Sure, this book follows some of the Huckleberry Finn storylines you remember, but it also goes to some very dark places, too. It's told from the pointSure, this book follows some of the Huckleberry Finn storylines you remember, but it also goes to some very dark places, too. It's told from the point of view of Jim, who has renamed himself James as a runaway. As such, it exposes a lot of the unsavory underbelly of slavery. This absolutely couldn't have been written by anyone but a black person today, and Percival Everett knocked it out of the park. Jim/James is more educated than you thought and has a secret history that could be a book in itself. He is just a master of codeswitching for survival. But, eventually, he's had enough of pretending because he has nothing to lose. That's when you see the real Jim/James, and it's not anything you ever expected. This is certainly the must-read book of 2024. I'll also be reading more Percival Everett books in the near future....more
The book starts at a particle collider facility where things go terribly wrong, resulting in an explosion for most people and a Groundhog-Day-style tiThe book starts at a particle collider facility where things go terribly wrong, resulting in an explosion for most people and a Groundhog-Day-style time loop effect for a technician. He eventually is able to pull someone else in to experience the time loop. They pause from trying to solve the 4-day time loop problem eventually to go live life with a bit of leisure and world travel. But odd things start happening, making them realize they can't just enjoy living in a carefree world with a bank account that resets every 4 days. What really works for me in this story is how the author throws together 2 very different characters with different quirks, strengths, and weaknesses and endears them to you and each other. I know I'd treat Groundhog-Day-style resets a lot like the one character who sought out to have different adventures and food experiences each day. It made me wonder why more time travel characters aren't out there exploring food more. Ha. Anyhow, it's a cute time travel book, and it's luckily light on the romance, but with just enough character chemistry to keep things interesting. I was certainly turning the pages once the book gathered momentum....more
Well, this one didn't go where I thought it was going, but oh my goodness did it have some promise before it veered off the deep end. It starts out wiWell, this one didn't go where I thought it was going, but oh my goodness did it have some promise before it veered off the deep end. It starts out with a couple buying one of those $1 homes in Italy that they have to promise to renovate. Only, it turns out that it's empty because it has a haunted past. That seemed interesting enough. Ghosts, catacombs, mysterious old house, earthquakes ... these bits were all interesting. Then, it veered off into demon world. Yeah. No. Not really my thing. It was a solid 4.5 novel until it went off into Demon Possession Land. ...more
A mother's child keeps on slipping out of the current dimension and almost nobody remembers he existed on this timeline. So, she has to figure out howA mother's child keeps on slipping out of the current dimension and almost nobody remembers he existed on this timeline. So, she has to figure out how to save him and bring him back. I'm glad I'm many years past having an infant, or this would have been too difficult to read. The reveal was just a little too loosey goosey for my liking. It was an interesting idea, but I'm not sure I enjoyed the process all that much. Although, I think it's me and my expectations for the story line, not the book that's at fault. I mean, there was an attempt to make it sciencey, but it still came over a bit woo woo. ...more
I liked the premise of this book enough to not mind the serial killer aspect of it as much as I usually would. This particular serial killer chooses hI liked the premise of this book enough to not mind the serial killer aspect of it as much as I usually would. This particular serial killer chooses his methods from eight books listed on a book blog as having perfect murders. For example, one perfect murder comes from Strangers on a Train, where two strangers swap murders for each other at a time when the other has an iron-clad alibi. There are several interesting twists. However, with 8 murders, you can imagine that the character list gets pretty long. So, it's complicated enough to make it difficult to follow at times without doing a Kindle search for characters you've long forgotten about. For me, this book was just okay. Nothing deep. Nothing ground-breaking. But it did keep my interest....more
I usually avoid books of short stories, but I was in the mood, Stephen King does good short stories, and all the cool kids were reading it. I think whI usually avoid books of short stories, but I was in the mood, Stephen King does good short stories, and all the cool kids were reading it. I think what strikes me most about these stories is that they tend to feature older men. Of course, King is in his 70s now. So, it makes sense that he'd write what he knows. The one that shows this shift most is "The Answer Man," which he started writing in his 30s and finished in his 70s. The story really does showcase an entire life of a man from his 20s to his final years of life. Would he have written the same story if he had finished it back in his 30s? Assuredly not. It might be my favorite, though. I just like the idea of there being an answer man I guess. I also like the first story, "Two Talented Bastids," which I secretly like to think explains Stephen Kings writing talents. Plus, "Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream" is one worthy of mention because of the what-ifs of having a nightmare come true and having to live through the consequences of it. My least favorite story that goes on and on for 91 pages is "Rattlesnakes." The scenario is kind of ridiculous, but the imagery won't leave my head, goshdarnit.
