Started this in the middle of the night, just finished it before getting up. Fast read, and a “hoot” of a book. Still smiling at the inevitable concluStarted this in the middle of the night, just finished it before getting up. Fast read, and a “hoot” of a book. Still smiling at the inevitable conclusion. For everyone who has ever fantasized about avoiding annual holiday hysteria....more
I am crazy for these books! Spent a good part of a 90-minute massage sharing tidbits of the outrageous excesses of the various characters and my masseI am crazy for these books! Spent a good part of a 90-minute massage sharing tidbits of the outrageous excesses of the various characters and my masseuse went on a quest to obtain them right after our session. Read well into the night to finish latest, only one left, sigh. These books are such fun treats in the midst of more serious books. For anyone looking for a book that is The Devil Wears Prada & Sex in the City on steroids, this is for you! Very highly recommended!...more
Crazy fun read! I zoomed through this book, even with a busy weekend. If the “rich are different from you and me” as F. Scott Fitzgerald famously saidCrazy fun read! I zoomed through this book, even with a busy weekend. If the “rich are different from you and me” as F. Scott Fitzgerald famously said—and to which Hemingway equally famously retorted—“yeah, they have more money”—the various Asians in this romp of a book are from another universe entirely. These people make Gatsby’s excesses look like modest expenditures, and yet so few of them seem happy or content. Always anxious about what someone else is thinking...always beholden and trapped by the wealth and expectations. I love Nick and Rachel, Astrid, and all the many family members, obnoxious and kind alike. The mean girls are SO mean, the family political machinations honed over generations, the snobbery beyond belief. Cannot wait for the next book, and so hoping movie lives up to the book! This is chick lit on steroids, beyond Sex and the City and The Devil Wears Prada. So deliciously fun, very highly recommended! (BTW, this is going up as #5555 on my Goodreads “read list”. I’ve read more, of course, but have to enter more of my reading logs from the past few years. It seems like a very cool book to achieve that #, although triple 8s would be more auspicious. ;-) )...more
I read this the first time in junior high. I had discovered her books through the Moonspinners, first on the Wonderful World of Disney, with Hayley MiI read this the first time in junior high. I had discovered her books through the Moonspinners, first on the Wonderful World of Disney, with Hayley Mills and the lovely Peter McEnery, upon whom I had a crush. Movie was fun, but the books, oh, the books...with those I have had a life-long love affair. After I tracked down the aforementioned book, I discovered some very unprepossessing looking books on my mother’s bookshelves which turned out to be several more of Mary Stewart’s novels, including this one. I was in heaven.
I have read and re-read these books over these years for comfort, and they have seen me through some tough times. I just read Brat Farrar by Josephine Tey, to which Mary Stewart alludes in this novel, and the combination of suspense and horses is heavenly. I spent my waking moments riding and and reading as a girl and young woman, and these stories speak to me still. All I need is to watch the movie The List of Adrian Messenger and my day will be perfect.
how interesting a life and how successful an artistic career the "Amy" of Little Women had. Fascinating window on life of a working womaNever realized
how interesting a life and how successful an artistic career the "Amy" of Little Women had. Fascinating window on life of a working woman artist. ...more
What a great book, full of compelling characters involved in a “locked room” mystery on steroids. Memory loss, technology, ethics, religion, revenge, What a great book, full of compelling characters involved in a “locked room” mystery on steroids. Memory loss, technology, ethics, religion, revenge, and so much more are all thrown together in this fast-paced read. Had a busy day yesterday but all I wanted was to find a quiet corner, drink coffee, and finish my book. I loved Maria, Hiro, Joanna, IAN, and the crew of the Dormire. Strap in, you are in for an exciting ride! Very highly recommended. ...more
A fast-food book, full of empty calories. This fell into the same pattern as many books since Gone Girl, a so-called suspense novel short on thrills oA fast-food book, full of empty calories. This fell into the same pattern as many books since Gone Girl, a so-called suspense novel short on thrills or surprises, featuring three main characters with no redeeming qualities who deserve each other. These books leave readers high&dry with no one to care about, no emotional engagement. They feel all hat and no cattle, hanging everything on a concept which fails to deliver, book feels rushed to market to capitalize on success of The Couple Next Door. Best I can say is that it moved right along, no pesky character development to slow the race to mediocrity. And I just talked myself into rounding down to 2 stars rather than up to 3. Even though it reads quickly, don’t waste your time....more
Fascinating premise, excellent world-building, well-drawn characters about whom I cared deeply. Looking forward to the next book in the series. If youFascinating premise, excellent world-building, well-drawn characters about whom I cared deeply. Looking forward to the next book in the series. If you like dark fantasy, you should give this a try. As an aside, I think some of the best books written are marketed as “YA”, but that is just a tool to make marketing easier for publishing houses. I do not let labels dictate my book selections. Give this a try, a good story is a good story, and I can identify with characters no matter their ages or circumstances if the story is well told. ...more
This is a lovely entry in the world of post-apocalyptic literature. Two stories are told in alternate chapters, one thread follows Sully in space, theThis is a lovely entry in the world of post-apocalyptic literature. Two stories are told in alternate chapters, one thread follows Sully in space, the other follows Augustine at an abandoned observatory in the Arctic circle. Beautifully written meditation on life and death. Highly recommended. ...more
What a fun read! The Breakfast Club meets Gossip Girl with a fillip of Pretty Little Liars but still very much its own story. I loved Bronwyn, Nate, CWhat a fun read! The Breakfast Club meets Gossip Girl with a fillip of Pretty Little Liars but still very much its own story. I loved Bronwyn, Nate, Cooper, and Addy, I loved how they evolved as characters, and I loved having characters I liked and about whose fates I cared. I am constantly grateful I grew up in a time sans social media as HS was hard enough without having every mistake and break-up consumed by the web. I only wanted to read this book last few days, forced myself to read others to slow myself down. I guessed a lot of the secrets & the perpetrator, but it did not lessen the enjoyment of the read for me. Rare is the book that keeps me guessing for very long, too many books and years of reading under my belt. 4.5 stars rounded down to 4. Very highly recommended, in my top five mystery reads for the year, no matter the assigned genre....more
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