Book Blog #303: The Queen of Tearling by Erika Johansen

 

Title: The Queen of Tearling

Author: Erika Johansen

# of Pages: 448 (paperback)

Genre: YA, Fantasy

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Synopsis: On her nineteenth birthday, Princess Kelsea Raleigh Glynn, raised in exile, sets out on a perilous journey back to the castle of her birth to ascend her rightful throne. Plain and serious, a girl who loves books and learning, Kelsea bears little resemblance to her mother, the vain and frivolous Queen Elyssa. But though she may be inexperienced and sheltered, Kelsea is not defenseless: Around her neck hangs the Tearling sapphire, a jewel of immense magical power; and accompanying her is the Queen’s Guard, a cadre of brave knights led by the enigmatic and dedicated Lazarus. Kelsea will need them all to survive a cabal of enemies who will use every weapon—from crimson-caped assassins to the darkest blood magic—to prevent her from wearing the crown. Despite her royal blood, Kelsea feels like nothing so much as an insecure girl, a child called upon to lead a people and a kingdom about which she knows almost nothing. But what she discovers in the capital will change everything, confronting her with horrors she never imagined. An act of singular daring will throw Kelsea’s kingdom into tumult, unleashing the vengeance of the tyrannical ruler of neighboring Mortmesne: the Red Queen, a sorceress possessed of the darkest magic. Now Kelsea will begin to discover whom among the servants, aristocracy, and her own guard she can trust. But the quest to save her kingdom and meet her destiny has only just begun—a wondrous journey of self-discovery and a trial by fire that will make her a legend . . . if she can survive.

Review: Almost gave this book four stars.

When I started this book, it was about what I was looking for; middle age-style fantasy. It was surprising because although The Queen of Tearling is considered as YA for some, the sexual references, rape mentions, pedophilia, etc. make this book definitely for the older side of YA if not adult. However, it never really gripped my attention like other similar fantasy books (e.g. The Graceling); I ended up taking a several month break from it, in fact. There were also several aspects of the book that I found odd:

1. This book takes place in the future. This threw me for a loop and is somewhat ignorable until the characters start talking about books and referencing the Harry Potter series, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, etc. It's not believable that the future would be a regression to the past (it was easier to think of this book as a whole different world), so references to these books broke the immersion for me.

2. There is an obsession with Kelsea's, the protagonist's, appearance. Through the book, the characters and especially Kelsea herself will repeatedly mention how plain she is. I understood the necessity for mentioning it the first time (maybe even the first couple of times), but the characters just wouldn't shut up about it. I'm not sure what Johansen was aiming to go for here; if there is some positive message about body image hidden in here, obsessing about the protagonists appearance doesn't seem to be the best way to go about it.

3. The character building for Kelsea was weak. Most of what she does throughout the book is attributed to the her black-boxed past in exile. She at first seemed to be an underdog, but I found she was surprisingly capable when facing challenges through the book, with little indication on how she got the skills to be a Queen while she interacted with very few people during her exile. 

These problems made me lower the star rating to three stars. When I decided to finish this book once and for all, it wasn't too difficult to get into it, although as I said before, still not as gripping as other fantasy stories I have read. When I was finishing the book, I wanted to continue reading the series just to find out what happens next (although more than likely I will not end up reading the rest of the series). I don't regret reading it as it was reasonably enjoyable and an easy read. 

It wouldn't be the first fantasy book I would recommend; if you are already interested then I would say to give it a shot. But otherwise I would recommend other fantasy books (and MANY other dystopian books) before this one. 

Book Blog #302: Stealing Thunder by Alina Boyden

 

Title: Stealing Thunder

Author: Alina Boyden

# of Pages: 346 (paperback)

Genre: Romance, Fantasy, LGBT

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Synopsis: In a different life, under a different name, Razia Khan was raised to be the Crown Prince of Nizam, the most powerful kingdom in Daryastan. Born with the soul of a woman, she ran away at a young age to escape her father’s hatred and live life true to herself. Amongst the hijras of Bikampur, Razia finds sisterhood and discovers a new purpose in life. By day she’s one of her dera’s finest dancers, and by night its most profitable thief. But when her latest target leads her to cross paths with Arjun Agnivansha, Prince of Bikampur, it is she who has something stolen. An immediate connection with the prince changes Razia’s life forever, and she finds herself embroiled in a dangerous political war. The stakes are greater than any heist she’s ever performed. When the battle brings her face to face with her father, Razia has the chance to reclaim everything she lost…and save her prince.

Review: I definitely have conflicting feeling about this book.

I picked up this book on a whim; I was looking for a fantasy book that would help me in my reading rut. I saw this had decent ratings on Goodreads compared to the other books available to me. Skimming the back cover synopsis, I didn't realize that this book had anything to do with the LGBTQ+ community let alone attempting to make groundbreaking progress in transwomen fantasy literature. If that weren't enough, Boyden also worked with the trans Indian and Pakistani community and took it as inspiration in writing this book.

From skimming other reviews for Stealing Thunder, I have seen it receive a lot of backlash for being a trans white woman telling a trans Asian woman's story and other controversial topics on whether this lives up as a good representation for the cultural or LGBTQ+ community. I believe this issues are too big of a conversation for this review, so I will be focusing on the story rather than its representation of marginalized groups or the author's background. 

Surprisingly, controversy aside, I was addicted to this book. I just couldn't put it down. I have ALWAYS been a huge fan of cheesy romance, and this book is no exception. This book is MUCH more of a ROMANCE than a fantasy book; there's not much world building as I was hoping for. The romance itself is not even anything original; just two people who clearly love each other very much with only the world against them. But like I said, I am a sucker for cheesy romance.

Now if I put my own feeling aside, I would be giving this book two stars. The protagonist, Razia, seems to be a transwoman pipe dream. She is able to do it all PERFECTLY, and everyone always seems to be blown away by her hidden abilities. It's just not realistic, not relatable for the reader at all. That being said, I guess the whole riches to rags to riches again story is not very relatable in general; it's not that inspiring to hear about an underdog who experiences a rise in status when the so called underdog came from a privileged background. This is further magnified by how the character who had less privilege failed to rise in power like those who did. 

