It is time to have our book talk February. I’ve not read as much last month than in January. I doubt I will do that any other month of 2024. But I did read and I had two books with over 500 pages. So it was a lot of pages in the end. Let’s dive right in.
Mia – Die neue Welt by Katie Duchesse | ★★★★★
Amazon says: All people have a gift. Only most of them don’t realize it. Mia’s dream of simply spending the summer reading with her best friend Philly is shattered from one second to the next when she inadvertently ends up in Hayland. A world completely unknown to her, where people seem to have been waiting for her. Not only has Mia never heard of this place, but her family seems to be very well known there. Everything is new and confusing, and it’s not just the handsome Pat who throws her off her stride. Then Mia finds out that a providence has given her an important role in saving this magical land. Whether Mia likes it or not, this is the beginning of a great adventure. Suspense, adventure and great emotions, a breathtaking romantic fantasy novel!
What I thought: First off I am so proud of my friend for writing this book. And I have to admit I was a bit scared to read it – what if I didn’t like it? But all worries were pointless as this book is so so good. I am so happy it found its way to me. What do I love.
First off I love the setting – a parallel world that has lots of the features we know and many more that make it a whole new adventure to be thrown in and discover this wonderful and mystical place called Hayland. And all the whimsical creatures. Animal-like but not. Human-like but not.
Secondly I love the characters. Each one of the characters is unique. I love the happy carelessness of Philly. I love the strained almost scared character of Mia who becomes much more daring later on in her journey. I love the wit and humor of Jami. I love the bubbly personality of Membra. And the responsible way Pat goes through life and that gets cracks when he’s around Mia. I loved the crazy old witches that all had a quarrel going on even though they cared for each other. I loved the secrecy of grandma. And what about Achmedes?
Thirdly I love the message this book carries. All people have gifts. So powerful. In “our” world people have lost the ability to see the gift in themselves and others. In Hayland it’s all about discovering the gifts. Everyone has a strength and finding your strength and using it for the good is a purpose.
This book is really good. I believe I would have a loved it even more as a teenager. First love, friendships the uncertainty to what path to choose in life. All topics in this book.
Overall I can only recommend for you to grab a copy and immerse yourself in this book. You won’t regret. The only complain I have – what happens next? And can we get a book about grandma and Achmedes please? And am I the only one rooting for Mia and Jami?
Characters: Mia, Philly – best friend, Pat – lover?, Membra – new friend, Jami – new friend
Setting: Hayland – parallel world
Medium: paperback provided by author
Original Language and Title: German title “Mia – Die neue Welt ” paperback, ebook
Publications: no translations
Recommend to: Everyone loving to discover a magical new world, wants to read about first love and loves a story about friendship.
Additional note: Book was gifted to me by the author with the request of an honest review.
To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini | ★★★☆☆
Goodreads says: During a routine survey mission on an uncolonized planet, Kira finds an alien relic. At first she’s delighted, but elation turns to terror when the ancient dust around her begins to move. As war erupts among the stars, Kira is launched into a galaxy-spanning odyssey of discovery and transformation. First contact isn’t at all what she imagined, and events push her to the very limits of what it means to be human.
While Kira faces her own horrors, Earth and its colonies stand upon the brink of annihilation. Now, Kira might be humanity’s greatest and final hope . . .
What I thought: I somewhere read this was the creation story of space. Unfortunately this information misled me a lot (I even based a gift on that thought and after reading it almost regretted. The person enjoyed it though). Anyways, this was a wild ride. It was long. At times I wished it wasn’t – that rarely happened. I did not enjoy the long fight scenes. They didn’t do anything for me. I loved most of the characters especially the mentally derailed AI of an enhanced human brain. I also loved the relationship Kira and the captain developed. Overall the characters reminded me a bit of Guardians of the Galaxy. After reading this book I learned that Paolini wrote nine years on it. For that alone it deserves some respect. But I have read better sci-fi books. Not sure I pick up the second one here.
Characters: Kira Navárez, space squids, Gregorovich
Setting: Universe, space ships, docking stations
Medium: bought eBook
Original Language and Title: English ebook, paperback, hardcover
Publications: German title “INFINITUM – Die Ewigkeit der Sterne” hardcover, ebook
Recommend to: Everyone loving crazy sci-fi and glimpses into space.
Additional note: Book one in the Fractalverse #1
Without a Country by Ayşe Kulin | ★★★☆☆
Goodreads says: As Hitler’s reign of terror begins to loom large over Germany, Gerhard and Elsa Schliemann—like other German Jews—must flee with their children in search of sanctuary. But life elsewhere in Europe offers few opportunities for medical professor Gerhard and his fellow scientists. Then they discover an unexpected haven in Turkey, where universities and hospitals welcome them as valuable assets. But despite embracing their adopted land, personal and political troubles persist. Military coups bring unrest and uncertainty to the country, intermarriage challenges the cultural identity of Gerhard and Elsa’s descendants, and anti-Semitism once again threatens their future in the place they call home. From World War II to the age of social media, one family’s generations find their way through love and loss, sacrifice and salvation, tragedy and triumph—with knowledge hard won and passion heartfelt.
