Book Report

[stormkeeper_lovesall]

Book rating system:

10 – life-changing, an all-time favorite
5 - average for what I read
1 – terrible, why did I finish it?

Melody by Sylvie Rancourt – A graphic novel based on the author’s time working as a nude dancer. The text was translated from the French. Although I like graphic novels and graphic memoirs in general, this one was pretty blah. The translation was choppy and awkward, and the main character and her boyfriend are total idiots and unlikeable. (Sorry to be so blunt!!) Grade: 2

It’s Your World by Chelsea Clinton – I like books that talk about problems and issues the world is facing and how we can deal with them. Although I’d argue that “A Path Appears” by Kristof and WuDunn and “Strangers Drowning” by MacFarquhar are better, this book by Chelsea Clinton (yes, that Chelsea Clinton) was good too. It’s targeted at teens and younger kids, but I actually found that to be a plus. Whether Clinton’s talking about climate change or hunger or discrimination against girls and women, she does a good job of breaking down what the problem is and what someone can do to tackle it. Grade: 7

Becoming Nicole by Amy Ellis Nutt – The author is a journalist and she shares the real-life story of a family. A traditional couple adopted twin boys but one of the boys turns out to be a transgendered girl. This was a fascinating story about how the family grows and changes, and fights for their daughter’s rights. Something about the way the story told is awesome. I read the book in one day (it was a day I had off work and was tired from something I did in the morning, so that does help explain it). I love a good true story that’s also a page-turner. Grade: 8

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children – A teenage boy whose adventurous grandfather dies mysteriously. A trip to a remote island with an abandoned house where the grandfather reportedly lived for a while. A group of students with special powers. The lead-up to this novel sounded grand and exciting, and the book started out pretty strongly. But the story’s climax kind of fizzled out; the book just didn’t live up to its promise. It held my interest but I don’t plan to read the sequel. Grade: 4

Armada by Ernest Cline - The author of "Ready Player One" has another novel, this one starring another teenage video game genius. He dreams that someday he'll be whisked away into a fantastic adventure, taking him from his humdrum life - and then that is exactly what happens. It was good to listen to (again read by the awesome Will Wheaton), it held my interest, it just didn't wow me. Grade: 5

Comments

[gokuma.livejournal.com]

I think "Armada" is a bit disappointing for someone who loved "Ready Player One". The first book was so original, and so full of new ideas - this one is full of "oh, I've seen that before". "Armada" is essentially a mix of "Ender's Game" by Orson Scott Card and Terry Pratchett's "Only You Can Save Mankind".

My latest, surprisingly enjoyable book discovery is the "Vampire for Hire" series by J.R. Rain => https://www.goodreads.com/series/51121-vampire-for-hire I picked the first book (it wasn't even the first of the series) purely by accident - it was sold 80% off in the local supermarket. I've started reading it - and I REALLY liked the main character and the whole setting. It's probably the first detective series with a female character I really like.

[stormkpr.livejournal.com]

Thanks for reading this. Your words on "Armada" are way more articulate than mine were! I did like it, but it's hard to match "Ready Player One". I will say that Armada did hold my interest.

Thanks for the recommendation on the other series. I know this is weird, but I haven't liked any vampire book I've read. It sounds horrible to say but maybe I'm prejudiced against vampires??

[gokuma.livejournal.com]

I'm prejudiced against vampires because they're mostly characters in boring corny YA novels (and I generally dislike romantic stuff so when I read "...She meets a handsome...", "There's a mysterious stranger...", "War of minds... and passion", or any kind of mushy nonsense like that, I put the book back on the bookshelf because I know I'd probably hate it.
The Vampire for Hire series is mostly Chandler-like, and I like the fact the main character has to be very independent (and smart) to simultaneously deal with different problems.

Oh, btw: I absolutely adored this book => https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/150739.Dealing_with_Dragons It's so wonderful when writers actually think out of the box and come up with interesting characters...

[stormkpr.livejournal.com]

I added "Dealing with Dragons" to my to-read list! (With over 100 books on the list, I haven't gotten to Microserfs yet. But someday).

[gokuma.livejournal.com]

So today I've decided to edit my GR challenge from 50 to 80 books I want to read this year :)
I'm actually really glad I made that GR account cause it really motivates me to FINISHING - not just starting - books.
Last year I read about 30 or so books - and this year I've already finished 47, and it's still July!

[stormkpr.livejournal.com]

Congrats!

[nytshd3.livejournal.com]

I enjoyed Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children though I do think it went off the rails at some point. I've heard that the second book is better but I haven't read it yet. I'm interested to see what they're going to do with the movie - the good thing is that since I'm not particularly invested in the book, I'll be less likely to be enraged by changes that they make ;)

I feel the same about Armada, I wanted it to be amazing because Ready Player One was so different and interesting but it just wasn't as great.

I started using Hoopla through the library and I can download comics/graphic novels through it! Unfortunately there's a 10 item per month limit, but it's so cool!

[stormkpr.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I just feel that Miss Peregrine's lost something at some point or should've been much better than it was. Maybe it was that I didn't feel attached to any of the characters that much.

Did you still think Armada was ok though?