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Books You’re on the Fence About - 2023
Carol wrote: "Debra wrote: "My review for Stuck With Him
A 3 star read. I enjoyed the book but the publisher did not enjoy my review and thought I was negative..."
Thank you, Carol!
Rosh wrote: "Debra wrote: "My review for Stuck With HimA 3 star read. I enjoyed the book but the publisher did not enjoy my review and thought I was negative..."
It was from a particular publicist from Bookouture. I love bookouture and their authors. So this shocked me.
I just listened to More Than You’ll Ever Know
This could have benefited from a better editing job. My 3.5 star review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Debra wrote: "My review for Stuck With HimA 3 star read. I enjoyed the book but the publisher did not enjoy my review and thought I was negative in it. I don'..."
So I had to look up your review. Nothing negative in it that I could see. Some of the other reviews were 1* or 2** or even DNF. I, myself, give more 3* reviews than anything. To me, that means I liked it just fine.
The Mummy Case – Elizabeth Peters – 3***
Book three in the popular Amelia Peabody cozy mystery series. Amelia and her handsome husband, Radcliffe Emerson, want permission to dig in a specific area for a long-lost pharaoh’s tomb. But the authorities were not pleased with Emerson’s past behavior and give him a site far from the desired pyramids of Dahshoor. They bring along their incredibly precocious son, Ramses, who wants a dig of his own. Peters writes these books as if they were Amelia’s memoirs and uses a formal style of writing that helps transport the reader to the late 19th century.
LINK to my full review
"The Lies I Told" by Mary Burton
Seems to have worked better with other readers but was an average experience for me.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I listened to Warlight
and am still unsure what to make of it. Beautifully written, but dense and slow. My three star review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
My review of There Is Life After the Nobel Prize by Eric Kandelhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Children’s Train – Viola Ardone – 3.5***
This is a story based on true events, set in post-WW2 Italy, when children from impoverished families in the south were sent north to wealthier communities / families who could care for them. How can the mother reconcile her decision to send her child to safety with the result of a child who is returned so different from the one she sent away? How can a child forgive his mother for her inability to provide more? I’m sure my book club with have much to discuss.
LINK to my full review
Reading Up a Storm – Eva Gates – 3***
Book number three in the Lighhouse Library Mystery series. Cozy mysteries are my go-to comfort reads and this doesn’t disappoint. They’re fast and fun and I love Lucy’s cat, Charles Dickens!
LINK to my full review
Bayou Book Thief (Vintage Cookbook Mystery #1)
by Ellen Byron
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
What He Left Behind - L.A. Witt - (California)
3.5★
Review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Just to be clear...I am not "on the fence" about the book...I'm on the fence about the subject of the book and how it could affect some of my friends, although L.A. Witt presented it very well and I did include a trigger warning,
Debra wrote: "My review for Stuck With HimA 3 star read. I enjoyed the book but the publisher did not enjoy my review and thought I was negative in it. I don'..."
I read your review, Debra, and it doesn't seem negative, you were very polite and kind. I'd be surprised to get a message like that, too.
The Secret, Book & Scone Society – Ellery Adams – 2.5**
I really like Adams’ “Books By the Bay” mystery series and thought I’d give this series a try, though I was skeptical about the “comfort scones” and Nora’s ability to cure someone’s ills by recommending the right book. I didn’t understand why Nora and her friends decided to investigate the death of a total stranger. By the end of the book, we’ve learned each of the women’s terrible secret, and there are a couple of promising romantic relationships. But I just got the feeling that Adams was trying too hard. Still, I did really love all the book references!
LINK to my full review
Hold My Hand - M.J. Ford - (England)
D.S. Josie Masters series Book #1
3★
Review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Unfriended – Rachel Vail – 2.5***
I found this in the YA section but it’s more middle-school than young adult, in my opinion. Vail gives each of the central kids a voice, changing narrators from chapter to chapter. Some are told as a series of text messages. All are told in first person, and I occasionally lost track of which kid was narrating. Being a middle-school drama there’s the expected “mean girl” behavior and cyber bullying, but I thought it took far too long for Vail to get to a positive message. Not my cup of tea, though I can see why some tweens might like it.
LINK to my full review
Outliers – Malcolm Gladwell – 3.5***
Subtitle: The Story of Success. Gladwell looks at hugely successful people who are “outliers” … far out of the norm. Examples include Bill Gates and The Beatles. He tries to explain how luck, opportunity, and the right birth year or month help these people succeed. Of course, ten thousand hours of practice is also a key element. I was interested in what Gladwell had to say and found the various essays easy to absorb and understand.
LINK to my full review
The Case of the Missing Books – Ian Sansom – 3***
This is the first in a new series starring Israel Armstrong, the librarian in charge of the mobile library van in the small Irish village of Tundrum. It was mildly entertaining and I did like all the book references, but I prefer more actual mystery in my cozy mysteries. I doubt I’ll read any more of the series.
