V for Vendetta, by Alan Moore
…Interesting. That’s how I would describe this book. I love the movie version, which I’ve watched at least once a year (on Guy Fawkes Night, natch) for the past several years, and this year someone reminded me that it was, you know, a graphic novel first, and maybe I should read it? Yes, maybe I … Read more
Never Let Me Go, by Kazuo Ishiguro
Hmm. I almost don’t want to talk about why I didn’t quite like this novel, because it might cause the same problem to others who have never read it. But at the same time, if someone is in the same boat I was… Okay, so. Somehow, going into this novel, all I really knew about … Read more
The Unit, by Ninni Holmqvist
Dudes. This was a really good book. I love me a dystopian novel, and I thought this one was especially effective because I could really, definitely see it happening. The Hunger Games? Eh, maybe. Shades of Grey? Definitely not. The Handmaid’s Tale, which this reminded me strongly of? Not really. This? Oh, I could totally … Read more
Mockingjay, by Suzanne Collins
So… remember when I read Catching Fire and I thought it was pretty crappy but I was willing to let the third book decide my feelings and I said please for the love of goodness count me out of the love story? Well. I have now read the third book. And I am just not … Read more
The Giver, by Lois Lowry
I first read this book in eighth grade, and I recall absolutely adoring it. My favorite part was when we discussed it in class, and there were three different interpretations of the ending! I’m pretty sure this was the first book I’d ever read, or at least the first one I had discussed, where there … Read more
Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins
So, remember when I read The Hunger Games and I thought it was an okay read but I wasn’t thrilled and I said count me out of the love story? Well, certain people convinced me that the sequel wasn’t really a love story, regardless of Teams Peeta and Gale, and so I read the sequel. … Read more
Shades of Grey, by Jasper Fforde
We all know I love Jasper Fforde, the creator of the lovely Thursday Next and Nursery Crime series. He writes novels that are ridiculous in just the right range to be delightful and crams in literary and cultural references in places that I did not know such references could exist. If you’ve read and liked … Read more
The Knife of Never Letting Go, by Patrick Ness
I’m not sure what I want to say about this book. Right after I finished it (in practically one sitting), I was like, “That was pretty darn good,” but now I’m more like, “Eh, that was all right, I guess.” I think it’s telling that I have the book right next to me while I’m … Read more
The Long Tomorrow, by Leigh Brackett (25 August — 27 August)
I love the blurb on the cover of this book: “By far Leigh Brackett’s best novel to date and comes awfully close to being a great work of science-fiction.” — New York Times When I saw that, I thought, “Hmmm. What does that mean? Is this just an okay work of science fiction?” And I’m … Read more
The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins (4 August)
What with the sequel coming out soon, I figured I ought to read this before I got ridiculously spoiled for it. But I guess I probably wouldn’t have, anyway, since the whole novel is fairly predictable. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, I suppose, and Collins does a good job of taking the predictable things … Read more
