Kiwiria's Books for May
Jun. 1st, 2011 10:35 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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christianreaderA lot of amazing reads this month. Also a lot of rereads, which is probably why I managed so many.
Beastly - Alex Flinn, 4.5/5, 336 pages
A modern retelling of Beauty and the Beast told from the beast's point of view. As such, I knew the story before I even opened the book, and there was no surprise ending, but honestly? That didn't matter one bit. Alex Flinn wrote an extremely charming story where one was in turns exasperated with and endeared by 'the beast'.
I highly recommend it.
The Time-Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger*, 5/5, 518 pages
I recently watched the movie, which I thought nothing special in itself, but made me want to reread the book. I still love it :)
I love the idea of this book and am amazed by how well Audrey Niffenegger pulled it off. It's an extremely interesting book - well written, with almost all loose threads tied up as we go along, and no inconsistencies that I could find at least. It's a sad book, but a brilliant book.
Dismantled - Jennifer McMahon, 2/5, 432 pages
This is one of those weird books that I couldn't put down, but didn't actually like much. It was well written, but decidedly unpleasant. More importantly, I didn't see the point of it. It seemed like the author had gone, "Right, let's see how much trouble we can get this family into - just because I can!"
I guess I should have read the writing on the wall when the first chapter involved a suicide (something I have very strong feelings against), and just stopped there, but the back sounded interesting, and I'd been wanting to read it for years. Just a shame that the library didn't have it, so I actually ended up spending money on it.
Anne of Green Gables - Lucy Maud Montgomery*, 5/5, 303 pages
I don't know how it's possible, but I keep forgetting from read to read just how much I LOVE this book! It's charming, it's touching, it's funny, it's poignant - it's everything I want in a book. I can't believe I haven't read it in 5 years! But I recently watched the first Sullivan Anne movie, was utterly charmed by it, and knew I was due for a reread of the series.
I love how LMM allows the characters to grow. Mostly Anne, of course, but honestly I think it's even more apparent in Marilla, and it pleases me more with every reread. LMM really has a way with words, and there are so many favourite quotes in this book - sure, I know most of them by heart, but that just means it's like revisiting an old friend.
I can't help but wonder if Anne and Diana would have been as good friends if Anne had had other options. Kindred Spirits though she might claim, they don't seem to have all that much in common. I know that it's absolutely necessary in a friendship, but it just got me thinking.
Anne of Avonlea - Lucy Maud Montgomery*, 4/5, 276 pages
Definitely comfort reading, but for that the Anne books are the best :) They're perfect to turn to when I feel blue. This one is not quite as good as its predecessor - it did occasionally feel more like a bunch of short stories tied together with a common thread, than a novel in its own right - but it's still a charming story.
Anne of the Island - Lucy Maud Montgomery*, 5/5, 245 pages
This is probably my favourite Anne book, although it's difficult to say as they're all good :) I love reading about her life at Patty's Place, and Redmond. Also, I think the Roy-issue is very well written and a very atypical inclusion in this type of book - although I am glad she ended up with Gilbert after all!
Anne of Windy Willows (Poplars) - Lucy Maud Montgomery*, 4.5/5, 258 pages
The 4th Anne book has two different titles depending on whether you get the British or the American version (apparently the American publisher feared people would confuse "Windy Willows" with "Wind in the Willows"). LMM herself wanted to call it AoWW, so that's what I consider the 'proper' title myself. Also, I've been told that AoWP is abridged compared to AoWW, but I haven't checked myself.
Many people find AoWW the weakest of the Anne books, because we hear so little about the characters of the other books. I'm not among them though. I love reading books made up of letters, so this is one of my favourites. The last star was removed solely because there were some of the plotlines/characters I didn't care about at all (e.g. Gerald and Geraldine... or whatever their names were ;) ).
Anne's House of Dreams - Lucy Maud Montgomery*, 4.5/5, 227 pages
I have very mixed feelings about AHoD. It's a gorgeous book, but it no longer (like the later ones) feels like an 'Anne' book. It's still LMM at her best, but it doesn't have quite the charm of the first 4. That's not to say I don't love it - especially the story line about Leslie and Owen. And Captain Jim and Miss. Cornelia are wonderful characters.
The Last Olympian - Rick Riordan, 3.5/5, 381 pages
I'm very conflicted in what I think of this book. Parts of it I like, parts of it I didn't care much about at all, and it annoyed me that I didn't care about it, because it's obvious that I'm supposed to.
