“Let them start their dreadful wars, let destruction rain down, and let plague sweep through, but I will still be here, doing my work, holding humankind together with love like this.” – 3.5/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: Greek gods, romances, war, music, and beautiful art.

It’s 1917, and World War I is at its zenith when Hazel and James first catch sight of each other at a London party. She’s a shy and talented pianist; he’s a newly minted soldier with dreams of becoming an architect. When they fall in love, it’s immediate and deep–and cut short when James is shipped off to the killing fields.

Aubrey Edwards is also headed toward the trenches. A gifted musician who’s played Carnegie Hall, he’s a member of the 15th New York Infantry, an all-African-American regiment being sent to Europe to help end the Great War. Love is the last thing on his mind. But that’s before he meets Colette Fournier, a Belgian chanteuse who’s already survived unspeakable tragedy at the hands of the Germans.

Thirty years after these four lovers’ fates collide, the Greek goddess Aphrodite tells their stories to her husband, Hephaestus, and her lover, Ares, in a luxe Manhattan hotel room at the height of World War II. She seeks to answer the age-old question: Why are Love and War eternally drawn to one another? But her quest for a conclusion that will satisfy her jealous husband uncovers a multi-threaded tale of prejudice, trauma, and music and reveals that War is no match for the power of Love.

A sweeping, multi-layered romance with a divine twist, by the Printz Honor-winning author of The Passion of Dolssa, set in the perilous days of World Wars I and II.

I almost DNF’ed “Lovely War” if I’m being frank with you. I wasn’t feeling the book’s theme, the super slow pace at the beginning, the weird connection between Greek mythology and World War I, or the boring romances. I still pushed through and ended up continuing the book, and fortunately, it got a little better.

As I said, I wasn’t captivated at first, but as the book progressed, I was able to connect a little more to the story and characters. Unfortunately, it still wasn’t a 4-star read for me.

I think the best part of this book was the ending, where the author left a note for the readers. In this note, the author talks about the real historical facts behind the book (characters inspired by real people, real events that were added to the book, etc.). Knowing the book was pieced together with different real events made the book way more interesting in my eyes!

At the end of the day, it just wasn’t very memorable in my opinion. I think it’s important for you to take my opinion with a grain of salt because this is probably just a personal preference. It’s not a bad book, it just wasn’t for me.

“The pain from kidney stones is known to bring macho, grown men to their knees. I should know, because it happened to me.” – 4/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: excruciating pain, new diets, minerals, oxalates, bad habits, and, of course, kidney stones.

In “Even Urologists Get Kidney Stones,” Dr. Evan R. Goldfischer provides an in-depth guide with everything you need to know about kidney stones–from causes to treatments to prevention. If you have experienced kidney stones and really, truly do not want to experience that pain again, it is important that you review the guidelines and information in this book.

Dr. Goldfischer has first-hand experience with kidney stones (he’s had two calcium-based stones), and he is able to apply personal experience, knowledge, and medical expertise to help kidney stone sufferers prevent future stones from occurring.

I was looking for books to read on the subject, and this quickly caught my eye for the title. An urologist getting a kidney stone? That’s unusual, or at least that’s what I thought.

The book starts with the author sharing the story of how he got his kidney stone and his experience with the terrible pain it comes with. After that, he explains what are kidney stones, the basic anatomy of the urinary tract, how kidney stones are formed, the factors that contribute to their development, and how you can treat the stones and prevent them from happening again. 

The part I appreciated the most was the diet part! If you tend to develop kidney stones, make sure you are eating the right foods. The author has a list of what you should avoid and what you can eat freely – that was very helpful!

It’s an easy and practical book to go through, and it uses simple terms so that everyone can understand what is being said. Worth checking out if you’re new to the condition and want to learn more information on what you can do.

“I don’t want to disappear. I want to exist in my body, with these new possibilities. Possibilities. Perhaps that is one of the main components of life lost to lack of representation. Options erased from the imagination. Narratives indoctrinated that we spend an eternity attempting to break. The unraveling is painful, but it leads you to you.” – 3.5/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: secret relationships, the media, mental health, and transitioning.

Pageboy is a groundbreaking coming-of-age memoir from the Academy Award-nominated actor Elliot Page. A generation-defining actor and one of the most famous trans advocates of our time, Elliot will now be known as an uncommon literary talent, as he shares never-before-heard details and intimate interrogations on gender, love, mental health, relationships, and Hollywood.

An interesting memoir.

