Ask the Passengers by A.S. King

Cover via Goodreads.

Rating: 4/5 stars.

Astrid Jones sends her love to strangers. She gives it away to passengers in the sky, because that’s the only way she’ll be free. Her demanding, over-controlling mother talks at her, her dad does crack, and her sister worries too much about her reputation to be of any help. Living in a small town has its downsides, and Astrid realizes just how damaging those downsides are when she finds herself falling in love – with a girl.

Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend by Matthew Dicks

Cover via Goodreads.

Rating: 5/5 stars.

Have you ever watched a movie where you knew how it was going to end right from the beginning, but you still cried when the ending came anyway? That’s what happened to me with Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend.

Budo is Max’s imaginary friend. He looks more human than most imaginary friends, can pass through doors and windows, and he loves Max. The bad part is that if Max stops believing in him, Budo will disappear. Max’s life moves as smoothly as it can for a child with a mental disability until one of his teachers does something that endangers his life. Now it’s up to Budo to rescue him, even if the costs him his own existence.

The best part of Matthew Dicks’ third novel was its voice.

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

Cover via Goodreads.

Rating: 3/5 stars.

Life of Pi will make you think.

Initially, I was unimpressed. The book jacket promised a survival story about a boy on a boat who has to contend with not only the elements, but a ferocious tiger too. However, the book began with copious reflections on religion and random musings about animals. I understand that the author probably wanted to set up the story and provide some initial food for thought, but the only thing I appreciated out of the first 100 pages was the idea that people can believe in more than one thing (whether it be religion, or just conflicting ideas in general) and still be a good person. Pi practices multiple religions, but he has good intentions and a pure heart.

I liked the second part of the book. I did not love it, but I liked it.

Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

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Rating: 3/5 stars.

Norwegian Wood is unlike any book I’ve read. It tells the story of Toru, a quiet and uncouth college student who is in love with Naoko, a beautiful and withdrawn woman. Their relationship is ensconced by their best friend’s death that took place a few years prior to the beginning of this novel, and because of that Naoko retreats further and further away from Toru. He finds solace in Midori, a sexually passionate and powerfully independent individual, though he knows his feelings for both of them cannot be contained forever.

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender

Cover via Goodreads.

Rating: 3/5 stars.

This is one of those books that you like or you don’t. The reason behind this is that the book’s plot centers around magical realism/surrealism/strange bizarreness, so if you’re into that type of thing, give this book a try. If not… you’ve been warned.

I want to clarify that I was going to give this book four stars up until about the last 50 pages. One realization that Rose has threw the story off, and left me feeling confused and disconcerted. Also, two plot developments within the closing of the novel disappointed me.

If you’ve read this book, I recommend you read my full review here to better understand why I only gave this book a three-star rating.