Book 27, 28, 29 of 2018

Today I'm grumpy because instead of reading the books in my TBR pile - or the books I have checked out already from the library - I keep finding new books to read!  Here are the last three I finished.

I enjoy YA books even now as an adult, but this book sort of drove home the point that... it wasn't really meant for me. I didn't dislike it, but it definitely wasn't one of my favorites, either.  The book was There's Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins.

While I can be selective about which books I love and re-read, I'm usually not picky about which books I start.  I'll try anything.  I read YA books like they're candy - I choose engaging books that I can finish quickly.  This one I read over the course of two days I think (which is pretty typical for me).  A brief synopsis:

Makani Young moved from Hawaii to Nebraska a year ago to live with her grandmother following her parents' decision to divorce - and a terrible incident that still haunts her.  But just as she's starting to find a place in her new town and new school (and find a boy she likes, as well) someone starts brutally murdering teenagers.

So.  When they say brutal it's not joke.  It certainly isn't graphic - pretty sparse on the details of the killings, for which I am very thankful - but the book definitely lets you know the murders are gruesome.  I thought the build up of suspense was okay.  The first scene, especially, when we meet the first victim, was pretty suspenseful.  (But that was about it.  There were moments of creepiness, but I was never scared, and the suspense definitely didn't last once the book was finished.)

The switch between slasher and romance was jarring.  It did raise the stakes for Makani, and the author made the very, very good decision to have everything happen over a short period of time so it made more sense that the focus would flip-flop between what was happening to the town and Makani's feelings about that, and then her feelings about her new relationship.  But I still didn't like it.  It felt like a mash-up, but not a neat, seamless one - it wasn't poorly done, really, just jarring.  But again.  Not written for me!  Maybe those kids who're always on my lawn would like it more...

I'd probably rate it three stars.

Book 28 was... a guilty pleasure book.  Well.  I say "guilty" but I feel absolutely no guilt over it, it's just silly, and a book in a niche genre that I happen to enjoy.  A lot.  The book was Miss Bingley Requests by Judy McCrosky - and the genre is Pride and Prejudice sequels, retellings, adaptions, etc.

And this is, as you might have guessed it, a retelling of Pride and Prejudice from Caroline Bingley's point of view.  There were some differences - specifically, the introduction of a love interest for Caroline - but for a large section of the book, it followed the original novel fairly closely.  I read it in about a day.  Like I said about YA, these books are also like candy.  I just pop 'em like M&Ms.  I liked it, and I liked that - for the most part - Caroline was more sympathetic than in the book.  Apart from the most despicable characters, I like when some depth gets added to a side or minor character and this definitely did that, fleshing out Caroline Bingley so that you could understand a little more of her motivations and her story.  I will say, though, that - at least to me - the author accomplished making her sympathetic while also leaning hard on her thing for Darcy - or at least her expectations of a marriage to him - by taking away all her sense.  She's, uh... well, to be blunt she comes off as just dumb.  I mean, it's not really remarked upon in the text, and it certainly doesn't hurt the reader's reception to the character or anything - the story is predicated on it really, and her lack of knowledge of love and the physical response to emotions (heart-pounding, things like that).  Most of the book I enjoyed, though I will say the ending was unsatisfying.

Three stars to this one, as well.

Book 29 was We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter, which I read for my book club.  This book was written beautifully, but because it was a family's history - fictionalized, but still - I feel uncomfortable talking about it.  It's about a family's separation during the Holocaust, and as you might expect it is pretty emotionally harrowing.  But I'm glad I read it, even if I definitely don't want to read it again.

So that's what I've finished lately!  I just started another book, The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager, which I'm hoping to finish soon!

What have you been reading?  And if you have any other Pride and Prejudice continuations you'd like to recommend, please do!  I'm almost always up for reading those.