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Kiwiria's July Reads
Aug. 2nd, 2021 01:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kiwiriaTempests and Slaughter - Tamora Pierce, 4/5, Audiobook ~13hrs
After a false start several years ago, I had no troubles finishing this the second time around. My initial impression still stands though - Tamora Pierce peaked with her "Protector of the Small" series, and her books since then haven't been as good.
That said, "Tempests and Slaughter" is closer to her old standards. She's brilliant at seeing the atmosphere in a "school" environment, and this is no exception. I enjoyed reading about Arram's classes and how he grew as a mage. It was bittersweet to read about his friendship with Ozorne though, as I know how that turns out from the "Wild Magic" quartet.
The Sunday Lunch Club - Juliet Ashton, 3.5/5, 416 pages
A story of four siblings and their families, plus the random strays they picked up along the way. Told (mostly) through the semi-monthly lunches. While the siblings' relationships were slightly strained at times, there was no doubt that they truly cared for each other, and I liked how they kept trying to prop each other up... slightly misplaced at times, but always coming from a place of genuine affection.
In some ways the book reminded me slightly of "The Nest", although I can't quite say how. The Pipers were certainly a lot less dysfunctional. Guess it was just as a general concept.
Honeymoon for One - Portia MacIntosh, 4/5, 344 pages
Sweet and funny. Very predictable, but that's par for the course for chick-lits usually, and it was charming enough that I didn't mind. TOTALLY made me want to go to a fancy resort though! So slightly torturous reading it during a lockdown summer vacation :-P
I adored Ali - Lila's best friend - and liked that though she was brazen and impulsive, she obviously knew Lila well enough to know exactly what would be appreciated - even if other people might find it intrusive. This one quote summed up their friendship perfectly for me:
"It speaks volumes about our relationship, that she feels as if she can – and that I'm delighted to have her here."
I didn't quite buy Daniel and Eva's actions - they seemed too self-absorbed to be real - and it bothered me that authors of chick-lits feel like they absolutely must tear the happy couple apart before the end of the book, so they can happily fall into each others' arms again at the very end. Why not just have them stay together? And - y'know - actually TALK about their issues instead of just assuming they're too big to overcome? *sigh* So that subtracted the final star in an otherwise very enjoyable book.
The Holiday Cruise - Victoria Cooke, 3.5/5, 384 pages
I really enjoyed most of this. It was sweet, it was charming and it was less unrealistic than most books of this genre. However, it felt… unfinished, somehow. Like it hadn't gone through its final round of editing, which caused some serious issues with timing. Not bad enough to seem disjointed, but enough that I noticed it. Also, there were a number of open-ended stories - which is perfectly normal in real life, but sometimes I want my books more rounded off! ;-)
Mostly however, I felt that the end was too easy. Of course it could hardly have ended any other way - being a chicklit and all - but after a (mostly) realistic novel, it seemed somewhat contrived.
Still, it was a nice escape from reality for awhile, and I do always love reading about cruises! Apparently even from an employees POV.
You Deserve Each Other - Sarah Hogle, 3.5/5, 368 pages
2 stars for the first 50% - 4.5 stars for the last 50%, so I'll average it out.
The first half suffered greatly from many of the same issues as the movie "How To Lose a Guy In Ten Days" (which I hated!). It's just... not pleasant to read about a couple deliberately setting out to hurt the other person. Fortunately in this case it was less "hurt" and more "play pranks upon", meaning I never really considered giving up on it, but still - I was seriously wondering why it had been recommended to me.
However, the second half redeemed it for me. Suddenly they were fighting for each other instead of against each other, and it made all the difference. I still thought certain aspects were resolved too quickly and easily (especially regarding Nicky's mother), but loved seeing them present a united front and build each other up, instead of tearing each other down.
