intj + library school = this.

Mini Book Reviews.

Because at least if I comment on the five novels I read this weekend, I’ll feel like I was productive, instead of being wracked with guilt over reading five novels. I don’t actually review books. I just…talk about them. That said, my mental health hasn’t been this good in a while, so apparently my guilt-inducing weekend has been good for something.

YA Novel — Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins.
The rundown: there’s a girl, a boy, some other girls, some other boys, and some parents. Set in San Francisco. Modern, quirky characters, who are both likeable and annoying as hell as the case needs be. Very Sarah Dessen-like story. Easy read, but not a weak filler novel.

YA Novel — It’s Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han. Follow-up to the oft-talked-about The Summer I Turned Pretty, which I read a while ago but didn’t find all that interesting. This was sitting on top of the bookshelf at Salina Library, however (as in, not enough room on the shelf) so I took it. This one I’d definitely chalk up as a filler read, but then again, I’m not exactly the targeted age bracket. Plotline moves slowly, somewhat predictable, and just feels…lacking. It successfully helped me avoid real life for a few hours, but wasn’t all that entertaining.

Adult Fiction Novel — Embrace Me, by Lisa Samson. I’ve read a few other novels by Samson in the past; they tend to fall under what many would consider ‘inspirational fiction’, but they’re not the overdone, driven-by-a-lack-of-plot usual fare under that banner. She creates rich, deep characters, and in this novel, flips between two characters in two different time frames to piece together a story. Overwhelming theme: redemption. Doesn’t work for everyone, but I found myself drawn in by the reality she interjected into her mostly-believable tale. In the interests of full disclosure, part of that was just self-identification.

Bunheads — by Sophie Flack. The first novel from this author, and one can assume semi-autobiographical, although she writes it as pure fiction. The author was a member of the corps of the New York City Ballet, and writes what she knows - and writes it rather well. Could be cliche in that “choose between your current life and what could be” way, but somehow manages not to be. Granted, will it change your life? Probably not. Will it serve as entertainment and perhaps even edification? Most likely.

Adult Fiction — Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. My mom told me to read this book more than a year ago, and in my terrible decision making I ignoring it, despite owning a paperback copy (I think I picked it up for 25 cents knowing that I’d want to read it one day). Seeing that they created a movie based on the book, I chose to read it now - before the potential of ruining it could come to pass. Fantastic. Slow at first, but became engrossing and I fully admit I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning last week simply because I had to get to the end. If you’re thinking of seeing the movie, but tend to be a reader, read it first. I can’t evaluate the movie for you, but engaging the imagination is rarely a poor choice.