Kiwiria's June Reads
Jun. 30th, 2015 09:33 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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christianreaderThis is more like it! After only reading 4 books in all of May, I'm up to a total of 20 books for June!!! Granted, a bunch of these are graphic memoirs as I went on a bit of a spree earlier this month, but it all counts ;)
For once I have more non-fiction than fiction reads in any given month! Again, due to all the memoirs ;)
Angry Conversations with God - Susan E. Isaacs, 4/5, 252 pages
Very interesting and thought-provoking book. I love the idea of taking God to couple's counselling, because while at the end of the day, I'd be the one who had to change, hopefully - like Susan - my perception of God would have to change along the way.
And it brought up some really deep issues - do we expect everything to go our way, and that God will bless our every endeavour, just because we believe? How do we cope when God's every answer doesn't seem to be "yes and amen", but a door shut in our face? How can we see the big picture and trust Him when we're in the middle of the dark time of the soul? (I keep wanting to write "the dark tea-time of the soul" - darn you, Douglas Adams!)
Definitely a book that has given me a lot of food for thought. I found myself highlighting passages all over the place, so I'm glad I got it as an ebook!
The Doomsday Conspiracy - Sidney Sheldon, 3.5/5, 488 pages
Definitely one of his weaker books, but even the weaker books are ridiculously readable, so I finished this in just two sittings. First book of his that I've read which included alien activity, but it stayed true to its own universe, so I'll buy it.
I'd seen the twists miles ahead, and there was one or two unanswered questions, but as a whole, it offered me exactly what I have come to expect from Sidney Sheldon.
Who the Hell is Pansy O'Hara? - Jenny Bond, 3/5, 336 pages
50 short essays about the life of the authors up to and including the time where they wrote either their first book or their most popular book. I skipped the chapters about books and authors I knew and/or cared nothing about, but had fun reading the others. Probably not a book I'll reread, but it gave me a lot of interesting information.
Pioneer Girl - Laura Ingalls Wilder, 5/5, 400 pages
An absolute must for an fan of Laura Ingalls Wilder. It is chock full of facts about the people, places and events that Laura write about in her autobiography, and provide an extremely interesting insight into her life. As a life-long lover of LIW's books, it was fascinating to see where the books correspond with real life, and where she added details or changed things around to make a better story. There's no doubt that the life of the real LIW was a lot harder than that of her fictional counterpart.
I'm not sure the book ever answered the question of why it was published now -- where has the manuscript been hiding all these years? But I may just have missed it, as I did only skim the prologue/foreword. No matter what, I'm glad it was published. It gave me a new appreciation of some of my all-time favourite comfort books.
The Life of Laura Ingalls Wilder - Donald Zochert, 3/5, 260 pages
This book has been languishing on my shelves for AGES, but as I finally got my hands on "Pioneer Girl" and found myself wanting to know more, I ended up reading the two pretty much concurrently.
This made me realize that while Donald Zochert has undoubtedly done his research, he was also heavily influenced by the events of the fictional series, and that some of his finer details do not stand up to scrutiny. There is one episode in particular where he straight out contradicts Laura's own words.
However, he did nicely wrap up Laura's life in a way that neither the books nor her own autobiography does, since he continues on after "These Happy Golden Years" and "The First Four Years", and writes about her remaining 50 years as well. Granted, it's condensed into one chapter - but still.
Little House in the Big Woods - Laura Ingalls Wilder*, 4/5, 238
Had to reread this after reading "Pioneer Girl" :)
Moon Called - Patricia Briggs, 3.5/5, 317 pages
Very similar in style to Kelley Armstrong's "Women of the Otherworld" series. Well-written and engaging enough to keep me nicely entertained. I found it nicely contained though, so feel no need to rush out and read the rest of the series. Besides, Adam and Samuel's rivalry annoyed me, and I foresee a love triangle in the future, which I'd prefer to avoid.
Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock - Matthew Quick, 2.5/5, 273 pages
I'd only heard raving reviews about this book, so I was very eager to read it. Unfortunately - as you can see from the rating - it could not live up to my expectations at all. I thought it was okay, but certainly no more than that. So it's not that I disliked it, or regret having read it, it just wasn't the amazing reading experience I had hoped for it to be.
