This is a melancholy, unsettling book. It left me with more questions than answers.
You'll never know what it’s like here.
That's pretty much how I felThis is a melancholy, unsettling book. It left me with more questions than answers.
You'll never know what it’s like here.
That's pretty much how I felt when reading this book. Is the story speculative fiction? Magical realism? Female dystopian? Folk horror? A bit of all of the above? Maybe. Kind of. I'm not sure.
I was that strange visitor from Elsewhere in this surreal, particular world.
Told from the first person POV of Vera, Elsewhere reads almost like an intense character study of a woman searching for her own truths. Filled with introspective writing, the book seems to question motherhood and identity. A short book (only 223 pages), it is divided into 5 sections with no chapters. Each section is really a section of Vera's life. (I) childhood, (II) wife/motherhood (III) leaving (IV) returning (V) reflections.
My main issue is that I didn't care for the MC. I like what she represents and the general idea of her, but as a character, she just didDNF at 26%.
My main issue is that I didn't care for the MC. I like what she represents and the general idea of her, but as a character, she just didn't work for me. She barely does anything, seems to cause her own problems but then blames other people. The whole story seems to be an underwhelming and convoluted mess. Clearly, the author doesn’t want her MC to suffer any serious consequences for her very poor actions, and so the MC is saved each time by a flimsy twist. There's not enough backstory to care about her or the other characters. The relationships that are formed feel rushed and happen in too short amount of time with little to no exposition.
I also found too many holes in the plot and not enough world-building or character backstory to support it. For example, the magic system has little to no explanation. It just seems to work how the author wants it to for any particular scene. On page 98, there's finally a bit of backstory on the history of their magic but that's a bit too far in and really didn't give enough to support it. Then there are the social issues the author clearly wanted to address. The problem is that there are too many issues tackled and this dilutes whatever message the author wants to convey.
The writing is just okay. I felt the author overused colloquialisms and jargon from the 1920s with little context, which sometimes made it difficult to read if you aren't familiar with that particular jargon. Jargon, historical terminology, colloquialisms should be used to add to the world building or provide substance to a character. Here I felt like she was throwing them in there just to throw them in or to remind readers this is a historical novel because the writing, for the most part, felt rather millennial.
The writing also read choppy and the plot moved slow. The plot was scattered, with scenes randomly ending and another one beginning with no transition. I got a fourth of the way in and nothing really had happened. And there's a lot repetition of the narrator’s thoughts. What this tells me is that this first novel that really needed more mentoring and tightening from a strong editor. Frankly, I should have known by the back cover blurb that this story lacked a real plot as it reads rather generically that the MC "runs the risk of losing everything" from "crooked city councilmen and ruthless mobsters" if her family ties are discovered. It reads like a bad B-movie plot.
While an interesting concept with a stunning cover, this one definitely disappointed....more
I preface this review with the fact that I didn’t enjoy LakesEdge. But I already had this book and so I decided to give it a go with the hopes that thI preface this review with the fact that I didn’t enjoy LakesEdge. But I already had this book and so I decided to give it a go with the hopes that the issues in the first book maybe would have improved in this one. Sadly, I was wrong.
First of all, there is no significant plot. I skimmed major portions of each chapter and always knew exactly what was happening. Why? Because nothing happened except repetitive statements. Leta wanting to return. Rowan wanting to get Leta. And Lord Under (I’m still rolling my eyes at that name) wanting Leta. There was a lot of unnecessary back and forth that added absolutely no value to the story and didn’t provide any background information either. Clipstone does write hauntingly lyrical lines . . . but then merely repeats those lines in about every chapter. I had to convince myself not to DNF at the end of every chapter.
Beyond the lack of plot, there is still no real world building. The magic system for both the Above and Below is a concept rather than a concrete idea. And these generic terms still say to me that there was very little thought put into this world, how it works, why it works, and what it means. The magic system only works to accomplish what the author wants, which isn’t a lot.
