what i'm reading: cress by marissa meyer

It's really easy for a series to become boring or too elaborate but The Lunar Chronicles are still going strong and somehow, with each book, it becomes more fun and exciting to read.

Now, for the sake of no spoilers, I am just going to talk about what I really enjoy about how the series progresses. Each book adds a new character and the characters that surround her. The premise (as I have talked about before here) is Cinderella in a futuristic world of cyborgs and moon colonies. With each book you get introduced to another futuristic version of a classic fairy tale. While this seems like it could easily repeat itself or become too complicated, it does not at all. The characters continue to grow and develop, the world of the book expands with each new book, and the relationships become more interesting and dynamic. Cress (Lunar Chronicles)* was a fantastic third book and now I have to sit and wait for the next book in the series. It's a fun and dynamic YA read that creates a fantastic Sci-FI world.

what i'm reading: scarlet by marissa meyer

I love a good Sci-Fi book and I love a good YA book that isn't all a-girl-can't-live-without-her-man. Cinder was spot on when I read it a few months back and yesterday I picked up Scarlet (the second book in The Lunar Chronicles) and was excited to see that the story just gets better.

Scarlet continues in this future world of cyborgs and moon people with the same momentum and charm the first book has. I like to keep my reviews short to avoid any spoilers and that is especially true with the second book in a series.

This book definitely has more of the gooey romance that I tend to gag at when reading YA. I like finding books with strong female characters who are more than just the trendy Twilight-esque "I need a man to survive." But Marissa Meyer does a great job of adding in romance without making the romance a weakness of the character. You know, like how love works in real life.

I could not put the book down. I read it in a day. Meyer created a unique and intriguing future world with characters that are funny, smart, and charming. I've already started the next book in the series and I love that with each new character that is introduced is their own person. Often books will downplay characters, wash them out to make them similar to each other so it would make sense how they all connect but instead Meyer plays up the differences and how those differences bring them together which is part of what makes the book such a fun and enjoyable read.

This is a great book to recommend to young teens who enjoy Sci-Fi (although there are some violent scenes, nothing more violent than The Hunger Games but still may not be considered appropriate for everyone.)

Have you read any of The Lunar Chronicles yet? What did you think?

xoxo,
kat

what i'm reading: the hive by gill hornby

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This was a fun one! I had no idea what to expect when I picked up The Hive by Gill Hornby*. I was surprised to find it not only laugh out loud funny and sartorial but also extremely relatable. The book deals with a group of mothers whose children all attend the same school. The story follows along with the women and the social world of they live in. There are committees, parties, luncheons, coffee, and fundraising to do. Even though I am not a parent, I still found this book enjoyable and relatable. The characters are rich and often times absurd but you also recognize all of them from that thing you volunteered or that book club you are a part of.

Hardcover Edition and Kindle Edition Available on Amazon*

You watch these women deal with tragedy ranging from divorce to suicide, fundraising disasters and triumphs, personality clashes and takeovers, and power struggles between groups. If you have ever been rejected by a clique, outcast from a social group or club, or ever worked at a school you will recognize these characters and you love the humor Gill Hornby brings to all of it. 

Have you read it? What did you think? 

xoxo,

kat 

what i'm reading: amor and psycho by carolyn cooke

Now this is what a series of short stories should be. Amor and Psycho* is a collection of short stories by Carolyn Cooke that shows off the authors skill. The stories are edgy, almost all dealing with mature and adult themes, and each story stands on it's own. I really enjoyed this series and it made me want to read more by Cooke.

One thing I really enjoyed about these stories were how many of them were centered around female characters who were unique, diverse, and had depth to them. So often writers play it safe with female characters and this series does not do that at all. I loved seeing such unique characters and reading their stories.

Have you read it? What did you think?

xoxo,
kat

what i'm reading: cinder by marissa meyer

The problem with reading YA books is that when you find ones that you really enjoy, they are usually part of a big series. That is the only problem I have with Cinder* by Marissa Meyer. This is an absolutely fun and engaging read and now all I want to do is read the other books in the series! 

As the cover and title indicate, this is a modern, sci-fi take on the classic Cinderella story. As happens most of the time (when you are an adult reading books made for those younger than you) a lot of this book was predictable but that did not ruin the book for me. The writing is engaging, comic, and authentic. The main character, Cinder, is relatable and not your typical female falling for the prince. There is much more to her and to her world than a romance.

While there is a romantic story line between the prince and Cinder, it's not at all your stereotypical story and Cinder is very aware that there are bigger issues than whether or not the prince likes her. It takes place in the distant future where there is a colony on the moon ruled by a queen, a commonwealth ruled by an emperor in Asia, and cyborgs and androids are a part of society.

I love this take on Cinderella and it was a book I could not put down. If you are a fan on Young Adult books and Science Fiction, this is a great book. But be warned, it is part of a series and once you fall in you are going to want to read the rest of the books!

Have you read it? What did you think?

Next weeks book will be Amor and Psycho: Stories by Carolyn Cooke.*

xoxo,
Kat

what i'm reading: a guide to being born

I love short stories. I think they are completely underrated and everyone should read more of them. Short stories give authors a chance to stretch and show what they are capable of by capturing moments and events instead of the long struggles or journeys that novels give us. 

I was excited for this series of short stories by Ramona Ausubel because I had read a few good things about her writing in general. A Guide to Being Born* was a little bit of a disappointment to be honest. It's not that Ramona Ausubel is a bad writer, it's just that the voice in all of these stories was fairly consistent, even when the characters were supposed to be incredibly different. 

The voice she writes in is elegant and really lovely to read (I use lovely sparingly when describing writing but hers really is.) But the problem I had with this particular series of short stories was that even when the characters were extremely different and the stories focused on different people and events, the writing felt the same. What I usually love about reading a series of short stories is that you get to see the breadth of an author and in this series, that felt missing. 

