September 2019 Wrap-Up

What a whirlwind of books this month! I read 19 books 😱which I was not expecting to get that many in what with school starting and everything. But still, how frustrating that, once again, I couldn't get just ONE MORE in to get it to a solid 20. Here's some stats for the month:
Total books read: 19
Total pages read: 6044
Average rating: 3.35
Most read genre: Contemporary
Average pages/book: 318
Contemporary is not usually my most read genre, but this month it took it by a landslide because I read What If It's Us (see below), and it was so adorable I went and found as many cute teen gay romances as I could and have been reading them ever since. And more to come in October!
The books I read this month are definitely shorter than usual, but it's still a respectable average with 19 books considered.
Side note: I don't give ratings to books that are rereads, because obviously if I'm rereading them they were probably a four or five star book, so I don't want the rereads to skew the average higher than it would be. Rereads are purely for enjoyment. My average rating this month was kind of low, but there are a couple of one and two star ratings that probably contributed to that.

Here are the books I read in September:

1. Siege and Storm (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy #2) by Leigh Bardugo

Rating: ★★★★☆
I liked this installment a lot more than the first book. I loved the addition of Nikolai, and I like the direction the series goes in from here.

2. Ruin and Rising (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy #3) by Leigh Bardugo

Rating: ★★★★☆
This was a solid conclusion to the Shadow and Bone Trilogy.

3. Six of Crows (Six of Crows #1) by Leigh Bardugo

Rating: No rating (reread)
I love the Six of Crows duology!! This is actually the first book I ever in the Grishaverse, and rereading it after Shadow and Bone trilogy makes everything make a lot more sense. You can enjoy it without reading Shadow and Bone, but I personally recommend reading Shadow and Bone beforehand. Especially because Six of Crows is better (IMO), so the universe only improves.

4. Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis

Rating: ★★☆☆☆
Read this for the hype, it has major "I'm privileged" vibes. Issues I had with it: You can’t simultaneously argue “you are in control of your own happiness, take responsibility for yourself” and “God is in charge of everything so you ultimately aren’t in control of your own fate.” Also the blatant humble bragging... we get it, you’re the best at everything which is why you are rich and famous and we aren’t. I was totally rubbed the wrong way by the sex chapter. Not because it was too intimate, but because she encourages women to force themselves to like sex even when they don’t.

5. The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare

Rating: No rating (reread)
As of yet, this is my favorite Shakespeare piece. And I think it's very important for young readers today. I first read this in high school, and just because of the themes about prejudice, I think it should be a required reading in all high schools (if need be, in place of Romeo and Juliet).

6. What If It's Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera

Rating: ★★★★☆
Obviously I liked this book more than the last Becky Albertalli I read, The Upside of Unrequited. I still saw remnants of the things I hated from that book like the signature unlikable supporting character that the narrator swears is the most amazing person in the world (Dylan) and super obvious telling-not-showing. But I shipped Arthur and Ben so hard. They were so delightfully awkward. This book was, to me, what I wish Eleanor and Park had been (that one was only meh for me). At times I was annoyed by Arthur and/or Ben, but then I realized, hey they are literally sixteen years old, and they’re just acting like they are. I can respect how the authors nailed the teenage romance perspective. Their actions and feelings feel immature at times, but that’s because they’re meant to because they’re kids. But seriously... i need a different ending!!! Or a do over ending! A sequel maybe...? Also - loved the narration in the audiobook, highly recommend.

7. The Music of What Happens by Bill Konigsberg

Rating: ★★★☆☆
I really liked the serious parts of the novel, I think they are really important and those topics were handled well but it was still realistic and relatable. Can’t give this one over 3 stars because the best friend characters were so awful and for some reason they are a large part of this book. Like, all of them are terrible. Also there were some chapters that were completely pointless and unrelated to the book. Why did we have an entire chapter about how Jordan adopted his dog?
Another note: I didn’t love the narration of the audiobook. The Max narrator was okay but the Jordan narrator was not good. And for some reason they did these ridiculous voices when they were speaking another character’s dialogue. The Jordan narrator speaking as Pam was kinda stereotypically racist, like she was some 50 y/o sassy black woman and not just a teenager. And the Max narrator doing his two best friends was just bad.