The character development and relationship building seemed to regress. Insta-love, a love triangle (because it must be a rule that a YA book has to have a love triangle), and random queer relationship thrown in the name of diversity! For example, there’s no explanation or even a hint as to why Lord Under formed a bond or any semblance of romantic interest in Violeta other than the fact they made a deal when she was a child and he needed a vessel.
I love Kate and Curran. And this was such a fun novella, a day in the life of Kate & Curran in Wilmington keeping a "low profile." Ilona Andrews has bI love Kate and Curran. And this was such a fun novella, a day in the life of Kate & Curran in Wilmington keeping a "low profile." Ilona Andrews has built an amazing world and I'm so glad she keeps allowing us to visit it. ...more
No ages are given for Jeremy and Gen but based on context cues, I'd guess they’re supposed to be in their mid-20s. However, they read more like DNF'd.
No ages are given for Jeremy and Gen but based on context cues, I'd guess they’re supposed to be in their mid-20s. However, they read more like young teen campers with an overuse of "dude" and "epic." And while I might be able to move past that, the writing and plot development were both poor. The first chapter drops in with the characters already knowing each other. No explanations, just like you walked into a coffee house and found two people talking with no context of who they are or what's really going on. It felt like I was missing a chapter and had started on chapter 2 instead of on page 1.
On top of that, the sub-plot was "save the failing business." But that just didn't work for me. It's a summer camp that they're opening in the winter to "save" it. Um, how does that work? Unfortunately, whether we like it or not, the typical American school year works more on the Christian calendar, and so winter break coincides with Christmas. Hanukkah may or may not overlap. Often it doesn't (although it did in 2022). But what parents want to send their kids to a sleep away camp in the winter, even if the dates work with schools? Isn't Hanukkah more a family/extended family festival? And also, how does it "save" the business to open it for one week in the winter? Winterizing a summer camp cannot make financial sense.
I DNF'd it fairly quickly because the writing style was awful. This is clearly a self-published book and it shows. A good editor might have helped.
After an awkward meet-cute, this was a friends to lovers trope. Wes felt a bit too mechanical and rigid and Hailey was a bit much with not wanting to After an awkward meet-cute, this was a friends to lovers trope. Wes felt a bit too mechanical and rigid and Hailey was a bit much with not wanting to accept help from anyone, especially Wes. Yes, their respective backstories made it clear why each was like that. And because of this, or maybe just because there is no spice (none at all, not even in the vanilla kiss), I never really felt a connection between them through most of the story. Hailey was too closed off and Wes was too focused on rules of friendship. Even their friendship parts felt sterile.
The other characters did add some fun and levity. Noah and Grace, Chris and Everly all make appearances, along with some new friends. And it isn't necessary to read the other two books. Each of these books works as a stand alone.
Originally written in 1997, I read the 2017 version that has a new preface. This is not an easy read. This book requires time to absorb the amount of Originally written in 1997, I read the 2017 version that has a new preface. This is not an easy read. This book requires time to absorb the amount of information provided, including the history of controlling Black women's reproduction and appalling policies (both historic and more recent) on the exploitation of Black women and the forced control of their bodies. By examining the long history of how Black women have been denied reproductive autonomy, Roberts not only provides an insightful tome on racial and gender justice, but also explores how this structural denial of reproductive justice threatens the liberty of all women and all Black people.
Despite the 20+ years that have passed since the book was originally published, I fear that there has been little, if any progress towards racial justice for Black women. If anything, especially since the U.S. Supreme Court in 2022 just overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark piece of legislation that made access to an abortion a federal right in the United States, things have gotten worse for all women, and especially, given the history, Black women....more
This book covers a tremendous amount of ground, covering everything from how the flu started and traveled to how it changed art, literature, and cultuThis book covers a tremendous amount of ground, covering everything from how the flu started and traveled to how it changed art, literature, and culture. The author attempted to cover the pandemic from a global perspective, focusing on every continent (except Antarctica, which was not impacted). I knew very little about the 1918 "Spanish" Flu other than it happened. This book did fill in some history; however, it is more broad and shallow.
