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Book Reviews
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Books You’re on the Fence About - 2023
Nightcrawlers - Bill Pronzini - (California)
A Nameless Detective Novel
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Witch Hunt (A Full Moon Mystery, #1)
by Cate Conte
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Once in a Lifetime
by Mary Monroe
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
My review of The Taking of Jemima Boone: The True Story of the Kidnap and Rescue That Shaped America by Matthew Pearlhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I finished reading A Most Unusual Duke
by Susanna Allen. My 3 star review of this Regency paranormal romance:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Twelve Days to Save Christmas
by Elizabeth Neep
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Christmas Table: A Novel (Christmas Hope Book 10)
by Donna VanLiere
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I just finished Mecca
Interesting, but I would have preferred more resolution T the end. My 3.5 star review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Such a Pretty Smile
by Kristi DeMeester
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Italian Island
by Daniela Sacerdoti
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Bangkok Wakes To Rain – Pitchaya Sudbanthad – 3***
In general, I had a difficult time getting invested in this collection. I think it was not the book’s fault, though, but the press of other things occupying my thoughts. Sudbanthad’s prose conveys a certain vibrancy, and he gives us characters that demand attention. Throughout, the neighborhoods and culture of Bangkok tie the work together. On the other hand, the timeline is not strictly linear. The settings range from historical to the present to a future that does not appeal to THIS reader and is a little more science-fiction than I was expecting.
My full review HERE
The Girl With no Shadow – Joanne Harris – 3***
In this follow-up to Chocolat Vianne Rouche and her daughter Anouk are living in the Montmartre section of Paris with new identities – Yanne Charbonneau and Annie – and a second daughter, Rosette. This was an interesting sequel but I missed the humor and romance of the original. It’s a much darker tale and the three narrators makes it a bit confusing. It held my attention, but I’m not sure I’ll bother with book three in the trilogy.
My full review HERE
Good Rich People
by Eliza Jane Brazier
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Midnight in Everwood
by M.A. Kuzniar
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Mexican Gothic – Silvia Moreno-Garcia – 3***
This is not the kind of book I normally read, but I was fascinated by the story and gripped by the tension. The atmosphere is dark and chilling. It reminded me a bit of The Ruins by Scott Smith, and/or Stephen King’s The Shining . But it entirely Moreno-Garcia’s own story. I did wonder why she incorporated an English family with their English-style mansion; perhaps she felt her readers wouldn’t identify with malevolence in an adobe hacienda.
My full review HERE
Here is my 3 star review of a young adult mystery novel: Killing Time
by Brenna Ehrlich.https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I’m in the minority on The Next Thing You Know
as I’m the only one that didn’t love it. My three star review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Ordeal By Innocence – Agatha Christie – 3***
I really enjoy Agatha Christie’s mysteries; there’s a good reason she’s often called “the Queen of Crime.” But this one didn’t really capture my attention. Of course, I was listening to the audio and the many characters were sometimes hard to differentiate. It also seemed somewhat melodramatic and “overacted” … but perhaps that is the fault of the narrator and not Christie’s writing.
My full review HERE
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When Life Gives You Lululemons – Lauren Weiberger – 3***
Book three in the Devil Wears Prada trilogy focuses on Emily, the first assistant to Amanda Priestly in the original book. This is not quite so snarky as the original, which I found to be great fun to read, but it’s very entertaining. The suburbs take a beating with Weisberger making fun of the “moms who lunch” (or, more often, fast and do Pilates). A fun, fast beach read of a novel.
My full review HERE
The Virgin Suicides – Jeffrey Eugenides – 3.5***
Eugenides’ debut work focuses on one family in a Detroit suburb. The five Lisbon sisters chafe against their mother’s strict rules and attract the attention of the neighborbood boys. Eugenides can write characters that fairly jump off the page, they are so real and so passionate about their feelings. But this book is somewhat different. There is an ethereal quality to this novel. We never really know what happens inside the Lisbon home, we have only the memories of men who, some twenty years later, cannot let go of the events of that year. What they remember most clearly is how they felt – their hopes, dreams, passions, fears. And although they witnessed the girls’ final acts, they are haunted by what they did not – and never will – know.
