I have NO idea what I just read!

It wasn’t a mystery. There was no real plot to speak of. This story was about teenagers at an elite private school who throw lavish parties and seem completely oblivious to the consequences of their actions.

It was marketed as a psychological thriller, but in reality, it was more of a psychological examination of these teens. I did enjoy the satiric elements, which added a touch of humor to the otherwise somewhat depressing subject matter.

However, by the end of the book, I was left really wondering if it was all worth it. Was the author trying to make a point about the privileged youth and their lack of responsibility? Or was it just a fictional exploration of a particular subculture?

I’m not entirely sure, but I do know that it left me with a lot to think about.

SHIT! This is a very strong and vulgar word that is often used to express frustration, anger, or dissatisfaction. However, using such language is not appropriate in many situations and can cause offense to others.

We should strive to communicate with respect and courtesy, even when we are feeling emotional. There are many other words and phrases that we can use to convey our feelings without resorting to vulgarity.

For example, instead of saying "SHIT," we could say "Oh no," "That's too bad," or "This is really frustrating." These alternatives are more polite and still get our point across.

By being mindful of our language and choosing our words carefully, we can build better relationships and communicate more effectively with those around us. Let's all make an effort to use positive and respectful language in our daily interactions.

Remember, words have power, and we should use them wisely.

Even with the beaten premise (adolescent, drugs, limits, excesses, and such), it had everything to be good, interesting... But seriously? It wasn't.

The author got lost horribly in so many crucial moments that not even the brightest mind could reverse the dragged, confused, and headless effects of the story. Narrated in the form of a diary, I had the impression that the attempt was to 'innovate', but only managed to be boring...

The disappointment was so great that I didn't feel like getting to know more works by this author... ¯\\\\_(ツ)_/¯ #NEXT

3.5 Stars, 3 Hearts, and 1 author less on the list.

Overall, the book started with potential due to its relevant themes, but unfortunately, the execution was lacking. The author's choices in crucial parts of the story led to a muddled and unengaging narrative. The diary format, which was perhaps intended to add a unique touch, ended up being more of a hindrance, making the reading experience dull. As a result, the disappointment was palpable, and it has left a negative impression on my perception of this author. I will likely think twice before picking up another of their works in the future.

Fight Club had a significant impact on my reading experience, ruining a lot of books for me.

I came across The Basic Eight on a list, perhaps of postmodern books or unreliable narrators. Having read Daniel Handler's Why We Broke Up (which I really liked) and the first Lemony Snicket book (liked it well enough), this seemed like an obvious choice for me. I'm drawn to books with odd narrative structures, meta-textual tricks, or postmodern narrators.

I was initially surprised by how difficult it was for me to get into this one. The format is great - the entire story is presented as a high school journal being typed up and heavily edited in the present day by its author, the 20-year-old Flannery Culp. In a parody of high school English courses, each chapter ends with study group questions and a list of vocabulary words, many of which aren't actually in the corresponding chapters. The tone of the study questions is reminiscent of GLaDOS from the Portal games, formal and businesslike with a hidden layer of malice and sarcasm. The framing device gives an extremely unreliable tone to the story, as Flannery inserts foreshadowing and sometimes confesses that a story didn't happen as told. These twists and turns are what I loved and kept me reading.

However, I'm not so sure about the characters and story. Flannery is highly unlikeable, and most of her friends and love interests aren't much better. I don't require my fictional characters to be overly nice, but the Basic Eight aren't as clever or interesting as I'd hoped. The story amounts to high school drama with uninteresting couples. The tension builds up to a long, surreal chapter at a party written in fractured stream-of-consciousness, which made me feel drunk while reading. The ending showcases Handler's writing skill but dragged on, and I lost patience waiting for the twists to pay off.

***SPOILERS AHEAD***

Here's where Fight Club comes in. Just like M. Night Shyamalan can no longer pull off the "he was a ghost" twist, everything I've read or watched since Fight Club has failed to surprise me with an imaginary character twist. In this case, Basic Eight was written shortly after Fight Club, and I figured out the answer halfway through, spending the remaining half waiting for the story to catch up. I was disappointed to find that Handler had no more tricks up his sleeve, and the only surprise was the one telegraphed early. With an unreliable narrator, the story should reveal itself in retrospect, but there are still many mysteries and questions left unanswered. Ending a book with a feeling of frustration is never ideal, and that's unfortunately where this one left me.

My apologies, Daniel Handler. I truly wanted to give this book four stars, as it often bordered on being delightful and even smacked of it at times. However, the pendulum swung too far in the other direction a few too many times. While I still strongly recommend this book, I can't overlook the weak spots that were all the more irritating considering the remarkable strengths of the rest.

