Charmed Thirds by Megan McCafferty
Reviewed by Julii Ritter
I don’t read too many chick books but this author got me hooked with her first two books Sloppy Firsts and Second Helpings. Unfortunately, I was extremely disappointed by Charmed Thirds, her third book of the series. Jessica Darling, the main character of the installments, attends Columbia University against her parent’s wishes. Going from the valedictorian of a small town school to a savvy but hopelessly poor city girl, Jessica discovers social, academic, and mental troubles she never thought she would experience. The innocence she preserved in the first two novels is destroyed by the excess of sex she has after breaking up with her soul-mate(ish) boyfriend. Her character in this book changes for the worse and the book rushes through three years of college in under 400 pages. McCafferty left out a lot of important details as to what happens in Jessica’s life with college.
Supporting characters in the novel also turn out to be a less than satisfying. The theme of maturity and self-discovery is quickly lost as Jessica tumbles into an unfamiliar world of bad boyfriends and quickies. The writing in this book feels rushed and I found myself rolling my eyes multiple times as the old lovable Jessica Darling hardens into a whiny sex machine. Her character does not develop gracefully or maturely and actions that she takes snowballs to utter disappointment. If I would have known how different the series turned out to be, I would have saved myself the trouble and stopped at Second Helpings. McCafferty just released Fourth Comings the newest book in the installment and I am less than curious to see what happens.
By Julii Ritter
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Student Review: Everyone Worth Knowing by Lauren Weisberger
What I'm Reading: Everyone Worth Knowing by Lauren Weisberger
Review by Shirley Li
I started reading this book in class last week and I'm almost finished reading it, but to tell you the truth, in my opinion Everyone Worth Knowing is not worth reading. Ok, ok - I'll admit that I liked it the beginning and even thought the plot was pretty catchy, but c'mon, the storyline is tedious and the number of characters became more than I could handle, to the point where I felt I couldn't keep up. In some novels, a large number of characters works, but in this "chick-lit" novel, the number just adds to the monotony. For some reason, I do want to finish it since I've already invested this much time but it isn't a book that I look forward to completing.
This book is the second novel by Weisberger, who wrote The Devil Wears Prada, and it starts off with Bette Robinson, a banker working for UBS who barely has a social life. Bette spends most of her social time with her best friend Penelope, who just got engaged to frequent party goer, Avery. Things change, however, when she quits her job, gets a new one at a party planning company, and starts partying at the hottest clubs in NYC. Sounds like a good start, right? Well, that's exactly what I thought until the events began to go the way events go in most of these novels - Bette gets so caught up in her new life that she forgets her best friend and has to "find herself" again. A lot of sub-plots occur, but listing them would go on for several pages. There's no surprise twist, no creativeness, no originality; it reminds me of The Devil Wears Prada- just a really bad version of it.
Although I was kind of interested in the beginning, now I just want to get this book over with. If you liked Weisberger's The Devil Wears Prada, then don't pick this one up. It ruins her "best-seller" streak, unfortunately. There are definitely a lot of better books out there, so go and grab one of those instead.
-Shirley Li
Review by Shirley Li
I started reading this book in class last week and I'm almost finished reading it, but to tell you the truth, in my opinion Everyone Worth Knowing is not worth reading. Ok, ok - I'll admit that I liked it the beginning and even thought the plot was pretty catchy, but c'mon, the storyline is tedious and the number of characters became more than I could handle, to the point where I felt I couldn't keep up. In some novels, a large number of characters works, but in this "chick-lit" novel, the number just adds to the monotony. For some reason, I do want to finish it since I've already invested this much time but it isn't a book that I look forward to completing.
This book is the second novel by Weisberger, who wrote The Devil Wears Prada, and it starts off with Bette Robinson, a banker working for UBS who barely has a social life. Bette spends most of her social time with her best friend Penelope, who just got engaged to frequent party goer, Avery. Things change, however, when she quits her job, gets a new one at a party planning company, and starts partying at the hottest clubs in NYC. Sounds like a good start, right? Well, that's exactly what I thought until the events began to go the way events go in most of these novels - Bette gets so caught up in her new life that she forgets her best friend and has to "find herself" again. A lot of sub-plots occur, but listing them would go on for several pages. There's no surprise twist, no creativeness, no originality; it reminds me of The Devil Wears Prada- just a really bad version of it.
