The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano: Written by Himself by Olaudah EquianoMy rating: 4 of 5 stars Truth be told, I was confused by this book, this “autobiography”. The title says The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano and it certainly was interesting. However, I kept asking myself why reading this autobiography felt more like reading Gulliver’s Travels than a former slave’s account of his life.It was very abridged, leaving out the horrors and tragedy that a slave may have witnessed by the hands of their owner. I sincerely do not want to sound bloodthirsty or in need of sensational stories, but the nature of…

Round the Moon by Jules VerneMy rating: 2 of 5 stars I was very disappointed by this sequel to From the Earth to the Moon. It seemed to me that the author followed an advice to change the narration style from narrator-focused to dialogue-driven, which diminishes the fantastic element that made the first part so interesting and adventurous.Having said that, as a result of focusing more on the dialogue between the three characters present and the nature of the story and narration as a whole, these three men felt absurd in their behaviour and speech. The progress of the journey and the “science” behind such a journey to outer space…

From the Earth to the Moon by Jules VerneMy rating: 5 of 5 stars Fantastic, fictitious, scientific and educational. I was surprised by the narrative style the author chose to adopt for a story of such a genre, but it certainly added to its appeal.Based on the synopsis I expected a bit more of an adventure story and less of a scientific endeavour explaining the foundation of how to travel into outer space. However, considering my scientific background and interest in astronomy, I was greatly intrigued by the mystery and fascination of the moon the author infused into this narration.The writing is simple, yet detailed. The author explains scientific processes…

The Muses Among Us: Eloquent Listening and Other Pleasures of the Writer’s Craft by Kim StaffordMy rating: 2 of 5 stars I was unimpressed with this collection of anecdotes? Short stories? Inspirational, personal experiences?I really could not take the author seriously after he wrote that he “gleans” inspiration from other people’s conversations that he feels are creative and good enough to write down. Furthermore, I found that this collection lacked direction and purpose and didn’t feel authentic. Every chapter I read I asked myself, if this was actually based on his own experiences or if it sprung from another person’s moment of creativity that he happened to eavesdrop on.Having said…

Bird Box by Josh MalermanMy rating: 4 of 5 stars To say that this story was haunting me for the duration it took me to finish would be an understatement. It stalked me. It gave me nightmares. It gave me this uncomfortable feeling, making me almost drop the book every time an unexpected noise startled me. I asked the sales associate at the bookstore for a creepy, eerie book and I certainly got what I asked for with this story.The characters are well thought out with a certain degree of distance that keeps the reader interested and adds to the eeriness of the atmosphere.The plot and structure of the narration…

The Goodbye Witch by Heather BlakeMy rating: 5 of 5 stars I love this series and it is refreshing to find an author that is capable of maintaining the same level of quality writing throughout each installment.In addition to the consistency of the writing and dedication to the story and characters as a whole, the author takes her time in developing the characters truthfully and evenly without the loss of plots and mystery.In this story the characters (main and secondary) are the focus, although the mystery portion is still enjoyable.The writing is still witty and includes laughs and even some sad parts.The books in this series quickly became my go-to…

A Fatal Likeness by Lynn ShepherdMy rating: 5 of 5 stars This was an intense story. I finished it two days ago and I still cannot find the words to write a review that is void of any spoilers and unintentional hints to the plot.The characters are richly portrayed with the sort of depth that has the reader wonder at their intentions and waver between trust and mistrust. The main character or recurring character of Charles Maddox takes an unusual back seat in this investigation as we find out more about his uncle.The plot is an elaborate and drama induced mess that resembles the lives of bored and overly wealthy…

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah HarknessMy rating: 1 of 5 stars Well, that was crap. I lost my review just as I was about to click “save” and since I don’t believe that this story is worth spending any more time on it than absolutely necessary, I will only provide a short commentary.The characters are flat, uninteresting and possess a sense of entitlement that had me rolling my eyes constantly by chapter 17.The plot was great until I actually started reading the story and it became obvious very fast that this resembles more a 600-page long foreplay description than an actual story about paranormal entities and a mysterious manuscript.The…

Our Sister Killjoy by Ama Ata AidooMy rating: 4 of 5 stars Unsure what to expect, I was pleasantly surprised how this short text piqued my interest. Considering the book is only 134 pages long and the story itself is divided into three shorter stories that evolve around the protagonist (and sometimes feel quite unrelated from each other), it was able to achieve depth of the character and a clear picture of the protagonist’s experiences.Having said that, at times I felt a bit left out, since various key pieces of information were not given and there were jumps in times and settings, which caused some confusion.Overall, I appreciated the creation…

The Hobbit by J.R.R. TolkienMy rating: 4 of 5 stars I loved the plot, the adventure, the fantasy and the execution of the story as a whole, but I have never had so much trouble finishing a story before this one. It took me 2 months to make it through this book and actually had to take an extended break from reading it, because my heart just wasn’t into it.Having said that, I thoroughly enjoyed this fantastic story. It was very well structured and contained a great deal of detail that aided in the reader’s attempt to picture this world in their mind’s eye.Unfortunately, as I just mentioned, the narration…