Astonishingly, only two of the books that I read in February were from the library! (Forging Silver into Stars and Katzenjammer. Icebreaker doesn't count because I only read the first 20 pages.) Of the other four books, three were gifted (The One-Minute Cure, Us Against You, and The Book of Difficult Fruit) and two I got from Thriftbooks (The Great Sex Rescue and Belle).
All titles are linked to Goodreads. Let's get into it!
Icebreaker, by Hannah Grace
When a book contains a lot of swearing, it's usually not for me. Same if it has a lot of sex. This book had multiple instances of swearing and sex within the first twenty pages. I know a lot of people love Icebreaker, and I really wanted to like it, but it just wasn't for me.
The One-Minute Cure, by Madison Cavanaugh
★★
I'm honestly not sure what I think about this book. First of all, it had so many misplaced commas. Some wonky formatting. No in-text citations. This makes me a little leery of the advice contained therein. On the other hand ... it makes sense.
So, the premise of this book is that if you drink very diluted 35% food grade hydrogen peroxide every day, your cells will receive the oxygen they need in order for your tissues to heal themselves from all kinds of ailments, from acne to cancer.
I still haven't tried it, but I'm definitely curious. So if I stop posting here, just assume I've died from hydrogen peroxide poisoning.
Katzenjammer, by Francesca Zappia
Katzenjammer is a German word that can be translated as "cat misery", "blues", or "hangover". In the words of my husband, "Not a good time."
I loved Eliza and Her Monsters, Made You Up, and The Children of Hypnos, so I was willing to take a chance on this YA horror. Going into it, I was confident that it wouldn't be too horror-y for me. And I did finish it (in four days), but I found it very disturbing. I know, I know, horror is supposed to be disturbing. But there was no redemption at the end. It was very unsatisfying and just ... sad. So while I was totally riveted by the experience of reading the book, I definitely wouldn't read it again and I probably wouldn't recommend it to anyone I know.
The Great Sex Rescue, by Sheila Wray Gregoire
★★★★
If you are a Christian who is married or engaged, I highly recommend reading this book!
The Book of Difficult Fruit: Arguments for the Tart, Tender, and Unruly, by Kate Lebo
★★★★
I love essay collections, especially if they hang together in some way, so I really enjoyed this! Since the book is organized alphabetically by fruit, the stories that Kate Lebo tells are not chronological, but as she sifts through her memories and draws connections between them and the difficult fruits she chooses, she does return to and develop a few stories over the course of the book (like her mysterious aunts and her relationship with W). I loved the way Kate Lebo interwove her own experiences with history and the writings of other authors.
Forging Silver into Stars, by Brigid Kemmerer
★★★★
You know how some books are like a big, nutritious salad and others are like candy? This book was like the most decadent piece of chocolate cake you've ever eaten. In other words, it was a treat to read. I hadn't read anything by Brigid Kemmerer for a couple years, and I'm very glad I was able to return to the world of Emberfall and Syhl Shallow!
Gray was my favorite character in the previous books, so I was a little disappointed by his development in FSIS, but not even fictional characters are perfect, and I did enjoy following Tycho. Plus, I really appreciated having Callyn and Jax as POV characters. I'd like to read more fantasy with non-royal/nobility main characters!
Us Against You, by Fredrick Backman
★★★★
I wish that I could write like Fredrik Backman. I don't envy his writing style so much as his grasp of people and the problems we all face. His characters are so real.
The quote that made me laugh hardest: "He starts to laugh; he does that when he's nervous. He will soon discover that when Ana gets nervous, she makes sarcastic jokes instead. If they spend their whole lives together, they might become the least suitable couple to encounter at a funeral: one who can't stop making jokes and one who can't stop giggling."
Belle, by Cameron Dokey
This is the third Cameron Dokey book I've read in as many months! I wanted to compare her retelling of Beauty and the Beast with Robin McKinley's (Beauty), which is my favorite Beauty and the Beast retelling of all time (and my second favorite fairytale retelling in general). Beauty was published in 1978, while Belle was published in 2008, and while there are certainly similarities between them, Cameron Dokey put her own spin on it with the woodcarving thing, which I really liked!
My only complaint with Belle was that I wanted more! Specifically, I wanted more of Belle's time with the Beast (before he turns back into a man).
One thing I've noticed about Cameron Dokey's fairytale retellings is that she makes traditionally nasty characters nice while still keeping them human, and a common theme in her books is that of knowing another person's heart.
Next, I'm planning on picking up Cameron Dokey's Beauty Sleep, which is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty. Besides Spindle's End (which is also by Robin McKinley), I don't think I've read that many Sleeping Beauty retellings, so I'm really excited about this one.
I'd love to know if you've read any of these! Next week, I'll be returning to Top Ten Tuesday.
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