Quick Hits for April

Read 4/7/13- The Name of the Wind, by Patrick Rothfuss- Very much enjoyed this book and looking forward to the sequel. Started out a bit slow for me, took some time to get into the story but once it got moving, it stuck with me. Kvothe is such a badass character. I am excited to find out what has been hinted at and what has made him become the man he is as he narrates the book. 4/5

Read 4/12/13- The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald- April’s book club book was a re-reading of the classic, The Great Gatsby. Even better the second time through. I forgot how much I enjoyed this book! 4/5

Read 4/16/13- The Happiness Project, by Gretchen Rubin- I wanted to like this more than I did... Gretchen Rubin's happiness project is a novel idea and has a lot of good things to say, but she says things that are fairly self-explanatory in a way that makes it seem like she has never heard them before or as if they are revelations... For example, that money helps to keep you happy. She is a bit irritating and occasionally insufferable. That said, some good advice here and I'm glad I read it. 3/5

Quick Hits for March

Read 3/3/13- Dark Places, by Gillian Flynn- OMG. What is the matter with Gillian Flynn that makes her come up with this stuff? Holy crap. Disturbing but riveting. I think I still liked Gone Girl better, but this one was good enough to make me want to check out Sharp Objects. 4/5

Read 3/4/13- The Bungalow, by Sarah Jio- Predictable and somewhat repetitive, but maybe that was more obvious because I listened to this instead of reading it. The plot was decent until it tried to be too much and I saw the ending coming. Disappointing. 2/5

Read 3/5/13- Spin, by Catherine McKenzie- Flew through this one. Quick and entertaining read that reminded me somewhat of Rachel's Holiday, which could be why I enjoyed it so much! 4/5

Read 3/10/13- Genghis: Bones of the Hills, by Conn Iggulden- Third in the series of novels about Genghis Kahn, this one is similar to #2. A good read, definitely interesting, and I wonder how much is true and what is embellished. As with #2, I wish this had fewer battles and more politics. In particular, the relationships between Genghis' sons were well written and engrossing; I could read another few books about them, and will. Worthwhile read, but the first one is still by far the best. 3/5

Read 3/28/13- Spring Fever, by Mary Kay Andrews- Listened to this one and enjoyed it... pretty decent chick lit and I will definitely check out more Mary Kay Andrews books! 3/5

Quick Hits for February

Read 2/2/13- The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan- Exactly what you'd expect if you've read any of these books. Fast read, Greek/Roman heroes, teen romance, danger and magic. Setup for the next book in the series was a little heavy handed but I liked it all the same. 3/5

Read 2/4/13- Notorious Nineteen by Janet Evanovich- Nineteen is like the eighteen books before it... Cute, funny, and entertaining. Mostly unchanging as well, but this series is successful for a reason. It's been another few days well spent with Stephanie, Morelli, Ranger, Lula and Grandma Mazur. As always. 3/5

Quick Hits from November, December, and January

Long time, no blog entries. Mostly, this is because I haven't read anything that I've really loved in the last few months. But that's not entirely true, because I have entries written for a few books that I've had an opinion on, and haven't posted anything because I feel like I can't go out of order, and just ignore the 15 or so books that I've read in between ones that I want to talk about.  Another problem is that I read a LOT of sequels, which I always have problems talking about, because I don't want to spoil anything. 

So in order to fix this, I've decided I'm going to just write down some quick thoughts for books I don't have anything huge to say about. Here goes. 

Read 9/25/12- 11th Hour by James Patterson- Exactly what you'd expect for the 11th book in the Women's Murder Club series. As usual I am disappointed with James Patterson and haven't really loved one of these books in awhile. I read them because I care about the characters, but he's even starting to ruin that. Please see reviews for 10, 9, 8... etc. 3/5

Read 10/28/12- Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand- Good, not great. Interesting but not engrossing. I was hoping for more from this book since I loved Unbroken so much. Read this one for book club in October and really only finished it out of obligation. 3/5

Read 11/4/12- Dances with Dragons by George RR Martin- I actually have a lot of opinions on this one, but feel uncomfortable voicing them, as they're spoilers. Still loving this series and anxiously await book #6! 4/5 (only because I still liked the first three more than this one)

