Contemporary-A-Thon Mini Book Reviews

Last week (February 12-18), I participated in the Contemporary-A-Thon hosted by chelseadolling reads, Pages and Pens, and myreadingisodd.

I’ve attempted my own self-imposed read-a-thon before, but this was my first time trying to read as many books as I could in a set period of time with a community of people. This particular read-a-thon was unlike mine in that it had a theme—contemporary books—and optional challenges to complete within the week. The challenges were to:

Read the most recent contemporary that you purchased/acquired

Read a contemporary book with pink on the cover

Read a hyped contemporary book

Read a diverse contemporary book

Read a dark/taboo contemporary

Read a contemporary(ish) graphic novel

Read a contemporary book that has been recommended to you

I knocked out three books during the contemporary-a-thon ~~(one of them went one day over but shhh let me have this)~~ and accomplished four of the seven challenges. Even though it might not seem like much, I would call this read-a-thon a success; it dragged me out of my reading slump and allowed me to complete three, solid 4-star books. The books showed me how wide and diverse the contemporary genre is, and I have a new-found appreciation for it because of them. I’ll definitely be participating in more read-a-thons in the future ~~(maybe I’ll try hosting my own?)~~, and you all should join too!

Blah blah blah…

on to the mini reviews!

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Book Review: Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo // better than Six of Crows

Title: Crooked Kingdom

Author: Leigh Bardugo

Published: September 27, 2016

Pages: 536

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult

Amazon / Barnes & Nobles / Goodreads

Goodreads Description:
Kaz Brekker and his crew have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn’t think they’d survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they’re right back to fighting for their lives. Double-crossed and badly weakened, the crew is low on resources, allies, and hope. As powerful forces from around the world descend on Ketterdam to root out the secrets of the dangerous drug known as jurda parem, old rivals and new enemies emerge to challenge Kaz’s cunning and test the team’s fragile loyalties. A war will be waged on the city’s dark and twisting streets―a battle for revenge and redemption that will decide the fate of the Grisha world.

Crooked Kingdom retained all of the elements that I loved in Six of Crows—strategic scheming, morally ambiguous characters, strained romances—and expanded on them.

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Book Review: The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli // a realistic narrative of awkward, first relationships

Title: The Upside of Unrequited

Author: Becky Albertalli

Published: April 11, 2017

Pages: 336

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Amazon / Barnes & Nobles / Goodreads

I was never interested enough to pick up Becky Albertalli’s book, Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, when it was front and center in every book store I visited two years ago.

When I was perusing the nominees for Best Young Adult Fiction in the Goodreads Choice Awards 2017, I came across yet another one of Alberatelli’s books and decided to give the author a chance.

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Book Review: Geekerella by Ashley Poston // a homage to fandoms

Title: Geekerella

Author: Ashley Poston

Published: April 4, 2017

Pages: 320

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Amazon / Barnes & Nobles / Goodreads

Goodreads Description:
Anything can happen once upon a con…
When geek girl Elle Wittimer sees a cosplay contest sponsored by the producers of Starfield, she has to enter. First prize is an invitation to the ExcelsiCon Cosplay Ball and a meet-and-greet with the actor slated to play Federation Prince Carmindor in the reboot. Elle’s been scraping together tips from her gig at the Magic Pumpkin food truck behind her stepmother’s back, and winning this contest could be her ticket out once and for all—not to mention a fangirl’s dream come true.
Teen actor Darien Freeman is less than thrilled about this year’s ExcelsiCon. He used to live for conventions, but now they’re nothing but jaw-aching photo sessions and awkward meet-and-greets. Playing Federation Prince Carmindor is all he’s ever wanted, but the diehard Starfield fandom has already dismissed him as just another heartthrob. As ExcelsiCon draws near, closet nerd Darien feels more and more like a fake—until he meets a girl who shows him otherwise.

I totally judged this book from its title.

Although one of my semi-guilty pleasures is reading about geeky girls, Geekerella was not something I’d see in a book store and pick up. It just sounded so corny. I thought I would give it a chance anyways since it was nominated for Best Young Adult Fiction in the Goodreads Choice Awards 2017—and I was glad I did.

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Book Series Review: The Reckoners by Brandon Sanderson // fantastically written, but not without its faults

Welcome to my first series review!

Writing this review was an interesting experience for me. For starters, it encompasses my thoughts and feelings for three different books instead of one. I also wrote it well after finishing all the books so my memory of them is kind of fuzzy. Usually, I jot notes while reading books I’m going to review, but I had no intention of making this post until I was almost finished with the third book.

Here’s to firsts!

