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yoongitloml's reviews
116 reviews
Coin Heist by Elisa Ludwig
4.0
Loved it!
The last place you'd expect to find a team of criminals is at a prestigious Philadelphia prep school. But on a class trip to the U.S. Mint --- which prints a million new coins every 30 minutes --- an overlooked security flaw becomes far too tempting for a small group of students to ignore. United by dire circumstances, these unlikely allies --- the nerd, the slacker, the athlete, and the perfect student - band together to attempt the impossible: rob the U.S. Mint. This diverse crew is forced to confront their true beliefs about each other and themselves as they do the wrong thing for the right reasons.
Coin Heist has the feel of an ABC Family made-for-TV movie. It's cheesy, fun, and there's no way in heck it would ever happen in real life! It also has a bit of a Breakfast Club vibe, with teens from different groups coming together for a common purpose, and forging new friendships in the end. Alice is the brain. Jason is the class clown. Dakota is student body vice president. Benny is the scholarship kid. But they all have one thing in common: they need money. More specifically, they need money for their school since Jason's dad--who is the headmaster--gambled away $50 million of the school's funds. Oops.
It all starts with a trip to the US Mint. Alice immediately realized that their computer system isn't very secure, which gets the attention of Jason. He's become a social pariah since the news of his father broke, and he feels like he should fix it. Then Benny overhears Alice and Jason, and wants in on it, because no money, means no scholarship for him. Finally, Dakota wants to lend her skill set, since she wants all of the school's clubs and after school activities back in place for her college applications. They all have everything to gain, and everything to lose, but they're in it to win it!
Of course, there's no way I could believe four high school juniors could ever successfully rob the US Mint. But Coin Heist made me think it was possible for 300 pages! They planned, and planned, and planned some more. They have back up plans for their back up plans. But everything that can go wrong, does go wrong. Details were overlooked for the overarching plot, but that was okay. I was just having so much fun seeing if they could pull it off!
Coin Heist was just a really quick, fun, feel good read. It's one of those books that just lets you turn your mind off and enjoy the ride. I think the outcome is fairly obvious, but that didn't stop my enjoyment of how they got there.
The last place you'd expect to find a team of criminals is at a prestigious Philadelphia prep school. But on a class trip to the U.S. Mint --- which prints a million new coins every 30 minutes --- an overlooked security flaw becomes far too tempting for a small group of students to ignore. United by dire circumstances, these unlikely allies --- the nerd, the slacker, the athlete, and the perfect student - band together to attempt the impossible: rob the U.S. Mint. This diverse crew is forced to confront their true beliefs about each other and themselves as they do the wrong thing for the right reasons.
Coin Heist has the feel of an ABC Family made-for-TV movie. It's cheesy, fun, and there's no way in heck it would ever happen in real life! It also has a bit of a Breakfast Club vibe, with teens from different groups coming together for a common purpose, and forging new friendships in the end. Alice is the brain. Jason is the class clown. Dakota is student body vice president. Benny is the scholarship kid. But they all have one thing in common: they need money. More specifically, they need money for their school since Jason's dad--who is the headmaster--gambled away $50 million of the school's funds. Oops.
It all starts with a trip to the US Mint. Alice immediately realized that their computer system isn't very secure, which gets the attention of Jason. He's become a social pariah since the news of his father broke, and he feels like he should fix it. Then Benny overhears Alice and Jason, and wants in on it, because no money, means no scholarship for him. Finally, Dakota wants to lend her skill set, since she wants all of the school's clubs and after school activities back in place for her college applications. They all have everything to gain, and everything to lose, but they're in it to win it!
Of course, there's no way I could believe four high school juniors could ever successfully rob the US Mint. But Coin Heist made me think it was possible for 300 pages! They planned, and planned, and planned some more. They have back up plans for their back up plans. But everything that can go wrong, does go wrong. Details were overlooked for the overarching plot, but that was okay. I was just having so much fun seeing if they could pull it off!
Coin Heist was just a really quick, fun, feel good read. It's one of those books that just lets you turn your mind off and enjoy the ride. I think the outcome is fairly obvious, but that didn't stop my enjoyment of how they got there.
The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving by Jonathan Evison
5.0
LIFE-AFFIRMING STORY OF A DISABLED TEENAGER AND HIS CLUELESS CARER
This is the story of Ben, a caregiver with a an unhappy past who is hired to look after a teenager with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Ben has his estranged wife chasing him to finalise their divorce, he is struggling financially and is stuck in a rut. The book gradually reveals the tragic circumstances leading to his current situation, whilst following the eventful road trip that Ben and Trevor embark on to visit Trevor's father and to see the World's Largest pit. The people they meet on their journey and their backgrounds adds a lot of extra interest to the story. Whilst some of the material is sad and downbeat there are elements of humour and it is a very engaging tale.
