christianreader | Kiwiria's June Journeys

Tell Me It's Real - T.J. Klune, 4/5, Audiobook ~10hrs
Unlike the other books I've read by T.J. Klune so far, this is very much "just" a romance. I don't mean that in a negative way, but merely that there's very little going on plotwise other than Paul and Vince's budding relationship.

But honestly? That's fine! T.J. Klune writes relationships (romantic, friendly and familiar) so well, and as always it's a delight to read how the different characters (not just Paul and Vince, but also Sandy, Paul's family, Darren and even Vince's mum) interact with each other.

It wasn't an instant favourite like "The Lightning-Struck Heart" or "How to Be a Normal Person" were, but it's a great comfort read nonetheless. And as always, Michael Lesley does a brilliant job of narrating the book.

The Queen & the Homo Jock King - T.J. Klune, 4/5, 350 pages
Not quite as good as the first book in the series, but it did make me laugh out loud on several occasions - to the point that I had to tell my husband to please just ignore me, it would be impossible to explain.

I never used to think I liked the "Oh my, they were fake dating" trope much, but I thought T.J. Klune handled it really well in this one, and while some points were definitely over the top (but hey, it's T.J. Klune. The man doesn't DO subtle) it generally really worked for me.

I loved Darren's mother - absolutely loved her!

The Year of Living Danishly - Helen Russell, 4/5, Audiobook ~10hrs
A fun read. I found it really interesting to see what parts of "living Danishly" really stood out to the author, and where she found the biggest differences... although I'm pretty sure part of the culture shock had more to do with the fact that she moved from London to "Sticksville-On-Sea" rather than because she moved from the UK to Denmark - I'm pretty sure I'd have found it a bit of a culture shock too!!

Her year of living Danishly was a good mix of "Hehe - yes, that's Danes for you", "Really, they don't do that elsewhere?" or "Woah... that's not common for Denmark AT ALL!". Mostly, though, I appreciated seeing our culture through foreign eyes -- especially eyes that recognized all our idiosyncrasies yet still grew to love us :-D

Unfortunately, Audible hadn't found the best narrator for this book. Lucy Price-Lewis did the best she could, I'm sure, and she did have a very pleasant voice to listen to. Unfortunately, however, Helen Russell included a LOT of Danish words and names, which Lucy Price-Lewis for the most part was completely unable to pronounce (to the point where I doubt she ever heard the Danish words spoken out loud, but just made a guess from their spelling - I'd expected more from an audiobook from Audible)... up to and including even the English words "Jutland" and "Copenhagen"... I'm willing to blame Danny Kaye for that last one, but it still grated on my nerves every time she said it.

Still a charming book though, and I'm glad to have read it.

Middlegame - Seanan McGuire, 4/5, Audiobook ~17hrs
A bit slow to start, and I had to listen to the first bit twice as my mind kept wandering, but once I got past that, and we got to meet Doger and Roger as kids, I was hooked.

I wish we had got to see more of them being happy together though. I realize conflict was needed to set the plot in motion, but still. I really loved how they interacted, and loved seeing them together, propping each other up, supporting each other and behaving like the siblings they didn't know they were. I hope they got to enjoy more of that, after the book finished.

It's not my favourite Seanan McGuire, but I did end up loving it. And it's a stand-alone novel, which is rare.

Dystopia - Dennis Jürgensen*, 5/5, 636 pages
Even though I more or less know the story by heart by now, I still lose myself completely in the universe of Dystopia, and the fates of the eudaimons and the two humans. I love the universe that Dennis Jürgensen creates, and the detail he puts into the description of it.

Dumbledore's Army and the Year of Darkness - Andrew Blake*, 5/5, 1027 pages
One of the best works of fanfiction I have ever read, and I definitely consider this canon. It's extremely well written, and made me cry on several occasions... even on my 4th read-through. It's a lot darker than HP&DH, but I think I actually prefer it. ... with the possible exception of the final battle. The deaths hurt more up close and personal like this.

I'd have to reread HP&DH soon to see how many liberties Andrew Blake has taken.

Book of the Month / Biggest Disappointment: As ALL new reads this month were 4 star reads, it really doesn't make any sense to do this this month.