The long-awaited book review for my cherished book club has finally arrived! And it’s already the seventh one! 🙂 I’ve been away for a little while, as I recently gave birth to my heart and soul—my sweet baby girl, who I love more than anything in this world. I want to give her all my attention! However, I still believe it’s important to continue with our hobbies, or at least try to, as time allows—especially those that bring us joy, like reading does for me. That’s why I’ve taken the time to put together this summary for you, and I hope you’ll enjoy it!
1. Sophie’s World ; Jostein Gaarder (Rating: 7.5)
Imagine being 15 years old—curious about everything, yet confused by all that’s happening to you. Then, you begin receiving anonymous letters asking questions like, “Who are you?” and “What is the world made of?” Of course, you’d be eager to find out who’s sending these letters and what the answers are.
These letters, it turns out, are a course in philosophy, guiding Sophie to question everything she knows about her world. I know, it sounds intriguing and mysterious, but the first 250 pages are largely philosophical lessons without much happening in the plot. The real intrigue doesn’t begin until after the midpoint, when the first major plot twist occurs.
As an introduction to philosophy, the book is excellent, offering a sweeping journey through human thought—from the ancient Greeks to 20th-century existentialism. It’s a fascinating exploration of intellectual history, but it doesn’t quite satisfy the criteria of a novel you’d sink into for pure enjoyment.
2. Malibu Rising ; Taylor Jenkins Reid (Rating: 8.3)
After thoroughly enjoying Reid’s previous novel, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, full of glamour and drama, I decided to dive into Malibu Rising. Although the theme of this book revolves around family dynamics, Reid’s signature opulence is very much present. The story opens dramatically, with a fire blazing through a grand mansion perched on the cliffs of Malibu, and Reid carefully unfolds the past events of her characters, gradually building towards that fateful night.
Her characters are layered and complex, making them feel like people you could actually meet in real life. What stands out most is the authenticity of the ending, which delivers a truly satisfying conclusion. This is an easy, engaging read—one you won’t be able to put down!
3. The Door-to-Door Bookstore; Karsten Hen (Rating: 5/10)
This book revolves around a delightful elderly gentleman named Karl. At 75, he leads a rather lonely life, finding solace only in books and his work at his friend’s old bookstore. Karl’s joy comes from hand-delivering books to a select group of customers, earning him the nickname “the book-walker.” After his workday, Karl follows a set route, bringing books directly to his customers, each of whom has their own unique story. One special little girl will end up changing his life as much as he changes theirs.
As much as I love librarians, books, and that world of storytelling, I had high expectations, perhaps too high. Sadly, the novel didn’t quite live up to them. The story felt underdeveloped, lacking the emotional depth and surprise that would allow you to truly connect with the main character.
4. Verity; Colleen Hoover (Rating: 9.5/10)
I read this one on my Kindle, which I’ve mentioned before and have a blog post about it : https://tanjasdiary.com/2024/07/18/kindle-a-modern-marvel-or-just-hype-find-out-if-its-worth-your-money/ . There are mixed opinions about this book—some adore it, while others dismiss it as “light” reading.
If you’ve read Colleen Hoover before, you already know the intensity with which she writes. But trust me, Verity is on another level! I’m in the camp of readers who were completely blown away by it. Hoover pulls you into a world where illusion shapes reality—full of seemingly bright moments, yet overwhelmingly dark and eerie undertones. She masterfully leads you astray, deceiving and confusing you, all while using unreliable characters to create an astounding effect: you’re left feeling bewildered, disturbed, and thrilled all at once. Nothing is as it seems, and even when things are revealed, they’re still not quite what they appear. I was hooked from the very first page, and the sheer energy radiating from the story is incredible. This is an absolute must-read!
———————————————-
Dosao je na red i dugoocekivani pregled knjiga za moj zeljeni book club! I to vec sedmi po redu! 🙂 Bila sam malo odsutna jer sam se skoro porodila i na svet je dosla moja dusa, moja mila devojcica koju volim najvise na svetu i svu paznju zelim bas njoj da dam! Medjutim, opet smatram da je vazno da nastavimo, ili probamo koliko nam vreme dozvoljava, sa hobijima koji nas usrecuju kao sto je to meni citanje, te zato sam se potrudila da napravim ovaj rezime za vas, nadam se da cete uzivati!
