Monday, October 16, 2017

September Wrap up

--Edit-- I wrote this on the last day of September but forgot to publish it because I hadn't quite finished the last book. Better late than never I guess.


Like I mentioned before, I'm not going to review all of the books I read. That is just too time consuming and it takes away from reading time. However, I will let you know what I'm reading, give it a star rating (out of 5), and review books from time to time.

Here's what I read in September.

1. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood   4 stars
2. It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini 3 stars
3. A.D. After Death by Scott Snyder 2 stars
4. My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent  4.5 stars
5. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis  4 stars
6. Saga Volume 1 by Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples  5 stars
7. Young Jane Young by Gabrielle Zevin 3 stars
8. Janie Face to Face by Caroline B. Cooney 3 stars
9. Saga Volume 2 by Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples  5 stars
10. Saga Volume 3 by Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples  4 stars
11. Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward   3.5 stars
12. Honestly Ben by Bill Koningsberg    3 stars
13. A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab  4 stars

October Mid-Month Wrap-Up

Hi everyone!

I have read 7 books so far, though not all of them were originally on my TBR. I will list the books and give them a star rating out of 5. These are in chronological order, not rating order.

1. Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire
3.5 stars  The writing seemed pretty amateurish including so many similes and it ended pretty abruptly. However, it had an interesting concept so I will probably pick up the sequel.

2. Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops by Jen Campbell
4 stars. Funny but too short. I wanted more. I know there is a sequel so I'll probably pick it up in the future. Very reminiscent of a coffee table book.

3. Saga Volume 4 by Brian K. Vaughn
4 stars. The many plotlines are getting a bit confusing but it ended on a cliffhanger and I'm on my library's waitlist to get the next one. I'm eagerly anticipating what will come next.

4. Quidditch Through the Ages by J.K. Rowling
3 stars. I've desperately wanting to re-read Harry Potter and thought a taste might satisfy my craving. It was somewhat interesting but I had hoped for more anecdotes rather than just "facts" that seemed pulled from thin air.

5.  The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
3 stars. This was really good. I did see a minor plot twist coming but another one took me by surprise. The characters were pretty likable and I look forward to reading the next one.

6.  The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
4 stars. I feel like if I had read this when it first came out back in the 1800s I would have been totally blown away. However, I was familiar with the plot twist. It still made me think a lot about the duality of man and how our choices shape who we become. This may be my new favorite classic. The writing is a bit slow but incredibly thought-provoking.

7. Warcross by Marie Lu
4 stars. I really liked this. Again, there were two plot twists. I guessed one and the other surprised me. It definitely set up for a sequel which I will eagerly read whenever it comes out. The writing was a little bit redundant sometimes but overall plot was interesting.

So if anyone is keeping score, I've only read 4 on my original TBR list. I did start The Ninth Hour and Briar Rose but have put them down and not picked them back up. I probably will read them at some point but right now I'm not in the mood.

Wednesday, October 4, 2017

Let's add to the DNF

Well, I have a new book to add to my DNF list: Lolita by Vladmir Nabokov. I was trying to buddy read it for banned books week but honestly the book is so slow and the scenes made me really uncomfortable. Are we supposed to be rooting for the pedophile? It also had so many French phrases that I constantly needed to look up. I made it a whopping 64 pages out of 331.

I have found (with a few exceptions) that I really don't like classic literature. Oh, well.