There are a few gems among Kelly Link's short story collection Get In Trouble that are certainly worth the trouble of reading I wasn’t sure what to expect going into Kelly Link’s short story collection Get In Trouble. I never read a short story collection before it and I had my apprehensions. However, after just hearing…
Joshua Ferris’ Then We Came to the End is equal parts stinging satire of working and moving character study about the meaning of life For me, the best way to tell how I felt about a book is looking at my reaction to the ending. I’m not talking about my reaction to what happens, but…
Bellweather Rhapsody is a coming-of-age drama and whodunit mystery wrapped into a quirky dark comedy Agatha Christie, The Shining, and Stephen King are all directly referenced in Kate Racculia’s sophomore effort. However, they are more than just reference because they shape the book itself. Bellweather Rhapsody is simultaneously a "whodunit" mystery, teenage coming-of-age dramedy, shifting…
A quick and efficient page turner, Dark Matter doesn't bring anything too new to the genre, but it is certainly entertaining enough to keep you reading If you read the premise of Dark Matter, you don’t immediately see anything terribly original or grout-breaking. A man doesn’t know it but the entire world he knows is about to…
Carry On by Rainbow Rowell is a sharp and hilarious satire of Harry Potter featuring the worst chosen one ever Simon Snow is the worst “chosen one” that has ever existed. That’s pretty much the line that drew me to Carry On. Rainbow Rowell is known more for her books like Eleanor & Park and Fangirl —…
Wonders of the Invisible World is a refreshing adventure into the space of fantasy young adult genre that feels completely original I think one of the most interesting and successful parts of the young adult genre is the “weird” factor. You have to admit, a lot of YA is weird with weird characters in weird situations. But…
Sylvain Neuvel's Debut Novel, Sleeping Giants, Deftly Avoids Becoming a Sci-fi Cliche A dissociated birthday party, a new bike, and a 23-foot-long metal hand. And so begins Sylvain’s Neuvel’s debut novel Sleeping Giants. Sleeping Giants follows Doctor Rose Franklin, a gifted physicist working at the University of Chicago, who, after falling down a perfectly square hole…
Before the Fall is a thrilling mystery that takes the time to dive both into its characters and our society. It's a haven of a book for book nerds. “For Emma, what made it so hard to return to the tiny apartment in the West Village she shared with two other girls was the sudden…
Covering nearly a century, The Tsar of Love and Techno tells the story of Russia through interconnected short stories that culminate into one of the best books in years. There are some books that demand to be read, but The Tsar of Love and Techno demands to be dissected, devoured, and appreciated. To put it bluntly, Anthony…
The Age of Miracles, a speculative fiction coming-of age-story, is Karen Thompson Walker’s debut novel. It’s a look into the lives of 11-year-old Julia and her family during “the slowing”—due to unknown causes, the earth’s rotation has shifted, and the days are getting longer. Like, 40 hours of sunlight longer. Walker speculates (hence, speculative fiction)…
