Book Roundup: May 2017

NUMBER OF BOOKS READ: 11

NUMBER OF FEMALE AUTHORS VS MALE AUTHORS: Great month for ladies! 9 women (one who wrote two of my books), and 1 male.

NUMBER OF DIVERSE (non-American) SETTINGS: Two travel memoirs that take place all over the world, two fantasies, two set in Europe, and one set in a dystopian near-future America… does that count?

RATINGS SPREAD:  Three 5-star; Two 4-star; Four 3-star; Two 2-star. Interesting spread.

 

WHAT I READ: A Court of Wings and Ruin (ACOTAR #3) Sarah J. Maas

WHY I READ IT: Duh.

WHAT I THOUGHT: *hearts for eyes* FOREVER.

WHAT I READ: Into the Water (Paula Hawkins)

WHY I READ IT: Hawkins wrote The Girl On The Train, which I did enjoy.

WHAT I THOUGHT: No, thank you. I generally love this style of book and it was one of the most boring and confusing thrillers I’ve ever read.

WHAT I READ: Windfall (Jennifer E. Smith)

WHY I READ IT: The author is actually friends with my roommate.

WHAT I THOUGHT: It was cute enough, but there was a lot that had me shaking my head and wishing the author had fleshed it out more.

WHAT I READ: Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass #3), Sarah J. Maas

WHY I READ IT: Still trying to slug through one of my favorite’s authors beloved series…

WHAT I THOUGHT: I like it enough to read the next one, but I still don’t love it NEARLY as much as ACOTAR series. Sorry not sorry!

WHAT I READ: The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)

WHY I READ IT: I first read it 4 years ago (almost to the day, according to Goodreads) and decided to give it a re-read with the new Hulu show.

WHAT I THOUGHT: Worth the hype.

WHAT I READ: All Over The Place: Adventures in Travel, True Love, and Petty Theft (Geraldine DeRuiter)

WHY I READ IT: I’ve been a big fan of the author’s blog The Everywhereist for years.

WHAT I THOUGHT: Just what I wanted – a quick, breezy afternoon read, but utterly delightful, hilarious, and thoughtful.

WHAT I READ: Beartown (Fredrik Backman)

WHY I READ IT: Backmann, the author of A Man Called Ove, is one of my favorite authors and an automatic read for me.

WHAT I THOUGHT: Utterly different from his other novels, no one would qualify this book as “feel good” or “whimsical.” Despite the challenging subject matter, I absolutely loved it and this was one of the best books I’ve read this year.

WHAT I READ: At Home In The World: Reflections on Belonging While Wandering the Globe (Tsh Oxenreider)

WHY I READ IT: I’m always interested in travel writing, particularly with this theme of the pull of being a homebody while also having wanderlust.

WHAT I THOUGHT: As a series of blog posts, I bet this would be great. As a novel with no central theme, it was an incredibly weak read.

WHAT I READ: First Ladies (Kate Andersen Brower)

WHY I READ IT: The premise – exploring the lives of First Ladies from Jackie Kennedy to Michelle Obama – sounded interesting.

WHAT I THOUGHT: Interesting premise, uneven outcome. It was basically just a series of anecdotes.

WHAT I READ: The Hate U Give (Angie Thomas)

WHY I READ IT: It’s a very popular contemporary book inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement.

WHAT I THOUGHT: Far smarter people than me have written exhaustively about this book, but I will just say it sunk deep into my bones and I can’t stop thinking about it.

WHAT I READ: Who Thought This Was a Good Idea? and Other Questions You Should Have Answers To When You Work In The White House (Alyssa Mastromonaco)

WHY I READ IT: I heard the author interviewed on Pod Save America and was intrigued about a memoir written by a woman working in the Obama White House.

WHAT I THOUGHT: The title is terrible, but this was amusing enough to read over a quick two-day period.

Beartown

I have very few authors who are automatic reads for me – whose books I love so much that I will track their writings and pick up whatever comes next. Sarah J. Maas is becoming one of them, but Fredrik Backman is already there.

