fiction

Book Review: The Shawshank Redemption

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The Shawshank Redemption
Stephen King
Read by Frank Muller

My rating: 4.5 / 5
Genre: Fiction

It is always difficult for me to write a review of a book when I know an adaptation of that book already. The strange thing is that I’ve only seen the movie based on this book once, though I’ve seen clips, references, and parodies enough to keep it fairly fresh in my mind. That said, I wanted to give Stephen King a try, but I was a bit intimidated, so this seemed like a good place to start. And it was a good starting point, with a story that really drew me in. I may have known the ending (who doesn’t, at this point?) but I still appreciated the little hints and secrets kept along the way to it. I didn’t remember all of the details and was caught up as the story unfolded. Telling Andy’s story through Red’s eyes was a great move on King’s part, as I think it makes the reader more sympathetic to Andy than if Andy just told us himself what had happened to him, the various ways he was wronged.

What makes it difficult to assign a rating to this book (aside from the difficulty separating the written story from the movie) is that there’s a lot of content that I struggle with or makes me cringe. Of course that’s not surprising in a book about prison life, but that doesn’t make it easier. (It does make me want to avoid going to prison though.) Overall, I’m glad I listened to this book, and it does make me want to dive a little further into other works by King (maybe not any horror yet though). Whether you’ve seen the movie or not, if you’re interested in the book, I do recommend it. I listened to the audio, which is well narrated.

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Book Review: Cress

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Cress
The Lunar Chronicles #3
by Marissa Meyer
read by Rebecca Soler

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: YA sci-fi

Spoiler notice: The following review will contain some spoilers for the previous books in the series, starting with Cinder.

Living alone on a satellite for 7 years, Cress is tasked with working for Queen Levana but works against her any way she can. When Cinder, Scarlet, and the rest of their band of outlaws contact Cress looking for help, her life will never be the same.

This book brought back my full enjoyment for the series (not that I didn’t like Scarlet; I just didn’t like it quite as much as Cinder). Scarlet and Wolf taking more of a back seat this time helped a lot, and Cress really was a nice addition to the team. For as much as I enjoyed Thorne in the previous book, he really comes into his own here and has become one of my favorite characters in the series. I was really glad to see some advancement in the main storyline, and there’s a lot of humor throughout. 

Rebecca Soler continues to do a great job with the narration. I’m really enjoying the world Meyer has created here and the overall plot and characters, so I’m looking forward to seeing how the series ends in the next book. Fans of futuristic sci-fi and/or fairy tale retellings, maybe around age 15 and up, should definitely consider checking out this series, starting with the first book (these are not stand-alones).

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Book Review: Holy Chow

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Holy Chow
Andy Carpenter #25
by David Rosenfelt
read by Grover Gardner

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: Mystery

When a woman who adopted an older Chow Chow from Andy Carpenter’s dog rescue foundation calls him and asks him if he’d be willing to take care of Lion in the event of her death and if her step-son can’t, he doesn’t expect to be called upon to fulfill that promise so soon. Tony, the step-son, is willing to take care of Lion, but being arrested for his step-mother’s murder makes that a bit difficult. It’s not long before Andy, a semi-retired defense attorney is caught up in Tony’s case.

This book is a great example of mostly following the series formula but with just enough differences to keep it fresh and fun. Since one of my favorite things about this series has always been the ways Andy’s various peripheral team members are involved, my favorite moment in this book (and what will likely forever be one of my favorite moments in the entire book) involves Marcus and made me cheer out loud while I was listening. Seriously, if you’re a Marcus fan, you cannot miss this book! Andy shines as his usual snarky, witty self, brought to life expertly by Grover Gardner. If it’s not clear, I recommend this book (especially the audio) for fans of mystery, crime fiction, and courtroom dramas, as well as the books that precede it in the series. Normally I’d say you can dive right in at any point in the series, but with this book, I have to say that having read at least some of the other books (probably within the last 10 or so) would make the aforementioned Marcus moment more meaningful. But because I love the series, I’d say that if you’re interested, you should just dive right in at the beginning.