Which is a shame, because I really liked the topic chosen for the book, and in the right hands, think it could have made an amazing novel. But at the end of the day, I didn't care terribly for Matthew Quick's writing style, so the story fell flat.
Also the ending was a disappointment, and seemed very much like a "non-resolution" to the very serious topic of the book as a whole.
Lesbian Assassins 2 - Audrey Faye, 4.5/5, 176 pages
The sequel to Lesbian Assassins did not disappoint - in fact, I think I might even have liked it a tiny bit better than the first one, as we now know the characters and the scene has been set. Also, I think I found the ending slightly more realistic than in the first book, which has bumped my rating up the extra half-star.
I love Carly and Jane, Rosie and Lelo, and wish the book had been twice as long, so there had been more page-time to devote to their relationships and secrets. Audrey Faye writes characters so well, and creates people you'd want to meet and befriend in real life.
Where Are the Lions? - Claus Tøndering, 5/5, 220 pages
I absolutely loved 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 :)
What if? - Randall Munroe, 5/5, 303 pages
Absolutely hilarious! Seriously, literally laugh-out-loud funny! Which was kinda embarrassing as I often read it in the train!
A colleague "forced" me to borrow this, as he thought it would be right up my aisle. He knows me well :) Exactly the type of nerd'ish humour that I absolutely adore.
De gale - Kim Fupz Aakeson, 2/5, 142 pages
(The Mad Ones)
I rather liked the story - everybody above the age of 25 suddenly forget everything, and kids/young adults have to figure out how to survive in the resulting chaos. Dystopian / (post-)apocalyptic novels have always been right up my aisle.
Unfortunately, I didn't care for the illustrations at all. The style was (probably intentionally) blurry, to the point that it wasn't always completely clear what was happening, and many of the characters looked too much alike. The latter I could deal with, but the former is really not a good idea.
Displacement - Lucy Knisley, 3.5/5, 161 pages
Not as good as Lucy Knisley's other books, and certainly the saddest of the lot, as it focuses on Lucy's experience seeing her grandparents growing older and less competent. In that regard, I thought it an incredibly true and honest account.
Unfortunately it also made me incredibly frustrated on Lucy's behalf, and infuriated at how other people treated her and her grandparents - up to and including her own family!
Fortunately, there were also some really adorable moments - like when Lucy finally got her grandparents into the pool - and all in all I rather liked the book, and definitely want to read more of Lucy Knisley's work.
Calling Dr. Laura - Nicole J. Georges, 2/5, 288 pages
Very different from what I had expected, and I found myself getting increasingly frustrated with pretty mich everybody involved. Also, I found the title slightly misleading, which probably wouldn't have bothered me if I'd otherwise been taken by the book.
The Complete Persepolis - Marjane Satrapi, 5/5, 341 pages
Absolutely fascinating memoir. I knew very little about Iran, and only had vague impressions of the atrocities that occurred there in the 80s and 90s. Marjane Santrapi choice the perfect format to tell her memoir, as a lot can more easily be shown in pictures, that would have been too heavy if explained in words. One of the best graphic memoirs I've read. I may need to get hold of a physical copy of this one.
Stitches - David Small, 2/5, 329 pages
Desperately sad description of a very dysfunctional family.
Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo and Me - Ellen Forney, 4.5/5, 256 pages
Both very well written and very well drawn. A powerful account of life with a bipolar disorder. Both the highs and the lows were described very vividly, as was the fight towards some semblance of a normal and "balanced" life.
Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant - Roz Chast, 3/5, 228 pages
Very poignant and sad. Stopped short of being depressing, but still not a book I'm likely to reread.
Blankets - Craig Thompson, 3/5, 592 pages
Sweet story, gorgeous art-work, depressing ending.
Fun Home - Alison Bechdel, 2/5, 234 pages
Very disjointed. I didn't care much for the writing style - how it kept jumping around in time and used quotes from books and plays to explain events. I'm not entirely sure what I had expected, but it fell flat.
Book of the Month: Definitely Where Are the Lions. I also really loved Pioneer Girl but I see myself rereading the former more frequently.
