End Of The Year Book Survey 2017

It's that time of year again! I can never decide whether to just post my top ten favorite books and top ten least favorites or participate in Jamie's End Of The Year Survey. I think I usually rotate or something. Well, anyway, here we are and I decided to participate this year. Enjoy! 

Number Of Books You Read:71
Number of Re-Reads: 4
Genre You Read The Most From: I have no idea. Probably contemporary/thriller/suspense



1. Best Book You Read In 2017?

Ketchup Clouds was my first five star review of the year and while I loved several other books this year too, this one sticks out in my mind. It's romantic, heartbreaking and humorous and I loved it!

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?

Daughter of Smoke and Bone and it's sequel's were on my TBR list forever. I thought I'd love them but in the end. I found them too long and unimpressive.

3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read?

Attachments blew me away, guys! I've disliked every other Rainbow Rowell book and then I read this one. I adored it! 

4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did)?

I wouldn't say I pushed The Sugar Queen but I did always think my book club should read a Sarah Addison Allen book and they finally did.

5. Best series you started in 2017?  The Winner's Curse.  

Best Sequel of 2017?  The Winner's Crime

Best (WORST) Series Ender of 2017?The Winner's Kiss seriously hated the ending of this series. And the series as a whole had so much promise. 

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2017?

Amy E. Reichert


7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?

This one was such a strange little story that I normally never would have picked up. I ended up loving it.

8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?

OK, this one was a little too long to be unputdownable but it sure wasn't hard to pick back up.

9. Book You Read In 2017 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?

 

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2017?

11. Most memorable character of 2017?

Frank from Be Frank With Me by Julia Claiborne Johnson. And this one didn't even take a minute to think about. Read the book and you'll see what I mean.

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2017?

Not a book I'd recommend AT ALL but it was beautifully written and I plan on giving the author another chance.


13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2017?

14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2017 to finally read? 

15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2017?

I'm no good at these. I'm not a highlighter. 

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2017?

 

SHORTEST BOOK

112 pages

Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson:...

by Patricia Briggs

LONGEST BOOK

1,478 pages

It

by Stephen King

17. Book That Shocked You The Most

Love her twisty endings!

18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!)

Lincoln and Beth from Attachments. 

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year

Jane and Jasper from Jane Unlimited

20. Favorite Book You Read in 2017 From An Author You’ve Read Previously

21. Best Book You Read In 2017 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure:

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2017?

Lincoln from Attachments. Seriously LOVE him!

23. Best 2017 debut you read?

I didn't read any debut books this year. Weird.


24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?

Not a favorite book by far, but a very fascinating world.

25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2017?

27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2017?

Still not sure I understood what was going on in this one.

30. Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?

I don't like these types of endings at all!

~Blogging in 2017~ 

1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2017?

Melody's Reading Corner and Do You Dog-Ear? 


2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2017?

Sweet Lamb of Heaven was another favorite read of the year and I tried very hard to convince people to read it.

3. Best discussion/non-review post you had on your blog?

Guys, I only had one sort of discussion post on my blog this year! One! So sad. 

4. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)?

Can't think of any. I know I went to a few but I've really cut down on author events. 

5. Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2017?

I love that even though all I post are reviews anymore that there's still people out there blogging and reading my blog. 

6. Most challenging thing about blogging or your reading life this year?

Finding more time to blog! And finding the time to blog when I'm in the mood. I have a list of discussion posts I want to write but....yeah. 

7. Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)?

My Review of Forgotten got lots of views. Funny because I didn't like the book.


8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?

 

I wish my Friday Flicks movie reviews got a little more love but it's all good.


9. Best bookish discovery (book related sites, book stores, etc.)?

Well, I love Overdrive and have come to adore audiobooks but I've also really gotten into book buying at thrift stores. The hunt is so fun! I plan on writing a how to post about this one day. 

10. Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?
 

I did! I surpassed my Goodreads goal of 60 books and I was going to try to read some series. Not one book in a series but a whole series all at once. I read three this year and am very proud of myself!

It's been another fun year! With my growing love of audiobooks and the huge stacks of books I bring home from thrift stores reading is obviously still a huge love of mine! I can't wait for 2018 and what it will bring! 

Rewarding Myself!

