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[Archived] Share Your Book Reviews
StarMan wrote: "Kelsey wrote: "Just finished My Best Friend's Exorcism ... Four stars out of five. Way heavier and bette..."Thanks, Kelsey. That book was on my "maybe" list, but now I'll give it ..."
I think you'll like it! It relies heavily on 1980's camp, and on female friendships, but there's so much more to it that I wasn't expecting, namely, how disturbing it was.
Just finishedDefy the Stars by Claudia Gray (YA SF)
PLOT: Unusual enemy slowly becomes friend -- and maybe something more -- in the midst of dangerous sci-fi times.
GR rating: 4.06
My rating: 2+ suns
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Kelsey wrote: "I think you'll like it! It relies heavily on 1980's camp, and on female friendships, but there's so much more to it that I wasn't expecting, namely, how disturbing it was. "Disturbing" is almost always good.
This retro fake VHS book cover looks pretty darn cool:
(view spoiler)
Just finished Jamie Ford's Love and Other Consolation Prizes yesterday. Loved it and rated it 5 stars! My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Just finished The Murder on the Links by Agatha Christie. Definitely my favorite Poirot novel so far! Here's my spoiler free review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...StarMan: That book about a female version of Vlad sounds amazing. I definitely want to check it out at some point. I've always loved Vlad the Impaler history, and have always had a soft spot for gender bending characters, especially if it's male to female!
Kelsey wrote: " That book about a female version of Vlad sounds amazing.... Just finished The Murder on the Links by Agatha Christie. Definitely my favorite Poirot novel so far! ..."I thought AND I DARKEN was pretty fun (4+ stars), and I don't give 4 or 5 stars to many YA books (yet I continue to read 'em!). In fact, out of 94 YA books I've rated, only 18% have gotten 4 or 5 stars from me (admittedly, I'm not YA age). I might even have to bump AND I DARKEN to 5
Thanks for the tip on MURDER ON THE LINKS. I am about 1/3 into my first Agatha Christie book, Murder on the Orient Express . So far so good. I like that even though it was written in 1933 or '34, it holds up well today. And although I don't know all the french expressions that get tossed about, I can glean about half of 'em from context. I also enjoy books where there are no cell phones or modern technology to depend on. In Poroit's time, fingerprints and a few chemistry tricks was about as fancy as CSI tech got.
StarMan wrote: "Kelsey wrote: " That book about a female version of Vlad sounds amazing.... Just finished The Murder on the Links by Agatha Christie. Definitely my favorite Poirot nov..."I'll definitely have to read it soon! I generally don't read too much YA now (most of the YA books I've read was either when I was in middle/high school, or when I reread them for nostalgic purposes), but I'm very intrigued! The last time you tried selling me on a YA book was when we read The Girl with All the Gifts, and I loved it, so I trust you with this! Lol :)
I'm curious as to what you'll think of the ending. I wasn't expecting it at all, and didn't particularly like it, but I know others who say it's the best Poirot book ever written. To each their own!
I agree, though. I love that fingerprints and dropped buttons count for clues. That's the kind of detective work I like, in novels anyway! As for holding up to today, I don't disagree, but there's one specific part with a character, who says something very, very specific about the Germans. Hitler took power in 1933, so with the book being set in about 1934, look out for that quote! It's nothing huge, but when the character said it, I actually paused reading, and I think my reaction was, "yikes"! That little quote didn't age well at all..
As for the French, though I'm not fluent by any means, I'd say I know maybe, 50% of the language? And you really don't miss anything. Most of it is just sayings like, "you're right, my friend," and little phrases like "finally," and "oh good". Thankfully, for non French speakers, there's no important information written in French.
Yeah, I noticed that Germany line in a convo! How soon things would change....Finished MOTOE. I liked it overall, or as much as I can like semi-realistic cozy-ish mysteries or "closed room/area" type mysteries.
But that ending -- too ridiculous for me. I can see how, at the time, it was probably a fun/different type of mystery book for readers. So unlikely/ridiculous a twist that no wonder it's been made into a movie more than once.
Some of the "leaps" that Poroit made seemed extremely unlikely or unauthentic. For example, the burnt paper... he read 3 or 4 words and (view spoiler) Yeah, right. He draws very specific conclusions from the most nebulous of statements or things, sometimes from a single word. I found it all unrealistic, but still mostly fun :)
StarMan wrote: "Yeah, I noticed that Germany line in a convo! How soon things would change....Finished MOTOE. I liked it overall, or as much as I can like semi-realistic cozy-ish mysteries or "closed room/area" ..."
