Eliza Pine

Sonder - the realization that everyone around you is living a complex life that you have no idea about. The book tackles this feeling through describing the fears and hopes of a half-dozen people on an airplane that crashes, with a young boy as the sole survivor. An exploration of trauma and the humanity that binds us. Emotional and gut-wrenching.

This book hit me like a ton of bricks and I couldn't stop crying after I finished it. It had the perfect balance of description and omission, to create a sense of genuine mystery. The themes is here were so rich and sophisticated that I felt like I was reading classic literature. Family, racism, social status, memories... they're all addressed here. A stunning read.

I thought this book contains a message that every high school needs to hear. Seeing it written down is a real wake-up call, and I can see how helpful it would be for someone to acutely pinpoint their goals. A point that I appreciated is how these tips aren't just for college, they're for living a truly interesting and passionate life. However, this book ignored the fact that some people simply don't have the money to put these plans into action.

The calm prose of these short stories depicts loneliness, chaos, and regret unflinchingly. I found the tone of these stories very unique - like a figurative looming cloud over people in the midst of a crossroads in their lives, both significant and mundane, it all paints them equal. It's very unsettling and thought-provoking. This is a timely and important book.

The worldbuilding in here is simply divine, and the descriptions of the titular character's travels and places are very lush. However, the characters are bland and rely mostly on old tropes. The plot is pretty predictable as well and the length could have easily been cut in half. It's good if you're looking for a basic fantasy book.

I really, really wanted to like this book. Unfortunately I just couldn't get into it, the characters were so bland and the plot seemed repetitive and way too drawn out. I have to say, however, the descriptions were luscious and the world-building was excellent. I think this would have worked better as a movie. Interesting premise, subpar execution.

This novel is a sweeping narrative about the Americas before Columbus. I don't think I have ever enjoyed learning about anything in history as much as I have while reading this book. Some civilizations had a history, in its complexity, that rivaled Game of Thrones. I was blown away by the sheer amount of knowledge this book possessed. Important material.

Sometimes, Shakespeare's histories can fall flat, but Henry V avoids that fate by being both a historical account and a study in the power of language and promises. It turns regular events into a dynamic and complicated powerhouse of sparring ideals. The skill it takes to adopt past events into something this developed and engaging is marvelous.

This book has haunted me for weeks after finishing it. The characters are so alive and burn with nostalgia, despair, and just a little bit of heart-wrenching hope. I cried after finishing it. The writing is so visceral and emotional that sometimes it's overwhelming. This is a full experience into current-day America and the broken people that wander it. Fascinating.

The pacing of this book was weird and it seemed like the actual climax wasn't treated as a climax. It stuffed what seemed like half of the events into the last 100 pages. However, I loved the snappy and comedic dialogue. The vastly different and successful cast of female characters was thought-provoking and empowering.