Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay
Dexter, just an ordinary lab rat working for the Miami police department’s blood spatter unit. Wrong! Living a double life has never been so easy, Dexter Morgan seems like an average guy but that’s where things turn different. He is a murderer on the side, killing people he believes truly deserves it. The author Jeff Lindsay creates twists and turns throughout the book to keep you guessing. If your interested in books that become television shows, Dexter is airing on Show-time and CBS. Have you ever wondered what the people you’re around all the time do in their free time? If you’re into thrilling mysteries, then Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay is the book for you.
Reviewed by Jonathan Perellis
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth GilbertEat Pray Love is a story about a woman in her mid-thirties who has just been through a depression, a backfiring rebound romance, and a severe bout of depression. After deciding to make a fresh start for herself, she embarks on a journey to Italy, India, and Indonesia. In Italy she learns the art of pleasure, indulging herself in both the rich language and food. Then in India she learns the art of devotion. She enables herself to sit for hours at a time, clearing her mind and contemplating how both her troubled past and her hopeful future. In Indonesia she learns the art of balance, and sees how to juggle both pleasure and devotion while staying true to herself. She learns that life must be lived and not calculated every step of the way. She learns the same thing about love, in that love must be unexpected and is something that just happens, not always for a reason. Love is not something that can be controlled, and neither is life- these lessons are very crucial to the main character’s discovery of herself. The author's sarcastic form of writing and the honesty in her voice make you want to savor every second you have while reading the book.
Reviewed by: Lindsey Faucher and Lauren Geschke
A Child Called It by Dave Pelzer
This is a very sad autobiography about a little boy’s struggle to survive the abuse of his alcoholic mother. He is brutally beaten, starved and ostracized from society from the age of four up until his rescue at the age of twelve. The rest of the world didn’t realize what was happening on account of the mother’s clever lies to cover up the truth. The truth was better covered because of David’s near perfect childhood as well. His mother was a loving woman who slipped into alcohol eventually dragging his father into the addictive drug as well. His father, once David’s hero, became a frail coward allowing his son to continue to be a target of abuse. As this happened in the 70s, it was not something common and not something to make a big deal about. David was a part of the third worst child abuse case recorded in California history and thanks to his teachers, who eventually made a big deal about it, David was saved. He was able to escape his mother’s wrath and live a normal, but somewhat scarred, life. Lost Boy and A Man Named Dave are continuations of his story into adulthood sharing David’s stories of foster care and learning to find the love of a family. Although this is a very graphic book, it’s a very touching story showing you that you have a lot to appreciate. We really recommend this book to anyone looking for a quick but moving read.
Reviewed by: Kathryn Bro, Amanda Mattson, and Kristen Decker
When the world was steady by Claire MessudThis book displays the relationship between two estranged sisters. Each sister has their issues and handles them separately. The book takes place in three places: Bali, London and the Isle of Skye. Emmy Simpson goes to Bali in the search to find herself after her husband leaves her for her best friend. Her sister, Virginia Simpson lives In London with her mom Melody Simpson. Her mom is losing her mind, she doesn’t like to leave the house anymore ever, a basket that she lowers down to the street is her only outside communication. Melody and Virginia also take a trip to the Isle of Sky and many interesting things happen between the two. In the end the two sisters increase their communication and better their relationship.
This book in general is not a great one. It has had great reviews; however we did not enjoy this book in the least. The story really has no point, nothing is resolved in the end, and it is really frustrating to read. The plot is truly lost on the reader and the detail is overly rich.
This book in general is not a great one. It has had great reviews; however we did not enjoy this book in the least. The story really has no point, nothing is resolved in the end, and it is really frustrating to read. The plot is truly lost on the reader and the detail is overly rich.
Reviewed by: Amanda Jimenez, Brielle DeFlippis, and Caroline Kurzydlo
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
We read the murder mystery by Gillian Flynn called Sharp Objects. This book was riveting and often disturbing. The plot has several twists to it regarding a journalist returning to her home town where two murders have recently taken place. The journalist, Camille, in more ways than one, becomes a detective. For Camille and her twisted family these murders hit close to home. We both thought this book was a very addicting read and had trouble putting it down. At times it can be scary and disturbing but remained enthralling all the while. We would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good, quick read.
