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What have you just read? Opinions, recommendations, reviews Part 2
Finished reading "The House By The Cerulean Sea" yesterday. I can see why it's so popular and so highly rated, but tbh it was a bit too sugary and sweet for me. Also, the author apparently turned a real-life incident involving Indigenous American kids, into this high fantasy tale which, although written with the best intentions, doesn't seem like his story to tell (sorry, I don't have more context or knowledge on this, so I could be wrong). On the wholesomeness scale however, this is a solid 10, and a good pick for getting out of a reading slump.
Damini wrote: "Finished reading "The House By The Cerulean Sea" yesterday. I can see why it's so popular and so highly rated, but tbh it was a bit too sugary and sweet for me. Also, the author apparently turned a..."I loved The House in the Cerulean Sea, and I don't think T.J. Klune has anything to apologise for. He has shared a happy fantasy tale about acceptance and inclusiveness that has moved a lot of people who may - just maybe - learn to care about all kids, not just those who are easy to care about. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Hurray! Aussie author Adrian Hyland finally gave us a new book! Constable Jesse Redpath is another smart, tough female character from the Northern Territory. She's stepping on the toes of the local Victorian cops, investigating a death at Canticle Creek. Excellent!
4.5~5★ My review of Canticle Creek
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Damini wrote: "Finished reading "The House By The Cerulean Sea" yesterday. I can see why it's so popular and so highly rated, but tbh it was a bit too sugary and sweet for me. Also, the author apparently turned a..."
I also have appreciated it quite; more for the theme than for the story - I don't particularly like YA or Fantasy. Anyway I find his treating these kind of themes nice and important
LauraT wrote: "I also have appreciated it quite; more for the theme than for the story - I don't particularly like YA or Fantasy. Anyway I find his treating these kind of themes nice and important"PattyMacDotComma wrote: "I loved The House in the Cerulean Sea, and I don't think T.J. Klune has anything to apologise for. He has shared a happy fantasy tale about acceptance and inclusiveness that has moved a lot of people who may ..."
That's fair. Systemic abuse of institutionalized orphaned children is a problem in basically all corners of the world. I do think that it maybe would've been better had the author not chosen this particular incident, but the fact that he addressed the issue without any erasure, while also managing to make it a comfortable read, deserves praise.
Also, great review Patty :)
Couldn't finish this
- writing was good; subject of drug abuse was just too depressing. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
My review of The Other Side of Beautiful by Kim Lock
4 and a half stars
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
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I reread a delightful classic: Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne. I think I enjoyed it this time around more than I did decades ago when I first read it. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
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That has been on my to-read list for years. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Alannah wrote: "That has been on my to-read list for years. I'm glad you enjoyed it..."Alannah, some people dismiss it because they think it is too dated. I loved it. It was light, entertaining, and just what I needed as a brief escape from these troubling times.
I finished reading Selected Poems by Marina TsvetaevaA wonderful collection of poems. My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
My review of Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century by Kim Fuhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Everyday Magic is hardly everyday, but there's plenty of magic. Jess Kidd has written a delightful book for youngsters, which is fun for grown-ups, too. Orphan, witches, potions, it's all here!
4★ My review of Everyday Magic
Aussie author Candice Fox has really established herself as a thriller writer, with the new TV series Troppo, set in the North Queensland tropics, based on her first book, Crimson Lake. Her latest, The Chase, finds 600+ prisoners turned loose in the Nevada desert, including those on Death Row. Why? You may well ask. I can see another film prospect here!
4★ My review of The Chase
Canadian author Alice Munro is one of the world's best-loved storytellers. In 2013, she was awarded the Nobel Prize for her work as "master of the contemporary short story". I've enjoyed several, and I just read her 1968 debut, Dance of the Happy Shades. So good.
4.5★ My review of Dance of the Happy Shades with a link to some stories you can read online
I read Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard. It won the 1975 Pulitzer for non-fiction. I enjoyed it although I think she went a little overboard with excessive detail and frequent intrusions of personal reflections.My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
My review of Remember Me by Charity Norman
4 and a half stars
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I didn't like this one:
Pond by Claire-Louise BennettReview: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
But I did like this:
The Black Prince by Iris MurdochReview: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
A very brief review of The Yiddish Gangster's Daughter:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
4 stars
Finished reading
She Would Be King by Wayétu Moore.
Excellent debut novel, in my opinion, which uses magical realism in a fictional telling of the history of Liberia's founding.
Here's my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
She Would Be King by Wayétu Moore.Excellent debut novel, in my opinion, which uses magical realism in a fictional telling of the history of Liberia's founding.
Here's my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I just finished the first of Robert Dugoni's Tracy Crosswhite series, My Sister's Grave. Twenty years after her sister disappeared, detective Tracy Crosswhite is told they've found her bones. Mixed feelings about this one.
3.5★ My review of My Sister's Grave
I finally started the Brother Cadfael historical mystery series by Ellis Peters ( aka Edith Pargeter ), and I grew quite fond of this canny, medieval monk in Book 1, A Morbid Taste for Bones. I will be reading more!
3.5★ My review of Morbid Taste for Bones
This author writes the best books!!!My review of The Night Ship by Jess Kidd
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
My review of The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secretsby Molly Fader
4 and a half stars
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I read The Yield by Tara June Winch.A compelling narrative unfolding in three related threads that tell of the abuse and oppression of the indigenous population of Australia. It won the 2020 Miles Franklin Literary Award. I thought it was very well done.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Big catchup as I'd done some reviews and not posted links, then have done some more:The Visit by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - reviewed - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4583896188
Hercule Poirot's Christmas by Agatha Christie - reviewed - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4596528835
The Clocks by Agatha Christie - reviewed - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4600023699
Appointment with Death by Agatha Christie - reviewed - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4609587664
The Big Four by Agatha Christie - reviewed - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4609643046"
The Shadow in the North by Philip Pullman - reviewed - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4562677681
and finally - A Caribbean Mystery by Agatha Christie - reviewed - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4622051091
All About Books
Books mentioned in this topic
Dark Mode (other topics)Critical Mass (other topics)
The Go-Between (other topics)
One, Two ... He Is Coming for You (other topics)
Death at Hungerford Stairs (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Ashley Kalagian Blunt (other topics)Daniel Suarez (other topics)
Willow Rose (other topics)
L.P. Hartley (other topics)
Luis Alberto Urrea (other topics)
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My review, two stars: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...