This book is absolutely NOT my cup of tea. It's a rather insipid, predictable story which I couldn't even finish. I don't remember ever not finishing a book before, even if I didn't particularly like it. I just felt I couldn't waste any more of my time reading past the 1st quarter of the book. The characters were caricatures. I knew exactly how it was going to turn out. Ugh. It's hard to believe this is the same author who wrote The Nightingale, which I gave 5 stars. Read The Nightingale, but don't bother with this one.
Never Enough to Read
Thursday, July 25, 2024
Friday, November 10, 2023
My latest read
I recently received this book as an advanced reader copy. I enjoyed it quite a bit. The writing was poetically descriptive of the land and the sea which were the backdrop for the story. The story took place in Scotland in the mid 1840s when wealthy landowners had embarked on a mission of clearing the tenant farmers off their land. A minister who had recently joined the split from the Presbyterian church and who needed to earn money to tide him over before his new church was established, took on the paying job of going to a remote island to remove the sole remaining tenant. Rather than being able to accomplish the task in a straightforward manner, the minister was seriously injured in a fall and was nursed back to good health by the tenant. The two, even though speaking entirely different languages and having entirely different lifestyles, managed to develop an understanding of each other which led to an actual friendship. Different people learning to appreciate and care for each other should be a lesson for us all in these chaotic times. I didn't give it 4 stars (I wish there were 1/2-star options) because I thought there was a little too much time spent on the definitions of Norn words, however. I still liked the book and will read more by this author.
Monday, November 6, 2023
Time to resume
I've read many many books since I last posted, but there never seemed to be enough time to write reviews. Actually, there was probably plenty of time, but whenever I finished a book, I was so anxious to start another that I didn't take the time to write about the one that was done. I'm not saying I'll change that habit, but maybe I will at least post occasionally about book related things.
I like to have physical copies of books, and I like to keep many of the books I've enjoyed on my shelves. So, I buy most of my books rather than borrow them from the library. Used books are my preference. I buy mostly from Thrift Books, Abe Books, and Better World Books. They have good prices, good sales, and low minimum for free shipping. When finished with the books I either shelve them (if they're shelf worthy) or pass them on to others who would enjoy them.
By 'shelf worthy' I don't mean that I didn't like the book. For instance, I really enjoy reading mysteries, spy novels, detective stories, etc., but, excellent though they may be for their genre, they are not what I'd call great novels, so I usually don't keep them. There are some good writers in this category...David Baldacci, Jeffery Deaver, Sara Paretsky, Harlan Coben, Olen Steinhauer, John Sandford, Lee Child, to name a few. I am happy to highly recommend their books and to pass them on to other readers.
Another day I will write about some of the books I keep.
Tuesday, July 17, 2018
The Midnight Line
Loves me some Jack Reacher!! I haven't read a Reacher mystery for some time, since I've read all previous 21 of them, and was waiting for the price of the latest to come down to a manageable amount on the Thrift Books used book site. Our power was out for most of the day and evening yesterday, so I had time to read the whole book in almost one sitting, using my handy dandy book light once it got dark out (and in).
As usual this was a good mystery, with Jack, a former military MP, and current 'between jobs' kind of guy, doing his usual brilliant detective work. Besides just enjoying the character, the story was interesting, involving some issues of veterans' health care and opioid use. Also there was more than one strong female character, so yay for that.
Lee Child books are not great literature and don't claim to be, but they are great mysteries as far as I'm concerned. Child is probably at the top of my favorite mystery writers list, which includes John Sandford, John Lescroart, Michael Connelly, Vince Flynn, and Harlan Coben.
Now if only the latest Reacher novel, Past Tense, was available on Thrift...sigh.
The Reservoir Tapes
The Other Woman
Tuesday, May 1, 2018
The Half Brother by Holly LeCraw
I thought about giving this book 2 stars (it was OK) on Goodreads, but decided it was actually less than OK so gave it only 1 star (didn't like it). I wasn't drawn to the characters at all. I didn't really care what happened to them, and what did happen was so predictable. The book was like soap opera plots which all revolve around people hiding the truth from each other. I wouldn't recommend this book. It was pretty much a waste of time.
Tuesday, April 17, 2018
Andrew's Brain by E.L.Doctorow
I like a book that I am eager to get back to after pauses in reading. This was not one of those books. I only looked forward to finishing it up as quickly as possible so I could move on to a much more engrossing book. I may have to rethink my self imposed compulsion to finish any book I've started.
Wednesday, April 11, 2018
Shelter in Place by Nora Roberts
Sadly, mass shootings are a big issue these days, so it was interesting to find a book with that as the theme. The story told of the feelings, and reactions of the victims and survivors, particularly detailing the lives of 3 of the survivors, both during and after the event in a way that seemed both real and insightful.
The characters were interesting and compelling, both strong and weak, both confident and hesitant, both negative and positive. The tragedy was a turning point which for most led to purpose in their lives.
The story grabbed me right at the first page and I found it difficult to put the book down. There was mystery, there was crime fighting, there was detecting, there was romance, there were strong women and equally strong men not at odds with one another. All in all, in spite of the subject matter, I really enjoyed this book.
