book rec – Page 2 – Pixel Reads Books

title: Jurassic Park (Jurassic Park #1)

author: Michael Crichton

my rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
genre(s): Science Fiction, Fiction, Thriller, Adventure

my thoughts: under the cut, no spoilers.

This was such a fun read and imo far better than the movie. Okay don’t get me wrong I still love the movie and I always try my hardest not to compare books and movies but I love that this book gave me so much more about the concept and the characters. It grabbed right in the first paragraph and I didn’t want to stop reading. I needed to find out how it ended and I’m really looking forward to the sequel. Some of the science and math went over my head (two of my worst subjects in school) but it didn’t stop me from enjoying the book.

Finish date: 10/12/18

title: Behind Closed Doors

author: B.A. Paris

my rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
genre(s): Mystery, Thriller, Fiction

my thoughts: under the cut for spoilers.

This book is definitely a thriller and a very easy read that kept me interested. I wouldn’t say it’s a mystery, pretty much everything is right there in the beginning as well as in the summary but that didn’t make the story any less intriguing. You want to find out what’s going to happen next and I was rooting for Grace to escape. Jack was terrible! The main characters were wonderfully written.

Finish date: 10/09/18

A5. A book with a fruit or vegetable in the title – Tangerine by Christine Mangan

Finished 09/28/18

I was immediately sucked into this story and it was a very quick read. The ending did leave me wanting. I wanted something more final but I guess that’s life and this story was true to that. This is the author’s first novel and I hope she has plans for more books in the future because I enjoyed her writing.

A1. A bestseller from the year you graduated high school – The Scarecrow by Michael Connelly

Finished 09/21/18

I read The Poet by Michael Connelly back when I was in high school and I didn’t know there was a second Jack McEvoy book until I went searching for a book to fit this prompt. It was fun to read about McEvoy and Walling once again. I like their dynamic and how realistic Connelly portrays these characters. They’re human and humans are not perfect and that was one of my favorite things about The Poet. I’m glad I came across this book and that I was able to read it. I plan to check out more of Connelly’s books.

title: Daughter of the Pirate King (Daughter of the Pirate King #1)

author: Tricia Levenseller

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

my thoughts: I really enjoyed this! It was a really fast read, not very long but wonderfully written imo. The story pulled me in right away and I did not want to put the book down. I also love the story behind Alosa’s conception. I’m a sucker for cover art and this one got me hooked before I read the summary.

A little tidbit about me, I get all my books from the library first and if I really like the story I’ll go and buy it to support the author. As soon as I started the book I knew this was going on my books to buy wish list. This book left me wanting to read more by Tricia Levenseller.

Finish date: 09/12/18

A9. A book about a problem facing society today – The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Finished 09/07/18

When I saw this prompt I thought oh boy this is going to be a heavy one no matter what the subject. I had three books in mind for this prompt, The Hate U Give, Dear Martin and Still Alice. At first I had decided on Dear Martin because my sister owns the book and I was planning on borrowing hers. Then I decided to do another reading challenge alongside the PopSugar one and The Hate U Give could easily fit this prompts in both of my reading challenges. I still plan to read the other two but for the challenge I went with this one.

This is a very intense read, I definitely cried. I don’t even know how to review it because I’m not an expert on the subject matter nor have I experienced it. I will say that it was informative and eye opening and I recommend this book. I think Angie Thomas did a great job at painting a picture to show a glimpse into these characters lives that very much portrays what is going on in society today.

title: Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles #1)

author: Marissa Meyer

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

my thoughts: I absolutely loved this retelling of Cinderella. I’m weary of retellings because sometimes they can get repetitive but this was it’s own thing with some hints of Cinderella. I did figure out the big reveal 1/3rd of the way into the book but it was still pretty cool to see that I was right (for once lol). I’m excited to continue with the rest of the series and find out what happens next.

Finish date: 09/05/18

26. A book with an animal in the title – The Bird and the Blade by Megan Bannen

Finished 08/31/18

This was a mystery book in the ShelfLove Crate box I ordered for “Let the Games Begin.” When I first read the summary I wasn’t overly excited to read this book. I ended up getting invested in the story and I really enjoyed it. It’s also rare to find a standalone YA fantasy book, they’re usually all part of a series. For me the ending is what made it. I love those type of realistic (kind of punch to your face) endings. In the author’s note it’s mentioned that this book is based on an opera, which I think is pretty cool. It made for an interesting story and I also liked that it had a solid ending, no ambiguity. It’s a hefty book and I was surprised that I was able to finish it so quickly.

title: Tight Quarters (Out of Uniform #6)

author: Annabeth Albert

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

my thoughts: This was the first book by Annabeth Albert that caught my interest. My library finally got an ebook copy and even though I’ve only read #1 in this series I decided to check it out. There’s no spoilers for other books, you can read any in the Out of Uniform series out of order. I didn’t love it (not like Off Base) but I really liked it. Solid story telling imo and Albert is quickly becoming a favorite author of mine.

Finish date: 08/28/18

37. A book you meant to read in 2017 but didn’t get to – Kill You Twice by Chelsea Cain

Finished 08/27/18

This is book 5 of the Archie Sheridan & Gretchen Lowell Series. The first two books were a birthday present and I loved them! I immediately bought the third book and then continued to pre-order the rest of the books as they were released. Due to personal things I was going through I hadn’t had the chance to sit down and read the last two published books in this series, Kill You Twice and Let Me Go. Finally I had the time and energy to read this book and it was not a let down. It had been so long that some facts and characters were a little fuzzy but eventually it came back to me and I was able to follow the book. So if you’re new to this series and interested in reading it, I recommend starting from the beginning.

Kill You Twice is classic Archie & Gretchen. It was very cool to learn a little about Gretchen’s past, I would love her full background but I agree with Chelsea Cain’s reasoning for not making that available to readers. I also realized how much I dislike Susan. Oh man oh man she really got on my nerves but I also enjoy books when there are characters like that, I’m personally no interested in books where I love every single character and it’s too perfect. Okay I’m just rambling at this point. Anyway, I’m so grateful I was introduced to this series, seriously one of my favorites. I can’t wait to read the next in the series.