BOOK REVIEW: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi (YA)

"I spent my life folded between the pages of books."

Shatter Me is the first novel of the Shatter Me trilogy by Tahereh Mafi. When first reading a summary of this novel I was instantly attracted by the premise. Take a girl, named Juliette, who lives in a dystopian world where the earth's ozone layer has been destroyed and now a government body called The Reestablishment monitors and organizes every aspect of every one's lives. Now this girl is no ordinary person. She has a unique ability or rather a curse it seems which causes her to drain the life of any other individual by simply touching them with her skin.

The reason I was so drawn to this is as a fan of X-men, and Rogue being in particular my favorite member, she had a similar affliction which never allowed her to touch any other human being without severally hurting or killing them. 

Juliette has been put into an asylum, since it seems no one knows what to do with her, and left to die. She soon gets someone to share her cell which could not be more terrifying for her. It turns out however the presence of this newcomer is not what it seems. She soon finds herself being taken out of the asylum where she finds out the truth about the newcomer: the leader of sector 45 has been watching her, and he wants her for himself.

"' You are absolutely delicious when you're angry.' 'Too bad my taste is poisonous for your palate'"

Juliette understands now that Warner, the leader of sector 45, means to use her curse to his advantage and possibly as a weapon of torture and murder. She soon realizes that Adam, the original soldier placed within the confines of the asylum with her knows her better than he let on, and actually means to help her.

Juliette and Adam find solace in one another and quickly fall in love, as he too has a special gift meaning he is the only one who can get close to her. Or so we think for some time. As they attempt to escape she finds out more about Adam, and realizes she has known him all along, and he quickly discovers why she was considered so dangerous that she was locked up to die.

"My face is in his hands and my lips are on his lips and he's kissing me and i'm oxygen and he's dying to breathe."

They also find help from other unlikely sources and soon discover that in fact they are not the only ones with these gifts and are able to escape the base of sector 45 to a haven called Omega Point. It is here that Juliette realizes that her abilities are not truly a curse but a power she has yet to harness and she becomes determined to do just that for the greater good of all mankind.

This first novel of the series was incredibly gripping and action packed. I have to admit my love for dystopian novels with female leads, especially those who have yet to find out just how truly strong they are and how much the world needs them to help fix what the powers in charge have broken. The similarities between Juliette and Rogue from the X-men is really uncanny whether the writer meant it to be or not. And the leading man, Adam, is exactly what you would want in a male hero; he doesn't just take over but he recognizes the need for her to not just let go of her fear but to embrace the concept that she can be loved. When everything in her world has told her that no one could possibly hold any feeling except disdain and panic, he loves her so fully and openly. It is both refreshing and of course my own heart skipped a beat.

"All I ever wanted was to reach out and touch another human being not just with my hands, but with my heart."

Warner is not what he seems I would think. While he comes across has a sociopath with nothing but murder in his mind, it seems like there has to be another element there. A piece that we as the readers are missing.

Overall the first novel definitely kept me hooked for the upcoming novels.

Questions or Comments? leave them here :)

BOOKSTORE LOVE AFFAIR: Book/Shop in Oakland, CA

This week's bookstore love affair is located in Northern California!

Name: Book/Shop

Location: 482d 49th Street
               Oakland, CA 94709

Why it is awesome: I came across this when I was looking up cool bookstores on a route to Seattle for a trip. It is small and boutique like, but I love the look as well as the mission. They seek not only to sell books but to sell the inspiration to read. They have cute decor such as wall art and vintage literature posters as well as people who want to help you complete a one of a kind unique library of your own by helping in anyway they can!

You can check out their website here :)

http://book---shop.com/

BOOK REVIEW: Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin

"The city is going to burn because its time is over."

I, like many of you, may have recently seen the trailer for the upcoming film Winter's Tale and felt an instant desire to read the novel that the story is based on. I was surprised to see that it was written in the 80's but nonetheless, I was thrilled to get started reading it before I go to see the film.

I don't know if you would consider this a spoiler but I have to say that the novel was really not at all what I was expecting. From the trailer alone I get the sense of this love story that seems so epic in nature that it is able to stop time. However, the actual story is so much more complex and deep than that.

"And you will know exactly who you are, forever, by knowing what it is that you love."

