Tag: 2024 52 book club

Book Review | The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell

Posted April 8, 2024 by Haze in Book Reviews / 0 Comments

The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell

The Sparrow, an astonishing literary debut, takes you on a journey to a distant planet and to the center of the human soul. It is the story of a charismatic Jesuit priest and linguist, Emilio Sandoz, who leads a twenty-first-century scientific mission to a newly discovered extraterrestrial culture. Sandoz and his companions are prepared to endure isolation, hardship and death, but nothing can prepare them for the civilization they encounter, or for the tragic misunderstanding that brings the mission to a catastrophic end. Once considered a living saint, Sandoz returns alone to Earth physically and spiritually maimed, the mission’s sole survivor–only to be accused of heinous crimes and blamed for the mission’s failure.

In clean, effortless prose and with captivating flashes of wit, Russell creates memorable characters who navigate a world of exciting ideas and disturbing moral issues without ever losing their humanity or humor. Both heartbreaking and triumphant, and rich in literary pleasures great and small, The Sparrow is a powerful and haunting book. It is a magical novel, as literate as The Name of the Rose, as farsighted as The Handmaid’s Tale and as readable as The Thorn Birds.

For the Reading Challenge(s):
2024 52 Book Club Reading Challenge (Prompt #44: Includes a wedding)
2024 Library Love Challenge

The Reason

It was the book chosen for my in-person book club for March. I don’t think I would have chosen to read it otherwise. At least not any time soon, but I’m glad it was chosen and I’m glad I read it, it gave me a lot of food for thought.

The Quotes

“I do what I do without hope of reward or fear of punishment. I do not require Heaven or Hell to bribe or scare me into acting decently.”

“…I begin with songs. They provide a sort of skeleton grammar for me to flesh out. Songs of longing for future tense, songs of regret for past tense, and songs of love for present tense.”

“I believe in God the way I believe in quarks. People whose business it is to know about quantum physics or religion tell me they have good reason to believe that quarks and God exist. And they tell me that if I wanted to devote my life to learning what they’ve learned, I’d find quarks and God just like they did.”

“See that’s where it falls apart for me!” Anne cried. “What sticks in my throat is that God gets the credit but never the blame. I just can’t swallow that kind of theological candy. Either God’s in charge or he’s not…”

My Thoughts

This was brilliantly written book, and so far ahead of its time. I had to remind myself constantly that it was written in 1996, because the story is set in 2019 to 2060, and a lot of the topics talked about seemed so relevant today. I love the deep dive into faith and belief, what it means to be human, and finding purpose and meaning in the things you do.

There were a lot of philosophical arguments that came into mind; the ethics of colonization, making contact with alien species, the food we eat and how we raise them, cultural practices that are different than ours, indoctrinated gender roles, our views on sex work, and so much more. My book club had a lot to discuss, and it was really interesting to see the different perspectives.

My Feels

We know from the beginning that Emilio is the sole survivor, so it’s not a spoiler, but then we start getting to know the other characters; we start to like them, to root for them, to fall in love with them, all the while knowing that they never make it back alive. There’s a pall of doom hanging over everything that happens, and even when you celebrate the triumphs, you know it’s going to end badly. And yet, it’s such a beautiful story and a beautiful journey. I have so many complex feelings about this book. It’s been a couple of weeks and I’m still processing. I think this story will stay with me for a while.

My Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars. It’s incredibly beautiful and haunting.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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Book Review | The Bodyguard by Katherine Center

Posted March 18, 2024 by Haze in Book Reviews / 2 Comments

The Bodyguard by Katherine Center

She’s got his back. He’s got her heart. They’ve got a secret. What could possibly go wrong?

Hannah Brooks looks more like a kindergarten teacher than somebody who could kill you with her bare hands. But the truth is, she’s an elite bodyguard and she’s just been hired to protect a superstar actor from his stalker.

Jack Stapleton’s a Hollywood heartthrob – captured by paparazzi on beaches the world over, rising out of the waves in clingy board shorts and glistening like a Roman deity.

