christianreader | Kiwiria's July Reads

This is Where it Ends - Marieke Nijkamp, 3/5, 288 pages
I am having a really hard time figuring out what I think of this book.

It was horribly, heart-wrenchingly devastating.
It was so well written that I felt physically sick with worry.
It made my heart break for the people involved.

But at the end of the day, I don't know what the author wanted to say. There seemed to be no resolution, no closure of any kind. It was just "something horrible is about to happen", "something horrible is happening", "something horrible happened", "the end". That didn't work for me. Rather, it seemed as if the author had a great idea for 90% of the book, and then instead of trying to figure out what to do with the last 10% just ended the book then and there.

It may work for you though - in which case this book will blow you away.

Love Letters to the Dead - Ava Dellaira, 3/5, 336 pages
A really weird reading experience. For the first 60-70% I didn't care overly much for it, and actually put it down for long stretches at a time. But even so, whenever I considered just giving up on it altogether, something would happen that would make me want to read more after all.

Then yesterday the book redeemed itself to me. Instead of continuing down her distructive path, three quarters of the way through the book Laurel suddenly started making smarter choices and actually voiced her thoughts and her troubles, instead of letting them move her to make stupid decisions.

Which meant that I ended up absolutely loving the last 25% of the book, and had tears in my eyes as I reached the end.

I can't in good conscience recommend the book, as the first half really was a slog to get through. But for myself I'm glad I kept at it, as the end really did make the rest worthwhile.

A Little Piece of Me - Stephan A. Geller, 2.5/5, 293 pages
I'm really hard pressed to say what I think of this book. Parts of it were absolutely excellent, while other parts (mostly the flashbacks) were a slog to get through. It's one of those books where I'm not really sure what the author was trying to achieve by it, which made the depressing parts seem somewhat pointless -- and while I don't mind if my book has depressing parts, I want it to be for a reason!

I was taken in by the cover (actually the reason I requested this book in the first place), and loved the musical aspects of the story, so while the end might seem callous to some - I totally get it.

Lesbian Assassins 3 - Audrey Faye, 4/5, 113 pages
Just as good as I've come to expect from Audrey Faye, but as always much too short! It's not that I found it rushed, but I'd just like to have seen the ending fleshed out a bit more. I felt we got a nice resolution to both the Accountant and Rhonda, but I'd like to have gotten a bit more closure regarding Judi.

Even so, I've yet to meet a bit of Audrey Faye's writing that I didn't like, and especially the first scene at the wedding did me totally in. Guess I just have to get better at reminding myself that this series is more a series of novellas than of full-length novels.

Gerd og gadedrengene - Estrid Ott*, 5/5, 151 pages
(Gerd and the Street Kids)
I first read "Gerd og gadedrengene" when I was in my pre-teens, and it's still one of my favourite books. Estrid Ott is an amazing Danish author, and her books are always filled with charming and amusing anecdotes from her personal life. This is my favourite book by her and although it's a children's book I still reread it on a regular basis. It's a quick read and one that never fails to put me in a good mood. I absolutely adore it.

Envy - Sandra Brown*, 4/5, 549 pages
Sandra Brown writes trash. But ridiculously readable trash. I couldn't put it down and read it at times where I should have been doing other things ;) It's been so long since I read it last, that I'd forgotten most of the details, but they came back to me as I went along making for a fun combination of enjoying a new book and the fun of rediscovery.

It is not high class literature in any sense of the word, but it kept me nicely entertained. I have a hard time believing people as evil as Todd exist, but certainly enjoy reading about them getting their comeuppence... at least when they're brought to justice and aren't just killed off at the end because that's easier... Yes, that's a pet peeve of mine, can you tell? ;)

The Yada-Yada Prayer Group - Neta Jackson*, 5/5, 385 pages
The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Down - Neta Jackson*, 5/5, 400 pages
The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Real - Neta Jackson*, 5/5, 422 pages
The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Tough - Neta Jackson*, 5/5, 366 pages
The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Caught - Neta Jackson*, 4.5/5, 401 pages
The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Rolling - Neta Jackson*, 5/5, 395 pages
The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Decked Out - Neta Jackson*, 5/5, 215 pages
I reread this series on a regular basis, and it serves as a breath of fresh air to my faith every time. I'm not exaggerating when I say this series has done more for my faith than any other book I've read - fiction and non-fiction both.

I wish I could find a church like SouledOut!

Where Do I Go? - Neta Jackson*, 3.5/5, 370 pages
Who Do I Talk To? - Neta Jackson*, 4.5/5, 393 pages
Who Do I Lean On? - Neta Jackson*, 5/5, 358 pages
Who Is My Shelter? - Neta Jackson*, 5/5, 409 pages
First time I've reread this series since it first came out in 2009-2010, and it was with some trepidation that I picked up the first book for a reread - I remembered only too vividly how I'd felt on first reading it. However, I wanted to read the rest of the series, and figured I needed to read them in order.

Fortunately, knowing what was coming made it a lot easier to stomach, and the later books definitely make up for it. Still, I had to put it down from time to time, when I knew something unpleasant was coming up :-P But the end was not nearly as much of a shock to the system when I could go straight over to my shelves and pick up the next book.

Abby and the Best Kid Ever - Ann M. Martin, 145 pages, 2/5
Claudia and the Terrible Truth - Ann M. Martin, 145 pages, 4.5/5
I felt like some nostalgia reading ;) I don't really care for Abby, but this was one of her better books. I really liked "Claudia and the Terrible Truth" though. It took a difficult topic and handled it really well - especially for a children's book. I seldom give BSC books such high ratings, but this one deserved it.

Book of the Month: Not a fair question this month. Nothing lives up to my Yada-Yada rereads.
Biggest Disappointment: A Little Piece of Me.