Book Reviews: September 2019
All those books I put on hold at the library finally came through in August and I read some really great books over the past month. I think finally I burned through all the terrible contemporary romances and got to the good stuff. I even found a new book series to obsess over!
Educated: A Memoir - I don't read a lot of non-fiction but this had been on everyones recommended reading lists for over a year and it was still unavailable at the library. I figured if it was that popular still I'll put a hold and check it out, and I was totally blown away by what the author went through in life. Tara grew up with her large family on a mountain in Idaho away from society because her mentally ill father was sure the government was going to get them. She lived through horrific ordeals without being able to go to the hospital, abuse from her older brother, and her father's paranoia. She taught herself enough to take the ACT test to get into college and she went to Brigham Young where she had to learn how to be a student (She had never written an essay). She overcame so much and pursued her doctorate at Cambridge University but eventually had to face her independence over her family (that stood behind her abusive brother). I'm amazed by her strength and impressed by how psychologically normal she is despite such an unstable upbringing. You could read this if you're looking for something inspiring or for just something that makes you feel like your weird family is nothing in comparison.
The Unhoneymooners - I went on a beach trip in August with my mom so I wanted a true beach read. This was a light and fun book using the very popular "enemies to lovers" trope. Due to food poisoning at a wedding, the newlyweds can't take their honeymoon so the narrator (brides' sister/maid of honor) and best man (grooms' cousin/who hates her as much as she hates him) take the trip instead. There's a lot of comedy in their honeymoon adventures that sometimes felt a little over the top. There were some more realistic moments that I appreciated and overall found it cute.
Circe - If you were ever assigned to read The Odyssey in high school, this is the backstory of a very minor character in the story. It was a quick chapter where the witch, Circe, turned Odysseus' men into pigs but then changed them back because Odysseus outsmarted her. They stayed together for a year before he left. This book, however, is such an interesting tale of Circe from her own perspective. She was the daughter of the God of the Sun (Helios) and the Oceanic Nymph (Perse). Despite her immortality, she didn't seem to have any great powers like her siblings. She learns transformative magic with herbs and potions but ends up banished to an island when she accidentally creates a monster. She learns to be weary of travelers and becomes famous for getting them drunk and turning them into pigs. When Odysseus comes, we see his visit from her perspective. I loved what a complex person she is and her backstory made me really dig deep into Greek mythology.
Red Rising Trilogy - There are five books in the series but I only read the first three so far. Red Rising, Golden Son and Morning Star. These books were recommended for people who liked reading the Hunger Games or other Dystopian/Sci-Fi series so I checked it out. I was hooked. The premise is that in future society we have separated into a class system where Golds are the powerful rulers and the Reds are at the bottom of a totem pole of classes that work to benefit Golds. A revolution begins and the main character, Darrow (a Red), is chosen to infiltrate the Golds by becoming one. The first book focuses on his rise through the Gold training school. It's survival of the fittest/Lord of the Flies with students killing each other to be the best at the end. Each book gets bigger in scope. It's got war games, betrayals, houses against houses and Families against Families. Every battle is crazier than the last. It's like reading the GOT "Battle of the Bastards" with Darrow always in the middle of the fight but he's way bigger than Jon Snow and he knows EVERYTHING. It's great. I cried when beloved characters died or changed loyalties, I felt like I was just smart enough to understand all the war tactics. I need a breather before I jump into the next trilogy, maybe wait until the last book comes out so I can read them all at once. The cliffhangers were so big, I had to buy this trilogy so I didn't have to wait. I will definitely re-read this set.
Educated: A Memoir - I don't read a lot of non-fiction but this had been on everyones recommended reading lists for over a year and it was still unavailable at the library. I figured if it was that popular still I'll put a hold and check it out, and I was totally blown away by what the author went through in life. Tara grew up with her large family on a mountain in Idaho away from society because her mentally ill father was sure the government was going to get them. She lived through horrific ordeals without being able to go to the hospital, abuse from her older brother, and her father's paranoia. She taught herself enough to take the ACT test to get into college and she went to Brigham Young where she had to learn how to be a student (She had never written an essay). She overcame so much and pursued her doctorate at Cambridge University but eventually had to face her independence over her family (that stood behind her abusive brother). I'm amazed by her strength and impressed by how psychologically normal she is despite such an unstable upbringing. You could read this if you're looking for something inspiring or for just something that makes you feel like your weird family is nothing in comparison.
The Unhoneymooners - I went on a beach trip in August with my mom so I wanted a true beach read. This was a light and fun book using the very popular "enemies to lovers" trope. Due to food poisoning at a wedding, the newlyweds can't take their honeymoon so the narrator (brides' sister/maid of honor) and best man (grooms' cousin/who hates her as much as she hates him) take the trip instead. There's a lot of comedy in their honeymoon adventures that sometimes felt a little over the top. There were some more realistic moments that I appreciated and overall found it cute.
Circe - If you were ever assigned to read The Odyssey in high school, this is the backstory of a very minor character in the story. It was a quick chapter where the witch, Circe, turned Odysseus' men into pigs but then changed them back because Odysseus outsmarted her. They stayed together for a year before he left. This book, however, is such an interesting tale of Circe from her own perspective. She was the daughter of the God of the Sun (Helios) and the Oceanic Nymph (Perse). Despite her immortality, she didn't seem to have any great powers like her siblings. She learns transformative magic with herbs and potions but ends up banished to an island when she accidentally creates a monster. She learns to be weary of travelers and becomes famous for getting them drunk and turning them into pigs. When Odysseus comes, we see his visit from her perspective. I loved what a complex person she is and her backstory made me really dig deep into Greek mythology.
Red Rising Trilogy - There are five books in the series but I only read the first three so far. Red Rising, Golden Son and Morning Star. These books were recommended for people who liked reading the Hunger Games or other Dystopian/Sci-Fi series so I checked it out. I was hooked. The premise is that in future society we have separated into a class system where Golds are the powerful rulers and the Reds are at the bottom of a totem pole of classes that work to benefit Golds. A revolution begins and the main character, Darrow (a Red), is chosen to infiltrate the Golds by becoming one. The first book focuses on his rise through the Gold training school. It's survival of the fittest/Lord of the Flies with students killing each other to be the best at the end. Each book gets bigger in scope. It's got war games, betrayals, houses against houses and Families against Families. Every battle is crazier than the last. It's like reading the GOT "Battle of the Bastards" with Darrow always in the middle of the fight but he's way bigger than Jon Snow and he knows EVERYTHING. It's great. I cried when beloved characters died or changed loyalties, I felt like I was just smart enough to understand all the war tactics. I need a breather before I jump into the next trilogy, maybe wait until the last book comes out so I can read them all at once. The cliffhangers were so big, I had to buy this trilogy so I didn't have to wait. I will definitely re-read this set.
