Engn by Simon Kewin

Why I read this book?

I received this book as part of the LybraryThing Early Review and here is my review.

What's the book about?

The book tells us the story of Finn, a boy who grew up in a peasant society with the fear of being taken to Engn, a frightening place, full of machines, dark spirited men and uncertain perspectives of ever coming out again. As a I child, Finn sworn to destroy the very heart of it if ever he was to be taken in. 

What was the thing I liked the most?

I enjoyed the relationships built in the book, Finn and his family, with the woman in charge of communications and with his best friends, Diane and Connor.

What about the main character?

Finn is a boy that has settled his mind in doing what he promised, always. While this is a very nice quality, he is also stubborn in his ways. It pays off, sure, but I felt like there was no growth of the character, he was always right, he did no wrong. He is also very loyal to the people he loves, and also very bright. He is a good character, but as I mentioned he is a bit one dimensional and that makes him predictable.

Final thoughts

A lot of people said this is a steam punk/dystopian book, but I'm not sure about the steam punk part; yes there are some machines mentioned, I mean the name of the book references engines, but the whole steam part was not that big (not to my eyes) I would call it more industrial than steam punk, and even so. I'm also not sure it is settled on Earth, because at a certain point they talk about 18 hours shifts and called it half a day. Not that the book was suposed to be on Earth, but it was just never fully explained...but that's just tiny details.

As for the story itself, I thought the premise was interesting, but the whole machine world was not exploited (in my opinion) it served more like a background; I kept thinking that a similar situation for the characters could've taken place without the machine idea. 

The end was ok, not very exciting and unfortunately presented a lot of questions that were never answered, questions that would've given the whole machine perspective a better "aftertaste" for me.

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain

Why I read this book?

I first heard about this book through Bookriot and well...as an introvert myself I just wanted to see what Cain had to say about being one. When it finally became available at my local library it was just perfect.

What's the book about?

The book, as you may have guessed, talks about what it is to be an introvert; however it is not  book to "overcome" being introvert, is mostly directed to realizing the strengths as well as weakness having this character trait has. It also explores differences to a cultural level, and the last chapter is dedicated to raising and introvert 

What was the thing I liked the most? 

I liked how I could see myself reflected so much in the book, without feeling bad for it. You know how it can be painted as a negative trait, being quiet. The book shows different environments where you could find it hard to be a "more to yourself" person and how different people deal differently with their own limits.

Final thoughts

I really like this book. It made me appreciate more my extrovert friends, boyfriend (we both thought he was an introvert, turns out he is just a relatively calm person) and family members. It also made more grateful for the career choice I made, it's always nice to find more reasons to love what you do. It's not a book full of exercises to be more outgoing; is the story of different people that react to situations in a similar way that I do.

Although the book did not change the way I behave (at least not so far) it has made me more conscious of facial or body expressions I've grown used to having and how they might be taken by others. There were a lot of interesting "fun data" all over the book, like did you know that most introverts function well without sleep (this is not the case with me, but is not a black or white thing, you know), or that Introverts usually have a more sensitive nervous system than extroverts? 

Another thing I liked is that it doesn't say that being a extrovert is a bad thing either, mainly that we should appreciate the strengths of both and create working/studying environments that are more inviting for dual activity. 

The audio book is read by Kathe Mazur, and her voice is very appropriate for the type of book Quiet is.

Shopaholic and Baby by Sophie Kinsella

Why I read this book?

This was right after a huge exam and after finishing The Historian...I needed a palad cleanser and Kinsella's books are just perfect for that

What's the book about?

The Plot is not that different from earlier installments of the Shopaholic series. Becky shops a lot but this time is pregnant. Also the "problems" that surge in this book are related to her impulsiveness, albeit not necessarily related to shopping.

What was the thing I liked the most? 

Say what you want about these books, but they deliver. You want something light, sometimes funny that you would read in 2 days and won't ask much of your brain? You got it.

What about the main character?

When I read Shopaholicand Sister I was starting to get tired about the fact that Becky seems to never learn out of the things that happen to her, also because she always manages to get out of them with relatively ease. In this book I guess I settled with the fact that she won't learn how to manage money, but she does a lot of the things she does with a huge heart. At least the characters around her change their ways a little bit once in a while.

Final thoughts

This book was exactly what I needed for the moment. Why am I not giving a higher grade then? Well, it might deliver, but it is quite predictable and you have to like the series from before to actually get this "far" in the story, so I wouldn't really recommend this book, per se. As a paperback or an e-book like in my case, it makes a very nice summer read. 

Among Others by Jo Walton

Why I read this book?

This book was the May selection of the Sword and Laser book club.

What's the book about?

Morwenna Phelps is a teenager girl who recently lost her twin sister and escaped her home in Wales. She goes with her lost father and is now going to a boarding school for girls in England. All of her life she has find refugee in books, mostly science fiction, but also fantasy. She has also found solace in magic. This is a coming of age story, full of book references and magic...if you believe in it.

What was the thing I liked the most? 

Besides the book references? I know have a bookshelf in Goodreads of books she talked about that made me want to read it...I liked the empathy I could feel for Mori. 

What about the main character?

Mori is a teenager and it shows in some of her responses to life. However, she is also a very different type of teen since none of her peers read as much as she does and this gives her a unique perspective on things. She uses magic as she uses books, to protect herself and surround herself of a safety net; at least in my opinion. She will question a lot of the things that are taken for granted around her, and just for the fact that she changed dramatically her environment she also changes, little by little, some of her views. 

Final thoughts

I think is a precious book, but I do understand why several of the members of the book club didn't fall for it the way I did; it was hard to say it was a real Sword selection, but anyway. That said, I was horrified by the amount of people that just read, maybe a third of the book, and just quitted. In my opinion, the whole idea of a book club (even when it is a bit genre oriented like this one) the idea is to push your typical boundaries and this book certainly was not the typical thing to read.

But leaving this aside, I have to tell you I really enjoyed the book, I felt a lot of empathy towards Mori.  The only thing I guess that kept me from giving it a 5 was the missing connections at the end. But I realize that might be just me and my science head wanting to have the whole idea at the end. 

TSS: Mid year Re-Cap

Hello everyone, 

I'm a bit late to this post, and it won't be that original, since I think almost everyone of us did the half year re-cap, but here I am. 

I have to tell you, I'm a bit disappointed this year. Yes, I have read 30 books already of my 42 year challenge...but I haven't LOVED most of them. Don't get me wrong. I've enjoyed my reading life this year; is just that I haven't fell over heels over that many books and that makes me wonder whether I have  become more critical, or I just haven't found my sweet spot in reading yet.I cross my fingers is the latter.

 

On the other hand, and thanks to the book club I'm part off, I've widened my reading spectrum, and, a big plus, this year I don't have a book that I didn't like at all, thus far. That's a great thing you guys, last year, with Jersey Angel I was so frustrated!

Also I have to consider something, and that is that there are several books that I have keeping untouched, waiting for the R.I.P. Challenge this year, as well as the autumn read-a-thon. So, fingers crossed, that will tip the balance to a more "loveable" reading year. 

So far, my favorite book of the year has to be between Ready Player One and Gone Girl; both very different and both kept me reading past a decent hour. Least favorite has to be, hands down I Don't know how she does it. Not much to say on that one; I wasn't expecting a great book out of it, but even with low expectations I ended up very disappointed. 

Anyway, here is to a great rest of the year for all of us!!!