Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
TTT: Top Bookish Things I'd Like to Own
1. Literary tights - so cute!
2. Bathtub book caddy
3. Book-shaped pillows, perfect for my future reading nook!
4. Jane Austen temporary tattoos - how fun!!
5. Cute mini bookshelf necklace
6. Alice in Wonderland Scarf (I actually already own this thanks to a wonderful friend who bought this for me as a Christmas present)!
7. Literary Lites...I have some of these in blue for our bathroom but I want more!
8. Holden Caulfield Thinks You're a Phony t-shirt!
9. These Harry Potter rings would make adorable presents!
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Latest Review: Night Film by Marisha Pessl
Summary Blurb:
On a damp October night, beautiful young Ashley Cordova is found dead in an abandoned warehouse in lower Manhattan. Though her death is ruled a suicide, veteran investigative journalist Scott McGrath suspects otherwise. As he probes the strange circumstances surrounding Ashley’s life and death, McGrath comes face-to-face with the legacy of her father: the legendary, reclusive cult-horror-film director Stanislas Cordova—a man who hasn’t been seen in public for more than thirty years.
For McGrath, another death connected to this seemingly cursed family dynasty seems more than just a coincidence. Though much has been written about Cordova’s dark and unsettling films, very little is known about the man himself.
Driven by revenge, curiosity, and a need for the truth, McGrath, with the aid of two strangers, is drawn deeper and deeper into Cordova’s eerie, hypnotic world. The last time he got close to exposing the director, McGrath lost his marriage and his career. This time he might lose even more.
Night Film, the gorgeously written, spellbinding new novel by the dazzlingly inventive Marisha Pessl, will hold you in suspense until you turn the final page.
My Blabberings:
I'm not normally much of a thriller fan (especially when it actually gets downright scary in parts) but I really loved this book! I rooted for the main character, the side characters were quirky and added dimension to the story, and I was on gnawing my hand off due to anxiety-inducing scenes.
I would probably classify Night Film as a multimedia literary thriller - strange concept, no? I loved the little newspaper clippings and fictional webpage screenshots peppered throughout the novel. It made it easier to suspend my disbelief and get swallowed into this gritty world created by Pessl.
Another aspect of this book that struck me is the parallel between Scott McGrath and Stieg Larsson's Mikael Blomkvist. Both are investigative journalists that have been recently disgraced. Both are seeking redemption by investigating the very thing that caused their disgrace. I almost cringe to point out this similarity because the books are so different overall. I wonder, is this typical thriller trope? I don't read enough thrillers to really recognize if this is a common protagonist used in this genre.
ANYWAYS, went on a bit of a tangent, but the overall takeaway I want to impart is: this book is awesome!! Even if you don't particularly like thrillers, I would recommend that you give Night Film a shot.
5/5 stars
On a damp October night, beautiful young Ashley Cordova is found dead in an abandoned warehouse in lower Manhattan. Though her death is ruled a suicide, veteran investigative journalist Scott McGrath suspects otherwise. As he probes the strange circumstances surrounding Ashley’s life and death, McGrath comes face-to-face with the legacy of her father: the legendary, reclusive cult-horror-film director Stanislas Cordova—a man who hasn’t been seen in public for more than thirty years.
For McGrath, another death connected to this seemingly cursed family dynasty seems more than just a coincidence. Though much has been written about Cordova’s dark and unsettling films, very little is known about the man himself.
Driven by revenge, curiosity, and a need for the truth, McGrath, with the aid of two strangers, is drawn deeper and deeper into Cordova’s eerie, hypnotic world. The last time he got close to exposing the director, McGrath lost his marriage and his career. This time he might lose even more.
Night Film, the gorgeously written, spellbinding new novel by the dazzlingly inventive Marisha Pessl, will hold you in suspense until you turn the final page.
My Blabberings:
I'm not normally much of a thriller fan (especially when it actually gets downright scary in parts) but I really loved this book! I rooted for the main character, the side characters were quirky and added dimension to the story, and I was on gnawing my hand off due to anxiety-inducing scenes.
I would probably classify Night Film as a multimedia literary thriller - strange concept, no? I loved the little newspaper clippings and fictional webpage screenshots peppered throughout the novel. It made it easier to suspend my disbelief and get swallowed into this gritty world created by Pessl.
Another aspect of this book that struck me is the parallel between Scott McGrath and Stieg Larsson's Mikael Blomkvist. Both are investigative journalists that have been recently disgraced. Both are seeking redemption by investigating the very thing that caused their disgrace. I almost cringe to point out this similarity because the books are so different overall. I wonder, is this typical thriller trope? I don't read enough thrillers to really recognize if this is a common protagonist used in this genre.
ANYWAYS, went on a bit of a tangent, but the overall takeaway I want to impart is: this book is awesome!! Even if you don't particularly like thrillers, I would recommend that you give Night Film a shot.
5/5 stars
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
TTT: Top Ten Most Unique Books
1. The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell - it's not too often that you get to read about a priest in space :)
2. Maggot Moon by Sally Gardner - YA/historical fiction/sci-fi book with tiny illustrations, love it!
3. Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett - a hilarious tale of the Armageddon.
4. Room by Emma Donoghue - disturbing account of an abduction narrated by the abductee/abductor's young son.
5. The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh - a modern story of a troubled young woman who uses the Victorian language of flowers to communicate with those around her.
6. To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Wills - part time-traveling sci-fi, part mystery, part romance, part Victorian comedy...fully amazing!
7. The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender - a tale of a girl who can taste emotions in her food!
8. Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell - a nesting doll of interconnected stories that take place throughout the past and the future.
9. The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly - historical fiction/fantasy/fairytale book about a book!
10. Heads You Lose by Lisa Lutz and David Hayward - a co-authored murder mystery where the others alternate chapters and take jabs at each other in their writing. Quirky and hilarious!
I love this week's topic and can't wait to see everyone's unique book lists!
Monday, April 7, 2014
In Honor of National Poetry Month, Part Two
Since it's National Poetry Month so I thought I'd add a few posts to the
good ol' blog sharing some of my favorite poems!
Thursday, April 3, 2014
In Honor of National Poetry Month: My Favorite Poet
Since it's National Poetry Month so I thought I'd add a few posts to the
good ol' blog sharing some of my favorite poems! This one is from my most favorite poet, E.E. Cummings.
45
sometimes
in)Spring a someone will lie(glued
among familiar things newly which are
transferred with dusk)wondering why this star
does not fall into his mind
feeling
throughout ignorant disappearing me
hurling vastness of love(sometimes in Spring
somewhere between what is and what may be
unknown most secret i will breathe such crude
perfection as divides by timelessness
that heartbeat)
mightily forgetting all
which will forget him(emptying our soul
of emptiness)priming at every pore
a deathless life with magic until peace
outthunders silence
And(night climbs the air--No Thanks (1935)
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Towering TBR
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| Image: Parada Creations |
Look at Me by Jennifer Egan...A thriller with interwoven storylines about identity and image.
The Plantagenets by Dan Jones...Highly regarded and I've been wanting to read some historical fiction about this reigning family.
The Good Luck of Right Now by Matthew Quick..."entertaining and inspiring tale that will leave you pondering the rhythms of the universe and marveling at the power of kindness and love."
Perfect by Rachel Joyce...a quirky-sounding novel about when 2 seconds were added to time.
Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl...loved her book Night Film so I can't wait to read her first novel.
The Geek's Guide to Dating by Eric Smith...this looks like a fun read :)
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