after one day and didn’t know each other’s names until after. Ashima (Gogol’s mother) left Calcutta with Ashoke(her husband and Gogol’s father) to start a new life in America. Both Gogol and his younger sister Sonia are born in America. When Gogol is born his parents have trouble naming him because they aren’t used to people naming their children just as they are born. In Calcutta people saw no rush in naming children and would call them by pet names until they needed a good name for something like going to school. Pet names were names only used by family and close friends. Also, Gogol’s parents wanted to wait for a letter from his grandmother with a name for their son. His parents decide to name him Gogol, after the Russian author Nikolai Gogol. He was named this because Ahsoke was in a terrible train accident once. In the middle of the night he was reading a book by Nikolai Gogol and when the train crashed most people died in their sleep. However, Ashoke was awake and when he heard people searching he stuck his hand up with the book in his hand. This made them realize there was someone there and they helped him get to a hospital. Ashoke was paralyzed for some time but once he was better he decided to continue college, get married and move to America. This was a very big event for Gogol’s father which Gogol was not told about until he was an adult. This book is the story of Gogol’s life and his family. There are some other big events like Gogol moving to New York, getting married (but then divorced), and going to college/graduating. When Gogol first moves out he goes to college at Yale. But, before doing this he changes his name to Nikhil. After graduating he moves to New York, and gets an apartment. In New York and in college he dates people and goes through relationships but none of them last. He marries a girl named Moushumi who his parents know. But, after about a year they spilt up due to an affair. This mainly book tells the story of Gogol’s life and the different events he goes through. I think this was a good book, it was a little sad but I would recommend reading it.

The Inheritance Games Review

The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Genre:

The Inheritance Games is a mystery thriller novel.

Summary:

The Inheritance Games is about 17 year old Avery Kylie Grambs. She had a normal life and planned to finish high school and get to a decent college. However, her life turns upside down when billionaire Tobias Hawthorne leaves Avery with almost his entire fortune. To receive the inheritance, Avery had to move in the Hawthorne mansion, filled with secret passages and the old man’s puzzles in every room. Unfortunately, Tobias Hawthorne’s angry and confused family remain in the mansion, including his four cunning and jealous grandchildren. Why did Tobias Hawthorne give Avery his fortune? With danger present everywhere, Avery has to figure Tobias Hawthorne’s puzzle to stay alive.

Rating:

The Inheritance Games is fast-paced and entertaining, with the right amount of mystery and drama. The puzzles and riddles are engaging, with many twists along the story, makes it hard to put down the book.

I would recommend this book to age groups 12 and older due to bits of inappropriate language throughout the book.

A combination of mystery, drama, and entertainment easily makes The Inheritance Games a 10/10.

Reviewed by Akshobya P

The Hate U Give

Overview

The Hate U Give is a YA novel by Angie Thomas, published on February 28th, 2017. It is about how 16-year-old Starr Carter’s life changes after watching her friend Khalil killed by a police officer.

Story

Starr Carter’s life is shattered after watching a police officer shoot her childhood best friend Khalil. As the only witness, Starr is pressured to tell the world what happened that night, but it isn’t that simple.

Starr lives in a poor neighborhood, but attends a wealthy prep school, having to be two different people to fit into both worlds. But speaking out about the truth, or withholding it could both have shattering consequences that not only Starr has to live with, but her loved ones as well.

When Khalil’s death blows up with activists and protesters, Starr has to juggle the gang and the drug lord of their neighborhood, and her prep school friends. All while she makes a decision about whether or not she should speak up or not.

Conclusion

This powerful and inspiring novel about civil rights and racism has an interesting and complicated main character, which adds to the story about the struggle for justice.

10/10

~ Reviewed by Anika A

Agatha Christie’s The Sittaford Mystery

Synopsis:

In a remote house in the English village of Sittaford, six people seated around a table participate in a séance. What starts out as a humorous matter turns frightening and sinister when the spirits spell out that Captain Trevelyan, the man letting the house to Mrs. Witter and her daughter, has been murdered. Wary of the unsettling message, one of them must go check on the Captain at his temporary residence located six miles away. Unfortunately, due to snowdrifts blocking the roads, the arduous journey can only be made on foot, through the snowy, bitter conditions outside.

Review:

Overall, this classic whodunnit mystery was a satisfactory read. The plot unfolded from the very beginning so it kept my interest from the start. The novel is written from a third person point of view; throughout the story, the author describes several people’s investigations into the murder and gives us insight into their thoughts. The varying perspectives make it more interesting to read and allow the readers to better understand the characters. Agatha Christie also expertly details the demeanor of each character from the way they speak to the way they carry themselves, which effectively illustrates their mannerisms and interactions to the readers. In addition, the novel contains an appropriate balance between dialogue and narration. Many authors rely too heavily on one or the other to provide their readers with details and to develop the plot of their story. This can make the story feel tedious to readers and cause them to lose interest. Agatha Christie, on the other hand, presents her stories in a way that keeps their pace moving steadily and retains the readers’ engagement. All in all, the book contained likable characters, sinister moments, lighthearted moments, a bit of romance, and, of course, a jaw-dropping ending! If you enjoy whodunnit mysteries, I recommend reading this one!

The Sorcerer of the North

Background:

The Sorcerer of the North is the fifth book in the Ranger’s Apprentice series by John Flanagan. It is set sometime after The Battle for Skandia. Will Barton, the main character, is now a fully fledged Ranger.

First impression:

At first, I thought this book would be slightly different than the other Ranger’s Apprentice books because Will is now much older. It also seemed that way because of the lack of familiar faces, besides Halt and Crowley.

Story Overview:

Will is assigned to a new fief north of Castle Araluen. He is disguised as a jongluer, an entertainer. Just as he gets settled in, Alyss, an old friend, shows up un the cover of Lady Gwendolyn. Will is stationed at this particular fief because there are rumors of sorcery which, as Will would find out was just a misunderstood man not wanting people to find him. But as this is happening, Alyss’s cover is blown. Will attempts to rescue her, but fails and vows to rescue her no matter the cost, leaving readers on a well-placed cliffhanger.

Conclusion:

This was actually a great read. All suspicion and worry I had was dissolved by the time I finished the book.

Rating:

9.75 (too much swearing)

(Disclaimer: I left out a TON of details.)

Of Mice and Men

Overview

“Of Mice and Men”, is a novella by John Steinbeck, published in 1937. It is about two men, George Milton and Lennie Smalls who travel from jobs as laborers. They go from ranch to ranch, earning money to fulfill their dreams of someday owning their own land.

Story

“Of Mice and Men” follows two men, George Milton and Lennie Smalls, as they travel from ranch to ranch as laborers during the Great Depression. George is a small, dark man. Lennie, quite the opposite of George, is big and strong, but with the mind of a child. He is very childish and easily forgets. Lennie loves animals and soft things, and he tries his best to obey George.

They hope to one day earn enough money to own their own land. George wants freedom, no one telling them what to do and where to work, while Lennie wants to tend to rabbits on their dream ranch. When they get a job at a new ranch, they meet a new friend, an old man named Candy, who also wants to live out the rest of his days in freedom. But, they also meet people who threaten their dreams.

This heartbreaking, and timeless tale shows the true value and meaning of friendship in hard times.

Conclusion

Although “Of Mice and Men” is a classic, it uses language that we don’t use these days, making it harder to follow. But it is an interesting story with twists.

7.5/10 Reviewed by Anika A