Kiwiria's April Adventures

[kiwiria]

I'll Be There for You - Kelsey Miller, 3/5, 305 pages
I saw this at a bookstore and was immediately fascinated. It was the Danish translation though, and thus really expensive, so I waited a bit and bought the (MUCH) cheaper kindle version instead.

I'm glad I made that decision, because while I enjoyed reading it, it's just not good enough to warrant the 250DKK price-tag it had in the Danish bookshop. I'm glad to have read it, and loved revisiting the show in this fashion, but parts were also really dry and I ended up skimming pretty much anything that wasn't specifically about the filming of the show itself.

It was a good read, and I'm glad I got my hands on it, but at the end of the day, it contained fewer anecdotes and more dry facts than I had expected, and is not really a book I'm likely to reread.


Rolling in the Deep - Mira Grant, 4/5, 128 pages
The prequel to "Into the Drowning Deep". Not quite as scary as that one, but honestly that might just be because I knew what to expect now. Really, REALLY well written, even if it was frustratingly short (not that things weren't properly elaborated on, but I adore Mira Grant's writing, and just wanted more!)

I'd definitely recommend reading this after "Into the Drowning Deep" or the reveals of ItDD won't be as... well, as revealing.


Indexing - Seanan McGuire, 3.5/5, Audiobook ~12hrs
I can always count on Seanan McGuire to make me uncomfortable about things I hadn't originally thought about.... first mermaids and now innocuous-looking fairytales!! I will never look at Mum's fairytale collection the same ever again, that's for sure!

That said, as a whole the book couldn't quite live up to my expectations. It was a good read and I greatly enjoyed it, but I've almost come to expect Seanan McGuire to blow me away by now, and that didn't quite happen here. At the end of the day I liked it - but I didn't love it.

... still fully expect to read the sequel though!


Visitors - Orson Scott Card, 4/5, 608 pages
Definitely the weakest of the lot. As always when it comes to time-travel it ends up getting rather messy and confusing with all the different time-streams. Still very much worth reading though, and a very fitting conclusion to the trilogy. I was not disappointed by the resolution to their problems - and that's always the most important thing. I did think there were a few plotholes along the way though - especially with regards to what happened to Param and Rigg's mother (trying to stay vague here...), but again - that seems to be a very common issue with time-travel novels.

All in all I enjoyed it, and it kept me nicely entertained. I still think "Ruins" is my favourite of the lot though.


Drinking at the Movies - Julia Wertz, 4/5, 220 pages
Julia's experiences moving from San Francisco to NYC, trying to "make it there" with all the shitty jobs and apartments that comes along with such a move. Obviously dark at times, but Julia manages to write it with humour and charm so that it never comes across as bleak or depressing. I laughed out loud more than once, and definitely want to check out more of her work now.


The Lady Doctor - Ian Williams, 3.5/5, 264 pages
Officially a sequel or follow-up, but I think it stood just fine on its own. I'm not entirely sure whether it's fictional or not though! It was placed under memoirs at the bookshop, but the back blurb definitely came across as fiction.

Never mind. Either way it was a really interesting read about all the ups and downs of the life of a doctor. I liked that it wasn't romanticized - it was clear it was hard, messy, frustrating work, and that the Lady Doctor definitely wasn't anywhere near a saint, but a human being with all her own failings.


Something New - Lucy Knisley*, 4/5, 292 pages
It totally lived up to my expectations, and I found myself choking up on more than one occasion. I'm really glad my wedding was a lot simpler though! I don't blame Lucy for getting stressed out by all the things she had to get sorted.

A very feel-good memoir that will have a lot of good advice for a bride-to-be and which can't help but make those already married think back fondly on their own wedding :-)


Kid Gloves - Lucy Knisley, 3/5, 248 pages
I have a hard time figuring out what I thought of this book, because I spent most of it so absolutely FURIOUS with Lucy's doctor specifically and the US health system in general. No wonder the US has the highest mortality rate for (expectant) mothers in any western country. I can't elaborate without going into spoiler territory, but I completely agree with those who say that this should be mandatory reading for teenage health classes.


ER Confessionals - Kyle Smith*, 3/5, 193 pages
Wasn't quite as taken with it on my second read through, so I've downgraded the rating from 4 to 3 stars. Still enjoyed it, but wasn't rushing to find out what happened next.


Dragonsinger - Anne McCaffrey*, 5/5, 240 pages
This is one of those books that would have been too short practically no matter how long it was. One of my very favourite books, and one of my introductions to the fantasy genre. I love the atmosphere it describes, and would love to experience some lessons at Harper Hall myself... even though I'd probably be more likely to be one of the clueless girls (although not as cruel I hope) than Menolly.

I love the lyrics that start off each chapter. Usually when books have lyrics or poems as introductions to chapters I just skip them, but here they seem an integral part of the book :)

It's a shame no more books have been written about Menolly's life at Harper Hall. I was so disappointed with Dragondrums, because I wanted to read more about Menolly - not Piemur.


Little Witches - Leigh Dragoon, 2/5, 141 pages
Fun idea - bad execution.

I liked the idea of taking the March sisters and turning them into witches. Unfortunately the plot itself just didn't work for me and the pace was off entirely. It took too long to get the the climax, considering how quickly it was then resolved. I would also have liked to see the magical side explored more - we really only got to know what Beth could do.

A shame - it really had potential, but unfortunately just couldn't deliver.

Book of the Month: None stood out above the rest (well... no NEW book anyway...)
Biggest Disappointment: Little Witches