June 9 - June 15, 2019

100 Days of Sunlight by Abbie Emmons - ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Recommended: Yes!
For a warm-hearted light read (pun!), for an easy smile about falling in love, and reminder of the truth of Dumbledore's legendary words: "Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light."

Gorgeous cover!!!

Summary:
Tessa can't see how she'll ever get back to her old life. Primarily because she can't see after the accident. The doctors say it should come back after a few months, but doctors have been wrong before. That means months of no writing, no contact with the limited friends she had who were all online, and no happiness or light. Weston signs up to become her eyes, and try to show her the light in her darkness. Taking her on a trip through her other senses, Weston writes what she tells him to and revels in her lack of knowledge of his own disability. As for what she'll think of him if she gets her sight back, well... he'll just wait and see what to do if the time comes.

Thanks to NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

May 19 - 24, 2019

Kingdom Cold by Brittni Chenelle

A free copy was provided by NetGalley in trade for my honest feedback ☺ So excited about that site!!

Recommended: sure!
For those who enjoy the fight-for-your-crown plot line, and unexpectedly realistic characters in this otherwise unrelatable setting for modern-day people (unless you're modern-day royalty, I suppose!)

Summary:
When the fighting of her country's endless war spills into Princess Charlotte's her own courtyard, she's delighted to call off her arranged marriage with Prince Young. After fleeing with her stoic betrothed, they finally escape one battle and immediately find themselves in another. A sleazy new suitor is suddenly scheming for her hand --- and her kingdom --- and suddenly Young doesn't look so bad as an ally, if not a husband. Trying to save the kingdom Besmium from being overrun with enemies begins with figuring out who among their own they can really trust.

A very bold ending that I deeply applaud. I'm hoping Kingdom Soul delivers just as much in the sequel!

Overall, I quite enjoyed the story! The characters had distinct and developed personalities that consistently carry through in their actions, and have the miraculous ability to actually talk to each other (instead of that thing where the conflict would be resolved by a short chat). We got a few chapters from the perspectives of the not-quite-main characters, which actually worked really well to add depth all around and tangle you up by making you feel a bit sympathetic even for the villains.

The places I stumbled were the grammatical errors, particularly issues with missing commas. Those really stand out to me, and it took me out of the story at best, and at worst made me actually not understand what was happening. There were also a few times when actions were inconsistent (such as Charlotte saying she sat up to talk to her mother, then when her father entered the room "it was almost enough to make her sit up". I'm like, girl you're already sitting up??).

These are small issues that can easily be solved with a second pair of eyes taking a look at the text though, and the driving force of characters and story was solid!


Skeleton Women  by Mingmei Yip
Recommended: yes, BUT...
for those who are interested in 1930s Shanghai (and let me tell you, everyone should be. it was a crazy and wondrous time), and emotional development of characters, and flexibility of mind to accept a very different culture and set of norms. Don't have high expectations for action-plot or romance.

So what DIDN'T work for me was the romance and the amount of tangible action. The main romance was very weak and frankly, Jinjin annoys me as a useless whiny pretty boy. And even though this is a story around a trained assassin working in a world of top-tier gangsters... there was not nearly as much tension as you'd expect from that setup.

However, I really enjoyed reading this. The way it's written is what I liked best, since the character is very consistent in her thoughts and actions. I felt a stab of pride understanding her many "The Art of War" references from reading it last year, and combined with the 36 Stratagems, I liked hearing her interpretations of them in her life. The descriptions of sex are odd and sometimes funny to a 2019 American woman (a woman's "gate of mystery" will never not crack me up), but again, they felt fitting to the character and sometimes were actually rather beautiful. The writing and the setting were the strengths here for me, more than that actual events. Which seems kind of odd, now that I'm writing it out, but hey, I like what I like.

May 12 - May 18, 2019

The Expats by Chris Pavone

Recommended: Sure!
For people who like to try to solve the puzzle before the characters, who like to travel, and who like spy-crime intrigue minus guts and gore. It's a pretty PG spy story.

This is the first spy book I've ever read, and I may have found a new genre I like! This might not be a blow-you-away book for people more well read on this genre, but I loved it as an introduction. Since I've been to some of the places they visit, I got a little giddy when I could picture so well where they were and merge with my own memories. 😊

We really only get in depth with the main character, Kate, and the others are created through her own impressions. They're fairly predictable static characters: clever dependable husband, sexy playboy spy, cunning faux-friend spy. Kate is not terribly exciting, but I appreciated the turn of her being excited to have a stay-at-home mom kind of life, and then having the courage to admit that maybe it's not actually for her. I enjoyed watching her sneak around and work things out and plan out how to get everything to go her way. There's really no romance here, so don't be looking for that.