I’ve already talked about how much I utterly adore A Man Called Ove, which I maintain is still the perfect book to recommend to people. (And since I first read it a few years ago, it has definitely picked up steam in America – I feel like everyone at work has read it!).

His two other novels and his novella have followed similar strokes as Ove – a grumpy older main character, whimsy, and ultimately a warm, fuzzy feeling at the end (but still delivered in a satisfying, literary way). The reviews for his latest book, Beartown, warned that this novel was a departure from his normal style – and let me tell you, they were not kidding.

Beartown is broadly compared to a Swedish Friday Night Lights – a small town completely obsessed with hockey and that idolizes the teenage boys who are the star players; a town that gets torn apart by a tragedy and exposes what it means to be a community – for good and for evil.

WHAT I READ:

Beartown (Fredrik Backman)

GOODREADS SYNOPSIS:

People say Beartown is finished. A tiny community nestled deep in the forest, it is slowly losing ground to the ever encroaching trees. But down by the lake stands an old ice rink, built generations ago by the working men who founded this town. And in that ice rink is the reason people in Beartown believe tomorrow will be better than today. Their junior ice hockey team is about to compete in the national semi-finals, and they actually have a shot at winning. All the hopes and dreams of this place now rest on the shoulders of a handful of teenage boys.

Being responsible for the hopes of an entire town is a heavy burden, and the semi-final match is the catalyst for a violent act that will leave a young girl traumatized and a town in turmoil. Accusations are made and, like ripples on a pond, they travel through all of Beartown, leaving no resident unaffected.

Beartown explores the hopes that bring a small community together, the secrets that tear it apart, and the courage it takes for an individual to go against the grain. In this story of a small forest town, Fredrik Backman has found the entire world.

HOW IT MADE ME FEEL:

I don’t want to expose too much about the book or its central tragedy (although it gets foreshadowed fairly often and occurs fairly early in the book) because the unfolding of the plot and its characters was so meaningful to me. I will just say that despite how hard it was to read this book at times and the ugly underbelly of communities it exposed, this book was an amazing read. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a beautifully written book about a heavy topic.

Category: Don’t Even Bother.

While I will forever praise the virtue of the Young Adult novel (just because a novel has a teenage main character doesn’t mean it’s not literary, folks!), I also enjoy a good, pulpy thriller. I’m a huge scaredy cat, but a nice page-turner – especially for someone who travels as much as I do – is sometimes just what the doctor orders to ease painful commutes and travels.

I tend to gobble up the sexy new thriller thing – I’ve recently read The Husband’s Wife, and I LOVE books by Tana French. So, when Paula Hawkins came out with a new book following the success of The Girl On The Train (which I did like), I decided to give it a go.

I’ll stop you right there: don’t even bother reading this book.

WHAT I READ:

Into the Water (Tana French)

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

On a scale of 1 to 5 POV chapters, I give this 2 weird interchapter interludes.

GOODREADS SYNOPSIS:

A single mother turns up dead at the bottom of the river that runs through town. Earlier in the summer, a vulnerable teenage girl met the same fate. They are not the first women lost to these dark waters, but their deaths disturb the river and its history, dredging up secrets long submerged.

Left behind is a lonely fifteen-year-old girl. Parentless and friendless, she now finds herself in the care of her mother’s sister, a fearful stranger who has been dragged back to the place she deliberately ran from—a place to which she vowed she’d never return.

HOW IT MADE ME FEEL:

I have so many things I could complain about, but I think the thing I hated the most is that there were SO. MANY. POINTS. OF. VIEW. I find it tricky when authors decide to have POV chapters and, say, two narrators in the book (it’s harder to feel compelled if you are splitting your attention and affections to more than one main character). But I swear to god, this book had at LEAST seven narrators, and that’s just off the top of my head. It took me until WELL past halfway when I was able to keep track of how the characters were connected and who “Josh” was, and by that point I didn’t really give a hoot about what was happening.

I’m still not ENTIRELY sure what the plot was, either. It’s hard when the main “mystery” is treated for the majority of the book by the majority of the characters as a non-mystery – what am I supposed to care about, then?

