christianreader | Kiwiria's December Reads and Survey

Landline - Rainbow Rowell, 5/5, 320 pages
After everybody and his uncle started raving about "Landline" I couldn't help put wonder, "Does it really deserve all that hype, or will it ultimatively leave me disappointed?". Especially when it ended up winning Best Fiction in GoodReads' 2014 awards as well! However, I'd had it recommended to me by people whose taste I trust, so I decided to give it a try.

It completely deserves the hype! It's the first book I've read by Rainbow Rowell, but if this is indicative of her writing style, it definitely won't be the last. The plot by itself is nothing special (sort of like The Lake House, only different), but when pared with Rowell's writing abilities, it just works. The feelings and emotions described are so real, and I found it impossible not to get carried up in the story and care about the characters. I could relate to them.

This is one of those books where its appeal is hard to describe, because it is not in the plot - it's in the characters and the emotions they provoke. I did think there was one tiny thread left hanging, but I can accept it as one of those that the characters themselves will sort out after the last page of the book (it makes sense in context - trust me).

So yes, definitely worth reading, and among the best books I have read this year.

The Amazing Thing About the Way it Goes - Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, 2/5, 224 pages
I love Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's essays about knitting. The rest of them? Unfortunately not so much. And as there wasn't a single knitting essay in this collection (which I knew ahead of time, so it wasn't a case of being disappointed by that - I'd just expected to enjoy the rest more), it could only just make it to two stars... it was okay, but no more than that.

Eleanor & Park - Rainbow Rowell, 3/5, 440 pages
I recently read and loved "Landline", and immediately decided I wanted to read more of her work. As I already had "Eleanor & Park" on my kindle, it seemed like the obvious choice.

Unfortuately, as you can see from my rating, it couldn't quite live up to my expectations. I liked it well enough, and thought it very well-written, but I wasn't blown away by it, the way I was by "Landline". It would probably have benefitted from being read first, rather than having to live up to my (admittedly very high) expecations.

The second half was a lot better than the first, though, and I read the last 200 pages in one sitting. I enjoyed seeing how the relationship between Eleanor and Park developed once they allowed themselves to let go, and appreciated that the POV changed between the two constantly. I know not everybody likes a changing POV, but in this case, it really worked for me.

Ikk' for sjov: om kemo og comedy - Geo, 5/5, 240 pages
Full disclosure - I am not a fan of Geo. He used to be hugely into physical comedy, which isn't really my cup of tea. But I had head so many good things about this book - and it's such an important topic - that I wanted to read it. I was drawn in immediately. That man can write! It was extremely engaging, and it was impossible not to feel for him, and empathize with what he and his family (including their 4-year-old daughter) were going through.

A very, very good book, and one I would highly recommend to just about anybody. Geo also did a stand-up show recently, focusing on cancer as well, and despite how I used to feel about his comedy acts, I now kind of want to watch that one as well. I have a completely new level of respect for him after this.

Friendship Bread - Darien Gee, 4/5, 363 pages
I've been wanting to read this ever since I received "The Avalon Ladies Scrapbooking Society" as an ARC a couple of years ago, and was thrilled to finally get my hands on it this summer.

Fortunately it lived up to my expectations :) While not quite as good as TALSS, it is still very much worth reading. There were times where I had to put it aside because I was convinced some of the characters were about to make wrong decisions, but last night I decided to just finish it already, and I was very gratified to see that my trust in Darien Gee wasn't misplaced, and that the characters ended up making the right choices after all :)

There's not much to it, but it's a cozy book that could easily become a comfort read.

Fangirl - Rainbow Rowell, 5/5, 445 pages
Possibly the best book I have read all year, so I will be hard pressed to talk about it without sqee'ing. It affected me in much the same way as "Perks of a Wallflower" did, without making any kind of comparison between the books otherwise. It is YA and predictable, but oh, so relateable! Especially if you - like me - was rather immersed in the Harry Potter fandom when it was at its highest.

To be honest, the entire book pretty much reads like a Harry Potter fanfic - albeit one set in the 'real' world - but it works... it totally works. If you've never been... "occupied" by a particular fandom (a nice way of saying 'obsessed') parts of it may have you rolling your eyes, but I have been, and it is spot on.

Though I was somewhat frustrated by Cath at times, she always managed to make the right decisions in the end, and I absolutely LOVED Reagan and Levi. They were both obviously very good for her, in very different ways.

I would have liked to see "what happens next", but at the same time, I can understand why RR ended it where she did.

