Book Review: Ian McGuire - The Abstainer (expected publication 2020)

The Abstainer is an incredibly difficult book for me to review, because I was so eager to pick it up after absolutely loving Ian McGuire’s previous book “The North Water”. I had expected, based on the premise, that both books would be equally dark and terrifying. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel that was the case for his latest work.  

The Abstainer takes place in 19^th century Manchester where three Fenians, members of a secret society bent on ending the rule of the English in Ireland, are hanged. Stephen Doyle, an Irish-American veteran of the Civil War, comes to the city for revenge. He has to bring the revolution to the next level. 

We mainly follow James O’Connor, an Irish constable in Manchester, who is intent on stopping the Fenians from wreaking more havoc. He has collected a group of spies around him to thwart the newcomer as much as possible. His nephew arrives from the USA whose new face offers even more opportunities to get closer to Doyle. 

It could’ve potentially been such a dark story. The novel tries to show us the endless cycle of obsession and revenge. However, the narrative felt disjointed. It started right at the centre of the action with the hanging and Doyle’s arrival, then it dragged on until the 70% mark. Characters made silly mistakes, that I saw going wrong from the get-go. I marked a few passages where I put notes on how the actions would affect the story and all of them came true.

Towards the end, the novel did take some interesting turns. There were even moments where I felt uneasy, which was a feeling I was hoping to feel. I hoped the book would end on that same high note, giving me the opportunity to rate it with at least three stars, but my feelings were short-lived and the ending left me wanting way more from the story and the promising historical setting. 

I would definitely like to pick up more books by Ian McGuire, but I have to admit that The Abstainer wasn’t for me. 

2 stars

Many thanks to the publisher for providing me with a free review copy. 

Statistics:

Date read: May 31, 2020

Date published: September, 2020

Publisher: Simon and Schuster UK

Format: eBook

Pages: 320

Genre: Historical Fiction

My Number of Books Read by this Author: 2

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Book Review: Masaji Ishikawa - A River in Darkness (published in 2000)

I picked this book up, because I've not read any books about the experiences of North Korea. What I have seen of the country is what people who have travelled there have covered. A very unrealistic view. The one the government would like you to see.

I picked Masaji Ishikawa's book, because it's a true story about a man who escapes the country. It's not focused on the escape though, it's focused on his stay in the country.

Ishikawa moves to North Korea as a young boy. He is born in Japan to a Korean father and Japanese mother. His father yearns to return to Korea. However, when they do they discover it's not as they had hoped.

Food rations are incredibly low in the country and foreigners (even ones that were born in Korea) are despised and the last ones to receive jobs. Needless to say, Ishikawa's family suffers.

It's a heart-wrenching read. I wished good things would happen to him, unfortunately this book is mainly regarding the heartbreak.

“There’s a saying, “Sadness and gladness follow each other.” As I see it, people who experience equal amounts of sadness and happiness in their lives must be incredibly blessed.”(Ishikawa)

4 stars

Statistics:

Date read: May 30, 2020

Date published: 2000

Publisher: Amazon 

Format: Audiobook

Pages: 159

Genre: Non-fiction

My Number of Books Read by this Author: 1

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Book Review: Adam Sternbergh - The Blinds (published in 2017)

The ending redeemed a lot of the book. 

It wasn't enough for me to give it a higher rating than two stars though. 

I really liked the concept. There's a town in the middle of nowhere in the USA where criminals and people have testified against criminals live. Shielded away from the rest of the country. There's one thing that sets this location apart from all other. It's a social experiment. All people have had their memories removed. 

Most of them have had the specific memories of the crimes removed, others (that have been in the village the longest) have had large parts of their memory removed. 

Sheriff Calvin Cooper has been a law man for the full eight years in the town. He has seen everyone coming and going (people are actually free to leave), and he has been there when new joiners had to pick their new names and identities. Then one day a murder happens. Then the next. This is unheard of in the town isolated from the rest of the world. Cooper starts the investigation. 

The book takes place in the span of a week. The thing that annoyed me the most was that everything seemed to be going fine for eight years, and then suddenly everything starts to unspool. The murders aren't the only things going on in the town. 

There are people with assignments, special agents suddenly coming in, and people are getting their memories back. It all felt a bit random all at once. 

This does get explained in the end, but for me it wasn't an enticing enough read. I didn't care for the characters enough; not even the ones we should care about the most. 

The pacing felt off as well for me. The build up is slow and then it all escalates, but it goes out of control a few times as well. It was a bit too overdone and chaotic for my taste.

