Fangirl | Rainbow Rowell
I could go on and on about how much I enjoyed this book. So well written and so well done, Rainbow Rowell captured the exact feelings about being a part of a fandom and why it means so much to be part of a fandom. I found myself relating to Cath on so many levels – to the point of freaky sometimes – not just the fandom stuff but the terror of facing the unknown during your first year University. The dialogue was really sharp and definitely found myself snorting with laughter at parts. I got through this pretty quickly too (which was a nice change!), the plot was pretty engaging and so were the characters.
My only gripe is the snippets of Simon Snow fanfic within the book itself, I felt like the plot could’ve been driven just the same without it but I suppose it does add some depth to the novel’s world!
Would definitely recommend!
Allegiant | Veronica Roth
The third and final installment of Veronica Roth’s Divergent series was one of the sequels I was really looking forward to going into 2013. The plot obviously picks up from where Insurgent left off – so I’ll try not to spoil it too much for those who haven’t read the series yet! Tris Prior’s just revealed a huge secret to the faction based society. She now has a chance to venture beyond the fences and discover a world full of even more secrets and life-altering truths.
I went into this a little apprehensive, I don’t think I’d seen a more divided set of reviews since Mockingjay came out! This book is told from both Tris and Four’s perspectives, so we get a few more viewpoints and see a bit more action. That being said, their voices felt too similar, so I found myself confused at who’s part of the story I was actually reading at times. Nevertheless the longer I’ve to sit with what happened in the book the more I think it was definitely the only ending I can imagine happening now. This probably warrants a re-read to actually garner the smaller intricacies about what happens too!
Quiet | Susan Cain
Susan Cain endeavours to explore this often forgotten personality type. Her starting point is the softspoken values of early civilisations to society’s evolution and preference for the ‘extrovert’ ideal, and more importantly why we suddenly live in a world where ‘he who shouts the loudest’ has reached a saturation point. She also provides real world context for the studies, by speaking to and presenting case studies of individuals on all points of the introvert/extrovert spectrum.
If you read one non-fiction book in your lifetime read this one. You can see my full review at Blogger’s Bookshelf, but in short if fell for this book, its message and Cain’s writing style from the get-go!
Let It Snow | John Green, Maureen Johnson & Lauren Myracle
In the middle of a snowstorm on Christmas Eve, the three stories of Let It Snow centre around the happenings in and around the town Gracetown. Authors John Green, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle work their collective charm and wit around these stories that are full of festive cheer :)
I’ve got a post planned for this so check that out on Blogger’s Bookshelf soon!