Kalliope

This is not normally my kind of book. I'd never heard of this author before stumbling onto the book at the Biltmore gift shop (apropos!). I needed something to read on the ride back, so I picked it up. The writing was good, the characters were fine, and the setting was rich and alluring. But until about 3/4 of the way through, this didn't seem at all like a Christian fiction story. There are allusions to the Bible here and there, but nothing to qualify it as such. Religion doesn't seem to be a factor in any of Tillie's decision-making till it's thrust into the story at the climax.
I disliked the love interest and most of the other male characters in the story. They were one-dimensional and leaned misogynistic. Mack's disregard of Tillie's values and choices made me uncomfortable. I don't know exactly what we're supposed to learn from Tillie, because her reasoning turns on a dime. I was with her until she cited God as her reason for the decision. It honestly came out of nowhere.
All things considered, though, this is nothing more than fluffy marshmallow. It's pretty inoffensive and light. I got pretty much what I expected aside from a twist in the story I genuinely did not see coming.
I saw some people complaining about the sexual content in the book. All I have to say is, what sexual content are they talking about? There's a scene, yeah, but it was written in the least lewd manner possible.

Yay! This was such a treat. What kid (or adult) hasn't fantasized about running away from home and having an adventure? Claudia and Jamie Kincaid, the runaways in question, leap out of the book so realistically as children who often bicker and are often thoughtless, yet are wide-eyed with curiosity, adventure, and appreciation for life. I saw quite a lot of myself in Claudia, in fact; we both love a good adventure, but even moreso do we love comfort and fastidiousness than dangerous situations.
The last ~40 pages earned the book a fourth star–easily the best part of the book; it's bittersweet and a nice wrap-up for the book's overarching mystery.
The narration/POV could potentially confuse younger readers; it is not from Claudia or Jamie's perspective, but from Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, who does not enter the story as a character until well into the book. Then again, having her narrate evokes a sense of mystery and the clues falling into place as the children learn more about her. She begins the story as a faceless, rather curmudgeonly old lady, but at the end of the story she is solved as much as the story's bigger mystery is. She's also a great foil for Claudia's whimsical nature.
Overall, this is a cozy mystery well-suited for kids and adults alike. Really enjoyed it!

Oof. What an irritating, uninspired book.

Three words about the writing: death by metaphor. More than once I would look up and go “...what are you trying to say with that metaphor.” Some of the metaphors flat-out made no sense to me.

The characters were nauseatingly whimsical at times and way too mature to be believable. They seem to suffer from John Green-itis, meaning they read books that teenagers don't read (the main character Lennie mentions Wuthering Heights ad nauseum), and they speak like people twice their age. It was hard to connect to any of them, except Bailey (EXCEPT SHE'S DEAD SO SHE ISN'T IN THE NOVEL VERY MUCH). I was pretty much choking on the irritating whimsy of each character. It's easier to connect to characters that use dialogue that one could expect to hear in the real world. Not so with this book.

I also found the book needlessly melodramatic. I assumed that the plot would rely mainly on the grief process experienced by the main character and her loved ones. But nope. Love triangle. IT'S A LOVE TRIANGLE BOOK. She is wooed almost immediately by her dead sister's boyfriend Toby (nice...) and is simultaneously wooed by the new French guy at school. So her grief and frenzied feelings about her sister's sudden death get put on the back burner in favor of this uninteresting cliche. We already have a plethora of books to choose from that feature love triangles, and they do it a lot better than this one. Why not let this be a book about grief and growing up?

Overall I was disappointed with The Sky Is Everywhere. I would recommend it to those who enjoy John Green's work, which generally does not work for me.

The four agreements themselves are definitely worth applying to one's everyday life. They are the real reason for reading this book. However, I feel that the author makes his examples of the four agreements applied in real life somewhat oversimplified. His writing style is also a little stilted and rigid (even a little woo-woo, and I am not new to books of that nature).

While my boyfriend napped, I found this story for free online and read it. Uh, wow. Has the feel of a Twilight Zone episode. Eerie, bleak, and dark.

Oh man. How can I NOT be disappointed that my rating is so low? This book is touted (by people other than the author) as a grown-up Harry Potter. Any millenial's fever dream, right? Certainly was mine.

Let it be known that this is in no way, shape, or form similar to Harry Potter. They are nothing alike. This is because The Magicians is severely lacking in the warmth and heart that JK Rowling wove into her tales, hence making them tender and unforgettable. The only reason anyone could say this is like Harry Potter is because it takes place at a magical school.

