Review: The Ask and the Answer

The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Patrick Ness, we might have reached the end of the road together. I still haven't forgiven you for Manchee. And I am left caring less and less about Todd and the Mayor and they may have to carry on without me. I am going to blame the audio's narration for Todd. The dialogue and vernacular sucked in a listening format. Viola was good, though.

First of all, I don't love books that have scenes of cruelty. I know I seem like an immovable rock without feelings, but inside I am a marshmallow who loves puppies, sunshine, and all things good. The scenes with Davy, Todd and the Spackle almost lost me. I was pulling for Spackle 1017 to rise up and end this nonsense.

The next book should be interesting, and I admit wanting to know more about Viola's people and the origins, but it will be quite a while before I decide to return. No promises. We'll see. 3 stars because I am weird and most people love this series.

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Review: Crown of Midnight

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Book 2. More Celaena. More intrigue. Twists, turns, deception. Good stuff. This series is great on audio.

Celaena is now the King's Champion. She continues to kick ass, yet be her own person. She can't seem to get her shit together on the romance front, but I'll give her a pass because she led a messed up life during her formative years. She's a good person, but flawed, and I love her. Oh, and speaking of love...Chaol. Ah, Chaol. You are my book boyfriend. You are 100% better than Dorian (stay over there in the friend zone, please, because you will find a perfectly good princess to fall in love with later, I'm sure). You love Celaena, even with her rough edges. You guys are a great match, which I'm sure means there will be love triangles galore in the next few books. I can handle it as long as you get your HEA. I love me a good HEA. I'm a sap. Shut up.

4 stars. Almost scared to start book 3 and ruin my happiness.

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Review: Neanderthal Seeks Human

Neanderthal Seeks Human by Penny Reid
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is definitely not my usual genre, but I really loved this book. Janie was awkward, and weird, and smart, and funny. Quinn was shockingly a good balance for her. At first I thought she was written way too over the top with the quirkiness--I'm ridiculous and I'm nowhere near as bad as her--and she was WAY too oblivious, but that's ok. By the end, I got what I wanted, the HEA.

I switched back and forth between the audio and eBook, and the narration was solid. 4 surprising stars from me, and I will read the others.

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Review: Theirs To Eternity

Theirs To Eternity by Barbara Cartland
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Babs, you've outdone yourself. Maybe your books on audio are the way to my heart? The stilted prose just disappeared with this narrator and I hated the heroine far less than usual.

Silly plot about gypsies, stolen jewels, and family secrets. Misunderstandings abound, and if the hero and heroine would have just communicated instead of being dumb this book would have been about 15 pages. Anyway, I'm a sucker for the HEA so I'm giving this a rare 2.75 stars, rounding up to 3.

XOXO, Babs. You've finally done it. I'll give you another try on audio.

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Review: The Opposite of Loneliness: Essays and Stories

The Opposite of Loneliness: Essays and Stories by Marina Keegan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Marina Keegan was only 22 when she was died in a car accident. Newly graduated from Yale and ready to continue her budding career as a writer, we are left with a collection of work from her short life. Half of the book is short stories, and the other half essays. You can see glimmers of what she would have potentially grown into as a writer. Her voice, as you would expect, is very young. She's in college; her life has barely started. I liked some of the stories, didn't like some others. These are stories that wouldn't have been published under other circumstances.

Overall, three stars, but I'm having a hard time separating the tragedy of a life cut short from the actual work, so actually 2.5.

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Review: Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir

Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir by Jenny Lawson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

You know how you listen to someone and you think, "This is my life she is describing?" Now you have me listening to this audiobook.

Jenny Lawson is insane. And funny. And her husband is a saint. She's a great storyteller. I want to drive to Jen's house and hang out and swap stories. Her stories made me think about similar times in my marriage, and I loved it.

I laughed out loud several times and had to rewind the story to catch it all. 4 stars.

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Review: UnEnchanted (An Unfortunate Fairy Tale #1)

UnEnchanted by Chanda Hahn

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Cute start to the series. I'll read the next one.

