November 2022: A few disappointing reads

Hello book buddies,

I’m writing this as the snow continues to fall outside my window and I desperately hope for a snow day tomorrow. I’ve got so many books from the library I need to rip through so a day off from school would be delightful.

Here’s what I read this month:

A book for those who cannot stop reading YA:
The First to Die at the End by Adam Silvera
- I like this book, it is enjoyable and answers so many of my questions from the other book in the series, They Both Die at the End. The friends-to-lovers trope is done decently well but what really grabs me is the tender themes woven throughout. Some of this book feels very cliche YA (young adult), but I was still totally consumed by this one.

A memoir for those who desire a story of resilience:
Life in the City of Diry Water: A Memoir of Healing by Clayton Thomas-Muller
- The first third of this book is what I desire in a memoir: honesty, reflection, and a little humour. But the rest is less than desirable. Thomas-Muller’s story is worth championing but he really messes with the reader when starting his story in chronological order to then completely mix things up for the last two-thirds. It’s challenging to follow especially when certain aspects are repeated, and overall, loses me.

A novel for those who are new to dystopian reads:
Our Missing Hearts by Celest Ng
- Ng’s other two major novels (Little Fires Everywhere and Everything I Never Told You) are absolutely spectacular, but her latest does not live up to the others. We’re in a world where American nationalism goes too far and anti-Asian hate becomes the norm. This is a tricky one for me. The world Ng places us in is interesting but the concluding events lack oomph, leading me to feel disappointed overall. It is fairly engaging for the most part but I’m not jumping off buildings to recommend this one. I would give this novel to people who are new to dystopian reads because it feels much more like literary fiction than a wild dystopian story.

A graphic novel for the lover of retellings:
Anne: An Adaptation of Anne of Green Gables by Kathleen Gros
- I would do anything for Anne, and now I would do anything for Gros, the illustrator and author of this book. This retelling of the Canadian classic is unique and fun and very in the moment. I love every bit of it.

A book for those who like Where the Crawdads Sing:
The Scent Keeper by Erica Bauermeister
- Like Crawdads, our protagonist is a young girl growing up in isolation who then gets thrust into the normal world and flounders to stay afloat. While reading, I found it difficult to see where Bauermeister wanted to take the reader in her story which made me lose interest and excitement for this one. But I did finish it in the end. Nothing about this book blows me away other than the author’s description of smells: it is intricate and emotional, like nothing I’ve ever read before.

Thanks for following along for another installment of my Book Blurbs. Feel free to email back and tell me about what you’re reading or if you have any suggestions for me. I’m looking forward to having most of December off and reading mountains of books.

Happy reading,

Carissa

I acknowledge that I live, work, and learn on the unceded lands of the Quw’utsun, Stz’uminus, and Halalt Peoples.

Logo made by Courtney Cassels.