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notesbynnenna's Reviews (513)
About- A young actress trying to make it in NYC.
Why I picked it– It’s written by Lauren Graham, aka Lorelai Gilmore, aka Sarah Braverman. I’m such a fan of her acting that I had to find out what her writing would be like.
Thoughts- I really enjoyed this. This was another light and breezy read and I was a little sad when it ended. I liked the main character Franny and anytime she talked about struggling to get by in NYC, I could totally relate. If Lauren Graham decided to make a series of Franny’s life and continue the story, I’d definitely read it.
Why I picked it– It’s written by Lauren Graham, aka Lorelai Gilmore, aka Sarah Braverman. I’m such a fan of her acting that I had to find out what her writing would be like.
Thoughts- I really enjoyed this. This was another light and breezy read and I was a little sad when it ended. I liked the main character Franny and anytime she talked about struggling to get by in NYC, I could totally relate. If Lauren Graham decided to make a series of Franny’s life and continue the story, I’d definitely read it.
About- Another food memoir set in Paris.
Why I picked it– I will never get tired of these. First of all, it’s set in Paris. Secondly, it contains many recipes throughout that sound absolutely delicious. Also, remember how my friend recommended a different Paris food memoir to me and I read the wrong one? This is the one I was actually supposed to read!
Thoughts- Like I said, I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of this genre. For a little while I’m transported to another country through the author’s narrative and this helps ease my wanderlust a bit. Next on my list in this category- Mastering the Art of French Eating.
Why I picked it– I will never get tired of these. First of all, it’s set in Paris. Secondly, it contains many recipes throughout that sound absolutely delicious. Also, remember how my friend recommended a different Paris food memoir to me and I read the wrong one? This is the one I was actually supposed to read!
Thoughts- Like I said, I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of this genre. For a little while I’m transported to another country through the author’s narrative and this helps ease my wanderlust a bit. Next on my list in this category- Mastering the Art of French Eating.
About- A young girl who’s more interested in living in a fictional world than the real world.
Why I picked it– I loved loved loved Eleanor & Park, so I was pretty excited when I heard the author was releasing a new book.
Thoughts- I find Rainbow Rowell’s work very engaging. I get invested in the characters and I want to see them grow and be happy. She left the ending somewhat unresolved, which can be frustrating as a reader, but I think I do understand why she did it. I also learned about fan fiction, which was a term I’d heard before, but didn’t really know much about.
Why I picked it– I loved loved loved Eleanor & Park, so I was pretty excited when I heard the author was releasing a new book.
Thoughts- I find Rainbow Rowell’s work very engaging. I get invested in the characters and I want to see them grow and be happy. She left the ending somewhat unresolved, which can be frustrating as a reader, but I think I do understand why she did it. I also learned about fan fiction, which was a term I’d heard before, but didn’t really know much about.
About- Falling in love with someone without ever meeting them.
Why I picked it– It’s another Rainbow Rowell book.
Thoughts- This was my least favorite of her books. First of all, the premise is a little creepy: an IT guy at a company is tasked with checking employee emails for inappropriate behavior. He basically snoops on one of the employees and finds out all of these personal details about her and slowly falls in love with her. The catch is that he’s never met her in person and she doesn’t know he’s reading her emails. I mean, that’s a total invasion of privacy, right (he keeps reading her emails, even when they’re not flagged with anything inappropriate)? Also, I thought her characters were a bit flat and not as fleshed out as they tend to be. However, I believe this was her first book, so I can cut her some slack here; her other books are much better.
Why I picked it– It’s another Rainbow Rowell book.
Thoughts- This was my least favorite of her books. First of all, the premise is a little creepy: an IT guy at a company is tasked with checking employee emails for inappropriate behavior. He basically snoops on one of the employees and finds out all of these personal details about her and slowly falls in love with her. The catch is that he’s never met her in person and she doesn’t know he’s reading her emails. I mean, that’s a total invasion of privacy, right (he keeps reading her emails, even when they’re not flagged with anything inappropriate)? Also, I thought her characters were a bit flat and not as fleshed out as they tend to be. However, I believe this was her first book, so I can cut her some slack here; her other books are much better.
About- An old man who takes in two orphan girls and does his best to protect them.
Why I picked it– This was our latest book club book, so I actually didn’t pick this one.
Thoughts- It was a little difficult to write what this book was about, because there’s not really much as far as plot goes. The book was really well-written and the author described things excellently. When we were discussing this in book club, one of my friends mentioned that it was an short story idea that turned into something much longer. I can see how it’d be difficult to pare this down into a short story, but I also thought it was too long. There are whole portions that I thought could have been cut because nothing was really happening. Then again, it wasn’t really about what happened, but more about certain ideas that the author wanted to convey. So I guess I’m torn. It’s not a book I would have picked up on my own, but that’s the whole point of our book club- to expand our horizons and read outside of our preferred genres.
Why I picked it– This was our latest book club book, so I actually didn’t pick this one.
Thoughts- It was a little difficult to write what this book was about, because there’s not really much as far as plot goes. The book was really well-written and the author described things excellently. When we were discussing this in book club, one of my friends mentioned that it was an short story idea that turned into something much longer. I can see how it’d be difficult to pare this down into a short story, but I also thought it was too long. There are whole portions that I thought could have been cut because nothing was really happening. Then again, it wasn’t really about what happened, but more about certain ideas that the author wanted to convey. So I guess I’m torn. It’s not a book I would have picked up on my own, but that’s the whole point of our book club- to expand our horizons and read outside of our preferred genres.
About- A teenage girl dies suddenly and her mother tries to pick up the pieces and discover what lead to her death.
