Book Review | June 2018

Just a few more days until my summer vacation starts, which means I will have finally more time to read. Because July was another meagre reading month. It’s not that I don’t want to read, I just haven’t had the energy. The last few weeks leading up to the summer vacation are always the busiest and thus I haven’t been wanting to do much more than just sit, sleep and switch my brain off. Reading is just too much of an effort and doesn’t really fit into my busy brain. However, I still managed to read 2 books last month.  

Book Review | June 2018

Rick Riordan – The Lost Hero (Heroes of Olympus #1)

Jason ends up on a school trip to the Grand Canyon with the worst case of amnesia. He doesn’t even remember he has a girlfriend called Piper or that this best friend is called Leo. But when Coach Hedge is kidnapped by a wind spirit, it becomes clear quite quickly that the three of them are connected in different ways. Introduced to Camp Half Blood, the threesome immediately are claimed by their respective parents and embark on a quest that will hopefully clarify why Hera is kidnapped and why the giants are stirring once more.

I decided I need something light and easy in May. Sadly, this book didn’t capture my attention as I had hoped it would. I loved the first series by Rick Riordan, but that also took some time for me to get into. So I am hoping it is just the first book that doesn’t really work for me. I felt it was too similar to the first series as the dynamics between the three main characters felt identical to the first series. I still liked the interweaving of Greek Mythology with a more current setting, but it felt very repetitive and a bit meh because of that. I also didn’t enjoy the alternating perspective as I didn’t feel like I connected with each of the three main characters.

J.K. Rowling – Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

Do we need a synopsis for this one? Well in case you have never heard of this, this is about a boy named Harry. Harry thinks he’s ordinary, but all his life he has made things happen that shouldn’t. Little does Harry know that he is a wizard and on his 11th birthday he gets a letter that he will be attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to the dismay of his uncle and aunt. After picking up his school supplies, he finds himself on the Hogwarts Express where lots of adventures await him.

When busy what do I do? Yes, reread Harry Potter. This will be my 6th or 7th time reading the entire series. It is fun, it is easy to read and a great way of getting lost in a story. It just always tickles that itch for me and I have reread the series mostly when I have been super busy. As you can see this copy is incredibly beat up, as I have had this for years. Fun fact: this is the book I read to try and teach myself more English when I was in high school, so this isn’t only a great story to read for me, but it also has some sentimental value to me. On the inside, page upon page is annotated and underlined as I was trying to improve my level of English before going to university to study English.

What did you read this month?