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READING

​reading /ˈrēdiNG/ n.
1. The frequently obsessive habit of bookworms and scholars
​2. (informal) the source of unintentional all-nighters

nine women, one dress

9/7/2016

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The Facts

NIne Women, One Dress by Jane L. Rosen
Basia rates it: 2/5
I'm honestly not quite sure what kept me reading this book. It felt like a young author's first novel, not the product of a veteran writer. The prose was pretty mediocre, and there were so many exclamation points--almost all narratively, not in dialogue--which is always frustrating. This book is an excellent example of why I am wary of reading novels in first-person: I never got a feeling for the character telling the story--or, for that matter, any character. The prose was simplistic and almost childish at times (probably the exclamation points), with every single "essay" sporting the same boy-howdy, golly-gee sort of tone to it, and the author often gave in to stereotypes, as if we wouldn't believe one of the young women whose story was being told was Southern without her speaking, even narratively, as if she were in a Tennessee Williams play.

The format of the "essays" also annoyed me. Each was introduced with a title, a byline, and occasionally (usually for the women, major side-eye) their age. Furthermore, there were times when the essay-writer would address the reader or refer specifically to their title or byline. It was jarring and disconcerting. It was a self-aware move that only works with some books, and this was certainly not one of them. I picked up this book because it seemed reminiscent of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, to a degree; from the description, it seemed as if it would be a third-person account of where this dress went, that I would consistently follow it on its journey from person to person. That, however, was not the case. So if that's what you're going into this book looking for, steer clear. You won't get it. I was most excited during a scene in which a woman is killed when her cab is swallowed by a sinkhole. I sort of wanted to join her.

To say nothing of the low-key way in which it condones stalking.


I could go on, but I think you get the picture.

I'm still not sure what kept me reading this book. I think it was because I wanted to know what happened to the millennial who was looking for a job.
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the assistants

8/2/2016

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​The Assistants
by Camille Perri
Basia rates it: 4/5
I have to say, The Assistants surprised me. With a jacket flap/back cover description that describes the protagonist, Tina, as a six-year assistant who is “bored, broke, and just a bit over it all,” I was excited. Aren’t we all bored, broke, and just a bit over it all? I know I am. (Then again, my job title has “assistant” in it.) To me, this seemed like The Devil Wears Prada meets a heist movie, both of which are things I love, and it was all over my social media feeds, so I put it on hold at the library to give it a go.

After a technical error in the expenses department leads to Tina being reimbursed for an expense that had already been cancelled, she finds herself with a sizeable check that would, in one fell swoop, finally pay off her student loan debt. She never intends to deposit the check--she just wants to look at it for a while. But while it’s such a huge amount to her, it’s a miniscule amount to Robert, her boss, and Titan Corporation, the company he runs and for which Tina works. So, after three weeks of sitting on it, she deposits the check and pays off her student loans. Simple, right? Not quite. An assistant from the accounting department discovers what she’s done and blackmails Tina into faking expense reports to pay off her student loan debt. The two become involved in an embezzlement scheme the likes of which Tina never wanted part, but it is this scheme that leads to something that is, surprisingly, not only legitimate but the sort of fulfillment for which Tina’s been searching.

I’m unwilling to give spoilers, because that’s rude. (There is a circle of hell for people who purposely spoil things for other people.) But I can say that this book took more than a few turns that I didn’t expect. As a reader, a writer, and an editor, I like to figure out where novels are going. Sometimes they surprise me, and sometimes they don’t--this doesn’t necessarily mean a novel is either good or bad; I’ve liked plenty a book where I could predict the ending. But it’s been quite a while since something surprised me in the way The Assistants did. Just when I thought I’d gotten something figured out, it flipped everything upside-down and I was back at square one. It made the book a wild ride--I was frequently texting Connor that yet another shoe had dropped. “This book is an octopus,” I said, with many exclamation points. “It’s dropped like five shoes already.”

While this book was an enjoyable read, it wasn’t the best thing I’ve ever read. There seemed to be a dissonance between the prologue and the novel. It read as if it were an article written by a different individual, summing up poorly the events that follow and also inventing a few things here and there for added spice. It’s not unusual for a prologue to deliberately mislead the reader, and it’s a narrative tactic that I’ve seen before, but here it didn’t feel deliberate; it felt as if they had been written widely apart from one another, and somewhere in that time the connection between them had been lost. I also genuinely had trouble liking the love interest, even though I can tell he’s supposed to be likeable. There’s something about using the phrase, “You’re not like other girls” (repeatedly, if with variation) that sends up a red flag that won’t quite go away.
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I definitely look forward to seeing what Perri has to offer in the future. The Assistants is poignant and hilarious, and while it may sometimes hit a bit too close to home for a recent college graduate like myself, that’s what makes it, ultimately, so relatable.
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#GETWRECD: pride & prejudice

