Book Review | Edge of Civilization by Jennifer Ott

In April I reviewed Seredipidus by Jennifer Ott (see that review HERE), and the author reached out to me to see if I would review another one of her works. Edge of Civilization is the story of a Vietnam War veteran named Earl. For decades he has lived alone in an abandoned mine in the desert. One night he has a revelation that he needs to return to civilization. He's not sure where to go, or from where he originated, but the next day he leaves on a journey to find where he belongs.

Edge of Civilization goes back and forth between Earl's current journey and his past life in the war. We learn that he was a pilot and his plane went down, and what he had to go through to end up back home in America. Because of this ordeal, Earl seems to have a memory problem. At times, it's difficult to tell what is real and what is not. This adds an air of mystery to the story, and it compelled me to keep reading to find out how the story would end.

Without giving any spoilers, I'll say that the end of this book just fell flat for me. We follow Earl as he tries to remember his past, and I just did not like how his journey ended. It seemed a bit rushed, and wasn't what I expected taking the entire book into consideration. Because of that, I am rating Edge of Civilization a 3.5 out of 5 stars on Goodreads. If you enjoy books about veterans or stories with an unreliable protagonist, I think you should give this one a try. The Kindle version is only $2.99 on Amazon HERE.

This book was provided for my unbiased review. I use Amazon Affiliate links so you can find the books I mention easily. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information. 

Book Review | The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith

I'm really loving young adult, contemporary books this summer, and The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith is no exception. I picked up this book at a signing at Barnes & Noble Union Square, and when I sat down to read it I couldn't put it down.

The story begins with our main characters Lucy and Owen as they become trapped in their apartment building's elevator when the power goes out in New York City. They are rescued from the elevator, and spend the rest of the blackout together. While they both live in the same building, they come from very different worlds. Lucy's family is quite affluent, and Owen's is struggling. His mother recently passed away, and his father is the building's superintendent. Nonetheless, the two teens wait out the blackout by getting to know one another.

Once the power comes back on, Lucy and Owen go their separate ways – literally. Lucy moves to Europe when her father is transferred, and Owen and his father go on a road trip to the Western US to find a new job after Owen's dad is fired. The two attempt to stay in contact, but never get the chance to really build a friendship due to their geographical situations. The Geography of You and Me chronicles both Lucy and Owen's journeys as they spend time apart wishing they had they had gotten to know one another better when they had the chance.

I absolutely loved this book. It was beautifully written, and I especially loved Part III. I was glued to the story from the moment it began, and I really appreciated how real the characters are. Unlike many contemporaries, there is no "instalove" in this story, but real character development and relationship building. If you're looking for a great romance that isn't sickeningly sweet, The Geography of You and Me is a perfect choice.

I highly recommend this book, and will definitely be checking out more of Smith's works. Not only was the story great, but I appreciated the beautiful cover and the typography as well. Unsurprisingly, I gave  The Geography of You and Me a full five star rating on Goodreads. You can purchase the book on Amazon HERE. Please let me know in the comments what Jennifer E. Smith book I should pick up next!

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Book Review | The First Husband by Laura Dave

I found a copy of The First Husband by Laura Dave at the Strand for $1.00 and couldn't help but pick it up based on the cover alone. It looked like a fun book, so I decided to take it with me on my recent trip to Los Angeles and read it on the plane. I'm very glad I did!

The First Husband begins with our main character Annie being dumped by her long-time boyfriend, Nick. Annie is heartbroken and lost, and finds herself at a local bar late one night. There she meets Griffin, a chef with whom she falls in love instantly. Annie and Griffin hit it off, and begin a relationship, but before Annie can find comfort in her new life, Nick comes back seeking forgiveness. The First Husband follows Annie as she travels across the country, and subsequently across the Atlantic, to decide where, and with whom, she belongs.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It is a light, adult contemporary that does have some serious scenes, but is otherwise a great beach read. Annie is a very relatable character, and it was easy for me as a reader to connect with her and share her emotions, whatever they may be. Similarly, I liked that readers get to know about Annie's career as a journalist in addition to just her love life. It really provides some depth to her character, and makes the book more believable.

