Published by Harmony on 12 Oct 1979
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Seconds before the Earth is demolished to make way for a galactic freeway, Arthur Dent is plucked off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher for the revised edition of the The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy who, for the last fifteen years, has been posing as an out of work actor.

Together this dynamic pair begin their journey through space aided by quotes from The Hitchhiker's Guide -- "A towel is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have" -- and a galaxy-full of fellow travellers: Zaphod Beeblebrox, the two-headed, three-armed ex-hippie and totally out to lunch president of the galaxy; Trillian, Zaphod's girlfriend (formally Tricia McMillan), whom Arthur tried to pick up at a cocktail party once upon a time zone; Marvin, a paranoid, brilliant and chronically depressed robot; Veet Voojagig, a former graduate student who is obsessed with the disappearance of all the ball-point pens he has bought over the years.

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I've read a few reviews for this book and it seems that people either loved it or didn't get it. Unfortunately, I fell with the group that didn't get it. I picked this book up because I wanted to know the meaning of life and why it was 42, but I left the book feeling more confused.

...the entire multidimensional infinity of the Universe is almost certainly being run by a bunch of maniacs.

I appreciated the humour and the fact that it's the source of many cultural references, but the story felt a bit too absurd and erratic for me to follow. It was oddly specific at points, a characteristic that I usually find charmingly quirky, but without knowing the greater point, I got lost in the details. My experience of exploring the galaxy through this book was simply coming across things without any main goal or adventure.

He felt that his whole life was some kind of dream and he sometimes wondered whose it was and whether they were enjoying it.

I think this book might be more fun to read aloud with elementary/middle school kids to appreciate the silliness and space adventure, or even with older audiences to appreciate the clever one-liners and philosophical aspects.

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Published by Penguin Press on 12 Sep 2017
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In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is meticulously planned – from the layout of the winding roads, to the colours of the houses, to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principle is playing by the rules.

Enter Mia Warren – an enigmatic artist and single mother – who arrives in this idyllic bubble with her teenage daughter Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons. Soon Mia and Pearl become more than just tenants: all four Richardson children are drawn to the alluring mother-daughter pair. But Mia carries with her a mysterious past, and a disregard for the rules that threatens to upend this carefully ordered community.

When the Richardsons’ friends attempt to adopt a Chinese-American baby, a custody battle erupts that dramatically divides the town and puts Mia and Mrs. Richardson on opposing sides. Suspicious of Mia and her motives, Mrs. Richardson becomes determined to uncover the secrets in Mia’s past. But her obsession will come at unexpected and devastating costs to her own family – and Mia’s.

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This novel began as a slow, small town story. 100 pages in, I was surprised that there wasn’t more happening; I had heard so many people raving about this book, so I suppose I expected there to be a little more drama in such a sensational book.

I was looking for the moment the story would pick up. And I found it (the custody battle). And it built. And I cried. But it wasn’t the drama that got to me. It was the characters.

Sometimes you need to scorch everything to the ground, and start over. After the burning the soil is richer, and new things can grow. People are like that, too. They start over. They find a way.

This book got to who we are as humans, as individuals, and it touched on themes of art, identity, motherhood, and love. It introduced characters as their roles in their community, like they were dolls to be moved to a script, a sort of storytelling from a distance. As the story carried on, each character and their relationships came to life and were unraveled so that we could see each person for who they were, what they believed in, what they loved, who they loved, how they loved. We could see the reasons for the choices they made and the consequences that led. The layers to each person make you question what matters, what matters more, what’s enough.

Similarly, for most of my life, I have always seen people for the roles they played in mine. It wasn’t until college that I started breaking out of that and noticing the people behind those roles -- my mom as her own person, my dad as his own person (my parents had lives before my own?? wow. mindblown), my brothers as their own people, a professor as their own person, a barista as their own person, a bus driver as their own person. Even for myself, I’ve been trying to figure out who I am apart from the role that I play -- no longer a student, so who?

Even if you don’t relate to this book in the specific way that I did, I believe that there’s something for everyone to take away from it. (For the record, I relate to this book in so many more ways, but this is one place to start.)

The young are the same, always and everywhere.

I know that I’ve come to this book later than most people. But I think this book came to me at exactly the right time. Lately I’ve been grappling with something in my heart that I won’t get into here, but I wouldn’t be exaggerating to say that this book healed me in some ways.

