Posts Tagged ‘Book Review’

16
Aug
2015

A Belated Foxy Book Challenge Update #11-17

I’ve been a once a week blogger lately, with distractions such as trying to find a flatmate who’s not a crazy psycho (only room for one in this house – me); winter finally get the best of me with a good old fashioned almost flu but not flu enough to take time off work; and other stuff that I’m sure seemed important at the time.

So instead of my usual few books there are 7, good news is that I am up to date with my book challenge over on Goodreads (read 30 books this year which doesn’t seem like much but was a goal that seemed feasible at the time). There’s a few good’uns for you to chuck on your “to read” list!

**Disclaimer: All the books with wee little * beside them were gifted to me by Hachette NZ, an awesome publishing company who ask nothing in return. Some of the books they send turn out to be my favourites ever, and others fall a bit flat (some I don’t even read), but the fact that they are gifted in no way affect my opinions. Anyway, on to the good stuff!

Day Shift by Charlaine Harris*
Okay full disclosure, I read this without at any point realizing that I was reading the second book in a series. So when I critique it for being a little hard to keep up with, with characters that didn’t seem to have great introductions and a story that felt lacking in set up I say it knowing full well that those things are all my fault. Overall it was an enjoyable read despite me being an idiot, Charlaine Harris does a good job in the fantasy-mystery genre, and its pretty light reading which is always nice for a change. 3 Stars (but it may well deserve more).
Church of Marvels by Leslie Parry*
This is one that you should put on your reading list now. I did a full review over here (cause it was that good) but long story short its a fantastic novel set in 1920s New York with a cast of memorable characters and a trail of different story lines that all tie in together. Wasn’t expecting to love this one but love it I did (and you may well too). 5 stars
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
I’ve been loving the Outlander series over on Lightbox (and it’s not just those Scottish accents) and so when Edd got me the first novel to read for my birthday I wasn’t expecting to take 4 months to finish it. I’m generally quite a speedy ready (which is a surprisingly useless skill most of the time) but something about this book made it a little hard to get through. Nonetheless it was an enjoyable read, a little odd in places but great in others. I dunno, a little undecided to be honest and not sure yet whether I can commit to the rest of them. 3 stars
Resistance is Futile by Jenny T Colgan*
As the book itself proclaimed: Independence day meets Bridget Jones’ Diary…not what I would normally pick up for myself I must admit. This alienesque/maths nerd (and I say that lovingly) take on a rom-com read was actually pretty fun and easy to get through. I gave it only 3 stars because it just wasn’t my kind of book but it was enjoyable, and light-hearted although strange in places with a few funny characters and one of the weirdest “sex” scenes I think I’ve ever read. 3 stars.
Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson*
Best book of 2015 is already awarded to this Sci-fi novel by the author of the Mars series (which I am DESPERATE to read). Seriously this book was A++++, would read again. I rambled on about it a little while ago but long story short it’s amazing. The easiest 5 stars I have ever assigned to anything ever.
The Quality of Silence by Rosamund Lipton*
Another great read that I was sent which is one I never would have selected! This novel was a psychological thriller/family drama set in the spookiest setting of Alaska where a Mother and her deaf daughter, Ruby, go in search of her Father who has gone missing. This was such an incredibly tense read, and a quick one too as I couldn’t wait long to find out what happened. Ruby was an incredibly likeable character, and the writing was done in the perfect way to keep you on the edge of your seat. 4 stars.
Half Asleep in Frog Pyjamas by Tom Robins
Dad told me that he would refuse to take on any of my book recommendations until I read something by one of his favourite authors, Tom Robins (not the same as Tony Robbins so don’t get them confused). I I grabbed this one from his shelf and gave it a shot and it was … okay?? Tom Robins has an incredibly humorous way of writing and is far wittier than I could ever dream to be, so 5 stars for that. The reasons I didn’t really enjoy this that much were as follows: the setting was a stock market crash in the US which holds zero interest to me; it was centred around a character who I kind of ended up hating; and it was written in second person (you did this, you said that etc) which whilst genius and incredibly unique was a little weird and off-putting at times. I will happily read another one by him but maybe choose a little more carefully. 3 stars (sorry dad, I promise I tried).

So there you go, some great (some incredibly great) and some not so great. What have you read lately?

14
Jul
2015

Book Review: Seeing Stars with Aurora

categories: My Foxy Reading Corner

I have put off writing the review for Aurora, almost entirely because when I love a book this much it’s so intimidatingly difficult to think about how to put it all into words. I’ll try anyway.

