"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.

"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.

"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.