People, there are so many better thrillers out there. Put down this one. I know, it’s sexy because it says The Girl On the Train on the cover and you want to be up to date with the NYT Bestseller’s List, but I promise you, it isn’t worth it. Go find Tana French instead.

All the Flailing, or: A Grown-Up Fairy Tale, Concluded

I’ve made my love for Sarah J. Maas’ fantastic series, A Court of Thorns and Roses, no secret. Her first two books were sexy, compelling, well-crafted, scary, fun, and just a damn delight to read. So when the third book (and end of a trilogy) finally comes out after much anticipation, what’s a girl to do – except read frantically for a week straight (while wishing the book would never end)? At one point, I was so invested in the book I actually stayed in the car like a dog while my gentleman went into the store for thirty minutes. And ladies and gentlemen, it was worth it. (It was less worth it when his best friend pounded on the window to scare me.)

WHAT I READ:

A Court of Wings and Ruin (Sarah J. Maas)

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

On a scale of 1 to 5 Cauldrons, I give this book and series 5(million) magical bargain-binding tattoos.

GOODREADS SYNOPSIS:

Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin’s maneuverings and the invading king threatening to bring Prythian to its knees. But to do so she must play a deadly game of deceit-and one slip may spell doom not only for Feyre, but for her world as well.

As war bears down upon them all, Feyre must decide who to trust amongst the dazzling and lethal High Lords-and hunt for allies in unexpected places.

HOW IT MADE ME FEEL:

Mostly, it made me feel sad because the trilogy is now over – but we will always have rereads. (And, Maas is writing three more offshoot books set in the same world, and I am SO excited to revisit these characters already).

These books are everything I love about reading, and if you don’t stop everything you are doing and read them, then God, Jed, I don’t even want to know you.

A Country Divided

By coincidence, two pieces of media I recently consumed simultaneously scared the shit out of me (sorry for the cursing, mom, but it’s true). It’s no secret that I’m scared and furious at our current administration and spend most mornings reading the paper while rolling my eyes at their latest lies. No one can know what will come out of this presidency, but a new book and a new TV show do their best to show how a divided country can lead to ruin.

I’m surely not the first person to talk about either of these, but I would recommend not consuming them at the same time because it truly meant a lot of dreary, negative thoughts for me. American War takes place in the latter half of the 21st century (around 2075-2095) in a United States fighting a Second Civil War, with most of the coasts (and Florida – sorry, Florida) flooded due to climate change and the southern states fighting for the right to use now-illegal fossil fuels. As I read this book, I also started watching The Handmaid’s Tale on Hulu. I’m sure there is no need for me to summarize it here, but to be brief it shows a United States that has been toppled by a theocracy and places women in subservient roles in which the “fertile” ones are ceremoniously raped on a monthly basis by high-level men in hopes of producing more children.

So, yeah. As far as The Handmaid’s Tale goes, I’ve been too horrified to watch more than one episode so far, but all signs point to it being an incredible show – at least, incredibly written, directed, and acted; incredibly scary to watch and consider how this could become reality.

As for the book, I am the Cutthroat Reader after all…

WHAT I READ:

American War (Omar Al Akkad)

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

On a scale of 1 to 5 rebel states, I give this 4 assassins.

GOODREADS SYNOPSIS:

An audacious and powerful debut novel: a second American Civil War, a devastating plague, and one family caught deep in the middle a story that asks what might happen if America were to turn its most devastating policies and deadly weapons upon itself.

Sarat Chestnut, born in Louisiana, is only six when the Second American Civil War breaks out in 2074. But even she knows that oil is outlawed, that Louisiana is half underwater, and that unmanned drones fill the sky. When her father is killed and her family is forced into Camp Patience for displaced persons, she begins to grow up shaped by her particular time and place. But not everyone at Camp Patience is who they claim to be.

Eventually Sarat is befriended by a mysterious functionary, under whose influence she is turned into a deadly instrument of war. The decisions that she makes will have tremendous consequences not just for Sarat but for her family and her country, rippling through generations of strangers and kin alike.