It wasn't terribly predictable to me, but probably would be to more well-read people in the genre. I also wasn't thinking so much about how it might end, because I was really sucked into the present moment. That's good writing! Definitely enjoyed it! 

May 5 - May 11, 2019

Circe by Madeline Miller

God that was exhausting. Didn't think I'd make it through. I am *BAFFLED* by how this was 2018 Best Fantasy Book on Goodreads. I guess I won't be following those as recommendations for what to read anymore, and this was my first attempt at that!

Recommended: NOPE
It lacked emotion, a likable main character, and at times was even lacking interest (aka.... it was dull.)

This follows the life of the goddess Circe, which seemed really exciting because she is a FASCINATING character of mythology. Unfortunately, it was written very weirdly, and it felt like she had no emotion, no strong voice, and came across almost like a documentary. I could picture David Attenborough reading this to me. (Audiobook idea? He would def make it better!)

At times it was just pages and pages of her saying "I'm bored" in a million different ways. I get that exile might be boring for an eternity, but my god, maybe you went too far with making your reader emphasize because I put the book down for a week or two and only barely managed to pick it back up! I didn't like Circe in this story. She was wildly fickle, flipping from one extreme to the other, with no consistency. 

There are some events that I thought, there's no WAY this can be boring (her and the Minotaur, crossing Scylla's path, etc) and at times those parts did really suck me in. But in order to get to the Minotaur, we had days of bland sailing, looking around the woods, complaining to and about how mean her sister is. And that just really sucks the fun away. 

I didn't HATE this book, but I was immensely bored by it, and disappointed by the Goodreads community, because how the heck was THIS what they thought the best fantasy book of 2018 was?! Fantasy is in a really bad state if that's true. Don't get sucked into the hype like I did, and try picking up Ben Bova's The Winds of Altair if you're looking for some real fantasy.

April 28 - May 4, 2019

The Wednesday Letters by Jason F Wright

Recommended: YES!

This was a glorious used-bookstore-find, and a rare book that I will probably read multiple times. It gives me the warm fuzzies, but avoids the cliches and cringing that often also accompany the warm fuzzies.

The adult children of this family suddenly lose their parents and all come together in their hometown to handle it, when they find a basement full of THOUSANDS of letters that their father wrote to their mother, weekly, without fail, for their entire marriage. Including the last one, which he wrote immediately after his wife died in his arms and before he takes his own life / dies of heartbreak. Reading through the letters reveals some intensities of their parent's marriages they had never known, and deeply rattles all the kids as their images of their parents - and themselves - changes forever.


Also, the "Epilogue" and its presentation KILLS ME with how adorable it is!!!! All I'll say: read to THE VERY END OF THE BOOK.

April 14 - 20, 2019

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

Recommended: sure
For someone looking for a quick read that's cute enough, for someone who has no idea about autism and this might help be more humanizing for those who have it, someone looking for some detailed and generously frequent sex scenes

Uh, well, I did not expect to be knee deep in a detailed sexy scene in the first chapters in the book. She's hiring a prostitute, and I'm sitting here waiting for the kooky mixup. But nope... he actually shows up and proceeds to seduce her as she asks. Well, at least it was decently written and they didn't make him a misogynistic ass.

The story was ok, the characters were ok, the romance was ok. What knocked it down to 3 stars for me was the lackluster conflict towards the end. It felt like the standard weak issue where if the people JUST ACTUALLY TALKED TO EACH OTHER, nothing would've even been an issue. It's hard to enjoy the story when I get to here, and I'm like "Oh they're actually both idiots."

I did appreciate that her autism wasn't necessarily her defining characteristic, even though it was a motivator for her in this aspect of her life. But she recognizes that it also makes her who she is, and has positive benefits too, like her ability to focus so clearly on things that helps make her excellent at her work. Overall that seemed very positive, as well as giving insight into how someone with autism can also enjoy sex, social situations, etc. and are just people. 

Was it predictable? Kinda, yeah. Did I enjoy it? Yeah, it was a quick "good enough" kind of read. But you're also not missing out on anything huge if you skip it.

April 7 - 13, 2019

I Owe You One by Sophie Kinsella

Recommended: nope.
Stay away if you like developed characters, original plot, likable characters.... Blech.

