October Wrap-Up, Part 2

As luck would have it, I finished another book today, which makes 7 for the month of October!  I'm guessing this is a personal best.

#7

The Book of Ivy by Amy Engel
Completed 10/31/16
Fulfills 2016 Popsugar Reading Challenge #29: A dystopian novel
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

I've heard very little buzz about this YA dystopian, which is first in a duology.  Unlike the more popular YA dystopian series out there, this one is character driven, as opposed to action based.  That does not mean this book drags, not by any means!


I also forgot to mention the two books I DNFed in October:

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson:  I was going to read this for the R.I.P. Challenge and the #Spookathon.  I DNFed after the first chapter because I just wasn't feeling it and I didn't want to ruin my reading mojo by trying to force myself through it.  I do want to come back to it in the future.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman:  I DNFed about an hour into the audiobook.  I stopped listening because I felt I will enjoy it more in physical form.  I feel like realistic books like contemporaries or literary fiction are easier to follow in audiobook format than fantasies.

October Wrap-Up

Wow, what an amazing reading month!  

I completed 6 books this month, bringing my 2016 total to 44 books so far.  I participated in two reading challenges (R.I.P. XI and the first #Spookathon) and crossed one more Popsugar Reading Challenge prompt off my list. 

#1:

In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware
Completed 10/3/16
Counts toward the R.I.P. Challenge
Rating: 3.75 out of 5
Click here for my spoiler-free comparison between The Woman in Cabin 10 and In a Dark, Dark Wood.

I enjoyed this book because, like The Woman in Cabin 10, it is just so readable. The writing just flows along.

That being said, it wasn't nearly as creepy as I expected. I notice that some people have it shelved as horror. Um....why? Don't get me wrong, I'm glad it isn't actually horror, but I was definitely expecting something that would give me a few goosebumps.

The characters in the book were fairly well developed, particularly Clare, who reminded me a little of Amy in Gone Girl. It drove me nuts, however, that the narrator, Lee/Nora, was supposed to have the occupation of a crime fiction writer and then the author didn't do ANYTHING at all to explore that. Missed opportunity.

I feel like it was a little too predictable and there were a few too many coincidences, but overall I enjoyed it.

#2:

Death of a Gossip by M.C. Beaton
Completed 10/6/16
Counts toward the R.I.P. Challenge
Fulfills 2016 Popsugar Reading Challenge #21: A book recommended by a family member
Rating: 4 out of 5

I've read a few of Beaton's Agatha Raisin cozy mystery series, so my grandma recommended that I try the Hamish MacBeth series as well.

Death of a Gossip is first in the series and was originally published in 1985. Frankly, it has a feel of being even older than that. I would have placed it in the 1970s. This isn't meant to be a criticism, just an observation.

I was really surprised how much Beaton managed to pack into such a short book - strong character development (and there were quite a few characters), good setting, some humor, and some information about fishing. I probably won't continue the series, but I enjoyed reading it. 

#3:

Through the Woods by Emily Carroll
Completed 10/17/16
Counts toward the #Spookathon: A book with red on the cover
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

I had heard that this graphic short story collection was seriously creepy. It was, though the stories were too short for me to really build up a major creep factor. I also didn't like the abruptness of the endings to most of them. Abrupt endings can be shocking and effective, but not if there are too many questions unanswered. I still enjoyed this book for something different, but I wish there was more to it. 

#4:

You by Caroline Kepnes
Completed 10/18/16
Counts toward the R.I.P. Challenge
Counts toward the #Spookathon: A thriller
Rating: 5 out of 5

Mind blown. 

I can honestly say I've never read a book like this. It's like you are right inside the mind of a stalker. He's at turns disturbing and disturbed, incredibly arrogant, funny (!), unreliable, and even occasionally brilliant. It's also completely unpredictable.

This isn't a book for everyone, but I appreciated it and flew through it. 

#5:

Dracula by Bram Stoker
Completed 10/22/16 (audiobook)
Counts toward the R.I.P. Challenge
Counts toward the #Spookathon: A book with a paranormal character/creature
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

I've never read Dracula before and really didn't know what to expect in terms of plot. I was surprised to discover that the story is told with multiple narrators through journal entries, letters, etc. 

