The Giants House by Elizabeth McCracken

“My memories are not books. They are only stories that I have been over so many times in my head that I don't know from one day to the next what's remembered and what's made up. Like when you memorize a poem, and for one small unimportant part you supply your own words. The meaning's the same, the meter's identical. When you read the actual version you can never get it into your head that it's right and you're wrong.” 

I feel very empty inside. I really need to stop trusting my mother with books. Once again she has sent me a raw, harsh, and beautiful book. 

Stats:

Genre: Adult romance

Feelings: UM HECK YES.

Happiness: Yes. Excuse me while I weep.

Cuteness: Yes but then you cry. You catching on here? It's sad.

Fast pacing: No.

Series: No. 

Read if you like: Books, libraries, forbidden love so forbidden it's almost weird.

Content: Yes. It's an adult book, but nothing is explicit. One case of the f-bomb. The main character sleeps with another character at one point, but that's was for psychological issues almost and not told explicitly. A few discussions revolving around sex but again, nothing was dirty. Some light touchy feel-y stuff.

In one sentence... A lonely librarian and an oversized teenaged boy struggle with self-discovery and love. 

In other words: Emotional trauma ensues.
Thoughts: Libraries, and old books.

Overall:

Rating: 4.5/5 

This review has VERY LIGHT SPOILERS IN THE NEGATIVE SECTION OF POST. You can go ahead and read on if you are okay with knowing a few things.

The Lovely Bits:

I can't really put words together. I'm going to have to write this very logically or else this whole post will turn into a long ramble.

The emotions in this book were spot on. The whole scale of values and ideals in this book were clear. Loneliness, love, romantic and in the family sense. It captured many things perfectly. That feeling of wanting to be part of a family...to have a sense of real home. That feeling of wanting to really be loved, to be desired.

And being lonely. I am a teenager, I am not a thirty year old woman. I don't know the type of loneliness the author describes here. But everyone still has felt a heavy loneliness at some point in their life. And this book takes the little experience you have, and use it to make you feel the overwhelming loneliness Peggy feels in this book.

And the thing is...not once did she bluntly say that she was lonely and sad. It was told in actions, in thoughts. It was shown through everything Peggy did. And you felt every bit of remorse and hidden anger she felt. 

The characters were real. Each character you met you immediately had a sense for who they were. You loved, disliked, were endeared to character after character. When I put the book down (okay fine, it was more like throwing it down) I instantly missed them all. Those characters? I wanted them back.

The writing was superb. Not just because of the capture of emotion, but just the unique skill put into the prose. In paragraphs that normally would not paint a picture you could see this world in your mind. The way she uses metaphors is one of the best ways, I think. She uses the characters experiences and loves to make metaphors that seem real, and show the feelings.

This whole book is emotion and character driven. I think it would be challenging to read if you did not like the characters. Even so, as said earlier I think that even people who don't know much about heavy loneliness will enjoy this story.

The Less Lovely Bits:

As stated earlier, this is an adult book. There's a part where Peggy sleeps with a character. And while I can see why, it felt unneeded. It was a lovely show of her loneliness and need for love, and also a good breaking point. But I think all that could have been shown in a way that made me feel less comfortable.

It is more of a slow paced book. While Peggy's constant pause in narration to describe or talk about something is interesting, it makes for a book you can't just fly through. This is a book you need to take your time with.

Overall, it was a stunning book. When the reveal come early in the book, you will get upset but continue. And the end will warm your heart while simultaneously rip it to shreds. I think there will be very many people who don't like it, because of its almost controversial plot line, and other more peculiar literary things, but I hope you will give it a shot.

Lockwood and Co: The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud

“When you go out hunting wicked spirits, it's the simple things that matter most. The silvered point of your rapier flashing in the dark; the iron filings scattered on the floor; the sealed canisters of best Greek Fire, ready as a last resort... 
But tea bags, brown and fresh and plenty of them, and made (for preference) by Pitkin Brothers of Bond Street, are perhaps the simplest and best of all. 
OK, they may not save your life like a sword-tip or an iron circle can, and they haven't the protective power of a sudden wall of fire. But they do provide something just as vital. They help keep you sane.” 

It took me two days to get halfway through this book then for some reason it was another two months before I picked it up again. 

