The pace of this was incredibly slow. But I love when a slow burn story reads with an underlying intensity that makes the time pass quickly. Recommended to those who appreciate historical fiction from the female perspective
The pace of this was incredibly slow. But I love when a slow burn story reads with an underlying intensity that makes the time pass quickly. Recommended to those who appreciate historical fiction from the female perspective
Stay away. The advice is trite. But more importantly, the way the female is represented is insulting. Two people marry and leave corporate to start a speaking company together. After the woman has 3 kids in 2 years, they decide she should stay home. Ok so far. But then “Terri stayed home to manage the company while the HEAVY LIFTING FOR THE BUSINESS FELL ON JUDS SHOULDERS”?!? 3 kids under 3 and managing a biz but he‘s got the tough job? From 2008!
A solid quick mystery read. Seemed to drag in many places, most of the twists were predictable but aligned well. Not sure I‘d recommend to anyone unless they are a fan of the author or needed a simple beach read.
This has been on my TBR forever. Finally picked it up and am so glad I did. The drawings are incredible. They convey a sense of emotion with no words. The way they show time passing is unique. The story is touching and shows how immigrants have to feel their way through all new situations. I highly recommend for the strong emotional imagery.
Wow! What an amazing ride. Steady pace but relaxed for a haunted house book. Good characters, gripping scenes. Not your typical ending. A strong recommend.
Awesome read. Something about his style is so comfortable, like reading on a blanket under a big oak tree in the middle of summer with a pitcher of iced tea. The plot unfolds steadily and ends with a big finale. Characters you want to spend time with and meet again. Highly recommended.
Audiobook. A story about the women of the Vietnam war, at a time when women weren‘t know to go to war. About 2/3 was dedicated to the war, and yes they were as near to the front lines as possible without actually doing the shooting. The other third was about how difficult the reentry was for these women. Incredibly sad and yet somehow too compelling to stop reading. Binged it in three days.
Fun and crazy ride about an heir to a super villain and his exploits with sentient cats and dolphins. Plenty of gunfire and adventure, with a heavy does of humor. Loved it!
Always a fun ride, Koontz novels are simple and quick to read. No monsters in this one which is unusual, but enough suspense to make it a good story.
It‘s unusual that I think the second half of a book is better than the first. This book opens calmly and comfortably. The second half turns into a more dramatic mystery although still a bit of a cozy mystery. I appreciated the feel of the novel as much as the plot. The plot got a bit confusing at points but all made sense at the end. Would recommend for someone looking for a warm family mystery.
Fantastic listen! Great characters, fast moving intricate plot, great writing and a good narrator.
Fast paced. Good plot. Back to the basics Jack Reacher. Less intricately plotted than some other spy novels but always a reliable listen for a long car trip.
A quick fun read with a mystery, a few sharp pointy twists that I didn‘t see coming, a thread of King‘s Misery, and an ending that wasn‘t predictable.
Another story out of Just After Sunset. Middle aged man starts fitness routine after a lecture from his doctor. As you probably expect, things do not go as planned. So far, these stories are such typical vignettes of life, told untypically and almost lyrically. It was fun to watch King stretch his literary muscles with this one.
Harvey‘s Dream. Story 3. Read by Stephen King. Not a great narration, but interesting to hear it as if it were coming directly from his brain. The story was a simple but foreboding morning coffee conversation between an old married couple. A simple real life vignette, if your real life is created in Stephen Kings brain. Four stars.
A book of Stephen King stories to prepare for Halloween. Each story read by different narrators. The second, called The Gingerbread Girl, starts when a woman out for her morning run sees blond hair hanging from a car trunk and just has to take a look, and is predictably abducted by the killer. What follows is her harrowing experience at the hands of the man. A truely scary “curiosity and the cat” tale. A little over an hour listening time.
Follow up story about Holly now that Bill Hodges is gone. Good to spend some time with her, Jerome, and Barbara. Some people were frustrated with the liberal views here but Hollys views and quirks were true to her character. If you let politics stand between you and a great story, your loss. The mystery here was good, the characters were well done, and I liked the pace of the narration. The ending was all that I wanted it to be. Recommend.
Patchett has such a way of letting her stories grow. I get pulled into each character‘s life so slowly that I don‘t recognize the moment when they become old friends I don‘t want to let go of anymore. This tale of a woman working on the farm with her three daughters turns into her telling her life story to them, including her affair with a young movie star and the different paths they followed. A slow build but a solid recommend.
Excellent fictional account of three young men trapped on Bataan during WW II. Based on true stories, much of the book felt familiar but the characters were fresh and their backstories so well plotted that the whole story was engrossing. The writing moved quickly, interspersing touching stories of the boys growing up in Mobile with the horrors of their time in the Philippines. Listened to the audio which was also well executed. A strong recommend.
Really enjoying this story of a woman telling her story to her three daughters as they‘re picking cherries on the family farm one summer during the pandemic. I appreciate that the pandemic is the reason they‘re all together, but that it doesn‘t take such a central plot piece of the story. Interesting to see how authors are beginning to recognize the pandemic without relying on it as a core element of the story.
A light read about a young woman finding her way in life. Nothing deep, just a fun little romp that includes a secret bookstore, a tiny bit of romance, and a bit of a feminist twist. Fun summer read.
Listened to audio. Ray Porter is a perfect fit for this series. Once the action starts, it‘s a fast paced ride that‘s hard to put down. Every book is extending the very long backstory though so it‘s getting harder and harder to get into. Lots of detailed explanation of weapons and cars and governments, but that‘s also pretty typical. If you liked the first ones, this is the next one.