But there would be love, too, so much love. With that, you could get by with so little.

A beautiful story that came to me at a perfect time. 5 stars, through and through.

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Published by Dial Press on 29 Jul 2008
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January 1946: London is emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject. Who could imagine that she would find it in a letter from a man she's never met, a native of the island of Guernsey, who has come across her name written inside a book by Charles Lamb...

As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, Juliet is drawn into the world of this man and his friends—and what a wonderfully eccentric world it is. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society—born as a spur-of-the-moment alibi when its members were discovered breaking curfew by the Germans occupying their island—boasts a charming, funny, deeply human cast of characters, from pig farmers to phrenologists, literature lovers all.

Juliet begins a remarkable correspondence with the society's members, learning about their island, their taste in books, and the impact the recent German occupation has had on their lives. Captivated by their stories, she sets sail for Guernsey, and what she finds will change her forever.

Written with warmth and humor as a series of letters, this novel is a celebration of the written word in all its guises and of finding connection in the most surprising ways.

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I wonder how the book got to Guernsey? Perhaps there is some secret sort of homing instinct in books that brings them to their perfect readers.

This novel is completely told in letters. Due to the epistolary form, the story required a little more effort on my part to learn the characters by name and immerse myself at the beginning, but once I figured out who was who and what was what, I found myself anticipating the next letter as if I were the one receiving it. The pacing picked up and the end felt a little abrupt, but it was a sweet if simplistic ending.

That's what I love about reading: one tiny thing will interest you in a book, and that tiny thing will lead you onto another book, and another bit there will lead you onto a third book.

In comparison, the Netflix film adaptation (which I watched first -- guilty!) was a lot more focused on the relationship between Juliet and Dawsey, whereas in the novel, many more members of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society were able to shine, and I was absolutely charmed by them. Lovers of literature and history will enjoy this one!

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Published by William Morrow on 22 Apr 2008
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For more than twenty years, the Hermès Birkin bag has been the iconic symbol of fashion, luxury, and wealth. With a fabled waiting list of more than two years to purchase one, the average fashionista has a better chance of climbing Mount Everest in Prada pumps than of possessing this coveted carryall. Unless, of course, she happens to know Michael Tonello...

With down-to-earth wit, Michael Tonello chronicles the unusual ventures that took him to nearly every continent--and from eBay to Paris auction houses and into the lives of celebrities and poseurs alike--on the road to becoming a successful entrepreneur and Robin Hood to thousands of desperate rich women.

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As a Hermès lover (cultivated by my mother), I was immediately intrigued by the subject of this book, thought the title was funny, and the rest of the book proved to be just as punchy.

I was going to handle this like a man. I called my mother.

But just because I love Hermès doesn't mean that I don't love a good deal too! I discovered this book whilst browsing a used bookstore and subsequently went to borrow it from my library.

Tonello's business had a thrifty start too, and I was further drawn in by his entrepreneurial spirit. It all began with him selling some of his old luxury items on eBay to make rent and grew to take him all over the world procuring Birkins for those wealthy enough to drop thousands on a single handbag.

I had the ability to perform a trick that was much better than pulling rabbits out of hats--I knew how to pull Birkins out of Hermès.

To give you an idea of how difficult it is to bring home a Birkin, not only do you need to have enough money to buy one (which is a lot), but you also need to find store willing to sell you one. If you walk right into a Hermès and straight up ask for a Birkin, you'll likely be told that there's a waiting list of two years.

Like my steaks, I took my Hermès handbags as rare as I could get them.

We learn Tonello's tips and tricks as we follow him on his escapades. This fast-paced business was reflected in this fast-paced book, and it was exciting to read about such an extravagant lifestyle that I could never hope to experience myself.

I was already familiar with many of the strategies Tonello shared (in theory) (whether I have the financial capacity to carry it out in practice is another story) (spoiler: I don't), and I don't know whether his "formula" is too transparent to implement successfully nowadays (mind this book was published in 2008), but it was still of fun to live vicariously through his anecdotes, meet interesting characters, and feel like I was in on the scheme.

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Published by Flatiron Books on 24 Jan 2017
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This is how a family keeps a secret... and how that secret ends up keeping them.