1.Sofijin svet; Justejn Gorder (ocena: 7,5)
Zamislite da ste tinejdzer, i to u svojoj 15oj godini. Zanima vas sve a i zbunjeni ste sta vam se sve dogadja. Jos na to dodate anonimn pisma sa pitanjima “Ko si ti?” i “Iz cega nastaje svet? Definitivno bi hteli da saznate ko vam pise ta pisma i sta je odgovor na njih.
Spoznaja dolazi bas putem pisama od tog istog neznanca koja zapravo predstavljaju kurs iz filozofije. Sofiju to navodi da preispita ceo svoj svet. Znam, zvuci intrigantno i misteriozno, medjutim, prvih 250 stranica samo donosi lekcije iz filozofije bez znacajnih događaja. Interesovanje raste tek posle polovine knjige, kada se pojavljuje prva kulminacije radnje.
Kao uvod u filozofiju, knjiga je izvanredna i vredna citanja, nudeci pregled od Grka do egzistencijalizma 20. veka. Ovo je fascinantno putovanje kroz istoriju ljudske misli, ali ne ispunjava bas sve kriterijume romana u kojem biste se zaista opustili i uzivali.
2.Malibu u Plamenu; Tejlor Dzenkins Rid (ocena: 8.3)
Povucena pretodnim romanom ove autorke-Sedam muzeva, koji je prepun turbulencije i glamura, uzela sam da citam bas ovu knjigu. Iako je tema ovog romana porodicni odnosi, prepoznacete njen stil pisanja i doza raskosa je svakako prisutna. Iako radnja pocinje dramaticno – pozarom u prostranoj vili smestenoj na litici Malibua, autorka nas vodi kroz proslost likova, pazljivo redjajuci dogadjaje koji su doveli do te sudbonosne noci.
Videcete slozene karaktere svih junaka, cineci ih opipljivim, kao da su osobe koje biste mogli sresti u stvarnom zivotu. Ono sto je izuzetno bitno jeste da je kraj autenticnu i daje tu neodoljivu zavrsnicu. Lako stivo za citanje koje necete moci da ispustite iz ruku!
3. Karlove setnje s knjigama; Karsten Hen (ocena 5-10)
Knjiga se bazira na liku jednog divnog gospodina. Naime, Karl u svojoj 75oj godini zivota, vodi dosta samotan i tuzan život. Radost pronalazi jedino u knjigama i poslu prodavca u staroj knjizari svog prijatelja. Karlu su najdraze njegove knjige i posebne musterije kojima licno dostavlja odabrane knjige. Zato ga i prozvase-knjigosetac. Svakodnevno, posle radnog vremena, obilazi ih svojom ustaljenom trasom i licno raznosi knjige. Svaka musterija ima svoju svoju pricu i on im zaista menja zivote na bolje, kao sto ce i njemu jedna mala magicna devojcica. Koliko volim bibliotekare, knjige i ceo taj svet, ocekivala sam mnogo, mnoogo vise. I volela bih da kazem kako me je ovaj roman oduesevio ali nažalost nije. Smatram da sama prica i zapletli nisu dovoljno obradjeni, jer fali taj element iznenadjenja a i nekih dubljih emocija kako biste se povezali sa glavnim likom.
4.Verity; Colleen Hoover (9.5/10)
Ovu knjigu sam citala putem Kindla, o kojem sam pisala vise ovde: https://tanjasdiary.com/2024/07/18/kindle-a-modern-marvel-or-just-hype-find-out-if-its-worth-your-money/. Cula sam sve podeljena misljenja, ili ljudi izrazito vole ili smatraju ovo delo “lakim” stivom.
Ko je citao romane Colleen Hoover vi ste vec upoznati kojim intenzitetom pise I verujte mi na rec, ovo je next level!l Dakle, ja spadam u grupu ljudi koje je ova knjiga odusevila! Autorka vas uvlaci u svet u kojem iluzija oblikuje stvarnost, puno naizgled svetlosti, ali taman i mracan un preovladjuje dok se vreme se preplice na jeziv nacin. Ona vas mami, zavarava i zbunjuje, stalno koristeci svoje nepouzdane likove da postigne zapanjujuci efekat: istovremeno zbunjuje, uznemirava i odusevljava. Ne samo da nista nije onakvo kakvim se cini, vec nije ni nakon sto se otkrije da nije ono sto izgleda. Bila sam zarobljena u ovoj prici od samog pocetka i ta energija koja prozima stranice je neverovatna. Sjajno delo, procitati obavezno!!
Tanja's diary 🧚🏻♂️ 