A surprising short novella about a math professor who can only remember 80 minutes at a time after an accident. A housekeeper and her son form a friendship that changes all of them in unexpected ways. Interesting little stories are included about the beauty of math and numbers, which enhance the story‘s progress as it does the characters.
Two smart and strong female characters start as enemies but the mystery of a dead body pulls them together, with each seeking to figure out the other along the way. It was a fun enemies to friends mystery.
A story of a boy & his horse, laced with historical facts, tinged with racial tension, & complemented by strong characters. The weaving together of different factual events - a painting recovered from the curb, the rediscovery of a horses skeleton, the death from a car wreck of a famous painter - all so skillfully researched & embellished. From the afterword, “this novel could not merely be about a racehorse, it would also need to be about race.”
The story was interesting. The characters felt a little flat to me and the writing was a bit monotone. I‘m likely a little too old now to read this much teenaged angst.
I thoroughly enjoyed this tale of a retired female pirate dragged back into service to find the daughter of a former shipmate. Fun characters and a simple but well crafted plot, including a bit of fantasy and a whole lot of action.
Nice discussion by this female pirate about the paradox of both loving your children and loving a job that takes you away from them.
“Men find it easier to believe they have been swindled by a witch than outwitted by a woman.”
This prequel to The Pillars of the Earth was like returning home to learn all about your grandparents over summer vacation. Spanning a decade, it follows several characters through the turn of the tenth century in England. There are Viking raids and bad antics by church bishops. There are royals and lepers. So little happens in a day and so much in a decade! Recommended for those who want a long but simple, cozy but challenging read.
A book you feel as much as read. When the weather turns sour, two old women are left behind by the tribe. The book follows their journey, which is both emotional and encouraging. This is more of a novella than a novel, so a very quick read, but a very long-remembered story.
I love when you find an amazing book for vacation. I loved this story of finding family, whether from old connections, new friends, or even a mysteriously intelligent octopus narrator. Highly recommend this one for anyone looking for something heartwarming and creative. Amazing especially as a first novel for this author!
Not the right book for me. I enjoyed the interesting first person snarky narrator, but couldn‘t get interested in any of the characters. The mystery was good so if you are into plot driven twisty turns mystery, it could really work for you. Just didn‘t work for me.
Everyone gets a string that tells you how long you‘ll live. Multiple storylines emerge as people come to terms with the ensuing decisions. Great premise and solid character development. The middle got a bit preachy in my opinion but the way the stories develop and intertwine kept me reading. Interesting way to reframe prejudice, and a different take on the question of what a life well lived really means.
But this is what humans have always done. We segment ourselves based on race or class or religion or whatever f&@$ing distinctions we decide to make up, and then we insist on treating each other differently.
Solid Koontz. First I‘ve read in awhile but the style and voice are very much the same as they always were. I appreciated the strong female characters in this one, and nice to see a fox instead of his normal dog as the grounding force. Plenty of suspense leading up to the monsters and a nice relaxing end after all the action. An easy and suspenseful read.
"Google Maps," Katie exaggerates, though mavbe not excessively, "are for the timid who need to see the world simplified in order to understand it. These maps are for those big, bold, pioneering souls who love complexity - explorers, adventurers, lovers of byways and alternate routes!"
She does not believe that any political ideology can shape society into a utopia. She knows that, instead, even the most earnest utopians always and everywhere create horrific dystopias.
She isn‘t a survivalist, but she intends to survive. She‘s not a prepper, though she makes preparations.
Great concept and some interesting plot lines. I had a very hard time getting into the story though until about half through. Downloaded the audiobook and doing a read along made me finish though. 50-80% I was all in, but the last 10% was strange again. Something still stuck with me enough that I plan to try book 2 of the trilogy. I do love all the slasher film trivia sprinkled in.
A woman comes home after her parents die to settle the estate with her brother. But the family estate includes more problems than she‘s prepared for.
I enjoy the humor and wit that comes with Hendrix‘s retro inspired horror. It‘s the perfect blend if you want scary but not too scary. This is more of a Chucky-in-a-dysfunctional-family drama than a haunted house book. A solid pick for me.
A fun romp through an alternate world full of Godzillas. The author wrote this as a quick fun change of pace after the pandemic. And it reads that way. It‘s a bit corny and predictable but a lot of fun.
Just picked this large print edition up from the library. Is the lack of page numbers a choice? Or a printing error?
While it helps to like video games, this is more a story of the complexities of friendship. Three friends build a game, and then a company. It‘s a story of what happens when friends become too invested in one another‘s lives, too dependent on one another for support, but don‘t actually know each other as well as they assume. It explores the ramifications of all the bad assumptions we make around other peoples‘ intentions. A solid pick for me.
She had thought she arrived. But life was always arriving. There was always another gate to pass through.
Stay warm tonight!
Fantastic and immersive trip through the opioid crisis, and what's it like to truly be poor in the country. Strong symbolism around the ocean/water provided a steady and bright canvas that allowed the characters to go dark and be confused as they found their way through their stories. So many great characters, including the mountain setting itself.
Cute little collection of science humor.
This just came up on my library holds! Very excited to get started on it.
I'm curious about the Buddy Reads on The Storygraph and decided to use this book to try it. If anyone's interested in joining me, I'm “outandabout“ over there. Let me know and I'll add you.
Beautifully written with a tense plot but somehow a relaxed pace, with a surprise ending. I enjoy historical fiction that doesn‘t worry so much about historical accuracy that the character development is lost. Interesting journey of a girl too young to be married off for political gain.
“The tigress didn't so much pace as pour herself, as if her very essence was molten, simmering, like the ooze from a volcano. It was hard to distinguish the bars of the cage from the dark, repeating stripes on the creature's fur. The animal was orange, burnished gold, fire made flesh; she was power and anger, she was vicious and exquisite;