Kiwiria's April Reads
May. 4th, 2021 03:05 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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christianreaderSurvival Instincts - Adriana Anders, 4/5, Audiobook ~11hrs
Not very realistic, but a good yarn, so I enjoyed it all the same. I loved reading about survival on Antarctica and just wish more time had been spent on describing life on the research station. I liked seeing the growing friendship between Angel and Ford, and though the romance did come a bit out of the blue, I can totally see how being thrown together in such intense circumstances could do that.
But it does require a serious suspension of disbelief, so give it a miss if you're not into that kind of thing.
The Strangers - Margaret Peterson Haddix, 4/5, 358 pages
Very thrilling story. Recommended for ages 10 and up (although I'd probably focus on the 'up' - might be a bit scary for most 10-year-olds), but definitely worthwhile reading as an adult as well. I found it very difficult to put it down - both literally and figuratively, as I've found myself thinking about it ever since.
The first few chapters had question upon question upon question piled upon the reader, and I was somewhat skeptical that Margaret Peterson Haddix would be able to provide a suitably satisfying answer to them. Fortunately she mostly did - and the 'mostly' is 100% my own fault, as I hadn't read the huge "parallel universe" tag in the back blurb, and therefore hadn't realized that it would have a sci-fi element. Once I got my head wrapped around that, I loved the story and will definitely be keeping my eye out for the next in the series.
Come Tumbling Down - Seanan McGuire, 3.5/5, 206 pages
I was glad to see this book once again focus on all the Wayward Children instead of just one or two. However, the Moors will never be my favourite place to visit, so that made me subtract a star.
Otherwise this was basically exactly what I have come to expect from the Wayward Children series, and only made me more eager to read Christopher and Kade's stories.
The Little Brooklyn Bakery - Julie Caplin, 4/5, 448 pages
Really sweet and charming read that made me long to go back to NYC - bad timing reading it in the middle of a pandemic when I can't go anywhere at all!!! :-P
Very predictable, but I knew that going into it, as the first book was much the same, but so charming that I didn't mind at all. I loved reading about Sophie's experiences exploring Manhattan and Brooklyn (and got some new ideas for my next visit!) and about her baking adventures with Betty. Would have loved to read more about her experiences at the magazine though!
There were some really odd errors from time to time (e.g. she got the title of "How I Met Your Mother" wrong! :-O ) and the end was a tad trite and wrapped up everything much more quickly than I would have liked, but all in all I loved it. Right book at the right time, I guess :-)
The Tourist Attraction - Sarah Morgenthaler, 3.5/5, Audiobook ~11hrs
Rounded up on goodreads, because it made me even more keen to go to Alaska someday.
I liked it well enough - however, I had expected to love it, so "liking well enough" was slightly disappointing. Still, it was good, and I enjoyed reading about Alaska and Moose Springs.
My main problem with the book was that it didn't ring quite true. The romance was sweet, but too sudden. The friendship between Lana and Zoey was told rather than shown. Zoey's adventures were fascinating, but seemed over the top when I stopped to think about it. In general, I was left with a feeling of "it's good, but...."
I did love the descriptions of the Alaskan wilderness and wildlife though!
Rose Under Fire - Elizabeth Wein*, 4.5/5, Audiobook ~12hrs
Not quite as good as an audiobook as when I read it myself... either that, or it just didn't pack the same punch because I'd already read it before and knew what was coming.
That said, it's still a really, really good book, and one I would recommend to anybody. Sure, it's fiction, but it's all based on real events.. and that's what makes this story such a devastating read.
Books read: 35
Not very realistic, but a good yarn, so I enjoyed it all the same. I loved reading about survival on Antarctica and just wish more time had been spent on describing life on the research station. I liked seeing the growing friendship between Angel and Ford, and though the romance did come a bit out of the blue, I can totally see how being thrown together in such intense circumstances could do that.
But it does require a serious suspension of disbelief, so give it a miss if you're not into that kind of thing.
The Strangers - Margaret Peterson Haddix, 4/5, 358 pages
Very thrilling story. Recommended for ages 10 and up (although I'd probably focus on the 'up' - might be a bit scary for most 10-year-olds), but definitely worthwhile reading as an adult as well. I found it very difficult to put it down - both literally and figuratively, as I've found myself thinking about it ever since.
The first few chapters had question upon question upon question piled upon the reader, and I was somewhat skeptical that Margaret Peterson Haddix would be able to provide a suitably satisfying answer to them. Fortunately she mostly did - and the 'mostly' is 100% my own fault, as I hadn't read the huge "parallel universe" tag in the back blurb, and therefore hadn't realized that it would have a sci-fi element. Once I got my head wrapped around that, I loved the story and will definitely be keeping my eye out for the next in the series.
Come Tumbling Down - Seanan McGuire, 3.5/5, 206 pages
I was glad to see this book once again focus on all the Wayward Children instead of just one or two. However, the Moors will never be my favourite place to visit, so that made me subtract a star.
Otherwise this was basically exactly what I have come to expect from the Wayward Children series, and only made me more eager to read Christopher and Kade's stories.
The Little Brooklyn Bakery - Julie Caplin, 4/5, 448 pages
Really sweet and charming read that made me long to go back to NYC - bad timing reading it in the middle of a pandemic when I can't go anywhere at all!!! :-P
Very predictable, but I knew that going into it, as the first book was much the same, but so charming that I didn't mind at all. I loved reading about Sophie's experiences exploring Manhattan and Brooklyn (and got some new ideas for my next visit!) and about her baking adventures with Betty. Would have loved to read more about her experiences at the magazine though!
There were some really odd errors from time to time (e.g. she got the title of "How I Met Your Mother" wrong! :-O ) and the end was a tad trite and wrapped up everything much more quickly than I would have liked, but all in all I loved it. Right book at the right time, I guess :-)
The Tourist Attraction - Sarah Morgenthaler, 3.5/5, Audiobook ~11hrs
Rounded up on goodreads, because it made me even more keen to go to Alaska someday.
I liked it well enough - however, I had expected to love it, so "liking well enough" was slightly disappointing. Still, it was good, and I enjoyed reading about Alaska and Moose Springs.
My main problem with the book was that it didn't ring quite true. The romance was sweet, but too sudden. The friendship between Lana and Zoey was told rather than shown. Zoey's adventures were fascinating, but seemed over the top when I stopped to think about it. In general, I was left with a feeling of "it's good, but...."
I did love the descriptions of the Alaskan wilderness and wildlife though!
Rose Under Fire - Elizabeth Wein*, 4.5/5, Audiobook ~12hrs
Not quite as good as an audiobook as when I read it myself... either that, or it just didn't pack the same punch because I'd already read it before and knew what was coming.
That said, it's still a really, really good book, and one I would recommend to anybody. Sure, it's fiction, but it's all based on real events.. and that's what makes this story such a devastating read.
Books read: 35
