Book Review - Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde

Why did I read this book?

This book had been on a list (in my head) of books I’m super interested in, if I ever find them. I had first heard about this book like 5 or 6 years ago, before that other stupid book came out. So no, this has nothing to do with 50 Shades of Grey (which was awful) and because of when that book came out, it made it nearly impossible to find this book anywhere. I hated that the two were so close in title because they have nothing to do with each other. Well I finally came across this book at Powells in Portland and I’ve only just now gotten around to reading it.

What is it about?

It takes place in a futuristic society of sorts. It’s a society where your standing in the community depends on what colors you can see.  The rules of the society can be quite ridiculous at times but they are usually followed and never questioned. The story follows Eddie as him and his dad head to a new town on the outskirts of society where they are taking on some new temporary jobs. All this is happening at a time right before Eddie is moved into being a productive member of society and marriages are decided. All this is told in a way that makes you think how ridiculous this society is and how they do things just because they are following the rules.

Why you should read it!

The ridiculousness of parts of this story lead to it being a very humorous book. Which I didn’t really expect, and led to a very enjoyable read. Starting the book took me a while to realize how weird it was and what was going on, but once I got into it I always enjoyed reading it. The society truly is ridiculous, but it also pokes fun at how there are ridiculous things in our current society. There wasn’t very much information about how society had gotten to this point, but that would’ve taken away from the ridiculousness of it all. If you like science fiction with a bit of dry humor I highly recommend this book, and give it a chance don’t put it down after 50 pages or so, cause if you do you will be missing out!

Audio Book Review - Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Why did I read this book?

One of my partner’s co-workers gave us a bunch of audiobooks on an external hard drive. I had heard of this book as some sort of young adult book. It sounded futuristic/dystopian so of course I thought I’d give it a try. It actually took me two attempts to get into this book. I was listening to the death cure at the same time and was getting the two confused so I stopped this one and started it again a couple months later.

What is it about?

As far as Aria is concerned, her world in her pod is all she knows. They live almost entirely in a virtual world where they can visit all kinds of different pods and experience almost any situation they want. She knows there is an outside world but is only taught to fear it.  When she unexpectedly land in that outside world (without protection from the aether) she is sure she will die immediately. When she doesn’t, she finds there are savages who live on the outside and ends up realizing that she has a common goal with one of them and they embark on a journey together (even though they really don’t like each other).

Why you should read it!

This is, yes, another young adult dystopian start to a trilogy. So if that’s your thing you’ve probably heard of this book. If its not your thing, I can give you a couple reasons why this book is different than other dystopian YA trilogies. This takes place in a far enough future that you don’t hear much about the collapse of the world. It also focuses a lot on the relationships between the characters and not so much a war or the setting (which could be coming in the rest of the trilogy). There is a bit of a fantastical side to this story with some of the characters adapting to the new world and having a heightened senses or other abilities (I wouldn’t consider them powers, but one step above current humans). If any of these sound interesting, I would recommend this book. Although I do have to say the writing felt very YA, and when reading it next to actual adult books the difference was very noticeable, so if that kind of thing bothers you, I’d steer clear.

Book Review - Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel

Why did I read this book?

I had put this book on my christmas list after hearing so much about it on various podcasts and book award lists. And my Grandma gave it to me! I was super excited to read it, but what had me pick it up almost immediately was the fact that it was our book club’s pick for January.

What is it about?

It starts in the near future at a local production of King Lear. That is the first night of a disease outbreak that kills most of civilization. The book jumps forward to years after the disease took over and follows a group who still performs Shakespeare as a traveling symphony. It goes back and forth in time following different characters, storylines, and how they got to where they are now.

Why you should read it!
I loved this book. Yes, it is in my genre of futuristic/world collapsing, but it focuses more on the characters instead of the state of the world. It makes the whole ending of civilization seem very simple (which is quite terrifying) and the survivors stories seem to be believable. But I think my favorite part of the book is how art was woven through it all, from theater, to music, to writing and drawing they all seem to be a common tie throughout. I love that the author portrays art as still being a focus after the world falls apart. Now, I will admit that not everyone in my book club loved it as much as me. They thought it was OK and a bit weird. One of the issues they had was there wasn’t a main character to follow and they kept getting attached to minor characters. And the jumping back and forth in time made things altogether confusing. But, I loved it and think almost anyone should take a chance on it!

Audiobook Review - Fall of Giants by Ken Follett

Why did I read this book?

I’ve read a couple of Ken Follett’s books, and I usually enjoy them. This was an audiobook I got from a co-worker. Whenever Rob and I take a long drive we usually have a couple audiobooks, ones to listen to together and ones to listen to while the other person is sleeping, this was going to be my latter. I didn’t know much else about the book except Rob had no interest in it and that it took place in Europe.

What is it about?