While there is a lot of information, I found quite a bit of this book dry and not engaging. It attempts to combine a logical narrative with a modern scientific lens. Eventually, I started skimming sections. The 8 sections are in a chronological order, starting with a history of pandemics, working to the start of the Spanish Flu, how it played out, and then what happened in its aftermath. But a chronological retelling didn't completely work as many of the chapters, the author had to jump back and forth in time to connect all the dots. I thought the best sections were the first three, which really focus on the 1918 flu itself. After that, I felt it started to bog down
Although this book was published in 2017, before the COVID-19 pandemic, one thing I did take away is the parallel between the 1918 pandemic and the COVID-19 pandemic. While science has advanced quite a bit since then, and a lot of our public health and epidemiology exists because of the 1918 pandemic, government and the masses act about the same and many of the challenges remain the same (e.g., social distancing, masks). ...more
A story of two teens, each with their own struggles, who meet and become BFFS. The writing felt like it was meant more for middle grade than YA, but sA story of two teens, each with their own struggles, who meet and become BFFS. The writing felt like it was meant more for middle grade than YA, but some of the subject matter was more teen than MG. While a sweet story, it really wasn't my cup of tea.
Well, I'm just going to say that Eloise James's books aren't my cup of tea. Several readers have recommended her to me, so I thought I'd give her a seWell, I'm just going to say that Eloise James's books aren't my cup of tea. Several readers have recommended her to me, so I thought I'd give her a second chance. This story sounded fun but sadly, I'm underwhelmed. I'm giving this 3 stars because I appreciated the feminist statements made and that a character who had been to war clearly suffered from PTSD. I also liked Jeremy.
A large part of my complaint with the book comes from the narrator. Her voice, when simply narrating, had an odd cadence. She did a decent job with the character voices, but that odd cadence just bugged me.
As for the story, I thought it took too long to get to the wager, which didn't happen until chapter 6. The wager wasn't even interesting because Betsy easily won without Jeremy even getting one shot. And then the story just kind of rambled. Betsy being wishy-washy about not wanting anyone but wanting everyone to propose to her. Then she was wishy-washy about Jeremy. I get that she was emotionally scarred at a tender age by first being abandoned by her mother and then by vicious gossip from an ignorant girl. But I just felt Betsy didn't live up to the "wild" reputation. I found her really bland.
I kept listening because I do love a bad boy. Although Jeremy really wasn't a bad boy so much as a someone who was understandably deeply damaged by war. But that made him even more endearing.
I liked the HEA because who doesn't listen to romance for the HEA. But this book just didn't give me all the feels like my favorite romance authors' books do. Hence 3 stars....more
I wanted to like this more. I liked Em. I liked Aiden. I liked the story (even though I thought it was a bit of a stretch that the sim card was snappeI wanted to like this more. I liked Em. I liked Aiden. I liked the story (even though I thought it was a bit of a stretch that the sim card was snapped). I like the amnesia trope. I liked that Aiden and Duke had a positive male friendship. I liked the town. I liked the girlfriends. I liked the goats, the llama (watch out they spit!), the dog, and the kids (both human and four-legged).
But . . .
I got sooooooooo frustrated that all it would have taken was 1 open, honest adult conversation. Either Em admitting to Aiden what she was feeling or Aiden admitting how he felt (or him actually asking Em to stay). I mean seriously, WTF Aiden, why would she stay when you...more
This book is an attempt to balance nature writing with a memoir, taking the reader through the scientific history of the eel with his memories of fishThis book is an attempt to balance nature writing with a memoir, taking the reader through the scientific history of the eel with his memories of fishing with his father. Unfortunately, there isn't enough known about the eel to write an entire book, and so there are rather a lot of extraneous bits that are only marginally connected to eels.
