2018 February Recap

In brief, I read:

• 6 books, for a total of 2505 pages
• 67% female authors, 17% POC, 0% non-fiction

Mini Reviews:

This is about life, love, keeping calm and carrying on because it's London in 1939. As far as WWII books go, this wasn't my favorite. However, Chris Cleave's writing is beautifully descriptive and his dialogue is witty. In fact, too witty. The London Underground is getting bombed, people are losing life and limb, women are maimed during their ambulance-driving duties, and little ones are shipped off to rural areas without their parents... meanwhile all the main characters engage in shallow, sarcastic, joking repartee about jam (yes you read that right), racism, love triangles, etc. The clever dialogue is too disjointed and seems callous in the face of tragedy. It would have been perfect if Mr. Cleave put in more effort to make everyone jaded with the right pacing, but it was too much at odds with the world he was trying to impart with the reader. Rating: 3/5 stars

On the outside, Ani is a beautiful and successful "it-girl". On the inside, she is a mess of self-esteem issues, insecurities, adolescent trauma, and of course, has a horrible harpy of a mother who continues to be the backseat driver in her life. (Co-driver: her domineering blue-blooded fiance.) This book switches between two time-frames: a) Ani's current life as she prepares for marriage and a documentary project, and b) her cruel high school past that leads up to a tragic event at her prestigious high school, which is the focal point for the documentary. The book has a very satisfying ending, but you have to slog through some pretty terrible things that happen to Ani until she really finds herself. Rating: 3/5 stars

Meh. I think this is because I had just read Stephen King's "End of Watch", which is another "jaded old private investigator with health issues teams up with brilliant manic pixie dream girl assistant to solve a series of murders to unravel a bigger mystery" story. I think I slogged through it because I needed to know whodunnit. I wasn't surprised by the ending at all, womp womp. Harsh, I know. Rating: 3/5 stars

Here's a crazy idea - what would you do if there was a "death forecasting" service that let you know that today was your last day, and that you would die within the next 24 hours? While it does seem like a convenient way to settle your affairs and make your amends, the service doesn't tell you exactly *how* you're going to go. Not-So-Spoiler alert: Mateo and Rufus both die at the end. But this is actually a wonderful story about brave adventures, making new friends, and living fully in each moment. Rating: 4/5 stars

If non-linear narratives, murder mysteries, and juicy dark secrets are your thing, this is your book. PLUS, it takes place in Minnesota and refers to local faves like the stone arch bridge, Hennepin ave, Uptown, etc. Though Mejia takes time peeling back the layers of secrets to reveal the terrible truth, the pacing is fast. Warning: a focal point of this novel is the teacher/student affair, but Hattie's legal *still cringes*... so keep that in mind if that bothers you. Rating: 4/5 stars

Ah, the Rapunzel retelling. There are parallels like Cress having long hair, and instead of being stranded in a tower she's trapped in a Satellite. There's a handsome man, hair cutting, blindness, and restorative tear(drop)s, so it's a pretty close retelling, only like a couple millennia into an alternate universe. It's entertaining, but I didn't find myself as invested in Cress as I did with Cinder's story.  Rating: 3/5 stars