This is how a family lives happily ever after... until happily ever after becomes complicated.

This is how children change... and then change the world.

This is Claude. He’s five years old, the youngest of five brothers, and loves peanut butter sandwiches. He also loves wearing a dress, and dreams of being a princess.

When he grows up, Claude says, he wants to be a girl.

Rosie and Penn want Claude to be whoever Claude wants to be. They’re just not sure they’re ready to share that with the world. Soon the entire family is keeping Claude’s secret. Until one day it explodes.

This Is How It Always Is is a novel about revelations, transformations, fairy tales, and family. And it’s about the ways this is how it always is: change is always hard and miraculous and hard again, parenting is always a leap into the unknown with crossed fingers and full hearts, children grow but not always according to plan. And families with secrets don’t get to keep them forever.

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This is a heart-wrenching story of raising a trans child, and so many tough questions are asked. How do you prepare your child to go forth into the world boldly, but also protect them from a world that is not always kind? Do secrets protect or hurt? Why is being different this way so different from being different that way? When does a child know what they want, and when does a parent know better? How do you help your child pursue what they desire when they are still trying to figure it out themself? How do you ask the world to accept you for who you are when you're still trying to figure out who that is?

How did you teach your small human that it's what's inside that counts when the truth was everyone was pretty preoccupied with what you put on over the outside too?

We follow these contemplations through winding prose punctuated by moments of humour. You can count on mischievous siblings to make a cheeky comment or two!

"Maybe he can learn kung fu or something," Roo added. "But right now, he's just not equipped to be gay. That's why kids aren't gay when they're in kindergarten."
"I'm not sure that's why," said Rosie.

You don't have to be trans or a parent to relate to this story. These are questions we all ask as we navigate our place in the world, and you'll find that even the most different people have more similarities than differences.

You can't tell people what to be, I'm afraid. You can only love and support who they already are.

This book blurs the lines and will challenge you to revisit your assumptions about what's possible and what's "normal."

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Published by Little, Brown and Company on 30 May 2017
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Grief-stricken over his partner’s death, Gavin sets fire to every physical reminder in the couple’s home. A neighbour captures the ordeal on video, turning this unsung TV actor into a household name. Now, Gavin is fleeing the hysteria of Los Angeles for New Jersey, hoping to find peace with the family of an old friend. Instead, he finds Joan.

Joan, the family’s ten-year-old daughter, was born with the rare ability to recall every day of her life in cinematic detail. In seconds, she can tell you how many times her mother has uttered the phrase “it never fails” in the last six months (27) or what she was wearing when her grandfather took her fishing on a particular Sunday in June years ago (fox socks). Joan has never met Gavin until now, but she did know his partner, Sydney, and waiting inside her uncanny mind are half a dozen startlingly vivid memories to prove it.

Gavin strikes a deal with Joan: in return for sharing all her memories of Sydney, Gavin will help Joan win a local songwriting contest she’s convinced could make her unforgettable. The unlikely duo sets off on their quest until Joan reveals unexpected details about Sydney’s final months, forcing Gavin to question not only the purity of his past with Sydney but the course of his own immediate future.

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I appreciated how this book had LGBTQIA+ representation without making it a character's whole identity. LGBTQIA+ people are people and have identities outside of their sexual orientation. They have stories. And you're going to have to read this book to to discover Gavin and Joan's.

People have all kinds of reasons for why they don’t remember. They blame it on their batteries dying, or their ears not hearing right, or just being too busy, or too old, or too tired. But really it’s because they don’t have enough room inside their boxes. When I was turning five, Mom bought me a box for all my art. She was fed up with me leaving my drawings and projects around the house. She told me to choose which pieces were most important because there wasn’t enough room in the box to keep everything. That’s how it is with people’s brains. There’s only enough room for the most important memories and the rest gets thrown away. When I’m the thing that gets thrown away, because I’m not important enough, it’s hard not to get the blues like John Lennon on The White Album when he sings, I’m lonely and I wanna die.

I immediately fell in love with Joan. She’s so pure! I loved that this book used simple words, but the ways in which they were used, man, they made you feel things. I think many of us can relate to not wanting to be forgotten. For some of us, it may be a selfish reason; some of us crave the attention. For some of us, it may be an existential reason; what is our purpose and how do we do something that matters? For Joan, it’s simple. She’s a girl who remembers everything. But when she remembers everything and the rest of the world can’t, it’s a lonely feeling.

