Amanda
This is another book I probably wouldn't have come across if not for the Bookriot challenge, since I read a lot of YA but not much middle grade. Like a lot of the other reviews say, this is one to listen to instead of read - a lot of the book focuses on the power of music, and being able to hear the music the characters are playing and reacting to makes a big difference than just reading the descriptions. I wasn't super-interested in the fairy tale-ish framing device, and some of the writing came off a little bit after-school-special, but each of the stories were interesting, and I found myself getting caught up in the plots and pleasantly surprised by how they all came together at the end.
(Bookriot Read Harder 2016 Challenge: #5 Read a middle grade novel, and #9 Listen to an audiobook that has won an Audie Award)
I've been avoiding this entry on the Read Harder challenge because horror really isn't my thing, but then I found a copy of this book on my shelves at home, took it to my parents' for Christmas, and devoured it in an afternoon. The sense of place and atmosphere are so great here, and everything just builds to an unexpected but perfectly apt conclusion. Most of what I want to talk about is spoilery, but holy shit, this book is incredible.
(Bookriot Read Harder 2016 Challenge: #1 Read a horror book)
Moderately amusing fluff, easy enough to read but not that substantial. A little scattered in places, which is fine when the digressions are interesting or funny, but I don't know that I care that much about all Julie's friends and their various romantic entanglements, you know? Particularly since I couldn't really keep her friends separate in my head. At its best when writing about the food, unsurprisingly, and really gets into the visceral and messy parts of cooking.
Update after watching the movie per the Bookriot challenge - movie was better, though oddly Julie comes off worse in the movie? The book doesn't have much of a narrative arc, so the movie tried to create one by adding in some marital drama (arising out of a truly juvenile tantrum by Julie). The best parts of the movie were pretty much all Julia and Paul Child's life in France and Julia learning to cook. Meryl Streep and Stanley Tucci are so wonderful and this made me want an entire movie starring them, instead of half of one.
(Bookriot Read Harder 2016 Challenge: #18 Read a book that was adapted into a movie, then watch the movie. Debate which is better.)
3.5, rounding up. Dialogue is still distractingly anachronistic in spots, but not as much as in [b:Scandal Takes the Stage 24805314 Scandal Takes the Stage (The Wicked Quills of London, #2) Eva Leigh https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1426976419s/24805314.jpg 44443685]. I really liked this heroine and the masquerade scene was a particular standout.
Really liked this!! I haven't read much fantasy of manners since the [b:His Majesty's Dragon 28876 His Majesty's Dragon (Temeraire, #1) Naomi Novik https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1376392909s/28876.jpg 726205] series, but I like it. I wasn't sure what to expect from this book but I was really delighted to realize that it was in that genre (basically Regency fiction with magic/dragons/fantasy elements). Prunella is a wonderful character and so full of life, and even minor characters had vivid personalities and were easy to distinguish (which is sometimes hard in an audiobook, since you can't really flip back to earlier pages). The plot got a little convoluted at times, but the end left me grinning. I can't wait to read the further books in the series!(Bookriot Read Harder 2016 Challenge: #14 Read a book that is by an author from Southeast Asia)
Finished the second half of this in basically one sitting, I was so caught up in the plot and had to know what would happen next. Love Stevenson's style of art and the Blackheart/Goldenloin and Blackheart/Nimona relationships. The epilogue was the perfect capper to the story and made me so happy.
(Bookriot Read Harder 2016 Challenge: #17 Read a non-superhero comic that debuted in the last three years)
This took a little while to get started for me and never really came to life in the same way that the first book in the series did. I liked the MC but the hero was pretty meh. Not a bad read at all, nothing that really took me out of the book or anything, but not as much fun as the first. (Also, I came back to add this: I usually don't care a ton about historical accuracy in my historicals, but Regency heroines talking about “privilege” in a way you'd find on Tumblr c. 2015 is just really distracting.)
So I understand why this ended like it did, being a YA romance and all that. But seriously, girl, he was a dick about you going to Carolina, stupid jealous of JAM for no reason, and couldn't manage to get your yearbook back to you on time (which isn't the end of the world, but being upset you got into a better school further away from him is pretty shitty). But "don't be the girl who goes to college with a boyfriend" is damn good advice - are you really gonna want to call him every night? Every night? No, you won't, and you're gonna miss out on fun stuff because you'll feel obligated to do that for way longer than you actually should. I'm just glad this didn't end with Lara Jean going to W&M instead of Carolina just because it was closer. That would've been DNF/throw this book across the room territory. Jenny Han is smarter than that, though, but I'm still not a big fan of girls being told to cut themselves off from experiencing everything they can because it'll hurt a boy's feelings. (Also, she broke up with him when she was drunk, and in vino veritas, you know?)
3 stars - the sister relationships/friendships (love Chris!) are still so realistic and well-done, but I don't love the resolution of the main plot, so it averages to 3 stars. Bonus points for making me miss Chapel Hill.
