Book Giveaway

Why hello there everybody,
Because of the holiday spirit I thought I'd be generous and have a giveaway over on my tumblr. so if you're not following yet, go do so now, and read the rules.

Hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and a great new year

For the info and rules of the giveaway, click here

Absolute Perfection. A review of Ira Levin's The Stepford Wives

In honor of it being my Birthday today, I thought I’d write about one of my (and perhaps my actual)favorite books. I read Ira Levin’s The Stepford Wives for the first time when I was 17 years old. I’ve since read it many more times and I keep coming back to it. Summary and review after the jump

Allies and Assasins; Reviewed

 Allies and Assassins. So here's the review.
I am sometimes lucky enough to get myself on a list of the American Book Center in Amsterdam to receive advanced readers copies of novels with the purpose of reviewing them and having that review posted on their blog. I had missed a few but was able over to summer to get hold of an ARC of Justin Somper's

As many of you know from previous rants, Fantasy is not my cup of tea. That being said I tried not to let that have any bearing on my reading of Justin Somper’s Allies and Assassins, because I want to remain as objective as possible in my reviews, regardless of genre.

Allies and Assassins follows the story of Jared- a prince in the fictional realm of Archenfeld, who is thrust into the leaders position of the princedom when his older brother Anders is poisoned. The story focuses both on finding Anders’ killer as well as Jared becoming used to his late brother’s duties to the court and the people of Archenfeld, It soon becomes clear though, that Jared is as much in danger as his brother was, and it falls upon him, as well as a few trusted companions to find out who is after him and perhaps more importantly, the throne.

The novel has a somewhat Game of Thrones vibe, which I enjoyed. I am not a big fan of Fantasy novels- I’m much more of a Sci-Fi geek. Many a time have I heard people say that Sci-Fi and Fantasy are the same thing. It’s one of my pet peeves and I usually take it upon myself to get up from where I’m sitting, insert myself into their conversation, and while they’re dumbstruck by this complete stranger suddenly sitting next to them, I proceed to explain that there really is a difference between the two; but enough about my dysfunctional social life and back to the story. And while this story didn’t really sway me into liking the genre more, I do have to say that I enjoyed it. There is an air of politics and ceremony that add very much to the narrative. Though many of the chractsters are not very animated, some seem downright shoddy, the story progresses fairly smoothly so it helps where the lack of character growth does not. It’s an okay read, though I’m not sure I’d read a sequel, but I never say never. 

You can buy Allies and Assassins here

And for more of my craziness, follow me on twitter @JonathandeSouza

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Whose Finger is This? A review of Agatha Christie’s The Moving Finger

I haven’t read much Agatha Christie. It’s not because I dislike her work, as many people I know do, but it’s probably because I’ve never really felt like reading about her. I alays presumed her midlife crisis was much more interesting than anything she actually wrote about. The books I have read were good enough that I should really pay more attention to her canon. I read The Moving Finger, more than two years ago, and it was the second Agatha Christie book I’d ever read- the first being And Then There Were none, the book which number of title changes could give Snoop Lion a run for his money-  but before I stray to far, read a summary and review after the jump.

These are my confessions... The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner Reviewed.

I bought this during one of the bookdepository sales and I’ll be honest. I had never heard of James Hogg or the novel (not entirely blasphemous for an English student seeing as how it is Scottish, but scandalous nonetheless).  I bought it because it belonged to the number of books the Penguin English Library brought out last year in fantastic new covers- my goal is to own all of them at some point. So I bought the book and to my surprise it was right up my alley with features like murder, supernatural and crazy people. Short summary and review after the jump

Tell me Lies! Tell me Sweet Little Lies! A review of Michael Grant’s Lies

I started the Gone series a few months back with a pretty open mind and believe that I would never really finish all the books. What a difference a few months make. After reading Hunger I was pretty much certain I needed to go through the entire series and by the time I finished Lies I became sort of an addict to the story.  Summary and review after the jump

Secret Agent Man. A review of The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad

I had to read this book for a course on the adaptation of literature into film. I didn’t get around to reading all the required texts- The sheer annoyance I felt at the end of Wuthering Heights had a lot to do with it- but I was able to read Conrads The Secret Agent. Read on for a short summary and review after the jump.

Rise against the ‘Clothing’ Machine- A Review of Abraham Cahan’s The Rise of David Levinsky.

I don’t read much immigration narrative outside of those I had to read for my University courses. That is not to say that I don’t like Immigration narrative stories. I actually enjoy them very much. The Rise of David Levinsky is perhaps one of my most favorite ones and yes, I read it for my AmericanStudies Master. I’m guessing everyone loves to read a rags to riches story because it’s fun to see the underdog rise up from nothing and kick ass. Summary and review after the jump

Men are from Earth, princesses are from Mars- a review of Edgar Rice Burroughs' A Princess of Mars.

I don’t usually see film adaptations before I’ve read their written counterparts, for obvious reasons. John Carter is one of the few exceptions and while it was considered a movie flop, I enjoyed it; so much so that I ordered the book the next day. I left it on my shelf for a while, giving priority to other books I thought would be more interesting, but when I finally got to it, I couldn’t put it down.  Summary and review after the jump.