Characters: flat, main character weak and frustratingly stupid

Romance: was there any??

Predictability: the only surprise was the idiotic way the obligatory couple's fight happened. 

Overall felt like this was just checking boxes off a list of "what goes into a story."

March 31 - April 6, 2019

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

I laughed, I raged at the world, I marveled at Trevor's adaptability, and I began to believe in something a little bit mystical in this world. I could hear so much of his voice, and I felt like I was getting to know a new side of Trevor. This was so well-written that I felt like we were two friends just chatting, and he was telling stories as we sat somewhere cozy.

Won in a Goodreads Giveaway!


The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters by Balli Jaur Kaswal

I received an ARE of this from a Goodreads Giveaway - thanks!

Would I recommend this: yes!!!
For fans of travel, learning new cultures, exploring family dynamics, and wonderfully written and developed characters. Left me fist pumping and cheering along with them!

OHMYGOD, I loved this! I was so excited to read it, and it was one of those books where within 20 pages you know you were right and you WILL love this book. I love learning about places and cultures through reading, even novels, and this was a new one for me: Sikhism and India. I enjoyed learning about the little bits they mentioned in the book, but as a story it was so strong as well!

The characters are the absolute best. It can be hard to develop strong characters when you have several all taking turns narrating, but they each provided insight into themselves as well as each other when they took their turn in the story. Even the mother, who is dead basically the whole time, feels like a familiar friend by the middle of it. One whose quirks and flaws and passions I know and love. 

One great aspect of this novel is the lack of a romance line. It's very firmly based on the sisters and them learning about themselves as individuals as well as a group. The secrets that each sister has throughout their pilgrimage through India are hinted at and built upon, but not in that way where it feels so blunt and tactless; none of those single sentences at the end of chapter just saying "She thought she would be ok... until she remembered what he had said before she left." or some rubbish like that. My god, that gets annoying, right? These were gracefully and naturally woven in, which is key in any story for me.

Is it predictable? In some ways, yes. I had a feeling they would all find their happy endings, reconcile, and all that. But the method of each resolution was hazy enough to keep an air of mystery for me, and I loved it for that. I knew the what, but not the how, and isn't the journey all the fun of it anyway?


Seoul Man by Frank Ahrens
Recommended for: those interested in the automotive world/Hyundai specifically, those interested in life as an expat who can tolerate reading a ton about the automotive industry

This took me forEVER to finally get around to reading, and then to finish once I was consistently reading it. It's really heavy about the details of Hyundai and the automotive world, which could get to be a bit much for me at times. However, it's balanced enough with stories about his personal experiences both in and out of the office that I was able to enjoy getting through this all. 

Having lived in Korea, there were a lot of things that I related to very easily, thinking about times when I had also learned one of those cultural differences thanks to an awkward moment, and some were new to me since he was there longer than I was, and resolved some mysteries I still had.

Overall, it's a good book to read on the side with some lighter things interspersed during it. Read a few chapters about the politics and planning of automotive shows, then a few chapters of whatever fiction you want.

March 24 - 30, 2019

What to Say Next by Julie Buxbaum

Sweet and honest and unexpected. ☺️

Recommended: yes!
For those who want a different-than-usual read on high school, particularly for those who aren't neurotypical. 

A light read I completed in a sunny spot on the couch this lazy Sunday. I felt like I was in need of some realistic YA, rather than my usual magic-and-dragons fare. 

I always enter books that have a character who has a disability (or borderline disability of some kind, etc) with a bit of hesitation, because the story can so often just be brutal and cruel, even if that is sometimes realistic, in their depiction of those characters. It can also set incorrect images of people, which is frustrating and harmful. I have a limited scope of knowledge and experience with the matter myself, but this felt like a more respectful portrayal. It also didn't seem to use it as a cop-out, or a crutch to try to win sympathy readers; it was just a story of two kids in high school trying to figure out the difficult shit they have to face. Which in high school, can feel like damn near everything.

Romance was ok. Sweet, and more realistic (although still some cliches of high school mixed in). There were two definite SWERVE moments, where I was actually saying to myself, "Whoa I didn't see that coming!" For me that is SUCH a treat, because I can usually predict every moment in a YA novel having read so many now. It was a delight to have not one, but TWO surprises!

Was it predictable? 2/3 plot moments caught me off guard, so that's pretty good. The 1 other was inevitable. 