Not only that, but Boyden seems to reiterate the same points OVER AND OVER AGAIN throughout the story (e.g. Razia will make an observation about something, then she will tell everyone else, and then she will internalize the thought again...). 

In general, the story was predictable; there's very little stress while reading about whether things are going to work out in Razia favor because due to her many many talents, of course she's going to solve all the problems and save the day. 

I wouldn't recommend this book, but I cannot deny that I enjoyed reading it due to the romance. 

Book Blog #301: My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante

 

Title: My Brilliant Friend

Author: Elena Ferrante

# of Pages: 331 (paperback)

Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Synopsis: A modern masterpiece from one of Italy's most acclaimed authors, My Brilliant Friend is a rich, intense and generous hearted story about two friends, Elena and Lila. Ferrante's inimitable style lends itself perfectly to a meticulous portrait of these two women that is also the story of a nation and a touching meditation on the nature of friendship. Through the lives of these two women, Ferrante tells the story of a neighbourhood, a city and a country as it is transformed in ways that, in turn, also transform the relationship between her two protagonists.

Review: This slice-of-life style story was hard to get through. I read it on and off over the course of several months (starting in March) and just barely was able to finish it today.

I not a huge fan of slice-of-life stories in general since the pacing is usually slower and the plot is aimless. My Brilliant Friend was no exception. I found myself picking up this book and getting through a page or two at most before becoming bored and moving onto a more interesting activity. It wasn't until the last quarter of the book where I became more invested in the characters because it felt more like I knew - there are a lot of characters, and it was difficult to figure out who was going to stick around and who is unimportant. 

While this novel is written almost poetically, the words didn't flow as well as I hoped it would. This however might be in part because it was translated from Italian; if I read this book in its original language, perhaps I would have enjoyed the writing style more. 

Overall, a very slow read, and not worth it for the story that was told. There are some aspects that are confusing as well in terms of actions that happen outside of our protagonist Elena's knowledge that are explain in latter books; books that I more than likely not be reading. Elena and Lila have a strange friendship, on that is plagued with jealousy and rivalry. While this may sound like their relationship is complex and therefore realistic, it is unclear whether they are truly friends or if they're actually enemies. Many relationships are portrayed to seem somewhat toxic, and there's a ton of social politics. The focus on this aspect of the characters' relationships makes this a negative read; it would have been better if some of these negative moments (especially from Elena's internal thoughts) were also balanced out with more positive moments. 

I wouldn't recommend this book in a hurry, but since the ending was a bit more interesting, I do not regret reading this book.

Book Blog #300: The Queen's Gambit by Walter Tevis

 

Title: The Queen's Gambit

Author: Walter Tevis

# of Pages: 12 hours (audiobook)

Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Synopsis: When she is sent to an orphanage at the age of eight, Beth Harmon soon discovers two ways to escape her surroundings, albeit fleetingly: playing chess and taking the little green pills given to her and the other children to keep them subdued. Before long, it becomes apparent that hers is a prodigious talent, and as she progresses to the top of the US chess rankings she is able to forge a new life for herself. But she can never quite overcome her urge to self-destruct. For Beth, there's more at stake than merely winning and losing.

Review: I watched the Netflix series before listening to this. After completing this audiobook, I was actually very impressed with how true the Netflix series is to the book. 

As someone who does not know chess very well, this story is definitely more interesting (and easier to follow) as a show than as a book. I don't know chess well enough to visualize what Beth is seeing when she describes her or her opponents moves. There are also a ton of characters to remember, and for me listening to the story rather than watching or reading the story makes it even harder to remember. 

Since I already knew the main plot from watching the show, I was not as interested in the story through the audiobook, especially since there wasn't much new information that wasn't already covered in the show. If I were more of a chess enthusiast or if I read/listened to this book before watching the show, maybe this rating would have been higher. There was nothing in particular that was wrong with the book other than it just not being a good fit for me. 

Even though Beth is a somewhat unlikable character due to her self-centeredness, I actually appreciated Tevis writing her this way. Perfect, likable protagonists are unrealistic no matter how much the audience loves them. Beth has her flaws as all of us do, and these are what make her seem real.

I wouldn't recommend this book in a hurry unless I knew the person was interested in chess. That being said, this wasn't a bad book at all, just not one that I particularly enjoyed listening to.

Book Blog #299: The Emissary by Yoko Tawada

 

Title: The Emissary

Author: Yoko Tawada

# of Pages: 138 (paperback)

Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopia

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Synopsis: Japan, after suffering from a massive irreparable disaster, cuts itself off from the world. Children are so weak they can barely stand or walk: the only people with any get-go are the elderly. Mumei lives with his grandfather Yoshiro, who worries about him constantly. They carry on a day-to-day routine in what could be viewed as a post-Fukushima time, with all the children born ancient—frail and gray-haired, yet incredibly compassionate and wise. Mumei may be enfeebled and feverish, but he is a beacon of hope, full of wit and free of self-pity and pessimism. Yoshiro concentrates on nourishing Mumei, a strangely wonderful boy who offers “the beauty of the time that is yet to come.”

Review: Even though this book is so short, it took me FOREVER to get through it. 

Like many dystopian science fiction, this alternate version of Japan experience environmental disaster where many food sources are contaminated, the youth are sickly, and the elderly live forever. This quirky story is told in the third person (and a couple of times switched to first person without warning) that does third POV switching quite often. To make it more confusing, there is a decent amount of time skipping as well, especially at the end. 

All the characters have some sort of stream of consciousness where they reflect on themselves and the world around them in most artful and, to me, drawn out and boring way possible. There wasn't much of a plot; it's more like a slice of life with no clear direction on where the story is going, which in term made me very disinterested in the book in general.

I was debating on whether to give this book three stars just because I feel like I am missing something here. But based on a single pass through alone (and how long it took me to finish the book), I was not entertained, and this book was overall burdensome for me to read. I would not recommend this book.