What I thought: It was a fine read but a bit underwhelming. It could have been such a good book. Unfortunately the author was really keen on dropping a lot of names and dates and happenings without real relevance to the story – or if there was a relevance it was brushed over so quickly that it was not possible to grasp as a reader. That said, it still was an enjoyable read and did learn something new I was not aware of. For one that a lot of Jewish intellectuals were hired to come to Turkey and for one the history of Turkey itself. I just wished the story had been woven more fluently at times.
Characters: The Schliemann’s in three generations
Setting: Instanbul and Ankara
Medium: eBook through Kindle unlimited
Original Language and Title: Turkish “Kanadı Kırık Kuşlar”
Publications: not translated to German but a few other languages
Recommend to: Everyone loving historic fiction and WWII stories from a different perspective.
Read Around the World: Logged for Turkey
Going Nowhere by Lena North | ★★★☆☆
Goodreads says: My name is Hibiscus Brown, my best friend is a unicorn and my life is going absolutely nowhere. Oh, and I’m a witch. At least partly – the rest is all werewolf. After growling a little to loudly, Hibiscus – Kitty – Brown finds herself in the unfortunate situation of having to move back home to live with her dad /the werewolf/, her step-mom /the werebear/, and all the other creatures living in a small town called Nowhere.
Surely it’s just temporary? Surely even a half-witch/half-werewolf can figure out what she wants to do with her life? Surely the handsome werewolf who just moved back will ignore her, like he /mostly/ did when they were in high school? And surely the mysterious dark stranger who seems to pop up just about everywhere will help her when she needs it?
And what about the missing amulet? Will Grandma Hazel find it? And what does Grandpa Hunter wear on his head?
What I thought: This was utterly ridiculous and I really enjoyed the ride. Very fun and strange and lovable characters. The plot itself wasn’t really good or well thought out but the characters carried the book. I would read more of the author as she has a unique voice that speaks to me.
Characters: Hibiscus “Kitty” Brown, Jack,
Setting: Small town
Medium: eBook freebie
Original Language and Title: English ebook | paperback
Publications: no translations
Recommend to: Everyone wanting a fun, quirky mindless book to leave the world behind.
Be a Triangle by Lilly Singh | ★★★☆☆
Goodreads says: Everyone–even world-famous actress, author, and creator Lilly Singh–knows that sometimes life just sucks. In this book, Singh provides a safe space where readers can learn how to create a sense of peace within themselves. Without sugarcoating what it’s like to face adversity–including acknowledging her own intensely personal struggles with identity, success, and self-doubt–Singh teaches readers to “unsubscribe” from cookie-cutter ideals.
With her signature blend of vulnerability, insight, and humor, Singh instructs readers to “be a triangle,” creating a solid foundation for your life, one that can be built upon, but never fundamentally changed or destroyed. As she puts it, we must always find a way to come home to ourselves: “we must create a place, a system of beliefs, a simple set of priorities to come back to should life lead us astray, which it definitely will.”
What I thought: I mainly listened to this book due to the title – I mean how could I not my word of the year being shape?! I had no idea who Lilly Singh was. Another self-help book by some celebrity. Oh well. I did find the overall concept of creating a triangle, a foundation of your values very interesting. I had never thought about it this way. Other than that I didn’t have a lot of things to identify with Lilly Singh. But it was only a one hour audiobook so it felt more like listening to a podcast.
Medium: audiobook through library
Original Language and Title: English ebook, hardcover
Publications: no translations yet
Recommend to: Everyone needing a quick positive lift in life.
Books I couldn’t finish
Keeping track of the books that weren’t right for me. This month it was:
- I am a nurse – I just didn’t feel the topic and couldn’t concentrate. Maybe at a later point.
- Boyfriend Material – I didn’t grab me and my time is too precious for mediocre romance.
- How I write – Felt like it was a bit too much self-adulation
New books on the shelves
Always buying books even though I am trying to reduce my TBR pile. Here is this month purchases. Please hold me accountable and ask if I read them or just piled them up.
- Lessons from Our Youth – kindle freebie
Do you have author friends? Have you ever felt scared reading a book? Do you read books with your word of the year in the title? What was the best audiobook so far this year for you? Any spring book I should pick up?
8 comments
I have friend who has written two non-fiction books. I keep meaning to read them. When he first published I was studying and didn’t have a heap of time to read for pleasure though.
Wow! Two friends.
What did they write about?
Felt like it was a bit too much self-adulation. LOLOLOLOL. Tell us how you really feel!
Well, what else to say. Only I had to look up this word as I never used in English. So not entirely sure it is exactly right as I also have never heard or read it so don’t have context here. But apparently you did understand. HAHA.
I have tried Boyfriend Material TWICE and I just cannot get through it. It’s a cult favorite among romance people, but it just isn’t for me.
I am so happy to hear it from the queen of romance reading. We’ve got other books that deserve our attention.
One friend who has written two books. The books were Christian non-fiction.
Did you read those? My parents have also written non-fiction books. While that is tough in its own I feel like a fiction book is differently tough. A non fiction is a true thing and you may not like it buts its facts. If you don’t like a fiction one it’s like you don’t like the thoughts of a friend. I was scared of that.