You are introduced to a number of different characters, some from the beginning of the 1900's and then some from the soon turn of the century (the novel is based in the future of 1999 from when it was written in the 80's.) Each character is significant because they have a purpose, and most of all, their purpose is how they ultimately change or impact the upcoming events within the city of New York City. 

New York City is at the core of the novel because the city itself is what forces each character's actions and decisions. Helprin is constantly describing in detail the life of the city and its impact on the people who attempt to survive within it. It is both dark and light, both corrupt and pure. He pays special attention to the colors of the city which I found the most beautiful in his writing. The colors have such an effect on how you feel or visualize the scene he is describing to you and it makes it so easy to place yourself within the moment. 

"We learn that justice may not always follow a just act, that justice can sleep for years and awaken when it is least expected, that a miracle is nothing more than dormant justice from another time arriving to compensate those it has cruelly abandoned."

I had originally believed that I was going to be reading this great love story. The truth is the story is truly based on how love builds this bridge to harmony and peace. It allows life to rebuild and sustain even in its darkest and most terrifying moments. This love is infinite and continues to pass from one person to another. Each person makes sacrifices that impacts those around them so much that it is impossible for them to not continue to pass it on. And most interesting is the crossover in time. Peter Lake and others have found this time loop in which they re enter NYC almost 100 years later. Their purpose has not been completed and they are then needed in order to pursue justice in the city either by contributing positively or to keep the balance between depravity and righteousness. 

"He knew that, in the eyes of God, all things are interlinked; he knew that justice does indeed spring in great surprise from the acts and consequences of ages long forgotten; and he knew that love is not broken by time."

This was the true underlining meaning of this story. The city is able to live and thrive due to those who care enough to help it and help each other. You ultimately see many of these characters as angels on earth, though some might seem really unlikely because they have been corrupt in their past. Their love redeems them.

It is a beautifully descriptive story. The length might be intimidating for some but I would argue that it is completely worth it. I'm fascinated to see the movie to compare from the novel.

If you'd like to see the trailer check it out here!

Winter's Tale: Feb 14th!

LIBRARY LOVE AFFAIR: Library of Alexandria (Egypt)

This week's library love affair: The Library of Alexandria (aka Bibliotheca Alexandrina)

Address: Located on the shore of the Mediterranean in the city of Alexandria, Egypt

This modern library was built upon the original area where the ancient Library of Alexandria stood. It is not only a library but houses a museum of antiquities.

BOOK REVIEW: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

"Real life was something happening in her peripheral vision."

Knowing when it is time to move on and accept the changes in your life is something we all must face at one or more points in our lives. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell introduces us to Cather, or Cath as she likes to be called, a girl who is beginning her first semester at college and faced with the difficult notion that everything in her world is being turned upside down.

Cath and her twin sister Wren go off to college and much to Cath's surprise her sister has no intention of being a part of a duo any longer. All of a sudden she finds herself alone, without her father, who lives now a few hours away, without her twin, who wants to become her own person away from her twin sister, and away from basically all that she loves. All except her fan-fiction.

"I'd rather pour myself into a world I love and understand..."

Cath is obsessed with Simon Snow (which as the reader we can basically tell it is a fictional version of the fictional story of Harry Potter) and is one of the most active fan-fiction writers of Simon Snow stories. In fact she has a huge following that hang on her every word through the fan-fiction community. It seems that only when she is writing that she feels any joy, traumatized by anxiety of meeting new people and having to find a life of her own.

Cath continues to face numerous challenges that come with becoming your own person: Meeting new people, balancing past relationships and family life, dealing with an absent mother who attempts to show up again, how to preserve her love of fan-fiction and becoming a writer, and of course men.

" He liked to talk about Simon Snow, too. He'd seen all the movies two or three times. Levi saw lots of movies- he liked anything with fantasy or adventure. Superheroes. Hobbits. Wizards. If only he were a better reader, Cath thought, he could have been a proper nerd. Well... maybe."

Being a typical nerd girl, I fell in love with this story. This struggle with your secret nerd life that you feel no one will ever understand, and then trying to be a part of the real world is definitely a challenge. But the truth is, everyone has a secret nerd life, something they obsess over that we feel no one else will ever understand. The trick, as Cath will discover, is that even if others don't understand it, this doesn't necessarily mean they will shut you out for it. Her deep love for Simon and Baz makes her feel that she is actually a part of the story and fan-fiction allows her to create the story she wishes to see. How many people have read a novel and you just keep wishing you could decide the outcome? It is the same reason we continue to read tragic stories and keep thinking that this time when I read it the outcome will be a happy one.

