September books

[moredetails.livejournal.com]

Privilege - Kate Brian
The first book in the Privilege series. This book is about Ariana, a teenager in prison for murder. She came from a very rich family and has a plan to escape and get a second chance at life with all the high-class luxuries she's used to. I only just now realized that this series is a spin-off of another, so I probably should've started with that one first. Well, too late now! I may go back and read the Private series now, though, before continuing on. We'll see. I enjoyed this book and was able to root for Ariana much of the time, despite her past. But towards the end I was feeling less excited about the story and continuing the series. I was kind of annoyed with the direction it went.

The Accident - Chris Pavone
An anonymously-written manuscript revealing a media mogul's past crimes is sent to Isabelle, a successful book publishing agent (or whatever you call that). With this information in her hands, her life is now in danger, as are the lives of anyone else who gets their hands on the manuscript. I read and mostly enjoyed The Expats by Pavone, so when I saw this was available on audio, I checked it out without knowing anything else about it. It was not great. The idea has potential, but it's poorly executed. Some parts were slow or uninteresting. There are lots of characters, and I never really cared about any of them. By the end, I was still confused on why some people were in the story at all. Also, the "accident" they speak of could've been something a bit more intriguing or drawn out. And finally: I couldn't even tell if the big reveals at the end were supposed to be surprises to me or just the characters. It all seemed like obvious stuff. ?? This would probably make a good movie with half the characters scrapped, and the switches in locations and time periods more obvious and interesting.

The Theory of Opposites - Allison Winn Scotch
Willa's life is comfortable and somewhat predictable until she loses her job and faces sudden marital problems. Her well-known author dad has always preached against free will, claiming that fate determines our path no matter what we do. Now Willa's friend wants to challenge that theory by writing a book about going against one's instincts and daring to change. I decided to try another Scotch book even though I was disappointed with The Song Remains the Same (see last month's list). Several reviews had said her other books were better, so I kept an open mind. Well, this one was just as disappointing. Scotch is not a bad writer. I mean, don't feel annoyed at her sentences, but overall there's something missing. Based on the two books I've read, her main characters seem detached about traumatic situations. It's hard to explain without reading the book, but big things will happen and they'll barely address the emotions that should follow them. They're too accepting of the circumstances for normal human behavior, and I am interested in hearing more about their internal struggle on the matter. Beyond that, the author must have major dad issues, because the main characters' relationships with their fathers in both books were a main focus. Possibly too big a focus. I could go on, but maybe I'll have to do a separate book rant sometime, unless I forget everything.

Back Spin - Harlan Coben
Fourth book in the Myron Bolitar series. It's been awhile since I read 1-3, but I think I enjoyed this the most so far. The mystery was interesting and the book delved a bit into Win's past. It's also just as funny--sometimes I LOLed at the sarcastic comments and random jokes. I'm eager to start the next one!

2015: 29



Remember to post your book list here in this community! :) I certainly don't mind seeing a duplicate post on my friends page if you also post it in your personal LJ, and I don't imagine others do either. There are several people here that are interested in what you read and ideas of what they should read next, so post away! And happy fall. :)

Comments

[danialand.livejournal.com]

Did you listen to book one already from Private? I originally didn't realize that there were so many in the Private series, I thought I'd just read the two or three and then get to start Privileged so that I could catch up to you but there are soooo many in the Private series!

[moredetails.livejournal.com]

Yes, I am on the second of the Private series now. I started with Privilege and realized it came after the Private series so I went back before I continue with Privilege.

Wow, I had no idea there were so many either!! :/ Hm. I'll forget everything on Privilege before I get back to that series. :P Sheesh!

Do you have any favorite authors with books you haven't gotten to yet? I don't mind listening to something you choose even if it's not my thing. :)

[danialand.livejournal.com]

The Private ones go by fast...they aren't super long, and also I get about 2 hours of listening time per day (minus the time when I remember to switch to Armstrong and Getty)