christianreader | Kiwiria's July Jaunts (Reply)

Under Currents - Nora Roberts, 5/5, Audiobook ~15hrs
Alright, I'll state my biases right away - I love Nora Roberts' newer books, and though I can see that they're incredibly formulaic, I just don't care. I can see a book's weaknesses and love it anyway, and this was definitely the case here.

Because this? This was one of the most unputdownable books I've come across in a very long time, and reading it as an audiobook was a HUGE mistake. So big, in fact, that I ended up buying the ebook version as well, because I reached right as I arrived somewhere where I couldn't listen to the audiobook any longer, and just HAD to know what happened next RIGHT NOW!!! ... and then relistened to it once I got back to the audiobook, because it was so satisfying that I just had to experience it once again :-D

In the end, I listened to 14.5hrs in 5 days.

I grew to care for all the main characters and really love how Nora Roberts writes little-town communities. Just like in "The Obsession" she ended up describing a place I'd like to live in myself, and though I know nothing about gardening myself, I loved reading about Darby's landscaping business and would DEFINITELY like to book her for my own garden!

The ending was perhaps a bit to quick (I would have liked more of a follow-up, though I do get how the characters getting closure meant they didn't need the follow-up themselves) and a bit too repetitive, and from a purely objective point of view should probably have subtracted a star... but it's a rare thing that I get this obsessed about finishing a book (yet don't want it to end at all!), so 5 stars it is.

The Last Anniversary - Liane Moriarty, 4/5, Audiobook ~14hrs
I really enjoyed this book, and it was very well suited to the audiobook media. I liked Sophie, I liked Rosie, I didn't think I would end up liking Grace, but I did, and even the characters I didn't particularly like were still interesting, and I didn't dislike them either. I'd guessed the truth about the Munro baby long before it was revealed, but that's okay - I think we were more or less meant to figure it out along the way, so it wasn't set up to be this shocking surprise, but rather "of COURSE that is what happened".

I do wish postnatal depression wasn't such a taboo though... or rather, that some people didn't feel so ashamed about admitting to it, and others weren't so quick to brush it off as "hormones". It really bothered me to see Grace so clearly suffering from it (that's no spoiler - it's very obvious!), and having nobody else act upon it.

Not Moriarty's best, but quite high up there.

Kaninjægeren - Lars Kepler, 3/5, 576 pages
(The Rabbit Hunter)
Unfortunately not nearly as good as the other books in this series, and I think it might be time for me to say goodbye to Joona Linna and his friends. The story was still captivating, and made it easy for me to read 576 pages in less than 24 hours, but it had so many minor issues that by themselves would be no problem at all, but put together just served to annoy me.

First and foremost, the plot just seemed extremely far fetched. While I don't particularly doubt the premise, there were just certain aspects that really, really didn't work for me.

Secondly, I've gotten tired of the writing style. I don't mind a lot of really short chapters, but I draw the line when a chapter break might JUST as well have been a line break.

Thirdly, the amount of stuff that goes on between the lines. I keep worrying that I'll miss important plot points, because there are so many things just hinted at, where I have no idea if they turn out to be important or not.

That said, it did have a lot of good things going for it as well. I really loved Rex and his son and was happy that so much page-time was spent on the two of them. I also did like the concept of a spree killer as a plot point, and just wish the motivation and resolution had been better executed.

So 3 stars, and a fond farewell to the series.

Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want to Come - Jessica Pan, 4/5, 274 pages
When I read the blurb for this book, I immediately felt a kinship with Jessica Pan. As an introvert myself (although fortunately not a shy one) the truth of the title resonated deeply with me, and like Jessica, I too have declined invitations simply because I was peopled out, and would rather snuggle up on my couch with a book or my knitting.

So her challenge of saying yes to everything for a change is one that at the same time appealed to me and terrified me. Yes to improv? Absolutely, sign me up! I LOVE that stuff! Yes to stand-up comedy? Meh... would require somebody else to write my material, but otherwise, ok (I don't have a funny bone in my body, but love being on stage). Yes to friend-dates? Sure... it's a one-on-one situation, it could work. Yes to a solo vacation where I'm not allowed to buy guidebooks but have to rely on asking locals for advice? Meep! Yes to networking events and - gasp - talking to strangers on the bus? Noooooooo!!!!

I was a bit hesitant at first, because it seemed like this could very easily just be one cringe-worthy experience after the other, and some of the first forays into the world of extroverting did indeed end up that way, but as the year progressed and Jessica found more and more mentors to help her through - and made more and more friends along the way! - it became both a pleasant and a motivating read. I don't know that I'll go out and sign up for the friendship version of tinder anytime soon, but it's quite refreshing to know that while people might not wave - everybody waves back.

Kingdom of Needle and Bone - Mira Grant, 4/5, Audiobook ~3hrs
A fascinating book, which I'm sure I'll have to read several times to fully get all aspects of - especially in view of some of the twists revealed near the end which will influence how I read earlier parts. But I really shouldn't expect anything else from Mira Grant by now.