How? I have no idea. Because this book was stupendous.

Stats:

Genre: Paranormal mystery

Feelings: Some?

Happiness: YES

Cuteness: Eh? George though.

Fast pacing: No

Series: Yes.

Read if you like: Ghosts, mysteries, quirky characters, old fashioned-esque writing

Content: None, though some bloody and ghosty stuff.

In one sentence... A group of teenage detectives in the unexplained investigate some ghost attacks in London
Thoughts: Freshly brewed tea, a locket, and old leather book spines

Overall:

Rating: 5/5 stars

This review is SPOILER FREE

The Lovely Bits:

There were many things I loved about this story.

Firstly, the characters. Lucy was a very plucky character, and much like Abigail Rook from Jackaby, she never once seemed the annoying kind of feisty. She trusted her instincts, even if she knew there was a chance she would fail. She wasn't blinded much by other outsides things, and it was nice to have a female character defined by her relationship to two differnt guys but not once thinking about romance. That being said I ship Lucewood hardcore and it better happen eventually or I will be upset. 

The writing was very lovely. It had an old fashioned feel to it. There was a touch of humor and quirk to every passage without being forced or contrived. When I finished the book I felt the need to re-read it and underline whole paragraphs.

The atmosphere was to die for. I loved the setting, and the original take on ghost detective stories. The way Stroud took our world and bent it around a bit was fascinating and made the book even more enjoyable to read. As I read I felt as though I was sitting there in a dark room with Lockwood, Lucy and George talking over case files, sipping tea and munching donuts, while being surrounded by the mysteries from past adventures. 

The Less Lovely Bits:

As I said, it did take me a while to really get into it. That is mainly because when i picked it up I was going through a huge reading slump. That being said, it goes to show that this isn't a book that is a thriller mystery. While it is hard to put down, it is not the best for one looking for a fast paced action filled story. It was a tad slow in certain areas, but I feel like that will improve now that the mystery is deepening.


Honestly, there is nothing else negative I have to say. I am very much looking forward to reading the second one in the coming weeks, and will definitely be anticipating the release of the third book.

I recommend this to lovers of mysteries and quirky detectives. Even if you don't like those things...go read it. Let the writing blow you away.

Also Lockwood. My heart has been stolen my Anthony Lockwood and his companions. 

A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray

“Every form of art is another way of seeing the world. Another perspective, another window. And science –that’s the most spectacular window of all. You can see the entire universe from there.” 

I really wanted desperately to like this story. As soon as I saw that cover I knew I needed it in my life. I had been anticipating its release for so long. And you know what? I went out and bought it. 

And now I'm just disappointed. I am pretty much going to rant in this review. I did like it...but there are many things I would like to complain about.

I tried so hard to like it, just as this book tried so hard to be good.

Stats:

Genre: Wanabe sci-fi. Romance.

Feelings: Sadly, no.

Happiness: A few bits I liked.

Cuteness: No, not for me even though this whole book is a romance.

Fast pacing: Eh.

Series: Yes.

Read if you like: Romance, super romantic lines, places all over the world.

Content: Swearing.  Some scenes and description that REALLY did not need to be there.

In one sentence... A romance between two teens criss-crossing alternate universes trying to solve a mystery. 
Thoughts: Russian buildings and silken gowns

Overall:

Rating: 2.5/5 stars

This review has VERY LIGHT SPOILERS. 

The Lovely Bits:

Obviously the cover is the best part of this book. I seriously think this is one of the most gorgeous covers of 2014. I love city-scapes on covers, as well as watercolors, so this cover really did it for me.

The changing settings and atmosphere was really very lovely. I loved the Russian setting, and the peek into different lives. I also appreciated the fact that this is one of the few books I have read that acknowledged real things, like girl stuff. Very few books actually have that as an event in a story.

Really... Meg was a fine character when you saw her with her family and friends. I like her little sass-offs with her siblings in the different universes. I liked watching her talk with her parents. I /liked/ her when she wasn't being defined by her relationship to Theo and Paul. 

The Less Lovely Bits:

The romance. Okay. I am a huge hopeless romantic. I love romance. A lot. I thought for sure I would like this. A romance taking places in different dimension? Yes!

No.

This book tried so freaking hard.