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Book Review: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo // deserves the hype

Title: Six of Crows

Author: Leigh Bardugo

Published: September 29, 2015

Pages: 462

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult

Amazon / Barnes & Nobles / Goodreads

Goodreads Description:
Criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker has been offered wealth beyond his wildest dreams. But to claim it, he’ll have to pull off a seemingly impossible heist:
Break into the notorious Ice Court
(a military stronghold that has never been breached)
Retrieve a hostage
(who could unleash magical havoc on the world)
Survive long enough to collect his reward
(and spend it)
Kaz needs a crew desperate enough to take on this suicide mission and dangerous enough to get the job done – and he knows exactly who: six of the deadliest outcasts the city has to offer. Together, they just might be unstoppable – if they don’t kill each other first.

I’m probably the last person under the sun to read this book.

Despite it seeming like everything I wanted in a book—a heist, clever thieves, angsty romance—it never felt like the appropriate time to read the book. I still can’t say that I finally read it at good time. I picked this book up after reading The Final Empire, another fantasy book that revolves around a heist and one that I love dearly. I couldn’t help but compare Six of Crows to it. That, combined with all the hype surrounding the book, was a recipe for disappointment. However, I still really enjoyed Six of Crows.

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Book Review: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman // a subtle and emotional read

Title: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

Author: Gail Honeyman

Published: May 9, 2017

Pages: 327

Genre: Adult Fiction, Contemporary

Amazon / Barnes & Nobles / Goodreads

I picked this book up on a whim, not expecting anything from it, and was hooked from the first chapter.

Eleanor Oliphant, a thirty-year old woman, is content with the routine she has carried out for the past nine years of her life: wake up, work, crossword, work, avoid confrontation, takeout, radio or book, the weekly phone call with “mummy”, alcohol, sleep. She prefers to spend her time alone as she believes other people around her are uncultured and rude. She finds an unexpected friend in Raymond when they help an old man named Sammy after he has a fall on a sidewalk. With Raymond’s assistance, Eleanor begins to break out of her shell, discuss her “mummy” issues and past, and discover that maybe she isn’t completely fine.

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Book Review: Dark Matter by Blake Crouch // a new sci-fi favorite

Title: Dark Matter

Author: Blake Crouch

Published: July 26, 2016

Pages: 342

Genre: Science Fiction, Thriller, Mystery

Amazon / Barnes & Nobles / Goodreads

Goodreads Description:
“Are you happy with your life?”
Those are the last words Jason Dessen hears before the masked abductor knocks him unconscious.
Before he awakens to find himself strapped to a gurney, surrounded by strangers in hazmat suits.
Before a man Jason’s never met smiles down at him and says, “Welcome back, my friend.”
In this world he’s woken up to, Jason’s life is not the one he knows. His wife is not his wife. His son was never born. And Jason is not an ordinary college physics professor, but a celebrated genius who has achieved something remarkable. Something impossible.
Is it this world or the other that’s the dream? And even if the home he remembers is real, how can Jason possibly make it back to the family he loves? The answers lie in a journey more wondrous and horrifying than anything he could’ve imagined—one that will force him to confront the darkest parts of himself even as he battles a terrifying, seemingly unbeatable foe.

I have a confession:

for every science fiction book I read, I read roughly twenty books from other genres. That’s alarming coming from someone who claims her favorite genre is science fiction. Let me explain though. I need to space out my sci-fi books with cheesy contemporaries otherwise my brain will melt and I’ll self-destruct from all the feels. It’s quite a predicament. However, it’s always worth the wait when I finally pick up a sci-fi book I’ve been waiting to read. In this case, that book is Dark Matter.

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Book Review: The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon // a relatable contemporary that hit home

Title: The Sun Is Also a Star

Author: Nicola Yoon

Published: November 1, 2016

Pages: 348

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Amazon / Barnes & Nobles / Goodreads

Goodreads Description:
Natasha: I’m a girl who believes in science and facts. Not fate. Not destiny. Or dreams that will never come true. I’m definitely not the kind of girl who meets a cute boy on a crowded New York City street and falls in love with him. Not when my family is twelve hours away from being deported to Jamaica. Falling in love with him won’t be my story.
Daniel: I’ve always been the good son, the good student, living up to my parents’ high expectations. Never the poet. Or the dreamer. But when I see her, I forget about all that. Something about Natasha makes me think that fate has something much more extraordinary in store—for both of us.
The Universe: Every moment in our lives has brought us to this single moment. A million futures lie before us. Which one will come true?

**I was taken aback by how much The Sun Is Also a Star resonated with me**.

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Book Review: A Quiet Kind of Thunder by Sara Barnard // a look into living with anxiety and selective mutism (+ a little life update)

Title: A Quiet Kind of Thunder

Author: Sara Barnard

Published: January 12, 2017

Pages: 320

Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult, Romance

Amazon / Goodreads

Goodreads Description: Steffi has been a selective mute for most of her life – she’s been silent for so long that she feels completely invisible. But Rhys, the new boy at school, sees her. He’s deaf, and her knowledge of basic sign language means that she’s assigned to look after him. To Rhys, it doesn’t matter that Steffi doesn’t talk, and as they find ways to communicate, Steffi finds that she does have a voice, and that she’s falling in love with the one person who makes her feel brave enough to use it.