When Jack’s mom gets sick, he comes home to the family’s Texas ranch to help out. Only one catch: He doesn’t want his family to know about his stalker. Or the bodyguard thing. And so Hannah – against her will and her better judgment – finds herself pretending to be Jack’s girlfriend as a cover.

Protecting Jack should be easy. But protecting her own heart? That’s the hardest thing she’s ever done…

For the Reading Challenge(s):
2024 52 Book Club Reading Challenge (Prompt #28: A yellow spine)
2024 Library Love Challenge

The Reason

I’ve been seeing a lot of praise for Katherine Center in general and this book in particular. I also needed a fun book to get me out of a reading slump, and this one fit the bill.

The Quotes

“I guess there really is something profoundly healing about letting somebody love you.”

“Maybe love isn’t a judgment you render – but a chance you take. Maybe it’s something you choose to do over and over. For yourself and everyone else.”

“People who want to be famous think it’s the same thing as being loved, but it’s not. Strangers can only ever love a version of you. People loving you for your best qualities is not the same as people loving you despite your worst.”

“Every chance you take is a choice. A choice to decide who you are.”

The Characters

I love that Hannah Brooks, the female protagonist, transcends all stereotypes of what a bodyguard should be. I love her as a character, and I love Jack Stapleton too. I love his family so much (his brother was a little bit of a jerk though, but only a little).

You know who I hate? Robby. I hate him so much! And just when I thought I couldn’t hate him more, guess what? Yep, I hate him more!

I did wish that some of the characters were more fleshed out; there were a couple of scenes where I felt like some of them were only there as plot devices, and that they weren’t given fair representation, but overall, they were all interesting enough, and I loved the two main characters together, which is the whole point for this story!

My Thoughts

Fake dating? Check. Banter? Check. Only one bed? Check. All the fun tropes!! Plus I really, really love banter in a budding romance.

I love that the female protagonist is the bodyguard, and the male protagonist is the one who needs protecting. It was really cool seeing Hannah be a badass and do her job while also allowing the story to move the romance along. I thought the balance between male and female, masculine and feminine, yin and yang, was just so perfect here.

I also love that the author was able to write about difficult topics while telling a light-hearted love story. I’ve read one other book from the author, What You Wish For, and I remember that was one of the things I loved about that book as well.

My Feels

Honestly, I cannot resist a romance with banter and conversation. It is my biggest weakness and I just swoon whenever I read about how the MCs fall in love through conversation. I loved their conversations so much; how they got to know each other, and trusted each other enough to talk about the vulnerable things. It keeps me reading and wanting more!

My Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars. It’s so much fun and it got me through a reading slump!

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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Book Review | A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross

Posted March 5, 2024 by Haze in Book Reviews / 0 Comments

A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross

Jack Tamerlaine hasn’t set foot on Cadence in ten long years, content to study music at the mainland university. But when young girls start disappearing from the isle, Jack is summoned home to help find them. Enchantments run deep on Cadence: gossip is carried by the wind; plaid shawls can be as strong as armor, and the smallest cut of a knife can instil fathomless fear. The capricious spirits that rule the isle by fire, water, earth, and wind find mirth in the lives of the humans who call the land home. Adaira, heiress of the east and Jack’s childhood enemy, knows the spirits only answer to a bard’s music, and she hopes Jack can draw them forth by song, enticing them to return the missing girls.

As Jack and Adaira reluctantly work together, they find they make better allies than rivals as their partnership turns into something more. But with each passing song, it becomes apparent the trouble with the spirits is far more sinister than they first expected, and an older, darker secret about Cadence lurks beneath the surface, threatening to undo them all.

For the Reading Challenge(s):
2024 52 Book Club Reading Challenge (Prompt #15: Part of a duology)
2024 Library Love Reading Challenge

The Reason

I had this book on my TBR, but I moved it up the list because my friends were doing a buddy-read for it and I was enticed!

The Quotes

“I once thought home was simply a place. Four walls to hold you at night while you slept. But I was wrong. It’s people. It’s being with the ones that you love, and maybe even the ones that you hate.”

“There is no failure in love, and I have loved without measure. In this, I am complete.”

“Our hands can steal, or they can give. They can harm, or they can comfort. They can wound and kill, or they can heal and save. Which will you choose for your hands Torin?”