My favorite part by far was the first section of the book in which Jonathan Harker travels to Transylvania and stays at the home of the mysterious count. This part has the best developed atmosphere, and I enjoyed the interaction between him and Dracula. Dracula himself is absent for the most of the rest of the book.

Once the book switches to England, the creep factor drops dramatically and the story becomes fairly predictable, though I did enjoy it.

I listened to this book as an audiobook with multiple narrators (including Tim Curry as Van Helsing!) which I feel was a pretty good format. My only complaint would be that some of the male voices were difficult to differentiate. Lucy and Mina were quite well done.

#6:

Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Cordova
Completed 10/26/16
Counts toward the #Spookathon: A 2016 release
Rating: 2.75 out of 5
Click here for my expanded review (containing spoilers).

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I truly wish I could give it a better one, but I just had too many issues with it to rate it higher.  This is the first book in a new YA fantasy series about a family of brujas (witches) of Latin American descent.

Overall, the whole thing has the impression of being a "rough draft."  There are nuggets of potential here and the premise is super-interesting. I've never read anything dealing with Latin American folklore, and I would love to learn more since it seemed that most of the elements of the book were completely fictional.

What I liked:
* The quest plot through the magical land.
* The creative variety of magical beings with ambiguous intentions. 
* The idea of having a love triangle involving two girls and a guy. 
* Character growth in Alex relative to embracing her power.

What I didn't like:
* Alex simply isn't fleshed out enough as a character and is a bit too bland to want to root strongly for her. Because of this, the love triangle aspect can't be developed enough either.  The other two main characters could use a little work as well.
* Super bland and/or cheesy dialogue. 
* Inconsistencies in terms of setting and events.

REVIEW: Labyrinth Lost (spoilers)

Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Cordova
Completed 10/26/16
Rating: 2.75 out of 5

**SPOILERS BELOW**

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I truly wish I could give it a better one, but I just had too many issues with it to rate it higher.

Overall, the whole thing has the impression of being a "rough draft." For instance, in the beginning, the main character Alex is in gym class, and just a page or two after talking about gym uniforms, she says something about "brushing off her jeans." Umm...she's supposed to be wearing gym shorts?! This is just one example of the inconsistency that is spread throughout the book, which is very annoying and/or confusing to read. At the end, Madra scratches out the Devourer's eyes, and then in a page or two, the Devourer looks at Alex with all her family standing next to her. Looks with what?! The reader doesn't just forget someone's eyes being scratched out!

There are nuggets of potential here and there, and the premise is super-interesting. I've never read anything dealing with Latin American folklore, and I would love to learn more true-to-life details since it seemed that most of the elements of the book were completely fictional.

What I liked:
* The quest plot through a unique magical land.
* The creative variety of magical beings with ambiguous intentions. The Meadowkins and avianas are developed pretty well.
* The idea of having a love triangle involving two girls and a guy. 
* Rishi has some good one-liners.
* Character growth in Alex relative to embracing her power.

What I didn't like:
* The characters simply aren't fleshed out enough.  Alex simply isn't fleshed out enough as a character and is a bit too bland to want to root strongly for her. Because of this, the love triangle aspect can't be developed enough either. Alex can clearly see that Rishi obviously has a crush on her, yet there is no processing of this by Alex AT ALL until the very end when she decides she might have feelings too. (I mean, Rishi jumps into a freaking PORTAL TO ANOTHER WORLD for her and Alex hardly pauses to consider that!)  Even so, their chemistry still feels really platonic, at least on Alex's side, like she's confusing the love of a true friendship with something else. I think her potential relationship with Nova is more interesting and complex.  Nova has the most complexity of the three, but even he could be stronger.  Beyond her sarcasm and her crush on Alex, there is no character development at all for Rishi.  
* Random nicknames. Why does Nova start calling Alex Ladybird? Why does Alex refer to Rishi as her magpie? No clue.
* Super bland and/or cheesy dialogue. When faced with the supreme villain who has Rishi ensnared, Alex comes up with the menacing "Let her go!" No wonder the Devourer doesn't taker her seriously.  Later, Nova, who is supposed to be the street-smart tough boy, responds to Alex with "As you wish." When is the last time you heard a teenage boy say "as you wish"?