This series is constantly being compared to Harry Potter. Okay, I can see that, but that means that I automatically compared the big fight scene in "The Last Olympian" to the big fight scene in "Deathly Hallows"... and unfortunately it fell down flat in the comparison. This is where the series really suffer from Rick Riordan not doing enough character building in the previous books... apart from the 3-5 main characters, I really didn't care who lived or died. The deaths meant nothing to me, because the characters meant nothing to me.
Also, I didn't find the relationship between Percy and Annabeth believable. There was no chemistry between them at all, and seemed tacked on because Riordan figured, "Oops! Better add a love interest!" There is one small glimmer of a spark in an earlier book, but apart from that it was completely "tell, don't show".
So those two aspects were hugely disappointing, but fortunately not enough to completely ruin the book for me. I thought the fight scenes well written, I liked Percy's mother and Paul, I liked Rachel, and I loved the final resolution with the gods :)
So all in all it gets 3.5 from me.
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day - Winifred Watson, 4/5, ~9hrs
I only heard about this recently, so had somehow managed to trick myself into believing that it had only been written recently as well. Knowing that it was originally written in 1938 actually puts quite a different spin on it - for the better. I had wondered how historically accurate it was, but knowing that it was written at about the same time as it's supposed to take place would indicate that it is.
It's a charming story, if perhaps somewhat unbelievable that so many things could happen to a person in just one day. Made for a very entertaining listen though.
Anne of Ingleside - Lucy Maud Montgomery*, 3/5, 274 pages
Not as good as the other books in the series. I guess reading about Anne's children just isn't nearly as interesting as reading about Anne herself, or perhaps it just shows a tad too clearly that this book was written as the very last Anne book - long after LMM had grown tired of writing about her.
I still greatly enjoyed most of the book, but have to admit to skimming over some of the chapters of mishaps that befell Nan or Di.
No One Cares What You Had for Lunch - Margaret Mason, 2/5, 144 pages
I'm always on the look-out for new blogging ideas, so was very intrigued when I read the title. Unfortunately, the book itself couldn't live up to my hopes, as it's really not very interesting. It's obviously aimed at new bloggers, as most of the author's ideas are well-known in the blogging community and not considered either spectacular or ground-breaking. And if it is aimed at new bloggers, most of the ideas are too meme'ish to interest a larger crowd.
Rainbow Valley - L.M. Montgomery*, 3.5/5, 225 pages
I think it's a bit of a misnomer to call this an "Anne"-book. She plays a very small part in it, and her kids only a tiny bit bigger. Instead, the main characters are the Meredith-children. It's still a charming book, and I still hugely enjoyed it - but I did miss Anne.
Having read LMM's journals, I find it interesting that LMM seems to portray love in a somewhat more cynical light in her later books - as shown by the promise of Ellen and Rosemary West here.
Rilla of Ingleside - Lucy Maud Montgomery*, 5/5, 277 pages
PSA: Apparently, the Bantam edition of this is abridged - with some 4500 words having been left out from the original. The Gutenberg edition should be complete though.
Again, not an "Anne"-book as such, as the focus is definitely on Rilla. Still, one can forgive LMM for that, as it's still mostly about Anne's children, and because it's such an excellent portrayal of life in rural Canada during WW1. Knowing that LMM went through much of this herself lends it a credence and authenticity I haven't found elsewhere.
It's been quite awhile since I last cried that much over a book - Lars got rather concerned at times! - but it's a beautiful and, despite its sadness, hopeful book. I do wish LMM had stuck to her guns and kept the original title though. I by far prefer Rilla-My-Rilla!
The Knitting Circle - Ann Hood, 4.5/5, 344 pages
An Amazon recommendation - sometimes they're just spot on!
A beautiful and poignant book about working your way through grief with the help of both friends and near-strangers. I liked the idea of a knitting therapy group, even if I was somewhat appalled that nobody pushed Mary to get some 'real' counselling.
Just like other books about knitting clubs, it made me want to join one myself ;)
Rose - Holly Webb, 4.5/5, 262 pages
Very charming YA. I loved the characters, the universe and the story, and will definitely be keeping my eye out for the rest of the series. I liked the way magic was used, and hope we get to hear more about Rose's history in the later books.
A quick read and a sweet, feel-good story.
Hate List - Jennifer Brown, 5/5, 405 pages
This is one of the best books I've read in a very, very long time... but it is a different kind of good from most books I read. It's powerful, it's thought-provoking, it's poignant, it's desperately sad, it's hopeful.
