Presidential Crime Solvers, Rabbits, Break Dancing, Lady Doctors, and Anti Heros: My Recent Reads!

Hello Patrons! 🙂 

Happy Halloween! It’s currently wetter than India in monsoon season here in Cincinnati.  So in the month of October I read 23 books! Omg! I have had a wonderful reading month.  I am only going to be discussing the last 6 books I have read for sake of brevity. I am going to go in reverse order so most recent to least recent.

Hope Never Dies by Andrew Shaffer 

I just finished this on the ferry ride home from class today. I mentioned the synopsis of the novel in my live blog of Books by the Banks, but basically it’s the former President and Vice president as a detective duo and narrated by  Biden. The characters sounded like Biden and Obama, everyone seemed really believable.  Shaffer writes on the same caliber as James Patterson in terms of his thrillers, (I have a slight gripe in this novel be shelved as just a humor novel in this years Goodread’s best novels of 2018 ballot but that’s another post) I was so engrossed in the novel I was surprised on my progress on Goodreads. I highly recommend this novel for fans of James Patterson, or of James Bond films. I rated this 5 out of 5 stars.

Watership Down by Brian Adams

This is the book I had to read for class. This is basically rabbits trying to survive in the harsh countryside of Britain. The rabbits face fascism, death at almost every turn, and danger constantly.  Originally when published the novel’s intended audience was to young British children, but when it crossed the pond it was re-branded as an adult novel because of the violence that permeates the story. If your under 13 don’t read this novel it will traumatize you. We watched the 1978 adaptation in class and I was terrified. (Netflix is apparently releasing another adaptation on Christmas day of this year but is toning down the violence for children which irritates me so much because then you shouldn’t even adapt Watership Down because it’s 99% violence!) I gave the novel 3 out of 5 stars.

A Very Large Expanse of Sea by  Tahereh Mafi

A Semi autobiographical look into the year after 9/11 and the rampant bigotry and Islamophobia in America. This novel broke me and made me ugly cry. My favorite character was Ocean the love interest. I gave A Very Large Expanse of Sea 5 out of 5 stars.

The Summer Before the Dark by Doris Lessing

I have a pretty meh relationship with Doris Lessing’s books. This is the second I have read for a class and have been unimpressed. (Lessing as a person was tough as nails and I respect her a ton). This novel was about a woman who goes back to work after being a housewife for twenty years and looses her mind. Nothing and everything happens simultaneously and it made my head hurt. I only gave the novel 1 out of 5 stars. If your interested in Lessing, read her science fiction instead.

The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzi Lee 

A continuation of The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue except with Monty’s sister Felicity having the adventures. A wonderful feminist adventure and a look at how women don’t have to just be one thing, instead be multi-faceted. (There’s also a magical element that I LOVED!) I gave the novel 5 out of 5 stars, and need a sequel or short story right now! (preferably about Percy, Monty’s lover and resident cinnamon roll).

Vengeful by V.E. Schwab

Another sequel! This follows Victor and Eli, who are anti-heros to each other after the events of the first book Vicious. There’s a bunch of new characters and new dangers on both Victor and Eli. the novel would hop from Victor’s perspective, to Eli’s perspective, to Sydney’s perspective seamlessly.  I really liked the thriller component of the story, because I felt that Vicious ended in a way that didn’t leave much room for continuation. I gave the novel 5 out of 5 stars.

I am currently reading Dune (a science fiction novel that is a brick), Killing the American Dream (a non-fiction book about anti immigration extremists), and The Bloody Chamber (kinky fairy tales) for class and am trying not to bang my head against the wall too hard from the stress of being a senior in college. As for my fun book, I am leaning toward Wildcard by Marie Lu. I need something fast paced.

What are you currently reading or have recently read? Tell me in the comments below.

Stay Golden! 🙂 

-Leila