"In the near future, somewhere in rural Colorado... If Zoey Ashe had known she was being stalked by a man who intended to kill her and then slowly eat her bones, she would have worried more about that and less about getting her cat off the roof." That is the first sentence of Futuristic Violence and... Continue Reading →
“A Man Called Ove” by Fredrik Backman
A Man Called Ove is about a curmudgeon of an old man who hates everyone and everything that does not act or work the way he wants them to. He sees the world in black and white, right and wrong, useful or useless. He spends his days running through routines that have been set for years and... Continue Reading →
“Eleanor and Park” by Rainbow Rowell
Those who pass up this book because it looks like it was written for fourteen-year-olds are really missing out. I first heard about Eleanor and Park from my mother, who told me I absolutely had to read it. My mom typically reads books about women struggling to survive in East Asia or queens getting their heads cut... Continue Reading →
“Dark Matter” by David Crouch
This book seriously messed with my head. Maybe it's just been a little too long since I took a science class, but if you ask the people on Amazon.com, it messed with their heads too, so I know it's not just me. "Dark Matter" tells the story of Jason, once aspiring physicist, current mediocre physics... Continue Reading →
“City of Thieves” by David Benioff
Prior to reading "City of Thieves" by David Benioff, I knew pretty much nothing about Russia. Now I know that it sounds terrible. During World War II, at least. Lev is a very self-conscious Jewish teenager living in Leningrad during World War II, trying his hardest to stay alive. When he gets arrested for looting the body... Continue Reading →
“The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood
We are simply going to ignore the fact that I haven't posted a review since February. If you haven't read "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood, stop everything you're doing and go read it. I'm serious. I love this book. This is my second time reading the dystopian novel, and it was just as good... Continue Reading →
“The Road” by Cormac McCarthy
The Road by Cormac McCarthy has some seriously mixed reviews on Goodreads. This surprises me, considering it's won several awards and was made into a movie in 2009. You're probably like, "why are you reviewing a book that was published 10 years ago? Who even cares?" Whatever, dude. I've never read it, it always pops up... Continue Reading →
“The Nightingale” by Kristin Hannah
Words cannot describe how much I loved The Nightingale. It might be because I'm a sucker for a good WWII novel, but I think it's probably more than that. Kristin Hannah's story sucked me in from the beginning. It tore me to pieces, and I enjoyed every second of it. Vianne and Isabelle are sisters, but they... Continue Reading →
“Poison Study” by Maria V. Snyder
My initial thought when beginning Poison Study was that it was definitely going to be a hit or miss. Luckily, it was closer to a hit for me. Although Poison Study may not be the most sophisticated book, for YA fantasy it was surprisingly good. Yelena is a teenage girl in jail for murder, something she openly admits to. Unapologetic for... Continue Reading →
“I don’t think I’ve read a book since grade school”
...and that's something you're proud of? Welcome to Required Reading, the blog where I make fun of people who refuse to read books and review a few books myself. A little bit about me: senior in college, not graduating this year because five years is the new four, does not own matching socks, hates celery,... Continue Reading →