I found the first couple of chapters interesting. I knew next to nothing about the eel before starting this book. I found the life cycle of the eel fascinating, as well as how little science has actually been able to discover about the eel. The other sciencey part I enjoyed were the bits about the Japanese scientists trying to breed eels in laboratories and failing spectacularly. The first parts of him fishing for eels with his father were also somewhat interesting.
But then, the book lost steam. I found there was too much detail on eel fishing (which is repeated in later chapters). I felt the author was stretching on some of the historical bits, trying to link things back to eels just to get this from article length to book length. For example, I found it interesting that a young Sigmund Freud studied eels in Trieste. But there was too much about his letters to his friend about the women of Trieste, and then the author then tries to connect Freud's later studies in psychoanalysis back to his time in Trieste studying eels. It was a bit much.
Overall, I think this would have worked better as a long article rather than a book. I didn't find enough in the book to keep me interested, and the book is only 235 pages long.
It was just okay. An enemies to friends to lovers romance that was rather cheesy and had no spice. Apparently this author doesn't do any sex scenes anIt was just okay. An enemies to friends to lovers romance that was rather cheesy and had no spice. Apparently this author doesn't do any sex scenes and the descriptions of kissing are rather vanilla. No spark at all. This wasn't as good as the first Jansen brothers book. The story started to drag in the middle. This really could have been a novella instead. The external conflicts kind of fizzled out and most of the real conflict was internal to each MC. The whole thing felt rather bland....more
A cute romance that had a good balance of light-hearted rom-com while providing a good portrayal of a character who has social anxiety. There's no spiA cute romance that had a good balance of light-hearted rom-com while providing a good portrayal of a character who has social anxiety. There's no spice (it's a slow burn) but it's a sweet HEA.
I picked up this book simply because it had a typewriter on its cover for a reading challenge. I did not know what it was about when I started it. I sI picked up this book simply because it had a typewriter on its cover for a reading challenge. I did not know what it was about when I started it. I started it and couldn't put it down and finished it in one sitting. I found the essays thought provoking....more
Meh. I gave it 3 stars mostly because I liked that Nory owned a secondhand bookshop and was reluctant to part with said books. The author also threw iMeh. I gave it 3 stars mostly because I liked that Nory owned a secondhand bookshop and was reluctant to part with said books. The author also threw in a nod to Neil Gaiman and Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch, which I liked. Plus, I'd really just love to browse Nory's bookshop. But this was more of a 2 - 2.5 star read.
Other than that, this book has a lot of over-explanations. It was an easy read because you can skim a lot and not miss anything. The them versus us dynamic between those that attend the private school, known as Pomp, and those who attend the state school, known as Comp, felt dated. And frankly, made all the characters, who are supposed to be in their thirties, seem a bit immature.
There was also a lot going on in this story. Yes, the main focus is Nory, but it dives into the lives of all her friends and her brother, which add complexity to the story but because it's only 300 some pages, most of these issues are only superficially addressed. Among the topics addressed include racism, classism, adultery, parental neglect, addiction, and depression/suicide. Other topics hinted but never specficially addressed include alcoholism and possible physical abuse. While I appreciate that relationships, especially ones that began in childhood at a boarding school, are complex and complicated, there was just too much going on for what is basically a contemporary romance story. And so these issues are only superficially addressed, and basically felt thrown in to add dimension and depth to the book. But sadly, it just failed because it was too much and too many different threads to try to tie together. And so the ending was completely rushed. For example, the whole issue with her brother Thom putting her down all the time, which she repeatedly remarked on throughout the entire book, ended up being boiled down to a half-page confrontation right at the end.
As for the romance bits, well first it was really PG. No spice at all. While Issac is a guy I'd love to meet in real life, frankly, I really didn't see the spark. Again, because there were too many other things the author was trying to throw in. There really wasn't much time for the romance.