Hate List is the story of what takes place after a school shooting - of the year that follows that event and how people try - or don't try - to move on. How people blame each other and themselves, and how Valerie - girlfriend of the shooter - comes to terms with who she is, and how much of the blame for the shooting she really should take.
It's an amazingly well-written and complex book that dives into the psychology of all the victims of such an event. While relatively short, it's in no way a quick read, as it's so emotionally loaded that I had to take my time with it.
A griping read.
The Passage - Justin Cronin, 4.5/5, 963 pages
Really, really fascinating book. And a somewhat unusual book as well, in that it completely changed focus/style about half way through. The first half was about the creation of the disaster, the second half about the aftermath - almost 100 years later! I'm used to books being either one or the other, so it was a bit of a mental shift to have to make. It somehow seemed a bit like a mix of "The Stand" by Stephen King and "The Forest of Hands and Teeth" by Carrie Ryan.
It's a long book, but 'deserved' its length, in that it didn't seem drawn out at any time. The writing was tight and the characters believable. I loved Amy and Wolgast, but somehow didn't get as attached to any from the colony - except Auntie, but then I've always loved wise, old women ;)
The only thing I was really annoyed about was the very last paragraph. Seemed a bit like a cop-out, but I guess Justin Cronin was just setting the stage for book 2 in the series - which I'll definitely want to read.
Plague - Michael Grant, 3.5/5, 576 pages
"Gone" is a fascinating series, but I think I'm just about ready for it to finish. By that I don't mean that the individual books are getting boring, but that it's starting to seem like a never-ending story, and while I know that Michael Grant has only planned two more books in the series, I still worry that it'll be left with either an open or an unsatisfying ending.
The advantage of knowing there are still two more books to go is that I no longer expected any real resolution in "Plague", so I was able to enjoy it despite that. And it did have some very interesting developments - the return of Caine, the discovery of Toto and the fate of Little Pete. I'm getting really annoyed with Drake though. There's no depth to him, nor any character development. He's just evil for the sake of being evil, and that's not interesting to read about. Hopefully, between the two of them, Caine and Sam will be able to take care of him.
1 BSC Book*
A total of 21 books - 11 of these were rereads.
Book of the Month: A tie between Hate List and The Passage. Both AMAZING.
Biggest Disappointment: Dismantled
Beastly - Alex Flinn, 4.5/5, 336 pages
A modern retelling of Beauty and the Beast told from the beast's point of view. As such, I knew the story before I even opened the book, and there was no surprise ending, but honestly? That didn't matter one bit. Alex Flinn wrote an extremely charming story where one was in turns exasperated with and endeared by 'the beast'.
I highly recommend it.
The Time-Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger*, 5/5, 518 pages
I recently watched the movie, which I thought nothing special in itself, but made me want to reread the book. I still love it :)
I love the idea of this book and am amazed by how well Audrey Niffenegger pulled it off. It's an extremely interesting book - well written, with almost all loose threads tied up as we go along, and no inconsistencies that I could find at least. It's a sad book, but a brilliant book.
Dismantled - Jennifer McMahon, 2/5, 432 pages
This is one of those weird books that I couldn't put down, but didn't actually like much. It was well written, but decidedly unpleasant. More importantly, I didn't see the point of it. It seemed like the author had gone, "Right, let's see how much trouble we can get this family into - just because I can!"
I guess I should have read the writing on the wall when the first chapter involved a suicide (something I have very strong feelings against), and just stopped there, but the back sounded interesting, and I'd been wanting to read it for years. Just a shame that the library didn't have it, so I actually ended up spending money on it.
Anne of Green Gables - Lucy Maud Montgomery*, 5/5, 303 pages
I don't know how it's possible, but I keep forgetting from read to read just how much I LOVE this book! It's charming, it's touching, it's funny, it's poignant - it's everything I want in a book. I can't believe I haven't read it in 5 years! But I recently watched the first Sullivan Anne movie, was utterly charmed by it, and knew I was due for a reread of the series.
I love how LMM allows the characters to grow. Mostly Anne, of course, but honestly I think it's even more apparent in Marilla, and it pleases me more with every reread. LMM really has a way with words, and there are so many favourite quotes in this book - sure, I know most of them by heart, but that just means it's like revisiting an old friend.
I can't help but wonder if Anne and Diana would have been as good friends if Anne had had other options. Kindred Spirits though she might claim, they don't seem to have all that much in common. I know that it's absolutely necessary in a friendship, but it just got me thinking.