My full review HERE
So far I'm the outlier on this on 3* for what could have been a good book
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Incidents in the Life of Markus Paul
by David Adams Richardshttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Mod
Let the Games Begin: Pow Pow Pig 2 by Anh Dohttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
15 Minutes of Flame (Nantucket Candle Maker Mystery #3)
by Christin Brecher
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Sand Castle Bay – Sheryl Woods – 2.5**
I’ve never read anything by Sheryl Woods before, but this seemed to fit the bill for a “beach reads” challenge. It’s a pretty formulaic plot: long-lost lovers reconnect, but there are complications keeping them apart, they jump to conclusions and have fights over their mutual misunderstandings. But hot kisses seem to solve everything and remind them how much they mean to one another. I thought it was overly complicated and there are several threads that are just left hanging. But I suppose Woods did this to ensure a repeat audience for books two and three in the trilogy.
My full review HERE
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Cockroaches – Jo Nesbø – 3***
Book two in the popular Norwegian mystery series, has Inspector Harry Hole traveling to Bangkok to investigate the murder of Norway’s Ambassador to Thailand. Nesbø crafts a complicated plot with many twists and turns and enough suspects, and side plots, to distract the most dedicated detective – and reader. His descriptions definitely evoked the sights, sounds, smells and flavors of Bangkok for me. I did find myself cringing quite a bit at the more violent scenes. So, if you are bothered by such graphic depictions this is probably not the series for you.
My full review HERE
[Trailer Park Trickster] - David R. Slayton
Adam Binder series Book #2
Review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
My review for Every Last Secret [3.5-4 Stars | No Spoilers]:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
¡Hola Papi! – John Paul Brammer – 3***
This collection of essays serves as a memoir and self-help guide to pressing questions about growing up, surviving break ups, finding love, and all the issues young people – both gay and straight – have to navigate in the process of becoming adults. The beginning of each chapter poses a question asking for advice. And by way of answering such queries, he recounts his experiences in a small Oklahoma town, his horrible middle-school years, his confusing teenage years in the closet, his awakening in college, and his eventual move to New York.
My full review HERE
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Jumbo: This Being the True Story Of the Greatest Elephant In the World – Paul Chambers – 3***
This is a “biography” of the African elephant who gave the world a new word for large, gigantic, stupendous, huge, magnificent: Jumbo. Chambers details how the young calf was captured by nomadic Hamran traders, subsequently became the darling of Victorian England, and eventually was a star attraction of P T Barnum’s circus in America. I found it fascinating to learn how the giant elephant was trained and appreciated learning more about the various personalities surrounding Jumbo. But there were times when the story dragged even for me, an admitted fanatic when it comes to elephants.
My full review HERE
Book Concierge wrote: "¡Hola Papi!
– John Paul Brammer – 3***
This collection of essays serves as a memoir and self-help guide to pressing questions about growing up, surviving break ..."
I spent too many years working in a Zoo to NOT be affected by reports of animals being mistreated. Both are really great reviews...but I think I'll skip the "Jumbo" one and find out 'How to come out in a Wal-Mart parking lot:) I need to get that one for my two guys that bring me the m/m romance books:)
Revenge Is Sweet (Vintage Sweets Mysteries #1)
by Kaye George
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Deadly Sweet Tooth (Vintage Sweets Mysteries #2)
by Kaye George
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Into the Sweet Hereafter (Vintage Sweets Mysteries Book 3)
by Kaye George
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Arc
by Tory Henwood Hoen
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Shadow of Night – Deborah Harkness – 3***
Book two in the All Souls Trilogy picks up where book one left off. Diana and Matthew find themselves in 16th-century England, in search of the elusive Ashmole manuscript and a tutor for Diana so she can learn her craft. I didn’t feel the same passion between the central characters that I found so enjoyable in book one. The full story hasn’t yet finished and I’ll probably read book three in the trilogy, but I’m in no hurry to do so.
My full review HERE
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https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
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https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...