Month: May 2019

The Way You Make Me Feel

~ rachelbenzine ~ Leave a comment

Review:

Clara Shin’s prank at junior prom goes horribly wrong, culminating in a fight with her mortal enemy (Rose) while covered in fake blood and a small fire in the auditorium. As punishment, Clara and Rose are sentenced to pay off the cost of repairing the school by working together in Clara’s dad’s food truck. Two people who hate each other working in a tiny environment in LA heat all summer? Definitely no flaw in that plan.

But as Clara and Rose get to know each other, Clara realizes that Rose might not be so bad. And the hot guy working at the coffee cart nearby isn’t terrible either. But if Clara really starts caring about things, she’s opening herself up to vulnerabilities that she’d rather avoid.

I discovered Maurene Goo by reading her newest book, Somewhere Only We Know, which came out in May. I loved that book, and I love this one. The Way You Make Me Feel is a sweet summer romance, and a great quick read. A solid 5 stars!

Favorite Passage:

“Although we were sitting there eating a Transformers cake off of paper plates with colorful ponies on them, there was a conspicuous lack of irony in this moment. It was something I had noticed ever time I hung out with these guys because I had become so used to a certain behavior with Patrick and Felix. Where everything was a joke, a mockery, a way to separate ourselves from feeling stuff for real. It was easier to not feel the real stuff — and Patrick the slacker was all about easy. Felix, he was so preoccupied with being cool all the time. And rRose and Hamlet? I watched them set up the Connect 4 we had purchased at the dollar store and immediately throw themselves into it, competitive and serious within seconds.
They were the opposite of that. They were all in.”
– Chapter 21

What I Loved Most:

At the beginning of the book, Clara is too cool for school. She and her friend group are the ones who make fun of everything and everyone. But after she meets people who are just genuine and enthusiastic and honestly in love with life, she realizes that it’s not cool to elevate yourself above everyone by mocking people and things. I love when people are just okay being who they are and appreciating the little things.

Read this book if you like:

Food trucks, Los Angeles, diverse books, cute romance, summer stories, the movie Stick It (no gymnastics in this one, but Clara reminds me so much of the protagonist in that movie)

Book Details:

Vincent & Theo

~ rachelbenzine ~ Leave a comment

Review:

Everyone knows the name of Vincent Van Gogh; fewer people know the name of his brother, Theo Van Gogh. Theo and Vincent were best friends throughout their lives, and each had a deep and lasting impact on the other. In this joint biography, Deborah Heiligman uses the 658 letters that Vincent wrote to Theo throughout his lifetime to explore the relationship between the brothers, as well as the course of each man’s life. I listened to this as an audiobook, and Phil Fox did a masterful job of narrating. This is a great way to add some history into your summer reading list!

Favorite Passage:

“Who a person becomes later in life, how he lives, how he dies, cloud’s people’s memories of him, spinning and skewing-distorting-their portraits of him as a child. But we will draw Vincent as clearly as we can using not only impressions but also strong lines, sharp details. A picture will emerge.”

What I Loved Most:

I really enjoy art, and I think it’s fascinating to learn the history behind one of the most famous artists of all time. Van Gogh is the first artist I remember hearing about; even elementary school children learn about Starry Night. Learning about his relationship with his brother, and how Vincent became the artist he was, helps create new appreciation for his art. Due to her honest exploration of Vincent’s suicide attempts, I would recommend that only older high school students or adults read this. However, I’m glad she didn’t pull any punches in her description of how devastating depression and mental illness can be.

Read this book if you like:

Biographies, family relationships, mental illness, classic art

Book Details:

Internment

~ rachelbenzine ~ Leave a comment

Review:

In this YA dystopia set in America, we have decided to round up all of the Muslim Americans and put them in internment camps. The collective American attitude is that Muslims are a threat to our national security, and that we need to take this dramatic action in order to keep our country safe. Layla Amin in seventeen years old when she and her parents are put into a camp. She becomes the unlikely leader of a revolution within the camp, fighting for her freedom and what she knows to be right.

Internment is a call to action. It forces us to acknowledge the prejudices in our current society, and looks at what might happen if we continue down the path that we’re on. It’s urgent and it will motivate you to create change. I devoured this book, and highly recommend adding it to the top of your TBR list.

Favorite Passage:

“What’s that thing people always say about history? Unless we know our history, we’re doomed to repeat it? Never forget? Isn’t that the lesson? But we always forget. Forgetting is in the American grain.”

What I Loved Most:

Before I read Internment, I read Uprooted by Albert Marrin, which is a nonfiction book about the Japanese Internment Camps in WWII (check out my review of it here). It’s not that long ago that we forced all of the Japanese Americans into camps… and it doesn’t seem that far fetched that we would do it again. I love dystopias in general, but I have never read one that seems as plausible as Internment does.

Read this book if you like:

Dystopias, teenagers who create change

Book Details: