What We All Long For

"Carla had moved to look out the window, and hacking off such thoughts, Tuyen walked across the room to her. She watched the thin muscle of Carla's neck quiver like a tulip's stem, She wanted to caress it, she wanted to put her lips on it. The the mouth, turned down and sulking, she wanted to kiss it to the upturned suppleness she knew was there. Touching Carla's shoulder gently, as if afraid of breaking it with her desire, she said, "It'll be all right. Don't worry.""

-Dionne Brand

I may be cheating a bit in writing this review, as this is not a book that I'd normally pick for myself, but was in fact forced to read for a class. However, having to choose between reading the book or failing, I found myself not minding so much having that particular gun pointed at my head. Instead, I found myself becoming fully invested to the story and the lives of the characters the further I read on.

What We All Long For, follows the lives of four post undergrad students (give or take), their lives, the lives of their families and the complexities that they are all subjected to with moving to Canada/the City of Toronto. The readers are told of the lives that these families have left behind, their struggles with hybridity, post-memories, and trauma. It gives the readers who might not have otherwise had to think of it, the complications that come along with growing up in an immigrant household as an otherwise native to the new land.

Yet, there is a lot about the story that I did not agree with, though Dionne Brand herself is a black woman, the portrayal of black men, or youth, can have the tendency at points to seem slightly stereotypical. Then, there is the issue of Tuyen (the main character) and the portrayal of her Vietnamese background, as well as Brand's writing her as a predatory gay character who can't seem to take no for an answer.

In fact, a lot of the relationships in this book could be read as x-character not being able to take no for an answer, and so a lot of shit goes down because of that. This could of course simply be a commentary on human nature's overriding sense of entitlement, to which I invite you all  to decide for yourselves. Pick up a copy, grab a blanket, & keep warm and read.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

-Ransom Riggs.

This was a well written book, with at least interesting characters, and the subplot of World War ii had me invested. I also enjoyed the relationship that the main character had in regards to the other characters, as well as Jacob's wit and humour.

Sadly, none of that was nearly enough. If you're into slow-burn plots and the fact that a huge portion of the novel didn't really have much to do with the story (that'll of course be the WW2 plot, which felt like it could've been easily replaced with any war AND was really just used as an excuse to write off the grandfather's warnings as PTSD), then this just might be the book for you.  It was not,however, the book for me.

I don't necessarily mind waiting for a novel to reach it's point, I understand that not everything's going to be action packed from the very beginning. However, when I manage to make it half way through a book, and not much has happened/not many questions have been answered, that tends to be a problem for me.

That being said, maybe I just wasn't in the correct headspace to read the book, and maybe I'll revisit it in a few months from now and update this review. Who knows, but like I always say, read the book yourself, form your own opinions, and remember to keep warm and read.

Captain Black Shadow

- Janina Franck

"Griffin sighed and looked over the ocean beyond the docks. There was so much more for him out there. He thought about the many drawings and stories he had made as a child." - Taken from the book.

Let me begin by saying that though I love to watch pirate movies, I don't necessarily care to read about them. They're just not my thing, however, I do enjoy adventure reads, and I really enjoy coming of age reads, and this one seems to be a two for one. I was not disappointed.

The book begins with the story of the curse of Captain Black Shadow and then goes on to introduce the main character Griffin and his desire to take the reigns of his own life and finally get off of his family's island, sadly, things do not go as planned. From there, the adventure begins.

If I had anything to say against this particular read it would have to be that the chapters are extremely long, and at times the writing seemed a bit underwhelming, to say the least. However, this is certainly a book that will suck you in if you stick with it and give it a chance.

From what I can understand, this is Franck's first novel, and more than anything, I look forward to what this author comes out with in the future, and I'm excited to see their writing improve over the years.

Trials of Apollo; The Hidden Oracle.

-Rick Riordan

"I turned towards my pint-sized saviour. I was no stranger to dangerous women. My sister could rain down arrows of death. My stepmother, Hera, regularly drove mortals mad so that they would hack each other to pieces. But this garbage wielding twelve-year-old made me nervous." -Taken from the book.

Let me begin by saying that I loved the PJO series, simply because I loved Percy. However, when RR decided to mix things up and throw in others perspectives in HoO, I was not a fan. So, going into this read, I was a little apprehensive.

That being said, I'm glad that I did give this series a chance. This book was both hilarious and sobering. There is something most definitely enticing about getting a glance at the inner monologue of a fallen god.

More than that, I enjoyed being able to witness the character development of Apollo, as well as his cheeky sidekick (though, technically, Apollo would be the sidekick in this story), Meg.