Read 11/24/12- Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor- Really enjoyed this sequel to Daughter of Smoke and Bone. Crazy and an incredible fantasy book, but not as good as the first one. Will re-read for sure though!! 4/5

Listened to 11/26/12- The Rise of Nine by Pittacus Lore- Wanted this to be better because I really enjoyed the first two in the series. But still good. 3/5

Read 12/11/12- The Black Echo by Michael Connelly- Expected more out of this because I'm a big Connelly fan, but it was kind of boring and predictable. I hope they get better. I'll keep reading, but not if they're all like this one. I wonder if back when this was written the ending was more novel and all kinds of thrillers weren't writing "twists" like this one. 3/5

Read 12/16/12- Wicked Business by Janet Evanovich- What can I say? I like Evanovich's writing even if her books are simple, girly, and let's face it, kind of pointless. Liked this one though. Currently, I'm liking this series more than Stephanie Plum books. 3/5

Read 12/21/12- Where We Belong by Emily Giffin- LOVED this chick book. Very cute and very much meets the standard that Emily Giffin's past books have set. The problem is that I just don't have a lot to say about it. It's very similar to her other books. 5/5

Read 12/24/12- A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens- I think I read this back in grade school but I didn't remember much about it. And tis the season right? Dickens is one of the few "classic" authors that I enjoy. May be returning to some of his other books in the future. Really liked A Christmas Carol. 4/5

Read 1/2/13- Graceling by Kristin Cashore- Very much enjoyed this book. Another YA Fantasy series that has been popular recently. Looking forward to reading the other books in the series. 4/5

Read 1/3/13- One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp- Different kind of book for me. Not a novel, but more of a book for reflection and finding happiness in every day life. Her writing is a bit flowery and overly detailed, but I liked this so much. 4/5

Listened to 1/3/13- Redshirts by John Scalzi- Really liked this book, it got me through my driving to and from home over Christmas break. Different and crazy, but once I bought into the completely unrealistic premise, it was interesting and I really enjoyed it.  4/5

Read 1/11/13- Defending Jacob by William Landay- Very well written, but upsetting book. Fairly dark and twisted, but engrossing nonetheless. Highly recommended if you like Grisham, lawyer books, or thrillers. 4/5

WHEW. 

Middlesex- Jeffrey Eugenides

Middlesex is a book told from the point of view of a transgendered man (formerly woman) that brings the reader on a journey. Documenting every step in lives that lead to him, from grandparents and onward, Cal tells us how he was made, and how he became that way. Incest, broken engagements, sexual confusion, and multiple distressing doctors appointments lead the reader to the man he is today.

Initially I decided I wanted to read this book (technially I listened to it via audiobook) based only on the author. Jeffrey Eugenides wrote The Marriage Plot, which I enjoyed back in January, and Middlesex is his first novel, written to great acclaim. I don’t really think I knew what I was getting myself into. On the one hand, the writing style was excellent, with the narrator speaking as if he was directing a movie, showing instead of telling the story of his life and his ancestors. On the other, portions of the book were alternately discomforting and boring. Not to mention the parts that were so explicit that I felt that I needed to turn it off. I was very uncomfortable for probably half of the book, but I also think that’s sort of the point.

In the end I’m giving it a 3, if only for Eugenides’ writing. He truly is fantastic, even if the subject matter was not exactly something I want to read at length about.

Deadlocked- Charlaine Harris

As usual, I’m not going to get too much into this sequel, what seems like Sookie Stackhouse’s one millionth book. If you’ve read one, you know what you’re getting into, and as usual it was entertaining, cute, funny, and full of supernatural creatures.

In this case, Sookie has to uncover a plot that seems to be personal, starting with a girl that is found dead outside of Her boyfriend’s house, and ending in a way that is not entirely predictable. Of course I want to know where the next book’s going to go with it.

This may be the briefest review I’ve ever written, but seriously, I’ve got nothing. You like this series or you don’t.

3- mindless entertainment, not something I ever need to read again, but I keep going because I am invested in the characters. God love poor Sookie Stackhouse.

