Books for October
Highlands Christmas - Amy Quick Parrish, 2.5/5, 128 pages
A quick read. I finished it in less than an hour. It's very simplistic, very stereotypical and very unrealistic. However, it's also very charming, and while I found myself noticing all the issues with it, it never really made me consider giving up on it. I really enjoyed the setting (there's just something about (Scottish) village life - especially at Christmas time!) and the friends Melissa made along the way. I even liked Colin... even if he was clearly being awfully unprofessional and blatantly ignoring a serious conflict of interests ;-)
I would love for the author to take a second shot at this - find a better editor, and work out some of the kinks. Because plot-wise it has great potential, and if the charm hadn't been diluted by the stereotypes in both characters and events, it would end up being a very sweet Christmas novella indeed.
Legends & Lattes - Travis Baldree, 4/5, Audiobook ~7hrs
This was recommended to me as "cozy fantasy", and I definitely see what they mean... reading about an orc trying to open a café and introduce gnomish coffee to a city who've never heard of any warm drinks other than tea? Yeah, it doesn't get much cozier than that :-D
I had wondered if Travis Baldree could stick to the 'cozy' part, or if it would end up serving as the basis for a more traditional fantasy style novel, but to my great delight the main focus of the book was indeed on the establishing of "Legends & Lattes" - expanding the menu, gathering a following and becoming an established business in the neighbourhood. I know it doesn't sound like that ought to make for thrilling reading - and it doesn't... but it does make for very cozy reading. The fantasy aspect almost took a back seat to the worldbuilding, which I really appreciated.
Of course there had to be some sort of crisis in the end, but it didn't actually come from the direction I had expected it to... and I greatly enjoyed the follow-up afterwards.
So far it seems to be a stand-alone novel (although there is a prequel), but I wouldn't mind reading more about Legends & Lattes in the future :-)
I read this as an audiobook, narrated by the author himself :-)
The Witch is Back - Sophie H. Morgan, 4.5/5, 384
Such a delightful read! I was utterly charmed, and while I loved that it was a stand-alone novel, I still want to read more from this universe! I hope companion novels will be made about Leah or Tia at some point - or Sloan!
Alright - getting my (few) complaints out of the way first. I will admit that the book is rife with cliches. The "good guys" are good through and through and the "bad guys" have no redeeming factors whatsoever. I lacked some sort of motivation behind Clarissa's actions. Also, I'm never too keen on the main character keeping secrets from the reader - although it served a purpose in this case. Finally, it took Emma and Bastian waaaaaaay too long to actually COMMUNICATE!!! But I appreciate that they did so before everything blew up in their faces.
I loved the friendship between Leah, Tia and Emma, I loved the relationship between Sloan and Emma and would love to read more about how that evolved. I loved this different take on the "fake dating" trope and was charmed by the tattoos of the joining. I loved Kole and Bastian's parents and I adored how Bastian stood up to Clarissa.
I can fully see how some people might find this book trite or twee or some other t-adjective - but to me it worked, and I polished it off in two quick sittings.
A Deadly Education - Naomi Novik, 4.5/5, Audiobook ~11hrs
Naomi Novik has been a bit hit and miss to me. I wasn't too impressed by "Uprooted", but loved "His Majesty's Dragon", so I was a bit reluctant to start this series. However, it came strongly recommended by a friend whose taste in books I trust, so when I found it at the library, I decided to give it a shot.
I'm so glad I did! I listened to 11 hours in just a week and loved every minute of it. This is Harry Potter if Hogwarts was evil and out to get you! I will admit that the writing style takes some getting used to - there's a lot more telling than showing going on in the beginning, but for some reason it worked with the atmosphere of the book, and I was instantly drawn in.
I loved reading about El's growth and almost reluctant way of making friends, and was fascinated by the way magic works in this world - crocheting to gain manna seems like the perfect deal to me! (which I know means it wouldn't gain me much, but hey - a girl can dream, right? ;-) )
The end was a bit more sudden than I had expected, and I'm very intrigued to see what will happen next!
Chef's Choice - T.J. Alexander, 3/5, 336 pages
Not as good as the first book, unfortunately. I loved "Chef's Kiss", but never felt I got to know Luna and JP as well as I did Simone and Ray - nor was I as charmed by them.
A shame, as I usually love the fake-dating trope (and that part was done really well), but since I felt the relationship was a lot more tell than show, I never truly bought that their feelings changed.
That said, I did appreciate that it was more "slow-burn" than "third act break-up", and I loved the confrontation with JP's grandfather near the end.
