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genieinanovel's Reviews (752)
Librarian Tales is one librarian’s account of his journey through the library career field over the past ten years. As a librarian myself, I knew I had to read this one. In fact, we even ordered it for our library because patrons need to see our side of things, right?
Ottens gives us the details of his journey from how he decided he wanted to work in the library to getting his degree to where he is now. He’s held a number of positions in the library field, including a three year stint as a director (my second most dreaded position). It was interesting to read about another librarian’s journey through all this, and to get his perspective especially on the director job.
He also includes some funny tales that are all too relatable. Some are dead on, as I’ve dealt with some of the exact same problems/situations in my own career. After all, you have to love it when the public assumes we just get paid to sit and read all day (*insert dramatic eye-roll here*). Or when patrons pull the “I pay taxes which pay your salary” bit. Oh, if they only knew! That sentence is even funnier when you’re working in a privately funded library that is open to the public (aka: an association library).
In any case, this was a read that I think most in the library field would enjoy, though there is something lacking to it. I’m not 100% sure what it is, but that’s why I’m only giving this book three stars as opposed to four or five. It starts off strong, but kind of drags later on. Still, it’s worth checking out at least, and if you’re a lover of libraries and your librarians, you might find it even more interesting than I did.
Ottens gives us the details of his journey from how he decided he wanted to work in the library to getting his degree to where he is now. He’s held a number of positions in the library field, including a three year stint as a director (my second most dreaded position). It was interesting to read about another librarian’s journey through all this, and to get his perspective especially on the director job.
He also includes some funny tales that are all too relatable. Some are dead on, as I’ve dealt with some of the exact same problems/situations in my own career. After all, you have to love it when the public assumes we just get paid to sit and read all day (*insert dramatic eye-roll here*). Or when patrons pull the “I pay taxes which pay your salary” bit. Oh, if they only knew! That sentence is even funnier when you’re working in a privately funded library that is open to the public (aka: an association library).
In any case, this was a read that I think most in the library field would enjoy, though there is something lacking to it. I’m not 100% sure what it is, but that’s why I’m only giving this book three stars as opposed to four or five. It starts off strong, but kind of drags later on. Still, it’s worth checking out at least, and if you’re a lover of libraries and your librarians, you might find it even more interesting than I did.
My favorite author has once again pulled off another eventful travel story, this time taking place in Greece!
Liv's father left when she was eight years old, so she doesn't have many good memories with him - only the ones where they planned to one day discover the lost city of Atlantis. Now, eight years later, he finally reaches out to her for help with a special project. A project concerning Atlantis. With no choice but to get on a plane to Greece (thanks to her mom), Liv sets out to the land her father grew up in and maybe she'll find something more meaningful than Atlantis while she's there.
This book was definitely more of a slow-burn read than the other books by Welch. I was captured right away while reading, but there were a few times that I felt like it was dragging, I guess? It could have been me though, since I've been in a weird mood for some time (plus, all the dang moving crap). Still, despite the story slowly building up, it was enjoyable to read. There was a lot of wondering why Liv's dad left in the first place, and why he was suddenly reaching out now.
As much as I loved Theo as a character and buffer to Liv and her dad, I wasn't all for the romance in this one. While I didn't like Liv's current boyfriend either, as he seemed super controlling, I didn't feel as though there was a lot of that romantic tension between Liv and Theo. I thought they just were better off as friends. I do commend Welch for keeping her characters in line and not having that whole "cheating" scandal included in her story. It's one of the reasons she's one of my favorite authors. She definitely keeps her focus more on the familial relationships and the romances come second.
The last few chapters of the book included information that I felt could have come a little earlier in the story, but still made me tear up and made up for having to wait so long to find it all out. It's revelation about mental illness definitely could have come in earlier, or there could have at least been more clues to that part of it. I sort of figured out the other reason Liv's dad kept going to Athens (I'm not giving any spoilers) but I was still surprised somewhat at the specifics.
As I said before, the story is definitely more about Liv and her broken relationship with her father that she now has a chance to fix. It was about loss, love, and forgiveness - things that we deal with all the time and are very real hurts in our world. It was heartwarming in the end, which I love to read, and it wrapped up the story nicely.