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Book Review: Stakeouts and Strollers

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Stakeouts and Strollers
by Rob Phillips

My rating: 2 / 5
Genre: Mystery

Charlie Shaw is a journalist-turned-private-investigator who, on his first case, ends up getting caught up in a high-stakes mystery involving a teenage girl looking for her estranged dad and a couple of shady bar owners. Meanwhile, he has a six-month-old daughter at home who isn’t sleeping through the night, so he’s running low on sleep too.

I was intrigued by the idea of this new dad trying to balance a new job with his upended home life, and I enjoy a good mystery to boot. However, I realized a little ways into this book that I just wasn’t very engaged. The main character isn’t all that interesting to me, the mystery is lackluster, and the new-baby angle is weirdly both too present and not present enough. The MC does take the baby on a couple of stakeouts with him, which seems like a questionable move, but her irregular sleeping patterns mostly just cause the MC and his wife to yawn at each other randomly. But then conversations about the baby and the MC checking up on her using a monitor app on his phone all just get a bit repetitive. I suppose I’m the wrong audience for a book that focuses this much on what life with a baby is like, because I’m about 16 years removed from that part of life and was never one that wished the helpless-baby phase could have lasted forever.

There were elements of the story that just felt off to me, too. For example, a character that is touted as being super tough and a veteran investigator, etc., lets someone get the jump on him way too easily. And the mystery seemed like it sort of plodded along, until the MC watched his baby do some particular thing and then suddenly was struck with a realization that is kept from us at first, to be revealed later—all of this is a common mystery trope, but the realization he had turned out to be a HUGE leap. Maybe I missed a vital clue, but even when it was explained, it was clear that it was a major guess made by the MC, rather than information he cleaned in passing, experience, or anything like that, coming into play. I kinda think that the target audience for this book is a bit too niche—men who have daughters and enjoy procedural mystery stories. Also, there’s quite a bit of language. I don’t think I could really recommend this book to anyone, but please check out the link below for other reviews if you’re interested.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me a copy of this book to review.

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Book Review: The Accomplice

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The Accomplice
Theodore Boone #7
by John Grisham
read by Richard Thomas

My rating: 4.5 / 5
Genre: Middle grade fiction

When Theo’s friend Woody is arrested as an accomplice in an armed robbery, Theo pulls out all the stops in his position as a kid lawyer, which starts with asking his mom to help get Woody out on bail, since the juvenile public defender is too busy to help right away. Woody himself has to figure out the best way to proceed when the finger is pointed at him and the truth comes under attack.

For all the sticky and difficult situations Theo has been in during this series, what happens to his friend Woody here is the scariest. Theo actually takes a major backseat during a lot of this book, as Woody becomes a major POV character. Though I understand it, don’t fault Grisham for the decision, and did enjoy the result, I was a little sad to see so little of Theo in the final book in the series. Still, the insight into the juvenile justice system and the way that various characters step up to help however they can are all great additions to the story.

Overall, I’d say whether or not a teenager or pre-teen will be interested in this book will depend on what kind of fiction they like—if fast-paced action is important, this probably won’t suit them. If they’re interested in realistic fiction about crime and law and trials, this could be fascinating for them. And the audiobook is well-narrated, if that’s your/their speed. I have personally enjoyed this series all the way through and will definitely read/listen to it again at some point in the future. This book can definitely be read as a stand-alone, but I think that, due to Theo being a lot less involved, I wouldn’t recommend starting with this book. If you’re interested, definitely start at the beginning.

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Book Review: Persons of Interest

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Persons of Interest
DC Smith #4
by Peter Grainger
read by Gildart Jackson

My rating: 4.5 / 5
Genre: Detective procedural, mystery

When DC Smith’s old mobile phone number is found in the cell of a man who was murdered in prison, he can’t help but want to investigate, even though it’s not his case. Fortunately, it’s not long before he finds a connection to his own town that makes his unauthorized investigating a little easier.

