Books I've Read in 2017 #67-76

 

Hey, everyone! I feel like it has been forever since I've posted on my blog because I was incredibly busy doing missions work during Mardi Gras break and now I'm swimming in tests, essays, and projects. I also had a winter guard competition yesterday and it was an hour  and a half commute their and back. So driving took up the majority of my Saturday. Hopefully I'll be able to post a little bit more the next couple of days, but school work is my priority. I do have a review that I need to write for the publishers that is a couple of days late, but I will try to get to it when I can. Enough rambling, here are the books that I talked about in this video.

THE BOOKS:

 

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie - 4 stars I almost gave this a three star rating, but I really loved the ending and it was a well-done mystery. However, the writing style was not impressive.

The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis - 5 stars This is an impressive satire on two demons, one in the higher chain of command who offers advice to his nephew, the other (the nephew) is trying to steal his patient's soul (a human). Some people may love this and others will be bored by the writing because Lewis writes incredibly long paragraphs that can be a little overwhelming at times.

The Easter Parade by Richard Yates - 4.25 stars I was impressed with Yates once again, but the ending for this one left much to be desired. I wanted more than was offered in this little tiny book that spans decades.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald - 5 stars This is one of my all-time favorite novels and this was my fourth read of Gatsby. Check out my review here.

Collected Stories by Raymond Carver - 3 stars I only read a handful of the Carver stories in this collection, but I'm pretty satisfied with leaving Carver behind. Some of his stories are really good and others are incredibly lackluster and far too minimalist for my tastes. Check out my review here. 

Angel Fever by L.A. Weatherly - 2.25 stars I finally finished this trilogy and I wasn't a huge fan of it. I'd equate this series to Divergent on its decline. The first book is good, the second book is decent, and the last book is lackluster (although Allegiant was horrible). Check out my review here.

Branded by Keary Taylor - DNF @ page 48 2 stars I was not a fan of this one. Check out my thoughts here. 

Of Poetry & Protest: From Emmett Till to Trayvon Martin - 4.5 stars This is a poetry collection that everyone has to read! It tackles important themes within the black experience and it is an emotionally gripping collection. Check out my review here. 

Great Tales of Horror / Shadow Out of Time by H.P. Lovecraft- I give Shadow Out of Time 3 stars (maybe) and it was a sour way to end the collection because it was boring as all get out. However, I'm happy about finally finishing the Great Tales of Horror collection and I'd give it collectively 3.83 stars.

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens - 4 stars I read my first Dickens!!! So exciting to finally have read one of the most referenced novels of all time, but it was also a lot of fun. The drama was intriguing and it was as dense as I had expected it to be. Definitely recommend it!

Recommend the Most:

The Great Gatsby because it's an all-time favorite and everyone needs to read it at least once (although I do think one may not fully appreciate until a second reading because I only liked it on my first read). The Screwtape Letters because it's witty, philosophical, and helpful for Christians who may struggling with certain aspects of Christianity. Of Poetry & Protest because it's an incredibly important collection that everyone needs to read. 

STATS:
Books Reviewed: 5
Books Rated Over 4 stars: 6
New Favorites: 2
Books That Changed My Life: 2
Owned: 8 physical 1 ebook

Have you read any of these books? What are your thoughts on them? Any favorites? I know most of these are famous classics and I'd love to hear your thoughts on the novel or any adaptations you may have seen!