christianreader | books read in June

The Wide-Awake Princess by E.D. Baker - In this retelling of Sleeping Beauty, Princess Annie must go on a quest to find the Prince to wake her sister and the rest of the castle. This book was enjoyable, but not great. The author drops a lot of other fairy tale references, so if you like that sort of thing, you might like this book. I think what I didn't like about it was that it seemed very predictable - when I read a retelling, I do want the core of the story to remain the same, but I also like if the author can refresh the tale a little.

Castle Waiting by Linda Medley - (graphic novel) A series of tales told by the inhabitants of a castle that has become a refuge for society's misfits. I'm not sure why I kept reading this, since I kind of lost interest. My problem with this book is it doesn't seem to have much of a point. Because there are several tales told (and tales-within-tales), nothing really seems to get resolved.

The Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine - With her adventurous sister Meryl suffering from the grey death, meek and timid Princess Addie sets out to find a cure. This book was okay (not great) until an ending that just ruined it for me. Yes, I am burnt out on fairy tale-type books for now.

SeaQuest DSV: Fire Below by Matthew J. Costello - On one of its first voyages, the SeaQuest and its crew are called to trouble at an undersea resort - and their mission gets weirder and more dangerous from there. Even on the level of being SeaQuest fanfic, this book is not very good. Continuity police: I am fairly certain that Captain Bridger was never called "Nate" by anyone. Similarly, when did Bridger ever call Crocker "Gator"??? ALSO who the heck is this doctor guy the author made up, and why do we need him when we have Westphalen? And beyond the continuity gaffes, the story(ies) just wasn't all that engaging to me. Basically, I only finished reading this for the ~nostalgia~. Good thing I only spent 25 cents on it.

My Invisible Boyfriend by Susie Day - When Heidi returns to high school to find all of her friends now have boyfriends, she invents a fake boyfriend for herself. This book is pretty predictable, but it was still fun to read. Recommended for those who like teen rom-com.

Crunch by Leslie Connor - With their parents stranded in Canada due to a gas crisis, Dewey and his siblings must take care of themselves, their younger siblings, and their dad's bike shop. I liked this book, and I could see it being made into a movie. I like the realistic way Dewey and his siblings were portrayed. Even though there wasn't too much plot line, the book was fulfilling and I liked the ending.

The Introvert Advantage: How to Thrive in an Extrovert World by Marti Olsen Laney - Self-help for the introvert. Okay, I admit - I skipped some chapters in this book, because I am not a parent and I don't really care about the science of introversion. This book started out great, and I was really gung-ho about it, but then... I'm not sure if the book got less helpful or if I just reached my saturation point for helpful advice. I'd still say this book is worth a read if you're an introvert.