Final Book Reviews.

in late may 2009 i published this list:

• The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger
• Lord of the Flies - William Golding
• American Psycho - Bret Easton Ellis
• A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess
• The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
  
• Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
  
• To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
  
• The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Stephen Chbosky
• Paper Towns - John Green
  
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J. K. Rowling
• Are These My Basoomas I See Before Me? - Louise Rennison
• Looking For Alaska - John Green
• 13 Little Blue Envelopes - Maureen Johnson
• An Abundance Of Katherines - John Green

now, in early september 2009 the time has finally come to close the reviewing. and tell you that out of these fourteen books, i only actually managed to read and review five. i'm sorry. i really sucked at this. i promise to start again next summer, or something. the thing is, i may have cheated and read some others which i didn't even add to the list. still, i reviewed them all. so here are some quick reviews for each of the four books i read. thank you guys for taking time out to read these. i know they're not usual blog material. but, thanks for letting me try something different for a change.

now,
on with the reviews!

West End Girls - Jenny Colgan:
it just so happens that this was the first book i picked up after reading Harry Potter. which means this chick lit may be judged unfortunately harshly. i apologise in advance.
two years ago my mother bought this novel as a holiday-read. i vowed to read it after her, yet never got the chance. i even took it to school to read in my English lessons, however it ended up battered, wet and rather dog-eared. in the last 24 hours i finally settled down to Colan's 300 pages. and i finished it.
the tale is of two identical twins in a typical rom-com situation. i use the term 'rom-com' because that is exactly what it is. a small bit of romance with an even smaller addition of comedy. however, it is feel-good, and dramatic. the novel itself is not exactly a challenging book to read. and the simple plot line doesn't leave all that much to the imagination, although there's something to be said for that, as it is a perfect poolside read. nothing like a few chapters in the sun followed by a dip in the pool.

Love Eternally - Deborah Wright:
i picked up this book two years ago in a cheap book store on a three for two offer as a boredom-reliever. yet i never managed to get all that bored enough to read it.
the tale is a typical boy meets girl, boy befriends girl, while secretly being so deeply in love with her. this love is so strong, somehow, even after his death by drowning, he is kept on the planet as a ghost. and then, the love of his life, begins to see him.
it is indeed a romance novel, which again, isn't particularly gripping, yet Wright inserts unexpected twists and turns into the storyline guaranteed to surprise you. the subtle romance and air of sexiness laced into every page pours out at the end, in a beautifully emotional climax. it's definable as a good read, i enjoyed it much more than i originally predicted; the final few scenes of the novel are definitely worth waiting for.

Pillow Talk - Freya North
free in a cosmo magazine! not bad for a freebie. i lie. it wasn't bad at all. i loved it. you can definitely see why North is an award winning writer, she has such a way with words. the novel stretches past the lines of a normal chick-lit.
the novel flicks between the two protagonists, Petra Flint, the sleepwalking jeweler from London, and Arlo Savidge, an abstinent teacher living up in the North Yorkshire moors. they were secretly childhood sweethearts, and seventeen years later run into each other in a sweetshop. then the romance unfolds.
it's such a fairy-tale, with such a sexy twist. honestly, this book is not for the faint hearted, and along with some of the best romance scenes i've ever read, has some pretty explicit ones to. so it's not one i'd recommend for under fourteens. technically it is a very very adult book in some places, almost pornographic. a lot of people would disagree with a sixteen year old reading it's contents, however, i, as a teenage girl, can understand that it's not age that comes into play here, but maturity. that's why i believe young adults should be allowed to read it. anyway. overall it's a beautiful tale, with a realistic ending. to which i couldn't help but be a little disappointed in.

The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albott
this one is definitely not a chick-lit. i saw it weeks ago in Waterstones, but didn't buy it because i do have way too many books i haven't even attempted to read yet. and then i saw it in ASDA, half price. i couldn't resist. dear unread books, i'm sorry.
Eddie, the protagonist, is an old lonely war veteran and widower. he feels he's wasted his life working at the Ruby Pier, an amusement park. one day an attraction breaks and Eddie tries to save a little girl from the falling cart. Eddie dies. and he is then confronted by five people who had a connection with him on earth, whether he knew them or not.
i could not believe how insightful this novel was. it gives you a whole new opinion on what might be out there after a humans death. i bought this book because i was genuinely curious about what this take on heaven might be. all humans are curious about it, because it is something that nobody knows. and this book certainly satisfied my curiosity. even though it involves death, the story is particularly heartwarming, and incredibly memorable. certainly worth checking out.

sorry this was such a long and somewhat tiresome post. i tried to keep the reviews short. apologies!
if you actually read this far, you are a trooper. have a medal made of love.