Tag: Books

Gods Behaving Badly-A Book Review

Lauren1 Comment

This book came out in 2007, so I’m a little late to the book reviewing game on this one.

See, I’m a big fan of Greek myth stories. I just found out about Song of Achilles, like, two months ago, and I need to read it now!

Back to this book. My main problems were with the characters and the plot. The world building was perfectly fine, and since it was our world it wasn’t a hard sell.

The characters, however, were rather flat. Our female protagonists are polar opposites of each other, which normally isn’t a bad thing. You look for that opposition to bring out the characters strengths and/or weaknesses. But in the case of Alice, it did nothing but make her look weak. No redeeming qualities at all. Poor Alice.

The premise of the book held great promise, but when you got into the actual meat of the book, the plot fell flat. Until that twisty bit with, well, to say its name would give away part of the twist now, wouldn’t it?

After that twisty bit it did get pretty good. Not great, mind you, but good. I did like the bit with Hades and Persephone.

At the end of the day this book was just okay. I didn’t hate reading it. I also didn’t love reading it either. I give it a solid “meh”.

Gods Behaving Badly was written by Marie Phillips and was chosen as my book club’s book of the month.

A Case for the Kindle

Lauren1 Comment

I know what your thinking.

Why do a post about something that tons of readers already own?  Or can use on their phones?

img_20200305_154117

Because quite a few don’t.

I used to be one of those people who thought that a Kindle (or any e-reader really) was useless.  Who could possibly want one of those?  Books are superior!  The smell of the pages.  The way a spine cracks on a new book.  Being able to pick a great bookmark.

All of these things are fantastic.  And don’t get me wrong, I have an entire library full of books to read.

But I also have a Kindle.

img_20200305_160508

 

My first Kindle was a gift from the hubs before he was the hubs!  He had given it to me right before we were going on our first beach trip together.  He wanted me to be able to take as many books as I could!

Yes, he is the sweetest.

But I wasn’t sure how I would feel about this new device.  I had always been firmly in the ‘books good, Kindle bad’ camp.  Because, to paraphrase Giles from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, books should have a smell.

Suffice it to say, after not having to lug a week’s worth of reading materials to the beach and back, I was a convert.

Now I’m on my second Kindle, I wanted the one that lights up so I could read in bed while the hubs is sleeping without disturbing him.

One of the advantages to the Kindle are the great sales that Amazon regularly has.  You can often find books for $0.99 or higher, sometimes free, in the Kindle store.  New releases are also often cheaper in the Kindle store than they are in hardcover on release day.

You can even borrow library books on your Kindle, which is a great perk. You can also store hundreds of books on your device.  I love that it takes up less space in my purse than an actual book, so I have more room for important things, like receipts.

I also love the complete lack of glare you get when using it.  That’s something you don’t get when using the Kindle app on your phone.  It’s a huge plus when you are in the bright sun somewhere, say on the beach or at the park, and you don’t have to worry about the glare.  Stupid glare!

The real question is do I, a girl who is constantly buying new books to read in physical form because I just can’t help myself, like the Kindle more or less than actual books?

The answer is I like it the same.

 

 

Re-Reading A Favorite

Lauren2 Comments

Why is it that re-reading a favorite book is like saying hello to a good friend you haven’t seen in a while?  It’s doesn’t matter how much time has passed, it’s like no time has passed at all.

I recently decided to re-read the Harry Potter series because I may be going to Universal Studios Orlando next year.  The idea of the trip sparked some nostalgia in me.  It made me want to revisit some old friends.

I haven’t picked these books up in at least ten years, being quite content to watch the movie adaptations.  This re-read made me smile at the favorite things I missed that weren’t in the movies, like Hermione trying to free all the Hogwarts house-elves.

I was in my twenties when I picked up my first copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.  I remember feeling baffled at all of these people, these grown folks, loving a children’s book series.

And then I became one of them.

I quickly went out and purchased the next three books in the series.  I was hooked.

And I never looked back.

 

Used Book Haul

LaurenLeave a comment

So I recently spent some time perusing the shelves at a variety of used book markets, both online and off.  I might have bought a few things.

img_20200225_104953

The books just followed me home, I swear!  And the ones I bought online?  Those just wandered in the locked front door!

Several of these books are ones I need to complete a series where I already own the books on an e-reader.  Some of them are for series I want to read but haven’t started yet.  And some of them are just because.  I mean, who doesn’t want more books?

I usually get my used books from Half Priced Books, and that’s where a majority of that stack is from.  But I also use Thriftbooks.com.  Both are great.

There are a couple of downsides to using online retailers for used books though.  You don’t always know what condition you are going to get your book in.  For example, I bought a book that said it was in good condition, and the cover is all banged up.  Maybe I’m just a book snob and want my books in great condition.

The other downside is that sometimes when order hardback you may get a library copy, and they don’t always tell you it’s a library copy.  Personally, I don’t mind library copies.  It means the book jacket will survive a long, long time.

My First Book Club

Lauren1 Comment

I joined a book club.

While this may seem small to you, it’s huge to me.  I’ve never been part of a book club before.

