Discussion: Do These Popular Books Deserve The Hype?

 

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Way back in February 2020, I made a 5-star TBR predictions post. I picked a variety of popular books that I hadn’t read (or hadn’t read in years). They sounded like my kind of stories, so I thought I’d love them and give them all 5 stars. The books in my predictions post all had 100,000+ ratings and mostly positive reviews on Goodreads. I hoped I’d love them as much as everybody else did.

During the never-ending adventure that was 2020, I read the books. Did give them 5 stars? Let’s find out.

 

 

 

Do These Popular Books Deserve The Hype?

 

 

 

 

HIS DARK MATERIALS SERIES BY PHILIP PULLMAN

 

Middlegrade Science Fiction

Series: His Dark Materials 1-3

Philip Pullman's The Golden Compass, the first book in the His Dark Materials trilogy, changed the face of fantasy publishing with its stunning originality. The complete trilogy went on to become a bestseller in dozens of countries around the world, critically acclaimed and showered with prizes. Together, these novels—The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass—are renowned for their beautiful storytelling, epic scope, and dearly loved characters.

 

My Review: I read this trilogy for the first time when I was a young teenager. Back then, I loved the brave characters who travel to vivid parallel universes. My reading tastes have changed a lot since I was 13. I was worried I wouldn’t like the series anymore.

I shouldn’t have worried. I still love these books as much as I did when I was 13. It was fun revisiting the worlds. The parallel universes are clever, creepy, distinct, imaginative, believable. All the positive adjectives. The author is not kind to his characters. They get themselves into big trouble, and the books get very dark. That’s why I loved them when I was a kid. Most children’s literature was too tame for me.

I do have some criticisms that I didn’t notice as a teen. The beginnings of the first and third book are excruciatingly slow. Some events happen too easily or conveniently. Whenever the main character gets in trouble, someone shows up at the last second to save her. Those are minor criticisms. I highly recommend this series.

 

My Star Rating: ★★★★★

 

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LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE BY CELESTE NG

 

Adult Literary / Contemporary Fiction

In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is meticulously planned—from the layout of the winding roads, to the colors of the houses, to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principle is playing by the rules.

Enter Mia Warren—an enigmatic artist and single mother—who arrives in this idyllic bubble with her teenage daughter Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons. Soon Mia and Pearl become more than just tenants: all four Richardson children are drawn to the alluring mother-daughter pair. But Mia carries with her a mysterious past, and a disregard for the rules that threatens to upend this carefully ordered community.

When the Richardsons' friends attempt to adopt a Chinese-American baby, a custody battle erupts that dramatically divides the town and puts Mia and Mrs. Richardson on opposing sides. Suspicious of Mia and her motives, Mrs. Richardson becomes determined to uncover the secrets in Mia's past. But her obsession will come at unexpected and devastating costs to her own family—and Mia's.

 

My Review: This is a complicated one. There are things I loved and things that frustrated me. It took me a week to read the first 100 pages because the plot meanders, and there are bunch of characters, and nothing happens, and I got bored. I had to force myself to keep reading. Then the book finally hooked me, and I read the last 200 pages in a day. I couldn't put it down. Wow. That ending. I know why everybody is obsessed with this novel. I’m here for the neighborhood drama! I appreciate the author tackling morally difficult questions that don’t have clear answers. No character is a hero, but their motivations are understandable. It makes you wonder what you’d do in their situation. It’s a skillfully written book, but I struggled so much to get invested in the plot that I considered giving up on it. I’m glad I didn’t.

 

My Star Rating: ★★★

 

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NUMBER THE STARS BY LOIS LOWRY

 

Middlegrade Historical Fiction

Ten-year-old Annemarie Johansen and her best friend Ellen Rosen often think of life before the war. It's now 1943 and their life in Copenhagen is filled with school, food shortages, and the Nazi soldiers marching through town. When the Jews of Denmark are "relocated," Ellen moves in with the Johansens and pretends to be one of the family. Soon Annemarie is asked to go on a dangerous mission to save Ellen's life.

 

My Review: This is another childhood favorite that I wanted to reread in 2020. I checked this book out of my middle school’s library a ridiculous number of times. As a middle schooler, I thought it was a harrowing read. As an adult, I found the plot much less worrying (but still completely engrossing). I was terrified for the young characters when I was a middle schooler. When I reread the book, I realized they weren’t in as much danger as I remember. The adults were in danger, but they tried very hard to keep the children out of their plans, which is sensible when you’re dealing with a Nazi invasion. Number The Stars is a short, well-written novel with realistic characters and a plot that’s inspired by real events. I think this book deserves to be a modern classic.

 

My Star Rating: ★★★★★

 

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THE THIRTEENTH TALE BY DIANE SETTERFIELD

 

Adult Historical Fiction

Angelfield House stands abandoned and forgotten. It was once the imposing home of the March family—fascinating, manipulative Isabelle, Charlie her brutal and dangerous brother, and the wild, untamed twins, Emmeline and Adeline. But Angelfield House conceals a chilling secret whose impact still resonates.

