Kindred Spirits by Rainbow Rowell | Mini-Review & Gilmore Girls Contrast

The amount of trouble that I went to in order to get a physical copy of this . . . let me tell you.

Living in America, there is no such day as World Book Day--as much as I wish that there was. Naturally, as soon as I heard that Rowell was going to release a story for WBD (which takes place in March), I immediately ordered a copy from Book Depository. Then, Book Depository decides to send some people like 50-100 copies of this book when they ordered 1, thus depleting their stock rather rapidly. 

I wait for about a month to get my copy in the mail. It never comes. 

I contact them and they're all "Well, we have no more in stock, sorry." I wonder why?

Finally, after weeks of stalking the Amazon page, I found a copy for about $2 + shipping, so I just buy it because heaven knows BD won't comply.

Then it arrived and it was glorious, and (you can buy the e-book from Amazon) let me tell you all of my feels. 

STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS

Our main character, Elena, is a total Star Wars nerd. It's beautiful. (Except don't ask her about the prequels because reasons.) Being a complete and utter nerd, she decides (for some ungodly reasons that I will never understand) to sit outside the theater for four days prior to the release date of the movie, despite having already purchased her tickets. 

It's the principle of the thing, ya know?

But the thing is, it's December. I mean, it's not December in Wisconsin or Canada, it's--you guessed it!--Omaha, Nebraska. Still, it's December and cold and who in their right mind would sit outside a theater for four days in the middle of December?

Three lovable nerds that's who.

Have you seen Gilmore Girls? Please say yes. For those of you that have, I felt like I was watching a Lane Kim-centric episode (ft. Mrs. Kim, Zach, Gill, and Taylor).

It's basically an episode of Gilmore Girls set in an alternate universe where Zach, Gill, and Lane are all super-big Star Wars fans; Mrs. Kim is slightly less possessive; Taylor manages a movie theater; and Stars Hollow is Omaha, Nebraska.

Saying that, it was of course lovely and quirky and nerdy in Rainbow's usual fashion. It definitely housed Rowell's signature humor that I love and adore. If you're a fan of Rowell, this is a must-read. Elena is a great character, her mom definitely is realistic and protective and great, Troy and Gabe (Gill and Zach, respectively) are great characters with depth and humor and stories.

All around, it was a great read, and in true Rainbow Rowell fashion, you want more of the story after it's ended.

Quotes

Elena couldn't remember the first time she saw a Star Wars movie . . . in the same way she couldn't remember the first time she saw her parents. Star Wars has just always been there. There was a stuffed Chewbacca in her crib. (page 5)

"I'm a nerd, right? Like obviously. Classic nerd. [. . .] I don't know how to talk to most people. I'm probably going to get a job in computer science. I know those are all stereotypes, but they're also true of me. That's who I am. And the thing about nerd culture being mainstream culture now means that there's no place to just be a nerd among other nerds--without being reminded that you're the nerd." (page 31)

GOODREADS

Have you read this yet? Are you going to read it now? If you have read it, did you see the Gilmore Girls or is it just me? (Let's be real, it's probably just me.)

Follow

12 Reasons You Should Pick Up Rainbow Rowell's Carry On | Review

It took a lot of self control not to start rereading this book when I was taking these pictures. (Also, I am weirdly proud of these pictures.) (Is it weird to be proud of pictures of books?)

Let's start this very non-comprehensive list (if it was comprehensive, we would be here all day):

1. Parenthesis (parentheses?) game is on point. Small thing, but I am a sucker for some well placed narrative parentheses . . . clearly.

2. Rainbow Rowell writes fantasy and it's honestly the best thing that she has ever written. It's written in Rainbow's style (i.e. real characters, awesome dialogue, witty inner dialogue, and a good mystery), but at the same time it is completely new and different.

3. It's Rainbow's take on Gemma T. Leslie's characters . . . that Rainbow created. I always read the Author's Note and the Acknowledgements (yes, I'm that person), and Rainbow explains this better than I will but let's give it a shot:

• It's not Cath's fanfiction about Simon and Baz (even though it has the same name).
• It's not one of Gemma T. Leslie's (the fictional creator/author of the Simon Snow series) original book.
• It's Rainbow's fiction on her own fictional characters. She couldn't let them go when she finished writing Fangirl and decided to give them her own story. Basically Rainbow Rowell wrote fanfiction about her own characters.