Overall, it was an enjoyable read. The anachronisms were kind of funny, with King trying to talk about technology, cultural references, or using slang and getting it laughably wrong. For example, no modern elementary age child is going to say "radical" about anything. But I guess that's just one of the quirks of reading Stephen King. I took off a star for that stupid "Rattlesnakes" story just because I can....more
I absolutely did not see the twist coming in this one. Yes, you know from the beginning that there's something off about this language center that fasI absolutely did not see the twist coming in this one. Yes, you know from the beginning that there's something off about this language center that fast-tracks you to native-level language acquisition in just 10 days. However, whatever you guessed about it, you were probably wrong. After about the first chapter or so, I had a hard time putting this down. I wouldn't call it a page turner, but I needed to know more. I wish learning an entire language in 10 days really was possible, but not so much after I learned the secret of The Centre....more
This twist on time travel is one of the few I've read that uses genetics as the basis for time travel, and the only one that uses narcolepsy. The mainThis twist on time travel is one of the few I've read that uses genetics as the basis for time travel, and the only one that uses narcolepsy. The main character keeps traveling back to the same day and meeting the love of her life. However, based on little changes she makes either he dies on the bridge where they're supposed to meet for their second date or hundreds of other people die. Because she's lived the life where they lived happily ever after, she has to decide whether her happiness is more important or the lives of all the others. Or is there a way that everyone lives?
It was entertaining, but I feel like I don't understand the big reveal. I'd have to go back and reread it to catch when certain important things are happening, and I still don't think it would be worth it. When something is that important, it shouldn't appear to be so insignificant that you often didn't even notice it. Oh well. ...more
Did this book have me turning pages halfway through? Yes. Am I mad at the author for killing off characters that she could have saved? Yes. Do I hate Did this book have me turning pages halfway through? Yes. Am I mad at the author for killing off characters that she could have saved? Yes. Do I hate WWII books and wish my book club would stop choosing them? Yes. Did my favorite audiobook narrator narrate some of this book? Yes, but only about 5 pages.
I'm not sure how I stumbled upon this book, but I'm glad I did. I almost put it down after the first few pages, but I took a look at the reviews, and I'm not sure how I stumbled upon this book, but I'm glad I did. I almost put it down after the first few pages, but I took a look at the reviews, and everyone was gushing about what a hidden gem it is, and they were all very, very correct.
The narrator and 39 other women have been held together in an underground cage for years. They only have vague memories of being torn from their homes around 15 years ago and feel like they were drugged before finding themselves imprisoned. The only way they can guess about the time passed is because the narrator -- the youngest prisoner -- has grown from being a toddler or child into a teenager. They have no privacy and their guards say nothing, simply keeping them in line with a whip. One day, they're mysteriously freed, but what they find beyond the prison area only leads to more questions than answers. The process of discovery is interesting, but the narrator lets us know from the beginning that there are questions that are never answered.
I think the part that bothered me the most about the book is that the women lamented what they no longer had in their lives without creating their own culture. It's as if they defined themselves by their past lives instead of creating a present for themselves.
Even though I knew I was reading a book without answers and a book without chapters, somehow, I didn't want to put it down. This would be an interesting book club discussion book for sure because there are so many questions, and I can't even imagine plausible answers. This book came out in 1995, and it's a shame that it didn't make more waves because it's an instant classic to me.
This was a book club pick that I probably would have skipped on my own. We all gave it 3 to 3.5 stars and found more to talk about during the meeting This was a book club pick that I probably would have skipped on my own. We all gave it 3 to 3.5 stars and found more to talk about during the meeting than the book, but at least it inspired some conversation. A woman's husband is murdered and she gets blamed for it by default, so she disappears to try to figure out all the clues of who really did it so she can clear her name. It's a techy sort of book with a bittersweet ending. I thought I'd hate it at first because it was too descriptive, but then it became more of a page turner. It's entertaining, but it's not a must read....more
This was an instant favorite that I can imagine myself recommending often. I love a story without a villain that has a fuzzy ending sometimes, and thiThis was an instant favorite that I can imagine myself recommending often. I love a story without a villain that has a fuzzy ending sometimes, and this is one of them. Alien space ships hover over a multitude of big cities all over the U.S., but then they leave, leaving humanity to have more questions than answers. Plus, many people are missing their cats, who eventually return changed. The UFO appearance upsets life a bit with people wondering about all the what ifs and acting accordingly. The story follows 3 main characters who are more connected than you originally think. As the story goes along, the titles of the chapters start to make more sense and everyone's connections become more clear. Yes, we finally meet the aliens, and they're the very best aliens. I love all the quirks of this book, the silly fun, and the fuzzy feel-good ending. I'd snatch up any Emily Jane books in the future without even knowing what they're about. Although, topping this one might be a challenge. This book gets all the stars....more
If you like stories of people out of place and living a biologically impossible life like in The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, this book is for you. If you like stories of people out of place and living a biologically impossible life like in The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, this book is for you. It starts off a bit slow, but it will have you coming back for more before the end. The premise is that a 9-year-old girl develops a sickness that requires that she stay moving. If she stays in one place for more than about 4 days, she starts getting sick and has to move on to feel better. When she's at her lowest, she always seems to stumble into an improbable underground library filled with stories of other people's lives. After many, many times around the world and leaving so many people behind over and over, it becomes less of an adventure and more of a burden. I think it's an instant favorite....more
This was an okay book. It kept me turning the pages somehow even though it wasn't really all that suspenseful. A 4-year-old Native American girl is kiThis was an okay book. It kept me turning the pages somehow even though it wasn't really all that suspenseful. A 4-year-old Native American girl is kidnapped by a childless woman in Maine while the child's family is doing migratory berry-picking work. The event haunts both families until the girl is finally reunited with her real family later in life. I'm not sure why this book has been so popular, but I guess it's memorable. The book club discussion was interesting at least. ...more
Loading...
