Lenzi’s Comments (group member since Jan 21, 2018)

Lenzi’s comments from the 2018 Reading Challenge! group.

I read Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo - the main characters are a band of thieves that are hired to pull of an insane heist. I read it without having read the Grisha trilogy, which was probably a bad decision since the book didn't really capture me.. I'm not even sure if I'm gonna read the second book in the crows series..we'll see

Just finished The Fates Divide by Veronica Roth. I chose this book for this category because the LGBTQI+ is not discussed in the least because it's just completely normal and does not warrant any discussions. I love books like that! Roth snuck in a gay couple in the first book but the second one gets a more prominent gay couple.

I read the third book in the Trials of Apollo Series called The Burning Maze by Rick Riordan. Lester, aka. Apollo, def. categorizes as mixed race, seeing as he's a mortal and greek god on suspension :)
But this is not the only reason why I chose this book for this particular category.
Rick Riordan's books are always full of diversity - one of the main reasons that they are still on the top of my fav-books list. Everyone should find themselves represented in some form or other in books or tv - and Riordan's books got you covered there!
Plus: Excellent story telling! I laughed so hard reading this + 5min later cried, then laughed again. A joy to read!

I read Everlife by Gena Showalter and must say it was an excellent conclusion of the trilogy. Tenley “Ten” Lockwood (main character) is just such a great character - with wonderful development and depth.

Read it if you
- like distopias
- like girl-badasses

Read Cinder by Marissa Meyer for this challenge - really enjoyed the read - classic story with plenty of twists and turns that still make it an unique read.
Read it if you
- liked These Broken Stars
- evil stepmothers

I just finished River of Teeth by Sarah Gailey: loved the book (a lot!) but this cover: this really is a stunningly ugly cover - and the reason why I haven't read it yet, to be quite honest. I know, judging a book by its cover and all that, but seriously, this yellow? and the dirty green? urg :)

Just finished For Magnus Chase: Hotel Valhalla, Guide to the Norse Worlds by Rick Riordan with this beautiful blue cover:



gave me a much needed brush up on Norse Mythology :) As always, with the added bonus of Rick Riordan's sass and humor.

Read it if
- you started The Sword of Summer and felt confused about which Loki is which (yes, there are multiple, yes it's confusing at first :))
- love mythology books in general and Rick Riordan's various series in particular

I just finished A Million Worlds with You by Claudia Gray.



It's the third book in her Firebird series and a wonderful conclusion to the series! Had everything I wanted with exciting surprises and gripping turns.

I just finished I Know a Secret by Tess Gerritsen.



It's in the Rizzoli and Isles series and ready quite well, as all her other books.
But: not my favorite Rizzoli-Isles, I felt it lacked some of the gripping excitement of some of her other books. But still, looking forward to her next one :)

For the road trip challenge, I read Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right by scientist Arlie Russell Hochschild.



It's a road trip of a different sort :) Scientist Arlie Hochschild makes her way across the U.S. from Berkeley to Louisiana to understand a paradox among members of the Tea Party in that they want to downsize government (and the EPA for instance) but live in the second poorest state with horribly polluted bayous.

In short: Brilliant book.

This book leaves you with a deep understanding of what is going on politically--and even more importantly socially and emotionally--in the U.S. and the western world in general with the Right movement.

The book is incredibly well researched, Hochschild adds facts and numbers to her statements and interviews without overloading your brain (much appreciated! :)) nor without leaving you thinking that you didn't get the full picture (even more appreciated!).

Read this book if you
- are sort of liberal and curious about Tea Party Members or the republicans in general
- are sort of republican and curious about why liberals don't get you or your values
- want to see how a brilliant social scientist works
- love road trips through the U.S.
- are puzzled as to why Trump won the election
- want to become a better human being by showing empathy and becoming a bridge between the increasing cleavage between left and right in our society

Since I loved the first book in the Firebird series by Claudia Grey, I had to keep going!

The second book is called Ten Thousand Skies Above You:

The second book does not disappoint! It has it all: science stuff, romance, strange new worlds (aka parallel dimensions), a multi-layered villains, plot twists, ...

I finally got around to the Firebird Series by Claudia Grey. The first book is called A Thousand Pieces of You and deals with interdimensional travel (not time travel, just travelling to our parallel dimensions). As a scientist I really loved the book - Grey mentions scientific principles without messing them up, which is nice + the story makes sense and is well thought through (which is hard if you have infinite dimensions to deal with).

Read it if you
- like weird scientific fiction (similar to The Martian)
- like sweet budding romances stories (similar to These Broken Stars)

Also: check out this glorious cover:

Also, I love this challenge! <3