Now Margaret Lea is investigating Angelfield's past—and the mystery of the March family starts to unravel. What has Angelfield been hiding? What is its connection with the enigmatic author Vida Winter? And what is it in Margaret's own troubled past that causes her to fall so powerfully under Angelfild’s spell?

My Review: I mostly enjoyed this book. It has atmospheric writing, creepy mansions, ghost children, and a biographer who is trying to uncover the secret past of a famous author. The middle is a bit saggy and repetitive, but I kept reading because the book has all the scandalous twists of a great gothic novel. The end surprised me. This is a hard book to discuss without spoiling the twists, but if you’re a fan of Jane Eyre, or Rebecca, or The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo, you need to read it. As soon as I finished it, I bought another book by the author. I think she has the potential to become a must-read-every-single-book writer for me.

 

My Star Rating: ★★★★

 

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THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD BY COLSON WHITEHEAD

 

Adult Fantasy / Alternate History

Cora is a slave on a cotton plantation in Georgia. Life is hell for all the slaves, but especially bad for Cora; an outcast even among her fellow Africans, she is coming into womanhood—where even greater pain awaits. When Caesar, a recent arrival from Virginia, tells her about the Underground Railroad, they decide to take a terrifying risk and escape. Matters do not go as planned—Cora kills a young white boy who tries to capture her. Though they manage to find a station and head north, they are being hunted.

In Whitehead’s ingenious conception, the Underground Railroad is no mere metaphor—engineers and conductors operate a secret network of tracks and tunnels beneath the Southern soil. Cora and Caesar’s first stop is South Carolina, in a city that initially seems like a haven. But the city’s placid surface masks an insidious scheme designed for its black denizens. And even worse: Ridgeway, the relentless slave catcher, is close on their heels. Forced to flee again, Cora embarks on a harrowing flight, state by state, seeking true freedom.

 

My Review: I think this book is being marketed incorrectly, which is a let-down. It was sold to me as an alternate history novel about a literal underground train. Interesting, right? I like magical elements in historical fiction. There is an underground train in the book, but it’s a disappointingly tiny part of the story. Most of the novel is about escaped slaves who travel around the US. Each city is its own unique dystopia. It’s an intriguing concept, but I got bored because the narrative structure jumps around too much. We don’t spend enough time with each character to truly get to know them. Most of them were just names to me. It’s the same with the world. We bounce around so much that the reader doesn’t really get to know the settings. Since the characters and the world are underdeveloped, the book didn’t hold my attention.

 

My Star Rating: ★★

 

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THE RAVEN BOYS BY MAGGIE STIEFVATER

 

Young Adult Fantasy

Series: The Raven Cycle #1

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue never sees them—until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks to her.

His name is Gansey, a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can't entirely explain. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul whose emotions range from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She doesn't believe in true love, and never thought this would be a problem. But as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she's not so sure anymore.

 

My Review: I know this series has rabid fans on social media, so I apologize for what I’m about to say, but I didn’t like it. I know. That’s bookish blasphemy. I’m extremely picky about fantasy, which is why I don’t read much of it. I can’t live with unanswered “why?” questions. I know that The Raven Boys is the start of a series, and some of my questions would have been answered if I’d continued with the series, but I couldn’t cope with the frustration. The Raven Boys are underdeveloped characters who are indistinguishable from one another. I didn’t find the world-building or the characters’ motivations believable. The over-the-top angst made me roll my eyes. I didn’t hate the book, though! The reveal of Noah’s identity is shocking in the best way. It convinced me to finish the book when I wanted to quit. But, I won’t be continuing with the series. It just didn’t capture my imagination.

 

My Star Rating: ★★

 

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BEARTOWN BY FREDRIK BACKMAN

 

Adult Literary / Contemporary Fiction

Series: Beartown #1

People say Beartown is finished. A tiny community nestled deep in the forest, it is slowly losing ground to the ever encroaching trees. But down by the lake stands an old ice rink, built generations ago by the working men who founded this town. And in that ice rink is the reason people in Beartown believe tomorrow will be better than today. Their junior ice hockey team is about to compete in the national semi-finals, and they actually have a shot at winning. All the hopes and dreams of this place now rest on the shoulders of a handful of teenage boys.

Being responsible for the hopes of an entire town is a heavy burden, and the semi-final match is the catalyst for a violent act that will leave a young girl traumatized and a town in turmoil. Accusations are made and, like ripples on a pond, they travel through all of Beartown, leaving no resident unaffected.

  

My Review: Like all of Backman’s books, Beartown is excellent. The author is great at creating quirky characters with memorable personalities. I have never been let down by a Backman book. Beartown is heartbreakingly realistic and has more humor than you’d expect from a story about assault. I promise it’s tasteful humor. The characters have big personalities. My only complaint about the book is that the author sometimes tries too hard and over-explains things. I can figure out the moral of the story on my own, thank you very much. Despite my issue, I recommend this novel, especially if you love sports. I can’t wait to read the sequel and will eagerly devour whatever Fredrik Backman publishes next.

