"I Am No One"

“I Am No One” by Patrick Flannery

Review written by Diana Iozzia

            I sadly regret to inform you all that this is one of my least favorite books I have ever read. I was very intrigued to read this, because the plot idea of a man becoming paranoid that someone is stalking him sounded very appealing. However, this is a very ornery, impolite, and licentious old man who does not understand modern technology. He was involved with possibly bad people, so there begins the suspense, but you only find out the reason for the stalking in the second half of the book. Even so, you never really know why someone is stalking him. Seriously. There’s no resolution. The last chapter of the book is the man coming to terms with the fact he needs to seek out a lawyer for help. That’s it.

            This is the slowest read I probably have ever read. The prose is very descriptive, but it feels like the author is rambling. I understand that the character is supposed to be a stubborn, weird man who talks incessantly, but do I have to read from his perspective? He’s not an interesting perspective. I don’t have sympathy for his plight.

            I like the plot of modern day technology making stalking and watching someone become easy, however, nothing really happens as a result. I can’t believe it took me this long to read this book. It was so dissatisfying, I almost wanted to give up. It was very difficult to pick up this book. Honestly, I fell asleep while reading it once.

            I like the supporting characters, the narrator’s daughter and her husband. That’s it. I’m not sympathetic towards a character who leaves his wife and family and has a boring affair, and then is later stalked years later.

"No One Here Belongs More Than You"

“No One Belongs Here More Than You” by Miranda July

Review Written by Diana Iozzia

            “No One Belongs Here More Than You” was a different reading experience than I usually have when I read a book of short stories. This book is full of little stories about love, sex, and other dramatic life experiences.

            The stories are very unique, about topics I have heard about but I have never read about before. One is about a peep show worker who is in love with her ex-roommate. I think that it’s important to recognize that feminists could really enjoy this book, because it’s about love and sexual freedom. I think that Ms. July tried very hard to create short stories that other people would read, and truly, they are creative. However, I think that they are just too much for me. I found myself struggling to read through the stories, because they weren’t intriguing.

            I thought that the fact that every one of the stories was first person was interesting, but it made it a bit difficult to decipher between the characters. I can guarantee you can name one of the characters that existed in the story, but I wouldn’t be able to remember which story they exist in.

"The Light We Lost"

“The Light We Lost” by Jill Santopolo

Review Written by Diana Iozzia

            Quite honestly, “The Light We Lost” is the best book I have read in a long time, perhaps even a year or so. This fantastically written story is very unique and quite haunting.

            The main character, Lucy, meets Gabe on September 11^th, 2001. They date for two years and eventually, Gabe leaves to work in the Middle East as a photojournalist. Lucy tells her story to Gabe from years later, but we don’t understand at first why she is telling this story. It’s very romantic how she tells him how in love she was with him, but then, the problem starts when she starts to move on to date Darren.

            I really enjoy that the story is told in a perspective from the main character to her boyfriend, addressing him directly, saying “You were doing this. We were doing that.” I haven’t read another book completely like this, sans a book with a diary entry. The entire novel is like this, except for a letter in the last two pages.

            This felt very natural and very beautiful. It was interesting that even though Lucy was telling her story to Gabe, it felt very similar to my experiencing the events, rather than have been told them. Lucy is an interesting character, because you feel such sympathy and such apathy towards her. She’s a difficult character to love, depending on your morals, I believe.

            I really suggest this, but I do admit the cover description makes the book sound much more dramatic and full of action than it truly is. However, it’s fantastic, and I really enjoyed this, in comparison to other romantic/dramatic books that I have read recently.

            As I’ve mentioned, Lucy’s morals are hard to sympathize with. I found myself struggling to decide “whose side” I was on, Gabe’s, Darren’s, Lucy’s? Also, the relationship Lucy has with her children can be a bit controversial as well. All in all, a really worthwhile read.

I received this from Ms. Santopolo’s publicist as an advance reader’s copy.

"The Secret Year"

“The Secret Year” by Jennifer R. Hubbard
Review written by Diana Iozzia


Young love lost. It’s a very important and very sad theme in many young adult fiction novels, but I think this is one of the best ways to describe a young love falling apart due to the death of one partner. In “The Secret Year”, Julia dies in a car accident, and we learn how she and Colt were in a secret relationship. You have your tropes; a beautiful blonde popular girl falls in love with the awkward yet handsome and kind boy from the wrong side of the tracks. His life is so wrong he has tires and old cars strewn across his front yard.