The premise will stick with me, but the execution of it is not something that will linger in my mind (no pun intended).

2 stars

Statistics:

Date read: May 28, 2020

Date published: August 1, 2017

Publisher: Faber & Faber

Format: Paperback

Pages: 382

Genre: Mystery/Thriller/Horror

My Number of Books Read by this Author: 1

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Book Review: Brandon Sanderson - Elantris (published in 2005)

I considered giving this book 4 or 4.5 stars. However, after reading the Postscript which was written by Sanderson in 2015, I can only give it 5 stars like all the books I've read by him so far. 

I think he's one of the best writers I've ever encountered. I don't know how he creates such a beautiful world and characters, and how he does it over and over again. 

Elantris is completely different from the Mistborn trilogy. Those are big and pompous stories, with large and complicated worlds and epic fight scenes and non-stop action. Elantris has a completely different rhythm. 

The world is small. It's encompassed in a city in the shadows of Elantris. A large city that used to be the place where the most powerful magicians live. That city, for some unknown reason, has become completely derelict. The people know receiving the former blessing are now seen as cursed. 

Reodan, heir to the throne of the neighbouring city of Elantris, becomes cursed in one of the first scenes of the book. 

We follow three characters in these chapters. Sarene is Reodan's wife, although they have never met. She arrives one day late and is told the prince is dead. Hrathen, a monk to a religion who is out to rule the world and Reodan himself who is trying to survive in the cursed city of Elantris. 

The pace is a bit off in this novel, but it ends with a bang. I don't know, there's something about Sanderson's writing that keeps me enthralled whether the energy is high or low. I can really appreciate this slower novel as well. I can't wait to read the short stories that take place in this world as there are no sequels (yet).

I have all of Sanderson's novels in my bookcase, so let's see which one to pick up next.

5 stars

Statistics:

Date read: May 22, 2020

Date published: May 1, 2005

Publisher: Gollancz

Format: Paperback

Pages: 608

Genre: Fantasy

My Number of Books Read by this Author: 4

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Book Review: Elizabeth Acevedo - Clap When You Land (published in 2020)

I have heard so many good stories about Elizabeth Acevedo's writing. I saw that this book came out, and I decided to pick it up straightaway. 

I ended up really enjoying the writing, even though the slam poetry style did take some getting used to. I decided to listen to it, in order to grasp the flow better. 

The story also appealed to me. It's about two sisters who don't know about each other's existence. A man from the Dominican Republic has two wives. One in the US with daughter Yahaira and one in the DR with daughter Camino. You hear the story about these two girls, and the accident that brings them together. I like the stark contrast between both their lives, and the underlying similarities. 

It's an interesting read. It doesn't say too much and it doesn't delve into unnecessary emotions like YA can sometimes do to bring a point across. Everything told in this book is told as a matter-of-fact, and I like that. 

I like how it tells about an event that probably not many people know about, I have certainly never heard about it. I will certainly check out more of Acevedo's books in the future.

4 stars

Statistics:

Date read: May 17, 2020

Date published: May 5, 2020

Publisher: Quill Tree Books

Format: Audiobook

Pages: 432

Genre: Contemporary, YA

My Number of Books Read by this Author: 1

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Book Review: Haruki Murakami - What I Talk about When I Talk about Running (published in 2007)

Reread 2020: 


I read this book for the first time back in 2010. Back then, I didn't even consider running myself. I think I picked this book (by the looks of the label I bought it in Thailand) back in 2009, because I liked Murakami's writing. 

Now, I can understand what he means. I have started running myself, and his words are really inspiring to read. Murakami is such a "normal" but at the same time extraordinary person. The way he writes about long-distance running (and novel writing) are inspirational to me. 

Yesterday, I went running my usual 5km with this book in mind. Who knows, maybe I'm able to complete a marathon one day. For now, it's good enough to just keep running and keeping my body fit.

4 stars

Statistics:

Date read: May 10, 2020

Date published: October 15, 2007

Publisher: Vintage

Format: Paperback

Pages: 181

Genre: Memoir/Biography

My Number of Books Read by this Author: 4

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Book Review: John Scalzi - Head On (published in 2018)

This book has exactly the same problem as the predecessor Lock In had for me. I really like the premise of the book. This one even more so than the previous one. However, the story about the different upper class criminals and big businesses is simply not my thing. 

This book is about the same characters as before. FBI agents Shane and Vann. Shane is a high-profile Haden with lock-in syndrom, which means he's stuck at home while he is transported by Threeps. Robots. 

