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City of Bones by Michael Connelly

★★★★☆

I’ve been trying to find the genres of books that most interest me recently. Growing up, I understandably wasn’t into crime novels and thrillers, rather I was into those typical children and teen novels; Harry Potter (still love with all my heart), Percy Jackson, Hunger Games, Divergent, Inkheart, etc. I was never into the classics or the comics (still not into comics, just not my thing) either. These past few years, I fooled around with different types of books. I started reading crime novels and quickly found myself enjoying them. This book just so happens to be the centre of my scrutiny today.
Before I get into the contents itself, can I just say that I bought this perfectly intact second-hand paperback book for a dollar?! A STEAL.

As a brief, brief summary for you to get an idea of the book, it starts off when a dog fetches a bone, a human bone, while out with his owner. Detective Harry Bosch must get to the bottom of the case. One thing puts a wrench in his gut; it’s a bone from a child. He uncovers a case almost twenty years old and struggles to find the evidence he needs to put the monster who did it behind bars.

Harry Bosch is part of a series of books Connelly has written. Harry Bosch’s endeavours are a TV show, which I just recently found out can be found on Amazon Prime. I will have to check that out.

This would be the first book I’ve read from Connelly and I liked it. It’s a very different writing style in comparison to previous books I’ve read. The writing and storytelling is very succinct, no fluff. I love that. Unnecessary writing is one of my pet peeves, and I’m sure I’m not alone on that. Since the writing was so easy to read and comprehend, I devoured this book faster than most. I’m not entirely familiar with Connelly’s work and style, but I think he puts more care into the plot and characters themselves than the manner in which the plot and characters are presented in. If that makes sense. I think that’s probably why there’s no unnecessary writing.

The plot itself is typical of a crime novel. It leads you to believe one person did it but then something else pops up that changes everything. There are many suspects that come up in the story and Bosch tries to figure out who the true suspect is. He’s led to believe one suspect did it, and the case seems to have come to a close, but then he realizes that something isn’t right. Bosch’s detective skills are spot-on, and he covers his mistakes.

Overall, this book was an enjoyable read. The story line is intriguing and I never found myself wanting to put the book down. I’m sure to read more books from Bosch. I bought “The Brass Verdict” and I plan on reading that sometime soon also.

My Study Essentials

I thought it would be fitting to write a post about my study essentials while I’m actually studying for my midterm exams! My last one is tomorrow, and I’m spending today studying for it! The following list of my study essentials is in no particular order!

Laptop

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My laptop is totally essential for when I study. Although it can be quite a distraction, I use it for Spotify and to review lecture slides from my classes. Sometimes I have to just switch it off and put it to the side when I start to procrastinate.

Notes

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Most important material for studying are my notes! I take notes (as pictured) based off the lectures and the slides that my teacher uploads. I try to keep my notes as organized and straight-forward as possible because doing so makes it so much easier when it comes time to review and get ready for exams.

Pens

I make short pointers / big concept notes using my 0.38mm Muji pens. I try to keep as many coloured pens on hand for when I need to just add a little colour to my boring notes!

Highlighters

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Mildliner highlighters are heavenly! I highly recommend buying them, if you haven’t done so yet. I’ve had them for more than a year now, and I use them regularly, and not one of them has lost all its ink yet. They’re absolutely fabulous. I highlight key terms and their definitions in my notes, so I can remember to pay close attention to them (since these terms are almost always on my exams).

Sticky notes

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Sticky notes are imperative for when I forget to write something in my notes. I don’t like whiting-out my writing because it creates such a mess, and ruins the aesthetic of the notes, so I just take a sticky note, write down the point I missed from the lecture slides, and stick it right onto my notes. Doing so keeps things clean, colourful and easy on the eyes.

Hope you enjoyed reading this post! What are some things you just can’t live without when studying?

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Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

★★★★★

It’s about time I got my hands on this book. I’m really late, I know.

Though the library’s hardcover copy was gnarled and stained, I still had patience and flew through this book. My reaction: WOW!

I’m sure you’ve already read “Gone Girl” but here is a little summary: Nick and Amy Dunne seem to have the perfect life. They’re (seemingly) happily married, but when Amy goes missing, their small town turns to Nick for answers, who seems to be in the same boat as everyone else. Lies and deceit make this harrowing story by Gillian Flynn hair-raising.

The story seemed to be typical at first; spouse goes missing, blame other spouse, turns out he/she killed the other spouse they’re arrested. But as the story progresses, the lies told by both Amy and Nick complicate the plot.

