Hi I’m Ria and I’m failing miserably at my 50 books challenge :P on the upside, I did manage finish three really interesting books of very different genres this month! Take a gander at my quick thoughts on all three below…
The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly | Sun Mi-Hwang
This is the story of a little hen named Sprout who dreams of the open spaces the lie beyond the barn she resides. Unhappy with her lot in life simply laying eggs for the farmer and his wife to sell at market, she conspires to escape to the outside world where the other animals are able to roam free.
A short and sweet morality tale with heart-warming central themes about family and unconditional love. A quick read for anyone who loved books like Babe or Charlotte’s Web.
Check out my full review on Blogger’s Bookshelf.
The Silkworm | Robert Galbraith
The much anticipated sequel to The Cuckoo’s Calling and Comoron Strike is back. After the success of the Lula Landry murder case, Strike is called up to investigate the disappearance of Owen Quine, a novelist with a penchant for writing stories with grotesque depictions of the people he knows and works with. Enlisted by Quine’s wife, Strike sets out to find the rogue author but what starts as a missing persons investigation soon spirals into a murder case when Strike finds Quine dead and mutilated under bizarre circumstances. Armed with the unpublished manuscript of Quine’s latest vulgar novel, a killer on the loose and a dozen potential suspects, Strikes is now up against it to find out who killed Quine before it’s too late.
Just as The Cuckoo’s Calling shed an unsavoury yet intriguing light on ‘celebrity culture’, Galbraith manages to do the same for the world of writing and the publishing industry. This one is less of a classic case of ‘whodunit’ and demands the reader alongside Strike, to delve into the mad mind of Owen Quine to figure out the mystery of what happened.
Character-wise, the development of Strike and Robin’s relationship is great in this. Robin especially is given a chance to shine and feels like less of side-kick and more of a partner than in Cuckoo. However, Strike is still, obviously the main draw here. Despite loosing much of the incessant bitterness over his relationship drama from the first book, he still manages to maintain his bite as he deals his physical handicap and the mental exhaustion of dealing with the unsavoury suspects in Quine’s murder. A great read and a great sequel!
Full review on Blogger’s Bookshelf coming soon!
Liesmith | Alis Franklin (c/o NetGalley)
Welcome to Pandemonium and meet Sigmund Sussman, a dorky low level IT guy with an video game and comic book obsession. Sigmund is nothing special (he tells people to turn their computers on and off again for a living). Which is why it’s weird that the new guy in the team, Lain, takes a shine to him in a really hot flirtatious way. Lain may be devilishly good looking and a questionable past, but Sigmund kinda likes him back too. What’s the worst that could happen if he starts to date him?…well?…
What Sigmund doesn’t count on is that Lain is also a God and not just in an ‘Oh my God he looks like a God kinda way’. Nope. An actual God. A Norse one to be precise. And as fate and ancient prophecies start to unravel, Sigmund starts on a path of adventure and inevitable danger that comes with being the other half of ancient mythology.
I gave this three stars on GoodReads but I’d probably place this closer to 3 1/2. Despite Liesmith being way out of my genre comfort zone, I did really enjoy the premise and plot line for this book. It’s cinematic with page turning action sequences. I will say that, for me, the mythology element went over my head a little, and the moments that really stood over were often seeing Lain and SIgmund’s relationship develop throughout the novel.
Full review on Blogger’s Bookshelf coming soon!
Currently Reading
Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
R.xoxo
