Between travel and vacation, I got a reasonable amount of reading done this week. A few good ones and a few mediocre ones. Here are my goodreads reviews. If you’re on goodreads, add me as a friend so I can see your books too! I’ve also started an instagram account where I join my love of reading with my love of art.
The Flatshare (4.5 stars): How I love love loved this book. Sometimes a book comes at the right time for the exact story that you need. From the moment I started this sweet story, I didn’t want it to finish, I just kept reading and reading so I could stay in their world a little bit longer.
This story reminded me of the British movies like Four Weddings and a Funeral or Notting Hill etc. It’s sweet, quirky in all the good ways and puts a big big smile on your face even as it deals with serious life issues like abuse and wrongful imprisonment. It’s a romance story at its heart and it’s an absolute joy to read.
Definitely recommended.
Stop Doing that Sh*t (3.5 stars): I liked this book because while there’s nothing new in here for me, there’s so much good reminder and this is the kind of book I have to read every few months to knock some sense into myself. I find that a reminder that I get to charter my own path and that it should be influenced by the future I want to create and not the past I’ve had never comes at a bad time. This is my life, i’ve got only one that I get to live and I am in it right now. I get to decide how this goes. I get to build the life I want. This means making a million little choices every single moment in every single day. And I get to make every single one of them. And then they accumulate into the life I want for myself. Easy and difficult as that.
I liked Bishop’s previous book for it’s no-nonsense tone and this one doesn’t hold anything back either.
The Scent Keeper (4 stars): I loved this beautiful book. The writing, the atmosphere, the characters all came together to create the kind of story I enjoy deeply.
For many, this might be a slow book, but I love these kids of books, especially when they can get both the atmosphere and the characters right and this one does both wonderfully.
I discovered this book randomly through my library, so grateful for such lovely surprises.
City of Girls (4 stars): Elizabeth Gilbert’s books make me so happy. They are beautiful journeys into other worlds and deep, beautiful character studies. I go on their journeys with them and experience the ups and downs of the choices they make. I learn about new ways of living, perspectives, and find myself cheering for these amazing characters.
City of Girls was pure joy to read from beginning to end. I loved all of the characters and did not want the story to end. I loved all the color from the 40s of New York, the bits of history integrated into the story and the ways in which affects (and doesn’t affect) Vivian’s life. I loved all the variety in the characters and the journeys each of them took in their lives.
I will miss these characters so much and can’t wait until Gilbert gifts us with another story.
When We Found Home (3 stars): This is a sweet book about three step siblings who find each other later in life, two of them are grown ups and one’s twelve. The story is about what it means to become siblings, create a family and learn to trust. It’s sweet and kind and and easy read.
The Perfect Date (2 stars): Ok so this is the weirdest thing I’ve ever experienced in the over 400 books I’ve now read from all the different libraries in California. I checked out and thought I was reading a book called The History of Living Forever but alas once I started listening to the book it turned out to be this one instead. So I just kept reading instead of stopping when I should have. This book is fine if you like books that are not substantive and you don’t care about character development or even likable characters much. Each character is quite unlikeable in that they are not nice to each other at all. Plot is predictable and doesn’t really go anywhere imho. It’s a quick and easy read. Just not sure it’s worth the time.
Boy Meets Depression (4 stars): It is rare to read an honest and open book about depression. I hear this is based on a TED talk but I have never watched it nor have I heard of the author. Nonetheless I am grateful to have read this book and his perspective and learnings will stay with me as I go through my own light and darkness.
Magic for Liars (2.5 stars): I was really looking forward to this book. Magic is my word for 2019 and I thought this would be a great fiction story but alas it was too disjointed for me.
The main character wasn’t likeable, in fact none of them really we’re except one or two. The world building didn’t really exist. Normally I don’t love books spending half the book world building but this one had no explanation at all and just felt like the magic bits were planted into a normal world with no explanation.
The ending was totally weird and off. I didn’t even get what the author was trying to do. Quite a lot of serious subjects here and yet all are glossed over. Meh.
Still gave it a few stars for the unusual story and solid writing. Just wish it was more magical than that.
And there we go, an okay week of reading. Here’s to a great week next week.
Books I Read this Week 2019 is a year-long project for 2019. You can read more about my projects for 2019 here. I am also tracking my books in real time on Good Reads here. If you’re on Good Reads add me so I can follow you, too! I’ve also started an instagram account where I join my love of reading with my love of art.
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