Now, there's a game which involves threeps. The game is very violent and it involves taking the head off of one Threep and scoring with it. The threep whose head is taken suddenly dies at home, which is very unusual for this game. 

I like Scalzi's writing, it's fun and light. I like the story in its essence and I like the idea behind it. I simply don't enjoy the big corporations that play a part in the storyline. That brings my rating down massively. For me, it would've been better if the baddies were normal people. 

I bought the sequel to Lock In because it sounded fun, but I won't pick up any more if other books in the series are released.

3 stars

Statistics:

Date read: May 9, 2020

Date published: April 17, 2018

Publisher: Tor Books

Format: Audiobook

Pages: 335

Genre: Science-Fiction

My Number of Books Read by this Author: 2

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Book Review: Suzy Krause - Sorry I Missed You (published in 2020)

I had a bit more difficulty than usually trying to pick an Amazon First Read. I stumbled upon this one though and even though it's not a book I would usually pick, I decided to go for it. 

This novel by Krause is about a man who inherits a house from his aunt, which he's not allowed to sell and which have (in his mind) impossible and outrageous living conditions. 

He decides to rent the big house out, with ghosts and all. Three women move in. All of them have been "ghosted" for different reasons. Maude has been left at the altar, Mackenzie lost her sisters, and Sunna her best friend. These three women get to know each other really quickly when a mysterious letter shows up at their house from an unknown sender. Who is returning for them? Is it the runaway fiancé? The missing sister? The best friend? 

The story of the book is funny in itself, but the writing is great! The dialogues are often funny and quite relaxed. A lot happens in the book, because these three main characters aren't the only ones central to the plot. Larry, the landlord is as well. I didn't like him that much. The author didn't try to make him likeable. Then there are the ghosts... 

It's worth a read, and I'm happy once again with my Amazon First Read pick!

4 stars

Statistics:

Date read: May 8, 2020

Date published: June 1, 2020

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing

Format: eBook

Pages: 316

Genre: Contemporary

My Number of Books Read by this Author: 1

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Book Review: Tarryn Fisher - Mud Vein (published in 2014)

I wish someone warned me this wasn't a dirty romance book. I never read such book, but I craved one. I saw the cover; read the blurb; picked it up and actually got a completely different book than I was expecting. 

It's wordy, it's deep, it's also not. 

Senna, a reclusive writer, wakes up locked in a house with an ex. She doesn't know who has locked them up together and while they struggle to survive, she tells us her life story. 

There are so many elements to the book I didn't enjoy. The thing it lacked most of all for me were accurate emotions. In the sense that I'm sure the emotions described in the book are accurate, but I couldn't identify with any of them. It's not how I think, it's now how I live my life. 

Quotes like these had me rubbing me head: "I kiss the man I lie to. He kisses me with truth. I am set free."

I'm sure it makes sense, but not to me. I'm sorry, this book is not for me. 

In the mean time, I still have a craving for a smutty romance novel but I'll guess I'll move on to more serious books next

2 stars

Statistics:

Date read: May 2, 2020

Date published: March 8, 2014

Publisher: Independent

Format: Paperback

Pages: 292

Genre: Romance

My Number of Books Read by this Author: 1

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Book Review: Mira Grant - Into the Drowning Deep (published in 2017)

This book is soooo good I don't even know where to start. 

My expectation were pretty low going in. I don't know why. I think it's because I didn't think Mira Grant (aka Seanan McGuire) could write good horror. That is based on nothing (but a little bit on my rating of Every Heart a Doorway). 

That having been said, she can really write an extensively researched novel about one topic that brings facts, fiction, myths, good characters, and thrills together in one book of almost 500 pages.

The concept is simple, and I wish there were more books like this around. I adore a good research-science turns horror book. 

This book starts out with the story of the Atargatis. A boat that was out to film a mockumentary about mermaids. The crew was killed during that expedition by what looked a lot on the found footage, like mermaids. Seven years later a new crew is assembled to proof that the footage wasn't a hoax. 

You'd think this is a bad idea and it really is. 

Some people go on this expedition to proof their theories about mermaids, some go only to hunt, some go to see where there family members were lost at sea. 

It's a long ride, but it's a good one. I can really recommend this book if you're into horror that is. It's a bit unsavoury at times, but that's part of the thrill.