Although I was kind of interested in the beginning, now I just want to get this book over with. If you liked Weisberger's The Devil Wears Prada, then don't pick this one up. It ruins her "best-seller" streak, unfortunately. There are definitely a lot of better books out there, so go and grab one of those instead.
-Shirley Li
Monday, October 15, 2007
Student Review: I am Charlotte Simmons by Tom Wolfe
I am Charlotte Simmons by Tom Wolfe
Review written by Jamie Farber
Although this book may certainly scare away some readers due to the thickness of its spine, I am Charlotte Simmons is actually a fast-paced novel with many interesting characters. I promise - every reader is sure to relate to at least one character. For me, this character is the protagonist Charlotte therefore when I read the chapters told from her point of view, the pages fly by!
The story is about a high school girl named Charlotte Simmons, the sheltered Valedictorian of Allegheny High School, who leaves her small town and protective parents behind to attend prestigious Dupont University. After her residential assistant assures her that no alcohol is permitted in the dormitory, Charlotte experiences several vulgar comments from drunken boys (with beer bottles in hand) who are in the same dorm building. So much for the alcohol free assurance! During her “adventure” at college, Charlotte attracts attention from both a nerdy tutor in the library and the number one basketball star of Dupont, however she can’t seem to befriend or even make conversation with her snobby roommate, Beverly. Many incidents occur; unfortunately Charlotte is unprepared to deal with them due to her small-town mentality toward everything academic, emotional, and social.
Tom Wolfe writes this novel so that each chapter is from a different character’s point of view. While at first this style may make it difficult to see why a specific chapter was placed in its order, all of the connections between characters start to make sense after getting further into the novel. This is a book that is great for seniors going off to college or people who want a closer look at what college life is really like. An older teenage reader can appreciate the realistic events of college life in the novel. The book can be found at the East Brunswick Public Library or any bookstore near you!
Review written by Jamie Farber
Although this book may certainly scare away some readers due to the thickness of its spine, I am Charlotte Simmons is actually a fast-paced novel with many interesting characters. I promise - every reader is sure to relate to at least one character. For me, this character is the protagonist Charlotte therefore when I read the chapters told from her point of view, the pages fly by!
The story is about a high school girl named Charlotte Simmons, the sheltered Valedictorian of Allegheny High School, who leaves her small town and protective parents behind to attend prestigious Dupont University. After her residential assistant assures her that no alcohol is permitted in the dormitory, Charlotte experiences several vulgar comments from drunken boys (with beer bottles in hand) who are in the same dorm building. So much for the alcohol free assurance! During her “adventure” at college, Charlotte attracts attention from both a nerdy tutor in the library and the number one basketball star of Dupont, however she can’t seem to befriend or even make conversation with her snobby roommate, Beverly. Many incidents occur; unfortunately Charlotte is unprepared to deal with them due to her small-town mentality toward everything academic, emotional, and social.
Tom Wolfe writes this novel so that each chapter is from a different character’s point of view. While at first this style may make it difficult to see why a specific chapter was placed in its order, all of the connections between characters start to make sense after getting further into the novel. This is a book that is great for seniors going off to college or people who want a closer look at what college life is really like. An older teenage reader can appreciate the realistic events of college life in the novel. The book can be found at the East Brunswick Public Library or any bookstore near you!
- Jamie Farber
Shopaholic and Sister by Sophie Kinsella
Review written by Vicky Tsai
I read this book over the summer and it completely changed my opinion on reading! It’s about a fashionable shopaholic, Becky Brandon, who finds her long-lost sister after 26 years. Becky is ecstatic to find out that she has a sister and plans tons of activities for them to do together. Becky’s husband, Luke, tries to convince her not to get too overjoyed because after all, the two sisters may not be similar after all. Needless to say, when the sisters finally meet, Becky finds out that her sister hates shopping! How can her sister hate shopping? Are they even sisters? These are just some of the questions Becky asks herself as she tried to forge a relationship with her long lost sister.
This is a great, light hearted read. I remember staying up late at night to finish this book; I couldn’t stop reading it because it’s hilarious and such a page-turner!