I’m starting to really get into the groove of these books and Grainger’s sense of humor, especially as seen through Smith himself. I’m also finally starting to get more familiar with some of the recurring characters; I kept feeling lost in the first few books trying to remember names. The mystery here is engaging, as Smith follows his own threads while still (sometimes just barely) managing to do his assigned job. I enjoy Smith’s view of his work and those around him and the way he’s tough and wise. He’s clearly not beloved by all of his colleagues/bosses, but it wouldn’t be realistic if he was.

Gildart Jackson unsurprisingly does a great job as narrator, bringing DC and all of the other characters to life. I recommend the book for fans of procedural crime dramas, especially with a seasoned detective and set in a small-town area of England. I’ve been saying that I don’t think you’d really need to start at the beginning of the series, but past cases do have continued presence in later books and the first book is spoiled a bit in this one, so keep that in mind.

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March in Review

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I read 15 books last month, which is getting to be closer to a normal month for me. And my total page count for the month was only around 300 less than my recent record-breaking month in January. It’s definitely a huge up-tick in having time to listen to audiobooks lately that’s done this, considering that 8 of the books I read last month were audiobooks (leaving only 7 that were read normally!).

Here are the books I read in March:

Lunar 1
HTTYD 8
Mists
Exiles
Smith 3
BSC6
Boone 6
Carpenter 24
Lightkeepers 1
Lunar 2
K Team 4
Lion 1
Sadie
This Book Kills
Mandie 4

Cinder by Marissa Meyer (5 / 5)
How to Break a Dragon’s Heart by Cressida Cowell (2 / 5)
Mists over the Channel Islands by Sarah Sundin (5 / 5)
Exiles by Jaye L. Knight (4 / 5)
Luck and Judgement by Peter Grainger (4.5 / 5)
Kristy’s Big Day by Ann M. Martin (5 / 5)
The Scandal by John Grisham (4 / 5)
Best in Snow by David Rosenfelt (4.5 / 5)
A Kingdom of Shadows by Emily Bain Murphy (3.5 / 5)
Scarlet by Marissa Meyer (4 / 5)
Good Dog, Bad Cop by David Rosenfelt (3.5 / 5)
A Voice in the Wind by Francine Rivers (3.5 / 5)
Sadie by Courtney Summers (4.5 / 5)
This Book Kills by Ravena Guron (2 / 5)
Mandie and the Forbidden Attic by Lois Gladys Leppard (3 / 5)

This list includes 2 ARCs and 3 re-reads. My favorite book from March was Cinder. I started 3 series, continued 6 series, and finished 3 series*. My ever-changing short list of to-be-reads, as well as a flag for the book I’m currently reading and an ongoing list of those I’ve read and posted about can be found here.

*This includes 1 series I didn’t reach the end of, but decided not to continue reading, after being at least 2 books into the series.

I’m also keeping my Goodreads page updated with a more extensive list of to-be-reads. Despite my almost too-long TBR list, I’m always looking for more to add. Feel free to offer suggestions of your favorites or just recent reads you enjoyed.

Book Review: Mandie and the Forbidden Attic

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Mandie and the Forbidden Attic
Mandie #4
by Lois Gladys Leppard

My rating: 3 / 5
Genre: Children’s Christian historical fiction

I read a lot of this series when I was a kid/pre-teen, and I read some of them to my now-teen daughter when she was younger. Nostalgia definitely affects my reviews for this series, and I’m okay with that. Though I am also willing to admit the flaws in the books; for example, here we have another guy who is drawn to Mandie as soon as he meets her. Though to be fair, they’re sort of thrust together, and so far, he’s mostly just being polite. Mandie is particularly unruly in this book, breaking a rule at her new school over and over despite being caught and even punished. At least it’s one book in which Mandie isn’t just perfect, but in the end, her rule breaking produced a certain outcome that essentially ends up exonerating her, which isn’t a great lesson for the kids who read this book. It’s too easy for the reader to empathize with her and feel like the authority figures are simply being unfair or overbearing, and reading this as an adult, I kind of wish Leppard had been more careful with that. While I think these books can still be good for younger people to read, especially if you’re looking for something with Christian content, I strongly recommend discussing what’s good and bad in them with your kid(s) after they read it.

