Thought Train to Pusan

What would you do if you were informed that you had less than a day to live? This is a rhetorical question you may have heard at some point (or many) in your life, whether just posed as a discussion topic or perhaps something to truly face in the circumstances of life. In They Both Die at the End , Adam Silvera explores this question through the eyes of two teenage boys, in a world wherein a new system called "Death Cast" will at midnight predict everyone who will die within the next 24 hours, and alerts these individuals of their upcoming passing: the how, where, or why, however, is not known, just that it will occur at some point during the day before the clock once again strikes midnight. This whole situation and story could very well play out in a Final Destination, horror-trope way, and while the protagonists are obviously anxious about things happening, Silvera opts for a more internal, empathetic approach, in examining ideas of identity, possibilities, and how humani...

First and foremost I will say that this is the first Rainbow Rowell novel I have read: I know she’s been pretty popular around here the past few years and always meant to pick up one of her books, but just never did for some reason. Until my friend gave me Carry On as a gift, thinking that it looked very Lisa ™ . And you know what? She was right! I loved this book! I mean, it’s a little corny at times, don’t get me wrong, but it’s got just the right amount of fun balanced with seriousness. Also having not read any books by Rowell before, I was not aware until after I finished and read the author’s note about the context/background of the characters coming from one of her previous novels, Fangirl , so in this instance I had no previous notions, ideas, or opinions going into it. Carry On is centered on a teenage boy named Simon, orphaned at a young age, but later discovered to be an exceptionally powerful wizard/mage, and taken in by The Mage, who is the leader...

I’ve definitely seen Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda reviewed a number of times by Cannonballers in the past few years, and was always interested to read it but for some reason never did. Enter my best friend who surprised me with an early birthday present of some books, with this among them. And immediately after receiving it we went to a movie and what do we see? A preview for the upcoming movie adaptation called Love, Simon . Talk about coincidence, especially since I was insanely enamored by the cuteness that appeared in the preview. But did that apparent sweetness also come through in the novel source material? Sure did! And my heart is warm after reading. Because as much as I complain about love and romance, we all know that I am just goofy and really am a romantic at heart and just love a little feel-good fluff, but not without some hearty themes in there, of course! Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda is from the point of view of a teenager named Simon, who is gay but ...

A magical little journey that was delightful but also didn't quite have the teeth for me to really sink in with it. I am of course familiar with Hayao Miyazaki's movie version of Howl's Moving Castle , but heard that the novel was quite different. And it is in some ways, but also follows a similar plot in others. It really is fun and delightful, and not too serious which was great for me to read through at work while in the midst of some personal issues. But there was something missing here which prevented me from truly loving it... Howl's Moving Castle deals with a young woman named Sophie, who has conceded that as the eldest of three daughters, her life is not meant to be special, as based on some strange idea or old-wives-tale perpetuated where she is from (at least, I have never heard of this before?). But of course, a curse from a witch leads her to suddenly become an old woman, and she decides that it's a great time to leave her life behind, and perhaps f...

The third book in Brandon Sanderson’s epic fantasy series, The Stormlight Archive , hit a bit of a slower pace for me than the previous two instalments. Which is not to say that it’s bad, it is still very detailed and impressive and engaging! Just, a little bit of a different mood here. There are a lot more politics involved with different nations which sometimes went over my head, and I found that the pacing was quite slow until the last 200 pages or so, where it finally exploded into fast-paced action. Oathbringer begins right where the previous novel, Words of Radiance , leaves off, as the people of Alethar have been transported to the lost city of Urithiru: a new storm threatens the land, and the nations need to figure out how to survive this new natural threat, as well as the new army of Parshendi people who had previously been slaves of humans. Basically, everything is a mess, so it makes sense that there would be a lot of nitty gritty details and governance that needs to ...

Sweet, and a little spooky. Anya's Ghost is a graphic novel that features a short little story about a teenage girl named Anya, who moved to America from Russia at a young age. She isn't doing great in school, and doesn't feel like she truly fits in: she has one close friend named Siobhan, who isn't really all that nice to her, and her mother tries hard to keep Anya connected to her cultural community through church and other families she knows (most notably, a young boy named Dima who is also from Russia, but others tend to pick on). Also, Anya harbours a crush for a popular basketball player at school, who just happens to be dating a beautiful popular girl. Isn't this such a familiar little trope for most YA stories? Well, here's where we get a twist... While skipping class one day, Anya falls down a well in a park, and meets a ghost of a young girl named Emily, who ends up following her: Anya reluctantly becomes friends with this ghost after she helps with...

A short and sweet little story to expand on a couple of characters we see all too briefly in the Star Wars cinematic universe: upon watching Rogue One , I immediately fell in love with Baze Malbus and Chirrut Imwe, the two “guardians” of the Temple of Kyber in the city of Jedha. They act like an old married couple, one a little gruff and the other full of mysticism and hope, joining our heros in their quest to bring hope to the galaxy in defeating the empire. But you’ve all seen Rogue One and know this by now right? Well, given the opportunity to learn a little more about these two characters through Greg Rucka’s Guardians of the Whills , I thought, why not! It’s a short and simple book, with a little bit of action in a small adventure seemingly just before the events of Rogue One . We see Baze and Chirrut in their already long-standing, established relationship, after the Empire has taken some residence in what used to be a holy city of pilgrimage for many. It is a destitute ti...