Happy February! Hope everyone’s reading goals for the year are off to a great start. This post is a little late, as I want to try and post the first Friday of every month. January was a great reading month for me. I read quite a few good books. Without further ado, here is my January recap.
Strong Points: This series, to me, is the ultimate comfort book (although I tear up more than I’m comfortable enough to admit). It’s short and sweet and gets to the point of each little vignette. The customers’ stories are perfectly intertwined, making you savor every last page. There are messages about every different stage of life. I think anyone can relate to at least one part of this book. Weak Points: The many characters involved become a little confusing when trying to remember everyone’s name. Especially since they are Japanese names. Of course, this probably wouldn’t be the case if I understood these common Japanese names like I do Tom, Tim, or Theo.
Quick Synopsis: A boy named Charlie takes care of his elderly, grumpy neighbor after he falls off a ladder. Only to find the neighbor, Mr. Bowditch, has a secret passageway to another fairytale-like world under his shed. When Mr. Bowditch dies, he leaves Charlie a voice recording, sending him on a mission in this other world.
Strong Points: Stephen King’s descriptive voice is unmatched. It transported me to this different time and place.
Weak Points: During the second act, it started to drag a bit for me.
Quick Synopsis: After a nameless narrator runs into an old college acquaintance, Jeff, at the airport, Jeff invites him to the airline lounge. Here, Jeff begins to share a story about saving a man’s life 25 years ago and how it has unraveled his entire adulthood. Strong Points: This was an interesting concept about saving someone’s life and how life goes on after this traumatic happening.
Weak Points: Snoooooooze fest. Great concept, so poorly, poorly executed. It was so unbelievable. I’m not sure this story needed to be told through Jeff telling a random classmate he ran into at the airport. Even if Jeff had a couple of drinks, the whole story was so over the top that it made me roll my eyes quite a bit.
Quick Synopsis: Sam and Sadie met at a hospital while Sadie’s sister was battling cancer, and Sam was getting reconstructive surgery on his leg after being involved in a horrible car accident. Sam and Sadie instantly create a strong bond over video games. After 15 years, they reconnect and create a widely successful videogame company.
Strong Points: The author had done her research on gaming and coding. She was very knowledgeable without adding too much jargon. The POV switched between Sam, Sadie, and a few side characters. I enjoyed this when the characters were developed, but it was tough to get through when these side characters were weak and underdeveloped. Weak Points: This book was beyond over-hyped. The characters were so unlikeable and not in a love-to-hate way. I found myself not caring about Sadie or Sam’s struggles.
Quick Synopsis: Prince Harry’s recollection of his life up until 2020
Strong Points: Wow, did Prince Harry give us the tea, honey! Prince William has always bothered me (it’s his face, teeth, and head). I always felt a little bad for Kate having to be married to that slug, but it turns out she’s just as ugly on the inside as William is on the outside.
Weak Points: Became a little Meghan can do no wrong towards the end. Come on, she was depressed and emotional, and you’re telling me she never snapped at anybody and was this perfect angel? I think not.
Quick Synopsis: A behind-the-scenes look at the making of the Spice Girls through Sporty Spice’s perspective
Strong Points: I love me a good Spice Girls behind-the-scenes story! And Mel delivered. They revolutionized the term “girl power”. She did a great job of not trashing the girls, yet she was honest.
Weak Points: YOOOOO I’ll tell ya what I want what I really, really want…… for it to be 200 pages shorter. Her editor needed to trim that fat. I don’t know how many different ways she could have talked about her eating disorder. Albeit interesting, it got old when the Spice Girls separated, and I realized there were still 200 pages left.
Quick Synopsis: Carlisle grew up with a mother who was a professional ballerina and a father who was part of a famous ballet studio in New York. After moving to Ohio with her mother after her parents divorced, Carlisle is desperate to be a part of her father and his new husband’s lives, even if they have no room for her. After a tumultuous falling out with her father, Carlisle receives a phone call that her father is ill and is passing away.
Strong Points: I haven’t had a book invoke such a strong emotional response since A Little Life. This book is one to be savored and cherished. Some of the proses I found myself underlining and reading again and again. Howrey has a talent for taking these raw, real emotions and creating beautiful characters to portray them through. There were complex human feelings of not feeling worthy enough and realizing some of the dreams you wished for as a child would never come true, and that's okay. I couldn't recommend this book enough. Just make sure you have some tissues nearby.
Weak Points: Nada
Quick Synopsis: It was 1996. Frankie and Zeke create a punk-rock poster and start plastering it all over town. The townfolk go crazy wondering where these mysterious posters could be coming from. Chaos ensues, sending this sleepy town of Coalfield on its head.
Strong Points: I loved the mid-90’s feel. Wilson did an excellent job of transporting the reader to an easy, care-free teenage summer.
Weak Points: The plot and characters at times felt overly fictionalized. I found myself thinking “people wouldn’t act like this over a poster.”
Before the Coffee Gets Cold: Tales from the Café by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
Quick Synopsis: And we are back for another adventure in the time traveling café in Japan. This time, with different customers traveling to different points in time to accomplish closure and mend relationships.