Reviewed by: Corey Sharman and Kylie Barrie
Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
A girl who just turned 15, who the novelist refers to as Alice, keeps a diary of her everyday observant life, from her first crush to her dad getting a new college professing career that starts on a fresh page of her life in a new state. As she struggles through her new school to fit in, as every teenage girl would do, she attends a party were she unknowingly begins her winding path of destruction. I definitely recommend this book for high schoolers mainly, because young teens can relate their lives to the many different obstacles she induces. The novel’s themes of peer pressure, vulnerability, coming of age, and many more allow the reader to connect with Alice and relate her struggles to their own whether or not it be and LSD addiction or experiencing a new school atmosphere. We highly recommend this heart-wrenching tale of a girls’ life she can’t control.
Reviewed by: Mareena Good and Libby Jaekel
Snow Falling on Cedars by David Gutterson
Snow Falling on Cedars takes place on a small island off the Northwest Coast. One morning, a fisherman named Carl Heine is found dead, drowned next to his fishing boat. The accused is a Japanese-American named Kabuo Miyamoto.
From information given on the back of the book, I started reading this book with the impression that it would be a courtroom drama.
How wrong I was.
While the main plot itself takes place over a couple of days and follows the court proceedings, the real meat of the book is in flashbacks. These flashbacks explain the lives of all the main characters, their childhood years, and in some cases even begin to delve into their parents’ lives.
The flashbacks serve the purpose of illustrating the characters’ motivations and desires. From a narrative point of view, they drag the book down. As a reader, I wanted to know whether or not Kabuo actually was the murderer, not intimate backstory about the defendant’s mother.
The narrative could be described as “calming and beautiful,” but it really feels more like “meandering” and “listless.” It goes nowhere fast, instead it arbitrarily scrolls from flashback to flashback, most of which aren’t even in chronological order. By the later chapters, I was ready to just skip to the last chapter and find out the ending and be done with the book. I was convinced that this author wanted to torture me with slogging through backstory. Even the ending was completely unsatisfying in light of what I had to suffer through to get to it.
It can’t be called a courtroom drama because it lacks the drama. It can’t be called a murder mystery, because most of the book doesn’t even take place in the “present.” It can’t be called a slice-of-life story about the characters, because their situation often feels contrived and a little too convenient. One thing that does happen is a lot of commentary on racism, particularly with the Japanese internment during WWII.
In conclusion, while the writing itself isn’t bad, the lack of a coherent narrative and the writer’s preference for flashbacks over advancing the plot really drag this book down. If you’re looking for a slow, quiet, relaxing book, you may want to pick this up. If you’re looking for an interesting, engaging read, I suggest you look somewhere else.
From information given on the back of the book, I started reading this book with the impression that it would be a courtroom drama.
How wrong I was.
While the main plot itself takes place over a couple of days and follows the court proceedings, the real meat of the book is in flashbacks. These flashbacks explain the lives of all the main characters, their childhood years, and in some cases even begin to delve into their parents’ lives.
The flashbacks serve the purpose of illustrating the characters’ motivations and desires. From a narrative point of view, they drag the book down. As a reader, I wanted to know whether or not Kabuo actually was the murderer, not intimate backstory about the defendant’s mother.
The narrative could be described as “calming and beautiful,” but it really feels more like “meandering” and “listless.” It goes nowhere fast, instead it arbitrarily scrolls from flashback to flashback, most of which aren’t even in chronological order. By the later chapters, I was ready to just skip to the last chapter and find out the ending and be done with the book. I was convinced that this author wanted to torture me with slogging through backstory. Even the ending was completely unsatisfying in light of what I had to suffer through to get to it.
It can’t be called a courtroom drama because it lacks the drama. It can’t be called a murder mystery, because most of the book doesn’t even take place in the “present.” It can’t be called a slice-of-life story about the characters, because their situation often feels contrived and a little too convenient. One thing that does happen is a lot of commentary on racism, particularly with the Japanese internment during WWII.
In conclusion, while the writing itself isn’t bad, the lack of a coherent narrative and the writer’s preference for flashbacks over advancing the plot really drag this book down. If you’re looking for a slow, quiet, relaxing book, you may want to pick this up. If you’re looking for an interesting, engaging read, I suggest you look somewhere else.
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