Kiwiria's August Adventures

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The Vacationers - Emma Straub, 3.5/5, 304 pages
My expectations of this were rather low, which is probably why I ended up really enjoying it! It's pretty much your run-of-the-mill beach read, but with enough interesting characters to give it a twist... especially as I ended up changing my mind about almost all of them through the cause of the book, and found myself a lot more sympathetic to them than I had expected to in the beginning.

It's definitely not high literature in any sense of the word, but it's an entertaining read about a family you come to care for - warts and all.
Tags: august 2015, author: st, chick-lit


Rising Strong - Brené Brown, 3.5/5, 288 pages
This is the first book I've ever read by Brené Brown, but I've already gotten hold of "Daring Greatly" as I definitely want to read more of what she has to say.

"Rising Strong" is all about getting back up again, after life has brought us to our knees (or face down in the arena). It's about realizing that the stories we tell ourselves aren't necessarily based on truth, but are usually based on fear and shame instead; and that we need to reckon (identify our feelings after a fall), rumble (find the truth of what caused the fall) and use these to inspire a revolution (using these findings to move forward and get back up again).

The concept of "telling ourselves stories" really resonated with me, as I find myself doing this far too often. Hopefully realizing it for what it is, is a good first step for me, and I can use Brené Brown's inspirating of "not skipping the second act", but instead rumble with my story to find the truth in it, and use it to move onwards in a constructive manner.


Boom! - Mark Haddon, 3/5, 208 pages
A fun story that I would probably have liked a LOT more if I'd been closer to the target age group. It was well written and focused on elements that kids would find amusing. A fun read that I'd recommend to my nieces and nephews in a heartbeat if it got translated into Danish.


Wonder - R.J. Palacio 5+/5, 316 pages
Definitely not a book for everybody. I can easily see how it could be too twee for some and just too much for others, but personally, I absolutely adored it! Without a doubt one of the best books I've read this year. It had me both laughing and crying with joy, and I had tears - happy tears - running down my cheeks as I read the last page. It was probably a too perfect ending, but it worked for me, and I just wanted to gather everybody up and give them all huge hugs.

A wonderful comfort read I'm certain I'll return to many times in the future.


Only Ever Yours - Laura O'Neill, 1.5/5, 398 pages
It is extremely rare that I rate books I actually finish this low, but "Only Ever Yours" would have to be one of the most unpleasant books I've read in a very long time. I have no clue what point Louise O'Neill was trying to make, as there seemed to be none. The evil will succeed, the good will fail, and you should just lie down and take it?

The sad thing is, the book really had potential, and had you asked me about half-way through, I'd have estimated I'd end up giving it 3 stars... possibly even 4. But as the book went on, I got more and more disgusted by it, until I feel I'm being generous by giving it even 1.5 stars. I guess I should be impressed that Louise O'Neill's writing could cause such a visceral reaction in me, but mostly I'm just disappointed that I've wasted a full day's reading on this garbage. Absolutely horrible book.


Sacred Marriage - Gary Thomas, 2.5/5, 304 pages
Very obviously written by a male for a male audience. He does try to make it generally relevant, but only succeeds about half the time.

He makes several good points, but gives very little practical advice. It's all put in general terms with very little - if any - time spent on how to put the advice into everyday use.

At the end of the book I had a very hard time remembering any specifics about what I'd read. Obviously not a book that spoke to me on any significant level. That's not to say I didn't find it applicable - I just missed insight into how to apply it.


Grounded - Neta & Dave Jackson, 4/5, 320 pages
Slow to get moving, and at about 110 pages I found myself thinking "Hmmm... this is a decent enough book, but it's a far cry from what I've generally come to expect from Neta Jackson!"

50 pages later, I was totally caught up in the writing and couldn't bear to put the book down. So yeah - though it takes awhile to get off the runway, I'd say she delivers, and I ended up absolutely loving the book and grew really fond of both Grace and Sam. For awhile there I was a tad worried about where Neta was going with the ending, but I should have known better than to doubt her :) I still think it ended just a couple of chapters sooner than I would have liked, but since it's the first book in a series, she may yet follow up on Grace in the later books.


