Truly Devious (Truly Devious #1) by Maureen Johnson
Truly Devious is a new YA mystery series. I realized about halfway through Truly Devious that it was the start of a series. I wish I had known that before reading it. I probably would have skipped the series altogether. As soon as I realized, I became petrified I was reading a mystery with no resolution. I was mostly right. Thankfully, I did get a mystery that had a resolution, but Truly Devious was not a good fit for my reading style. If you love YA books that arc over the length of a series, this could be a fun mystery for you. I probably won't continue on.
6/10: Good Read
The Listener by Robert McCammon
Is there anything better than a favorite book by a favorite author? I loved The Listener. The characters were awesome, and McCammon's writing was as great as ever. If you’ve never read McCammon before, I am absolutely OK with The Listener being your first experience.
9/10: Highly Recommended
Mapping the Interior by Stephen Graham Jones
Mapping the Interior will likely be my favorite novella of the year. It packed a huge emotional punch for me, and I had trouble getting it off of my mind. It's about a 15 year old boy who begins seeing the ghost of his father. It just won the Bram Stoker for Superior Achievement in Long Fiction, and it was a well deserved win.
8/10: Great Read
Bird Box by Josh Malerman
I can't imagine any book for the rest of the year topping the experience I had with Bird Box. I put off reading it for so long because the premise didn't sound like a book that would be a big hit with me. With the upcoming release of Unbury Carol (which sounds amazing!) and the upcoming movie release of Bird Box, I knew the time had come to see what Bird Box was all about. I'm calling it right now - Bird Box will be my favorite book of the year.
10/10: Awesome Read
Summer of Night by Dan Simmons
Summer of Night is a must read for fans of coming of age horror. If you are a fan of Stephen King's IT, you will probably love Summer of Night, too. I found there to be a lot of similarities between the two. I highly recommend going with the audiobook for this one. It's a chunky read, and the narrator does a great job.
8/10: Great Read
I think that covers most of what I read last month. It was an amazing run of books!
Adding Summer of Night to my wishlist right now - I love Dan Simmons' horror, but somehow this one slipped my radar even though I thought I was familiar with most of his older works :)
ReplyDelete~Mogsy @ BiblioSanctum
I've only read a couple of Dan Simmons' books. I need to make sure I put another one of his books in my jar next year.
DeleteI’m reading Bird Box because of you and I’m starting to be convinced to try The Listener.
ReplyDeleteI hope you love Bird Box like I did!!
DeleteSeems like a good run. I have Truly Devious out from the library right now but don't know if I'll get to it. I have a copy of Mapping the Interior which was sent in a book box subscription so I can easily pick it up. I remember reading Summer of Night a long time ago and don't remember much about it except that I enjoyed it. Might be time for a re-read.
ReplyDeleteIt was definitely a great run for me. I hope I can keep picking the right ones this year. :) You should give Mapping the Interior a try. It's a super quick read, and I think you will be surprised by it!
DeleteIf I'm reading some kind of mystery thriller, I'd want a resolution in the book, not an endlessly long story over a whole series.
ReplyDeleteMy one wish for every book I pick up is for it to be a stand alone book. That's not too much to ask, is it?
DeleteOooh. I want to read Bird Box now! You and the cover make it sound so good!
ReplyDeleteI hope you love Bird Box if you wind up reading it!
DeleteI didn't know Truly Devious was a series either?? I won it in a giveaway and was gonna read it one of these days, but now I'm less enthused. I'm kinda sick of YA arcs that take forever...
ReplyDeleteBird Box- wow. Need to give that a try methinks...
Seriously. I don't think there was any indication it was a series. (Other than it being YA, and I fall for it every. damn. time.) I was apparently the first person to put a hold on it at my library so I got the day it was released. There wasn't any chatter to warn me about it being a series until I was already halfway in. :'( It was a fun book. You may love it. I think it will be a popular series, but I have so many things I really want to read instead.
DeleteI'm torn between Bird Box and Summer of Night. Guess it's good I don't have to choose and can read them both! :D It's just deciding which to try first.
ReplyDeleteRead Bird Box! I read it in two sittings. Then you can tackle Summer of Night. :)
DeleteWow, so many awesome reads. Summer of Night is still one of my all time favorite Simmons books, and I am DYING to read The Listener! I've had a copy of Bird Box for several years, but now I need to squeeze it in soon since you gave it such a high rating😁
ReplyDeleteI sure hope you all wind up loving Bird Box like I did! It is very rare for me to give a book a 10, but Malerman's writing worked extremely well for me.
DeleteThat is quite some glowing praise for Bird Box! I haven't read it yet, but I have the ebook, and I'm looking forward to it! I've heard great things about Mapping the Interior too, glad you also liked that one!
ReplyDeleteI've owned a copy of Bird Box for so long - you've convinced me to bump it up the list.
ReplyDeleteLynn :D
I loved Truly Devious, but yeah that ending! I wasn't prepared for it either. I don't mind waiting though. Summer of Night sounds wonderful!
ReplyDeleteYou had an amazing group of reads! I hope your good reading streak continues though it may be bad for my wallet!
ReplyDelete