Friday, February 4, 2022

Book Review 2021

Oops, I totally forgot about my book review. I'm not sure I've ever left it until February. We'll just chalk it up to sending a missionary out. And this last year was a great year for reading for me. Apparently, getting a job as a librarian does, in fact, make you read more. At least for me. I see all these interesting books all the time and I want to read them all! So let's jump right in with the stats. 

I read 19,350 pages from 60 books (that's my highest ever!)

Shortest book: The Bloody Souvenir (40 pages)

Longest book: Theft of Swords (649 pages)

Average book length: 322 pages 

Most popular: Me Before You (2,293,169 people also read it)

Least popular: The Bloody Souvenir (97 people also read it)

Highest rating on Goodreads: All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys Soccer Team (4.6)

Most read month: March (9 books)

Least read month: January and May (3 books)

Most of my favorite books came from: Personal Choice! (8 out of 13)

Here are my top 13 favorites of the year (in no particular order) and the review that I wrote for them. Also the key that goes with them. I changed it just a bit from last year. (NC=Neighborhood Club, MB=My Book Group, FG=Family Group, PC=Personal Choice) It was really hard to choose from 60 books and there were some that just didn't make the cut. Maybe I'll put a short list at the end of honorable mentions.

BEASTS OF EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCE by Ruth Emmie Lang (MB): I thought this book was fantastic. It had just the right hint of magical and mystery in it. Weylyn Gray was such a wonderful character. His genuine naiveté without a hint of sarcasm was refreshing. And he was nice. I wish I knew him.
I loved how the story was told from everyone else's point of view, leaving Weylyn a mystery until the end. I liked how people's interactions with Weylyn told more about them than about him. It felt so real and meaningful. It made me ponder my connection to others and to nature.
And I liked the ending. You never know which way the author will go, but I was satisfied. In the end, I would say this book made me feel good. It was a delight to read. 

THE WAR THAT SAVED MY LIFE by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley (PC): (Audio) 4.5 This book was so amazing! I really felt sucked into Ada's life and her struggle. She was so brave and fragile at the same time. It broke my heart that she had a hard time accepting love and compliments.
I was heartened by the bonding brought about by circumstance and the war. And I liked how the story showed the good things that came out of a time that also brought great devastation and heartache. There is always two sides to every story.
Even though the reader was already Flavia De Luce in my mind (yep, same reader) she did a great job capturing the story. It was lovely and I totally recommend this book to all lovers of Historical Fiction.

SCYTHE by Neal Shusterman (PC): 4.5 THIS. BOOK.
Oh my gosh, I got sucked into this hard core. I definitely have a macabre streak and this was right up my alley. Maybe a little dark for early teens, but I was so impressed with how well this concept with developed and executed. (Get it? A little murder humor there.)
Often I think a book has a good idea, but the author doesn't take it anywhere, but from the very beginning of Scythe, I was hooked and the plot kept swerving in a direction I didn't expect.
I'm sure this book isn't for everyone, but I loved it. It just means I have to move my order of book reading around to get the sequels in.

I totally ate up both the next two books in this series and they didn't disappoint. Perhaps my favorite series now!!

THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES by Sue Monk Kidd (MB): 4.5 This book was lovely. It is one that I figured I needed to read eventually since I'd heard good things about it.
It was better than I hoped. I enjoyed the writing style and I found many pearls of wisdom along the way. If I had my own copy, I would have highlighted phrases. One of the parts I loved is when Lily says that everyone is too focused on skin pigment. I feel like that lives on today. I liked that Lily loved deeply and the outside appearance was not the deciding factor. (Unless you count Zach, who was beautiful. Also a nice guy though.)
I loved all the information about bees that you get throughout the book. They are such interesting creatures and I liked the parallels between the bees and Lily's life. I've never wanted to be a bee keeper, but I really respect them. Robyn even showed me this lady on instagram who saves bees and I think it is such a worthy job.
There was a lot of focus on loss and grief and dealing with sadness and heartache. It was terrible for May that she felt things so deeply. I am the opposite, trying not to let things sink into me to protect my heart. I can see an argument for both. I loved the Boatwright sisters, from their names to their different personalities. Their traditions and their vigilance kept them knitted together.
There are too many things to address on here, but overall, I came away with a good feeling for this novel. I would like to reread it sometime. And I definitely want to watch the movie. It is a beautiful story.

