Review: The Library Book

The Library Book by Susan Orlean

Rating: 3 Stars

This book is billed as true crime, and while it does cover the mysterious fire (arson? maybe) in the LA Central Library in 1986, it reads more as a love letter to libraries. As a library lover, I found the glimpse into the history and inner workings of the LA Public Library system fascinating. Orlean is a fantastic writer, who blends the story of the fire with the history and future of the library seamlessly. This is well worth a read if you have any interest in libraries at all. 

Thank you to NetGalley for the review copy of the book.

Review: An Anonymous Girl

An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen

Rating: 3.5 Stars

I was so excited to get an ARC of An Anonymous Girl to read this fall, and it was the perfect read for the Halloween season. This was a creepy, twisty, wild ride from start to finish. The way these two authors right is so engaging, and I was quickly drawn into the story, even though I felt like I didn't know what was going on about half of the time. This was a fast read and well paced. Every time I thought I had figured out what was going on, and who the bad guy was, they threw another twist at me, and I was wondering all over again. 

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy of the book. On sale January 8, 2019.

Review: On The Other Side of Freedom

On the Other Side of Freedom: The Case for Hope by DeRay Mckesson

Rating: 3 Stars

DeRay Mckesson's book is both a call to action and hope for the world as it could be.  Using his own experiences as an activist, organizer, educator, and public official, Mckessen speaks to all of us about how we can work to make the world better. He writes that we all can and must work to make the system better, because that is the only way it can be done. There are some hard truths in this book, but they're important truths, that remind us to all be active and engaged citizens.

Thank you to GoodReads and Viking for the complimentary copy of this book.

Review: Educated

Educated by Tara Westover

Rating: 4 Stars

Tara Westover's memoir about growing up in an extremely conservative, fundamentalist home is both heartbreaking and awe-inspiring. Her father (and probably one of her brothers, although that's not ever said outright) is mentally ill, living in a closed society (their family) that enables him and his abuse. And while Westover never glosses over that aspect, she also writes very frankly about her struggle to reconcile the father that abuses her with the one that she loves and who loves her in return. The same for her brother. It was fascinating to read about her journey through the world of academia after having no formal schooling until college, and how she struggled to come to terms with her changing worldview. This is a wonderful memoir that gave me a glimpse into a world I could have never imagined, and I am so inspired by Westover. 

Thank you to NetGalley for a review copy of this book.

Review: Lady Jayne Disappears

Lady Jayne Disappears by Joanna Davidson Politano

Rating: DNF

I struggled to get through this book for a week, but finally gave up at about 60%. I probably could have finished it, but life is too short to read bad books.

I had a couple of issues with this book. The main one was that it was so boring. I read 258 pages before giving up, and nothing happened in said 258 pages, except for the heroine Aurelie writing, praying, and having really obnoxious self-doubting monologues. It's marketed as a gothic mystery, and at first I thought that's what it was going to be. I expect Aurelie to sleuth around and uncover the great mystery of what happened to Lady Jayne, but at 60% into the book, she hadn't done anything like that. I skimmed the last bit of the book and the great mystery was all revealed in about the last 10 pages of the book, without even the true benefit of a "reveal." The other characters basically just told her what happened, finally. Politano wasted roughly 400 pages by choosing that as the method of reveal in my opinion. I also felt like the twist at the end was supposed to be this huge shock, but it also fell flat even as I skimmed through to the end. 

I also didn't enjoy the Jasper story line, and to be honest, I'm not sure what purpose it served at all, except to create unnecessary conflict. If Politano had focused more on the mystery aspect and worried less about conflict between Juliette and Aurelie (and everyone else), the story would have been much better. That conflict, like so much of the book, simply felt like filler. However, all the filler meant that the plot line that could have really been interesting was neglected and not nearly as good as it could have been. 

This falls into the category of Christian fiction, although there's no way to know that until you've started. That in and of itself wouldn't be a problem, but the faith element is written so poorly. There's no naturalness to it; the prayers/invocation of God are dropped into the story often seemingly at random, in such a clunky and awkward way, it really interrupted the flow of the story. Along with that, much of the dialogue and especially the dialogue regarding faith is so sappy-sweet it made my teeth hurt. 

I really tried to like this one, but in the end, it just wasn't for me. Thank you to NetGalley for a review copy of this book.

Romance Awareness Month Wrap-Up

August was Read a Romance and Romance Awareness Month, so I'm going to give you a quick rundown of all of the romance novels I read this month. I'm going to throw this out there: I love romance novels, making this an easy focus for the month.

