Book Reviews for Q2 of 2021

For the second quarter of 2021, I managed to read 24 books. My goals for the next quarter are to make my way through my remaining unread Stephen King books and read more classics, such as Moby Dick and To Kill a Mockingbird.

Some apps I use for free ebooks and audiobooks are Libby and Hoopla. Additionally, I love shopping for used books on Thrift Books.

40. Quidditch Through the Ages by: J. K. Rowling

Category: Young Adult Fantasy

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review: This is another book I read because I wanted to learn as much as I could about the Harry Potter universe. I found this to be the most boring of the three books in the Hogwarts Library set, this is probably because I’m not a sports fan and this felt like any “sports history” book that replaced the sport’s name with Quidditch. However, the audiobook was wonderfully done with engaging sound effects.

41. Home Before Dark by: Riley Sager

Category: Horror

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review: This book started out strong but fizzled out towards the end. I picked this one up from the library after enjoying his book Lock Every Door. I did enjoy how it switched between the dad’s perspective and the daughter’s perspective. I also liked how it was not a fully paranormal story and there was another explanation for the haunted house. Most of the book felt repetitive where large portions of the daughter’s chapter are her wondering what is happening in the house and not doing much to fix it. Also, most of the prose and descriptions are similar to any other haunted house story you will read.

42. The Book Thief by: Markus Zusak

Category: Young Adult/ Historical Fiction Fantasy

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review: This is such a beautifully heartbreaking and sad story about an orphaned girl growing up in Nazi Germany. Her foster family is hiding a Jewish man in their basement. This story is told from the perspective of death. As expected with any WW2 historical fiction, there are many deaths and the ending will make you cry.

43. Goosebumps: Welcome to Dead House by: R. L. Stine

Category: Children’s Horror

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review: These books were definitely scarier when I was a child. I remember staying up late to read them under the covers then not being able to fall asleep. This is the first of the 62 Goosebumps books R. L. Stine published. It is about a family that moves into a new neighborhood where all the residents are dead and are trying to kill the family. Overall, it was nostalgic to read and obviously didn’t take too long to do so. I’m looking forward to reading more Goosebumps books as I was such a fan when I was younger.

44. Goosebumps: The Scarecrow Walks at Midnight by: R. L. Stine

Category: Children’s Horror

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review: This was one of the Goosebumps books that I remember chilling me as a child. While the language seems pretty simplistic while re-reading it as an adult, I still think it is a solid, spooky book. The mental image of scarecrows walking around a field because of a cursed chant has stuck with me for years. This is definitely a re-read every Halloween.

45. The Midnight Library by: Matt Haig

Category: Fantasy

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review: The only thing I disliked about this book is that I wish I would’ve written it. The Midnight Library has everything I love: death, philosophy, chess and pets named after philosophers. It was also surprisingly funny, for example, on page 36: Bertrand Russell wrote that ‘To fear love is to fear life, and those who fear life are already three-parts dead.’ Maybe that was her problem. Maybe she was just scared of living. But Bertrand Russell had more marriages and affairs than hot dinners, so perhaps he was no one to give advice.

I understand other readers’ gripe with the end of the book coming off like a self-help lecture, but every book has a moral it is trying to teach the reader, this one was just more obvious from the start.

46. Cujo by: Stephen King

Category: Horror

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review: This was a fun book to read, but it is not Stephen King’s best. It had the gory descriptions one can expect from King. I loved the sections that are from Cujo’s point of view and how the rabies-like illness is taking over his thoughts. I didn’t enjoy how the book did not include chapters, but that could have been a purposeful stylistic choice. I did appreciate the ending and the backstory included of the Maine town people as it wasn’t too extensive like King is known to do. Overall, King fans should read this book, but be aware that even he admits to not having any recollection of writing this book in the midst of his drug and alcohol addiction.

47. Goosebumps: Monster Blood by: R. L. Stine

Category: Children’s Horror

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review: I never read this Goosebumps book when I was a child so I thought that if I wasn’t nostalgic about a Goosebumps book then I wouldn’t enjoy it, but I completely enjoyed this one! Two kids find a can of a substance called Monster Blood at a toy shop. The Monster Blood will not stop growing and quickly gets out of hand. Most of Stine’s books have a twist ending that you don’t see coming and in this case, I was actually surprised by it.

