bandherbooks's Reviews (3.65k)

**Reviewed from an ARC received from Netgalley for an honest review.

Don Tillman, now married to the most beautiful woman in the world and living in NYC, returns in this mad caper of a novel revolving around the couple's unplanned pregnancy. Naturally, Don does not take the news of his impending fatherhood well, and a series of misunderstandings all caused by Don's best intentions lead to the threat of losing Rosie forever.

I thoroughly enjoyed being back in Don's hyper-literal and hyper-logical mind, but I still enjoyed the first book far more. Rosie's character is more or less absent as Don runs wild trying to learn about pregnancy, child-rearing, and fatherhood, and I missed her. I also found the ending a bit too neatly wrapped up, but hey, this is a mostly lighthearted tale and that is OK. Still highly recommend.

What's an early 90s teenager to do when she embarrasses herself on national telly by reading a way sappy poem about her dog then cracking awful Scooby-Doo Jokes? Hit CTRL-ALT-DEL on your DOS machine and rebuild yourself as the foul-mouthed, chain smokin', gin drinkin', black eye-liner encrusted, up for anything Dolly Wilde. Fake it till you make it right?

Through a series of ballsy ass moves, Dolly Wilde is able to land a job at a indie music 'zine trashing local bands, lose her virginity, and make a bit of money to help her on-the-dole family. But, what happens when you learn that the girl you built isn't making you happy?

Super fantastic and chock full of witty British-isms I could only dream about being cool enough to say. I also wish I was cool enough to understand all the 90s era British grunge music and British pop culture references.

Moran's style is hyper-kinetic, almost stream of conscious, and I loved how blunt she was about the trials and tribulations (and extreme awkwardness) of masturbation, sex, and relationships. I also adored that Moran didn't make her main character focused on finding love. Very refreshing.

Highly recommend.

Regrets, jealousy, secrets, and raw artistic passion burst from this wonderful novel by Jandy Nelson. Noah and Jude, twins, used to be NoahandJude but something drove them apart. As the reader alternates between Noah's 13 year old and Jude's 16 year old perspectives, the pieces fall into place, leading to earth-shaking consequences for the entire family.

However dark this is, the love of family shines through the gloom, and Nelson's prose will make you want to take a highlighter to the entire text. Noah's chapters in particular shine, as he falls in love with a boy. Jude's romance wasn't quite as believable, but still heart-achingly poignant. I'm sure this will be up for many awards.

The character building in One Kick is amazing. I want to know so much more about Kick, Bishop, Mel, and James, so I will continue to read these (as it is a series). However, the procedural elements irked me. I hate when the driving movements behind the mystery are resurfacing memories of a psychologically fractured character instead of more concrete clues. And man, was this so freaking dark.

Spoiler

I can't believe she gave Mel her kidney! Cain did a pretty amazing job making a child molester sympathetic in any way shape or form. Scary.

Mira Grant builds a pretty terrifying (and realistic) post-zombie apocalypse world. I appreciated all of her details on how the virus works, how it continues to be a constant source of fear and horror despite being almost 20 years later, and how everyone deals with it. This is what I like about zombie books. I didn't enjoy the actual story about the news reporting and blogging. It was really technical, dry, and didn't capture my interest as much as actually running away from a zombie would. Also, the big reveal of who is after Georgia Mason's blogging team felt rushed and unexplored, especially after trudging through 500 pages. I'm glad I finished, but I'm not compelled to continue reading any of the others in this series. I do give major kudos for this very unique take on a genre that is rapidly becoming overdone.

Kit Bristol is pulled into the role of highway man Whistling Jacke, a la The Dread Pirate Roberts in the Princess Bride, after his master dies. Inheriting the costume, horse, and unclear mission, Kit is set off on a swashbuckling adventure with a half-fae princess, a baboon, and a tight-rope walker.

This tale was a lot fun, but I wish more of the adventures were intentional versus simply encountered along the road. I also didn't feel like some of the characters were as fleshed out as I'd like (Morgana especially). But, I would recommend for fans of The Princess Bride or Stardust. There was a fun use of old language and great illustrations.

29 year old Clay takes the graveyard shift at a mysterious 24 hour bookstore after losing his marketing job with a bagel firm. Soon he realizes the few customers that visit the bookstore are actually part of a much larger organization revolving around a secret order and trying to decipher some sort of code.

If you enjoyed "Ready Player One" which I thoroughly did, this is another enjoyable geeky read for 30 somethings. Lots of likeable characters, humor and fun. Great audiobook with a great narrator.

Will Patton is amazing as always, and dayum that ending. Highly, highly recommend.