Anne of Avonlea - Lucy Maud Montgomery*, 4/5, 276 pages
Definitely comfort reading, but for that the Anne books are the best :) They're perfect to turn to when I feel blue. This one is not quite as good as its predecessor - it did occasionally feel more like a bunch of short stories tied together with a common thread, than a novel in its own right - but it's still a charming story.
Anne of the Island - Lucy Maud Montgomery*, 5/5, 245 pages
This is probably my favourite Anne book, although it's difficult to say as they're all good :) I love reading about her life at Patty's Place, and Redmond. Also, I think the Roy-issue is very well written and a very atypical inclusion in this type of book - although I am glad she ended up with Gilbert after all!
Anne of Windy Willows (Poplars) - Lucy Maud Montgomery*, 4.5/5, 258 pages
The 4th Anne book has two different titles depending on whether you get the British or the American version (apparently the American publisher feared people would confuse "Windy Willows" with "Wind in the Willows"). LMM herself wanted to call it AoWW, so that's what I consider the 'proper' title myself. Also, I've been told that AoWP is abridged compared to AoWW, but I haven't checked myself.
Many people find AoWW the weakest of the Anne books, because we hear so little about the characters of the other books. I'm not among them though. I love reading books made up of letters, so this is one of my favourites. The last star was removed solely because there were some of the plotlines/characters I didn't care about at all (e.g. Gerald and Geraldine... or whatever their names were ;) ).
Anne's House of Dreams - Lucy Maud Montgomery*, 4.5/5, 227 pages
I have very mixed feelings about AHoD. It's a gorgeous book, but it no longer (like the later ones) feels like an 'Anne' book. It's still LMM at her best, but it doesn't have quite the charm of the first 4. That's not to say I don't love it - especially the story line about Leslie and Owen. And Captain Jim and Miss. Cornelia are wonderful characters.
The Last Olympian - Rick Riordan, 3.5/5, 381 pages
I'm very conflicted in what I think of this book. Parts of it I like, parts of it I didn't care much about at all, and it annoyed me that I didn't care about it, because it's obvious that I'm supposed to.
This series is constantly being compared to Harry Potter. Okay, I can see that, but that means that I automatically compared the big fight scene in "The Last Olympian" to the big fight scene in "Deathly Hallows"... and unfortunately it fell down flat in the comparison. This is where the series really suffer from Rick Riordan not doing enough character building in the previous books... apart from the 3-5 main characters, I really didn't care who lived or died. The deaths meant nothing to me, because the characters meant nothing to me.
Also, I didn't find the relationship between Percy and Annabeth believable. There was no chemistry between them at all, and seemed tacked on because Riordan figured, "Oops! Better add a love interest!" There is one small glimmer of a spark in an earlier book, but apart from that it was completely "tell, don't show".
So those two aspects were hugely disappointing, but fortunately not enough to completely ruin the book for me. I thought the fight scenes well written, I liked Percy's mother and Paul, I liked Rachel, and I loved the final resolution with the gods :)
So all in all it gets 3.5 from me.
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day - Winifred Watson, 4/5, ~9hrs
I only heard about this recently, so had somehow managed to trick myself into believing that it had only been written recently as well. Knowing that it was originally written in 1938 actually puts quite a different spin on it - for the better. I had wondered how historically accurate it was, but knowing that it was written at about the same time as it's supposed to take place would indicate that it is.
It's a charming story, if perhaps somewhat unbelievable that so many things could happen to a person in just one day. Made for a very entertaining listen though.
Anne of Ingleside - Lucy Maud Montgomery*, 3/5, 274 pages
Not as good as the other books in the series. I guess reading about Anne's children just isn't nearly as interesting as reading about Anne herself, or perhaps it just shows a tad too clearly that this book was written as the very last Anne book - long after LMM had grown tired of writing about her.
I still greatly enjoyed most of the book, but have to admit to skimming over some of the chapters of mishaps that befell Nan or Di.
No One Cares What You Had for Lunch - Margaret Mason, 2/5, 144 pages
I'm always on the look-out for new blogging ideas, so was very intrigued when I read the title. Unfortunately, the book itself couldn't live up to my hopes, as it's really not very interesting. It's obviously aimed at new bloggers, as most of the author's ideas are well-known in the blogging community and not considered either spectacular or ground-breaking. And if it is aimed at new bloggers, most of the ideas are too meme'ish to interest a larger crowd.
Rainbow Valley - L.M. Montgomery*, 3.5/5, 225 pages
I think it's a bit of a misnomer to call this an "Anne"-book. She plays a very small part in it, and her kids only a tiny bit bigger. Instead, the main characters are the Meredith-children. It's still a charming book, and I still hugely enjoyed it - but I did miss Anne.