“You have become more to me than mere words spoken on a midsummer night.”

The Characters

Jack, Adaira, Sidra, and Torin. These are the main characters, and I love them because of how interesting they are to the story, not necessarily because they are lovable characters. Sidra is my favorite out of them all because I find her to be strong, mysterious, and just fascinating. I love that she’s so strong in her beliefs and convictions, I love that she’s independent, and how connected she is with nature and the spirits. I also love her character arc and the lessons she learns.

The other characters are interesting too, but not necessarily characters I love. I love their roles in the story and the parts they play. I love their arcs too, and the lessons they learn. This is a duology, so I expect that there’s more to come, and I’d like to get to know all of them better and see them grow.

My Thoughts

The start was a little slow for me, and I found it difficult to get into. It didn’t hold my interest and every time I put it down, it was hard to pick it back up. I kept going because it was a buddy read and that motivated me. The second half was a lot better, more exciting, and it went a lot faster. I had some problems with the plot, I felt like it could’ve been done better, and I didn’t really like how things were resolved in the end. However, I realize it’s a duology and there’s more to come.

The saving grace here is the characters. I am a character-driven reader, and while the plot bothered me, the characters and their stories were interesting enough to keep me invested. They aren’t the best characters, mind you, but they are interesting, and I love seeing them navigate their world and their roles in it.

My Feels

My favorite parts were seeing the relationships between the characters. Not just the romantic ones, but also the familial ones. It was heartwarming to see how the different relationships developed, and the communication they had with each other.

My Rating

3/5 stars. I really like it, but it doesn’t quite hit the spot.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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Book Review | All Systems Red by Martha Wells

Posted March 5, 2024 by Haze in Book Reviews / 4 Comments

All Systems Red by Martha Wells

In a corporate-dominated space-faring future, planetary missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. For their own safety, exploratory teams are accompanied by Company-supplied security androids. But in a society where contracts are awarded to the lowest bidder, safety isn’t a primary concern.

On a distant planet, a team of scientists is conducting surface tests, shadowed by their Company-supplied ‘droid–a self-aware SecUnit that has hacked its own governor module and refers to itself (though never out loud) as “Murderbot.” Scornful of humans, Murderbot wants is to be left alone long enough to figure out who it is, but when a neighboring mission goes dark, it’s up to the scientists and Murderbot to get to the truth.

For the Reading Challenge(s):
2024 52 Book Club Reading Challenge (Prompt #36: Has futuristic technology)
2024 Audiobook Challenge
2024 Library Love Challenge

The Reason

I’ve been seeing so many recommendations for the Murderbot Diaries everywhere, and always in conjunction with a few other books I’ve loved. Everyone who talks about it says how much they loved it, and it just got to a point where it seemed like everyone has read it except me. So I got on the bandwagon!

The Quotes

“I liked the imaginary people on the entertainment feed way more than I liked real ones, but you can’t have one without the other.”

“Yes, talk to Murderbot about its feelings. The idea was so painful I dropped to 97 percent efficiency. I’d rather climb back into Hostile One’s mouth.”

“You may have noticed that when I do manage to care, I’m a pessimist.”

“All right,” she said, and looked at me for what objectively I knew was 2.4 seconds and subjectively about twenty excruciating minutes.”

The Narrator

Kevin R. Free. He did a great job! No complaints there. My only issue with this being an audiobook is that I often don’t get the characters’ names, and/or location names, mission names, etc., but that’s a common issue with scifi and fantasy and made-up names. I heard the series was good on audio, so I’ll continue it on audio, but I might check out a print copy just to see the names written out.

The Characters

The Murderbot – I don’t think we ever find out its name, unless I missed it. But I love it! It may be a murderbot, but it’s one of the funniest, most relatable characters I’ve ever read about, and ironically, so humanly-flawed! I love it!

The other characters are interesting too, or rather, have the potential to be interesting. Their personalities are quite distinct, but we don’t find out a lot about them. Some readers have criticized this aspect of the book, saying that the characters fell flat, but to me, it seemed like a deliberate decision. We see the story through the Murderbot’s POV, and the Murderbot tells us repeatedly that it doesn’t care to know anything about the other characters. I thought it made perfect sense.

