Star Wars: The Perfect Weapon
I really hope that we see more of Bazine in upcoming Star Wars films. Such a badass.
Shockaholic
Carrie Fisher is hilarious, direct and extremely insightful. I can't wait for her next one.
Get Stuff Done: How To Focus, Be More Productive, Overcome Procrastination, and Master Concentration (Time Management, Productivity, and How To Get Motivated and Stop Procrastinating)
Very quick read stuffed full of decent productivity tips. Nothing new or groundbreaking here, but moderately motivating nonetheless.
 - Dominic Mann)
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Parts I & II (Special Rehearsal Edition)
I wish I had a Time-Turner so I could destroy this book and prevent so much suffering and disappointment.I was happy to return to the Potter universe and I'm sure that the play is very entertaining. Those are the only positive things I have to say. I'm sorry.
I still love you, Ms. Rowling.
 - J.K. Rowling, John Kerr Tiffany, Jack Thorne)
The Force Awakens (Star Wars)
I will forever be under the same spell as most Star Wars fans. I mean to say, slap a Star Wars sticker on the front of anything and I will stand in line for hours to buy it. This spell must also be the reason I don't entirety regret the 9 reading hours or $20 I spent on the book.I have to give Foster credit, since I imagine that it's difficult to write a high quality novelization while racing against a deadline and are forced to work within the creative boundaries set by filmmakers. With that aside, considering the author's decades of experience, I am still underwhelmed. There are moments when the writing becomes so clunky, it's hard not to put the book down.
"If he had been unable to find the right words with which to respond before, her reply, combined with the look she gave him, reduced him to a state of temporary aphasia."
*queue aneurism*
On a positive note, there are a number of scenes in the book that fill in missing pieces of the movie plot. There is also some enjoyable added dialogue. These moments are what kept me going, though they are few and far between.
I recommend this book to anyone who is desperately in need of treating their Star Wars fever, and also requires recent/canon material. Otherwise, go read the Darth Bane series. Play KOTOR. Watch the original trilogy 23 more times. This book goes down a path you should not follow, in my opinion.
 - Alan Dean Foster)
Carry On
I reluctantly started Carry On, blinded by the Harry Potter parallels. Very quickly though, it blossoms into a wonderful and completely unique story. I wish that it were 5,000 pages instead of 500.Carry On is filled with humor throughout Simon's quest of self-discovery, which perfectly contrasts the more serious themes. It's the type of comic relief that fits naturally and avoids interrupting the flow of the story.
The set of characters is quite diverse and even the individuals who hold less weight are given a decent amount of depth.
I now see why Carry On was at the top of so many 2015 lists. I'm definitely going to try out some of Rowell's other novels.
Highly recommended for fans of YA fantasy.
8/10
The Adventures of Lanoree Brock, Je'daii Ranger
I'm not sure where I originally acquired this. It seems like the beginning to a great story, if only there were more. I came up empty in my attempt to find out more about this series.
Flowers for Algernon
I read an extremely slimmed version of Flowers for Algernon in high school, and didn’t realize until years later that it was taken from a larger piece of work. I was excited to read the full book, and it exceeded my expectations. Beautifully tragic and easily one of my favorite books.
Dearly Devoted Dexter
This book (in my opinion) doesn't contain as much excitement or mystery as the first, largely due to the fact that Dexter has to tame himself for reasons I won’t spoil. Dexter’s comical sarcastic side still appears often, which is one of my favorite aspects. In fact, I realized that Dexter’s interactions with himself seem to be the only interactions that are slightly captivating. The people surrounding Dexter are little more than dull props, tossed into one illogical situation after another. The most frustrating part for me was seeing how Chutsky’s mental state is presented after he is rescued. I know he was once a Black Ops assassin, but I feel that he should have been portrayed as a bit more human.This book felt like unnecessary filler, providing insufficient progression to both the overall story or it’s characters. I’m going to continue this series, because I love the concept and see the potential. Although, I’m not sure that I will feel the same way if the next book is anything like this one.
Wolves of the Calla
Doombots with lightsabers and explosive snitches? Yes please!It’s only getting better. I blew through this book in just a few days. I can’t contain my excitement as I travel deeper into this mind bending series.. I wish that I had read Salem’s Lot before reading this, so I could be a bit more attached to a certain character. But my experience reading Wolves of the Calla was still a great one. On to the next book!
Wizard and Glass
This has been my least favorite of the series. The backstory that this book provides is crucial to better understand certain things, including Roland's character. I was impatient to get back to the second Ka-tet, which may have been the reason that this felt like a step down to me.Still an amazing series, so far.
1
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
There is something extremely refreshing about this book. It doesn't romanticize terminal illness and in my opinion sets itself far apart from the myriad of books in the "sick-lit" category. Me and Earl portrays a more realistic point of view and articulates the fact that people and situations in life are rarely (if ever) idealistic.As an extra perk, this is also one of the funnier books I have read recently. This is a great debut novel.
Insurgent
I am having so much trouble deciding whether to rate based on the books effectiveness or my personal feelings!My expectations were probably unrealistic. I realize that it was all necessary in order to transition to the next book. It would be ridiculous for Tris to go through the things that she did in Divergent and expect her to not become this defeated and depressing person, I guess. If that is what Roth was trying to get across, she was highly successful.
One thing that I was impressed with, was the portrayal of Beatrice's PTSD-like symptoms. So often in these types of stories, the character happily kills people with little remorse. I honestly thought that the psychological realities of war and death were going to be ignored and things would return to normal relatively quickly.
If you read Divergent and want to complete the series, don't skip this book. I don't think that there was any other way to follow up on the first story. It's just hard to love a book in which characters you have grown fond of are struggling.
The experience was like:
The Gunslinger
I am so glad that a friend of mine suggested this to me. When I opened it and started reading, I was afraid I wouldn't get into it. I hadn't sought out any info on the series at that point, so I thought that it was simply a western. I was pleasantly suprised when I realized that it is more like a science fantasy horror dystopian...thing. I should have known better considering Stephen King wrote it.I will definitely be checking out the sequels soon.
The Sirens of Titan
When I first read the synopsis I assumed that this might be the first Vonnegut book that I wouldn't fall in love with. As I neared the middle of the book, it seemed as if my assumption was correct. Then the number of twists started to pile up and my mind quickly changed. The Sirens of Titan is easily one of my favorites.
