Will Grayson, Will Grayson: BerryReads

Hello!

"Quite expectedly, as it's totally cliché, the two Will's cross paths and their lives intertwine"

With a new year, the idea of resolutions is very strongly in mind. Although reading may not directly be one of those resolutions, relaxing and spending more time for yourself may be, and this is where reading comes in. On the other hand, reading may well be on your resolutions list, and I'll let you know that this book will make things a lot easier for you - you will not be able to put it down. As John Green is a co-writer, I didn't expect any different - and this did not disappoint. 

"One of the Will's is gay, and the other not, but, has a gay best friend...that's where trouble arrises"

The story told from the perspective of two boys, both of which are named 'Will Grayson'. Every chapter a switch is made from one Will Graysons life to the other Will Graysons life. They live very different lives and although you can sometimes get a bit confused of which characters are in which Will Graysons life, you can vividly picture each Will's life in your head (gosh that's confusing to explain but the book is totally not). A few chapters in and it is easier to distinguish between the lives of the Will Graysons. One of the Will's is gay, and the other not, but, has a gay best friend. You read the story of how the gay Will Grayson comes out and comes to terms with who he is. It is nice to see that it's not a 'big deal' that he's gay, and he is still completely accepted. The Will's are quite similar too, both like to give off the I-don't-care-about-anything vibe but it's nice to see how they evolve as characters.

Quite expectedly, as it's totally cliché, the two Will's cross paths and their lives intertwine. With one Will Grayson going out with the other Will Grayson's gay best friend - that's where trouble arrises.

Without giving much of the story away, I will say that it's an easy read (the best types of reads!). 'Will Grayson, Will Grayson' has a great story line which you find yourself easily following along with. You're bound to find something in common with at least one aspect of the characters, and it's nice to see how things play out.

Overall, something especially great for teenagers, but not meaning anyone of any age will not enjoy it, very modern and a book you will not be able to put down (can John Green do any wrong?).
*Available on Amazon (link)

Tell me, are you a fan of John Green books?

The Last Letter from your Lover- Jojo Moyes :BerryReads

Hello!

"It was a hard book to get into, but about 1/2 way in, it grabbed me."

It's that time again, about a month on from writing about one of the best books I've read this year, it's time to review The Last Letter from your Lover. This one, a completely different genre to the one we last talked about here, cannot even compare to Cuckoo's Calling. It's good, but not as great, and considering she's the author of Me Before You, I was disappointed... until I read the ending. 

"the book has a deeper meaning... (which) seeps in when you grasp what is going on"

There's the woman, Jennifer, who every girl was jealous of - after her accident she lost her memory and had to just believe she was what others tell her. Later did she realise she was leading a double life, although she was married, she was with a 'secret' man who actually made her feel happy. She was part of  society when divorce was frowned upon, when womans' opinions should not be expressed, nor should they have a say in politics. Jennifer had thought she was being 'out of order' by doing what made her happy and in her eyes, most importantly: 'what would people say?'. This really does show how society has changed. How lucky we are, as woman, to have the same rights as men in the world we live in today.

The dilemma: after Jennifer realised she would not never be as happy with her husband as she did with her lover, but will she do whats right for her, or what's right for woman in 60's society?

"I was disappointed... until I read the ending."

As I mentioned before, the ending was great. Don't get me wrong, I did not skip a few pages to read the ending, I read it cover to cover, but the beginning was a bit of a let down. It was unstructured, jumping from one decade to the next, one scenario to another without much of a clue to what's going on. It was a hard book to get into, but about 1/2 way in, it grabbed me. The story line is like a typical romantic book - it's got the protagonist, the problem they face and the love life they're not happy with. The interesting thing about this, which you realise mid-book, is that there's another girl, decades later, who can relate to all of this. I feel the book has a deeper meaning, the idea that 'you are not alone' seeps in when you grasp what is going on.

Overall, a good book - if only the beginning drew me in quicker!
Are you a fan of romantic stories? Or do you feel they always have the same storyline?

BerryReads: LA Candy - Review

Hello!

"basically reality TV in the form of a book - drama  with no depth."

