Mini-Reviews | The Spring 2022 Edition | Part One

Hello again, dear readers. After a crazy week – and the actual arrival of spring – I am happy to be back. We have three more weeks of school, including this one, before I complete my high school years and we all jump into summer life. Perhaps unsurprisingly, I am the least excited about the end of school this year (in all honesty it has always been this way), but I am attempting to set that aside and finish the tasks that are left, while enjoying a couple of good books, wearing shorts and the beautiful weather.

All that to say, I am here to share some long-delayed mini-reviews! I hope that you find something interesting. 🙂

Admittedly, I am a fan of Tucci’s acting, or rather his roles in 1 and 1/2 of my favorite movies (otherwise known as “The Devil Wears Prada” and the Meryl Streep half of “Julie & Julia”), but it was only after listening to an interview with Tucci that I became interested in picking up this book. In the interview he talked about food – mouthwatering delicious Italian food – and as soon as I saw that my library had bought a copy, I picked it up.

Pleasantly enough, Taste did not disappoint. Tucci’s descriptions of the food he has eaten and made were tortuously delicious. So much of it sounded absolutely amazing and I loved hearing his take on Italian food. (It was fascinating to hear a little bit about the complexities of matching pastas with sauces etc.)

I quite enjoyed Tucci’s entertaining writing style. His comments on food and light way of sharing his ‘life through food’ often made me laugh. Ultimately, this is a memoir I would not mind adding to my personal collection at some point. 🙂

Add on: TheStoryGraph or Goodreads | Published 2021 | Non-Fiction – CW: Language (R-rated)

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I picked this book because although I didn’t really enjoy Deese’s previous book, I did enjoy her writing. Pleasantly enough I found this story to be both entertaining and engaging.

I loved many of the characters! Molly and Silas were great – they work so well together – and I found their (eventual) relationship to be sweet. The secondary characters were very lively and interesting.

I appreciated the way that Deese portrayed both the negative and positive sides of social media and influencers. It was well-written and thoughtful.

The only real negative was the murkiness of Molly’s relationship with Jesus, as well as her lifestyle. It was rather confusing, but ultimately, I enjoyed this story and look forward to reading the sequel in the near future.

Add on: TheStoryGraph or Goodreads | Published 2021 | 3.5 stars

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Roseanna M. White’s Biblical Fiction is powerful, and as much as I love her other books, this is easily one of the best she has written. Her writing is weighty and clear – and characteristically not lyrical.

Abigail is a wonderful main character, completely human and so real she seemed to able to leap off the page. Although I could not relate to her situation or exact temptations, her struggles were deeply relatable and thought-provoking for me personally.

White’s depictions of sin, human heart struggles and ultimately forgiveness are purposeful and impactful. I am truly glad that I decided to pick up this book.

Add on: TheStoryGraph or Goodreads | Published 2019 | 4 stars

CW note: this book deals with a bunch of sexual content, similar in a way to Francine Rivers’ Mark of the Lion trilogy. I would not recommend this book to younger readers – at all.

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I did not expect to enjoy this book as much as I did. That said, this is purely a fun read, part fantasy and part adventure.

The characters were interesting and very easy to become attached to. I can’t say I fell in love with any of them, but they certainly were a fun group to follow through the story.

The plot is far from revolutionary, but it is engaging, full of interesting bits of world-building and completely addictive.

This is a rather violent story, but overall I am having trouble finding the “evil” the MCs seem to be known for. I honestly am looking forward to picking up book 2.

Add on: TheStoryGraph or Goodreads | Published 2018 | 3.75 stars

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I absolutely loved When Twilight Breaks and had very high expectations for this story. Pleasantly it was a solid read, but ultimately I was mildly disappointed.

Initially I was not a huge fan of Lucie, but she quickly grew on me. Paul is lovely character and Josie is sweetheart. The side-characters were honestly unmemorable overall, but I did enjoy the brief Evelyn cameo.

The bookstore and ballet elements were wonderful! I fell in love with Green Leaf Books and it left me daydreaming about visiting bookstores.

The wartime plot was interesting; very rarely are German collaborators in WWII books main characters. It was a fresh perspective, despite the details.

Overall, I enjoyed this book, but I don’t plan to re-visit anytime soon.

Add on: TheStoryGraph or Goodreads | Published 2022 | 3.75 stars

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So, I finally read this much-hyped YA book and I am left mildly unimpressed.

On the one hand, it is heartbreakingly beautiful, a story about grief and the lengths that human beings can go to avoid experiencing its weight. It is a story of brokenness – broken families, broken lives, broken hearts and broken minds.

But, on the other hand, I don’t like ghosts and I simply did not enjoy reading this book.

Add on: TheStoryGraph or Goodreads | Published 2014 | 3.75 stars

Have you read any of these books? What are you reading right now?

Has spring fully arrived where you live? Is your school year wrapping up?