After reading the book, I watched the Netflix adaptaton of the book, and what caught me by surprise is that while the film chose to centre on the relationship between Ben and Trevor, the book is really focussed on Ben, with Trevor as a more minor character. I actually prefer the story as told in the film rather than the book.
This is a lovely book. It's sad and funny and everything in between.
Read it!!
This is the story of Ben, a caregiver with a an unhappy past who is hired to look after a teenager with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Ben has his estranged wife chasing him to finalise their divorce, he is struggling financially and is stuck in a rut. The book gradually reveals the tragic circumstances leading to his current situation, whilst following the eventful road trip that Ben and Trevor embark on to visit Trevor's father and to see the World's Largest pit. The people they meet on their journey and their backgrounds adds a lot of extra interest to the story. Whilst some of the material is sad and downbeat there are elements of humour and it is a very engaging tale.
After reading the book, I watched the Netflix adaptaton of the book, and what caught me by surprise is that while the film chose to centre on the relationship between Ben and Trevor, the book is really focussed on Ben, with Trevor as a more minor character. I actually prefer the story as told in the film rather than the book.
This is a lovely book. It's sad and funny and everything in between.
Read it!!
Lady Susan by Jane Austen
“There is exquisite pleasure in subduing an insolent spirit, in making a person pre-determined to dislike, acknowledge one's superiority."
I really enjoyed Lady Susan and reading the story through the use of letters. It gives us a lot of ideas of what is really going on inside the characters' head and how they feel about the whole situation. There's a bit (there's a lot, actually) of intrigue and gossip. Although, this work of Jane Austen is incomplete, it is worth the time and I just love Lady Susan, she may not be an ideal role model according to many people, but she really emphasizes on the folly of men and tries to convey the fact that if you are not in the need of money, you don't need to marry anyone, go on in life and try different men. And even if you don't like Lady Susan herself, you have to admire her ability to scheme!
Long story short (this story was actually just 45 pages long!), I loved this book, very unlike the usual heroine of Jane Austen!
READ THE BOOK!!!
“There is exquisite pleasure in subduing an insolent spirit, in making a person pre-determined to dislike, acknowledge one's superiority."
I really enjoyed Lady Susan and reading the story through the use of letters. It gives us a lot of ideas of what is really going on inside the characters' head and how they feel about the whole situation. There's a bit (there's a lot, actually) of intrigue and gossip. Although, this work of Jane Austen is incomplete, it is worth the time and I just love Lady Susan, she may not be an ideal role model according to many people, but she really emphasizes on the folly of men and tries to convey the fact that if you are not in the need of money, you don't need to marry anyone, go on in life and try different men. And even if you don't like Lady Susan herself, you have to admire her ability to scheme!
Long story short (this story was actually just 45 pages long!), I loved this book, very unlike the usual heroine of Jane Austen!
READ THE BOOK!!!
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
4.0
I Love it. I Hate it
Being 14, I had doubts whether I should even read this book, as in many countries it has been banned, but then I remembered the quote of Wilde- There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written, or badly written. That is all., and now here I am writing the review of this book, kind of torn between my own thoughts about the book, Mr. Humbert Humbert and Lolita.
Thing I hated:
1. The most uncomfortable age gap between H.H. and Lolita.
That's all.
Things I loved:
The way the book has been written is absolutely beautiful, and could not have been written any better. I just love the fact how well the author wrote about Humbert, at last making me sympathetic for Humbert, when swear to god, no one should. Some parts of the book just make me think that maybe Humbert is not bad at all, but then the other half of my brain kicks in, telling me that everything I read is so wrong.
And at parts I just wanted to hug Lolita and tell her that she is going to be alright. I just wanted to hug her
The whole book has been written in Humbert's POV, so many-er-times I was at a war with myself whether what i was reading, was that what was really happening, or was it just him being totally blind in his own love for Lolita? I wonder if when shes ‘playfully’ distracting him while he’s driving, was she intentionally trying to crash the car, or like, from H’s point of view, she was just being playful....
She didn’t seduce him, it was his POV.
At last Humbert realizes what he has really done to Lolita, how he really took her childhood away from her and and he kind of gets his punishment. Kind of.
And at last for everyone asking for a book from Dolore's point of view, here's the book: "Lo's Diary" by Pia Pera.
“And the rest is rust and stardust.”
― Vladimir Nabokov, Lolita
Being 14, I had doubts whether I should even read this book, as in many countries it has been banned, but then I remembered the quote of Wilde- There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written, or badly written. That is all., and now here I am writing the review of this book, kind of torn between my own thoughts about the book, Mr. Humbert Humbert and Lolita.
Thing I hated:
1. The most uncomfortable age gap between H.H. and Lolita.
That's all.
Things I loved:
The way the book has been written is absolutely beautiful, and could not have been written any better. I just love the fact how well the author wrote about Humbert, at last making me sympathetic for Humbert, when swear to god, no one should. Some parts of the book just make me think that maybe Humbert is not bad at all, but then the other half of my brain kicks in, telling me that everything I read is so wrong.