Although it was only the other day the Autumn Reading Wish List was released, the last novel read still deserves a feature on BBXO! L.A. Candy, the first of many novels written by the lovely Lauren Conrad, was the pick of the week and here's the summary:

Lets start with the end, it was unexpected. I was literally confused as to whether or not there were pages missing at the end. You are left with not exactly knowing what happens, and oddly wanting more. I say 'oddly' as you just want a proper ending! Definitely a book considered as ending on a cliffhanger.

The storyline was loosely based on the authors' career as a reality show star, which is also a similar storyline to her other novel, previously reviewed on BBXO, called 'The Fame Game'. It was definitely a light read, with obvious things-that-only-happen-in-movies moments throughout the entire book. I would also say this was basically reality TV in the form of a book - drama  with no depth.

Being it Lauren Conrad's first novel, she did an amazing job. If you're one looking for a light read, feeling a bit like you're reading a magazine at times and others when you really do empathise with the characters - this one is for you!

What do you think of TV show stars turned authors? 

Autumn '14 Reading Wish List

Hello! 

'colder weather meaning we're less likely to go out.. so more time for reading? '

Although it may not be Autumn according to the calendar yet we all know September is basically Autumn! This means it's a new season with colder weather meaning we're less likely to go out.. so more time for reading? 

The last reading wish list was released and it's true to say I didn't read all the books, yet if I read at least one book of the wish list, I'm happy! Also, this way you can get ideas, too! 

"I hope you find some ideas for reading this Autumn"

So, to give you a bit of an idea of the books chosen, here's a summary of each:

The Husband's Secret
A lady whom is very successful and married found a letter that her husband wrote which was meant to be read after his death. The lady found it while he was alive - it contained his deepest, darkest secret and would change their lives forever...  see Good Reads version here.

#GIRLBOSS
This aspirational book doesn’t patronize young women the way many business experts do. Amoruso shows readers how to channel their passion and hard work, while keeping their insecurities from getting in the way. She offers straight talk about making your voice heard and doing meaningful work. see more here.

Freakonomics
Through forceful storytelling and wry insight, Levitt and Dubner show that economics is, at root, the study of incentives—how people get what they want, or need, especially when other people want or need the same thing. In Freakonomics, they explore the hidden side of . . . well, everything. Link to Good Reads for more.

Thinking, Fast and Slow
(from Good Reads: ) In the highly anticipated Thinking, Fast and Slow, Kahneman takes us on a groundbreaking tour of the mind and explains the two systems that drive the way we think. System 1 is fast, intuitive, and emotional; System 2 is slower, more deliberative, and more logical. more here.


I hope you find some ideas for reading this Autumn, and tell me: your favourite book at the moment?

BerryReads: Restoring Grace

Hello!

I've been reading like crazy recently, it's a good thing and a bad thing. The bad thing is that it means I tend to go to bed later than I would but the good thing is that it's very interesting and it really does make me feel happy!

When you read you get loads of inspiration and your imagination runs wild! It's good to feel your imagination stretching and expanding, do you feel the same way?

Anyway, so I picked this book out of a whim and cannot say that I would like to do that again anytime soon - and sometimes wish I knew what book I wanted before I picked it out, here's why:

Well, the book itself doesn't have a fixed storyline. There's no one thing that is focused on throughout the whole story. In one sense, I guess there is, as 3 girls become friends but the entire thing feels very loose and there're no fixed connections. All of it seems very unrealistic and I guess it's quite un-relatable.

I found myself constantly trying to find something that will make me feel relatable to the characters, so they can inspire and 'click' with my imagination but I guess that click never came.

The story is very slow paced. A lot of the things you know are going to happen but it takes far much longer than it should to get to the time when it actually does happen, and you're not surprised when it does because you were expecting it. If things took longer than it should have and something you did not expect to happen turns up then it would be worth the wait, but not in this case.

So many questions pop into your head when your reading a book, any book in this matter, however, in this particular book there are so many answers left untold. Again, in some cases this is good because it makes you think of it yourself, however, there just isn't enough information to do this - and then you're left disappointed because you're not satisfied.

On the contrary to all of this, I've left quite a few books hanging in my time, yet this wasn't one of them. This goes to show that the book is not so BORING that you don't want to pick it up. Yes, I agree that it's an okay storyline if the author expanded it and made it something bigger - this wasn't the case.

Overall, I recommend you do not read this, unless you're looking for a EXTREMELY light read with no surprises and very slow paced.
I give it a 4/10.

What book do you recommend I read next - one better than this, I hope?!