Incredibly charming story that has left me completely book-hungover. This is why I gave RR another chance after "Eleanor & Park"... in fact, this may even be better than "Landline".

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying - Marie Kondo, 3/5, 224 pages
Not a book I would usually pick up, but it was recommended on the "Books on the Night-Stand" podcast, and actually sounded interesting, so I read the sample, and then bought the book.

It had a lot of good points and definitely gave me some advice I will try to incorporate to my daily life, but there were also some elements that had me rolling my eyes at the author. No, I am not going to anthropomorize my items by "thanking my shoes for a job well done" when I take them off after work, or "revitalize my off-season clothing, by running my hands through them and sending energy into them" a couple of times a year.

However, doing a serious declutter and keeping only what is necessary and brings me joy is a useful tactic, and something I have been neglecting for years.

Texts from Jane Eyre - Mallory Ortberg, 1/5, 240 pages
This book obviously tried really hard to be funny.

Unfortunately, it failed just as hard.

It's been a long time since I last gave a book just one star - in fact, I think this is the only time in 2014 - but this one didn't even make it to "Okay".

So disappointing.

Live fra Lolland: Sandheder om ting og sager - Kristina Ricken, 4.5/5, 185 pages
My love of web-comics started when I was introduced to Anna-Grams and soon spread to others - both English and Danish. One of my favourites is Live from Lolland, which I've been reading for a couple of years by now, so I was very keen when I heard that Kristina was in the process of publishing a book with new material.

I received the book on Tuesday, and naturally had to start it right away. As expected, I absolutely loved it, and it completely lived up to my expectations. Kristina's style works just as well offline as online. There were a few repeats from the long-term reader, but most of it was new material. I especially loved Kristina's antics as a teen, as well as the explanation to her love of chocolate turtles (a Danish delicacy - if you haven't tried them - you're missing out!)

Kristina's style is inspired by "Hyperbole and a Half", but at the same time, she's managed to find her own way, and her way of describing every day events (like "being in a relationship") makes me laugh out loud, while nodding in recognition at the same time.

I can definitely recommend both book and blog... if you understand Danish ;)

Ildvidnet - Lars Kepler, 4/5, 579 pages
(The Fire Witness)
Slow to start, but when it took off, it did so with a vengeance, and I read the last half in just one day. It was somewhat interesting to read this after having seen so many episodes of "Criminal Minds" though - there were definitely times where I just waited for Garcia to show up ;)

I have no clue how realistic the story is, but my theory is - not very. And the side plot with the internal investigation just annoyed me, as it seemed to serve no other purpose than to give Joona a reason to be insubordinate. There were other issues as well that bothered me while reading the book, but they all turned out to have a reasonable explanation and/or serve a real purpose, so I was cool with those.

But definitely a pageturner, and a very readable book.

Sandmanden - Lars Kepler, 3/5, 524 pages
(The Sandman)
Not quite as good as Lars Kepler's other books, but still very, very much worth reading. Unlike the others, this one cannot stand entirely on its own though, as it ties together events from the third book and leads into the fifth... Not enough to leave a major, annoying cliff-hanger, but enough so that I'm glad I have the fifth book ("Stalker") already standing on my shelves.

Parts of it seemed even less realistic than the earlier books in the series, and I did occasionally get annoyed with people just rushing into dangerous situations rather than waiting for backup, but on the other hand they were mostly life-and-death situations, and I guess I can understand the human inclination to not just stand back and wait if somebody's life is at stake. But especially Disa's lack of self-preservation instinct bugged me.

The side trip to Russia seemed to serve no real purpose, other than to once again have Joona end up in a bind. I didn't think that part was ever properly explained.

So the book did have certain issues which caused me to bring the rating down a notch. But even so I did eagerly finish it in just two days, so it still deserves the three stars I left it with.

Book of the month: Fangirl
Biggest disappointment: Texts from Jane Eyre

And now, for

moredetails' survey :)
1. How many books did you read in 2014? 140

2. Which did you read more: physical books, ebooks or audiobooks? By far physical books! 6 audiobooks and 42 ebooks.

3. What were your favorite books from the year? "Fangirl" by Rainbow Rowell if I'm only counting new books. If rereads also count, then one of Debora Geary's "WitchLight Trilogy" books.

4. Favorite new authors that you hope to continue reading in 2015? Rainbow Rowell, Erica Bauermeister

5. And for fun: do you own an e-reader? If so, what kind? Yes, I have a Kindle - one of the early ones with a keyboard. I also use my iPad as an e-reader occasionally.