It's a thrilling story, that definitely shines light on the dangers of the anti-vacc movement. It's also really, really short and reads more like a prequel than a full story in its own right (which is the ONLY reason I didn't give it 5 stars - even though I'm pretty sure the prequel-feel was the intention, I still wanted to know more!) and I DEFINITELY want to read the rest of the story now! In many ways it's very similar to many of the shorts in the Newsflesh universe, and while I know they're not related, they very easily could be.

Mira Grant is fast becoming one of my all-time favourite authors. I've yet to meet a book of hers I didn't love.

Down Among the Sticks and Bones - Seanan McGuire, 3.5/5, 186 pages
So far the weakest of the Wayward Children books, but I still really liked it - even if I now do feel the urge to reread "Every Heart a Doorway" to remind myself what happened "next" to Jack and Jill.

It is a LOT darker than the other books in the series - but due to the nature of the Moors (no pun intended) it really couldn't be anything else. I mean... there's even a character CALLED "Dr. Bleak"!

Alpha - Audrey Faye, 5/5, 322 pages
I'd been hesitant to start reading this because while I typically LOVE Audrey Faye's writing, I've never really been a fan of shape shifters.

However, there are exceptions to every rule, and I ought really have known better. I finally picked this up when I needed some light reading for my vacation as Audrey Faye usually delivers that quite nicely. I think it took me about 5 (cell-phone sized) pages to get absolutely positively thoroughly HOOKED! This is her best work since the witches, and in fact it is INCREDIBLY similar to the witches in both atmosphere and character interactions. Granted, this necessarily has some significantly darker moments, but Audrey Faye's amazing gift in writing relationships and human interactions shines through bright and clear from the very beginning.

I laughed out loud on numerous occasions. I cried on at least one. I grew to love the characters. I never wanted the book to end. There were some elements I would have liked elaborated on (e.g. the dominants in the woods), but I trust Audrey Faye's pacing, that we'll get to hear more about them in the later books.

WHY did it take me so long to get started on this series? Of course, the good thing is that this means I now have another two books waiting for me. Excellent!

Heart - Audrey Faye, 4/5, 318 pages
Not quite as good as the first one, but pretty darn close. And I think the main reason might be that it didn't tug on my heartstrings quite as much. But that's almost always the case for sequels. And I still really, really enjoyed it and found myself picking it up whenever I had just a few minutes of spare time.

I enjoyed seeing Lissa stepping out in faith again, and loved the pebbles she threw... even if they did turn out to be more like boulders!

Hayden reminds me so much of Jamie from "A Modern Witch" - and he even has the love for ratty old couches to prove it!

Rebel - Audrey Faye, 4.5/5, 320 pages
I loved seeing the teenagers get more page-time in this one. Audrey Faye really does have a soft spot for feisty teenagers with big hearts - I think they feature in almost all her series! But it was delightful to see Kennedy find her legs as a strong Baby Alpha and fight for her place in the pack... although definitely not the same way she thought she was doing it. I was thrilled to see her interact with Hayden's mum.

The Ghost Mountain Wolf series is very similar to the Modern Witch series in that it is NOT the plot that matters - it is the characters. They drew me in from the very beginning and I just want to spend as much time with them as at all possible. I hope this turns out to be a very long series indeed :-D

The Quite Nice and Fairly Accurate Good Omens Script Book - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett, 4/5, 512 pages
Disclaimer - I actually haven't read the original book yet! I kept meaning to, but suddenly clips from the new series (which I also haven't seen yet) were EVERYWHERE and I had to know what the fuss was all about.

As it was, I really enjoyed it. I know that it was naturally quite significantly abridged, but honestly I wasn't really reading it for the story (I'll pick up the original book for that) but to put the gifs and youtube clips into context. And for that purpose, it worked beautifully. I still want to watch the series, and I still want to read the original book, but this will tide me over nicely, until I get the chance to do either.

At Knit's End - Stephanie Pearl-McPhee*, 3/5, Audiobook ~4hrs
Not a book I'd normally go for, but I've become really fond of the "Yarn Harlot"'s writing, so I thought I'd give it a chance. It was funny, and had me laughing out loud on several occasions, but it really is just a bunch of meditations. No plot, no story, no nothing... just some statements and situations to ponder over.

However, it did prove that while I do knit a lot - according to Stephanie's definition, I don't knit too much ;)

This version was read by Stephanie herself, which meant extra charm and a strong Canadian accent :)

San Diego 2014: The Last Stand of the California Browncoats - Mira Grant*, 4.5/5, 120 pages
Chilling and fascinating. I loved it and it scared me at the same time. And though this is my third or fourth read-through, somehow this short story makes me cry every. Single. Time.

Book of the Month: Alpha - with Under Currents coming in as a VERY close second.
Biggest Disappointment: Kaninjægeren. It wasn't bad, just not as good as I had expected, and as such a disappointment.