Monthly Archives: October 2016

Monthly Book Haul

Posted in Other Bookish Things by

septbhI promise I don’t buy this many books every month.

milk and honey by Rupi Kaur

I’m not a big poetry fan, but this book has gotten so popular that I thought I would check and see what all the hype is about. I’ve read a couple of pages and it seems pretty heavy… (not that’s necessarily a bad thing!) What did you guys think?

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

No, I have not read The Catcher in the Rye. And yes, I know it’s embarrassing. So many people have been telling me how great this book is and how I should read it. Well. Now I’ve bought it. That’s the first step right? Now I just have to find the time (and motivation to read it).

The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides

Part of the movie adaptation of this book was filmed at my high school! I’ve also heard good things.

The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende

I read this one in high school and immediately became obsessed. This book is the epitome of beautiful books. I have so so so much love for this book. I honestly don’t know why I’m only buying by own copy of it now.

Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende

I really want to be an Isabel Allende fan… But I can’t if I’ve only read one of her books, right?

The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner

This is the third book in the series. I do not own, nor have I read any of the other books. But it was $2.50 at the thrift store and I hope to purchase the whole series eventually, so why not right?

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

Just finished reading this one! You can check out my review here.

And I Darken by Kiersten White

Oh baby. I have heard so many good things about this book. I am hella excited to read this one. The protagonist sounds totally badass. Also let’s talk about that cover though… 100%.

Toodles,

Rebecca xx

Review: The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

Posted in Reviews by

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Genre: Contemporary, Humor, Chick-Lit

Published by: Harper Collins

Publish Date: May 21, 2013

Paperback, 329 pages

My Rating: ★★★★✩

 

‘But I’m not good at understanding what other people want.’
‘Tell me something I don’t know,’ said Rosie for no obvious reason.
I quickly searched my mind for an interesting fact.
‘Ahhh…The testicles of drone bees and wasp spiders explode during sex.’

HAHA. This book was so charming. I laughed out loud on so many occasions.

I know, I know. I totally missed the bandwagon on this one. The book was originally published back in 2013 but I recently picked it up at the thrift store, read the back and was like, “why not?” I’m actually surprised how much I enjoyed this light-hearted story.

Our protagonist, Don Tillman, is a quirky genetics professor with a brilliant scientific mind, but is often confounded by social situations. Aged 39, Don embarks upon The Wife Project: a sixteen-page questionnaire to find the perfect non-smoking, punctual, mathematically competent partner. But then he meets Rosie, an always-late, smoking, potty-mouthed bartender in search of her biological father. Soon enough, Don discovers you don’t find love: love finds you.

‘Asperger’s isn’t a fault. It’s a variant. It’s potentially a major advantage.’

In reality, Don would probably be diagnosed as being on the Autism spectrum, but I do appreciate Simsion’s decision to deliberately omit any mention of a diagnosis for Don’s atypical behaviour. Instead, Simsion portrays Don as a very capable, intelligent individual, who simply has challenges understanding and communicating with other people (and this makes for some very LOL-worthy situations).

The point of view and the writing style in this book was so key. I found Don’s narration to be very intriguing (and comical, of course). I do not have much experience with Asperger’s Syndrome, but I thought Don’s perspective was both insightful and refreshing. The book does make you think a little about what it’s like to be a fish out of water, without getting excessively sentimental.

I always enjoy a romantic comedy, but I thought the ending of this one was too unrealistic (no surprise there), especially considering what we learn about Rosie’s personality and attitude towards men in general.

Despite its cheesiness and highly predictable plot line, The Rosie Project was an incredibly charming and heart-warming read that sparked the perfect amount of “feels”.

Until next time, nerds 🙂

Rebecca xx

P.S. Has anyone read the sequel, The Rosie Effect? Was it any good? I’m always so hesitant to read sequels of popular contemporary books… It only got a 3.54 on Goodreads (compared to 4.01)…