Review: Mindful Things

Mindful Things by Mya Duong
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

DNF at pg 316/595 (53%)

I always feel crappy when I get free copies of books in exchange for reviews and then fail to finish the book. But this was just too much of a chore and the formatting errors detracted from the story so much that I found myself skipping chunks before finally resigning and sticking the DNF label on it.

So here's my thoughts on the first half of the book, with thanks to the author for my copy.

Firstly, the formatting.

The copy I had had incomplete sentences and also seemed to be missing whole scenes. It meant that I missed vital information and was left confused when things were referred to later that I hadn't actually read. Sentences stopped halfway through a word, and there were messy formatting marks in some places. I understand this will be the case for very few people but for me it just made the whole experience a lot harder.

Now, the story.

I really liked the premise. The orphan who is secretly super powerful and has to deal with the adjustment once strange things start happening is always a solid formula, even if it's been done plenty of times before. But this was so painfully slow, and heavily overshadowed by Lauren and Quinn's insta-love. It's kind of explained away but it was way too cheesy for my tastes. I rolled my eyes a lot. By the time I gave up, we'd only just learned about Lauren's secret identity. If I'm halfway through a book I'd want to have had at least a little action, not still be in the midst of setting the scene. It was such a drainer.

Also, the characters are dull and don't actually seem to act according to who they've been written to be? They're just stereotypes and cliches all smooshed together to do the same predictable things the same characters do in other books. It's all very unoriginal. There are no dynamics between the relationships, and everyone is just chill and bffs etc and BLEH. SO DULL.

As far as the writing goes, there's evident talent but it's used poorly and needs more originality. There's some creative use of figurative speech, but it tends to try too hard to make the point and so comes across as overblown and excessive. That being said, I think a lot of my issue with the writing is created by the lack of originality in the story so I'd like to see this author try her hand at something completely out of her comfort zone; something completely different to what she personally reads. There's an obvious creative spark but to me it seems like it's been tainted by the desire to follow a familiar formula.

I feel like I'm being particularly harsh on this book and I know there will be others who truly enjoy this story, but it just wasn't enough to suit my tastes. I'd probably recommend for younger readers, who will be less likely to have encountered a similar story before and so will appreciate these characters more than I.

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Review: One Dark Throne

One Dark Throne by Kendare Blake
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Now THIS is more like what I expected from the first book! Plots and schemes and darkness and blood and attacks and drama and savagery.

Much more entertaining than the first book!

Warning: This review contains unhidden spoilers for the previous book. Continue reading at your own risk.

So! Where do we begin??

Oh, that's right! Katherine is back from the dead, Mirabella has fallen from grace and Arsinoe is, GASP! actually a poisoner!

One of my biggest issues with the first book was that it felt quite dull and slow at times; that's absolutely not the case here. We get straight into the action, as the queens are finally trying to kill each other and it's getting nasty. Kat in particular has become a total savage and I love it. She's putting in the most effort to kill her sisters and seems to have totally embraced her dark side. Arsinoe is still pretty chill, just going along with things, and Mira is still trying to be a hero and fight the system. So they're very different girls and you'll inevitably pick one over the others as your fave.

The boys also have a bit more screen time in this one so prepare to have your heart squeezed a little. Where Joseph was the talk of the town in the last book, Billy has now stepped up as leading man and his relationship with Arsinoe comes close to #relationshipgoals just because of how snarky they are to each other. They're adorable.

It's just a much more fun ride, and we're finally starting to see some more of the darkness that the story brings. There's still a lot that's not explained which is incredibly frustrating - there's no world building to explain how this society has come about, and there's no background on how Arsinoe could possibly have ended up somewhere she shouldn't have. It leads to the question of whether it means Kat is a naturalist or whether there were two poisoners or whether Kat has no power at all. It's just not explored at all which is disappointing.

I also had a lot of questions and doubts about some happenings, particularly surrounding Braddock, the BFF bear. The magic in this book doesn't really seem to have a lot of rules, and I feel like there were always options they didn't explore. But if you kind of ignore all the things you're not being told and just relax into the story it's actually a lot of fun. Nice and brutal. And a killer ending that totally makes up for the predictability of the first one.