Julia and Colt had a lovely sugary high school relationship when they were together, often swimming together in a lake at night. Their love feels very pure, and it reminds me of many young adult novels, such as “Thirteen Reasons Why”.

I feel compassion for Julia, because she was never happy in her own shoes. She liked stepping into Colt’s and loving him, so it’s very sad when you remember that she was dead. I fully recommend this to anyone who wants a very different and sad young adult novel to sulk with. It’s not happy clappy. Boy meets girl, boy loves girl. Girl dies. Boy mourns girl.

"Love Story"

“Love Story” by Eric Segal

Review written by Diana Iozzia

 

God, this was a lovely story that I had the fortune of reading a few summers back. It was a beautiful quick read about a new romance, in which one characters has been diagnosed with cancer. The story follows Oliver Barrett and Jenny Cavilleri as they meet each other in college, and begin their love.

I believe that all young lovers can relate to the passion and sweet angelic feeling of brand new love. Oliver is a hunky athlete with a real beating heart underneath. Jenny is a sarcastic Daddy’s girl who likes to use her smart mouth.

I would recommend this for anyone who reads fiction and prose about cancer and romance. Doomed, star crossed love has always been a beloved fiction trope, especially with the surge of the Fault in Our Stars book by John Green and A Walk to Remember” by John Green. Well, this was the original cancer love book that would tear your heart out. I recommend this over the movie, although the movie was classic and just as enjoyable.

"The Tommyknockers"

“The Tommyknockers” by Stephen King

Review Written by Diana Iozzia

            I can tell you right now that Stephen King is my favorite author. He writes horror fiction, which is one of my favorite genres, and he’s damn good at it. Everyone either despises him or worships him. “The Tommyknockers” was one of the only books I’ve read by him that I despised. You read about a very uninteresting and depressed protagonist named Bobbi Anderson. Bobbi is walking in her backyard with her old dog, when she finds a hunk of metal protruding from the ground.

            There are many ways to spoil this book, but I’d rather not completely ruin it for you. It’s very reminiscent of an episode from The Twilight Zone, or at least the beginning is. In many of King’s books, he writes of his inspirations and his connections, but sometimes, they feel so much more coincidental and slightly like he rips off some of his stories.

            I love Mr. King, but this was a very skippable book. It’s absolutely gigantic, and I just could not finish this with my sanity full intact. I was tired and bored of it by the first three chapters. Perhaps, I’ll re-read it in ten years and see if my thoughts have changed. Unfortunately, for now, I wouldn’t recommend this book. If I had a heart, it'd be broken by this book.

"The Day I Killed James"

"The Day I Killed James" by Catherine Ryan Hyde
Review written by Diana Iozzia 




It must be about five or six years since I read this novel. I picked it up in the library, because a boy I was "in love with" was named James. You know how 14 to 15 year old girls are. I also wanted to read this, because it was written by the same author who wrote "Pay It Forward", another favorite of mine.

The main character in this story is named Theresa. After a party Theresa brought her boyfriend, James to, he accidentally dies in a tragic motorcycle accident. The prose is a bit difficult to read, because it is written through a young adult's perspective. Honestly, Hyde's prose is written much more believable in her other novels, because in this one, it seems she tries very hard to sound like a young adult.

This book is very sad and soaked with guilt. It's an interesting story of learning to overcome tragedy and moving on with life. I think I'd like to give this a re-read, now that I'm twenty-one, and I think I have more life experience? Also, I am engaged, so I wonder if I have a different perspective on love.

"Ruined"

"Ruined" by Paula Morris
Review written by Diana Iozzia






"Ruined" is a young adult fiction novel starring the main character, Rebecca. She recently moved to New Orleans, near the French Quarter, to live with her aunt and her younger cousin. Rebecca starts making new friends at her new school, and naturally, she makes a few enemies. Rebecca visits a cemetery nearby her apartment, which is practically in shambles post Hurricane Katrina. Rebecca meets a girl who she later finds out is a ghost named Lisette.

Throughout the novel, Rebecca finds herself hallucinating that she is back in the times of slavery, when Lisette's family were slaves. Not to give away the ending, which is pretty climatic and intriguing, Rebecca finds out that her ancestors are much more involved in the history of New Orleans than she'd like them to be.

I've read this book at least three to four times as a teenager, and it still holds a place in my heart as probably the first thriller book I read other than "Goosebumps".