Love & Olives is another definite on my recommendation list! If you haven't already, you should pre-order it! Or pick it up at local bookstore on November 10th!
*Thanks to NetGalley for providing a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review*
Liv's father left when she was eight years old, so she doesn't have many good memories with him - only the ones where they planned to one day discover the lost city of Atlantis. Now, eight years later, he finally reaches out to her for help with a special project. A project concerning Atlantis. With no choice but to get on a plane to Greece (thanks to her mom), Liv sets out to the land her father grew up in and maybe she'll find something more meaningful than Atlantis while she's there.
This book was definitely more of a slow-burn read than the other books by Welch. I was captured right away while reading, but there were a few times that I felt like it was dragging, I guess? It could have been me though, since I've been in a weird mood for some time (plus, all the dang moving crap). Still, despite the story slowly building up, it was enjoyable to read. There was a lot of wondering why Liv's dad left in the first place, and why he was suddenly reaching out now.
As much as I loved Theo as a character and buffer to Liv and her dad, I wasn't all for the romance in this one. While I didn't like Liv's current boyfriend either, as he seemed super controlling, I didn't feel as though there was a lot of that romantic tension between Liv and Theo. I thought they just were better off as friends. I do commend Welch for keeping her characters in line and not having that whole "cheating" scandal included in her story. It's one of the reasons she's one of my favorite authors. She definitely keeps her focus more on the familial relationships and the romances come second.
The last few chapters of the book included information that I felt could have come a little earlier in the story, but still made me tear up and made up for having to wait so long to find it all out. It's revelation about mental illness definitely could have come in earlier, or there could have at least been more clues to that part of it. I sort of figured out the other reason Liv's dad kept going to Athens (I'm not giving any spoilers) but I was still surprised somewhat at the specifics.
As I said before, the story is definitely more about Liv and her broken relationship with her father that she now has a chance to fix. It was about loss, love, and forgiveness - things that we deal with all the time and are very real hurts in our world. It was heartwarming in the end, which I love to read, and it wrapped up the story nicely.
Love & Olives is another definite on my recommendation list! If you haven't already, you should pre-order it! Or pick it up at local bookstore on November 10th!
*Thanks to NetGalley for providing a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review*
A book featuring a (selective) mute character and a deaf character? Sign me up! Neither one of these are represented much in fiction, so it's refreshing to find an author that does it and does it well.
Steffi is a selective mute, which doesn't mean that she chooses to be mute. It's more that she's able to talk in some situations and not able to in others. Combine that with anxiety and, yeah, she's the weird mute girl at school. The only people she's able to talk around are her family and her best friend, Tem. The first day of sixth form, she meets Rhys, the new deaf boy at her school. She's introduced to him because she knows some BSL (British Sign Language) and shockingly to her, she hits it off with him. While it seems to her family that her world is getting smaller or that she's hiding behind BSL, it might in fact be helping her to grow.
I'm not an expert on selective mutism, but anxiety I definitely get. To see a character going through it as well as treatment for it was enjoyable to read as I can relate to it. I liked that there was at least one therapy session included in a chapter, giving a little insight to how Steffi was getting help for her anxiety and mutism. The anxiety disorder didn't seem over the top, but it wasn't downplayed either, and that was great to see an author knowing her stuff about this. Not to say that some cases aren't super severe, it just seems like that any time it's shown in literature, authors feel the need to overdo it.
Rhys was an adorable character throughout the book and I thought that he, as a deaf character, was portrayed so well in this. There were times while reading that Steffi or someone else would do or say something and I was like "no, no, don't do that... you did it." and immediately felt Rhys's frustration in it. Though I can understand how not being around someone who's deaf normally can make you forget that, oh yeah, they can't follow a fast-paced conversation. In any case though, he was such a cute contrast to Steffi that it made them fit perfectly together.