Book Blog #298: The Memory Police by Yōko Ogawa

 

Title: The Memory Police

Author: Yōko Ogawa

# of Pages: 274 (hardback)

Genre: Adult, Science Fiction

Rating: ★★★★☆

Synopsis: On an unnamed island off an unnamed coast, objects are disappearing: first hats, then ribbons, birds, roses—until things become much more serious. Most of the island's inhabitants are oblivious to these changes, while those few imbued with the power to recall the lost objects live in fear of the draconian Memory Police, who are committed to ensuring that what has disappeared remains forgotten. When a young woman who is struggling to maintain her career as a novelist discovers that her editor is in danger from the Memory Police, she concocts a plan to hide him beneath her floorboards. As fear and loss close in around them, they cling to her writing as the last way of preserving the past.

Review: Despite a slow start, The Memory Police ended up being better than I expected. 

Although the material is adult, the writing style was simplistic. I am not sure if this is because of the translation, or if this is just how the book was written. The concept of people being able to just lose their memories was a hard one to wrap by brain around at first. While this got as I progressed through the book, there was some time skipping in the beginning between the protagonist's past and present, which was sometimes confusing. There is also skipping between excerpts of the novel the protagonist is writing and the main story, but this is less confusing after the first time it happens. 

While the concept is incredibly unrealistic and a lot of the "science" behind HOW people lose memories of certain things is not focused on, this is not the point of the book. Rather, it appears to be an extreme representation on how some governments encourage somethings to be forgotten. While governments/institutions are not yet able to enforce the kind of memory loss seen in this book (yet), they can suppress anything (or anyone) that makes people remember said thing, not that much unlike the Memory Police.

Overall, a thought provoking and even somewhat emotion-evoking book. It is not that long, so if you had a chance, it is a good read. I don't know if it would be my first choice, but I am definitely glad that I read it.

Book Blog #297: The Guest List by Lucy Foley

 

Title: The Guest List

Author: Lucy Foley

# of Pages: 9 hours, 53 minutes (audiobook)

Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Thriller

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Synopsis: On an island off the coast of Ireland, guests gather to celebrate two people joining their lives together as one. The groom: handsome and charming, a rising television star. The bride: smart and ambitious, a magazine publisher. It’s a wedding fit for a magazine, or for a celebrity: the designer dress, the remote location, the luxe party favors, the boutique whiskey. The cell phone service may be spotty and the waves may be rough, but every detail has been expertly planned and will be expertly executed. But perfection is for plans, and people are all too human. As the champagne is popped and the festivities begin, resentments and petty jealousies begin to mingle with the reminiscences and well wishes. The groomsmen begin the drinking game from their school days. The bridesmaid not-so-accidentally ruins her dress. The bride’s oldest (male) friend gives an uncomfortably caring toast. And then someone turns up dead. Who didn’t wish the happy couple well? And perhaps more important, why?

Review: I would recommend reading this book rather than listening to it. 

There is first person POV switching, which I already don't like when I'm reading a book. It's even more confusing when listening to the audiobook, especially if you are listening to it sped up because it's harder to distinguish the voice actors. 

The big reveals of some of the mysteries in the plot were revealed very undramatically, which was a bit of a let down for a mystery book. One of the biggest appeals of mystery for me is the shock of the big reveals, and this one fell short.

I also was expecting this book to be faster paced and gripping, but the whole mystery only takes place over the course of one wedding, which made progress feel really slow.

Overall, an okay book, but I don't think I will be recommending it to anyone anytime soon. I would have preferred to spend my time reading something else.

Book Blog #296: My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

 

Title: My Sister, The Serial Killer

Author: Oyinkan Braithwaite

# of Pages: 226 (paperback)

Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Thriller

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Synopsis: Korede is bitter. How could she not be? Her sister, Ayoola, is many things: the favorite child, the beautiful one, possibly sociopathic. And now Ayoola's third boyfriend in a row is dead. Korede's practicality is the sisters' saving grace. She knows the best solutions for cleaning blood, the trunk of her car is big enough for a body, and she keeps Ayoola from posting pictures of her dinner to Instagram when she should be mourning her "missing" boyfriend. Not that she gets any credit. Korede has long been in love with a kind, handsome doctor at the hospital where she works. She dreams of the day when he will realize that she's exactly what he needs. But when he asks Korede for Ayoola's phone number, she must reckon with what her sister has become and how far she's willing to go to protect her.

Review: This was almost a four star book. It was a pretty quick read for me, and the story was interesting enough to have a good flow. However, it wasn't emotionally moving; I at first felt a little stressed, but as I read on, I soon felt pretty indifferent toward the characters. Because of that, I think it doesn't quite hit the four star mark. 

Categorizing this book as contemporary and mystery is definitely accurate, but it was almost too contemporary and casual to instill any thrill into the reader. There were also some claims that this book is humorous; I didn't laugh at all, but I was reasonably entertained. 

Most of the characters other than Korede are not particularly likable, and the author purposefully weaves together different timelines (as in Korede's experiences in the past with her experiences in the present) to draw parallels, but this can sometimes get confusing.

Overall, this was an okay read. It's quick, so it wouldn't hurt to give the book a shot. However, I definitely wouldn't make it a priority. 

Book Blog #295: The Rosie Result by Graeme Simsion

 

Title: The Rosie Result

Author: Graeme Simsion

# of Pages: 375 (ebook)

Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Humor

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Synopsis: Don Tillman and Rosie Jarman are about to face their most important challenge. Their ten-year-old son, Hudson, is struggling at school: he’s socially awkward and not fitting in. Don’s spent a lifetime trying to fit in—so who better to teach Hudson the skills he needs? The Hudson Project will require the help of friends old and new, force Don to decide how much to guide Hudson and how much to let him be himself, and raise some significant questions about Don’s own identity. Meanwhile, there are multiple distractions to deal with: the Genetics Lecture Outrage, Rosie’s troubles at work, estrangement from his best friend Gene… And opening the world’s best cocktail bar.

Review: This book lands somewhere between 3 stars and 4 stars. I opted for 3 stars since I liked it less than the previous two books. 

Not sure what happened with The Rosie Result; I think there wasn't enough that was new in this book, so the novelty might have worn off. This plot is a lot messier than in the first two book; a lot of characters involved in a whole list of issues. Don even lists them all out at the end of the book; it's literally a list of issues. 

