Book Review: The Absolutist by John Boyne

“In that direction only pain lies.”

It is September 1919: twenty-one-year-old Tristan Sadler takes a train from London to Norwich to deliver a package of letters to the sister of Will Bancroft, the man he fought alongside during the Great War.

But the letters are not the real reason for Tristan’s visit. He can no longer keep a secret and has finally found the courage to unburden himself of it. As Tristan recounts the horrific details of what to him became a senseless war, he also speaks of his friendship with Will – from their first meeting on the training grounds at Aldershot to their farewell in the trenches of northern France. The intensity of their bond brought Tristan happiness and self-discovery as well as confusion and unbearable pain.

The Absolutist is a masterful tale of passion, jealousy, heroism, and betrayal set in one of the most gruesome trenches of France during World War I. This novel will keep readers on the edge of their seats until its most extraordinary and unexpected conclusion, and will stay with them long after they’ve turned the last page.

Halloween Reads

Hey, everyone! Today I will recommend you some creepy reads for this halloween. I have to mention that not all the books are going to be creepy, some of them will only be atmospheric or mysterious. I just want to present you some books that might put you in the right Halloween-ish mood. Let’s get right into it!

 

Everything by Gillian Flynn, but especially The Grownup and Dark Places since I feel like those incline more towards the horror genre, while her other books are more on the thriller/mystery side. Bonus : The Grownup is very short, only 64 pages long, so you will have time for other activities like going trick or treat.

 

Frankenstein is damn awesome. It’s quite an atmospheric book and it’s a classic tale of inventions gone totally wrong.Will not disappoint you.

 

Carrie is the only book I’ve read by Stephen King, but it was thrilling and very creepy, especially towards the end. I finished it at 3 a.m. and I was getting pretty paranoid by then. Also, if any of you is a huge fan of King and can recommend me what books of his to read next, I’ll be very grateful. Because I really don’t know where to go from here.

This is about a stalker doing questionable and creepy things, so you can see why it’s on my list. You will definitely give you the chills.

 

But really, The Secret History is a recommended read for any season, any celebration, anytime of the day. Just read this book if you like pretentious intelectuals, greek mythology, crime gangs, how to get away with murder and problematic faves.

Honorable mention : The Girl on Train by Paula Hawkins.

 

What are you reading this Halloween? Also, do you read creepier books around this time of the year or just go with whatever?

 

If You Liked That, Read This

 

Hey, guys! I’ve been working a lot on expanding my blog for you, I’m working with new designs (which is hard since I don’t have photoshop anymore), I’m trying out new ideas. And this week, I’m giving a chance to this type of recommendations. I really love those lists because I get lots of book recommendations, but it’s harder than I thought to put them together. I hope I didn’t fail you and that you’ll get some inspiration from this post. I won’t give detalied summaries of the books, but I’ll put the goodreads links, so that you can check them out yourself! (don’t say I don’t have your back *wink*)

 

  If you liked Captive Prince, then try The Foxhole Court, they both feature M/M romances and they are very character driven, hate-to-love story. Just check them out.

 

 

 

I feel like Genuine Fraud is the young adult/new adult version of Gone Girl. Check them out if you’re into mystery, murder and complex girls.

 

 

 

If you liked Since You’ve Been Gone, definitely try Juniper Lemon’s Happiness Index, they both have those happy feelings mixed with grief, longing and adventures.

 

 

I don’t know about you, but I’m a sucker for the pen-pal plot. These two books have it and they have the same fluffy factor too! If you liked P.S. I Like You, try Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda.

 

 

If you liked The Hating Game, definitely try Act Like It. Especially if you’re looking for witty banter and tension so thick that you can cut it with a knife.

 

Have you read any of the books mentioned? Did you like them?

 

 

Ten books that have been on my TBR for way too long

I hate the feeling you get when your TBR keeps growing and you can’t seem to ever get through it, instead you just keep adding more and more books like a lunatic. Am I the only one? There are some books, however, that have been on my TBR pile for so long, I’m ashamed. And today I’ll tell you about them. Let’s get right into it!

1. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern – I’m currently reading Caraval and really loving it and I’ve been told that The Night Circus is so much better, so I’m braving myself to actually checking it out. I’m just very bad at reading hyped books because I’m afraid of disappointments. I’ve been let down too many times.
2. Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson – And her other books besides Since You’ve Been Gone, which I enjoyed very much! I’m interested in this one particularly because it seems like very much fun! There’s a roadtrip, there’s love, there’s everything I need… And yet I haven’t read it yet. I’m despicable.
3. The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson – I really adore the covers from this series and when it first came out, I was very excited about it, but then I heard something about how there’s insta-love and the plot is pretty predictable. And I kind of put off reading this one. But I’ll try it at some point because I might end up enjoying it, after all…
4. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini – and everything else, his books seem to be very loved and I had many people that I trust, recommend those to me. It’s going to happen, people. I promise you!
5. The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh – I can feel your judgmental stares. Yes, I haven’t read this book yet. I’m really sorry. I know everyone and their cat loves this duology. And I’m going to read it, at some point. For sure. It’s going to happen.
   

   

   

   

   
6. The Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson – Now, here’s a book/series where I actually have a reason for not reading it yet. Or not really. Anyway, I own the first book and I keep putting off reading it because it’s a huge thing! My edition is 800 pages long and while I read longer books, high fantasy is something challenging for me, anyway, because I need a lot of time to get into the story and my attention span is awful.
7. Cinder by Marissa Meyer – Do you hate me yet? I guess you do! I adore the idea of this one, fairy-tale retellings with such awesome twists as Marissa Meyer seemed to have. And I read  reviews that mentioned the amazing banter between the characters and how it’s more of a big squad now. I really want to read it at some point.
8. Nevernight by Jay Kristoff – I have serious fears about this series because on one side, there are people who think this is a marvelous piece of art and then there are the people who completely hate it – especially the writing style. It’s a little bit stressful to know there seems to be no middle ground with this book.
9. Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake – There’s a little story for this one. Kendare Blake is one of the first authors I’ve read when I joined Goodreads (a.k.a the period when I became a very active, prolific reader). I’m very nostalgic when it comes to her Anna series, I can’t remember if it was really amazing or if I loved it only because I was just getting into the ya genre. I don’t want to know the answer to that question very much. But I know I’ll cave in and read this book because three queens, girl power, stuff. Yap.
10. A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab – I need to finish this series already, I’ve read the first book a while ago and I kind of forgot many things about it and that’s why I haven’t read the second book yet. I’ll check a detalied summary soon and stop making excuses for myself.

 

That’s it for today’s post! What are some books that have been on your TBR since forever? Tell me below in the comments!