LINK to my full review
No Quick Fix - Mary Calmes - (Montana)
Torus Intercession series Book #1
3.5★
Review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? – Caitlin Doughty – 3***
Doughty, a funeral home director, answers questions posed by kids about death, dying and funerals. She’s forthright and honest, but also sprinkles her remarks with some lighthearted banter. It’s a pretty fast read, and quite informative.
LINK to my full review
The Sleepless by Victor Manibo
A futuristic sci-fi thriller set around people who don't need to sleep! Works to a decent extent, but I think I wanted a lot more.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Fettered - Lyn Gala
3★
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
It isn't here because I didn't like the book but because the content may be offensive to some readers. I wanted those that read the review to be warned that the book contains BDSM scenes.
Here is my 3.41 rounded to 3 stars review of Moving Target
by Maggie Clare: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This is the fourth book in the Tactical Solutions International Romantic Suspense series. It is entertaining with some suspense and action, a great start, and a good ending. However, after the first chapter, the pacing slowed significantly for five or so chapters.
The Cabin in the Woods by Sarah Alderson
Expected something a lot creepier because of that title. Not a bad book, but somewhat farfetched and predictable.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Finally finished a couple reviews. Without internet service it makes it hard to do reviews with only my phone for connection. Anyway, I really liked this short M/M mpreg romance. I gave it 4 stars but understanding not everyone will like the shortness of the book and the fated mate trope I am including here rather than the recommended thread. Feline the Love by Lorelei M. Hart
My review... https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Christina T wrote: "Finally finished a couple reviews. Without internet service it makes it hard to do reviews with only my phone for connection. Anyway, I really liked this short M/M mpreg romance. I gave it 4 stars ..."Ahhh! Cute title too:)
Carol the titles are what I noticed first! So cute. They are short stories (about 200 pages) with not a whole lot of substance. Mostly Insta-love with a fated mate trope. Book 3 is Otterly in Love which I haven't had the time to review yet. I didn't like it as much as book 2 because neither Leo nor Ron showed up in the 3rd book and I really liked them both. The whole series is offered through KU and I'm enjoying them a lot.
Christina T wrote: "Carol the titles are what I noticed first! So cute. They are short stories (about 200 pages) with not a whole lot of substance. Mostly Insta-love with a fated mate trope. Book 3 is Otterly in Love ..."I love when characters that I liked appear in another book. It's like finding old friends.
The Library of Lost and Found – Phaedra Patrick – 3***
A heart-warming and enjoyable read. Martha Storm volunteers at the local library and would love to have a permanent paid position there. She’s clearly unappreciated, but soldiers on. And then one day a book of fairy tales is left for her, and as she tries to puzzle out where the book came from and how it came to be in her possession, she uncovers family secrets. Patrick writes quirky characters with hidden secrets very well. These are nearly broken people who keep their heads down and try to exist without much support or joy in their lives. And yet …
LINK to my full review
I’ve loved all of Megan Miranda’s other books, but The Last to Vanish
was just sort of meh. My three star review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Finally got to a book that had been on my shelf for far too long!
by Karen Joy FowlerMy review, middle of the road, three stars:
Suzanne wrote: "Finally got to a book that had been on my shelf for far too long! by Karen Joy FowlerMy review, middle of the road, thre..."
No link, Suzanne.
The Island
had lots of action, but it didn’t quite hang together. My three star review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Finished
. This wasn't for me the definition of a thriller. More of a mystery. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Miss Julia Rocks the Cradle – Ann B Ross – 3***
Book number twelve in the Miss Julia series, featuring a woman of a certain age who cannot help but get involved in the goings on in her North Carolina town. What I love about this series is Miss Julia, herself. She’s a real firecracker of a woman. The supporting cast of characters are wonderful as well. A fast, fun, comfort read.
LINK to my full review
Atomic Love – Jennie Fields – 3.5***
This work of historical fiction captured my attention from the beginning, and the twists and turns in the plot kept me turning pages. Set in 1950 Chicago, it focuses on Rosalind Porter, previously the only woman physicist working on the Manhattan Project, but now selling jewelry at Marshall Fields. It’s a fast-paced espionage thriller with a romantic triangle. It held my attention and I found it hard to put down at times.
LINK to my full review
The Sacred Well Murders - Susan Rowland - (England)
3★
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
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A 3 star read. I enjoyed the book but the publisher did not enjoy my review and thought I was negative in it. I don'..."
Oh! I have reviewed several titles for this publisher and I have been much more blunt in my opinions. Your review is really sweet in comparison! I wonder how they could send such an email. What's the sanctity of reviewing if they want only positive opinions?