Book reviews
Originally my goal this year was to read 104 books, but life got in the way (as it tends to do) and I had to scale back to my default of 52 (or 1 book per week).
These are the titles that I enjoyed the most. Or, rather, these are the titles that earned a five star rating from me.
Continue reading “My Favorite Books of 2019”…Louie wondered how the absence of one person could take so much air out of the house.
I was really excited for this book and could hardly wait for its release date to read it! Sadly, I ended up having to wait a little while because someone got to the library’s copy before me, lol.
Saving Winslow is a somewhat short book about a little boy names Louie and Winslow, the LGD (Little Gray Donkey) foal he takes responsibility for when it doesn’t look like it isn’t going to survive.
While I wasn’t particularly drawn to Louie and Winslow, this book was absolutely filled with realistic attachments and feelings. From the “empty spaces” left behind by Louie’s big brother Gus who has joined the army to the pragmatism nearly every adult shows towards Winslow’s chances of survival.
My favorite character (sorry Winslow!) is Nora. Hands down. From her very first meeting with Winslow, you can tell that something isn’t right. She even mentions the little brother they had who was born 2 months early and didn’t survive. Later on, she suggests a leash and collar for Winslow and tells Louie that her family used to had a dog who died.
Nora has obviously been hurt by the loss of a baby brother and beloved pet and is terrified of getting too close to anyone/anything again for fear of the loss. Her actions, however, show a little girl that just wants to hang out with Louie and Winslow and not have to let them go.
Admittedly a cute book that ends with the potential return of Gus and Winslow’s departure to the farm to take up his mother’s role as LGD (Livestock Guardian Donkey) for Uncle Pete’s animals.
I do not believe that this book lives up to the claims from School Library Journal or Publishers Weekly to be a “standout tale” or “a convincing portrayal of human growth.” It was merely an ok book.
Except for Andy, everything about this book was a disappointment and guess what? Andy dies (spoiler).
I was super excited to get to read this book after the wild ride that Fragment took me on. I was curious about how the Hendros were adapting to life among humans and how the humans who survived Hender’s Island were coping with the horrors they went through there.
Sadly, after all they went through in Fragment, with the way they were written in the sequel, I actually ended up disliking Geoffrey and Nell! It was always “wifey” this and “husby” that… Yes, I triple checked, she calls him “husby” not “hubby.”
Nell, a brilliant scientist, runs around half naked during what is supposed to be a life threatening situation because she “forgot” to wear a bra and THEN has to disrobe AGAIN later! What the hell?!?!!!? And Geoffrey isn’t much better… he was one of the most interesting characters in Fragment, smart and funny and really likeable! But in Pandemonium, he was reduced to mindless panic and idiotic gushing over Nell like a slobbering sycophant rather than a loving husband.
I hated Sasha with a passion. If she’d been written as a teenager, her behavior would have been believable, but a ten year old pulling what she did out of her hat all throughout Pandemonium? Yeah, no.
The thing I was looking forward to the most was seeing what had happened to Hender and Andy and the other Hendros. These moments were few and far between, and felt as if they’d just been thrown on the page as an afterthought.
The villains (both human and hendro) were utterly forgettable and felt like caricatures of old-times bad guys, swirling their mustaches and clasping their hands in glee.
All in all, Pandemonium is just a bad book. If I could give negative stars, this would get -7 ⭐️’s.
An utter disappointment after the brilliance of Fragment, it will be a long time before I trust Warren Fahy enough to pick up another of his books.
So, I started reading Seven Tears at High Tide by C.B. Lee about two weeks ago and had to put it down because I was busy with work and life in general. My plan is to start back at the beginning instead of picking up where I left off…
Seven Tears at High Tide by C. B. Lee is a young adult fantasy / romance about a teenage boy who wishes for a summer of love, a wish which is granted by a nearby selkie who overhears his heartfelt plea.
Kevin Luong has had his heart broken by the boy-next-door who decided he is no longer gay and doesn’t want to “fool around” with boys anymore. Instead of spending the summer together with Miles, Kevin is suddenly alone and feeling particularly unloved.
On a whim, he sheds seven years into the ocean and makes a wish, asking for just one summer to be happy and in love. He doesn’t really expect his wish to be granted.
What Kevin doesn’t know is that someone hears his wish. Morgan, a selkie boy, happens to be swimming near enough to hear and hope that he will be the one chosen to fulfill the request. His mother, and matriarch of his selkie herd, grants him permission to shed his skin and go ashore to meet Kevin.
So begins a summer of innocent love, with Kevin teaching Morgan how to be both human and to pass as a normal teenage boy. But, as the boys grow closer, they begin to realize that there is something sinister in the works in their little seaside town.
Semiosis by Sue Burke just flat out sounded like a cool book. I remember getting an email about it pre-release date and wanting desperately to read it. I even texted my friend, and local librarian, asking her to purchase it for the library so that I could read it!
This book appears to be right up my alley, with first contact situations, space colonization, and an alien (possibly plant-based) intelligence. With the summary including fun words like “bizarre, inexplicable, and grapple” who wouldn’t want to read this? 😀
“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.”
