September 2020 Wrap-Up

 It's time for monthly stats! I can't believe October is tomorrow. September was not so bad for reading: I read 10 books for a total of 3,649 pages. That's one book less than last month, but only 100 fewer pages because my average page count in September was 365 pages/book. I read 122 pages/day, which significantly beats my average last month of 121 pages/day (sarcasm is hard to convey through a screen). My average rating was 3.61 due to the fact that I had NO 1 or 2 star books this month! I don't know if that's ever happened (probably has, several times, I just feel like celebrating it this month). Anyway, here're the books:

1. A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

Rating: ★★★★☆ (3.93/5)

All I knew about this book going into it was that it was about a grumpy old man whose life is changed by some people so that he becomes a less grumpy old man. This is, honestly, a pretty good representation of the plot of the book. However, I did not realize that this would have so much of the grumpy old man's past in it, nor was I aware that this was a tragic love story. And it was wonderful. Check out my full review HERE.

2. The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

Rating: ★★★★☆ (4.00/5.00)

This was a moving, well-developed novel with highly memorable characters and messages. I honestly enjoyed this novel so much, and I definitely recommend the audiobook. I honestly can't give many specifics on what made this so good--just excellent writing, relatable characters, and an intriguing plot. The timeline was a little hard to follow, however, for example: nearing the end of the book Kennedy is in her thirties but then it jumps back to her being in her early twenties. Other than that and a slow start to the book, I enjoyed this completely.

3. From Blood and Ash (Blood and Ash #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Rating: ★★★☆☆ (2.85/5)

The ending of this book was hot mess, and for that reason alone I don't recommend it. I just can't support the messages that are in the book and backwards character development and the messy worldbuilding. I still give the book some credit for being intriguing and enjoyable for the first half at least, but in general if you're looking for fantasy romance I would just skip this one and head on over to the SJM shelf. Check out my full thoughts HERE.

4. The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu

Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3.00/5)

The premise of this story is pretty cool--it's based on speculation that a lot of Mozart's music was written actually by his sister. I loved that aspect of the book. However, the book is also about a magical fictional kingdom that the two children played when they were young. The fantasy elements of this made-up world are tied into their reality, and their musical careers are intertwined with the characters they meet in the Kingdom of Back. To be honest, I think I would have preferred the book if it was just a historical fiction about music from Nannerl's perspective, nixing the fantasy elements of the book altogether. It was enjoyable enough, but the fantasy of the Kingdom just didn't enrapture me the way I feel it should have. The parts that really moved me were about the familial relations and Nannerl's coming-of-age, separate from the Kingdom. 

5. The Smell of Other People's Houses by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock

Rating: ★★★★☆ (3.71/5)

I loved the Alaskan setting and the atmosphere was set perfectly. The characters were distinct and all interesting with compelling backstories, and I liked how they were all interwoven (although, debatably, they were woven together a little too perfectly to the point of having to question the plausibility of the story). I really think this book held all the right emotional moments, I just wish it had been a bit longer so the plot could have developed more, it felt kind of fast when instead it maybe should have stewed longer.

6. The Road by Cormac McCarthy

Rating: ★★★★☆ (3.57/5)

This book was initially hard for me to get into (first 50 pages or so) due to the stream of consciousness style of writing and the small plot. After I got used to the writing style though, I was thoroughly invested and got through the pages very quickly. I do agree with the general consensus that the book's plot is basic--exactly the stuff you'd expect from a post-apocalyptic world book. However, I didn't mind that much because I was so emotionally involved with the character's well-being that I felt the suspense of just wanting them to make it out of every situation okay. The writing style did give me a bit of trouble because it flipped between really intricate prose and overly simplified narration. All in all, the writing and the plot are the weak spots of the book, but they are made up for by the characters, atmosphere, and intrigue.