"Dark Souls"

"Dark Souls" by Paula Morris
Review written by Diana Iozzia

"Dark Souls" is a young adult fiction novel, full of ghosts, thrilling romance, and exploration in historic York, England. I read this when I was in my teenage years, but I re-read this two summers ago, when I was visiting York, England.

Miranda and her family are on vacation in York for the summer, so her mother can participate in an orchestra program. Miranda makes friends with a hipster-like guy named Nick, who shows her around the city. Soon, you realize that Nick is very shady and might not be telling the entire truth about himself. With lots of haunted folklore, it creates a creepy setting for the lovely city. 

I personally enjoyed "Ruined" by Paula Morris much more than this book, but for a second novel, it was quite creepy and interesting. There is a great sequence before the final climax. Good read for a young adult novel with some thrills and chills.

"The Martian"

"The Martian" by Andy Weir
Review written by Diana Iozzia




I read this book last summer, 2016, during my lunch breaks at work and when my preschool students were sleeping. For a book to read while eating a sandwich, it wasn't too bad. I enjoyed the plot, I'm always interested in reading about a rescue mission. The idea that it was on Mars added to the appeal. The story starts out with Mark Watney being left for dead by his team, as they head back to Earth. Luckily so, he is alive. Mark finds himself hurt, but not hurt enough to be in complete danger.

Mark uses his botany skills to assess how he can conserve his food and survive on Mars in his HAB unit, which is the leftover hut that they used during their mission. He plants potatoes, conserves food, works out, repairs the HAB, and tries to restore communication to NASA.

This book is interesting, because it paints a seemingly realistic portrait of what it would be like to be lost on Mars. Each diary entry of his is told, keeping tracks of the days as "sols" rather than Earth days, which makes sense. I personally enjoyed this book also, because the public relations team on Earth and the NASA unit on Earth are very funny. This book is very comedic and charming.

The most important part of the book is unfortunately the most boring part. Him learning to survive! Planting lots and lots of potatoes. Oh, no. That's broken. Gotta go fix that. Oh, no, the potatoes are in danger. Oh, no, something else broke. I feel like a solid half of the book is literally just about broken space parts and potatoes. 

I would personally just recommend watching the film. I read the book before the film, and I felt that all of the important prose in the book was in the film. All of the nonimportant prose was shown in montage sequences and talked about in Mark's short diary entries onscreen.

"Me Before You"

"Me Before You" by Jojo Moyes
Review written by Diana Iozzia 




"Me Before You" is one of my top five romance novels to this day. The sweet and earnest prose treat you to a sweet, honest, and kind love between a caretaker and her patient. 

Louisa, or Lou, Clark is a very unique and quirky young woman. After the coffee shop she worked in closes, she needs to find a new job, and begins working as a carer for a young quadriplegic man, Will Traynor. Lou is clearly unprepared to take care of this depressed and grumpy man, who is understandably unhappy with his paralysis. Lou treats Will to a nice couple of months, once she finds out that he is planning on ending his life with physician assisted suicide. 

Lou makes Will smile again, takes him on fun day trips to an orchestral concert, an unsuccessful horse race, and many more. This is a sad, happy, and complex novel, but I really enjoyed the realism and humanism of these characters. I highly recommend you tuck in with a cup of tea and maybe a few biscuits for this one. I absolutely absorbed this one in a matter of days.

"The Roanoke Girls"

“The Roanoke Girls” by Amy Engel

Review written by Diana Iozzia

            My goodness. I don’t even know where to begin with this book. I just finished it about ten minutes, and I’m trying to gather my thoughts. I engulfed this book in about a span of 7 hours, four hours last night and three today. “The Roanoke Girls” is the best book I have read in about a year or so, and I truly think it’s worth every second you spend on it.

This book is about a woman named Lane who returns to her grandparents’ house eleven years after she spent a summer there, to help look for her missing cousin. Lane and her cousin, Allegra, were almost fused together, in dramatic, happy, and terrifying sync that summer long ago. This book is told through Lane’s young perspective at 15-16 years old, then her perspective at 27 years old.

This book is full with unexpected suspense, thrills, chills, and more. Many have said this is a modern day “Flowers in the Attic”.  It is very similar with eerie grandparents and (LOTS of) uncomfortable incest. Be warned. There are very strong and possibly triggering scenes and moments. However, this book is not just about incest and a missing woman, this is about how Lane grew up and is reflected by the summer she spent. She revisits all of the haunts she once knew. I also found some similarities to the book “Sharp Objects” by Gillian Flynn, which I enjoyed as well.

