Happy Saturday everyone! I hope everyone's been staying healthy and happy. I can't believe May is almost over! Anyway, that means that I've now completed 10 tasks of Book Riot's 2021 Read Harder Challenge. The tasks I completed this month required me to read a book featuring a beloved pet where the pet doesn't die and a non-European novel in translation and I selected The Purloined Poodle (Oberon's Meaty Mysteries #1) by Kevin Hearne and Ring (Ring #1) by Koji Suzuki, translated by Robert B. Rohmer and Glynne Walley. Read on to see my mini reviews and what's coming up for June:
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The Purloined Poodle (Oberon's Meaty Mysteries #1) by Kevin Hearne was absolutely delightful. It was so much fun to see Oberon and Atticus again. I didn't finish the main series, The Iron Druid Chronicles, all that long ago but I missed seeing them, especially Oberon. He's just a very good, smart boy. Plus, he gets some of the best lines and here he gets to narrate his own whodunit. I can't wait to read Oberon's second mystery, The Squirrel on the Train.
My review is also on Goodreads.
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I was really looking forward to Ring (Ring #1) by Koji Suzuki, translated by Robert B. Rohmer and Glynne Walley since I love both the original Japanese movie adaptation and the American remake. I can now officially say that I definitely prefer the original Japanese movie adaptation and the American remake to the novel. My main problem with this book was the two main characters, Asakawa and Ryuji. I liked their movie counterparts well enough (Reiko and Ryuji in the original Japanese movie and Rachel and Noah in the American remake), but in the case of the novel let's just say I was glad that Ryuji dies (although it was an incredibly disappointing scene coming from cool and terrifying that scene is in the movies). Asakawa was very grating especially when it comes how he treats his wife and daughter, but Ryuji is a proud rapist. And Asakawa is his best friend who keeps his secret. Then after Ryuji's death, a woman tells Asakawa that he wasn't really a serial rapist it was just a story he made up. Was that supposed to be redeeming quality - that he was lying all along about being a rapist? Seriously, how both women and rape are treated throughout this novel is really screwed up. I definitely won't be continuing on with the book series, but I definitely plan on rewatching the movie adaptations to get this disappointment out of my mind.
My review is also on Goodreads.
Next Up For June:
Read a nonfiction book about anti-racism
My choice: How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi - It's more than time to read more from Kendi.
Read an LGBTQ+ history book
My choice: When Brooklyn was Queer by Hugh Ryan - I've seen this come through my library several times and it's time I gave it a try myself.
Have you read either of these books? Are you taking part in Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge this year? As always, thanks for visiting my blog and perhaps even commenting down below!
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