Books I have read. Shorty short reviews.

I havent been reading as much as I like. I also found out my cat peed on the bottom part of my bookcase. So that is gonna be a hassle. I have to rethink what I am gonna place at the bottom of bookcase.

Anyway, despite that. I had been reading some. And also I like to keep my reading reviews updated because sometimes I forgot which book I had read.

Below are the shorty short reviews. I could not be arsed to provide a synopsis.

The Convenient Marriage by Georgette Heyer
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

It started off charming but then the heroine loses my goodwill after a while. She continues to be silly and it exasperates me.

An ok read. But not something I am gonna pick up again.

Sprig Muslin by Georgette Heyer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It is a delight that this time the plucky little girl did not catch the aging bachelor eyes. A bit better than the other book I had read ( A Convenient Marriage).

It is more of an adventure of one girl and her benevolent guardian who then inexplicably fallen for the slightly dowdy spinster ( 30 year old, but we lived in different time where there were no BB cream then).

Tolerable read, tolerable characters, manage to delight sometimes, and does not make me roll my eyes.

A Long, Long Time Ago and Essentially True by Brigid Pasulka
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

For this book, there is basically 2 era where the stories are told. I picked up the book because I liked the title, and thought it was a fairy tale sorta story. But it is a story of war, family, struggles and identity.

It does not dig into your mind, but somehow at the end you appreciate how the narrative is told, how love endures, how humanity somehow prevails.

A beautiful unexpected book. A good read.

Map of the Invisible World by Tash Aw
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I had heard good things about the author and since he is a Malaysian writer, I am like, ok I am picking this up.

As for the book, it feels a little underwhelming. Basically told of an orphan being swept up during the politics of time during Sukarno era.

I found no fault of the writing. It draws you in, but when it comes to the character, I felt as readers we are kept at bay. Only Margaret seems to offer us a glimpse into her inner turmoil. Others are like canvas. Looked at, wondered at, but don't really understand. Not sure if that is the motive.

The pacing of the book is well thought of, and the ending while abrupt to me, seems somehow OK. It did feels like we are leaving a lot of other stories behind untell though.

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A lot of people roll their eyes at this story. I think people in my Twitter TL is calling it as a first world problem. Heh.

Hey, a first world problem is still a problem. I find that I like the book. I think it depict the characters nicely, everybody is layered even the shallow one. I did found the heroine eccentricities in clothes somewhat annoying. A bit too manic pixie girl, which Louisa did not need. However as story goes, it is unbelievable, but I am there for the ride and the good time was good. The sad part is somewhat clumsily conveyed to me. Ain't feeling it, but not bad lah.

Overall, a pretty good book. Not exactly a fun light read, but it is a light read and a page turner.

After You by Jojo Moyes
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

So ... this book picked up about a few months after Will died.

It was not a fun, nice feeling you will have as the first book. This book mainly deals with Louisa grief and how she coped with her grief. However I find this more believable. I find her more relatable in this book than the other.

Not as page turner-ish as the first, need to push self through, but then when Louisa is more sure of herself, I find myself liking to read the book more.

The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book also told a story from 2 different time. One of a woman from a portrait who lived during the first world war and the present, a woman who owned a portrait of the first woman mentioned earlier.

I liked the first woman stories better, probably because it feels like there is a lot of stories to be told during Germany occupation of France during the first world war. The second woman, who lived in the now, seems colder to me. Maybe because she seems to be enveloped in the loss of her husband, but her story and she herself seems to be cold. But I feel like this is intentional.

Summary: A good book. Barely can put it down. Ending is a bit meh to me, but not unexpected.

The Urge to Jump by Trisha Ashley
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I don't know if I can categorize it as romance, but it does seems to be the main plot, but the heroine, Sappho is so very into her world and her thoughts that there are barely enough for any other living thing, even a cat.

I like her matter of fact-ness and assured-ness attitude. Very refreshing. Though it seems like all of her friends, lover and even her place of living is eccentric. I can't stand the eccentricities. It also feels like there is barely a story contained in this book.

She maybe portrayed better as tv series perhaps, but a book, it feels a little stretchy.

The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Can I classify it as historical romance? Bah.

Anyway, it is now midnight, I am sleepy, and I don't feel like this book deserved a lengthy review.

The book is plodding.

The main character is piously stupid, calculating, devoid of any feelings. It makes it hard to read y'all.

No one seems to like Margaret Beaufort, and the absence of even a brief lover is not making her endearing to any one. Even her son seems to view her as a statue to be looked upon, but perhaps just made of stone, with nothing worthy in its filling.

Plodding, weird change of narrative voice at the end, I guess because the writer need to write the battles and can't easily put Margaret as narrator. Even at the end of her own book, she seems... undeserving.