books read in july
Wow this was not a good reading month.
One of my problems is that I signed up to host a book discussion group at a conference in the Fall and the book list I was given is just not pulling me in. It's pretty much all YA rom-com and I just...I can't. One of them was just *painful* in how hard it was trying. Another is a collection of short stories and the first one was not good at all. Yet another is by the same author as When Dimple Met Rishi which I enjoyed. The writing is good and I think you're supposed to see the set up a mile away, but I'm not feeling it. I think Rom-Com just isn't my genre. The only one that has my attention is Odd One Out by Nic Stone because it has some relationship elements, but it is more about the main character moving on from his long-time crush on his BFF who happens to be a lesbian and therefore not an option.
ANYWAY, here are the two books I actually read:
The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This book is definitely a "pot boiler" horror (is that a thing? I'm making it a thing!). There was a lot of build up for the finale but the pacing was a bit slower than I am used to. It was a fascinating world and I wanted to know more about it. Definitely felt claustrophobic as I followed Gyre as she stumbled in the darkness.
Once things got crazy, it got CRAZY though and I couldn't stop reading. I can understand the comparisons to Annihilation because of the weirdness and other worldly feel, the out of place woman who may have fudged a few things on her resume to get the job.
I liked it enough that I want to read whatever Starling does next.
Now I'm going to read a book that takes place outside on a sunny day.
This Was Our Pact by Ryan Andrews
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I kinda loved this. I picked it up not knowing anything about it, I just found the cover art intriguing - the group of kids on their bikes, pedaling off into the night. And it started simple enough, with a boy struggling through a bit of peer pressure - Ben's friend from his younger days, Nathaniel, is now too "nerdy" for him to hang out with for fear of also being labeled a nerd, so Ben leads his new group on an adventure. They make a pact to follow the lanterns down the river. Nathaniel overhears their plans and follows them, much to Ben's chagrin.
As the pages turned, it felt like a Studio Ghibli story, which a world that is similar to our own but with some magical things hidden in the corners, if you only bother to look.
But at the core there is Ben and Nathaniel's friendship, which feels so very real.
This entry was originally posted at https://orangerful.dreamwidth.org/1329744.html. Please comment there using OpenID.
One of my problems is that I signed up to host a book discussion group at a conference in the Fall and the book list I was given is just not pulling me in. It's pretty much all YA rom-com and I just...I can't. One of them was just *painful* in how hard it was trying. Another is a collection of short stories and the first one was not good at all. Yet another is by the same author as When Dimple Met Rishi which I enjoyed. The writing is good and I think you're supposed to see the set up a mile away, but I'm not feeling it. I think Rom-Com just isn't my genre. The only one that has my attention is Odd One Out by Nic Stone because it has some relationship elements, but it is more about the main character moving on from his long-time crush on his BFF who happens to be a lesbian and therefore not an option.
ANYWAY, here are the two books I actually read:
The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This book is definitely a "pot boiler" horror (is that a thing? I'm making it a thing!). There was a lot of build up for the finale but the pacing was a bit slower than I am used to. It was a fascinating world and I wanted to know more about it. Definitely felt claustrophobic as I followed Gyre as she stumbled in the darkness.
Once things got crazy, it got CRAZY though and I couldn't stop reading. I can understand the comparisons to Annihilation because of the weirdness and other worldly feel, the out of place woman who may have fudged a few things on her resume to get the job.
I liked it enough that I want to read whatever Starling does next.
Now I'm going to read a book that takes place outside on a sunny day.
This Was Our Pact by Ryan Andrews
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I kinda loved this. I picked it up not knowing anything about it, I just found the cover art intriguing - the group of kids on their bikes, pedaling off into the night. And it started simple enough, with a boy struggling through a bit of peer pressure - Ben's friend from his younger days, Nathaniel, is now too "nerdy" for him to hang out with for fear of also being labeled a nerd, so Ben leads his new group on an adventure. They make a pact to follow the lanterns down the river. Nathaniel overhears their plans and follows them, much to Ben's chagrin.
As the pages turned, it felt like a Studio Ghibli story, which a world that is similar to our own but with some magical things hidden in the corners, if you only bother to look.
But at the core there is Ben and Nathaniel's friendship, which feels so very real.
This entry was originally posted at https://orangerful.dreamwidth.org/1329744.html. Please comment there using OpenID.