June Review

Let's see...

So I read a total of 9 books this month. Pretty good I think. Getting better at this.

To be honest though the first one is a picture book with few words and stunning illustrations

Imagine a City by Elise Hurst

This shows magic realism in the best way, with stunning illustrations that are so confidant in their line work and sophisticated and fun in their content. Love this book.

But I'll get on with the rest of the books I actually read (not that I didn't read the above) rather than drool over the illustrations.

The first book I've finished this month was Big Fish by Daniel Wallace

This book was first published in 1998 by Algonquin Books. It's 196 pages and I gave it three stars on good reads.

This book is about Edward Bloom told by his son William. Edward Blood was an extraordinary man who could outrun anybody, tamed giants, saved lives and never missed a day of school. Animals loved him, people loved him, women loved him. He knew more jokes than any man alive. At least this is all what he told his son. On Edwards death bed Williams just wants to know the truth about his father, the teller of tall tales.

I read this with my boyfriend an ultimately it's a pretty quick read. It was funny, quirky and a little unbelievable at times. The reason I gave it three stars was because I didn't feel any connection to the characters. I got that William wanted to know the truth about his father but didn't understand his anger behind it, there was no real build up. And because of these tall tales about his father, Edward Bloom was hard to relate to. The moments I enjoyed were when it got real, tender, as William tried to urge the truth, rather anything from his father as he lay on his death bed.

Unfortunately I feel I have a slight bias as I've seen the 2003 Big Fish movie directed by Tim Burton, and felt that the movie executed the magic realism really well, and gave us a better connection to the characters.

Next was All the Broken Things by Kathryn Kautenbrouwer

This book was published January 14th 2014 by Random House Canada. It has 352 pages.

I gave this book two stars but moved it down to one star. I was disappointed.

Set in 1983 the story follows fourteen year old Bo, a boy who, with his mother, crossed the ocean to escape Vietnam. Now in Toronto, Canada, Bo, his mother Thao, and his four-year-old sister live in a small house owned by the church. His sister is disfigured from the effects of Agent Orange, her name is Orange Blossom, but Bo just calls her Orange. She is the family secret. One day a carnival worker and bear trainer, Gerry, finds Bo streetfighting and recruits him for the bear wrestling circuit, eventually giving him a cub to train. Then Gerry's boss, Max, begins pursuing Thao with an eye on Orange for his traveling freak show. Bo wakes up one day to find the house empty he knows he and his bear cub, Bear, are completely alone. Together they set off on a journey through the streets of Toronto and High Park, forming a unique and powerful bond. When Bo emerges from the park to search for his sister he discovers a new way of seeing Orange, himself and the world around them.

This books synopsis was what lead me to buying this book. But this book was a let down. The whole time I kept thinking there was going to be this thrilling climax to the story, but it never showed. Every time I picked it up to read it it felt like a chore, and almost just didn't finish it multiple times. But I kept thinking that maybe the end would make it worth while. It didn't. At all. The only redeemable factor of this book was Bo's relationship with his sister, and the effects a war had on this family (which sounds terrible I know...) but it showed how Bo was victimized not only by his class mates who he fought, but his teacher who kept bringing the war up as a teach able moment when all Bo wanted to do was forget. The effects of agent orange on a child, and how that effected the family dynamic was depressing and real, a true eye opener. Otherwise everything else fell short.

Next is an audio book: American Gods by Neil Gaiman

So I listened to the Tenth anniversary edition that was a full cast production. Narated by Dennis Boutsikaries, Daniel Oreskes, Ron McLarty, Sarah Jones. First published in 2001 this book now has a TV series adaptation on the Starz network. This audio book is 19hrs and 39 minutes

We follow Shadow, who is just getting out of prison after three years. He did his time, quietly just waiting to go to Eagle Point Indiana and be back with Laura, the wife he deeply loved and start a new life. But the day before his release Laura and Shadows's best friend are killed in an accident. With his life in pieces and nothing to keep him tethered, he accepts a job for a beguiling stranger he meets on the way home, and enigmatic man who called himself Mr. Wednesday. A trickster and a rogue, Wednesday know's more about Shadow than Shadows knows about himself. Life as Wednesday's bodyguard, driver, and errand boy is far more dangerous than Shadow every imagined. Soon Shadow realizes that the past never dies, and beneath a placid surface of everyday life there is a storm brewing, and epic war for the very soul of America, and he is standing in it's path.