 

My Star Rating: ★★★★

 

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DOCTOR SLEEP BY STEPHEN KING

 

Adult Horror

Series: The Shining #2

On highways across America, a tribe of people called The True Knot travel in search of sustenance. They look harmless—mostly old, lots of polyester, and married to their RVs. But as Dan Torrance knows, and spunky 12-year-old Abra Stone learns, The True Knot are quasi-immortal, living off the "steam" that children with the "shining" produce when they are slowly tortured to death.

Haunted by the inhabitants of the Overlook Hotel where he spent one horrific childhood year, Dan has been drifting for decades, desperate to shed his father's legacy of despair, alcoholism, and violence. Finally, he settles in a New Hampshire town, an AA community that sustains him, and a job at a nursing home where his remnant "shining" power provides the crucial final comfort to the dying. Aided by a prescient cat, he becomes "Doctor Sleep."

Then Dan meets the evanescent Abra Stone, and it is her spectacular gift, the brightest shining ever seen, that reignites Dan's own demons and summons him to a battle for Abra's soul and survival.

 

My Review: I read The Shining as a teenager. It disturbed me very much because I live near the hotel that inspired the story. I was nervously optimistic for the sequel. It did not disappoint! I actually liked it more than The Shining because the plot doesn’t take 10 eternities to get moving. The creepy creatures from The Shining make a comeback. Even the Overlook Hotel makes an appearance. I loved revisiting the familiar spooks from the first book. The plot is intense and clever, as you’d expect. Stephen King still has a problem with sexualizing every female character, even when sex scenes and descriptions of boobs and pubic hair don’t add anything to the story. If you can look past that, I recommend this book. I didn’t sleep much during the week I read it because I couldn’t put it down. It’s an addictive page-turner.

 

My Star Rating: ★★★★★

 

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THE COMPLETE SHERLOCK HOLMES BY ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE

 

Adult Mystery Novels & Short Story Collections

Series: Sherlock Holmes 1-9

The complete collection of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes tales, both long and short, compiled together.

  

My Review: I’m not sure how to review all the Sherlock Holmes books because they’re such a mixed bag. I should have thought of that before I put 9 freakin’ Holmes books on my predictions list. Okay, let’s start with the positive: Almost all the short stories are entertaining. Overall, I enjoyed the short story collections. They’re creative and full of plot twists. I adored the novel, The Hound Of The Baskervilles. It’s quick to read and stunningly atmospheric. The story is set in a mansion that’s surrounded by ancient ruins, haunted moors, and mysterious locals. The plot twists kept me reading all night because I needed to know how Holmes would solve the mystery! It truly seems unsolvable at times. If you’re looking for a fun classic that’s easy to read, please pick up this book.

At the other end of the spectrum, the worst Holmes book is The Sign Of Four. It’s a novel. The way Arthur Conan Doyle describes the characters is disgustingly cruel. The hatred and racism come through so strongly that it’s distracting for modern readers. I don’t recommend this book unless you really want to read all the Sherlock Holmes stuff.

 

My Star Rating: ★★★

 

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I’LL BE GONE IN THE DARK: ONE WOMAN’S OBSESSIVE SEARCH FOR THE GOLDEN STATE KILLER BY MICHELLE MCNAMARA

 

Adult True Crime Nonfiction

For more than ten years, a mysterious and violent predator committed fifty sexual assaults in Northern California before moving south, where he perpetrated ten sadistic murders. Then he disappeared, eluding capture by multiple police forces and some of the best detectives in the area.

Three decades later, Michelle McNamara, a true crime journalist who created the popular website TrueCrimeDiary.com, was determined to find the violent psychopath she called "the Golden State Killer." Michelle pored over police reports, interviewed victims, and embedded herself in the online communities that were as obsessed with the case as she was.

At the time of the crimes, the Golden State Killer was between the ages of eighteen and thirty, Caucasian, and athletic—capable of vaulting tall fences. He always wore a mask. After choosing a victim—he favored suburban couples—he often entered their home when no one was there, studying family pictures, mastering the layout. He attacked while they slept, using a flashlight to awaken and blind them. Though they could not recognize him, his victims recalled his voice: a guttural whisper through clenched teeth, abrupt and threatening.

I’ll Be Gone in the Dark—the masterpiece McNamara was writing at the time of her sudden death—offers an atmospheric snapshot of a moment in American history and a chilling account of a criminal mastermind and the wreckage he left behind. It is also a portrait of a woman’s obsession and her unflagging pursuit of the truth.

  

My Review: I have mixed feelings about this book because I see so much missed potential! It’s a fascinating story about an amateur detective’s quest to find a serial rapist. Unfortunately, the author died while writing the book. Her research partners pieced the story together from her notes and published it. There is some brilliant writing, but because of how everything came together, it feels scattered and unfinished. That sucks. I wish the author had been able to finish it. It would have been epic. I don’t think this book is the next In Cold Blood, but if you like true crime, it’s worth reading.

As soon as I finished I’ll Be Gone In The Dark, I watched the documentary series that was made about the book. I like the documentary more than the book because it fills in the book’s gaps. I recommend watching it if you get the opportunity.

 

My Star Rating: ★★★★

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Do you have an unread book on your shelf that you think you’ll give five stars?