5 stars

Statistics:

Date read: April 27, 2020

Date published: November 14, 2017

Publisher: Orbit

Format: Paperback

Pages: 486

Genre: Mystery/Thriller/Horror

My Number of Books Read by this Author: 3

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Book Review: Stephen Fry - Mythos (published in 2017)

Stephen Fry's Mythos is a fantastic book. You get what you expect from it. Not more and not less. That might not sound very promising, but it is. Especially if you're a fan of Greek mythology like I am. 

It's important to note that the stories in this book won't surprise people who have had Ancient Greek and Latin at school or if you've watched Xena and Hercules or if you've read Homer and Ovid; you will probably know more about the characters in the book than Fry has covered in his book. 

The stories he tells about Zeus, Hera, Aphrodite (and other gods and other stories from the metamorphoses) are pretty short and to the point. 

As Fry says himself in the afterword, this book is meant for everyone. People with no knowledge and people with a lot of knowledge on the subject, everyone should be able to at least enjoy the fact that there's another collection of stories from Greek mythology. 

Tip: listen to the audiobook! It's narrated by the author.

4 stars

Statistics:

Date read: April 22, 2020

Date published: November 2, 2017

Publisher: Penguin

Format: Audiobook

Pages: 442

Genre: Historical Fiction

My Number of Books Read by this Author: 4

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Book Review: Delia Owens - Where the Crawdads Sing (published in 2018)

This book has been on my to-read list for more than a year. It sounds like a story I would absolutely adore. It has a gorgeous setting, it takes places in the past and it's a bit of a tear-jerker from what I've heard. 

When I started, I was ready for a book like the one Kristin Hannah writes. It's not though. It's a bit more lyrical, and the environment is described more than the people and emotions. The story isn't very fleshed out, but it tells so much. 

The book is about a little girl, who's left behind by her whole family in the marshes of North Carolina. Her neighbours look down at her, but she managed to survive on her own. I haven't seen the marches, but I feel like I have after reading this book. 

The main element of the story, the main subject matter if you will, is the murder of a young man. 

I got sucked into this book and I couldn't stop flipping the pages, highly recommended!

4 stars

Statistics:

Date read: April 19, 2020

Date published: August 14, 2014

Publisher: G.P Putnam's Sons

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 370

Genre: Historical Fiction

My Number of Books Read by this Author: 1

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Book Review: Mascha Feoktistova & Max de Vries - Je doet het toch wel gratis? (published in 2019)

I like to mix my fiction & non-fiction up a bit. I'm hoping to learn things from both categories of books. 

I've followed Mascha's vlogs for years, and I thought I would learn something from her book and from the strategies she employs to run a succesful business. She managed to bring her brand to the next level, every time a new trend enters the market. 

Unfortunately, the book does not do this. It remains a bit too high-level for my liking. Even I understood the concept quite fast, even though I'm not a marketeer. It's an interesting read, but it didn't teach me anything new. 

I won't comment on all the language errors & spellings errors because I think a lot of people have done that. Just know that when you pick it up now, it still contains them. I'm sure in future versions, these will all be removed.

2 stars

Statistics:

Date read: April 12, 2020

Date published: November 7, 2020

Publisher: Bertram + de Leeuw Uitgevers

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 183

Genre: Non Fiction

My Number of Books Read by this Author: 1

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Book Review: Andrew Mayne - The Girl Beneath the Sea (published in 2020)

I feel so bad for giving this book a low rating. I was actually thinking about giving it 1 star, but that's really harsh. 

This book lacked so many elements. The most striking one of all is depth (no pun intended). The story is about a girl who works freelance for the police in Florida. Her uncle has been arrested on drug charges and for that reason her father isn't a fan of the police either. 

She's not a black sheep of the family, but she keeps her police business far away from them. Then one day, she goes solo diving for archeological treasure (yes, she does that too normally with a friend who isn't present in this book). A body is dumped next to her in the water, and what do you know? It's a person she actually knows!

She now feels threatened by the criminals, so she goes on a hunt (with the man who arrested her uncle). 

I found the plot to be thin and uninteresting. The chapter titles which only refer to all things nautical but say hardly anything about the content say it all. The character development is flimsy. I didn't find the main character Sloan to be believable. Her emotions and thoughts were scattered and she would jump from one opinion to the next. 

This is the first booked I picked from Amazon First Reads that I didn't enjoy. Let's see what next month has in store for me!

2 stars

Statistics:

Date read: April 8, 2020

Date published: May 1, 2020

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Format: eBook

Pages: 332

Genre: Mystery/Thriller/Horror

My Number of Books Read by this Author: 1

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