Bill Gates's love for Don Tillman series hasn't gone unnoticed by Simsion; he mentioned Bill Gates directly in the book as well as mentioning the Microsoft and Melinda Gates Foundation. Thought this was an interesting fun fact.

Overall I feel very lukewarm about The Rosie Result. I put reading on this book on hold because I just wasn't interested in the story. If you are a fan of the other two books, you can give this book a try, but I believe the series ran out of steam.

Book Blog #294: The Answer Is... by Alex Trebek

 

Title: The Answer Is...

Author: Alex Trebek

# of Pages: 4 hours, 35 minutes (audiobook)

Genre: Nonfiction, Autobiography

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Synopsis: The book combines illuminating personal anecdotes with Trebek’s thoughts on a range of topics, including marriage, parenthood, education, success, spirituality, and philanthropy. Trebek also addresses the questions he gets asked most often by Jeopardy! fans, such as what prompted him to shave his signature mustache, his insights on legendary players like Ken Jennings and James Holzhauer, and his opinion of Will Ferrell’s Saturday Night Live impersonation. The book uses a novel structure inspired by Jeopardy!, with each chapter title in the form of a question, and features dozens of never-before-seen photos that candidly capture Trebek over the years.

Review: Trebek acknowledges from the start that this book isn't meant to be a complete recap of his life. He only goes over the highlights, especially the ones that directly relate to his time as the host of Jeopardy. 

I only know of Jeopardy through pop culture and was never particularly interested in trivia-related shows but was happy to watch a show here and there). If I was a Jeopardy fan, I think I would have found this book to be very interesting since Trebek goes behind the scenes on his hosting experience. However, I would have liked to hear more about him outside of Jeopardy, but this is out of scope of his aims for his book. The audiobook was fun to listen to as Ken and Alex tossed the narration back and forth; Trebek's kind and positive personality really showed through, and he will definitely be missed. 

Would recommend this book to Jeopardy! fans.

Book Blog #293: The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion

 

Title: The Rosie Effect

Author: Graeme Simsion

# of Pages: 344 (hardback)

Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Humor

Rating: ★★★★☆

Synopsis: Don Tillman and Rosie Jarman are back. The Wife Project is complete, and Don and Rosie are happily married and living in New York. But they’re about to face a new challenge because— surprise!—Rosie is pregnant. Don sets about learning the protocols of becoming a father, but his unusual research style gets him into trouble with the law. Fortunately his best friend Gene is on hand to offer advice: he’s left Claudia and moved in with Don and Rosie. As Don tries to schedule time for pregnancy research, getting Gene and Claudia to reconcile, servicing the industrial refrigeration unit that occupies half his apartment, helping Dave the Baseball Fan save his business, and staying on the right side of Lydia the social worker, he almost misses the biggest problem of all: he might lose Rosie when she needs him the most.

Review: I almost always like sequels significantly less than its predecessor. However, I found this book to be equally, if not more, emotionally engaging than the first book.

Since Don is not your average guy, Rosie and Don experience some unique challenges during the period of their impending parenthood. It is STRESSFUL. I was griped to this story because I was worried about Don and Rosie and wishing that Don could just UNDERSTAND what the issues were but could only read helplessly as he dealt with each problem the only way he knew how.

Definitely not as funny to me as the first book since I was stressed almost the whole time, but since it affected me emotionally, I decided to give it the same rating as the first book.

If you enjoyed the first book, I would also recommend the sequel. In case you didn't get the notion from what I've said previously, it's a bit stressful. 

Book Blog #292: How to Avoid a Climate Disaster by Bill Gates

 

Title: How to Avoid a Climate Disaster

Author: Bill Gates

# of Pages: 7 hours, 11 minutes (audiobook)

Genre: Nonfiction

Rating: ★★★★☆

Synopsis: Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, shares what he has learnt in over a decade of studying climate change and investing in innovations to address climate problems. He explains how the world can work to build the tools it needs to get to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions - investing in research, inventing new technologies and deploying them quickly at a large scale. Gates is optimistic that the world can prevent the worst impacts of the climate crisis. This is a visionary and inspiring book by one of the world's most celebrated public figures.

Review: For one, Bill Gates acknowledges his wealth and knows this will affect the credibility behind his opinion:

“I own big houses and fly in big planes...I cannot deny being a rich guy with an opinion. I do believe, though, that it is an informed opinion, and I am always trying to learn more.”

I tend to agree with him; we should consider his opinion first and decide if what he is saying has any useful information or would be a valid piece of advice. Then take his background as a top 1%-er and see if it invalidates any of this advice. He does take at least some steps to help reduce his carbon footprint; whether he is doing enough is up for debate, but this isn't a case where he is completely not "practicing what he preaches." 

I listened to the audiobook pretty closely in the first half. Gates does a great job of explaining the issues contributing to climate change; I didn't know a lot of the science behind it until I read Gates's simple and easy to understand explanation.

When he talks about emissions from cows, he addresses the common vegan route where some might suggest giving meat up all together. Thankfully he dismisses this as a realistic possibility and instead discusses the future of artificial meats, food waste, and how to reduce emissions from cows.

This is been the heart of what I enjoyed about this book; Gates is looking for solutions. It’s great to talk about theory or the best case, but Gates is considering BOTH the end goal and the realistic steps the world can take to reduce our carbon emissions.

That being said, nonfiction tends to not hold my attention. I ended up skim listening to some of the latter sections book, which makes me believe that this book actually sits between 3 or 4 stars. The reason why I ultimately gave it four is because I couldn't find anything wrong with it other than it's just not my type of book, and I happened to be exhausted over this topic (just completed a mini-research project relating the zero-emissions). 

I would recommend this book to those who are interested in learning more about climate change/how to reduce your emissions. He provides advice for multiple levels (e.g. individuals, corporations). Even if you are skeptical of Gates's credibility to talk about this topic, I think it's still worth hearing what he has to say.  