At just under 250 pages, The First Husband is the perfect book for traveling, as it's a quick read and can fit perfectly in your beach bag. I gave it a 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads, as I even though I really liked it, I don't think there's anything that special about it, and I don't plan to pick it up again. I definitely recommend The First Husband if you love contemporary novels and are looking for a summer read. You can purchase the book on Amazon HERE.

I use Amazon Affiliate links so you can find the books I mention easily. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information. 

Book Review | We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

One of the most hyped books of this summer is We Were Liars by E. Lockhart. I picked up a copy at a Barnes & Noble event that I attended back in May, and was able to meet the author and have her sign my book! I really enjoyed meeting her and hearing more about what went into writing We Were Liars. I knew that I needed to read it right away in order to avoid any spoilers, and I'm so very glad I did.

We Were Liars is a contemporary, young adult novel told from the point of view of our main character Cadence. Each summer, Cadence joins her wealthy family on their own private island off the coast of Massachusetts. The book chronicles Cadence's return to the island, and readers learn that two summers ago she suffered an accident that affected her memory. The remainder of the book follows Cadence as she tries to piece together what happened.

If you've heard about We Were Liars, then you'll probably know that there is a great deal of mystery surrounding the book. Despite its short length, the story packs a punch. There is a shocking ending that can't be talked about, so if you've not yet read this book, I highly recommend you pick it up right away.

We Were Liars had a huge impact on me. I'm writing this review over a month after reading the novel, and it is still burned into my memory. The book is truly life-altering. It's written absolutely beautifully, and I'm quite impressed with how carefully crafted it is. Lockhart did an amazing job with We Were Liars, and it's definitely encouraged me to look into her other books.

I apologize for such a vague review, but as I mentioned, it's best to read We Were Liars without much context. I definitely recommend this book, and suggest you pick it up before getting spoiled. It's definitely a summer read, but keep the tissues nearby. You can purchase We Were Liars on Amazon HERE. Of course, I gave the book a full 5 star rating on Goodreads.

I use Amazon Affiliate links so you can find the books I mention easily. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information. 

Snapshot Sunday | Stuyvesant Square

I happened to wander upon Stuyvesant Square today, and it was just beautiful! The sun was shining, and the flowers were in bloom. This is an untouched photograph from my iPhone. I absolutely love it! Plus, this park looked much quieter than others in the area, so I think I'll be returning there at some point. It looks like a great spot to read!

Book Review | Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

I've wanted to read a book by Rainbow Rowell for several months now, as so many people praise her writing. Luckily, the Booksplosion Book of the Month for May was Attachments, so I decided to pick it up! I was able to get an eBook from the library, and raced through the book in just one day. I absolutely loved this adult fiction novel, and can't wait to share my thoughts on it with you!

Attachments takes place starting in 1999 when the internet was just taking off and Y2K was a giant threat to companies everywhere. Lincoln works in the IT department of a local newspaper, and part of his job is to oversee the email accounts in the office. If emails are being sent for inappropriate reasons, such as personal emails during the work day, Lincoln is supposed to report it. He soon notices that correspondence between two women, Beth and Jennifer, end up in his security inbox on a regular basis. The two women email each other during the work day all the time, and even though Lincoln is supposed to report them, he decides not to do so. Instead, he finds himself reading their emails, and even develops feelings for one of them.

The story is told in a unique way, with the reader being exposed to Lincoln's life in some chapters, and the emails between Beth and Jennifer in the others. I loved reading the emails, and found that they really helped to propel the story forward, as I wanted to find out what would happen next in the ongoing saga of Beth and Jennifer's lives. I also really enjoyed that we got to find out a lot about Lincoln's life. It was refreshing to have a contemporary story told from the male character's point-of-view. While Attachments does focus on a love story made possible through technology, it deals with several serious topics as well, and that helped me connect with the characters quite easily. Rowell does an amazing job at being both downright poignant while still bringing romance to the forefront.