Age of Miracles- Karen Thompson Walker

Well, hello anyone who still might read posts on this blog! (hi mom!) It’s been awhile. I kind of lost track of things and stopped writing reviews. Full reviews that is. I had lots of things to say about the books I’ve read in the last two months, but I admit, I’ve been stuck. This book is nearly singlehandedly to blame. Chronologically, it was the book I read after Attachments, so it had to come next. Right? Well, I’m giving up on that. Honestly, I have no idea what to say about it, and a month away from it hasn’t helped things. So. Without further ado, something a little different. Five things about this book and a short summary:

Age of Miracles is about a girl growing up in what is referenced as the end of the world. But it’s not. Something has caused Earth to spin more slowly on its axis, making days and nights longer and time essentially slowing. Intriguing, right? Five things.

1.Lots of wasted potential. Really interesting idea, no follow through at all, no sense of urgency. Basically it’s a story about people living their lives in unusual circumstances. But the unusual circumstances don’t ultimately affect them all that much.
2. So depressing, which I didn’t expect.
3. Excellent writing. Despite the way the review sounds, I did care about the characters. Ultimately this is a story about a teenage girl, and what 26 year old female can’t relate to that?
4. Could have been so much better. See #1.
5. Overall, I don’t think I can recommend this one. Amazon let me down here, which doesn’t happen often. I couldn’t believe this was one of their best books of the year (so far).

3. Overwhelmingly meh.

The Serpent’s Shadow- Rick Riordan

The Serpent’s Shadow is the third book in Rick Riordan’s Kane Chronicles series. As I’m pretty sure I said in my review of the second book in this series, there’s not a lot to say about these books that hasn’t already been covered. This one is a continued story of Carter and Sadie Kane, brother and sister duo out to save the world from chaos with the help of Egyptian Gods. Basically if you pick up something from Riordan, you know what you’re getting.

That’s not a bad thing at all, though. The Serpent’s Shadow was entertaining, if a bit less engrossing than some of his others. I think my biggest problem with the Kane Chronicles is that they’re no Percy Jackson books, even though they’re trying really hard to be. It seemed like when I was reading those, I always could remember the supporting players and what happened in the previous books, even if I needed to look up a summary online it jogged my memory enough. With the Kane books, I have problems remembering who everyone is and what has already gone down in their version of the world, even when I look up a plot summary. Not a ringing endorsement, I suppose, but that being said, I did enjoy reading this last book in the series.

3- Good, not great. Not something I need to read again. Percy Jackson’s got this series beat, and judging by the fact that series is still going strong and this one has ended, I think Riordan knows it too.

I’ve Got Your Number- Sophie Kinsella

I went back and forth several times about whether or not I would have enjoyed this book more if I was reading it instead of listening to it. I think it certainly lost some humor due to footnotes and text messages being read to me instead of reading them myself.

Possibly the bigger problem is that I was irritated with the main character though. Because that is by far my main issue with any given Sophie Kinsella book… her main characters that we are supposed to sympathize with are inherently unlikable. As with the Shopaholic books, I was constantly wondering whether it was worth it to keep reading, because I was disgusted with the main character, Poppy Wyatt, who loses her engagement ring at the beginning of the book. Then has her phone stolen, then finds another phone in a trash can, which is how she meets Sam, the owner of the phone, whose life she immediately becomes entrenched in.

The entire engagement ring debacle was horrible. The weakest part of the book, by far. But once that was resolved, about halfway through, I found that the main character was less insufferable, the problems were more realistic, and when the book focuses more on Sam and his issues, it is far more entertaining.

All in all this is a 3. I think if the whole book would’ve been like the second half it would’ve been up there with Remember Me, but as it is, this is comparable to the Shopaholic books (although I have to admit, I think I like it a little better… let’s face it, I really don’t like Becky Bloomwood and half the time don’t know why I read those books). Worth the read in the end, but difficult to get through the first part.

Genghis: Lords of the Bow- Conn Iggulden

The second book in Conn Iggulden’s series about Genghis Kahn, Lords of the Bow details the war of the Mongol tribes against the Chin Empire. Picking up where the first book left off, Genghis marches on his enemies throughout the book and begins his total domination.

