Review: Otherworld by Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller

“You really love her, don’t you?”
Love is too small a word for what I feel. How do I explain that before Kat, nothing was real?…
“Yes,” I tell Busara. “I love her. Kat’s my whole world.”

The company says Otherworld is amazing — like nothing you’ve ever seen before. They say it’s addictive — that you’ll want to stay forever. They promise Otherworld will make all your dreams come true.

Simon thought Otherworld was a game. Turns out he knew nothing. Otherworld is the next phase of reality. It’s everything you’ve ever wanted.

And it’s about to change humanity forever.

Welcome to the Otherworld. No one could have seen it coming.

The first quarter of this book is pretty dry. But the rest (and especially the parts where Simon is in Otherworld) is pretty darn good. I found that it was almost like I had a VR set on when I was reading parts. Segel and Miller do a great job of creating a world for their readers to really be in. I really did not like Simon’s personality at first, I thought the authors were trying too hard with him in the beginning and I didn’t connect with him. This caused me to not be interested in his overall mission throughout a good portion of the book. They did redeem him towards the end, but I had a hard time getting over my first impression of him. It was a quick read and there was points where I truly did not want to put it down. I think teen boys will eat this novel up and I will read the second one in Fall 2018.

Review: Bird Box by Josh Malerman

“It’s better to face madness with a plan than to sit still and let it take you in pieces.”

Something is out there, something terrifying that must not be seen. One glimpse of it, and a person is driven to deadly violence. No one knows what it is or where it came from.

Five years after it began, a handful of scattered survivors remains, including Malorie and her two young children. Living in an abandoned house near the river, she has dreamed of fleeing to a place where they might be safe. Now that the boy and girl are four, it’s time to go, but the journey ahead will be terrifying: twenty miles downriver in a rowboat–blindfolded–with nothing to rely on but her wits and the children’s trained ears. One wrong choice and they will die. Something is following them all the while, but is it man, animal, or monster?

You won’t even believe how scary good Josh Malerman is at making you… well, er… scared! I devoured this book. Josh does an excellent job at keeping you wanting more. This book features chapters that alternate from the past to the present, and I am such a sucker for this style! Most of my favs feature it, and Malerman did not let me down. I mean honestly, I would read some while on my lunch break at work, and then have to come back to my office and put the blinds down on my office window. It freaked me out that much. I was a little nervous at first that the author would try so hard to write a well-worded story, that the premise as a whole would get lost, but he knocks it out of the park. When I wasn’t reading it, I would find myself looking forward to the time I would get to read and find out what happens next. I found that I enjoyed the variety of characters. You can glimpse the complexity of Malorie through her inner thoughts. And in turn, you bond with her as a character. I would LOVE IT if Josh wrote more books from different points of views set in this world. (Uh, Don anyone?!?) I really appreciate this read, because it reminds me of why I love reading thriller/horror novels! Now, on to the movie!

Review: The Greatest Love Story Ever Told by Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman

 

“We have groundbreakingly divided this searing examination of a relationship between two human beings into chapters with different subject matters and headings. It’s an oral history presented to you in an organized yet playful fashion, dotted here and there with photography and cute drawings.”

At last, the full story behind Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman’s epic romance, including stories, portraits, and the occasional puzzle, all telling the smoldering tale that has fascinated Hollywood for over a decade. 

The year: 2000. The setting: Los Angeles. A gorgeous virtuoso of an actress had agreed to star in a random play, and a basement-dwelling scenic carpenter had said he would assay a supporting role in the selfsame pageant. At the first rehearsal, she surveyed her fellow cast members, as one does, determining if any of the men might qualify to provide her with a satisfying fling. Her gaze fell upon the carpenter, and like a bolt of lightning, the thought struck her: No dice. Moving on.

Yet, unbeknownst to our protagonists, Cupid had merely set down his bow and picked up a rocket launcher. Then fired a love rocket (not a euphemism). The players were Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman, and the resulting romance, once it ignited, was . . . epic. Beyond epic. It resulted in a coupling that has endured to this day; a sizzling, perpetual tryst that has captivated the world with its kindness, athleticism, astonishingly low-brow humor, and true (fire emoji) passion.

How did they do it? They came from completely different families, endured a significant age difference, and were separated by the gulf of several social strata. Megan loved books and art history; Nick loved hammers. But much more than these seemingly unsurpassable obstacles were the values they held in common: respect, decency, the ability to mention genitalia in almost any context, and an abiding obsession with the songs of Tom Waits.

Eighteen years later, they’re still very much in love, and have finally decided to reveal the philosophical mountains they have conquered, the lessons they’ve learned, and the myriad jigsaw puzzles they’ve completed, in a book. Featuring anecdotes, hijinks, interviews, photos, and a veritable grab bag of tomfoolery, this is not only the intoxicating book that Mullally’s and Offerman’s fans have been waiting for, it might just hold the solution to the greatest threat facing our modern world: the single life.

I’ve always been the type to be reluctant with any non-fiction in general, but memoirs and autobiographies especially. But when I saw this was a book, and then heard about the audiobook, I had to read it/listen to it! I think it might be the book that changes my mind on non-fiction. I LOVED this audiobook SO. MUCH. Nick and Megan are so truly in love and are so darn funny. I listened to it in my car on my way to work and I would find myself hysterically laughing (like a crazy person to other drivers I’m sure). I love the set up with the book, and it feels as though you are having a conversation with both of them. It was so interesting to hear about both of their lives, and how their careers have come to be. LOVED THIS BOOK. I recommend it to everyone.

 

Review: What If It’s Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera

“If you pretend something hard enough, could it become real?”

Arthur is only in New York for the summer, but if Broadway has taught him anything, it’s that the universe can deliver a showstopping romance when you least expect it.
Ben thinks the universe needs to mind its business. If the universe had his back, he wouldn’t be on his way to the post office carrying a box of his ex-boyfriend’s things.
But when Arthur and Ben meet-cute at the post office, what exactly does the universe have in store for them?
Maybe nothing. After all, they get separated.
Maybe everything. After all, they get reunited.
But what if they can’t quite nail a first date . . . or a second first date . . . or a third?
What if Arthur tries too hard to make it work . . . and Ben doesn’t try hard enough?
What if life really isn’t like a Broadway play?
But what if it is?

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I so wanted to love this book. I did not love this book. In fact, I feel kind of blasé about this book. Separately, I have loved both Adam and Becky’s books that I’ve read. I don’t know if it was this book in particular or if I just do not care for these two authors to write together. I found this book boring. I found both main characters very annoying (but I’d love to see a book about Dylan!). It took me forever to get through this book because it felt like a chore reading it, but I kept on hoping it would get better. (Spoiler alert: it doesn’t) I felt there was no real substance to this story, and in turn, I felt like both Adam and Becky were trying too hard to make it seem like there was. Ben and Arthur would be in a good place (as much of a good place two strangers who have been dating for 2 seconds can be), and then something random and not at all realistic would cause them to fight. I am still confused at how this story could have fit in a 433-page book. It was just not realistic in the fact that so many of the characters would be fighting over stupid things, and then magically be friends again after nothing. I felt like both authors didn’t truly want any conflict but in order to keep the story going, they needed to add some, and then after they had no clue how to fix it so they just half-heartedly fixed it. Overall, I really wanted to like this book and the characters, but it just didn’t do it for me. Sorry, Adam and Becky.