I see a lot of the reviews say the typos were terrible. Thank god I listened to this on audio, because nothing pulls me out of a book faster than poor editing. Mina is clumsy and unpopular at her high school. She has a crush on the popular rich guy. She reminds me of Mia from the Princess Diaries. In fact, now that I think about it, her best friend reminds me of Lily, and the whole book is similar in a lot of ways. So if you liked the Princess Diaries, you will probably like this book too.

Anyway, standard high school young adult paranormal. Three stars.



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Review: The Eighty Dollar Champion: Snowman, The Horse That Inspired a Nation

The Eighty Dollar Champion: Snowman, The Horse That Inspired A Nation by Elizabeth Letts

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Be right back, I'm running off to buy me a horse! Loved reading about Snowman's rescue from the glue factory to national champion. Who doesn't love a rags to riches story, especially when it involves animals?

This book is as much about Harry de Leyer as it is about Snowman. It's about a friendship and love between man and beast, and I'm not going to lie, I teared up at the end.

I listened to it on audio, and the narration was well done, but I'm sure it's just as good in book form. 3 stars.



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The Library at Mount Char

The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Do not listen to this on audio. Just don't. There is too much going on and you will miss things, no matter how hard you try.

I started out not understanding what was happening. It was hard to continue on in parts because the book doesn't really give you a proper setup. I'm clearly not alone in this, as the reviews are filled with "DNFs" and "Abandoned" and "I hated this book because it was frustrating and didn't make sense." But stick with it if you like complicated stories with a mostly satisfying payoff at the end. I will eventually go back and read this one, because I can't be sure I didn't miss something cool or relevant. It's just too complicated of a plot for my work commute.

I'm sticking with three stars because I liked it, but I have reservations about it as well. Fits a lot of genres so if you stick with it you will probably like it by the end.



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Station Eleven

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Dystopian, but different. No zombies. Nothing weird. Just a terrible flu that wipes out life as we knew it. Be prepared to fight urges to run to the store and stock up in case something happens.

I liked the alternating timelines. I enjoyed the characters. But in the end I was left wanting more. So many unanswered questions! I wanted a resolution.

This is not one to listen to on audio. The narrator is terrible. I believe it is the same person who read If I Stay and she made me hate every single line of that book. Read the book, and skip the audio. I had to switch to fall into the world of Station Eleven.

I'm wavering between 3 1/2 stars and 4, but I'll leave it at 4 for now.




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Leadership Transformed: How Ordinary Managers Become Extraordinary Leaders

Leadership Transformed: How Ordinary Managers Become Extraordinary Leaders by Peter Fuda

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Hmmm. I listened to this one on audio. It covers a lot of basic ideas and might be useful for new managers.

Not a lot of groundbreaking new information here, but his seven steps can be applied if you have a leader who is struggling in a certain area. He has a companion website that goes along with the steps, and it felt like a big advertisement for it. Lots of anecdotal evidence of how his seven analogies can be applied in various situations.

They say the true test of another man's intelligence is how much he agrees with you. I don't disagree with anything in this book, so there you have it.



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The Spy Lover

The Spy Lover by Kiana Davenport

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The Civil War is one of my favorite times to read about in history, and I thought I would fall in love with this book. Looks like we will just be friends.

We get to see the Civil War through two Chinese-American's eyes: Johnny and his daughter Era. Both are caught in the middle of the war between the North and South, and both are struggling to survive a fight that isn't necessarily theirs. Their perspectives are very different and the war shapes them in very different ways. There are no real winners in a war, and everyone has a less than happy ending. Just like real life.

I have to confess the author almost lost me during a scene full of pit vipers. I. Hate. Snakes. I was listening to the audio and nearly wrecked my car. It was truly awful. No thank you. More terrifying than any horror novel, hands down.

Decent historical fiction, and interesting characters. I loved Johnny Tom. 3 stars.



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The Grove

The Grove by John Rector

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


I'm not 100% sure how to rate or review this book. You know how it is when you read something so outside of your norm that you are left scratching your head? That's me right now.