I loved the first book in this series. It really impressed and surprised me, and I couldn’t believe that I was enjoying a somewhat fictionalized book about a war leader so much.  In this one, Genghis has become someone to be feared rather than someone to root for, which is probably the biggest difference between this book and the first one.  It was still fascinating, but I wasn’t as engrossed as I was with the first one, when he was more of an underdog.  I feel like Iggulden wants me to get excited about the big battles, be invested in their outcome, and root for continuing dominance, but I would much rather read about the family and the politics. Those were by far the parts of the book I like the best. 

In the end, I still found myself rooting for Genghis and enjoying the story. Probably because of how despicable his enemies are as well. Among everyone, the least deplorable person turns out to be Genghis, even if he is brutal and generally terrifying.

3- didn’t like this one as much as the first, but still an enjoyable read. I’m definitely going to keep reading the series. 

The Power of Six continues the story of John Smith from I Am Number Four. I don’t feel like I can say a whole lot about this one without ruining I Am Number Four, but suffice it to say that I enjoyed it as much as the first one. Spoilers for I Am Number Four ahead!

This one was a little bit different than I Am Number Four, but then again, it has to be, since now John can no longer stay in one place as he’s been exposed for the alien that he is. Travelling from city to city, Four and Six train together with an eventual goal of taking on the Mogadorians, with Sam along for the ride.

Interspersed with Four and Six’s story is that of Seven, Marina, living in Santa Teresa with her guardian, who has given up on the Loric cause. Both stories are equally interesting, and the narrators of both did a very good job.  

All in all, this one was an extra good three as well. I’m really looking forward to the third book in the series coming out this summer!

I Am Number Four- Pittacus Lore

My latest audiobook, I Am Number Four is another one of those YA books that I am a sucker for. Intrigue, excitement, fantasy, I’m all in. Let’s be real here, any YA fantasy book series that is good enough to have a movie made out of it, I’m going to read. Or in this case, listen to.

I am Number Four is the story of John Smith, Loric alien, who is being hunted by the mortal enemies of the Loric (and Earth), the Mogadorians. Nine Loric guard made it off of the planet and to Earth before the Mogadorians took it over, and those nine are being hunted and killed. Through a protective charm on the nine guard, they can only be killed in order. Three are dead, and John is number four.  

This was a fun book, and I immediately downloaded the sequel once I finished it. It’s about what you’d expect for what it is, but that’s not a bad thing. It’s an excellent 3. 

Moonwalking with Einstein- Joshua Foer

Moonwalking with Einstein was yet another venture outside of my comfort zone. A book about memory, more of a memoir than a self-help book, Moonwalking with Einstein takes the reader (listener in my case) through Josh Foer’s journey from regular guy who can’t remember where his keys are to US Memory Champion.

I have to admit, this was much better than I was expecting. It’s been on my radar awhile, after being a best seller on both Amazon and NY Times. Before I impulse downloaded it to listen to, I thought there would be no way I’d ever pay attention to a book about memory tricks. But it’s so much more than that.

I can’t believe how interesting it was to hear about Foer’s training and tricks. The information unearthed through his studies of and with the various experts in the field was captivating. It’s remarkable what the human brain can do. Even now, I can remember the various list of random nonsense that was the one example Foer walks you through how to remember (pickled garlic, cottage cheese, peat smoked salmon, six bottles of white wine, three pairs of socks, three hula hoops, scuba diving gear, dry ice machine, email Sofia, skin colored cat suit). Are you kidding? That’s nonsense that I memorized and I listened to that part of the book a week and a half ago. Incredibly impressive.

I gave this a 3 based on my rating system (3 = liked it but won’t read it again) but this one was one that almost breaks the scale. I don’t need to read it again but I was really impressed with it. So much different (and so much better!) than I expected!

