The Bookshelf

Gregor Samsa by Richard Johnson, 2013 SPOILER WARNING Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis (die Verwandlung in German) is a one-of-a-kind novel about a man named Gregor Samsa who lives with his family in the German Empire (shortly before WWI). He is the main breadwinner of the family, working as a traveling salesman selling fabrics. Gregor does this to pay off his parents’ debt, and not because he enjoys it. This novel demands much of the reader’s attention, as its sentences are quite long (because it was translated from German). I found it very depressing and grim. You will see why very soon. One morning, Gregor wakes up to find himself in the body of a giant insect. This first scene is rather comedic, as he gradually inches himself out of bed. The story quickly becomes tragicomedy, however, when he can’t show himself, get dressed for work, and communicate with his family. He ends up missing the train twice, while still being stuck in his room. His family members are concerned tha...

  Hi! I finished reading Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardhoust last week, and I really liked it! I will summarize the plot of the book, and then share some things I especially enjoyed about it.  The book takes place in a fantastical place called Golvahar. It follows the life of a princess named Soraya, who is cursed to the touch. If anyone touches her, they will be poisoned and die. In fact, Soraya often describes how her veins turn green with poison every time someone touches her. She got her curse three days after birth, by a parik. This story has humans and magical creatures living side by side. The magical creatures inhabit a mountain in the woods near the city. Her mother ran into a magical creature called a div as a child, who promised to take her daughter as his bride. So, Soraya’s mother, Tahmineh, takes her infant daughter to the pariks to put a protection spell on her. But the ways of the pariks are mysterious, and they end up making Soraya deadly to the touch...

Hello! I'm Sloane and I am reviewing The One and Only Ruby  by Katherine Applegate, which is the third book of The One and Only Ivan  series. I already reviewed the first and second book, but I'm going to talk about different aspects of the story in this post! I read this book recently after reviewing the second book, as I was looking for a book to read and was already reminded of this series. While the first two books are better, the third book is still a good read! *Some spoilers for books 1 and 2* The One and Only Ruby  is written from the perspective of Ruby, the elephant that Ivan and Bob met in the Big Top Mall and helped to get relocated to a sanctuary. Her life in the sanctuary has been safe and happy, spending time with her herd of elephants, as well as Ivan and Bob. Ruby's "Tuskday" is tomorrow, which is a ceremony that celebrates an elephant growing their tusks. Early in the book, Ruby reveals that she hates her tusks. Jabori, one of her old caretakers,...

*Mild spoilers but no major plot spoilers for this book * *There are spoilers for the basic plot of The Hunger Games, but since this is a review of a prequel that is unfortunately hard to avoid.* Note: Suzanne Collins books have long titles so I used some abbreviations in my writing. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (TBOSAS) Sunrise on the Reaping (SOTR) One of the first books that ever got me into reading was The Hunger Games by Suzzane Collins. The intense action paired with heartfelt moments always drew me into the story. Additionally, as I got older I learned to appreciate the social commentary Collins always adds in her novels. For all these reasons The Hunger Games has remained one of my favorite book series over the years. Therefore, when I learned that Suzzane Collins was writing another prequel to The Hunger Games I was super excited! After reading it a few weeks ago I can say it definitely lived up to my expectations.    Sunrise on the Reaping is a prequel...

Who created the video game? What is a “video game,” precisely? Define a “game” that works on your cathode-ray-tube TV set. How does one control the game? What does it look like? How is it manufactured to be cheaper? The graphic novel, Easy to Learn, Difficult to Master, answers these questions. The answers today may seem like a given, but just around six decades ago, only one person came up with that answer: Ralph Baer. Or was it? He had a rival: Nolan Bushnell. The novel, Easy to Learn, Difficult to Master starts with a ping-pong table in the center of a coliseum. The two contestants are, of course, Ralph Baer and Nolan Bushnell. As the novel progresses, the competition increasingly heats up, and the rules change drastically, so much so that the game itself changes. As the two fathers of the video game are fighting, they tell both sides of the story—the story of the birth of the video game. Born in Rodalben, Germany in 1922, Ralph Baer was living in a dangerous time, espe...

 Hi,      Over Spring Break, I read Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger. This book is full of action, and it's a great read for people who love mystery. There are several reasons why this book is appealing and fun to read, but first, I will quickly summarize the book.  This book takes place in the early 20th century/late 19th century, and it revolves around a girl Sophronia Temminick. She is a rebellious child who gives her conservative mother a hard time by not following any of the societal standards expected of her. The story begins with Sophronia spying on a friend of her mother’s in a dumbwaiter. She gets caught, and ends up getting sent away to a finishing school, which is like a boarding school that trains girls how to behave in high-class society. At first, Sophronia drags her feet and doesn’t want to go. She wants to stay at her home, annoy her mother and sisters, and mess around with her brothers. But her mother is adamant, and Sophronia...

Hello! I'm Sloane, and I am reviewing The One and Only Bob  by Katherine Applegate. This book is the sequel to The One and Only Ivan , which I reviewed a few months ago. I really enjoyed both of these books, especially since they are kind of written in verse, as I mentioned in my post about The One and Only Ivan . *Small spoilers for The One and Only Ivan  (the first book)* In The One and Only Bob , our main character is a dog named Bob. He has been relocated to a home with Julia and her father after living on his own in a shopping mall for so long. One day, Bob visits Ivan, a gorilla, and Ruby, an elephant, at the sanctuary they have been moved to after living in the shopping mall with Bob. A storm looms on the horizon, and a tornado hits the sanctuary. Bob is separated from Julia and her father, lost in an animal enclosure. Then, while everyone is already scrambling, a hurricane strikes. Bob begins a search for his long lost sister, while along the way working with Ivan and ...

Please note that since I listened to the audiobook of this book I do not have page numbers for all of my quotes. Recently, when I was looking for a book to read, I stumbled upon Dear Ijeawele, or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions written by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. I thought this would be a perfect book to read since it included writing by Adichie, author of Purple Hibiscus , and it is a manifesto, which is a writing form we covered in class. Dear Ijeawele is a letter that Adichie wrote to her friend after being asked how her friend could raise her newborn daughter as a feminist. Throughout fifteen thoughtfully written pieces of advice Adichie underlines what it means to be and raise a feminist in our twenty-first century society. Although I cannot relate to the latter, I still think this book is a thought provoking piece of literature that addresses serious issues in our society. I personally really enjoyed this book. From the opening lines Adichie sets the stage for a dis...