Yup! I was like, just wait literally 5 years... and then I read it over, and I think I did exactly this:
I agree with the ending, though! I don't want to say it was campy, but..kitschy, maybe? That's also my least favorite thing about Poirot novels. They're so fun, but you'll NEVER be able to figure out the story for yourself, because Poirot has so much knowledge about every single thing, and the identity of the murderer is always revealed at the end with this information that he knows, but that the reader is never privy too. I think that's why I liked The Murder on the Links so much, because he gives Hastings (and the reader) the knowledge to tie together the mystery before hand. They are really fun, though. I was actually missing reading a Poirot story today!
Aww man, a love triangle? Bleh. I'll still read it though, probably some time in November, or December!
...at least it's not a typical ♥ triangle (in And I Darken)... and it's not the total focus of the book! It did lower my rating slightly from what would otherwise be a 4.5+ star book, though. I'm looking forward to Book 2, to see whom Lada throttles next.
Finished The Darkest Minds, a YA dystopia by Alexandra Bracken. It's currently GR-rated as 4.25 stars.No surprise: it wasn't 4 stars for me. I'm a meanie, and not a YA.
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Got this book, Things That Go Bump in the Night, in the library I work at, and just finished it. Great stories about folklore and hauntings around New York. I love reading about my town especially, and being able to learn about previous generations there, and their own personal ghost stories.Here's my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Even though it's local to me, it still might interest others! I've also included some of the newer ghost stories that we have in my town, now, including cemeteries that make national haunted lists, some Troy history (including the Revolutionary War), and our haunted houses, and, my personal favorite legend, our own Lansingburgh werewolf :)
PS: The library I work at is also haunted. Just had an experience this past Saturday!
StarMan wrote: "Finished The Darkest Minds, a YA dystopia by Alexandra Bracken. It's currently GR-rated as 4.25 stars.No surprise: it wasn't 4 stars for me. I'm a meanie, and not a YA.
Review: ht..."
Love your review StarMan! I laughed instantly at the "if I were a young adult," "but I'm not". That's how I feel about a lot of books, too, even though I'm still technically "young".
The book looks interesting, though. I might give it a shot at some point!
Oh how interesting that you just had an experience yourself! I am very interested in the paranormal.Wouldn’t it perhaps be fun to have a Halloween thread (is this the right word?) here where we can share ghost stories and favorite scary books?
And maybe Kelsey could kick off by telling about her experience? :-D. Only if you’d like to of course, Kelsey..
Pien wrote: "Oh how interesting that you just had an experience yourself! I am very interested in the paranormal.Wouldn’t it perhaps be fun to have a Halloween thread (is this the right word?) here where we ca..."
I'd love that! I'll make a discussion thread soon :)
Pien wrote: "Oh how interesting that you just had an experience yourself! I am very interested in the paranormal.Wouldn’t it perhaps be fun to have a Halloween thread (is this the right word?) here where we ca..."
Hi Pien! I just posted a discussion about it, under Fun and Games. I started off by telling my experiences about the two haunted houses I grew up in, but might end up telling you about all my other experiences, as well :) Go check it out!
Great! Thanks a lot, this is going to be so much fun!
Pien wrote: "Great! Thanks a lot, this is going to be so much fun!"You're welcome, and I agree! I love reading about personal experiences and ghost stories. Hopefully other Snails will join in, too!
Just finished Harlan Coben's crime thriller Don't Let Go. It was very good -- 4 star read for me! Here's my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...Oh, I also finished James McBride's short story collection Five-Carat Soul last week. It was 3.5 stars for me. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
A slightly unusual mid-80s fantasy shorts collection:
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
A good SF tale:
Building Harlequin's Moon
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and 2 books on writing/writing life:
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Unfortunately, I hated Joyland! It's a shame too, because I'm such a big fan of King, and I went into it expecting that I was going to love it. I actually couldn't even finish it! I felt bad, too, because StarMan somewhat sort of recommended it to me (by way of me saying, oh that looks interesting, and him saying, I think you might like it). Oh well. Different strokes for different folks :) Here's my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Kelsey wrote: "Unfortunately, I hated Joyland! ..."Ha ha... maybe I just liked it because it didn't suck as badly as many of King's later works... and it wasn't 5x longer than it needed to be. Compared to some of his worse, longer drivel, Joyland seemed pretty decent ;p
But yep, the protagonist of the story is an idiot. Did you think the whole thing resembled a Scooby Doo episode (and was sometimes about as intelligent)?