This book follows a couple different stories about individuals that eventually interact at different times. You start to learn about all the individuals just before WW1 breaks out. Some of the stories you follow are of miners and some are of princesses so you get different points of view of the war and how it affected all of them.

Why you should read it!

I really like Follett’s historical fiction, however this one got a bit to historical and military for me. I was very interested in all the individuals stories but them a lot of the book turned to how the different armies were moving and what they were trying to take over and certain battles that happened. This was all very boring to me, and I probably tuned out a lot of it. The book also didn’t quite resolve but I think there are some follow up books. I might try and read those, but if it will be more military information I might just pass.

Book Review - Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (Kindle)

Why did I read this book?

A year or two ago this book was pretty popular in the young adult book talk, and the cover was a pretty easy one to remember. When it came up as a daily deal for Kindle on Amazon, I grabbed it.

What is it about?

This is a fantasy story that takes place in a world that is threatened by a place called the shadow fold. This world trains very talented gifted fighters and magicians called Grisha, at a young age they are brought to the lavish palace to learn how they can serve the King. However, one slipped through their fingers when kids go through the normal testing. Alina’s powers are discovered when her life is threatened trying to cross the fold and the Grisha take her into their special training forcing her to leave her best friend. The story follows her adventure of learning her powers and realizing that being the one to save them all isn’t all it’s cracked up to be (like every other fantasy story!).

Why you should read it!

Although this book has very similar themes to most fantasy books (the chosen one isn’t happy being the chosen one), the setting is a bit different which made it enjoyable. Yes, its young adult and while reading it next to other books it is obvious the writing isn’t great. But it captured my attention and held it through the whole book. This is the start of a series, but with how quickly I read this one, I will probably read the next ones as well!

Book Review - The Improper Life Of Bezellia Grove by Susan Gilmore

Why did I read this book?

This was the second book I received as part of my postal book club! (See this post about what that is). The only requirement for these book are that they be less than 250 pages. We have about 2 months to read them and write our comments before sending it off again. Aside from that we can pick whatever book we want so I’m excited to see what the others have chose. This was the first one from someone else!

What is it about?

This is the story of the upbringing of a girl in Tennessee in the 60s. She is part of a rich family that has their fair share of problems. The book follows her through middle school, high school, and a bit beyond that. There are many issues with her family and as Bezellia grows she starts to learn why people end up the way they do and who she can truly count on as members of her family.

Why you should read it!

I rarely read books set in the south in this time period, and I’m not sure why because I usually love them. Similar setting to The Help but more of a coming of age story. I think anyone who is interested (and slightly fascinated) by that era and the south would enjoy this, maybe it just seems so foreign to me that I really enjoy reading about it. The other benefit is that it is pretty short and easy to get through, and you are satisfied by the time you get through it!

Book Review - Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

How did I come into possession of this book?

I bought this book at a cute bookstore in Ann Arbor called Literati. We just happened to walk in when we were in town for a football game, and after seeing a lot of the staff picks being books I really enjoy, I found one by an author I knew but hadn’t read. The fact that it was a staff pick really sold me and that this was Rainbow Rowell’s adult book (I’ve read Eleanor and Park by her as well, but that is classified as young adult). I bought the book and have since used it as part of a postal book club*!

What is it about?

The book takes place in 1999, just before the millenium and one of the main characters is an IT guy who is preparing his company for Y2K. Along with that his job is also to monitor employees emails for anything inappropriate. He gets probably a bit too involved in conversations between a couple of women at the company, but can’t seem to pull himself away from reading about their lives that are so much more interesting than his.

What did I think?

I thought this was a fun quick read. There was nothing too in depth about it but it left you happy in the end. Although that brings me to one of my complaints about the book, I didn’t find the ending to be very believable. And with how Rowell’s book Eleanor and Park ended (very realistic) I thought this one might end in a realistic fashion. Unfortunately, I was let down and I just didn’t think it should’ve ended the way it did.  My other complaint about the book was how formal all the emails looked, if I’m writing an email it is not that formal especially if it is a personal email. I enjoyed the writing, as I knew I would.

Who would I recommend it to?

Anyone who wants a fun quick love-story type of read should pick up this book. I really liked how quick it was and how complete the story felt after being so short. If cute-sy love stories aren’t your thing, I’d steer clear!

*A postal book club is something I heard about on the podcast “Books on the Night Stand” and connected to one through their goodreads group! You are in a group of 6 and each person picks a book and reads it. You then write down your thoughts in a small journal and ship your book and the journal off to the next person! This happens every two months and by the end of the year, you get your book back with everyone’s thoughts in the journal!

Book Review - Last Hope by Drew Brown (Kindle)

Why did I read this book?

I got this for free on kindle when there was some promotion for it.  I think I read a quick synopsis and thought it sounded good enough and if it’s free on kindle I don’t feel bad if I hate it!  

