21 In Books & Writing

Book Reviews & Roundup III

book roundup

For the year 2016, I set myself the goal of reading 34 books. I read 30 for 2015 so hopefully I can manage 34 this year. Thankfully, I started the year on a good note and read more than expected!

The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend. Katarina Bivald. 

*This book was given to me by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review – all opinions are my own.*
A very good read. Like its editor I liked it from the very first page – however it’s a bit slow paced and it took me a while to get really into it, but by half of it I couldn’t put it down and just sat reading it until I was done. I loved the epistolary form punctuating the story, I love the book references and I liked to see the town of Broken Wheel come to life because of one inadvertent ‘tourist’ who loves books. It was slow at times and touching other moments, so true and yet so magical at other times. You’ll definitely like this book if you like bookish book. 4/5

Station Eleven. Emily St. John Mandel.

I read this book quickly because I couldn’t wait to know what would happen – I could hardly put it down actually, but even weeks after finishing it, I still don’t really know how I feel about it. It’s a nice book, well written and well constructed, but there is something about it that isn’t likeable. Perhaps it’s the characters – I couldn’t identity to any of them. They were all weird and despicable in their own ways. I would still recommend it if you like post-apocalyptic novels (though it made my hypochondria flare up haha!). 3.5/5

The Dean’s Diaries. Professor David Purdie. 

*This book was given to me by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review – all opinions are my own.*
I really liked this book. It was a bit tedious and waffly to read – but I think this was the point. I love books about academia and universities and this one was a great option with a lot of great Scottish humour. I often laughed out loud and often went back to read sections to the Brit who is obviously a Scottish academic. The more I read it, the more I liked it. You’ll like this book if you want to have a good laugh and read all about the pretend inner workings of a university school. 3.8/5 

Haven – War of Princes. A.R. Ivanovich. 

*This book was given to me by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review – all opinions are my own.*
I have mixed feelings about this book. I don’t usually like to say bad things about books because they take time to write and it’s incredible in itself, but it felt contrived and like something I’d already read many times before. I thought the conversations between characters and even of the main character with herself felt fake. And I didn’t feel invested in the series and wouldn’t keep reading. I wouldn’t recommend this book unless you are young and starting to delve into fantasy young adult novels.  2/5

What good books have you read lately?xx

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