I haven’t been dedicating any time lately for writing book reviews, so I thought I would share what I’ve read over the last 2 months or so and a quick mini review for each book.
Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah – 2.5 stars
I really wanted to like this book more. In part, I think listening to the book detracted somewhat from my enjoyment. This is actually the first book I’ve ever done by audio, and I wasn’t thrilled with the narrator. Also, it’s like 17+ hours! I’m pretty sure I could have read it faster than that. Aside from that, it was much longer probably than it needed to be. It’s the story of Tully and Katie, who meet in high school and are “friends forever”. The novel follows their lives over 30+ years. There’s a lot of cultural references from the 70s, 80s, etc, so some may enjoy it just for that.
Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen – 4 stars
Like all of Sarah Addison Allen’s books I’ve read so far, this book contains just a hint of magic. I really enjoyed this, as I have with her other books. If you’ve read any of her work and liked it, then you should read this one too!
Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex by Mary Roach – 2 stars
Ugh. I thought this book would be fascinating. And it’s not. It was a huge letdown. First, Mary Roach covers the history of scientific research about sex in a very weird, causal writing style. Second, a lot of people doing research about sex have been down right weird and in some cases, disturbing and/or disturbed. There are tidbits of interesting facts in this book, but it was not worth reading it to learn them. I would have preferred a cheat sheet!
Blackbringer (Dreamdark, #1) by Laini Taylor – 3.75 stars
I really enjoyed some of Laini Taylor’s other books, so I thought I would give this one a try. It’s about faeries and djinn, how could it be bad? Actually, it was good, but there was just something about it that I didn’t love. It’s also written for a very young audience (middle school, I think), so that might be part of it. I would have enjoyed it more if it had been slightly more adult.
Dept. of Speculation 
by Jenny Offill – 2.5 stars
This book was just weird. I think it’s written from the perspective of the woman (the wife/mother) but often the main character is referred to just as “the wife”. Most of the characters don’t have names, and it’s got this feel like it was written from the point of a person who is mentally unstable.
Einstein’s Dreams by Alan Lightman – 3 stars
This is an interesting fictional work that details Einstein’s dreams. Each dream is set in a new reality, where how time works is different. It might be circular, or run backwards, or more slowly at higher altitudes. Entertaining, a little weird, and short. If it were longer, I would not have liked it as much. Towards the end the concept started to get a little stale and the new workings of time even more far-fetched.
Bones Would Rain from the Sky: Deepening Our Relationships with Dogs by Suzanne Clothier– 4 stars
I loved this book! The beginning is a little slow but I love how she lets you see what she’s learned about herself as person and a dog trainer throughout her life, and how it’s all evolved.
A good read if you like dogs, are interested in dog training, or anything along those lines. Otherwise, you might not like this one.
I love the emphasis on compassion and caring in our relationship with animals, and how she considers the old school training notions that involve the human being the “alpha dog” to be outdated and incorrect. The main point being that we’re human, we’re not dogs, so why would we act like a dog? Also, that research was all based primarily on wolf packs which again, not the same thing as domesticated dogs living in houses with humans.
Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt by Michael Lewis – 3 stars
According to this book, the stock market is rigged. Hmmm. I enjoyed this book, but it can get very technical in places. My one main dislike for this book is it’s all opinions and not much fact. And I would say that the stock market is not rigged but rather that there are some inconsistencies that high frequency traders are taking advantage of and using to make millions.
The Unimaginable by Dina Silver – 2.75 stars
This book was a little too predictable and formulaic to get a great rating from me, but I did enjoy it. It’s a chick-lit, romance-y type of novel and I was hoping it would have more excitement and adventure.
Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty – 4 stars
This book was unusual. It has a very carefree writing style that I liked, but it covers some very serious topics. I almost disliked it because of that, but in the end, it was a good read.
This is the story of 3 women in a small town whose kids are all in kindergarten together. Someone dies at a school function, and the story unravels the mystery of what happened.
Revival by Stephen King – 3 stars
Like a lot of King’s novels, this one is hard to describe. Honestly, I felt it wasn’t his best work. Towards the middle I lost interest and just plodded through to the end.
This is another book that spans decades of the characters’ lives. Unfortunately, I just didn’t find the characters or the plot compelling. The only plus is the ending is truly creepy in true King fashion.
Bossypants by Tina Fey – 3 stars
Another book that I wanted to love and didn’t. It just wasn’t as funny as I’d hoped it would be.
What have you all been reading? Do you like this format of reviews?