What I read in January

More and more I'm accepting the audiobook life.  It's uncomfortable in my head, but it's how I get through books so quickly (with the exception of Outlander books).  Also, the idea of actually reading an Outlander book (all 600+ pages of it) makes me shutter.  ANNDD I have a thing for Davina Porter's voice.  #dontjudgeme 

There are a number of books that my library doesn't have digital copies of that I'd like to read and part of me is considering actually physically going to the library to see if they have hard copies available.

The idea sounds goods in theory but requires me to go out in public, deal with other humans, and potentially interfere with my established routine.  It's already not looking good, but we'll see. 

Rating scale*:

1/5 - Hated it, didn't finish.
2/5 - Tolerated it on principle to finish, didn't like it.
3/5 - Eh, didn't love it, didn't hate it. Had some good parts/kept me interested/finished it on principle.
3.5/5 - I liked parts of it.
4/5 - I liked the whole thing.
4.5/5 - I liked it a lot, but not sure I'd read it again.
5/5 - I LURVED it and I'd read it again.

*Subject to change based on my mood, the phase of the moon, or other unpredictable variables.

Skimmers, stick with the bold text (TL;DR* parts).
PS. Possible spoilers included in reviews.


The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows  3.75/5 (ebook)  
I picked at this book for quite a while before finally just powering through the issue I was having with the book (a name).  So many people with similar tastes as me loved this book, so I had high expectations.  I feel like if I would have just focused on reading this book, I would have enjoyed it more, but I was reading this on my phone to pass the time while I'd wait.  Additionally, when I thought I had 45% left of the book, I was actually 5% from the end.  The last 40% of the book being notes that had been marked along the way that I had ignored in order to focus more on the story.  #ereaderproblems

I found the story to be very cute, although I couldn't understand why the islanders were willing to let some mostly stranger adopt their adopted orphan child.  That whole thing was weird to me.  I also struggled with the letters format as well.  Mostly the not getting every letter exchanged and there being a summary of return letters.  But, sometimes, there were entire return letters.  It wasn't consistent and I didn't love it.

The ending was cute and I'm glad there was a little romantic suspense, otherwise I probably would have rated this book lower.

TL;DR: Old Scottish names aren't really that common, except for when you're not expecting them.  A WW2 themed book with small town entertainment.

When the Moon is Low by Nadia Hashimi    3.75/5 (audiobook)
I enjoyed most of this book, but there were parts that got tedious.  I appreciated the "decide your own ending" approach at the end of this book.  A story about Afghanistan refugees and their journey to London.

Stories that detail the Taliban regime always break my heart.  I can't imagine going through that type of repression.  Both the Mom and the Son got on my nerves at various points throughout the book, but I think part of that was cultural clashing.

TL;DR: Afghanistan refugee story that is NOT like Khalid Hasseini's work.  This book opened my eyes to the plight of the refugee life and I cannot imagine a life with such hardships.  Be grateful.



Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach     3.75/5 (audiobook)

I mostly liked this book.  I was really into it at the beginning when she discussed where bodies went to and how doctors and scientists used bodies.  Then we started talking about heads and some pretty grotesque shit and medieval times and I kinda glazed over.  Then when we got to the end and she started talking about what to do with her body when she died, I was kinda over it.  Her decision to let her husband decide what to do with her body was super disappointing after reading about all the advances in science that donation a body could potentially have.

Nonetheless, a quick listen.

TL;DR: It creeps people out when you tell them you are listening to a book about dead bodies. 

Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Irin Carmon, Shana Knizhnik   4.5/5 (audiobook)

I have seen many bloggers rave over RBG and other than surface digging to find out that she was a Supreme Court Justice, I had no idea about the life of RBG.  This book opened my eyes to a fight that continues to take place, well into the 21st century.  A lot of the time, I take my rights for granted as a woman.  I still see many instances of sexism in the real world, I mean, I was raised in the South, a haven for "good ole boys", and I was in the military. 

RBG is someone I respect and I've now added her to my "a famous person you'd like to share a meal with" list.  It's so long it's got one person, RBG.  Her ability to be objective and not let the system crush her is inspiring to me.  Even more so, considering the events that have transpired since the end of January.

TL;DR: RBG is my hero.

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas   3.5/5 (ebook)  I wanted to love this book.  So many other blogger-readers loved this book and I just felt meh about it.  While I love Caelena as a main character/heroine, I just felt like the storyline was predictable (which could have been because Red Queen has been said to heavily pull from Throne of Glass, unfortunate timing on my part) and there were parts that left me confused, mostly the Wyrd-things and Fae themes.  I'm more of a if you got magic use it type of person, so repressed magic is confusing to me. 

Also, you never know the true intentions of many of the characters, with the exception of the king who is always horrible.  They are presented to be say.. an assassin, but they also happen to be a decent person.  The first 20% of this book was me dabbling at it, a little bit here and a little bit there.  But I received an email from the library saying my loan was about to expire (for the 2nd time) and I kicked my ass into gear and powered through 80% in 2 days.  1 day to spare until expiration.

I just wasn't hooked.  I wanted to love the characters, but it never happened.  I never knew who to root for, Choal or Dorian.  I couldn't figure out the Wyrd-things, which really annoyed me.  It was like the author wanted the reader to know certain things, but not too much about certain things.  I get annoyed by being fleeced.

TL;DR: I'm probably in the minority when I say I didn't lurve this book, despite how much I wanted to.  This book made me think of the High Druid of Shannara series by Terry Brooks.  IDK why.  Maybe I just needed more magic.

In Progress:

• Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon    */5 (audiobook)
• The Last Letter from Your Lover by Jojo Moyes    */5 (ebook)
  

On Deck:

• Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison   */5 (ebook) 
• The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd   */5 (ebook) 
  

After the books listed here, I'm on to other books that have gathered on my TBR list.  I've found several audiobooks on Audible and from the library that I have on deck and plenty of ebooks (although they have become my weakness).

YAY for books!


*TL;DR = too long, don't read