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notesbynnenna's Reviews (513)
As I mentioned in my last round-up of books I’ve read, I was on a bit of a Gillian Flynn kick for a while. Gone Girl is still my favorite of the books she’s written, but I liked this one too. The story is about Libby Day, one of two living survivors of an attack on her family that occurred when she was just a child. When the tragedy happened, she testified in front of a court that her brother murdered her mother and sisters and based heavily on that testimony, her brother was sent to jail. However, as an adult, Libby is not so sure that her testimony was correct and attempts to figure out the truth of what really happened that night. It’s another dark tale, but you’re rooting for Libby to succeed with her quest.
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I think Gillian Flynn is only getting better over the years. I read Gone Girl first and loved it, read Sharp Objects next and thought it was good, but ok, and I though Dark Places was somewhere in-between!
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I think Gillian Flynn is only getting better over the years. I read Gone Girl first and loved it, read Sharp Objects next and thought it was good, but ok, and I though Dark Places was somewhere in-between!
I was excited to start this book that so many people in the fashion community raved about. I watched The September Issue for the first time this year; I don’t know what took me so long since the documentary came out years ago! After watching it, I was even more fascinated by Grace Coddington’s personality and relationship with Anna Wintour and I couldn’t wait to learn more from her memoir. She has led a really interesting life both personally and professionally. It took me a little while to get into it in the beginning, when she’s discussing her early childhood, but once she grows up and moves to London, the story really takes off. Also, the book is peppered with fun little illustrations that she created. If you love fashion and/or are obsessed with all things Vogue, it’s definitely worth a read.
This is one of those books that you’re not entirely sure that you understood, but you generally enjoyed. It involves a love triangle between three pretty messed-up people, a cattle epidemic, and a mom/blogger who becomes semi-famous. You’re intrigued, right? If you like offbeat stories with a satirical edge, then I think you just might like this book.
This is the type of nonfiction I enjoy- nonfiction that almost reads like fiction. This is a type of travel memoir, written by the author when he moved to Paris for a couple of years. In it he shares his observations about the French, about what life in France is like for a foreigner, and about the people he works with at an advertising agency. His anecdotes are humorous and the book in general only strengthened my itch to travel abroad soon. In the meantime I guess I’ll keep reading books about the places I’d like to go! Also, how great is the title and cover of this book?!
I waited for this book for what felt like forever and when I was finally able to download it, I devoured it in a couple days. I was not disappointed- this book is as good as everyone says it is. The main character, Hazel, is a teenager with terminal cancer. Based on that alone, you’d expect this book to be really depressing, but it’s not entirely- it’s funny, smart and heartwarming. Even though you know, or should know, exactly what happens in the end, that doesn’t mean you won’t shed a tear or two (or many) as the book draws to a close. If you’re looking for your next read, look no further- this is it. In case you couldn’t tell, this book was my favorite out of this bunch!
A week or two before the movie came out, I decided I was going to reread this book because I could barely remember what it was about. The first time I read it was during a high school English class. You’ve probably read this one too or heard enough about it in the last few months, so I won’t recap it, but I was glad I read it again. I picked up on a few new details this time around and the ending was kind of a surprise to me all over again. Even though I managed to finish the book just before the movie came out, I still haven’t seen it! If you did see it, what did you think?
It’s the Great Depression era and right at the beginning of the book, Young Thea is packed up and sent to camp after she commits a terrible indiscretion. For a while you don’t know exactly what she’s done, although that it’s awful enough to make her family send her away indefinitely. Camp is her first real experience away from home and the comfort of her family; she learns how to take care of herself and realizes that she can survive on her own. As I was reading the book, I was enjoying it, but as it came to an end I kind of realized all at once how selfish and self-absorbed Thea is. She does certain things because she wants to and because they make her happy, but doesn’t really consider how her actions might affect other people. Despite my reservations about Thea’s character, I still generally enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it.
I was at a bookstore with a friend a month or so ago and he recommended that I read a food memoir about Paris. At the time, he couldn’t remember the title, but he promised to lend me the book when he found it at home. I started searching online for that book* to see if I could trigger his memory and in doing so I stumbled on to this book. I don’t think I’d really read a food memoir before, but I definitely enjoyed this one. It’s the story of how the author met and fell in love with her future husband in Paris. She talks about what it’s like to live in a different country and, since food is an integral part of this story, what it’s like to cook in a different country. There are recipes at the end of each chapter and I definitely bookmarked a few of them to try at some point. Of course, this book didn’t help with the serious case of wanderlust I’m feeling at the moment, but it was definitely a fun read. (*The book my friend was actually referring to is The Sweet Life in Paris– it’s now on my ‘to-read’ list!)
This was also a great book! I remember being drawn in by the cover during a browse session at Barnes & Noble (I often go there to kill time) and writing down the title so I could look it up later. As you may guess from the title, the two main characters are Eleanor and Park and they couldn’t be more different. Eleanor is a redhead who comes from a broken home and Park is half-Korean and lives with two parents who love each other but who don’t always understand him. Chance brings these two together and it so cute to read about them falling in love. I didn’t actually realize that this was considered a YA novel until after I finished the book, but it does make sense. They may be teenagers, but I didn’t feel that their story was too childish at all. This book is so adorable and funny. If you liked The Fault in Our Stars, I wouldn’t be surprised if you liked this book as well.
Owen’s life completely changes forever when he’s captured by the notorious pirate Mad Hannah Mabbot. Owen, a chef, is famous for his talents in the kitchen, so Mad Mabbot forces him to cook a delicious meal for her once a week, using only the ingredients found on her pirate ship. If she likes the food he makes, he’s allowed to live for another week. At first Owen tries to escape whenever possible, but over time he becomes more comfortable in his new life on the ship and learns that much of what he thought was good and right in life, was not actually. It’s so interesting to read about how Owen prepares each meal considering his very limited resources. You might think, “Food and pirates? What a strange combination!” but it totally works in this book.