Last, this was marketed as a Christmas romance book. It's not really a Christmas book. Christmas is more of a backdrop and not really any focus. This book could've been set just in winter or any other time of the year. Christmas had no impact on this story....more
This is not a book for everyone. It's definitely not my cup of tea. It captures everything I dislike about the sci-fi genre. And so, I doubt I'll everThis is not a book for everyone. It's definitely not my cup of tea. It captures everything I dislike about the sci-fi genre. And so, I doubt I'll ever read book 2 or book 3 of this trilogy.
Red Mars goes into exhaustive detail describing the landscape features of Mars and inane details on some sciency stuff. Some of the sciency stuff was just exhausting. Likely because I am not a sciency person and so most of it sounded like Charlie Brown's teacher to me. But my issue is a lot of the sciency stuff that KSR goes into great detail about was not necessarily essential to the story. Whereas other parts, parts that at least have some bearing on the story, are never discussed at all. The reader just has to figure it out from context. So I found that really frustrating.
And despite all the science, one of the biggest holes I think the story has is that the first 100 don't really seem to have any problems conquering this red planet with its thin poisonous atmosphere. Everything just seems to work, resources just seem to be there, and we have a settlement on Mars.
As for the characters, Nadia was one of the few that I could nearly fully picture and had any kind of development. The rest were flat. I could never really picture them except in stereotypical terms or as a caricature. And the changing POV would have worked better had there been better context instead of just jumping from one POV and time to another time and another POV.
The last half of the book, I really just skimmed. The exploration of the political implications of a newly habitable planet filled with resources for an overpopulated civilization just got boring. Basically, KSR tells us in the first section what will happen. The last 50%, I found occasional flashes of conversation surrounded by long descriptions of people driving endless distances around Mars and writing about the landscape in flat prose. Too much on the science and landscape, not enough on character development. ...more
It is no sin to go back and fetch what you have forgotten.
Twitty ends his book with the above Twi proverb, which seems fitting.
This was my January
It is no sin to go back and fetch what you have forgotten.
Twitty ends his book with the above Twi proverb, which seems fitting.
This was my January book for the 12 Challenge (12 months to read 12 books recommended by 12 friends). I read it first instead of during Black History Month simply because it was the first book of the 12 available from my library.
I'm not sure I knew what to expect when I picked up this book. And I'm not sure this book met whatever expectations I may have had.
This is a complex and dense book. Because this book is a "nonfiction narrative intended to weave together elements of genealogical documentation, genealogy, first-hand accounts from primary sources, the most recent findings of culinary and cultural historians, and personal memoir," it takes time to read and unpack [quote from the Author's Note]. I found myself reading a chapter or section and then would let the book sit for a bit whilst I ruminated on what I read.
In my own words, the Cooking Gene is Twitty's exploration of his identity, both culturally and racially, through the lens of historical cooking and ancestry exploration. He is trying to find his cooking "gene."
In other words, there's a lot here. And I thank Michael Twitty for sharing his journey with us. It's clear that Twitty is passionate and knowledgeable about historic culinary practices.
That being said, I had maybe expected a more traditionally linear story rather than jumping from past to present to past to near present. I found it hard to stay with him, and that's even doing a slow read. The parts about food and cooking are not what I had expected. That didn't make those parts less interesting, but I found myself often with more questions than answers on the cooking bits. There were mentions of places or historical people without a lot of context, and so I found myself googling names, events, places every few paragraphs, which disrupted the flow of the narrative. I also found the extremely detailed account of Twitty's genealogical searches, including about 20 pages just detailing his various DNA reports, bogging down the flow. Yes, some of this was important to the themes and ideas Twitty is expressing, but I think a more succinct summary may have helped the narrative flow.
Despite that, I did find many moments of brilliance, crucial information being relayed about slavery and genealogy, and reminders that race in America needs to be discussed more openly and taught more accurately at school. This book definitely made me think about the dishes I loved growing up in the South and how and why these dishes came to be associated with "southern cooking" and who has taken credit for these southern dishes and who really should be given credit for these dishes.