HOW IT MADE ME FEEL:

To be perfectly frank, I really gave this book 5 stars for concept and 3 stars for execution. As stated above, I love the idea of the book, but found myself at times interested and at times bored by the actual writing. Setting this book up in vignettes had some unfortunate flaws. We see life in pre/mid war border states; life in a refugee camp; a bit of life as a sniper for the rebels; a bit of life in prison; and a bit of life afterwards. But with these bits I never got a full picture of the countries, the war, or life for everyone, and most of it was a bit slow. We are tracing Sarat’s evolution into the North-hating person she becomes, but even with the intense eye focused on her, I didn’t get why she was quite so filled with hate.

I devoured the book and still recommend to others – but I suspect the topic of the book and its timelienesss will elevate it a tad more than it really should be.

Even though I didn’t love American War, I still think this book and The Handmaid’s Tale should be required viewing and contemplation for everyone. A book I was reading this morning struck me with the following line (discussing living as a gay man in modern America):

But you know we’re always going to have to rely on the goodwill of those of you who are straight for our survival. And that’s the damned truth.

This sad and beautiful line keeps sticking in my mind. It’s incredibly true for all marginalized communities – essentially anyone who isn’t a white, cis, straight, white wealthy male in America. The LGBT community, immigrants, lower class, women, non-Christians, etc etc – and all intersections of those groups – are just holding our breaths and crossing our fingers that those in power allow us to hold on to (or obtain) basic human rights like equal marriage, liberty, and the rights to our bodies. And the message of what could happen if those rights are taken away are perfectly captured in these two pieces of art.

Book Roundup: April 2017

NUMBER OF BOOKS READ: 11 (although one is technically a novella)

NUMBER OF FEMALE AUTHORS VS MALE AUTHORS: 9 authors total; 5 men, 4 women.

NUMBER OF DIVERSE (non-American) SETTINGS: 2 set in a fantasy world, 1 set in a ghost world, 1 in Sweden, and 1 in Ethiopia. So, kind of diverse?

RATINGS SPREAD:  Four 5-star books; Two 4-star books; Five 5-star books. At least no clunkers!

WHAT I READ: Lincoln in the Bardo (George Saunders)

WHY I READ IT: Well-reviewed book that popped up on my radar.

WHAT I THOUGHT: Mostly meh, an over-the-top creative writing exercise.

WHAT I READ: Throne of Glass (Sarah J. Maas)

WHY I READ IT: I decided to reread a book by one of my favorite authors that I had read in 2013 and didn’t really love then.

WHAT I THOUGHT: Turns out, I didn’t really love this book now, but I love Maas enough to keep pushing through to the next book in the series!

WHAT I READ: And Every Morning The Way Home Gets Longer and Longer (Fredrik Backman)

WHY I READ IT: Backman wrote one of my all-time favorites, A Man Called Ove, and my pledge is to read every other thing he’s written. This is a short novella about a young man losing his grandfather to dementia.

WHAT I THOUGHT: Backman makes all of my emotions come out of my eyes, even in a novella I’m able to read in half an hour.

WHAT I READ: All the Single Ladies: Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nation (Rebecca Traister)

WHY I READ IT: It was one of my bookish resolutions to read more nonfiction!

WHAT I THOUGHT: I would have liked a tad more qualitative research and anecdotes from women and a tad less in the numbers department, but it was an incredibly detailed look at the status of women in American history and where we stand now.

WHAT I READ: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (Benjamin Alire Sáenz)

WHY I READ IT: I was literally shamed in book club for not having read it and immediately purchased a copy to remedy.

WHAT I THOUGHT: The hype is real, guys. Absolutely incredible coming-of-age story, beautiful writing.

WHAT I READ: More Happy Than Not (Adam Silvera)

WHY I READ IT: I’m not sure how this ended up on my list, but I read a book by this author a few months ago and really enjoyed it.