8. The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

Rating: ★★★☆☆
I spaced out during some of this, but overall I really liked the stories of the mothers and their daughters.

9. More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera

Rating: ★★★☆☆
This book did not turn out the way I thought it would. It was a pretty good story. My major takeaway: read this book if you want to be SAD. It is sad.

10. Been Here All Along by Sandy Hall

Rating: ★☆☆☆☆
Just... read my full review HERE.

11. The Giver by Lois Lowry

Rating: ★★★★☆
I actually enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would. I watched the movie afterwards, and I actually didn't hate most of the changes they made from book to screen. Some of them I even think should've been in the book in the first place, such as Jonas getting chased when he's trying to get Gabriel and then escaping.

12. Iron Man (Junior Novelization) by Peter David

Rating: No rating
I can't rate this... I love the MCU and I'm so partial to this story and these characters even if this was not the best rendition of them.

13. The Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo

Rating: ★★★★☆
Very whimsical fairy tales. I enjoyed most of this. Some things were just way too descriptive. It's fun to read the actual Grishaverse books and catch some of the references to stories of "monsters in the thorn wood" or "rivers that could talk" knowing that these are those stories. My top three I really liked, and the bottom three bored me.
My ranking of the stories:
1. The Witch of Duva
2. Ayama and the Thorn Wood
3. Little Knife
4. The Too Clever Fox
5. When Water Sang Fire
6. The Soldier Prince

14. Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan

Rating: ★★★★☆
The description of this book makes it seem so much more frivolous than it is. This is deep stuff. The book is told from the viewpoint of individuals who have died from HIV/AIDS as they watch over 7 gay boys trying to make their way through life and accept themselves. Craig and Harry, who were together but aren't anymore, are trying to break the world record for the longest continuous kiss. Peter and Neil have been dating a year, and they must consider their relationship through the difficulties of being a gay couple. Ryan and Avery have just started to go out, and they deal with homophobia and their pasts. Finally there's Cooper. When Cooper's parents find out he's gay through reading his messages in online chat rooms, they are furious enough to drive Cooper out of the house, and right into the arms of the other men in those chat rooms. Some of it is hard to read. The POV is really unique, and I think the story is told beautifully. I love all the different characters' circumstances, and how they're all kind of intertwined as you get to the end of the story. Hearing the narrators talk about the characters' situations while also referring back to when they were alive and fighting the disease was so powerful. I gave this four stars for being really excellent, not quite five stars because some of the lines were too poetic to the point where it felt cheesy and silly.

15. Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows #2) by Leigh Bardugo

Rating: No rating (reread)
Still love this conclusion! It wasn't as magical as the first time around, but things rarely are *sigh*.

16. They Both Die At The End by Adam Silvera

Rating: ★★★★☆
I liked this story. I thought the contemplations of death that the boys were forced into were tragic and deep and really well developed. I think this is a relevant piece, especially for people would are familiar with grief and loss. I got very emotional at the conclusion of the book (the title says it all), and that does not normally happen to me with books.

17. We Are Okay by Nina Lacour

Rating: ★★★☆☆
I guess my overall impression of this book is just underwhelmed. I read this 4 days ago and I can't even remember the main character's name. I know the mystery element was pretty good (but also I was a bit like "is that it?"), and I liked how the story is told in two different timelines. Loved the ending of the book, I thought it was a really good conclusion. But overall, compared to a lot of hard hitting contemporary, it's kind of unmemorable.

18. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

Rating: ★★★☆☆
This book was a snooze fest for me UNTIL Tea Cake entered. Not that he was an amazing character, but things just picked up from there. Unfortunately that was literally 50% through the book. I would give the first half a two star and the second half a four star rating, thus three stars.

19. This Book Is Gay by Juno Dawson

Rating: ★★☆☆☆
Check out my full review HERE.

August 2019 Wrap Up

 In the beginning of the year I was reading so many more books per month! 😂 With school starting up again and work, I really do read as much as I can, but there is not that much opportunity. I'm still going strong toward my Goodreads challenge (a lofty 19 book cushion at the moment), and I will finish my 2019 reading challenge!

