Mike > Recent Status Updates

I'm not even sure how to describe this. It's just incredibly realistic in so many ways.

This isn't bad, exactly, I just don't think I'm the audience for it. There's tons of potential here, and the mystery looks good, but I'm quickly getting bored with the characters and the artwork.

Infinite meh. This isn't bad, just not very interesting.

I just realized that this book isn't going anywhere... and I don't care. I'm not bored. This NEVER HAPPENS.

This is fantastic. Why did I wait so long to read a Laurie Halse Anderson book?

Meh. This is well-written, like everything Peters does, but I feel like Alyssa is too similar to the protagonist that Peters always writes. And, I can't put my finger on it, but something about the way homosexuality is discussed just doesn't feel realistic. Maybe it's the way all the homophobic people are complete jackasses in every imaginable way? I have no idea.

Already I can tell I'm going to like this. Angelou is a great writer.

Apparently, my mom really enjoys this book. And the topic interests me, so I think I'll like it as well. IMPRESS ME, REQUIRED READING. I COMMAND YOU.

A well-developed narrator with a distinct voice and a plotless story that somehow never manages to be boring? I believe I've discovered a real gem. It's been a while since that happened.

I'm a little nervous. The last Julie Anne Peters book I read wasn't that great, and the premise for this one doesn't look too much better. (Incidentally, the last Peters book I read was almost seven months ago. Holy shit.)

My creative writing teacher uses a lot of Laurie Halse Anderson books as examples of strong voice. I can see why - Hayley's voice is excellently done.

Well, that was fucking awesome. I'm a little sad to be almost finished, which hasn't happened in a while.

SPOILERS:

Ness, you did not just kill the black character first. I really hope she's not dead, even if that's the only reason.

INSANITY! The style of the mystery here kind of reminds me of Remnants.

Potential spoilers:

This is remarkably like the fourth Pendragon book. Which is a little disappointing, since I've already seen something similar, but I get the feeling that I still don't know the full story, so we'll see.

So, normally I at least have theories as to what's going on in a book as weird as this. Here? Zilch. None. Nadda. That said, I do feel like this part could've been shortened down at least a little. But I like the flashbacks. I kind of want an entire book about the flashbacks.

Normally, I hate third person present-tense, but Ness is handling it great. There's simply no other way to write the book, and he's managing not to make it as plodding as what I normally see.

Oh, Patrick Ness. You make my head want to explode into a thousand firey pieces. But in a good way.

I feel like Blank is writing the same character over and over, with only minor variations. Eeyore may be trying to be tough, and Rusty may be a bit dellusional, but they're all determined, they all seem to need friendships, they're all trying to avoid being whiny... stuff like that.

This is... alright. The characters are pretty well-developed, I guess, but I dunno. I feel like there would be lots and lots of pain involved in leaving your home, and Blank isn't doing a great job of capturing it. In fact, everybody feels like they're having fun, even as they go through these horrible experiences.

This is a bit over the top, and I don't like the use of the word retarded. (Two books in a row - what are the odds?) But at least it's pretty well-written.

And now we're infodumping. Because apparently, Bujor hadn't made enough writing mistakes before now.

Picture every cheap way you've seen book characters cheat death. Combine them all. Feel how annoying that is?

I promise you what I'm about to show you is worse:

"Adrien: [But she's dead! Nobody can heal her.]
Healer: Death is on strike! She hasn't done that in two centuries, and it's very annoying. Your friend is alive."

GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH.

Even without the nostalgic value, this is just a really strong piece of worldbuilding. I love how good Applegrant is at capturing how the different species think.

Nobody that is not me can possibly appreciate how awesome I find this book. I mean... holy shit, I've wanted to read this book ever since I was eight and I'm FINALLY DOING IT.

There's a lot less reliance on narrative summary in this half of the novel, which is great - it means I'm feeling closer to the events of the novel, more connected with what's going on. The dialogue is also a lot more realistic.

Adrien and Opal have known each other for about twelve hours, in-universe. In those twelve hours, they had no meaningful interactions - they never even talked alone - and there was no hint of a connection between them. So WHY THE HELL DID HE DECLARE HIS LOVE FOR HER?

It's weird to look around GR and see so many self-proclaimed 'book lovers', because as an active user and reviewer, I don't consider myself one. 'Book-lover' would mean that I inherently love books, just because they're books. And that's not true. I love books that have meaning, that show what it's like to be human, that engage me and surprise me. I don't love all books; I love the books that make me love them.

This is so great. I love how Ruby is transforming and learning from her experiences. And I like how this road trip is completely falling apart, rather than going perfectly as it would in less realistic novels. (Cough, Paper Towns, cough.)

The writing is kind of iffy, but for the most part, Gaiman is really good at this. Really, really great.