My Bookshelf

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Review

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Review

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Review

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Review

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Review

Keep - Yes

If you're only going to read one print book a year, make it count, right? I had heard that this was a revolutionary science fiction book and one of Ursula's best, but after reading it for myself I can't help but reflect on how the times have changed. I certainly enjoyed this book, but revolutionary? It didn't feel that way to me. Not in the 21st century. There's already so much debate about gender identity and performance these days that I think this book has lost a little bit of its punch. And honestly that's a good thing in my opinion! The fact that this is no longer a shocking or revolutionary concept is reassuring.

Keep - No

Honestly even after reading some of the reviews for this book I still cannot recall the full story. Another unfortunately forgettable British romance.

Keep - No

If you are someone who does enjoy Dan Brown books, please read Michael Crichton. I'm not a huge fan of Jurassic Park, or the particular flavor of thriller/mystery that Crichton writes, but I can't deny that he's a great writer. This book definitely captures the combined thrill and anxiety of the potentials of modern technology, and I found myself thinking about it for days afterwards. Definitely recommended if you're the kind of person who loves the big questions about the unlimited possibilities that modern technology has to offer us, both good and bad, and how our humanity affects the decisions we might one day have to make.

Keep - Yes

I kept this book for now because it was definitely unique enough to hold my attention, but still seemed to be missing... something. The setting, characters, and conflicts were interesting enough that I still remember specific details I enjoyed, yet I don't feel enthusiastic about the story overall. It reminds me a bit of Miyazaki's Castle in the Sky both in story and structure, where you're given just enough of the story to get you interested without actually getting into the more satisfying details. It's a good example of speculative fiction that straddles the line between science fiction and fantasy, but it could easily be replaced on my shelf by something with much stronger writing.

Keep - No

Another Dan Brown book. Readable, but forgettable. After reading Digital Fortress a few months before, I decided I might as well read this one too before it went to the donation pile. I know Dan Brown has been accused of being formulaic, but reading two of his books in such a short period of time just makes it extremely obvious. Compared to Digital Fortress, Deception Point comes off as even more silly and dramatic. (Aliens? Really?) It's clearly made for entertainment. Nothing wrong with that, but it's just not my thing. If you're looking for something similar, but with a bit more to chew on, please, please read Michael Crichton instead.

Keep - No

Although I still have difficulty remembering the details of this particular romance novel, I do know that I found it a bit more interesting. Another appearance of the overdone British medieval setting, but with a darker tone that feels a little more relatable.

Keep - Yes

This is another book that, like Cold Tom, really surprised me. I'm not entirely sure if I kept it or put it in the donate pile though. I found the story to be much more compelling and complex than I expected, but it just wasn't my preferred flavor of mystery. Definitely worth a read.

Keep - Yes

I was assigned this book for an entrepreneurial class that was mandatory for my degree program, and really ended up liking it. It is a biography structured as an instructional or self-help manual for entrepreneurs. The biographical content is written by an African American man who shares the story of his life and the life lessons his uncle taught him. As someone who grew up in the American South, I found the historical context to be extremely compelling and inspirational. I think this book is worth a read for just about anyone, but especially for anyone who feels like their dreams are unattainable because of the time, place, or culture they live in.

Keep - Yes

A scientific exploration of autism that includes the perspective and experiences of the author, who is also autistic. Highly recommended by the autistic community, and I definitely agree. Worth reading if you are curious about the history of autism diagnosis, the way autism presents itself neurologically, or are just curious in general about Temple Grandin's experience as a person with autism.

Keep - Yes

Another book assigned for my (required) entrepreneur class. I decided to keep this one just because... I paid money for it. It does a good job of explaining the problem solving processes that are necessary to starting a business. There is also a personality type aspect to their approach that acknowledges that different people have different strengths, how to determine what yours are (via a paid online quiz), and what strengths are needed when building a startup. It's definitely not a bad book, but because I have no interest in becoming an entrepreneur, I can't really give it a fair review.

Keep - Yes

I have to admit that this book series is my Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings. It made such a deep impression on me as a child that I think I will always subconsciously be comparing every fantasy story I read to this one. I absolutely adore it, and it was so nice to re-read it again after so many years.

Keep - Yes

The second book in the series introduces the first real romantic interest for the protagonist as well as my favorite setting in the series, the Enchanted Forest.

Keep - Yes

The third book in the series wraps things up with an unsatisfying ending, a stalemate that cannot be resolved. It is also the last book in the series told from the perspective of our first protagonist.

Keep - Yes

The final book in the series brings us a possible solution to the series-long conflict, a new protagonist! Many of the characters from the first three books make an appearance to help our new hero save the day.

Keep - Yes

Diana Wynne Jones is always worth reading. I put off reading this book just because I wasn't enthusiastic about what kind of story the title implied. (If you take a glance at some of the romance novels on this list you might see why.) Instead I was delighted to find out that my feelings about the title are actually addressed in the story itself, and that there's a very good reason why the title implies the kind of story that it does. Diana clearly knows exactly what she's doing from the very first word to the very last. I have yet to read a book of hers that I did not enjoy and this was no exception.

