Here’s another Bi-Monthly Top Reads post where I highlight the books I’ve really enjoyed these past two months. There were seven out of thirteen this time – not bad!
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A Dog’s Way Home by W. Bruce Cameron: I always love a good dog-focused story and this one did not disappoint me! Bella, the doggy protagonist, was super sweet and fun to read. Thank you NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this book.
What I Loved:
– Bella’s voice was enjoyable and realistic to read
– sweet message
– plot held my attention throughout
– theme of animal love made me miss my own dog
– felt a number of emotions while I read
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A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness: What an emotional and unexpected read this was. I really felt for Conor in this young adult read.
What I Loved:
– easy to sympathize with main character, Conor
– author built intrigue throughout
– themes were well-presented
– provoked so much emotion within me
– situation was realistic and can be relatable
– plot held my attention throughout
– tree monster’s symbolism was cleverly done
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The Diviners by Libba Bray: Such a spooky and creepy book to read for the month of October! This young adult fantasy/paranormal wasn’t one that I heard of before, but I’m glad to have read it!
What I Loved:
– characters were developed well
– good diversity of characters within text
– perspective switching felt natural and transitions were well done
– most of the plot was exciting and held my interest
– spooky/creepy parts were done well (right amount of spookiness, but not enough to give me nightmares)
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The Choice by Edith Eger: Such a moving memoir of one woman who survived the Holocaust and was able to heal overtime. I am very grateful for Penguin Publishing UK for giving me the chance to read this wonderful book.
What I Loved:
– author’s tone was easy to read and likable
– healing process seemed authentic and was inspiring
– author was open and honest about her experiences
– therapy sessions included were eye-opening
– reflective writing was used well
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Unwritten by Tara Gilboy: What a fun middle-grade fantasy where the main characters originally came from a story!
What I Loved:
– unique premise kept me intrigued
– Gracie, protagonist, piecing her old life together was cleverly done
– well-developed main characters
– theme of identity was portrayed well
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Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire: Such an interesting first look at McGuire’s various worlds and diverse characters!
What I Loved:
– diverse cast of characters
– loved the transgender character, Kade
– murder mystery aspect was played well
– great theme of identity
– most of the plot was fast-paced and held my attention
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Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire: Words cannot express how much I loved this young adult fantasy! This is a book that I can see myself rereading just to be able to experience living in the Moors once again.
What I Loved:
– the balance of creepy concepts (mad scientist, vampire, raising the dead) and character development made the book suspenseful, but not scary
– absorbing and complex characters
– gender roles theme was explored extremely well
– loved how the author pulled me right into the world of the Moors
– loved the LGBT inclusion
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I really enjoyed the above books. Hope you also had a great couple of months reading, too! Let’s hope the next two months will bring on some more awesome adventures!
Thank you for reading! Until next time!