My Thoughts

I’ll be honest and say that half the time I had no idea what was going on in terms of plot. The beauty of this book is in the Murderbot’s thought processes, and again, the Murderbot admits it has no interest in information about the crew or their missions, or anything to do with why it’s there, and it certainly shows through how the story is told. I think that it’s just brilliantly written, how Martha Wells managed to write a story where we don’t get a lot of clear information, but we get to know the Murderbot, and how invested we can become in a story like that.

My Feels

I want more. I started the book knowing that it’s the first book in a series, and I think I might not like it as much if it stopped here because while I enjoyed getting to know the Murderbot, I feel like this book was just an introduction and I need to see its character develop and grow. So I’m looking forward to the next books!

My Rating

4/5 stars. I’m hooked, but I need more!

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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Book Review | The Bad Weather Friend by Dean Koontz

Posted February 26, 2024 by Haze in Book Reviews / 1 Comment

The Bad Weather Friend by Dean Koontz

Benny is so nice they feel compelled to destroy him, but he has a friend who should scare the hell out of them.

Benny Catspaw’s perpetually sunny disposition is tested when he loses his job, his reputation, his fiancée, and his favorite chair. He’s not paranoid. Someone is out to get him. He just doesn’t know who or why. Then Benny receives an inheritance from an uncle he’s never heard of: a giant crate and a video message. All will be well in time.

How strange—though it’s a blessing, his uncle promises. Stranger yet is what’s inside the crate. He’s a seven-foot-tall self-described “bad weather friend” named Spike whose mission is to help people who are just too good for this world. Spike will take care of it. He’ll find Benny’s enemies. He’ll deal with them. This might be satisfying if Spike wasn’t such a menacing presence with terrifying techniques of intimidation.

In the company of Spike and a fascinated young waitress-cum-PI-in-training named Harper, Benny plunges into a perilous high-speed adventure, the likes of which never would have crossed the mind of a decent guy like him.

For the Reading Challenge(s):
2024 52 Book Club Reading Challenge (Prompt #16: An omniscient narrator)
2024 Library Love Challenge

The Reason

I haven’t read a lot of Dean Koontz, but I’ve liked the ones I’ve read, and I thought the premise of this book was interesting.

The Quotes

“Many of your friends will be fair-weather friends, Benjamin, but I will be there in bad weather, in worse weather, in any weather.”

“Fantasies can become realities. There’s no reason that craggles couldn’t be as real as trains and cranes and girls named Jane. That is a conclusion to which the discoveries in physics over the past century lead us if we have the imagination and courage to think through the evidence.”

“Charismatic people were born with charisma; it wasn’t something that could be learned or ordered from Amazon.”

The Characters

Benny Catspaw is the protagonist, Spike is the bad weather friend, and Harper is the love interest. I loved all of them in the context of this book, but I have to be objective and also admit that they seem more like caricatures than real people. In fact, even the side characters all seem like caricatures. It doesn’t take away from the story though, it’s just what it is, and it works for the story.

My Thoughts

I expected a somewhat sinister horror story, but this is basically a fairy tale and I still loved it. I’m quite amused because not long ago Stephen King, known for horror, wrote Fairy Tale, and now Dean Koontz, also known for horror, has written a fairy tale as well. I’m not complaining because I love Stephen King and everything he writes no matter the genre, and I haven’t read a lot of Dean Koontz so I’m totally open to whatever story he wants to throw at me.

To be fair, if we’re comparing Stephen King’s Fairy Tale to Dean Koontz’s The Bad Weather Friend, Stephen King definitely did it better. Fairy Tale has got more depth and substance, and The Bad Weather Friend stays very much on the surface. As I said before, the characters seem like caricatures, the story feels very black and white, each quest/adventure is neatly wrapped up, and there’s even that Disney princess instalove element.

My Feels

I enjoyed it for what it is and I even like the caricaturistic quality of the characters in the context of the story. It was wholesome and heartwarming, and there were lots of funny moments that made me laughed, but it’s not a book I’ll come back to or think about very much. Still an enjoyable read.

My Rating

3/5 stars.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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