christianreader | Kiwiria's Books for April

Den sidste gode mand - A.J. Kazinski, 4/5, 492 pages
(The Last Good Man)
Finally a book where I was pleasantly surprised, and that actually exceeded my expectations. I found it very difficult to put it down, and ended up reading it in two days flat. It was interesting to read a book that took place in settings and under circumstances I am familiar with, and I loved all the references to actual events.

Mostly I was intrigued by the plot and fascinated as the questions were slowly answered. I did think the biggest one was still missing an answer though - the main why. No explanation was ever given there... a fact I didn't think about at the time, but which slightly bothers me now.

Bitter is the New Black - Jen Lancaster, 4/5, 398 pages
Somehow I'd managed to confuse myself into thinking this was a book of essays or blog posts, so it was a bit of a surprise to discover a memoir instead. Once I'd gotten my head around my misunderstanding, I ended up really liking it though. I was gratified to see that Jen wasn't quite as Egomaniacal and Self-Centered as her book title would have her appear, and that she didn't come across as a real-life Bridget Jones or Shopaholic, but that she decided to make the best of a bad situation, rather than just giving up altogether.

I'm curious about her two other books now.

Arrow - R.J. Anderson, 4/5, 356 pages
A bit slow to start - come to think of it, I think the others might have been too, but I just noticed it more here, because I was so eager for the action to get back to the Oak and all my old friends there. A fast and entertaining read though, with plenty of twists and turns, where I really ought to have guessed some of them, and was completely thrown for a loop by others.

Anna and the French Kiss - Stephanie Perkins, 4.5/5, 372 pages
All of a sudden I started reading about this book everywhere, and everybody who'd read it absolutely raved about it. Well, obviously I had to see what the fuss was all about, so I ordered it online, and sat down to read it over the weekend...

... and I have to admit, I immediately joined the adoring crowd. The storyline was nothing we haven't seen a thousand times before in other YA books, but the execution was so incredibly charming that I just had to surrender. Stephanie Perkins writes young love extremely well, so it was very easy to live vicariously through Anna, and I really enjoyed that so much page-time was spent on establishing Anna and St. Claire's friendship.

I really wish I didn't believe there existed as cruel husbands/fathers as Mr. St. Claire though.

So 4.5 stars. The final half-star was removed for the number of times where I wanted to shake either Anna or St. Claire or both for being so stupid and just not communicating! It was a believable stupid though - very age appropriate, and I doubt I'd have been any different myself ;)

De sorte symboler - Nick Clausen, 3.5/5, 186 pages
(The Black Symbols)
I'm not usually a big fan of the whole horror genre, but I tend to make an exception with Nick Clausen, and thankfully his newest book completely lived up to my expectations. In style it most of all reminded me of the Witch Saga by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, which is definitely not a bad thing! I used to love those books when I was younger!

I got a small giggle out of the reference to one of his other books - I always enjoy when authors use inside jokes like that in a manner discreet enough that people not in the know don't even realize that they're missing out on something.

Like his other books, "De sorte symboler" has a somewhat open ending, although fortunately not quite as open as I at one point feared. As it was, it seemed much more in line with the atmosphere he attempted (successfully) to create.

Tempted - P.C. & Kristin Cast, 3/5, 336 pages
YES! Finally Zoey got at least some of her love life sorted out! The remaining actors don't annoy me as much, as it sort of makes sense to the story, but I'm still concerned that the two Casts will turn right back and disappoint me again in this regard. Only time will show.

I rather enjoyed this book actually. Objectively speaking I can see that the House of Night series is rubbish, but they make for an entertaining read nonetheless. Too little time was spent at the House of Night in this one for my liking though, and I'm really curious to know where the Casts will take it from here, now that they decided to end it as they did. I felt somewhat tricked, but they may still redeem it. I loved the idea of shadowravens not necessarily being evil, but just having made the wrong choice.

Committed - Elizabeth Gilbert, 4/5, ~8.5hrs
Ever since reading "Eat, Pray, Love" I've been interested in reading this second memoir as well. However, it turned out to be very different from what I had expected, in that it was more of a dissertation about marriage through the years/cultures than a stereotypical memoir.

After my initial disappointment, I ended up not minding too much though. There was enough memoir stuff in it to satisfy my desire to 'learn more about Liz and Felipe', and I ended up being quite intrigued by how marriage has changed over time and how differently it is viewed from country to country.

This audio-version was read by Elizabeth Gilbert herself, which added a pleasant touch to the book.

Why Men Don't Have a Clue and Women Always Need More Shoes - Barbara & Allan Pease, 2.5/5, 286 pages
Not as good as their first book. Some of the information was spot on, other bits really, really, really far off... but then I guess it doesn't help that I severely lack the shoe-desire gene ;)

I liked the real-life examples to show what their theories looked like in practise, but thought there were too few of them.

All in all a fairly easily read book - more accessible than Men Are from Mars... but once you've read either that or Allan and Barbara's other book, there's no real reason to read this one as well.

Six Months to Live - Lurlene McDaniel, 3/5, 136 pages
If I'd read this 15-20 years ago, I would have absolutely LOVED it! It fits perfectly the type of book I used to read back then, and is sad enough to make me cry without being too sad. I did get certain flashbacks to my own time spent in a hospital, although I'm grateful it was never this serious.

The Sea of Monsters - Rick Riordan, 3.5/5, 279 pages
A quick read and perfect for a plane ride. It didn't require too much attention but kept me well entertained.

I didn't find it quite as good as the first one though - it lacked some of the magic... although I wonder if that's just because I had gotten used to the universe? I loved Tyson though! Definitely a nice addition.

I also appreciate a series that manages to close off individual plotlines while keeping the main arc open - Riordan handles that nicely.

The Titan's Curse - Rick Riordan, 3.5/5, 304 pages
These books keep being compared to Harry Potter, and I can definitely see why... However, on one point I think they're significantly inferior - there are no descriptions of what life is like when there isn't a crisis in the making. The books are wonderfully action-filled, but I actually miss descriptions of everyday life at the camp. Such descriptions build the universe more thoroughly than handling the monster of the week.

The Battle of the Labyrinth - Rick Riordan, 3.5/5, 361 pages
Hmmm... I know it's borderline sacrilege, but I think I actually prefer Rachel to Annabeth...

Both my likes and dislikes from the earlier books still stand - Rick Riordan is doing a great job at keeping the tension high throughout the series, and I like that each book features a (mostly) completed quest, but I still wish we got to hear more about Percy Jackson's life when it's not constantly on the line.

Inconceivable - Ben Elton - 2.5/5, 368 pages
A bit of a disappointment, unfortunately. So far, I have thoroughly enjoyed every book I've read by Ben Elton, and I just don't think this lived up to his usual standards. It was readable enough, but not as engaging or captivating as his other books. I did appreciate the poignancy of it though, and especially enjoyed the ending.

So 13 books read... honestly, I'd expected more, but then I also surprised myself by how few books I read on the plane ride to NZ. No rereads though :)

Book of the Month: Anna and the French Kiss
Biggest Disappointment: Why Men...