pickFirst Palahniuk book—very refreshing to read such a unique voice. Victor‘s relationship with his best friend is surprisingly delicate, sincere and sweet. Palahniuk writes with a lot of absurdity that feels realistic—he dwells on sides of life that are rarely illuminated: what it‘s like to be a genuinely pathetic or disappointing person, disgust and cringe worthiness that is nonetheless relatable. Good twist at the end, worth the read
pick1st of all, I never read mysteries much less murder m. 2nd of all, I've been in a slump 4 a long stretch. Go to the book profile because enough has already been said. So I'll just emphasize how much fun this book was. It's for kids, but I'd rec 4th grade and up. Some may find the murders a bit gruesome. The vocab might be tiresome for some kids, but this would be a great listen for the whole family or read aloud. Perfect for a budding logophile.
so-soNormally, I'm a fan of Palahniuk, but this one fell flat.
What started off as an interesting premise gradually lost its balance for me, resulting in a boring last act. I couldn't help but feel that Palahniuk went overboard with the repetition in this one (especially as it pertained to his world-building), and could really benefit from more "show" and less "tell".
All in all, this one was a "meh" - teetering on a pan. Color me surprised!
pickThe Weirdies kid's books are very reminiscent of the A Series of Unfortunate Events and they are very weird. I randomly stumbled upon these and listened to the audiobooks because Kate Winslet is the narrator. The story follows the Weirdie triplets Barnacle, Garlic, and Melancholy that woke up one day and found their "parents", all 200 servants and every item from the house gone.
pickI adored this MG mystery and its quirky cast of characters. On the surface, it‘s my favorite kind of mystery-a group of people isolated from the outside world while one-by-one bodies start piling up. Dig a little deeper, and it‘s about family, language, living up to or defying expectations, and self-discovery. Shenanigan Swift is also my favorite kind of MG character-a little wild, a little feral, a little naughty, and a whole lot of fun.
pickAt least one of my 2024 goals has been achieved. ✅️
I set out to read all 13 books of A Series of Unfortunate Events. I moved to audio on book 5 and was rewarded with Tim Curry narration beginning with book 6, The Ersatz Elevator. It proved to be my favorite, with Curry's performance of Esme Squalor and her obsession with trends that are in and things that are out. Overall, the series was a pick, but I didn't love it.⬇️
so-soI am probably in a good place to give a so-so rating because I do typically enjoy Palahniuk‘s work. This one, while a lot of fun at first, petered out for me. I‘m not sure where he lost me, but he did. And that‘s okay. You can‘t win them all. A 13-year-old girl is poised take over Hell. I was unaware this was a series when I picked it up, so I‘ll hold off Judgement Day until I finish it. Maybe it‘ll all tie up nicely?
so-soShenanigan Swift has always been known for mischief. A family reunion turns into a murder mystery and Shenanigan is ready to solve the case. With the help of her sisters, Shenanigan looks for suspects and finds out about hidden family treasure along the way. I was expecting a great mystery with some laugh out loud moments. I felt it was quite slow and lacked excitement and pace which was disappointing for a middle grade book.
It was a bright, well dressed morning in early May, and the Swifts were in the middle of a funeral.
#firstlinefriday
