Tag: Book Reviews

Oct 1 – 7, 2023 | Little Sparks #22

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Greetings!

My week was a blast. I had great food, made delicious baked goods, did some amazing workouts, and had fun catching up with friends.

I hope you have a great week ahead!

Here is my reading highlight:

Golden Son (Red Rising, #2) by Pierce Brown
3 star

I was excited about the series, but it’s not what I expected. While the elements of war, politics, and revenge are intriguing, they are based on human beings’ wickedness and evilness. There isn’t anything wrong with this depiction, and there might be some truth to it, however, I guess I am more hopeful than that.

More specifically, the writing and plot for the first book were much more interesting. It felt like the story was being dragged unnecessarily in the second book (this point is further established by how there’s a 7th book not yet published). The second book depicted a lot of evil, hatred, and malice. The way the story is projected, the other books are going to continue in this trajectory before it gets better.

I’m not willing to spend more time in this curated world and, thus, will not be continuing the series.

Sep 24 – Sep 30, 2023 | Little Sparks #21

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Hi there,

How was your week? Another month has ended, and we are at the beginning of fall. As the season changes, take care so you don’t get ill.

Here’s my reading highlight:

Yellowface by R.F.Kuang
3 stars

I didn’t like that the book was written from the perpetrator’s perspective, Juniper Song. It felt like the reader was forced to empathise with her by learning her motivations and justifications. I think there is little sympathy possible for someone who stole their friend’s manuscript after they died from choking right in front of them (not a spoiler; this is the premise of the book).

The ending was also quite surprising, but for me, it implied that the world still protects those who are racist.

The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks
4 stars

This was my first time reading Nicholas Sparks, though I have watched many of his movie adaptions. I watched The Longest Ride years ago and remember liking it, but the book is much better. In the movie, Luke does bull riding despite his injury because of financial reasons. This premise made much more sense compared to the film, where Luke continues to bull ride because ‘that’s what he has always done’ despite the high risk of dying if he continues. Additionally, the book is much more heartbreaking than the movie.

I cried twice, which is rare for me. Ruth and Ira’s story, which we learned while following Luke and Sophia’s, was lovely and touching. How amazing to have had a love like theirs over decades. Unfortunately, it’s only towards the end that we learn the link between both couples.

Sep 17 – Sep 23, 2023 | Little Sparks #20

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Hello friends!

Twenty entries so far – time does fly. Today’s entry is a bit short, but here you go.

I hope you have a great week ahead.

Here’s my reading highlight:

The 4 Hour Workweek, Expanded And Updated: Expanded And Updated, With Over 100 New Pages Of Cutting Edge Content by Timothy Ferriss
3 stars

I remember learning about this book in high school but never read it. All I can say is I’m very glad that we now live in a world where remote working is a norm (for the most part).

For the most part, I think that the book is a bit outdated now. Nevertheless, there were multiple ageless/universal learnings, such as delegating (and outsourcing with personal attendants) and auditing one’s life (and work).

Main takeaways: act now, evaluate results, amend the approach, and repeat.

Sep 10 – 16, 2023 | Little Sparks #19

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Hello,

I hope all is well! My note for this week’s entry is to be grateful. Gratitude can go a long way as we embrace all that happens in life.

Here’s my reading highlight:

Fourth Wing (The Empyrean #1) by Rebecca Yarros
5 stars

Amazing! It was so amazing; I finished the whole book in one sitting. It was so much fun! Tracy Wolff, a romance author, had called this book the most brutally addictive fantasy she’s read in a decade, and I understand why clearly. After completing the book, I actually listened to the second half all over again.

This might be my favourite book of 2023. I highly recommend it. It has politics, combat, strategy, history, romance and dragons! The dragons were fun, intriguing and loving characters throughout the book.

Sadly, I have to wait till November for the second part of the series. Fortunately, it’s not going to be too long of a wait but I’m hoping the series is a duology or, at most, a trilogy so I don’t have to wait too long to complete the series.

Sep 3 – 9, 2023 | Little Sparks #18

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Greetings!

A lot happened this week. It marked a year since I started working full-time and had multiple reflections and revelations.

I went to an Alumni event and felt, for the most part, a kid masquerading as an adult. While catching up with old classmates was lovely, it felt nostalgic/bittersweet being back on campus. It was a complicated feeling.

Time passes by too fast.

Here’s my reading highlight:

The Assassin’s Blade (Throne of Glass #0.1-0.5) by Sarah J Mass
5 stars

Once again, I am reminded why Sarah J. Maas is my favourite fantasy author. I loved the multiple short stories as a prequel and had so much fun reading them and learning more about Celaena. I truly believed that Celaena, a 16-year-old, was a skilled assassin and more capable than those seemingly twice as old and stronger than her.

A key theme in this book is sexism. It was in the background throughout the book (the short stories), but it was most evident at the end of book 0.5 when we learn of Arobynn’s biggest deceit towards Celaena. I’m looking forward to reading book one of the series.

I realised that most of Sarah’s female lead characters have one similar trait. They are all not that great listeners and thus act rashly at times. Hahaha. I guess it’s a downside of being a stubborn teenager.

Aug 27 – Sep 2, 2023 | Little Sparks #17

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Hi there!

I hope you are enjoying your Labour Day long weekend. Yet, another month has passed, and the weather is getting a bit cold where I am. I am surprised we are already in September – boy, time flies by fast.  Though there are a few more weeks before the end of summer, it feels like we are much too close to the end.