The Last Girlfriend on Earth - Simon Rich, 4/5, 215 pages
The first stories were awesome - I loved "Unprotected" (cute story with an unusual narrator) and laughed out loud at "Dog Missed Connections", but as the book went on, many of the stories fell flat, and after a strong beginning, the rest were pretty hit-or-miss. It ended on a strong note though, and the last one made me laugh.

Some of them made it obvious that I was supposed to find them funny (like "Set Up"), but they just didn't work for me. Others made for an interesting but chilling commentary on today's society (like "Occupy Jen's Street"). And a few just ended before they'd even started (like "Is It Just Me?").

There were very few I decidedly disliked though, and the good ones were very, very good, so I'm glad I've read them. I'm usually not that into short stories, but these were so short that they seemed more like vignettes, which appeals more to me.


Derailed - Dave Jackson, 3/5, 320 pages
As far as I can deduce, Neta and Dave Jackson took turns being the main writer vs. co-editor of this series, so Neta wrote (most of) the first one, Dave wrote (most of) the second one, etc. Unfortunately, while still being an able writer, Dave just doesn't have the same talent as Neta does, and it shows. The plot is decent enough, and I love the characters enough that I had problems putting the book down, but the writing is a lot more clumbsy, there's a lot more telling and less showing, and it just doesn't come across as effortless as Neta Jackson's books do. Nor did it come across with as strong and moving Christian message. This was a decent Christian book, but it didn't move me remotely as much as the earlier books did.

The book covers the same time period as "Grounded" which was a bit of a disappointment, as I was eager to see what happened next! But on the other hand, I did enjoy getting to see Harry and Corey together :)

The only thing I really, really, really didn't like was the epilogue. That knocked off an entire star by itself. It was sickeningly saccharine and tacky... I can't believe the Jacksons would stoop to that level.


Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn, 4/5, 466 pages
I hardly know where to start and what to say without getting into spoilers. This was one amazing train-wreck of a book about two extraordinarily dysfunctional people.

The weird thing is that when I first picked up this book (about a year ago), I only read about 20 pages into it before putting it aside - I just couldn't get into it at all. I have no clue why not, because when I picked it up again this time around, I couldn't put it down! And ended up reading it in just a few sittings.

As I think everybody knows by now, this book is full of twists and turns, and in the beginning I found my sympathies going back and forth between Nick and Amy. They were fairly firmly stuck at about the half-way point though, and didn't waver again. I had NO clue how Gillian Flynn would resolve all complications in the end though, and at about 20 pages before the end remember thinking, "There's no way this will have a satisfactory ending!" And it didn't... but thinking back on it, I think it had the only ending it could have.

Absolutely mind-blowing book and a very chilling read.


Somebody Else's Kids - Torey Hayden, 4/5, 394 pages
Absolutely devastating, just like all her other books, and equally as readable. Torey Hayden really knows how to write a relateable story. The odd thing is that I don't think I'd like her books much if they were fiction... too much emotional manipulation, too little resolution, but because they are memoirs they couldn't be any different.

That doesn't mean I don't still shake my head at some of Torey's actions and decisions at times though. But I'm impressed that she relates her failures and mistakes as consistently as her successes.

Her books are all very similar though, so after having read these 4 or 5 books by her, I think I'm done. They make for engaging reading, but they're formulaic.


Blackout - Connie Willis*, 4/5, 549 pages
Reread. I'd forgotten how many questions are left unanswered! I hope they'll be picked up in "All Clear".


Please Do Not Taunt the Octopus - Mira Grant, 3/5, 124 pages
Short novella in the Newsflesh universe. Not quite as good as the other ones.

Book of the Month: Wonder - such an amazing book!
Biggest Disappointment: Only Ever Yours - in fact, it stands a high risk of being the worst book I read all year.