Despite giving it 3.5 stars, I would recommend it. But be prepared, this is a book that takes time to read and will involve the frequent use the google. ...more
I guess my expectations were too high going into this book. The book's preface made me excited to read it. But I quickly lost interest. What I had expI guess my expectations were too high going into this book. The book's preface made me excited to read it. But I quickly lost interest. What I had expected was an interesting dive into Leonardo Da Vinci, arguably one of the greatest polymaths and geniuses of the Italian Renaissance, and his work, the Vitruvian Man. Instead, I found ramblings and constant asides on European history, art, architecture, religion, and literature. Interesting? At times, yes. I even flagged things to do further research into. But those tidbits were not why I picked up this book.
The parts about the actual topic, Leonardo's Vitruvian Man, make up maybe a fourth of this book. The book is only 227 pages long (not counting the extensive notes, bibliography, suggestions, permissions/credits, and index, which push the book out to 275 pages). The chapters on Leonardo's life have sections discussing history, art, architecture, etc., and not always clearly focused on Leonardo. It isn't until page 197 that we, at last, get to the main subject of the book—Leonardo's Vitruvian Man.
Which brings us, at last, to Virtruvian Man.
The main problem is that there wasn't enough material on Leonardo and his Vitruvian Man to justify an entire book. If Lester was a more engaging writer, then maybe the book would work better. But as written, the book lacked cohesion. I felt it was a confusing stream of disjointed parts with no coherent focus and too much conjecture and supposition.
DNF’d at 19%. I would read a few pages, put the book down. Then I’d force myself to pick it up again. I gave up at page 95.
This is a Sherlock Holmes sDNF’d at 19%. I would read a few pages, put the book down. Then I’d force myself to pick it up again. I gave up at page 95.
This is a Sherlock Holmes style murder mystery set in New York at the end of the 19th century at the incipiency of forensic science and psychological profiling. Normally, this would be my cup of tea, but I just couldn’t force myself to read any more.
The story dives quickly into the mystery. And that was the one positive. However, the pacing and the writing soon deterred my interest in the mystery and the burgeoning criminal investigation.
It’s clear from the beginning that the author is a historian. A quick glance at his profile was enough to cement that. And sadly, like too many historians, Carr’s writing is dry, overly descriptive, more telling than showing, and detached. He also went on some historic tangents, which while interesting, had little to no bearing on the story and often dragged down the plot. It read more like a forensic report than a novel.
I also couldn’t connect with the characters. The story is told from the perspective of the John Schuyler Moore, a reporter (the Dr. John Watson character), as a counter to Dr. Laszlo Kreizler (the Sherlock Holmes character).
The synopsis calls this “face-paced.” If one skims all the extraneous details and historical facts, then yes, it could be considered so. But I found it rather plodding.
I’m not clear why this book is rated as highly as it is. But for me, I did not enjoy what I read. 1 star....more
An interesting look at the cultural points of view of introversion and extroversion. Specifically, this book looks at introversion through the AmericaAn interesting look at the cultural points of view of introversion and extroversion. Specifically, this book looks at introversion through the American cultural extroversion lens. I didn’t really learn anything new but the book was well laid out. ...more
I didn't DNF this because I needed it to complete a December holiday romance reading challenge. But I regret wasting an audiobook credit on it.
The syI didn't DNF this because I needed it to complete a December holiday romance reading challenge. But I regret wasting an audiobook credit on it.
The synopsis made it sound fun and lighthearted. But I was mostly bored and honestly, I didn't see the connection between the two MCs at all.