Why I picked it– At the time I was looking for a little bit of a thriller and I saw this recommended on Grace’s blog.
Thoughts- This is great if you’re looking for a quick and captivating read. There were a couple twists in there that I didn’t expect. I think I also saw this recommended somewhere for people who are fans of Gone Girl. I didn’t think it was nearly as great as Gone Girl but it was a good read.
Why I picked it– At the time I was looking for a little bit of a thriller and I saw this recommended on Grace’s blog.
Thoughts- This is great if you’re looking for a quick and captivating read. There were a couple twists in there that I didn’t expect. I think I also saw this recommended somewhere for people who are fans of Gone Girl. I didn’t think it was nearly as great as Gone Girl but it was a good read.
About- Two strong women who face a lot of heartbreak in their lives and a special painting that connects them.
Why I picked it– I really enjoyed Me Before You so I thought I’d read this latest book by Jojo Moyes.
Thoughts- This book is set in two different time periods and it was a bit of a slow start for me at first. Then, just when I was getting hooked on Sophie’s story (the first main character), the narrative switches to the second main character, Liv. The author does do a really good job of weaving the lives of these two women together. My only little complaint is that I wish a bit more of the book was written from Sophie’s perspective because I thought her life was more interesting.
Why I picked it– I really enjoyed Me Before You so I thought I’d read this latest book by Jojo Moyes.
Thoughts- This book is set in two different time periods and it was a bit of a slow start for me at first. Then, just when I was getting hooked on Sophie’s story (the first main character), the narrative switches to the second main character, Liv. The author does do a really good job of weaving the lives of these two women together. My only little complaint is that I wish a bit more of the book was written from Sophie’s perspective because I thought her life was more interesting.
About- A young woman who moves to America for a better life and in the end returns to her home country.
Why I picked it– I’d been on the library waiting list for this one forever, so I was really excited when it was finally ready. The author is Nigerian and my family is Nigerian, so I thought I would definitely be able to relate to the story. I’ve only heard good things about her work too, so I was really looking forward to this one.
Thoughts- This book didn’t disappoint. I don’t think there are really a ton of books out there written from this perspective- a Nigerian-American. I feel like I got an extra kick out of this book because I knew about a lot of the Nigerian things she was referring to, but I do think any one from an immigrant family could relate to this. She brings up lots of interesting points about race and describes what it’s like to acclimate to American life. I definitely found this book interesting and I look forward to reading more by this author.
Why I picked it– I’d been on the library waiting list for this one forever, so I was really excited when it was finally ready. The author is Nigerian and my family is Nigerian, so I thought I would definitely be able to relate to the story. I’ve only heard good things about her work too, so I was really looking forward to this one.
Thoughts- This book didn’t disappoint. I don’t think there are really a ton of books out there written from this perspective- a Nigerian-American. I feel like I got an extra kick out of this book because I knew about a lot of the Nigerian things she was referring to, but I do think any one from an immigrant family could relate to this. She brings up lots of interesting points about race and describes what it’s like to acclimate to American life. I definitely found this book interesting and I look forward to reading more by this author.
About- A group of students at a liberal college who murder one of their own friends.
Why I picked it– A friend told me that she was reading this book and that it was really great. A little later, I saw this on Flavorwire on a list that was called something like “The 20 Best Books You’ve Never Heard of.”
Thoughts- From the very beginning of the book, you know that one of the main characters is going to die, but you don’t know how or why. That’s a pretty great way to hook the reader in. This book is a bit long and dense, but I wouldn’t ever say I was bored. There are layers upon layers, and slowly the author pulls them back to reveal what’s underneath. You can also tell that the author is extremely intelligent from the way she references classical texts thought the novel. It’s not pretentious though- you don’t have to know every reference to understand what’s going on and it is in line with the story since the characters are studying classical Greek. She recently released a new book, The Goldfinch, and the critics are raving about it, so I’ve added that to my to-read list as well.
Why I picked it– A friend told me that she was reading this book and that it was really great. A little later, I saw this on Flavorwire on a list that was called something like “The 20 Best Books You’ve Never Heard of.”
Thoughts- From the very beginning of the book, you know that one of the main characters is going to die, but you don’t know how or why. That’s a pretty great way to hook the reader in. This book is a bit long and dense, but I wouldn’t ever say I was bored. There are layers upon layers, and slowly the author pulls them back to reveal what’s underneath. You can also tell that the author is extremely intelligent from the way she references classical texts thought the novel. It’s not pretentious though- you don’t have to know every reference to understand what’s going on and it is in line with the story since the characters are studying classical Greek. She recently released a new book, The Goldfinch, and the critics are raving about it, so I’ve added that to my to-read list as well.
About- An ordinary girl whose life is changed forever when she makes a dangerous new friend.
Why I picked it– It was recommended somewhere, but unfortunately I can’t remember where.
Thoughts- This book actually turned out to be more sinister than I thought it would be. Rose, the protagonist, meets Odalie, the villain, at the beginning of the book and then we see how Rose’s life basically falls apart in the span of one year. I really enjoyed the setting- Prohibition era in New York. The most interesting part of this book for me was understanding what motivates each character to act the way that they do.
Why I picked it– It was recommended somewhere, but unfortunately I can’t remember where.
Thoughts- This book actually turned out to be more sinister than I thought it would be. Rose, the protagonist, meets Odalie, the villain, at the beginning of the book and then we see how Rose’s life basically falls apart in the span of one year. I really enjoyed the setting- Prohibition era in New York. The most interesting part of this book for me was understanding what motivates each character to act the way that they do.