2017 Reading Challenge

Jenny has
completed her goal of reading
60 books in
2017!

hide

76 of 60 (100%)

view books

I did it! I reached and surpassed my Goodreads goal of 60 books. Now, technically I haven't read 76 books. I've read 71. When I DNF a book I mark it as read but don't give it any stars but of course Goodreads thinks I've finished it so it counts it. I DNF 5 books this year. But I re-read four books which I still haven't figured out if Goodreads counts so I'm just going with 71 books read this year.

BUT the point is. I reached my goal! This makes me happy! And I'm giving audiobooks a lot of credit because I've gotten into them big time this year and they've allowed me to read while still living my sometimes crazy life.

Sooooo, as a reward to myself I've been re-reading some books this month. I've read Graceling and half of Fire by Kristen Cashore and Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr. I still haven't read Bitterblue so I thought a re-read of Graceling and Fire was in order. Right?

Did you reach your Goodreads Goal yet? If so, how do you reward yourself?

Friday Flicks: The Man Who Invented Christmas

The Man Who Invented Christmas
Rating ★★★

What It's About
It's about the man who invested Christmas. Duh! I tease! This quirky little tale follows Charles Dickens as he is inspired to and writes A Christmas Carol. After his huge success with Oliver Twist Dickens has bitten off more than he can chew. His latest books were flops and he needs something to succeed. As Christmas approaches, Dickens is inspired in little ways by those around him to write a Christmas story.

Hey look! A Christmas movie review! There's tons of classic Christmas movies to pick from each year and I'm happy to say we have another one.

The Man Who Invented Christmas is quirky and fun. I'm not sure how accurate the story is but I enjoyed it all the same. And I'm not even a Dicken's fan. The man annoys me. But not in this one. Well, OK, he was a bit eccentric and hard headed but I enjoyed watching him work through his personal issues in order to write one of the most beloved Christmas stories we have.

The cast was fun. Christopher Plummer was great as Scrooge. I want them to make another Christmas Carol now starring him! And Dan Stevens (from Downton Abbey) was great as Dickens.

It's always fun to for me to watch movies that take place in London and it's even better if they take place in the past. Mix the two and you can't go wrong, am I right?

Beautiful to watch and entertaining, I recommend this new addition to Christmas movies.

Let's Talk
You're all going to go see it now because of Dan Stevens, aren't you?  

Recommendation
Normally, I'd say it was cute but you don't have to pay full price, but I think you should go see this one. It's the only  family friendly Christmas movie in theaters this year and Star Wars is sold out anyway!

Review: The Simplicity of Cider

Title The Simplicity of Cider
By Amy Reichert
Genre Adult Romance, Magic Realism
Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Synopsis 
Sanna has lived on her families apple farm her whole life. She loves the life. Her cider making has consumed her life, so much so, that she's only just becoming aware of how badly things are going for the farm. With the arrival of the handsome Isaac and his son Bas, Sanna's troubles are just getting started.

First Sentence
Sanna Lund's thoughts of apple blossoms and new cider blends stuttered to an end with the grunt of her dad's snore.




My friend Kami discovered this author this year and loves her books. Since she and I have some similarities in our tastes for books, I knew I'd have to give this author a shot. This one popped up on Overdrive so I downloaded and started listening.

What a cute little book! When I need a comfort read I reach for Sarah Addison Allen or Emily Giffin but since I'm coming to the end of reading everything they've written I needed a new go-to author. Amy Reichert will be great.

I liked the setting of this book. I'm not a huge apple fan but I swear I could smell apples while reading it. I even bought some apples (rare for me) and snarfed them down because of this book. The setting sounded heavenly. A cute little touristy town with apple orchards, a lake, and yummy food, sign me up.

The characters were your typical small town characters. I wasn't blown away by them but I liked them and wished the best for them. Bas was adorable. I feel for that kid!

The story was great too. Not too heavy but it had plenty of substance. I struggled a little becoming emotionally invested but it got me in the end.

With just a touch of magic and a whole lot of drama and romance, I liked this one and can't wait to try more by this author.

  Should you read it
If this one sounds like your type, you should definitely read it. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Review: You Are A Badass

Title You are a Badass: How To Stop Doubting Your Greatness And Start Living An Awesome Life
By Jen Sincero
Genre Nonfiction Self Help
Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Synopsis
Um, See the big long title of the book and that about sums it up.


First Sentence
Many years ago I was in a terrible bowling accident.







