All Forms of Art

Since the beginning, Darwin's theory was attacked by his contemporary fellows, but this book tried to take this to a whole other level, building on a story which, supposedly, shows us the naturalist's darker side. Darnton made a bold choice by giving us this unique vision of the man who changed the way we see the world. Avoiding Boredom Throughout the book, the story is being told under 3 different points of view, each with their own mysteries. We accompany the H.M.S. Beagle's trip, with the young Charles Darwin on board, aswell as through his daughter Bessie's journals, his older years, and finally the journey of two modern investigators and their discoveries. All this is interwoven in a very curious and effective manner. The narrative could perhaps become dense or tedious at some points, so this "voice changing" in the book is certainly a welcome addition and tends to help the reader keep their attention and interest. In my opinion, the author m...

I finally finished reading the second book in George RR Martin 's saga, A Song of Ice and Fire, and even though I felt the need to slow the reading down a bit, I really liked the way he worked the story. Improving Plot As we read, the story grows further and further apart from what's presented to us on the TV show, and my interest rises. New characters gain a significant voice, and the plot extends, taking on new shapes. You will get to know new places and people, and even have some past events finally explained in greater detail. The story becomes more dense, and it could prove complicated at first (especially for those who don't even follow the TV series ). Still, the amazing writing will help visualize the complex political intrigue, the crude bloodshed, as well as the mystic and magic that is rising throughout the whole realm.   No Easy Opponents, No Easy Choices The book is deeply involving, mainly due to the characters that are so alive and complex, full ...

I first came across The Fault in Our Stars thanks to my former students—sweet, bright-eyed teenagers who were completely captivated by this emotional teen romance. They spoke about it with such passion, especially about the love story, that my curiosity was eventually piqued. Initially, I watched the Twentieth Century Fox film adaptation. While I found it touching and emotionally powerful, something about it felt a bit… surface-level. I had a feeling the book might go deeper—and it truly did. A Story That Goes Beyond Illness Yes, this is a story about illness. But The Fault in Our Stars is not just another "sick lit" novel . What makes it different is the depth of its characters, particularly Hazel Grace Lancaster. John Green doesn't just give us a teenage girl with cancer—he gives us a teenage girl with a voice , a sharp wit, dreams, fears, sarcasm, and a whole world inside her mind. And that, in my opinion, is what sets this book apart. Hazel refuses to le...

Daughter of Dust  is a biographical book about Leila Aziz, a Sudanese orphaned girl, raised among other children in her condition in the “Institute for the Protected”, in which no one was really protected. The Hard Truth Ignored by Many As she grows, Leila wants to lead a normal life and be respected by the world. Subjects like female mutilation and the punishment for having sex out of wedlock, among others, are exposed by the eyes of a child who oftentimes doesn't really understand what is happening. It hurts This story calls out against the way women are treated in Sudan. For that, Wallace refuses to write it overly sentimentally; she describes what's happening in a crude and direct way that makes us shocked and angry. Any change in Leila's life is a new possibility, and you will wish for her to succeed and find a safer place. Never Stop Fighting  Along its pages, Leila fights for what she believes in and wants and never lets her birth condition dete...

The Discreet Hero is a  2013 book that was translated to English in 2015. The writer  Mario Vargas Llosa  won the Nobel Prize  for literature in 2010. An Unconventional Hero In The Discreet Hero, the protagonist Felício Yanaqué lives his life according to his father's last teaching “Do not let anyone step into you.” as a way to honor his memory. But life is tricky and Felício's principles will be put to the test. An unconventional hero  without the dramatic overtones of the movies but filled with honor, Felício is a real-life hero, one who no one will ever know about. Yet, they can proudly shape their own destiny with honesty. Our protagonist fights against the  status quo , which he thinks is wrong, and never gives up, although  the world around him keeps saying that this is the rule. Two Stories, One Fate But Felício is not the only hero in this book. Along with its pages, we can read two different storylines, unrelated at first...

In The Last Fix , Dahl creates a psychological thriller full of secrets and half-told stories. The plot is complex, and even though it takes too long to really get into the story, it is engaging. Don't trust the First Paragraphs Although this was a good book, it didn't satisfy me. Why? Well, first of all, when I started the book, I felt it would be full of all sorts of  cliches , and although they're dismissed at the end, it kept me wary during the rest of the reading. It is good, but it has weaknesses  Like any good crime novel, there are many twists, but they can sometimes be tiring. Although we may be surprised by who the real killer is, I felt the end was a little cold and lacked emotion.  Along the way, it was almost impossible to determine who the murderer was, and in the end, that person's motive was the weakest part of the plot from my point of view. In one part of the story, we have information concerning another point of view (the killers'...