(b) Unteachable by Leah Raeder

Unteachable (2014) by Leah Raeder is a new adult novel about the (budding yet forbidden) relationship between a teacher and a student. In a nutshell. I don't feel like you need to know much else about the novel. If this topic bothers you, maybe steer clear of it; other than that, it was a refreshingly well-written novel about a potentially illicit relationship (no one was underage, just pointing that out). It has mature content so beware if your sensibilities are easily offended.

I read Colleen Hoover's Slammed a week before this so the whole "girl met boy, they like each other, boy turns out to be the teacher"-thing wasn't really as unique, and I might have preferred the more PG-13 version of the teacher-student relationship in Slammed. Perhaps since in the latter, the age difference was a mere three years.

Maisie O'Malley and Evan Wilke's (Mr Wilke) relationship is not a dirty one where the older teacher takes advantage of a young student (despite the numerous times the female protagonist referenced Lolita - I hated those), but a fairly equal romance. Both of them have their own secrets and crosses to bear, so I didn't feel like the male teacher was a father figure. It didn't seem "dirty" like I said before.

I liked the fact that the protagonist is a self-sufficient and a confident young lady - despite her family life and lack of financial possibilities. She is smart and an "old soul": something I think one of the characters even said at one point, perhaps to justify their relationship. She is a self-made woman and doesn't need anyone else's help in that department. Of course, her ways of achieving this aren't always necessarily right but still... It counts, right?

I can't say that I absolutely loved this novel. Everyone raves about the writing and as it was certainly beautiful, I don't think I could award the full five stars purely because of that. The plot had a few dramatic/twist-y moments that felt too cinematic. I'm sure this was purposeful, though! This is a risky subject to cover - teacher-student relationships - which was "worsened" in a way by the noticeable age difference between the two main characters. I think at one point the novel went in an odd direction for me and I just wasn't that invested in it but it didn't really feel "creepy" at any point.

I listened to the audiobook so maybe it was the narrator that had something to do with the three star rating (there are a few other hyped books that I don't love in audiobook form). While I generally liked her - voice-wise she more or less fit the part of a teenager - it seemed to take her a while to get a handle on the character. I wasn't a fan of her narration for the first half of the novel and thus I wasn't a 100% invested in the story.

I think all in all I would give this book 3,5 stars. I don't usually give half a star ratings but this one just fell perfectly between that ambiguous gap of liked but not REALLY liked it. I just didn't connect to any of the characters. Not enough to get really into it.

A lot of people mention the end and the lack of an epilogue. No spoilers! but I thought that it was perfect and an epilogue was not necessary. Usually, I really love epilogues and finding out what happened after the last chapter but in this one - considering the whole feel of the novel - the end was very fitting. This might even bump the rating up at a later point but right now I feel fairly happy with my rating.


Disclaimer: I bought this audiobook myself from Audible.

(b) Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch (1990) is a novel co-written by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. The cover and back blurb both emphasise the fact that the book is laugh out loud funny. This makes me very sceptical. However, in this case, I have to agree. I read this in the train and had to suppress my giggles and chuckles several times - to an acceptable level, of course. At home, I may or may not have even cackled.

To be honest, the other books I've read by Neil Gaiman have been not my cup of tea (The Graveyard Book and Stardust). But I guess it takes some Pratchett to make me love his writing. Obviously, I've no idea who wrote which part but all in all I really enjoyed the novel. I have to deduct a star, though, because I sort of lost interest for a while mid-way through the book, and wasn't very excited to read it. It just felt a bit slow - even though things were happening! The end picked right on up so it's a solid 4 stars for me (I really, really liked it).

Now, should I give a slight synopsis? The book deals with an impending apocalypse that has to be brought on by the Antichrist. A representative from Hell and Heaven are assigned to help/hinder the eventual Doomsday. I really enjoyed both of these characters: Crowley and Aziraphale. Later in the book there is a little possession-event that just cracked me up. The characters are all very well-written. No one is perfect, and no one acts the way you expect them to. I won't even tell you about the Antichrist and his, er, hell-hound.

I think if I knew more about the Bible, the novel would be even funnier as I feel I didn't get a few "inside" jokes. Still, it's a nice parody or a retelling without being overly mean; although it did have a side of healthy scepticism about certain aspects of religion. It feels very modern (naturally technologically less so) in its thought processes so the novel is very contemporary in that sense. I really enjoyed it and had a great time reading the novel (apart from that little bit in the middle).

I definitely recommend this novel. It's very entertaining and, indeed, you will definitely laugh (if not out loud, then at least be prepared for chuckles).