TRULY DEVIOUS by Maureen Johnson (PC): (Audio) I happened to be reading two different books with a very similar feel, so my brain has been struggling to keep them both straight. It helped that this one was audio. The pacing seemed a little weird to me, but it all made sense at the end, when it didn't end at all, but was a cliff hangar. Really? I don't have time for a whole series. I guess you really are Truly Devious.
I like the idea of Stevie coming to the school to solve an old crime. She does have a way of looking at the world and some things made me chuckle out loud. But I felt like the book included unnecessary things. Maybe it's because I want good clean books for teens. It wasn't the worst, but I always wonder what I can recommend. I'm not sure this is it.
Naturally I was left with many unanswered questions and in a mystery, that is unacceptable. Guess I'll have to read the next one.

I did go on to read the rest of the series. It was a guilty pleasure. But I love me some murder mystery.

THE AFTERLIFE OF HOLLY CHASE by Cynthia Hand (FG): I really enjoyed this book. I chose it for my family book group, so we'll see what the kids think.
I liked the idea of a company playing out the Christmas Carol each year for individual Scrooges. There was obviously a magical element that made this story unrealistic, but the idea was still neat.
It was interesting how closely they tried to remain to the original Christmas Carol. I tried to decide who would be my Marley, or Crachit, or perhaps Belle. (Granted, I don't think of myself as a Scrooge.)
I realize the book was about character development, but I'm not sure I felt that as strongly as it could have been. Holly wasn't my favorite character, but I also didn't hate her.
I think what I liked most about this book was the idea that our lives effect others. The Scrooges could look and see that their negative actions caused trials and distress for others. Which means when we choose good, hopefully our actions also cause good for others. (In most cases.)

Nope, I lied, my favorite part of the book was at the end, when Holly...well, I don't want to spoil it. It may not end exactly as you expect.

AS YOU WISH by Cary Elwes (PC):  (Audio) I HIGHLY recommend you listen to the audio version of this book. Cary Elwes reads his own memoir of his memories of the Princess Bride and many other actors are included as well, many of which read their own memories.
I have always adored this movie, since I was a little girl, so it was really fun to hear about how people were chosen and some of the behind the scenes mishaps. I was very impressed with Mandy and Cary's dedication to learn how to fence to create the greatest sword fight of all time.
The whole time I listened to this, I just wanted to go watch the movie again, because I wanted to bring all these new insights and background stories to the experience. It is possible that you won't be able to see the movie the same way after knowing some of these things, but I don't think anything will ruin the magic and fun of the movie.
Although they say that the movie didn't come out with the acclaim they expected, I think everyone can agree that The Princess Bride will go down in history as one of the most beloved movies of all time. And I'm grateful to all those people who made it happen.

ONE OF US IS LYING by Karen McManus (PC): (Started Audio) This was a total guilty pleasures read. It was just a bunch of drama and it was a fun page turner. It was like reading a soap opera, although I did appreciate how the author added resources at the back of the book for teens who go through some of these real issues.
You get to know each character personally as the story is told through their eyes and it is hard to chose a suspect. I went back and forth and settled on my horse and I got it wrong anyway. It was a good twisting road that led to a good conclusion.
You can imagine that I am excited for a sequel. But I might wait to read it. Then again, it is Summertime. No better time to get lost in a book, simply to forget everything else on my to-do list.

This book had plenty of swearing. Not for young teens. 

