REVIEW | Aristotle & Dante by Benjamin Alie Sáenz

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Genre: YA

First published: 2012

Pages: 359

Language: English

Type: paperback

Rating: 5/5

You first saw this book in a new on shelf post. So let's have a closer look at it now!

The story of Ari, an angry fifteen-year-old with brother in prison, who meets Dante, a know-it-all who hates wearing shoes, was an incredible reading experience for me. This coming of age story has it all.

The characters are brilliantly written. They are complex and real. I fell in love with Ari after three words that had come out of hi mouth, and same goes with Dante. I'm still blown away by the emotions it made me feel, and by the beauty of the writing that's so simple yet so able to make you feel things you thought you weren't even able of feeling.

Aristotle. The boy who feels deeply, yet is shut inside himself. The boy who's confused, self-loathing and lonely. The boy who's sweet, big-hearted and loyal. The boy who loves rain. The boy who deserves the world and doesn't know it.

Dante. The know-it-all who looks at the world in his own way. The boy who hates shoes and loves his parents. The boy who makes Ari laugh. The boy who's sweet, lovely and big-hearted. The boy who loves to swim, who's honest and cries about birds. The boy who deserves the world and doesn't know it.

These two boys, Aristotle and Dante, question and discover the secrets of the universe; their identity, sexuality, heritage, and the bond between them that's so strong that it changes their lives. Even though they're completely different in many, many ways, theirs is one of the most sincere and loyal friendship I've ever had the pleasure of reading about. I laughed and cried with them. I adored the little moments they shared, the little laughs and the tears. And Legs the dog.

Apart from my two boys, I also love the way Sáenz gives us such a lovely and precious view of their families. I love how a family is something that's viewed as a really important thing, and I love the relationship the boys have with their parents, who are flawed but loving. They make each other stronger with their love.

I'm stuggling to find the right words to do this book its justice, but it's almost impossible. I cannot put in words how much I loved this book. Please, go and read it.

I cannot wait for the sequel, There Will Be Other Summers! What about you? Have you read it? Do you plan on reading it? What do you think about the boys? And are you excited about the sequel?

#FRIDAYREADS

Hello and welcome to another #fridayreads post!

As you know, I'm currently diving deep in the sea of the Harry Potter obsession. Today, I'm going to show you (and probably even finish reading) my most favourite part of the series, the third book. So say hi to Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban!

How amazing it is that my most favourite book has also one of the most beautiful covers I've ever seen?

I consider this book to be my most favourite because of lots of reasons, but there are two main ones: First, it introduces my favouirte person, Remus Lupin. Second, it introduces my favourite person, Sirius Black. These are almost reasons enough, huh? But there's also Cedric Diggory and Cho Chang. And my beloved Minerva being savage (seriously, book Minerva McGonagall is the best thing). And Fred and George. I'm just so emotional over this book, and I really want to finish it immediately but also don't want it to ever end.

I love it. I simply love it.

And what book is yours #fridayread this week?

NEW ON SHELF | Library sales

Hello my dear readers,

every year, our local library makes me the happiest little bookworm. Every year, there's a special day when I love our library even more than I usually do. It's when there are book sales!

I, as the bookworm that I am, skipped school (yes, that's what I did) so I could be the first in line at 9am. I'm always unbelievably excited about these sales. It's always such an amazing adventure for me, fishing for books in boxes and on tables, finding treasures for low prices.

I can never have enough books, that's why I bought these. Let me introduce my new beauties.

I have to say, though, that I was a little bit disappointed today. Not only because of the awful weather we have here today (which caused the sales to be happening inside of the library instead of outside), but I went there with huge expectations (last year I bought twelve books there) and I just couldn't seem to find anything I would want to buy.

Luckily enough, these three books were there, waiting for me to bring them home.

The first book is Dobrý člověk ještě žije (Colas Breugnon in English) by Romain Rolland.

It's a beautiful book, really. It's full of drawings by Toyen and it's just in overall pretty amazing. (The design reminds me a bit of a little notebook I saw in Warner Bros. Studios, with the Hogwarts coat of arms on it.) I've been dying to read something by Rolland for quite a long time now, so I finally have the opportunity to do so!

The second book I found is called Strom člověka (The Tree of Man in English) by Patrick White.

