The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini (15 December — 18 December)
The Kite Runner is one of those books whose name I have been hearing since it came out, but which I have also managed to avoid reading or even knowing anything about. I’m just talented like that, I guess? So when I saw it on my Back to School Challenge list, I was like, “Eh, … Read more
Lord of the Flies, by William Golding (24 November — 1 December)
This book would have been better with cannibalism. No, seriously. I was promised cannibalism, and there was none. Hinted potential cannibalism? Yes. Actual eating of humans? No. Totally unfair. For this review I’m going to assume that a) you are unlike me and actually had to read this at some point in your schooling or … Read more
The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger (21 November)
So… I never read this in school. Ever. Which is apparently some kind of sacrilege on the part of my school district, because it seems like everyone else has read this! Alas. And I think my teachers’ oversight has led to me not liking this book as much as the aforementioned “everyone else” seems to. … Read more
The Golden Compass, by Philip Pullman (8 November — 14 November)
I have really got to stop watching movies based on books before I read the books themselves. Because really, the books are usually way better, and even so I still spend too much time comparing the book to what I remember of the movie. Such is the case with The Golden Compass, the movie version … Read more
The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier (1 October — 5 October)
This book took a little while to really get going for me, and then just as soon as it did, it ended! Sadness. The Chocolate War is a story about power and conformity and how even when you win, you still lose. Depressing, right? So right. The chocolate part comes from a private high school’s … Read more
The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky (27 September — 1 October)
How did I manage not to read this book any time in the last ten years? Jeez, self. Get with it. This is another book without a discernible plot, and another book without a discernible plot that I liked. Something is wrong with me. I need to go read some Grisham or Patterson or something … Read more
A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L’Engle (11 September — 12 September)
A Wrinkle in Time was one of my favorite books as a kid, probably because it has a cool girl protagonist and also a super-smart five-year-old, both of which I wanted to be/have been. I re-read it once in undergrad and I remember liking it, but I don’t remember it going by so fast! I … Read more
Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley (30 July — 1 August)
Oh, Brave New World. I was all prepared to come here and write about how weird this book is and how I didn’t like it all that much, but then I got to this quote near the end of Chapter 17: “You can’t play Electro-magnetic Golf according to the rules of Centrifugal Bumble-puppy.” And then … Read more
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, by J.K. Rowling (25 July — 27 July)
My goodness, this book was long. How did I read this in one night when it first came out? A mystery of the universe, that. So. HP4: A New Hope. Harry goes to the Quidditch World Cup, where quidditch happens but also some bad wizards do bad things and then the mark of the Bad … Read more
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, by J.K. Rowling (23 July)
Uh, what’s that? Oh, um, yes, I did read this in the same day as book two. -cough- Moving along now. Book 3: Harry returns to school again, but this time there is a Secondary Bad Wizard just escaped from Azkaban (wizard prison and thought to be impossible to escape). Oh, and, bad news, Secondary … Read more
