16. A book about mental health – Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things by Jenny Lawson

Finished 05/17/18

I loved it! I really enjoyed reading about Jenny Lawson’s life and her experiences with mental illness. I could definitely relate to some of her experiences dealing with depression and anxiety. This book brought some light and life into a very heavy and dark conversation. I would recommend this book to friends I know that would enjoy Jenny Lawson’s style of comedy.

title: A Discovery of Witches

author: Deborah Harkness

my rating: ⭐️⭐️/5
genre(s): Fantasy, Romance

my thoughts: under the cut for spoilers

Finish date: 05/15/2018

This book was just too slow paced for me. It took me over a month to finish, I just couldn’t stay interested. It also seemed like the author tried too hard to be different, to try and distinguish this book from other witch/vampire books. There was so much information that in my opinion seemed unnecessary to the plot. I mean whole pages dedicated to wine tasting that in the end was only used to show how refined Matthew’s (the vampire) tastes are and how old he is. This book was just not for me and I won’t be continuing on with the series. When I finally finished I was honestly relieved to be done with this book.

title: They Both Die at the End

author: Adam Silvera

my rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
genre(s): YA, Contemporary, Lgbtqa+

my thoughts: under the cut for spoilers

Finish date: 05/12/2018

I liked reading this book. It wasn’t amazing and out of this world, just okay. I really did like the plot but I think some things could have been done better. I’m just a reader though, not a writer and it’s always hard for me to really describe what it is that was lacking, just that something was missing.

The characters could be very one dimensional at times and I felt no connection to them, I wasn’t sad when they did die or that they were scared about dying, I just didn’t care that much. I did like how all the different characters lives intersected with each others without them knowing. To them it was just another person passing them by on the street, to the reader you could see just how their lives connected. The world building seemed almost incomplete or like it could have been more fleshed out.

I read the book as well as listened to the audio book. I gave up on the audio book not even half way into the story because it was bad. The voices changed with some of the characters, one female was being done by the guy but then later in a different chapter she had her own female voice actor. I couldn’t follow along with the recording.

8. A book with a times of day in the title – Dusk or Dark or Dawn or Day by Seanan McGuire

Finished 05/14/18

I loved the title of this book and the summary peaked my interest. Paranormal fantasy? I’m in. Just the first paragraph had me hooked. I could have easily read this book in one sitting; unfortunately it was the weekend, my family was home, and they were being loud. I really enjoyed reading this story, it was fun and interesting. The world Seanan McGuire created was otherworldly with it’s rules on death and time. I recommend this book and I’m going to check out more of McGuire’s work.

*keep in mind this book dealt with some heavy subject matter*

title: Zodiac (Zodiac #1)

author: Romina Russell

my rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
genre(s): YA, Fantasy, Science Fiction

my thoughts: under the cut for spoilers

Finish date: 05/11/2018

Okay so I rounded up to 3 stars instead of the 2.5 to be generous. I love the cover and that went towards the .5, as well as me wanting to find out how the rest of the series plays out. The love triangle was seriously off putting, I don’t know why I judged this book so harshly. Maybe because I was hoping for more, the plot was intriguing and the side characters interesting but the ending and overall story just fell short of my expectation. The main character could be annoying at times, she went back and forth many times and seemed to be constantly throwing herself a pity party. The book was also a little predictable, of course nobody was going to believe her and of course she wouldn’t triumph at the end, that’s just how it goes.

The plot and setting were interesting. I liked the different take on the Zodiac. I recommend to those who like books with love triangles or don’t mind them.

32. A book from a celebrity book club – Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl by Carrie Brownstein

image

Finished 05/10/18

This book is from Emma Watson’s book club, Our Shared Shelf, found on goodreads. I’ve never heard of Sleater-Kinney, in fact I didn’t even know Carrie Brownstein had been in any bands. I only know of her from Portlandia, of which I am a fan. While browsing through the books I saw this one and recognized Brownstein’s name and decided this was the book I would read for prompt #32.

I love memoirs! I’m the kind of person that can listen to someone tell me about their life no matter how mundane (not to say this book was mundane). I don’t know if I’m trying to live vicariously or just I’m just plain nosey, maybe a little of both. Regardless I love reading about other people’s lives.

Reading this book made me feel both on the outside looking in as well as included. There were parts I could connect with and thought yeah exactly. I really like Brownstein’s writing style, she paints a picture with her words. If you’re looking for a music memoir with the nitty gritty sex, drugs and rock n roll, this isn’t that. It’s Brownstein’s experiences during her time as a member of the indie music scene in Olympia and a look at how she dealt with all that came along with being in Sleater-Kinney. I enjoyed reading this and being able to have a glimpse at Carrie Brownstein’s life.

24. A book with a weather element in the title – The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

image

Finished 05/08/18

I’ve been meaning to start this series for a long time and I’m glad I finally did. I loved reading this book. It was a fun and easy read. I loved the characters and the descriptions of the monsters. The world Rick Riordan built was great and gave a different twist to the mythology. I’m looking forward to continuing on with the rest of this series.

17. A book you borrowed or that was given to you as a gift – Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi

image

Finished 04/30/18

This book was borrowed from my sister after she recommended it to me. It is a graphic novel and a very fast read, only took me three hours. The story is based off Marjane Satrapi’s life growing up in Iran during the Iranian Revolution and the art is drawn by her. I loved it, it was very informative and emotional to see this told through her experiences. I’m looking forward to reading the second part when I can get my hands on a copy.

3. The next book in a series you started – Endless Knight by Kresley Cole

image

Finished 04/29/18

The book originally planned for this prompt was from the Heartsick series by Chelsea Cain. After reading the first book, Poison Princes, I needed the second in the series. I couldn’t wait and thus the book for this prompt was changed.

Now I am loving these books so far, the arcana aspect of the story really has me hooked and I want to see how this all plays out. The books aren’t perfect, there’s a lot teenage drama/angst but it’s understandable considering all the main characters are teenagers. The main character can also be annoying with her naivety and woe is me behavior. She is growing… slowly. The boys tend to be a little archaic and set in that patriarchy mindset. I don’t mind reading through that. I’m able to enjoy the book, the story and still know logically that not everything in this book should be considered healthy regarding friendships/relationships. Now if you don’t mind that stuff, I recommend this series. Its very intriguing and a fun easy read.