4. The romantic element is on point. It keeps you on your toes, and it has you wondering whose romantic story will be the one that the story ends on. From Fangirl, I had guessed whose romance it was going to be, but the journey had me questioning . . . and even if you read Fangirl, you will still be kept on your toes.

5. It's not just romance. There's so much more, which is more than I expected. There are politics, magic, dragons (every book is better with dragons). It's not a book that focuses on one thing (i.e. romance, politics, friendships, etc.). It's a book that has everything wonderful intertwined within it.

6. Look at this map: 

7. The magic system is far more interesting than I anticipated. You’re placed (not thrown) into this world. Not only is the magic system simple and easy to understand, it was also complex and explores things that I wouldn’t have expected it to explore.

8. This story is told in so many different perspectives, but there wasn't a single one that I didn't like. Which is an incredible feat. There's always that one character that I can't stand reading from their perspectives, but that wasn't in this book. I loved every single character ('ll tell you my favorite in a moment), and we knew so much about each of them. Every character is really well fleshed out and rounded . . . and I could talk about this book all day.

9. This is a really, really small thing (it is honestly mentioned 2-3 times), but in this world the girl proposes to the guy and it's all really extravagant and wonderful. 

10. Rainbow does a wonderful job of creating a magical world that is very modern. The spells aren't Latin and the mages (wizards/magicians) know what laptops and televisions are and how to work them. It was so nice. Also, as is classic Rowell, we get a bunch of nerdy pop culture references. This time: Doctor Who.

11. Tyrannus Basilton "Baz" Grimm-Pitch. I can't explain more about him without bursting into a fiery flame of feels.

12. We have closure, but still with Rowell's classic open ending. We get an epilogue, and if that had been absent I might have actually fallen over dead. We still have unanswered questions and things that we wish the characters knew, but there is more closure than we've ever gotten before. I could definitely read seven more books about Simon, Baz, Penny, and Agatha though.

Content: PG-13

Language: Mild

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

Published: 6 October 2015 by St. Martin's Griffin
Format - Pages: Hardcover - 522 pages
Source: Target
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Goodreads - My Goodreads Rating
Buy it! - Amazon, Kindle, Barnes & Noble

Simon Snow is the worst chosen one who’s ever been chosen.

That’s what his roommate, Baz, says. And Baz might be evil and a vampire and a complete git, but he’s probably right.

Half the time, Simon can’t even make his wand work, and the other half, he sets something on fire. His mentor’s avoiding him, his girlfriend broke up with him, and there’s a magic-eating monster running around wearing Simon’s face. Baz would be having a field day with all this, if he were here—it’s their last year at the Watford School of Magicks, and Simon’s infuriating nemesis didn’t even bother to show up.

Carry On is a ghost story, a love story, a mystery and a melodrama. It has just as much kissing and talking as you’d expect from a Rainbow Rowell story—but far, far more monsters.

Have you read Carry On yet? Tell me what your thoughts are down below!

Follow

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell | The One That's Not in Omaha, Nebraska?

So, I read an adult romance (and enjoyed it) . . . do I get a cookie? No? Are you sure? Even though I actually really, really enjoyed it?!

As you may (or may not) know, Rainbow Rowell is a hit or miss author for me.

Eleanor & Park: Miss

Fangirl: Hit!
Landline: Miss
Attachments: HIT!

"Hi, I work downstairs, in computer support, my name is Lincoln. Look, I know this might seem out of the blue, but would you like to have coffee sometime?"

This was super cute. When I first finished it, I wasn't sure if I liked it more than Fangirl or not. Now, I know that I liked it slightly less than the former, but not for anything more than the fact that the characters were my age, not 10 years older than me. I know that if I was closer to 28 than 18, I would (possibly) have liked it even more than I adored Fangirl.

So, this book is set in the year 1999. If that is not enough for you to pick this up, then . . . I'll keep going.

But that is half of the reason I loved this book (I'm not even going to try to lie to you) because Rowell features quite a few flashbacks for her audience: emails, terrible fashion, underground rock bands, and Y2K fear (AKA Yawn 2K and Meh-llennium*).

When I first heard that this was told from the perspective of a man who reads email exchanges between two women (Beth and Jennifer) for work and falls in love with one of them, I was super weirded out because if that happpened to me . . . I would feel really weird and uncomfortable.

But Rowell does it in a very cute, simple way.

*As much as I wish these were my jokes, they actually come from comedic geniuses Beth and Jennifer, two of our three main characters.

I thought that I wouldn't like the women because I have a problem with books written in letters (in this case: emails). I just don't like them. However, with the alternating chapters of emails and Lincoln's life, it is super engaging and fun to read.

Also,, Beth and Jennifer are funny, like actually funny. Very, very funny. There were multiple times that I was actually laughing out loud. They're serious and kind when they need to be, but I loved being able to see their best friend friendship interactions. They are (very closely following the relationship) my almost favorite part of this book. They are perfect and female friendships for the win!

Content: PG-13

Highly recommend!

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell
Published: 14 April 2011 by Plume
Format - Pages: Paperback - 323
Source: Library
Goodreads
My Goodreads Rating
Buy it! - Amazon, Kindle, Barnes and Noble

"Hi, I'm the guy who reads your e-mail, and also, I love you . . . " From the award-winning author of Eleanor & Park, Fangirl, and Landline comes a hilarious and heartfelt novel about love in the workplace.

Beth Fremont and Jennifer Scribner-Snyder know that somebody is monitoring their work e-mail. (Everybody in the newsroom knows. It's company policy.) But they can't quite bring themselves to take it seriously. They go on sending each other endless and endlessly hilarious e-mails, discussing every aspect of their personal lives.

Meanwhile, Lincoln O'Neill can't believe this is his job now- reading other people's e-mail. When he applied to be "internet security officer," he pictured himself building firewalls and crushing hackers- not writing up a report every time a sports reporter forwards a dirty joke.

When Lincoln comes across Beth's and Jennifer's messages, he knows he should turn them in. But he can't help being entertained-and captivated-by their stories.

By the time Lincoln realizes he's falling for Beth, it's way too late to introduce himself.

What would he say . . . ?

Have you read this or any of Rainbow Rowell's other works? Did you like this as much as I did? Do you want to pick it up? Let me know down in the comments!

Follow

Landline by Rainbow Rowell - Book Review

Let's talk about the Cath and Levi cameo at the end. That was my favorite part of this book other than Neal.

Overall thoughts: Landline is a HIMYM Christmas special set in the world of The Lake House. (It's a really old movie with Sandra Bullock.) (I'm starting to think I am the only person on earth that has seen it.)

 I'm not going to be able to form cohesive sentences with this one, so lists it is. Okay, let's go.

What I liked: 

1. Georgie being a (semi)independent and confident woman - It shows that marriage isn't a smooth ride on the lake 

2. It shows a broken relationship 

3. NEAL. The males that Rainbow writes are always more wonderful (in my opinion) than the females (except Cath, but I still love Levi more than Cath) 

4. Speaking of Cath and Levi, they have an adorable cameo at the end. And if you've read Fangirl, THEY'RE ENGAGED. 

5. Rainbow shows us that gender roles shouldn't exist. Men can cook, paint, and stay home with the children while women can go and make the big bucks for their family. 

6. The magical realism elements that surround the phone. Really, just the phone. 

7. Georgie's family is a hilarious mess. 

8. Also, I love Neal's family. 

9. I like that she gives out the date whenever it is the next day. Because that's one of the things I am most terrible at while reading, knowing the timeline.

What I didn't like: 

1. SO MANY LOOSE, UNTIED ENDS. It's basically Rainbow's signature. She just decides to not finish the story. It has something that has always (mostly) bothered me about her writing. It was endearing in Fangirl because I could just sit there and imagine the rest of their relationship, but here it's not endearing in the least. 

2. Mostly because I hated that ending. Rainbow had such an awesome chance to plot-twist the bahooey (is that a word? because I'm making it a word) out of this and she didn't. 