Now, if you remember, I've already read a book by this author and I really liked it. Both of my White's books are library sale finds, actually. I hope this book will be at least as good as the first one I had the pleasure of reading.

And last but not least, Hrozny hněvu (The Grapes of Wrath in English) by John Steinbeck.

I've wanted to own a John Steinbeck book ever since I learnt about him in school. I'm so happy I found it, because it's one of the prettiest books I've seen. It's full of colourful drawings and it's lovely. I cannot wait to read this one!

So, to close this post, I'll just say that even though the weather is awful, I found some really beatiful and amazing cheap books to add to my TBR pile.

What about you? Does your local library do book sales? Do you buy books there?

TOP 5 | Books with LGBTQ+ characters I want to read

Hello, my fellow bookworms!

I welcome you to another TOP 5 post. This time, I'm going to present to you LGBTQ+ books that I think absolutely worth reading and cannot wait to do so.

I'll give you the sun

Jandy Nelson

This story of twins who are incredibly close at first but then have to try and find their way back to one another after being wrecked in different ways has been on my TBR list for as long as I can remember. From the author of The Sky is Everywhere, this book is definitely worth your time.

Two Boys Kissing

David Levithan

The author of Boy Meets Boy (and many more great books, including Will Grayson, Will Grayson that he wrote with John Green) brings us a story of two boys, Craig and Harry, who used to be a couple and are now hoping to set the world record for the longest kiss.

Carry On

Rainbow Rowell

I've read Eleanor & Park by this author, and even though I cannot say it was bad, I didn't enjoy it as much as I expected. Now I'm planning on giving Rainbow another chance, because Carry On, a ghost-love-mystery story, sounds very promising in my opinion. You should also give a try to Fangirl.

Ash

Malinda Lo

Yes. Yes, yes and one more yes. Give me a lesbian retelling of Cinderella immediately. This story is about Ash who loves fairytales—and when she meets Sidhean, she thinks that her very own fairytale could come true. Then she meets Kaisa, who seems to reawaken her desire to live and love, and makes Ash decide between a fairy tale and true love. Definitely a must read for me! (You should also give a chance to Huntress.)

Look Both Ways

Alison Cherry

One can never have enough wlw books. Brooklyn Shepard immediately hits off with her theatre camp roommate Zoe, and their friendship turns to love. This book full of self discovery should definitely make its way to your TBR lists!

I also highly recommend The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe and this little list of books.

#FRIDAYREADS

Hello witches and wizards!

Yes, that's right. This week's #fridayreads (just like, I guess, also the next week's and the week after that, and maybe like two other weeks after that) is dedicated to witchcraft and wizardry. More specifically, to Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, book two of the Harry Potter series.

I'm finally reading this series. I cannot belive I had spent my whole life without doing so. I'm enjoying the series so much, sometimes I feel like I'm a child again. Unfortunately, I never had the chance to read this series when I was little, since no one in my family reads, so there was no one to introduce me to the magical world of Harry Potter at the right time. What a shame!

The story of the little wizard Harry Potter makes me unbelievably happy. The first book was just incredible, and I loved it with all my heart. And since I had known only the film version of the series until now, it's fascinating how many things from the film version started making more sense after reading the book. Beautiful. And speaking of beautiful - how amazing are the covers of this edition? It makes the reading even more fun!

I cannot wait what the book two has in store for me! Just like I cannot wait to read the next five beauties in the series, of course. What about you? I know I'm pretty much the last person in the world who hasn't read the series yet, so I'm really interested in your opinions and feelings about these books. Do you love them or yes? Who are your favourite characters and why is Umbridge your least favourite one? (I'm obviously trying to be funny here.) In which House are you? Tell me everything, I'm incredibly curious!

REVIEW | One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Ken Kesey

Genre: novel
First published: 1962
Pages: 281
Language: English
Type: paperback

Rating: 5/5

I first presented this book to you when I made a post about my England book haul, and then you saw it on my blog again in the very first #fridayreads post. And then, of course, in May wrap up. I'm going to talk about this book one more time. Because this book deserves all the attention in the world.

 

This novel is an exceptional portration of the life in a 60's mental hospital. Through the eyes of Chief Bromden, a half-Indian who claims to be deaf-and-dumb, Ken Kesey lets us experience the age of the Beat Generation and the LSD.

