Book Review #772 - A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan

A Visit from the Goon Squad captures the moment where lives interact, and where fortunes ebb and flow. Egan depicts with elegant prose and often heart-wrenching simplicity, the sad consequences for those who couldn't fake it during their wild youth - madness suicide or prison - in this captivating, wryly, humorous story of temptation and loss.

My Rating: 4/5

I read this book for my 1001 Book Challenge and it is also the third book I have read that has won the Pullitzer Prize.

This is the most unique styled book I have ever read. It is so unconventional but it has a really engaging story and realistic characters that make it work.

When I first picked this book up I was really confused and put it down after two chapters however when I picked it up and started from the beginning the very next day I flew through it.

The nonlinear style frustrated me whilst reading it but once I finished it all kind of clicked and I completely understood that it could not have been written any other way.

There aren't any main characters in this book. There is more an ensemble of amazing characters all of whom have such distinct, unique individual voices and I found it amazing that they were all written by the same author.

Music is one of the main themes of the book (time being the other major theme) and is the conduit used to show the passing of time or reversal of time in each story.

This is the first modern book I have read from the 1001 Books list and whilst I had to struggle through it at times I definitely do not regret finishing it.

One thing that I didn't like about this book was the fact that it jumped back and forwards in time with no warning or awareness of what direction it did. I would have liked chapter headings to stipulate this. I know the author used this to surprise the reader as to the passing of time but this would have eliminated the majority of my confusion and frustration whilst reading.

Just when I thought this book could not get any more unconventional, chapter 12 was told entirely in powerpoint and also told from the future both of which I liked and found an intriguing method for an otherwise contemporary book.

Book Review #771 - Dust and Decay (Rot and Ruin #2) by Jonathan Maberry

Six months have passed since the terrifying battle with Charlie Pink-eye and the Motor City Hammer in the zombie-infested mountains of the Rot & Ruin. It’s also six months since Benny Imura and Nix Riley saw something in the air that changed their lives. Now, after months of rigorous training with Benny’s zombie-hunter brother Tom, Benny and Nix are ready to leave their home forever and search for a better future. Lilah the Lost Girl and Benny’s best friend Lou Chong are going with them. 

Sounds easy. Sounds wonderful. Except that everything that can go wrong does. Before they can even leave there is a shocking zombie attack in town. But as soon as they step into the Rot & Ruin they are pursued by the living dead, wild animals, insane murderers and the horrors of Gameland –where teenagers are forced to fight for their lives in the zombie pits. Worst of all… could the evil Charlie Pink-eye still be alive? 

In the great Rot & Ruin everything wants to kill you. Everything…and not everyone in Benny’s small band of travelers will make it out alive. 

My Rating: 4/5

Just like book one in this series Rot and Ruin this book is action packed and moves at such a break neck speed that I was unwilling to ever put it down.

I loved that the rot and ruin was explored more deeply in this book with the majority of the book set there as it is such a mysterious yet interesting place.

The relationships between all the characters continued to develop and I love the banter and camaraderie between them all. 

The main cliff hanger from the first book was not resolved nor was it ever really addressed but considering how much other stuff was happening it didn't really bother me.

This is definitely my favourite zombie series and I can't believe how underrated it seems to be.

Benny evolved so much in this book in stepping out of his brother's shadow and especially the way the book ended I can already see his development is going to be massive in the next book.

The romance in this books is so subtle and rather juvenile considering the ages of the characters. It is very much toned down as well considering the amount of action happening which I really like that it is not trying to take the main focus.

Book Review #770 - Road to Riverdale Vol 2 (Road to Riverdale) by Mark Waid, Chip Zdarsky, Marguerite Bennett, Adam Hughes and Fiona Staples

In the past two years, the little town of Riverdale has changed in a number of amazing ways. The entire Archie universe has been given a fresh coat of paint and it's only getting bigger and better from here. Road to Riverdale presents to readers all of the second issues of each of our new series so far, including Archie, Jughead, Betty and Veronica, Josie and the Pussycats and Reggie & Me, timed to the Season One Finale of the brand new CW series Riverdale. This volume also contains a new story based in the show's universe as a bonus for viewers!

This graphic novel features riveting stories and dazzling artwork from superstar writers and artists like Mark Waid, Adam Hughes, Marguerite Bennett, Fiona Staples, Chip Zdarsky and much more. You won't want to miss out on this collection that shines the spotlight on the New Riverdale, and serves as the ultimate guide for both new readers and long-time fans.

My Rating: 3/5

This is the second graphic novel I have read centered around the Riverdale gang.