So a much stronger installment in the series, and I'm hanging out for book three now, but I'm really hoping we get a bit more history!


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Review: The Little Bookshop of Lonely Hearts

The Little Bookshop of Lonely Hearts by Annie Darling
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Honestly not entirely sure why I enjoyed this as much as I did! I have so many nitpicky complaints but overall I actually got caught up and, even predicting everything that was going to happen, I still enjoyed the story. I think I might be coming down with something. Hmm.

So here's the plot: Posy works at this adorable little bookshop, and suddenly finds herself the owner of it when her dear friend passes away. Lavinia had been like a second mother to Posy and her brother, Sam - who have been living above the shop - since their parents passed away years earlier in a car accident. But ownership of the bookshop comes with the pressure of turning it into a profitable business, and the frustrating interference of Lavinia's grandson, Sebastian, who's the totally-rude-but-secret-heart-of-gold love interest.

Cue shenanigans.

Character-wise, there's not really anything new here. Posy is the cute, awkward protagonist who does dorky things and has trouble standing up for herself but is a genuinely thoughtful person who looks out for her friends and loved ones. I didn't mind her, but she frustrated me a lot with the amount she lied and hid things and just her general awkwardness. Also, she totally got off light with the 'I used to be your colleague but now I'm your boss' drama. She just took right over and that was that and I'm not sure it was totally believable because she was so uncertain in everything else.

Her ragtag band of fellow workers/friends are cool but pretty simple, and though they are a diverse cast, they're never really a big part of the story. I liked Nina and Verity, but Tom didn't really rate and I kind of forgot who Little Sophie was? At least they were different enough that I remembered who was who, though!

Now where do I even begin to talk about my feelings towards Sebastian.

We all knew where this was gonna go just from reading the blurb (and if you don't foresee romantic hijinks, do you even read?) but the whole 'jerk with a heart of gold' shtick was too much jerk and not enough gold for me. I mean, Sebastian really is a total dick at times. He says totally horrible things and Posy is humiliated but still falls for the guy? I tell you what, if a guy starts flinging around insults that cover my weight, size, hair and general appearance, he's gonna cop a black eye , not a feel. But he also did the typical helpful things like pay for everything Posy could possibly need because of course the man is always the rich one.

I mean, this story is quite obviously influenced heavily by Pride and Prejudice (which I actually loved. Sue me.) but because it's set in present day it just made for a lot of sexism and maybe I'm overreacting but that kind of bothered me. Darcy acts cold and indifferent but is actions are just misinterpreted by Elizabeth. So she only thinks he's been a jerk when he's actually being a total hero. Whereas Sebastian is not only acting like a jerk but speaking like a jerk and that kinda makes him a jerk. Plus, the whole deal with him not hearing no just infuriated me.

So why was I still shipping them?!!

Not gonna lie, I'm slightly depressed by my warm reception of this novel. It makes me wanna feminist-rant to myself about how women just let themselves be treated like crap and how that should not be romanticised etc but I liked it and I hate myself a little for it.

Darling's writing is okay and pretty typical, but Posy's writing is utter trash. I could not help cringing at the smut she wrote! But hey, at least she kind of realised it? I appreciated her giving herself crap for it because that echoed my sentiments.

It was such a predictable book with a familiar romcom plot, and I knew every single plot development before it happened, but I still enjoyed the way it all played out. I don't know if this book is gonna rate higher with lovers of chick-lit because they appreciate the genre more than me, or if they'll rate it lower because it's such a familiar story. It's definitely frustrating and there's so many parts I want to criticise but I gotta own up to how much I actually enjoyed reading it. God help me.

So I guess I'd recommend it to lovers of chick-lit? It's a nice trashy piece of fluff and it's centred on a bookstore so who could get mad about that, right?

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Review: Usage and Abusage: A Guide to Good English

Usage and Abusage: A Guide to Good English by Eric Partridge
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is my favourite book to refer to when musing over the slow death of the English language. It references so many phrases that are confused in modern times, and even completely redundant in today's society. It's an apt title, because it makes you realise just how much language has come to be abused on a daily basis.