I actually bought this book at a thrift store to send to my friend as a "sort of" joke. But mostly because I believe she is a badass who sadly doesn't quite see herself that way.  Of course I decided to read it before sending it to her to make sure it wasn't completely stupid. And I was pleasantly surprised.

It's another "law of attraction" book like The Secret. But where The Secret fails to talk about taking action in controlling the universe, this one has all the awesomeness of The Secret with a more realistic, take action approach.

I loved the set up of each chapter as well. She talks about a subject and then has several tips/directions for action which I loved. As much as I like common issues we all face being pointed out and giving me something to think about, I also want answers; a "how to" of getting over said issues. You know? So this one was perfect for me.

Some of these types of books aren't understandable. Which is pretty sad. If a self help book can't even be understood how can it offer help? This book was easy to read. Had a great set up and the author had a good voice.

I know self help books aren't for everyone but I don't go into self help books because I'm unhappy with my life and desperately seeking help. I read them because I like looking at things in a different way.

I seriously loathe that people are brought up a certain way by their parents or community or religion and taught to think a certain way and they go their whole lives thinking one thing one way. How sad is that?!  If they never get out of their ingrained belief system how limited their experience. How much they miss!

Sorry, rant over. It just comes from my soul. I believed a certain way for so long and am just waking up and realizing there's this whole world of different opinions and guess what? They're not wrong. They're just different. I love kicking my old stubborn beliefs in the butt and telling them to shut up while I look at things in a new light.

And that's why I loved this book. It was another opinion. Another view on things. If I'm lucky, I glean the useful and move on to other experiences and ways of thinking and learn from those too.

I loved this book so much, that I told my friend if she doesn't like it to send it back to me. It's one I want on my shelf.

Should you read it
Yes!

Friday Flicks: Wonder

Wonder
Rating ★★★


What It's About
We have this cute little boy (yes I said cute. Because he is!) who was born with a facial abnormality. His mom has home schooled him but, starting with 5th grade, he'll be going to real school. Here he'll struggle to make friends and face the world, face first, and learn the true meaning of friendship.

I read the book this movie was based on back in 2015 and, while I wasn't blown away by it, I thought it was cute. I was very interested in how the movie would be and thought the previews looked adorable. So me and my friends went to check it out.

As often happens, the movie was just so beautiful and fun to see. The characters were perfectly cast. Each kid did such an amazing and cute job with their parts.

They also stuck very closely to the book, if I'm recalling right, and I appreciated that. It's always annoying when they go way, way off from the book.

The kid that played Jack Will was so freaking cute! I know, I was supposed to be in love with Auggie but I couldn't help it. This kid was so cute and did such a great job with his part. They all did.

Much like my review of the book, I felt that this one was cute with an important message but not anything life altering. I did get a little choked up at one point but that was it. Meanwhile I know my friends cried through most of it so maybe I just have a stone heart.

Let's Talk
Do you like when movies follow the book or do you like when they take their own twist?

Recommendation 
Redbox or Netflix. It was cute but maybe not full price at the theater good.

Review: Beauty Queens

Title Beauty Queens
By Libba Bray
Genre YA Contemporary/Adventure/Comedy
Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Synopsis
When a plane full of beauty pageant contestants crashes on an island there's only 13 survivors. Will they survive long enough to be rescued? And can they keep up their looks and dance routines until then? The longer the girls are on the island the more they discover who they really are and just how strong they are.

First Sentence
"Are you alright?"





I've had this book on my list for 6 years. The number of years it's been released, I think. I enjoyed the Gemma Doyle books enough to give the author my attention and this one sounded just plain hilarious.

I listened to this one on audio and it was my first audio book read by the author. That was a treat! When the author does all the different voices you know they're done exactly as she imagined the characters sounding. Her voice for Tiara cracked me up!

Filled with "a word from the sponsor" moments and commercial breaks this one was written to be an audio book.

While I was expecting a total comedy I was surprised to find a very feminist "girl power" twist on this one. I had mixed feelings about this. While I enjoyed the message, I sometimes found it a bit heavy handed and taking itself too seriously. But it actually gave depth to the story too so I don't know. I think I ended up liking that it chose to take that road. And of course it was still funny too. I laughed a lot.

There was a lot of eye rolling, yeah right, moments but I think any annoyance I had for those moments was ME taking things too seriously.

My biggest problem with this one was the length. (this seems to be an ongoing annoyance of mine as of late) I'm fine with long stories but needlessly long stories are another story. This one just kept going on and on! And on!!!