Biggest Disappointment: Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock. Not bad - just couldn't live up to my expectations. Fun Home comes a close second, but being a graphic memoir, it didn't require the same investment from my side.
For once I have more non-fiction than fiction reads in any given month! Again, due to all the memoirs ;)
Angry Conversations with God - Susan E. Isaacs, 4/5, 252 pages
Very interesting and thought-provoking book. I love the idea of taking God to couple's counselling, because while at the end of the day, I'd be the one who had to change, hopefully - like Susan - my perception of God would have to change along the way.
And it brought up some really deep issues - do we expect everything to go our way, and that God will bless our every endeavour, just because we believe? How do we cope when God's every answer doesn't seem to be "yes and amen", but a door shut in our face? How can we see the big picture and trust Him when we're in the middle of the dark time of the soul? (I keep wanting to write "the dark tea-time of the soul" - darn you, Douglas Adams!)
Definitely a book that has given me a lot of food for thought. I found myself highlighting passages all over the place, so I'm glad I got it as an ebook!
The Doomsday Conspiracy - Sidney Sheldon, 3.5/5, 488 pages
Definitely one of his weaker books, but even the weaker books are ridiculously readable, so I finished this in just two sittings. First book of his that I've read which included alien activity, but it stayed true to its own universe, so I'll buy it.
I'd seen the twists miles ahead, and there was one or two unanswered questions, but as a whole, it offered me exactly what I have come to expect from Sidney Sheldon.
Who the Hell is Pansy O'Hara? - Jenny Bond, 3/5, 336 pages
50 short essays about the life of the authors up to and including the time where they wrote either their first book or their most popular book. I skipped the chapters about books and authors I knew and/or cared nothing about, but had fun reading the others. Probably not a book I'll reread, but it gave me a lot of interesting information.
Pioneer Girl - Laura Ingalls Wilder, 5/5, 400 pages
An absolute must for an fan of Laura Ingalls Wilder. It is chock full of facts about the people, places and events that Laura write about in her autobiography, and provide an extremely interesting insight into her life. As a life-long lover of LIW's books, it was fascinating to see where the books correspond with real life, and where she added details or changed things around to make a better story. There's no doubt that the life of the real LIW was a lot harder than that of her fictional counterpart.
I'm not sure the book ever answered the question of why it was published now -- where has the manuscript been hiding all these years? But I may just have missed it, as I did only skim the prologue/foreword. No matter what, I'm glad it was published. It gave me a new appreciation of some of my all-time favourite comfort books.
The Life of Laura Ingalls Wilder - Donald Zochert, 3/5, 260 pages
This book has been languishing on my shelves for AGES, but as I finally got my hands on "Pioneer Girl" and found myself wanting to know more, I ended up reading the two pretty much concurrently.
This made me realize that while Donald Zochert has undoubtedly done his research, he was also heavily influenced by the events of the fictional series, and that some of his finer details do not stand up to scrutiny. There is one episode in particular where he straight out contradicts Laura's own words.
However, he did nicely wrap up Laura's life in a way that neither the books nor her own autobiography does, since he continues on after "These Happy Golden Years" and "The First Four Years", and writes about her remaining 50 years as well. Granted, it's condensed into one chapter - but still.
Little House in the Big Woods - Laura Ingalls Wilder*, 4/5, 238
Had to reread this after reading "Pioneer Girl" :)
Moon Called - Patricia Briggs, 3.5/5, 317 pages
Very similar in style to Kelley Armstrong's "Women of the Otherworld" series. Well-written and engaging enough to keep me nicely entertained. I found it nicely contained though, so feel no need to rush out and read the rest of the series. Besides, Adam and Samuel's rivalry annoyed me, and I foresee a love triangle in the future, which I'd prefer to avoid.
Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock - Matthew Quick, 2.5/5, 273 pages
I'd only heard raving reviews about this book, so I was very eager to read it. Unfortunately - as you can see from the rating - it could not live up to my expectations at all. I thought it was okay, but certainly no more than that. So it's not that I disliked it, or regret having read it, it just wasn't the amazing reading experience I had hoped for it to be.