Matched- Ally Condie

Matched is a young adult/borderline children’s book that wants very badly to be either The Giver or The Hunger Games. Set in a futuristic world remarkably similar to that of Lois Lowry’s The Giver, all of our free will as a human race has essentially vanished. Calories and food are predetermined, jobs are assigned based on relative strengths, and romantic relationships are determined by the appropriate match of personalities. Cassia is 17 and headed to her Matching Banquet, and to her delight, is matched with her best friend Xander, in a match that everyone classifies as perfect. But the next day, just for a split second while reviewing her “courtship guidelines” the face of another boy shows up, and she knows him too: Ky. So, the question becomes, somewhat predictably, does she go with what is planned and reliable: Xander, or what may actually be her perfect, but unauthorized Match, Ky?

First, let me say for the record that I liked Matched. I like the concept, I like the main character, I like the future world. I was annoyed by the love triangle. Where Divergent was clearly a Hunger Games wannabe and I could not have cared less, this one is more obviously trying to target the audiences of mainstream teen books with its teen love triangle. I wish the author had focused more on the world around the characters, the choices Cassia and her family do have to make that aren’t already predetermined, and the ethics of having a Society that makes your life easier but steals your free will. It’s an interesting concept. I wanted to know more about it.

All in all, a good book and a good use of my time overall. I’ll be reading the sequel eventually, I’m sure. This one was somewhere between a 3 and a 4 for me. But in order from favorite to least favorite of the recent dystopic fiction trilogies, my ranking would be: Hunger Games, Divergent, Matched.

Where She Went- Gayle Forman

Where She Went, the sequel to If I Stay, is my typical type of audio book. Not complex by any means, but a good and engaging story, something that I had no problem listening and paying attention to. Spoilers ahead for If I Stay, which is a YA book that I read several years ago.

Where She Went continues the story of If I Stay, picking up several years after the tragic accident that left Mia without an immediate family. This book is told from the point of view of Mia’s high school boyfriend, Adam, who, we discover fairly quickly, is not with Mia anymore, but is still pining away for her. He has made it big with his band, Shooting Star, but is unrecognizable as the character from If I Stay. Throughout the book, we find that he has become a shell of his former self without Mia, and has very little joy in life, until a chance encounter with her brings him back.

I liked this book, but it was really nothing special. It was interesting to see the fallout from the accident, of course, and to see the way that the characters of If I Stay were affected. It was a good amount of closure for the first book. Solid 3.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks- Rebecca Skloot

Henrietta Lacks was a poor black woman whose cancerous cells were taken in a sample at Johns Hopkins and grew to become the most prolific and first “immortal” strain that science had seen. With Henrietta Lacks’ cells (HeLa), scientists have cured polio, and made other unbelievable advances in medicine. But how were these cells collected? Why doesn’t anyone know the story behind the woman who made all of this possible? Rebecca Skloot is a white journalist who takes us on the journey of discovering who Henrietta was, why her cells are so important to science and history, and takes a (mostly) objective look at the ethics of what has been done to her and her descendents in the name of scientific progress.

This book was our book club’s March pick. It’s not something that I would usually read, as for the most part I’m a fiction kind of girl. But I’m very glad that I was out of my comfort zone and reading this one. I’ll admit, for the first half of the book or so, I was a little bored. The reporting of Henrietta’s background and her family was fine, but a bit bland. When we discovered things like the unethical treatment of African Americans at Johns Hopkins, and how cancer radiation was treated back then, I was downright disturbed. But I admit all of this was necessary to have the third part of the book, a look at Henrietta’s immortality, and questions about the ethics of how HeLa is used and distributed, which was much more engaging, in my opinion.

I’m still not sure I have a strong opinion either way on the events of the book. In general I think today the biggest problems of the situation are more regulated: informed consent, privacy laws, etc. I won’t go into it now, and will let you draw your own conclusions. Suffice it to say, this book made for good conversation at our book club meeting. Highly recommended if you have someone to talk it over with.

I’ll give it a 3- I liked it more than I thought I would, and I’m happy I read it.

The Magician King- Lev Grossman

The sequel to The Magicians, The Magician King, by Lev Grossman, has some of the same spark as the original. Alternating between one of the new main characters, Julia’s origin story and continuing the adventures of Quentin and company from The Magicians, this one could be pretty comparable to Harry Potter becomes King.

