Time for the show us your books link-up!
I did much better than my 2 books for last month, coming in at 5 this month. TBF, one of these was an audio book (hubby & I have an Audible account and switch off months). But it still counts!
Even better, all of these books met one of my 2016 Reading Goals! They either meet my Diversity Reading Challenge, or my challenge to get rid of my IRL TBR shelf.
I
was really surprised at how much I liked this book. It was a gift from
someone, and at first glance I was worried it would be too stereotypical
cheesy Christian romance. Let's be honest- that genre can be
frustrating at times. I thought I had a general idea of where the story was
going. However I was pretty blindsighted at the end...I mean I saw it
coming within the last 50 pages or so but it wasn't one of those where I
could have predicted how it was going to end halfway through the story.
I believe the next book was also gifted at the same time so I will be
hunting it down on my shelves soon so I can see how things work out.
I read this because it was recommended for my Diversity Reading Challenge. It fits the criteria for 12) Contains Same Sex Parents. So shout-out to Emmy for that recommendation- thanks Emmy!
This
was an interesting book for me, because I liked the author's style and
felt the characters were really believable. That being said, Lola isn't
really my kind of girl. I liked her and all...but there was just a
disconnect that made her slightly hard to relate to. I would be more
like Lola's best friend than Lola. One thing I did really appreciate was the way the things with Lola's family were handled.
It may sound screwed up, but I love
when people have screwed up families. It's so much better than people
pretending everything is great and fantastic and people just get along
regardless of what has happened in the past. I am grateful that Perkins
wrote about an uncomfortable relationship with Lola's birth mother, and
that the bio mom gave all the credit to Lola's dads. Also, the
description of the dad's relationships with Lola's bio mother was also
really interesting. It felt very realistic and high-stakes. Those family dynamics are what made this a 4 star book rather than a 3 star one, for me.
I got this back in...July, I think? It was part of my first LitCube box. This was a fairly short and simple books. Several of the books I received from LitCube specifically felt like they were from fairly new authors- slightly awkward in writing style, but creative stories. Basically this is the story of a girl's discovery of an underwater world that includes...mermaids! It took me back to a time in my childhood when I loved the idea of mermaids and imagined similar worlds myself.
I got this back in...July, I think? It was part of my first LitCube box. This was a fairly short and simple books. Several of the books I received from LitCube specifically felt like they were from fairly new authors- slightly awkward in writing style, but creative stories. Basically this is the story of a girl's discovery of an underwater world that includes...mermaids! It took me back to a time in my childhood when I loved the idea of mermaids and imagined similar worlds myself.
I purchased this book a while back because I felt like I should be
able to say I've read some Hemingway. Gotta admit, after all the hype
I'm sort of just sitting here going "Eh." He definitely has a specific
writing style. It took a minute to get used to...but eventually I almost
enjoyed it. Noteworthy- I often dislike reading war books, as it's hard
for to keep up with the location and timing of things. These details of
the surrounding culture are very important and add to the story, so I
blame myself for missing some of this story. I can't say I necessarily
liked or enjoyed the main character....he was okay, but didn't grab me.
And his girl was super annoying honestly...but no one deserved that
ending! WTF?! Ugh. I just couldn't.
I picked this up because it also covers one of my Diversity Reading Challenge requirements- strong character with a disability. Helen Keller is probably the most famous disabled person, and it almost felt like cheating since for some reason I feel like this was meant to search out newer works. But that isn't specified, so I got over it. This is a pretty short version, apparently (only 150 pages), I did not realize until I purchased it. Whoops. Anyway, it's really interesting to read about the different techniques Helen and her instructor used to communicate and learn. Her love of reading and gaining knowledge really connected with me.
Have you read any of these? If so, what did you think?
And what you been reading lately?
Link-up & Show Us Your Books!
I always feel bad when I didn't like a classic book, but sometimes it just doesn't mesh! I'm not a huge fan of Hemingway and I loathe everything by John Steinbeck. They might be "good" stories or "good" writing objectively but reading them makes me miserable and I hate it.
ReplyDeleteI really liked Lola too! I agree that it felt like a realistic love story. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you liked Lola! And yes, I would rather be Lola's friend than be Lola herself too. She's actually my least favorite protagonist of Perkin's characters. Not that I don't like her because I totally do! And YES YES YES to her family dynamics. Aren't they great! I love her dads and how they handled everything with her mom and just - AH! I want to be them when I'm a parent someday.
ReplyDeletewow, i really don't even remember that part about the Lola book lol. I remember really liking it when I read it.
ReplyDeletei know nothing about helen keller, i will have to check out that book.
Hemingway is difficult. He's definitely about the story and is an iceberg writer - what you see on the top is only the tip, it goes very far below and you need to find your way around down there.
ReplyDeleteLola sounds really interesting and I'm adding it to my reading list. I'm not a huge Hemingway fan either. I sometimes feel bad but many of the classic great writers don't really appeal to me.
ReplyDeleteone of my reading goals for this year is to read more classic literature. I've got a few Hemingway and Faulkner books on my list. I got around to reading Fahrenheit 451 last fall and was glad I finally read it!
ReplyDeleteReading classic literature is a perpetual reading goal of mine that I never accomplish.
ReplyDeleteThis is quite an eclectic mix of books. I like it.
I commented on another blogger's post that I've been feeling the urge to finally read some Hemingway. I'm not really a "classics" girl, but ol' Ernest has been whispering to me to give him a chance.
ReplyDelete