BORN A CRIME by Trevor Noah (MB): This book was so laugh out loud funny while still dealing with some serious issues. I know very little about apartheid and it is staggering to think of what people went through, and still go through, even as apartheid is ended.
I always find it so interesting to hear about someone's childhood and how there can be similarities while most of it is strikingly different. I think Trevor's mom is amazing. She is tough as nails and such a devoted believer and mother. The story of her ignoring Trevor because he was bothering her with too much asking in the store made me laugh so hard. (Sounds like something I might try.)
I liked all the references to how language brings people together. It is something I wish I were more gifted with. Some people seem to pick up languages so easily. What a skill.
This book reminded me how humor can keep your life moving. Even when Trevor was going to be mugged and he simply turned around and said, "Let's go mug someone. I'm in!" What a funny way to diffuse a scary situation. We all need a little more lightheartedness in our lives.
I told many of the stories to my kids, but this book had a LOT of profanity. Not a read aloud, unless I plan to do editing on the fly. :)

ALL THIRTEEN by Christina Soontornvat (PC): This book was amazing. It is supposed to be a kid's nonfiction book, but I would recommend it to adults in a heartbeat. It covers the events around the soccer team that was trapped in a cave in Thailand in 2018. Even though you know the ending, there is suspense through the book, and it seems unbelievable that they made it out.
It is amazing to watch so many people come together for a rescue. The book also included highlights about culture in Thailand that I loved reading. I would really like to visit that country (not necessarily the caves).
I'm not sure what hole I was living in three years ago that I didn't know all this was going on. My children seemed to know more than I did. But reading the book was like being there. It is a fast read with a lot of pictures. I highly recommend it!

THE THINGS WE CANNOT SAY by Kelly Rimmer (MB): This was a great book. Such a touching story. As usual, I learned a lot of historical information as it was based on real events. How sad that I didn't realize Auschwitz is in Poland. How did I miss that fact?
I really enjoyed the characters in this book. With the story split in two parts, it is natural to gravitate toward one story more than another and I liked the story set in Poland more than the one set in America. I felt for Alice and her trials, and I actually related more to her underlining frustrations in her marriage, although I do not have an autistic child. But my heart was with Alina in Poland as she worked so hard to stay close to her love and hide from the Nazis.
I wouldn't say I was super surprised by the twist in the story. There were enough clues to help the reader understand something wasn't adding up correctly. It was a very moving story. I told June about the story later and found myself crying. How could you not be touched by these dedicated hearts?

ME BEFORE YOU by Jojo Moyes (PC): (Audio) First audio book I've listened to in a long time. This was a wonderful book. A lot to think about, whether you are analyzing your own life or what choices you feel are acceptable for people to make. I really liked the characters; Will with his sarcasm and Lou with her own sense of style. There are some cliché pieces to this book, but not enough to draw away from the story. I don't feel like I knew a lot about quads or 'plegics' in general. I like that there seems to be lots of resources for them and that this story took place when the internet could provide that support.
In general, I felt like this book had a great voice. It was very interesting to listen to and in the end, it made me cry. I can't wait to watch the movie. I hope it will not disappoint.

The movie was fantastic by the way, and yes, I cried again. And so did all the kids.

AURORA RISING by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff (PC): This is just what I needed. A good, keep-you-reading-and-invested book. I liked all the characters and enjoyed that the chapters were told from different POVs. There were parts I saw coming and others that surprised me. But for sure, you will be rooting for all of this squad. I really don't want to give anything away or spoil the adventure. But if you are looking for a good sci-fi adventure with humor, romance, witticisms, chaos, close calls, and complete sass, this is the book for you.

Read the rest of the series later, although I had to wait for the last book to come out in November, but it was all great. Great story, great characters, great read.














I feel like I should just mention a few more, although you'll have to go look them up on your own. I went through quite a phase of girls solving mysteries. (Not sure where that came from) But these others were all worthy:

Ella Minnow Pea, Touching Spirit Bear, A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, The Inheritance Games, Legion, Scar Island, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, In Five Years, Theft of Swords. What a great year of reading!!

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