Another set of posts I'm reviving are my monthly wrap-ups. I used to love writing these, but like my favourite posts, they got a bit repetitive. So I'm bringing them back on a temporary trial to see how I feel about writing them and if people enjoy reading them. In September I read 9 books, 2 audiobooks and 7 physical books. I'm really happy with the amount I'm reading at the moment. I'm hoping by the end of the year to have read over 100 books.
Radio Silence by Alice Oseman
 |
| Click here to read my review |
Radio Silence has become one of my all-time favourite books. I have now read all of Alice's published works and I am very excited for her future releases. I've been on a contemporary high recently and this just hit the spot. It's a book about friendship and fandoms. It has a great set of LGBT characters and handles darker themes, such as mental health and academic pressures, really well. I loved it. 5/5 stars from me.
Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor
Another one of my new all-time favourite books. I listened to both books in this duology on audiobook and I couldn't recommend the audiobooks enough. I'd only read one Laini Taylor book before this and I had really enjoyed it. I am looking forward to reading more from her. I can't talk too much about this as it is the final book and I don't want to spoil it, but Laini is a phenomenal writer and I just want to read everything she writes. Obviously 5/5 stars.
I Was Born For This by Alice Oseman
Unlike the rest of Alice's work, this is the only one I didn't really love and didn't connect to. The characters were great, but I couldn't connect to them at all. I did enjoy the multiple perspectives we got in this book, but I kind of found myself floating through this book and not really enjoying it. Given that this is her most recent fiction release, I am surprised that I didn't like it. 3/5 stars.
Pulp by Robin Talley
This was another book I was really expecting to enjoy but ended up falling flat for me. I thought it was going to be this epic LGBT novel spread across two different decades, the 1950s and the present day, but it ended up being really predictable. Abby was a difficult main character to connect with. I've heard good things about Robin's other books, so I might try them, but for now, I have to admit I'm not a fan. Another 3/5 stars.
An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green
I know that the main reason I disliked this book is my own fault, but I feel it could have been marketed better. I believed this was a contemporary book overcoming mental health issues, but it turned out to be more sci-fi than I had bargained for. This was another one where I had a hard time liking the main character. I'm not sure I'll be continuing this series and sadly this is another one I gave 3/5 stars.
Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia
 |
| Click here to read my review |
I had heard so many good things about this book I felt it was finally time to pick it up. It didn't disappoint. I enjoyed my time reading it and would be interested in reading more by Francesca. It dealt with the mental health aspects really well and I was fully invested. The only thing I didn't like is a spoiler, so if you've read this book, check out my review as that explains my one big grudge with this book. 4/5 stars.
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz
I have a feeling that this might be a marmite book- you either like it or you don't. I think for the time being I fall into the latter category. I had a hard time reading this and I didn't really care for either of the characters. Honestly, they spent so much time crying, I wanted to cry from frustration. I thought it was an interesting exploration into being LGBT and Mexican in the 1980s, but I just feel that it wasn't for me sadly. 3/5 stars.
How to Build a Girl by Caitlin Moran
I had accidentally bought the second book in this series, not realising it was a series. I had assumed it was a stand-alone. So since I started my audible subscription, I decided to listen to the first book on audiobook. It's narrated by Louise Brealey (who played Molly Hooper in Sherlock). I loved the narration, but I didn't really care for the story. Johanna wasn't a very likeable character and not very much happened in the book. I've seen a lot of people comparing Johanna's life to Moran's own life. I'm hoping the second book is better, but it was 3/5 stars for me.
Ziggy, Stardust and Me by James Brandon
I stumbled across this book in Foyles back in August and waited to buy it on release day. I was expecting amazing things as the premise sounded really interesting. It didn't quite live up to what I was expecting. I found Johnathon a really unlikeable protagonist. Some of the phrases that were repeated every other page became very irritating. It had a very flat plot too. Maybe if I give it another chance a few years from now, it might get a higher rating, but it took me a while to read it. I did like the use of music, especially Ziggy Stardust. I did also enjoy the relationship between Web and Johnathon. It also covered a part of the LGBT community history that isn't really discussed in literature. It was promising and I will probably read something else from James Brandon, but for now, it gets 3/5 stars from me.
