October 2016 Moms
ladyshark311
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Book Challenge Week of 5/30
ladyshark311
member
Sorry I didn't post yesterday but my FI's biological Dad came to our house it was my first time meeting him AND his first time meeting his Grandkids! (That's a whole other post though LOL) Happy Reading!
Title of Book:
Author:
Category from Book Challenge:
Review/Thoughts:
Title of Book:
Author:
Category from Book Challenge:
Review/Thoughts:
Re: Book Challenge Week of 5/30
Title of Book:
The Nest
Author:
Cynthia Sweeney
Category from Book Challenge:
An author I've never read
Review/Thoughts:
I got this suggestion based on similar books from Goodreads. I didn't really like it until the very end. There were a lot of characters to keep straight, and it was the type of book where each chapter was a different character's voice, but it also switched between past and present also, which was rather confusing. Close to the end, the flashbacks kinda stopped, so it was easier and more enjoyable to follow. Overall, the story was interesting and I liked the ending, but I don't think I would choose it again.
Author: Denver Moore, Lynn Vincent, and Ron Hall
Category from Book Challenge: I'll be honest, I'm not using the list...
Review/Thoughts: Up until maybe halfway through I didn't realize the "author" was changing. So once I figured that out and had my "ahhhhhh ha!" moment it all started coming together more. It was an interesting read for sure, especially thinking about the Black Lives Matter movement. I read it within a week, since sleeping is still difficult, and didn't feel like it was "lagging" or hard to stay interested. It was a good read and I believe still quite relevant.
BFP #2 - Feb 2, 2016 --EDD 10/10/16 --Abigail- October 6, 2016. Heart warrior.
October 2017- Began fostering to adopt T, (DOB:November 19, 2013)
The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes
Author:
Diane Chamberlain
Category from Book Challenge:
Book with a Female Heroine
Review/Thoughts:
Title of Book: The Girl on the Train
Author: Paula Hawkins
Category from Book Challenge: A book that was made into a movie (though it doesn’t come out in the U.S. until October)
Review/Thoughts: This seemed like a cheap “Gone Girl” rip-off to me. It flashed from one narrator to another, all of them unreliable. The plot revolved around a missing wife, presumed to have been killed by the husband. The twist ending was pretty obvious ¾ of the way through the book. I liked Gone Girl but I didn’t really enjoy this book.
Title of Book:
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
Author:
Robert C. O'Brien
Category from Book Challenge:
A book set on a vineyard or farm (while this is true, for me it was more of a "Book you had to read in school and loved because you were THAT student")
Review/Thoughts:
At its heart, this is a story about a mother who faces several challenges in trying to save her young son. Though she is only a mouse, she is a strong central character. In trying to do so, she comes into contact with a group of especially odd rats who help her avoid the certain death of Farmer Fitzgibbon's plow. In her communication, she learns the background story of the rats, how they escaped from the laboratories of NIMH after undergoing elaborate intelligence experiments. At the end, Mrs. Frisby (mouse mama) is able to repay the rat's generosity and help them survive as well. All in all an easy, feel-good read, interesting for anyone over the age of 8, but especially for those interested in morality, culture and sacrifice.
DS#2 due 25 April 2019
DS#2 due 25 April 2019
Author: A.R. Torre
Category of Book Challenge: Book with a red cover (even though it also falls into a book a friend thought I'd like)
Review/Thoughts: I like this book, mainly for the extreme sexual nature (the main character is a web cam girl) and the short chapters (which makes me feel like I'm moving through the book quickly). It's different, a little morbid, but enjoyable. My one complaint is about the climax - I feel like it was rushed and a bit of a let down. It definitely could have been dragged out, leaving me in more suspense but it almost felt like an afterthought. It is a book series so I'll eventually read book 2, but for now I'm onto a different book my friend thought I'd like - "Malice" by Lisa Jackson.
Title of Book: All the Bright Places
Author: Jennifer Niven
Category from Book Challenge: A book with a blue cover
Review/Thoughts: I’m doing a book challenge through the library, and I chose this as my YA book. It’s about two high school seniors, Violet and Theodore, who meet when they’re both at the top of the school bell tower contemplating suicide. Theodore ends up talking Violet down and that’s how their relationship begins. I just finished this book yesterday and I spent the last 20 pages crying my eyes out. But I’m not sure if that was because it was a good book or because it was a manipulative book. The book just didn’t seem realistic to me. I don’t know teenagers (or anyone, really) who talk the way the characters in the book talk. I also don’t know any parents who would act the way the parents in the book act. It just felt like big chunks were missing from the plot and character development. But it wasn’t a terrible book and I did read the whole thing (and cry toward the end). It just felt underdeveloped.
Title of Book:
Salt to the Sea
Author:
Ruta Sepetys
Category from Book Challenge:
A book published this year
Review/Thoughts:
This book is set during World War II, and follows the stories of 3 refugees and 1 German soldier, and how their stories intertwine. It alternated between each of their voices- sometimes several pages, and sometimes only a few sentences. Because of that, I found it very difficult to get to know each character and remember details about them until about halfway through. I really wanted to love this, but I just couldn't. The ending seemed very abrupt after all the detail from the beginning, though I am glad the author flashed into the future to show what happened in the end. Overall, just an okay book. I'm really hoping I love the next one because I've had two in a row that I didn't love
In general this is a fast-paced, suspenseful read that also manages to pull on your heartstrings.
DS#2 due 25 April 2019