Post by Aly on Jun 9, 2015 15:19:12 GMT -8
When we had book club, we had some great opportunities to review books and give some blurbs so people could be interested in them. I kind of miss people raving about books they just got or finished in greater detail than the What are you reading thread, so I'd like there to be a place where people can post for recommendations.
Here's an example-type-thing, if you want to follow a format:
Try Not to Breathe by Jennifer Hubbard
Trigger: self-harm, depression
This is a well-written book about publicly overcoming depression after a suicide attempt. It's quite a character study through a teenage boy's mind, which leaves no space without drama. It's got a bit of a love plot splashed in there, as most YA novels do, but it's not all that conventional, so it's refreshing. It's a heavy read because of the emotion and frustration throughout the story, so I don't think it's something to read before bed or during low points of depression. But, if you know someone with depression and you're having a hard time figuring out how to work with them, this is a must-read. I think that it's accurate in its depictions; even though everyone is different, it could serve as a template to understand a loved one if you're struggling with that. The language is simple and modern without too many complexities, so it can be a quick read. Took me less than a week.
The reviews on Amazon are pretty great, too.
Unicorns VS Zombies, short story compilation edited by Holly Black Justine Larbalestier
With some of the most popular authors from the 2010s including Meg Cabot and Scott Westerfeld, these authors pick whether they are Team Zombie or Team Unicorn, and write a short story about their choice. Each story is preceded and ended with a blurb from the editors, who repeatedly make fun of each others' favorites.
This is a fun little thing I picked up in Barnes and Noble a while back, and I jumped around to read my favorite authors first, then read some of the rest. This idea is really great in theory, and some of the stories really work well, but there is no continuity in the least bit. In some stories that zombies are used as horror, others as a love plot. Sometimes the unicorns are magical, other times a gateway drug to other magical creatures. The main problem with this book is that its audience is much too wide, so those that buy it for, say, Scott Westerfeld, will not necessarily enjoy some of the other works. It literally splashes around from gorey to silly, and there isn't quite a way of predicting which will be which.
If you don't know what you want to read, and just want to read, this will probably work best for you. You can get a taste of everything in this anthology until you decide if you want romance vs horror vs mystery, ect.
Amazon reviews pretty much reflect my thoughts on this, too.
--
Any recommendations, guys?
Here's an example-type-thing, if you want to follow a format:
Try Not to Breathe by Jennifer Hubbard
Trigger: self-harm, depression
This is a well-written book about publicly overcoming depression after a suicide attempt. It's quite a character study through a teenage boy's mind, which leaves no space without drama. It's got a bit of a love plot splashed in there, as most YA novels do, but it's not all that conventional, so it's refreshing. It's a heavy read because of the emotion and frustration throughout the story, so I don't think it's something to read before bed or during low points of depression. But, if you know someone with depression and you're having a hard time figuring out how to work with them, this is a must-read. I think that it's accurate in its depictions; even though everyone is different, it could serve as a template to understand a loved one if you're struggling with that. The language is simple and modern without too many complexities, so it can be a quick read. Took me less than a week.
The reviews on Amazon are pretty great, too.
Unicorns VS Zombies, short story compilation edited by Holly Black Justine Larbalestier
With some of the most popular authors from the 2010s including Meg Cabot and Scott Westerfeld, these authors pick whether they are Team Zombie or Team Unicorn, and write a short story about their choice. Each story is preceded and ended with a blurb from the editors, who repeatedly make fun of each others' favorites.
This is a fun little thing I picked up in Barnes and Noble a while back, and I jumped around to read my favorite authors first, then read some of the rest. This idea is really great in theory, and some of the stories really work well, but there is no continuity in the least bit. In some stories that zombies are used as horror, others as a love plot. Sometimes the unicorns are magical, other times a gateway drug to other magical creatures. The main problem with this book is that its audience is much too wide, so those that buy it for, say, Scott Westerfeld, will not necessarily enjoy some of the other works. It literally splashes around from gorey to silly, and there isn't quite a way of predicting which will be which.
If you don't know what you want to read, and just want to read, this will probably work best for you. You can get a taste of everything in this anthology until you decide if you want romance vs horror vs mystery, ect.
Amazon reviews pretty much reflect my thoughts on this, too.
--
Any recommendations, guys?