(I received an advanced readers copy of this book through the publisher's Shelf Awareness giveaway)
Monday, January 4, 2016
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
Tuesday, December 15, 2015
Wolf Hall by Hillary Mantel
The Bone Labyrinth by James Rollins
Monday, November 30, 2015
2015 (so far) in review
Here are two 4 star lists, first the mysteries then the others, in reverse order of when they were read:
MYSTERY
Return to Dust - Andrew Lanh
The Poet - Michael Connelly
The Vendetta Defense - Lisa Scottoline
Fever of the Bone - Val McDermid
Harvest - Tess Gerritsen
The Gods of Guilt - Michael Connelly
Blood Work - Michael Connelly
High Country Nocturne - Jon Talton
True Evil - Greg Iles
The Alibi - Sandra Brown
Long After Midnight - Iris Johansen
Shoot the Moon - Billie Letts
A Wanted Man - Lee Child
Criminal Intent - William Bernhardt
Never Go Back - Lee Child
Worth Dying For - Lee Child
OTHER
The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
The Art of Baking Blind - Sarah Vaughan
Sarah's Key - Tatiana de Rosnay
The Searchers - Alan Lemay
Interpreter of Maladies - Jhumpa Lahiri
A Fifty Year Silence - Miranda Richmond Mouillet
Eight Hundred Grapes - Laura Dave
The Kitchen House - Kathleen Grissom
The Lady from Zagreb - Phillip Kerr
The Loop - Nicholas Evans
The Nurse - Alexandra Robbins
The Alphabet House - Jussi Adler-Olsen
Here is the 5 star list:
What She Knew - Gilly Macmillan
The Zookeeper's Wife - Diane Ackerman
Outlander - Diana Gabaldon
The Hunger Games and the Gospel (non-fiction) - Julie Clawson
The Fifth Gospel - Ian Caldwell
The Nightingale - Kristin Hannah
Saturday, December 6, 2014
Risky Undertaking by Mark de Castrique
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
The book was well-written and gripping from beginning to end. The author made the voices of each character seem very authentic. Though I didn't like some of their actions, I was able to see a little of what led them to act as they did.
This isn't an easy read, or a fun read, but is very thought-provoking. I highly recommend it.
Sunday, July 20, 2014
Island of a Thousand Mirrors by Nayomi Munaweera
I definitely liked this book about how the civil war in Sri Lanka impacted the lives of several families, though I was bothered by a few things. I didn't get the title. Is this a name that the island is called? I found the beginning of the book a little slow going. There was a lot of family history of what turns out to be a main character later in the book, Yasodhara. Her and her family's story take up more than half the book. I was surprised at this point by the introduction of an entirely different family and character, Saraswathi, in part 2. There wasn't nearly as much history about her family. I might have liked it better if the two stories were more intertwined throughout the book. The descriptions of Saraswathi's life in the civil war really helped to describe what might lead someone to become a brutal terrorist.
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
The Beekeeper's Ball by Susan Wiggs
Everyone in the story had life altering events in their past which color their present lives. Isabel had a traumatic romantic past, so is reluctant to open up to the prospect of a new romance with Mac. Mac likewise had a sad experience in his past. Magnus survived the loss of his parents in the Holocaust and his subsequent time in the Danish resistance before coming to America and becoming the owner of the Bella Vista estate where he, Isabel and her sister live, tend orchards, and keep bees.
I always find war stories interesting, particularly those about WWII, so was very interested in the recounting of events in Denmark told in this book. The way people who were so horribly persecuted survived and went on with their lives is fascinating. And it's always interesting to read the stories from personal viewpoints, even when the characters are fictional.
I was not previously aware that this book is the 2nd in a 'Bella Vista' series. Now I want to read the 1st, though I wonder if the story will be somewhat spoiled by knowing 'future' events already. I'll just have to read it and find out.
Monday, January 6, 2014
Alice Close Your Eyes by Averil Dean
It was difficult to feel sympathy for the main characters, Alice and Jack. Since the story was told from Alice's point of view, there was some writing of her thought processes, but there was none for Jack's. I really had no idea where he was coming from or why he acted as he did.
I might have liked this book if it were more a straight forward mystery/psychological thriller, and less a reason to explore the deviant sex practices of the main characters. I think the author probably felt these scenes helped underscore Alice's need for pain, but I got the idea better from the other things Alice did.
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Born to Run by Christopher McDougall
McDougall was able to finally run without injury as he studied and adopted the style of running learned from some of the best runners and coaches in the world. The whole idea is that people are designed to run. We don't need the shoes with the extra support. They actually work against the foot's natural running ability. There's also a sort of mystical aspect to running in which the best runners are the ones who are the most unselfish and run for the pure joy of it.
This should be a must-read for anyone who runs, but also for anyone who enjoys a tale of a fascinating life.
The Tenth Witness by Leonard Rosen
Along the way Henri has questions not only about the Kraus family, but about his own ethics as well. Is the expedient thing also the right thing, or is that only something he tells himself? How Henri deals with the truths he discovers was as fascinating as the mysteries he solved.
This book is a prequel to the author's previous book, All Cry Chaos, in which Henri is an older man, working for Interpol and on the verge of retirement. I hadn't heard of this book before, but now must read it!