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Book Review: This Book Kills

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This Book Kills
by Ravena Guron

My rating: 2 / 5
Genre: YA murder mystery

When a murderer copies details from a short story that Jess Choudhary wrote for school, it puts her smack in the middle of the investigation of the murder of one of her fellow classmates. When she starts getting death threats of her own, then police don’t inspire confidence, so she knows it’s up to her to solve the murder.

I am at a bit of a loss with this book. I don’t understand the title, don’t agree with the “perfect murder” claim on the front of the book, and am baffled by a major component of the mystery. The story is 1st-person as if written by the MC to help her cope with what happened, so maybe the title is referring to what she’s writing down, but there’s nothing inherently dangerous about it. The short story she used inspired a killer, but that’s it…no reference to books of any kind killing. The tag line on the front of the book says, “She wrote the perfect murder. One of her classmates carried it out… Now she’s next.” There was literally no mention in the book of the short mystery story she wrote for class being a perfect murder. It was just a murder. And she’s not even the only one who is ostensibly targeted to be another victim, so the tagline is pretty clearly sensationalism that isn’t delivered on.

The murder the MC wrote for her short story had 2 specific elements that were copied (well, 3, if you count the murder happening in the woods, but that’s not super specific): the victim was killed with a trophy and the murderer spelled out “help me” with twigs next to the body. That least one is what baffles me. I kept waiting for an explanation or at least some theories about the “help me,” but nothing ever came. So I can’t help but wonder…why did she have the murderer in the short story do that? To pretend it was the victim who did it (to what end, though, I have no idea)? Was it a cry for help from the murderer, either real or faked? Was it a taunt, saying that the victim needed help even though they were already dead? None of these jumps out as an obvious reason for the twigs, because to me there isn’t an obvious reason, and it’s literally never questioned by anyone in the book. Supposedly the MC put it into her story to show off her creativity, but to me, it’s not creative so much as…pointless? The murderer copied it, and truth be told, I don’t think I ever even understood why the murderer bothered to copy the short story details. Then, at least to me, the author was trying so hard to keep the reader from guessing the murderer (which I didn’t, but I rarely do) that she threw in too many sub plots and red herrings. In the end, it was underwhelming, confusing, and just not enjoyable. Around halfway through, my 15-year-old daughter (who was interested in the book when I started reading it) asked me what I thought so far, and all I could say was, “Meh.” It was just kind of boring. It was clearly not for me, but if the book interests you, please do check out other reviews at the link below.

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Book Review: Sadie (re-read)

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Sadie
by Courtney Summers
read by Rebecca Soler, Dan Bittner, Fred Berman, & Gabra Zackman

My rating: 4.5 / 5
Genre: YA suspense, drama

See original review here.

I don’t normally write a new review when I read a book I already reviewed on my blog. But this is a special case. The first time I read this book, 5 1/2 years ago, I still gave it 4 stars, but I had some issues with the audiobook. I couldn’t handle listening to Sadie’s parts for 2 main reasons. The first is that there was a lot of language, and though it doesn’t generally stop me from reading books, it bothered me more to keep hearing it out loud. But I also struggled with feeling like the narrator made Sadie sound angry all the time, even when giving the description of a room she’d entered or something. So I switched to a format where I read Sadie’s portions myself and listened to the “podcast” parts. Recently, I listened to a couple of audiobooks by the same narrator, and I quite liked her. So when I realized it was the same narrator, I wanted to give it another try.

I can honestly say that I don’t know what my issue with the “angry” narrator was those 5+ years ago. I think that the fact that I had barely listened to any audiobooks back then, but now I have extensive experience with them probably has a lot to do with it (I still cringed when there was a lot of cussing though, especially dialog with many f-words). The story is still dark and gritty with subject matter that means I couldn’t really recommend this YA book for anyone younger than 16 (see content warnings in my original review at the link above), but it’s compelling and engaging.

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