Tag: book rec

21. A book with your favorite color in the title – The Last Little Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson

Finished 05/27/18

I hadn’t realized there was a second book after 13 Little Blue Envelopes. I read the first book back when it first came out, 2005 and thought that was that. I found out about the sequel this year and immediately put it on my TBR list early this year, before I had decided to start the PopSugar Reading Challenge. When I was looking for a book, I searched my bookshelves and this book came up, perfect. My favorite color is blue and I’ve been wanting to read this book.

I really enjoyed the overall story and feel of this book. I’m a homebody, I don’t like leaving my house and I have no interest in traveling. It’s draining just to think about it, I get stressed just going on a 3 hour trip. I love books like this! They give me a sense of adventure and a way to travel without leaving the comfort of my home. They also give me a little hope that one day I’ll be able to get out there and travel (but let’s be honest, the chances of that happening is close to 1%). In my opinion this sequel far surpasses the first in the series. It has a nice conclusion to the first but it’s still open ended with that contemporary life keeps going, keeps moving forward.

As is typical of Young Adult Contemporary books, there’s romance, heartbreak, and closure. I think this book handled it well and realistically. I’m sad to see Ginny’s story end here but very glad I read this book.

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.

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*

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

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

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

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

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.

A2. A cyberpunk book – Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Finished 04/25/18

I was having some trouble finding a book for this in the beginning, it’s not a genre I had ever explored before. First I settled on Warcross because the cover caught my eye and I figure why not? Then my brother bought Ready Player One. I liked the cover (yes I judge books by the covers but I try not to, honest) and the summary was interesting. I read the first chapter just to see and I was hooked. I loved the plot and I was immediately sucked into this world Cline built. I could not put it down. Sure there were some things that seemed unnecessary to the plot and world building but overall I really enjoyed this read. The story was interesting as were the characters. Cline was able to give you a lot of information without it seeming like a bombardment and still being interesting. I loved all the pop culture references, I’m a 90s kid but I was able to recognize the majority. Amazing, it had me hooked all the way through the end. 100% recommend this book.