Wamb-Blog

All the Bright Places is a story that switches perspectives between two seniors, a boy named Finch and a girl named Violet. Finch deals with going into The Awake and The Asleep  and suicidal ideation, while Violet has been dealing with the death of her sister almost a year prior. They end up running into each other at the edge of their school’s bell tower. Finch talks Violet down, but everyone thinks that Violet saved Finch because they think he’s weird. Violet thanks Finch and gives him a genuine smile; he immediately develops a crush. Finch makes a Facebook account just to message her. The two of them pair up for a History project called “Wander Indiana.” They start hanging out all the time and visiting all these different places in Indiana, like the Highest Point in Indiana. Violet notices the Finch keeps her mind off of her sister and Violet keeps Finch in The Awake. Finch also helps Violet get back into a car again for the first time since her sister’s accident (where she was in the car). One night, they end up falling asleep together on top of the Purina Tower and Violet’s parents tell her that she can’t see Finch anymore. That doesn’t stop her, she tends to just sneak out to see him. While this is happening to Violet, Finch’s world is getting smaller as he has moved into his closet and refuses to leave. She tries to get him help, but the two end up in an argument and then Finch just vanishes. Violet only gets very random messages from him that make no sense for a few days. then everything from him goes dark.

You have to read the book to find out what happens in the end. I really enjoyed this book! It has been on my To Be Read list for a while and I’m happy I got to check that off. I think that it was a fun read especially because it takes place in the Richmond area and places around here, like the Highest point, are mentioned. I would put a bit of a trigger warning on it because there is a lot of talk about suicide, but I don’t see enough of that to understand why it’s on the banned/challenged book list. I also cried quite a bit while reading the book, so be warned for that too. Otherwise it’s a very good book that shows you behind that scenes of people’s lives and dealing with thoughts of suicide realistically.

The main character of Fight Club has insomnia. He doesn’t have a very interesting life, and he doesn’t realize how unhappy he is until he meets Tyler Durden. The main character has his apartment blown up, and he has no one else to live with other than Tyler. The two of them end up getting into a fight voluntarily, which sparks the first fight club. Fight club is basically just a space for insecure dudes to beat the crap out of each other instead of actually taking the time to solve their problems. Tyler and the narrator run the first fight club, but it quickly spirals out of control and spreads across the country, even though people aren’t supposed to talk about it. Tyler wants to expand fight club into something more, something that will make comfortable people notice those that they never respect. He creates Project Mayhem, which is basically just a terrorist organization. The narrator thinks that everything has been taken way too far, but when he tries to stop it he learns that he is actually Tyler Durden. Whenever he thinks he’s asleep, he wakes back up and works as Tyler.

I think I only liked this book because I had already seen the movie and knew that it would be a little confusing. Knowing what was going to happen already made me notice things I hadn’t before, not just because they were different in the book. The book and movie are told in almost exactly the same way which I wasn’t expecting. I really liked this book, but I think that it’s criticizing the people that look at it and automatically assume it’s just about the fight club. I still don’t fully understand the moral of the story, but I can see it being about how coping mechanisms can actually be more destructive in the long run.

“The Perks of Being a Wallflower” is a young adult novel written by Stephen Chbosky. The book is about Charlie, who is a lonely kid starting his first year of high school. It is set in the 90’s and it tells the story of how Charlie survives his freshman year and how he gets through his traumatic past. The story is written in a different perspective than most books, the story is told in letters. Charlie writes letters to a stranger, just to be heard. Charlie finds friends at a football game, Patrick and Sam, who are siblings and both seniors. They call him a wallflower because Charlie is always sitting alone, but always listening and understanding others. The story can be relatable to any high schooler because it is about the struggles of high school and balancing life and family and friends. Throughout the book, Charlie begins to understand more and more what is going on in his mind and it helps him to discover who he is and who he wants to be.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone in high school, or even in their late teens. It is a great book about learning to experience life, don’t just survive it, but live it. It is also about overcoming your past and moving passed what may have happened to you, because life moves on. I think this book is especially good to read as a senior because it’s like looking back on high school and you can’t really know what you’re experiencing until it is already experienced.

