My Favorite .. Time to Read



My Favorite.. is a weekly meme hosted by Maureen’s Books. In this meme we share every week something we love with each other. Because let’s face it.. The world can be a dark place and it’s time to share something positive. For more info: My Favorite Meme.


This week's topic: Time to Read 

Whenever the kids and the husband leave me alone, lol.

I don't have a set time. Basically if I can relax and not be bothered, that's a good time.

Gunslinger Girl - Lyndsay Ely

This post contains affiliate links.


Summary (from goodreads):
Seventeen-year-old Serendipity "Pity" Jones inherited two things from her mother: a pair of six shooters and perfect aim. She's been offered a life of fame and fortune in Cessation, a glittering city where lawlessness is a way of life. But the price she pays for her freedom may be too great....

In this extraordinary debut from Lyndsay Ely, the West is once again wild after a Second Civil War fractures the U.S. into a broken, dangerous land. Pity's struggle against the dark and twisted underbelly of a corrupt city will haunt you long after the final bullet is shot.
.~*.*~.~*.*~.~*.*~.~*.*~.~*.*~.~*.*~.


Edition Read: google play

Where (else) to buy: kobo*, amazon*, nook*

Thoughts:
Gunslinger Girl starts off with a bang. I was thrown right into the middle of everything and was excited for the adventure ahead of me. Unfortunately, the book takes a very sharp turn into something completely different than what the first few chapters were promising.

The first portion of the book should have been longer. I didn't feel the necessary urgency because I was just thrown in right when everything happens. This subsequently leads to dampening the emotional impact of a later event. It's something that should have ripped my heart out, but it didn't. Everything happened too quickly. Even two extra chapters on Pity's day to day life on the commune would have made a huge difference.

In contrast to the above, the book stagnates in the middle. It's more meant to focus on the romance, but I wasn't really feeling it. The romance was better developed than a lot of other YA, but it wasn't terribly interesting. It also came at the expense of getting to know and care about other characters --- ones you're also expected to care about further down the line.

All that said, I did enjoy this book.
While this one wasn't "unputdownable", I was able to speed through it with relative ease. The ending was definitely worth it. It strips everything bare and not all is what it seems. Choices are made and, honestly, either decision could have been the "right" one. I like ambiguity. It makes up for the issues I had with this book. I have hope that the next one will be the adventure this one initially promised both in the summary and the first few chapters.

Verdict:

If you're a fan of the YA genre, this one should check all the right boxes. If you're less inclined, it's worth a shot. It's not particularly character driven or deep. It just depends on how much you'd be into a Western-lite, criminal underworld, circus Dystopia.
I am waiting for the sequel.


Quibbles:
-Ignore every review that says this book is "like Westworld". Other than being set in the future and using old school six shooters and shotguns... they aren't comparable.

-I hate the nickname "Pity". I know people tend to shorten names, especially one with 5 syllables, but Pity sounds pathetic. I could get it if maybe her enemies called her this to mock her, but it's just what everyone calls her. Serendipity Jones a strong name. I am not sure why anyone would choose to weaken it in this manner. YMMV.  This is even lampshaded in the book and she still wants to be called Pity.

-While the title is fantastic. It is incredibly misleading.
When the book starts off, Pity has not been allowed to shoot guns since her mother's death a few years earlier and she is incredibly rusty. She does have a bit of natural talent, but she frequently misses and freezes up right when things matter.
This is a somewhat refreshing trait, coming from someone who dislikes YA on account of how "perfect" most of the characters are, but Pity isn't a "gunslinger"... yet.


*This is an affiliate link

Book Blogger Hop - Jan 26.



Do you ever go back to older posts and change things? Elizabeth @Silver's Reviews
Not really. If I notice a typo, I will, but otherwise... how can you continue to grow if you can't see where you started?

Bookish (and NOT so bookish) Thoughts

Bookish and Not-So-Bookish Thoughts is a weekly blogging event hosted by Bookishly Boisterous. It allows book bloggers (and non-book bloggers) to write about pretty much anything, bookish or otherwise (i.e. share exciting plans for the weekend, rants on things they’ve encountered during the week, etc.).

1. I'm back. The holidays are the worst.
Okay, okay. They are actually not that bad, but they stress me out significantly. Things were not as terrible as I thought they would be. I'll say that.

2. I got a fancy new top of the line phone. O_O Wasn't expecting that. I can actually play games on my phone now. (Pokemon Go mostly. I'm open to suggestions, though.)

3. Husband got a Keurig and I actually found some creamer I like so I can start trying to cut out soda. It also confirms that I'm lactose intolerant. D: I accidentally bought lactose free creamer and It's the first time I've had cream in my coffee that my stomach didn't hurt. I like French Vanilla and the Reese (yes the CANDY) flavors. Ignore the amazon reviews, the Reese is delicious. It doesn't taste like drinking a reese cup, but, personally, I think it would be too rich and nasty if it actually did. It does a really good job of being chocolatey but not "mocha"y and also nutty at the same time. If you like chocolate and peanut butter, it's worth a try.

4. My son is officially potty trained!!! I started forcing him to sit on the toilet after a certain time. He would sit there for 30 min and if he didn't go, he could have a 15 min break (where he was watched like a hawk), and then repeat that cycle until he went. It sucked, but by day 3 of doing that, he got the picture.

5. Finally finished a book. I don't know what's going on with me. I have such a hard time focusing. I literally got a trophy for reading 200+ books when I was in 6th grade. I could read constantly in any situation and now... I just struggle to focus. O_O (Sometimes I'm good and then sometimes I'm not!) Oh well.

6. Was there a 6? Oh yes. GIRL SCOUT COOKIE SEASON. O_O Had to scramble to get all the "in person" orders sent in on time. Somehow one of the THREE sheets we were given (and had an order!) was missing. But it was found and everything emailed in time! Now we just have to wait a month to get our cookies (because I am NOT paying shipping). Oh, and when I looked in the cookie cabinet, my husband ordered SO MANY cookies for himself last year that there were two unopened boxed. O_O TWO.

7. It snowed here. A lot. My daughter got off winter break, went to school for one day and then was stuck at home for ONE WEEK. D: That is the worst time to have snow days. We got through it though.

Until next time! .~*Shannon