It's horror for one, and I rarely read horror. The main character is completely crazy. You spend half of your time doubting his narrative and the other half shaking your head because he. is. crazy. And I listened to it on audio, which changes the experience. So overall I'm landing on a two 1/2, because it was strange and I have a lot of mixed feelings about the book and the characters. So I guess the author did his job.



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Red Queen (Red Queen #1)

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Torn on what to rate this...landing on a solid three stars.

Meet Mare. She's a Red, living in a world where the Silvers have all of the power. After a slow start, the action starts to pick up. She's thrust into the spotlight and fights to hide her true identity and survive. Vague description, yes, but I don't want to spoil you, friends. You will have to read it for yourself.

Gorgeous cover art, rather generic characters inside, the entire book feels like an homage to all of the other young adult dystopian novels that came before it. But there's enough there for me to read book 2.



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Big Little Lies

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


My sister recommended this book to me, and I really ended up enjoying it. It was part mystery, part chick-lit, and a voyeuristic dive into the characters' private lives. We follow various families all tied together through their children's elementary school, and it examines the lies we tell others and ourselves, both big and small. The subject matter hit really close to home with a couple of characters' story lines. It makes you think about your life, your friends' lives, and how things aren't always what they seem.

I really didn't guess at the ending and it really kept me engaged throughout. Good stuff and not my typical read. I will read others by her.



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Eyes on You

Eyes on You by Kate White

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


I read this as part of the "Big Library Read". I wanted to like this book--I typically enjoy psychological thrillers and thought this would be a good one. I was left underwhelmed, to say the least.

I split my reading between the eBook and the audio. I do NOT recommend the audio. The narrator was the worst. Over-pronounciations, emphasis on strange words. The voices she attempted to do--I'm still laughing about her interpretation of Potts. But beyond the narration, the book just wasn't good. Endless descriptions of what people are wearing--like anyone cares or it adds anything to the plot. We get it, you like expensive things. The main character wasn't likable. Actually, now that I think about it, none of the characters were likable, or particularly smart. And the author made every. single. person seem like the prime suspect, and not in a clever way, yet I knew who it was very early on. Agatha Christie, she's not. Then we get to the end, and we have the briefest of climaxes, and it ends. Abruptly. Like this review.

TLDR: This book is dumb. Don't waste your time.



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Landline

Landline: A Novel by Rainbow Rowell

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


My second book by Rainbow Rowell, and I loved it just as much.

What would you do if you got a second chance to make things right? Georgie and Neal have a tenured marriage. Tense, with typical troubles, Georgie makes the decision to stay home for Christmas to work. Neal, understandably, gets mad and takes the girls to Omaha as planned. Georgie finds a way to communicate with Neal, but it's Neal from 15 years ago. This helps her to reevaluate her life, her marriage, and the choices she made in the past.

I was prepared to hate both Georgie and Neal from the beginning. Georgie suffered from a lack of confidence, and Neal struck me as a bully. However, as the story unfolded I began to understand their relationship, and it was really sweet. And messy. And complicated, just like real life. It made me appreciate my marriage and reminded me how fortunate I am.

It's not what I expected, but it was still really good. Just read it. Rainbow Rowell hasn't disappointed me yet.



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Love in the Time of Cholera

Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcí­a Márquez

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


One of biggest pet peeves is selfish people. This book is filled with them.

Florentino Ariza falls madly in love with Fermina Daza when they are both young. Her father intervenes, and Fermina marries a wealthy doctor--a practical decision, but she comes to love Juvenal Urbino over the years and they have a solid marriage for the majority of their time together. As marriages go, it is filled with the ups and downs expected in a long-term relationship: loss, grief, betrayal, love, happiness, change, contentment. Through their fifty years of marriage, Florentino Ariza is biding his time through hundreds of love affairs, waiting patiently for Fermina's husband to die so they can be together once again. Yes, you read that correctly. He spends his entire life marking time for the girl he briefly loved in his youth. He is unlikeable and selfish. Terrible consequences happen to others as a result of his affairs, and he seems either not to notice, or not to mind. Either way, I hate him. He wasn't someone I was pulling for or wanted to see triumph in the end.