I can’t say much about this one without giving away the events of the Magicians, but I will say that I didn’t like it quite as much. Maybe it’s because I didn’t like Julia the way that Grossman wanted me to, maybe it’s because I was less interested in the overarching plotline of the book than the individual adventures, I don’t know. But for some reason this one didn’t grab me quite as much as the first one did.

3- I’m glad I read/listened to it, and I’m sure if there is a third book to come I’ll be interested in that one too, but I don’t need to read it again.

1Q84- Haruki Murakami

There is literally no other word that can be used for this book other than just flat out weird. To be completely honest with you, I have no idea how this book got on the best seller’s list at all, let alone stayed there long enough to get on my radar. This book was used for our book club’s second meeting, and I am not alone in saying that it was just completely strange.

1Q84 is an immense and sprawling novel of almost 1000 pages (more on that to come), interweaving the stories of Aomame and Tengo, our two main characters that knew each other as children and find themselves wrapped up in a bizarre situation that involves a book being rewritten, an alternate universe, and multiple murders. I can tell that this is supposed to be a romantic story of two people that fell in love as children and never forgot each other, but what charm that portion of the book could have had is lost in the unbelievable amount of verbiage.

1Q84 could have been about 500 pages shorter, and still got the message across, in my opinion. I have read a lot of reviews that say this is just the author’s writing style, but frankly, I found it tedious. At one point, after reading the description of an ugly supporting character for what felt like the 15th time, I turned off my kindle in disgust, thinking that I would never get through this book.

Having said that, there are some redeemable qualities. I can appreciate how weird it is, how intricate the author had to get to tie everything in together, I just wish he would have gotten on with it instead of dragging it out. I’m not going to say I hated this book, but I’m not going to read it again, if only because the time involved in getting through it was hardly worth the payoff. I think it’s somewhere in between a 2 and a 3 for me.

Explosive Eighteen- Janet Evanovich

Once again, I’m not sure what there is to say about the 18th book in a series when you’ve read 17 before that. Anybody reading this knows what they’re getting into. I’m probably never going to stop reading these. They’re entertaining, and I enjoy all of the characters. That’s all there is to it.

The last time I read a Stephanie Plum novel I argued that Evanovich knows she has a winning formula and knows what to do with it. She knows what the fans like, the way to write ridiculous, klutzy Stephanie and her insane life, and she knows how to write Morelli and Ranger. This time it’s more of the same, although Stephanie had finally gotten herself into a truly preposterous case, and most of the stuff surrounding it made no sense at all. Somehow that doesn’t bother me though, because like I said, I know what I’m getting into. Still funny. Still hilarious characters and nutso skips.

3. I like all of these books, but I’m pretty sure I’m not going to reread any of them.

The Marriage Plot- Jeffrey Eugenides

The Marriage Plot is a book that’s been on the best seller list for awhile now, and was the first book chosen (ok, I chose it) for a newly formed book club. On the one hand, it was perfect for it, because we had a lot to talk about, but on the other, I think I was the one that liked it the most, and I was really just ok with it.

Madeline Hanna is the female protagonist in this book, caught between two men: emotionally unstable and manic depressive Leonard, and friendly, lost, Mitchell. The book follows her through college and the years after, including her relationships with both men. She and Mitchell, with one memorable chapter from Leonard, narrate the book as we watch them try to identify who they are and who they are becoming. That’s really the entire premise: Just a few years in the life of three characters.

I say I was ok with the book. Honestly I think the more that I think about it, the less I liked it. Nearly every character met within the pages was unlikable, with Madeline chief among them. It’s hard to like a book when you can’t identify with or even much care about the characters, but for some reason I couldn’t stop reading. I liked it against all odds, and it was only after finishing it and talking it through with the book club that I realized that it was really not that likable.

But I also think that was sort of the point. Everyone sucks, but everyone is also captivating in their own way. Basically I have no idea what I think of this book anymore, and I’m not sure I would recommend it. At the very least it had a lot of stuff in it to talk about, which made it a good book club pick, but I’m not sure I’m going to read it again. 3.