Book Blog #291: Know My Name by Chanel Miller

 

Title: Know My Name

Author: Chanel Miller

# of Pages: 15 hours, 20 minutes (audiobook)

Genre: Nonfiction, Autobiography

Rating: ★★★★★

Synopsis: She was known to the world as Emily Doe when she stunned millions with a letter. Brock Turner had been sentenced to just six months in county jail after he was found sexually assaulting her on Stanford’s campus. Her victim impact statement was posted on BuzzFeed, where it instantly went viral–viewed by eleven million people within four days, it was translated globally and read on the floor of Congress; it inspired changes in California law and the recall of the judge in the case. Thousands wrote to say that she had given them the courage to share their own experiences of assault for the first time. Now she reclaims her identity to tell her story of trauma, transcendence, and the power of words. It was the perfect case, in many ways–there were eyewitnesses, Turner ran away, physical evidence was immediately secured. But her struggles with isolation and shame during the aftermath and the trial reveal the oppression victims face in even the best-case scenarios. Her story illuminates a culture biased to protect perpetrators, indicts a criminal justice system designed to fail the most vulnerable, and, ultimately, shines with the courage required to move through suffering and live a full and beautiful life.

Review: Oh jeez, this hits hard. 

Going into this, I imagined that I would give this book 4 stars. I played with this idea until about halfway through the book, when I realized I HAD to give it 5 stars. It's been a long time since I've been moved to tears (SEVERAL times) just from listening to a story. 

I remember when this happened, the articles covering the sexual assault came flooding out, when Chanel Miller was still Emily Doe. I was shocked and upset by the short term of Brock's sentences like many others, and while my heart went out to Emily Doe, I did not cry over the mysterious victim in this viral case. 

After hearing Miller''s perspective through this book, I was able to feel and better understand the pain and struggles that she (and undoubtably many other sexual assault victims) endured and continue to endure today. It is so easy to be detached from these types of things if they do not happen to you, to overlook injustices that occur in a system too big to be changed by one person. It is important for EVERYONE to read this book, even if you believe you already understand what she went through, even if you don't think it is relevant to you. 

Miller was even "lucky" to have such a high profile case; although Brock didn't get the sentencing he deserved, the public's support of Miller at least partially helps right the wrongs done to her in the handling and result of the court case. I can't even begin to think of how many other sexual assault/rape victims suffer from possibly even greater injustices.

I had my apprehension about reading this book. Sometimes autobiographies have agendas that I don't want to be involved in (many politicians try to push their political agendas in their autobiographies rather than focusing on their experiences). While Miller does use her voice to highlight important failures in the system (e.g. determining Brock's sentence, Stanford failing to follow through with what they agreed to do in the aftermath of the sexual assault), the story stays on track by revealing these failures through her eyes, her experiences, feelings, and thoughts. 

Miller has done a great job with telling her story. Although this is a tough topic to hear about, I would still recommend this book to everyone. I would HIGHLY recommend listening to the audiobook, since it is read by Chanel Miller herself; her narrative is much more raw and real by listening to her story than how I would imagine it would be if I had read her book instead.

Book Blog #290: The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

 

Title: The Rosie Project

Author: Graeme Simsion

# of Pages: 292 (paperback)

Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Humor

Rating: ★★★★☆

Synopsis: Don Tillman, professor of genetics, has never been on a second date. He is a man who can count all his friends on the fingers of one hand, whose lifelong difficulty with social rituals has convinced him that he is simply not wired for romance. So when an acquaintance informs him that he would make a “wonderful” husband, his first reaction is shock. Yet he must concede to the statistical probability that there is someone for everyone, and he embarks upon The Wife Project. In the orderly, evidence-based manner with which he approaches all things, Don sets out to find the perfect partner. She will be punctual and logical—most definitely not a barmaid, a smoker, a drinker, or a late-arriver. Yet Rosie Jarman is all these things. She is also beguiling, fiery, intelligent—and on a quest of her own. She is looking for her biological father, a search that a certain DNA expert might be able to help her with. Don's Wife Project takes a back burner to the Father Project and an unlikely relationship blooms, forcing the scientifically minded geneticist to confront the spontaneous whirlwind that is Rosie—and the realization that love is not always what looks good on paper.

Review: I would never have expected this book to be recommended by Bill Gates. It's even classified (and sometimes reads like) a chick-lit! 

Don is one of the characters that seems totally unrealistic; he is able to do anything he puts his mind to in a very short amount of time, smart, even good looking (subjective??) but has the one major challenge of following social conventions. One major "flaw" but otherwise a perfect/amazing guy? This is classic chick-lit stuff.

That being said, this book was hilarious. The main difference between this book and most other chick-lit books is that I didn't feel annoyed with this book. Yes, Don is an unrealistic character, but following him and Rosie through their journey was entertaining and funny. If you are not super logical like Don, I will surely be able to connect to him through his complicated journey in navigating his emotions. Both Don and Rosie are incredibly likable, which really helped with my impression of the book as well. 

Overall a great and enjoyable read. I would recommend!

Book Blog #289: The Testament by Margaret Atwood

 

Title: The Testament

Author: Margaret Atwood

# of Pages: 13 hours and 18 minutes (audiobook)

Genre: Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopia

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Synopsis: When the van door slammed on Offred’s future at the end of The Handmaid’s Tale, readers had no way of telling what lay ahead for her – freedom, prison or death. With The Testaments, the wait is over. Margaret Atwood’s sequel picks up the story 15 years after Offred stepped into the unknown, with the explosive testaments of three female narrators from Gilead.

Review: This is the sequel no one ACTUALLY asked for. 

The ambiguous ending of The Handmaid's Tale was GREAT. Just because it leaves readers wondering doesn't mean the author should actually "give the readers what they want." In fact, it's usually better to leave things up to interpretation. But what can you do? Giving people what they want sells (take the Star Wars movies by Disney for example). 

Honestly, I didn't listen too closely to this book. Once I realized there were three different POV, I became incredibly exasperated. There are two perspectives (Agnes and Daisy) who sound very similar (the only difference is one lives in Gilead and the other lives in Canada) at least in the audiobook. 

The plot was not interesting, the organization of the three POVs was poor. I would not recommend this book. 