Meg was probably, my favourite part of this story, and watching her character grow into its own, was just as enjoyable as watching Apollo become humanized.
All in all, this was a fun read, and I would recommend you all to pick it up and keep warm & read.

Complicit.

-Stephanie Kuehn

"He hasn't noticed my hands yet. They're completely numb and useless... it can take hours to get feeling back, a whole day even... I shake my head and try to keep breathing. This is not what I needed. Not now." - Taken directly from the book.

This book was nothing like I expected it to be, and I am thankful. Every time that I thought that I was finally getting a handle on the mystery within the story, I was thrown for a loop.

I loved the complicity of Jamie and Cate's relationship, and how their interactions throughout the novel brought sibling rivalry to a whole new level. I loved the versatility of this read and that along with the heavy moments, there were parts that could be laughed at and parts that made you go, "aw" as well as, "oh my god!".

The book flowed in a natural easy to enjoy way and I was engaged and captivated from page one. However, if there were one thing I'd like to change about this read, it'd be the ending. There was no justice, there was no closure, and by the last page, I was left feeling slightly disheartened. That being said, I encourage you all to give this book a try and to keep warm and read. I am certain that you'll find something in this story to fall in love with, and if you don't, I'd love to hear about it.

F*CK! I'm In My Twenties

- Emma Koenig

"Everyone has that moment-- the realization that adulthood has arrived, like a runaway train, and there's no getting out of its way. In an attempt to express the contradictions and anxieties that come with being over-educated, minimally employed, mostly single, and on your own, Emma Koenig turned to blogosphere..." - Taken from the back of the book.

Let me start off by saying that this was a nice break from heavier, more plot filled reads. F*CK! I'm In My Twenties is perfect for those looking for a quick, light, summer read. Not to mention that it is both humorous and relatable.

This read seems to have perfectly captured the fact that despite what the laws may say, being in your 20's isn't an automatic adult pass. I'm sorry to say, but despite what you might think or feel, you are not the exception to the rule, and that's okay, that's a realization that everyone will come to eventually. You are not the only who does not have their shit together.

Predictably, even with the good things, comes the bad things. I liked this read for a few reasons, but that doesn't mean that it was above being disliked for a few reasons as well. There were a lot of porn/sex jokes, which personally, made me feel uncomfortable, and more than a few of the jokes made fell flat. However, due to the fact that this book is essentially a mock autobiography made up of weird drawings, this can be excused.

All in all, I'd recommend this book to those willing to read it. Ultimately, the choice is yours, and all I can do is sincerely encourage you to keep warm & read.

Don't You Cry.

- Mary Kubica.

"It's dark by the time I leave the apartment of Nicholas Keller. It's darker than dark. It's pitch-black, a starless November night, the sky an inky black." - Taken directly from the book.

Let me start off by saying that according to the blurbs on this book, this story was "rightfully" compared to the likes of, Single White Female and Gone Girl. The story was good, the twists unsuspecting, the suspense was done well, but I wouldn't compare it to either of the two pieces mentioned above. Though, I can certainly see where the author got her inspiration from.

This story is told from two separate perspectives, forcing us (the readers) to piece together what we can from the hints and clues discovered (or ignored, or grossly overexaggerated) by the two protagonists; Quinn, a young woman who works at a job she hates, and an unreliable roommate to the now missing Esther Vaughan, as well as Alex, a kid in a dead end town, working a dead end job, who's only form of entertainment is gawking at the town's newest drifter.

If I'm being brutally honest, as someone who enjoys reading in first person narrative, I'm disheartened to admit that Kubica could have done a much better job. Instead of using this as a tool to grant the readers a better insight into the characters minds and allow for us to relate better to them on a deeper, more emotional level, the experience was slightly stilted and awkward due to the switch in perspectives and forced use of descriptive/fake deep/poetic wording.

That being said, the mystery of EV versus Esther Vaughan was most definitely an interesting one. The notion that these two strangers are connected by this one woman that neither of them truly know, yet once thought that they did so well, was what kept me reading until the very end despite the hiccups along the way. How Kubica managed to seamlessly tie together these two stories that although obviously connected in some way, still left the readers guessing as to what exactly was going on leading up to the final ten or so pages, rightfully deserves applaud.

All in all, this was a good read, the story was interesting if not drawn out and slightly annoying in parts. I would most definitly recommend this as a light summer read, but don't expect it to get your heaert racing or palms sweaty. In the end though, this is only my opinion, and so I encourage you all to form your own, and keep warm & read.

Reviews will be posted twice monthly. Once near the beginning of the month, and then again near the end.