~Thomas Merton.
Ultimately, Antisocial by Heidi Cullinan is a story about finding your place in the world, finding a family and friends who love and accept you for who you are, and discovering a love that knows no bounds.
A self-proclaimed fan of happy endings, author Heidi Cullinan doesn’t shy away from putting her characters through the ringer. Neither man has a good relationship with their parents; Skyler does everything he possibly can just for the chance of hearing his father say he’s proud of his son and Xander ignores his mother’s care packages even while he wishes for her to put him before her new husband and sons.
Xander Fairchild fits the “grumpy, hermit like artist” bill perfectly, but an unexpected meeting with frat boy Skyler Stone changes the course of his life forever.
When hooligans from his fraternity deface a beloved mural, Skyler Stone makes a point of apologizing in person to the artist and asking how the fraternity can make amends. He is surprised to hear that the artist, one grumpy Xander, isn’t willing to go along with his plans to restore the piece. A copy will never be as good as the original, he claims.
In an effort to make things right, regardless of if the artist cares or not, Skyler proposes that his senior project be to work with the art department, using his business and networking skills to showcase their talents.
Tasked with creating a successful promotion for Xander’s exhibit, Skyler discovers that the best way to complete his assignment is to befriend the standoffish artist. Through sheer force of will, he slowly works his way past the walls that Xander has put up and finds, to his surprise, that the other man has wormed his way into Skyler’s heart as well!
Their attraction is a difficult road to walk, as Xander has accepted that he is gay… but Skyler is still trying to convince himself that he can ignore who he is and continue pretending to be what other people want him to be.
I’d like to note that this is the first book I’ve ever read with a grey-sexual character in it and I feel like I came away with a new understanding of people who might identify as grey or ace. Grey-sexuality being when a person doesn’t normally experience sexual attraction but can, under certain circumstances, feel sexual attraction.
I enjoyed seeing how Xander and Skyler negotiated their wildly different needs (both sexual and otherwise) into their relationship. Their secret kisses and understanding of each other’s quirks was unbearably sweet.
The inclusion of Japanese culture, both old (Shinto shrines and the Shichifukujin) and new (anime and manga), was integral to Xander and Skyler finding common ground. Skyler dreams of finding a person who will love him with cherry blossoms and bento boxes and Xander wishes for the chance to become a great mangaka.
It was heartening to see that, in the end, Skyler and Xander were able to find love and happiness and to make their dreams of moving to Japan a reality.
They found family they deserve, both in each other and in friends. Sometimes, a found family can love you better than blood family ever will.
It’s been rather a long while since my last Two Book Tuesday post. A fact, for which, I am sorry, but I let both work and school distract me from this blog and am now working to remedy that failure. While I haven’t been posting, I have continued reading and rediscovering the joy of having a book in my hands, turning the pages and wanting to make notes about each new story. So, let’s get this post started!
I am currently reading The Sky Below by Stacy D’Erasmo, an interesting piece of literature that follows the life of one Gabriel Collins, who writes obituaries for a “ratty paper in lower Manhattan.”
Honestly, I can’t stand Gabriel. He is exactly as the author has written him, a drug-dealing thief who manipulates those around him for his own gain. However, his life story is a pretty compelling one and, as much as I dislike Gabriel, I can’t stop reading.
As for my second book in this post: Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee is a story I have wanted to read since I came across a review for it in a professional library journal and decided to purchase it for my library’s collection.
It is a super terrific sounding tale of a girl who is trying to find her way in a world full of superpowers, heroes, and villains. Along the way, she gets the chance to be closer to her crush, Abby, takes a job interning for a super villain to spite her superhero parents, and discovers that maybe she has more power than she originally thought.
Seriously, I can hardly wait to start reading this book! It was ridiculously cool to meet the author at the 2017 Romantic Times Book Convention in Atlanta this year and to have her sign my book. I can admit to feeling a little awestruck to meet C.B. Lee, she is super sweet and was giving away the best buttons at her signing table!
I really enjoyed Unicorn Tracks by Julia Ember. It seamlessly combines elements of our world with the fantastical to create a place full of excitement and wonder.
Both of the main characters are interesting and well rounded. I found myself rooting for Mnemba from the first and was desperate to learn more about her life before becoming a guide for her cousin’s business. Kara took a little longer to warm up to, but I enjoyed how independent and curious she was… even with the mermaids, lol.
Unicorn Tracks doesn’t shy away from the topic of rape or the aftermath of it. While Mnemba’s attacker was punished for his crimes against her, she still ended up leaving her home because of the judgement and expectations of those who would claim he was a good man and this was a one-time incident. It was an especially heartwarming moment when her father said that he would kill Mnemba’s attacker if ever he were set free.
Her relationship with Kara was slow going, as they figured out how to work past the trauma of the past, but it was all the sweeter when they were finally able to connect. At the end of the story, Mnemba isn’t “over” what happened to her, but she is able to keep moving forward with the support of her lover, friends, and family. ❤
I would suggest this book to anyone who enjoys fantasy, adventure, or alternate histories. It’s a quick read, but a darned good one!
Meandering Michelle 