Happy Book Day! 📚 Linking up with Steph & Jana for Show Us Your Books!

I actually finished a few this month. Yay! Let’s get to it 😊

The Lost World by Michael Crichton
★★★★★/5; Science Fiction
I FINALLY FINISHED. My slow reading had nothing to do with the book and everything to do with my slump. I really enjoyed the second installment on dinosaurs island, lol. Man, the bad guys were SO hateable- including the raptors, lol. For being 400+ pages (and taking me five months to read), the plot moved quickly. I loved how strong and badass Sarah Harding was. And even the kids were helpful- not annoying like the ones in the first book. These stories definitely have a science-y feel to them, but it’s only a few paragraphs or pages and I actually found it very interesting. Of course, it’s all fiction, but I know my heart was racing during the chase scenes and high stakes moments. I haven’t seen these films, but I really love the books.
Read it? If you’re ok with the sci-fi aspect, yes.

Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey
★★★/5; Contemporary Romance
First of all: Holy 🔥, Batman. This was a very steamy romance (and my first Tessa Bailey). I know I’m in the minority with my low rating but… I don’t know. They seemed hot for each other 24/7 and, call me cold, that seems unrealistic. Lol. I know K loves me but I know he doesn’t want to jump my bones every minute of every day. Haha. (Too far?) Anyway, that and the animalistic dirty talk from Travis was kind of… odd to me. Ha. The drama toward the end didn’t bother me and I think it fit in with everyone’s on going issues- and I loved how the 3 siblings issues kind of came together in the end- but the very end was a cheese fest to me. Again, maybe I’m just coldhearted. Ha. I wanted more from Rosie and Dom but I just saw there’s a new book featuring them out in January 2020! I will definitely read that; this wasn’t my last Tessa Bailey novel.
Read it? If you like steamy romance, then yes.

Lumberjanes: Beware the Kitten Holy by Noelle Stevenson, etc.
★★★/5; Young Adult, Graphic Novel
This book has the ingredients for a badass female masterpiece. Lots of girl power and friendship (to the max!) and adventures… but it didn’t suck me in. I enjoyed the characters but the writing and story seemed ALL over the place. You’re dropped right into the middle of a wild adventure and I think it takes time for the reader to get a handle on what’s going on and who everyone is and what the heck is happening at the camp. (And honestly, you still never really find out- it’s a series, after all.) I put the next two volumes on hold at the library so I’m obviously interested enough to keep reading… plus it takes about 30 minutes to get through a book so it’s worth it.
Read it? Only if you love (very) young adult graphic novels… Otherwise it’s safe to skip.

Cocaine Blues by Kerry Greenwood
★★★/5; Historical Fiction, Mystery
Ho-hum. I really wanted to fall in love with this story and this series. Kristen warned me a long long time ago that book-Phryne and TV-Phryne were two different people with different story lines, so that didn’t bother me much. I think I was just a *little* bored and it took some time for me to get into the story and the language was a little tough for me. (It’s an Australian story & author.) As of right now, I won’t be continuing with the series. Maybe if I’d have read the books before seeing the TV show I’d feel a little differently. It pains me to say this… but even if you skip the book you MUST watch the TV series. I love it!
Read it? Meh, maybe not. But watch the TV show. (My fingers burn just typing that!)

Summer of ’69 by Elin Hilderbrand
DNF
My failure to finish had little to do with the quality of the book. This just isn’t my favorite genre and I’m already in a slump so I walked away before the guilt set in. Most people I’ve talked to about this book loved it!

An update on Erin’s 11.0 Challenge:
| 5 points| Freebie: Cocaine Blues by Kerry Greenwood
| 10 points | Starts with “F”: Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey
| 10 points | With rain(s), thunder, lightning, or monsoon in the title: The Lightening Thiefby Rick Riordan
| 15 points | With a picture of a building: Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
| 20 points | The author uses an initial in name: Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
| 20 points | An article of clothing/accessory in the title: The Man in the Brown Suit by Agatha Christie
| 25 points | A book set in India: The Jungle Books by Rudyard Kipling
| 30 points | Has won/been shortlisted for the Booker Prize: Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
| 30 points | About a human with superpowers/supernatural powers: Archenemies by Marissa Meyer
| 35 points | Has the same title as a book of a different genre: Soulless by Gail Carriger

15 points is better than 0, I guess. I’m currently reading Soulless.

I’m also reading Bringing Up Bébé. It’s the only parenting book I’ve read so far. Lol

What did you read this month?