Well that was... underwhelming. Quinn is super annoying and also REALLY DUMB so I was kind of focused on that the whole time. The plot didn’t really get interesting (save for one or two small things in the middle) until about 85% in. All the plot twists I saw coming from a mile away, including the one at the very end (although that one took me until just before it was revealed, but still). Overall, it was super predictable, the characters were either dumb or flat and boring, and it wasn’t nearly fast paced enough for a thriller. It wasn’t the worst book I’ve ever read but I was definitely expecting more out of it

Pardon my language but

JESUS.
FUCKING.
CHRIST.

THAT WAS B R U T A L.

DO NOT READ IF YOU CANT HANDLE EXTREMELY GRAPHIC VIOLENCE BECAUSE OH MY GODDDDD

At first I wasn’t sure about this book. It was a fast read but it didn’t really hook me right away. In the first almost 50% the book not a whole lot was going on. I mean they were doing things but there wasn’t anything spooky or thrilling happening at all. 50% in Ararat was sitting at maybe 2.5/3 stars for me.

BUT THE LAST HALF

MY GOD

I can’t even describe how brutal that was, you’d have to read for yourself. I don’t really like excessive violence, especially when it’s described so vividly. It freaks me out. BUT the way this author was able to write fear is what brought this to 5 stars. Oh my god this person is brilliant at being able to strike absolute terror. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time after everything started going downhill (pun totally intended).

Sometimes the HTML for spoilers doesn’t work on the app so just in case,
SPOILERS BELOW

Waiting to see who was next to die, and never being able to tell who was possessed, oh my god that was nuts. The author did a really good job at making you feel like you were one of the characters, because none of us knew who was possessed now and who was about to die. There were very few times during that last half where the reader knew more than the characters. That descent down the mountain was so nerve wracking, I’m going to need a massage just to get my shoulders to relax. Fucking hell that was brilliant.

SPOILERS ARE DONE

ALSO THAT LAST SENTENCE THOUGH. CAN I JUST. OH MY GOD. FUCK.

Anyways. Just read this. Do it. If you like thriller, aren’t squeamish about violence, and don’t mind waiting a little while for the thrills to start, this is absolutely worth it.

also I just want a moment to live in the glory that my favourite character lived. That literally never happens, I think I’m cursed because my favs die in like 90% of the books/movies/shows/etc that I like BUT NOT THIS TIME!!

I really enjoyed this! It has a lot of bad reviews with people saying it wasn’t scientific enough, but that’s exactly what I wanted. It’s raw, emotional, had me crying a few times, and had enough cool facts about marine life to satiate the science lover in me without going overboard. For me, if it had read like a science report I would have DNF’d it immediately. I really loved reading about the relationships with the octopuses, as well as everyone’s relationships to each other (although to be honest I cared about the octopuses more LOL)

There were a few things I didn’t like though, like that long chapter where Montgomery was learning how to scuba dive. I liked the chapters where she was actually diving, but the learning part was super boring and I skipped over it ngl. Also she repeated the same phrases A LOT. One example, I counted the use of “smaller than a grain of rice” for reference to the size of a baby octopus SIX TIMES. THATS WAY TOO MANY TIMES. There were a few other heavily repeated phrases but that was the worst one

Otherwise, I loved this! Would definitely recommend if you’re like me an enjoy science without all the boring bits

This book has activated Raging Feminist Mode I'M SO MAD ABOUT IT. I will say that some of the poems are really nice, those being the very few that aren't about women. And there are VERY few that aren't. But for the vast majority of poems in this book that are about women, it's painfully obvious that this was written by a 21st century man. Men who claim to respect women, who say they are so in touch with their feminine side, who really understand the struggles of women. Men who think they know how women feel, how they want to feel, want to be treated, etc., and think that they have the authority to shed light on these things to others. To me, Whiskey, Words & a Shovel read like a Fedora Wearing Dudebro, Knight in Shining Armour type of guy (we all know the type) giving tips to other men on how to pick up women. Like it was a guideline that, if followed correctly, would surely get you laid. All this self-righteous bullshit about still loving a broken woman, as if doing so makes him a saint. Congratulations for being capable of loving someone who has been broken down by so many men in the past, I'm sure you're really proud of yourself. Would you like a fucking medal? A pat on the back for being a decent human being?

Women do not need men to heal their wounds.
Women do not need men to make them strong.
Women do not need men to have a voice.
Women do not need men to get back on their feet.
WOMEN DO NOT NEED MEN PERIOD.

Naomi's Room started off good, it was pretty creepy and had a spooky atmosphere. By the middle of the book it had fallen completely flat, I was so bored! The entire middle was basically just the main character doing research on the ghost. That's it. Nothing else. And the end took an unexpected turn that was extremely disturbing, and not in a good way. From around 60% onwards, not only did the plot take that turn, but the writing also went to shit, too. It kind of felt like Aycliffe started out strong and then gave up halfway through. The ending felt like he didn't care anymore, he just wanted to finish the book. Even so, I was going to give it 3 stars until the last 10% happened and just. Wow that was awful.

TRIGGER WARNINGS
Multiple kidnappings, rape, child sexual assault, incest, torture, a fuckton of other shit that was entirely unnecessary and was only used for shock value!!

Actual rating: 2.5 stars.
I really liked this book in the beginning, but by the end I just couldn't wait to be finished with it.

I didn't know that this was going to be a book about a dog with cancer. If I had known from the beginning, I wouldn't have even considered reading it. But by the time I figured it out, I was already in love with the writing style and the main character, and with what seemed like it would be a sweet story about a man and his dog going on adventures together. Even when I found out about the tumor, I still kept reading. I knew it would break my heart but I thought it would be worth it. And it was worth it, until they set sail on Fishful Thinking and the whole story went to shit. Before I realized it was dream, I thought that whole ordeal was stupid. It didn't make any sense, and the fight scene with the octopus was absolutely ridiculous. In all honesty, I didn't think it was a dream, I just thought Ted had finally gone off his rocker and was hallucinating. Because of this part of the book, I was so done with it. Even when Lily died, I just couldn't wait to get it done. I did tear up a little bit, but not nearly as much as I thought I would. The part with the boat completely ruined the whole book for me. I also found that the quality of writing drastically decreased from that point onwards.

Overall, I definitely wouldn't recommend this to anyone

After finishing this I still don't really know what it's about, but it was interesting in a weird way.

2015 Reading Challenge: A popular author's first book

It usually takes me a couple of weeks to finish a novel, but with The Notebook I loved it so much that I started and finished it in the same day. I've seen the movie many times, it's one of my favourites, and I feel like it really did the book justice. I thought the movie was incredible, but the book absolutely blew me away. While I sat in Chapters today reading this, there were many times I had to discreetly wipe my eyes before the strangers around me saw me crying.

I'm not the type to re-read books, but Noah and Allie's love is something I could read over and over again and never get bored.


2015 Reading Challenge: A classic romance

2015 Reading Challenge: A book that was originally written in a different language

I will admit that Bridget Jones's Diary was witty and occasionally funny, but not enough to make it worth the read. Bridget claims to be a radical feminist but can't seem to function without a man in her life, even if that man has done horrible things to her. Bridget is annoying and hypocritical, although not as bad as her mother.