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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Queens of Geek in Books
Mar 4, 2021
Simple yet sweet look into fandom and friendship
Charlie, Taylor, and Jamie are extremely close friends. They come to SupaCon as one last blast before they all head to college--and to celebrate Charlie, a famous video blogger and actress. Charlie's struggling to get over her very public breakup with her former co-star, Reese Ryan. Taylor is dealing with how the Con flames her anxiety and that she has feelings for her best friend: Jamie. Plus, she wants to enter a contest at the Con to meet her favorite actress from her favorite fandom, but knows her fears would never allow it. And Jamie just wants to make Taylor happy. Can the three survive SupaCon?
This is the seventeenth book in my #atozchallenge! I'm challenging myself to read a book from my shelves that starts with each letter of the alphabet. Let's clear those shelves and delve into that backlist!
This was a cute book--easy to read with sweet characters. It's written very simply and honestly it's often trite in its writing and plot. Expect some undeveloped characters, some insta-love, and problems that resolve themselves before they even fully develop. It's a shame, because QUEENS covers some incredibly important topics--Asperger's, autism, anxiety, bisexuality--and covers them fairly well--but often quickly, without a lot of depth.
The book is a true ode to geeks (I say this with the highest praise) and con/fandom lovers. However, not really being a fan of these fandoms, it was hard to truly get into those parts. I loved how much comfort Taylor took in her fandom, but it wasn't something I could be into, if that made sense.
Mostly, I loved the spot-on passages describing social anxiety and the diverse cast. This was an easy YA read, but one lacking true depth; still, it satisfied the "Q" requirement for my A to Z reading challenge. 3 stars, mostly for the bi rep.
This is the seventeenth book in my #atozchallenge! I'm challenging myself to read a book from my shelves that starts with each letter of the alphabet. Let's clear those shelves and delve into that backlist!
This was a cute book--easy to read with sweet characters. It's written very simply and honestly it's often trite in its writing and plot. Expect some undeveloped characters, some insta-love, and problems that resolve themselves before they even fully develop. It's a shame, because QUEENS covers some incredibly important topics--Asperger's, autism, anxiety, bisexuality--and covers them fairly well--but often quickly, without a lot of depth.
The book is a true ode to geeks (I say this with the highest praise) and con/fandom lovers. However, not really being a fan of these fandoms, it was hard to truly get into those parts. I loved how much comfort Taylor took in her fandom, but it wasn't something I could be into, if that made sense.
Mostly, I loved the spot-on passages describing social anxiety and the diverse cast. This was an easy YA read, but one lacking true depth; still, it satisfied the "Q" requirement for my A to Z reading challenge. 3 stars, mostly for the bi rep.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Beach Read in Books
Jan 7, 2021
Heartfelt and beautiful romance
Author January Andrews is 29, miserable, broke, single, and semi-homeless. She's had her entire life view shattered. Now she's arriving at her late father's secret lakeside home. The one he just happened to share, secretly, with a second woman that wasn't her mother. There she finds herself living next door to her college rival--now a successful author--Augustus Everett. But soon the two discover they're both struggling with writer's block and strike a deal: Augustus will write something cheery and happy (January's style) and she'll attempt something serious (his style). To assist in this endeavor, they'll take each other on field trips: for instance, she'll bring him to theaters showing old romantic comedies, and he'll take her to interview cult members. And, under no circumstances, will they fall in love.
"Here’s the thing about writing Happily Ever Afters: it helps if you believe in them. Here’s the thing about me: I did until the day of my father’s funeral."
I adored this romance, which isn't a fun and easy love story, but instead a tale of two broken people trying to find their way again in the world. The book focuses almost solely on January and "Gus," as she knows him from college, and oh these characters are just so amazing, popping from the pages as you get to know them. There are great wonderful side characters as well, particularly Gus' aunt.
The banter in this book is unbelievable, as January and Gus first continue their college rivalry and then slowly get to know each other. In fact, I challenge you to find another romance with such wonderful gradual sexy chemistry. And January is simply hilarious and wonderful and inspiring despite the fact that's grieving--not just the loss of her father, but the loss of the idea of him, the person she'd known and idealized.
