First week Wrap Up

What is it about starting over the year that refreshes my interest in reading? Is it setting a new goal? I'm not sure but whatever it is, I've started and finished 4 books this week. I also DNF'd one.

The first I read was Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. It's a graphic novel about growing up in Iran during the war and revolution. It was funny, sad, and enlightening. I gave it 4 stars. I am excited to read the second installment whenever my library gets it in stock.


Next I read Saga Volume 8 by Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples. I preordered it and was ecstatic to receive it in the mail. Once I started it, I didn't put it down until I was finished. It was very good, but not quite as good as volume 7. I gave it 4 stars and am now eagerly waiting for volume 9.


I then picked up I am Malala: The Story of the Girl who Stood up for Education and was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafszai. I read about 60 pages before deciding to quit. While the concept was interesting to me, the writing was disorganized, was often nonsensical, and overall left me not wanting to pick it back up.


Next I picked up The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. I found out she will be coming to my town in the next few months and wanted to read her work before meeting her. I thoroughly enjoyed this book while at the same time feeling incredibly uncomfortable. It is such an important book and really well written. I gave the book 4 stars.

Lastly this week, I picked up The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. I had heard a lot of buzz about this book and was worried it was overhyped. It was not. At first glance, it appears to just be women's literature, a cheeky beach read. But it goes much deeper than that. The characters are realistically and beautifully flawed. The love in the story is so authentic and the characters' losses are nearly palpable. It made me sob. It made me angry. I both hated and loved Evelyn Hugo. I gave it 5 stars.

This has been a very strong first week. I'm at a loss as to what to read next because I know I can't keep this streak up forever.