7 Book Reviews

Hi everyone,

This week I'll share my reviews of the books I've read since my last post. I can recommend most of them, but especially As Bright as Heaven (this book seriously should be turned into a movie)!

Book reviews

Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

EVERYONE HAS SOMETHING TO HIDE - ESPECIALLY HIGH SCHOOL JUNIORS SPENCER, ARIA, EMILY, AND HANNA

Spencer covets her sister's boyfriend. Aria's fantasizing about her English teacher. Emily's crushing on the new girl at school. Hanna uses some ugly tricks to stay beautiful. But they've all kept an even bigger secret since their friend Alison vanished.

How do I know? Because I know everything about the bad girls they were, the naughty girls they are, and the dirty secrets they've kept. And guess what? I'm telling. - A

Pretty Little Liars isn't a literary masterpiece, but it's a fun and easy read and I enjoyed reading it very much. I prefer the TV series though.

Dracula by Bram Stoker

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

The novel tells the story of Dracula's attempt to move from Transylvania to England so that he may find new blood and spread the undead curse, and of the battle between Dracula and a small group of people led by Professor Abraham Van Helsing.

I like most classics and this was no exception. I read some reviews in which people complained about the format, but I thought it fit the story very well.

Beach Read by Emily Henry

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

A romance writer who no longer believes in love and a literary writer stuck in a rut engage in a summer-long challenge that may just upend everything they believe about happily ever afters.

Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January Andrews writes bestselling romance. When she pens a happily ever after, he kills off his entire cast.

They're polar opposites.

In fact, the only thing they have in common is that for the next three months, they're living in neighboring beach houses, broke, and bogged down with writer's block.

Until, one hazy evening, one thing leads to another and they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts: Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. She'll take him on field trips worthy of any rom-com montage, and he'll take her to interview surviving members of a backwoods death cult (obviously). Everyone will finish a book and no one will fall in love. Really.

Though Beach Read is a good book I don’t understand why so many people think this is the best thing ever. I liked it, it was very good, I sometimes even laughed out loud, but it wasn’t a masterpiece (so no 5 stars for me, but it’s definitely a solid four-star read!)

Is God a Vegetarian?: Christianity, Vegetarianism, and Animal Rights by Richard Alan Young.

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Is God a Vegetarian? is one of the most complete explorations of vegetarianism in the Judeo-Christian tradition. Young, a linguistics and New Testament scholar, attempts to answer the question being asked with greater and greater frequency: "Are Christians morally obligated to be vegetarians?" Many people are confused about the apparent mixed messages within the Bible. On the one hand, God prescribes a vegetarian diet in the Garden of Eden and the apocalyptic visions of Isaiah and John imply the restoration of a vegetarian diet.

However, it is also clear that God permits, Jesus partakes in, and Paul sanctions the eating of flesh. Does the Bible give any clear guidance? Close readings of key biblical texts pertaining to dietary customs, vegetarianism, and animal rights make up the substance of the book. Rather than ignoring or offering a literal, twentieth-century interpretation of the passages, the author analyses the voices of these conflicting dietary motifs within their own social contexts.

Interwoven throughout these readings are discussions of contemporary issues, such as animal testing and experimentation, the fur industry, raising animals in factories, and the effects of meat-eating on human health.

Even though I agree with pretty much everything Young says in the book, I think SOME arguments might not be that convincing to meat-eating Christians. Apart from that, it is clear that he did a lot of research what made it a very interesting book to read.

Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie Peter Pan, the mischievous boy who refuses to grow up, lands in the Darling's proper middle-class home to look for his shadow. He befriends Wendy, John and Michael and teaches them to fly (with a little help from fairy dust). He and Tinker Bell whisk them off to Never-land where they encounter the Red Indians, the Little Lost Boys, pirates and the dastardly Captain Hook.

Another fun classic. It was a bit childish, but that’s to be expected from a children’s book ;)

As Bright as Heaven by Susan Meissner

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

In 1918, Philadelphia was a city teeming with promise. Even as its young men went off to fight in the Great War, there were opportunities for a fresh start on its cobblestone streets. Into this bustling town, came Pauline Bright and her husband, filled with hope that they could now give their three daughters--Evelyn, Maggie, and Willa--a chance at a better life. But just months after they arrive, the Spanish Flu reaches the shores of America.

As the pandemic claims more than twelve thousand victims in their adopted city, they find their lives left with a world that looks nothing like the one they knew. But even as they lose loved ones, they take in a baby orphaned by the disease who becomes their single source of hope. Amidst the tragedy and challenges, they learn what they cannot live without--and what they are willing to do about it.

As Bright as Heaven is the compelling story of a mother and her daughters who find themselves in a harsh world, not of their making, which will either crush their resolve to survive or purify it.

Another wonderful story by Susan Meissner. Reading this book, I've shed my fair share of tears (especially the chapters about the Spanish Flu were devastating), but at times it also brought huge smiles to my face. And I LOVE Meissner's writing style; she knows how to draw you in with both her storytelling and the wonderful characters (even the ones I didn't like were perfect). This was definitely one of the best books I've read so far.

Schildpadden tot in het oneindige (Turtles All the Way Down) by John Green

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

It all begins with a fugitive billionaire and the promise of a cash reward. Turtles All the Way Down is about lifelong friendship, the intimacy of an unexpected reunion, Star Wars fan fiction, and tuatara. But at its heart is Aza Holmes, a young woman navigating daily existence within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts.

I am not sure if it was because the narrator’s voice was so irritating (I listened to the audiobook) or because the voices inside Aza's head were joining my own thoughts (and trust me, I have too many of those already), but this book drove me nearly insane.

I am convinced Green described Aza’s mental illness very well (the reason why I gave it three stars instead of two), but apart from that there was little plot and I didn’t like the characters much either.

This were my reviews for now! I'll try to make more of the post next time, but I felt like it would become a bit long if I added a lot of extra information.

I wish you the loveliest of weekends!

Much love,

Annabel