Disclaimer: I borrowed this book from a public library.

(b) The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

The Angel's Game (2008) by Carlos Ruiz Zafón is the second instalment in the Cemetery of Forgotten Books series. It probably could be read as a stand-alone but I've been told that the third book in the series (The Prisoner of Heaven) is essential to understanding this one. This leads me to the rating I gave this book. To beat around the bush a bit, I gave The Shadow of the Wind - the first book in this trilogy/series - 5 stars. It is one of my favourite books of all time as it was the perfect mixture of mystery and the sub-genre of "books about books". It made me love books even more and the whole novel was peppered with great quotes about reading, readers and novels. Not to mention very interesting and quotable characters.

This novel, however, will only receive 3 stars, I'm afraid (please see last post for my star rating system). I'm not sure if the average rating is due to the fact that I was expecting it to be on par with The Shadow... or that it's just a weaker novel. I fear the latter. OK, so I am sure why my rating came about. I can see how the author was trying to recreate the magical setting of Barcelona that worked so well in the first book (I'm sorry for all the comparisons with the first book, but this is the second in the series), but it felt gimmicky this time. He was repeating himself often - one quote was used four times in 60 pages when it would work better once (I know this, because the SAME quote was used in Shadow... and to a great effect).

I can go into details about the plot a little as this is a prequel and takes places before the events of The Shadow of the Wind. Sidenote, the books can be read out of order I've been told: TAG first, then TSotW and then TPoH. The protagonist David Martin is a struggling (at first) writer who writes a sinister and slightly paranormal novel series about the underworld of Barcelona. He becomes well-known but not under his own name. There is also a love interest - Cristina - but she doesn't feature that heavily in the novel. My favourite character was Isabella, to be honest, a minor character (well, her impact was big but she wasn't a main character). I don't know why lately I like side characters more than the main ones. Isabella was snarky and didn't take any crap from anyone. The protagonist, however - or was he an anti-hero? - was a horrible, spoiled brat. Possibly a little craycray. I'm not sure. Sorry, I got sidetracked, anyway a mysterious publisher commissions a book from the main character and a confusing events ensue. It's partly a detective/mystery novel but no one knows who are the bad guys and who are the good guys. There are crazy murders and crime and a lot of WTF-is-going-on moments until the very end.

Most of the plot of the novel was extremely disturbing and dark despite the seemingly sunny setting. Although, yes, I'm aware that Barcelona was not probably a lovely tourist destination back then (book takes place in the 1920-1930s). I guess the backdrop comes in really handy at this point: Barcelona, the sinister, Gothic architecture thereof, etc.

I read the novel in translation which I had some issues with. The text was full of cliches and saying that felt out of place, and I feel like so many better alternatives could have been found. I really enjoy the writing style of Ruiz Zafón but it felt a little too-much at times. Maybe flowery is the right word? It just felt a tad overwrought in places.

I really don't want to end on a negative note. Obviously, I liked the novel as I finished it and was not tempted to put it aside. It kept me interested and the action was very compelling at times. I think it takes amazing skill to come up with a plot like this: it was very convoluted but not necessarily in a bad way as I kind of enjoyed all the twists and turns, if this makes any sense. I will continue on with the series and I have a feeling I will have a better understanding of the events after the third book. Captain Obvious is obvious.

The book is worth picking up but if I put you off it a little with my inexperienced ramblings, then please at least read The Shadow of the Wind because that book is absolutely wonderful and a must-read for every true book-lover!


Disclaimer: I bought this book myself.

(b) Making Faces by Amy Harmon

Short announcement: I am back! I hope to start posting on this blog again regularly. I will focus more on books but if I manage to cook up something delicious (and photogenic), I won't hesitate to add pictures and/or recipes!

Now, on to the book. First of all, Making Faces (2013) by Amy Harmon is a very chaste new adult (YA?) novel. None of the hot sexy times that usually go along with the genre. :)

The novel features Fern Taylor, her love interest Ambrose, and also her amazing cousin Bailey (definitely my favourite character). Ambrose Young aka Hercules aka Sex-on-legs decided to join the army after 9/11 but returns with a severe injury (not a spoiler, it's on the back cover). Now, I really enjoyed the book as it was unique in the genre and a very quick read. The second half was extremely captivating and I could not put the novel down - figuratively, though, I read an e-book version.

However, I had some issues with it and thus decided to deduct a star (I'm using the Goodreads 5 star rating system*). There were a few flaws in logic that kind of bothered me. I'm not always very observant about editing issues, unless it's misspellings and typos, but I felt that these issues should have been eliminated in the editing process. I don't think I can go into this as it might spoil some aspects of the story.

