Happy Friday! This month I have a lot of books to review. I'm participating in a book challenge so I've been reading a lot.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Book Description:
Charlie is a freshman. And
while he's not the biggest geek in the school, he is by no means
popular. Shy, introspective, intelligent beyond his years yet socially
awkward, he is a wallflower, caught between trying to live his life and
trying to run from it. Charlie is attempting to navigate his way
through uncharted territory: the world of first dates and mix tapes,
family dramas and new friends; the world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show,
when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to
feel infinite. But he can't stay on the sideline forever. Standing on
the fringes of life offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time
to see what it looks like from the dance floor. The Perks of Being a Wallflower
is a deeply affecting coming-of-age story that will spirit you back to
those wild and poignant roller-coaster days known as growing up.
book description and image via Goodreads
My Review:
I'm honestly not sure what to think of this book. I liked how it was told from the main character's point of view through letters. It was a different way of telling a story because the reader doesn't get to actually experience the events, we simply have them recounted to us. On the other hand, the story confused me. I'm unsure of how Charlie could be so naive and unaware of things especially considering the fact that he has older siblings. The whole time I was convinced he had some sort of mental disorder. I'm also not a fan of books or movies that throw in every possible situation a person can go through- suicide, rape, abortion, molestation, drugs, alcohol, homosexuality-this book had it all! That always seems like overkill to me. Overall, though, it wasn't a bad book and I'm interested in seeing the movie.
I give it 3 out of 5 stars.
Seriously...I'm Kidding by Ellen DeGeneres
Book Description:
"Sometimes the greatest
things are the most embarrassing." Ellen Degeneres' winning, upbeat
candor
has made her show one of the most popular, resilient and honored
daytime shows on the air. (To date, it has won no fewer than 31 Emmys.) Seriously... I'm Kidding, Degeneres' first book in eight years, brings us up to date about the life of a kindhearted woman who bowed out of American Idol because she didn't want to be mean. Lively; hilarious; often sweetly poignant.
book description and image via Goodreads
My Review:
This book wasn't what I expected. I expected it more to be like an autobiography with Ellen telling about her life with some jokes thrown in. After reading it, I'm not sure how it can be classified as an autobiography. It was like reading a stand up act. I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. I think I'd rather just watch Ellen's show than read her book. The comedy just didn't translate as well to the page.
I give it 2.5 out of 5 stars.
Stop Asking Jesus into your Heart: How to Know For Sure You are Saved by J.D. Greear
Book Description:
“If there were a Guinness Book of World Records
entry for ‘amount of times having prayed the sinner’s prayer,’ I’m
pretty sure I’d be a top contender,” says pastor and author J. D.
Greear. He struggled for many years to gain an assurance of salvation
and eventually learned he was not alone. “Lack of assurance” is epidemic
among evangelical Christians. In Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart,
J. D. shows that faulty ways of present- ing the gospel are a leading
source of the confusion. Our presentations may not be heretical, but
they are sometimes misleading. The idea of “asking Jesus into your
heart” or “giving your life to Jesus” often gives false assurance to
those who are not saved—and keeps those who genuinely are saved from
fully embracing that reality. Greear unpacks the doctrine of
assurance, showing that salvation is a posture we take to the promise of
God in Christ, a posture that begins at a certain point and is
maintained for the rest of our lives. He also answers the tough
questions about assurance: What exactly is faith? What is repentance?
Why are there so many warnings that seem to imply we can lose our
salvation? Such issues are handled with respect to the
theological rigors they require, but Greear never loses his pastoral
sensitivity or a communication technique that makes this message
teachable to a wide audience from teens to adults.
My Review:
My husband loved this book so I read it at his request. I'm not as big a fan of it as he is. There were parts of it I enjoyed. I like how he continually says that it's not necessary to have a "great conversion" story or even necessarily remember the exact moment you were saved. He states that the best "test" of salvation is where you currently stand with Christ. As someone who doesn't have a major transformation testimony, I often doubted my own salvation when I heard the testimonies of other people. To me, though, I kind of feel more confused after reading this book than I did before I read it.
I give it 3 out of 5 stars.
And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
Book Description:
Khaled Hosseini, the #1 New York Times–bestselling
author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, has written a
new novel about how we love, how we take care of one another, and how
the choices we make resonate through generations. In this tale
revolving around not just parents and
children but brothers and sisters,
cousins and caretakers, Hosseini explores the many ways in which
families nurture, wound, betray, honor, and sacrifice for one another;
and how often we are surprised by the actions of those closest to us, at
the times that matter most. Following its characters and the
ramifications of their lives and choices and loves around the globe—from
Kabul to Paris to San Francisco to the Greek island of Tinos—the story
expands gradually outward, becoming more emotionally complex and
powerful with each turning page.
book description and image via Goodreads
My Review:
This book was difficult to follow at times. The chapters are LONG and each chapter is about a different person. Yet, all the people are connected somehow. Overall, this story didn't really have a plot. I didn't like this one as much as Hosseini's previous two novels. Regardless, I always find his books intriguing because they're about a culture that I'm completely unfamiliar with. I feel like I learn new things and have a better understanding after reading one of his books.
I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars.
The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger
Book Description:
A delightfully dishy novel about the all-time most impossible boss in the history of impossible bosses. Andrea
Sachs, a small-town girl fresh out of college, lands the job “a million
girls would die for.” Hired as the assistant to Miranda Priestly, the
high-profile, fabulously successful editor of Runway magazine, Andrea finds herself in an office that shouts Prada! Armani! Versace!
at every turn, a world populated by impossibly thin, heart-wrenchingly
stylish women and beautiful men clad in fine-ribbed turtlenecks and
tight leather pants that show off their lifelong dedication to the gym.
With breathtaking ease, Miranda can turn each and every one of these hip
sophisticates into a scared, whimpering child. THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA gives a rich and hilarious new meaning to complaints about “The Boss from Hell.”
My Review:
I saw this movie before I read this book. So, I had an idea of what was going on, but it didn't stop me from enjoying it. Sometimes the demands placed on the main character seemed almost unbelievable. I guess that was the point. I don't really have a strong opinion on this book one way or another. I feel like it's one I'll read and forget. I didn't hate it but I didn't love it either.
I give it 3 out of 5 stars.
Divergent by Veronica Roth
Book Description:
In Beatrice Prior's
dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each
dedicated to
the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the
honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the
peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every
year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will
devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between
staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have
both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself. During
the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames
herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out
the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical
tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with
devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must
determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with
a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life
she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from
everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she
discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her
seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help
her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.
My Review:
I've found another book series to love and obsess over. I'm very drawn to dystopian novels for some reason. This one did not disappoint. This is the first book in a trilogy. The overall theme of it seems similar to The Hunger Games in some ways, but the concept is still very different. Basically, if you love
The Hunger Games or another favorite of mine-The
Gone series, you'll enjoy this book as well. As with most good series these days, this book is being made into a movie. I read this book in a day because I couldn't put it down and it was very easy to get lost in the story.
I give it 5 out of 5 stars.
Insurgent by Veronica Roth
Book Description:
One choice can transform
you, or destroy you. Every choice has consequences, and as unrest
surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying
to save those she loves, and herself, while grappling with haunting
questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and
love.
book description and image via Goodreads
My Review:
I loved this one just as much as the first one. This one has a lot of action and is all leading up to a big secret being revealed. Of course, it's a cliffhanger ending which has me looking forward to the October release of the third book even more! One thing I love about this series is there is a love story element, but it doesn't interfere with the main plot as love stories often do.
I give it 5 out 5 stars.
Have you read any of these books? What are your thoughts?
