“If this isn’t hell, the devil is surely taking notes.”   ☘      Opinião em Português      ☘   What an incredible mystery novel. The only reason I hadn’t read in one sitting was the fact that it requires a lot concentration. Stuart Turton is a travel journalist and The Seven (and ½ for US readers) of Evelyn Hardcastle was his debut novel. I won’t give any synopsis because the best way to enter Blackheath is by knowing nothing and be surprised with all the twists. All give you this though: several characters try to solve the murder of Evelyn Hardcastle in Blackheath – Hardcastle’s property, where the action unfolds. This could be a typical Agatha Christie mystery crime novel, even though we can see the similarities with the crime master, in Turton’s writing, the author being a huge fan of hers. I can’t see any flaw in this book. I loved it all. The plot has an extraordinary complexity, without making it confusing.  According to the author...

“Death rarely changes how we feel about someone. Heightens it, more often than not.”   ☘      Opinião em Português      ☘   This was a book that caught my attention by its popularity. In fact, it’s a difficult for a thriller to have a high rating. High expectations are a constant in a thriller reader, when it comes to creativity and its ability to make the heart race and the throat twisted in a knot. The Dry is Jane Harper’s first novel, an Australian author. Despite being her first novel, she won at least 10 literary awards. Aaron Falk returns to his hometown, after being chased out, to go to the funeral of his best friend from his teens, Luke Adler, and his family. It’s suspected that Luke murdered his family, killing himself after. Aaron, as a plea from Luke’s parents, starts his investigation on it, to prove Luke’s innocence.  While investigation, Aaron seems himself forced to confront his past with Luke, whatever led him to be chase...

“I don’t like to dwell on regrets. They tell you that you have not come to terms with what you’ve done.”   ☘      Opinião em Português      ☘   I’ve received several opinions that this book was addictive and brilliantly written. However, to me, it wasn’t neither. The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair is a thriller with a smidge of detective/crime novel, that won several literary awards, all of them well deserved. Something that you have to have in mind, while reading this book, is the situation revolving a romance that involves a 35-year-old man with a 15-year-old girl, where we need to make an informed and clear opinion on that. I strongly suggest read the book to the end, and then form an opinion. This leads to the question that divides worlds: how far is acceptable a relationship between an adult and a teenager (w/ 16/18 yo) with a conscious critical mind (young adult)? Well, here we meet Marcus Goldman, a writer that reach success with...

“True love doesn’t always last,” I say. “It doesn’t always have to be for a lifetime”   ☘      Opinião em Português      ☘   People you have to read Taylor Jenkins Reid!! That’s the bottom-line! That girl is a freaking genius in portraying human emotions. Emma and Jesse, high school sweethearts, leave hometown, get married and explore the world by traveling. Jesse, in a work trip, has an accident and he’s declared dead. The book begins with this: “I’m finishing having dinner with my family and fiancée, when my husband calls.” Yes, I’ve read this about 5 times to make sense of what I was reading, because I started this book without giving a look into the synopsis. Emma, being now a widow, decides to move back to her hometown to have a fresh start of life. Years later, she starts dating a friend from her adolescence, Sam. When her husband resurrects, not at the end of 3 days but 3 years, Emma’s engaged. And she’ll have to figure out who is her true ...

“No one is likable from the inside out.”   ☘      Opinião em Português      ☘   Who doesn’t know Colleen Hoover?! Readers say that she’s wonderful and, curious as I am, and loving thrillers as I do, I had to read Verity. I’ve read It Ends with Us and Confess, that I had different opinions (loved one, didn’t like the other). Truth be told, I don’t see myself liking Hoover’s books as a romantic or a drama writer, but the girl is good at thrillers! I’d seen that she worked with Tarryn Fischer (I haven’t read anything by her but Mud Vein is on the list) and considering the psychotic vibe of one of the characters, certainly that Fischer gave a hand, that gave me the more reasons to read something by Fischer. About the thriller: it’s very well constructed, such are the characters - fears, anxiety, malice, love etc. – it’s all very well characterized. The only downside is that’s predictable. Me and a fellow buddy reader (username: O Meu Reino da Noi...

“We are the dead."   ☘      Opinião em Português      ☘   After the first few chapters I had to put it down for a few weeks. It’s not a book to read lightly, it requires a lot of our attention and focus. When I picked the book up again, it was the best thing I’ve ever done. Orwell is a pseudonym for the author Eric Arthur Blair, a political essayist, English journalist and strong socialism supporter. There’s something to keep in mind: Orwell lived through the Great Wars, including the Spanish Civil War, where he fought against the fascism. He was a democratic socialist, that fought fiercely against totalitarianism. In fact, that is the whole point of 1984 – the totalitarianism and its way to convert the masses into renounce their liberty. I suggest, if you don’t know a bit about politics, that do a quick google search of socialism, totalitarianism, autocrats and capitalism (at least their definitions). In 1984, we see a world divided in 3 s...

“Nelson Mandela once said, 'If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.' He was so right. When you make the effort to speak someone else's language, even if it's just basic phrases here and there, you are saying to them, 'I understand that you have a culture and identity that exists beyond me. I see you as a human being”   ☘      Opinião em Português       ☘   What a book! What a Man! What a Mom! I listened the audiobook and it was amazing! For those who don’t know, Trevor Noah is a talk show host called the Daily Show, focused mainly in political humour. He’s also a stand-up comedian. Trevor Noah has a very well-placed voice, he’s eloquent and has a fantastic accent. He mixes humour into serious issues such as racism. Moreover, he has reasoned opinions since he has a great intellect and knows what he’s talking about. Trevor was born in 1984, in Johannes...