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jwanz86's reviews
186 reviews
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard
4.0
It's been a long while since I read this, but if you've read Hamlet (and even if you haven't), Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead is a wonderful absurdist piece, a great introduction to it. I would check this out of you have an interest in absurdist work, enjoyed Hamlet or other Shakespearean pieces OR just want a great back and forth and dialogue.
Nemesis by Isaac Asimov
4.0
This was the first Asimov book I ever read and it was very intriguing. It's a part of a larger series, however this works really well as a standalone and you get instantly drawn into the characters and the world he's built. It's a dark but interesting one--not tooooo sci-fi-ish but very futuristic. Definitely recommended.
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
5.0
Post-modernist writing done EXTREMELY well (had to do it). It's a very touching tale of a coming of age story of a boy who tries to learn about his father who was killed during the 9/11 attack. There are several parallel stories that build up to some really tough and touching moments. How the author illustrates the writing and includes pictures makes the story even more compelling and not distracting:
Machine of Death: A Collection of Stories about People Who Know How They Will Die by Matthew Bennardo, Ryan North, David Malki
5.0
TO BE HONEST--I never finished it because I lent this book to someone BECAUSE IT WAS THAT GOOD. It's a short story collection all following the same prompt of: What If a machine vaguely predicted your future with a single slip of paper. All the different authors approach this very differently, with different tones, and it's very fascinating. Also, since they are short stories that are in no way connected, you can pick up this book at any time--EVEN AFTER I GET IT BACK FROM WHOMEVER I LENT IT TO!!
Geek Love by Katherine Dunn
4.0
Totally was reading this when American Horror Story: Freakshow was on the air. If only AHS was as good and intentionally creepy and compelling as this book. The family this book highlights create a very intriguing and dark world, one where fame and obsession drive the family to do believably unbelievable actions, how you see love and obsession chasing after one another, and you. Just. Want. MORE!
The Postmortal by Drew Magary
4.0
An interesting dystopian novel who follows a pretty simplistic beta-male as society itself crumbles to the scientific advancements of immortality.