Kiwiria's July Reads

[kiwiria]

Little Fires Everywhere - Celeste Ng, 2/5, 348 pages
I'd heard people rave about this book for ages, so it's possible that my expectations were just too high, and I ended up being rather disappointed by it.

My problems with it:
- It was really, really slow to start! I'm glad I'd been told that it would pick up around page 100 or I'd have given up before then.
- I did not care for the writing style at all. As a rule, I don't care for books that start at the ending and then work their way back, and this one even had flashbacks within the flashbacks! FAR too much exposition.
- Very, very few sympathetic characters, and a few really dysfunctional ones.
- Unbelievable neighbourhood. Stepford Wives v.2.0?
- Too many decisions and judgments being made on assumptions rather than facts.
- Much too open an ending.

I can tell objectively that it was well written, but it didn't work for me.


Wanderlove - Kirsten Hubbard, 4/5, 354 pages
This is very much a "what you see is what you get" book - the blurb pretty much tells you what's going on. And you know what? That's fine. Sometimes it's nice to know what you're in for when starting a new book, and this turned out to be a very charming YA. It's a great mix of traveling around Central America and (fairly standard) YA, and I ended up really enjoying it. The characters are believable and as I grew to care for Starling, Rowan and especially Bria, their inward journey turned out to be just as interesting as their outward one.


The Lightning-Struck Heart - T.J. Klune*, 5/5, Audiobook ~17hrs
Loved this just as much the second time around. Michael lesley is one of the best narrators I've ever had the pleasure to listen to.


Witches On Parole - Debora Geary* 4.5/5, 421 pages
Witches Under Way - Debora Geary*, 4.5/5, 419 pages
Witches In Flight - Debora Geary*, 4/5, 413 pages
True comfort reads :)


The Beach Street Knitting Society and Yarn Club - Gil McNeil*, 3.5/5, 404 pages
A nice, cozy read. I was a bit dubious at first, as it could have ended up being rather depressing, but fortunately it was handled well, and ended up being an enjoyable, feel-good read. I especially loved the friendship that developed between Jo and Grace, and laughed out loud at Grace's manipulation of Jo's star-struck ex-in-laws.


Library of the Dead - Glenn Cooper*, 5/5, 350 pages
Fantastic book tying together events in Las Vegas and New York of 2009, Area 51 of 1947 and Isle of Wright of 777. The jump between settings and times made for a fascinating read, and gave enough clues that I was able to guess quite a number of the conclusions myself which was immensely satisfying. "Library of the Dead" was almost impossible to put down, and I'm very glad I already have the sequel readily available, because I definitely want to read that one as well.


Book of Souls - Glenn Cooper*, 4/5, 287 pages
Not quite as good as "Library of the Dead" but still captivating and well worth reading! I wonder if Glenn Cooper has any plans of writing a book that takes place in 2027. I would definitely be interested in reading that!

I've always loved puzzles and clues which added a lot to my enjoyment of this book, but even without that it was still a fascinating read - especially the flash-backs through time, which allowed us to learn more about the history of the book. Now I just want to know more! :)


All By My Selves - Jeff Dunham*, 5/5, Audiobook ~9hrs
From the very first time I even heard about this book, I was keen, but I wasn't too sure whether the book would actually be any good, or if it was just a gimmick. Especially when I saw that Jeff Dunham's characters took part in it as well. How would that even work in writing? Wouldn't it end up being too 'cute' for words? The only way that would work would be if the book came out on audiobook, narrated by Jeff Dunham himself...

... Famous last words, because of course it did. And when I discovered that, I saw no reason to hesitate further, and immediately turned to audible.com to buy it.

It's a well-written book, coated with Jeff's humour and charm. I got to know a lot about him that I had no clue about, and am even more impressed by his current success than before. I was thrilled to hear his performance in Denmark being mentioned and laughed out loud at his surprise at how popular he was here as well.

I highly recommend it to any fan of Jeff Dunham - but get the audiobook version. Though he's not the best narrator ever (he "reads" too much) I don't think it would be nearly as good without Jeff himself telling the story and doing the voices.


Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer*, 4/5, Audiobook
I found myself having to downgrade my rating from 5 stars to 4. It is still ridiculously readable, but my complaints from the two previous rereads (how NOBODY respects Bella's wishes, but just walks all over them) bothered me more than I remembered. Bella's far too much of a doormat. Fortunately, most of the people mostly redeemed themselves in the end, so it worked out less as abusive relationships and more just as flawed human ones.


Breaking Dawn - Stephenie Meyer*, 5/5, 833 pages
I actually think this is my favourite now. Jacob isn't a jerk, Edward is more understanding, Bella (sort of) comes into her own. A good read.


The Very First Damned Thing - Jodi Taylor, 3/5, Audiobook ~2hrs
A fun short about how St. Mary's was established. There's not much to it, but I enjoyed this "behind the scenes" view, so to speak.