Super Short Reviews 18

I don't want this to turn into a strictly-movie-related blog :) so here are my thoughts on some recent books I've read. Links go to Goodreads. RIRI= Reason I Read It.

Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff (from library): RIRI: the premise sounded interesting, and I remember being really excited about The Replacements by Yovanoff awhile back. Say what you will, she has some pretty awesome book covers. Anyway, I enjoy murder mysteries, and I don't mind ghost stories if they're done well. Paper Valentine was interesting. Hannah is trying to deal with life after her BFF's death--while also dealing with the ghost of her BFF. Then girls start getting murdered in her small town (her BFF's death is unrelated) and, as is the way in YA mystery books, Hannah is thrown into the investigation. An engaging read, with a twist I didn't expect (although in retrospect I should have seen it coming, but I was distracted by everything else going on).

Teeth by Hannah Moskowitz (from library): RIRI: I loved Break, but just couldn't get into Gone, Gone, Gone, so of course I had to read this one! And I have to say that I must have put this on my to-read list because of Moskowitz's name alone, because I was not expecting it to be a fantasy novel about magic health-improving fish and a merman. You know that in general I avoid fantasy at all costs. This novel, however, was a refreshing twist on fantasy and I think it raised more questions than it answered. If you can be healed by eating the fish that exist only off of this island, then you can never leave the island. And what if all the fish suddenly disappear? Plus, Teeth. What an extraordinary character, I've never read about anyone quite like him. And bonus ew factor for how Teeth came to be...

My Beautiful Failure by Janet Ruth Young (from library): RIRI: The Babysitter Murders (now retitled Things I Shouldn't Think) is on my MAHROAT list, so naturally that means I will eagerly read anything else Janet writes. And while I enjoyed this novel, I didn't love it as much as her previous novel, and I found the main character, Billy, to be a gigantic dill weed. He's just so sure of himself and so convinced that he always knows what's best (for his family, his father, the freakin' suicide hotline)--he's the kind of person I want to punch in the face. I so wanted his suspicions about his father to be wrong, only because I wanted Billy to get knocked down a few pegs. His behavior and his egotism are absolutely necessary to the story, and I totally get why Janet wrote Billy the way she did--I just found his character to be so unlikable that it was hard for me to truly enjoy the story.

Enjoy your reading!
Christi