But the series of stories was still beautifully written. It was unlike anything I have read in a long time. The characters were incredibly unique and many of the stories bordered somewhere between truly heartbreaking and beautiful. 

Next week I will be reviewing the YA Novel, Cinder*. So far it is a really fun light read and I am excited to see where this modern sci-fi take on Cinderella goes. Feel free to read along so you can join in the discussion next week.

Have you read A Guide To Being Born? What did you think?

xoxo,

kat

what i'm reading: the dinner by herman koch

Sometimes books have characters that you can't agree with, who do things that you consider awful, but you still can't put the book down. That is how The Dinner by Herman Koch* was for me. It reads like a monologue, at times funny, at times twisted, but the voice of the narrator never drifts or strays. It is always consistent and clear which is part of what made this book so engaging.

The book deals with how far one would go for the ones they love and while I couldn't personally relate to the narrator, I couldn't stop reading his story or how he saw the situation. I really enjoyed this book and I feel a little weird saying that because I also disagreed so much with the choices all the characters made. I loved the book and I loved the ending, even when I disagreed with it. It's hard to put this book down, the writing keeps you wanting more. It challenges views and raises several moral and ethical questions.

This book is not for everyone. It is satirical at times but also twisted and chilling. It deals with some darker themes and I would definitely considering it a shocking book. If you are looking for something funny, edgy, and smart that also raises big moral questions about what you do for family; this is an excellent read.

Have you read it? What did you think?

Also, I have decided to start sharing what the next book review will be in case you want to read along and join the discussion. Next week I will be talking about a series of short stories called A Guide to Being Born by Ramona Ausubel.*


xoxo,
kat

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what i'm reading: joshua tree

I spent the last three days in the desert and two of those days were spent in Joshua Tree National Park. The boy spent a good part of his life about 40 minutes from the park but had never been in. When we decided to play in the park for a couple of days I knew that getting a guide book would be a good idea because there is no cell service in the park so looking up things on All Trails would not be an option for us. This also is not a park you mess around with. Having grown up with the desert so close and having spent so much time in it, I know how brutal the desert can be. It will change it's mind in an instant and a gorgeous, calm, Spring day can turn into howling winds, extreme temperatures, and even flash floods. 

In the two days we were there the mornings went from calm and perfect to 30 mile per hour winds very suddenly, we knew this was a possibility because we had checked weather day of and checked with the rangers beforehand but a lot of people we saw in the park were clearly underprepared for this kind of weather, especially if they were considering anything more than the nature trails. Since we enjoy day hikes but didn't want to push ourselves too hard this trip, planning was essential and because of this I picked up this guide book, Joshua Tree: The Complete Guide by James Kaiser, at REI. 

I really liked this guide book for what we wanted this trip. Because the boy is still just starting to hike again, we didn't want to do any strenuous hikes but we wanted more than just the well marked nature trails throughout. This book offers great information on all the main hikes shown on the park map provided by the National Park, but it gives you more detail of how to get to these hikes and what to expect. You also get concise information on plants, animals, and the history of the park as well as a great list of the stores and restaurants in the area and some of the other sites to see near the park.

I liked this guide because it was simple, straightforward, and gave more than just hiking or just geology or just ecology. It's a great guide for your first visit if you aren't looking to do too many aggressive hikes or any major backpacking. Because we were not climbing, I did not use the climbing section of this book so I can't really comment on it at this time. But overall, everything else this book provided really elevated our experience in the park.

If you are looking for a guide for strictly hiking in the park - this probably isn't the guide for you.  We did three trails that could be considered hikes and one nature trail over two days but we know there is a lot more available for advanced hikers than what is listed here. But, as I said before, this is a great book if you are planning a short trip to the park and want to plan some light hiking, find great places to eat, and see some incredible sites.

xoxo,
kat

what i'm reading: wild

This book was not what I expected but I still really enjoyed it. I was looking for a good nature/adventure/hiking related book, I live close to the Pacific Crest Trail, and I am getting more and more into hiking so I was drawn to this book because everything about the way it is marketed and described led me to believe it was a book about a women's journey on the Pacific Crest Trail. Well, it is but it isn't.

Cheryl Strayed is a famous author, this book was a New York Times Bestseller, and it has been a part of a ton of book clubs. There is a reason for all of the above, it is an incredibly well written memoir about a woman who deals with tremendous grief and loss while taking a monumental journey on the Pacific Crest Trail. Strayed writes in a voice that is honest, you feel as if a best friend is telling you this story as you read it. She writes about grief and loss in such poignant ways but still, all through this book I was wanting more about the trail and adventure and less about her incredible story and I felt guilty for that. That was partially my own fault for not looking into this book more before picking it up. Because of this, I was slightly bias as I read this book. What I wanted it to be was not what it was and that made it hard for me to love the book.

And yet, it is a book that is probably worth loving because, as I said before, she really is an incredible writer. I did feel, through most of the book, as if she was my best friend telling me about the hardest parts of her life, so honestly and candidly. I do recommend this book, how she copes with the grief and loss with her life, the choices she makes (both good and bad), and what she learns and discovers are all moving and at times inspiring.

But if you are looking for a book that is focused on nature, hiking, and the Pacific Crest Trail, this is probably not what you are looking for. So much of this book is spent with her reflecting on who she was before the trail, and while it is beautifully written, I have a hard time calling this a book about the PCT. The trail is a main character but it is by no means the main character in this story.  It is a gorgeous book that deals with loss, grief, and change and it is about a woman who uses the trail to help her cope with all of those things. If you are looking for a memoir, this is a gorgeous one that I highly recommend.

Have you read this book? What did you think?

xoxo,
kat