I highly recommend Attachments, and gave it a full 5 star rating on Goodreads. It is a highly enjoyable and fast-paced novel, and I definitely want to read more of Rowell's books in the future. You can purchase Arrachments on Amazon HERE. Please let me know if you read any of Rowell's other books in the comments!

I use Amazon Affiliate links so you can find the books I mention easily. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information. 

Book Review | Coin Heist by Elisa Ludwig

If you think contemporary, young adult novels are only fluffy love stories, think again! I recently had the opportunity to read an advance, e-copy of Coin Hesit by Elisa Ludwig, and I'm excited to share my thoughts on the book before it comes out tomorrow on June 10, 2014.

As you may be able to guess from the title, this story involves an epic plan to rob the Philadelphia location of the United States Mint. The story follows four teenagers who attend a prestigious, private high school. When it's discovered that the school's headmaster embezzled away the school's endowment, it seems the historic high school will have to close its doors forever at the end of the semester. Not wanting this to happen, our main characters join forces to hack into the mint and make enough money to repay the headmaster's debts and ensure the school will live on.

Coin Heist is told in an alternating, first person point-of-view, with each of the four teens getting an opportunity to tell his or her part of the story. I always love having more than one point-of-view in a book, and I thought it worked really well here. In fact, it propelled me to keep reading at points in the story where I otherwise might have taken a reading break between chapters – that was a great choice by Ludwig to keep a consistent ordering of the storytellers (except for one part, which was jumbled for some odd reason).

Overall, I really enjoyed Coin Heist. It was very well-written, and the characters were all very likable. I connected easily with the characters, and I thought it was interesting that even though they were plotting a huge, criminal act I was still rooting for them to pull it off without getting caught! My only critiques of the story is that for the majority of the book I was waiting for something to happen. It wasn't until the latter quarter of the book that all of the major action took place. I did enjoy the ending, but it left me wanting more. Coin Heist is a stand-alone novel, but I would certainly be open to learning more about what happened to our crew next.

I rated Coin Heist a 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads, and highly recommend this book if you like movies such as Ocean's Eleven or National Treasure. It's definitely a fun book, and I finished it rather quickly. You can purchase Coin Heist on Amazon HERE, and be sure to let me know what you thought of Coin Heist in the comments if you'd read it!

I received this book for my unbiased review. I use Amazon Affiliate links so you can find the books I talk about easily. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information. 

Book Review | Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

It's been a goal of mine this year to reread at least one book per month. In May, I decided to pick up Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut, as I remember absolutely loving it when I first read it back in high school. I picked this up during the Bout of Books 10.0 Readathon, and finished it quite quickly.

Slaughterhouse-Five is a story within a story. Our narrator is a World War II veteran who sets out to write a book about his experience during the Dresden bombing. The majority of the story, however, is the author's actual book, which centers on Billy Pilgrim's life. The story is not written in chronological order, but instead jumps all around throughout Billy's life. This time travel aspect requires the reader to pay very close attention in order to piece Billy's life together, but also tells a poetic story. Oh, and aliens also play a role in this novel. Slaughterhouse-Five is thus an interesting mix of historical fiction and science fiction.

During my reread, I had some trouble connecting with the story, which was quite disappointing. Vonnegut's writing is so beautiful, and because I was trying to rush through this book for the readathon, I think I missed out on the great and poignant experience that Slaughterhouse-Five can be. I ended up giving this book a 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads this time around, but I know that I will be rereading this book again in the future. It is one of my long-term goals to read all of Vonnegut's works, so I think next time I'll pick up another one of his books.

If you've never read Slaughterhouse-Five, I highly recommend it. I suggest that you take the time to appreciate this book, despite it's short length (it's just over 200 pages). You can purchase Slaughterhouse-Five on Amazon HERE. Feel free to let me know in the comments what you thought about this book if you've read it, and what other Vonnegut books you recommend.

I use Amazon Affiliate links so you can find the books I talk about easily. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.