What I liked most about the book though was obviously Steffi's working through her anxiety and mutism. Some might say it's because she got a boyfriend, but it's really because she found a person that makes her feel comfortable and never treated her different because of it. Granted, her best friend never did either, but that's why Steffi has no problems talking to her, or even her family. But she does feel some pressure from her family (mostly her mother) about trying to overcome her anxiety and mutism. So Rhys is a breath of fresh air as he obviously doesn't pressure her to talk outside of her comfort zone.
I would definitely recommend this novel to anyone that likes to read characters that go through/have these issues. I honestly felt it was well represented and I wish there were more books like this one.
Steffi is a selective mute, which doesn't mean that she chooses to be mute. It's more that she's able to talk in some situations and not able to in others. Combine that with anxiety and, yeah, she's the weird mute girl at school. The only people she's able to talk around are her family and her best friend, Tem. The first day of sixth form, she meets Rhys, the new deaf boy at her school. She's introduced to him because she knows some BSL (British Sign Language) and shockingly to her, she hits it off with him. While it seems to her family that her world is getting smaller or that she's hiding behind BSL, it might in fact be helping her to grow.
I'm not an expert on selective mutism, but anxiety I definitely get. To see a character going through it as well as treatment for it was enjoyable to read as I can relate to it. I liked that there was at least one therapy session included in a chapter, giving a little insight to how Steffi was getting help for her anxiety and mutism. The anxiety disorder didn't seem over the top, but it wasn't downplayed either, and that was great to see an author knowing her stuff about this. Not to say that some cases aren't super severe, it just seems like that any time it's shown in literature, authors feel the need to overdo it.
Rhys was an adorable character throughout the book and I thought that he, as a deaf character, was portrayed so well in this. There were times while reading that Steffi or someone else would do or say something and I was like "no, no, don't do that... you did it." and immediately felt Rhys's frustration in it. Though I can understand how not being around someone who's deaf normally can make you forget that, oh yeah, they can't follow a fast-paced conversation. In any case though, he was such a cute contrast to Steffi that it made them fit perfectly together.
What I liked most about the book though was obviously Steffi's working through her anxiety and mutism. Some might say it's because she got a boyfriend, but it's really because she found a person that makes her feel comfortable and never treated her different because of it. Granted, her best friend never did either, but that's why Steffi has no problems talking to her, or even her family. But she does feel some pressure from her family (mostly her mother) about trying to overcome her anxiety and mutism. So Rhys is a breath of fresh air as he obviously doesn't pressure her to talk outside of her comfort zone.
I would definitely recommend this novel to anyone that likes to read characters that go through/have these issues. I honestly felt it was well represented and I wish there were more books like this one.
I'm usually all for boarding school novels, that's why I picked this one up. Especially since there are students, Jules and new student Jamie, that want to just survive this year of school as well as expose the academy's dirty secrets and traditions.
There are hints right away as to what some of the major 'traditions' are at Fullbrook Academy, which oozes with toxic masculinity across campus. The culture on campus basically normalizes treating girls like sex objects and even rape culture. It's a subject that definitely needs to still be tackled in young adult fiction, and I applaud the author for doing so. While the topic was approached sensitively, I feel like the story still fell short.
The story is very slow paced and hard to stay interested. The real content of the story doesn't even begin until at least halfway through the book, which leaves not as much time to develop the aftermath of what happens. There's not much emotional depth to what happens with the character who was assaulted and honestly after something like that there should be more than what there was. For a little while there's something, a mini-spiral of sorts, but I just feel like there would have been more given what was also being said on campus. Because of the slow pace and lack of emotional development, I didn't really get too invested in the characters like I usually do, which made it hard to connect with them on any level.
I do like that they and their friends decide to stand up against the tradition of the Senior Send Off, even if it seemed a little soon after what happened. They take a stand against the privileged white males of the school to try to show them they can't get away with it.
Again, I do admire the author tackling this topic as it's so important and shouldn't be ignored, but I feel like if the story had been at a quicker pace and there was more character depth, it would have been better and I personally would have been more invested.