Another qualm that I had with the novel is that ALL the horrible things happened to this tiny group of people. I feel like the author couldn't focus on one or two difficult subjects (eg PTS), and decided to cram in as much heartache as she possibly could for maximum emotional destruction. I won't mention everything as it would be spoilery, but come on... It got to be so much that it wasn't believable anymore. Of course, I know this is fiction and it's not supposed to be true. But in order to immerse myself in the world of the novel I want to be able to believe that this could happen (the positive things at least; not the bad things, please). Especially considering the whole metafiction aspect where the protagonist writes romance novels and then is surprised that people "in real life" actually say the sweet things of which she has only dreamed. Meaning she considers her life as real as it gets, not fiction. Sidenote/tangent: this is a pet peeve of mine. They use it in films and books alike... "Oh, this is just like in a film!!" ((you ARE in a film)). Minirant over.

Also, back on topic, I completely understand that bad things happen - especially to good people - but on this scale? Right, I don't think I can explain myself without some general SPOILERS [highlight to see the general spoilers: 

war, KIA, death of close friends, serious chronic disease, disfigurement, domestic abuse, physical violence, sudden death
all these happen to three or four close friends]. OK, spoilers OVER.

So yes, I hope I made any sense. Sorry if I came off a little cold-hearted and mean: it was still a lovely read, and I really enjoyed the novel. In my opinion, a strong four stars. Even though most of the novel is emotionally very taxing, it is also emotional in a good way as it has some definite swoon-worthy moments. All in all it is definitely worth a read, just have a box of tissues ready.



* 1 star - not really worth a read; did not enjoy at all; or did not finish
2 stars - less than average; quite boring; would not recommend
3 stars - it was all right, I liked it but had some issues
4 stars - I liked it a lot and really enjoyed reading it
5 stars - amazing; I love this book; it affected me emotionally and/or "came at the right time" for me personally

Disclaimer: I bought this e-book myself.

(b) a rabing fan-post, apologies

The Railway Station Man
by Jennifer Johnston

Another book by my absolute favourite Jennifer Johnston.

The protagonist is Helen Cuffe, a widow living alone somewhere in Co Donegal, near the coast. One day when her son Jack is visiting, she finds out an Englishman, Roger Hawthorne, has moved to the village, attempting to restore the old railway station, and to help with that - Damian Sweeney, a local rogue (kind of crushworthy material - he knits!). They fall in love, Helen and Roger. Also, Helen sort of rediscovers herself through her art. These descriptions were beautifully done, by the way.

The book has several themes, Troubles, for instance, and then also larger themes such as love, family relations, etc.

Although Johnston holds true to her tradition, providing us with an unhappy ending, there's also beautiful and powerful prose. I can't emphasize enough how much I enjoy her style. She's a natural with words, partly credited to her nationality, as well, perhaps. The Irish are great with words, and there's no denying that.

Anyways, this book is one of my favourites by her. Another 5/5. Heart-wrenchingly sad yet beautiful. And there are no more JJ's books available in Estonia! In English, that is. There is one in Estonian I haven't read yet, but I must say that she's better in the original. Even more amazing.

Enough, now. I'm boring you. Read Jennifer Johnston!, and that's an order.

(b) triple post

I've finished the Harry Potter series. My reviews of the last three books are as follows:


Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
by J. K. Rowling

This was the fifth and largest installment of the series, all together 766 pages.
Lord Voldemort has returned, and Harry knows this, as do all his friends, but not all are so willing to believe the return of the Dark Wizard, and this what this book deals with. Harry will have to stand his ground, and to help him with this - the Order of the Phoenix, now declared outlaws by the Ministry of Magic for contradicting them.

It is also Harry's fifth year at the school, and he is about to receive his OWLs, a sort of a wizarding equivalent for... well I'm not sure what. The 6th year would present NEWTs, which are one step further and after that there would be the final year, after the wizards and witches are of age (17 in the magical world). So, indeed. And, present in the book, so far, my all-time least favourite character of all, I think (Ms Umbridge). She was just, pure evil! I mean Voldemort's horrid, but this woman is malign, if not in the expected way. Or maybe it's just my hate toward the bureocracy of the school systems talking...

After finishing this book, I claimed it was my second favourite (this changed later), since I read through the "last" 500 pages in one sitting, looking forward to what will happen, it was a great thrill and there was much suspense. Too much even. Not many books will make you cringe out of sympathy towards the characters if they have to deal with raging unfairness... This one did. A great book.
(ALTHOUGH, there were certain points were the sheer teenageness of Harry got on my nerves, he was quite a brat, but you know, it was only expected, lots of pressure on him.)


Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
by J. K. Rowling

Harry is on his sixth year at Hogwarts, having received OWLs in the necessary subjects to go forward with his studies. He is looking forward to his favourite lesson of Defence Against the Dark Arts, and celebrates not taking Potions with his enemy Snape, BUT the teachers have changed, and well... What I was getting at, is that he is able to study Potions without Snape as a teacher, and he becomes top of class with the help of a text book once belonging to the Half-Blood Prince (I just wanted to clear up the title here).
In general, the magical community has now more or less accepted that Voldemort is indeed back. Lots of adventures and mishaps, as always. No one could be trusted for certain, and allegiances are tested (the official blurb helped me out here), and well, the book ends in quite a sad event..

Also a large part of the book dedicated to the relationships. Only natural for 16-year-olds. This was fun to read. And funny, too. Ron and Hermione are one of my favourite couples in fiction.. Nice.

The book read quite quickly, mostly because I couldn't wait to go on to the last book of the whole series. Just when you think Rowling has exhausted the plot and you think every character has finally been introduced, she presents another twist and then another. And the plot devices she uses are never dull.
I love the book is not a first, but a third person narrative. I've always preferred the latter.



Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
by J. K. Rowling

Now, the end is here, well quite literally. The last leg of Harry's journey. He has left Hogwarts on a secret mission trusted to him by Dumbledore. And it is a dangerous one, Voldemort is now intent, moreso than ever before, to capture and kill him. The Ministry has been overthrown by dark forces, and danger lurks everywhere. In addition to his mission, a new thread is introduced, the search for the (Deathly) Hallows.. Just when you thought it was complicated enough.

This was my second favourite book of the series, the fifth installment thus reduced to the 3rd place among my favourites of them all. (Although it doesn't mean the rest are dull, but these I love the most; well, actually, I did not like fourth book that much, it just dragged).

The book had the ending I wanted. I had read about it before, hence I was unaffected by some of the surprises (thankfully! - I could've been miserable otherwise). Anyways, justice prevailed, and the Good guys won, of course. I think you guessed that much.
Nevertheless, I must emphasize yet again and again the sheer brilliance of Rowling's imagination. She is absolutely amazing and brilliant, and INVENTIVE. And I loved the epilogue, I like my happily-ever-afters! A perfect ending to a perfect series, no doubt (not easy to keep up the suspense 'til the last page!). And this is my final answer. I think I'll miss reading the books... Which just goes to show the quality, doesn't it?

(b) four

The fourth installment is as follows:

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
by J. K. Rowling

Harry's still at Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft. This time the story focuses more on the summer, as well, and the whole book is nearly 400 pages longer than the previous ones. When he's back at school, it seems that by some mistake or unfortunate event his name has been added to the Goblet of Fire, and he is to enter the Triwizard Tournament, a kind of international wizarding event. Plenty of action ensues, and troubles, naturally.

The book is not one of my favourites, perhaps I've had a bit of an overdose of Harry Potter, having read the books on consecutive days, or maybe it was just the length - previous books were 200-300 odd pages, this one over 600. In fact, I had to stop reading it mid-way through and went on to another one. The last 200 pages picked up quite nicely, though, and kept me on the edge of my seat (is this expression used for books?), and I kept hearing myself saying "come on, now" and clutching the book, as if that would help. It didn't.

Although being a hefty book, I believe there was sufficient amount of plot to fill it, so it really wasn't dragging that much. Maybe I just needed a break.
I do not know the outcome of the next book, so I'm guessing that'll be more of a thrill to read, not having seen the film. I will continue on reading the series, of course.

I'm not sure I'd recommend this book on its own (though it can be read as such), it just wasn't as good as the previous ones, for some reason. In my own opinion! But if you're committed to the series, I'm in no doubt you will finish them all, so this is all quite pointless, isn't it? Well, I just like the sound of my own voice.. or, er, you know what I mean.

(b) three

I should read something else in between, because I'm sure you are bored to read about Mr Potter, already. Nevertheless, I finished No Three:

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
by J. K. Rowling

Harry has started his third year at Hogwarts. Every book being dedicated to one school-year. This time, the pupils movements have been restricted even further, since a dangerous murderer is on the run from the Azkaban prison (wouldn't have guessed that from the title, would you?). And for some reason, the escaped prisoner is after Harry... Or so it seems.