Overall, this is just an amazing book. Sad yet humorous and sexy and romantic. I can't recommend it enough. 4.5+ stars.
Author January Andrews is 29, miserable, broke, single, and semi-homeless. She's had her entire life view shattered. Now she's arriving at her late father's secret lakeside home. The one he just happened to share, secretly, with a second woman that wasn't her mother. There she finds herself living next door to her college rival--now a successful author--Augustus Everett. But soon the two discover they're both struggling with writer's block and strike a deal: Augustus will write something cheery and happy (January's style) and she'll attempt something serious (his style). To assist in this endeavor, they'll take each other on field trips: for instance, she'll bring him to theaters showing old romantic comedies, and he'll take her to interview cult members. And, under no circumstances, will they fall in love.
"Here’s the thing about writing Happily Ever Afters: it helps if you believe in them. Here’s the thing about me: I did until the day of my father’s funeral."
I adored this romance, which isn't a fun and easy love story, but instead a tale of two broken people trying to find their way again in the world. The book focuses almost solely on January and "Gus," as she knows him from college, and oh these characters are just so amazing, popping from the pages as you get to know them. There are great wonderful side characters as well, particularly Gus' aunt.
The banter in this book is unbelievable, as January and Gus first continue their college rivalry and then slowly get to know each other. In fact, I challenge you to find another romance with such wonderful gradual sexy chemistry. And January is simply hilarious and wonderful and inspiring despite the fact that's grieving--not just the loss of her father, but the loss of the idea of him, the person she'd known and idealized.
Overall, this is just an amazing book. Sad yet humorous and sexy and romantic. I can't recommend it enough. 4.5+ stars.
Rick Astley recommended Live at Carnegie Hall by Bill Withers in Music (curated)
Illeana Douglas recommended Amarcord (1973) in Movies (curated)
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Young Jane Young in Books
Jun 10, 2021
An emotional, character-driven tale
This is the twenty-fifth book in my #atozchallenge! I'm challenging myself to read a book from my shelves that starts with each letter of the alphabet. Let's clear those shelves and delve into that backlist!
YOUNG JANE YOUNG weaves together the story of five women--Rachel Grossman, who worries about her college-aged daughter, Aviva and her future. Jane Young, who lives in Maine with her daughter, Ruby. Ruby Young, who has led a quiet life with her mom, until now. Embeth Levin, the wife of a famous congressman. And Aviva Grossman, who became Internet famous after a terrible scandal. These five women are bound together by this scandal and the man at its center.
This was an interesting read, told from the perspective of each of our female protagonists. Zevin is excellent at portraying different voices, from young Ruby to the older Rachel and Embeth, and I really enjoyed how strong of a storyteller she was. Some of the women's stories were told in unique formats, such as all email or a "choose your own adventure" style. It was different, took a little getting used to, but overall worked for this book.
This is less of an action packed tale than a character-driven one, focused on how Aviva's actions affect everyone going forward. It has a political bent, but centers more around emotion, relationships, and family. It does a good job portraying the double standards applied to women--in politics, in marriage, and more. My favorite character was probably Ruby, but I thought Zevin did a good job of bringing each woman to life and showing their complex feelings and flaws.
I would have liked more of an ending to this story, especially finding out what was next for Ruby and Rachel. But this was an interesting and different read, and I'm glad I picked it up. As always, as I get nearly to the end of the alphabet, I'm glad my challenge has gotten me to choose some books I might not have otherwise.
YOUNG JANE YOUNG weaves together the story of five women--Rachel Grossman, who worries about her college-aged daughter, Aviva and her future. Jane Young, who lives in Maine with her daughter, Ruby. Ruby Young, who has led a quiet life with her mom, until now. Embeth Levin, the wife of a famous congressman. And Aviva Grossman, who became Internet famous after a terrible scandal. These five women are bound together by this scandal and the man at its center.
This was an interesting read, told from the perspective of each of our female protagonists. Zevin is excellent at portraying different voices, from young Ruby to the older Rachel and Embeth, and I really enjoyed how strong of a storyteller she was. Some of the women's stories were told in unique formats, such as all email or a "choose your own adventure" style. It was different, took a little getting used to, but overall worked for this book.