Here’s my reading highlight:

Rich People Problems (Crazy Rich Asians #3) by Kevin Kwan
5 stars

It’s the last book of the Crazy Rich Asians series and my favourite one! I was pleasantly surprised by how well the series ended – I am satisfied with how each character’s plot came to a close and feel like there isn’t anything more I need to know.   

I read the book instead of listening to the audiobook this time round, and as such, I learned from the footnotes that Kevin is a hilarious person.  

The book resonated with me a lot. From learning more about Su Yi and her life well lived, to seeing Astrid be unapologetically herself. Life is abundant and more than just about money. I highly recommend the series; though it’s obnoxious in all the ways possible, it’s reflective and thought-provoking.

Aug 20 – 26, 2023 | Little Sparks #16

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Hello friends!

How was your week? Thankfully, work wasn’t as busy as I was anticipating. I was able to do quite a lot of reading.

Here are my highlights:

The Beautiful (The Beautiful #1) by Renée Ahdieh
4 stars

As someone who likes werewolves, I was disappointed that the vampires and werewolves had a decades-long conflict. However, while reading this book, I definitely preferred the vampires over the werewolves.

I enjoyed the historical element of the book and the character Celine. I enjoy reading the fantasy genre because they always have strong female leads (or at least all the ones I have read).

The Damned (The Beautiful #2) by Renée Ahdieh
4 stars

I won’t say too much in order not to spoil book one for you. In this part of the series, we learn more about Celine, her past, and more about the mystery behind the murders in book one. This book had several plot twists and ended with quite a big one. The characters in this book keep unravelling.

I haven’t decided yet if I will continue with the series. The series has two more books, though the last one isn’t yet published. If I do choose to satisfy my curiosity, I would like to wait until the final book is published so that I am not left waiting with a cliffhanger after the third book (as I suspect from the way the first two books ended).

One more thing: I was also puzzled by why Sebastian didn’t think of using his vampire abilities at the end of the book.

The Bride Test (The Kiss Quotient #2) by Helen Hoang
3 stars

I read books one and three of this series one or two years ago. I didn’t read book two back then because I didn’t like the premise – it felt like a mail-order bride tail. However, it was better than I thought – Esme had agency and was a robust character.

Aug 13 – 19, 2023 | Little Sparks #15

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Greetings!

This week was busy, much busier than the last. Unfortunately, next week is looking the same. Is this adulting? Is this what the rat race feels like?

I hope your week ahead is better than mine!

Here’s my reading highlight:

Better Than Fiction by Alexa Martin
3 stars

Here’s a book I recently stumbled upon at a bookstore visit during a trip. It was cheesy, to say the least, but what can you expect when the male lead character is a romance book author and a hopeless romantic?

I did enjoy watching Drew fall back in love with reading. Every book lover/bookworm has had a time when they fell out of reading due to setbacks in their personal lives. The concept of exploring the places and embarking on experiencing the events you read about sounds like much fun.

Aug 6 – 12, 2023 | Little Sparks #14

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Hello!

I hope all is well.

It’s been a busy week, but here are my reading highlights:

Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood
5 stars

I was excited when I heard Ali would have a new book out this summer, so much so that I didn’t read the synopsis before picking it up. Thankfully, it didn’t disappoint! I enjoyed the academic politics that centres the whole book. It was interesting and realistic – the tension between theoretical and experimental physicists, the relationship between mentors and mentees, and the economic challenges of pursuing an academic career. Of course, the relationship between Elsie and Jack was beautiful.  

Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers
2 stars

I didn’t like this book much. I am still trying to figure out if it was because of the writing, the reading (since it’s an audiobook) or the character Grace. A few pages in, I realised that what Grace greatly needed and should have was therapy. Seeing that she eventually did and was better for it was great.  

Jul 13 – Aug 5, 2023 | Little Sparks #13

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How did we get here? It’s August, and we are almost at the end of Summer.

How are you doing? How has 2023 been for you so far? My year has been filled with many reflections and nostalgia, and it has been evident from the books I have picked up lately.

Here are my reading highlights for the week:

Crazy Rich Asians (Crazy Rich Asians #1) by Kevin Kwan
4 stars

This is one of the rare times I read a book after watching the movie first. I’m not sure if I knew that Crazy Rich Asians was based on a book before I watched it in 2018, but I do remember being very excited about the movie and that it didn’t disappoint.

The book differs from the movie; apart from more context and nuances as apparent as the original version, we get more insight into Rachel and Nic’s relationship and life together before visiting Singapore. I finished the book in pretty much one sitting. It was fun and intriguing; it felt like I was in the country, eating the food and enjoying the sights.

China Rich Girlfriend (Crazy Rich Asians #2) by Kevin Kwan
3 stars

I have several thoughts on this second book. I was surprised that there was an element of geopolitics and wondered if it was just a coincidence. I won’t go into this element of the book here, so I recommend you do some Googling if you are interested.

I didn’t like the book’s first half, because we didn’t get much of Rachel and Nicholas, even though they are supposed to be the main characters. I listened to the audiobook for both books and as they were read by different narrators (something I have learnt is a no-go for series, for me), Rachel felt very different from the lady I was introduced to in the first book. Furthermore, there was a lot more emphasis on materialism, so numerous descriptions of cars, bags, houses, paintings, etc. As I am very removed from these, I couldn’t significantly vision them, and thus it had little impact on me.

However, the second half was full of plot twists and ridiculousness. It felt like reading a long gossip column, and as I am intrigued to find out what happens next, I will pick up the next and final book in the series.