For those of us who can admit that we loved Special Topics in Calamity Physics, this book is apparently where the author got her idea. Set in the 80s, without cell phones or email, these teens still manage to navigate their world. The story revolves around the Basic Eight, a tight-knit group of precocious, pretentious teens. Their clever lines are often laugh-out-loud funny, and their overall chic-ness is enjoyable and fun.

As in STCP, the fun and games turn dark quickly, leading to a bit of a murder mystery. This added an interesting shadow to an otherwise light and entertaining read. I loved the wacky characters, the wonderful narrative, and especially the study questions at the end of each chapter. However, there were also some aspects that left me disappointed:

1. Where were the parents? Anywhere? Ever? Was this because it was a teen novel and meant to give a teen's perspective of the world, where adults are irrelevant?

2. The so-called twists were mostly obvious and were even highlighted by the narrator herself, who was then shocked when they happened. Was this an apt description of a self-absorbed teen or just poor writing?

3. At a certain point, things got too crazy. It became harder and harder to follow and less and less realistic.

4. The gimmicky writing that sometimes took over, like repeating whole paragraphs out of context, got seriously old.

In conclusion, I do recommend this read. It is eighty percent fantastic, but it does require patience to get through some of the odder and more frustrating parts.

High school can be an absolute killer. But for Flannery Culp, it's not just a tired old cliché. She's deeply offended by the web of lies the media has been spreading, painting her as an occultist murderer who senselessly killed a promising young man. The truth is, she's no occultist, and she had a perfectly valid reason for her actions.

From the mind of Daniel Handler, better known by his pen name Lemony Snicket, comes a dark comedy that centers around the pathetically pretentious Flannery Culp, a convicted murderess, and her equally pretentious high school clique, the Basic Eight. The story is told from Flannery's perspective as she, now incarcerated, revisits and edits her journals from the first few weeks of her senior year in high school.

During those weeks, Flan and her friends were everything to each other. They would meet weekly to listen to opera, rehearse plays, plan dinner parties, and drink absinthe. While everyone had their own little personal dramas, Flan's life was relatively okay, except for the fact that she was hopelessly in love with a boy she had been writing letters to all summer. But that was no big deal. It's not like it was a matter of life and death.

The story that unfolds is a wild ride of adolescent dramedy as Flannery in the present edits Flannery in the past to figure out how she went from being a normal member of the Basic Eight to the most infamous teenage criminal in America. You'll be along for the ride as crushes spiral out of control, parties get too rowdy, and you're constantly stopped to check for grammatical errors. After all, Flan is, above all else, a writer.

Written with a charming voice and filled with clever allusions, Flan quickly becomes your new best friend, despite the murder. Handler has a remarkable understanding of the teenage mind and plays with the concepts of teen culture, peer pressure, and media hysteria. Satire and astute social critique dance playfully together as Flan and her friends spiral out of control, unsupervised, unchallenged, and unstoppable. (Well, until the media makes a frenzy out of one small crime.)

Handler shines a light on the importance of friendship and solidarity in a way that is both dark and heartbreaking. The most brutal scenes in the book are also some of the most heartfelt as the group comes together - and then falls apart - in a fierce way that only teenagers who love each other can.

Meanwhile, he pokes fun at both liberal and conservative ideologies surrounding the idea of the ubiquitous "teen", suggesting the revolutionary idea that maybe teens are just human beings doing their best, like anyone else. This is beautifully emphasized by the cast of unforgettable, quirky, and artsy kids he creates, who are just as likely to quote Shakespeare ad nauseam as they are to have drunken orgies. These teens truly embody the essence of teenagehood, not in their taste for high culture (even their drink of choice is red wine) but in their attempts to be as adult and independent as possible. All of which takes a dark turn when it becomes clear that their efforts, misdirected and misunderstood by absent parents and unhelpful teachers, lead to the worst possible outcome for a teen drama. One of the book's final, darkly ironic notes is that, in the midst of everything, Flan is most concerned that she has disappointed her teachers.

In the middle of this heavy yet comedically handled whirlwind of a high school narrative, Handler also manages to play with literary convention. Flan becomes increasingly unreliable in a way that would make Salinger proud, confusing herself with her best friend at times, and her past and present selves often tripping over each other to the point where you feel like you've had too much of your parents' champagne.

Handler also has a sharp understanding of the female mind, not just the teenage one. Flan comes alive with painfully realistic awkwardness and concerns about boys, her weight, her friends' weight, gossip, and whether she is independent and bold enough as a woman. She describes these things in such familiar, gossipy ways that it's sometimes hard to remember that a man, not a teenage girl, is the actual author of the work.

