August Wrap Up 3

The past week I have finished 4 books.

First I finished Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers which is a character-driven space opera. This is the third companion novel to A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet. I loved this story. We follow five perspectives of people who live on the Exodus Fleet as they explain what their life is like. There is not a huge plot but I found I loved learning about their daily lives and didn't really need a plot. I think its nearly as good as the first, and definitely better than the 2nd. I gave it 5 stars.

Then I read Plainsong by Kent Haruf. This was a book I picked up at a thrift store awhile back and decided it was time to read it. This is another character-driven book but this time, I felt like the characters and world were not as richly described. I felt awkward and uncomfortable with the scene of two boys watching high school students having sex (and not exactly consensual sex either.) There were other descriptions of naked body parts that just felt weird and unnecessary. All in all, it was fairly boring. I gave it 2 stars.

Next I read The Forgotten Girls by Sara Blaedel. This was a Nordic Noir mystery which I read specifically for the Popsugar challenge. I do not care for mysteries but I'm trying to "stretch" myself as a reader. However, my instincts were pretty spot-on. I didn't really like it. There wasn't any twists, except for the reveal which wrapped everything up in a neat little bow. Additionally, it didn't seem plausible. I gave it 2 stars. Unfortunately, I couldn't fit it into any N.E.W.T.s categories.

Lastly, I finished Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts. I had seen the movie that this book is based on several years ago and it is a faithful adaptation. The story is about a pregnant teen who is deserted by her boyfriend at a Wal-mart where she secretly lives until she gives birth to her baby. She then relies on the generosity of strangers to help her land on her feet. I enjoyed it but felt the writing is overly simple and some of the characters seemed flat. Overall, I gave it 3 stars. I used it for my Ancient Runes challenge: A book set in the past.

So how did I do on my N.E.W.T.s? 2 Outstandings and 2 Acceptables!

Charms-
A- Charlie Bone and the Castle of Mirrors by Jenny Nimmo
E- What Lies Between Us by Nayomi Munaweera
O- When I Hit You- by Meena Kandasamy

Arithmancy-
A- Plainsong by Kent Haruf
E- Sick by Porochrista Khakpour
O- Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray

Divination-
A- Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers

Ancient Runes
A- Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts