Probably you’re thinking about how that title is so clever that I don’t even need to write the rest of this post. But I will because I’m a giver, y’all. I’m a giver. And because I like talking about books I read. This is why I would really like to join a book club in real life but seeing as how I got all denied entry to our local mom’s club and stuff, I just don’t think I can handle that sort of rejection again. Just kidding, I could totally handle it. You learn things like that when your mom decides to cut your hair into a bowl cut and then give you a perm when you are eight years old, which results in you starting third grade with an afro.
You think I am exaggerating and to that I say, I shall find photographic evidence of this and display it on the internet, where it belongs. Also, I’d like to thank my awkward youth for giving me an unlimited amount of topics to write about.
Anyhow, here are my thoughts on five books I read recently. And by recently, I mean “over the course of the past few months but forgot to blog about.”
Book One: FEEDBACK by Robison Wells
This is the sequel to Variant, a YA dystopian/sci-fi novel that I really liked. I was anticipating the release of Feedback but I wouldn’t say anxiously. Like how I didn’t sleep so I could snag the sequel to Divergent at midnight and read the entire thing before daybreak. I was looking forward to it though, because the cliffhanger at the end of the first book was so unexpected and unpredictable. I’m sadly disappointed in Feedback. It starts off really well, answering questions, holding my interest, telling a well constructed story. Somewhere around the middle it feels a bit stale: another fight? Really? The ending though, is where it all falls apart. It’s as though the author thought “I really have no idea what to put here. INSERT CLICHE! No one will even notice that they spent all this time building up to a totally anticlimactic reveal!” Except that, yeah, we did. Bummer.
Book Two: GONE GIRL by Gillian Flynn
I picked this book up on recommendations from friends and the New York Times best sellers list. Why am I not on that list? I mean, other than the fact that I’ve never written a book.Anyhow, it’s good. It’s very good. It totally deserves its NYT spot. I got to the middle of the book and I was incredibly confused. Did he do it? Didn’t he do it? And then I turned the page and I was all “I DID NOT SEE THAT COMING. WELL PLAYED, GILLIAN FLYNN. WELL PLAYED.” And the further I read, the more twisted the story became but in a good way, in a way that I couldn’t untangle as I went, mysterious without being a complete mystery. Although I will say that it made me pine for my Amish fiction novels because it definitely got a bit uncomfortably graphic for my taste. Which is admittedly conservative.
Book Three & Four: WHISPERS IN AUTUMN & WINTER OMENS by Trisha Leigh
I found the first book in the kindle lending library, which meant it was free and we all know how much I love free things. I actually wasn’t sure I’d like it based on the description but it had great reviews so I figured “in for a penny, in for a pound” except I don’t actually even know what that means, plus it was technically less than a penny. I was pleasantly surprised. It’s another YA dystopian sci-fi novel, which seems to be all that YA is marketing right now. It’s the new vampires, apparently. It was a bit confusing and slow to start but it fell together quickly and was a good, interesting read with an intriguing premise. And a bit of a cliffhanger ending that was good enough for me to purchase the second book immediately after I finished.
Book Five: INTERRUPTED by Jen Hatmaker
Y’all know that 7 is pretty much one of my favorite books ever, right? I mean, I’ve said it about four times too many. Interrupted tells the story of the Hatmaker’s new church plant in Austin, Texas. It’s a good read, but not the same type of read as 7. If you are involved in church ministry or looking for a church home, I think there is a great premise (pretty much the same one as the Bible so you really can’t go wrong there) and worthwhile insights in this book. In fact, I think it should probably be required reading for church staff members. That said, it’s a bit slow and it’s more of a challenging, weighty read than a fun “throw in the beach bag” book.
Now that I have done my literary duty, I am off to indulge in some birthday cake ice cream. In a cone. Because it’s the weekend. Or because I’ve had one every night this week and I don’t want tonight to feel left out.
*those are my amazon affiliate links because that’s where I buy my kindle books, please see my affiliate disclosure for more information or if you’re just incredibly bored
