#19 - 21
19. The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver
Fiction; 543 pages
One-sentence summary: A fundamentalist father drags his family to the Congo, and, unsurprisingly, things go wrong.
Thoughts: This follows the story of how a Southern Baptist family from Georgia went to the Congo during the '60s for an attempt at converting its natives to Christianity, and... it fails. Miserably. The book's told through five POVs -- the mother and her daughters -- and it follows their attempts at adapting to the climate, with political turmoil brewing right under their noses. Each character has her own distinct voice, and they all sound realistic, from the sixteen year-old beauty queen to the five year-old youngest. Kingsolver has amazing use of language, and she conveys emotions and settings beautifully. I'll definitely be on the lookout for more of her work. [9/10]
20. Magic Study, Maria V. Snyder
Fantasy; 392 pages
One-sentence summary: Magic: the ultimate disaster magnet.
Thoughts: This is the sequel to Poison Study, and I have to say, this series is ADDICTIVE. It's not the most well-written in the world, but it's fun and action-packed, and you just HAVE to keep turning the pages. It details Yelena's adventures with trying to control her magical abilities after her stint as a food-taster; the setting is completely different from the previous book, and much family drama and rivalry is involved, as well as intrigue. New characters show up, as well as old ones. I need to request Fire Study from my library ASAP, because this just keeps getting better. [8/10]
21. Heavy Metal Islam: Rock, Resistance, and the Struggle for the Soul of Islam, Mark LeVine
Non-fiction; 279 pages
One-sentence summary: Proof that music can be a lifestyle.
Thoughts: I have mixed feelings on this. The anecdotes from musicians living in the Middle East were very informative and put a lot of things in perspective, and I liked how the author not only interviewed those in the metal scene, but those in the rap and hip-hop scene as well. On the other hand, the author's obvious lack of metal knowledge was sort of grating... he mentioned that he couldn't tell the difference between some genres that had opposite traits, and when he tried saying that Iron Maiden's mascot was called "Freddy" ... well. However, the information about the countries' states of being were very educational; I especially enjoyed the chapter on Pakistan and its music scene. Worth a read, even if the basic music knowledge isn't all up to snuff. [6.5/10]
21 / 50 books. 42% done!
7598 / 15000 pages. 51% done!
Fiction; 543 pages
One-sentence summary: A fundamentalist father drags his family to the Congo, and, unsurprisingly, things go wrong.
Thoughts: This follows the story of how a Southern Baptist family from Georgia went to the Congo during the '60s for an attempt at converting its natives to Christianity, and... it fails. Miserably. The book's told through five POVs -- the mother and her daughters -- and it follows their attempts at adapting to the climate, with political turmoil brewing right under their noses. Each character has her own distinct voice, and they all sound realistic, from the sixteen year-old beauty queen to the five year-old youngest. Kingsolver has amazing use of language, and she conveys emotions and settings beautifully. I'll definitely be on the lookout for more of her work. [9/10]
20. Magic Study, Maria V. Snyder
Fantasy; 392 pages
One-sentence summary: Magic: the ultimate disaster magnet.
Thoughts: This is the sequel to Poison Study, and I have to say, this series is ADDICTIVE. It's not the most well-written in the world, but it's fun and action-packed, and you just HAVE to keep turning the pages. It details Yelena's adventures with trying to control her magical abilities after her stint as a food-taster; the setting is completely different from the previous book, and much family drama and rivalry is involved, as well as intrigue. New characters show up, as well as old ones. I need to request Fire Study from my library ASAP, because this just keeps getting better. [8/10]
21. Heavy Metal Islam: Rock, Resistance, and the Struggle for the Soul of Islam, Mark LeVine
Non-fiction; 279 pages
One-sentence summary: Proof that music can be a lifestyle.
Thoughts: I have mixed feelings on this. The anecdotes from musicians living in the Middle East were very informative and put a lot of things in perspective, and I liked how the author not only interviewed those in the metal scene, but those in the rap and hip-hop scene as well. On the other hand, the author's obvious lack of metal knowledge was sort of grating... he mentioned that he couldn't tell the difference between some genres that had opposite traits, and when he tried saying that Iron Maiden's mascot was called "Freddy" ... well. However, the information about the countries' states of being were very educational; I especially enjoyed the chapter on Pakistan and its music scene. Worth a read, even if the basic music knowledge isn't all up to snuff. [6.5/10]
21 / 50 books. 42% done!
7598 / 15000 pages. 51% done!