WHAT I THOUGHT: Another LGBT coming-of-age story, but totally insane twists I did not expect (and I’m glad I didn’t read the synopsis too closely so I could be surprised).

WHAT I READ: Crown of Midnight (Sarah Maas)

WHY I READ IT: The next book in the Throne of Glass series.

WHAT I THOUGHT: SO much better than the first. Excellent character development, stakes, and set-up for the next book.

WHAT I READ: Black Dove, White Raven (Elizabeth Wein)

WHY I READ IT: May book club book!

WHAT I THOUGHT: Considering the book love for Wein’s previous works (Code Name Verity, Rose Under Fire) – and how much I particularly loved the latter – this one fell flat for me. Uneven first and second half, not enough character development, and while it was interesting to read about this time period in Ethiopia, it was dull at times.

WHAT I READ: American War (Omar Al Akkad)

WHY I READ IT: It’s the hottest new book out now.

WHAT I THOUGHT: 5 stars for concept, 3 stars for execution. The story idea of a Second American Civil War is really interesting (and scary), but this book ebbed and flowed from interesting to dull. So much potential that I’m not sure it quite reached. I feel this book will be lauded because of its sexy concept, but the bones don’t quite match.

WHAT I READ: The Upside of Unrequited (Becky Albertalli)

WHY I READ IT: I loved the author’s last book, Simon vs. The Homo Sapien Agenda

WHAT I THOUGHT: Finished in one day, this book was slightly less interesting than her previous work but still a delight to read and wonderful in its intersectional exploration of teenage life. I particularly love how the author let the protagonist have anxiety and be taking medication (without making a huge deal out of it); it’s so important to normalize it in culture, just like someone having to take medication for something like diabetes or a heart problem.

WHAT I READ: The Inexplicable Logic of my Life (Benjamin Alire Sáenz)

WHY I READ IT: This is the author of Aristotle and Dante.

WHAT I THOUGHT: A wonderful and beautiful read (someone might have teared up on the stationary bike at the gym while reading this, y’all), but ultimately a bit thin compared to his last novel.

And that’s April!

A Tale of Two Books

Completely by coincidence, I read two books this month with remarkably similar set-ups – coming-of-age male LGBTQ characters – back to back. Neither book had really been on my radar, either: I picked up Aristotle and Dante Discover The Secrets of the Universe at a bookstore after getting shamed at book club for not having read it, and the next day decided to pull More Happy Than Not from my local library without really looking at its plot.

I finished Aristotle first, delighting in its simple but beautiful language and the relatively straightforward set-up of two teenage boys and best friends discovering their feelings for each other (I also loved the secondary plot of these boys being Mexican in a 1980s Texas border town and what that means for their lives and life journeys). The cover alone is also incredibly gorgeous, may I say. Diving into More Happy Than Not, I was surprised (although not upset) when I discovered it was going to be remarkably similar – a teenage boy discovering his feelings for his male best friend. Even its setting in modern-day New York, with a Latino protagonist, allowed for similar motifs to float through.

But then… the *TWIST* in More Happy Than Not occurs, and I was COMPLETELY gobsmacked. It’s hinted in the summary – which I had ignored – but it really takes the book in a different sci-fi direction.

WHAT I READ:

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (Benjamin Sáenz) and More Happy Than Not (Adam Silvera)

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

On a scale of 1 to 5 coming-of-age stories, I give Aristotle 5 Texas summers and More Happy 5 mysterious neurological procedures.

GOODREADS SYNOPSIS:

More Happy Than Not:

In his twisty, gritty, profoundly moving debut—called “mandatory reading” by the New York Times—Adam Silvera brings to life a charged, dangerous near-future summer in the Bronx.

In the months after his father’s suicide, it’s been tough for 16-year-old Aaron Soto to find happiness again–but he’s still gunning for it. With the support of his girlfriend Genevieve and his overworked mom, he’s slowly remembering what that might feel like. But grief and the smile-shaped scar on his wrist prevent him from forgetting completely.

