BOOKS WRAP UP:
My Rating: ★★★★★
This is an account of Nyiszli's experience working under Dr. Josef Mengele at Auschwitz. Because of Nyiszli's position at this camp, there isn't much information given about what life was like in the camp for the average prisoner, but this is the only book I've read on the Holocaust that gives a clear description of how the exterminations took place. I think this is a must-read piece of Holocaust literature if you're looking to learn more about how Auschwitz-Birkenau operated and the attitudes of the camp's leaders towards prisoners.
The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
My Rating: ★★★★★
Full review for this coming soon. To make a very long story short, I absolutely loved this. I already know this will be one of my top 5 favorite reads from this year and if you've been thinking about reading it, I highly recommend you do so.
Full review for this coming soon. To make a very long story short, I absolutely loved this. I already know this will be one of my top 5 favorite reads from this year and if you've been thinking about reading it, I highly recommend you do so.
Still Alice by Lisa Genova My Rating: ★★★★
I listened to this primarily on audiobook. I've never known someone who has Alzheimer's, so I can't speak to the accuracy of its representation in this. I did enjoy the story and liked that we see the disease slowly progress over a few years. I also appreciated that the story ends on a happier note, and shows that you can still live a fairly normal life even with the diagnosis.
The Kreutzer Sonata by Leo Tolstoy
My Rating: ★★★
This is a story within a story and is largely about a man describing he and his wife's marriage before he murdered her. This novella has a very bleak vibe and questions love and marriage. I did enjoy this and thought it introduced a few interesting concepts, but the story felt like it tended to ramble on without reason.
My Rating: ★★★★★
This was my first book for the Cramathon and fulfilled the challenge of reading seven books. I read this as part of the Shadowhunters Chronicles read-along taking place this year. This is my favorite series, and as this was a reread for me, of course, I still loved the book. Through this reread though, I did feel that this was the weakest book in the series. This does seem to be more focused on developing characters and their relationships, which I still enjoyed.
Blue is the Warmest Color by Julie Maroh
My Rating: ★★★ (3.5)
I read this for the cramathon challenge of reading a book that is LGBTQIA+ Ownvoices. I will have a full review coming soon for this. The artwork in this was lovely, and I thought it was a nice touch that the color scheme is shades of blue and other cool tones, but the story for this was incredibly disappointing.
My Rating: ★★★★
This was for the Cramathon challenge to read a book with your favorite color on the cover. I found the fantasy world and magic system to be pretty generic, but the romance is really what sells this. This features a F/F relationship between two princesses. The romance doesn't feel forced at all, and although it develops slowly, it comes out in the most natural way.
The Comedy of Errors by William Shakespeare
My Rating: ★★★
This completed the Cramathon challenge to read something that is not a standard novel. In this, two sets of twins with one of each set from the same city end up being mistaken for each other, which is easy to do considering each set of twins have the same name. I was worried going into this that it would be too confusing to make sense of but after the first couple scenes, I could sort the characters without a problem, and I found this to be fairly humorous.
My Rating: ★★★★ (4.5)
This was for my Cramathon challenge to read a predicted 5-star read. I really loved this, but it wasn't quite a 5-star book for me. I can't figure out what it was, but there was just something preventing this from being a near perfect read. I was a bit disappointed that we didn't see more of an actual relationship between Simon and Blue, and I wasn't thrilled with Leah's character. She didn't feel as developed as the other characters and I didn't understand her actions throughout the novel.
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
My Rating: ★★★★
I read this for the Cramathon challenge to read a book that has been on your TBR too long. I've had this for about three years now and decided to use this challenge to push myself to finally read it. I'll have a full review coming for this soon. Basically, the Nadsat slang is a pain in the ass, but once you get the hang of it, this novel turns out to be well worth the read.
My Rating: ★★★
This was for the challenge to read a book outside of your comfort zone. I alternated between the physical edition and the audiobook. This was a fine story, but I wasn't a fan. This is exactly the type of book I would never pick up to read, and for a good reason, this just isn't the story for me. Needless to say, I won't be reading any of the other books in this series.
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
My Rating: ★★★★
I alternated between the physical edition and the audiobook for this. This is one of the few books I've read which evoke a full range of emotions from its readers. At times this was tragic, but it also had a few parts that were more pleasant to read. It was an uncomfortable read, but I think an important and realistic one. I also enjoyed the different types of perspectives we see in this.
My Rating: ★★★★
This is a story I like more and more everytime I think about it. The Chocolate War is a very complex story about conformity and free will hidden in a simpler story about a chocolate sale. If you can analyze this a bit more than just taking it for what it appears to be, I think there is plenty that can be taken from this. The full review for this is coming soon.
The Awakening by Kate Chopin
My Rating: ★★★★★
This was a really beautiful novella about a woman in the 1980s realizing she is dissatisfied with her life as a mother and wife, and deciding to do what she wants. In doing this, she gains independence and pursues love. This delves deep into the psychology of "kept" women during this time period, and I felt that it did a great job at depicting a self-satisfied woman in a realistic way, especially given when this was written. I will definitely be checking out more of Chopin's work.
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- Review: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher - linked here
- Top 5 Wednesday: Summer Reads - linked here
- Reading Women 2018 Reading Challenge Check-In - linked here
- Top 5 Wednesday: Favorite Fathers/Father Figures - linked here
- Book Unhaul - linked here
- Top 5 Wednesday: Favorite LGBTQ+ Books (Non-Cis M/M) - linked here
- Series I've Started - linked here
- Top 5 Wednesday: Books You Want to Read Before the End of the Year - linked here
✿ Have you read any of these books? Comment below what you read this month or link your wrap up post if you've made one. Subscribe to BookSass for more bookish goodness and thanks for reading!
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