I loved this book. Five stars. The journey Shadow goes on is really thought provoking. There's no good way to describe this book. This concept of the Old Gods, Odin, Czernobog, Anansi, Thoth, Anubis, Easter, etc. and New Gods; The Black Hats, The intangibles, Media and Technical Boy and them wanting the land that is America, and the belief of the people who live there is really just bind blowing. I was curious too, since it's in America if they were going to introduce Native American beliefs in here as well, and they did! Admittedly, a little stereotypical but in a way that made me laugh as it points at hard truths of changes in America. But that's the whole book really, hard truths, that people in America like to believe they have beliefs, but what do they believe in?

Highly recommend. I could not stop listening to it, and can't wait to watch the show.

Next was another audio book: Sherlock Holmes: The Rediscovered Railway Mysteries and Other Stories by John Taylor and Narrated by Benedict Cumberbattch

This was a shorter audio book: 2 hours and 3 minutes long.

So I had just finished American Gods and needed to do something with my hands, but really wanted to continue with a book. I share an audible account with my mom, and she had gotten this so I decided to put this on while I had to work with my hands. This is several short stories following Sherlock Holmes, a private detective, and his companion, Dr. John Watson.

These stories were fun and interesting for that moment in which I needed them, I was a little disappointed because there weren't very many stories. And honestly I was kind of expecting more from Cumberbatch...I guess I expected him to sound as the Sherlock Holmes he portrays in the BBC show Sherlock, I thought that would have lightened the mood up and given the stories a bit of humor. But he did his job, he was narrating. Though I was impressed with some of his accent changes.

I gave this audio book three stars. It was fine for the moment but didn't really stand out.

Next was my the May Owl Crate Book Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia

This book was released this year: May 30th 2017, and contains 400 pages.

This book follows Eliza Mirk, she's weird, quiet, and doesn't have any friends, but online she's Lady Constellation, the anonymous creator of the viral web comic Monstrous Sea. Eliza can't imagine the real world being as interesting or worth living as much as the online world. But when Wallace Warland transfers to her school, Eliza find out he's the biggest fan fiction writer of Monstrous Sea. When their friendship starts to grow, Wallace just thinks Eliza is another fan, and Eliza starts wondering if  real life isn't that bad. When her secret of being the Monstrous Sea creator is accidentally released at their school, Eliza's friendship, online life, and emotional stability starts to crumble.

I devoured this book. I was nervous because this book was getting so much hype on booktube, but it was because of that hype that I ordered it to begin with. Eliza is an illustrator with two younger brothers that get mistaken for twins and are really into sports, she also has an Aunt Carol and Uncle Frank, it was all to easy for me to be in her shoes. Particularly when she's forced to go to her brother's soccer games and she's sits there and sketches rather than watch the game....dead ringer for me honestly, it did make me feel bad though....(to be fair I did look up when the crowd around me got all hyped up...) In this book Eliza deals with trying to be invisible at school, in order to not get picked on, in order to not be seen by her teachers and be made to say something in front of the whole class, she deals with anxiety. So does Wallace Warland, but while Eliza's was more of anxiety brought on by pressing social situations/too many people in one room, Wallace's was brought on by an event in his life, and it's interesting to see the differences between the two and how they attempt to over come it through out the book. Both of these characters I loved and disagreed with plenty of times, but in the end came to love them both with their growth through out the book. I swooned with Eliza and Wallace was being cute and adorable, I cried with her as her world started falling apart only to get some help through some unexpected people, helping me understand further that it's all about COMMUNICATION!

I had a longer review....but realize I should make it separate from this post....I'll probably do that, I didn't realize how much I wanted to say. Overall four out of five stars.

Next was another new release: Beyond the Bright Sea by Laruen Wolk

Quickly some cover love right here, this is stunning. Alright, this was release May 2nd, 2017, and has 304 pages.