This is less of an action packed tale than a character-driven one, focused on how Aviva's actions affect everyone going forward. It has a political bent, but centers more around emotion, relationships, and family. It does a good job portraying the double standards applied to women--in politics, in marriage, and more. My favorite character was probably Ruby, but I thought Zevin did a good job of bringing each woman to life and showing their complex feelings and flaws.
I would have liked more of an ending to this story, especially finding out what was next for Ruby and Rachel. But this was an interesting and different read, and I'm glad I picked it up. As always, as I get nearly to the end of the alphabet, I'm glad my challenge has gotten me to choose some books I might not have otherwise.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Local Woman Missing in Books
May 27, 2021
I'm so excited to be a part of the blog tour for this dark, frantic page-turner of a thriller
First Shelby Tebow goes missing. A new mom, Shelby's husband is quickly suspected in her disappearance. Then Meredith Dickey and her young daughter, Delilah--who live just blocks from Shelby--vanish. The rest of the neighborhood, including couple Bea and Kate, are terrified. Are the cases related? An investigation is launched, with few results. Then, eleven years later, Delilah is found, bringing back memories of all the incidents, especially for her father Josh and brother Leo. Everyone wants answers, but Delilah is too traumatized to provide them. Besides, the secrets unearthed with Delilah's return may be too much for everyone.
"I don't know how old I am. I don't know how long they've been keeping me here."
This was a captivating page-turner that I read in three breathless sittings. It's undeniably compelling and sucks you in from the beginning. It starts with Delilah's point of view, shocking and terrifying, and sort of never lets you go. Her voice and story are hard to forget. Among other narrators, we hear from Meredith, eleven years ago, and then Kate and Leo in the present. Working out how the various families and characters are interconnected is part of the challenge and honestly, I was truly shocked at various points in the story. How exactly these missing women and Delilah are tied together is incredibly dark and twisty.
I was completely into this book for most of the story and thought I was looking at 4.5+ star read. It started to dissolve a bit at the end, as things (including some characters) went a little crazy. Still, some of the twists were truly awesome and breathtaking. I think--in that way--this is one of Kubica's best in a while.
Overall, this is an addictive thriller filled with some truly shocking plot twists. It keeps you guessing the entire time, and its complex and layered plot is different and exciting. 4+ stars.
"I don't know how old I am. I don't know how long they've been keeping me here."
This was a captivating page-turner that I read in three breathless sittings. It's undeniably compelling and sucks you in from the beginning. It starts with Delilah's point of view, shocking and terrifying, and sort of never lets you go. Her voice and story are hard to forget. Among other narrators, we hear from Meredith, eleven years ago, and then Kate and Leo in the present. Working out how the various families and characters are interconnected is part of the challenge and honestly, I was truly shocked at various points in the story. How exactly these missing women and Delilah are tied together is incredibly dark and twisty.
I was completely into this book for most of the story and thought I was looking at 4.5+ star read. It started to dissolve a bit at the end, as things (including some characters) went a little crazy. Still, some of the twists were truly awesome and breathtaking. I think--in that way--this is one of Kubica's best in a while.
Overall, this is an addictive thriller filled with some truly shocking plot twists. It keeps you guessing the entire time, and its complex and layered plot is different and exciting. 4+ stars.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated The Zig Zag Girl in Books
Jul 8, 2021
Captivating mystery set in the 1950s
When DI Edgard Stephens sees the body of a girl, cut into three, it reminds him of a magic trick: the Zig Zag Girl. His friend, Max Mephisto, used to perform it. Max and Edgar served in the war together as part of a secret unit called the Magic Men. Max still performs, but when another person turns up dead, he reluctantly helps Edgar look into the deaths--especially since this one seems tied to magic as well. Both men feel like the murders may be linked to their war days, and if they're not careful, their whole unit could be in danger.
This was the twenty-sixth (and final!) book in my #atozchallenge! I challenged myself to read a book from my shelves that started with each letter of the alphabet.
"'The way the body was cut into three, each part put into a black box, it reminded me of a magic trick. One you used to do before the war.'"
