More mini book reviews
I’ve posted some of my mini book reviews before, and I always love reading other people’s reviews so I can add to my never-ending list of ‘books to buy’! I’ve been on a book-buying ban the past few months so I’ve spent most of the summer re-reading some classics, re-acquainting myself with forgotten words and diving head first back into the wonderful Harry Potter series – of course! Having said all that though, I did manage to find a few books I hadn’t read on my kindle, as well as a sneaky purchase here and there so my reviews this time are still my first impressions of some new books. I’m back to filling up my bookshelves now, so if you have any book recommendations, I’d love to hear them!
The Girl on the Train - Paula Hawkins
I’m sure you’ll all have heard, and read, this one already. It was an extremely fast read for me, a real page-turner and I found it a really gripping story. Having been compared so many times with Gone Girl, I have to say the ending wasn’t a complete shock to me but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
The Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman
I’m not sure what prompted me to pick this one up, but I went in totally blind to the story and it was my first foray in to Gaiman’s work. The main thing I’m taking away from this one is the excellent writing, and I really want to read some more books by Gaiman, especially Coraline. Although it was a very different book to my usual, I couldn’t stop reading and I found the characters really compelling. I was slightly deflated by the ending of the book but it was a quick read and beautifully written.
The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
I had this on my Kindle and, although it’s a real literary classic, I actually had no idea what to expect. I knew that it was taught in school, so I was quite shocked at some of the haunting and powerful scenes in the book. I thought it was an amazing and touching read, another novel that is wonderfully written. Though I didn’t love Amir, I found his journey fascinating and it was a really emotional read for me.
Watch Over Me - Daniela Sacerdoti
I’ve had this book on my kindle for yonks, and it was one of those books I dipped in and out of on my lunch breaks when I’d left my paperback at home. I really struggled to stay with this one – I didn’t love the characters and the ending was blindingly obvious. It has reasonably high reviews on Amazon, but to me I thought it was pretty average and nothing to write home about. I’d really be interested in hearing some of your views on this one, whether you totally disagree with me or if you thought the same!
Fat Chance - Nick Spalding
Another read I found on my kindle shelf. This was a very quick read; light-hearted, funny and a bit crude in places. Take this read with a pinch of salt but don’t expect anything groundbreaking!
Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card
This was a book that I found on our bookshelves that actually didn’t belong to me! It’s Graham’s copy, and my first foray in to sci-fi for a very long time. I thought it had a really interesting concept and I loved Ender. Contrary to most of the books I’ve reviewed in this post, I didn’t see the ending coming! I knew this book was part of a series, so despite coming to the end of the book and not having the ‘finale’ happen yet, I just thought it would be in book two! The last chapter of the book happened very quickly and seemed a bit rushed, but I suppose it leads on to the rest of the books in the Ender series. I was pretty engrossed in the story and the psychological aspects of the book made it a really good read for me. Put aside Orson Scott Card's very questionable views and just enjoy the book for what it is.
(Illustration by me, please do not use or repost without permission)