Here are my stats for the month. I read a total of 7 books, averaging 418 pages in length. That is definitely longer than the books I've been reading the past few months so I give myself props for that! My average rating was 3.5, which is lower than last month. I blame that on my last read this month... you can see all the details below:

1. Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin

Rating: ★★★★☆
This was a really good book. I really loved the writing style, with the --ALL CAPS EFFECTS-- and the strikethroughs on people's names when they were dead. It really showed how the deaths weighed on Yael's conscience. She could've (should've) been so completely jaded from her past in the camp, and used that as unrelenting fuel to kill anyone who stood in the way of her mission. Instead, the death she witnessed gave her a kind of PTSD that made her terrified of death, including when she was the one doing the killing. I think that Yael was a complex protagonist, and I enjoyed reading her POV a lot. Check out my review for Blood for Blood (linked below at #6) for my review on the series as a whole.

2. Now That You Mention It by Kristan Higgins

Rating: ★★★★★
This is probably my favorite Kristan Higgins book so far (the fourth one I've read). It's definitely heavier topics and more serious, but I think Nora's giddy optimism kind of off sets that so I liked it. I really meant to write a review for this one, but didn't get around to it. 😕But I do highly recommend this book.

3. The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli

Rating: ★★☆☆☆
This book had some of the most unlikable characters I've ever read, I'm really impressed! Yes, that's sarcasm, because I'm pretty sure I wasn't supposed to hate the main character or her twin sister, but here we are, with a 2-star review. Two main reasons for the two-star rating: the plot and the characters. And, well, those are two pretty important aspects of novels. To find out more, you can find my review HERE.

4. Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

Rating: ★★★★★
This book was an emotional roller coaster. I hated characters, I loved characters, I loved characters I hated, and hated characters I love. The author really knows how to write character development. There were a lot of tropes in here that have been so poorly executed by many (most) YA fantasy books (enemies-to-lovers, enemies-to-friends, the chosen one, evil overlord, powerful artifact, the quest. Like really guys, there's a lot.) But! I didn't even really notice these plot points as tropes until after I finished the book and was reflecting on it because they fit so well into the story. Check out my full review HERE.

5. Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll

Here's another children's classic that I just thought "meh" about. I didn't rate this book because I don't feel that I am the target audience, so I am not going to get out of it what was intended by Carroll. I'm sure this is a joy for children, I just didn't really grow up with the Alice stories, so I didn't care that much about it.

6. Blood for Blood (Wolf by Wolf #2) by Ryan Graudin

Rating: ★★★★☆
This series packs a serious emotional punch. I really enjoyed my time reading, and I was really invested in the characters. I loved the moral dilemmas the characters faced (especially Felix, like wowwww), and I think the 3rd person POV was used really well to tell the story as all the characters. The first book was really just about Yael, and while she's still the main character in the second book, the author really broadened the story by incorporating more characters. Read my full review HERE.

7. Wayfarer (Passenger, #2) by Alexandra Bracken
 
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆
This book... where do I even begin? How about with the simplest thing... This book is boring. It does not excite the reader. I was not drawn into the characters or the plotline, much like the first book. The book was 532 pages, but I don't even remember most of the plotline because that's how unmemorable it was. For a second there in the middle, I thought I would end up giving this 3 stars because I was intrigued at certain points, but by the halfway point I was just dragging my feet to finish this. So what went wrong? Read my full review HERE.

June 2019 Wrap Up

I wish I could read more but I'm just so busy!!! Here are the books I read this month... I'm not even going to include stats because of how shameful my tiny pile is 😂My favorite book this month was Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren.

1. Winning by Lara Deloza

Rating: ★★★★☆
I saw this book for $2 in my local used bookstore and thought the cover was cute, so I bought it. I didn't expect to read it soon after, or to really like it (I knew from the blurb is was a typical teen high school drama), but it's a good thing I read it this month because it helped me out of a bit of a slump. Read my full thoughts HERE.

2. The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi

Rating: ★★★☆☆
This one was fun, but not quite perfect. Check out my full review HERE.

3. Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

Rating: ★★★★☆
This was a really exciting story. I always forget how much I like survival stories until I read one again. I was impressed at the author's ability to make me connect with Brian when he was pretty much the only character in the book, and it was told in third person. Some people complained that the book was overdescriptive, but I thought it added to the ambience of the story. I listened to this on audiobook, so maybe that helped, but I enjoyed this book.