I loved that this one had a lot more emphasis on Jughead as he is my favourite character but also showed a lot of the secondary characters as well in starring roles.

I really loved all the different stories following all the different characters throughout as well as all the different art styles as each story is written/illustrated by a different author.

As far as the story goes I liked that the plot of the TV show Riverdale was mentioned in one of these stories.

I also like the modern approach these books have as the original Archie comics were published so long ago and these versions contain so many pop culture references. 

Book Review #769 - Crazy Rich Asians (Crazy Rich Asians #1) by Kevin Kwan

Crazy Rich Asians is the outrageously funny debut novel about three super-rich, pedigreed Chinese families and the gossip, backbiting, and scheming that occurs when the heir to one of the most massive fortunes in Asia brings home his ABC (American-born Chinese) girlfriend to the wedding of the season.

When Rachel Chu agrees to spend the summer in Singapore with her boyfriend, Nicholas Young, she envisions a humble family home, long drives to explore the island, and quality time with the man she might one day marry. What she doesn't know is that Nick's family home happens to look like a palace, that she'll ride in more private planes than cars, and that with one of Asia's most eligible bachelors on her arm, Rachel might as well have a target on her back. Initiated into a world of dynastic splendor beyond imagination, Rachel meets Astrid, the It Girl of Singapore society; Eddie, whose family practically lives in the pages of the Hong Kong socialite magazines; and Eleanor, Nick's formidable mother, a woman who has very strong feelings about who her son should--and should not--marry. Uproarious, addictive, and filled with jaw-dropping opulence, Crazy Rich Asians is an insider's look at the Asian JetSet; a perfect depiction of the clash between old money and new money; between Overseas Chinese and Mainland Chinese; and a fabulous novel about what it means to be young, in love, and gloriously, crazilyrich.

My Rating: 3/5

I borrowed this book from the library because (a) I'd heard it was funny and I thought it would be a good break from the heavier books I have been reading recently; (b) because it has a movie adaptation released this year and (c) because it is set in Singapore and my mum lived there for a while as a teenager.

When I first opened the book and saw the family tree I wondered why it was there, but after meeting the endless amount of family members I quickly understood. Surprisingly, I never had to refer to it at all as all the characters were so unique that I never got any of them mixed up or confused.

The only issues I had with this book was that their 'problems' were very superficial or money based. An alternate title for this book could have been 'Rich People's Problems' because that is essentially what this book was all about.

I know that this book is only the first one in a series but I am unsure at this stage if I am going to carry on reading the rest. I am curious how Rachel goes surviving among that family but I am in no hurry to do so.

Book Review #768 - The Darkest Minds (The Darkest Minds #1) by Alexandra Bracken

When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something frightening enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that got her sent to Thurmond, a government 'rehabilitation camp'. Ruby might have survived the mysterious disease that killed most of America's children, but she and the others had emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they could not control.

Now sixteen, Ruby is one of the dangerous ones. When the truth comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. Now on the run, she is desperate to find East River, the only safe haven left for kids like her, and she joins a group of other runaways who have escaped their own camps. Liam, their brave leader, is falling for Ruby, but she can't risk getting close. Not after what happened to her parents. When they arrive at East River, nothing is as it seems, least of all Liam. But there are also other forces at work, people who will stop at nothing to use Ruby in their fight against the government. Ruby will be faced with a terrible choice - and one that may mean giving up her only chance at having a life worth living.

My Rating: 4/5

This is a series that I have been meaning to read for years and with the film adaptation released this year I finally managed to read it.

I thought this book was going to be a dystopian so I was surprised to find it was more science fiction. This made it more unique than Divergent or The Hunger Games - books I had been expecting this book to be similar to.

I read Alexandra Bracken's other book Passenger and I found her writing style very hard to read but I found the complete opposite with this book.

I really enjoyed the world building and the fact that even though it took its time setting all this up, it never once felt slow paced or boring. 

I also loved the amount of music references that were slipped in there. There was surprisingly quite a lot.

There was so much action and plot development in the second half of the book that I found it hard to grasp that this is only the first book in the series.

As soon as I finished this book I immediately bought the boxset so look out for my reviews of the rest of this series.

Book Review #767 - Dumplin (Dumplin #1) by Julie Murphy

Self-proclaimed fat girl Willowdean Dickson (dubbed “Dumplin’” by her former beauty queen mom) has always been at home in her own skin. Her thoughts on having the ultimate bikini body? Put a bikini on your body. With her all-American beauty best friend, Ellen, by her side, things have always worked…until Will takes a job at Harpy’s, the local fast-food joint. There she meets Private School Bo, a hot former jock. Will isn’t surprised to find herself attracted to Bo. But she is surprised when he seems to like her back.

