Books for March
I'm a bit late this month - Easter confused me :-P ;-)
Passenger 23 - Sebastian Fitzek, 3/5, Audiobook ~8hrs
I listened to an audible origins production of this, and am not entirely sure that that was the best way to "read" it. The chosen music didn't really fit the atmosphere, and it came across as overly dramatic in places.
As for the story itself, it was pretty run-of-the-mill. I liked it well enough, but they didn't make nearly as much use of the fact that it took place on a cruise ship as I had expected them too. But I guess at the end of the day they just needed it for the "locked room" setting. It did baffle me though that at 2 hours before the end of the book, I still felt like I was waiting for the action to start. I wasn't bored or anything - it kept me nicely entertained - but everything until then just seemed to happen by coincidence or through pure luck (or lack of same). Also, parts of it seemed very exaggerated / unrealistic.
Not a bad book, but not one I'm likely to reread either.
Love & Other Scams - P.J. Ellis, 3.5/5, Audiobook ~9hrs
I love heist movies, so I was eager to see if a heist book could live up to my expectations. In the end (and as the rating reflects), I'd say it came close, but couldn't quite deliver. It's a chick-lit that just happens to include a heist, rather than a heist novel that just happened to include a fake romance, meaning that more page time was spent on the fake romance than on the heist.
Fortunately I liked the fake romance, and thought they had great chemistry, and I quite liked reading all about the wedding preparations as well - even if I WISH just for ONCE the "poor friend" would have enough backbone to just come out and say, "Sorry, I can't afford that" - but I guess there wouldn't have been much of a plotline if she had :-P Anyways, I loved Harper and was thrilled to see just one person who didn't give 2 *cough* cents about all the posh nonsense.
I got very tired of the third-act breakup and wish authors would just stop thinking such a thing was necessary! The plot didn't need it, and could easily have worked without it. I guess it did help Cat grow up a bit, but I'm sure that could have been handled in other ways as well. So that brought it down from 4 stars to 3.5.
An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth - Chris Hadfield, 4.5/5, 296 pages
Absolutely fascinating account of how Chris Hadfield got to be an astronaut with CSA at a time where such a feat was practically unheard of. It tells of his initial career as a jet pilot, his acceptance into CSA, his work with NASA, his initial tours into space to help build MIR and ISS, and finally his 6 months on ISS as part of the 34/35 expedition.
Accounts of space fascinate me to no end, and this was every bit as readable as Andy Weir's "The Martian" and "Project Hail Mary" and had the added bonus of actually being true! So while Chris Hadfield's writing did come across as slightly pretentious at times, I figure he's earned it, and just loved getting all the details of life on ISS - and actually especially everyday life. Those moments that end up becoming natural to an astronaut, but that are completely fantastic and exotic to anybody else.
Very readable - not dry at all! - and highly recommendable!
The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School - Sonora Reyes, 4/5, Audiobook ~9hrs
Very sweet and poignant book. I found myself literally "awww!!"'ing on multiple occasions - mostly due to Bo's parents!
The characters were believably YA - including making stupid decisions and failing to communicate for far too long. But it was an understandable lack of communication, and therefore didn't bother me as much as it usually does in such books. There were one or two instances where I found myself cringing with second-hand embarrassment, but fortunately they were quickly resolved, rather than dwelled on.
I loved pretty much all the characters. They felt real to me, and I enjoyed seeing their relationships grow. I wanted to cheer when Yamilet's mother turned out to be more of an ally than anybody would have guessed. THAT is how you support your children regardless of everything!
The audiobook was narrated by Karla Serrato who did a brilliant job. She either speaks Spanish herself, or did a really good job of convincing this non-Spanish-speaker that she does. The Spanish interjections flowed naturally.
The book (or the audiobook version at least) comes with a CW. Heed this, if bigotry/the consequences of bigotry is a trigger for you.
Summer at the Comfort Food Cafe - Debbie Johnson, 4/5, Audiobook ~10hrs
So... I had totally mixed up Debbie Johnson with Debbie Macomber :-P But I get why - they both write cozy chick-lit with substance that doesn't shy away from tackling heavier issues. So it wasn't until I sat down to write this review that I realized that they weren't the same person.
But happy accident, as that just meant I was biased in the book's favour, and I did end up really enjoying it. It was sweet and sad and poignant and funny and a really cozy comfort read. It can easily stand on its own, but I am looking forward to reading more about the Comfort Food Cafe.
The Martian - Andy Weir*, 5/5, 384 pages
I was in a reading slump and wanted something guaranteed to bring me out of it. This delivered nicely, and even at this 4th read, it still moved me to tears at the end. Amazing writing all around!
Witches on Parole - Debora Geary*, 4.5/5, Audiobook ~8hrs
Witches Under Way - Debora Geary*, 4.5/5, Audiobook ~9hrs
In the mood for a comfort read, and as Audible recently offered this entire trilogy for FREE! I figured it was the perfect choice.
Books Read: 25
Pages Read: 3119
Hours Listened to: 129 (I listened to a whopping 53 hours in March alone!)
Book of the Month: Probably An Astronaut's Guide... - found it really interesting.
Biggest Disappointment: Passenger 23 for the reasons stated above.
Passenger 23 - Sebastian Fitzek, 3/5, Audiobook ~8hrs
I listened to an audible origins production of this, and am not entirely sure that that was the best way to "read" it. The chosen music didn't really fit the atmosphere, and it came across as overly dramatic in places.
As for the story itself, it was pretty run-of-the-mill. I liked it well enough, but they didn't make nearly as much use of the fact that it took place on a cruise ship as I had expected them too. But I guess at the end of the day they just needed it for the "locked room" setting. It did baffle me though that at 2 hours before the end of the book, I still felt like I was waiting for the action to start. I wasn't bored or anything - it kept me nicely entertained - but everything until then just seemed to happen by coincidence or through pure luck (or lack of same). Also, parts of it seemed very exaggerated / unrealistic.
Not a bad book, but not one I'm likely to reread either.
Love & Other Scams - P.J. Ellis, 3.5/5, Audiobook ~9hrs
I love heist movies, so I was eager to see if a heist book could live up to my expectations. In the end (and as the rating reflects), I'd say it came close, but couldn't quite deliver. It's a chick-lit that just happens to include a heist, rather than a heist novel that just happened to include a fake romance, meaning that more page time was spent on the fake romance than on the heist.
Fortunately I liked the fake romance, and thought they had great chemistry, and I quite liked reading all about the wedding preparations as well - even if I WISH just for ONCE the "poor friend" would have enough backbone to just come out and say, "Sorry, I can't afford that" - but I guess there wouldn't have been much of a plotline if she had :-P Anyways, I loved Harper and was thrilled to see just one person who didn't give 2 *cough* cents about all the posh nonsense.
I got very tired of the third-act breakup and wish authors would just stop thinking such a thing was necessary! The plot didn't need it, and could easily have worked without it. I guess it did help Cat grow up a bit, but I'm sure that could have been handled in other ways as well. So that brought it down from 4 stars to 3.5.
An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth - Chris Hadfield, 4.5/5, 296 pages
Absolutely fascinating account of how Chris Hadfield got to be an astronaut with CSA at a time where such a feat was practically unheard of. It tells of his initial career as a jet pilot, his acceptance into CSA, his work with NASA, his initial tours into space to help build MIR and ISS, and finally his 6 months on ISS as part of the 34/35 expedition.
Accounts of space fascinate me to no end, and this was every bit as readable as Andy Weir's "The Martian" and "Project Hail Mary" and had the added bonus of actually being true! So while Chris Hadfield's writing did come across as slightly pretentious at times, I figure he's earned it, and just loved getting all the details of life on ISS - and actually especially everyday life. Those moments that end up becoming natural to an astronaut, but that are completely fantastic and exotic to anybody else.
Very readable - not dry at all! - and highly recommendable!
The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School - Sonora Reyes, 4/5, Audiobook ~9hrs
Very sweet and poignant book. I found myself literally "awww!!"'ing on multiple occasions - mostly due to Bo's parents!
The characters were believably YA - including making stupid decisions and failing to communicate for far too long. But it was an understandable lack of communication, and therefore didn't bother me as much as it usually does in such books. There were one or two instances where I found myself cringing with second-hand embarrassment, but fortunately they were quickly resolved, rather than dwelled on.
I loved pretty much all the characters. They felt real to me, and I enjoyed seeing their relationships grow. I wanted to cheer when Yamilet's mother turned out to be more of an ally than anybody would have guessed. THAT is how you support your children regardless of everything!
The audiobook was narrated by Karla Serrato who did a brilliant job. She either speaks Spanish herself, or did a really good job of convincing this non-Spanish-speaker that she does. The Spanish interjections flowed naturally.
The book (or the audiobook version at least) comes with a CW. Heed this, if bigotry/the consequences of bigotry is a trigger for you.
Summer at the Comfort Food Cafe - Debbie Johnson, 4/5, Audiobook ~10hrs
So... I had totally mixed up Debbie Johnson with Debbie Macomber :-P But I get why - they both write cozy chick-lit with substance that doesn't shy away from tackling heavier issues. So it wasn't until I sat down to write this review that I realized that they weren't the same person.
But happy accident, as that just meant I was biased in the book's favour, and I did end up really enjoying it. It was sweet and sad and poignant and funny and a really cozy comfort read. It can easily stand on its own, but I am looking forward to reading more about the Comfort Food Cafe.
The Martian - Andy Weir*, 5/5, 384 pages
I was in a reading slump and wanted something guaranteed to bring me out of it. This delivered nicely, and even at this 4th read, it still moved me to tears at the end. Amazing writing all around!
Witches on Parole - Debora Geary*, 4.5/5, Audiobook ~8hrs
Witches Under Way - Debora Geary*, 4.5/5, Audiobook ~9hrs
In the mood for a comfort read, and as Audible recently offered this entire trilogy for FREE! I figured it was the perfect choice.
Books Read: 25
Pages Read: 3119
Hours Listened to: 129 (I listened to a whopping 53 hours in March alone!)
Book of the Month: Probably An Astronaut's Guide... - found it really interesting.
Biggest Disappointment: Passenger 23 for the reasons stated above.