Review: Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. I just fell in love with the main character who is in fact the author. This is the story of the author's childhood growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution.
I loved Marji's curiosity and her imagination as she was trying to take in everything that was going on around her from the overthrowing of the Shah, dealing with the new regime, and being at war with Iraq.

I also really loved the parents as side characters. There was such a difference between Margi's life in her home and life outside the home. Her parents were so modern and even protested the new regime putting themselves in a lot of danger sometimes. They did many things that were banned like playing cards, having small parties indoors, and drinking alcohol. All of these things were forbidden once the new regime took over. The parents tried to keep her childhood somewhat lively despite having to be very careful and not having anyone outside of family find out.

Overall, I just thought this was really charming. The graphics helped a great deal and really brought this story alive. I appreciated learning about Iran and learning about the Islamic Revolution. It is a tough subject but it was made easier to read since it was told through the eyes of child. Additionally, there was a lot of humor added in which was very enjoyable.
This graphic novel was educational while also being a simple story of a girl coming of age.

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Review: The Underground Railroad

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Amazing book in the fact that it was raw and based in reality. Although this was a fictional book, part of it were very reminiscent of actual slave narratives that I've read in the past. This provided a very real portrayal of a brutal and horrifying time that should never be forgotten.

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Review: The Roanoke Girls

The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this! The Roanoke Girls had a disturbing plot and was somewhat predictable but enjoyable nevertheless. It is an extremely fast read as well.

After the suicide of her mother, Lane Roanoke who is 15, is sent to live with her grandparents on a rural farm in Kansas. Along with Lane, her grandparents also take care of Allegra who is Lane's cousin. Because of unknown events, Lane ran away after only 3 months there and hasn't returned since. Now, years later, Lane finds herself returning home after finding out that Allegra has disappeared.
We know that there are secrets and mysterious circumstances regarding this family's history and we, along with the author, are trying to unravel everything. Every Roanoke Girl is born beautiful and all live short troubled lives. We as readers are left trying to figure out what happened to Allegra and why all of the Roanoke girls seem to die or disappear so young.
This is really a heartbreaking, dark, and haunting tale. This book sucked me in from the beginning and despite the disturbing material, I was emotionally invested in Lane and Allegra's story.

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Review: Behind Closed Doors

Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I have some mixed feelings about this upon finishing. I really loved the ending!! This book is perfect for anyone that loves psychological thrillers.
I am not very well versed in psychological thrillers myself and therefore I think I had some trouble getting through some of this. It was so hard that I even contemplated DNFing this book twice while reading. This book is very good but I just personally couldn't handle parts of it.
Overall, I'm glad I finished and I was happy with the end result.

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Review: Anne of the Island

Anne of the Island by L.M. Montgomery
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I just love this series so much.

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Review: The Book Thief

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was absolutely phenomenal. This reminded me, at some level, of the Diary of Anne Frank. Although this book tells the story of the Germans in World War II and comes from the perspective of Death as "he" is an onlooker while collecting his souls. He becomes fascinated by a young girl (a book thief) as she begins a new life in a new town with a new family.
Basically, this book is the story of a young German girl, Leisel, and her foster family during the late 1930's and the early 1940's. Leisel is adopted as a young girl by Rosa and Hans Huberman. She has a special bond with Hans (Papa) and he teaches her how to read slowly as she is far behind her peers. What we learn from page 1 is that Leisel is a book thief and has a love of words and stories. She learns to read from the books she steals. Their bond is described and shown so beautifully throughout the book.
As time moves on, we start to see Leisel grow up in these war times and become part of the Hilter youth. We get to see the ugliness as it grows around her. Rosa and Hans even begin to harbor a young Jewish man, Max, in their basement. Just like Papa, Leisel forms a special bond with Max throughout the years.
This book has so much heart and completely broke me at some points. It takes a lot to make me tear up and this book had me literally crying at times. Leisel is forced to face horror and heartbreak in a world crumbling apart, this world that treats Jewish people and anyone that dares defy the Nazi culture as dirt. I felt that these characters were real and my heart hurt so many times.
In my opinion, this is a must read. Such an important book and at the same level as Anne Frank and Elie Wiesel.

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Review: The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry

The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry by Jon Ronson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is not my normal kind of book. However, I really enjoyed this. This author is hilarious even amidst this kind of strange topic. I will definitely be picking up more by this author.

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