It’s book day! A big thank you to Show Us Your Books hosts Jana & Steph!
Crooked House by Agatha Christie
★★★/5; Mystery
Christie herself shares that she enjoyed writing this book. I wish I’d have loved it more because I know she loved it. I will say I had no idea who the guilty person was and, unlike some of the Poirots I’ve read, there were clues that point to the guilty person. I loved that I didn’t know. The story was slow and parts of it felt a little repetitive. The cases against the alleged murder and the possibility of other members of the family were made over and over with very little new information. Also, Christie writes her lovers in a very dut-dut-dut way: they meet- they get to talking- they’re head over heels in love from this moment forward. All her guys are so blinded by love and the women are either pretty and delicate or ugly and wicked. I don’t love that. And Then There Were None is still my favorite Christie novel. Crooked House is a movie so I plan to watch that soon.
Read it? No, not unless you’re a diehard Christie fan.
Saga, Vol 1. by Brian Vaughan
★★★★/5; Sci-fi Graphic Novel
I don’t really know what to say about this book… I’ve read less than 5 graphic novels- ever. And, while I enjoy fantasy, I don’t read a lot of sci-fi. PLUS, this book had quite the graphic violence, sexual abuse triggers, and… well… overall weirdness. But I’m hooked. I’m completely sucked in by the storyline and the characters and the…. overall weirdness. I really like Marko and Alana. I need to know more of their story. I’m half rooting for The Will (in the child liberation thing) but also not (in the assassin thing). And obviously I need to know what happens to Hazel.
Read it? Yeah, give it a shot.
Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend
★★★★★/5; Middle Grade Fantasy
I think I saw this book on Kristen’s SUYB post. It kind of reminded me of Harry Potter and a little bit of The Hunger Games and a small bit like some kind of X-Men story… but it was its own creation. I loved Morrigan & Jupiter & Hawthorne & the whole Hotel Deucalion staff. The middle grade part didn’t bother me at all. Honestly, there were some parts even I found scary. I definitely see the comparison to HP. There’s a strong sense of good vs. evil and Morrigan struggles with seeing the good within herself. The people who grow to love her as family are truly the best parts. I liked all the good guys and I’m really excited to check out the next book!
Read it? If you’re into fantasy and slightly younger books, yes.
An update on Erin’s 10.0 Book Challenge
| 5 points | Freebie: The Lost World by Michael Crichton*
| 10 points | A book that was made into a movie: Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
| 10 points | Set in Europe: The Alice Network by Kate Quinn
| 15 points | A Newberry Award winner: The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
| 20 points | A friend or family member’s favorite: Song of the Sparrow by Lisa Ann Sandell
| 20 points | Published over 100 years ago: A Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde**
| 25 points | Six words in the title: The Girl Who Knew Too Much by Amanda Quick
| 30 points | A cardinal direction in the title: Winter at West Sands Guest House by Maggie Conway*
| 30 points | Published in a different language: A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
| 35 points | Begins with the letter “N”: Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty
Your turn. What did you read this month?