Should you read it
If you can buckle in for the LONG ride I'd recommend it for a laugh and a look at some cool messages about the awesomeness of girls.

November Wrap-Up 2017

November, you and I really need to stop seeing each other. Last year I wrote about my heartbreaking miscarriage that happened in November and this year I'm having to write another sad post. I'll keep it short. As I mentioned last month, my mother had cancer and has fractured her spine and was bedridden. Some of you know already, but for those of you who don't, my mother passed away on November 11th. I've been through the gauntlet of emotions and am still struggling but I think I'm going to be okay. I won't dwell on the sadness. I just wanted to update you.

 I did manage to read some books though and since this is a book blog lets just get to that, shall we?

Fiendish by Brenna Yovanoff, Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey, All The Truth That's In Me by Julie Berry, Be Frank With Me by Julia Clairborne Johnson, The Sugar Queen by Sara Addison Allen,(review on Goodreads)  and Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

Favorites of the month were Fiendish and Be Frank With Me. Least Favorite was Haunting Violet.

 I promise I'm not heartless but since my mother had been diagnosed with cancer for over a year and we knew the end was coming I feel like I was somewhat prepared. Of course that means nothing when I want to call and tell her something and realize I can't. Then the water works come on and I get lost in grief but mostly I'm okay.

A Whole New World!

Once upon a time, I couldn't sit still for two seconds and listen to my mom read out loud to me and my siblings.

It's not like I couldn't follow the story, it's just that I preferred reading it myself. Then I could go at my own (much faster) pace and and have something visually and physically to hold onto to keep my squirming body still.

Fast forward a few years and you'd find me sneaking books to work to read on my lunch breaks and then lying on a couch when I got home to read. Life was simpler then. I had a job and a few things to keep me somewhat busy but I didn't have a never ending list of "THINGS, JENNY NEEDS TO DO TODAY AND THE NEXT  DAY AND THIS WEEK AND AND AND." My reading slipped into oblivion. I was lucky to read 3 books a month, which, for me, is pretty pathetic.

And then...

Audio books! Honestly, I wasn't thrilled about getting into audio books. Like most people, I found them hard to concentrate on. We do, after all, live in a visual world that makes listening to something that doesn't offer something visual to look at difficult. I actually started listening to audio books because that's what was available to borrow for a book club book. I listened in agony. I hated how slow it felt. I hated that my mind wandered and I wouldn't know where I was in the story or what was going on.

But, as they say, practice makes perfect. And once I trained my brain to listen they weren't too bad. I would be working on the huge long list I mentioned and would remember I could listen to a book while I worked. Suddenly work became more bearable.

Just think of all the times you could be listening to an audio book.

• cleaning your house
• getting ready in the morning (showering etc)  
• driving 
• grocery shopping
• doing yard work
• swimming (turn your speaker on and you don't have to have dry hands to handle a book) 
• remodeling yet another rental (what? is that only me?) 
• exercising 
• lying on the couch because the book's just to good to put down and you've accomplished your list for the day 

This summer I began listening hardcore to audio books. Especially once I discovered the "Always Available" audio books on my online library on Overdrive. Guys, I was able to reach my Goodreads Challenge back in September. I still love real paper books and ebooks but now, I always have an audio book downloaded to listen to when life doesn't allow lying on the couch.

So huge shout out to audio books! I never thought I'd be an audio book fan but, well, here we are!

Do you listen to audio books? If not you really should give them a try. Especially now that they're available for free on online libraries. Seriously! Download the Overdrive app and see what's available.
 

Review: Be Frank With Me

Title Be Frank With Me
By Julia Claiborne Johnson
Genre Adult Contemporary
Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Synopsis
M.M. Banning  once wrote a best seller but for years has been holed up in her Beverly Hills Mansion. When she tells her literary agent she's working on something new he'll do anything to ensure she finishes her book. He'll even go so far as to send his assistant, Alice, to watch Banning's eccentric 9 year old. When Alice meets Frank, the eccentric 9 year old who she's in charge of and immerses her life in theirs, she'll never be the same.

First Sentence
"Mimi's Prickley," Isaac Vargas told me when he asked if I'd go to California to work for M.M. Banning while she wrote her long-awaited second novel.

