Hey guys! Sorry it has been a bit since my last post. I haven’t been feeling that great both physically and mentally so I have been running behind. Anyway, I thought I would share with you guys some of the books I’ve been reading lately. Everyone knows I love movies from my blog or youtube channel, but sometimes people forget that I also love to read. Movies give you a fast immersion into a story that can be amazing where books allow you to walk around in the stories for a little while and really get to know the characters. I think it is very important to stay active in both reading and movies for my intellectual growth and full experience as a human being.

So here’s what I have been reading. I am not including the comics I have been reading on this list because there are a lot of them. They totally count as books but I’m just sticking with traditional novels for brevity’s sake.

Bone Gap by Laura Ruby
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Very creative story and engaging characters. My favorite part about it is how unpredictable it was. I didn’t know that this facial memory problem was a real thing so I thought she had made it up for the story. Even knowing it is real now it still was fascinating and unpredictable. I liked all the characters and they kept it simple unlike some fantasy stories.

 

The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’m not the biggest fantasy fan so it took me a while to warm up to Tolkien but he finally won me over. I particularly love the characters of the hobbits and their simple understanding of what matters most. There is a heart to these characters and their mission to defeat evil that is simple and beautiful. This first entry meanders a bit but it is still a great story and probably the best of its kind of novel

 

The Circle by Dave Eggers
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Some good ideas here but far too much time explaining the world and the ins and outs of social media and not enough time on a compelling narrative. Also it fails to capitalize on so many dark sides of social media. In the end it is a big brother story but there really isn’t anything about trolling or cyberbullying. That would fit so well into this story! The premise of is privacy theft is interesting. Are we being selfish to not share our experiences with others when they might be helpful, even life-saving for them? That would make a good essay but it’s not used for a compelling narrative in The Circle.

Shattered: Inside Hillary Clinton’s Doomed Campaign by Jonathan Allen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Some people will think I liked this book because I am a conservative and it is some kind of hit piece on Hillary Clinton. Well, they would be wrong. This is a fascinating dive into the people and players that make a political campaign. It is very readable and goes into the little decisions that were made which led to the 2016 election results. Some stuff was outside of Hillary’s control, some of it wasn’t. Either way it was fascinating and someone is going to make a great movie out of this book. It was gripping in every way.

 

My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry by Fredrik Backman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A delight. Wonderful setting. Great lead protagonist. Engrossing story from beginning to end. I loved it. Magical realism at its best and not at all what I was expecting after Man Called Ove (I’ve seen Ove movie not read the book). I loved the Grandma and Elsa and the Kingdom of Miamas was inventive and surprising. A terrific book that I highly recommend especially if you love fantasy because this won over even me.

 

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Introverts have your pep talk. The point of this book is to build up introverts and convince them their method of thought and expression is powerful. I enjoyed it and thought it was interesting. Only thing I wished as an extrovert there was more guidance on how to communicate and effectively work with introverts but it is still interesting

So there you have it! What do you think of what I have been reading? Do any of the books interest you? What have you been reading lately? I would love to hear your recommendations.