Which is a shame, because I really liked the topic chosen for the book, and in the right hands, think it could have made an amazing novel. But at the end of the day, I didn't care terribly for Matthew Quick's writing style, so the story fell flat.
Also the ending was a disappointment, and seemed very much like a "non-resolution" to the very serious topic of the book as a whole.
Lesbian Assassins 2 - Audrey Faye, 4.5/5, 176 pages
The sequel to Lesbian Assassins did not disappoint - in fact, I think I might even have liked it a tiny bit better than the first one, as we now know the characters and the scene has been set. Also, I think I found the ending slightly more realistic than in the first book, which has bumped my rating up the extra half-star.
I love Carly and Jane, Rosie and Lelo, and wish the book had been twice as long, so there had been more page-time to devote to their relationships and secrets. Audrey Faye writes characters so well, and creates people you'd want to meet and befriend in real life.
Where Are the Lions? - Claus Tøndering, 5/5, 220 pages
I absolutely loved 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 :)
What if? - Randall Munroe, 5/5, 303 pages
Absolutely hilarious! Seriously, literally laugh-out-loud funny! Which was kinda embarrassing as I often read it in the train!
A colleague "forced" me to borrow this, as he thought it would be right up my aisle. He knows me well :) Exactly the type of nerd'ish humour that I absolutely adore.
De gale - Kim Fupz Aakeson, 2/5, 142 pages
(The Mad Ones)
I rather liked the story - everybody above the age of 25 suddenly forget everything, and kids/young adults have to figure out how to survive in the resulting chaos. Dystopian / (post-)apocalyptic novels have always been right up my aisle.
Unfortunately, I didn't care for the illustrations at all. The style was (probably intentionally) blurry, to the point that it wasn't always completely clear what was happening, and many of the characters looked too much alike. The latter I could deal with, but the former is really not a good idea.
Displacement - Lucy Knisley, 3.5/5, 161 pages
Not as good as Lucy Knisley's other books, and certainly the saddest of the lot, as it focuses on Lucy's experience seeing her grandparents growing older and less competent. In that regard, I thought it an incredibly true and honest account.
Unfortunately it also made me incredibly frustrated on Lucy's behalf, and infuriated at how other people treated her and her grandparents - up to and including her own family!
Fortunately, there were also some really adorable moments - like when Lucy finally got her grandparents into the pool - and all in all I rather liked the book, and definitely want to read more of Lucy Knisley's work.
Calling Dr. Laura - Nicole J. Georges, 2/5, 288 pages
Very different from what I had expected, and I found myself getting increasingly frustrated with pretty mich everybody involved. Also, I found the title slightly misleading, which probably wouldn't have bothered me if I'd otherwise been taken by the book.
The Complete Persepolis - Marjane Satrapi, 5/5, 341 pages
Absolutely fascinating memoir. I knew very little about Iran, and only had vague impressions of the atrocities that occurred there in the 80s and 90s. Marjane Santrapi choice the perfect format to tell her memoir, as a lot can more easily be shown in pictures, that would have been too heavy if explained in words. One of the best graphic memoirs I've read. I may need to get hold of a physical copy of this one.
Stitches - David Small, 2/5, 329 pages
Desperately sad description of a very dysfunctional family.
Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo and Me - Ellen Forney, 4.5/5, 256 pages
Both very well written and very well drawn. A powerful account of life with a bipolar disorder. Both the highs and the lows were described very vividly, as was the fight towards some semblance of a normal and "balanced" life.
Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant - Roz Chast, 3/5, 228 pages
Very poignant and sad. Stopped short of being depressing, but still not a book I'm likely to reread.
Blankets - Craig Thompson, 3/5, 592 pages
Sweet story, gorgeous art-work, depressing ending.
Fun Home - Alison Bechdel, 2/5, 234 pages
Very disjointed. I didn't care much for the writing style - how it kept jumping around in time and used quotes from books and plays to explain events. I'm not entirely sure what I had expected, but it fell flat.
Book of the Month: Definitely Where Are the Lions. I also really loved Pioneer Girl but I see myself rereading the former more frequently.
Biggest Disappointment: Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock. Not bad - just couldn't live up to my expectations. Fun Home comes a close second, but being a graphic memoir, it didn't require the same investment from my side.
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