Review: Windfall by Jennifer E. Smith

Rate:

3/5

Goodreads Description:

Let luck find you.

Alice doesn’t believe in luck—at least, not the good kind. But she does believe in love, and for some time now, she’s been pining for her best friend, Teddy. On his eighteenth birthday—just when it seems they might be on the brink of something—she buys him a lottery ticket on a lark. To their astonishment, he wins $140 million, and in an instant, everything changes. 

At first, it seems like a dream come true, especially since the two of them are no strangers to misfortune. As a kid, Alice won the worst kind of lottery possible when her parents died just over a year apart from each other. And Teddy’s father abandoned his family not long after that, leaving them to grapple with his gambling debts. Through it all, Teddy and Alice have leaned on each other. But now, as they negotiate the ripple effects of Teddy’s newfound wealth, a gulf opens between them. And soon, the money starts to feel like more of a curse than a windfall. 

As they try to find their way back to each other, Alice learns more about herself than she ever could have imagined…and about the unexpected ways in which luck and love sometimes intersect.

Review: 

I have heard so many times about the disaster stories of people that win the lottery and their life goes down hill when it gets to their heads or how people treat them when they find out. Here we have an 18 year old kid winning the lottery. What a freaking dream! I would go all out and buy all the books, a house and probably do a lot worse than Teddy, which in its way, is what created the problem for everyone. This is my first book by Jennifer Smith in a really long time and to be honest, I actually liked it well enough. 

The problem to me was that whenever there would be any real problems, they would kinda go away almost as soon as they came in my opinion. Sure, it made for a quick read, but maybe, just maybe if they extended on those problems, it wouldve made for a deeper connection between the characters and the readers. 

Recommend it?

Mmmm yeah, it was still a nice read.

Topic Tuesday: Book Slump

Episode 25

Book Slump

Hi my name is Valeria and I... I am in a book slump.

I haven't wanted to admit it but I am and I apologize for all the hurt that my slump may have caused to my friends and family

Totally kidding

Book slumps are nothing to be afraid of and while I might be a hypocrite for saying this, they are nothing to worry about either.

Sure your TBR will only get bigger and your unread pile of books will continue to grow as you refuse to admit you simply aren't reading book yet you still buy them. It happens.

Slumps are one of those things that more often than not you simply can't pin point why it started unless you are like me. 

You burned yourself out after reading so freaking much. Up until June, I had read over 100 books and when I reached September, I was just dead to the world of books, sure I still read 2 books which could be 2 more books than other people but I have never read only 2 books in the past 4 years! Like that is just... unheard of for me since I started to avidly read. 

It's a shame because I have so many books that I have been wanting to read and even have on my shelves, some of these books were such anticipated releases for me that it is even more taxing to know that my heart just isn't in it.

For October I didn't read a single book! I started 1 book before I set it down, it is just going by like 5 pages a day. I am so ashamed. But as I said, there is nothing you should be ashamed of. In my opinion, it is healthy to take a break once in a while and to be honest, I feel like I simply forced myself to read so much and that is what burned me out. My goal for goodreads was high and once I achieved it I wanted to call it quits. So from now on I promise to myself to read whenever I wish to do so and books I want to read, not that I feel forced that I should read because everyone is talking about it...

But that is my personal resolution.

For now, I have decided to go ahead and take my break, I deserve it, I have read so much since I started this blog that I even have 170 drafted reviews, I could literally quit reading for good and still have enough reviews to last me 2 years.... Yeah... That much, and that is just my drafts, not even consider all that I have already posted! So from now on, I will take my sweet time reading books and you know what, I will set a goodreads goal of 12 books a year, one a month!

I am a little done with the fact that I feel like I need to reach a huge amount of books to feel accomplished, so this year is prob the last year I will say omg I read so many books!

I have no idea how to crawl out of my book slump but I still aim to continue to go about my daily life and try not to dwell on it too much. I mean, I have so much to do now a days anyways, I have 2 cats (well 4 counting the outside cats), I have started to deface books and attempt to sell them on etsy (valesbookshelf) and even if I don't I am defacing my own books, I have been writing these past few months and I have well over 40 thousand words for which I am incredibly proud of, and well.. I am a full time student so... 

Whether you are reaching your goal or not, simply keep in mind that it is understandable if you are not reaching your goal, no one is judging you at all, it is normal to have things get in the way and even if they aren't, it doesn't matter. Books aren't a race, they are meant to be enjoyed at whichever pace a reader prefers, that's why they are so epic, it's not like a phone in which the battery runs out, or netflix which you have to pay each month or the movies which end in 2 hours, if you want to take a year reading a single book. YOU CAN! Books are nothing but options and there is no wrong choice.

Review: New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson

Rate:

3/5

Goodreads Description:

It is 2140. 

The waters rose, submerging New York City. 

But the residents adapted and it remained the bustling, vibrant metropolis it had always been. Though changed forever.

Every street became a canal. Every skyscraper an island.

Through the eyes of the varied inhabitants of one building, Kim Stanley Robinson shows us how one of our great cities will change with the rising tides.

And how we too will change.

Review: 

The imagery of a large portion of the city underwater is a good one that at first maintained me very entertained. And that is it for this review, the imagery was great, I literally have nothing else to say about the plot. 

Just kidding, I have very little to say to be honest, out of all the days that this book took me to get through and all that jazz the plot was incredibly boring. I was fascinated by the whole idea of new work underwater in a highly futuristic work but the plot was just ... eh. The characters themselves just failed to impress me, as clear as it was that they were actually made to impress readers but maybe that was what just didn't do it for me. All these characters are loaded with a good background but in the end their background was better than the story being told in the present time. Whats the point of being in a futuristic timeline when all you want to hear about is the past.

Recommend it?

Maybe wait for the movie.