Kiwiria's April Adventures

[kiwiria]

Rosemary and Rue - Seanan McGuire, 3.5/5, 346 pages
I've loved everything I've read by Seanan McGuire under her Mira Grant pen name, and as this book came highly recommended, I figured it was time I gave her other 'persona' a shot. It's not really my usual fare, as I generally stay away from urban fantasy and fae novels and this was both! It was very well-written though, and kept me nicely entertained. It's fast-moving and as such a really good book for a readathon.

Though the first in a series, it's completely self-contained and can definitely be read as a stand-alone novel.


Holly and her Naughty eReader - Julianne Spencer, 3/5, 177 pages
This turned out to be a lot sillier than I had originally expected.

A fast read - I read it in less than 2 hours - but it went from being pretty straight-forward fantasy, to just being plain silly! Not bad-silly, but it definitely took a turn I hadn't expected.

I liked the concept though - similar to Jasper Fforde's "The Eyre Affair" - who wouldn't like to go visit a favourite book? :-)


If Your Dream Doesn't Scare You It Isn't Big Enough - Kristine K. Stevens, 5/5, 302 pages
One of the best travelogues I've read in quite awhile. Kristine's way of writing really appealed to me, and I was fascinated by her adventures all over Africa, Asia, Hawaii and Alaska. Some of the places she visited (e.g. Alaska) have been on my bucket list for ages, and she just reaffirmed my desire to go there.

There's no doubt that Kristine was a very privileged traveler, in that she could stay with friends many places, and didn't really have to worry about money until the very end, so few people would be able to follow in her footsteps, but personally I loved living vicariously through her and can't remember when I've last been this immersed in a book.

I really appreciated that the book didn't just end with her returning home, but also included her struggles with going back to "every day life" again, and how she handled those challenges.


The Potluck Club - Linda Evans Shepherd, 4/5, 388 pages
A nice, cozy novel about a prayer group in a small-town community. In style it reminded me quite a lot of "The Sweetgum Knit Lit Society" by Beth Pattillio as the plot very clearly takes backstage to getting to know the characters.

Of course - as per usual in such books - I grew more fond of some of the characters than others, but there were none I decidedly disliked (at least, not after I learned what made them tick) and all in all I really liked getting to know them, and enjoyed my visit with the Potluck Club.


The Pearl Thief - Elizabeth Wein, 3.5/5, 336 pages
While I never found it quite as engaging as neither Code Name Verity nor Rose Under Fire, I was still very pleased to get to read it.

It took me awhile to get into the story. Partly because I didn't care too much about Julie at first, partly because I really couldn't figure out what genre the book was trying to be! However, I was still intrigued enough to keep reading, and once the book decided for sure that it was going to be a mystery, I enjoyed it a lot more.

I was really, really frustrated by how people treated the tinkers, but guess that's pretty true for the time, and that describing it any other way would be "whitewashing" (for want of better word) history.

It didn't break my heart the way Elizabeth Wein's two other books did, but it's a cute story to tide people over, who want to know more about Julie/Verity.


Hul i hovedet - Nicole Boyle Rødtnes, 4/5, 212 pages
(Hole in Her Head)
A Danish YA novel about a girl who looses her language after a severe knock to her head. She still understand others, but when she tries to get the words out herself, they turn into gibberish.

Very fascinating topic and well-written book.


I'm Still Here - Clélie Avit, 4/5, 262 pages
A quick and easy read. It didn't strike me until long after that it's obviously a retelling of the Cinderella story, because of course it is. I did find the love-story slightly more believable though -- at least from Elsa's POV.

But this is one book where different POVs really work! I liked that every second chapter was told by Elsa and every second by Thibault. It helped us get inside the minds of both, and I grew to care for both of them. Probably especially Thibault actually. I loved seeing how he interacted with his friends and goddaughter - very cute!

I did think the book ended just slightly too abruptly, which brought it down to 4 stars, but all in all I found it a very enjoyable story.


Hinds Feet on High Places - Hannah Hunard, 3/5, 147 pages
It took me a lot longer to read this than I had expected from such a short book (almost a month!), but I discovered I couldn't read more than a few chapters in each sitting. In style it reminded me a lot of "Pilgrim's Progress", but that may just have been because of the naming of things.

I liked it :) As you can see from the rating, it didn't blow me away, but I thought it a very sweet read.


Hamilton: The Revolution - Lin-Manuel Miranda & Jeremy McCarter, 5/5, 288 pages
A true 5-star read. It made me laugh, it made me tear up, and it made me (even more than I did already) wish I could get to see the play with the original cast.

I know I said earlier that I didn't think it was a book I needed to own... I may have to rethink that decision, because it really was awesome! I put it down and didn't want to pick up anything afterwards... I needed to just let it percolate.

Highly recommendable to any Hamilton-fan.


XY - Nicole Boyle Rødtnes, 3/5, 240 pages
A teenage girl discoveres that she's genetically a boy and the knowledge turns her world upside down. Is she the girl she always thought she was, or is that just because of how she was raised?

Fascinating book on a serious topic, but I did have some issues with the ending as I didn't find it altogether believable.


Where Are the Lions? - Claus Tøndering*, 5/5, 228 pages
I absolutely love this book! It's an interesting account of what Heaven may be like, and broached some topics that I haven't otherwise thought about - how will we live? Will we work? Will we marry? Will we have kids? What does "eternity" mean for missing people or making plans?

Really fascinating story, that only served to make me homesick :)


An Age of License - Lucy Knisley*, 4/5, 195 pages
Ever since reading "Relish" I've known that I wanted to read more by Lucy Knisley. I finally got the chance, and I was not disappointed! In "An Age of License", Lucy travels around Europe, which means that I knew many places she visited (and many of the quirks she talked about), so that just added to the charm.

I love how Lucy obviously uses her drawings as a form of journaling. Being a journaler myself, this adds an element of relateability for me, as do the personal anecdotes she adds to her work. I'll definitely be on the lookout for her other books as well!


Sue Barton, Student Nurse - Helen Dore Boylston, 4.5/5, 167 pages
As the first book in the series, Sue Barton, Student Nurse is a quick read (took me no more than an hour or two), but a good one. It's a wonder I've never wanted to be a nurse or a doctor, as much as I love reading about their work. It's a feel-good book of the old-fashioned style and I greatly enjoyed it. I'll be looking forward to reading the rest of the series


Sue Barton, Senior Nurse - Helen Dore Boylston*, 4/5, 143 pages
A short enough book to read in one sitting :) It's not as good as the first one, as there are fewer hospital anecdotes in this one, and some of the anecdotes are somewhat exaggerated - Sue is an angel, Sue saves the day, Sue never does anything wrong, Sue is a Mary-Sue ;)

I still like it in spite of its flaws though :)

Book of the Month: If Your Dream Doesn't Scare You...
Biggest disappointment: XY - the end kinda ruined it for me.