Strong Points: This series, to me, is the ultimate comfort book (although I tear up more than I’m comfortable enough to admit). It’s short and sweet and gets to the point of each little vignette. The customers’ stories are perfectly intertwined, making you savor every last page. There are messages about every different stage of life. I think anyone can relate to at least one part of this book. Weak Points: The many characters involved become a little confusing when trying to remember everyone’s name. Especially since they are Japanese names. Of course, this probably wouldn’t be the case if I understood these common Japanese names like I do Tom, Tim, or Theo. Writing Style: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Plot: 5/5
Flow/Pacing: 5/5
Overall Rating: 5/5
Fairy Tale by Stephen King
Quick Synopsis: A boy named Charlie takes care of his elderly, grumpy neighbor after he falls off a ladder. Only to find the neighbor, Mr. Bowditch, has a secret passageway to another fairytale-like world under his shed. When Mr. Bowditch dies, he leaves Charlie a voice recording, sending him on a mission in this other world. Strong Points: Stephen King’s descriptive voice is unmatched. It transported me to this different time and place. Weak Points: During the second act, it started to drag a bit for me. Writing Style: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Plot: 4/5
Flow/Pacing: 3.5/5
Overall Rating: 4/5
Mouth to Mouth by Antoine Wilson
Quick Synopsis: After a nameless narrator runs into an old college acquaintance, Jeff, at the airport, Jeff invites him to the airline lounge. Here, Jeff begins to share a story about saving a man’s life 25 years ago and how it has unraveled his entire adulthood. Strong Points: This was an interesting concept about saving someone’s life and how life goes on after this traumatic happening. Weak Points: Snoooooooze fest. Great concept, so poorly, poorly executed. It was so unbelievable. I’m not sure this story needed to be told through Jeff telling a random classmate he ran into at the airport. Even if Jeff had a couple of drinks, the whole story was so over the top that it made me roll my eyes quite a bit. Writing Style: 3/5
Characters: 2/5
Plot: 3.5/5
Flow/Pacing: 4/5
Overall Rating: 3/5
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
Quick Synopsis: Sam and Sadie met at a hospital while Sadie’s sister was battling cancer, and Sam was getting reconstructive surgery on his leg after being involved in a horrible car accident. Sam and Sadie instantly create a strong bond over video games. After 15 years, they reconnect and create a widely successful videogame company. Strong Points: The author had done her research on gaming and coding. She was very knowledgeable without adding too much jargon. The POV switched between Sam, Sadie, and a few side characters. I enjoyed this when the characters were developed, but it was tough to get through when these side characters were weak and underdeveloped. Weak Points: This book was beyond over-hyped. The characters were so unlikeable and not in a love-to-hate way. I found myself not caring about Sadie or Sam’s struggles. Writing Style: 2/5 – Weak, weak writing
Characters: 2/5
Plot: 3/5
Flow/Pacing: 3/5
Overall Rating: 3/5
Spare by Prince Harry
Quick Synopsis: Prince Harry’s recollection of his life up until 2020 Strong Points: Wow, did Prince Harry give us the tea, honey! Prince William has always bothered me (it’s his face, teeth, and head). I always felt a little bad for Kate having to be married to that slug, but it turns out she’s just as ugly on the inside as William is on the outside. Weak Points: Became a little Meghan can do no wrong towards the end. Come on, she was depressed and emotional, and you’re telling me she never snapped at anybody and was this perfect angel? I think not. Writing Style: 4/5
Plot: 5/5
Flow/Pacing: 4/5
Overall Rating: 4/5
The Sporty One: My Life as a Spice Girl by Melanie Chisholm
Quick Synopsis: A behind-the-scenes look at the making of the Spice Girls through Sporty Spice’s perspective Strong Points: I love me a good Spice Girls behind-the-scenes story! And Mel delivered. They revolutionized the term “girl power”. She did a great job of not trashing the girls, yet she was honest. Weak Points: YOOOOO I’ll tell ya what I want what I really, really want…… for it to be 200 pages shorter. Her editor needed to trim that fat. I don’t know how many different ways she could have talked about her eating disorder. Albeit interesting, it got old when the Spice Girls separated, and I realized there were still 200 pages left. Writing Style: 3.5/5
Plot: 5/5
Flow/Pacing: 2/5
Overall Rating: 3.5/5
They’re Going to Love You by Meg Howrey
Quick Synopsis: Carlisle grew up with a mother who was a professional ballerina and a father who was part of a famous ballet studio in New York. After moving to Ohio with her mother after her parents divorced, Carlisle is desperate to be a part of her father and his new husband’s lives, even if they have no room for her. After a tumultuous falling out with her father, Carlisle receives a phone call that her father is ill and is passing away. Strong Points: I haven’t had a book invoke such a strong emotional response since A Little Life. This book is one to be savored and cherished. Some of the proses I found myself underlining and reading again and again. Howrey has a talent for taking these raw, real emotions and creating beautiful characters to portray them through. There were complex human feelings of not feeling worthy enough and realizing some of the dreams you wished for as a child would never come true, and that's okay. I couldn't recommend this book enough. Just make sure you have some tissues nearby. Weak Points: Nada Writing Style: 5/5 – beautiful prose
Characters: 5/5
Plot: 5/5
Flow/Pacing: 5/5
Overall Rating: 5/5 – as close to a perfect book I have read in a long, long time
Now Is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson
Quick Synopsis: It was 1996. Frankie and Zeke create a punk-rock poster and start plastering it all over town. The townfolk go crazy wondering where these mysterious posters could be coming from. Chaos ensues, sending this sleepy town of Coalfield on its head. Strong Points: I loved the mid-90’s feel. Wilson did an excellent job of transporting the reader to an easy, care-free teenage summer. Weak Points: The plot and characters at times felt overly fictionalized. I found myself thinking “people wouldn’t act like this over a poster.” Writing Style: 4/5
Characters: 3/5
Plot: 3/5
Flow/Pacing: 3.5/5
Overall Rating: 3.5/5
*I also read Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors, and, to be honest, I can’t remember a lick about it. So, holding off on reviewing it.*
What were some of the best books you read in January? Comment below! See you next month and happy reading!
"I'm not a stage, I'm a person who has never wanted children and never had them. That is its own separate sort of person. It requires an act of self-relevance that should not be confused with selfishness." - They're Going to Love You by Meg Howrey
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