I haven’t read a sci-fi novel in such a long time, and yet they were some of the first books I was exposed to thanks to my dad being a bit of a fan himself. Aurora reminded me of how amazing a good sci-fi can be, in a unique way that I never really experience in other genres.

Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson

Summary: This epic novel takes place in space, upon a generational ship on its way to find new, habitable places for humans to colonise. We join this group of 2000 voyagers (who have been born on the ship) as they near their destination in the Tau Ceti solar system, where their hundreds of years of travel and existence on a flying biome will come to its end, hopefully, with settlement on Aurora.

My Thoughts: There is an undefinable romance when it comes to the mystery of Space. The idea of travelling beyond Earth and exploring other solar systems is equally terrifying and exhilarating, and Aurora does such a spectacular job of capturing this in a novel that somehow effortlessly creates a cinematic experience of trying to find a home beyond Earth. Our narrator is the space ship itself, which is such a cleverly executed method of telling this story, and the way that this adventure unfolds was so utterly compelling that I could barely tear myself away.

People have ideas. They live in their ideas, do you understand? And those ideas, whatever they happen to be, make all the difference. – Badim, Aurora

The relationships in the book are also impressive in their thoughtfulness, from the mother-daughter/father-daughter dynamics of our main characters to the group behaviours that unfolded. The characters were interesting, and yet believable which is important in such a huge setting, and a plot that revolved around some complex notions like ecology and politics. Everything in this book was done so perfectly, from the way the events unfolded, to the use of language and our endearing narrator, to the cinematic imagery that was being conjured in my brain with every sentence I read. It was so impressive that I had several of those nights where sleep became a forgotten necessity and all I thought about was how on Earth this could come to an end.

What I liked: I loved the whole experience, and there isn’t often a book where I get so emotionally invested. I think it was a true sign of KSR’s talent that despite Aurora taking place over such a long time period, and involving so many events and characters, it still felt immediate, and real, and personal. There was enough science and explanation that I felt like I learnt something, and yet not too much as to remove any of the drama of the story itself. I was so emotionally invested in the outcomes of this ship and its inhabitants that in some way it was a relief to have it end and be able to breathe again. The thing I liked most about the book was the narrator and the ingenious ways in which it developed throughout the story. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it before being used in a novel, but it worked so incredibly well.

What I didn’t like: The ending something that I can see others potentially not loving, I however thought it was perfect, and linked back to the beginning so ingeniously.

Worth a read: For anyone with an interest in sci fi/ecology/artificial intelligence/sociology, I would say yes. For anyone who is happy to go sleep-deprived, and come across as a little crazy when people happen to ask what you are reading, yes.

Rating: 5 stars, all of the stars.

*ps. Aurora was provided for me to read, with no obligation to review, and I couldn’t be more elated that I was given the chance to get back into such a fascinating genre with such a beautiful book. All opinions are my own.

**pps. If you want an awesome song to go along with this review there’s is Sea of Voices which felt strangely appropriate.

Image source

11
Jun
2015

Book Review: Church of Marvels

categories: My Foxy Reading Corner

Church of Marvels by Leslie Parry

This book arrived at my door and from the moment I saw its beautiful cover, I had a feeling I was in for a treat. Lately, books have been taking me forever to read, regardless of how great they are. Church of Marvels was demolished in two days (this was achieved with sleep deprivation and some casual anti-social attitudes towards colleagues at lunchtime, sorry). It doesn’t take a magician to work out whether I enjoyed this… but I reviewed it anyway so read on.

Summary: This marvellous story revolves around 3 narrators: a twin from a spectacular freak show on a search to find her sister, a wife who has ended up in an asylum with little recollection of how she got there, and an orphan man who cleans up the city at night, and discovers a thread which ties them all together. Set in the dark, and yet enchanting, late 19th Century New York, these characters lives become intertwined during one gripping night that unravels during the novel.

My Thoughts: I haven’t been this engaged with a book for a long time, and I forgot that feeling of truly losing yourself into a whole other world and time, a setting full of dark secrets, unique characters and twisted back stories. This novel was expertly woven together in a way that every chapter left me wanting more, each character’s snippet of their story was never quite enough. The twists and surprises were the perfect kind, subtly implied and presented, but it wasn’t until the reveal where all of the random threads suddenly made sense. This was a world like nothing I had read about before, dark and yet spectacular, dirty and yet magical. Coney island was the perfect backdrop for these characters to come together, and Leslie Parry’s writing was the perfect tool to do so, detailed enough to make each description irresistibly real but not too much so to detract from the rapidly moving story.

We can be a weary, cynical lot – we grow old and see only what suits us, and what is marvelous can often pass us by. A kitchen knife. A bulb of glass. A human body. That something so common should be so surprising – why, we forget it. We take it for granted. We assume that our sight is reliable, that our deeds are straightforward, that our words have one meaning. But life is uncommon and strange; it is full of intricacies and odd, confounding turns.

What I liked: I lose any semblance of eloquence when trying to write a review (I’m not sure I ever had any) but I loved so much about this book. The enchanting and at times disturbing setting, the courageous set of carnival characters and their world of opium dens, hidden identities, mysteries and revelations. Attention to detail, even for seemingly minor characters, made this story lush and complex. The pacing of this story and its surprises were also done really well, enough was given away to make me feel like I was gradually working out what was happening; until the secrets were revealed and then I realised I really had no idea of how deeply intwined the story was. I also really loved the physical appearance of this book…which seems very shallow (okay, it is very shallow) but it just made the whole experience something special.

What I didn’t like: This is tricky..the only thing that was a negative for me (and it’s a bit of a stretch) was that for the first bit of the book I was a bit slow at working out who each character was and understanding their story in relation to everything else. I have heard opinions from others who didn’t love this book as much as me, and I think it was because it has the potential to become confusing due to the interwoven stories and the use of some creative language that at times can feel a little inaccessible. Personally I found the confusing intricacies and the imaginative language of this novel part of its charm, but I guess for some, this made it hard work.

Worth a read: Yes. So much yes. Give Church of Marvels some of your attention and you will be rewarded with an evocative story that entertains just like a spectacular carnival.

Rating: 4.5 stars

*This book was provided to me to read, but as always this space is for my opinions, as un-organised and confusing as they can be. All thoughts and words are my own.

12
May
2015

The Little Paris Bookshop – Book Review

categories: My Foxy Reading Corner

The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George

I’ve been lucky enough to be sent a few books to read from Hachette NZ and thought I would throw up quick reviews, at least for the ones worth talking about! Aside from my usual reading roundups, I haven’t really reviewed books before so please feel free to give me feedback on how I can make these more interesting and/or helpful. Or just comment below and let me know you love me, ’cause we all need some love every now and again.

Where most of my reading takes place. In bed.

Summary: The Little Paris Bookshop was published at the beginning of April, and as soon as it turned up at my doorstep I dropped my other book (sorry Outlander, I promise to return!) so I could dive right in. The beautiful cover was enough to perk my France-loving interest.

This story starts off in Paris and centres around Jean Perdu, the owner of a barge-based literary apothecary (I was sold as soon as I saw those two words) on the Seine where he prescribes books to his customers based on their ailments and needs. All of a sudden, he sets off with his young neighbour, searching for writing inspiration (aren’t we all!) down the country in search for closure.

My thoughts: The Little Paris Bookshop was the perfect way for me to escape into a Parisian story of love and friendship, and moving on from events we shut off in our past. Set in one of the most beautiful settings in the world, and with incredibly likeable characters (almost too likeable), it would be hard not to enjoy this book.

It was the kind of read where people interrupting me pissed me off, and I was only slightly ashamed of being rather unfriendly with colleagues. But when you are absorbed in a beautiful story set amongst Paris and Provence, with such vivid descriptions and characters, it can be a rather rude awakening to be brought back to reality. Sorry.

‘Most often he asked, “How should the book taste? Of ice cream? Spicy, meaty? Or like a chilled rose?” Food and books were closely related. He discovered this in Sanary, and it earned him the nickname “the book epicure.”’ – The Little Paris Bookshop

What I liked: The dreamy setting (obviously, France will always be my escape from life), the funny little emotional descriptions our main character came up with, the ending that ties everything up in one satisfying bow and then gives you a few Provençal recipes to leave with (lavender ice-cream is a thing guys!). The Little Paris Bookshop is an easy, relaxing, feel good read, and you can’t finish it without a little bubble of happiness slowly descending over you. All the talk of delicious food can also make you quite hungry, fair warning to all.

What I didn’t like: Sometimes the characters were all a little too perfect. I loved them all, but sometimes I don’t want to love everyone and its nice to have a bit of variety. And we all know the French, they can’t possibly be all that lovely.

Worth a read: Yes, I thoroughly enjoyed every moment immersed in this and felt better off having read it. Any book lover/francophile would enjoy The Little Paris Bookshop. In fact almost anyone would enjoy it, it’s heartwarming in the best sense of the word and would also make an excellent gift.

