Gaston Library discussion

It’s time for the next Monthly Reading Wrap Up! This Month I Read…

Normal People by Sally Rooney- This one was a mixed bag for me. I can see the talent Sally Rooney has in the writing of the book and I can see the nuanced characters she was trying to portray. However, this was just not a book for me. While the characters were somewhat interesting I never fully connected with either of them and found them annoying at times. Also, the lack of character development was very bothersome particularly in this storyline. Since their characters lacked the ability to grow and change their relationship remained marred and toxic which was not enjoyable to me. I wanted them to grow up and acknowledge and learn from the pain they’ve caused each other and then repair the relationship or just let each other go. I understand the unhappy ending thing, but I feel like that could have been accomplished with them just simply letting each other go. I didn’t dislike this one, but given the aforementioned reasons it was hard for me to fully enjoy, but it might be worth a try for you.

The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan- I listened to this one on Audio. I’m really starting to question why I didn’t read the Percy Jackson series when I was younger. This was again a fun adventure steeped in the fascinating world of Greek Mythology. Rick Riordan does such a good job at tying this mythology into our world in fun ways, I mean the Bermuda Triangle is a sea of mythical monsters. How fun is that? I still love how true he is the Greek Myths as well. I am thoroughly invested in this series and can’t wait to see how the bigger plot ends up piecing together with Kronos and his plan.

After the Forest by Kell Woods- The premise of the book is what happens to Hansel and Gretal (Hans and Greta) after escaping the witch with the house of sweets in the forest where their father abandoned them. They are adults now with their father and stepmother both dead. Hans seems to have a hard time coping with the life they were dealt and enjoys gambling and drinking. Greta, having left the witch's house with a spell book of sorts has been supporting them by selling Gingerbread that is so good it’s almost magical. Set in 1650, the village where Hans and Greta live fears anything magic claiming it is of the devils and witch hunts are referenced several times and we learn quickly many are already skeptical of Greta. As the plot goes on we meet some newcomers in town and things in the town begin to ramp up as secrets are revealed. The strange circumstances that happen in the village, while at first seem unrelated do all end tying together in a tale of shapeshifters, magic, sisters from long ago, curses and more. This is one of the things I really enjoyed about this book is how the author connected all these seemingly random strings together. Although I do have to say it didn’t feel flawless. There was so much she tried to connect that it seemed like pieces got lost or too easily explained away. The plot definitely lost me at times because of this. The pacing also felt off. The first third or so of the book you're left as clueless as Greta to all that is happening, and it feels like not much happens because of this since most of the time when something happens, and Greta is told “we can’t tell you about that” or “you wouldn’t understand.” As the book goes on Greta discovers more about magic and the secrets in the village and the plot speeds up significantly. Greta wasn’t a strong lead character to me, and there were times reading about things she was doing that was like watching someone in a horror movie go into the dark basement after hearing a noise. Specifically with the struggle she had between Green or Good magic and Tatter or Bad magic. Overall, I did enjoy how everything came together and fairy tale reimagining's are some of my favorite books to read, but this book just ended up being ok. Probably wouldn’t read it again, but still enjoyed parts of it.

What did you read this month? Be sure to share down below!

Happy Reading!