The Books I Read in January:
The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery - In Book Challenge by Erin (yes, it's run by moi), I selected this book for "a book set in Europe". A friend recommended it a few months back, and it was time for me to read it. There
are people on goodreads that despise this book. Upon closer inspection,
I think those people take themselves way too seriously. I
found this book to be charming and beautiful. It has been a long time
that I've actually copied quotes from a book. I did that with this one. One quick example: "What does Art do for us? It gives shape to our emotions..." 5/5
Eye Candy by R.L. Stine - This
book was also selected to fit in a book challenge categroy. It is authored by the same person as the "Goosebumps" series, written
for an adult market. It was bad. The lead character is unlikeable. The
writing is simplistic (just like this review is simplistic). Most of the
characters are underdeveloped. 1/5
Cockroaches by Jo Nesbo - This
is the 2nd book from a series written by a Norwegian author that
features a very flawed, but very bright Norwegian detective. I enjoy the series because the detective
gets sent overseas when tragedy strikes a Norwegian citizen. The first
was set in Sydney; this one was set in Bangkok. I imagine I'll end up reading the entire series. For crime/thriller
readers, this is a good one. 4/5
Rocks: My Life In and Out of Aerosmith by Joe Perry with David Ritz - I'm
a rock music fan. I'm a rock biography reader. I'm a Joe Perry fan. This book did not disappoint. He blends the stories of youth, the music
business, his music passion, family dynamics, stories of addiction, and the relationships with
his band mates (especially the complex brotherly love/hate with Steven
Tyler). I've read Steven Tyler's autobiography, and I think he is a brilliant frontman...but, I will always be Team Joe. 4.5/5
Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho - I
read this for the 2015 TBR Book Pile Challenge. I read two or three of this internationally famous author years ago, so I grabbed this book at a second hand bookstore, and it's been sitting on my shelf for a couple of years. Finally, thanks to the challenge encouraging us to read those books that are collecting dust, I read it. It was just okay...which was actually
disappointing because Paulo Coelho has the capability to write some
beautiful stuff. It felt he was trying too hard with this one. There
were a few snippets of stories that I was moved by, but the overall book
just fell a little flat for me. 2.5/5
I've shown you my books; you show me yours.............................
I read a couple of Jo Nesbo books as well and want to read the whole series! I love grumpy detectives. And The Elegance of the Hedgehog is on my list as well!
ReplyDeleteI put the first 2 on my Goodreads! The first one is definitely outside my comfort zone and love the "dark, brilliant" description of it.
ReplyDeleteBoo on the Coelho disappointment. I hate that.
ReplyDeleteI'm interested in Joe Perry's book. I read Nikki Sixx's late last year on Jana's recommendation. I find the rocker life fascinating.
I am definitely going to add "Everybody Sees the Ants" to my Goodreads list! That sounds really interesting!
ReplyDeleteOh, sorry about the sucky books. I hate that. The girl with all the gifts sounds terrifying but also kind of awesome. It is definitely not my kind of book, but I am getting better at stepping out of my comfort zone and finding amazing books while I'm there.
ReplyDeleteYou read all those books last month?!?! Holy crap! I wish that I had the time to read that much! Dang! Since the beginning of the year, I finished If I Stay, read Lies That Chelsea Handler Told Me & started Gone Girl.
ReplyDeleteMandie ~ http://badbrewpack.blogspot.com/
I had quit a few sucky books as well this month. Though Cockroaches looks interesting.
ReplyDeleteI have a Jo Nesbo book on my Goodreads list. I wish I could remember which one.
ReplyDeleteI definitely do not enjoy horror/sci-fi/anything like that but I do like a good celebrity memoir and a good YA book. My two favorite rock memoirs are Nikki Sixx's and Rick Springfield's (I'm mildly obsessed with the latter).
And Eye Candy, is that the book the new MTV series with the same name is based on? Because I'm pretty sure I have no interest in either.
Wow! I haven't read an RL Stine book in YEARS!
ReplyDeleteI think Joe's book sounds interesting. The rocker life is so interesting, i can't imagine seeing all they see while out on the road.
ReplyDeleteOooh, I totally want to read Joe Perry's book! I love biographies too. I'm adding those first two books to my list. They aren't typically something I'd read, but your reviews convinced me!
ReplyDeleteI haven't read Joe Perry's biography yet! I need to get around to it. I am like you and a huge sucker for rocker bios. One of the best I've read was Anthony Kiedis' recently.
ReplyDeleteThat's sad the RL Stine book was bad. I remember how popular those books were in school! That rock star Joe Perry book looks pretty good. I'm not usually a biography reader, but every once in a while I'll pick one up. A lot of people take themselves too seriously on Goodreads, lol!
ReplyDeleteI'm so excited to see someone reading The Girl With all the Gifts. I didn't read what you had to say about it because I was told by a bookseller that I would probably like it (based off the books that I bought that day) but that I should read it not knowing anything about it. So I'll read your review once I read it. It's sitting on my shelf. :)
ReplyDeleteI read Veronika Decides to Die a while back for a book club I was in at the time, and I felt the same way. There were a few parts of it that were really good, but overall - meh. I am agree with you that it felt forced.
ReplyDeleteI never finished Elegance of the Hedgehog -- is it one of those books that you really need to stick with for a while and then it gets good? It's been a while, but I seem to remember that I was just confused... where is this story going?