Savor You by Kristen Proby

Rating: 2 Stars

This book was okay, but it didn't blow me out of the water. I enjoyed the story and the characters, and was glad that even though I haven't read any of the others in the series I could jump right in and not feel lost. I really enjoyed the emphasis Proby put on female friendship, and the relationships between the female characters. I liked reading about a body-positive hero, although that felt a little heavy handed at times. I also really appreciated that consent was represented and still sexy. In this day and age, showing that consent can be sexy is so important. What I did not love so much was the lack of conflict. Everything seemed to be resolved too quickly and much too easily. And while I enjoy stories where there is less drama, there was a number of conflicts introduced and then quickly resolved. I guess I just didn't feel emotionally invested in any part of the story. Overall it was a fun, easy read.

The Chase by Elle Kennedy Rating: 4 Stars I wrote a whole post about this book earlier this month, so I'm not going to completely rehash it. Just know that I loved this book and if you're interested in the New Adult genre, check out Elle Kennedy. She's one of the best writers of the genre, in my opinion.  Blush for Me by Kristen Proby Rating: 2 Stars This was a quick and easy read. I enjoy that Proby didn't use the usual formula that involves a fight and the main couple being broken up before coming back together. I do enjoy reading a romance where the conflict comes from something other than the couple breaking up. However, the conflict Proby did use was too quickly resolved and not very believable. This was a fine book, good for a Sunday at home. Hard Sell by Lauren Layne Rating: 4 Stars I also reviewed this on the blog earlier, so again, I won't repeat myself. This was a fun and easy read, with an enemies to lovers trope done really well. This one also went on sale today (September 4th) so be sure to get yourself a copy this one right away! The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare Rating: 3 Stars This was a quick and easy read. Having never read anything by Tessa Dare before, I have nothing to compare it to style-wise, but she does appear to have a certain style that may not be for everyone. It’s silly, which I enjoy once in a while, but may not be for everyone. The other thing that threw me off a bit was the modernization of the dialogue and thoughts of the characters. They spoke and thought like modern day people, which did occasionally take me out of the story, as I wouldn’t expect characters in a historical to speak like characters in a contemporary. But overall it was a fun story, so if you’re looking for an easy, sexy, sometimes silly romance to read at the beach, give this a try! Close to You by Kristen Proby Rating: 2 Stars This was a fast and easy read. I appreciate Proby’s books for their lack of relationship drama, but her writing style is a little lackluster for me. The dialogue in particular reads amateurish. (As you can probably tell, by this time I've about given up on Kristen Proby. We'll see if I try any more of hers). At the Stroke of Midnight by Tara Sivec Rating: 2 Stars This was a pretty easy read, although I thought it was a little slow at the beginning. It was fun and I really liked how sex-positive it was, as well as the focus on the female friendships and the relationship between Cindy and her daughter. However, I wish those relationships had been more fleshed out. There was too much going on in the story to really focus on that. Also, even knowing it was a Cinderella retelling, that aspect was a little heavy-handed for my taste.  Boy Toy by Sarina Bowen & Tanya Eby Rating: 3 Stars A fun and easy read, perfect for an afternoon at home. I enjoyed the characters and the story, although Sadie's insecurity got a little annoying at times. However, due to the nature of the book that was resolved pretty quickly. It was a low drama story as well, which I often enjoy. I like a good soap opera sometimes, but every once in a while it's nice to have a story that feels more realistic, with conflict, but not over-the-top conflict. This book has that. Sleepover by Serena Bell Rating: 3 Stars I just reviewed this one on the blog as well, and I enjoyed it. It was well-written, with well-rounded characters and a realistic take on real-life issues single parents who are dating often face. Hate to Want You by Alisha Rai Rating: 3 Stars I probably wouldn’t have picked this up by myself, but the Book World was all abuzz about it when it came out, so I thought I’d give it a try. I enjoyed it a lot more than I was expecting. It was dark in places, but not as dark as I expected, more intense. I enjoyed the characters and think Alisha Rai tackled some tough issues (like depression) really well. I also enjoyed that the couple was interracial, but that wasn’t a source of conflict. They were dynamic characters, each with their own flaws and issues to work through. I’ll definitely be picking up the next one in series.

Review: Sleepover

Sleepover by Serena Bell

Rating: 3 Stars

This was a fairly quick and easy read, with relatively low drama. The writing could use a little tightening up, there were times it was a little repetitive and overly descriptive, but overall it was well-written. I especially appreciated Bell’s treatment of tough issues; mainly death and adultery. I felt that all the characters were well-rounded and felt very real in how they dealt with their individual issues. The only character issues is that I would have liked to see Sawyer’s in-laws either less or more. They were introduced it seemed, to be a source of conflict, but that never fully panned out. I think either there should have been a confrontation/discussion with them about Sawyer and Elle’s relationship, or they shouldn’t have ever been introduced at all. Still, overall a good read, so if you’re a fan of contemporary romance and/or the single parent trope, be sure to check this one out.

Release date: November 13, 2018

Thank you to NetGalley for an early copy of this book.