7. The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan

Rating: ★★★★☆ (4.28/5)

Apollo is hilarious. I actually LOL'ed several times while reading this. Sure, sometimes his flamboyance is a little too much, but it's just so... Apollo. Apollo is basically what would happen if a Percy Jackson book was from the perspective of Tamaki Suoh from Ouran High School Host Club, and it's glorious. Not to mention Percy is one of my favorite book characters of all time, so I will read anything that has even a fraction of him in it. I thought this book had a nice balance--it focused mainly on Apollo and Meg, but had some Percy and Leo fan-service thrown in. I also love the references toward previous books. In general I really like interconnected series (aka series written within the same world), but this one is particularly well done.

8. American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins

Rating:★★★★☆ (3.92/5)

For the most part I enjoyed this story--I felt suspense at the right times, I empathized with the characters, and I really found them to be compelling people. I did think some of the "ease" of their journey was unrealistic (i.e. how easily they saved the sisters from the kidnapping). Also the way that the drug cartel situation with Javier was wrapped up was weird but also touching. This book is a really solid four-star read, and I'd recommend it to everyone.

9. Poison Princess (The Arcana Chronicles #1) by Kresley Cole

Rating:★★★★☆ (4.07/5)

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this. I found the concept to be fresh and exciting, yet it's still based on tarot so that's really interesting. I found Evie, the main character, to show a lot of development by the end of the novel, and her previous airiness lent more realism to the book (too often, female heroines are the picture-perfect strong female lead, and it just doesn't happen like that IRL). It's been a while since a romance has made me feel the way I do about this one -- it's toxic AF, but I couldn't help rooting for them despite knowing they are better off not being romantically involved with each other. I liked the personalities of the characters, I thought Finn was particularly funny. My major complaints with the book are some of the logic issues with it. The way the characters interact/their dialogue many times was cringe-worthy because of how unnatural it sounded. I would say the same thing about Selena's character on the whole, she isn't really presented as a character herself but as an object that serves to further the romantic plot. I'm hoping this changes in the next book; I really want to see Matthew, Selena, and Finn's characters fleshed out. 

10. You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson

Rating: ★★★☆☆ (2.79/5)

I enjoyed this book, but I doubt I'll remember the plot or any of the characters' names by this time next year. It was wholly unmemorable on account of the fact that it does what every single other YA book out there is doing right now: the same high school setting, the same central conflict, the same lineup of characters. Maybe this book is just unlucky because I've read it after reading so many of these, but it just fell flat. Like I said, I enjoyed it, but it didn't move me. I also thought it was lacking in logic, and I have to wonder if adults who write books for teens have any idea how teens think and speak to one another. Also, some of the problems weren't addressed? Like Gabby being a totally horrible person: they address how she was wrong for not giving Liz the letter from Jordan, but NONE of the other ways she was a terrible friend/person? So yeah, I liked the book but I won't reread it and I won't be highly recommending it. I would recommend it to people who like basic YA contemporary romance/slice of life. 

Review for "From Blood and Ash" by Jennifer L. Armentrout

This book is so conflicting for me to review. I really don't know exactly how to go about it, so let's start at the beginning, which is a very good place to start.

Rating: ★★★☆☆ (2.85/5)

This book was immediately intriguing. You basically have a Rapunzel, who locked up in a castle but secretly sneaks out so that she can experience the world. From the beginning you have a Chosen One trope, but this time it's a female and not a male, so obviously that results in her being constantly locked up, protected, and chastised for her unladylike behavior. I actually was pretty interested in the world and the romance which was set up from chapter 1. Of course the beginning of a huge high fantasy book is always slow, but that wasn't what frustrated me about the beginning of the book. I actually found the pacing appropriate and while the first 40% of this 700 page tome is mainly setup, I didn't find myself bored as I learned more about the world. The frustration I had was that nothing was explained when it should have been, so by the time I got to 50%, I still didn't understand the major aspects of this fantasy world. I understand not wanting to be info-dumpy, but if I still have no idea what's going on after 300 pages there's a problem with the integration of worldbuilding in the story.