6/17/2016

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Well, we've done it! Our first-ever book drop has taken place at Dunn Brothers Coffee in Addison, Texas (3725 Belt Line Rd). You can find this copy of one of our favorites, Pride and Prejudice, lurking on their bookshelf! If you pick it up, don't forget to tweet at us and/or tag a photo on Instagram!
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jane steele

6/16/2016

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​Jane Steele​ by Lindsay Faye
​Basia rates it: 4.5/5
I really enjoyed this book. It's billed as a retelling of Jane Eyre, which is wholly inaccurate. Jane Steele is very aware of Jane Eyre--in fact, it's her favorite book. But Jane Steele's life does mirror her favorite heroine's in some respects, but there are vital differences, the largest of these being our heroine is a murderer.

It regretfully took me a bit of time to read this, but not for lack of wanting to read it. I didn't have the time to sit down and devour this book in one go as I'd have liked to, but it is definitely the sort of book that lends itself to binge-reading. The tone is arch clever, and it recalls nineteenth-century novel language without being indecipherable to a more modern reader.
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While this isn't a YA book, I think it is a book that recommends itself to readers who enjoy YA. I hesitate to say that, of course, because so often people think that the YA is somehow less of a genre than literary fiction meant to be consumed by adults, but with a heroine whose age is twenty-four, she exists in a sweet spot that brigdes the gap between YA novels and adult novels and also speaks to the young readers who, like myself, find themselves somewhere in between these two intended age groups. I would definitely read another novel by Faye like this--drawing cleverly on the classic novel we all know while adding new elements and crafting her own story that is fresh and engaging.
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update: the watchmaker of filigree street

6/1/2016

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The Watchmaker of Filigree Street​ by Natasha Pulley
​Basia rates it: 3.75/5
​
I did a write-up for Filigree​ (as Connor and I have been referring to it when talking about posts) while I was still reading it, but I thought I would circle back around now that I've finished and give a more comprehensive review.
This was a strange book, and I came out of reading it much the same way that I did the movie ​Krampus​​: it definitely wasn't bad, and I would also say that it was good​, but it also exists in a weird tenuous space between the two.

​My struggle with Filigree is that I kept forgetting​ to read it. Normally, when I'm reading a book, even if it's a book I don't feel compelled to devour, I have the urge to finish, because I hate leaving things undone. I'll make time to curl up in my favorite armchair with the book on my knees for at least a few minutes, just enough to get in a chapter or two while I have my tea. But I found I wasn't doing that with Filigree​.

It is, as I said before, a quiet sort of book, but while that was part of its charm, I feel like it also might have worked against it in some ways. I'd think about reading, would have to think​ about what I was currently reading, and then I would remember ​Filigree​ and that I had yet to finish it. Sometimes I would pick it up, and other times I wouldn't. I always had to make a conscious effort to remember to read it.

​Another reason I think the overall tone might have worked against the book was I was finally at the book's climax, but I felt no urgency. I am sure I was meant to--the events unfolding were crazy and tumultuous--but I couldn't muster the appropriate feelings. This is not to say that I didn't care about the characters, because I did. But I also found I cared more about the secondary characters than the three protagonists; in some ways, I felt that they had a bit more substance to them, like I knew their personalities better.

I didn't feel relief when I was finished with the book, because the overall story was an interesting one and I truly did​ want to know what happened, but I also didn't experience any of the usual things I feel when I finish a book. It was simply over, and I could finally move on to something else.

Filigree​ was a good book, but a strange one. I am glad I read it, but I can't see myself ever picking it up for a reread. It is certainly not a book for everyone. But if you're willing to give it a try, I hope that you, like myself, are at least charmed by the little clockwork octopus that has a penchant for stealing socks and hiding in drawers.
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the storied life of a. j. fikry

5/23/2016

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The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry, by Gabrielle Zevin
Connor rates it: 4.5/5
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Fikry is an easy read with a peculiar pacing, but doesn't feel staggered or rushed for all that it took little time for me to make my way through its pages. The characters are charming, despite their faults, and the alacrity with which I grew fond of them--perhaps especially the titular character, A. J. Fikry--should probably alarm me. The intricacies of Zevin's prose are delightful to read, and I will definitely be looking up her other books. 

My favorite college professor once told me a book doesn't have to end happily, but it should end hopeful. Zevin manages to do just that without coming across as forceful or heavy-handed in her approach. 
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