When Genevieve leaves for a couple of weeks, Aaron spends all his time hanging out with this new guy, Thomas. Aaron’s crew notices, and they’re not exactly thrilled. But Aaron can’t deny the happiness Thomas brings or how Thomas makes him feel safe from himself, despite the tensions their friendship is stirring with his girlfriend and friends. Since Aaron can’t stay away from Thomas or turn off his newfound feelings for him, he considers turning to the Leteo Institute’s revolutionary memory-alteration procedure to straighten himself out, even if it means forgetting who he truly is.

Why does happiness have to be so hard?

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe:

Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship—the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be.

HOW IT MADE ME FEEL:

 

In short, even though these books seem to be very similar, they take off in wildly different directions – and I thoroughly enjoyed both. Must-adds to your reading list.

All the Single Ladies

I’m doing it, folks – I’m keeping up with my bookish New Year’s resolutions! (Except for pledging to read a classic novel by a female author every quarter. Whoops. Jane Eyre, I’m still coming for you!).

The resolution I kept this month? Reading more non-fiction. All the Single Ladies: Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nation (Rebecca Traister) has been on my read list for a while now, since it landed on the “Best Books of 2016” books.

There were a lot of really interesting takeaways in this book, which explores the historical role of women in American society and how social, political, and economic events have impacted how they are viewed – and what they are able to do.

WHAT I READ:

All the Single Ladies: Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nation (Rebecca Traister)

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

On a scale of 1 to 5 wedding rings, I give this 3 fully-formed individual women.

GOODREADS SYNOPSIS:

A nuanced investigation into the sexual, economic, and emotional lives of women in America. In a provocative, groundbreaking work, National Magazine Award finalist Rebecca Traister, “the most brilliant voice on feminism in the country” (Anne Lamott), traces the history of unmarried and late-married women in America who, through social, political, and economic means, have radically shaped our nation.

HOW IT MADE ME FEEL:

The books is full of fascinating facts, stats, and stories, but I pulled out just a few of my favorites…

First, the advice in the appendix on what is needed to make single women truly equal in America reminded me a lot of The Year of Living Danishly – and what makes people in that country so happy. Essentially, we need better policies including stronger equal pay protections, national healthcare system, mandatory parental and sick leave, and welfare benefits. And, of course, we need to “protect reproductive rights, access to birth control, and sex education.” Just something to chew over…

Another stat that stood out to me as someone who is definitely not ready to get married yet: “The ‘Knot Yet Report,’ published in 2013, reported that a college educated woman who delays married until her thirties will earn $18,000 more per year than an equivalently educated woman who marries in her twenties.” Gimme that cheddar, yo!

And finally, Amelia Earhart’s plea to her husband after she turned down his proposals several times: “You must know again my reluctance to marry, my feeling that I shatter thereby chances in work which means most to me… Please let us not interfere with the other’s work or play, nor let the world see our private joys or disagreements. In this connection I may have to keep some place where I can go to be myself, now and then, for I cannot guarantee to endure at all times the confinement of even an attractive cage.” Might be going into my wedding vows.

Highly recommended for people looking to learn a little bit more about history and a lot more about being a woman.

Second Chances

It’s rare for me to reread a book. It’s even rarer for me to reread a book I didn’t really like the first time. (Have you seen Belle’s library? There are just too many books, people!). But, I did exactly that with my latest read by Sarah J. Maas.

I flailed over Sarah J. Maas a few weeks ago and her second series A Court of Thorns and Roses. While (im)patiently waiting for the third book to come out in May, I realized I could fill my Maas-sized hole by attempting her first, BELOVED series, again, Throne of Glass.

Being a dabbler in the book blogging community, I have seen many bloggers obsessed with this series for years. And yet, reading the first book in 2013 didn’t do a lot of me. At the time, I gave it 3 stars and sighed, “I struggled with this one. On the one hand, I felt a little bored at times and not sure if I wanted to go on. I hoped that there was not a follow-up book because I didn’t know if I wanted to read it or not. However, by the end I was mildly intrigued by what happens next. Let’s put it this way – I’ve put a hold on the next book at the library but am not heartbroken that I am 11th in line. Solid 3 stars (I enjoyed reading it, probably wouldn’t read it again or buy it).”