So a good book - but not a great one.
Wonder - R.J. Palacio*, 5/5, 316 pages
Definitely not a book for everybody. I can easily see how it could be too twee for some and just too much for others, but personally, I absolutely adored it! Without a doubt one of the best books I've read this year. It had me both laughing and crying with joy, and I had tears - happy tears - running down my cheeks as I read the last page. It was probably a too perfect ending, but it worked for me, and I just wanted to gather everybody up and give them all huge hugs.
Auggie & Me - R.J. Palacio*, 4/5, 380 pages
It didn't blow me away the way "Wonder" did, but I still really liked it.
It was good to see things from Julian, Chris and Charlotte's point of view, and I liked that Auggie was just a minor characters in these stories.
I liked Julian's story the best - but with Charlotte's as a close second.
The Rosary - Florence L. Barclay*, 4/5, 389 pages
Hadn't realized it had been 11 years since I read this last!
The last half is by far the best - I do love reading about Jane as Rosemary Grey - but it baffles me that nobody seems to mind that she deceived Garth in that way by pretending to be somebody else. It's just... glossed over as being completely inconsequential.
Ah well. Still a beautiful story... if a bit over the top in some places.
Tre piger i en bil - Estrid Ott*, 4/5, 205 pages
I read this often as a kid, but somehow hadn't picked it up for 18 years, so figured it was about time! Fortunately - as with most of Estrid Ott's books - it stood the test of time. Sure, it was terribly dated in some aspects, but then it WAS written almost 100 years ago (almost exactly - it's from 1925), so it's to be expected.
It was quite funny to read this after just having been to NYC myself, and actually being able to picture some of the places described... even if in a "slightly" more modern setting ;-)
Sue Barton, Student Nurse - Helen Dore Boylston*, 4.5/4, 244 pages
A quick read (took me no more than an hour or two), but a good one. It's a wonder I've never wanted to be a nurse or a doctor, as much as I love reading about their work. It's a feel-good book of the old-fashioned style and I greatly enjoyed it.
Books Read: 94
Pages Read: 19,367
Hours Listened to: 272
Book of the Month: A toss between The Witch is Back and A Deadly Education. I loved both!
Biggest Disappointment: None this month. Highlands Christmas filled the need I had at the time, so it would be unfair to call it a disappointment.
A quick read. I finished it in less than an hour. It's very simplistic, very stereotypical and very unrealistic. However, it's also very charming, and while I found myself noticing all the issues with it, it never really made me consider giving up on it. I really enjoyed the setting (there's just something about (Scottish) village life - especially at Christmas time!) and the friends Melissa made along the way. I even liked Colin... even if he was clearly being awfully unprofessional and blatantly ignoring a serious conflict of interests ;-)
I would love for the author to take a second shot at this - find a better editor, and work out some of the kinks. Because plot-wise it has great potential, and if the charm hadn't been diluted by the stereotypes in both characters and events, it would end up being a very sweet Christmas novella indeed.
Legends & Lattes - Travis Baldree, 4/5, Audiobook ~7hrs
This was recommended to me as "cozy fantasy", and I definitely see what they mean... reading about an orc trying to open a café and introduce gnomish coffee to a city who've never heard of any warm drinks other than tea? Yeah, it doesn't get much cozier than that :-D
I had wondered if Travis Baldree could stick to the 'cozy' part, or if it would end up serving as the basis for a more traditional fantasy style novel, but to my great delight the main focus of the book was indeed on the establishing of "Legends & Lattes" - expanding the menu, gathering a following and becoming an established business in the neighbourhood. I know it doesn't sound like that ought to make for thrilling reading - and it doesn't... but it does make for very cozy reading. The fantasy aspect almost took a back seat to the worldbuilding, which I really appreciated.
Of course there had to be some sort of crisis in the end, but it didn't actually come from the direction I had expected it to... and I greatly enjoyed the follow-up afterwards.
So far it seems to be a stand-alone novel (although there is a prequel), but I wouldn't mind reading more about Legends & Lattes in the future :-)
I read this as an audiobook, narrated by the author himself :-)
The Witch is Back - Sophie H. Morgan, 4.5/5, 384
Such a delightful read! I was utterly charmed, and while I loved that it was a stand-alone novel, I still want to read more from this universe! I hope companion novels will be made about Leah or Tia at some point - or Sloan!
