Review: The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

An incredible, powerful and impactful middle-grade novel by John Boyne.

I love stories which are simple yet filled with hidden meanings and sarcastic metaphors. "The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas" is one of those stories. Bruno, a 9 years old boy, went home one day to find that his whole family was moving house. He didn't know where they were going but he knew that he was no longer in Berlin and he hated the condition of his new house. There isn't a summary fits for this novel as I encourage readers to dive into it without knowing what's going on. I'm sure you'll find your way.

You're reading from a mind of a 9 years old. I believe many things that he didn't understand, you would, unless you're a young boy as Bruno is. I like how the author use witty phrases like "the unforeseeable future", "Out of Bounds At All Time and No Exceptions" and describing her sister as "The Hopeless Case". It shows the author's sense of humour and also how a child portray something he doesn't fully understand in his mind. Bruno learned the way adults' talk, he mimicked the way adults talk.

"The thing about exploring is that you have to know whether the thing you've found is worth finding. Some things are just sitting there, minding their own business, waiting to be discovered. Like America. And other things are probably better off left alone. Like a dead mouse at the back of a cupboard." - simple, yet deep

The message the author trying to bring out regarding WW2 was impeccable. Bruno was an innocent bystander, who was caught up on the wrong side of the "fence". He couldn't and didn't understand "who decided which people wore the stripped pyjamas and which people wore the uniforms" . It was really hard to believe that some people were deemed wronged just because they were born as who they are.

The younger generation should be educated about the aftermath of the war, why it happened when it shouldn't. We shouldn't just blindly accepting knowledge (or whatever people tell you) and not further exploiting your thoughts. The conversation between Bruno and Gretel when Bruno asked about his sister about the fence stuck with me the most.

Gretel sighed and shook her head. 'With the other Jews, Bruno. Didn't you know that? That's why they have to be kept together. They can't mix with us.'
'Jews,' said Bruno, testing the word out. He quite like the way it sounded. 'Jews,' he repeated. 'All the people over that side of the fence are Jews.'
'Yes, that's right,' said Gretel.
...
'Well, why don't we like them?' he asked
'Because they're Jews,' said Gretel.

This novel was very intricate-ly crafted and packed with meaningful message about the Holocaust. The plot was well-written and the ending was 'a slap in the face'. I recommend it to anyone and certainly everyone.



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Review: The Martian

The Martian by Andy Weir
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

After reading this, I know that science fiction ain't my thing. Most of the time, I couldn't imagine what the author was talking about. I was that bad in science, I even feel stupid saying out loud.

Well, this is for sure one hell of a ride book. I can't bring myself to read this book after putting it off so many times. The science terms and theories bored me, only Mark's wittiness kept me reading. I find myself drifting off whenever some theories are being explained (no matter how easy it seem).

I picked this book up hoping that I would shed some light on science fiction genre but I guess I would never go back there again. Nevertheless, it was an interesting read. The writings were supposingly easy to read but the science/space terms made it so complicating.

I would definitely pick this up again in the future when I'm more in mood to learn more.

For any space, astronomy geeks out there, this is a book for you.

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Review: Searching for Someday

Searching for Someday by Jennifer Probst
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"...if he had a heart left to give, it would've broken right there."

I never thought I would love this book as much as now. Clearly, I didn't have a very high expectations due to the previous few romance I've read these past few weeks. This came too much as a surprise and it caught my heart, wrenching in an unspeakable way.

Jennifer Probst writes generously, giving away too much informations yet didn't fail to bore me in reading. This book speaks a lot for not only the main couple of the story but draws attention to the other side characters. I felt drawn to Kate's girl friends as much as I love Kate and Slade. It's not just a book about romance, but friendship and other qualities. I love how every aspects seem to be well balance.

The romance was, to me, very believable . Even those sex scenes didn't make me cringe in disgust. The relationship between Kate and Slade was built up slowly and Jennifer Probst has done a wonderful job in both hero and heroine's character development. The little magic "touch" effect was pretty dainty too.

I would say I'm pretty impressed with this book and definitely worth the read, if you're looking into romance genre. I've read my fair share of this genre so I'm confident in my recommendation.

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Review: The Peculiar Life of a Lonely Postman

The Peculiar Life of a Lonely Postman by Denis Thériault
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was told of this book by CutiePieMarzia's YouTube channel (a very odd way).

Initially, the story itself was what made me read this book. I like the idea about the postman reading others' letters and prying others' privacy. It's unethical yet I find it interesting to read about how the story would go.

Honestly, I didn't expect a mind-fuck ending. Throughout the story, I wasn't expecting the story to end that way. It was literally mind-blowing and captivating.

Of course, the writings were phenomenal. I always have a hard time reading poetry so to be able to write both a good novel and with bits of poetry within would be extraordinary.

Seriously, I didn't know this small book would give me such a gasp.

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Review: The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair

The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair by Joël Dicker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"People think they love each other, so they get married. And then one day they discover real love, without meaning to or even realising it. It hits them right between the eyes. It's like hydrogen coming into contact with air: There's a huge explosion, and everything gets destroyed."


About 200 pages left and the story exploded. I did not see the plot twist coming. It grasped my attention back to the murder case, my eyes fleeing through the pages, wanting to know the story. Not to lie that at some point of the story, it was draggy and really dry. But my advice is read through it, it'll be worth it.

The way the author portrayed his story was wicked. You know that that person was not the murderer because there are still 200 pages left, but how? How can the story change? What is the truth? You know that the murderer is just in front of your eyes, but who?

Amazing, amazing suspenseful thriller written. A wonderful journey with the narrator, as he writes his story, you discover the truth. Twisted characters. Lies within lies; a book within a book.

Stunning read.


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