What I've Been Reading #2

I haven't done one of these in a while, so here's what I've read since my last post. All but the first were read in December and January. Reviews are linked where I go much more in depth. I'm only including star ratings as obligatory, because I find any system of ranking frustrating. (They tend to fluctuate and change.)

1. Cinder by Marissa Meyer: I enjoyed this so much more than I was expecting to. Even though I felt some of it was underdeveloped, it was very entertaining and I'm hooked on this series--the first time this happened to me with a YA book in the whole of 2014. 4 stars.

2. The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin: This was a small but very charming read, and that's kind of just what it was. Simple but nuanced, and heartwarming. 4 stars.

3. Ask the Passengers by A.S. King: Not as original as Everybody Sees the Ants, and at some points it seemed to attempt to mimick the stylistic choices of the latter, but still enjoyable.  I admire King's willingness to include flawed and often unlikable characters, as well as consequences. Somewhere between 4 and 4.5 stars. (No, I'm not going to even bother with breaking the stars into quarters at this point.)

4. Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King: This one took me a little while to get into, but oh man, I ended up loving it. This one has more magic realism and narrative tricks (a pagoda narrates some small sections, for instance), and even more screwed-up characters...but I loved where it headed, for some reason. Somewhere between 4.5 and 5 stars.

5. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte: This was easier to read than I expected it to be, and I found myself really enjoying the middle section. It certainly has its place in the literature canon for its depiction of the constraints of women in that society, but it personally didn't work its way into my heart to become a favorite or anything. In other words, it was just a pretty good books. I do want to read Jane Austen sometime; this sort of genre does not personally appeal to me, but it's still enjoyable and important and I want to give Austen a shot. 4 stars.

6. Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury: Of course, I have to continue reading Bradbury's major works. This was is yet another collection of short stories and vignettes, perhaps the most similar to The Martian Chronicles. However, it did have mostly shorter stories which I don't enjoy as much as the longer ones, and it didn't form as much as a coherent narrative as I had hoped. Still, when it worked, it worked, and it was magical. 4 stars.

7. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut: Oh, this book. Currently, it escapes me. You see, it was so easy to read, as it's composed of short snippets thrown together non-linearly, and the writing is pretty basic--at times hilarious, at times a bit too monotonous. There were bizarre parts, there were tragic parts, there were a few funny parts. But I'm not sure what became of it; it just seemed to slip away. I think I may have read it too fast? I understood what it was doing, but it wasn't cohesive to me, and I think a large part of that was how quickly I sped through it. Sigh. Here's to Cat's Cradle captivating me more. 4 stars.

8. 1984 by George Orwell: This one sucked me in, and I loved it. Sure, the characterization is simplistic and it's obvious that Orwell prefers to focus on the politics, but he created such a fleshed-out dystopian world that I was amazed. On the other hand, it was probably not to include a 30-page excerpt of a in-universe book which tells the history of that world. (I won't lie, I skimmed through most of it.) Still, it was gripping, and the ending was marvelous and right up my alley. I still prefer Fahrenheit 451 for other reasons, but I think I found a new book to add to my favorites list. 5 stars.

9. Animal Farm by George Orwell: I didn't get as involved with this one, though of course it gets its point across well and I loved the ending. 4.5 stars.

10. Throne of Glass by Sara J. Maas: This was an incredibly average read for me. I found myself reading it, not disliking but also not particularly liking it. I did enjoy the climax and where it appears the series will be going, however, though that meant it felt more like a prequel than anything. 3 stars.

11. Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams: I started out loving it--Adams is witty as ever--but my attention waned as it went on. It seemed oddly structured and the humor and critique was not as prevalent as I thought it would be. I hope this one improves with age and maybe a closer reading, but right now I'm a little disappointed, sadly. 3 stars.

12. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer: I went into detail in my review, but this was my first audiobook. I loved the narrator, but I discovered that audiobooks weren't for me and it would have been much better if I read it it in print, because it would have felt more concrete to me. Still, it was quite enjoyable, although the futuristic Earth continues to be underdeveloped. 4 stars.

13. The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul by Douglas Adams: I feel the same way about this as the first Dirk Gently book I personally preferred the storyline in this one, but still...bit disappointing. 3.5 stars.

I read a lot more than I expected in these months, but vacation helped. Still, I think I may try toning it down in February because I don't want it to become overwhelming and I don't want to miss important things!