January 2, 2022
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Rating: 5/5

      Ryland Grace finds himself the sole survivor of the Hail Mary voyage, a last ditch effort to save humanity. There is one problem, the mission required him to be put in a coma, and he woke up with no memories of where he is or why. As his memories return he has to navigate a new solar system in an attempt to find a solution to earths problem. Ryland is faced with difficult situations one after another. He is left to face each obstacle completely alone. Or so he thought.
     This is a well written Sci-Fiction book similar to another of Andy Weir's books, The Martian. With much higher stakes, this book exceeded my expectations and is (in my opinion) a far better book than The Martian. It's hard to put down once you've started reading it, and does a good job balancing real science with sci-fiction. Not only did I enjoy the book immensely, but it taught me a few things about the real world and how it works. It is perfect for anyone who enjoys science and reading. 

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky 

Rating: 5/5

Date Completed: November 29th 

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a coming-of-age novel by Humanitarian Award-winning screenwriter and novelist Stephen Chbosky, best known for directing the film Wonder, as well as creating and directing the 2012 adaptation of his first (and most popular) novel. 

Set in early-1990s Pittsburgh, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is told through a multitude of letters written by the protagonist, Charlie, depicting his day-to-day life while coping with the death of a close friend. Entering his freshman year of high school knowing no one but his sister, Charlie is convinced he is meant to watch from the sidelines. Follow him as he learns to branch out from the confines of his past and into a new period of life, off the wall and onto the floor. 

This is a beautifully written novel brings forward a story that many teens can find themselves relating to, no matter their age. Chbosky shares a story that allows the reader to step through a door, and into the shoes of Charlie. The Perks of Being a Wallflower delineates the concept of finity unlike any other media from its genre. In a mere 256 pages, you live 365 days through the eyes of fifteen-year old Charlie. 

Uglies is a sci-fi novel published by Scott Westefeild. This story follows a young girl named Tilly living in a dystopian city separated  by "uglies" and "Pretties". The "uglies" live in a typical suburban city, revolutionized by the high tech technology made by the capital. The "pretties" live in a large, modern, automated city. The capital take people the age of 18 and restructure their whole face, body, and brains. They make the "uglies" look like a "pretty". After the uglies get restructured they get sent to new pretty town. Ready for all the new pretties. Tilly doesn't like this. She thinks that the city shouldn't be structured this way. The way people act, function, and provide for a corrupted capital doesn't sit right with her. She thinks she can change the way the world thinks. 

This novel won the Goodreads 2020 Book of the Year. It takes the "typical" dystopian society and puts a twist on it. The plot twists make this a must read. This book hooks you in with an invigorating first chapter, filled with rebellion and revenge. I enjoyed this book immensely. It provided me with a new perspective many things and is a perfect read for sci-fi fans.

January 5, 2023

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard.

Rating: 5/5

Red Queen is about a young thief living in a world where your status in society is determined by the color of your blood. Those with silver blood have a higher status and superpower-like abilities, whereas those with red blood are ordinary. Mare is an ordinary red blooded girl who steals for money and fun alike. That is until she discovers a hidden ability that will change her life forever. 
      It has many cliffhangers and makes you want to read more at the end of every chapter. It was the number 1 NY times bestseller in the first week of its release and I would definitely recommend this book for anyone willing to read it.

     Starr Carter is living in 2 worlds: the poor neighborhood that she lives in and the fancy prep school that she attends). The balance between the 2 worlds is broken when Starr witnesses her childhood best friend, Khalil, get killed by a police officer. 
      The biggest issue of the book is when Khalil died. Everyone protested for him to try to have the officer locked up but others didn't think he should go to jail because the shooting was an "accident".
The real message of the story shows how society uses stereotypes of black people to justify violence and racism against them.

 

This is a 2018 Graphic novel that explores deep space as well as an even deeper story. As you read and look through the gorgeously illustrated pages, you will unravel the ties between two different times in our main character, Mia's life. One, while she is in school, rebellious and falling in love with not only Lux, her school's famed game, but with her closest and seemingly only friend, Grace. In another time, she is out of school and in a job repairing lost sites in space with a rag-tag crew that embraces her like family. As you travel through the enchanting pages, you will feel truly immersed in this wonderfully thought-out universe. The illustration is wonderful, the way it's utilized in important moments during the book; as well as being the key to this spectacular universe. This story is beautifully written, illustrated, and thought out, as I have said many times before. It is worth your time to read.

“Turtles all the way down” by John Green

Rating: 3/5

Finished: December 20th 2022

Aza, who owns a car named harold,  and Daisy, who is a popular star wars fanfiction writer are best friends. One day while riding home together in Azaś car Harold, Daisy turns on the radio. They hear the shocking news: Russell Pickett, a CEO and founder of Pickett, has recently disappeared. The police are looking for him, and the reward? 100,000 dollars.

¨A hundred thousand dollars.,¨ Daisy says. ¨And you know his kid.¨ 

This story is about initially trying to find Russel Pickett, but after Aza sees her old friend, Davis Pickett, she realizes how similar they really are, and contemplates her choices. But as Aza is living her life, she always has a huge conflict happening inside of her. As Aza's journey continues, her ¨thought spiral¨ will tighten.

 Turtles All The Way Down is a fictional young adult novel by John Green, a very well written story of a girl with anxiety, and OCD. This book really makes you feel like Aza, and realize how all of her friends have hard lives too. It is a very good book, and all of the characters are very lovable. I highly recommend reading this book!

June 2, 2023

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

Rating: 4.5/5

Theo Decker’s life would never be the same after the sudden death of his mother. Without suitable guardians, he is taken in by the family of an old friend. After a shocking meeting, Theo must travel thousands of miles from his hometown to a deserted neighborhood that looks like it’s straight out of a sci-fi film. In an unfamiliar environment, he quickly befriends a mysterious classmate. Together, they navigate through their early teenage years in ways Theo would not have done before. Theo’s life is turned upside down yet again, and he flees to the only place he had relations to: his home town, New York City. All the while, Theo is troubled by the guilt of something he must hide away, wrapped in layers of paper and pillow cases, and as he reads the front page of a newspaper in ChinaTown, he fears he may be arrested for it. After a horrifying discovery, he finds that the solution to his issue will be much more complicated than he could have ever imagined. 
This book was captivating. I won't lie, the page number was a little intimidating, but I finished the book quicker than I did one of a quarter the length. As usual for a Donna Tartt book, the plot had twists and turns that truly shocked me each time. While reading the book, you really come to understand and feel like you know Theo, Boris, Hobie, Pippa, and all of the other major characters. This book was as hard to put down as it was to hold comfortably. 

Rating: 4/5

Finished: May 26, 2023

 

  Our Chemical Hearts by Krystal Sutherland is about a teenage boy, named Henry Page, who sees himself as a hopeless romantic person, even though he's never even been in love. When he meets a transfer student named Grace Town, he instantly becomes attracted to her, even though she seems to be hiding something. Henry tries to figure out the truth about her, but then began to question his own feelings about what it means to love someone.

     I would recommend this book because its interesting and a lot of high school teenagers could probably relate to it. I was a good book because in some parts, you can see yourself in other's perspective and ask yourself, "What would I do if I was in this situation?"

While this book is really good in some aspects, the representation could be done a lot better. The target audience is for late elementary schoolers to early middle schoolers, so it’s made to be funny. However to me, it just seemed like how the Norse Gods were written was mainly just offensive. Not only that, but the Deaf representation they have in this book is very inaccurate, and I know many people who have had problems with this. The plot and characters are nice, but I wouldn’t recommend it if you can’t look past negligence.