February Wrap-up

I've completed the three short reads for a couple days now, but they will be under March wrap-up after all- putting them here just doesn't feel right.

Heheh, now you know.

Been procrastinating this one for a while now,

And it's been a pretty bad reading month cuz these four books were completed within the first ten days. The rest of the month was squandered away on tests and everything else that I didn't perform well in. 

It's okay though, what affects me more is what I've been feeling.

Anyways

1. Kings of Colorado by David E.Hilton

This was a heart wrenching one.. It's about boys in a reformatory school, and I promise you, it's waaaay more than it sounds like up here. It's full of gore and messed up characters with painful pasts and scenes. Made me sad for a while. :(

I suppose the purpose of the book was to illustrate that sometimes, people are turned the wrong way out and it's the way they are- Nothing you do will change that. At the very least, these people do not pretend to be what they are not, and that is admirable in its own way. Still, this doesn't mean that you should let your guard down around them, nor should you endeavor to 'convert' them. 

Everyone has a past and sometimes, just sometimes, people are the way they are and there's no way they can ever become good again.

At least- at least, this book has an ending that heals, that was much needed, after what it put me through, reading it.

2. Undone by Brooke Taylor

This was interesting but it didn't interest me- Things were kinda angsty and slow paced. The revelations at the end of the book were surprising, but that was all. Overall, it is well-written and an okay book, with a synopsis that drew me to it- "...given an assignment to list five ways to tempt fate...Serena doesn't take her list seriously until a tragedy leaves her shocked, alone, and in possession of Kori's five secret wishes. Can Serena complete her best friend's list? Or will she leave Kori's dreams undone?" - The synopsis made it clear that Serena the protagonist was gonna complete her friend's list, but in the book, some items were completed unknowingly whilst others were done through conscious decisions. It ended up being slightly draggy and full of mysteries I wasn't particularly interested in solving, wasn't the emotional roller coaster I was looking for:of a beautiful friendship and a broken soul dealing with loss, and was just, kind of dull to me. 

I suppose the book did try to venture into all that, but it just didn't live up to my expectations, given that reviews had called it 'powerful' and 'absorbing'.

So yeah. The story doesn't stay with me.

3. Genesis by Jim Grace

This was.. Hm.

Likewise to Undone, there isn't a specific plot other than character development and storytelling, except that this one jumps back and forth in terms of time, and that makes it more multi-dimensional and engaging as a result. It's about a guy who impregnates every woman he has sex with, and there are good points raised by the book. As a general review, though, I find the author's writing to be strange. (After all, you don't come across something like this very often)

I suppose this would be considered erotic fiction, but it really was more about marriage and people to me- there wasn't too much details with regards to the actual deed, but rather the implications and the causes that led up to it. The main guy is horny all the time, which makes it refreshing or uncomfortable to read, depending on the kind of person you are. All in all I rather enjoyed it, and will be on the lookout for his other books from now on- I shall try some of them out before I decide on whether or not I like Jim Grace's work.

4. Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira

This has a similar synopsis to Undone's: "It begins as an assignment for English class: write a letter to a dead person." Reviews said it was reminiscent of Perks of being a Wallflower, which was why I was so excited to read it in the first place.

I thought this could have been written more subtly, and that the romance could have had more depth and development to it. I would have much preferred it if it were more succinct, too. However this doesn't mean that I dislike this book in any way- It's just that I still love Perks of being a Wallflower more, and while this was similar in style, was not as good.

It was still a great read, though. Still beautiful, in its own way. 

I did complete this within a day after all, so that should be saying something. :)

And side note? I loooove the book cover! It's the closest anything has ever been to the beauty of Benedict Cumberbatch's voice.

That's it for now.

I gotta work harder at school and in cca, it's not enough.

Today I treated myself to cheese rings and brownies for dinner 

I'm aiming to read light-hearted books that will drown me in cliches 

And I'm hoping for better dreams tonight-

Or rather, a smoother, uninterrupted sleep that's deep, like the penetrative sweetness of cake by the ocean.