Joke’s on me, because I read it again. So, what does 2017 Kristen think now?!

WHAT I READ:

Throne of Glass (Sarah J. Maas)

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

On a scale of 1 to 5 female assassins, I give this 3.5 glass palaces.

GOODREADS SYNOPSIS:

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.

Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king’s council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she’ll serve the kingdom for four years and then be granted her freedom. Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilarating. But she’s bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her … but it’s the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead … quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

HOW IT MADE ME FEEL:

Basically… a LOT of conflicting emotions. I loved Celaena and she is definitely the most well drawn-out. I thought she had really interesting and contradictory elements to her that made me happy. And, who doesn’t love a kick-ass female? Where it lacked for me was 1) her male “love triangle” participants and 2) most of the plot, tbh.

First, the two men semi-competing for her heart were fairly one-dimensional, and their attraction to Celaena (and her attraction to them) not well established at all. She basically just thinks the Prince is hot, they hang out a few times, she’s in. Maas’ other series is amazing because you REALLY get to know the main men, and to understand why the lead would fall for one or the other. Here, it was more like “Ah, a man. I must be attracted to him.”

As for the plot, I liked the Trials element, but thought the “scary” portion of a castle monster killing the competitors to be very lackluster. There would literally be throw-away sentences like “Yup, another three people died, bummer.” I wish there had been more of an element of dread, which you don’t really get until the end.

 

All that being said, I’m much more interested in diving into the next book, which rumor has it is much better than this one. Considering how much I love Maas’ next series, I can only think/hope that her writing continues to improve in this one.

Creative Writing Exercises

Confession: I often don’t love those books that everyone else in the world loves and proclaims to be THE BEST EVER. I found The Underground Railroad to be lacking an emotional heart; Fates and Furies just wasn’t worth the long library wait; and The Goldfinch had too many words not saying enough for my tastes.

So, maybe I’m not the SMARTEST reader. But I still love reading, read a ton, and often like books everyone else likes! Sometimes I even read the super-literary books and like them! I’ve read books with footnotes, guys!

Going into reading Lincoln in the Bardo, I was pretty pumped. One of my favorite bloggers recommended it and it has over 4 stars on Goodreads. And yet, I found it to be pretty “meh.” I liked the mixing of historical research (quotes from memoirs, letters, etc) with the fictional telling of Lincoln’s child in “purgatory” following the child’s death. But, this book was exceptionally skim-worthy, with too many characters, confusing motifs, and far too many mentions of throbbing members for my liking. I’ve said this about other books (primarily Fate and Furies), but this seemed just like an excessive creative writing exercise to me. At a certain point, I want more character and plot development and less clever literary techniques.

WHAT I READ:

Lincoln in the Bardo (George Saunders)

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

On a scale of 1 to 5 gravestones, I give this 2.5 throbbing members. (Ugh)

GOODREADS SYNOPSIS

(What can I say… I’m done with trying to summarize it myself.)

The captivating first novel by the best-selling, National Book Award nominee George Saunders, about Abraham Lincoln and the death of his eleven year old son, Willie, at the dawn of the Civil War. On February 22, 1862, two days after his death, Willie Lincoln was laid to rest in a marble crypt in a Georgetown cemetery. That very night, shattered by grief, Abraham Lincoln arrives at the cemetery under cover of darkness and visits the crypt, alone, to spend time with his son’s body. Set over the course of that one night and populated by ghosts of the recently passed and the long dead, Lincoln in the Bardo is a thrilling exploration of death, grief, the powers of good and evil, a novel – in its form and voice – completely unlike anything you have read before. It is also, in the end, an exploration of the deeper meaning and possibilities of life, written as only George Saunders can: with humor, pathos, and grace.

HOW IT MADE ME FEEL:

So, should you read it? I dunno, maybe. Perhaps if I in a better mood, or reading this in an educational setting where I had to discuss it with others, I would appreciate it more. As it stands, it just really didn’t do a lot for me.