Now let me say something about the author of this book, first. He, just like the whole Beat Generation, is a fascinating human being for me. These people with their works are probably the most interesting group of authors for me. Kerouac, Ginsberg, Burroughs, Carr. (If you haven't, you should definitely watch Kill Your Darlings.) And have you heard of Merry Pranksters? Look it up. I'm known for liking odd authors (have I mentioned my weakness for Baudelaire, Rimbaud and Verlaine?), but these are probably my #1. 

Anyway, let's get to the book finally, I just had to express my love for the others as well.

So, this book. I love Kesey for writing it. From what I know, he just basically got wasted on LSD, with which he volunteered to experiment, and then went talking to patients in mental hospitals, which inspired him to write this novel. He didn't think about the patients as though they were crazy, he saw them as people who hadn't been accepted by the society just because they didn't fit the standards of how they were supposed to act and behave. And that makes him an incredible person in my eyes, sorry not sorry.

The first thing I noticed about this book (if we don't count the amazing Penguin cover) were the little doodles on the pages. I have to confess that before I started reading the book, I skimmed through the pages like five or six times, just to look at them. They're so simple, yet so beautiful. And they perfectly fit the book.

What I loved about this novel is how we really get to see the life in the mental hospital as it was. I know I'm saying this over and over again, but as someone interested in psychiatry, I couldn't get enough of it. The reality of numbing pills and the EST and lobotomy. I loved how Kesey presented the people after the EST and lobotomy to us, how he said the people were different after these, let's say, procedures.

I loved the characters. Real, believable characters, not those "cardboards" we all dislike.  I loved Chief, the flashbacks, the way he narrates the story. I loved Harding, and Cheswick. And, of course, I loved McMurphy. They were all deeply flawed, and deeply human. Except maybe for the head sister Ratched, who was just flawed.

McMurphy is the kind of character that you either absolutely adore or detest. I loved him. He decided to declare himself insane in order to be transferred to the mental hospital. He stands up to the tyrannical Ratched, he basically "sacrifices" himself so the other men in the ward are liberated from the grip of her iron fist. I love that he never let Ratched get to him and break him. I loved that he knew the risk he was taking by behaving the way he did, and he didn't let the nurse win, anyway. He is, in his way, a very tragic character. At least his fate is. He broke my heart.

Anyway, go and read this book. It will stay with me, and I hope it'll stay with you as well.

And if you read this masterpiece, what are your thoughts on it? Did you like it? Did you hate it? Who's your favourite character, and what thing about Ratched do you despise the most? I'd love to talk to you about this book, so feel free to express yourselves.

NEW ON SHELF | Ari, Dante & November 9

Hello, my lil beans!

It has been only a few weeks since I presented you my book haul from England—which was by no means a small one—and here I am again, boasting with yet another additions to my shelf! (That's very un-Hufflepuff-ish from me!)

Before I left for England, I had purchased two books from this amazing site, and they just arrived. Ladies and gentleman, let me present to you my two new babies! (They're the twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth book I bought this year, if any of you were interested.)

First, let's have a look at one of the prettiest books I've ever seen. Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe. This coming-of-age story of two teenage boys who have apparently nothing in common but end up falling in love had been on my to be bought list for months, and I'm glad that I finally bought it. I've actually purchased this book this soon mainly because of a Travelling Book Project I'm organising, but I was dying to own it anyway. I cannot wait to read it. All the positive reviews make me so excited to start the book, so I hope it won't disappoint me!

The second book I, quite impulsively, bought is November 9 by Colleen Hoover. This book was recommended to me by my friend who was kind (or cruel, for that matter) enough to let me read the first few chapters of this book. And man, those were chapters indeed. I wanted to read more, but I wanted to immediately have my own copy so I could highlight and write in it, because let me tell you, Ben is probably the best male-character I've ever had the pleasure of reading about. (After my beloved Jamie, of course.) He's one of the reasons my expectations are too high, and the reason I'll probably die alone with 72 cats that will eat my body when I'm dead. I cannot wait for this book to destroy me, and leave me shattered to million pieces.

Welcome home, babies, welcome home.

What about you, guys? Have you read any of these two books? What are your opinions? I'm really interested in hearing your thoughts on the books! If you spoil them to me, though, I'm gonna cry. And then I'm gonna cut your heads off and let my two chihuahuas eat your brains. :)