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spaul1's reviews
49 reviews
The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
5.0
I reread this when home for winter break and still (7 years later) stand by the fact that it is one of my favorite books of all time. Makes me feel EVERYTHING.
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
5.0
ok I get the characters are terrible but also I grew to care and sympathize and also it’s just SO. GOOD. I love that the beginning reveals such a huge plot point but that the whole book describes all details before, during, + after!!! LOVE IT
Letter to a Christian Nation by Sam Harris
1.0
Honestly, I agree with a lot of the broader ideas of the danger of religion and always have (not just Christianity but religion more broadly). I don’t think it should be present in our government or be as official in our country as it is, and while I see the positives and don’t blame religious texts as being catalysts to people doing terrible things, I still observe them being those catalysts all over the world every day. And that’s difficult to get by sometimes. However, the people that need to actually read and learn anything about this aren’t the people that will actually read this book. + WITH THAT SAID:
This book sheds light on nothing new/profound/well thought out/etc. The tone is really annoying and honestly very rude (and implies that any religious person is stupid which is just ridiculous). It feels like it was written WAY too fast, resulting in nothing being well thought out. Some interesting stats though seems like a lot of out of context arguments as well.
This book sheds light on nothing new/profound/well thought out/etc. The tone is really annoying and honestly very rude (and implies that any religious person is stupid which is just ridiculous). It feels like it was written WAY too fast, resulting in nothing being well thought out. Some interesting stats though seems like a lot of out of context arguments as well.
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
4.0
A lovely story and a page turner! I think I would’ve liked to get more of an inside look on the life of each sister and their current emotions/relationships (and their mother too), but the way it’s done and ends definitely makes sense. I loved the diversity of characters (in personality, sexuality, etc) and the contrast in living situations and places over time. It wasn’t an “all the feels” kind of novel but worth the read :)) And a beautiful cover!!!!
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
4.0
“to evelyn — who had lit up every goddamn room she ever walked into. and who, day after day, makes us feel like we’re living in a dream” ✨
I loved!!!! I love her character and all of the stories and their overlap over time. HARRY ❤️❤️❤️❤️ I couldn’t put it down as I got further and further invested in the people. Giving it a 4 stars only because the writing was so simple, which had me feeling iffy at the beginning. But the story becomes magical! Love the history intertwined with all of the Hollywood craze. It’s incredible to think about all of the people who had these experiences and where we are now.
I loved!!!! I love her character and all of the stories and their overlap over time. HARRY ❤️❤️❤️❤️ I couldn’t put it down as I got further and further invested in the people. Giving it a 4 stars only because the writing was so simple, which had me feeling iffy at the beginning. But the story becomes magical! Love the history intertwined with all of the Hollywood craze. It’s incredible to think about all of the people who had these experiences and where we are now.
Intimations by Zadie Smith
3.0
a pleasant read!! I liked how casual it was and how it brought in such important topics and issues that have only been enhanced in society over the last year. However, I somehow felt like a lot of it was trying a little too hard to be too casual (or maybe it was just quickly written?) and then the end tried really hard to be too profound. I enjoyed this as a quick read, and it’s certainly been making me reflect! But I wish I felt like rating it higher!!!!
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
5.0
don’t think I’ve ever read a book by Adichie that I wouldn’t have given a 5-star... this is a beautiful, beautiful piece
A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
5.0
This is literally the definition of sadness and loss—just when you think you may have hit rock bottom, it only gets worse! However, that said, there’s a lot of love and some really beautiful character development and really important historical context that brings the book together. It’s really tough and really a masterpiece.
The Orchard by David Hopen
4.0
I think I’d give this a 3.5 if there were half stars, but it’s definitely somewhere between 3.5-4. I did really enjoy a lot of it, and it was extremely well written, creative, and interesting. A little much on the philosophy and religion for my taste, but that said, it was a cool idea and balance between that heavy stuff and some much lighter reading. I felt like the last 50ish pages just sorta of came very randomly and ended abruptly, but maybe that’s just me! Nevertheless, there was some great character development and beautiful work!