I am happy to be joining Steph and Jana’s monthly Show Us Your Books link-up to share my December reads. With the craziness of the holidays, I got very little reading done in December. So, here in order from least to favorite are my December reads.
All book cover photos and titles are linked to goodreads.com.
2 Stars:
Armada by Ernest Cline – I was excited to receive Armada from Blogging for Books. I had such high hopes after reading Ready Player One, which I was so pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Oh how you have disappointed me Mr. Cline with this book! Armada was just too video-gamey/space-oriented for my tastes. In short, main character Zack, has to help fight an alien invasion of Earth…..yeah, not my type of book. My husband also had read this and we both thought it was pretty blah.
3 Stars:
Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff – This book tells the story of the relationship of Lotto and Mathilde over the course of 24 years, with the first half told by Lotto and the second half told by Mathilde. The two meet in 1991 at the age of 22 and manage to stay married despite the doubt of some of their friends. Lots of secrets are discovered as the story unfolds. This book was a finalist for several book awards, including a nominee for the 2015 Goodreads Choice Award for Fiction. This book was sooo slow for me. I was almost ready to give up when Jana noted that the eventually book picks up. So I kept reading and agree that the second half is definitely better than the first. However, there are so many better books out there that I wouldn’t recommend this read.
4 Stars:
Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter – I think prior to this book, I had only read one other of Slaughter’s books. Prior to reading this book, I knew it was disturbing. That it was, with graphic violence and disturbing scenes. This book was suspenseful and kept me wanting to read more. The story revolves around sisters Claire and Lydia. The two sisters have been estranged since the disappearance of their sister Julia more than 20 years ago but end up reuniting with the unexpected death of Claire’s husband. There are lots of twists and surprises and those who like a good psychological thriller will enjoy this book.
5 Stars:
Fallout by Ellen Hopkins – This is the third book in the Crank series. I have owned this book for awhile now and read the first two ages ago. In trying to organize and decrease the clutter in my house, I’m trying to read more books off my own shelves. I am a big fan of Hopkins who writes YA books in poetry form. This book takes place many years after the second book. It is told through the points of view of Kristina’s three oldest children. Through their stories, we are able to see the devastating effects that their mother’s meth use has had on their lives. If you are interested in this book, start with Crank, the first book in the series.
The last two are on my to read list!
Fates and Furies was meh for me. I definitely liked the second half better and got through it more quickly.
It appears that a lot of us read Fates and Furies last month and no one really liked it!
I had a pretty similar review on Fates and Furies. It was completely meh.
I put the whole Crank series on my TBR after your last post. I’m excited to read it (once the library gives it to me. Which I am not so patiently waiting for).
I’m curious to see what you think of the Crank series…..
Ok, so nobody seemed to really like Fates & Furies that much. I don’t think I’ll be adding that to my TBR list! I’ve heard so many wonderful things about All The Pretty Girls, and I can’t wait to pick it up. The Crank series sounds very interesting too. I’ll definitely have to check it out!
Yes, I do not recommend Fates and Furies! All The Pretty Girls was a suspenseful read and I love Ellen Hopkins and all her books, but not everyone enjoys her writing style or the storylines. But I do recommend you checking her out to see for yourself!
Your thoughts about Pretty Girls is pretty much my thoughts exactly (except I’ve read most things written by Karin Slaughter). I just read Crank this month. I’m a little indifferent whether I will pick up the 2nd and 3rd book. I guess you recommend that I do so?
If you were indifferent about the first book, I’m not sure I’d recommend you read the 2nd since it’s a continuation of Kristina’s story.
Glad to know Pretty Girls is worth the read. It’s been on my to-read list.
Yes, it was a very suspenseful read!
I have a couple of these on my to read list. I will check into the others.
It seems like Fates and Furies was the book to read in December. Based on what I have seen, I won’t be adding it to my TBR list.
There are too many better books that I’ve read to recommend Fates and Furies…..I’d pass on it!
I was on the waiting list at the library for Pretty Girls for what felt like forever, and then suddenly it was ready. The only problem? I already had a lot of other books out, and I just didn’t have time for it. I had to return it without reading it and then put myself back on the waiting list. (Life as a book addict is clearly very difficult. Haha.)
I read another of Ellen Hopkins’s books, Identical, last year. I didn’t love it, but I liked it (it was a 3 star book for me). I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about the poetry, but it actually worked really well. I’ll probably read more of her books in the future.
That happens to me all the time where I put too many books on hold and they all come in at the same time and I can’t read them all in time! I liked Identical….I’ve loved all of Hopkins’ books and I’ve read most of them.
So many people are saying that Fates and Furies is just meh and it definitely makes me question if I want to put it on my TBR list! I kinda do, but I kinda don’t.
I still need to read Ready Player One.
Ooh, I definitely recommend Ready Player One over Fates and Furies!
Pretty Girls looks like a book I would read. I keep thinking about reading Crank and the other books but I’m wary because I tend not to like prose form writing.
I think I have a Karin Slaughter book on my TBR list and your description makes me think I’m really going to like her style…