Book Blog #288: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

 

Title: Gone Girl

Author: Gillian Flynn

# of Pages: 19 hours 11 minutes (audiobook)

Genre: Adult, Mystery, Thriller

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Synopsis: It is Nick and Amy Dunne's fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick's clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn't doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media - as well as Amy's fiercely doting parents - the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he's definitely bitter - but is he really a killer?

Review: Gone Girl is somewhere in between 3 and 4 stars. 

I think I am sometimes too lenient with audiobooks. Gone Girl "read" well as an audiobook; the two perspectives were not too confusing, and the mystery aspect of the plot is gripping. But after finishing this book and considered giving it four stars, I began reflecting on why I felt a tinge of annoyance toward this book. 

I attributed it mainly to, of course, the POV switching. This is something that I think I notice less when listening, but it has the same issues. Since Nick and Amy each have some non-overlapping information, it drove me insane knowing more than one of the main characters. I enjoy the mystery, but I don't enjoy one of the main characters being mystified by something that is not a mystery to me.

Overall, still a good story. Really invokes the feeling of helplessness. The ending was unsatisfying me, but I would still recommend this book. 

Book Blog #287: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

 

Title: Where the Crawdads Sing

Author: Delia Owens

# of Pages: 12 hours, 12 minutes (audiobook)

Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction, Mystery

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Synopsis: For years, rumors of the "Marsh Girl" have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life - until the unthinkable happens.

Review: Not exactly sure why this book is so popular. Disclaimer: Since I listened to the audiobook rather than read this book, I only comprehended maybe 80-90% of the story. This means I might have missed some finer details. 

Full of flowery, artsy descriptions, I found the story (and therefore the mystery aspect) of this story overall very uncompelling. I wasn't thinking this book would be structured so much around romance. I didn't like how the story kept skipping between two different time periods.

I just did not like Owen's prose, structure of the story, nor did I ever really connect with any of the characters. However, I don't know if I believe I wasted my time reading it, thus it gets 3 stars. I won't be recommending this book to anyone anytime soon. 

Book Blog #286: The Duke and I by Julia Quinn

 

Title: The Duke and I

Author: Julia Quinn

# of Pages: 440 (ebook)

Genre: Adult, Romance, Historical Fiction

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Synopsis: In the ballrooms and drawing rooms of Regency London, rules abound. From their earliest days, children of aristocrats learn how to address an earl and curtsey before a prince—while other dictates of the ton are unspoken yet universally understood. A proper duke should be imperious and aloof. A young, marriageable lady should be amiable… but not too amiable. Daphne Bridgerton has always failed at the latter. The fourth of eight siblings in her close-knit family, she has formed friendships with the most eligible young men in London. Everyone likes Daphne for her kindness and wit. But no one truly desires her. She is simply too deuced honest for that, too unwilling to play the romantic games that captivate gentlemen. Amiability is not a characteristic shared by Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings. Recently returned to England from abroad, he intends to shun both marriage and society—just as his callous father shunned Simon throughout his painful childhood. Yet an encounter with his best friend’s sister offers another option. If Daphne agrees to a fake courtship, Simon can deter the mamas who parade their daughters before him. Daphne, meanwhile, will see her prospects and her reputation soar. The plan works like a charm—at first. But amid the glittering, gossipy, cut-throat world of London’s elite, there is only one certainty: love ignores every rule...

Review: The first time I heard of this book was because of an article on the Netflix adaptation “Bridgerton.” Or, more specifically, it was on Regé-Jean Page breaking people’s hearts after he’s seen with his girlfriend on Valentine’s Day. I obtained an e-copy of this book, and the rest is history. 

 This book was going to get a strong 4 stars. The beginning half is great; it reads like a comedy (if you read it as a serious romance book then it’s just tacky), so I was thoroughly enjoying the read. 

 The most controversial part of this book, based on other reviews I have read, is the rape scene, and it was after this scene that my enjoyment of the book began its descent. The occurrence itself was not the part that bothered me so much as how the characters were made to handle it afterward. There was little to no acknowledgement of it being considered rape. In fact, I would say that the victim plays down the assault, and this grievous offense is therefore glossed over without any serious consequences. 

 When the book focus turns to sex scene after sex scene, I began to feel like I was reading Regency era Fifty Shades of Grey (aka shallow, non-interesting plot). 

 This book goes pretty fast, so if you’re interested in the synopsis, I would say go ahead and read it. If it doesn’t sound interesting, no need to “give it a shot.”

Book Blog #285: The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

 

Title: The Silent Patient

Author: Alex Michaelides

# of Pages: 8 hours and 43 minutes

Genre: Adult, Mystery, Thriller

Synopsis: Alicia Berenson’s life is seemingly perfect. A famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer, she lives in a grand house with big windows overlooking a park in one of London’s most desirable areas. One evening her husband Gabriel returns home late from a fashion shoot, and Alicia shoots him five times in the face, and then never speaks another word. Alicia’s refusal to talk, or give any kind of explanation, turns a domestic tragedy into something far grander, a mystery that captures the public imagination and casts Alicia into notoriety. The price of her art skyrockets, and she, the silent patient, is hidden away from the tabloids and spotlight at the Grove, a secure forensic unit in North London. Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who has waited a long time for the opportunity to work with Alicia. His determination to get her to talk and unravel the mystery of why she shot her husband takes him down a twisting path into his own motivations—a search for the truth that threatens to consume him....

Review: Wow, this book EXCEEDED my expectations. 

I didn't hear about this book until I saw the audiobook version was available in my local library's e-collection. A "who done it?" mystery story with so many unexpected twists and turns, if I read this book rather than listened to it, I have no doubt that it would have been a page turner. I was hoping this book would last me for at least; I couldn't help but finish it in under a day. 

This story is told in a first person POV (sometimes breaking the fourth wall by addressing the reader), switching between Theo's perspective and Alicia's diary entries. This is one of the few instances where I wasn't that bothered by POV switching; it was exciting to hear from both perspectives, and the mystery element where each perspective helped peel the onion of truth kept the plot driving forward. 

In my reviews, I usually criticize books for being too predictable. This was not the case this time; every twist caught me by surprise. 

Usually I am scared to read books categorized as "thrillers," but I would say this book isn't so much of a thriller as it is an incredibly compelling mystery story. I wasn't scared as some thriller aim to make their reader feel, rather I was intrigued. I would highly recommend this book.

