Reading Wrap-Up: My Life with the Walter Boys, Short Stories from Hogwarts, Troy
The upheaval continues.
My life is in more chaos than ever, which I’m taking as a good thing! The only constant is change, right?
My kids are on spring break, so that’s an added bit of madness, but my girls are pretty great at entertaining themselves—even if that means water gun fights out in the thirty-five degree rain (the water guns were gifts from the Easter Bunny—a surprisingly big hit).
And besides, through it all, I still have books. Books are good. I’m pretty behind on uploading my wrap-ups, so these reviews are actually a couple of months old, but I’ve got some really great recommendations coming up. Books I absolutely loved.
Until then, these were fairly entertaining, if not all-time favorites. Have you read any? If so, what did you think?
My Life with the Walter Boys by Ali Novak (YA Contemporary Romance)
If you’ve been around, you know I love a good YA contemporary romance. I watched the Netflix adaptation, and had a decently good time with it, so I decided to give the novel a try.
I really enjoyed it!
The pacing was fast, the romance was swoony, most of the characters were a good hang. I wasn’t a huge fan of the casting choices in the Netflix adaptation, so I had fun imagining my own versions of the cast. Overall, it was pretty much exactly what I’m hoping for when I pick up a high school-centered romance. Not an all-time favorite, but a good time, for sure.
Short Stories from Hogwarts of Heroism, Hardship, and Dangerous Hobbies by J.K. Rowling (Fantasy - Short Stories)
I’m going to be honest, I remember virtually nothing from Lupin’s chapter, and I can’t even recall the third character whose backstory we got. But I love me some McGonnagall. And she even had a touch of romance, so…worth it!
This collection of short stories provides a deep(ish) dive into the backstories of some of the characters we know and love from the original series. The chapters are extremely short (1-2 pages), which made it an incredibly fast read. (I think the entire collection was only 40 or 50 pages).
If you love the Wizarding World and are looking for a way to sink back in, I recommend giving this collection a try.
Troy by Stephen Fry (Greek Mythology)
This is a Greek mythology retelling written and narrated (if you choose the audiobook) by Mr. Stephen Fry. Fry’s narration skills are off the charts (he did the entire Harry Potter series), and his writing is excellent.
I, however, long ago learned that Greek mythology is not my thing. My number one criteria to fall in love with a story—of any genre—is unbreakable bonds of love or friendship. I have seen this done superbly in everything from hard sci-fi to fluffy romance, but, in my experience, it is not something to go in expecting within Greek mythology.
Before you ask, no, I have not yet read The Song of Achilles (it is on my list, though), but I did read Circe by Madeleine Miller, and I found it to have the same problem I typically suffer from in regard to Greek mythology. Ultimately, I feel unmoored and uncomfortable in a world where the character has no loving support system whatsoever (though I did adore the ending of Circe).
It doesn’t mean I don’t love a bit of suffering. Give me the danger, the rock bottoms, the betrayals, but Greek gods are a bit too self-involved for my sympathy.
Whew. That was a rant. Again, the storytelling was excellent, so if you do enjoy Greek mythology, I’d definitely recommend this book. We read it for my cousin book club and those who had a preexisting enjoyment of mythology loved it.
Note: This is the third in the series by Fry, but they do not need to be read in order.