3. I watch too much Doctor Who and X-Men and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban have too many of my own feelings about time travel. Rainbow's display of time travel is very different than my own. 

4. Georgie. She's an extremely frustrating character because she literally does nothing. 

5. This entire novel I was wondering why Neal hadn't left Georgie before this because of the aforementioned fact. Why has he stuck around for fifteen years in a marriage that he's not happy in? Why is sticking through a relationship where he's not appreciated? (Because it's marriage) Because . . . it's spoilery, so I'm not going to say it.

6. Half of this book is in random flashbacks that have no identification of flashbacks. 

7. It kind of felt like Rainbow just needed this book to be 300-odd pages, so she just added a bunch of randomness to make it longer.

Content: PG to PG-13

Language: Hardly

Violence: None

Sex: None

Landline  by Rainbow Rowell
Published: 8 July 2014 by St. Martin's Press
Format - Pages: Hardback - 308
Source: BookOutlet
Genre: Adult Contemporary
Goodreads - My Goodreads Rating
Buy it! - Amazon, Kindle, Barnes and Noble

Georgie McCool knows her marriage is in trouble; it has been in trouble for a long time. She still loves her husband, Neal, and Neal still loves her, deeply — but that almost seems beside the point now.

Maybe that was always beside the point.

Two days before they’re supposed to visit Neal’s family in Omaha for Christmas, Georgie tells Neal that she can’t go. She’s a TV writer, and something’s come up on her show; she has to stay in Los Angeles. She knows that Neal will be upset with her — Neal is always a little upset with Georgie — but she doesn't expect him to pack up the kids and go home without her.

When her husband and the kids leave for the airport, Georgie wonders if she’s finally done it. If she’s ruined everything.

That night, Georgie discovers a way to communicate with Neal in the past. It’s not time travel, not exactly, but she feels like she’s been given an opportunity to fix her marriage before it starts...

Is that what she’s supposed to do?

Or would Georgie and Neal be better off if their marriage never happened?

Have you read Landline  or any of Rainbow's other works? Tell me down in the comments!

Happy Reading!

Fangirl - Rainbow Rowell

Fangirl - Rainbow Rowell

Published: 10 September 2013 - St. Martin's Press

Pages: 433 (Hardcover)

Genre: YA Contemporary

Goodreads Rating: 4.2/5

Buy it: Amazon, Kindle, Barnes & Noble

Goodreads

My Rating:

96/100

Summary: Cath is going to college. Freshman year. Terrifying for an introvert. Even more terrifying to an introvert who has social anxiety and whose twin sister refused to room with her for the sake of meeting new people. So, Cath(er) was roomed with the clearly not-freshman Reagan (sidenote: do we ever learn Reagan's last name?), and when she walks into her dorm room for the first time, she meets Reagan and her roommate's friend: Levi. We follow Cath through her first year of college. Through her first year not rooming with Wren. Through her first "breakup". Through family struggles. Through meeting new people. Through dealing and overcoming, slightly, her social anxiety. 

My Thoughts: I want more. I need more. I want more of Levi and Cath. I want more Simon Snow. I want to know how Cath ended Carry On, Simon. Did she kill Baz? I NEED TO KNOW. This is the best Rainbow Rowell book that I've read, and the main criticism that I had for Eleanor & Park was that Ms. Rowell didn't continue on with the nerdy-ness of their relationship. I didn't feel that with this book. 

But really, I was so excited going into this book that I was scared it wouldn't live up to the hype, but it did. Mainly because I related so much to Cath. While I didn't "grow up" with Harry Potter the way my six-year-senior sister did, in my opinion I did grow up with Harry because he was so much a part of my childhood. I think you kind of have to have the experience with Harry Potter to get the book and to really get Cath. The fanfiction, the community, the midnight book releases. I honestly think I would connect to Cath considerably less if my sister hadn't truly grown up with Harry. 

This book is definitely targeted towards those who did grow up with Harry in their childhood because we get it. However, I think you can connect to Cath even if you didn't grow up with it. But I do think you'd have to be a fangirl/fanboy to like this story. 

Overall, I loved it, and I think every fangirl/fanboy should buy it and love it as much as I did.