48. Goosebumps: Stay Out of the Basement by: R. L. Stine

Category: Children’s Horror

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review: This Goosebumps book follows two siblings that are concerned for their botanist father and the experiment he is performing in the basement. Unfortunately, the main twist of this Goosebumps story was very predictable from the start. However, the descriptive copy was enjoyable to read. Overall, just an average R. L. Stine book.

49. Mexican Gothic by: Silvia Moreno- Garcia

Category: Horror

Rating: ⭐️⭐️

Review: This was one of my most anticipated reads for the year, and it was slightly disappointing. The story took too long to get into the action. The descriptive language was nice but it left me wanting more. I did appreciate the way the author described the Victorian mansion home. I enjoyed the gory scenes, especially at the end, but I wanted more of them, especially since this is a horror book. It felt like the whole book was building up to the final scene and once the reader was there, it ended too quickly.

50. Goosebumps: One Day at Horrorland by: R. L. Stine

Category: Children’s Horror

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review: This was one of the Goosebumps books that I never read as a child. I thoroughly enjoyed this one, even as an adult. The concept of a haunted and creepy amusement park is very creative. I wish this concept could’ve been expanded into something else, ideally a longer book. The descriptions of the theme park are excellent and immersive. This is one of the few Goosebumps books that does not end in an outlandish twist. This is also one of my favorite covers.

51. The Shining by: Stephen King

Category: Horror

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review: The Shining is a cult classic amongst Stephen King and horror fans. The book and the movie are two entirely different stories and I think they can both be enjoyed in their own right. This was not my favorite King book but I can see why it is what put him on the map and is known as his best work. One scene that stuck with me that is not in the movie is when the animal-shaped hedges come to life and attack. As is expected with King, the writing was fantastic and this book was not overly descriptive as some of his are. This is definitely a book that I will be excited to re-read in the future.

52. Goosebumps: Say Cheese and Die! by: R. L. Stine

Category: Children’s Horror

Rating: ⭐️⭐️

Review: This book reminded me of the Twilight Zone episode, A Most Unusual Camera, but this was not as enjoyable. I know Stine often takes inspiration from other horror stories. While I think that is a great way to get children introduced to these classics, this just felt like a watered-down version of that Twilight Zone episode.

53. Goosebumps: The Haunted Mask by: R. L. Stine

Category: Children’s Horror

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review: This is one of those classic Goosebumps books that everyone loved as a child. I do not remember reading this one when I was younger. This book follows a girl that buys a horrifying mask because she is tired of being scared by her friends and decides it is her turn to do the scaring. The mask becomes attached to her face and impossible to remove. I mostly enjoyed how this story took place on Halloween night as it is an experience most readers can relate to and most horror fans also love Halloween. Overall, this is a classic Goosebumps story that was creepy but not too creepy.

54. Fahrenheit 451 by: Ray Bradbury

Category: Modern Classic

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review: I enjoyed the concept of a dystopian world where books and reading are forbidden. Guy was an enjoyable character to read about, but probably insufferable to know in person. There were pleasantly disturbing scenes where Bradbury’s writing skills truly shine. I agree with Bradbury’s main point that knowledge should not be censored, I just wish he would’ve kept his pro-life opinions out of the book but he can write about whatever he pleases. Overall, not horrible but not that great and definitely not my favorite Bradbury book.

55. Lord of the Flies by: William Golding

Category: Modern Classic

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review: This is the third (or fourth?) time that I have read this book and it always offers something new. This is a modern classic that everyone should give a chance. I do not fully agree with Golding’s sentiment but it is undeniable that this book has such a strong cultural impact. This is probably my favorite modern classic and I can not wait to re-read it in a couple of years and see what else I can gain from the story. The writing is absolutely beautiful and the story is so painful to read.