I have failed to mention that all of these books will actually stand on their own quite well, since at the beginning and during the books, the back-stories are rather concisely explained (this may get a bit tiresome for someone reading ALL of the books, however - though it has to be remembered that the books were published one per year, so .. nevermind!).

Generally, I think this is my favourite so far. The language, still great. The world is getting more and more detailed, and updated, naturally. There are new (technical) developments in the Wizardry world, as well, just like in ours. I'm amazed how, well, realistic it seems, if that's the right word to use here.
I laughed out loud I can't recall how many times, there were a few great one-liners and generally many situations played out brilliantly. Wonderful entertainment. I can understand why both parents and children are fond of the series alike. Oh, and I'm sort of crushing on Ron. Weird. I blame this on the films, though.

To sum up, Rowling's imagination never ceases to amaze me! And for the first time I'm dreading to reach the end, because there will be no more Potter books. Though I am looking forward to reaching book No Five, because I don't know how that one ends (haven't seen the film), so I'm guessing it'll be even more compelling to read.
Recommend the book, no doubt.

(b) part two

I've decided upon reading through all of the Harry Potter books, now. But since it'd be unfair to tell on the whole plot, and I've already described the general plot of the books, see last post, then I'll just make it as short as possible.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
by J. K. Rowling

Well-well, the same general talk applies. Book about Harry Potter, naturally, and his friends Ron and Hermione (I feel a bit of a cool love-story evolving, in a very-very sweet adolescent way, you know "awww"-type of crushing).
When the last adventure seemed to be more out of curiosity than anything else, then this time it's a rather purposeful mystery-solving and quite a bit of detective work involved. Of course, the incentive being that a few close friends of Harry have been affected.

Overall, another riveting schoolyear in Hogwarts, with plenty of brilliant characters and back-stories (spells, potions, herbs!, esp "when they start climbing into each other's pots, we'll know they're mature"). Wonderful, indeed!

The books are indeed quick reads, and well, the quality has not faltered, and I expect them to keep it up. I'm sure another review will be up shortly. Great literature, I can understand why they're featured in so many best-books-of-the-decade, etc lists. Compelling stuff, I'd say. And I thoroughly enjoy Rowling's English!

To be continued... no doubt about it.

(b) and it has begun...

Yes, I set myself a challenge this year, to start reading the Harry Potter books. I was sure I didn't like them, or would feel rather impartial about them. Well, as it turned out, it is not a challenge after all. Here I go:

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
by J.K. Rowling

I'm rather certain everyone knows what these books are about, even the people who haven't read them or seen the films.. Still:
The story is about an orphan, so to say, Harry Potter, who lives with his horrible aunt and uncle and their son. One summer day, on his 11th birthday, Harry finds out he is a wizard, and he is shipped off to Hogwarts, a school of wizardry and witchcraft. He befriends other students, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, and they embark on many adventures together, and Harry will have to face his mortal enemy from since he was a baby, Voldemort, the man (or whatever form he's currently in) responsible for his orphaned status. It's first in the series, as well you know, so the book ends with the schoolyear and a promise of more adventures to come. Can't wait.

As for my opinion, well.. I've always admired writers who can conjure up a new world next to ours, with a feeling that it could be perfectly real. This author has a real talent for that, everything is explained and no matter how unbelievable it may seem, you never doubt that this world coexists with ours. Well, at least, in the books...You know what I mean. (Though I might keep a look-out the next time I'm in London, for suspicious pubs or people with cloaks...)

I'd say it's a great book, and a series. I will have to rush through my work today, in order to continue reading the second book. I'm not enthralled by it like by another series (begins with a T and ends with a t, and in the middle you find the letters wiligh), since there's no love story in it, YET, and I'm just a sucker for those (I'm sorry), but nevertheless... It is a wonderful world and Rowling deserves the highest praise for it. The language, I read it as an original although I believe the Estonian translation is equally good, was amazing and just a joy to read. I laughed out loud several times, which is always a good thing. And despite being about children, and well, MAGIC, I still loved it. There was one bit which seemed a bit clumsy, but you know, it was only a few lines and purely for the sake of the plot, and did not ruin the pure perfection of the rest of the book.
If you haven't read it, and feel like you want, but are in doubt - do! It sure is a thrill. Read it in two sittings, but only because it was 3 am and I thought it best to get some sleep. I liked the book, and the beginning of the series, a lot, but then again.. I've always had a thing for outworldly creatures and things conjured up by overinventive and vivid imaginations.
The series isn't a legend for no reason, after all. No rating, you either read and love them, or you don't read them, because you don't like them. Easy as that, no?