Book Review #373 - Getting Rooted in New Zealand by Jamie Baywood

Craving change and lacking logic, at 26, Jamie, a cute and quirky Californian, impulsively moves to New Zealand to avoid dating after reading that the country's population has 100,000 fewer men. In her journal, she captures a hysterically honest look at herself, her past and her new wonderfully weird world filled with curious characters and slapstick situations in unbelievably bizarre jobs. It takes a zany jaunt to the end of the Earth and a serendipitous meeting with a fellow traveller before Jamie learns what it really means to get rooted.

 

 

My Rating: 4/5

 

 

I received this book for review from the author. The author's Goodreads page can be found here.

 

 

This book was everything that I had been expecting Bridget Jones's Diary to be. This book was actually funny and had a likeable narrator.

 

 

As an Australian, I can't say that I was surprised or shocked by the  change of culture as it seemed almost identical to ours but could understand how different it would be from an American perspective.

 

 

I was actually more surprised by the American culture, especially the universal tax.

 

 

It was hard to believe how many "weirdos" the narrator seemed to meet. She was like a magnet for them. Gretchen was by far my favourite of these.


New Zealand has always been a country that I have had no interest in travelling to and after reading this book I can't say that it has changed my mind.

Book Review #372 - Tamlyn (Silvermay #2) by James Moloney

When Silvermay first set eyes on Tamlyn Strongbow, she knew there would be no other for her. It didn′t matter that he was one of the Wyrdborn, a race of wizards who care only for themselves.

It is half a year later and Silvermay has followed Tamlyn through dangers no sixteen-year-old should face. Now she must help him defeat the darkness of his own soul, because Tamlyn wants revenge for a great wrong and the evil he has so far controlled may prove too strong.

Meanwhile, Tamlyn′s father, Coyle, is on the rise. He has possession of Silvermay′s other love, the baby Lucien, an innocent child to her, but with the magic inside him to destroy entire worlds. Tamlyn is the key. If Silvermay can save Tamlyn from himself, then together, they might save Lucien from the horror Coyle wants to inflict on him.

My Rating: 4.5/5

This is the second book in a trilogy. The first being Silvermay which was my favourite read of 2011. Obviously because of that, my expectations for this novel were ridiculously high.

I would have to say for the most part, this book did live up to what I had been expecting. It lacked some character development and the plot dragged a bit in the middle portion of the novel.

Given that it had been two years since I read Silvermay, I did re-read it before I read and really liked  the transition between the two novels especially the handling of the cliff hanger.

I am really interested in the third and last book in this series called Lucien as there are so many plot twists that need tying up.

Top Ten Tuesday #21

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and Bookish. Each week features a different topic, and you make a top ten list about it.

 

 

This weeks question is the Top Ten Books to Read at Halloween:

 

 

1. Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake - Just the house alone is creepy

 

 

2. The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff - It's set partly in a graveyard and partly underground.

 

 

3. Carrie by Stephen King - imagine if you went to Carrie's school.

 

 

4. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - Not scary, but imagine if you lived in that world.

 

 

5. Any of the Goosebumps books by R.L. Stine - these books were my childhood.

 

 

6. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier - Not exactly scary but has a gothic feel to it.

 

 

7. Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling - It's about wizards. Harry Potter is perfect to read anytime.

 

 

8. Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka - guy wakes up as a giant bug.

 

 

9. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro - I don't think I have to say anything about this book.

 

 

10. Rot and Ruin by Jonathan Maberry - my favourite zombie series