Read This: Going Vintage

Going Vintage
by Lindsey Leavitt

The Short Story
After finding out that her boyfriend has been cyber-cheating on her, Mallory decides to go back to a time when things were simpler. She finds a to-do list her grandma wrote back in 1962, and lets that be her guide for overcoming the breakup. That, and abandoning all technology. But the simple life is more complicated than she expected.
A cute, funny read.
4/5

Come for the....
light and fun. I love how Lindsey Leavitt can take on more series issues without making them dark. Going Vintage is definitely funny, especially because of Mallory and her sister. I really enjoyed their humor, and Mallory's self-consciousness reminded me of Anna from Anna and the French Kiss. I wanted to add half the book to favorite quotes on goodreads.

But it's not just fluff. The book takes on a few interesting ideas: the way we rely so heavily on technology, and how what we see online (or how people present themselves) is not completely real. And I had to laugh at how often having or using technology would have made Mallory's life easier. I enjoyed that she realized there are goods and bads to every time, and that idealizing things is just as fake as a lot of the stuff on the internet.

Don't Think About This Too Hard

• In addition to a bit of a slower start, I thought the book took on more than it could resolve in the number of pages. I would have taken out the mom's subplot to devote more time to Mallory and Oliver. Because I loved every bit of the parts about them.

The Big Three:
Language: a couple of mild profanities
Sex and Stuff: not an issue
Violence: not an issue

Just So You Know: I received a free review copy of Going Vintage from the publisher via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. Going Vintage is now available.

April Reading Recap

And sneaky March! Mostly because I forgot to do a March recap. And because my reading has been painfully infrequent lately.

In March:
Sever by Lauren DeStefano
I liked it about as much as the first two, which would be great if I had liked them more. Some twists and turns, though.

Mind Games by Kiersten White
I liked this a lot! Very dark and kind of brutal in parts, but an interesting read. I'm looking forward to the sequel.

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
I think I liked Scarlet's story even better than Cinder's. Meyer is incredibly good at putting a new spin on old stories and making them fit perfectly in the world she's set up.

In April:
Requiem by Lauren Oliver
(I'm finally learning to spell it right) Some nice attempts to unite things from all the books in the series. I would have liked more closure to the ending, though.

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare
I'm so sad I didn't like this one more. I feel like I can't say much without being spoilery. But I will say that the ending is the total opposite of Requiem; you know what every character ever thinks about every single thing until the day they die.

Favorite: Mind Games
Least Favorite: Clockwork Princess, because I was hoping to like it so much

For May:
Stephanie Perkins is coming to the Provo Library! I'm very excited about this.
We're also buying a house/moving/celebrating my baby turning 1, and all that. I hope to get some books read in there too.

On My Bookish Mind

I know I have been really MIA lately, but I won't bore anyone with the details of my daily adventures. Instead, I'll bore tell you all about my recent bookish thoughts!

Spelling Is Hard
I recently finished reading Requiem by Lauren Oliver, and let me tell you, it has been a pain anytime I've tried to type out its title. Because "requiem" is a word I'm familiar with, and it conjures up images of pieces of music, but it is not something I can spell. I also have no idea what it has to do with the plot of the story, as I don't remember much music...

Ok, never mind. It's actually a mass for the dead (and its music). Which explains slightly more, but only slightly.

Anyway, this year I also plan to read another difficult to spell book: Alligiant. (I even looked on goodreads to see how that's spelled, as my spellchecker doesn't recognize it.) I'm excited for the last Divergent book, but how will I ever learn to type all that? Also, every time I see that word my mind wants to turn it into some form of the word alligator. Maybe it's just me.

That New Hunger Games Movie
Have you seen this trailer? Of course you have, but you can watch it again if you want.
It makes me excited.

Bookclub!
The bookclub I'm a part of is reading Sweethearts by Sara Zarr this month. And you know how much I love that book. If you love it, too, or you live around Provo and want to join a bookclub, we'd love to have you! We're meeting this Saturday at The Cocoa Bean in Provo. You can email me if you'd like to know the time.