Having read LMM's journals, I find it interesting that LMM seems to portray love in a somewhat more cynical light in her later books - as shown by the promise of Ellen and Rosemary West here.
Rilla of Ingleside - Lucy Maud Montgomery*, 5/5, 277 pages
PSA: Apparently, the Bantam edition of this is abridged - with some 4500 words having been left out from the original. The Gutenberg edition should be complete though.
Again, not an "Anne"-book as such, as the focus is definitely on Rilla. Still, one can forgive LMM for that, as it's still mostly about Anne's children, and because it's such an excellent portrayal of life in rural Canada during WW1. Knowing that LMM went through much of this herself lends it a credence and authenticity I haven't found elsewhere.
It's been quite awhile since I last cried that much over a book - Lars got rather concerned at times! - but it's a beautiful and, despite its sadness, hopeful book. I do wish LMM had stuck to her guns and kept the original title though. I by far prefer Rilla-My-Rilla!
The Knitting Circle - Ann Hood, 4.5/5, 344 pages
An Amazon recommendation - sometimes they're just spot on!
A beautiful and poignant book about working your way through grief with the help of both friends and near-strangers. I liked the idea of a knitting therapy group, even if I was somewhat appalled that nobody pushed Mary to get some 'real' counselling.
Just like other books about knitting clubs, it made me want to join one myself ;)
Rose - Holly Webb, 4.5/5, 262 pages
Very charming YA. I loved the characters, the universe and the story, and will definitely be keeping my eye out for the rest of the series. I liked the way magic was used, and hope we get to hear more about Rose's history in the later books.
A quick read and a sweet, feel-good story.
Hate List - Jennifer Brown, 5/5, 405 pages
This is one of the best books I've read in a very, very long time... but it is a different kind of good from most books I read. It's powerful, it's thought-provoking, it's poignant, it's desperately sad, it's hopeful.
Hate List is the story of what takes place after a school shooting - of the year that follows that event and how people try - or don't try - to move on. How people blame each other and themselves, and how Valerie - girlfriend of the shooter - comes to terms with who she is, and how much of the blame for the shooting she really should take.
It's an amazingly well-written and complex book that dives into the psychology of all the victims of such an event. While relatively short, it's in no way a quick read, as it's so emotionally loaded that I had to take my time with it.
A griping read.
The Passage - Justin Cronin, 4.5/5, 963 pages
Really, really fascinating book. And a somewhat unusual book as well, in that it completely changed focus/style about half way through. The first half was about the creation of the disaster, the second half about the aftermath - almost 100 years later! I'm used to books being either one or the other, so it was a bit of a mental shift to have to make. It somehow seemed a bit like a mix of "The Stand" by Stephen King and "The Forest of Hands and Teeth" by Carrie Ryan.
It's a long book, but 'deserved' its length, in that it didn't seem drawn out at any time. The writing was tight and the characters believable. I loved Amy and Wolgast, but somehow didn't get as attached to any from the colony - except Auntie, but then I've always loved wise, old women ;)
The only thing I was really annoyed about was the very last paragraph. Seemed a bit like a cop-out, but I guess Justin Cronin was just setting the stage for book 2 in the series - which I'll definitely want to read.
Plague - Michael Grant, 3.5/5, 576 pages
"Gone" is a fascinating series, but I think I'm just about ready for it to finish. By that I don't mean that the individual books are getting boring, but that it's starting to seem like a never-ending story, and while I know that Michael Grant has only planned two more books in the series, I still worry that it'll be left with either an open or an unsatisfying ending.
The advantage of knowing there are still two more books to go is that I no longer expected any real resolution in "Plague", so I was able to enjoy it despite that. And it did have some very interesting developments - the return of Caine, the discovery of Toto and the fate of Little Pete. I'm getting really annoyed with Drake though. There's no depth to him, nor any character development. He's just evil for the sake of being evil, and that's not interesting to read about. Hopefully, between the two of them, Caine and Sam will be able to take care of him.
1 BSC Book*
A total of 21 books - 11 of these were rereads.
Book of the Month: A tie between Hate List and The Passage. Both AMAZING.
Biggest Disappointment: Dismantled
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Date: 2011-06-01 02:07 pm (UTC)Have you seen the movie of Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day? If so, how does it compare to the book?
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Date: 2011-06-01 02:13 pm (UTC)Unfortunately no, I haven't seen the movie of it. I've heard that it's really good, but haven't managed to get my hands on it myself yet.