Hostage - Clare Mackintosh, 3.5/5, 400 pages
Captivating and very difficult to put down. Definitely a literal pageturner as I had to figure out how it all fit together. However, I did have a few issues with it. First of all, both Mina and Adam were way too secretive towards the reader. There was absolutely NO reason for it to take as long as it did before their secrets were revealed, and it seemed a bit like Claire Mackintosh was being coy just for the sake of it.
Secondly, the hostage situation seemed unrealistic and far fetched. Far too much hinged on pretty random events, and it didn't sound like they had a plan B in place at all.
That said, I loved the ending! I had feared it would be a repeat of the epilogue in "The Book of You" (which soured the entire book for me), but instead it showed us exactly just how smart Sophia is.... unrealistically so, to be sure - but satisfying, so I'll take it :-D
Hexing the Ex - Susanna Shore, 4/5, 224 pages
Really charming story. I fell in love from the very first chapter and absolutely adored the House of Magic. I'm not usually a fan of cozy mysteries, as I generally find them too unrealistic, but since this was fantasy anyway, that part didn't bother me at all here. In some ways, it actually reminded me quite a bit of "Enchanted, Inc." by Shanna Swendson, with all the magical creatures running around.
I did miss an explanation for why Phoebe was suddenly magically inclined, as I never felt that was really explained. Perhaps it'll come in a sequel?
The title is slightly misleading as it wasn't actually the ex being hexed.... nor did it have as many hexes as I had expected it to, but I did enjoy the way the hex was managed in the end.
Selected Journals Volume I - Lucy Maud Montgomery*, 4/5, 397 pages
I've read all five journal volumes several times but this one remains my favourite. One could get a good impression of what LMM was like, just from reading this one.
LMM is one of my favourite authors, and I find it fascinating to read her journal and see what she was actually like in real life. Unfortunately she had a very hard and depressing life - not at all like the happy characters you meet in her books.
Despite her hardships, LMM had a very interesting life, and apart from letting me get to know her as a person, the journals are also a good way to learn what the life was like for a girl/woman on PEI around the turn of the last century.
Books read: 60 (woefully behind my goal :-P Ah well....)
After a false start several years ago, I had no troubles finishing this the second time around. My initial impression still stands though - Tamora Pierce peaked with her "Protector of the Small" series, and her books since then haven't been as good.
That said, "Tempests and Slaughter" is closer to her old standards. She's brilliant at seeing the atmosphere in a "school" environment, and this is no exception. I enjoyed reading about Arram's classes and how he grew as a mage. It was bittersweet to read about his friendship with Ozorne though, as I know how that turns out from the "Wild Magic" quartet.
The Sunday Lunch Club - Juliet Ashton, 3.5/5, 416 pages
A story of four siblings and their families, plus the random strays they picked up along the way. Told (mostly) through the semi-monthly lunches. While the siblings' relationships were slightly strained at times, there was no doubt that they truly cared for each other, and I liked how they kept trying to prop each other up... slightly misplaced at times, but always coming from a place of genuine affection.
In some ways the book reminded me slightly of "The Nest", although I can't quite say how. The Pipers were certainly a lot less dysfunctional. Guess it was just as a general concept.
Honeymoon for One - Portia MacIntosh, 4/5, 344 pages
Sweet and funny. Very predictable, but that's par for the course for chick-lits usually, and it was charming enough that I didn't mind. TOTALLY made me want to go to a fancy resort though! So slightly torturous reading it during a lockdown summer vacation :-P
I adored Ali - Lila's best friend - and liked that though she was brazen and impulsive, she obviously knew Lila well enough to know exactly what would be appreciated - even if other people might find it intrusive. This one quote summed up their friendship perfectly for me:
"It speaks volumes about our relationship, that she feels as if she can – and that I'm delighted to have her here."