I do warn about the incest and other sexual moments. Other than that, there isn’t too much violence or profanity. However, this is an adult book, so I don’t know if it’s wise to think that a thriller/suspense/drama for adults would be PG. It’s sickeningly sweet and intriguing.

There isn’t much I can say about this book that I didn’t like. It’s interesting to see Lane, Allegra, and their friends and how they’ve changed as adults, in comparison to their childhood personalities. I think this would be a fantastic film or mini-series. There isn’t room for a sequel, which works fine by me. This book is very complete, concrete, and very well-written. I thoroughly enjoyed this.

//I received an advance reader’s copy through BloggingForBooks.com//

"The Moon Said No"

“The Moon Said No” by Casey Renee Kiser

Review written by Diana Iozzia

            “The Moon Said No” is a collection of poems that depict depression, sex, suicidal themes, self-harm, and alcohol consumption. These poems are not for the faint of heart, and to be honest, maybe I am a part of the group of those who do not enjoy these poems. They are very raw and sharp, very sassy and sad. Some are angry and scary. I like happy poems. These are not happy poems. Some of them are lighter, but they are not light enough for my standards.

            Naturally, everyone is allowed their own opinions on poetry. I think poetry is a form of artistic expression, so naturally, not everyone can agree artistically. I liked the hour I spent dedicated to reading this. It’s very easy to eagerly consume this book, however, I just didn’t like the poems as much as I had hoped. The dark themes and profanity did not allow me an experience to relate to. It made me feel uncomfortable and unhappy. I don’t think that’s the intent.

            I used to be the kind of person who liked raw and edgy emotion, but I’m not anymore, so I can’t relate to this. I liked the metaphors used in the poems, however.

            I do commend Ms. Kiser for writing a good collection of poems, they are just not my style, so I politely critique.

*I received this complimentary copy from the author herself.*

"Doom Sayer"

“Doom Sayer” by Zachary T. Owen

Review written by Diana Iozzia

            Tonight, I finished this second collection of horror short stories written by the independent author, Mr. Zachary Owen. I thoroughly enjoyed Mr. Owen’s first short story collection, “Burn Down the House and Everyone in It.” When I had the chance to read his second book, published just this February of 2017, I was very interested.

            If I count the days, I think it only took me three afternoons and one night to read this, so it’s very easily read and digestible. In comparison to his first book, Mr. Owen created more creepy and unsettling stories in his second novel than the first. The first felt more comical, but the second felt more gruesome and outlandish.

            The first half of the stories were okay to me. I enjoyed them, but the second half of the book was filled with interesting stories. As I spoke about in my review of his first book, Mr. Owen uses common fears and exemplifies them in his stories. These fear-filled felt much more natural and realistic than the first collection. Owen’s worlds that he creates are natural, but they are just at the fringe of your worst nightmare.

            Personally, my favorite stories from this collection were:

            “The Orphan Room”, which wasn’t as realistic and natural, but it reminded me of “Coraline” by Neil Gaiman.

            “Lucifer’s Dream Box”, an interesting story about modern art and secret pleasures.

            “What We Do for Love” felt like a haunting, cautionary, fairy tale. An interesting story, leaving you wondering who indeed was the beast.

            The last 60-70 pages (I didn’t do the math) were a fantastic, eerie tale about a pond in the woods, with macabre secrets hiding in said woods. “Beauties in the Deep” was a really vivid and interesting story. I’d love to see it played out in a short film.

            This second collection of horror stories by Zachary Owen were great, but I can’t even pick which novel I enjoyed more. I would seriously consider reading both.

"Burn Down the House and Everyone in It"

"Burn Down the House and Everyone in It” Zachary T. Owen

Review written by Diana Iozzia

“Burn Down the House and Everyone in It” was a fun, exciting, thrilling, and scary book! I am a great fan of the horror legend, Stephen King. My favorite writings of his to read are his short stories, so I was eager to read this horror short story collection by Zachary T. Owen.

Mr. Owen is a very imaginative author, and he must have been influenced by great horror writers. I love that he can blend the odd, weird, and goofy aspects with the grotesque and spine-chilling aspects of horror together to make a fun mix. I must admit, I plan to read all of the writings of this author now.