Alright - getting my (few) complaints out of the way first. I will admit that the book is rife with cliches. The "good guys" are good through and through and the "bad guys" have no redeeming factors whatsoever. I lacked some sort of motivation behind Clarissa's actions. Also, I'm never too keen on the main character keeping secrets from the reader - although it served a purpose in this case. Finally, it took Emma and Bastian waaaaaaay too long to actually COMMUNICATE!!! But I appreciate that they did so before everything blew up in their faces.
I loved the friendship between Leah, Tia and Emma, I loved the relationship between Sloan and Emma and would love to read more about how that evolved. I loved this different take on the "fake dating" trope and was charmed by the tattoos of the joining. I loved Kole and Bastian's parents and I adored how Bastian stood up to Clarissa.
I can fully see how some people might find this book trite or twee or some other t-adjective - but to me it worked, and I polished it off in two quick sittings.
A Deadly Education - Naomi Novik, 4.5/5, Audiobook ~11hrs
Naomi Novik has been a bit hit and miss to me. I wasn't too impressed by "Uprooted", but loved "His Majesty's Dragon", so I was a bit reluctant to start this series. However, it came strongly recommended by a friend whose taste in books I trust, so when I found it at the library, I decided to give it a shot.
I'm so glad I did! I listened to 11 hours in just a week and loved every minute of it. This is Harry Potter if Hogwarts was evil and out to get you! I will admit that the writing style takes some getting used to - there's a lot more telling than showing going on in the beginning, but for some reason it worked with the atmosphere of the book, and I was instantly drawn in.
I loved reading about El's growth and almost reluctant way of making friends, and was fascinated by the way magic works in this world - crocheting to gain manna seems like the perfect deal to me! (which I know means it wouldn't gain me much, but hey - a girl can dream, right? ;-) )
The end was a bit more sudden than I had expected, and I'm very intrigued to see what will happen next!
Chef's Choice - T.J. Alexander, 3/5, 336 pages
Not as good as the first book, unfortunately. I loved "Chef's Kiss", but never felt I got to know Luna and JP as well as I did Simone and Ray - nor was I as charmed by them.
A shame, as I usually love the fake-dating trope (and that part was done really well), but since I felt the relationship was a lot more tell than show, I never truly bought that their feelings changed.
That said, I did appreciate that it was more "slow-burn" than "third act break-up", and I loved the confrontation with JP's grandfather near the end.
So a good book - but not a great one.
Wonder - R.J. Palacio*, 5/5, 316 pages
Definitely not a book for everybody. I can easily see how it could be too twee for some and just too much for others, but personally, I absolutely adored it! Without a doubt one of the best books I've read this year. It had me both laughing and crying with joy, and I had tears - happy tears - running down my cheeks as I read the last page. It was probably a too perfect ending, but it worked for me, and I just wanted to gather everybody up and give them all huge hugs.
Auggie & Me - R.J. Palacio*, 4/5, 380 pages
It didn't blow me away the way "Wonder" did, but I still really liked it.
It was good to see things from Julian, Chris and Charlotte's point of view, and I liked that Auggie was just a minor characters in these stories.
I liked Julian's story the best - but with Charlotte's as a close second.
The Rosary - Florence L. Barclay*, 4/5, 389 pages
Hadn't realized it had been 11 years since I read this last!
The last half is by far the best - I do love reading about Jane as Rosemary Grey - but it baffles me that nobody seems to mind that she deceived Garth in that way by pretending to be somebody else. It's just... glossed over as being completely inconsequential.
Ah well. Still a beautiful story... if a bit over the top in some places.
Tre piger i en bil - Estrid Ott*, 4/5, 205 pages
I read this often as a kid, but somehow hadn't picked it up for 18 years, so figured it was about time! Fortunately - as with most of Estrid Ott's books - it stood the test of time. Sure, it was terribly dated in some aspects, but then it WAS written almost 100 years ago (almost exactly - it's from 1925), so it's to be expected.
It was quite funny to read this after just having been to NYC myself, and actually being able to picture some of the places described... even if in a "slightly" more modern setting ;-)
Sue Barton, Student Nurse - Helen Dore Boylston*, 4.5/4, 244 pages
A quick read (took me no more than an hour or two), but a good one. It's a wonder I've never wanted to be a nurse or a doctor, as much as I love reading about their work. It's a feel-good book of the old-fashioned style and I greatly enjoyed it.
Books Read: 94
Pages Read: 19,367
Hours Listened to: 272
Book of the Month: A toss between The Witch is Back and A Deadly Education. I loved both!
Biggest Disappointment: None this month. Highlands Christmas filled the need I had at the time, so it would be unfair to call it a disappointment.