But then I realized, it’s not people’s fault that they have crappy brains. That’s what reminders are for. Mom never forgets to pay the bills because she has a reminder on her calendar. And Dad remembers to put new batteries in our smoke alarm only because it starts beeping. And no one forgets Martin Luther King because he has his own holiday every year. It works the same way with songs. Everyone remembers John Lennon, even Grandma, because his songs are reminders. My song is going to be a reminder to everyone that they should keep me in their brainboxes, and I have less than two weeks to finish it.

So there’s the heavy stuff. Joan, being forgotten. Gavin, widowed. But there’s also so much love and light and life.

I don’t know if I can wait that long because waiting is the worst thing ever invented.

Okay so maybe talking about the “worst thing ever invented” isn’t the happiest thing to say, but it made me smile when I read it. When I was little, there were a lot of things that were the worst things ever invented. I repeat, Joan is so pure!!

Now I’ve said a lot about Joan, but I think that I’m more of the Gavin in this story, and this book was my Joan. Growing up, many of us lose our childlike wonder; it's something we could all do with a little more of. Joan was that. We all need more Joans in our lives.

This book was one of my favourite books of 2017. It has humour, it has pain, it has existential crises, it has art, it has... life.

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Published by Little, Brown and Company on 22 Oct 2013
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It begins with a boy. Theo Decker, a thirteen-year-old New Yorker, miraculously survives an accident that kills his mother. Abandoned by his father, Theo is taken in by the family of a wealthy friend. Bewildered by his strange new home on Park Avenue, disturbed by schoolmates who don't know how to talk to him, and tormented above all by his unbearable longing for his mother, he clings to one thing that reminds him of her: a small, mysteriously captivating painting that ultimately draws Theo into the underworld of art.

As an adult, Theo moves silkily between the drawing rooms of the rich and the dusty labyrinth of an antiques store where he works. He is alienated and in love-and at the center of a narrowing, ever more dangerous circle.

The Goldfinch combines vivid characters, mesmerising language, and suspense, while plumbing with a philosopher's calm the deepest mysteries of love, identity, and art. It is an old-fashioned story of loss and obsession, survival and self-invention, and the ruthless machinations of fate.

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Just about every review I’ve read for this book has commented on its length. Some people think the story could have been told in less words; some people don’t mind. I personally enjoyed the length, I think because I really enjoyed Donna Tartt's writing style.

Admittedly, there were a few times at the beginning of the novel when I wondered what the heck was going on, what the main conflict was, where it was all leading to, and what was the point. Particularly, The Goldfinch painting seemed to hold so much gravity at the beginning, and it is what the novel is named after, but then The Goldfinch seemed to disappear. For those lost and confused, I'll spoil that the painting later does make a significant reappearance, so trust the process!

That said, I did wonder whether all the stuff that happened in between mattered, why it couldn't just be cut out and maybe make it a little easier for the readers who were overwhelmed by the book's length.

And just as music is the space between notes, just as the stars are beautiful because of the space between them, just as the sun strikes raindrops at a certain angle and throws a prism of color across the sky–so the space where I exist, and want to keep existing, and to be quite frank I hope I die in, is exactly this middle distance: where despair struck pure otherness and created something sublime.

I finally decided that, for me, all that in between made the story more poignant because it was reflective of real life. For me, real life is made of these in between moments. You don't know what the bigger picture of your life is until you look back on it. You aren't given cues in real life like you might get in mystery novels or films -- no intensifying background music, no telling camera angles. You don't latch onto every observation. Many things pass you by -- some big, some small.

It didn't hurt that I loved Donna Tartt's writing style and wanted to marinate in her words for as long as I could. If I didn't love her writing style so much (which is simply a matter of personal taste), I don't know whether I would have made it through the novel, so I sympathise with those of you who are overwhelmed. (Okay fine, I probably would have made it through anyway, since I'm terrible at dropping books, even ones I don't enjoy, but it would have taken me forever.)

But don't let the book's daunting size discourage you! I would recommend reading through the first few pages if it intrigues you and getting a feel for the writing. You might find that you love it as much as I do!

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