Obviously a lot of my vocabulary has developed and grown from my love of books, and a love of classics in particular has left me a familiarity with words and phrases that give me a red squiggly underline, should I choose to type them. For example, I've always used 'amongst', but these days it's considered a redundant synonym for 'among'. I was starting to think I'd actually invented the word in my own mind before I thought to look it up in this beauty of a reference book.

My point is, it makes me sad for the English language, but it is also a handy guide for those of us who have trouble letting go. I will cling to these words and phrases for as long as possible, so I'm grateful to have this little guide to back me up.

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Review: The I Quit Sugar Cookbook: 306 Recipes for a Clean, Healthy Life

The I Quit Sugar Cookbook: 306 Recipes for a Clean, Healthy Life by Sarah Wilson
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Disclaimer: I am a terrible cook.

I hate cooking. I am rubbish with even just the most basic ingredients. I make a stir fry using jar sauce and I often eat toast for a main meal. But I want to get better, because I know learning to cook better is going to allow me to eat healthier.

That being said, this book pretty much lost me straight away with the whole, 'don't waste anything' bit. It's hard enough trying to use the actual main product without stressing about how to utilise the bits and pieces I never even realised were edible.

I mean, I get that sugar is a Big Bad in the health industry, and I like the idea of cooking delicious things that are actually nutritionally beneficial. But I bought this book AGESSSSS ago and I still don't think I've used a single recipe from it.

I think if you are actually a decent cook interested in more nutritionally sound meals, this will be a great tool, but this is like, advanced cooking.

It does come with a sh*t-ton of recipes and info, though, so I guess it's good value for money?

Also, I don't like how preachy she is. But maybe that's just me being bitter because she can cook and I can't.

Maybe one day I'll cook something from this book and rave about it so much that I have to bump up my rating, but let me try and master sauce first or something.


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Review: Emotional Intelligence: Managing Emotions to Make a Positive Impact on Your Life and Career

Emotional Intelligence: Managing Emotions to Make a Positive Impact on Your Life and Career by Gill Hasson
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

So the first part had some interesting ideas, and the second part was all familiar territory, and the third part completely lost me.

Emotions have such a massive impact on our lives, and as someone who likes to bottle them, I was really interested in reading this and learning how they impact our lives through the way we manage them. I was hoping for some tips on being more able to feel without negative consequences. So I was interested in the first part, which breaks down the science of emotions, and talks about the secondary emotions that may be hidden by immediate emotional responses. It raised some interesting ideas, and talked briefly about some techniques to manage intense emotions: slow breathing, snapping an elastic band on the wrist, relaxing the shoulders ...

Part Two explored managing emotions in more depth, but a lot of it was old news to me. The communication stuff is all advice I've heard in my experiences working in retail, as it's all about building rapport and active listening to create clearer communication. Assertiveness is another thing I'm familiar with, so it mostly made sense, but it didn't feel particularly relevant to managing emotions. I mean, I guess it kind of does, but assertiveness takes rationality, and emotions are very rarely rational. It's like telling a depressed person to just be happy - it's not really that simple. Plus it then suggested some small techniques for managing emotions: slow breathing, snapping an elastic band on the wrist, relaxing the shoulders ... Suddenly I was starting to feel a little wary reading this book.

Part Three completely destroyed any credibility this novel had.

Spoiler alert: according to this book, if you are being bullied in your workplace, the best way to manage the bully is to quit your job.

Sorry, what?!

So if I have a job I love, and some new person comes in and happens to be a bully, and they make my life a living hell, then quitting the job I love is the most effective way to manage the situation?

I don't think so.

And if I have a child or niece/nephew who is being bullied at school, then I can either have a go at the bully myself or get the kid to quit school? Or 'include them in my group'? So, isolate them from childhood? How exactly is that gonna work?

Oh, and if I do choose to stand up to a bully, there are a few techniques that I can use: slow breathing, snapping an elastic band on the wrist, relaxing the shoulders ... Gee, now WHERE HAVE I HEARD THAT BEFORE?!?!

What a load of utter crap.

Then there's a bit about 'motivating and inspiring' others:

'You might need to negotiate and compromise; be prepared to offer something in return for the other person doing what you want them to do.'

Um, pretty sure that's called bribery.

