Ann A’s Comments (group member since Apr 18, 2010)

Ann A’s comments from the Challenge: 50 Books group.

79 - Hell of a Book
Clever and thought-provoking. 4*

80 - The Tennis Partner: A Doctor's Story of Friendship and Loss
Sad, but very well-written. 4*

81 - Alaska
Not sure we'll ever see another historical fiction writer like James Michener. 5*

82 - I'd Know You Anywhere
Respectable tale of suspense. 4*

75 - The Mysteries of Udolpho (1001 books)
Some lovely poetry and descriptions of nature - excessively long, however. 3 1/2*

76 - Bewilderment
Profoundly disturbing, yet beautiful. 4*

77 - Dog on It - Fun. 4*

78 - Hide and Seek 4*

70 - Two Kinds of Truth
I always enjoy hanging out with Harry. 4*

71 - The Scapegoat
Luscious writing and rich characters (in this case, I can ignore the implausible plot elements ;) 4*

72 - The Late Show
The jury is still out on Renee. There were some things that bothered me about her. 3 1/2*

73 - Dark Sacred Night
The ending bit dragged my rating down. 3 1/2*

74 - The Quiet American (1001 books) 3*

Time to finish up my 2021 report!

66 - 2001: A Space Odyssey (1001 books)
I finally got around to this. It was surprisingly good. I should read more SciFi. 4*

67 - The Girl on the Train
This had me at 4* until the over-the-top, melodramatic movie ending. 3*

68 - The River Between (1001 books)
Moving tale set in a Kenyan village. 4*

69 - Fight Club
Not pleasant, but certainly inventive. I have been curious about Chuck Palahniuk for years. 3*

64 - The Wrong Side of Goodbye
One of my favorites so far in the Harry Bosch series. 4 1/2*

65 - Stephen Florida (ToB
A lot of people seem to love this. Too much peeing off balconies (and other places) and wth? moments for me. 2*

61 - Death of a Ghost 3*

62 - Death of an Honest Man 3*

63 - Light in August
I feel bad giving William Faulkner 3*. The writing was gorgeous, like reading poetry, but in this case I didn't get fully drawn into the story. 3*

58 - Death of a Nurse
Hamish is still fun, even if the series is wearing a little thin. In honor of the passing of M.C. Beaton, I'm going to finish it up (at least the ones written by her - I understand she may have passed the torch). 3*

59 - Skippy Dies (ToB)
I had doubts about hanging out with these teenage boys, but the skillful writing drew me in (as happens with many ToB books). 4*

60 - Summer (1001 Books)
And more skillful writing...4*

55 - Tiny Sunbirds, Far Away
I'm rating this lower than just about anybody else, it seems. It was good, but I had a few issues with it. 3*

56 - A Place of Hiding
Well-written, as usual, but this one didn't live up to most of the others I've read in this series. 3*

57 - Kidnapped (1001 Books)
Enjoyed it - again, didn't love it. 3*

Looks like I'm stuck on 3 star-reads now, but that's still a decent rating from me.

52 - The Animators (ToB)
The parts about the animation process and artistic inspiration were fascinating, but I otherwise did not enjoy being 'with' the main characters. 3*

53 - Peaches for Father Francis
I DID enjoy being with these characters. 4*

54 - Version Control (ToB)
I'm so intimidated by Dexter Palmer, I don't even know what to say about the book. How about it's really, really good? 4 1/2*

49 - Shuggie Bain (ToB)
SO sad, but so good. 4*

50 - Midaq Alley (1001 books)
This started off slowly, but then I kept getting drawn further in. 4*

51 - Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup
Fascinating - and a timely read as the trial is finally due to begin Aug. 31! 5*

There - all caught up :)

46 - Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer: A Road Trip into the Heart of Fan Mania
I consider myself a big sports fan, but I don't hold a candle to these Alabama RVers! Btw, I also loved 'Outcasts United' by the same author. 4*

47 - New Micro: Exceptionally Short Fiction
I like short stories, but apparently not this short. 2*

48 - Reasons to Live (1001 books)
Didn't love any of the stories, but a couple may stay with me for a while. 3*

43 - One Life
Very interesting autobio. There's a lot to admire about Rapinoe - her activism as well as her athletic prowess. 5*

Several 5* reads lately. That's unusual for me, but I'm loving it!

44 - Trust: America's Best Chance
We NEED more people like Secretary Pete in public service. Also, the guy is a good writer. 4*

45 - The Tsar of Love and Techno (ToB)
Even though this is supposedly "short stories", it should be read as a novel to help keep track of the connections. Marra is a great writer, but I didn't like this as much as 'A Constellation of Vital Phenomena'. 4*

40 - Beartown
Loved it! 5*

41 - A Traitor to Memory
This is a long one but, as usual with this series, very good. 4*

42 - Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader
A great book about books! 5*

37 - Jellicoe Road 3*

38 - Mystery of the Brass-Bound Trunk 3*

39 - Klara and the Sun (ToB)
I was a bit disappointed in this, but I normally love Ishiguro so I'm giving him a little leeway. 3 1/2*

34 - Leaves of Grass
I didn't 'get' all the poems, but I loved enough of them to make it totally worth plowing through this tome. 4*

35 - Killing Floor
I imagine this series gets better, but after #1 - nope, I'm done. 1*

36 - Bella Tuscany
Follow-up to 'Under the Tuscan Sun'. What can I say? Great writing and ITALY. 5*

31 - Growth of the Soil (1001 books)
I quite enjoyed this tale of Norwegian homesteaders. Possibly my first translation from Norwegian (?) 4*

32 - Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood
I probably would have enjoyed this more 20 years ago - seemed a little dated. 3*

33 - Murder in the Mews
I don't think anyone will supplant Ms. Christie as my favorite mystery writer. I'll be sad to finish all her books (perhaps I'll have to start over). 4*

28 - Covid Chronicles: A Comics Anthology
Very impressive anthology, covering most all aspects of COVID and how it has affected our lives. I read this a few months ago, when things were looking better :( 4*

29 - The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race
Walter Isaacson is one of my favorite nonfiction writers, and he didn't disappoint here. 5*

30 - Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century
I liked the book better than the movie (and the movie was good). 5*

25 - Hello, Universe
2018 Newbery winner. Lovely book. 5*

26 - The Vanishing Half
Very good, but maybe didn't quite live up to the hype. 4*

27 - Death of a Liar
Hamish MacBeth is at it again. 3*

22 - In Pursuit of the Proper Sinner
Another winner from Elizabeth George. 4*

23 - Death of a Policeman
I am hooked on this silly series, but this wasn't one of the best. 2*

24 - Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
So glad I finally got around to this. Such fun! 4*

19 -Cutter and Bone (1001 books)
I read plenty of depressing books, but I need just a glimmer of hope. Didn't find it in this one. 1*

20 - Interior Chinatown (ToB)
I love books like this that expand my horizons in a clever, unique way. 4*

21 - American Born Chinese 4*