What is it about?

Budd is on business in London and wakes up one night to realize something isn’t right.  He soon finds out that almost everyone in the hotel (and city) are dead and the few still alive get together to figure out what to do next.  In the creepiest way ever, the dead bodies start to return to life and the living soon realize they aren’t human anymore!

Why you should read it!

I’ll be honest; I didn’t realize this was a zombie book when I started it.  Maybe that was why some of the shock factor hit me so hard and totally creeped me out (in a well written way).  As soon as those bodies started moved I couldn’t stop picturing them, and when the zombies that moved quickly started showing up, the way they were portrayed was also quite terrifying.  I very much enjoyed this book, as believable as zombie books go, this is up there.  I felt like I could’ve been with the group at the hotel trying to figure out what to do.  It also turned out to be quite a page turner.  My only disappointment was that it was book 1 of a trilogy and I didn’t realize that when I started.  What started as a free “maybe I’ll read this” kindle book has turned into a “I must buy the next one now” kind of book.

Book Review - Altered, Revelations of the Evolved by Shawnda Currie

Why did I read this book?

I was contacted directly by the author.  The book sounded very similar to books I would enjoy since it’s a young adult, science fiction/fantasy book.  I also enjoy being contacted by the author directly, this usually results in me agreeing to read and review a book :)

What is it about?

Lacey is involved in a wrong place/wrong time type of crime and end up at a center for teenagers who have found themselves in trouble.  Immediately the place is not what it seems. She befriends an interesting person who she soon realizes has special abilities.  She learns that she has special abilities as well and the next thing she knows she finds herself as one of the people to help save the world from a disaster.

Why you should read it!

I enjoyed parts of this book, but not all of it.  The adventure parts of it felt very disconnected from the underlying love story.  They just didn’t blend well together, but separately they were fine.  I liked how this book got you hooked right away; I was immediately drawn in and interested in what would happen.  It will be interesting to see how this trilogy turns out, but I wasn’t left desperate for the next one.  My final critique is the cover, I highly dislike it.  It makes it look like a self-help book or a religious book.  I’m not sure what should be on the cover, but a washed out landscape doesn’t seem right to me.

Book Review - My True Love Gave to Me, Twelve Holiday Stories by Various Authors

Why did I read this book?
This was chosen as our book club book for the month of December. I was the one who suggested it since it sounded right up my alley. I'm a big sucker for holiday stories and this collection was all written by current young adult authors, most of which I'd heard of.  Since it is somewhat hard to find good current holiday stories I was happy this one was published this year. Although I do think some of the other members of my book club may not be interested there were enough that said yes to it that it was a go!

What is it about?

It is a fun collection of holiday stories. Some having to do with christmas, new years, or general wintry things. They were all quick reads and left you feeling happy. Some of my favorites were the one that takes place in Christmas, CA and the one about the boy who works in the tree lot next door. They are all a bit lovey-dovey, but cute none the less!

Why you should read it!

If you like holiday stories (at this point it would make more sense for next holiday season) and enjoy heart warming stories, you would like this. If you think young adult stories can be cheesy and superficial I'd steer clear. I will be discussing this with my book club at the end of the month so we'll see what everyone else thought, I'll try and update this post after that!

Series Review - The Maze Runner, The Scortch Trials, & The Death Cure by James Dashner

Why did I read this series?

I had heard a lot of talk about the first book in the series, The Maze Runner, and it was one of the daily deals on amazon (like a year ago, haha) for kindle. After reading and thoroughly enjoying the first one, I figured I should complete the series. I bought a physical copy of the second book and listened to the third one on audio while we drove to California for Christmas.

What is it about?

It takes place in a futuristic society when much has gone wrong with the world, including global warming and government issues. The series starts off very simply and you slowly start to learn more about the state of the world as the series continues. You learn as the main character learns what is in store for him in the world. What starts off simply turns into the main characters realizing that they needs to save the human race, even though they aren't quite sure how or who to trust.

Why you should read it!

I really liked the first book in this series and was curious to see where it would go next. The second book was just ok, it gave you more of a look into the world they lived in and why they were there. The third book was very unimpressive, I didn't like they way the author tied up all the storylines and it just felt like a long journey to get no where. Also, as the series went on I got very annoyed with the main male characters. These books are told from the point of view of a boy and the more the story went on, the worse the decisions made by the main characters were. It all just felt very male dominated and not logical which really got on my nerves. They obviously need more help from the women in their lives, but maybe that is just my views on life taking over my views on a very male dominated book. 

The movie The Maze Runner was very well done, and I think portrayed the book very well (which is very rare for me to say). However, I think one of the reasons for this is because it was a simple start to the series. I'm not sure how easy it will be to pull of the following movies.