Spring Reads
I'm surprisingly still going strong on my reading kick. There's something about only having 2 weeks to finish a book from the library that actually makes me finish that book. Or... you know, finish it the literal day before it's due. But hey, that still counts!
Why Not Me, by Mindy Kaling
This is Mindy Kaling's second book, and it's a collection of personal essays about her life. I originally wanted to read her first book when her show The Mindy Project was running, but it was too popular and I couldn't get a hold of it. This book was filled with a very Strong Mindy Voice, one you'd immediately recognize if you're a fan of her work. While this book was a quick easy read, and I loved learning more about Mindy's personal life, it felt a little empty to me. There wasn't any information that was gag worthy and descriptions of her personal beauty philosophy felt, "Hm....Good....Okay." While I'd still like to read her first book, this one is a skip for me.
Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde
This is an absurdist fiction novel, along the lines of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. It's definitely a novel that sets up an alternative reality, so there's a bit of world-building that was difficult to get through. Once I got into the novel though, this was a great experience. Once I understood what was possible in the world, the book transitioned from a slow building detective novel to a more fast paced cat and mouse game. This book is the first in a series of novels featuring the protagonist, Thursday Next. I'm definitely getting the next in the series!
Fledgling by Octavia Butler
I really wanted to read something by Octavia Butler, as she's an iconic science fiction writer. But unlike the choices above, much of her work explores racial bias in the context of science fiction and isn't an easy upbeat read. This novel was written in the first person perspective of a Vampire, which made it extremely interesting, but also extremely disturbing at certain points. A certain event 20 pages into the book made me set it down and stop reading for a full week. I would say if you are easily triggered, this would be one to skip, but if you'd like to explore genetically engineered vampires, give this novel a spin. As for me, I'll explore more of Octavia Butler's work, but look for some trigger warnings before picking something up.
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
Neverwhere is a fantasy classic by Neil Gaiman. While I was reading it, I felt like it was very cinematic with a lot of tropes that I've seen on television. I found out after reading it that it was originally a television series that was later novelized. The story centers around an "Average Joe" who discovers a secret and alternate universe below the city of London. Unlike some other worldbuilding novels that I found hard to follow, I was immediately drawn into this book. I found this novel to tickle all my "classic" fantasy bones in an quick and easily digestible format. The characters were relatable, funny, and engaging. Highly recommend!
Gods of Gotham by Lyndsay Faye
This murder mystery novel was set in New York in 1845-- despite the foreign time, Faye made this novel easily understandable. I read through the brief slang dictionary at the start of the book, a bit wary of what I was in for, but at the end, I found myself using the same language as all the characters. My favorite part of this novel was that it really kept you guessing and there was twist after twist. These twists represented the duality that exists within every being and that no one is all good, or all bad. This book's been on my to-read list forever, and I'm so glad that I finally got to it! Also a highly recommended, quick, read.
Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
This novel took the world by storm a few years ago. I watched the movie when it came out and thought that I would read the book as well to get the complete story. While I enjoyed the book and its descriptions of food made me want to visit Singapore and SouthEast Asia, I thought that the movie was better. One of the common complaints of the novel is that it dwelled too much on descriptions of food, of luxury, and of grandeur. These descriptions were more effective through the movie medium where you could see the places rather than read descriptions. I'm still highly investigated the world the Kwan built, but I might wait for the subsequent movies rather than read the remaining novel sequels.
Why Not Me, by Mindy Kaling
This is Mindy Kaling's second book, and it's a collection of personal essays about her life. I originally wanted to read her first book when her show The Mindy Project was running, but it was too popular and I couldn't get a hold of it. This book was filled with a very Strong Mindy Voice, one you'd immediately recognize if you're a fan of her work. While this book was a quick easy read, and I loved learning more about Mindy's personal life, it felt a little empty to me. There wasn't any information that was gag worthy and descriptions of her personal beauty philosophy felt, "Hm....Good....Okay." While I'd still like to read her first book, this one is a skip for me.
Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde
This is an absurdist fiction novel, along the lines of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. It's definitely a novel that sets up an alternative reality, so there's a bit of world-building that was difficult to get through. Once I got into the novel though, this was a great experience. Once I understood what was possible in the world, the book transitioned from a slow building detective novel to a more fast paced cat and mouse game. This book is the first in a series of novels featuring the protagonist, Thursday Next. I'm definitely getting the next in the series!
Fledgling by Octavia Butler
I really wanted to read something by Octavia Butler, as she's an iconic science fiction writer. But unlike the choices above, much of her work explores racial bias in the context of science fiction and isn't an easy upbeat read. This novel was written in the first person perspective of a Vampire, which made it extremely interesting, but also extremely disturbing at certain points. A certain event 20 pages into the book made me set it down and stop reading for a full week. I would say if you are easily triggered, this would be one to skip, but if you'd like to explore genetically engineered vampires, give this novel a spin. As for me, I'll explore more of Octavia Butler's work, but look for some trigger warnings before picking something up.
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
Neverwhere is a fantasy classic by Neil Gaiman. While I was reading it, I felt like it was very cinematic with a lot of tropes that I've seen on television. I found out after reading it that it was originally a television series that was later novelized. The story centers around an "Average Joe" who discovers a secret and alternate universe below the city of London. Unlike some other worldbuilding novels that I found hard to follow, I was immediately drawn into this book. I found this novel to tickle all my "classic" fantasy bones in an quick and easily digestible format. The characters were relatable, funny, and engaging. Highly recommend!
Gods of Gotham by Lyndsay Faye
This murder mystery novel was set in New York in 1845-- despite the foreign time, Faye made this novel easily understandable. I read through the brief slang dictionary at the start of the book, a bit wary of what I was in for, but at the end, I found myself using the same language as all the characters. My favorite part of this novel was that it really kept you guessing and there was twist after twist. These twists represented the duality that exists within every being and that no one is all good, or all bad. This book's been on my to-read list forever, and I'm so glad that I finally got to it! Also a highly recommended, quick, read.
Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
This novel took the world by storm a few years ago. I watched the movie when it came out and thought that I would read the book as well to get the complete story. While I enjoyed the book and its descriptions of food made me want to visit Singapore and SouthEast Asia, I thought that the movie was better. One of the common complaints of the novel is that it dwelled too much on descriptions of food, of luxury, and of grandeur. These descriptions were more effective through the movie medium where you could see the places rather than read descriptions. I'm still highly investigated the world the Kwan built, but I might wait for the subsequent movies rather than read the remaining novel sequels.
3 comments
Bought some novels last month, not yet finish book 1. Lol
ReplyDeleteThis is such a great book list! I love finding a new book to read, so I'll be checking out these ones! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeletehttp://roadesque.com
That's good to know about Crazy Rich Asians--I thought the movie was good, so maybe I'll skip the books as well haha. Kudos for keeping up on your reading!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments!