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Kiwiria's April Reads
May. 1st, 2023 11:14 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kiwiriaThe Love Hypothesis - Ali Hazelwood, 4.5/5, 383 pages
Sweet and funny book that greatly exceeded my expectations. I love the fake dating trope when it's done well, but sometimes the "third act breakup is so annoyingly avoidable that it ruins the entire book for me. Fortunately that wasn't the case at all here. Instead it was so minor that it basically didn't register, and was handled very well and very quickly by everybody involved, so yay for that.
I loved Olive and Adam's chemistry, and found their relationship (including how it changed) believable. Olive's friendship with Anh was perhaps more tell than show, but her friendship with Malcolm was sweet :)
Very enjoyable read. To those concerned about the level of spice - it's limited to one chapter that's very easily skipped.
Fairy Tale - Stephen King, 4/5, 579 pages
I read the first 200 pages in no time flat, struggled with the next 100 pages as it transitioned, and then read the last almost 300 pages in no time as well :-P Stephen King's talent is undeniable, but the book changed genre completely about half way through, which threw me a bit, and it took me awhile to readjust my expectations and get back into the scope of things. Once I did, I loved the rest as well :-)
I enjoyed Charlie's growing friendship with Mr. Bowditch, and think that their relationship is a huge part of why I liked the first half of the book so much. I always love found family when it's done well - which it is here.
It took me longer to warm up to the characters of the other place... they didn't seem as fleshed out, but then, characters in fairy tales never are, so it made sense in its own way... just meant I didn't grow to love them as much as I would have liked. I do think it changed somehow after Charlie was thrown into prison - his relationship with the other prisoners definitely seemed more real than his relationship with Dora, C. or even Leah.
The ending threw me for a loop, but it worked, and I'm kinda glad it ended the way it did, as it seemed to give more closure than pretty much any other ending would have.
Anne of Green Gables - Lucy Maud Montgomery*, 5/5, Audiobook ~9hrs
Anne of Avonlea - Lucy Maud Montgomery*, Audiobook ~9hrs
Anne of the Island - Lucy Maud Montgomery*, Audiobook ~9hrs
Rilla of Ingleside - Lucy Maud Montgomery*, Audiobook ~10hrs
Found these for free on audible and felt like rereading them. First three were perfect comfort reads... last one not so much :-P It's still a terrific book, but a lot darker than the others and always makes me cry.
Rebecca - Mary Christner Borntrager, 2/5, 183 pages
Not very well written, unfortunately, but a quick read, so it wasn't too much of a hardship to get through it anyway. I did appreciate this insight into the life of the Amish though. As the author herself was born to Amish parents, I'm assuming it's fairly accurate - at least from that period of time.
The Final Gambit - Jennifer Lynn Barnes, 4/5, 374 pages
Can't think of much to say here that won't spoil the first two books, but a fitting end to the trilogy. It was a bit lighter on the riddles and a bit heavier on suspense than the others, but I still enjoyed it, and felt it rounded the trilogy off nicely.
A fun YA series that I'm glad to have read.
Miss Tippy - Janet Lambert, 3/5, 192 pages
I wish I had read this when I was younger - I would have adored it. I still really liked it, it was every bit as charming as I've come to expect of books from that period, and while I don't have access to any of the other books in the series, I'm glad to have read it.
Books Read: 36
Sweet and funny book that greatly exceeded my expectations. I love the fake dating trope when it's done well, but sometimes the "third act breakup is so annoyingly avoidable that it ruins the entire book for me. Fortunately that wasn't the case at all here. Instead it was so minor that it basically didn't register, and was handled very well and very quickly by everybody involved, so yay for that.
I loved Olive and Adam's chemistry, and found their relationship (including how it changed) believable. Olive's friendship with Anh was perhaps more tell than show, but her friendship with Malcolm was sweet :)
Very enjoyable read. To those concerned about the level of spice - it's limited to one chapter that's very easily skipped.
Fairy Tale - Stephen King, 4/5, 579 pages
I read the first 200 pages in no time flat, struggled with the next 100 pages as it transitioned, and then read the last almost 300 pages in no time as well :-P Stephen King's talent is undeniable, but the book changed genre completely about half way through, which threw me a bit, and it took me awhile to readjust my expectations and get back into the scope of things. Once I did, I loved the rest as well :-)
I enjoyed Charlie's growing friendship with Mr. Bowditch, and think that their relationship is a huge part of why I liked the first half of the book so much. I always love found family when it's done well - which it is here.
It took me longer to warm up to the characters of the other place... they didn't seem as fleshed out, but then, characters in fairy tales never are, so it made sense in its own way... just meant I didn't grow to love them as much as I would have liked. I do think it changed somehow after Charlie was thrown into prison - his relationship with the other prisoners definitely seemed more real than his relationship with Dora, C. or even Leah.
The ending threw me for a loop, but it worked, and I'm kinda glad it ended the way it did, as it seemed to give more closure than pretty much any other ending would have.
Anne of Green Gables - Lucy Maud Montgomery*, 5/5, Audiobook ~9hrs
Anne of Avonlea - Lucy Maud Montgomery*, Audiobook ~9hrs
Anne of the Island - Lucy Maud Montgomery*, Audiobook ~9hrs
Rilla of Ingleside - Lucy Maud Montgomery*, Audiobook ~10hrs
Found these for free on audible and felt like rereading them. First three were perfect comfort reads... last one not so much :-P It's still a terrific book, but a lot darker than the others and always makes me cry.
Rebecca - Mary Christner Borntrager, 2/5, 183 pages
Not very well written, unfortunately, but a quick read, so it wasn't too much of a hardship to get through it anyway. I did appreciate this insight into the life of the Amish though. As the author herself was born to Amish parents, I'm assuming it's fairly accurate - at least from that period of time.
The Final Gambit - Jennifer Lynn Barnes, 4/5, 374 pages
Can't think of much to say here that won't spoil the first two books, but a fitting end to the trilogy. It was a bit lighter on the riddles and a bit heavier on suspense than the others, but I still enjoyed it, and felt it rounded the trilogy off nicely.
A fun YA series that I'm glad to have read.
Miss Tippy - Janet Lambert, 3/5, 192 pages
I wish I had read this when I was younger - I would have adored it. I still really liked it, it was every bit as charming as I've come to expect of books from that period, and while I don't have access to any of the other books in the series, I'm glad to have read it.
Books Read: 36