I didn't quite buy Daniel and Eva's actions - they seemed too self-absorbed to be real - and it bothered me that authors of chick-lits feel like they absolutely must tear the happy couple apart before the end of the book, so they can happily fall into each others' arms again at the very end. Why not just have them stay together? And - y'know - actually TALK about their issues instead of just assuming they're too big to overcome? *sigh* So that subtracted the final star in an otherwise very enjoyable book.
The Holiday Cruise - Victoria Cooke, 3.5/5, 384 pages
I really enjoyed most of this. It was sweet, it was charming and it was less unrealistic than most books of this genre. However, it felt… unfinished, somehow. Like it hadn't gone through its final round of editing, which caused some serious issues with timing. Not bad enough to seem disjointed, but enough that I noticed it. Also, there were a number of open-ended stories - which is perfectly normal in real life, but sometimes I want my books more rounded off! ;-)
Mostly however, I felt that the end was too easy. Of course it could hardly have ended any other way - being a chicklit and all - but after a (mostly) realistic novel, it seemed somewhat contrived.
Still, it was a nice escape from reality for awhile, and I do always love reading about cruises! Apparently even from an employees POV.
You Deserve Each Other - Sarah Hogle, 3.5/5, 368 pages
2 stars for the first 50% - 4.5 stars for the last 50%, so I'll average it out.
The first half suffered greatly from many of the same issues as the movie "How To Lose a Guy In Ten Days" (which I hated!). It's just... not pleasant to read about a couple deliberately setting out to hurt the other person. Fortunately in this case it was less "hurt" and more "play pranks upon", meaning I never really considered giving up on it, but still - I was seriously wondering why it had been recommended to me.
However, the second half redeemed it for me. Suddenly they were fighting for each other instead of against each other, and it made all the difference. I still thought certain aspects were resolved too quickly and easily (especially regarding Nicky's mother), but loved seeing them present a united front and build each other up, instead of tearing each other down.
Hostage - Clare Mackintosh, 3.5/5, 400 pages
Captivating and very difficult to put down. Definitely a literal pageturner as I had to figure out how it all fit together. However, I did have a few issues with it. First of all, both Mina and Adam were way too secretive towards the reader. There was absolutely NO reason for it to take as long as it did before their secrets were revealed, and it seemed a bit like Claire Mackintosh was being coy just for the sake of it.
Secondly, the hostage situation seemed unrealistic and far fetched. Far too much hinged on pretty random events, and it didn't sound like they had a plan B in place at all.
That said, I loved the ending! I had feared it would be a repeat of the epilogue in "The Book of You" (which soured the entire book for me), but instead it showed us exactly just how smart Sophia is.... unrealistically so, to be sure - but satisfying, so I'll take it :-D
Hexing the Ex - Susanna Shore, 4/5, 224 pages
Really charming story. I fell in love from the very first chapter and absolutely adored the House of Magic. I'm not usually a fan of cozy mysteries, as I generally find them too unrealistic, but since this was fantasy anyway, that part didn't bother me at all here. In some ways, it actually reminded me quite a bit of "Enchanted, Inc." by Shanna Swendson, with all the magical creatures running around.
I did miss an explanation for why Phoebe was suddenly magically inclined, as I never felt that was really explained. Perhaps it'll come in a sequel?
The title is slightly misleading as it wasn't actually the ex being hexed.... nor did it have as many hexes as I had expected it to, but I did enjoy the way the hex was managed in the end.
Selected Journals Volume I - Lucy Maud Montgomery*, 4/5, 397 pages
I've read all five journal volumes several times but this one remains my favourite. One could get a good impression of what LMM was like, just from reading this one.
LMM is one of my favourite authors, and I find it fascinating to read her journal and see what she was actually like in real life. Unfortunately she had a very hard and depressing life - not at all like the happy characters you meet in her books.
Despite her hardships, LMM had a very interesting life, and apart from letting me get to know her as a person, the journals are also a good way to learn what the life was like for a girl/woman on PEI around the turn of the last century.
Books read: 60 (woefully behind my goal :-P Ah well....)