Keep - Yes

Full disclaimer, I have not seen this movie. It just never appealed to me that strongly, so I never got around to watching it. When I heard that the book had a unique narrative structure however, that was enough to make me pick it up and give it a read. It's definitely a fun and unique story. I enjoyed reading it, but I also expected to enjoy reading it just because people who have seen the movie seemed to really love all of the characters. I knew way more about the characters before I started reading than I did about the plot, but in a story full of well-written characters, I don't really mind when the plot takes a backseat.

Keep - Yes

Anne Bishop is admittedly a guilty pleasure read for me. Her particular blend of romance and fantasy is always a bit heavy and dark. It's not for everyone, but it feels like a good balance to me. Sebastian is the first novel in her Ephemera series, which is far more fantasy than it is romance despite its suggestive first impression, and its main appeal for me is the fantastic worldbuilding that is woven into the story.

Keep - Yes

Is it a medieval British romance novel? Yes. But is it good? Also yes! I really enjoyed reading this one. The female protagonist is feisty in the best possible way. She is also tall, which I remember because it's brought up so often in the book that it becomes a kind of running joke. It does include some outdated themes of the genre (like the all too common issues of consent) but the book never takes itself too seriously, and encourages you to laugh at some of the more ridiculous situations rather than make an attempt to sympathize. This is apparently book three in a six book series? But it can be read on its own without any confusion.

Keep - Yes

This is the first book in a four part series, and I enjoyed it for some of the same reasons I enjoyed Tell Me No Lies. It has a detailed setting and an interesting plot that gets just as much attention as the romance. Time travel. Ancient Egypt. Admittedly, a bit of personal interpretation of historical facts by the author in order to craft a compelling story, which is inevitable but gives away more about the author's personal beliefs than she may have intended. Overall, it kept me entertained while reading it, and left me curious afterwards to learn more about the historical details.

Keep - Yes

Book two in the four part series. It carries the story onwards from the first one into a new time period. The setting for this one is the lost Minoan civilization, so there's a lot more creative liberty than there is historical fact, but the plot continues to be compelling. I actually felt a lot more sympathy for some of the side characters in this novel than I did in the previous one. There's a lot more blending of fantasy and 'historical fiction' in this novel and because of that, I think the setting felt a lot less forced in this book than in the previous one. I currently only own the first two books of this series, but I'm definitely considering reading the next two.

Keep - Yes

I thought I had read the Chrestomanci series as a child, but if I did I certainly don't remember them. Once again, Diana Wynne Jones managed to surprise and delight me with a story far more complex and compelling than I expected. At this point I feel like it's worth keeping in mind that no matter what kind of story you're expecting after reading the book teaser or summary on the back cover, Diana Wynne Jones will always give you far more bang for your buck than you anticipated.

Keep - Yes

My copy of Charmed Life and Christopher Chant are a two-book volume so I read this one almost immediately after I finished the first. Christopher Chant is a prominent character that's portrayed as a near-antagonist for most of the first book, so I was a bit reluctant to dig into this book where he is obviously the main character. Silly me. Of course I enjoyed it. Probably even more than Charmed Life actually. It acts as a prequel to the first book, and really digs a lot deeper into the world that the first book presented to us.

Keep - Yes

I mean, do I even need to have a reason to read Ursula Le Guin? It had been too long since I read the Earthsea novels, so I started my 2020 reading here. I was particularly struck by the economy of her writing this time around. These novels are short, but packed. Not a word wasted. It was extremely refreshing to read.

Keep - Yes

I found this book fascinatingly frightening as a child, and I was no less entertained this time around. Tenar's story will always have a place on my shelf. I only own the first two books in this series currently, so I'm looking forward to hunting down the rest of the Earthsea books, as well as Ursula's other works, to complete my collection.

Keep - Yes

This is a romance novel with an everything plus the kitchen sink approach to fantasy. It has a strong focus on russian folktale creatures, but honestly feels like there's a little bit of everything else too, which can make it feel a bit disjointed at times. It's also just a straight up fun book to read. A bit like candy for your brain, definitely not the kind of book if you want something serious to digest. I kept this one because it includes some fantasy elements that I don't see too often in other books.

Keep - No

Okay so I enjoyed this movie in the theater, and if a movie is based off a book then obviously I have to read that too, right? I don't think I had any issues with this book just because I knew exactly what I was getting. Unfortunately things only got worse from here.

Keep - No

So I definitely had a hard time with this book, but I couldn't quite put my finger on what I didn't really like about it. I will admit that it rubbed me the wrong way when I found out that Veronica Roth was a pretty dedicated christian, but that would be a really petty reason to not like someone's book, right? Unfortunately once the cat was out of the bag, I couldn't help but notice a few select themes that were obviously written with her christian beliefs in mind. The self-sacrifice in particular was quickly becoming a huge turnoff.