StarMan wrote: "Kelsey wrote: "Unfortunately, I hated Joyland! ..."Ha ha... maybe I just liked it because it didn't suck as badly as many of King's later works... and it wasn't 5x longer than it needed to be. Co..."
I have to admit, I've never read any of King's later works, so maybe that was it? I've only ever read his "classic" stuff, which is considered a classic for a reason :)
But yes, definitely! Like I said in my review, you could tell who the murderer was because of a hat. If that isn't Scooby Doo... I actually didn't even get to the part where they "unmask" the villain (I ended up accidentally spoiling myself, but it wasn't a shock), and all I can picture is someone pulling off said character's hat, and going, "Jinkies! Why, it's you!" and then someone else going, "Like, no way, man!"
Kelsey wrote: "If that isn't Scooby Doo..."Yep, I could match most of the main players to their Scooby Doo equivalent :)
I think King's classic stuff is almost always better, though I usually enjoy any of his short story collections (old or new) pretty well. I also recommend early stories he wrote under a pseudonym, 'Richard Bachman', some of which are handily collected as:
Note that one of the stories inside, "Rage" is supposedly no longer being published, as it involves an eerily predictive tale of a (view spoiler).
StarMan wrote: "Kelsey wrote: "If that isn't Scooby Doo..."Yep, I could match most of the main players to their Scooby Doo equivalent :)
I think King's classic stuff is almost always better, though I usually en..."
I never knew that King used a nom de plume. That sounds interesting, though! I'm not a short story person really, unless it's about horror, for some reason.
That's sad, though. Not that it's no longer being published, but the fact that we have so many shootings that stories like that, whether it's in books or even on TV, affect so many people on a daily basis.
I read This House is Haunted for our Creeptastic Book Challenge, but unfortunately, it fell completely flat. Here's my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Just finished Seven Days of Us by Francesca Hornak. Entertaining and good book, but didn’t “love” it like I thought I would. Here’s my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Thanks for all the reviews, Snails! Keep 'em coming.Just finished Arclight by Josin McQuein, a YA post-apoc. It's a Book #1 (of 2, to date).
The colorful cover art: (view spoiler)
In short: good MC, above average story, some sci-fi content, twisty but not entirely unpredictable. Close to 4 YA stars.
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I just realized I haven’t updated my reviews since October and I’ve actually read a few books since then. So far, these are the books I’ve read in November:Where the Past Begins: A Writer's Memoir by Amy Tan
3.5 stars rounded up to 4
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
4 stars
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
History's Fiction: Stories from the City of Hong Kong by Xu Xi
3 stars
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
And I finally wrote up a review on a book I had read back in 2016:
After You by Jojo Moyes
3 stars
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Just finished another book for my A to Z Author challenge: The Red Hunter by Lisa Unger. This was a well-written psychological thriller that I couldn't put down! Gave it 4 stars (though technically it's somewhere between 4 and 4.5). Here's my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Bkwmlee wrote: "Just finished another book for my A to Z Author challenge: The Red Hunter by Lisa Unger. This was a well-written psychological thriller that I couldn't put down! Gave..."Thanks for the review, Bkwmlee. I've read 2 or 3 Unger books. No stinkers yet. Black Out was different enough that I'd recommend it, if you enjoy some unusual psychodrama. I wanted to slap a character, but it was still a good read.
Thanks for the recommendation, StarMan! Yea, I’ve heard a lot of good things about this author’s books too. From the one book I’ve read of hers so far, she definitely knows how to write! I’ll definitely be checking out your recommendation! :-)
Just finished Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders. One of the best books I've read in 2017! Here's my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
As we near the end of 2017, what was the best book (or books) you enjoyed this year? Or (shudder) the worst?All the following titles were 4 or 4+ stars for me. Some were high 3s, but rounded up to 4 for one reason or another. I tend to be more lenient towards YA/kids books:
(view spoiler)
We've got a couple books in common, StarMan!The Best I've Read This Year:
Velva Jean Learns to Drive (the whole Velva Jean series)
Unmentionable: The Victorian Lady's Guide to Sex, Marriage, and Manners
Hamilton: The Revolution
The Bean Trees
History of Wolves
Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea
The Kind Worth Killing
The Swans of Fifth Avenue
Those Who Save Us
My Best Friend's Exorcism
The Murder on the Links
The Haunting of Hill House
Gone with the Wind
Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders
The Worst I've Read This Year
The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August
Fangirl
Joyland
This House is Haunted
The Fifth Petal
A brief and almost spoiler-free review of this Dave Egger's book...