Was it good? I say an awkward "probably," because I think so, but also still have that nagging worry of the way David is portrayed. There were a good number of lines that made me laugh out loud, or highlight because it felt like a good point to remember and apply in my own life. I'd say that's good!

Did I enjoy it? Yup! And I'm glad I took a day off my other book in progress to bang this one out, because it was perfectly suited to my mood today. 

Bonus, it made me feel so optimistic and productive! I got a lot done today! ...after spending most of it on the couch reading this, I kind of had to. ;)

March 17 - 23, 2019

How to Walk Away by Katherine Center

Recommended: yes!
Good for a light read, like a beach day - though for this one, I probably won't recommend it as airplane reading. 

Having finished this, the title is delightful in context. I'm not usually big on medical dramas and books that take place mostly in a hospital, but this was a quick enough read that it didn't drag me down or bore me as they usually do. I'm not terribly qualified to judge (thank my lucky stars), but the depiction of grief in this book felt real. The ups and downs that Margaret-now-Maggie detailed seemed reasonable for her situation.

I wasn't sucked in to the romance line, really at all. The whole idea of the stoic mean guy that later reveals his soft side doesn't appeal to me: I don't want a jerk as the main guy in the story! It also felt like a very standard procedure of falling in love, with one big grand gesture at the end that felt... contrived, I suppose. At best. I was rolling my eyes a bit and skimming through those last parts.

Was it predictable? At times, yes. The main question was one I was unsure about, however, so I'm grateful for that. 

Is it good? Eh. It's entertaining, if it a little common. Nothing wildly unique about the story, based on what I've read before.

Did I enjoy it? YUP! I plowed through this mostly in one day that I had off, where I lounged in the sunshine until I finished it up. 

Pretty dang good, especially since I had no idea what it was about when I accidentally bought it. I approve of the ending. A good read for a day off. 😊

March 10 - 16, 2019

The Similars by Rebecca Hanover

Loved it for a while, then abruptly got bored about 80% in, which should have been the big exciting part. But man, I just finished it to finish it. Not expecting to read the next in a hurry.

March 3 - 9, 2019

Good Riddance by Elinor Lipman

You know, it's sort of confusing how both of these statements can be true:
I enjoyed reading this book
This wasn't a very good book

The premise was intriguing, and the writing was entertaining, and I originally liked the main character because she felt modern and like someone I might meet around Boston. However, as the story went on, it just felt flat and seemed to lack much further development. Trying to paint the woman who stole the yearbook as some sort of villain was a weird move, particularly after she has an attack and we learned that she has a serious, problematic medical condition, to which the author responds by stealing from the woman's house and saying she doesn't feel bad at all and later insulting the women for using her father's money to work towards success.

The romance was baffling. It was basically they meet, they bang, he starts dating another girl, then randomly they confessed that they loved each other all along. It feels like the author felt obligated to include some sort of love story, however half-assed, and borrowed from every rom-com ever.

It was a pretty quick read, which is probably why I didn't really realize how meh it was until I was already done. This feels like a beach book or one that you take on a trip for reading on the plane and leaving behind when you get off the plane. You won't care if it gets lost or ruined, because you won't read or really think about it again.

Recommended? ...nah

January 13 - January 19, 2019

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake
I'll probably finish this book this week since its a pretty quick and easy read. It's nothing that's blowing me away, but I'm definitely enjoying reading it and finding that I can't anticipate what will happen as I usually do, which is a delight. I also love some of the dark ironies in the book's plot, and am morbidly fascinated with what will go wrong for each girl next. The writing also just has some interesting moments in a linguistic sense, when I just pause to re-read a sentence and enjoy the way it sounds or how it is written. The characters have an impressive amount of depth for having to split the book between three of them with rotating perspective chapters. Oddly enough, this is actually also the only book I'm actively reading at the moment. So unusual for me!

A fantasy YA book that I can't predict is a dream! Immediately starting the second book---so you know it's good.

January 6 - 12, 2019

I love starting off the year with winning a Goodreads Giveaway book!! :D

The Rule of One by Ashley Saunders

Won this in a goodreads giveaway!

Eh. Nothing particularly new or original, writing was average and at times kind of weird. Little details didn't make sense, like a character saying the light from behind someone made a badge on his front perfectly shiny and clear... With light from behind him... So he'd be a silhouette of darkness.... Maybe I'm just also not that interested in "fugitive on the run" stories, which is 80% of this book. Just hiding in fields and sneaking into trucks. Eh.