Rating: 2.5 stars
There are hints right away as to what some of the major 'traditions' are at Fullbrook Academy, which oozes with toxic masculinity across campus. The culture on campus basically normalizes treating girls like sex objects and even rape culture. It's a subject that definitely needs to still be tackled in young adult fiction, and I applaud the author for doing so. While the topic was approached sensitively, I feel like the story still fell short.
The story is very slow paced and hard to stay interested. The real content of the story doesn't even begin until at least halfway through the book, which leaves not as much time to develop the aftermath of what happens. There's not much emotional depth to what happens with the character who was assaulted and honestly after something like that there should be more than what there was. For a little while there's something, a mini-spiral of sorts, but I just feel like there would have been more given what was also being said on campus. Because of the slow pace and lack of emotional development, I didn't really get too invested in the characters like I usually do, which made it hard to connect with them on any level.
I do like that they and their friends decide to stand up against the tradition of the Senior Send Off, even if it seemed a little soon after what happened. They take a stand against the privileged white males of the school to try to show them they can't get away with it.
Again, I do admire the author tackling this topic as it's so important and shouldn't be ignored, but I feel like if the story had been at a quicker pace and there was more character depth, it would have been better and I personally would have been more invested.
Rating: 2.5 stars
3.5 stars
One year after his wife left him, Alex is still bitter over the divorce. Well, maybe not as bitter as he was, but he’s lonely… that’s for sure. His best friends decide it’s time for him to get over the divorce and encourage him to move on and sing up for an online dating site. Alex does, and after his profile is set up he gets the urge to look up loneliness and is directed to a blog by the mysterious LBH. Her posts are all too relatable to Alex, as well as honest and raw. In just a few posts he finds himself falling for her, and then when she announces that she will no longer be blogging, he decides on something even crazier than online dating.
He decides to go find her.
This is the third in Evans’s Mistletoe collection, which are all stand alone books but with a common theme (and one book mentions another in it). The first difference of this book from the others is that the main character is a male, which for me, was a refreshing perspective. At first there’s a good pacing to the story, but at the end it seems a little rushed to be believable. Though that could just be me.
My favorite thing about this story is the theme of life taking you in an unexpected direction. Alex spends time looking for this LBH in a small town (after doing some detective work through the blog posts to figure out where LBH lives), but then when he comes across Aria in the town’s diner, his world is flipped upside down. Even some of the side characters have a little anecdote of this kind of thing happening and it’s a very relatable topic. We never know what will happen, especially when we don’t take chances.
Compared to the other books in the Mistletoe collection, this isn’t my favorite. That’s not to say it isn’t a good book – it’s a very easy read and cute throughout. It’s just not my favorite. I still recommend it though if you’re looking for an easy-going Christmas tale!
One year after his wife left him, Alex is still bitter over the divorce. Well, maybe not as bitter as he was, but he’s lonely… that’s for sure. His best friends decide it’s time for him to get over the divorce and encourage him to move on and sing up for an online dating site. Alex does, and after his profile is set up he gets the urge to look up loneliness and is directed to a blog by the mysterious LBH. Her posts are all too relatable to Alex, as well as honest and raw. In just a few posts he finds himself falling for her, and then when she announces that she will no longer be blogging, he decides on something even crazier than online dating.
He decides to go find her.
This is the third in Evans’s Mistletoe collection, which are all stand alone books but with a common theme (and one book mentions another in it). The first difference of this book from the others is that the main character is a male, which for me, was a refreshing perspective. At first there’s a good pacing to the story, but at the end it seems a little rushed to be believable. Though that could just be me.
My favorite thing about this story is the theme of life taking you in an unexpected direction. Alex spends time looking for this LBH in a small town (after doing some detective work through the blog posts to figure out where LBH lives), but then when he comes across Aria in the town’s diner, his world is flipped upside down. Even some of the side characters have a little anecdote of this kind of thing happening and it’s a very relatable topic. We never know what will happen, especially when we don’t take chances.
Compared to the other books in the Mistletoe collection, this isn’t my favorite. That’s not to say it isn’t a good book – it’s a very easy read and cute throughout. It’s just not my favorite. I still recommend it though if you’re looking for an easy-going Christmas tale!