Image result for gone girl book It is written from the alternating perspectives of Amy and Nick. Amy’s perspective is shown through her personal diary, which later becomes a part of the plot. Through these first-person perspectives, you can see the similarities and differences in their thoughts. Since this story is about a relationship gone haywire, you can see through their thoughts why they thought they were good for each other at first but not later. It’s a very personal telling of their inner feelings. Especially for Amy, as she writes down everything she is feeling. Nick’s perspective is told on the present. He is in the time when Amy first goes missing and it carries from there. Sometimes the things Amy and Nick think are downright psycho. And that’s what makes this book so intriguing.

Amy and Nick’s characters are extremely well-developed, due to this first-person perspective. It is truly unbelievable how the thoughts of psychopaths can seem so real, almost relatable (not saying I’m a psycho, OK). Flynn creates characters that actually contribute to the story and plot in their own way. It’s remarkable how each and every character is so important to the story.

This book was just the right length. I wasn’t left missing information nor was the book stretched out. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it!

Week in Review (3)

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme by The Caffeinated Book Reviewer in which bloggers are able to share news and happenings in their lives from the past week on their blog.

Well, what a week it has been! I’m currently sitting here studying for my midterms, but clearly I’m distracted. Blogging is so therapeutic and exactly what I need. The feeling of being burnt out from uni is subsiding, so that’s always a good thing.

I had a bunch of essays due this past week and a whole load of studying to get done. I think it’s been quite successful, but I cannot wait to get into holiday mode (only a little over a month to go)!

The gloomy weather quite accurately matched how I felt this week. I love thunderstorms so much! They have such a calming effect on me.

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For me, studying while it’s raining outside is the best. I’m so productive, and relaxed at the same time, which makes for a great study session. I’ve got to have some icy water to keep me hydrated and focused as well! What’s your go-to beverage while studying?

I went for a quick outing today to end off the week and I got some mango milk bubble tea! Super delicious and refreshing! It was the first time I got milk bubble tea, I usually just get it without milk, but this one was so much more yummy. How do you like your bubble tea?

Here’s to a new week and much success! How was your week? What are you looking forward to next week? Thanks for stopping by. 💕

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The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

★★★★☆

I actually had to read this novel for school. And surprisingly, for once, it was pretty good. This international bestseller by Markus Zusak won many awards for its complicated story and wonderful characters.

Liesel Meminger is the main character in the book, and her story is told through the perspective of “Death” in Germany during the 30’s and the Second World War. She is a young German girl who is fostered by two poor parents and as the story goes on, Liesel grows into a teenage girl. Along the way, she develops family relationships, makes friends, learns valuable lessons, and creates her own values, all while the horrors of Hitler’s rise and the war occur. It’s a coming-of-age novel that will strike a chord with readers.

Let me start by saying that this book is bursting with literary devices. The entire book is quite literally one giant metaphor, as “Death” tells the story. Every page has a metaphor somewhere, used in some way. You could be talking about socks and there would still be some deep metaphor made by the author. This is really great for analyzing and interpreting the multiple meanings. When I was discussing this book in a seminar, we all interpreted the book differently, and our answers were all reasonable. The descriptions are so detailed and the language used is not complicated and not too easy, which I like in a book.

The fact that Death tells the story, I found, was very interesting. It created a lot of literary devices and all, but it was also interesting to see how Zusak used Death to illustrate its role in the war. He talks about how “busy” Death becomes in the war and how demanding Hitler is of Death. I think it’s quite clever, and it was enjoyable to read these parts.

The thing I didn’t like about the book is that it is so unnecessarily long. There are countless parts in the book where I could not find a single explanation as to what it adds to the book. Trust me when I say I genuinely tried to find its relevance to the book; I was being graded on my analysis. Not only were these parts useless, but they were just plain boring! Some characters have no real purpose in the book. In fact, they just take away from the story. This book would be so much better if it was less than 584 pages.

Overall, this book was pretty enjoyable. I would recommend this to freshmen, not sophomores (as I was when I read this book). Thanks for reading!

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Hi there!

Nice to meet you. I’m SK. It’s my code name and initials. I’ve joined as an author on Exclusory and I’m excited to be here! I write book reviews mainly but if I ever think of or experience something interesting, I’ll make something about it. Here’s a brief little intro of me!

I’m one of those people who loves personality tests because I’m extremely self-centered and love talking about myself, so if you’re into that stuff too, I’m an INT-J personality type. Comment yours!

Likes: Reading, creative writing, photography in general, long hikes, accessory shopping, peace and quiet, rock (alternative, psychedelic, soft, pop) + R&B music, breakfast food, roller coasters, board games, the idea of exploring the world alone

Dislikes: Socializing for extended periods of time, the loud, the ignorant, the stupid, the boring, spiders, ice cream

Hopefully you all don’t hate me based on this. I’m pretty cool once you get to know me. I’ll see you guys around!