It's been a snowy, cold February, quite a fast month. The days just zoom on by. It didn't seem like I did anything but I did some work, some blogging, some reading and other things I forgot. If I didn't have a blog where I post some of my activities, I probably wouldn't remember much. Anyway, here are the books I read this month and a few I didn't finish.
Books I Finished:
What's it about: psychics, ghosts, school, family, friends, sisters
I guess I would have liked this better if it wasn't so predictable but considering I read many types of these books (boy or girl using their new powers and the chaos that follows and breaking rules or advice they knew they should follow but don't), I would easily know where it will go. This was a good book but the stakes aren't super high and you know things will turn out fine in the end. There's a sequel but I probably won't read it.
What's it about: wish-granting eyeglasses, ghosts, family curse, racism
I may have picked to read this book because of the cover (art by Hillary D. Wilson). When I said wish-granting eyeglasses, it's not quite true because if Winna (the main character) didn't word things properly, her wish doesn't come true and most of the time, she didn't realize this until very late in the book. I didn't know this took place in 1960's until farther into the book so there is talk about blacks and slavery. The mystery of her great-grandmother and the family curse kept me reading but there isn't much paranormal stuff even with ghosts, it's more of a family story but it's decent read.
What's it about: mystical animals, friendship, sasquatch
This is the first book in a series so I guess it's why not a lot of things are explained, like the dragon or the Imaginary world but it had some quirky people like Mr. Tabby who is maybe a cat in human form. I think this is for younger kids, below middle grade and I did enjoy it but probably not as much if I was younger.
What's it about: a princess turned into a frog then tries to get home, some theater/stage stuff
It started out good with a princess (Imogene) turning into a frog and then it detoured into theater shenanigans and then the end. That's the whole book. I thought she would go through a few adventures but there's only that one adventure. I dislike reading theater/stage stuff so that bored me and that's the almost entire book so it feels long though the book is less than 200 pages. Most of the time, Imogene (who was 12 but sounded way older) was completely helpless and whatever she did was driven by other people's actions. There is tiny bits of humor but mostly, it dragged on toward the end with some talking and voilà - a solution is said by a character and then voilà - she's human again. The only interesting thing happened in the first few pages. There's even a witch who started the curse but she's too busy reading her book to do anything interesting and she's there for a few moments and then never mentioned again. Maybe this should be retitled as The one adventure of a princess.
What's it about: Bigfoot, grief, family
This is one of those grief books disguised as quirky and fun. There is quirky with bits of fun but mostly, it's sappy but it's a feel-good kind of book. I did like this but not a lot.
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| Left is the version I read and the right is an old cover |
What's it about: new kid in town, siblings, town history, a ghost
This is an old book published in 1984 so there are many covers for this so I'm showing the version I read and an old cover that I thought kind of represent the book but the woman in the mirror is not how the ghost looks.
The way it was written, I thought there would be a whole bunch of ghosts invading the town but nope, just the single ghost and she only appeared maybe three times. And all the exciting things happened at the end. This was a short (at 137 pages) read with a little spookiness. I'm not sure if I like this or not - this is somewhat bland but at the same time, there is some sparks of intrigue.
Books I Unfinished:
What's it about: scavengers in a dystopia world
Quit at: 25%
It's mostly about a family surviving a sort of dystopia world after some natural disaster. They lived outside bubble domes (place where all the rich people lives, I guess) and have to hunt for goods to trade for things they need. I was tired of the endless talk of how they do this or that just to get the food and supplies and the talk of the past things they did to get to that point - I guess there is too much back story but not enough to keep my interest.
What's it about: pirates, magic, some sort of treasure hunt
Quit at: 29%
The main character became a pirate by going to an interview and getting to be a pirate like a job which is fine but kind of boring way to be a pirate but I guess the real story starts after that but I just lost interest even though I like the humor here.
What's it about: children ghosts, some scary finger monster
Quit at: 20%
There is a scary monster that I somehow just didn't want to read more about. This feels like a horror book so I have to quit.
What's it about: dystopia future where paper (aka trees) are extinct
Quit at: 20%
I don't quite like reading about dystopia futures where something is lacking or extinct and then people hunt for it or die for it. There was the main character and her sick grandfather and she had to hunt to make money so that he could somehow live on - I just find it depressing so I stopped reading.
What's it about: people (mostly the four children) with odd abilities, a museum, some mystery about the children's background
Quit at: 21%
There's a murder but I didn't get to that. The four children is interesting enough but somehow they seem boring - one kid is strong and can lift anything, another can read minds but mostly what's in someone's pockets, a third can contour his body to fit any space and the four kid can throw knives accurately. The synosis is more fun to read than the book. There is some nice illustrations. But I don't know what happened - one moment I'm all interested and the next, I just didn't want to continue.
Have you read any good books lately?
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