While dark and at times drunkenly surreal, The Basic Eight is one of the most shocking and bloodily brilliant coming-of-age stories, raising important questions that every teenage girl has asked herself, like: if you could, wouldn't you just kill him?

DNF, also known as Dungeon & Fighter, is a highly popular online role-playing game.

It offers a rich and immersive gaming experience with its unique gameplay mechanics and diverse range of characters.

The game allows players to create their own characters and embark on exciting adventures in a fantasy world filled with dungeons, monsters, and powerful bosses.

Players can choose from different character classes, each with its own set of skills and abilities, and customize their characters to suit their playstyles.

DNF features intense combat that requires quick reflexes and strategic thinking.

Players must battle their way through hordes of enemies, using their skills and weapons to defeat them.

The game also offers a variety of PVP modes, where players can compete against each other in intense battles.

With its engaging gameplay, stunning graphics, and vibrant community, DNF has become one of the most beloved online games around the world.

Whether you're a casual gamer or a hardcore enthusiast, DNF has something to offer for everyone.

Things I love in books that I will not expand on:

- Absinthe plot lines. The allure of this mysterious and often intoxicating element in a story is simply captivating.

- Teeth in the grass. Such a strange and vivid image that immediately grabs the reader's attention and leaves them with a sense of unease and curiosity.

- A ruckus party that seems harmless but becomes sinister quickly. The sudden shift in tone and atmosphere can create a thrilling and suspenseful reading experience.

- Pretentious children. Their haughty and self-important behavior can add an interesting layer of complexity to a story, as well as provide some humorous moments.

- Pretentious dinner parties. The overly formal and stuffy nature of these events can be both entertaining and cringe-worthy, making for a great source of drama and conflict.

Daniel Handler is a good damn writer. He has a unique and engaging writing style that keeps readers hooked from beginning to end. When he writes, I can't help but read it. That's the blood deal I made with the demon who opened the gates of hell to let me crawl out. His stories are filled with dark humor, complex characters, and unexpected twists and turns that keep me coming back for more.

Coffees and parties and murders, oh my!

This is a contemporary tale that delves deep into the world of teenage degeneracy. It's a story filled with a heaping helping of detached snark and sneering pretention.

The narrative unfolds in a way that keeps you on the edge of your seat, as you witness the lives of these teenagers spiral out of control. The author's use of language is masterful, creating a vivid and engaging atmosphere.

From the trendy coffee shops where the characters gather to the wild parties that lead to unexpected consequences, every scene is richly detailed. And then, there are the murders, which add an element of mystery and excitement to the story.

Overall, this is a great read that will appeal to anyone who enjoys a dark and twisted tale of teenage life. It's a book that will make you think, make you cringe, and make you glad that you're not a teenager anymore.

I firmly believe that life is too short to waste on mediocre books.

There are countless excellent literary works waiting to be discovered and explored.

Why should I spend my precious time on something that fails to engage, inspire, or offer any real value?

I prefer to invest my time in reading books that can expand my knowledge, broaden my perspective, and touch my soul.

These are the books that have the power to make a difference in my life, to challenge my thinking, and to leave a lasting impression.

So, whenever I pick up a book, I make sure it is a worthy one, a book that will not only entertain me but also enrich my mind and spirit.

I do not have time to read mediocre books, and I am determined to make every reading experience count.

I have to put a standby on a review for this one.

On one hand, I really hated it. Maybe it was the way it was presented, or perhaps some of the ideas just didn't sit well with me. There were aspects that made me cringe and think, "This is just not for me."

But on the other hand, there were also things that I loved. Maybe it was a particular scene that was so beautifully executed, or a character that I really connected with. These moments made me forget about the parts that I didn't like and made me think, "Wow, this is really something special."

Even now, I still don't know which one wins. Is my hatred for certain aspects stronger than my love for others? Or is it the other way around? I guess only time will tell as I continue to think about this piece and try to figure out my true feelings.

I think I need to give it more time and really reflect on what it means to me before I can come to a final conclusion.

Well, that was an absolute ride.

It was a journey filled with unexpected twists and turns, emotions running high, and experiences that will surely be etched in my memory forever.

The start was rather unassuming, but little did I know what was about to unfold. As the events began to progress, I found myself being pulled in different directions, my heart pounding with anticipation and excitement.

There were moments of sheer joy and elation, when everything seemed to be going perfectly. But then, there were also challenges and obstacles that I had to overcome, which tested my strength and determination.

Throughout it all, I learned a lot about myself and about life. I discovered that I was capable of much more than I had ever imagined, and that even in the face of adversity, I could find the courage to keep going.

In the end, as the ride came to a close, I felt a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment. It had been an adventure like no other, and I was grateful for every moment of it.