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
It was "okay" for me, but not life-altering. If you enjoy near-future dystopias which quite resemble present times, maybe check it out. I'd call it more speculative fiction than true science fiction, but it's usually shilled as SF.
If you are interested in discussing this book with fellow smarty Snails, check it out in our Buddy Reads at https://www.goodreads.com/topic/group...
A SF trilogy by Elizabeth Bear turned out to be pretty good (~4 stars, overall). You get your money's worth in these 3:
Imagine a lost, forgotten, damaged generation starship orbiting a dying sun -- for 500 years. Some of the inhabitants inside are no longer quite human, and there are interesting new dilemmas afoot.
It's a good character-driven tale with life-or-death decisions, a twist or two, a bit of knight errantry, family issues, and plenty of strangeness (without being all-out weird). It might take you a few chapters to get hooked, but give this trilogy a look if you enjoy SF done right (and a bit differently).
Reviews:
Book 1, Dust: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Book 2, Chill: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Book 3, Grail: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Just finished a very badly written book for my A to Z author challenge. The book is Regarding Anna by Florence Osmund. Rated it 2 stars (which I consider generous, lol). My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Just finished All the Flowers in Shanghai by Duncan Jepson. Good overall, but didn’t love it. I ended giving a 3.5. Here’s my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Just finished the second to last book to complete my A to Z Author challenge (one more book to go!). The book was the memoir Agathe Von Trapp: Memories Before and After the Sound of Music. I tried to like it but couldn't so ended up giving 2.5 stars. Here's my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Keeper of Lost Things has been a bestseller recently. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Finished The Ship by Antonia Honeywell. Skip this one, unless you insist on reading all YA + dystopia books ever published. I admit the setting was fun & unique, though.
Short review at: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Just finished my first book of 2018: The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin . I gave it 3 stars. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Just finished The Perfect Nanny by Leila Slimani. Originally 4 stars but knocked it down to 3.5 stars due to the ending. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Bkwmlee wrote: "Just finished The Perfect Nanny by Leila Slimani. Originally 4 stars but knocked it down to 3.5 stars due to the ending. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show..."Great review! I was actually interested in reading this, but seeing that it left a lot of questions open ended, I don't think I'll be reading it after all.
And I know exactly what you meant by the TV show! The same thing happened to me, too. The story played out, but it got renewed, and then it got a double renew, so the story became convoluted, because the writers had to stretch the show out for more seasons than their story allowed. At the end, almost nothing made sense, and this grandiose show fell down like a pile of bricks. The show runner is actually, to this day (7 months after the show ended), still answering questions on Twitter.
Unfortunately, this is now a "no" for me!
StarMan wrote: "Finished The Ship by Antonia Honeywell. Skip this one, unless you insist on reading all YA + dystopia books ever published. Short review at: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/..."
Great review StarMan! I've never read the book, but you had me laughing!
Kelsey wrote: "Great review StarMan! I've never read the book, but you had me laughing!..."Well it's what I get for being attracted to a nice hardback cover art at BooksAzillion. Overall GR rating of 3.11 seems about right for it.
I also ignored my own 'Rule of 13' that says any GR book with 1 + 2 star reviews totalling 13% or greater is usually somewhat of a stinker; THE SHIP has 27% of such reviews. I thought it was a nifty concept, but poorly executed. Maybe if there is a Book #2, there is a chance for redemption ;p
The cover blurbs & [my reaction]:
"As engrossing as it is chilling" [neither]
"Addictive" [nay]
"Ambitious" [in concept only]
"Remarkable" [in the # of mentions of fruits]
"Powerful" [powerful dislike of cliffhanger ending]
Kelsey wrote: "Bkwmlee wrote: "Just finished The Perfect Nanny by Leila Slimani. Originally 4 stars but knocked it down to 3.5 stars due to the ending. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/..."Thanks, Kelsey! It could just be me though, as it seems like others who've read it liked the unconventional ending or at the very least weren't bothered by it. Probably just my own personal pet peeves coming into play again. Recently though I seem to be the outlier when it comes to popular books others have read -- I liked ones that others disliked and didn't like ones that others loved...but not complaining though, as that's the beauty of such a community -- getting to hear so many different voices! :-)
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Thanks, Kelsey. That book was on my "maybe" list, but now I'll give it a shot.