None of the characters are fleshed-out enough to be interesting or even memorable. I wasn't invested in anything they were doing. The magic goings-on aren't interesting either, oddly enough. The whole setting is pretty bleak and uncomfortable, rather than awe-inspiring and intricate.

I had to stop reading at the part with the geese. WTF was that about?! Silly.

It hurts my heart that I didn't like this book, because it was one that I was saving for a special occasion. Just wasn't my thing. It could be so easily saved, too–add some characters that are vivid and inspired! Ah well.

The following is a discussion post I wrote for my Women and Gender Studies intro course regarding this book, which we were asked to read for our “big assignment”:

I would like to take this opportunity to air some of my grievances about Typical American. I mean this as an opinionated response, and I don't mean to offend anybody who enjoys this book at all.

I had been looking forward to starting to read this book, because I tend to enjoy books about immigrants and foreigners who experience American culture for the first time. I initially thought it was an odd choice for a women and gender studies course, but as we began discussing intersectionality as it relates to feminism, I started to get excited to read it and examine the feminist and cultural underpinnings in the story. I especially like to hear Asian people's experiences in America, since I used to tutor Chinese and Korean people of varying ages in English speaking, reading, and writing.

However, I'll admit I am about halfway through the book and I am not enjoying it at all. The primary reason is the prose, or the way the story is told. Typical American is described on Goodreads as “a superbly engrossing story that resonates with wit and wisdom” but I don't see that at all. The prose is more often confusing, rushed, and not engaging than wise or witty. It's like the author spends too much time developing scenes that are neither important nor interesting and does not take care to develop ones that illustrate what the characters want or where the plot is going.

I also dislike the characters simply because they are not well-written or interesting or lifelike. It is difficult for me to care about them as people or about what happens to them in the story. I don't mind that at times they behave unethically and selfishly; many excellent books portray flawed characters. The difference is, however, that we become interested in these characters, either because of or despite these flaws. That is where the prose needs to come in to paint a picture of interesting, lifelike characters. For example, Rubeus Hagrid from Harry Potter is one of my all-time favorite characters. He is incredibly flawed; he is irresponsible and reckless, but the way he is written, as well as the times when he redeems himself, makes him enjoyable to read about.

This is not to say that the book does not have its instances where feminism, culture, and other ideas can be identified and examined. I'm just not enjoying the journey to get to those instances.

This is a pretty solid primer for those who don't know much about astrology. It taught me quite a lot, even though this is not my first astrological read. The jargon can get repetitious at times, but I think that benefits the newbie because it helps form associations between the planets/signs and their corresponding energies. I certainly don't think this is the be-all-end-all of astrology books. It's a pretty good starting point, but there's a LOT out there that goes a bit deeper than Orion does.

Holy cow. I SO enjoyed this! The time I spent with this book, studying and transcribing, has allowed me to grow spiritually and connect with energies both within and without. Prior to reading this book, my knowledge of Pagan faiths was minimal, and I knew only bits and pieces picked up from friends and Internet sources. This is the first strictly Paganism-centered book I've read, and I couldn't have found a better place to start. It gave me basic 101 information, such as the different sects under the Paganism umbrella. It taught me about the Wheel of the Year, and the different traits that make up Deities. It gave comparisons of Pagan ideals to those of Western religions, which were incredibly eye-opening for me. This book and its information/advice has connected with me deeply, giving me new insight about my ethics and spirituality, and has inspired me to further research the old ways. I loved this book and would recommend it to anyone interested in the Pagan path!

Odd circumstances as to why I'm putting this book down 1/3 finished. I think this is a good book that is worth reading, but I can't make myself finish it. It's probably one of the slowest books I've ever read. Really good writing, good characters, nicely-developed environment. Really nothing bad to say about it, except that it is a very, very slow story. I may come back to this one day, but for now, there are other books I want to get to.

A quick, campy, fun read starring one of my favorite characters, period: Harley Quinn. This is not something to take seriously, which suits me fine for a book like this. The dialogue is quick and lighthearted, not to mention hilarious! My only complaint about Harley & Ivy is that Joe Chiodo's art in “Love on the Lam” didn't do it for me, unfortunately–it was too soft and mature for the campy nature of the story. I'd recommend this for someone who hasn't read many comics but is interested in delving into the genre.

So I didn't finish this. As of now I am right at the halfway point. I really enjoyed the first half, but the second ground to a halt of epic proportions. If I get interested enough to slog through the rest, I'll revisit. But I have other books to get to in the meantime!