10/10 would recommend!

I was struggling to find a book that I would actually be interested in reading, Mrs. Adams had recommended this book to me because she knew that I would relate to it. This book started off with a trigger warning for those that were recovered or recovering addicts. Mindy McGinnis’ novel Heroine is a gripping and emotional story about Mickey Catalan, a high school softball star who finds herself battling opioid addiction after a car accident. As she recovers from her injuries, painkillers become her escape, pulling her deeper into dependency.  Mickey’s journey is both heartbreaking and eye-opening. Heroine is a powerful and necessary read that explores the dangers of addiction, the pressure of sports, and the strength it takes to fight back. I would give this book 4.7 stars out of 5. This book keeps you on your toes. This book would be the best for readers that may have family member or friends that have gone through addiction, and for anyone wanting to understand more about what addiction really is and possibly get rid of the nasty image people have of addicts.

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen is a expressing novel which was set during the Great Depression. This story was set around a young man named Jacob Jankowski, who is about to complete a degree in Veterinary medicine. Before he could complete his degree some family tragedy leaves him by himself. Where he then finds himself pulled into a traveling circus, the Benzi Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. Where Jacob then becomes the Circus veterinarian and meets a bunch of characters, alongside what turns out to be a crush on Marlena, an equestrian star. Although Marlena has a husband, August who is a brutal husband and also the circus’s animal trainer, the connection between the two is always there. In this story it goes through the past of Jacob as it starts, It starts with Jacob older and in a nursing home. As the story goes along he flashes back to being the carer of the Elephant, Rosie. He later on meets Rosie and is fascinated by her and her behavior trying to figure out why she is the way she is. Throughout the story it flashes back and forth from the past to the present of Jacob’s time. You’ll begin to see it can be confusing at first but as you get farther along your brain starts to click and figure it out. Once you start reading it you won’t want to stop especially when you get towards the end and get to the good part.

This book was Sara Gruen’s first ever book she published and with that she did outstanding with the characters and expressing the true side of a amazing story of a traveling circus. I chose this book because it deals with animals and as soon as I saw that one of the characters was pursuing a degree in Veterinary medicine I was intrigued and wanted to read it. Knowing me I am an animal lover and would recommend this book to anyone that loves circuses and is an animal lover like myself. I rate this book a 10/10 I definitely recommend reading it when you can get the chance to grab it.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, written by V.E Schwab, is a fantasy and romance novel that centers around a young woman named Adeline. The book itself captivates readers because of its intricate details and interesting plot. The author uses various art pieces such as sculptures, paintings, and photographs to make connections to each part of the book, a concept that is both fascinating and creative. The story starts off in the summer of 1714 in France, where Adeline is being forced to marry a man by her parents who she does not love. She ends up running away from the wedding, making a deal with the god of night (Luc) to have freedom and immortality, but instead he curses her to be forgotten by everyone who sees her face and is unable to speak her name ever again. However, after 300 years someone finally remembers her, changing Addie’s life drastically. As the book goes on, Addie becomes determined to live her new life to the fullest, despite the difficulties she endures along the way. She aims to leave her mark on the world, as one meaningful quote in the book states, “What is a person, if not the marks they leave behind?” Her journey of resilience, perseverance, and discovery leaves a lasting impact on the readers where they are able to connect with Addie on a deeper level.

I enjoyed reading this book because it was different from the other genres I tend to lean towards. I recommend this book to people who enjoy plot twists, romance, fantasy, and a little mystery. Although, I personally was a bit disappointed by the ending of the book, it overall was a novel that I appreciated reading and captured my attention.