I don't remember who read this one and reviewed it and made me want to read it or if anyone read and reviewed it that I saw. I just know it ended up on my TBR list and when I saw it come up on Overdrive on audio I promptly downloaded it and began to listen.

I laughed my way through most of this one. Frank's innocence and bluntness amused me and he wormed his way into my affections just as he did with the MC Alice.

Occasionally while reading I'd wonder just what exactly the plot of this one was, there wasn't much of one, but then I'd become too immersed in Frank's shenannigans to care.

While I found this one an all in all delightful read it wasn't perfect. Xander really annoyed me, that is, his relationship with Alice really annoyed me. I found it unnecessary and kept wondering why the author even threw it in.

So, while I'm not sure why I picked this one up, I'm glad I did. It was a great read and Frank was adorably frustrating in all the right ways.

Should you read it
Yes, it was well worth the laughs.     

Review: All The Truth That's In Me

Title All The Truth That's In Me
By Julie Berry
Genre YA fiction
Rating ⭐️⭐️

Synopsis
Judith disappeared for two years.  She returned to her small town with her tongue cut out and unable to speak of where she's been. Her mother barely tolerates her presence, choosing instead to dote on Judith's brother Darrel. When their small town is attacked secrets about Judith's disappearance come to light. Now she must choose to stay quiet or find her voice and change her world forever.

First Sentence
You didn't come.  



First off, I have to say how much I hate the cover of this book. I actually think it's an awesome cover for what the story is about except for a few details. The girl has like twenty pounds of eye liner on and looks like she's in the present. Not so. This book takes place back in like the 1600s-ish. Why couldn't they use a picture of a Puritan girl instead of this modern looking girl? Whatever. The book I read just had a flower on the front but I'd seen this cover and was shocked when I found out it wasn't modern.

So, yeah, this book isn't modern. Moving on.

I think this strange little story was trying so hard to be important. A book about silencing a woman and the harm it can cause. If it was going for that, I felt like it should have been modern after all and not so literal. Cutting out the MCs tongue was overkill (for that particular message) in my opinion.

The story was too long. It just kept meandering along and making me keep questioning WHY the MC wasn't telling her story? Did I miss something? Oh well. I read this one for book club. Maybe after our discussion I'll have some different insights. For now I just found it too long and trying a little too hard.

Should you read it
If you do, maybe don't think about it so hard.

Friday Flicks: Murder on the Orient Express

Murder on the Orient Express
Rating ★★

What It's About
Detective Poirot is finally retiring. Taking a train from his last case, he's looking forward to a relaxing journey reading Dickens but he boarded the wrong train. A murder takes place and it becomes apparent that the murderer is still on the train, Poirot must come out of retirement to solve the murder but this will be the strangest and most difficult case he's ever worked.

There was so much buzz about this one, am I right?! At first I thought it was because it has such a large and famous cast but then, silly me, I realized it was based on a book. An Agatha Christie book. Sorry. I never read her books. I couldn't get into them. Anyways, After realizing why it was so popular I decided to give it a try; I like a good mystery, after all.

And it definitely was a mystery. I tried very hard to guess what was going on but they did a very good job of keeping you guessing (if you hadn't already read the book) and I appreciated that. Of course, now I'm trying to figure out why you'd want to see this one if you read the book. If I hadn't been guessing what was going on the whole time I might have been bored.

I did guess what was going on, right before the big reveal but maybe that's what I was supposed to do. And what a strange reveal it was. Suddenly this murder mystery was trying to be all important with a moral question presented. Meh. I wasn't blown away.

The cinematography in this one was beautiful! Seriously. I wouldn't be surprised if it gets nominated for an Oscar for that or at least costume design. It was a feast for the eyes. I loved it.

 Kenneth Branagh was a delight as usual. He was quite funny and you could tell he brought his personality into the directing.

All in all, I only found this one pleasing to watch for its cinematography. The mystery had me guessing but when all was revealed I was just left with a lot of questions.

Let's Talk
This movie really made me want to take a train ride on this kind of train minus the murder. Do these kind of trains even exist anymore? If not, I'm sad.

Recommendation
While I want to tell you to see its beauty on the big screen, you should probably just Redbox it or wait till it's on Netflix.