This story didn't know if it was trying to be Scrooge and Christmas Carol or the Grinch. I mean the male protagonist's last name is Stoneheart. Stone. Heart. If that wasn't enough, he actually mentions more than once that his heart was ice. Scrooge. Grinch. Scrooge. Grinch. A little girl even calls him the Grinch in disguise and he hates Christmas (although that could be both Scrooge and the Grinch). But then he has flashbacks (like Scrooge), is a miser (like Scrooge), and then is actually called Scrooge. I mean c'mon. Not only does it keep mixing its stories, but it also had to be obvious and not in a charming way. Either way, Elias was a completely unlikable character. The good news is he was completely aware that he's an asshole. Yes, he has a sad backstory . . . but of course, a sad childhood (seriously, dude needs therapy) wasn't enough and the author then had to drop the flashback (view spoiler)[ of the teen pregnancy/miscarrage (hide spoiler)]. I thought that was overkill and too much. The story didn't need that extra. I mean how many tropes do you really need to cram into one story.
Isabelle, on the other hand, was not the likable small-town heroine. She was basically an ostrich, sticking her head in the sand over the clear financial issues facing the farm she claims to love so much. I mean if the farm is struggling so much, then why wasn't Isabelle even attempting to implement some of her ideas? Moreover, if this Christmas tree farm and Christmas village is such an intricate part of the town as Isabelle claims, then why weren't the town folk rallying around to help them? If Tilikum is such a small town where everyone knows everyone's business, then shouldn't all the town folk know that the Cooks were struggling?
The story, whether it's attempting to be a retelling or not, was not original, not entertaining, not heartwarming, not funny, not believable. There was no chemistry between the characters and the lone sex scene lasted as long as a teenage boy. Sad. Just sad. This story dragged on far too long. I ended up listening on 2x speed just to finish it.
As to the narrators, they were both okay. The female narrator was okay but her voice just bugged me. It made me cringe. It was just her tone, it sounded too saccharine, like almost fake. ...more
A short story about two strangers who get stuck together over Christmas. It wasn't bad bit its ultimately forgettable. There just wasn't enough to keeA short story about two strangers who get stuck together over Christmas. It wasn't bad bit its ultimately forgettable. There just wasn't enough to keep these characters together long-term. The narrator was decent....more
Gaiman never disappoints. And I enjoyed it although it isn't my favorite Gaiman.
A solid book, it has all the things that make Gaiman's books great. GrGaiman never disappoints. And I enjoyed it although it isn't my favorite Gaiman.
A solid book, it has all the things that make Gaiman's books great. Great prose, incredible imagery, mythology, cleverness, humor. But to me, it lacks that extra something that makes Neverwhere, Coraline, and Stardust so amazing. So this is a 4-star read instead of 5.
A fun rom-com with travel mishaps, strangers sharing a car, mistaken identity, a found puppy, and bumbling FBI agents. Were the FBI parts a bit over-tA fun rom-com with travel mishaps, strangers sharing a car, mistaken identity, a found puppy, and bumbling FBI agents. Were the FBI parts a bit over-the-top? Yes. Were there some stretches of reality? Yes. But it was all good fun....more
I felt there was a disconnect between the magical realism and the rest of the story. Part of the disconnect I think stemmed from the flashbacks. Part I felt there was a disconnect between the magical realism and the rest of the story. Part of the disconnect I think stemmed from the flashbacks. Part of it came from various pieces of the story just not jibbing in tone. I enjoyed pieces of it, like the Christmas market. I even liked the idea of a magical realism Christmas market. But the romance lacked as well as the character development. I felt both were unbalanced. I also felt there were a lot of wasted paragraphs, details that didn't add to the story. I ended up skimming entire pages and never lost the thread of the story.
So while an interesting concept, it didn't quite work for me. 2.5 stars rounded up....more
I finally read a series in order! This is book 3 of the Bridesmaids Behaving Badly trilogy. It's not my fave but it was still fun although it touched I finally read a series in order! This is book 3 of the Bridesmaids Behaving Badly trilogy. It's not my fave but it was still fun although it touched on some serious topics. Nothing like a road trip to really get to know someone. ...more
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