This book is set in Nazi Germany during World War II. The story is told from the perspective of death. Death encounters Liesel, the main character, and follows the story of her new life in Munich, Germany. The story begins with Liesel, her mother, and her brother as they are traveling to Munich where Liesel and her brother are to live with foster parents. On the way to Munich, Liesel’s brother dies, and they have to stop to bury him. At his burial, Liesel steals a book called The Gravediggers Handguide. Liesel goes to live with Hans and Rosa Hubberman, her foster parents. Plauged by nightmares of her dead brother, Liesel bonds with Hans when he teaches her how to read after she has her nightmares each night. As Nazi influence grows, book burnings become common, and Liesel steals another book. Through Rosa’s laundry service, Liesel meets the mayor’s wife, Ilsa Hermann, who invites her to read in her library. A Jewish man named Max flees his country and finds refuge with the Hubermanns, forming a close friendship with Liesel and writing her a story on painted pages of Mein Kampf. When Frau Hermann cancels her laundry service, Liesel retaliates by stealing from her library. The mayor’s wife gives Liesel a blank notebook so she can begin writing her own story. She writes about her book theivery and the stories of Max.

I really enjoyed reading this book because it was different from any other book I have read before. Being told from the perspective of death, you have a limited knowledge of the main characters and you don’t know their every thought. Death also adds in his own experience in as well and it feels like the author is giving death more of a humanized feeling. I also like how the book is centered around the lives of people who are German, as other books are normally the perspective of German enemies. This changes how you view Germans from during the war to realize that not all Germans wanted the war and many of them suffered as a result of the war. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes historical fiction or has never read a book told in the third person.

I chose this book after seeing it recommended various times on my social media, especially TikTok. It was very rampant during election season and other worldly events recently. I was very excited when I saw this opportunity to read it.

“Nineteen Eighty-Four” is a book by George Orwell, written in 1949 following the Second World War and changes in governments, socio-economic, and political standings in various nations. The book follows Winston Smith, a man who is a low-ranking / Outer Party member of the ruling government in a dystopian London (Oceania). In this government, the image of “Big Brother” rules the citizens of Oceania, instilling complete control and fear among them. The inventions of “telescreens” provide constant surveillance, even in citizens’ homes. The Party controls everything, and even have their own language of “Newspeak” to limit citizens’ form of expression and prevent rebellion. The book tells the tale of how Winston combats this oppressive government, establishing a story that remains very relevant over eighty years later.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and could verbally talk about it and write about it for ever. It is very well-written, and resonates with many aspects of our own government and world today. From the oppressive practices, limits of civil rights and liberties, and surveillance tactics presented can be compared to our modern life. For example, the use of “telescreens” can parallel the boom in technology we have now, like having smartphones with us all the time, Alexas or Google Mini-Homes, and many more devices listening and watching us.

“Nineteen Eighty-Four” is a piece of literature that scrambles the mind and can make anyone a skeptic, in a healthy and fulfilling way. Unsettling, yet comforting in the mixture of phrases, words, and imaginary world created by Orwell that represents a reality humans throughout history have experienced time and time again. Everyone should read “Nineteen Eighty-Four,” and I will stand by this forever.

     Twilight is a best selling fantasy/vampiric romance novel written by Stephanie Meyer. It focuses on a young girl named Bella Swan as she navigates her highschool life after moving in with her father.  She has to balance this new change with making friends and dealing with an intriguing boy that has a staring problem, Edward Cullen. Bella soon finds out that Edward and his family are vampires, but they choose to live a peaceful life by drinking animal blood. Follow Bella’s story through the five novels that Stephanie has written, and watch how she devolps her new life with her vampire boyfriend.

I enjoyed reading this book, but I will say that if you’ve watched the movies then it will be a bit of a tough read. I personally thought that the book was less interesting then the movie, but it is nice to see the small changes that appear between the two. The entire series as a whole is a good, well-developed franchise that I would recommend to others.

The Time Travelers Wife is a book about a man named Henry DeTamble who time travels to important parts of his life. This is a love story with his wife, Clare Abshire, who meets 40 year old Henry when she is 6 years old. Henry often visits Clare as she is considered a main event in his life. They end up getting married and having a child together who is also a time traveler.
I picked this book because I grew up watching the movie and I loved it. I would recommend this book to anyone who has watched the movie because it dives deeper into Clare and Henrys life. This book can be considered a hard read as it is around 530 pages and is a little hard to follow. It gives both Clare and Henrys perspectives, so it gets confusing at times.
I would rate this book a 10/10 because again, I watched the movie and I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed comparing the differences to the movie, book, and recent TV show and how much the movie/show is different compared to the original book.