It tried to be funny. It tried to be cute. It tried to be epic sci-fi. It tried to have a strong willed main character. It tried to be eloquent and have lovely passages describing grief and pain. It tried...too hard. And I think after I've read so many more books that have beautifully described pain...this one did nothing to me. 

The prose was so lacking it made me want to cry and steal to cover away to give to a different book. But what made it worse is the prose was trying not to be lacking.

The romance was gag-worthy. They were the type of couple I really should like. But after so many attempts at little cute couple catch-phrases,,, I was done. They weren't real to me. I simply did not care about their relationship.

Meg. When she was talking about Theo and Paul, I was so done with her.

 To begin with she was so gullible. Barely halfway through the whole synopsis the book talked about was over and we find out that Paul IS NOT the killer. And Meg gets all "OMG good because I love you!"

Cringe. 

Meg was so cringe-worthy at times. Of course, yes, she is flat chested and -not like other girls-. What's wrong with other girls? Why must every character be categorized as odd duck to be liked? 

And I really wasn't buying her whole art thing. Her hobby should have been endearing but it was not. And all the scenes when she goes on about how guys are all over her and she thinks Paul or whoever are impressed? Ugh.

And certain scenes. The swearing. The objectifying of woman in certain scenes. The sex. The extent of the tongue-kissing descriptions. See, normally scenes don't bug me that much. It's annoying, but it's a thing that happened. Unless its explicit, it normally doesn't bug me. But in this book it did.

See, here is what happened. When I saw that cover, I went into the book expecting something whimsical and eloquent story. 

I didn't get it. 

In the end, I did like it. It was far from perfect, but I don't think I regret reading it. While I don't see myself recommending it to many people, I don't think I will be too upset over buying it. There were scenes and moments I loved, and the cover will look amazing on my shelf. 

And yes, I will be reading the next books. It is unlikely I will buy them, but I will hold on to the hope that the stories will get better. 

Either that, or I hope the covers get ugly so I don't feel so distraught at the waste.

The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa

“Because he had been- and in many ways still was- such a brilliant man, he no doubt understood the nature of his memory problem. It wasn't pride that prevented him from asking for help but a deep aversion to causing more trouble than necessary for those of us who lived in the normal world.”

I honestly am having trouble putting words together. This was another book my mom told me to read, and once more I am sitting her wondering why my own mother would put me through such feelings.

Stats:

Genre: Adult fiction
Feelings: So many of many types
Happiness: YES
Cuteness: YES
Fast pacing: NO
Series: NO
Read if you like: Math baseball sad characters happy characters.
Content: Nothing.
In one sentence... The heartwarming story of a houskeeper, her son, and a man whose memory only lasts 60 minutes
Thoughts: Scribbled on note papers clipped to a suit

Overall:

Rating: 5/5 stars

This review is SPOILER FREE


The Lovely Bits:

Writing.

Characters.

It all was a completely lovely book. The writing was really well worded without being overly eloquent that caused many eye rolls. It was a out-there plot but didn't seem too contrived. Right away you meet these characters and you never quite fully get into their heads, and yet you care for them.

That is something I've noticed now that I am reading more adult fiction. They both take emotion differently. Many of the well written Young Adult novels I have read really get into the head of the characters. The adult novels I have read, tend to almost write from a distance, even if it's first person like this one was. As a result sometimes I find myself not being able to relate to the characters as much. That may also be because I am a teen and young adult books tend to have more emotions that I can relate to,

Still, adult books I have read manage to make you feel all sorts of feeling for characters you still don't get into the heads of.

That whole ramble aside, this book really managed to make you care about the characters. In a few slow paced pages you already felt wrapped up in the world.

The Less Lovely Bits:

The mathy bits got a little bit old after a while. I kinda skimmed all the descriptions of formals solely because I did not understand it.

The end was a tad rushed and there really was no climax. Still, it was pulled off well. I think there were a lot of concepts and writing things in this story that easily could have made the book less enjoyable, but they were all pulled off pretty well.


Overall I am very happy I read this book. Also sad because I am now sad. In a good way. A must read for lovers of math.

(Don't You) Forget About Me by Kate Karyus Quinn

“Everyone falls eventually,” Piper told me. “You think it’ll hurt. But it’s falling with no bottom. You just keep going and going forever, just falling deeper and deeper. And once you stop being scared, it’s kind of fun.” 