Book Blog #284: Sadie by Courtney Summers

 

Title: Sadie

Author: Courtney Summers

# of Pages: 7 hours, 57 minutes (audiobook)

Genre: YA, Mystery, Contemporary

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Synopsis: Sadie hasn't had an easy life. Growing up on her own, she's been raising her sister Mattie in an isolated small town, trying her best to provide a normal life and keep their heads above water. But when Mattie is found dead, Sadie's entire world crumbles. After a somewhat botched police investigation, Sadie is determined to bring her sister's killer to justice and hits the road following a few meager clues to find him. When West McCray—a radio personality working on a segment about small, forgotten towns in America—overhears Sadie's story at a local gas station, he becomes obsessed with finding the missing girl. He starts his own podcast as he tracks Sadie's journey, trying to figure out what happened, hoping to find her before it's too late.

Review: This book is somewhere between 3 and 4 stars.

This is the first time I've listened to an audiobook all the way through. Since I read in the synopsis that part of the book was told as a podcast, I thought it would be a good book to listen to. This wasn't entirely true; the podcast sections WERE nice to listen to in audio format and hear the different voices from their 30 person cast. However, with all the switching back and forth between time (e.g. flashbacks, between radio personality West McCray following Sadie's tracks vs hearing from Sadie in the moment when she was making said tracks) was confusing in audiobook format. There were also a lot of characters and names to keep track of that I found harder to do than if I were to read the book, but this might be my own fault rather than the fault of the book. 

On one hand this book was definitely not as good as other YA contemporary books I have read. I am not sure if it's because I didn't care for the voice actor/her rendition of Sadie's voice, but I found Sadie mildly annoying. Her internal tough girl narrative rubbed me the wrong way, or perhaps it didn't feel realistic to me. The fact that Sadie has a stutter was an interesting characteristic, although I would like to know the reasoning behind why Summers decided to include this. 

Of course, there is POV switching between West McCray and Sadie. This always bugs me, although in this case I think this is what made me so interested in the story, the reason why I also gave this book 4 stars. Since the search for Sadie and the telling of the story from Sadie's perspective are running in near parallel, the plot is constantly pushing toward uncovering the mystery of what happened to Sadie and Mattie. Without West McCray's narrative, the story would be too mundane; without Sadie's narrative the reader would not get any relief on knowing the truth of what actually happened. 

I would recommend this book, although I'm not sure if I would recommend listening to it over reading it. It was a quick listen for me, and it was nice to be able to take walks/do chores while listening to a story. 

Book Blog #283: Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

 

Title: Little Fires Everywhere

Author: Celeste Ng

# of Pages: 338 (ebook)

Genre: Adult, Contemporary 

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Synopsis: In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is planned--from the layout of the winding roads, to the colors of the houses, to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principle is playing by the rules. Enter Mia Warren--an enigmatic artist and single mother--who arrives in this idyllic bubble with her teenaged daughter Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons. Soon Mia and Pearl become more than tenants: all four Richardson children are drawn to the mother-daughter pair. But Mia carries with her a mysterious past and a disregard for the status quo that threatens to upend this carefully ordered community. When old family friends of the Richardsons attempt to adopt a Chinese-American baby, a custody battle erupts that dramatically divides the town--and puts Mia and Elena on opposing sides. Suspicious of Mia and her motives, Elena is determined to uncover the secrets in Mia's past. But her obsession will come at unexpected and devastating costs.

Review: "But the problem with rules, he reflected, was that they implied a right way and a wrong way to do things. When, in fact, most of the time there were simply ways, none of them quite wrong or quite right, and nothing to tell you for sure which side of the line you stood on." -p.269

Ever since it won a Goodreads Choice Award back in 2017, I've been meaning to read this book. I finally got my hands on a copy, but I don't think it was exactly worth the wait. 

Little Fires Everywhere is DEFINITELY a contemporary book. The story ultimately compares and contrasts the lives of the rich and the poor, exposing how even in the most peaceful and planned suburbia, life isn't always as perfect as its residents make it seem. 

My main takeaways are that a "fair" system isn't always fair in reality to marginalized groups, relationships (between lovers, parent and child, etc.) can be complex, and people are not always as they seem (e.g. rich people are fake nice). Although these are interesting topics, the book was incredibly slow moving, very much a slice-of-life type. What made this book lose two stars was how predictable everything was. The plot dragged to get to a revelation that the reader had many pages back, which made me struggle to finish the book. It seemed to me that Ng concentrated more on crafting her characters' inner thoughts almost poetically than telling an engaging story. While some people might love this, it's just not the style for me. 

Overall an okay book. I would tentatively recommend this book, but it was definitely not one of my favorites. 

Book Blog #282: Fun Home by Alison Bechdel

 

Title: Fun Home

Author: Alison Bechdel

# of Pages: 232 (paperback)

Genre: Graphic Novels, Autobiography, LGBT

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Synopsis: Distant and exacting, Bruce Bechdel was an English teacher and director of the town funeral home, which Alison and her family referred to as the Fun Home. It was not until college that Alison, who had recently come out as a lesbian, discovered that her father was also gay. A few weeks after this revelation, he was dead, leaving a legacy of mystery for his daughter to resolve.

Review: I only read this because someone had it lying around, and I was able to borrow their physical copy. I ended up wavering between 3 and 4 stars but decided on 3 because I became less engaged as I got further along in the book.

Fun Home is a graphic novel, but unlike other comics (i.e. the manga that I read), it contains the story of the author's life; an autobiography through comics that she drew herself. It is a standalone book (if it had many like a manga or was a Marvel comic, I wouldn't be writing a review for it). 

I love this unique way of story telling; it examines Bechdel's relationship with her father and how the characters grappled with being LGBTQ+. This story could have been easily told in a traditional novel format (no pictures), but Bechdel's comics add such a nice personal twist to the story. I enjoyed being able to read her story but easier see each point of her life she describes the way that she experience it. 

Classic literature is an important part of her life,  thus she makes many references to the books she's read. This was tolerable at first but if you haven't read the same books, some of the references to the characters might be lost. She also goes back and forth through her life's timeline which can be a bit confusing as far as remembering the chronological ordering of her major life events. 

