Title: William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Mean Girls
Author/Artist: Ian Doescher
Original Publishing Date: April 23rd, 2019
Publisher: Quirk Books
Pages: 176
Quick Synopsis: Mean Girls but make it Shakespeare.
Look, I could absolutely give you a different synopsis but that pretty much says it all. I’m sure everyone has heard of or seen the Mean Girls movie and memes and if you haven’t, just stop reading this post and go watch it because it’s incredible.
Title: Ready Player One
Author & Artist: Ernest Cline
Original Publication Date: August 16th, 2011
Original Price: $16 (Paperback)
Number of Pages: 372
Starkiller Rating: ★★★★★
Quick Synopsis: Renowned video game creator dies and sets up an online scavenger hunt to win his fortune. Wade is on the right track but what length will others go to stop him?
Honestly though, let’s take this moment to show appreciation for that awesome synopsis. Kind of proud of myself for that one. Go me!
There’s this blurb on the back of the book that calls Ready Player One, an “adult Willy Wonka” and wow, it totally really is. This book was literally like being sucked into a book and spit out into a video game. Cline did such a crazy excellent job at fully emerging his readers into this fantastic new world.
Needless to say, Cline’s world building is so absolutely top notch. Like top of the line. I couldn’t even handle it at some points.
I was born in the 90’s so my 80’s knowledge is not up to par at all, but somehow I felt like I knew what references were being made and it significantly added to the humor of the book. Don’t even get me started on the action sequences. No, just kidding, let’s start on them. They were so well-written that it was hard to remember 1. that I was reading a book and 2. that the characters weren’t even truly living in that world either. It’s all inside a video game, inside a book.
But getting out of the video game world for a second to focus on their “Real world” that Cline built. Holy guacamole. Their real world was so highly relatable it was actually quite frightening. Overpopulation, natural resources being depleted, and people being so consumed with electronics and their online presence that the world around them is literally falling apart. Oh man. It was tough to think about and could be easily glossed over but Cline did an excellent job at adding in this little commentary on the state of where our society is going.
So wonderful, I highly recommend to any and everyone.
Started my second semester this month! Whoop, whoop! Super exciting, but also makes for a reading slump. Maybe someday I’ll be able to read for leisure while being in school. But until then, I’ll make due with what I have: an addiction to buying more books than I finish.
Yes Please by Amy Poehler
The Tempest by William Shakespeare
The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo
I may not have read a lot of books, but I read quality books this month. I loved them all and I started some great books this month too!
(A simple sneak peek of the books I’ll finish in Feb.)
STATS:
Pages read: 839 (counting finishing books from previous months/starting new books)
Average pages per day: 27
Average time to finish a book: too long
Average rating: 4 out of 5 stars (only counting the books finished in January)
From my instagram, obvs.
Title: The Alchemist
Author: Paulo Coelho
Original Publication Date: 1988 (25th Anniversary edition-April 15th, 2014)
Original Price: $16.99 (Paperback)
Number of Pages: 182
Starkiller Rating: ★★★★✫
Quick Synopsis: A boy goes on a philosophical adventure to find his treasure.
This book has been on my to-read list for years. Literal years. This is definitely a fan favorite, and honestly, I can see why. I very genuinely enjoyed this book and I deeply regret not reading it when I was younger.
As an adult, it was still a deeply moving story with a wonderful message. The writing was truly inspirational. Coelho did such an amazing job at creating an enlightening adventure. His words were so poetic. I tagged so many quotes that were absolutely beautiful.
Not only is the story inspirational, I mean, I want to be like Santiago (the main character) and follow my Personal Legend, but the writing itself is inspirational. It was so easy to read and relate to. It was truly wonderful. I think as a kid, or just younger, I would have been more inspired to create and more inspired to follow my dreams.
This book served as such an eye opener. I am even more inspired now to continue this blog and continue trying my hardest to live out my dreams and it’s thanks to Paulo Coelho and Santiago.
This is a definite must-read for anyone who is struggling in life, or anyone who just needs a little inspiration.
Usually against MTI Covers but I got this for $4. I can deal for that kind of deal :p
Title: Silver Linings Playbook
Author: Matthew Quick
Original Publication Date: January 8th, 2008
Original Price: $15 (paperback)
Number of Pages: 289
Starkiller Rating: ★★★★✫
Quick Synopsis: A man with a mental illness, who believes his life is a film produced by God, jumps through hoops to try to give himself his Silver Lining (or his perfect ending).
That was an alright synopsis right?
Chances are, you’ve heard of this book, because you’ve heard of (or seen) the film. While the movie is amazing, it is almost entirely different from the book. The initial plots are fairly similar but there are different focuses throughout the novel. Overall, the plot is sadder and happier all at the same time.
Quick tackles the task of telling the audience the plot through journal entries recapping Pat (the main character’s) life trying to get Nikki (his wife) back after leaving “the bad place” (mental hospital). It is repetitive, heavy, and lighthearted, which really allows the reader to gain so much insight into the character of Pat. However, with this knowledge, and the first person account of what is going on, you can’t help but feel so bad for Pat. I found myself wanting to be in the book to snap Pat out of it and tell him “IT’S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!!”