Keep - No

By the time I was done with this book, I was completely over this series. It wasn't worth reading. Veronica Roth took parental abuse, self-sacrifice, and the fear of intimacy and beat us over the head with it until the very end. The 'big reveal' plot twist really backfires. It doesn't make the story more interesting, it only serves to make the first two books seem like a waste of time. All that, just to get here? I'm grateful I didn't pay for these books. They were hand-me-downs from a friend, and I didn't even bother to read the last one she gave me (Four), because I just wasn't in the mood to read more messy, poorly written parental abuse and angst.

Keep - Yes

I've read so much Arthurian fiction at this point that it's honestly a bit difficult to distinguish between the different series, even after reading them again. This book was definitely far more historical than my fantasy obsessed younger self remembers. It really wasn't a bad story, and I will probably make an effort to finish the series for nostalgia's sake, but I'm kind of over the Arthurian myths at this point in my life.

Keep - Yes

This is the first book of a 10 book series that I've only read once. I remember being really struck by the mechanics of the magic in this series, and how the author handled a large cast of characters. I've never read or watched Game of Thrones, but this series does fall into the same category of medieval style royalty politics in a fantasy setting.

Keep - Yes

Ah, yes. More Authurian references. Well, everyone wants to be the popular kid and this protagonist is no different, so why not imply that he was King Arthur in some kind of previous/alternate reality? It's a little predictable, especially since it feels so heavy-handed. Zelazny does a good job in the first book to keep the reader questioning whether the protagonist is actually a good guy worth rooting for or not, but I guess we're supposed to be on board with him as the hero at this point.

Keep - Yes

The third book in the series does a great job of dragging us deeper into the world of Amber. Again, I really appreciate the rules of the magical systems established in this series, and this book definitely gets us digging a little deeper into how it all works.

Keep - Yes

The fourth book goes hand in hand with the previous one, picking up right where the cliffhanger ending left off. It answers a lot of the questions posed in the last book, and keeps the world-building and conflict ball rolling right into the next book.

Keep - Yes

This is where I stopped my re-read of this series because I was still collecting all the books in the series, but it's also a natural stopping point. Book five wraps up our protagonist's story and the initial conflict. The first time I read through this series, I read all 10 books straight through, so I didn't notice any real break in the narrative, but after this book the narration shifts to a different protagonist. I eventually found an omnibus copy of the series, so I will definitely continue my re-read at some point.

Keep - No

I remembered this being an incredibly dark and depressing novel when I read it as a kid, and I was not wrong. It's definitely a well written book about loss and healing, with themes and motifs that I typically enjoy, but in the end I decided to let it go. It's just not the kind of story that compels me anymore, and that's probably a good thing.

Keep - Yes

A romance novel about a museum curator who gets dragged into a criminal scheme involving Qin Dynasty bronzes. This book is a great example of my favorite kind of romance novels, where the plot shares equal 'screen time' with the romance, and the author clearly did the research necessary to keep the reader invested. If a romance novel doesn't make me want to get lost down a wikipedia rabbit hole for a subject that I had never heard about before, then honestly I could take it or leave it.

Keep - No

I actually had to look at other reviews of this book before I wrote my own because I just find Dan Brown's writing so... forgettable. Yeah, I was on the hype train with everyone else when Da Vinci Code came out, but I was also a pretty bad writer back then myself. I ended up reading Deception Point after this one because his writing isn't difficult to get through, but I really can't see myself ever wanting to read either of them again.

Keep - Yes

I could not find a goodreads review of this book and I am not surprised. It's hilariously dated and to be perfectly honest it's not a book I expected to keep on my shelf. I ended up keeping it because the male protagonist is, in my opinion, startlingly autistic, and faces absolutely zero consequences for his wildly impulsive actions! I labeled this book as a romance novel because the level of wish fulfillment and suspension of disbelief in this book is... high. I'm honestly a little shocked that it was written by a woman. It's a fascinating study of a culture that no longer exists in the U.S. while still being relatable on a very basic level. Because who doesn't want to quit their boring life to run away and make art instead?

Keep - No

I don't actually remember if I kept this book or gave it away because I've already re-packed most of the books I read, but I doubt I held onto it. Although the witchcraft and devil-worshiping elements of this romance novel were bolder than other novels of the time, it's still incredibly tame by today's standards. Overall, it comes off a little silly and dramatic as well as being dated in general. I've read plenty of British themed romance novels. I wasn't particularly interested in keeping another one on the shelf.

Keep - Yes

I thought I had read this book in my younger years, but I had no recollection while reading it this time around. I definitely picked this book up because it looked short and I was nearing the end of the year. I wanted to get one last book on my list. In the end I was pleasantly surprised by the fantasy elements of the story, possibly because the description on the back of my copy was unhelpfully vague? The tone of the book was also a bit darker than I was expecting, but if I'm honest that's what made the story really stand out to me.