As soon as I saw this was going to be released, I was immediately interested in it. There was something different about this actor that always intrigued me. The movie that introduced me to Elliot Page (Ellen Page, at the time) was Juno. It was such a weird movie, but it had its charm and I liked it for what it was. So when I found out he transitioned and wrote a book talking about it, I got very curious to see what it was all about and I quickly added it to my TBR.

I listened to this book in the audiobook format, narrated by the author. He talks in a deep, monotone voice, and I can see some people not loving that. I personally was okay with it, but keep that in mind if you decide to listen to the book instead of reading it because you can catch yourself closing your eyes from time to time.

I have a few conflicting feelings about this memoir. On the one hand, we get a glimpse of what his life was like, the changes he went through, and his struggles with mental illness. But on the other side, I kind of wish the focus of the book was on him instead of focusing so much on his romantic relationships. It seemed at times, the focus was just saying “I dated this famous person and this happened”, then “I also dated that famous person”. I understand it’s part of his story, but I wish the focus was mostly on him.

The writing was overall okay, but I have only one thing that I need to mention. If the book followed a timeline it would be easier to enjoy. This book is all over the place, and it’s difficult for the reader to not get lost when you’re constantly going back in forth. There were so many random small stories added that you keep thinking “Why did they add this?”. That made it difficult to enjoy, personally.

At the end of the day, I appreciate Elliot speaking his truth and sharing his experience with transitioning, dealing with the media, and discovering himself. Compared to other memoirs, it wasn’t great – but it was still okay.

“My friend Kira always said that life is like an extremely difficult, horribly unbalanced videogame. When you’re born, you’re given a randomly generated character, with a randomly determined name, race, face, and social class. Your body is your avatar, and you spawn in a random geographic location, at a random moment in human history, surrounded by a random group of people, and then you have to try to survive for as long as you can. Sometimes the game might seem easy. Even fun. Other times it might be so difficult you want to give up and quit. But unfortunately, in this game you only get one life. When your body grows too hungry or thirsty or ill or injured or old, your health meter runs out and then it’s Game Over. Some people play the game for a hundred years without ever figuring out that it’s a game, or that there is a way to win it. To win the videogame of life you just have to try to make the experience of being forced to play it as pleasant as possible, for yourself, and for all of the other players you encounter in your travels. Kira says that if everyone played the game to win, it’d be a lot more fun for everyone.” – 3.5/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: AI technology, conscious avatars, riddles, fancy headsets, vintage video games, a few more 80’s references, the OASIS, and a new hunt.

An unexpected quest. Two worlds at stake. Are you ready?

Days after winning Oasis founder James Halliday’s contest, Wade Watts makes a discovery that changes everything.

Hidden within Halliday’s vaults, waiting for his heir to find, lies a technological advancement that will once again change the world and make the Oasis a thousand times more wondrous—and addictive—than even Wade dreamed possible.

With it comes a new riddle, and a new quest—a last Easter egg from Halliday, hinting at a mysterious prize.

And an unexpected, impossibly powerful, and dangerous new rival awaits, one who’ll kill millions to get what he wants.

Wade’s life and the future of the Oasis are again at stake, but this time the fate of humanity also hangs in the balance.

Lovingly nostalgic and wildly original as only Ernest Cline could conceive it, Ready Player Two takes us on another imaginative, fun, action-packed adventure through his beloved virtual universe, and jolts us thrillingly into the future once again.

Oh how disappointing this was. 

I fell in love with the first book and was amazed at the world-building and creativity… but this sequel just wasn’t as good. I truly believe reading this sequel ruins what was created in the first book.

The story gets picked right after Wade wins the contest in the first book. When I first started this, I was curious to see what the author was going to create next but unfortunately, I was quickly disappointed. To be honest, this sequel was completely unnecessary and added nothing to the story. 

There was also a hunt in this book (the “Seven Shards of the Siren’s Soul.”), but it felt forced and it wasn’t even close to being as good as the first one. Still, it was probably my favorite thing about the book. The pacing was very slow and I didn’t like how this book changes your view on Halliday. He went from a sweet, introverted nerd to a psychopathic stalker! As you can imagine, this revelation makes you think differently about the first book, which I did not appreciate.

Of course, I still liked the 80’s references and movies, but it wasn’t enough to take this book from a 3-star rating to a 4-star rating. It was just okay, with a few extra points for the retro references and movies – that Prince World was a little too weird for me though.

I wish I could delete this book from my mind.

