September 2018 – Life and Other Disasters

It’s no secret that I have read very little during my time in Berlin so far. Being busy, tired and just generally occupied with other things will do that. I also have a very short way to and from work (which I love), so there’s not even really an opportunity to read on the train or so. But I am nonetheless quite happy I read something and here’s what that something was:

Click on the covers to get redirected to Goodreads!

Parsnips, Buttered: How to win at modern life, one email at a time by Joe Lycett

Every now and then, when the mood strikes, I like to dabble in some non-fiction books. And when I do, I am mostly drawn to works written by either actors or comedians I already know – Parsnips, Buttered was no exception to that.

People who have seen some of Joe Lycett’s work, know exactly what kind of ridiculous email-exchanges he gets himself tangled up in. This book is a hilarious compilation of some of his mischief, but it is by no means a guide or how-to-book. It’s just a little bit of short-lived fun that definitely got better with me hearing Joe’s voice narrate the whole thing in my head.

Fazit: 3/5 stars! I can see this working for some people and not at all striking the right chord with others.

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

Some of you already know this, but I won tickets to see a preview of The Darkest Minds in August. Even though I usually try to avoid dubbed versions of movies, I didn’t even mind it as much for this one and really enjoyed the film. In my opinion, that movie would have worked a whole lot better a couple years back, because dystopian YA book adaptations just aren’t really that sought after these days and all the adult reviewers kept comparing it to the likes of Hunger Games and Maze Runner, even though it could have been its own thing.

I am rambling too much tough. What I meant to say was that I enjoyed the movie, but that made reading the book in hindsight a little more tricky. It’s not that I think one or the other is better per se, just that there are almost as many similarities as there are differences and therefore reading can get a little tiresome.

For me, the book filled in some questions that were left open after watching the movie, while I generally enjoyed some of the visuals better than reading about those events. I am curious where this story will go, but it is not exactly a priority of mine. Chubs is definitely one of my favourite characters now and the guy who played Liam in the movie is on my radar for young talent!

Fazit: 3.5/5 stars! Is it wrong of me to say that the prime of those kind of stories is past?

Have you read either one of those? Did you read more installments in the Darkest Minds series? Did you see the movie and would you like a more thorough comparison from me? Let’s talk about it!

I don’t remember the last time I spent this much time on my own laptop, but it’s been really tough to find my work-life-balance so far (probably because I love work but whatever). Still, I don’t want there to only be trailer posts on the blog, so I was really happy that Kelly @Just Another Book in the Wall tagged me for the What’s On My Bookshelf Tag (originally created by Emily @Wicked Good Reads)! It’s a little hard to do without my physical bookshelf, but I will try my best!

A Library Book

I don’t have any library books, however, I DO have a book in library optic and that’s S. by J.J. Abrams and Doug Dorst. That book is something else, which always makes it hard to explain why I still haven’t finished reading it.

A Book You Got As a Gift

Probably a couple throughout my days, but somehow the first one I thought of was Landline by Rainbow Rowell, which my very good friend Cristina sent me all the way from Portugal. I love her so much and not just because she up and decided to send me one of her books to keep.

A Childhood Book

Today, I am really just going with the first book that pops into my mind, which in this case is Momo by Michael Ende. I am pretty sure I did a book report on it and confused my entire class about what it’s about.

A Magical Book

All books are magical in itself, because words are magic, but for the purpose of this tag I will go with Devils & Thieves. Despite the book having quite a few shortcomings, the magical system is really interesting!

A Romantic Book

Nicholas Sparks books are pretty much synonymous with romance, right? One of the ones I really, really liked was The Longest Ride. I guess I appreciate a good dual time line if done well.

A Steamy Book

I don’t really read all that many steamy books? But the first chapter of Save the Date by Morgan Matson was surprisingly steamy in comparison to the lack of romance (which I very much appreciated) during the rest of the book.

An Old Book

Persuasion? Persuasion! (Cause it’s my favourite Austen book.)

A Book That Makes You Happy and/or Laugh

I recently read Parsnips, Buttered by Joe Lycett, which is basically just a compilation of mails Joe wrote or received. Some of those stories are truly hilarious. He is one of my favourite British comedians, so I definitely laughed, while I simultaneously very much doubt it’s for everyone.

A Book That Makes You Emotional

We all know I cannot stop mentioning this book, but The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society was really great and made me feel so many different things.

A Book Whose Ending You Disliked

? I just always pretend that book doesn’t even exist in the series.

A Book You Wish Had Illustrations

I am not sure if maybe there were a couple tiny illustrations in The Night Circus, but I would want a proper graphic novel for the magic that is this book!

A Book or Genre You Like to Read on a Rainy Day

I think I am a pretty simple girl and can read whatever comes my way on a rainy day. Lately it has been more contemporary and adult fiction admittedly though.

I TAG THEE

Anyone and everyone who wants to do this tag! I am unfortunately really not able to be super active in the community right now, so I have no idea who has done the tag or who would enjoy it. Link me up if you decide to give it a try though, so I can see your answers!

Did you like this tag? Could you relate to my answers? Let’s talk a little bit in the comments and I’ll try not to need a week to respond to them!