Thoroughly modern millennial

Tag: Book review

  • August/September | In Books

    6 AugSept in books

    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 Armed with the unpublished manuscript of Quine’s latest vulgar novel, a killer on the loose and a dozen potential suspects, Strikes is now up against it to find out who killed Quine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

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  • May | In Books

    4 May in books

    Kinesis | Ethan Speir
    When the police arrive at the home of Leonard Samson after hearing word of a break in, the scene that greets them is both unusual and horrifyingly gruesome. After being brutally beaten to the point of unconsciousness, witnessed violence against his wife and daughter, and the murder of his six year old son, Samson is found sitting calmly in his kitchen with the surviving members of his family whilst the two men who broke into his home lay dead in his living room. The bodies are mutilated beyond comprehension and the police start to suspect it is the work of a Kinetic, a person with the ability to move objects with their mind…

    This one’s already been reviewed by me on Blogger’s Bookshelf, but in short Kinesis is a fantastically, gripping read with some great world building and interesting characters.

    The Bone Season | Samantha Shannon
    Paige Mahoney is a clairvoyant and in this world her gift is seen as a threat which could have her arrested. The only place she can call home is within the depths of London’s criminal underground, hiding from the city’s security force – Scion – as part of the an illegal ring of clairvoyants called the Seven Seals. Her job, as a clairvoyant dreamwalker is to break into other people’s mind
    But Paige is soon captured by the Scion police after using her gift in public and taken to Oxford, where she meets an even bigger foe.

    The Bone Season is definitely one of the most hyped books right now and I think this fact ended up working as a disadvantage for me. Whilst I can’t fault Shannon’s insanely intricate and fascinating world building, and a host of diverse characters, the pacing and slightly overwhelming amount of information threw me a little. It’s a shame because the concept is actually what captured me the most, and I’m hoping the second novel will pick up the pace set in the last few chapters of the book!

    Something a little different for the end of these posts! Here’s a little progress report on what I’ve been reading…

    Currently Reading:
    The Virgin Suicides | Jeffrey Eugenides
    I’m only a few chapters into this and I’m already captivated, it helps that I’m already a huge fan of the movie. The writing so far has a subtle melancholy to it, which really fits with the subject matter and time period of the book. Can’t wait to finish this!

    R.xoxo
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  • March/April | In Books

    3 MarApr in books
    It seems to me that despite an increased Uni workload and stress, I managed to finish a grand total of three books! Yay me!

    Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald | Therese Anne Fowler
    ‘Z’ follows the Fitzgerald’s lives through Zelda’s eyes as they navigate their way through the early roaring 20’s and the jazz age, during which Zelda was dubbed ‘the world’s first Flapper’, and lived in seemingly wedded bliss. The novel also follows their strained relationship as they travelled through Europe and America, dealing with jealousy, the birth of their daughter Scottie, chronic alcoholism and depression in a world that begs them to join the excess and partying that ultimately leads to their downfall.

    I’ve reviewed this book over at Blogger’s Bookshelf and overall I really enjoyed it. As a fictionalised version of the Fitzgerald’s lives, you can see Fowler’s has a little creative license when it comes to dramatising Scott and Zelda’s personalities and their relationships with each other and those around them. I did, however, really enjoy Fowler’s portrayal of Zelda’s voice, capturing the euphoria of young love and heartbreak of Zelda’s damaged, broken yet fiercely independent mind. Recommended for those who loved Gatsby and want to know a little more about the woman who became the muse of one the literary figures.
    The Book Thief | Markus Zusak
    It’s 1939. A small, nine-year-old girl named Liesel, arrives in Himmel Street to the home of her new foster family. Liesel is a book thief and the novel is her story and the story of, amongst many things, an accordionist, a Jewish fist fighter and Nazi Germany.
    There’s a reason why this book comes highly recommended by pretty much everyone I meet. The plot itself is fairly simplistic, but it’s Zusak’s writing and use of language that makes this book really extraordinary. As someone who isn’t easily swayed into reading historical fiction, the focus on Liesel and her life on Himmel Street made the story more engaging. I will say this book is definitely not easy, it requires thought and feels experimental in its writing, but if you give it a chance this story will move you.
    The Bad Boyfriend’s Bootcamp | Poppy Dolan
    Molly’s little brother Sam is stuck in a love rut. He’s tries so hard with women but falls short. Luckily Molly is willing to lend a helping hand and as she waves her metaphorical dating wand, she lands Sam the girl of his dreams and helps him keep the girl too!
    Thanks to Sam’s success, Molly’s single, male friends are soon lining up for her magical dating makeover and, along with her two friends, her entrepreneurial brain gets to work to create The Bad Boyfriend’s Bootcamp. But fixing other people’s problematic love lives is only half of the story, Molly also has to deal with her successful entrepreneurial mother, a grim looking overdraft thanks to her past failing businesses, and her own lackluster love life. 
    As seen in the title, the plotline for this novel is pretty predictable from the get go. Molly herself is a character I’ve seen in from this genre of book before, and I often found myself frustrated at how shortsighted and selfish she was being. Despite this, the writing was fun and there was a few pretty recent pop culture references that made me chuckle. If you’re after something quick and easy to read, this one’s for you.