56. Goosebumps: Vampire Breath by: R. L. Stine

Category: Children’s Horror

Rating: ⭐️

Review: This was one of the Goosebumps books that I never read as a kid. This one was incredibly dull and boring. The cover art is the best part of the book. Thankfully, reading this book was not a huge waste of time as this book is only 120 pages. Most of the plotline is the vampire telling the two children that they cannot escape his layer but he somehow does not keep an eye on them. Every time they try to get away he threatens to drink their blood but that’s as far as that empty threat goes.

57. Jurassic Park by: Micheal Crichton

Category: Science Fiction

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review: This is a book that I was intimidated by for a long time, due to its length and reputation for being highly scientific. I’m so happy I finally picked it up. Although there is a large amount of science in the book, it is not purposely convoluted. It is written as simply as possible and serves its purpose to explain to the reader why it is possible to revive these extinct creatures. In comparison to the movie, the book is incredibly gory and bloody with many more deaths.

58. My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell you She’s Sorry by: Fredrik Bachman

Category: Contemporary Fiction

Rating: ⭐️

Review: I bought this book after my grandmother died because I thought it would help me grieve. Unfortunately, I could not stand this book and if I was someone who doesn’t finish books I don’t like, this would have been one of them. The main character was an insufferable brat, although it seemed like her tantrums were supposed to make her endearing to the readers. Besides her outbursts, the only other personality trait is her obsession with Harry Potter and the Gryffindor scarf she always carries around. I would have loved more of the story to be about the grandmother and her background and also some more information on the mother. But unfortunately, we had to spend most of the story through Elsa’s egotistical point of view.

59. The Guest List by: Lucy Foley

Category: Thriller

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review: What a thrilling thriller! I love it when books switch perspectives from different characters. This book did a wonderful job of leaving most chapters off on a cliffhanger that wouldn’t be resolved until it was that character’s turn to narrate another chapter. The only fault I had with this book was that the groom had no redeemable qualities, besides being attractive. I think it would have made me care more about the twist ending if he had a few more humanizing qualities besides: being an attractive asshole that gets whatever he wants in life.

60. On Writing by: Stephen King

Category: Nonfiction

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review: I loved reading about Stephen King’s upbringing and what he recalls about writing some of his most popular books. It was also sweet to read about what a loving and collaborative relationship he has with his wife. Some of the writing tips are rudimentary, like write in an active voice and avoid adverbs, but useful nonetheless. King being such a prolific writer, it is interesting to learn about his writing rules and the schedule he sets for himself. Even if you are not a writer by trade, or interested in writing, King fans can learn something of use from this book.

61. The Sun Down Motel by: Simone St. James

Category: Thriller

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review: This is another book that switches perspectives in each chapter. There is a nice twist at the end on who the killer was and who actually survived. However, this story feels forgettable, which is why I only gave it three stars. I enjoyed it and it passed the time, but it won’t be something I remember or come back to. I also disliked that the main character, Carly, had to have a love story amidst her uncovering a 35-year crime. Independent female characters can exist without a romantic interest.

62. The Maidens by: Alex Michaelides

Category: Thriller

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review: This was amazing! The college-level information that was included in the story was accessible and did not come off as pretentious. The Greek provided is translated and the concepts are explained. There was an amazing twist at the end which I found difficult to predict. This now made me interested in reading his other book, The Silent Patient, which has a small mention in The Maidens.

63. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by: V. E. Schwab

Category: Fantasy

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review: This is a beautifully sad love story. Addie is such a complex and appealing character. Although Henry did not get the same character development as Addie, he was a great companion to her in the end. I wish we would’ve been able to learn more about Henry and Luc. I typically do not like romance or fantasy stories, but somehow this worked. There were not an excessive amount of pages focused on explaining the fantastical elements. The chapters also switched between the present day and the different time periods Addie lived in.

64. No Exit by: Jean- Paul Sartre

Category: Philosophy

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review: This was another book/play I think I should have read in college, but I never did. The story follows three people trapped in a room with each other in hell. This is where Sartre’s famous quote “Hell is other people,” comes from. I think it is a valuable play and anyone interested in existentialism should read it. However, it felt drawn out and the point could’ve been made earlier. I can’t imagine watching this play live because I think it would be hard to follow and relatively dull.

Stay up to date with what I’m currently reading and reviewing on my Goodreads account.