If you love shopping or if you just have a sister who's nothing like you, then you will definitely enjoy Shopaholic and Sister by Sophie Kinsella. There are a series of Shopaholic books and I can’t wait to read the rest of them!
- Vicky Tsai
Review written by Vicky Tsai
I read this book over the summer and it completely changed my opinion on reading! It’s about a fashionable shopaholic, Becky Brandon, who finds her long-lost sister after 26 years. Becky is ecstatic to find out that she has a sister and plans tons of activities for them to do together. Becky’s husband, Luke, tries to convince her not to get too overjoyed because after all, the two sisters may not be similar after all. Needless to say, when the sisters finally meet, Becky finds out that her sister hates shopping! How can her sister hate shopping? Are they even sisters? These are just some of the questions Becky asks herself as she tried to forge a relationship with her long lost sister.
This is a great, light hearted read. I remember staying up late at night to finish this book; I couldn’t stop reading it because it’s hilarious and such a page-turner!
If you love shopping or if you just have a sister who's nothing like you, then you will definitely enjoy Shopaholic and Sister by Sophie Kinsella. There are a series of Shopaholic books and I can’t wait to read the rest of them!
- Vicky Tsai
Two Student Posts: Foundation by Isaac Asimov
Foundation by Isaac Asimov
Review written by Steve Wei
I don't read all that much but when I do read, however, I read what I like. When I first picked up this book and started reading it a year ago, I put it down immediately. A year later when I picked it up and started it again, however, I realized my tastes in reading must have changed, because after a kind 0f boring introduction, it hooked me.
So, what is Foundation? Well, it all started several thousand years in this 'Galactic Empire', which, coincidentally, is exactly what it sounds like. This dude Hari Seldon developed a scientific theory called Psycho-History to the point where he can predict the future in terms of social, political, and economical changes 10,000 years in the future, and honestly he thinks it's going to fail. Really bad. He forces the government to let him set up a Foundation at the edge of the galaxy (where the Empire isn't threatened) on the pretense that they will preserve the knowledge they have now and shorten the Dark Age to come by 9,000 years.
Without going into too much detail, let me just say that this whole Foundation idea turns out to be a complete farce and all along, Seldon had other plans for Foundation. It's still meant to save the galaxy, but not the way it was presented. The rest of the story follows the characters who keep Foundation from being destroyed - characters who, by the way, are killed off every couple of chapters.
By nature, you may not want to read this book if you like a character driven story or if you're uninterested in politics, because it's mostly about politicians getting killed off/usurped. However if you like sci-fi, if you like challenging books, or if you hate the long-winded descriptions given by writers such as, say, Tolkien, then you may very well enjoy Foundation and its sequels - one of which I'm reading now.
- Steve Wei
Foundation by Isaac Asimov
Review written by John McLean
I must have picked up and put this book down three times in the past four years. My uncle gave this book to me more as a “Here, I don’t want this anymore, I thought you might like it” present, but I never got around t0 reading it. It seemed I always would pick it up around 11 o’clock at night, when I was dead tired and every time, without fail, I would fall asleep within the first three pages. My initial impression was that the book itself was putting me to sleep, so I gave up on reading it. Much to my surprise, however, I actually started carving into the book last night with a renewed intensity and to my surprise and delight, i discovered it’s fantastic!
Gaal Dornick, a mathematician from Synnax, travels to Trantor, the center of the Galactic Empire. Trantor is one giant city where the law-making decisions of the Empire are decided. It is also in Trantor that Hari Seldon, a renowned mathematician and psycho-historian, is attempting to lessen the impact of what he proves mathematically to be the unstoppable downfall of the Empire.
Although I’m not too far into the book, I can tell it's going to be fantastic and I can’t wait to complete the entire trilogy.
If you’ve ever read Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card or seen the movie I, Robot starring Will Smith, read this book. It’s not some "boring book" - it begins right in the middle of all the action and is exciting from the get- go! Just make sure you don't start reading it when you're exhausted!
- John McLean
Review written by Steve Wei
I don't read all that much but when I do read, however, I read what I like. When I first picked up this book and started reading it a year ago, I put it down immediately. A year later when I picked it up and started it again, however, I realized my tastes in reading must have changed, because after a kind 0f boring introduction, it hooked me.
