Books of October

Hello dear reader,

It has been a month since my last post (I have decided to write one blog post per month), so I have some new updates to share with you.

Book reviews

Let's start with the books I've read since last time. As usual I will highlight a few and only name the rest.

The Underground by Liv Evans (e-ARC)

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

The Government rule the Hub with an iron fist, their strict laws enforced by Derivates, humans with psionic abilities. When one of these Derivates flees her post, they send KC-847, a powerful telekinetic, to bring her back. But KC-847 soon learns he and his team are unprepared for what they find, and their mission goes awry.

Flit, a plucky teleporter, works for the Underground resistance, the last refuge for Derivates wishing to live free of the Government's control. On a routine security patrol, Flit comes across KC-847 and breaks all the rules to bring him back to the Underground.

However, KC-847's arrival brings with it a string of deadly events that threaten the safety of the Underground. Convinced the incidents are more than unfortunate coincidences, Flit refuses to fall back on a false sense of security and drags KC-847 on an investigation that will change the trajectory of Derivate-kind forever.

First of all I want to thank Liv Evans for sending me a free e-copy of the Underground.

From the beginning, I was deeply immersed in the story. It was a great concept with a good plot and amazing characters with unique personalities. I especially liked Scraps's character; he was adorable with his social awkwardness and his amazing heart of gold. Also, the relationship between him and Flit was perfect. I don't easily root for characters to be together, but I had no problem 'shipping' this couple. The story itself wasn't thrilling and I wasn't on the edge of my seat at any moment, but that was exactly right for this book. It was NEVER boring, and everytime I had to put it away I was already looking forward to pick it up again.

I highly enjoyed it and I can't wait to read The Hub (book two of the trilogy). 4,5 stars.

Superman by Vi Keeland (Short Story)

★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

The Doubles by N.S. Winston

★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Designing Religious Research Studies: From Passion to Procedures by Jeff Woods

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Meatsplaining: The Animal Agriculture Industry and the Rhetoric of Denial by Jason Hannan (e-ARC)

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

The animal agriculture industry, like other profit-driven industries, aggressively seeks to shield itself from public scrutiny and uses a distinct set of rhetorical strategies to deflect criticism. These tactics are fundamental to modern animal agriculture but have long evaded critical analysis. In Meatsplaining, academic and activist contributors investigate the many forms of denialism perpetuated by the animal agriculture industry. What strategies does the industry use to avoid questions about animal welfare, the environment and public health, and what narratives, myths, and fantasies does it promote to sustain its image in the public imagination?

Meatsplaining is a great book that reaffirmed my decision for the lifestyle I've chosen years ago. It provides us with a solid critical analysis of the animal agriculture industry on an academic level—both academic and activist contributors investigated many forms of denialism perpetuated by this industry—making it a very educational and interesting read.

I recommend it to both people who have already adopted a vegan lifestyle, and (especially) to the ones who haven’t (yet). In other words: a must-read for everyone!

Poe Dameron: Free Fall by Alex Segura

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

The Me I Want to Be: Becoming God's Best Version of You by John Ortberg

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Paper Princess by Erin Watt (The Royals #1)

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Become the Force: 9 Lessons on How to Live as a Jediist Master by Daniel M. Jones

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

For anyone who has watched and fallen in love with the Star Wars films and wanted to become a Jediist (just as Daniel M Jones did as a young boy). This is the first and only Jediist Bible.

Daniel M Jones founded the Church of Jediism in 2007 following the Jedi Census phenomenon of 2001; it now has over 500,000 members around the world. This is the book his fans have been waiting for. In it, Daniel outlines the Jedi perspective and provides practical tools for anyone interested in gaining a deeper understanding of how to use the Force in everyday life. A metaphor for the universal life energy that connects us all, the Force can be both light and dark, good and bad. Now, more than ever, it is our responsibility to overcome the Dark Side. This book does not aim to convert, but to inspire its readers to live a life of meaning and purpose according to the universal spiritual teachings of “the way of the Jedi”.

This book is more an autobiography than anything else, but it is a very interesting one. As someone who is both a Star Wars fan and very interested in philosophy and religion, I was curious about this book. I must admit that I didn't take it very seriously at first, but serious enough to read it with an open mind. Now, after having read the book, I can say that Jediism is a very well worked out philosophy and I truly believe that we can all learn something from it.

Broken Prince by Erin Watt (The Royals #2)

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Horror: Paula by Carla Nigra Ciurana

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Love From A to Z by S.K. Ali

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Shadow Sands by Robert Bryndza (Kate Marshall #2) (e-ARC)

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Criminology academic Kate Marshall is on a scuba jaunt with her son when they dive toward a shocking discovery: the body of a teenage boy entangled below the surface of the Shadow Sands reservoir. The detective chief inspector’s too-quick narrative of a tragic drowning doesn’t add up, and when Kate follows the evidence, it leads to a darker discovery.

The victim is only the latest in a series of mysterious deaths and disappearances linked to the moorlands—and a mythic phantom said to hide in the rolling fog. When a researcher of urban legends vanishes without a trace, Kate and her associate Tristan Harper must act fast and look deep if they hope to find her alive.

But the elusive serial killer they’re hunting isn’t the only one a step ahead of Kate and Tristan. Someone else is making dead certain that the secrets of Shadow Sands stay buried.

This book was AMAZING. I hadn't read anything by Robert Bryndza before, but I am definitely a fan now! I can't wait to read his other books!

5 stars! But what does that mean?

You might wonder how I rate the books I have read. It's a bit complicated, but I will try to explain it to you.

1x ★ : There was nothing about it that I liked. I absolutely hated it and I never want to hear about it again. Okay, a bit dramatic, but I rarely rate a book this low, mostly because I usually don't finish a book that I dislike this much.

2x ★ : I didn't like it. It's not the worst thing I have ever read, but I do not recommend it. Maybe it was extremely boring, I wanted to skip parts and/or there was no character development/the plot didn't make much sense to me.

3x ★ : It was alright. I enjoyed it, but it I will probably not read it again. This category also includes books that have this really great beginning and an ever better ending, but everything in between is just plain boring (like the Arthurian Saga by Mary Stewart).

4x ★ : I really liked this book! It has a good plot, great characters and I enjoyed reading it very much.

5x ★ : This category is a bit complicated. It includes books that I loved so much that I want to reread them over and over again (Narnia, Oil & Marble, Raphael, etc.), but there are also books in here that were incredible, but I never want to touch again. Like ever. (For example: The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom or Revenge of the Sith by Matthew Woodring Stover; both are masterpieces, but they emotionally wrecked me to the extent that I felt horrible for weeks. I never want to go through that again.)

But honestly, the more I read the harder it gets to rate a book, so eventually I find myself comparing them to other books from the same genre and age group. For example: I rated Free Fall by Alex Segura 4 stars, because I thought it was very good for a YA Science Fiction book, but would it have been for adults, then I wouldn't have given it more than 3.

Yes, I know, it's complicated.

Writing progress

Last, but not least, I will tell you a bit about my writing progress. It is still going really well. I am over 50k words now, so that's kind of a big deal I guess (for me it is) and I still love it so much. I might get to the point where I don't want to write anymore, because I don't want to say goodbye to my characters (this sounds like me), but I am not there yet, and it will probably take a long while before I get to that point. I also still enjoy writing the poems that are based on my book. I have written five now and a new one is in the making. Maybe I will one day publish them as well. (If my book gets published in the first place. I think it will. Or should at least. We'll just have to see what happens.)

I should probably stop now, since it's already late. I hope you'll have a wonderful week and an even better month ahead of you!

Stay safe & be kind.

Love,

Annabel