This book follows Crow, she's lived her life on a tiny island off the islands of Elizabeth, Massachusetts. She was abandoned and set a drift hours old into the sea, her only companions are Osh, the man who rescued and raised her, Miss Maggie, the fierce and affectionate neighbor across the sandbar, and Mouse, a cat who like Osh and Crow found the island home. Crow has always been curious of the world around her, but when a mysterious fire appears across the water it sparks some unspoken questions in her own history. Soon an unstoppable chain of events are triggered, leading crow to a path of discovery and danger.

I loved the descriptions in this book, definitely a summer read and the author describes the sand, the water, I needed a beach day after reading this. I gave this four stars, not because I didn't love it, I did, and not being it didn't hold my interest, it did, there was just something I had wanted more from it that I didn't get. But otherwise it was very interesting, and set some time in history before phones were a thing. But I thought Crow was adorable and curious and hard working, she figured out a lot of the problems herself most of the time and was very smart about some very adult decisions. An over all fun and quick read for summer.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

This was originally a British radio series, turned book in 1979 turned movie in 2005. The books themselves are a 5 part series with a sixth book written by another author. This particular one is the first in the series, and I listened to it on audio. It's 5 hours and 51 minutes long and is narrated by Stephen Fry.

I've seen the movie to this and thought it rather funny but heard from countless people it doesn't even compare to the book. I had a physical copy of the book at some point, but now an ex has it...and i'm not asking for that back.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a comedy science fiction series that starts off with the Earth being demolished to make way for a galactic freeway. Luckily before it was demolished Arthur Dent was plucked off by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher for the revised edition of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy who has been stuck on earth for the last fifteen years, posing as an out of work actor.

Together Arthur and Ford begin a journey through spaced aided by quotes from The Hitchhiker's Guide and a galaxy full of fellow travelers: Zaphod Beeblebrox- the two headed three armed ex-hippie and "totally out to lunch" president of the galaxy; Trillian, Zaphod's girlfriend (formally Tricia McMillan) from Earth, whom Arthur tried to pick up at a cocktail party once upon a time zone; Marvin a paranoid, brilliant, chronically depressed robot.

So in a way I'm happy for the movie, as it helped with visualization, particularly with the Vogons in this book. Otherwise I did love it and gave it four out of five stars. Something was a miss, perhaps not as much action scenes? or travel? something. But it the book was hilarious at times and I connected with the characters and their literal banter. I can't wait to start on the next series of the book and hope to pick up more space type books in the future.

And finally the last book I read this month

The Bone Sparrow by Zana Fraillon

This book was published in November 2016 by Disney Hyperion, and is a quick 240 pages

This book follows Subhi, a refugee born in an Australian permanent detention center after his mother and sister fled the violence of a distant homeland. Despite not knowing life outside of the fences, Subhi's imagination is far bigger. Every night the magical Night Sea from his mother's stories bring him gifts, far away whales sing to him and birds tell him their stories. The most vivid arrives one night with a girl named Jimmie, a scruffy impatient girl who appears from the other side of the wire fence with a notebook written by the mother she lost. Unable to read it herself, she relies on Subhi to unravel her family's love songs and tragedies. Subhi and Jimmie might both find comfort and maybe in freedom as their tales unfold, but not until each has been braver than ever before.

This book....needed to be written. Subhi's imagination is wonderful and magical, and such a gift to have in such a terrible place. The conditions in which Subhi and the rest of them are in come from accounts of real refugee detention center's from Australia. The author makes not of the terrible way countries treat refugees in Australia, UK, Europe and USA. It sickening and frightening that we can do something like this to fellow human beings that are trying to escape to a better place or be killed in their homeland. This book is important and beautiful. The stories told are enticing, the imagery is breath taking, and Subhi's story is one to be told. Even the way we ignore these conditions and mistreatments is told perfectly in this story as Jimmie realizes that her dad seems to care then to look at the sports page and wonder "what is the world coming to" due to a player being out for a couple games. I applaud this other for this book despite that I wish it didn't have to be written, I'm glad Fraillon did so.

Alright so that is it for the books I've read in June. Let me know if you've read any of these and your thoughts on them. Any of them you want to read? Or what did you read in June you think I should check out?

Until next time!

Litta