I can’t help but use clichés to describe my liking for this book. The stories are really creative. I personally like to call myself a writer, and I like to imagine where Mr. Owen got his ideas, because they are very different and unique, however, they are not so far off in his imagination that we couldn’t have gotten there ourselves.

My favorite stories in this collection are “Sometimes the Closet Isn’t Big Enough”, “A Small Death Worth Morning”, “Kids’ Teeth and More”, and “Forgotten Tenants”. I think Mr. Owen’s writing is interesting, because each of his stories picks up on common fears held by humans, and really exaggerates them creatively to become quite horrific.

Some of his stories are a little too out there for me. I didn’t particularly enjoy “Little Danny”. “Growth” made me feel quite sad. “Glass Skeletons” was confusing. “Favors from Hell” was just not interesting or relatable. I didn’t like “I Know There Are People Who Wander in the Night”, because it was a very generic idea.

I think that many of Mr. Owen’s stories could be great for sitting around a campfire at night, in the spooky mood with only one flashlight. To be honest, that’s probably the scariest way to tell a story, if you ask me. I was always afraid of Bloody Mary, so I guess you could see why.

In conclusion, I truly enjoyed these stories. I read them in three days’ time. I didn’t have any nightmares, but being over the age of 12, that makes sense. I did feel a bit on edge after these stories, so I regard that as a worthwhile experience.

"Small Crimes by Andrea Jurjevic

"Small Crimes" by Andrea Jurjevic

Review written by Diana Iozzia

“Small Crimes” was an interesting book of poetry. There are many small and some longer poems that really pack a punch as you read. I am a person who has a strong stomach. Usually, poetry does not make me feel emotional, but I did notice a bit of emotion being felt by myself. Andrea’s poetry is very sad and emotional, painting a very clear picture of the events that shaped her life. Many of the poems in this book are really well written, and I enjoyed reading them.

Her take on very important government events and affairs that impacted her life was interesting, because it does not relate to my own life. There is lots of foreign language used in the book, translated in the index at the back of the book. There are also dates and times that help you understand the events that she is writing about. Some of the poetry was very dark and emotional, so that's where my love for poetry differs. I love happy poetry, but this poetry by Andrea was very dark and sad. It is still enjoyable poetry, and it was written very well. Unfortunately, this is just not poetry I choose to read on my own.

I did notice that some of the poems were too descriptive, as if she added extra detail just to be more descriptive, but it wasn’t to a positive affect.

I enjoyed the poems "Too Educated”, “Back When I Knew How to Speak”, and “Hotel Scandinavia”.

"Surviving Death" by Leslie Kean

“Surviving Death” by Leslie Kean

Review written by Diana Iozzia

                “Surviving Death” is a book of accounts collected by Leslie Kean that she believes to be proof that there is an afterlife, or consciousness about death. Leslie Kean researched for years about certain people who had near death experiences. The main research type she collected is stories in which children knew information about real life people, but the children did not have any prior knowledge of these people.

                I am very skeptical about paranormal research and E.S.P. phenomena. Although Leslie Kean offers the names of many scientists and doctors, the evidence she provides is mostly based on word of mouth. In many occasions in the book, Kean discusses hypothesizes and conclusion. She mentions that hypothesizes should prove the data to be true, but scientific theory asks the data to prove the hypothesis to be true. We cannot use hypothesizes to explain data. Using the Scientific method, if the hypothesis is not proven by the data, the experiment is not accurate and must be tried again.

                There are many issues I have with this book. However, they are due to the content of this book, and not how this is written. The book is segmented into chapters, in which new stories are told in each. The first two chapters and half of the third both are about a little boy named James, who knew a great amount of information about a military pilot who died in Iwo Jima. However, can we prove that the parents are completely truthful? If we believe every word they say, can that be technically scientific proof? I don’t buy it.

                The writing skills of the author are great. She has a wonderful vocabulary. Her written explanations content makes for a great read, however, the science behind the content is a bit muddled. She is not a scientist, and she bases her research on stories and events she had personally experienced. Can we trust her to be a journalist who tells the truth and nothing but the truth?

                The author reiterated a Henry James quote, which is explained by if you don’t look for a difference of opinions, a change in what you believe, if you don’t have an open mind, you may not be enlightened. Does that not leave the burden of proof on the reader? I shouldn’t have to be the one looking for the proof and making sense of the evidence. If something is proved to be true, I shouldn’t have to dissect it to understand it, to find connections and draw conclusions.

                I liked this book, because of the head ache it gave me. However, I did not like the content.