What I Read: February 2014

February has been another great reading month! Here are the four books I read:

Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen

Publisher: SPEAK (Penguin Group USA), 1998
Format: Paperback, 281 pages
ISBN: 9780142401774

"The world is a terrible place not to have a best friend. Scarlett was always the strong one. Halley was always content to follow in her wake. Then Scarlett's boyfriend died, and Scarlett learned that she was pregnant. Now Halley has to find the strength to take the lead and help Scarlett get through it. Because true friendship is a promise you keep forever."

Source: University bookstore bargain sale!

3 out of 5 ships: This is obviously not highbrow literature, but exactly the easy cute little read I needed when I was sick earlier this month. Liked it.

Tschick by Wolfgang Herrndorf [Original German Version]; English: Why We Took the Car

Publisher: Rowohlt, 2012
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9783871347108

"Mutter in der Entzugsklinik, Vater mit Assistentin auf Geschäftsreise: Maik Klingenberg wird die großen Ferien allein am Pool der elterlichen Villa verbringen. Doch dann kreuzt Tschick auf. Tschick, eigentlich Andrej Tschichatschow, kommt aus einem der Asi-Hochhäuser in Hellersdorf, hat es von der Förderschule irgendwie bis aufs Gymnasium geschafft und wirkt doch nicht gerade wie das Musterbeispiel der Integration. Außerdem hat er einen geklauten Wagen zur Hand. Und damit beginnt eine Reise ohne Karte und Kompass durch die sommerglühende deutsche Provinz."

Source: Received as a gift for my 19th birthday. (Mind you, I am turning 21 next week.)

5 out of 5 ships: Wundervoll! What a journey.

Jan Tschichold: Typographer by Ruari McLean

Publisher: Lund Humphries Publishers, 1990
Format: Hardcover, 160 pages
ISBN: 9780853313489

On the life and work of one of the most influential typographers of the 20th century. The father of New Typography, revolutionizer of Penguin Books design and layout, and designer of the widely-used Sabon typeface.

Source: University library. Used for research for a report on a design icon for my graphic design class.

4 out of 5 ships: Ruari's book is easy to understand and beautifully displays the evolution of Tschichold's work. A must for anyone with an interest in the history of layout and typography!

The Casual Vacancy by J. K. Rowling

Publisher: Little Brown Books, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 505 pages
ISBN: 9780316228534

"When Barry Fairbrother dies in his early forties, the town of Pagford is left in shock. Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, but what lies behind the pretty façade is a town at war. Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands ... And the empty seat left by Barry on the parish council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelations?"

Source: I pre-ordered this book to be able to read it right when it comes out. Two years later ...

4 out of 5 stars: How very despicable people really are. These characters are truly characters, not just people on paper.