Review: Montefiore's Goddaughter

Montefiore's Goddaughter by Elisabeth Brooks

 Montefiore's Goddaughter  by Elizabeth Brooks is about the adventures of Abigale Crabtree. The thing that is different about Abigale's adventures, though, is that they do not stop when she falls asleep. In fact, that is when the real adventures begin: in the dream world of Traumund.

Since Abigale was little, she has always been able to escape to her dream world. She has a group of friends, made up of humans and animals, and her stuffed bear Boris. The friends congregate in a magical tree that keeps them safe from the giant cannibals who roam the dream forest, and is a place full of stories and fun. That is, until an evil creature that Abigale did not dream up enters her world, and demands she surrender herself to the King of Traumund.

Review: Would You Eat Your Cat?

Would You Eat Your Cat? by Jeremy Strangroom

I won this book from a Goodreads.com giveaway. I entered said giveaway because of the book title and cover photo. That little cat is so cute! But when I got the book and saw that it had to do with ethics, I started thinking I should stop picking my books based on the cuteness of the cover and actually read the description. However, everything turned out okay in the end. 

Would You Eat Your Cat: Key Ethical Conundrums and What They Tell You About Yourself was a little book with a lot of punch. It asked insightful questions about morals and ethics, gave a kind of humorous scenario for readers to chew on, and then provided different ways to look at the situation along with real world scenarios. I discussed some of the ethical conundrums with others and it sparked a bit of discussion. Everyone liked the pictures.

Books that I Don't Like

As I was running today, I was thinking about the books I have been reviewing for this blog. For the most part, they are positive reviews; not many about books I didn't like. So I thought about it, and I realized that either I don't review books I did not like, or I just don't finish reading them. Life is too short to read books that one does not enjoy. This happened to me as I was reading The Witch's Daughter by Paula Brackston. I got a little over 100 pages into it and I realized that picking up the book felt more like a chore than entertainment. I didn't connect with the characters, I felt the plot was slow and boring, and I really did not enjoy the dialogue. It annoyed me. So I ditched it. Plain and simple. After I came to this realization (most of my realizations and best day dreams happen when I'm running), I decided to post about 5 books that I have read, or started to read, and did not like.

Double Review: Insurgent and Quiet

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World
That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cai

Today I am doing something I have not done before: reviewing two books in one post. The reason is that I have a lot of books to catch up on as I was reading Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain and Insurgent, the second book in the "Divergent Trilogy" by Veronica Roth, I kept drawing connections between the two. 

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

The two books are very different. Quiet is a non-fiction book about, well, the power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking. What initially drew me to this book is that I am an introvert, and I often feel that my extroverted peers are going to be more successful than me simply because they talk a lot. Cain does reinforce that yes, talking loud and fast is important in our culture, but there are many successful people who are introverted. Also, many times introverts are more productive and become more successful than their extroverted co-workers. Some amazing people that I share my introvertedness with are (in no particular order):

J.K. Rowling
Bill Gates
Sir Isaac Newton
Those guys who created Google
Albert Einstein
Rosa Parks
Mahatma Gandhi
Al Gore
Eleanor Roosevelt

Review: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz

I had no idea what The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz was about. I read it because I needed a book for a reading challenge and I happened to get this one for free from World Book Night. You may ask, “Why didn’t you just read the blurb on the back of the book?” Well, instead of a blurb there was a list of books that were featured in World Book Night. Then you may ask, “Why didn’t you look at reviews online, or the GoodReads description?” and to that I would answer, “‘Cause I didn’t.”

That being said, I liked it.

Book Challenge

I FINISHED THE SEMI-CHARMED WINTER BOOK CHALLENGE! WOO! Go me.

5 points: Read a book written by an author you have never read before. Divergent by Veronica Roth

5: Read a book you already have at home but haven’t gotten around to yet (from the library, from a bookstore, borrowed from a friend, on your e-reader, whatever). All Clear by Connie Willis

10: Read a book written in the decade that you were born. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

10: Read a book that takes place in the state/province where you were born. Eat The City by Robin Shulman

15: Read a book titled The _______'s Daughter or The _______'s Wife. The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

15:  Read a book that was originally written in a language other than English. Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier

20: Read a book with a number in the title. This could be an actual digit or a number like “hundred” or “thousand.” No arbitrary numbers are allowed. Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

20:  Read a book set during Christmas or another winter holiday. The Stupidest Angel by Christopher Moore

20: Read a book written by an author who shares your initials. Bringing the Summer by Julia Green 

25: Read a Pulitzer Prize winner or finalist for fiction. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao  by Junot Diaz

25:  Re-read a book. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

30: Read three books from three different genres (e.g. romance, historical fiction, horror, biography, etc.). Remember, the books used for this category cannot count for any other category
1. A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin (Fantasy)
2. The Maze Runner by James Dashner (Distopia)
3. Sapphire Blue by Kerstin Gier (YA Sci Fi/Romance)

Read and Read

Random thought of the day: Read and read are strange words. Not only is the spelling of the two words the same the pronuncuation different, but I am pretty sure they are the only words in which the past and future tenses are spelled the same way.

Anyway, book challenge. I have one category left: Book written during the decade I was born. I am reading (and almost done with) The Handmaid's Tale by Margret Atwood (1985). Yay! I know I have a lot of reviews to do, and I will get to them soon. I have been busy applying to jobs. If someone would hire me then I would not have to spend all day writing cover letters and I could spend some time on writing book reviews!

Of course, one could make the argument that if I had a job, instead of filling out job applications all day I would be working all day and still would not have enough time for book reviews. But we're not picky here, are we?