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| Name : | Cindy B. |
My Reviews
This book slips around a lot. It focused more on the marriage of Laura & Theodore than the mystery. I liked the ending but the "twist" was kinda predictable.
I really enjoyed the first part of this book. The writing about grief was amazing. Then the action for going and it was quite fun, but the ending was a disappointment.
Parasites & fungi can take over your brain! Lots of interesting facts, but not as much depth as I would have liked. I enjoyed all the references to pop culture though.
Fascinating look at the 17th century spice trade. Naval warfare between England and the Netherlands, lots of violence and disease, colonialism in Indonesia.
This was much too slow and not what I expected at all. I thought the library would be a bigger part of this story than it was. Boring mystery. The only part I really liked was the historical setting and the character of the father. But there's a lot of misogynistic stuff in here and adult content.
From the very first chapter it's obvious this is going to be a difficult read. It is full of racial slurs, implied violence, and actual violence. If you can get through it, the rewards are worth it. The story is well written, but it's the characters that make it so good.
This was hard to rate. I did like the character of Netty/Rhett. But the sexual assaults in this made it a very tough read, and not a series I want to continue with. I appreciate the representation in here, but horrible things happen to these characters and I don't want to read more.
This book was OK. The author could definitely have done more with the premise. Also the diamond thefts don't come into the story until last the halfway point.
Some good discussion points, but the ending dragged.
This book is huge. I found it worked well to switch between print & audio, but I admit to getting a bit bogged down with the names and details. At times it felt like it was strangely organized, but on the whole I came away with So much information about the Middle Ages, especially England and France, but also Flanders, Italy, and parts of Germany. But it took forever to finish, so I think it would be a poor choice for a group.
Mary is the most bitter character I've ever encountered. The writing is clear and effective, and the setting is so well described I felt like I was there. But I hated this book.
Nice mystery about a female painter whose brother is murdered and his rooms burgled. A valuable painting goes missing and it becomes a matter of dispute.
Great fantasy book for middle grade readers, but start with book 1.
My kids convinced me to read this one and I'm glad they did. Unlike most of Dahl's children's books, this had no magic. No talking animals, no candy factory, no giant insects. Just an amazing father and his only son. It does have plenty of humor & a detestable villain. Definitely worth reading.
Great magic system, but it's the friendship that really makes the book. I'm excited to read more!
Set in the American Southwest after climate change & war has ruined most of the planet. Ancient tribal powers - good & evil - have changed society forever. It's from & violent so I wouldn't recommend it to my book club, but if you're looking for something really different, this is hreat.
A twist on the Gold rush story set in Salt Lake. Not too deep, but a fun story. If your group includes teens, they might like this.
Easy has just lost his job thanks to “mouthing off” to his White supervisor at the plant when he gets word that another White man wants to hire him to find a missing woman. It’s not easy (forgive the pun) surviving as a Black man in 1950s Los Angeles, but Rawlins is about to find out how hard it is when everyone wants to kill you.
This was on my TBR for a long time, as it won a lot of awards and started a whole trend opening up POC as detectives. However, it was a lot grittier than I like in a mystery. I’m glad I read it, as the issues of race are really front and center in the story and they couldn't be more timely. It was an eye-opener about how violent and hopeless the Black community could be at the time and how little some things have chaned. But I didn’t care for the style and I don’t think I’ll continue with this series.
I am glad I read this, but my book club would hate it. It is really bleak.
It definitely took me a couple of chapters to get into this. He has a unique style. But it was full of information.
It seems like everyone I know has read this book, so I'm really surprised there are no other reviews. This one started out a little slow, but I'm glad I pushed through. It reminds me of Arabian Nights x The Neverending Story. There are some dark themes though so no for young kinds.
I really enjoyed this, and feel like I learned a lot, but it was MUCH too long.
Great conclusion to the series. Can't stop thinking about it. Such a great ending.
I absolutely loved Jasper Fforde, but I think this would just confuse half my book club. It's a very clever satire that reminded me a bit of Franz Kafka but so funny.
I enjoyed this book set in the same world as Thorn, but you wouldn't want to read it as a stand alone. Trigger warning for physical abuse.
One of the very few Sanderson books that let me down. I really liked the first two, was loving the third, but that ending was all wrong.
Loved the audio! This whole series is amazing.
Disappointing conclusion to the series.
Racist language ruined it for me.
It's like a puzzle - take your time with it.
Reminded me a bit of Willa Cather, but of course more modern. Slow build.
We had a big group come and there was plenty to talk about - faith and healing and expectations and grief. Really deep stuff. I like that the author doesn't force her views on the reader.
Some strong stories here, but some that were rather poorly written. Overall, it might be good for some clubs but I don't think ours would like it.
I love John Lewis. His series March is amazing. This one was good, but it felt unfinished. I know he passed away before the book was done, so that's part of the reason. But it also felt like the story wasn't quite finished either, like there was more to come. I think my frustration with the story echoed how Lewis was feeling about then, when so many of this former associates were turning their backs on him. Well done
This was such a difficult read. Very dark and much too close to home. When they started with the ECT treatments I almost put the book down for good. Infuriating lack of consent sometimes and the revolving hospital doors made me want to scream. Mental health treatment is a joke. At least they may have found a way to prevent most instances of this disease. That was the only positive in this super depressing book.