So after the beginning is the middle, which to be honest does not stick in my brain that much. I know I just complained that the beginning was confusing, but at least it was very enjoyable and intriguing. The middle 25% (50%-75%) was fine, it just didn't feel as exciting as it should have considering all the buildup from the first half of the book. I was expecting a big adventure to come into the plot with fighting and traveling, and what we got was really just a lot of sex. Yes, I realize it's a romance book, but some of those scenes seemed ill-timed and took away from the fantasy aspect of the story.

I'm not kidding when I say that the last 20% of the book absolutely ruined it for me. The plot twist at 80% was fine. I mean I saw it coming because it was predictable, but I wasn't mad about it until the next chapter. SPOILER I was expecting a situation where you find out the main love interest is working for the bad guy, but then you find out that after he met the girl he fell in love so now he regrets betraying her blah blah blah, but no. Hawke shows no remorse for leading Poppy on, and he does nothing to show he actually cares for her, and the girl still falls down at his feet. She had a lot of inner monologue about how she couldn't trust him anymore, but then all her actions show her as a weak little girl who follows the beck and call of an overbearing, manipulative man. Her character development was just so backwards. She starts the book being a strong woman who wants to fight to save her people etc., and then ends the book as a complicit, wavering young woman with no convictions about her beliefs. It was unbelievable. When you add in the fact that Hawke was so infuriatingly manipulative and abusive, I just can't. The way he would tell her she "didn't have an option" and implied he would force her to do things was so abusive, and Poppy just talked about it like it was because he cared about her, which is a really bad message to be sending to the audience. When a man forces a woman to do ANYTHING, he doesn't love her, he's an abuser and that's not love or even romance. And then there's that weird scene where she stabs him in the heart, and then HAS SEX WITH HIM. Like okay, being bitten makes you really horny, I get that, but then afterward there's no resolution and she just goes back to following his every word and talking about how she's in love with him when he still doesn't show that he loves or cares about her at all. As a feminist, I just can't support it. END SPOILER In a good fantasy romance, you shouldn't have to cut down your female protagonist and make her smaller in order to further the romantic plot. It was unbearable to read.

A few more issues I had that followed throughout the book: even before Poppy became Hawke's effectual slave, the amount of times she talked about how he was right was infuriating. I just hate male love interests that come in and have no apparent flaws and just know everything. Poppy says "He was right", no less than 10 times in the novel, and I got really tired of him being right all the time. Speaking of him, let's talk about him. It got really old in the last 10% of the book how Poppy would say "he" or "him" every single time. I was just so over it.

The ending of this book was hot mess, and for that reason alone I don't recommend it. I just can't support the messages that are in the book and backwards character development and the messy worldbuilding. I still give the book some credit for being intriguing and enjoyable for the first half at least, but in general if you're looking for fantasy romance I would just skip this one and head on over to the SJM shelf. 

June 2020 Wrap-Up

School is officially in session (early, I know right), so as expected my reading is slowing down a bit and I fully anticipate it slowing down even more as the year picks up pace. I managed to get through 12 books this month, and I imagine this is the last month of the year I will be able to read over ten books. I read 4,733 pages for an average book length of 394 pages, and my average rating was 3.92 which is not too shabby. Here are the books I read in June:

1. The Blood of Olympus (The Heroes of Olympus #5) by Rick Riordan

Rating: ★★★★☆
This book is so highly rated because of my dear precious Nico. I love him so much. For some reason, this book just didn't feel like it was a part of the same series as the previous 4, which makes no sense because it was the conclusion of everything that built up in those books. But something about the way Percy, Annabeth, Hazel, and Frank were completely sidelined, as if they weren't the main focus of the books 2, 3, and 4... the book just felt so incomplete. Regardless, even with that bit of disappointment, I still do like Piper, Jason Leo, and Reyna, and of course Nico was the shining star of the book. I also liked the plot points (like the visit with Ascelius and the demigod-Olympian team-up against the giants). I only just found out that Rick Riordan's Trials of Apollo quintet is a continuation of the Percy Jackson world, so I'll be reading that as soon as my book shipments arrive in the mail. Justice for Percy and Annabeth!!

