Book Chat #38 – Pippa DaCosta, Karen McQuestion, Gene Douchette, & Katherine Applegate

I did get around to reading some books on my Kindle in the last month or so, plus I'm really enjoying my audiobooks too.

SHOOT THE MESSENGER by Pippa DaCosta

This was a seriously well-written mix of space and sci-fi with fantasy elements like magic and fairies. I really enjoyed the world building and descriptions. This book did use a storytelling technique that I'm not a huge fan of, an unreliable narrator, but still, like love triangles (which I also don't like), it didn't ruin the book for me. Expect to see this author featured on the blog soon!

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE by Jane Austen

I listened to 80% of this before I stopped it and moved on. I usually love this book but all the events felt anti-climatic and tiresome. Maybe I just wasn't in an Austen mood. That and I realized what an ass Darcy was. It's pretty apparent I'm never going to write P&P fanfic.

FROM A DISTANT STAR by Karen McQuestion

What a fantastic book! I really enjoyed this one, from the premise to execution and the happily ever after. It was one of those rare times when I thought the teenage heroine was a real teenager but not too stupid to live. She grows up and makes realistic decisions throughout this book and comes out stronger in the end. I need to check out more by this author.

THE SPACESHIP NEXT DOOR by Gene Douchette

I’m not sure how I ran across this book. Maybe from Bookbub? I enjoyed the audiobook, but I was thrown off when the cool science fiction of a spaceship in town became a zombie story. Look, I’m just not a fan of zombies. It’s not a trope I enjoy at all. So I thought I would mention it in case you feel the same way. This was well-written, though, so no complaints there!

WISHTREE by Katherine Applegate

I listened to this one with my daughter for her school. The whole school read this book and I was supposed to read from it aloud every night. I really don’t like reading aloud, sad to say. It makes me super tired and it’s hard to find the time. So I bought the audiobook instead and we listened to it together. It was great! And it was a great idea. It really kept my daughter engaged and she followed along in the book, learning new words along the way. We’re going to do this again this summer with another book by the same author.

And that's it for now! I'm continuing to cut back on social media so I can read and listen while knitting or walking. So far it's been great. Have a great weekend!