I'm glad I'm done reading this book. It frustrated the heck out of me because it was just such wasted potential. 

I actually think this would have made a great middle grade book with better editing, more fleshing out of the characters, and elimination of the love triangle element. 

Finally, I understand I had an e-ARC, but there were more typographical errors in this text than I've ever seen in any book including but not limited to improper use of apostrophes, sentence fragments, and missing words. Seriously, was there no editor at all? I did not deduct any stars specifically for this issue since it was not the final published copy, but it really drove me nuts. There is no way this edition should have made it into any reader's hands without some major proofreading. 

#Spookathon Wrap-Up

I'm a little late, but here goes!

The Spookathon was a readathon from October 17-23 hosted by Lala from Books and Lala, Paige from Paige's Pages, and Shannon from Bookerly.  They also have a Twitter:.@thespookathon.  

There were five categories:
1.  Read a thriller
2.  Read a book with red on the cover
3.  Read a book with a spooky word in the title
4.  Read a 2016 release
5.  Read a book with a paranormal character/creature

I managed to complete 3 books last week, and a 4th one this week (which I read mostly last week). 

A book with red on the cover

A thriller (also has red on the cover)

A book with a paranormal character

2016 release (also has paranormal characters)

I wasn't able to complete The Haunting of Hill House, which was my planned read for a book with a spooky word in the title, but I'm hoping to curl up with it this weekend.  All in all, however, I consider this readathon a success!

I can't wait to participate again (hopefully more fully) next year!  Thanks to Shannon, Paige, and Lala

COMPARISON: In a Dark, Dark Wood vs. The Woman in Cabin 10

Please note:  I'm not posting any specific spoilers below, but if you want to go into the books mostly blind, you should probably not read this post.

Rarely do I read multiple works by the same author very close together unless they are part of a series, but I did pick up both In a Dark, Dark Wood and The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware this fall.  In a Dark, Dark Wood (IDDW) was her 2015 debut novel, and The Woman in Cabin 10 (WC10) was released this past summer.

Slightly creepy mystery/thriller during a bachelorette party weekend

Locked room style mystery onboard a cruise ship

Similarities:

• Both books feature potentially unreliable female narrators with some secrets and some mental health issues (more so in WC10).  Lee/Nora from IDDW suffers from amnesia with regard to a crucial point, and Lo from WC10 is a functional alcoholic.

• Both involve a fairly random group of characters gathered in a unusual and isolated setting: a rural house made of glass (IDDW) and a small luxury cruise ship (WC10).
  
• The writing flows well in both and they are quick reads.

Differences:

• There are more suspects and a different twist in WC10.  This is both good and bad.  The characters are better developed by far in IDDW, but unfortunately, that makes the final ending more obvious.  I hope Ware will write a third novel and find a balance somewhere in between the two.
  
• Lo's occupation (travel magazine writer) is significantly better developed that Nora's.  Nora is supposed to be a crime fiction writer, but Ware does not develop her occupation in any way whatsoever, which is a completely missed opportunity in my opinion.

Ultimately, I really enjoyed both books and gave The Woman in Cabin 10 a 4 out 5 stars and In a Dark, Dark Wood 3.75 out of 5 stars.  I look forward to more from this author because I feel she has tremendous potential.

#Spookathon

How excited am I to discover that most of my October TBR meets the challenges for the Spookathon?!  The Spookathon is a readathon from October 17-23 hosted by 3 awesome Booktubers, Lala (Books and Lala), Paige (Paige's Pages), and Shannon (Bookerly).

There are 5 categories and you can count books in multiple categories.  Here's my TBR:

1.  Read a thriller:  You by Caroline Kepnes
2.  Read a book with red on the cover: You by Caroline Kepnes
3.  Read a book with a spooky word in the title: The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
4.  Read a 2016 release: Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Cordova
5.  Read a book with a paranormal character/creature: Dracula by Bram Stoker