I will not lie. I picked Real Life and Liars because I liked the cover. I wanted to pick up something that was not Young Adult. This story seemed interesting but not extremely depressing and I wanted to see if I liked it so I decided to give it a chance.
Even though it’s been a while since I finished it and I read it relatively quickly and enjoyed it for the most part, I still don’t really know what I think of it. I can’t say I disliked it. It was interesting. It was worth reading.
But I also can’t say it was the best read this year. Not even in my top ten likely.
I still don’t regret reading it. And that’s as good as it’s going to get for now.
Not much of an endorsement, eh?
I have no idea why I picked up Wings. I am slightly obsessed with angles (especially lately) and maybe I thought it would be related. Or maybe I liked the cover. I’ve been on a young adult bend lately and maybe this was just another light but wonderful read.
Well as it turned out I only felt so so about it. The characters didn’t have my attention as much as I would have liked them to and I just didn’t get into the book. It might be me. This was certainly a sweet book and interesting at times. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with it. It just didn’t feel deep to me I guess. It hovered on the surface the whole time. I might read her next book to see if things change but I am not rushing out to get it just yet. Or maybe I just need to give young adult a rest and read something completely different for a bit.
Or not.
Who knows? 🙂
I’ve been meaning to read Stiff for quite a few years. I kept trying and giving up. So when one of my book clubs picked it, I decided it was time. Like Henrietta Lacks, I got the audio tapes and decided to give it one more go.
It could be that the reader wasn’t that great or that the subjectmatter was just too morose for me (especially after three consecutive books on death) but I just couldn’t get into it.
Yes there were funny parts and interesting parts but I still didn’t love it as much as so many people seem to. I’m sure it’s me. I have been known to not love books others seem to adore.
So I cannot recommend or not-recommend this one. Try it and see how you feel.
After Elsewhere and Before I Fall, Thirteen Reasons Why was the third book I read in a row where the main character dies or is dead. I don’t know if this just a coincidence or there are just a lot of young adult novels with death in them. I have to admit that this was the most morbid of three but it’s likely because she commits suicide in this one (not a spoiler, you learn about it on the second page) whereas the other two are outcomes of accidents.
And while this was sad and profound in its own way, I didn’t find it as unique as Elsewhere and as profound as Before I Fall. I will say that it’s another reminder to always be the nicest person you can be. You never know what the other person is going through and how your kindness (or lack thereof) might have a deep impact on them.
It is so funny to me that I picked up Before I Fall because I was looking for something light and easy to read. I knew it was about a girl who died but I also knew it was good.
What I didn’t know was that this young adult book would completely change my life. The effects it had on me are profound and have nothing to do with the goal of the author (or so I assume) and I had so many revelations as I read it that I couldn’t believe it. There were parts where I felt like the character was speaking right to me.
I cannot tell you if it will have the same effect on you. Unless you have the same exact issues i have and struggled in the same way and are in the same mood as I was when I read it, it might not speak to you in the same way it did to me. But I am so so so glad I read it.
And, for me, it was transformational.
I have been meaning to read The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks for months and months and months but never got around to doing it. So when it was chosen for book club recently, I decided it was a sign and I finally got the audio files so I could listen to it while I worked or did art.
I’m so glad I finally did. The story of Henrietta Lacks and history of privacy and tissue samples and scientific revolutions is completely fascinating. Rebecca Skloot weaves the story and the science together beautifully, captivating the reader and making her think at the same time.
I really really enjoyed this one and recommend it.
I heard about Elsewhere a long time ago but just didn’t feel like reading it. I thought it would be morose. I figured it is about death and all. Except that it isn’t really. And it really wasn’t morose at all.
In fact, it was quite sweet. Not super upbeat but gentle and interesting and so very unique. I am glad I read it even though I can’t say I loved it. Mostly, I found it charming and unusual.
It’s not really about death as much as it’s about the afterlife or the author’s version of it and all the detail in the book makes it a worthwhile read.
I picked Clarity on a total whim, too. To be honest, the cover looked a bit creepy and I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it. But I really did. I enjoyed the story, I liked the characters and I found myself drawn to the book and didn’t want to put it down. I read the whole thing in a day and sometimes these are exactly the kinds of books I like to read. This was a fun read and if you like this genre, i recommend it.
I’m glad I read both this week and last week’s books. They’re what I needed to get back into reading. I was grumpy but now I am enjoying reading again. Since I read while I exercise, it’s hard to get into it unless the book is really flowing. And this one was.
I have no idea why I decided to read Being Jamie Baker but I guess there was something that pulled me to it because as soon as I started it, I couldn’t put it down. I just wanted to read it. More and more of it. I found it at a time when I was struggling to pick my best read and it was exactly the fun, lighthearted read I was looking for. I’ve never heard of the author and I guess it’s her first.
All I can say is that I really enjoy it and I am glad I randomly picked it up.
Sometimes all you want is a fun read.
I also read The Lincoln Lawyer because I thought I might like to go see the movie. While I enjoyed the first two thirds of the book, I thought the ending fell flat, for me. I somehow expected more. I am not sure why. I did like the characters and the story. I haven’t read a law/thriller in a long time and maybe that’s why I just didn’t get into it as much as I would have liked.
I couldn’t even decide if it was worth going to see the movie.
I know this is one of a series so maybe I will read one more another time. Though I am not very temped right now. All in all, it really was an okay read and if it’s a genre you like, I do recommend it.
I read Limitless because I wanted to see the movie. And I refuse to watch anything I haven’t read so much so that I read the whole book in one day. I got nothing else accomplished that day but I did finish the book and then we went straight to the movie.
And in a rare turn of events, I enjoyed both the movie and the book. I think they were quite different but both stood on their own and both were interesting to me. The story is not a common one and it held my interest the whole way through. The book is much more open ended than the movie and that was a bit of a disappointment for me but I still really enjoyed it. (And of course it’s typical that the movie had a considerably happier ending.)
I read Mockingjay right after I finished Catching Fire and I enjoyed the continuing momentum of the books. To me, this one was the lest interesting in some ways maybe because Peeta wasn’t part of it and he’s one of my favorite characters. Or maybe because the creativity and interesting sections that were there with the two Hunger Games didn’t exist in this one (since there wasn’t another game.)
But I still enjoyed every word of it and look forward to more books from the author.
Alas, now I am sad I finished the books I was saving for a special occasion. I will have to find some other quick reads for when I feel overwhelmed.
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projects for twenty twenty-four
projects for twenty twenty-three
projects for twenty twenty-two
projects for twenty twenty-one
projects for twenty nineteen
projects for twenty eighteen
projects from twenty seventeen
monthly projects from previous years
some of my previous projects
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