Because I’m soooo behind on book reviews, there are several short catch-up reviews in this post, including One Second After, Diary of a Mad Fat Girl and The Good Girl. There will probably be a few of these catch-up posts forthcoming, as I have a pile of finished books that have just been sitting in my GoodReads “currently reading” pile for ages.
I haven’t been writing at all since June, and I’m trying to (slowly) get back on the horse. I know these aren’t like my usual book reviews (where are the funny gifs and all the tasty tasty sarcasm?) but I’m trying to do a no-pressure return to blogging here. I promise that we will be back to our regularly scheduled programming as soon as it’s feasible.
One Second After by William R. Forstchen
My rating: 
(3 / 5)
Up for some Apocalyptic fiction with a slightly different twist? This book is about a big bang – the kind that makes all the lights go out. That’s right, an EMP pulse. It’s interesting that as a big reader of Apocalypse novels, I don’t see much that has to do with EMPs. Though it’s a part of the book The Fifth Wave, it isn’t a huge plot point, and it’s rarely seen elsewhere.
I spent an awful lot of time thinking the characters in this book were incredibly stupid. I was frustrated with the author; although he seemed well-versed in both weaponry and military strategy, he (or maybe just his characters?) seemed to have no clue about how to survive in the wild world of no electricity. I won’t spoiler the plot for you, but sheesh… I really hope that our society isn’t so incredibly dependent on technology that we would fall apart so badly, so quickly. Has everyone forgotten every homesteader skill? Did no one read Little House on the Prairie at least? Or watched Preppers on some random Saturday when there is nothing else on TV?
Because of how clueless the populace in general was in this book, I was frustrated and annoyed and can’t give it above three stars, even though I requested the sequel from the library the minute I finished this. I just felt cheated by the author, who created wonderful characters and an interesting plotline, but then made everyone clumsy and used clunky plot twists and some unnecessary gore and violence (I know, standard in Apocalyptic fiction, but still…).
Diary of a Mad Fat Girl by Stephanie McAfee
My rating: 
(3.5 / 5)
So close to four stars here. So close.
This is a funny, entertaining chicklit novel. It’s pretty standard fare; quirky but lovable main character with loyal and charming sidekick/friends faces a few stumbling blocks both in her career and her love life. She wins in the end, because she’s funny and charming and has a hand from her loyal sidekick/friends.
I laughed a lot during this book. It’s very, very entertaining even if it is very “typical” chick lit fare. Sometimes – especially in the summer time – that’s exactly what you want. This is a fantastic summer-in-the-backyard, vacation or beach read. It’s light and has enough twists and turns to keep you interested without being so involving that you actually have to use your brain to get through it. Like a quality episode of reality TV, this takes you away from life for a while and lets you relax, recharge, and get ready to take on your own world again.
The Good Girl by Mary Kubica
My rating: (3.5 / 5)
I haven’t been writing book reviews for about a month, and feel woefully out of practice. I also have a TON to catch up on so this will be short.
This is a right serviceable little mystery novel. I finished it more than a month ago, and parts of it – particularly a lovely twisty ending that I wasn’t expecting – still haunt me. That said, there are some problems that I had with the characters and the storyline, it wasn’t amazing and the writing, while perfectly adequate – was just that. Adequate. It didn’t wow me at all. This tries very hard to be Gone Girl or The Girl on the Train, but just doesn’t quite hit the right level of intrigue – at least not for me. That said, I found it entertaining and will likely read again from the same author.