Review: The Perks Of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

"I walk around the school hallways and look at the people. I look at the teachers and wonder why they're here. Not in a mean way. In a curious way. It's like looking at all the students and wondering who's had their heart broken that day... or who did the heart breaking and wondering why."

Charlie is a freshman. And while he's not the biggest geek in school, he is by no means popular. Shy, introspective, intelligent beyond his years yet socially awkward, he is a wallflower, caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it. Charlie is attempting to navigate his way through uncharted territory: the world of first dates and mixed tapes, family dramas and new friends; the world of sex, drugs, and the Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite. But Charlie can't stay on the sideline forever. Standing on the fringes of life offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor. 

This book is one of my favourites by far. It's deeply compelling and fair style of writing present a beautiful, coming of age story. A book with a fascinating sense of emotional acuity and precision, The Perks Of Being A Wallflower is beautifully written and often inspirational. It offers a unique insight into the life of someone who is not popular and good-looking, but rather shy and quiet and small. As my personality is similar to that of Charlie's I could often relate to what he was feeling in particular situations. I think that more people are able to relate to the character of Charlie because he is a much more realistic character set in a much more realistic story. Not all high school themed books have beautiful, popular girls on a cheer leading squad with boyfriends who are the captain of the football team and then ignore the other boys whose personalities are similar to Charlie's. It's not realistic, nor idealistic. Charlie is a more sensible character and it was a nice change. Especially since it came from a boy's point of view, it made the book more enticing and was a bit of an eye-opener. 

Charlie is someone who is thrown into a world where he has no experience and is trying to navigate it the best way he can. So we do develop a bit of a soft spot for him. When he meets Patrick and Sam, they become friends instantly despite the age gap. With these two amazing characters by his side, Charlie finally feels a sense of belonging. And with Sam, he now needs to learn how to deal with crushes. 

I highly recommend this book and would love to hear your views on it if you've read it.

The movie The Perks Of Being A Wallflower will be released on September 20 this year and stars Logan Lerman as Charlie, the lovely Emma Watson as Sam and Ezra Miller as Patrick.

You can view the entire cast and crew here:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1659337/ 

Leave your comments below! 

Review: Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: Forever
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Year of Release: 2011
ISBN: 9780545259088
Source: Purchased
Number of Pages: 386
then.
When Sam met Grace, he was a wolf and she was a girl. Eventually he found a way to become a boy, and their love moved from a curious distance to the intense closeness of shared lives. 
now.
That should have been the end of their story. But Grace was not meant to stay human. Now she is the wolf. And the wolves of Mercy Falls are about to be killed in one final, spectacular hunt. 
forever.
Sam would do anything for Grace. But can one boy and one love really change a hostile, predatory world? The past, the present and the future are about to collide in one pure moment- a moment of death or life, farewell or forever. 
This book was probably the best one in the series. I absolutely adored the characters and was devastated to be leaving this amazing series behind. I have become so attached to the characters. This book made me laugh, cry, sigh, yell out in frustration... etc. Cole's one liners and hidden adoration of the other characters just strengthened the crush I had already developed for him. 
I particularly love the cover art of these three books and how each one reflects the story of the novel. In Shiver, the cover portrays a wolf looking out from behind a tangle of branches. We know this to be Sam longing for a human life to be with his summer girl. In Linger, we see a girl walking away from a wolf in the woods that is staring at her retreating figure and after reading the book, we understand that she is trying to deny her fate for as long as possible. And finally in Forever, we see a boy watching helplessly as a wolf stares back at him from the woods.
Really, the only thing I wanted from these books was to see Isabel and Cole get naky  together like every reader hoped they would. And all they did was share a few brief, yet passionate kisses that hardly sufficed. Grace was adorable, as usual, and Sam was tough and loyal. Cole was funny and broke my heart, Isabel was the same and her dad was still an asshole idiot. 
So, to summarize, I really enjoyed this book and was very satisfied with the ending, minus the Isabel/Cole part. 
Please leave your comments below, I would love to hear your thoughts. 

Review: Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: Linger
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Year of Release: 2010
ISBN: 9780545123280
Source: Purchased
Number of Pages: 360
the longing. 
Once Grace and Sam have found each other, they know they must fight to stay together. For Sam, this means reckoning with his werewolf past. For Grace, it means facing a future that is less and less certain.
the loss.
Into their world comes a new wolf named Cole, whose past is full of hurt and danger. He is wrestling with his own demons, embracing the life as a wolf while denying the ties of being human.
the linger.
For Grace, Sam and Cole, life is a constant struggle between two forces- wolf and human- with love baring it's two sides as well. It is harrowing and euphoric, freeing and entrapping, enticing and alarming. As their world falls apart, love is what lingers. But will it be enough?
I do think I like this one better than the first one. In this book we get two new perspectives accompanying Sam and Grace's- Cole, the new wolf and Isabel. This book is more intense than the last one and has more mystery to it. You feel sad to see the characters you have grown to love get hurt, as they often do throughout this book. Not only do we see both Sam and Grace in a new light, we also get the opportunity to welcome Cole and Isabel into the story and we grow to love them too. No doubt you're all crushing on Cole as much as I am. 
Beautifully written, even poetic at times, and inspired by famous poetry, song lyrics and lots of coffee, Linger is an enchantingly dangerous and mesmerising combination of love, loyalty and the constant battle between human and wolf, all the while afraid of the possibility of loss that is ever present.