Overall, a good and quick read. I would recommend this book if you have an opportunity to read it but only if it is convenient. 

Book Blog #281: Fifty Shades Darker by E.L. James

Title: Fifty Shades Darker

Author: E.L. James

# of Pages: 532 (ebook)

Genre: Adult, Romance, Contemporary

Rating: ★☆☆☆☆

Synopsis: Daunted by the singular tastes and dark secrets of the beautiful, tormented young entrepreneur Christian Grey, Anastasia Steele has broken off their relationship to start a new career with a Seattle publishing house. But desire for Christian still dominates her every waking thought, and when he proposes a new arrangement, Anastasia cannot resist. They rekindle their searing sensual affair, and Anastasia learns more about the harrowing past of her damaged, driven and demanding Fifty Shades. While Christian wrestles with his inner demons, Anastasia must confront the anger and envy of the women who came before her, and make the most important decision of her life.

Review: I never planned to read the second book, but I thought it would be an easy read to knock out for my yearly reading challenge.

Boy, was I wrong. 

All the annoyance that I was expecting to feel when reading Fifty Shades of Grey finally came out while reading this book. James's writing style hasn't improved, and the most interesting part - Christian's mysterious past - is not interesting as I initially thought (nothing that wasn't already said/inferred from the first book was revealed in this book). 

The plot is unrealistic, and their relationship is too fast paced for me to feel happy about the "progress" Christian and Ana made in their relationship. There wasn't much of a plot either; it reads like a really bad slice-of-life. As I read through sex scene after sex scene I wondered; where exactly are they going with this? I'm assuming the main problem is suppose to be Christian dealing with his baggage, but it seems way too drawn out across the 500+ pages that makes up this book. 

Ana is extremely unlikeable. She's insecure and is not strong and independent as she likes to think she is.

Christian has stalker tendencies (this is even stated in the book). It's not attractive; it's toxic. 

Reading nothing would have been better than reading this. I would not recommend. 

Book Blog #280: The Girl with The Louding Voice by Abi Daré

Title: The Girl with The Louding Voice

Author: Abi Daré

# of Pages: 366 (hardback)

Genre: Adult, Contemporary

Rating: ★★★★☆

Synopsis: Despite the seemingly insurmountable obstacles in her path, Adunni never loses sight of her goal of escaping the life of poverty she was born into so that she can build the future she chooses for herself - and help other girls like her do the same. Her spirited determination to find joy and hope in even the most difficult circumstances imaginable will “break your heart and then put it back together again” (Jenna Bush Hager on The Today Show) even as Adunni shows us how one courageous young girl can inspire us all to reach for our dreams...and maybe even change the world.

Review: I wavered between 4 and 5 stars for a bit.

I read beforehand that this book was written with a dialect and was nervous about the flow of the writing, but it was actually no issue at all. Daré did a great job at capturing the voice of a 15 year old Nigerian girl with limited education's perspective on the world. I really enjoyed the beginning of the book when she is living in the her village, but the book lost a bit of its charm in the latter half of the book. This is partially due to how the meaningful messages on gender inequality and racial inequality were not as naturally blended into the story as they could have been.

Additionally, the second half of the story takes Adunni's journey to finding her "louding voice" into a direction I wasn't expecting. It's as if the first and second halves of the book should have been split into two different books. However, Adunni is a very likable protagonist, and the heart-wrenching events that occur moved me emotionally, so overall it was a very gripping read.

I would recommend this book! 

Book Blog #279: Exit West by Mohsin Hamid

Title: Exit West

Author: Mohsin Hamid

# of Pages: 213 (ebook)

Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Synopsis: In a country teetering on the brink of civil war, two young people meet—sensual, fiercely independent Nadia and gentle, restrained Saeed. They embark on a furtive love affair and are soon cloistered in a premature intimacy by the unrest roiling their city. When it explodes, turning familiar streets into a patchwork of checkpoints and bomb blasts, they begin to hear whispers about doors—doors that can whisk people far away, if perilously and for a price. As the violence escalates, Nadia and Saeed decide that they no longer have a choice. Leaving their homeland and their old lives behind, they find a door and step through.

Review: "[He] advocated a banding together of migrants along religious principles, cutting across divisions of race or language or nation, for what did those divisions matter now in a world full of doors, the only divisions that mattered now were between those who sought the right of passage and those who would deny them passage" (155).

I had relatively high expectations for this book (as it was recommended to me and was a nominee for a Goodreads Choice Award), which may explain why it just did not hit the mark for me. The concept of the story was interesting for sure; star-crossed lovers find their relationship challenged by living a migrant, in which migration is made easier through randomly appearing doors. 

What I did enjoy about the book was the thought experiment on what the world would be like if the only limitation to migration was whether the home country or the destination country imposed restrictions; in this story, migration itself is made out to be as simple as finding and stepping through a door. It makes you think; although it may not address these issues explicitly, this book closely ties to many relevant issues today related to migrants: refugees, open borders, etc. 

What really killed it for me was the writing style. Hamid would jump between the third person narration of the main characters, Nadia and Saeed, to a brief narration of some other random people in various parts of the world. While this was interesting at times to see how migration via doors is affecting people across this futuristic(?) world, it mostly disrupts the flow of the story.

Secondly, Hamid employs analogies GENEROUSLY. He seems to only be satisfied in describing something if at least one (often long) analogy is used. Some examples:

"Saeed partly resisted the pull of his phone. He found the antenna too powerful, the magic it summoned too mesmerizing, as though he were eating a banquet of limitless food, stuffing himself, until he felt dazed and sick, and so he removed or hidden or restricted all but a few applications" (39).

"...his quiet grunts like those of a man exercising, or having sex" (104).

Finally, Hamid writes so many run on sentences. An artistic choice, I'm sure, but there's a reason why most things don't employ that sort of style; it's hard to follow and stay engaged. All of these things made me struggle to get through the book, despite it being relatively short. I was considering giving it three stars initially, but the writing style wore me down so much that I became annoyed, which is why it's getting a low rating.

I would not recommend this book.