June reading got swept up in all my New York trip excitement and July got crazy hectic with Graduation and being hurled headfirst into my new job! But now life has settled a little and I now have weekends free, I’m back on track with reading and need to pick up the pace to hit my goal of 50 books by the end of the year!
The Virgin Suicides | Jeffrey Eugenides
Set in the suburbs of 1970s America, The Virgin Suicides tells the story of the lives and losses of the Lisbon family over the course of 13 months. I say the lives and losses, as the novel chronicles the suicides of the 5 Lisbon girls, Therese, Mary, Bonnie, Lux, Cecilia, over the course of that year through the eyes of the neighbourhood boys who watched them fall.
Moving, haunting and thought provoking, all in all only one quote sticks in my mind that really summarises the voyeuristic nature of the book: “In the end we had the pieces of the puzzle, but no matter how we put them together, gaps remained, oddly shaped emptinesses mapped by what surrounded them, like countries we couldn’t name.” The Virgin Suicides was a harrowing ‘outside looking in’ glimpse of mental health and suicide in the 70s, but ultimately this is secondary to the almost dreamlike glimpse into the highs and lows of adolescent life.
We Were Liars | E. LockhartMeet the Sinclair family. Elusive, exclusive and beautiful. We Were Liars follows their Summers on their secluded private island. Boring pretense for a book? Keep reading. As with any family there are lies, hushed whispers, and terrible secrets. As much as I want to give you a detailed plot summary I can’t say much or I’ll spoil the whole story!
This was my first foray into E Lockhart and I have to say I’m impressed. The book itself was and is pretty hyped up, but all I can say is that I would have to agree with everyone else praising the heck out of it. With such a captivating storyline and mysterious characters with hidden agendas, it’s such a page turner, I finished it within about 2 days. Highly recommend if you’re after a quick summer read and love a good mystery novel.
Attachments | Rainbow Rowell
Fresh out of his latest graduate degree, Lincoln O’Neill is a down and out 28-year-old who’s landed a job at a small town newspaper as their Internet Security Officer, flagging inappropriate employee emails on the night shift. Lincoln’s job is mind-numbingly boring but at least it keeps his mind off his end of a relationship blues/existential crisis.
That’s until, he spots Beth and Jennifer’s emails start getting flagged in the system. Normally he’d send the two a warning, but their chatting yet charming exchanges about work, relationships and their personal life have him grinning from ear to ear as he reads them. Beth’s emails in particular catch his eye, and very soon Lincoln finds himself falling hard for someone he’s never even met.
Attachments was a really lovely and super quick contemporary read, with a timeless story, great characters and great comedic moments. The emails between Beth and Jennifer in particular were some of my definite highlights and if you have a soft spot for happy endings or are already a fan of Rainbow Rowell’s unique writing style, you’ll love it.
Check out my full review on
Blogger’s Bookshelf.
Say Her Name | James Dawson
Roberta ‘Bobbie’ Rowe, isn’t easily spooked, especially when she and her best friend Naya and adorable, local boy Caine are roped into doing the silly old ‘Bloody Mary’ dare on a Halloween night by the IT girls at her boarding school. Low and behold after saying Mary’s name in the mirror five times, nothing seems to happen…or so she thinks. The next day Bobbie finds ‘FIVE DAYS’ emblazoned on the steamed up bathroom mirror, and things only get stranger and more terrifying from then on…
Holy mother of all was this nightmare-ish in the best way possible. James Dawson has managed to nail the horror genre right on the head, with twists, turns, and page turning suspense. My only gripe is that the characters, particularly Bobbie, feel a little secondary to what is a really engaging plotline and inventive take on the Bloody Mary myth (or is it a myth? I don’t know…oh God I’m scary myself again). Nevertheless, I definitely urge you all to read it, if you dare. The ending will certainly have you looking over your shoulder from here on out!
Of Scars & Stardust | Andrea Hannah (c/o NetGalley/Flux)
It’s been two years since Claire Graham moved to Manhattan, haunted and wracked with guilt at the memory of the tragedy which left her sister, Ella, scarred, bloody and only just alive in a cornfield in her former hometown in Amble, Ohio. Though written off as an accident, Claire is convinced it was the bloodthirsty infamous Amble wolves that tried to take Ella’s life.
Now Ella’s missing again, and Claire returns to the sleepy small town to follow the clues Ella has left behind.
I felt a little mislead by the description of this, which made it out to be a paranormal mystery, than the psychological thriller it turned out to be, and I’m still a little conflicted with how I feel about this book. As the story is written in a first person narrative, the audience essentially lives out the entire story as Claire experiences it. This style is great for preserving the real mystery of what happened right until the end, but for the most part the story weaved round in so many circles that I personally was left a little lost at what was even happening. All in all, it was a bit hit and miss for me, but may be one to take at a slower pace on a re-read.
