Category Archives: Audience

Rosencrantz & Guildenstern, are Dead by Tom Stoppard

Posted on November 28, 2011 by Thistle

Hard to know what to say about this one. I saw the play about 18 months before I read it. I quite enjoyed the performance, though I felt a little lost every time they switched into Shakespeare-speak, because Shakespeare’s language … Continue reading →

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The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, by Michelle Hodkin

Posted on November 26, 2011 by Thistle

I’m in two minds about this book, so I’ll get the negative out of the way first. The writing was not my favorite, and the characterization of the teens seemed really stereotypical/cliched, particularly in the beginning. The plot meandered a … Continue reading →

Posted in 2011, 2012, Prose, Young Adult | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, by Ransom Riggs

Posted on November 16, 2011 by Thistle

So this book has been big news for the last few months. Unfortunately, I was not really blown away by it the way many people seem to be. The story was fun enough, and creative, but I had quite a … Continue reading →

Posted in 2011, Prose, Young Adult | Tagged , | 1 Comment

The Likeness, by Tana French (audio)

Posted on November 2, 2011 by Thistle

I had a couple issues with the book, specifically the believability of the premise, and the repetitiveness of a cop getting too obsessed/into the case just like in the first book of this series, but otherwise it was a compelling … Continue reading →

Posted in 2011, Adult, Prose | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

The Mayor of Casterbridge, by Thomas Hardy

Posted on October 31, 2011 by Thistle

Of the four books by Thomas Hardy that I’ve read now, this is my least favorite. There were a lot of good points about it, sure. I liked that in the end, honesty won. I liked the statements it made … Continue reading →

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When She Woke, by Hillary Jordan

Posted on October 24, 2011 by Thistle

I’m in two minds about this book. It’s a dystopian retelling of The Scarlet Letter, so I expected there to be some similarities there. However, some of the similarities were, for me, a little too close: Hester Prynne = Hannah … Continue reading →

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Readathon: Wonderstruck, by Brian Selznick

Posted on October 22, 2011 by Thistle

I went into this book with some reservations, having heard other people say it was far too much like Hugo Cabret in style. Honestly, this doesn’t bother me so much stylistically – most artists have similar styles, patterns, and focuses … Continue reading →

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Readathon: The Name of the Star, by Maureen Johnson

Posted on October 22, 2011 by Thistle

I think I have found my new favorite Maureen Johnson book. Seriously, this book was fantastic. Johnson does everything right. She makes her characters believable and real without glamorizing them. She makes them feel like teenagers without belittling or stereotyping … Continue reading →

Posted in 2011, 2013, Prose, Young Adult | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Callback: We

Posted on October 15, 2011 by Thistle

I first read We back in early July 2008. I’ve gone back and read my review from that time, and it’s clear that I had no idea what to make of this book. It’s supposedly one of the three best … Continue reading →

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Habibi, by Craig Thompson

Posted on October 9, 2011 by Thistle

This could have been a really nice story, with beautiful illustrations, all woven together very well. However, the cultural portrayals made me very uncomfortable, and I was very distracted by the constant vomiting and juvenile humor written/drawn throughout. I noticed a … Continue reading →

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