Casino Royale was the first book in Ian Fleming’s James Bond series, but it was the 21st movie in the film series. In both cases, it serves as a sort of introduction to the suave British agent with the cold eyes. Unlike many adaptations of Fleming’s novels, the plot is remarkably consistent with what you … More James Bond in Casino Royale: Book vs. Movie
“…things get broken, and sometimes they get repaired, and in most cases, you realize that no matter what gets damaged, life rearranges itself to compensate for your loss, sometimes wonderfully.” A Little Life is the story of four friends who meet in college. Ostensibly, it follows their friendship throughout the decades that follow, but the … More Book Review: A Little Life, by Hanya Yanagihara
“Nothing happens in my life. Nothing has to happen, she said, for it to be life.” By all rights, All My Puny Sorrows should be a bleak, miserable read. Thanks to Toews, it isn’t. This book made me laugh out loud many times. That hasn’t happened in a great long while–I can’t even remember the last … More Book Review: All My Puny Sorrows, by Miriam Toews
“All we can do is play our parts and keep each other company.” Something funny occasionally happens when you finish a book and let some time pass before you write a review of it. As I was reading Bill Clegg’s Did You Ever Have a Family I loved it. The only thing that bothered me was … More Book Review: Did You Ever Have a Family, by Bill Clegg
The Wednesday Wars was an unexpectedly moving delight when I read it. Part of the joy from reading it was that it wasn’t like most other books out there. It felt new and exciting, and when it went for your tear ducts it really earned the tears. Unfortunately, Orbiting Jupiter doesn’t have any of the same … More Book Review: Orbiting Jupiter, by Gary D. Schmidt
I’ve had a curious relationship with Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. It’s a rollercoaster, really, and it all comes down to the ending of the book and the terrific movie adaptation by Alfonso Cuarón. You see, when I first read Prisoner fifteen years ago I didn’t really like it at all. I thought the ending was … More Book Review: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, by J.K. Rowling
Although it’s the second book in the series, Chamber of Secrets was actually my first experience reading Harry Potter. Fifteen years ago I was 18 years old and attended a birthday party for one of my older sister’s college friends. Everyone spent the night at the friend’s house and in the morning I woke up … More Book Review: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, by J.K. Rowling
Fifteen years have gone by since I first read Harry Potter when I was 18. I used to reread the books regularly but over time I began revisiting Hogwarts with less frequency. The fifteen year anniversary of my first reading seemed like a good time to do a little test to see how well J.K. … More Book Review: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, by J.K. Rowling
“… the story you know is never the real one.” Euphoria is an elegant, heartfelt exploration of love, jealousy, and pride in a wholly unique setting. Love triangles are nothing new in literature, so the fact that one figures so prominently in Lily King’s story could have easily caused it to devolve into a fairly … More Book Review: Euphoria, by Lily King
“Because we were not in our country, we could not use our own languages, and so when we spoke our voices came out bruised.” Having a stamp of approval from Junot Díaz is not a small deal to me. In my mind he is one of the most authentic–not to mention best–authors working today. He … More Book Review: We Need New Names, by NoViolet Bulawayo
Supposedly Fun 