4. A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi

Rating: ★★★★☆
I liked this book a lot. I knocked it out in 3 days which was really good for my healing reading slump. I loved the concept, and the way the author really puts the reader in Shirin's shoes. The romance was also so cute. I only knocked off one star because I wish it wasn't all about the romance, like that there was more about friendships. Also Shirin was so jaded, which I understood given her position, but after a while it got so frustrating to hear her constantly push Ocean away and then go back to him.

5. Passenger by Alexandra Bracken

Rating: ★★☆☆☆
Normally I wouldn't continue in a series when the first book is two stars... but for this one I'm going to have to. Find out why HERE.

6. Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren

Rating: ★★★★★
This is the first Christina Lauren book I've read, and I absolutely loved it! It's funny, it's charming, it's emotional, it has great sex scenes (although it is not recommended to listen to the audiobook with your mother during those scenes). Hazel is a fun, dynamic, yet relatable character. Her personality just oozed with other people I know, yet she was so fun to read about. Josh was an excellent contrast to her, and I honestly want a Josh in my life (it doesn't hurt to point out that the Josh narrator of the audiobook voices one of my favorite anime characters). The audiobook was also great, no complaints there. The only thing that slightly annoyed me in this book is how often Hazel talks about how Josh is "just so hot". Like girl, we know. You said it several times. Chill. But even with that, I rate this book 5 stars because I enjoyed it so much.

May 2019 Wrap-Up

This was a slowwwwww reading month for me! 8 books in one month is usually seen as an average or even a lot, but I normally read upwards of 15 books in a month. I had a crazy time going on trips and then moving back to the US, so I had to DNF a lot of books that I will definitely come back to when the time is right. That being said, for the books I did read this month... My average rating was a 3.5, and my most read genre was Fantasy. I read a total of 2,933 pages (so close to 3K!), and that makes an average of 367 pages per book. I prefer to stay around 350 or higher, so I am pleased with at least this area of my stats. Here are the books I read in the month of May:

#1: And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer by Fredrik Backman

Rating: ★★★★☆
I want to read it again.

#2: Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

Rating:★★★☆☆
As far as classics go (not a favorite genre), I liked this one a lot more than many others. It’s dark and twisty but I still found Mrs. de Winter to be a compelling character/narrator. The book is slow to start, and in general a lot longer than it probably needs to be. But the last half of the book really had me intrigued.

#3: White Teeth by Zadie Smith

Rating: ★★☆☆☆
I'm probably a bad judge for this book because I tire of books that lack plot. You know the kind. When there's no direction, just a bunch of people going through life. It's an omniscient POV, and we get to see 3-4 different generations, so that makes it more tolerable. But one of the things I despise most about this book is its implausibility. The characters were just so... over-the-top. And not in a way that was fun like in Big Little Lies (Liane Moriarty) or The Casual Vacancy (JK Rowling) or The Secret History (Donna Tartt). Half the things that happened, by the characters or to the characters, I just didn't believe. I felt like I was wasting my time reading this. I honestly don't think I gained anything here.

#4: The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

Rating: ★★★★★
A timeless classic.
This is the first time I've reread this since seeing all the movies, and it's refreshing to remember how simple and innocent the original novel is. After, the book was written by Tolkien for his children, and I love the simplicity and intrigue of the story.

#5: Black Widow: Forever Red by Margaret Stohl

Rating: ★★☆☆☆
I was not a fan of the insta-love here. Also just disappointed because I would think a book literally entitled “Black Widow” would be about Black Widow and not some random teenagers?? They even have a different alias, “Red Widow”, for this teenage girl. Natasha was a side character. If you want a book about teens that are angsty and don’t have much personality that "fall in love” after two days of knowing each other, this is for you. If you want a book with substance, where Black Widow is the main character, skip it.

6. Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee

Rating: ★★★☆☆
I read this as a buddy read over the course of five days. My review is done as journal entries, ergo it is VERY long. Check out the details HERE.

7. The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

Rating: ★★★★★

Fantastic. Amazing. Incredible. I may never recover. Check out my full review HERE.