The saving grace of this book is the absolutely gorgeous writing style. Even though I hated the characters, I loved the writing and could picture the setting. It's a gorgeous book, to be sure, I just didn't feel the romance others rave about.



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Fahrenheit 451

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Imagine a world where books are outlawed. The government dictates what you know. You receive information through television and radio. Technology is everywhere, and free thinking is suppressed. Fireman no longer put out fires, instead they start them, sent out on calls to burn the homes of people who have books.

Guy Montag is a fireman. He burns books for a living. His wife, Millie, lives in a world of television and sleeping pills, and can't (or won't) break away from her technology to really connect with the world, to think, to question. Guy slowly wonders what might be in all of these books being burned. The spark of knowledge takes hold. Montag's internal revolution begins, and opens his eyes to an entirely different world.

Often thought to be a book about the dangers of government censorship, Bradbury says it is instead about how he felt television was destroying literature. I can see why Bradbury feared this, and I think it's important that we always balance our advancements in technology with open thought and discourse. Don't be afraid to speak your mind and argue. Don't be afraid to be wrong. Don't be afraid to learn.

This book an important reminder of how damaging censorship can be, and how important it is to challenge the status quo. Encourage people to read. Read things you don't like. Read things that make you think. Expand your horizons. Then put down your book, and talk about it with someone. Argue, or agree, but share your thoughts. Diversity of thought is vital to maintaining a strong society of advancement and innovation.



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Around the World in 80 Days

Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I first read this book when I was growing up, and it was part of what sparked a life-long wanderlust in me. Imagine dashing around the world, speeding through countries on all modes of transport: trains, boats, elephants, and even a sled. Meeting people from different cultures, seeing others' traditions, and all the while taking on daring feats of heroism. That's what this book is for me. I listened to it on audiobook this time around, and Jim Dale is the very best choice for any English setting. If you didn't fall in love with his narration from the Harry Potter books, you are missing out. He adds an extra layer of special to this book.

In case you haven't read it, eccentric English millionaire Phileas Fogg takes a bet with his fellow chaps at London's Reform Club that he (or really anyone with the time and means) can travel around the world in 80 days.
Oh, you silly Reform Club members with nothing better to do than play Whist and make exorbitant bets with each other. Your life must be very different from mine. Fogg wagers 20,000 pounds that he will return by 8:45pm on Saturday, December 21, 1872. Fogg runs home, grabs his newly hired manservant Passeportout, and rushes off on his quest. Unbeknownst to them, a bank robber matching Fogg's description has robbed the Bank of England, and Detective Fix thinks he has his man in Fogg. He follows them on the trip around the world, deceiving both Passeportout and Fogg and causing delays along the way while he awaits his arrest warrant on British soil.

While racing across India, Passeportout and Fogg save a widowed princess names Mrs. Aouda from a ritual sacrifice and she joins them on the rest of their journey. Spoiler alert! They fall in love as they travel, and are married by the end. This part is the best, and part of my deep, abiding love for this book. Yes, I'm a sap. Obstacles abound, and both manmade and natural delays happen to take them off of their timetable. You will be on the edge of your seat as the party moves across the globe on a race against the clock. It's so good! I especially love the final chapter--such a satisfying ending.

Two things to keep in mind: This book was first published in 1873, and a lot has changed in nearly 150 years. Verne's portrayal of other cultures was quite normal for the time period. As with any classic literature, you need to set aside how society functions now while reading. It's an interesting glimpse into how things have changed, and a great reminder that travel is one of the best ways to expand your mind and thinking. The more you are exposed to people and new cultures, the more you realize how very similar we are at our cores, and learn to celebrate our differences. Travel, explore, learn. Expand your horizons and your perspective. Also, never, ever watch this movie. It is terrible, and a travesty to one of my favorite books.



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