I had a really fun reading month all things considered. I read a nice mix of genres, got more into translated fiction and ticked off another book from my 26 in 26. Here's my thoughts on everything I read.
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Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman
I bought this book a few years ago cause I was intrigued by the premise; a journalist spends a weekend with an up and coming actor that fuels rumours of something more between them. Ten years later they reunite for another interview.
I knew this was inspired by the GQ Chris Evans interview from years ago and that fascinated me alone. Such an interesting concept and I love reading a romance during a heatwave! I did like the characters of Chani and Gabe and the flashback/then chapters were so buzzy and the chemistry was great but the reunion scenes just didn't have that same spark between them. I managed to get past my dislike of famous characters in books and enjoyed it for what it was but yeah, the lack of chemistry for the later scenes was a let down.
Reading Allowed by Chris Paling
I grabbed this non-fiction book written by a librarian about the goings on at a small town library on a whim after I'd already checked out my other books cause I love anything to do with library's. The library is my happy place so I love a book celebrating them. Whilst I liked the kind of bizarre group of characters that visit the library and the chaos of dealing with the public, it also felt a little over the top at times. The author does feel very judgy at times towards the patrons especially those who are homeless which felt weird. There's also some paragraphs that talk about the history of libraries and the shelving system for some reason that I don't think was needed...
The Last Assignment by Erika Robuck
I hadn't heard of Dickey Chapelle before picking up this book but you know I love historical fiction and one about a female war photographer and her battle to be recognised for her work sounded so good.
I adored the writing here, so atmospheric and engaging. Robuck really brought this woman's story to life and made it so readable. I loved the snippets of letters and radio interviews interspersed in the story. This book highlights the wars in Cuba and Vietnam but the real focus is on Dickey and her unwavering desire to get the "picture to end all wars" and the friendships she makes on her journeys.
Your Favorite Scary Movie: How the Scream Films Rewrote the Rules of Horror by Ashley Cullins
Now I'm not the biggest fan of the Scream franchise, I do love the first film but I'm yet to see 3 or 4 and I did like the new films but decided to skip 7 cause of all the controversy. So picking this up I didn't know how much I'd like it but surprisingly it was a really fun read. The author interviews all the main people involved with the making of films particularly Kevin Williams who created the series and the main cast from the classic films and the overall narrative was well researched. I definitely learned a lot of behind the scenes gossip and fun facts like how it was supposed to be called Scary Movie and that's how the spoof series got its name!
Some sections did feel a little short, I think we'd reached the third or fourth film and weren't even halfway through the book! I also think the author glossed over the Melissa Barrera situation which was disappointing. It has made me want to go back and watch all the films now.
The Room by Jonas Karlsson
This was such an odd story and I still don't know if I fully understand it. A man discovers a secret room at his office that no one else can see, when he's inside all his co-workers see is him staring at the wall with everyone starting to question his bizarre behaviour.
This was less than 200 pages and I spent those 182 pages being utterly confused. I could feel it building up to something but the ending was anticlimactic for me. I think this type of humour/satire wasn't my vibe and I just didn't gel with the overall concept. I also hated the main character with a passion.
I decided to continue the summerween vibe I had started with the Scream book and pick up this 'cozy horror' about a campground infested with creatures from folklore and the manager just trying to make it through the season.
I really liked the vibe of this book, it felt ideal for this time of year and I liked how the monsters were all from folklore rather than just generic supernatural creatures. I don't know if it felt necessarily cozy though, I think this was more straight horror with a bit of humour in there. I think I had issues with the pacing of the story, everything was happening so fast like it was literally one thing after another after another and it didn't really leave any room to breathe. I would be tempted to pick up more books in the series.
Lucky by Marissa Stapley
I wanted to get this read before the series comes out in July mostly cause I love Drew Starkey and will watch anything he's in. This is about a young woman who has grown up with a con-man father and after scamming a bunch of people finds herself on the run but things get complicated when she buys a winning lottery ticket.
I don't have super strong feelings about this book, I liked Lucky's character and the sort of journey her character went on. I enjoyed the flashback parts more than the present day scenes but I'm now realising that I can barely remember how the story ended which tells you a lot about it's impact.
This is only my second Riley Sager although I own pretty much all of his backlist bar one. I read Final Girls a few years ago and liked it but I enjoyed Lock Every Door a lot more. A woman takes a job apartment sitting in an influential building in New York but the job comes with a lot of rules and when her neighbour disappears, the secrets start coming out.
This was such a cool premise and it definitely gave off an eerie vibe from the start. I don't think Riley Sager is the best writer but his thrillers are always entertaining and I'll admit I didn't know where the plot was gonna go. The plot twist is kinda dumb but at the same time it kinda works. All in all, I had a good time.
Hard Copy by Fien Veldman
A story about a woman and her obsession with her printer? Colour me intrigued. I loved loved loved the writing style, so readable but also kinda quirky, it's quite surprising that this is translated. This book actually focuses more on our unnamed main character and her losing grip on everything and what she wants and that feeling of trying to navigate life in your twenties. I think this could've been a lot weirder and I think a lot of people probably expected it to be which is why it has a pretty low rating. I didn't mind that much though as I still enjoyed the story.
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