And at parts I just wanted to hug Lolita and tell her that she is going to be alright. I just wanted to hug her
The whole book has been written in Humbert's POV, so many-er-times I was at a war with myself whether what i was reading, was that what was really happening, or was it just him being totally blind in his own love for Lolita? I wonder if when shes ‘playfully’ distracting him while he’s driving, was she intentionally trying to crash the car, or like, from H’s point of view, she was just being playful....
She didn’t seduce him, it was his POV.
At last Humbert realizes what he has really done to Lolita, how he really took her childhood away from her and and he kind of gets his punishment. Kind of.
And at last for everyone asking for a book from Dolore's point of view, here's the book: "Lo's Diary" by Pia Pera.
“And the rest is rust and stardust.”
― Vladimir Nabokov, Lolita
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
4.0
5 hours, 42 minutes and 27 seconds
This book just took 5 hours, 42 minutes and 27 seconds off my life, but it'll be on my mind forever.
Every once in a while a book comes along that you simply cannot read enough of. For me Speak is one such book. The first sentence alone is so vivid, it lays the foundation for what comes next. What a powerful book. I didn’t expect to be so taken with Melinda Sordino, but damn, was she so much stronger than I expected.
In the beginning of the book, you see so much of her sarcastic and cynical side, and you wonder whether that’s who she really is or if the incident at the party changed her. And what I loved about this book was how well the author handled the fact that you don’t really come back to being yourself after something as traumatic. It changes who you are and how you look at the world, and that’s why I adored the fact that Melinda didn’t go back to being her happy-go-luck self at the end of the book.
This book really opened my eyes to the struggles of others. Who would’ve thought quiet Melinda would’ve gone through so much? It really puts into perspective that everyone is fighting their own battles, internally or otherwise, and we are in no position to judge them for it. I remember some readers saying that Melinda should’ve just talked to someone and got over it, what, like it’s that simple? The entire book deals with her learning to not blame herself anymore, finding out what she stands for, and discovering who is as a person after what happened. If this book does anything well, it’s helping you understand that everyone deals with trauma differently, and that at times, everyone’s indifference to your struggle does nothing but make it worse. This book really does wonders in showing both the ups and downs in relationships, with your family or even with your friends, and that is ridiculously important in making this book feel realistic.
Another thing I want to talk about before the review ends is the wording in the book. You could spend hours analyzing it and wondering if it implies what you think it implies.
For example, Melinda says “Maybe I’ll be an artist if I grow up.”
And that’s an If, not a when. And its tiny implications like these that give you chills that make this book as amazing as it is.
This book just took 5 hours, 42 minutes and 27 seconds off my life, but it'll be on my mind forever.
Every once in a while a book comes along that you simply cannot read enough of. For me Speak is one such book. The first sentence alone is so vivid, it lays the foundation for what comes next. What a powerful book. I didn’t expect to be so taken with Melinda Sordino, but damn, was she so much stronger than I expected.
In the beginning of the book, you see so much of her sarcastic and cynical side, and you wonder whether that’s who she really is or if the incident at the party changed her. And what I loved about this book was how well the author handled the fact that you don’t really come back to being yourself after something as traumatic. It changes who you are and how you look at the world, and that’s why I adored the fact that Melinda didn’t go back to being her happy-go-luck self at the end of the book.
This book really opened my eyes to the struggles of others. Who would’ve thought quiet Melinda would’ve gone through so much? It really puts into perspective that everyone is fighting their own battles, internally or otherwise, and we are in no position to judge them for it. I remember some readers saying that Melinda should’ve just talked to someone and got over it, what, like it’s that simple? The entire book deals with her learning to not blame herself anymore, finding out what she stands for, and discovering who is as a person after what happened. If this book does anything well, it’s helping you understand that everyone deals with trauma differently, and that at times, everyone’s indifference to your struggle does nothing but make it worse. This book really does wonders in showing both the ups and downs in relationships, with your family or even with your friends, and that is ridiculously important in making this book feel realistic.
Another thing I want to talk about before the review ends is the wording in the book. You could spend hours analyzing it and wondering if it implies what you think it implies.
For example, Melinda says “Maybe I’ll be an artist if I grow up.”
And that’s an If, not a when. And its tiny implications like these that give you chills that make this book as amazing as it is.
Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
4.0
Loved the book!
A very well written book (that was very expected as it is written by one of the greatest thriller books' writer, Agatha Christe), but I admit, it was a little slow at some places. It did have a very unexpected twist in the the end, but if you are a lover of thriller books (like me), the twist in the end might not be a surprise for you. Loved reading it!
Pick the book!
A very well written book (that was very expected as it is written by one of the greatest thriller books' writer, Agatha Christe), but I admit, it was a little slow at some places. It did have a very unexpected twist in the the end, but if you are a lover of thriller books (like me), the twist in the end might not be a surprise for you. Loved reading it!
Pick the book!