Which is very weird because I’ve always surrounded myself with people who loved books.  Apparently we just never got our act together and formed a book club.

So very, very weird.

I mean, I suppose I could start one with my friends now, but they live in a different city and we wouldn’t be able to get together once a month to talk about books.  That would make for a lonely book club.

So yes, I joined a book club.  And the first book I got to read for it was on last year’s TBR!

The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern’s Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure by William Goldman!!!

img_20200219_170440

What a terrible picture.  This is what happens when you take a picture after you have cracked the spine!   Anyway…

I’m so excited to go to my first book club meeting!  I can’t wait to meet all the other awesome ladies and talk about my first love!  Books!

 

The Affair of the Mysterious Letter-A Book Review

Lauren3 Comments

img_20200219_121312

You know that feeling you get when you stumble across a truly great find in a bookstore?

Yeah, you know that one.

Of course, you don’t realize it’s a great find until you’ve finished with it.  Which is problematic.  Because then you want more of it.  But what if there isn’t more of it?  Then you are left with despair!

That’s how I feel right now.

Despair.

Because my book is over.  And it’s not (currently) a series.

Now, what is this book about that you so distraught, you might ask?  Well, it’s a retelling of Sherlock Holmes if Holmes was a woman…and a sorceress. Her name is Shaharazad Hass.

The plot of the story is written from the perspective of her roommate, Mr. Whyndham. He writes the story as if he is writing a serial for a paper or a magazine.  Which does mean the chapters are short.  Some of them are very short, maybe two full pages at most.

The world-building and character development are delightfully zany.   The plot is very intriguing (I mean, really, it’s great and twisty!) but it’s all the little things that drew me in.  The minor characters are just as intriguing as the major ones.

I just want more of this world.

Can I have more, please?

 

2020 TBR

LaurenLeave a comment

It’s that time of year.  The time when we proudly proclaim the books we are going to try and read over the course of the next year.

That’s right, it’s TBR time!

img_20200114_170028

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon, Circe by Madeline Miller, The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang, The Inheritance Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin, The Tethered Mage by Melissa Caruso, The Affair of the Mysterious Letter by Alexis Hall (I am currently reading this one) and Oathblood by Mercedes Lackey.

And these are just the physical books, I have a few e-books that I have already purchased that are in the TBR as well.  And maybe an audiobook… or two.

The audiobooks are Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell and Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari.  I prefer to get my non-fiction through audiobooks, I usually can’t finish it otherwise.  Usually.

My e-books are Nevernight by Jay Kristoff, Renegades by Marissa Meyer, The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern, Everything is F*cked: A Book About Hope by Mark Manson, and The World According to Mr. Rogers: Important Things to Remember by Fred Rogers.

That’s only 14 books,  I can do that this year, right?

2019 TBR Follow Up

LaurenLeave a comment

Well, how did I do on my 2019 TBR?

The answer is not well.  Not well at all.

I read one book.

Good Omens by Neil Gaiman.  And that was only because the (quite frankly excellent) mini-series was coming out.

And did I read any of the new books I bought that I shared with you back in June?  Yes, but not many.   I’m actually working on reviewing the ones I have read.

So what does this mean?  It means I failed miserably.  The TBR’s have their own shelf like they are all special!

Oh well, I’ll just start a new TBR and fail at that one too!

 

I Wonder If Anyone Else Does This

LaurenLeave a comment

I’m curious.  Does anyone else have a physical book, an e-book, and an audiobook going at the same time?

Is it just me?

Because right now I am reading The Affair of the Mysterious Letter by Alexis Hall as my physical book.  My e-book is The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern.  Last but not least, my audiobook (I’m on hour 17 of 39) is The Eye of the World By Robert Jordan.

The physical book is for when I am at home.  The e-book is for when I’m out, such as sitting in a waiting room or standing in a line.  The audiobook is for when I am at the gym or car rides that take longer than 20 minutes.

See, I’m not crazy…am I?

The Poppy War-A Book Review

Lauren1 Comment

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang

img_20191217_130746

There I was, minding my own business when a book showed up on my Amazon Recommend list.  Now I normally ignore these things as they are very often wrong because of books I have purchased for others in the past.  Or I’m just not into that author anymore Amazon.  You don’t know me!

Anyway.  The cover caught my eye. This is funny because I bought the ebook version so I can’t even look at said cover now.  I have since picked up a hard copy.

It’s a thing.

I read over the description and thought, yeah okay, it’s on sale, why not?

Thank goodness we sometimes stop and look at those lists, huh?  I loved this book from page one.

Now let’s be honest, this thoroughly amazing book does have some issues.  It’s a slower start then I would have liked, but that gives more time to some important character development. It also has some pacing issues, places where it felt the writer was just hurrying their way through, but I didn’t mind those parts which I feel is saying a lot.

There are a few trigger warnings for this book, so be prepared.  Our heroine is put through some stuff.  She also reacts very viscerally to what she sees and feels in the world around her.

All in all, I gave this book a solid 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads.  Go check it out.