Really enjoyed this, especially the heroine. The conflict was wrapped up a little too easily at the end for me (with no resolution except “oh, that won't be a problem”), and the language in the sex scenes was over-the-top purple and got distracting. I'd have liked a little bit more follow-up about Jonathan once he's found and his recovery, too. I did like that Eleanor wasn't a virgin and it was not a big deal at all, and that the book didn't end with her pregnant and no longer working. Overall, though, fun and a solid four stars.
Random notes: 1) the narrator's Southern accent on the audiobook was a little distracting at times and I don't know why - it's accurate to the character, but it definitely made it jarring every time she said “you guys” instead of “y'all.”
2) maybe I'm cynical, but everything seems to work out awfully neatly at the end? I know the author's note at the end said she made some things easier intentionally (surgery, passing, hormones, etc) but how everyone was basically okay with Amanda at the end of the story was nice, but I wish I believed it would be that easy in the rural South in 2016.
3) I also didn't love how one of the villains of the story is a vindictive spurned bisexual?
4) I loved the writing of Amanda's parents and their struggle to adjust. All those relationships were really interesting and well-done, I thought. Some of the minor characters were flatter than I'd like, though.
5) I also really liked the structure of the book, with the slow reveals/flashbacks.
I don't know - I didn't love this, but I thought it was pretty well-done and worth reading/listening to. I was definitely engaged in the story and cheering for Amanda, all these nitpicky points aside. Well worth your time.
(Bookriot Read Harder 2016 Challenge: #12 Read a book by or about a person that identifies as transgender)
First of all, this isn't really a Spindle Cove book - some of the same characters, but not the same setting, since it's basically all at a house party elsewhere. This was perfectly fine, but probably not one I'll reread much, since the male lead never really gelled as a character for me and the plot was pretty insubstantial. It's Tessa Dare, so it's still a fun read and definitely worth the time, but not my favorite of hers.
If you're interested in this book, get the audio version, because Meryl Streep reads it and she's amazing and so funny - her delivery of some lines had me laughing out loud in my car. The story/structure of the book is kind of a mess, with a lot of digressions and flashbacks (which may have been easier to follow in written form, but I don't know). What Ephron really excels at is creating a strong voice for her main character, who essentially narrates the whole thing in one long stream of consciousness. I probably wouldn't have read this if not for the BookRiot challenge, but I definitely enjoyed it.
(Bookriot Read Harder 2016 Challenge: #8 Read a book originally published in the decade you were born)
3.5 stars, rounding up. As you can see from how long it took me to read this, I had trouble getting into this one for some reason - maybe it's because there wasn't much of a narrative? (I know it's nonfiction, but nonfiction can totally have a narrative.) It's basically chapters all focusing on certain aspects of being a single woman in the USA, with some historical background and contemporary stories. I liked the intersectional approach, and I never felt like the book was exclusively about well-off white women in urban areas. A little more politics/policy throughout would have been nice, but I did enjoy this book and its perspective on an important and underserved group, especially in this crazy-ass election year.
(Bookriot Read Harder 2016 Challenge: #21 Read a book about politics, in your country or another, fiction or nonfiction)
Cute, not terribly angsty, lesbian YA romance - exactly what I needed in the middle of ... everything. Love Jo and her learning to let other people into her life, from her new stepmother to her new group of friends in Rome. The minor characters were (for the most part) well-drawn and interesting, especially Gemma, George, and Elizabeth. Plot was a little overstuffed, with all of Dana's drama and the Evil Theater Lesbian toward the end, but the main storyline was so sweet and rewarding. Love that faith is taken seriously here - that seems rare in most YA, let alone LGBT YA (though that may be a lack of reading on my part). This was a fun world to escape to at the end of a terrible week.
Really interesting, but something about it in audio format didn't quite grab me in the way I was hoping. Not a lot of plot, but it's a memoir, so there doesn't have to be, of course - just trying to think of why it didn't quite work as audio for me. Standout parts: the section on Iran, and particularly the wedding. I also was fascinated by how Wilson writes about religion and her conversion to Islam, with a unique perspective that brings a new angle to a well-worn topic.
(Bookriot Read Harder 2016 Challenge: #13 Read a book that is set in the Middle East and #20 Read a book about religion, fiction or nonfiction)
Really like romances that continue after the wedding, got a little tired of the “I love you”/”no you don't”, but I guess there needs to be some conflict. Loved the heroine in this one - I seem to really like loudmouthed American heiresses as a genre trope. Probably this is more like 4.5 - plot contrivances make it a 4, but a bonus half-star for the pineapple.
Well-written and interesting, particularly the sections about her childhood in India and New York. I wouldn't have read this if not for the endometriosis connection (what a connection to have with someone!), and I wish there had been a bit more about that, but this is a memoir, not a medical treatise. Lakshmi writes really well about the anger and frustration and disconnection from others that comes with any chronic pain condition. And there are bonus recipes!