What’s a better sign of great writing? Quick made me feel deeply for Pat and his mother. Tiffany was less likeable (to me) in the book but she had so many wonderful interactions with Pat.
The writing and character development are highly entertaining. The only true criticism I have is the repetitive nature of Pat but honestly, it’s highly understandable.
The novel was meaningful, funny, a bit dark, and highly poignant in it’s themes.
Both the film and the novel are two of my favorites in their respective categories.
This is probably my worst month to date. I literally only truly read one novel..and it was for school. Upon this realization, in hopes of doubling my book load this month, I sped through Li’l Gotham. I bought Yes Please on Black Friday and started it that day.
Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick
Batman: Li’l Gotham Vol II by Dustin Nguyen
Yes Please by Amy Poehler
STATS:
Pages read: 473 (I’ve only read 56 pages of Yes Please) Average pages per day: 15.77 Average time to finish a book: 10.3 Days
$1.99 for the ebook was too much.
Title: Palo Alto: Stories
Author: James Franco
Original Publication Date: October 19th, 2010
Original Price: $15 (paperback)
Number of Pages: 208
Starkiller Rating: ★✫✫✫✫
Quick Synopsis: “James Franco’s collection traces the lives of an extended group of teenagers as they experiment with vices of all kinds, struggle with their families and one another, and succumb to self-destructive, often heartless nihilism.” –I just took this off Goodreads, I don’t even want to bother with a synopsis for this.
Okay. This is a collection of short stories about pretty much privileged white kids and their problems. So they go out and get drunk, high then go out and kill and rape and I’m supposed to connect to them? No sorry. I’ve never had these “problems”.
Each story is so similar to the last, I can’t even handle it. Not only are the plots all almost identical but so is the absolutely absurdly written syntax of every damn story.
I swear, it’s like Franco copied and pasted stories, only switching a few things.
How many times could someone fill a book with stories about alcohol, and teenage penises? Apparently too damn many, honestly.
I don’t think I’ve ever disliked a book this much. I gave it countless tries and I just couldn’t. The subject matter was a little cringe-worthy but not enough to get me to give up. It truly was the terrible writing.
Give it a shot if you want, but as for me, I’m done with Franco as a writer.
Tea and Books ❤
Title: The Reader
Author: Bernhard Schlink
Original Publication Date: February 28th, 1998
Original Price: $13.95 (paperback)
Number of Pages: 216
Starkiller Rating: ★★★★★
Quick Synopsis: In the aftermath of World War II, Michael falls in love and carries on an affair with an older woman, Hanna. Only later in his life does Michael find out her deepest darkest secrets.
I would say that synopsis wasn’t half bad.
I had to read this for a Film and Literature class I have. I probably wouldn’t have read it if it weren’t for that class and let me tell you. I’d be missing out on one of the most beautifully tragic stories since Shakespeare. It was originally written in German so, of course, some things would be lost. However, I don’t know what’s lost.
The translator was amazing. It read so simply. Not pretentious as some translations can be. I know you’re probably thinking, “Pretentious, really? Do you have examples?” and no, no I don’t. I do know that there are some.
But let’s carry on.
The story is so amazing. It has some twists and turns. It’s something to marvel at. Obviously it’s well-translated (as earlier stated) but it’s just so well-written.
As for the characters, they’re great. Michael is highly relate-able. He’s a tragic young boy, lost in a world that he was not old enough to understand. I have a love/hate relationship with Hanna, however. Hanna makes so many stupid mistakes that involve so many other peoples lives and it legitimately makes me, as a reader, so angry.
I highly recommend this book to everyone. But, if you don’t like depressingly tragic tales of love, don’t read it.
I definitely cried at the end…
I’m glad I didn’t pay for this book…
Title: Untamed: A Love Story
Author: Erica Zavolta
Original Publication Date: December 21st, 2013
Original Price: $15 (Paperback)
Number of Pages: 578
Starkiller Rating: ★★✫✫✫
Quick Synopsis: Sam and Tara were best friends. After one drunken sex filled night, they became much more.
So this is going to be short. I liked the story but I could not, for the life of me finish this book. I’ve been trying for at least a month and just can’t. Zavolta did have an interesting story on her hands, which gets her two stars. However, it was not executed well at all. There were typos, misspellings, and grammatical errors on every other page. The dialogue seemed so forced. So unrealistic. It was like old CW sitcoms where people just don’t actually speak like that. It wasn’t fluid.
The chracters were not the best either. Sam and Tara were in a terribly abusive relationship. They fought every flashback. He was a “player” and she just kept going back to him. Even in the present when she has a good, nice, decent man in her life, she can’t help but think about Sam. It’s gross. Also, in the first like twenty pages there were three sex scenes that were much less than sexy.
This read like a first draft of a story one of my friends wrote. An interesting story that just did not live up to what it could have been.
So pretty. ❤
Title: Landline
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Original Publication Date: July 8th, 2014
Original Price: $24.99 (Hardcover)
Number of Pages: 308
Starkiller Rating: ★★★★✫
Quick Synopsis: Georgie’s marriage is failing and her only hope is her yellow rotary telephone from the 90’s.
Starkiller Reads 