2. My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell

Rating: ★★★★☆
This book is downright difficult to read at times (most of the time/all of the time). It's not a book you're supposed to enjoy, but a book that is supposed to expose you to the complexities of societal expectations and allowances. Check out my full review HERE.

3. Lucky Caller by Emma Mills

Rating: ★★★★☆
This book was really cute! I've never read Emma Mills before, but it sounds like a lot of her writing talent is in creating characters and interactions that are actually real-life realistic. The amount of stammering and awkward shuffling in this novel... amazing.

4. Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds

Rating: ★★★★★
Jason Reynolds has done it again. This book was SO GOOD, and EVERYONE needs to read it.

5. The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games #1) by Suzanne Collins

Rating: ★★★★★
My unofficial rereadathon continues with The Hunger Games. This is of course in preparation of reading the newly released prequel book, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which I will likely have completed in July. Upon rereading, I was even more intrigued by this than I was the first time. The impossibly high stakes, the realism of Katniss's will to survive, the complicated romantics... glorious.

6. Catching Fire (The Hunger Games #2) by Suzanne Collins

Rating: ★★★★★
Again, I was surprised how well this series survives the test of time (the first and only other time I read these books was in middle school). This book is high-stakes, the arena is so interesting, and the book really serves as a nice transition into the political aspect of ending the Games.

7. The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson

Rating: ★★☆☆☆
To be frank, I was pretty bored through most of this. This book did not engage and retain my attention the way The Devil In the White City did. If you're really into WWII history, check this out (as it gets glowing reviews from many others), but this was not for me.

8. Mockingjay (The Hunger Games #3) by Suzanne Collins

Rating: ★★★★☆
The finale of The Hunger Games was solid, although it does leave some items left to be desired. I fall into the category of people that finds it absurd that Katniss married Peeta, when their relationship isn't based on romantic love but a love of necessity. Maybe that was the point, but this book definitely showed me how I've changed since reading it the first time. In middle school, I read this like a romance. Now I can see that the romance is completely fabricated and flat out rejected by Katniss, and rightfully so as she's a 16 year old girl who only wants to survive her grief and trauma. I do want to mention that I appreciate the messages in here about how just because the rebels are fighting against the abusive capitol doesn't mean the rebels are automatically the "good guys", there is always a large gray area in the struggle for political power. In all, I didn't love this book as much as the first two in the series, but it was still enjoyable and by no means decreases my overall opinion of the series as a whole.

9. They Went Left by Monica Hesse

Rating: ★★★★☆
This book is engaging throughout, but by far what makes it so unique and heartrending is the ending. I don't want to give anything away, but if you pick this up, definitely stick with it through the end. It is extremely powerful, emotional, and satisfying without being predictable.

10. The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

Rating: ★★★☆☆
I'm generously rating this book 3 out of 5 stars even though it was such a huge whopping disappointment for me. 5% maybe is about slaying vampires, while 90% of the book is about a woman trying to convince her lousy husband and friends that said vampire exists. The book was not unenjoyable, but the title was severely misleading, hence the giant disappointment.

11. Handle With Care by Jodi Picoult

Rating: ★★★★☆
I definitely felt an emotional punch with this one; the multiple perspectives really gives the book a well-rounded feel. One thing that I think was particularly well done is making the characters so morally gray. At times I completely agreed with Charlotte's perspective, while other times I thought she was a truly awful mother. It's one of the those books that makes the reader think, in this case about what it means to be a parent and a person. I also saw the moral grayness in other characters, like Sean, but Sean was such an abhorrent human for other reasons that it wasn't as striking as it was with Charlotte or Marin or Amelia. ALSO - I agree with the general consensus that the ending was trash; it doesn't add to the story or even the moral of the story and just makes the whole thing seem arbitrary.

12. Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey

Rating: ★★★☆☆
Overall, I thought this book was fine. I did appreciate the queer themes explored here, although I don't think it brought anything new to the table. Towards the end I was really rooting for Esther, and I wish this book had developed her more so that I could connect to her even more. 

Review for "A Man Called Ove" by Fredrik Backman

He'd discovered that he liked houses. Maybe mostly because they were understandable. They could be calculated and drawn on paper. They did not leak if they were made watertight; they did not collapse if they were properly supported. Houses were fair, they gave you what you deserved. Which, unfortunately, was more than one could say about people.

Rating: 7.86/10 

★★★★☆

All I knew about this book going into it was that it was about a grumpy old man whose life is changed by some people so that he becomes a less grumpy old man. This is, honestly, a pretty good representation of the plot of the book. However, I did not realize that this would have so much of the grumpy old man's past in it, nor was I aware that this was a tragic love story. And it was wonderful.

People said Ove saw the world in black and white. But she was color. All the color he had.

I was predisposed to like this book because 1) I loved Beartown and Us Against You and 2) grumpy old man! This book was definitely different than most of the adult contemporaries I have been reading lately. It was refreshing, heartwarming, and hilarious. I loved Ove's development throughout the story -- shown most obviously through his shifting relationship with the cat. Obviously his relationship with all the neighborhood people, especially Parvaneh's family, also showed this, but the way he goes from not killing the cat for his wife's sake to actually caring about its well-being was beautiful.

I really liked the cast of characters in this book with few exceptions. I thought the addition of Adrian and Mirsad into the story really added to it, and I liked how everyone comes together at the end. I generally enjoyed the flashback chapters more than the present chapters (for reasons I will get into later), and I really loved Sonja's character. Towards the end of the book, reading about Sonja and Ove was what really caused this book to tug at the heartstrings and the tear ducts.

I have three major complaints about the book, AKA the reason this is only 4 stars and not 5. First of all: Parvaneh. She was so pushy. I understand that part of the plot was that Ove had to get out into the world and Parvaneh was helping him do that, but for most of the book I was thinking what Ove was thinking, which was "giiiiirrrrl, mind your own dang business!". If Parvaneh had been less pushy/whiny, and more kind, as a way to get Ove to open up and be active again, I would have liked the present-day chapters much more.

Another issue with this book that made me roll my eyes on more than one occasion was the fat-shaming. Ove is a judgmental old guy, so of course you'd think he'd be judgy about people who are overweight, but that's not what I'm talking about. It was about the physical actions that Jimmy (the overweight character in question) took that were such stereotypes it was gross to read. The way that Jimmy is always asking for food (literally more than 3 times in the book), or has food on his shirt, or has to squeeze out of car doors, was so annoying. Jimmy's only point to the story was to have a fat character in the story, and I found that hard to sit with.

Some of the timeline of the story did not exactly make sense. Early in the book we're told that Ove and Rune are friends for several years before they fall out, but the two couples meet when Sonja and Anita are both pregnant, and then the fallout happens right after Sonja loses the baby, so the time between couldn't be more than 5-6 months. There were other confusing time issues in the book, the specifics of which I'm not going to get into. It just would've been nice if the times were explained more clearly and weren't contradictory.

I know I said 3 things but this one is very minor, I just want to touch on it. The last thing I would mention, which is not as big of a issue to me as the others, is the constant monologues about the meaning of life. As a book about an older gentleman, you'd expect some life-reflecting, but when every chapter opens up with Sonja saying something wise about life (which is also something that a real person in real life would never just say) it gets repetitive.

I always have so many negative comments, but that's only because the negatives are easier to get specific about. The positives are mainly how the book made me feel, how it moved me, and that is honestly a lot more important the nit-picky details about the plot/characters. Overall, I thought this was fun and sad, beautiful and tragic, and I recommend.