The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde - UPDATED REVIEW

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde  Genre : Classics Blurb (on back of book) : Oscar Wilde’s only novel is the dreamlike story of a young man who sells his soul for eternal youth and beauty. In this celebrated work Wilde forged a devastating portrait of the effects of evil and debauchery on a young aesthete in late-19th-century England. Combining elements of the Gothic horror novel and decadent French fiction, the book centers on a striking premise: As Dorian Gray sinks into a life of crime and gross sensuality, his body retains perfect youth and vigor while his recently painted portrait grows day by day into a hideous record of evil, which he must keep hidden from the world. For over a century, this mesmerizing tale of horror and suspense has enjoyed wide popularity. It ranks as one of Wilde's most important creations and among the classic achievements of its kind. UPDATED REVIEW MY OPINION : ****** I would like to start out this review by stating that this is undoubtedly m...
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Definitions of Indefinable Things - Whitney Taylor

Definitions of Indefinable Things by Whitney Taylor
Image result for definitions of indefinable thingsGenre: YA Realistic Fiction

Blurb (on back of book): This heartbreaking, humorous novel is about three teens whose lives intersect in ways they never expected. 
Reggie Mason is all too familiar with "the Three Stages of Depression." She believes she’s unlocked the secret to keeping herself safe: Nobody can hurt you if you never let them in. 
Reggie encounters an unexpected challenge to her misanthropy: a Twizzler-chomping, indie film-making narcissist named Snake. Snake’s presence, while reassuring, is not exactly stable—especially since his ex-girlfriend is seven months pregnant. As Reggie falls for Snake, she must decide whether it’s time to rewrite the rules that have defined her.

 MY OPINION: **

I finished this a pretty long time ago (around three days), and it's hard to remember everything, as it completely slipped my mind to write this review.

Our main character, Reggie, suffers from depression after a tragic event in her past. She describes depression as three different stages. One day, she goes to pick up her Zoloft (medication for depression) and meets a boy also suffering from depression named Snake. Both of them are cynical and have fairly negative outlooks on life. They don't take an instant liking to each other and instead it's a slower relationship (though not that slow). I didn't particularly like Reggie. I felt bad for her and everything that she had to deal with but her personality was just aggravating (not the negative part, just her sarcasm and such).

Snake is an aspiring filmmaker who's making this really depressing movie starring Reggie and his pregnant ex-girlfriend who I can't remember her name of but is really annoying. Snake is a cheating, manipulating boy and I can't stand him. Even the things he said weren't romantic so he had basically no redeeming qualities. I also didn't like his personality or his Twizzler addiction, which generally would have been cute but ended up quite annoying.

The pregnant girl (WHAT IS HER NAME) was also annoying. She complains 24/7 about everything, she talks half the time about Snake-this, Snake-that, and we all can just blame it on the hormones. Maybe. IDK maybe she's still annoying when she's not pregnant. She's nosy and overbearing and seems like the type of girl who doesn't know what physical space is.

Reggie's mom made me want to beat someone up. She is the most infuriating person ever. She's constantly praying, which is fine, except that she's praying that her daughter will be LESS SELFISH WITH HER DEPRESSION. DEPRESSION IS NOT SOMETHING THAT YOU TURN ON AND OFF. Disgusting.

I mainly found this book bland with no character, no spirit, nothing. The writing was generic, not overly beautiful and not humorous either. However, since I finished it, I guess there must have been something redeeming about it, maybe just the fact that it did entice me to want to know what happens.

I would recommend this book to readers looking for a book with two depressed characters who somehow find their way to each other in the end.

Main Character: Reggie
Sidekick(s): Snake, etc
Villain(s): Misunderstandings, depression, the mom, etc
Realistic Fiction Elements: This book is all very real to life.

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