I enjoyed this book from a woman's perspective about the Civil Rights era. It was a great read for Women's History Month. Her time in the Army during World War II was my favorite part, although her relationship with her family was really touching. The writing was a little dense though and I got bogged down in places.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review
Short little jewel of character study. So many ways to love and to suffer.
England and Spain have never been best friends, to put it nicely. Occasionally they've broken out into actual war. This book centers around a time of such conflict, when in the 1740s England decided to commission a fleet led by a Commander Anson to go after Spanish galleons and loot them for their gold.
It was a disaster. By the time they actually set sail, they were headed for the worst weather of the year around the Cape Horn. There were already problems before they got there, including scurvy, but by the time they got to the bottom of South America, the fleet had broken up and one of the ships, The Wager, ran aground. Mayhem and mutiny ensued, along with starvation and murder.
I don't know why I love these nautical disaster books so much. I'm a total landlubber. I can't even swim. I didn't even see the ocean until I was an adult. But for whatever reason, I love reading these books. This one definitely did not disappoint. It was full of drama and emotion, and the best part was that it was all true and taken from the accounts written by the actual survivors. If you like tales of shipwreck or disaster, add this one to your list. I raced through it and I'm so glad I did.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free copy of this book. This did not affect my review.
I don't know why everyone recommends this when David Copperfield is RIGHT THERE. Pip is a boring character and his relationship with Estella is unconvincing.
A little out of my comfort zone, but I enjoyed the positive representation of therapy. Well drawn characters - I HATED the mother.
I felt the author jumped to conclusions so often he must be part grasshopper. I did finish it though.
Nice retelling of the fairy tale. I would have rated it higher except for two problems: the archaic vocabulary in the dialogue really put me off and the story was slow and repetitive. I got bored often. It wasn't until I was halfway through that I was really invested.
I wasn't crazy about this one, but I think it would work for the right club. Reads young.
I think you could get away with just reading the first book, but why?
Didn't finish this one but there was a lot of trigger warnings.
Definitely YA, first part of a series. Check the trigger warnings.
I really enjoyed this when I read it, but it hasn't stuck with me. Very original, I remember that.
Really original. Loved the plot and the characters. Can't wait to read more by this author.
Part of a great series, but it doesn't have to be read in order. Really liked the plot and I loved the characters.
We all enjoyed this one. I hear the second book is just as good.
Very entertaining, if a little slow. I liked Molly. I see that some reviewers had problems with this book, but I found it entertaining, if a little unbelievable. A nice escape.
Not the best Terry Pratchett, but still very funny. I love Twoflower.
I really enjoyed this collection. Even though I didn't know many of the contributors, their stories were fascinating and complex. I really loved the Audi version. It added so much to hear everyone tell their stories in their own voice. Definitely recommended.
Good and creepy. This one is a perfect read for autumn. Watch out for scarecrows!
Probably more like a 3.5. All right, it wasn't Great Literature, but it was a good time.
Thought provoking but bleak. Very timely right now. A great reminder to vote, to speak up while we still can.
I love these juicy family dramas, and this one was pretty solid. It kept me guessing until almost the end. One thing I didn't love was the narrator. She did an okay job with the characters, but her narration was pretty flat. I think I would have enjoyed it more as a physical book.
The first book in a while to make me tear up. You definitely want to consume this one as an audio book. Nettie and her cousins stole my Southern heart.
The best part of this book was the characters. The plot was a little shaky and definitely derivative, but the pacing was good. It was Clines characters that really made the book. They were believable and it made you care about them.
I was sure I was going to love this book. Everyone was reading it and talking about it and it sounded funny. But it just wasn't for me. I didn't really like Finlay. The plot was all over the place. I am disappointed.
I wanted to love this book. I love Shakespeare retellings. I love magic. It seemed like a perfect combination.
Instead I am conflicted. The characters were well done. But the story was SO SLOW. Elia dithered for hundreds of pages. The writing was beautiful, but sometimes too much. So many descriptions! And then so many POVs. I mostly enjoyed that part.
This one is hard to rate. I feel like it will really stick with me, but it had too many flaws for 5 stars. And the ending made me mad. So I'm going to leave it at 3.5 for now.
Wow, this book! Some major twists I didn't see coming! However, I set it down for a few days and didn't feel any urge to pick it back up, so I markedly down. Good ending though.
Well, I finished it and it kept my attention, but I feel like it was lacking something. IDK. I'm not sure I bought the ending. And I definitely couldn't deal with those parents. Who hires a nanny and just leaves them with your kids after a day? Crazy people, that's who! I might try another book by this author. I'd give it 3.5 Stars
I liked this one, despite the cover. It was a fun urban fantasy. However, I don't think my book club would like it.
If your club reads middle grade/young YA I would definitely recommend this one. It's about grief, friendship, family, forgiveness, and compassion.
What a fun book! I grew up reading the Golden Age mysteries, mainly Agatha Christie, borrowed from my grandma's house. When I got older I found even more authors waiting for me, like Margery Allingham and Ngaio Marsh. But what a treat to see them all working together to solve a crime. I would definitely recommend this one to fans of any of the author or classic mystery, and I'd love to read a sequel. The audio version was really good.
Thanks to the publisher and author for a chance to listen to this one.
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