I have many feelings about this book. I loved it, and yet it's not a five star. 
The writing, man. The writing.

Genre: Paranormal ish? 
feelings: YES
Happiness: Ehhhh?
Cuteness: Ehh? Was't really into the love in this story, but it was light
Fast pacing: Slower 
Series: I don't think it is.
Read if you like: Dark settings, twisted minds and places, messed up characters,
Content: Swearing, some drug content though none of the drugs are ones we know of,
In one sentence... No one dies of natural caused in Gardnerville, but every fourth year disaster strikes and you have to pay the terrible price of unhappy endings for paradise... (all I can say without spoilers)
Thoughts: A little purple pill and a choice

Overall:

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

This review is SPOILER FREE


The Lovely bits:

This was a lovely, bizarre, weird, beautiful, feel-y book. But...weird.

I was very confused for the first half. Not in a way where I didn't know what was going on, but in a way that the writing was so lovely and the plot was so lost as well as Sky. She was such a messed up character and the writing painted a amazing picture of all she had done to tear apart her life and what she did, without you even needing experience in that. Then the second half comes along and suddenly its all feelings shoved in your face. And it's gets weird very fast. The showdown and climax are ones I don't ever think I will forget.

This book isn't like anything I've read before. Certain bits remind me of other books. The creepy sister side makes me think of Imaginary Girl, while the odd-ness makes me think of The Midnight Dress. I don't think I can really think of anything like this before. It takes a lot of concepts and methods of writing that are hard to pull off, and smooshes them together creating a raw and odd story.

The Less Lovely Bits:

The romance wasn't needed, though light. I felt like it was put there simply because most YA books have it. 

As said earlier, it really was awfully confusing. And weird. See, that's the problem. The completely weird side of it can either be a pro or a con. It was...bizarre. So whether you like it or not solely depends on whether or not you can handle some really strange stuff. 

There were a lot of boring parts. I couldn't sit down and read just this, which is why I read two other books during the process of reading this. The whole synopsis made it sound very light and mysterious, while the actual book was really flat out strange. 


Overall, I did like it. The writing was great, the story intriguing If you're okay with some strange plots then I think you'll like it.

Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer

“We're talking about the novel, right? But maybe we're not. We're talking about ourselves. And I guess that's what can start to happen when you talk about a book.”

I hadn't heard about this until a friend read it. I read the synopsis and right away I knew I needed to read it. So when I saw it on the shelf at our used book store, I snatched it up. The concept is lovely the writing not so much.

Stats:

Genre: Paranormal-ish contemporary 

Feelings: Yeah
Happiness: A bit
Cuteness: Ehhhh?
Fast pacing: Slow, but it wraps you up
Series: No
Read if you like: mysterious concepts and messed up characters 
Content: Swearing. Some shirtless kissings. Nothing explicit but keep that in mind if you are uncomfortable with that. I found a lot of the lovey things to be annoyingly unnecessary. A lesbian character.
In one sentence... A group of teens lost and struggling with their own problems find a place in a special boarding school that transports them to a realm where their terrible pasts are unwritten.
Thoughts: A filled in journals and voices of friends 

Overall:

Rating: 3/5 stars

This review is SPOILER FREE

The Lovely Bits:

Concept. This whole story is very concept driven. The idea was original and intriguing, and I found myself very much caught up in the world and the different characters with their different troubles and sorrows. 

There was some really nice sibling love going on, some raw feelings and a few great characters.

There wasn't actually a whole lot that stood out to me as really good, which is sad, because this really was a good book. It wasn't bad... the concept was good enough that the bad things didn't make me hate the story.

The Less Lovely Bits:

Prose. It was so...lacking. And the telling? After a while I got tired of Jam telling us over and over that she was sad and lonely. I am also currently reading Burial Rites, a book in which the character never once states that she is sad and empty, but you can feel it.

Belzhar really needed a shot of that. I was sick of being told Jam was sad. I was tired of how the feelings were being shoved down are throat. It was even to the point where Jam pondered how goats must have it easier.