8. I Contain Multitudes by Ed Yong

Rating: ★★★★☆
This was the first nonfiction I've read in a while. I thought it was very accessible to different levels of scientific understanding and had some interesting facts/stories about animal microbiome.

April 2019 Wrap-Up

This month I read 23 books! I expected that since I read 4 more books than last month, that would mean they were a lot smaller. However, the pages/book for April was 337 compared to 339 in March, so the books were not on average that much shorter. I read a lot more this month, in terms of pages, coming in at 7750 pages for the month. My most read genre was contemporary, which has been a trend this year. I've mentioned before (and I maintain) that this is because I'm reading so many books that have been recommended to me, and the majority of the books that are recommended to me are contemporary. Overall though, I had a much better reading month. My average rating was a 3.8 compared to the 3.1 of last month, a major jump. I had quite a few five-star books this month and not a single one-star!  🎉🎉🎉Here are the books I finished in the month of April:

#1: Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Rating: ★★★☆☆
I recommend this book, especially for people who don't know much about being an immigrant to America or about African society and customs because that was interesting to learn about, but just put it down after chapter 44 because that's when it gets real bad. To find out what I mean by that, read my full review HERE.

#2: Bird Box by Josh Malerman

Rating: ★★★★★
Dark and creepy... opposite of my normal reading preferences, but I was wrapped up in this one. Yes, I did decide to read this because of the hype/memes from the Netflix adaptation, and depending on how brave I am I may go on to watch it. I knocked this book out in 1 day, and I really enjoyed it. Read my full review HERE.

#3: Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

Rating: ★★☆☆☆
I'm sorry but I don't know how people don't find "classic" literature absolutely insufferable... oops.

#4: The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air, #1) by Holly Black

Rating: ★★★★☆
I was impressed with this book. I liked the characters, the writing, and the plot. I didn't ever think it was boring, and I definitely recommend this to people who like fantasy, high fantasy, and Fae-centered storylines. To read my full review, click HERE.

#5: The Wicked King (The Folk of the Air, #2) by Holly Black

Rating: ★★★☆☆
I didn't dislike this book, but I can't think of a single reason I would want to reread it, which really makes me not want to reread The Cruel Prince, which was much better. This sequel was fine, but not near as compelling as the first one. Check out my full review HERE.

#6: Norse Gods by Johan Egerkrans (translated by Susan Beard)

Rating: ★★★★☆
I definitely bought this book because it was beautiful and just begging for me from the museum gift shop shelf to give it a good home.  The stories are really accessible and interesting, and the illustrations are beautiful. -1 star for the editing. I don't know if it had something to do with the process of translating, but there were several typos in the book.

#7: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Rating: ★★★★☆
I finally got to read this one! It only took two years to get to it... I really think this story is important and beautiful and infuriating. Read my full review HERE.

#8: Patina (Track, #2) by Jason Reynolds

Rating: ★★★★☆
This series is very special to me. There isn't anything shocking, there aren't any amazing and intriguing plot points, there isn't any real drama, the book is just so real. It's a window into the lives of kids just trying to be normal. It's emotional and accessible, and I think all middle grade kids should read it.

#9: The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzi Lee

Rating: ★★★★☆
This is such a good feminist book for people to read, not in spite of the fact that it's set in the 18th century but because of it. In the first book, we got the perspective of being LGBT in that setting, and now it's the perspective of being an ambitious woman in the same time period. The characters are brilliant, and there are so many beautiful precious moments in this book. Check out my full review HERE.

#10: Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

Rating: ★★★☆☆
This book is an important read to get a perspective on a) the role and activities of geisha, and b) Japan in the 1930-40's. These are two topics I was not familiar with before reading this book, and I really appreciate getting to learn about Japanese history and customs through this story. Check out my full review HERE.

#11: Becoming by Michelle Obama

Rating: ★★★★★
What an honest to God ICON. Read my full review HERE.

#12: A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

Rating: ★★★★☆
This is a fresh twist on the traditional Beauty and the Beast retelling. If you ever found yourself wondering what a Beauty and the Beast story would be like if it had less romance, this is the book for you. I know it sounds counterintuitive because breaking the curse is supposed to be based on love/romance, but this one really did work. Check out my full review HERE.