“I created the OASIS because I never felt at home in the real world. I didn’t know how to connect with the people there. I was afraid, for all of my life, right up until I knew it was ending. That was when I realized, as terrifying and painful as reality can be, it’s also the only place where you can find true happiness. Because reality is real.” – 5/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: vintage videogames, 80’s references, clues, hunts, cheaters, improbable friendships, stacks of trailers, easter eggs, the OASIS, and the “High Five”.

In the year 2044, reality is an ugly place. The only time teenage Wade Watts really feels alive is when he’s jacked into the virtual utopia known as the OASIS. Wade’s devoted his life to studying the puzzles hidden within this world’s digital confines, puzzles that are based on their creator’s obsession with the pop culture of decades past and that promise massive power and fortune to whoever can unlock them. When Wade stumbles upon the first clue, he finds himself beset by players willing to kill to take this ultimate prize. The race is on, and if Wade’s going to survive, he’ll have to win—and confront the real world he’s always been so desperate to escape.

This book was INCREDIBLE! It has been a while since I’ve read a book this good!

I was fully immersed in this book in a way that only readers could know. I had so much fun! The funny thing is I’m not even a science-fiction reader, but some dystopian books steal my heart once in a while and I just can’t resist their charm. And that’s exactly what happened with “Ready Player One”!

Ernest Cline created the most interesting world, full of retro videogames and 80’s references. The hunt made the story super interesting, the plot was captivating, the characters were great (I loved Wade as a main character) and the deep message behind this story is a very important one.

If you watched the movie adaptation, keep in mind that it’s very different from the book! Of course not everything is different and the gist of the plot – yes, not plot, but the gist of the plot – is the same, but the movie doesn’t do justice to the book. It would be almost impossible to recreate this book in a movie format because it’s very complex and there are so many cool elements that would be difficult to incorporate. Also, a big part of the movie plot is taken from the second book! So even if you watch the movie, I highly recommend you read this book, it’s so much better!

Unfortunately, the second book in the duology was not good and I wish I never read it, but I digress! My advice for you is to pick up this book, read it, love it (even reread it if you want to)… but after you finish it, don’t think about picking the second book. In my humble opinion, it destroys the awesomeness of the first book and you can’t look at it the same way after reading the second book. It’s not worth it!

After finishing “Ready Player One”,  I immediately knew I was going to reread this one day. I loved all the details, the complex hunt, the clues, the 80’s references, the videogames mentioned. It was such a complex, detailed, piece of art that can’t be read only once, but needs to be enjoyed more!

I had a wonderful time reading this, and I can’t recommend it enough!

“In your thirties something strange starts to happen. It’s a mere hiccup at first, an instant of hesitation. How old are you? Oh, I’m — you start confidently, but then you stop. You were going to say thirty-three, but you’re not. You’re thirty-five. And then you’re bothered, because you wonder if this is the beginning of the end. It is, of course, but it’s decades before you admit it.” – 4/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: senior homes, old memories, difficult routines, inexperienced vets, and of course, water for elephants.

When Jacob Jankowski, recently orphaned and suddenly adrift, jumps onto a passing train, he enters a world of freaks, drifters, and misfits, a second-rate circus struggling to survive during the Great Depression, making one-night stands in town after endless town. A veterinary student who almost earned his degree, Jacob is put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie. It is there that he meets Marlena, the beautiful young star of the equestrian act, who is married to August, the charismatic but twisted animal trainer. He also meets Rosie, an elephant who seems untrainable until he discovers a way to reach her.

Beautifully written, Water for Elephants is illuminated by a wonderful sense of time and place. It tells a story of a love between two people that overcomes incredible odds in a world in which even love is a luxury that few can afford.

I wasn’t even planning on reading this book anytime soon, but one day I saw it in my TBR and decided to give it a go!

I read this randomly near the end of the year 2023… and I just can’t stop thinking about it. I didn’t know the story or anything about it before picking it up, so I was completely in the dark – in the end, I ended up giving it a 4-star rating! It was a fascinating and well-made story. I have to say I found the animal abuse scenes disturbing and upsetting to read, but I get why they were important to the story. 

I’m not sure if this was popular when it came out, but if it wasn’t, this deserves all the hype! It was a very heartbreaking read, but there is something very special about this book that has stuck with me. 

Also, a few weeks after finishing the book, the movie version was on TV and I ended up seeing it! If you saw the movie, I would say that you don’t necessarily need to read the book because I thought they did a good job adapting the story to the big screen. But of course, there’s always something that is lost so if you like the story, I would say to read the book anyway!