I found myself really more concerned and interested in the side characters tragedies instead of Jam. I couldn't understand how she was feeling...her boyfriend being dead and all...but still I didn’t relate to her. Everything was Reeve. She kept saying how she wasn't human without Reeve. I was beginning to think she had other mental issues, not just depression. Her whole storyline really didn't show depression that well. 

That being said, I think it was hard for anyone to relate to her. In a situation where a character has a past experience few readers will understand the writing really has to be good enough to show what the character is feeling. Belzhar didn't have that, so I really didn't feel Jam's pain at all.  I found a lot of the character relationships and interactions seemed forced and rushed. 

All of these less lovely bits did detract from the story, but in the end, I don't regret reading it. I loved the concept and world enough that the lacking prose didn't bother me as much. I really just wish they had other POV's instead of Jam's. 

Review for Don't You Forget About Me by Kate Karyus Quinn to come soon! I actually finished this before Belzhar, but never got around to writing a review. 

Jackaby by William Ritter

"All the world's a stage, as they say, and I seem to have the only seat in the house with a view behind the curtain."

Mythical creatures in a historical setting? A character that sounds like Sherlock? Spunky female lead? 

Yes please. 

Stats:

Genre: Paranormal Historical Crime 

Feelings: Light

Happiness: A lot of lines you smile at. Witty characters 

Cuteness: Light, other than characters you want to squish. 

Fast pacing: Not fast but not slow

Series: I believe so. Thank goodness.

Read if you like: Fairies, detective stories, eccentric characters, historical fantasies. Definitely recommended for lovers of Jonathan Stroud's Lockwood and Co. series

Content: Very light swearing and some bloody descriptions. No sexual content.

In one sentence... A plucky girl looking for a job and some adventures teams up with a charming though blunt detective who insists that the cause of current brutal murders are supernatural creatures.
Thoughts: The tuning fork, a grumpy frog, and a overstuffed jacket

Overall:

Rating: 5/5 stars

This review is SPOILER FREE

The Lovely bits:

The characters. Jackaby is one of my new favorite detectives ever. To me, he is a mix of Sherlock Holmes (Sherlock, TV), Henry Morgan (Forever, TV) and Lockwood (Lockwood and Co, book).

He's quite kooky and fun to read about. Every little thing he says makes you grin and shake your head because he's a fun character to read. 

Abigail Rook I was impressed with. Quite often when an author tries to write a feisty character in this setting where woman were supposed to be docile, it comes across as making the character foolish. While certain things seemed unrealistic, like the fact she ran away from home to another country, especially with rich parents, she was still a very interesting solid character. She never did things to prove herself that seemed dumb. She wanted to look out for herself and still have an adventure while doing so.

I was very pleased to find no romance in this book. Don't get me wrong, I'm a sucker for romance, and I still had quite a few possible OTP's in this book. But as soon as the character Charlie was introduced, I rolled my eyes, my inner Love Triangle and InstaLove detector immediately going off. I could see it now. The epic love triangle! Poor Abigail Rook caught between the mysterious detective, full of adventure and charm, and the handsome and sweet police officer, so kind and awkward, but still with his own secrets. SWOON! 

I was all set to gag and groan.

But no! There was no love triangle. It was refreshing to have two possible love interests in book one but have nothing more than a possible crush. There really was no love plot at all, though I'm sure there could be one in later books.

There were quite a few lines that left me staring at the page wide eyed and the immediately flipping on, eager to reach to conclusion. Which leads me on to the things I didn't like.

The Less Lovely bits;

If I was being strict about the things I was less excited about, really this would be more of a four and a half star book. But in this books case, all the things I loved overwhelmed all the things I didn't like.

There were a lot less ghosts that I expected, which was okay with me. I actually preferred more fairies this time, though I would keep that in mind if you're expecting a ghost book.

The end result...the monster behind it all...did seem a bit un-exciting to me. It wasn't dumb, but I was expecting something more unique. 

The ending did take a while to wrap up. While I enjoyed all the after events, some of it probably could have been condensed. Luckily, the ending was still satisfying, even if overly wrapped up. This is a debut author, so I am excited to see how the books progress.

Overall, I very much enjoyed this book. The prose was lovely, the historical voice spot on, and the characters engaging. 

I will happily tuck this beauty up on my shelf with my other favorites, and continue to think about the characters and creatures for days more.