As a reminder, here is how I rate my books:
- (★★★★★): Loved it
- (★★★★): Really liked it
- (★★★): Didn’t hate it, didn’t love it
- (★★): Barely finished it
Another few notes: I will warn if there are any spoilers with (start spoiler) and (end spoiler) so you know when to stop reading and pick up again if you don’t want to ruin the book for yourself. Update: I will no longer be going out of my way to watch adaptions, but will continue to mention them and their general critiques (from Rotten Tomatoes) in my reviews.
Please forgive my gaps between the books, I was reading the Percy Jackson series at this time, as well!
Animal Farm by George Orwell
Rating: ★★★★
Genre: Classics, fiction, dystopia
GoodReads rating: 3.91 / 5 (2,305,000 ratings)
Medium used: Audio book and e-reader (borrowed from library via OverDrive)
Date started/ finished: 6/2 – 10/2
Summary: Once the overworked animals reclaim the farm from the lording humans, they try to make their own way as their own rulers.
Thoughts: Wow! I really liked this book. It’s short and feels extremely relevant in today’s political climate.
Other adaptations: The 1954 animated version fared better than the live action 1999 version, but neither would be classified as “must-sees” by critics nor audiences.
The Firm by John Grisham
Rating: ★★★★
Genre: Fiction, (legal) thriller, mystery
GoodReads rating: 4.00 / 5 (519,000 ratings)
Medium used: Audio book and e-reader (borrowed from library via OverDrive)
Date started/ finished: 13/2 – 4/3
Summary: Mitch McDeere is hired out of college to an unassuming law firm in sleepy Memphis, Tennessee with amazing benefits. Only when he realizes that half a dozen of his coworkers at this small law firm have died in the last decade in mysterious accidents… what is the firm up to?
Thoughts: My only complaint is that it dragged a bit at parts and feel it could have been maybe 3/4 of the length it was and still been as effective. Other than that, it was greatly entertaining and had me on the edge of my seat.
Other adaptations: Apparently, one complaint about the 1993 movie starring Tom Cruise is that it’s too long, too! Otherwise, gets an average rating from audiences.
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Rating: ★★★★
Genre: Young adult, fiction
GoodReads rating: 4.54 / 5 (280,000 ratings)
Medium used: Hardback book purchased new from Antigone Books (Tucson, Arizona)
Date started/ finished: 8/2 – 5/3
Summary: “Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends.” When she witnesses the unrighteous murder of her best friend and makes national headlines, she is torn between maintaining the “normal” facade at her school, or compromising her friendships and safety by speaking out.
Thoughts: I wish they built a bit more background on the prep school side of Starr’s life, I feel it was a bit underdeveloped for being so featured as a plot point in online summaries. Other than that, it felt really fresh and like something that could actually happen (and probably has). From the unfollowing-on-Tumblr-for-posting-policial-protest drama (I’ve been there) to the different faces we put on around others in adolescence, it was all so real.
Other adaptations: The 2018 film is loved by views and critics alike, I think I’ll have to see this one!
Sadie by Courtney Summers
Rating: ★★★★
Genre: Young adult, mystery
GoodReads rating: 4.23 / 5 (20,900 ratings)
Medium used: Bought via Amazon Kindle app
Date started/ finished: 5/3 – 12/3
Summary: When young girl Mattie is found dead and her sister Sadie is missing, Sadie’s track to revenge is followed in the form of a podcast from her sleepy hometown of Cold Creek.
Thoughts: First thing’s first, big warning for sexual assault and pedophilia themes in this book. I know a lot of fellow book bloggers found this story to be a bit heavy but for me it’s what makes it so effective. I really loved the format of the writing from multiple points of view and hear it’s best consumed in the form of an audiobook. This is a great young adult mystery that has more mature themes and feel transcends the somewhat juvenile themes I often find in young adult novels.
Have you read any of these? Which did you enjoy most?
Photo by Radu Marcusu.