So, what is Foundation? Well, it all started several thousand years in this 'Galactic Empire', which, coincidentally, is exactly what it sounds like. This dude Hari Seldon developed a scientific theory called Psycho-History to the point where he can predict the future in terms of social, political, and economical changes 10,000 years in the future, and honestly he thinks it's going to fail. Really bad. He forces the government to let him set up a Foundation at the edge of the galaxy (where the Empire isn't threatened) on the pretense that they will preserve the knowledge they have now and shorten the Dark Age to come by 9,000 years.
Without going into too much detail, let me just say that this whole Foundation idea turns out to be a complete farce and all along, Seldon had other plans for Foundation. It's still meant to save the galaxy, but not the way it was presented. The rest of the story follows the characters who keep Foundation from being destroyed - characters who, by the way, are killed off every couple of chapters.
By nature, you may not want to read this book if you like a character driven story or if you're uninterested in politics, because it's mostly about politicians getting killed off/usurped. However if you like sci-fi, if you like challenging books, or if you hate the long-winded descriptions given by writers such as, say, Tolkien, then you may very well enjoy Foundation and its sequels - one of which I'm reading now.
- Steve Wei
Foundation by Isaac Asimov
Review written by John McLean
I must have picked up and put this book down three times in the past four years. My uncle gave this book to me more as a “Here, I don’t want this anymore, I thought you might like it” present, but I never got around t0 reading it. It seemed I always would pick it up around 11 o’clock at night, when I was dead tired and every time, without fail, I would fall asleep within the first three pages. My initial impression was that the book itself was putting me to sleep, so I gave up on reading it. Much to my surprise, however, I actually started carving into the book last night with a renewed intensity and to my surprise and delight, i discovered it’s fantastic!
Gaal Dornick, a mathematician from Synnax, travels to Trantor, the center of the Galactic Empire. Trantor is one giant city where the law-making decisions of the Empire are decided. It is also in Trantor that Hari Seldon, a renowned mathematician and psycho-historian, is attempting to lessen the impact of what he proves mathematically to be the unstoppable downfall of the Empire.
Although I’m not too far into the book, I can tell it's going to be fantastic and I can’t wait to complete the entire trilogy.
If you’ve ever read Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card or seen the movie I, Robot starring Will Smith, read this book. It’s not some "boring book" - it begins right in the middle of all the action and is exciting from the get- go! Just make sure you don't start reading it when you're exhausted!
- John McLean
Student Post: Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk
I recently started reading the book Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk, and I can't stop! It's about an unnamed narrator who hates his job and his life. The narrator works for a car company recalling cars, but only if the recall is cost effective. He suffers from insomnia and the only days he can sleep are the days he goes to support groups - recommended by his doctor so he can see real suffering - and is allowed to cry and listen to other peoples' misery.
The narrator becomes addicted to support groups and starts attending them every day. These support groups focus on dealing with issues such as brain parasites, testicular cancer, and tuberculosis. This continues until he meets Marla Singer. She attends all the support groups he attends and for some reason because of her, he can't cry anymore and also can't sleep.
But wait - I'm getting ahead of myself. Before this happens, the narrator meets Tyler Durden, a man who works all kinds of night jobs. The narrator asks Tyler if he can move in with him because his (the narrator's) condo exploded. Tyler agrees but only if the narrator does him one favor which is "to hit me as hard as you can" (Palahniuk 37).) This is how Fight Club is formed.
I can't wait to finish this novel - I'm already half-way through and so far it's been better than the movie by the same name, which was amazing! Check out Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk.
The narrator becomes addicted to support groups and starts attending them every day. These support groups focus on dealing with issues such as brain parasites, testicular cancer, and tuberculosis. This continues until he meets Marla Singer. She attends all the support groups he attends and for some reason because of her, he can't cry anymore and also can't sleep.
But wait - I'm getting ahead of myself. Before this happens, the narrator meets Tyler Durden, a man who works all kinds of night jobs. The narrator asks Tyler if he can move in with him because his (the narrator's) condo exploded. Tyler agrees but only if the narrator does him one favor which is "to hit me as hard as you can" (Palahniuk 37).) This is how Fight Club is formed.
I can't wait to finish this novel - I'm already half-way through and so far it's been better than the movie by the same name, which was amazing! Check out Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk.
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