#13: The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

Rating: ★★☆☆☆
So. I read this as a part of my America's Best Loved Novels Reading Challenge and because I'm currently studying in Spain and I've learned about Sanfermines in Pamplona so I thought it would be fun. It was not fun. In addition to just not being interested by the story, I found the narration of this book is infuriating. “I went downstairs. I ordered a coffee. I sat down at a table. Then I read the newspaper.” Just bad writing.

#14: The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson

Rating: ★★★☆☆
I heard a lot of people call this their guilty pleasure read, so I picked it up. I thought the story and character were just fine. They kept my attention, and I wasn't bored. I liked how there was the mystery of who is the assassin and who is the prince, and with that I liked the triple perspectives. Still, there was no wow factor. Nothing super original or interesting. The introduction and progression of the one fantastical element, the "Gift", was vague and should've been more interesting than it was. The ending was one of the most bland and forgettable endings I've read in a first book. The conflict wasn't exactly solved, leaving the book open to sequels, but there wasn't really an interesting or surprising ending event. The triple perspective ruined any twist that might have come out at the end. The book was good and fine, just not amazing.

#15: And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

Rating: ★★★★★
I can't say this story is shocking (after you read the poem you kind of can guess how the story is going to happen), but Agatha Christie truly was the first of her kind. The story was creepy and intriguing and I loved how we got backstories and flashbacks, and how with the third person omniscient viewpoint we could see everyone's thoughts. I read this book as a part of my America's Best Loved Novels Reading Challenge. This was an excellent classic thriller.

#16: Charlotte's Web by E.B. White

Rating: ★★★★★
Such a timeless classic. This was my childhood story. Still so good as I go back and read it at 20 years old.

#17: We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Rating: ★★★★☆
I don't even know if I should count this as a book since is 52 pages and really just an extended essay, but Goodreads does so I will. I'll just read some really big books later to make up for it! I wanted to read this because I saw a Ted Talk the author gave, and then I read her book Americanah. I didn't love Americanah, but I love Adichie's forward thinking ideas on feminism and intersectionality. I like seeing her perspective on feminism, which is so heavily influenced by her home, Nigeria, which instills in its girls ideals and values so different than the US does.

#18: Sunny (Track, #3) by Jason Reynolds

Rating:★★★★★
These books are just so cute, and I don't mean that in a demeaning way. Jason Reynolds just nails the inner workings of a (grieving) middle schooler's mind. Read my full review HERE.

#19: El Libro de Los Americanos Desconocidos by Cristina Henriquez

Rating: ★★★★☆
This book was so beautiful and sad. While it was originally published in English, I wrote my review in Spanish since I read the book in Spanish. If you're interested, you can find my full review HERE.

#20: Lu (Track, #4) by Jason Reynolds

Rating: ★★★★☆
A wonderful little wrap-up to one of my newly crowned favorite middle grade series. This whole series is just fun and hard-hitting at different moments. It's wonderfully balanced, and the characters are so relatable, realistic, and emotive. Didn't rate this one as high as the first or third in the series because it just lacked that emotional climax, where it really hits home, but I think the way the book ended served in place of that and it was just the perfect way to wrap up the quartet.

#21: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

Rating: ★★★☆☆
I really liked reading a book from this perspective, the perspective of a person that falls on the spectrum. I found myself really charmed by Christopher, and I really ended up admiring his bravery and the unique way his mind worked. The book just didn't bring the emotion that I needed it to to rank this higher than three stars. Overall, it's an easy, quick read, and I really enjoyed the graphs and pictures throughout. If you are at all interesting by the premise I suggest you check this one out.

#22: The Cerulean by Amy Ewing

Rating: ★★★★☆
This was a pleasant surprise! Upon reading some reviews and seeing the ratings before reading the book, I really expected to dislike this book based on what people were saying. But I think people are wrong about this one. Read my full review to find out why HERE.

#23: The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

Rating: ★★★☆☆
While I can understand why many people love this book, this book is not for me. I would recommend this book to people who love stories that are really complicated and convoluted, told in bits and pieces by many different interviews. There was just a lot going on, and for how much was going on, I didn't ever really feel drawn in. So, for me, this book was good, but not amazing by any stretch.