Mini Reviews – Recent Books I’ve Read!

I have been very bad at consistently writing reviews lately, so I thought writing some mini reviews would be a good way of telling you about my recent reads!

I’m going to go from favourite to least favourite, though I still think they all had some great qualities to them!

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Publication Date: 14 March 2006

Genre: Historial Fiction

Rating: 

The Book Thief is about an orphaned German girl who is living through World War II. When I was reading this book, I was so captivated by all the characters and what they were going through. I felt for Liesel, the main character, and was easily taken into this world of characters that were so well-developed. I especially love how it is written, as it is narrated by Death, which was a very real part of life during this era of the past.

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

Publication Date: 1 October 2013

Genre: Romance

Rating: 

The Rosie Project is about a man who has never been in a relationship before, and goes on a journey to find a wife, which he calls “The Wife Project”. I recently read this for university, and absolutely loved it! The main character is hilarious, and the portrayal of autism is admirable. The romance in the book is very different, but still has a great rom-com feel to it.

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

Publication Date: 7 April 2015

Genre: Young Adult

Rating: 

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda follows a gay teenager who has not come out, and is secretly conversing with a boy through emails who goes to the same school as him. This book is a really cute and entertaining read! It’s short so I flew through it fairly quickly. The characters are fresh and interesting, and all quite different. I have been hyped about this book for a few months now, and I think I was a little too excited to read it. The story has a lot of cheesy aspects to it, and Simon has little character flaws. Nonetheless, it was extremely enjoyable to read, and the mystery part to it is cool.

Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty

Publication Date: 26 July 2016

Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Mystery

Rating: 

Truly Madly Guilty is about a barbecue where six strangers and three kids get together, but something happens that leaves them questioning the events of that day. Liane Moriarty books are always fun to read. They usually have a mystery to them that makes me want to immediately skip to the end, but I try to refrain myself from doing so. The mystery in this book is underwhelming, but it has a few exciting elements to it. The characters in this book are very strong, and it is easy to differentiate between them, even though we get to see many perspectives. While most of them are unlikeable, the story still has fascinating premise.

Misery by Stephen King

Publication Date: 1 November 1988

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Rating: 

Misery follows a successful author who gets in a car crash and is pulled to safety by a woman, but then keeps him prisoner in her house. I love the premise of this book, and I chose it because I wanted to try a Stephen King book. I think King is a great writer, but there was not really much to this story that kept me reading, as it moved slowly. Though it did have good character progression, and there were a few times where I was squirming in my seat from the creepy description. The best part to this novel is the crazy lady, she is terrifying.

The Dry by Jane Harper

Publication Date: 31 May 2016

Genre: Crime

Rating: 

The Dry is very dry. It is about a man who goes back to his town were he grew up to attend the funerals of a family. His old best friend shot his wife, son, and then turned the gun on himself. I thought this book is very well-written, and the setting especially stands out. It is set in rural Australia, and it really felt like I was there. However, the story is uninteresting, and little happens when the main character investigates things. I just couldn’t get into this book, and skimmed the last few pages to find out the ending. The ending is also pretty boring.

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• Have you read any of these?