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What I’m Reading, March and April 2015

Better late than never, right? Since it’s been awhile since I’ve posted a new review post, here are some more short reviews. (Okay, the real reason you’re getting six-word-ish reviews for most of these is because I was eating a delicious ham and apple sandwich and killing time while writing most of this post.)

Onward!

The Trouble with Goodbye by Sarra Cannon: This series is a new adult and different from Demons but I still enjoyed it. (4/5)

Red Rising by Pierce Brown: Some WTF elements and unneeded scenes, but I liked it enough to check out the sequel. (4/5)

All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr: This tickled my French and WW2 nerdery, and even though it dragged along in parts, I zoomed right through the book. (4/5)

No Place to Hide: Edward Snowden, the NSA, and the U.S. Surveillance State by Glenn Greenwald: Love love love. If you have any interest at all in privacy issues, this is the book for you to read. I recommend reading a physical copy or on a large ereader because there are many images with text in them to read. (5/5)

Dataclysm: Who We Are by Christian Rudder: This book is written very casually, which helps the layperson with no mathematical knowledge pick up on the topics very quickly. Rudder brushed over a few topics, but overall this is an enlightening read. (4/5)

Deadline by Mira Grant: Oh. My. Goodness. This book was fast-paced and well-written and I need the third book NOW. (5/5)

The Martian by Andy Weir: Great voice for the story, well-written, and the technical stuff isn’t so technical that a layperson can’t follow along. (5/5)

Cress by Marissa Meyer: Finally read the third book! The first book is still my favorite of the three so far, but this one holds its own. Can’t wait for the fourth book. (4/5)

The Maze Runner by James Dashner: Despite so many friends liking this book, I couldn’t get into it at all. It dragged along and left me asking why, but not the good kind of why that keeps you turning hte page. It was more like a “Why on earth is this happening” why. No plans to check out the rest of the series. (2/5)

Gender Outlaw: On Men, Women and the Rest of Us by Kate Bornstein: I liked many of the points and analysis the author brought up on trans* and gender issues. However, the reason this book gets a 3 instead of a 4 is because the book rambles a lot. There were parts where I had trouble following the author’s train of thought and wondering if there was one in the first place. Still, I might check out her other work if it’s written in a different format; I’ve heard good things about My Gender Workbook. (3/5)

Godspeed by February Grace: Disclosure–I follow the author on Twitter. This is a beautiful story with love, steampunk, and mysteries. (4/5)

Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline: I tried to like this book, but I only cared about the historial aspect of the orphan trains because the present-day element wasn’t well developed at all. The relationship that was supposed to be built between the two main characters was shaky and ill-established at best, and the story suffered for it. (3/5)

Mistborn: The Final Empre by Brandon Sanderson: The first half is slow, but I’m glad I stuck with this story because the second half was jam-packed with action and relatable characters. Reading the second book is going to happen. (4/5)

Where She Went by Gayle Forman: This book is told from Adam’s point of view and takes place about three years after If I Stay. And as much as I liked the first book, this one is even fuller of raw emotion and romance, hitting me straight in the romantic feelings. (5/5)

What’s next: Golden Son by Pierce Brown. This is the sequel to Red Rising, and I’m about two chapters in now. I haven’t had much of a chance to sit down and read, but that’ll happen in the next few days, especially given my current book stack.

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