So yeah, this three star read lost an entire star thanks to that last section of tripe.

It was such a great concept but it was delivered poorly and was weak in its logic. The research felt incomplete and the techniques were repetitive. I was really hoping for more but this felt like a desperate attempt at a self-help book where there was just not enough material. And the repeated refrain: '-and that's emotionally intelligent!' was just patronising and unnecessary. Also, who exactly are you trying to convince? Because saying it's emotionally intelligent doesn't make it so.

No recommendation for this one at all. People who need strong communication in their workplace may benefit a little but honestly I feel like this is going to do more harm than good.

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Review: The Lost World

The Lost World by Michael Crichton
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Not even close to as amazing as the first book, but this still has some great dino moments and absolutely fascinating ideas.

WARNING: This review contains unhidden spoilers for Jurassic Park.

The sequel is a little slow to get into. It's been six years since the events of the first book, but it's all been covered up and the people involved deny having been a part of anything. Hammond has stayed dead (unlike Malcolm) so we need a new reason to head back into dino territory and that reason comes in the form of a curious scientist, Levine, who strikes up a bizarre friendship with Malcolm based on the theoretical idea of a 'lost world' - an isolated location where animals previously considered extinct may have actually survived.

Thing is, this is the theory that starts us off, but it's a pretty flawed theory because these animals didn't survive - they're a product of Hammond's greed, which was so beautifully destructive in the first book. Obviously we already know there's going to be living dinosaurs, and as soon as they mention 'Site B' you can pretty much rule out natural occurrence. So why bother with Levine's ridiculous theory in the first place?

The science is this book both fascinated and frustrated me. There's so much of it, and honestly I loved how crazy the theories were but I'm pretty sure if you actually knew a bit about science and examined this you'd pick out a lot of flaws. But, since this book is smarter than me, I kinda just went with it and appreciated learning all these new things about biology, evolution, extinction, chaos, etc. But it comes thick and fast and this book is far more interested in examining theories of dinosaur behaviour and extinction than bringing the thrills and chills that the first book delivered so brilliantly. Malcolm has a ton of info dumps and it's hard to keep up, meaning the pace really drags at times. I was never bored though? I was really interested in all the behaviour discussions, but as for proteins and chemicals it kinda just whooshed on over my head. It was fun to try and comprehend it, though, and act like I was smart.

The dinosaurs that we meet are familiar faces, but they seem far less antagonistic in this one, and everything is 'fascinating, unusual behaviour' rather than 'HOLY JEEZUZ THE DINOS ARE GONNA EAT US.' Which made me sad, because I am a twisted person who enjoys reading about fictional people suffering gruesome deaths at the hands of dinosaurs and other savage creatures. It doesn't really amp up until about 3/4 of the way through, but at least the ending is action-packed! I probably would have enjoyed less raptors because they did all the menacing of the first book so I was ready for something different. Also just would have been nice to have new dinos to learn about. But hey, who can really complain about those savage velociraptor claws?

The characters blended together a little bit again, but you could also kinda guess who was going to end up as dino-chow. The kids were less annoying, but Arby was like a washed out copy of Tim from the first novel, so he and Kelly didn't really bring much to the table. Also they seemed a bit unbelievable for a couple of 13yr olds. I liked Sarah, and I liked that she was gung-ho, but I did think it was a bit much at times? (She was far more annoying in the movie, though. Book Sarah I can actually stand. Movie Sarah needed to be trampled by triceratops or ravaged by raptors.) Malcolm had so much sass in the first book but he's relegated to snarky scientist in this one so it takes out a bit of the fun. I do still love him as a character though. I like that he's so cynical.

I love the setting, and this idea that there's these dinosaurs living on their own private island roaming free. The whole 'studying extinction' side of things was a bit of a mess, but meh. I wasn't particularly invested in their research, anyway. I just wanted plenty of interactions.

Crichton writes the interactions and encounters wonderfully - he has a gift at creating suspense and formulating a fantastic visual to accompany the story. There was some great tension throughout.

It doesn't quite live up to the first book, but there's still some fascinating ideas and suspenseful moments. This book has solidified my love of Crichton's work, so I'll be working my way through his books in the future.

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