What Cath comes to realize and what most people realize when faced with these drastic changes in our lives is that the people around us, our friends, our boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife don't have to understand our nerdy fascinations. They just need to embrace that it is a part of us. Everyone has to geek out over something and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

As for a love story, it was subtle and sweet and not a great romantic drama which is perfect. It is what love really is in life. And I found that refreshing.

This novel certainly hit close to home, but it was cute, funny, quirky, and I adored every nerdy moment.

"You win when no one finds you, even if they're not looking."

BOOK REVIEW: The Catcher In the Rye by J.D. Salinger

"Among other things, you'll find you're not the first person who was ever confused and frightened and even sickened by human behavior. You're by no means alone on that score, you'll be excited and stimulated to know."

In J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye we are introduced to Holden Caulfield, a young man who has been dismissed from his private school Pencey Prep. As we are introduced to him from his own point of view we discover this is not the first time. He has continued to flunk out of private schools for quite some time, but as he continues his introduction we realize it is not for lack of intellect but rather lack of interest.

Over the next several days we follow Holden's life as he avoids returning home to his family and facing his parents, where he will have to explain why he has once again been expelled. He heads to New York (where his family resides) but instead avoids going home through numerous activities such as staying at a hotel, going out to bars though he is underage, attempting to hire a hooker, ringing up ex girlfriend Sally Hayes for a date as well as an old prep school friend, and eventually sneaks to see his younger sister.

Through all of these activities is when we really discover Holden's character. He is extremely depressed which he refers to over and over again. It seems almost impossible for him to find any joy in anything, but rather is constantly referring to how any item, person, or activity only deepens his despair.

"I'm the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life. It's awful. If I'm on my way to the store to buy a magazine, even, and somebody asks me where I'm going, I'm liable to say I'm going to the opera. It's terrible."

For the reader, it is difficult to not let your mind go to these dark and depressing corners of your mind while reading this novel. Though the story is filled with teenage angst and contemplation of "what's the point to life" even as an adult it is difficult to not feel the same way. Holden's attitude towards others seems more like a projection than a reflection of what is around him.  He continues to mess with people when he has conversations, making up lies or goading them, yet he constantly is speaking about how fake everyone is. But it seems to the reader that it is Holden who is constantly putting on a mask. I had the continual feeling that in order to preserve his despair and not face his lack of ability or lack of desire he continues to project his own character on those around him. It is true some of the people in his life are pretty ridiculous and superficial, but according to Holden everyone is this way.

The only thing in his life that seems to make him happy in any way is his younger sister. And it is really easy to see why. He admires her, not only for being younger and already so talented, but because she loves unconditionally. It is in her that he is unable to project these depressing thoughts, but rather seems encouraged to make himself better and worthy of her praise. She loves him so much and she would follow him anywhere which she attempts when he threatens to leave forever. It is for her love that he ultimately faces his future rather than running from it.

"That's the thing about girls. Every time they do something pretty, even if they're not much to look at, or even if they're sort of stupid, you fall in love with them, and then you never know where the hell you are. Girls. Jesus Christ. They can drive you crazy. They really can."

I don't want to worry any future readers that the entire book is just a depressing mess that leaves you questioning your worth. Holden's love for his sister is so uplifting and you realize that even in his deepest despair, there is still some sign of hope and love amongst him. He also is rather funny in his cynicism especially when it comes to referring to women. And most importantly, through his questioning of his purpose he never seems to question the value of living. So while it has angst, it doesn't repeat the same tone of Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar which has a much darker undertone.

The Catcher in the Rye has been long considered a classic, dealing with questions that we have all faced in our lives. Though it is set among the life of a teenager, its undertones and situations apply to anyone who reads it.

"Don't ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody."

BOOKSTORE LOVE AFFAIR: Libreria el Ateneo

This week's bookstore love affair features a beautiful and creative use of space located in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Address: Avenida Callao,

                Buenos Aires, Argentina

                + 54 11 4813-6052

Why you'll love it: This bookstore is incredibly beautiful and unique. The building itself (known as El Ateneo Grand) was once a gorgeous performance palace. The bookstore uses the main floor where seating once was as well as the opera boxes to store books and provide reading rooms. Though it now functions as a store, it has been able to keep its original luster of a performance venue from the 1920's.