Summerween 2023 - Wrap-Up

Summerween has been over for a while now, but I have finished all the books I had set for my TBR. All five I have read physically, which is kind of a big deal. Okay, I specifically picked shorter books (not all though), to make it more achievable. But still. You can check out the original post for my Summerween TBR HERE

I made a prediction for how I would rank them. And this is what I thought the top 5 would be:
1. Coraline by Neil Gaiman

2. What Lies Between Us by John Marrs

3. Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut

4. Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

5. The Last Thing to Burn by Will Dean

I was very sure about my number one, the rest I just winged. I put the Will Dean book last because that was the book I knew the least about. Turns out, this was my actual ranking at the and of the readathon!!! 

Here are some short thoughts on each book, per prompt, with links to the full review:

Prompt 1: Read a book in the dark

Slaugtherhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut

A unique book, which I highly enjoyed, but is definitely not for everyone. It constantly jumps back and forth in time and it deals with alien abduction. I love Vonnegut's writing. Read my full review HERE

Rating: 4/ 5

Prompt 2: Read a Thriller

What Lies Between Us by John Marrs

A fast-paced and exciting thriller. Just when you think you've figured it out, it goes in a different direction. Hard to put down and again a great John Marrs thriller. Not all twists are as surprising, but the ending was. HERE is my full review. 

Rating 4,5/ 5

Prompt 3: Read a book that takes place in the fall

Coraline by Neil Gaiman

A modern fairytale, a magical yet creepy read. Quick and original, with beautiful illustrations and fantastic characters. Great for adults and kids. Click HERE to check out my full review. 

Rating:5/ 5

Prompt 4: Read a book with orange or black on the cover

The Last Thing to Burn by Will Dean

A story that had potential, but didn't use it to the fullest. i didn't enjoy this book. only the first 20 percent maybe, but then it became repetitve and boring. Would not reccommend. HERE is my full review. 

Rating: 2/ 5

Prompt 5: Read a manga, graphic novel or novella

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

A classic story, which would be perfect for those who haven't delved into to classic yet. This is a good one to start with. The infamous plot twist is well-written and I really wonder how people back in the day responded to reading that for the first time. It was a fine read, but in the end it never captivated or grabbed me. HERE is my full review. 

Rating: 3/ 5

My average rating for this readaton is: 3,8

I did well, in general. One 5-star book, I'm happy about that. Just a shame for that one 2-star book though. I had made this TBR beforehand, but it's not something I'm going to continue. I prefer to read whatever I'm in the mood for, not a set TBR. So, back to mood reading now. 

Book Review - Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut

Title: Slaughterhouse Five
Series: -
Author: Kurt Vonnegur
 
Description: Billy Pilgrim - hapless barber’s assistan, successful optometrist, alien abductee, senile widower and soldier - has become unstuck in time. Hiding in the basement of a slaughterhouse in Dresden, with the city and its inhabitants burning above him, he finds himself a survivor of one of the most deadly and destructive battles of the Second World War. But when, exactly? How did he get here? And how does he get out?
 
Review: In “Slaughterhouse Five”, we follow the fortunes of Billy Pilgrim. Billy is a somewhat dumb, awkward and average American. He survives the bombing of Dresden at the end of World War II. At the same time, Billy constantly travels in time and is abducted by aliens.
 
This sounds absolutely ridiculous, but it isn’t. This book is a delight to read. The story creates absurd flash-backs and flash-forwards. One moment Billy is a prisoner of war, the next he is at his wedding party. He is tossed back and forth so often that he never has enough time to dwell on the situation. This also prevents Billy from making a connection to present. Everytime someone dies, he sighs, “so it goes”. His coping mechanism is the time traveling.
 
His experiences on the planet Tralfamadore, where Billy is exhibited in a zoo, further contributes to his indifference to earthly concerns. The Tralfamadorians experience every moment in the light of eternity and see distinction between past, present and future. Everything seems to happen for them at the same time.
 
The two absurd interventions, the time travel and the aliens, make “Slaughterhouse Five” a wacky novel on a very heavy theme. It’s the genius of this novel. The absurdity does not act absurd just because life and reality is essentially equally absurd and unpredictable.
 
Kurt Vonnegut has written a classic, no doubt. This book says more about the madness of World War II than all the reference works on that topic combined. Vonnegut writes smoothly and with striking imagery. The dry, factual narration of Billy Pilgrim contrasts with the tragic wartime horror.
 
“Slaughterhouse Five” is not a book for everyone. It’s completely different from I expected from it. But it’s such a good read.
 
Rating: 4/ 5
 

Summerween 2023 - My TBR

Summerween is a readathon that booktuber/ bookstagrammers Gabby and Olivia host every summer, where they read scary books for a week. This year, I decided to participate. The readathon takes place from 7-13 July and has reading prompts. I choose to read 5 books. And because I'm not a fast reader and can enver read 5 books in a week, I decided to dedicate the month of July to Summerween. So instead of mood reading this month, I have a chosen TBR. 

First, let's look at the prompts:

I picked five books to read for each prompt:

Prompt 1: Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut
Prompt 2: What Lies Between Us by John Marrs
Prompt 3: Coraline by Neil Gaimann
Prompt 4: The Last Thing to Burn by Will Dean
Prompt 5: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

I wanted to make a prediction of my raking, how I'm going to like these books:

1. Coraline

2. What Lies Between Us

3. Slaughterhouse Five

4. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

5. The Last Thing to Burn

Stay tuned to see what I eventually rank them. 

There is also a list of photo prompts, that you can post on your social media.

I'm super excited to join my first readathon, reading spooky, thrilling and scary books. Let me know if you're going to join as well.