I absolutely adore Elly Griffiths, but I don't read a lot of historical fiction, so I've always kept this series in my back pocket. When I needed a "Z" book for my challenge, this seemed like a perfect fit. No surprise, really, but this was an easy and interesting read. Griffiths is such a good writer, and this is written in what I've come to think of as Elly's style--a fun, enjoyable form, where she captures the essence of each of her characters so well.
The book is filled with magic and war stories. The mystery is quite captivating--it's a good case, which draws you into the story. And Edgar, Max, and their crew are very compelling. I enjoyed the themes of friendship and wartime, plus the surprising vulnerability that shone through in both Max and Edgar. I would certainly read the next book in the series. 4+ stars.
This was the twenty-sixth (and final!) book in my #atozchallenge! I challenged myself to read a book from my shelves that started with each letter of the alphabet.
"'The way the body was cut into three, each part put into a black box, it reminded me of a magic trick. One you used to do before the war.'"
I absolutely adore Elly Griffiths, but I don't read a lot of historical fiction, so I've always kept this series in my back pocket. When I needed a "Z" book for my challenge, this seemed like a perfect fit. No surprise, really, but this was an easy and interesting read. Griffiths is such a good writer, and this is written in what I've come to think of as Elly's style--a fun, enjoyable form, where she captures the essence of each of her characters so well.
The book is filled with magic and war stories. The mystery is quite captivating--it's a good case, which draws you into the story. And Edgar, Max, and their crew are very compelling. I enjoyed the themes of friendship and wartime, plus the surprising vulnerability that shone through in both Max and Edgar. I would certainly read the next book in the series. 4+ stars.
Kaz (232 KP) rated Harry Potter: Wizards Unite in Apps
Jun 29, 2019
A Disappointing Game
Being a Harry Potter fan, I was really excited to finally be able to download and play this game. However, I have been left disappointed.
When I first started up this game, it took forever to load. So, thinking this was due to my phone (I don't have a fancy phone, just a bog standard one), I bought a new SD card, hoping that the extra memory would do the trick. It helped, but I found the game to still be really slow.
Also, it was a bit frustrating when you had to cast spells, you kept having to do them again and again, because your tracing of the patterns, wasn't quite right. Possibly I would have done better using a stylus to trace the patterns, but I think it shouldn't be so exacting, because not everyone has a stylus to hand when they are out and about.
I also found that I wasn't able to put the VR backgrounds on my phone and had to resort to having the computer generated ones, which kind of defeats the purpose of this game, as it's supposed to be fun to find 'foundables' within your home or town.
This leads me to another problem I had. During the game, you had to go to certain places within your area. However, when I got there, it said that I had to wait for players to do a battle or some kind of challenge with. I don't know whether I chose the wrong time of day, where other players were elsewhere or there aren't many players within my area, but I didn't fancy standing around on a hot day, eating up my Internet MBs.
The concept of this game is good, but due to the slowness and uninspiring context of the game, this didn't get me enthused to play it. Actually, I've deleted the app from my phone. Very Disappointing.
When I first started up this game, it took forever to load. So, thinking this was due to my phone (I don't have a fancy phone, just a bog standard one), I bought a new SD card, hoping that the extra memory would do the trick. It helped, but I found the game to still be really slow.
Also, it was a bit frustrating when you had to cast spells, you kept having to do them again and again, because your tracing of the patterns, wasn't quite right. Possibly I would have done better using a stylus to trace the patterns, but I think it shouldn't be so exacting, because not everyone has a stylus to hand when they are out and about.
I also found that I wasn't able to put the VR backgrounds on my phone and had to resort to having the computer generated ones, which kind of defeats the purpose of this game, as it's supposed to be fun to find 'foundables' within your home or town.
This leads me to another problem I had. During the game, you had to go to certain places within your area. However, when I got there, it said that I had to wait for players to do a battle or some kind of challenge with. I don't know whether I chose the wrong time of day, where other players were elsewhere or there aren't many players within my area, but I didn't fancy standing around on a hot day, eating up my Internet MBs.
The concept of this game is good, but due to the slowness and uninspiring context of the game, this didn't get me enthused to play it. Actually, I've deleted the app from my phone. Very Disappointing.
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