Instead of finding new heights of self-assurance in her relationship with Bo, Will starts to doubt herself. So she sets out to take back her confidence by doing the most horrifying thing she can imagine: entering the Miss Clover City beauty pageant—along with several other unlikely candidates—to show the world that she deserves to be up there as much as any twiggy girl does. Along the way, she’ll shock the hell out of Clover City—and maybe herself most of all.

With starry Texas nights, red candy suckers, Dolly Parton songs, and a wildly unforgettable heroine—Dumplin’ is guaranteed to steal your heart. 

My Rating: 4.5/5

This is a book I have been hearing nothing but good things about for years so I have no idea why it has taken me this long to finally pick it up because I read it in one sitting and I absolutely loved it.

Willowdean was such a refreshing character and I loved her witty attitude and the fact that she accepted her weight and didn't let it hold her back.

This book had such strong positive messages that it was impossible not to feel some kind of inspiration from it.

I felt like I learnt a lot about Dolly Parton from reading this book as I previously knew next to nothing about her.

I found the relationship between Willowdean, her mother and her aunt really interesting and I would have liked this to have been explored even deeper than what it was. I feel like this had the potential to be a book on its own.

The beauty pageant aspect of the story was rather slowly paced and didn't actually occur until the end of the book. I found I didn't really care about this side of the story because the characters were enough for me.

Book Review #766 - P is for Pearl by Eliza Henry Jones

From the talented author of the celebrated novels In the Quiet and Ache comes a poignant and moving book that explores the stories we tell ourselves about our families, and what it means to belong.

Seventeen-year-old Gwendolyn P. Pearson has become very good at not thinking about the awful things that have happened to her family. She has also become used to people talking about her dead mum. Or not talking about her and just looking at Gwen sympathetically.

And it's easy not to think about awful things when there are wild beaches to run along, best friends Loretta and Gordon to hang out with - and a stepbrother to take revenge on.

But following a strange disturbance at the cafe where she works, Gwen is forced to confront what happened to her family all those years ago. And she slowly comes to realise that people aren't as they first appear and that like her, everyone has a story to tell.

My Rating: 3/5

I had to read this book for a book club and it is definitely not a book I likely would have read otherwise.

I wanted to like this book and I can definitely see why pretty much every other member of my book club did but for me personally it was too overly poetic and I found myself constantly waiting for something to happen.

The book follows Gwendolyn who is recovering from a traumatic event from her past. The only thing that kept me motivated to keep reading is I wanted to find out what happened as that was the closest it came to having a plot.

This book was definitely character driven and I did really like all the characters especially Gwendolyn's little sister who provided the majority of the lighter moments in what otherwise was quite a darker toned book.

Book Review #765 - Derby: WA Footy Fans on the Game's Greatest Rivalry by David Whish-Wilson

'The State is divided. It's not life or death, it's more important.'So says a poster on Dennis Cometti's wall - and that's what David Whish-Wilson and Sean Gorman found when they interviewed 40 fans of the West Coast Eagles and the Fremantle Dockers.The book features James Baker, Julie Bishop, Fedele Camarda, Maria Camporeale, Kevin Croon, Jesse Dart, Ron Elliott, Les Everett, Alison Fan, Glenis Freemantle, Maria Giglia, Mark Greenwood, Gaby Haddow, Julie Hoffman, Adrian Hoffman, Greig Johnston, Justin Langer, Deanne Lewis, Dennis Lillee, Lesley the Voodoo Lady, Luc Longley, Alsy Macdonald, Carla Mackesey, Ross McLean, Shaun McManus, Clive Mercer, Ian MacRae, Kia Mippy, Peter Mudie, Jeff Newman, Gillian O'Shaughnessy, Melissa Parke, Parsi, Janet Peters, John Prior, Matt Quinn aka Mr Q, Kim Scott, Glen Stasiuk, Bill Sutherland, Bevan Taylor, David Wirrpanda.

My Rating: 3.5/5

Being a Western Australian football fan who has attended more than half the Western Derbies I know first hand what this rivalry means to our state. 

Overall there were 40 stories told from 20 supporters/players from each team.

Being a Fremantle supporter myself I obviously liked the stories told from my fellow purple army supporters a lot more than the others but some of the other stories were not as bad as I had thought they would be.

I think all Western Australian footy fans would enjoy reading this book and non-WA fans should read it if they want an insight into our unique rivalry.