2019 Book Overview (Part Two)

This is Part Two of Three for my 2019 Book Overview.

Don’t forget to check out Part One!

My Goodreads Reading Challenge for 2019 was 15 books, but I upped the number to 20 this August.

As you read through this overview, keep in mind that I believe no book is ever truly perfect. I rate books based on overall quality and enjoy-ability from my perspective. I may feel a book wasn’t written very well, but still give it a good rating because it had great characters, or I just really enjoyed it.

A person can love a certain book/series while another hates it, so please be courteous of people’s right to their own opinion.

On to the list for May & June:

7/20 Revenge of the Witch

&

13/20 Curse of the Bane

(The Last Apprentice / Wardstone Chronicles #1 & 2) by Joseph Delaney

My Rating: 5 of 5 (for both)

I absolutely love this series so far. This is a UK written children’s horror. I tend to avoid horror stories, but these are great. They are actually scary for children’s novels, but not inappropriate. I could not read this book after dark or alone, which is usually a no from me, but this series kept me coming back.

If you like horror, definitely try this series. I would say this series could be enjoyed any time of your you crave something dark, vivid, and spooky. I read these in Spring and Summer.

Would I read this series again? Absolutely.

Will I pursue the rest of the Wardstone Chronicles? Absolutely.

8/20: Gabby, a Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero

My Rating: 2 or 5

I read this book for a class, and I was surprised… not in a good way.

First, I think the main character is very relatable, the writing style is interesting, and world realistic. Quintero does a wonderful job making the reader feel some strong emotions and shock, but that is one of my complaints. The elements of racism, coming of age, sexuality, and the Chicano struggle is something I applaud Quintero for. That is what more teen books need, in my opinion.

It takes talent to illicit such a strong response from the reader like Quintero does, but the negative emotions I felt were what turned me away from this book. There is sexual violence, drugs (overdoes), abuse, teen pregnancy, abortion, and violence in this book; and it is not just glazed over. My professor didn’t warn us ahead of time, and the book doesn’t have any warnings either, which is a real bummer. I wouldn’t recommend this to a teenager for those reasons, but that is obviously a case by case basis.

I ended up giving this two stars instead of one because the writing is great and the quality is there. I just feel like this book is way too heavy for me, but it wasn’t bad.

I actually got to meet Isabel at school, which was very cool. I am proud of her accomplishments. This book was just a miss for me. I encourage her to keep writing and challenging the industry.

Would I read this book again? Not unless I want therapy.

9/20: Good Omens: The BBC Radio 4 dramatisation by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

My Rating: 5 of 5

This is the first audiobook I have ever listened to, and my mind is blown. This is amazing. That’s it. Amazing. I will listen over and over again, and laugh every time.

The plot, characters, and world is perfect. This version of the book wowed me.

I don’t usually enjoy comedies, but I loved every second of this audiobook. I highly recommend this book/audiobook to anyone that isn’t that into reading/listening to books. Great gateway into reading, and great read during fall/winter.

Would I read/listen to this book again? YES! Once a year even.

10/20: A Quest of Heroes (The Sorcerer’s Ring #1) by Morgan Rice

My Rating: 1 of 5

I listened to this book for free, and I now understand why it was free. It is not written well, almost like Rice didn’t have an editor look at it at all. The characters are not realistic and make strange decisions. The events of the story are obviously fabricated, and inexplicable and unrealistic things happen throughout the whole book, like the main character having ridiculous luck and finding a leopard cub to be his pet and having the good graces of a king that thinks he tried to poison him. It felt silly listening to it, and the whole time I felt like I was just correcting the story.

I would not recommend this book and I will not be revisiting it.

11/20: How Not to Die: Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease by Michael Greger and Gene Stone

My Rating: 5 of 5

I read this book last year, then again for a class this year. Great insight into health and disease. I highly recommend reading this book or visiting nutritionfacts.org if you care about your health and want to avoid dying from disease.

Will I revisit this book? Absolutely. I already reference it constantly.

12/20: La matadragones: Cuentos de Latinoamérica by Jaime Hernández

My Rating: 5 of 5

I read this graphic novel to help improve my Spanish comprehension. I think it was a great collection of stories and the writing was not so hard that I couldn’t get through it with my minimal understanding of the language. There is a version in English, so if you like fairy tales and graphic novels, I highly recommend.

Would I read this graphic novel again? I will absolutely revisit this book in the future when my Spanish is better to see how far I’ve come.

Thanks for checking out my reading overview for 2019!

Don’t forget to check out Part Three this Thursday!

-Knight of Cups ❤

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