Official Review: There's an earwig in my fish tank

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AmySmiles
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Official Review: There's an earwig in my fish tank

Post by AmySmiles »

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "There's an earwig in my fish tank" by Helen Collins.]
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3 out of 4 stars
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There's An Earwig in My Fish Tank by Helen Collins is a non-fiction book of tales in the adventures of pet ownership.

Helen Collins tells her own story of the trials and tribulations about owning different types of animals, from dogs and cats, to birds and fish. She starts out by explaining her early love of animals and how it is a privilege to be responsible for the animals she has taken care of throughout the years. In fact, she wrote her book as a tribute to rescued animals everywhere.

After explaining her love for animals, she introduces us to a list of her most current pets that she is writing about in this book. Each chapter has a whimsical title and typically focuses on a particular tale about a specific pet. One chapter, as you might guess, is appropriately named after the book. While the author spends a great deal writing about all her pets, it soon becomes clear that the book mainly focuses on one, beloved dog, they call Monty. She explains how Monty joins their family and how she talks her husband into keeping the stray dog. Monty, however, ends up being so much more than they ever could have imagined.

As a pet lover myself, I enjoyed reading about the many tales that happened to this family and their pets. It became very clear that she loves all the animals that she has been entrusted with. The author’s quirky writing style made the stories fun and relatable; while telling a different story in each chapter, she kept them short and to the point. Helen Collins keeps most of the stories light-hearted and full of fun, but she does manage to tell a couple of heartbreaking stories that just might have you in tears. That is the nature of pet ownership, unfortunately, but she gracefully keeps the book all about her love for each animal in any situation.

While I appreciated each story the author brought to the book, I wish she would have written them in chronological order. The stories jumped back and forth in time with no real order in particular, which made the book feel choppy and the story didn't flow as well as it could have if told in sequence. Also, the book is written in British English, which had me confused at times. I did not always understand some of the phrases or words the author used. I found a few spots where commas or words were missing, along with several run-on sentences. While this distracted me when reviewing the book, I don’t believe it would be a major distraction to the reader who is just picking up the book for a fun read.

I am rating this book 3 out of 4 stars. The grammatical issues keep me from giving 4 stars, and if I could give a half rating I would give it 2.5 stars. The flow of the book kept me from wanting to keep reading. It was easy to set this book down after reading a chapter or two, and sometimes I found myself not caring to pick up the book, as I didn’t really feel like I had to know what happened next. I do believe that any animal lover would enjoy this book, but if British English words and spelling trip you up, it may not be for you.

******
There's an earwig in my fish tank
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Sahani Nimandra
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Post by Sahani Nimandra »

Thank you for the heads up about the language use. I don't have pets of my own and would love to have one. I think this book may prove to be a comfort read. Thank you!
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Post by gen_g »

Thank you for the detailed review, and it seems like a great read if you have a couple hours to spare and are not looking for anything complex. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
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Post by stacie k »

This sounds like a fun, entertaining read! Thanks for a great review!
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Post by Jackie Holycross »

The title creeped me out, but this sounds like a heart-warming book for animal lovers.
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Post by Libs_Books »

I'm a Brit and a bit of a sucker for touching animal stories. Even so, this is perhaps something I'd pick up in someone else's house on a rainy Sunday afternoon, rather than something I'd actually go out of my way to buy. I know what you mean about the anecdotal style - it does make a book easy to read, but also quite easy to put down and not necessarily pick up again. Maybe using chronological order would have helped with that. Thanks for the review.
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Post by dtb »

I love pet stories. Thanks for a great review.
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Post by bookowlie »

Thanks for an honest, insightful review! Flow is so important in a book and it's a shame the flow was choppy and jumped back and forth so much. Hope your next book is one you won't want to put down. :)
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Post by AmySmiles »

Sahani Nimandra wrote: 23 May 2018, 04:28 Thank you for the heads up about the language use. I don't have pets of my own and would love to have one. I think this book may prove to be a comfort read. Thank you!
Thanks for reading! It could definitely be a comfort read, and one where you could just choose a chapter to read and enjoy one or two you pick out.
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Post by AmySmiles »

gen_g wrote: 23 May 2018, 10:22 Thank you for the detailed review, and it seems like a great read if you have a couple hours to spare and are not looking for anything complex. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Thanks for the comment. It definitely is an enjoyable read.
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Post by AmySmiles »

stacie k wrote: 23 May 2018, 10:47 This sounds like a fun, entertaining read! Thanks for a great review!
Thanks for commenting!
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AmySmiles
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Post by AmySmiles »

teacherjh wrote: 24 May 2018, 09:53 The title creeped me out, but this sounds like a heart-warming book for animal lovers.
It is a creepy title lol. Thanks for the comment.
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Post by AmySmiles »

Libs_Books wrote: 25 May 2018, 12:49 I'm a Brit and a bit of a sucker for touching animal stories. Even so, this is perhaps something I'd pick up in someone else's house on a rainy Sunday afternoon, rather than something I'd actually go out of my way to buy. I know what you mean about the anecdotal style - it does make a book easy to read, but also quite easy to put down and not necessarily pick up again. Maybe using chronological order would have helped with that. Thanks for the review.
I have nothing against Brits I just have trouble sometimes with the different words used. Thanks for leaving a comment!
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Post by AmySmiles »

dtb wrote: 28 May 2018, 08:30 I love pet stories. Thanks for a great review.
I do too, thanks for the comment.
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Post by AmySmiles »

bookowlie wrote: 29 May 2018, 08:31 Thanks for an honest, insightful review! Flow is so important in a book and it's a shame the flow was choppy and jumped back and forth so much. Hope your next book is one you won't want to put down. :)
It really is a bummer, but still a good book none the less. Thanks for the comment.
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