Rating : 4 stars

*The Little Paris Bookshop was kindly provided to me with no obligations and this has not influenced any of my opinions. I can barely keep track of my own thoughts, let alone someone else’s.

The best part of this book was how vividly it brought to mind my memories of Paris and that beautiful Seine River

30
Mar
2015

My Foxy Book Challenge #1-5

categories: My Foxy Reading Corner

Hey fellow book lovers,

Back in 2013 I did the 50 book challenge through Goodreads (which I use and love) and although the blogging trailed off, I was pretty pleased with myself for completing it. Last year reading took a bit of a back seat and I didn’t keep much track of the few books I managed to get through. Reading for me has always been an escape from reality, a journey into my imagination and a source for creativity. I feel more relaxed just by giving myself 10 minutes a day to absorb the pages of a new book (or an old one) and so this year I wanted to try and make more time for it.

2015 has been a bit shaky so far so I lowered the bar to 40 books. I know it seems strange to go backwards in terms of goals but I had a few ridiculously long ones to get through this year (I’m looking at you Luminaries) and didn’t want to set myself up for failure. I’m a bit late in updating the blog so here are the first 5 books I read this year (this is your cue to grab a cup of tea and a good seat).

1. Paper Towns by John Green

I love pretty much everything John Green writes. I lap up his words like milk for the mind. The way he does these character studies that are seemingly simple in their plots and descriptions, but actually have a much more complicated symbolism always boggles my mind. Paper towns was another good book by him, but I hesitantly admit that it wasn’t as great as others like Fault in Our Stars or Looking for Alaska. Unlike before, it took me ages to get through and I didn’t read it as quickly as usual. This could be why I feel like I didn’t *get* the imagery behind the characters and their story. Maybe if I reread it I would feel different. Nevertheless, I can still appreciate the way the book was sectioned into three careful themes and I still loved the way he weaved his story around two young characters. It was definitely a book that leaves you pondering long after you put it down. 3 stars.

2. Scar Tissue by Anthony Kiedis

Lets be honest, autobiographies are normally something I don’t consider wasting reading time on. If I wanted to involve myself with reality I would deal with my own issues. After my flatmate giving this rave reviews and a trip to the beach where I wanted something easy to read, I gave this a go and was really surprised at how powerful this read was. It was a pretty raw and honest depiction of the damage addiction can do to a life, and although the writing sometimes leaves a bit to be desired, it was pretty gripping the whole way through. Definitely not a boring life (although I don’t think I was expecting his to be). 4 stars

3. We Were Liars by E.Lockhart

Okay, so I chose to read this book because I felt a bit defensive about my name being used by an author (how dare they) and I was hoping it would be rubbish so that if I ever became an author, I would be the better E.Lockhart. Alas, it was not to be. This book was unusual and written in a pretty unique way, but once I got into it you couldn’t pry this out of my determined hands. It was a short read and also pretty gripping so I got through this in a couple of days. The book is a suspense novel, with a twist that people smarter than me apparently worked out really early (I’m actually glad I’m not clever enough to work it out because I enjoyed the twist more that way…right?). Its better to just jump in knowing nothing and appreciate its cleverness at the end. 4 stars

4. A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard

This was a book that I swear took me months and months to finish. This is another true story, written by a young woman who survived as a prisoner for 18 years. Its not a fun or easy read, there were parts where I put the book down and was pretty convinced that I wouldn’t get through the rest. If you can handle an awful situation and a brutally honest retelling then this is definitely worth reading. 4 stars

5. Salvation in Death by J.D. Robb

Ending with the only book I would suggest no one bothers reading, this crime novel set in the future was a book chosen for book club (not by me I might add). Maybe I am misjudging because there are a whole series of books based around Detective Lieutenant Eve Dallas before this, but I didn’t enjoy this at all, and I have a BIG section of my book loving heart dedicated to crime fiction. They are my Mills & Boon. This was pretty rubbish, the setting was pointless and a little confusing, the plots were complicated but not in a way that ever made sense, the characters were annoying and made me angry most of the time. I gave this book more stars than it deserved. If you are looking for a good crime message just flick me a comment because there are SO many that I could suggest over this. 2 stars

Bit of a mixed bag, hopefully my book choices improve over the course of the year. Don’t forget to keep up with me over on Goodreads.

What have you been reading so far? Let me know if you are doing any book challenges this year