Review: Fiendish

Title Fiendish
By Brenna Yovanoff
Genre YA Supernatural/Paranormal
Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Synopsis
When Clementine was a child her mother and aunt dabbled in dirt magic, making cures and small spells for the local folk, but when strange things started to happen the towns people panicked. Clementine's home was burned to the ground and her mother was killed. Clementine was kept safe by magic but was locked in the cellar; trapped by willow roots and silenced she stayed that way for ten years, until a boy sets her free. Now she must come into her power and find out what happened in the past so she can save the future.

First Sentence
When I was little, everything twinkled.

I've only read one other book by Yovanoff and had only luke-warm feelings about it so I went into this one with pretty low expectations. Maybe that's why I ended up loving it so much.

The twisted magic of this one lent to a great atmosphere to start off with. Everyone in this crazy little town had a dark side that disturbed me. I think that's why I loved Clementine so much! She was so sweet and kind and forgiving and not in that annoying, too-good-to-be-true way. She was genuine and I adored her.

The story had me intrigued from page one. I wanted to know what in the world was going on. Were the fiends really bad? How did Clementine end up trapped in that cellar? Would the young teens be able to come together with their collective powers and stop another Reckoning? I wanted to know. I actually cared. It was great to be so invested.

I loved the satisfying ending and I love that Yovanoff writes stand-a-lones.

 Should you read it
 If you're looking for a exciting and unique page turner give this one a go.

Review: Haunting Violet

Title Haunting Violet
By Alyxandra Harvey
Genre YA Supernatural/Paranormal
Rating ⭐️

Synopsis
Violet's mother has been masquerading as a medium Violet's whole life. They've worked their way up to being invited to a country estate for a spiritualist party. But when Violet starts actually seeing ghosts she wants nothing to do with them. The ghosts won't leave her alone, though and Violet finds herself dragged into the mystery of a murdered young girl.

First Sentence
A lady does not dance more than two dances with the same gentleman.



Oi! This one has been on my shelf for a long time. I finally decided to pick it up and proceeded to be incredibly disappointed.

I'm not sure if it was a mood thing or what but I had zero patience for the amateurish feel of the writing in this one. I actually thought it was a debut novel, it felt so unpolished, but, nope, the author has written lots of other books. Several of which were published before this one. Could have fooled me.

I also think I was expecting a more modern day setting but this takes place back in Victorian times. Maybe Edwardian times. I'm not sure. That little detail escaped my notice, like most of the details in this one. Yay! Maybe I won't remember how bad it was for long.

Filled with all the YA cliche's of its day I found this one trite and boring and had to give up half way through and skim to the end. Even the skimming was bad. I should have just set this one down 20 pages in when I could tell we weren't going to get along. Oh well.

Should you read it
I think my dislike of this one is personal. So go ahead and give it a shot if you think it's your cup of tea. Just don't expect me to show up to that tea party. 

Friday Flicks: Thor Ragnarok

Thor Ragnarok
Rating ★★★★

What It's About
If you've been hiding under a rock it's time to come out. Come on, it's ok. Out you come. There's a good boy! Alright! I'm done. So anyway, I'm assuming you know all about the Marvel Universe and their movies. I love how they all fit together, don't you? This one follows Thor as he discovers he has a sister. A sister that was so power hungry and crazy that their father locked her away. But she's free now and back to her old ways of power mad controlling! It's up to Thor to stop her....without his hammer. Eeeep!

 I got to see this one opening weekend because my awesome friend Jenni had a spare ticket. Thanks Jenni! I'll be honest. I've only see the first Thor. I know! Sacrilege. But I have seen the Avengers etc so I wasn't completely lost. Now I don't know if I'm just remembering wrong or if they took a different approach to this movie but it was hilarious! Way funnier than it's predecessors. And I don't mean silly little jokes here and there amidst some serious action. I mean a laugh a minute, not taking itself too serious funny. I loved it!

And the story was fun too. I liked watching Thor figure out who he really was without his hammer. I loved all the Marvel cameos and the newcomers were great too. It was such a fun ride! If you're a Marvel fan and a fan of 80s videogames this one will be right up your alley.

My only beef with the movie, the reason it's a four star instead of a five, is I felt it was a bit long. Now if you're loving a movie or book so much that you don't want it to end then length is great. And I was loving this one but it was crowded and hot in the movie theater and enjoyable or not, it had a few unnecessary things that could have been cut in my opinion. Still, it's totally worth the watch and I guarantee you'll laugh your head off. Go see it!

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    Chris Hemsworth fan? Cause I am. Damn!