Wooly Bully Indeed!! A review of Hugh Howey’s Wool

I haven’t been ventured into a Dystopian novel in a long time, and after reading about Wool and how incredible it was, I had to give it a try. I’m also a sucker for authors who self published before they made it big, because it gives me hope that people like me can one day achieve my goals as well. Summary and review after the jump.

Your number is up. A review of Paolo Giordano’s The Solitude of Prime Numbers

I don’t know how I came to buy Paolo Giordano’s The Solitude of Prime Numbers. It might be that I saw it mentioned on TIME magazines best summer reads or some list like that. Regardless of where I heard about it, I ordered it online and immediately got into it once it arrived. Summary and review after the jump (warning; some tiny spoilers-which pretty much already happen in the first 10 pages- but still, I don’t want to hear any whining that I didn’t warn you; so there!)

Pass It On - A review of Ships that pass in the night

Though it is probably not a well known book, but certainly one worth the trouble, Ships That Pass in the Night was Beatrice Harraden’s first published work. A kind of unconventional love story, the novel makes use of humorous occurrences as well as dramatic moments, to bring it’s characters to life. Firstly, a quick summary after the jump.

Free stuff and a chance to win even more

So, the BookDepository just came up with an awesome campaign called the Quotemark. From now on, every book you buy will come with a free specialized bookmark (see pic below) which frames nicely around your favorite book quote. Using the Quotemark, take a picture of your favorite quote and upload it to Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook along with the hashtag, #LoveThisQuote. Each week, the Book Depository will pick a winner out of the sent in pics and that person will win a cool book. Cool, right? So, get to buying to receive your free Quotemark and the ability to win more. http://www.bookdepository.com/?a_aid=Jonathandesouza

Read more about the Quotemark campaign here http://www.bookdepository.com/quotemark/?a_aid=Jonathandesouza

Hungry like the wolf- A review of Michael Grant’s Hunger

While the first book in a series acts as an introduction to the setting and the character, the following books can delve more easily into the narrative seeing as how the reader is already familiar with most of the material. The writer can focus on things or people who did not feature as heavily in the first story, while still introducing new elements to keep the reader intrigued. Michael Grant’s Hunger is a good example of such a sequel. Read on after the jump.

Give a Little- A review of Lois Lowry’s The Giver

Dystopian literature is probably my all-time favorite genre. I even wrote my bachelor thesis on the subject- at first I wanted to prove that dystopian literature is a genre in its own right, separate from science fiction, but when I couldn’t find enough sources to back up my claim, I decided to focus on another aspect of the subgenre- and I was very pleased with the outcome. Lowry’s The Giver was one of the novels I used for my arguments. The story, published in 1993, featuring a young boy expected to carry an immense burden for a community that is unfeeling, still resonates with readers nowadays, making it a modern classic. More after the jump.

Here today, Gone Tomorrow- A review of Michael Grant's Gone

So there I was, at a book-fair, and I see these awesome hardcover books with a completely black cover (save for a colorful title) and brightly colored pages. The books, Hunger in orange, and Plague in red, were my first encounter with the Gone novels. I bought both, In this instance actually judging books by their cover because I had no idea what they were actually about. When I got home I did my research, and immediately ordered the first novel in the series; Gone. The story, in a sense a modernized version of William Golding's Lord of the Flies, is fast-paced and very enjoyable. But before I get into the review, read the summary after the jump.

Just End Already! A review of Bret Easton Ellis' Imperial Bedrooms

I used to think that the more you enjoy a novel, the faster you’re likely to get through it. I finished Brest Easton Ellis’ Imperial Bedrooms in less than three days. That’s how fast I wanted to be done with it. but before I get started, synopsis and review after the jump

Hide the flags!! A review of Evelyn Waugh's 'Put Out More Flags'

In the midst of the second World War, Evelyn Waugh wrote a series of novels depicting the English involvement, whether through soldier's eyes or civilians who stayed at home. Put Out More Flags is one of these novels. first published in 1942 the novel follows several characters through the first year of the war and how their lives are altered because of it. read on for a short summary and a review.

The Fault in Our Stars, reviewed

I'm a professed Young Adult fiction fan. I find that teen angst can be used to convey many emotions and settings that are somewhat more difficult ( though not at all impossible) to bring forth in otherwise normal fiction. Though I'm more into the post-apocalyptic, dystopian side of the genre, I got to know John Green, as  many others undoubtedly did, Through the YouTube page he shares with his brother, Hank. I bought The Fault in Our Stars about a week ago and immediately got into it. Read a synopsis and my review after the jump

new blog, familiar purpose

I’m a 25 year old student/ internet geek who loves to read and write. I’ve usually been reserved when it comes to other people reading what I write, but recently I’ve come to the conclusion that I don’t want to write for only me.
I have a Tumblr, but I came to realise, that for myself, it wasn't the best platform for my reviews, hence a new start on Blogger. some reviews and posts here will thus be similar- especially the initial reviews- to my those on my Tumblr. 
This blog, if I use its powers well, will feature reviews and story ideas from my own hand as well as me venting about all kinds of stuff with the help of pictures or videos I find humorous or fitting. Side Note: I will not inhibit myself, meaning that if I can only express my point with the help of some colorful language, I will do so. Please follow and enjoy. -J