I was enjoying this so much I went ahead and bought one of the author’s earlier books before I was even halfway through it. Then came the sappy twist I was enjoying this so much I went ahead and bought one of the author’s earlier books before I was even halfway through it. Then came the sappy twist and the discovery of a heartless act in the past that turned it into a chore to finish. I’ll give the new title a chance but if it starts to feel like this one I’ll be rating it dnf....more
Describing The Relentless Moon as a suspenseful thriller on top of a space travel story with an alternative history twist barely covers all the thingsDescribing The Relentless Moon as a suspenseful thriller on top of a space travel story with an alternative history twist barely covers all the things it has going for it. I don’t want to risk spoilers by listing them here so I’ll just say that this is the strongest entry in The Lady Astronaut Universe series so far and enough of a departure from the previous two books that I think it can be read as a standalone. I’ll be reading the next one as soon as it comes out no matter who’s leading the mission or what moon, planet, or solar system they’re heading off to. 4 ½ stars....more
Synopsis: A former student emails his math teacher, complaining about his general dissatisfaction with life. Math teacher emails back.
If it weren’t f
Synopsis: A former student emails his math teacher, complaining about his general dissatisfaction with life. Math teacher emails back.
If it weren’t for all the refrigerator magnet worthy inspirational quotes in this I doubt it would even have been the length of a typical email, let alone one 300‑plus pages long. 2 ½ stars rounded up because maybe I let The Midnight Library set my expectations too high.
I picked up The Daughters of Erietown because it’s set in northeastern Ohio and spans the ‘50s and ‘60s through to the present day. Territory I'm famiI picked up The Daughters of Erietown because it’s set in northeastern Ohio and spans the ‘50s and ‘60s through to the present day. Territory I'm familiar with and clearly familiar to the author. So why didn’t it work for me? For one thing, I got tired of the ‘stand by your man’ soap opera tone of the story (I get that it was supposed to show the way things were back then, but it was overdone) and for another, I didn’t find the portrayal of blue-collar family life to be very convincing. The plot showed how the lives of women were constricted by the social norms of the time and how that changed from generation to generation, but the women themselves came across like actors sleepwalking their roles. What saved it from being a total disappointment was Cassandra Campbell’s narration of the audiobook. She added a touch of emotional depth to the characters who I suspect would have been flat‑out lifeless on paper....more
The Hunter is the second entry in Tana French’s Cal Hooper series. Like the first book its pages are filled with character driven suspense but its crThe Hunter is the second entry in Tana French’s Cal Hooper series. Like the first book its pages are filled with character driven suspense but its crime novel aspect falls short of what I’ve come to expect from this author. It reads like a bridge between the last book and whatever is coming next instead of a fully plotted mystery. 3 ½ stars rounded up in the hope that the third book makes whatever foundation this one laid worthwhile....more
The Fifties is wonderfully readable for a 600‑plus page history book or, really, for any type of book at all. David Halberstam's clear writing is a biThe Fifties is wonderfully readable for a 600‑plus page history book or, really, for any type of book at all. David Halberstam's clear writing is a big part of the reason why, but I think it’s also because of how well this is organized. It consists of 46 chapters in rough chronological order that each focuses on a particular topic related to the decade. These topics range from the Cold War of the nuclear age to Elvis Presley’s impact on popular culture and include the emerging civil rights movement, the pill, Korea, Cuba, and the televised presidential election debate that cast the die for the following decade. My only complaint is that Halberstam didn't write a follow-up book about the ‘60s....more
When We Were the Kennedys is a poignant coming‑of‑age memoir with a strong A Tree Grows in Brooklyn vibe to it. It’s set in the sixties in Mexico, MaiWhen We Were the Kennedys is a poignant coming‑of‑age memoir with a strong A Tree Grows in Brooklyn vibe to it. It’s set in the sixties in Mexico, Maine, a mill town where an Irish Catholic family’s loss is echoed later the same year by another family's loss and the nation’s loss of its president. The writing is thoughtful and well-crafted, especially in how it describes grief and the healing comfort of family and community. The church has a solid presence in it but I don't think you need to be Catholic or, for that matter, a reader who remembers the sixties in order to feel the depth of compassion behind these words....more
Take a list of dysfunctional family traits and you've got a pretty good synopsis of this book.Take a list of dysfunctional family traits and you've got a pretty good synopsis of this book....more
Simply magical storytelling. The Story Collector is a blend of Irish folklore and romance that follows two timelines sharing a common setting - Cnoc nSimply magical storytelling. The Story Collector is a blend of Irish folklore and romance that follows two timelines sharing a common setting - Cnoc na Si, the Hill of the Fairies. It left me wanting more so I’m bumping the author's latest book, The Lost Bookshop, up on my tbr list...more
More fun with 'the worst bounty hunter in the history of the world' and her gun toting granny.More fun with 'the worst bounty hunter in the history of the world' and her gun toting granny....more
Immersive and masterful storytelling from the first page to the last, which frankly arrived too soon for me. I had to put the book down at one point bImmersive and masterful storytelling from the first page to the last, which frankly arrived too soon for me. I had to put the book down at one point because I wasn’t ready for it to end.
This is a slow burn police procedural about a missing person case that re-opens an earlier and eerily similar mystery. It's told through multiple timelines and POVs that broaden the scope of the investigation to the point that I never had the slightest inkling of where it was going until it was there. As with Liz Moore’s Long Bright River, I’d rate this higher than five stars if I could. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐...more
Dark secrets, boarding school bullies, and a slow burn murder mystery. This is a densely plotted police procedural that investigates the schoolyard hoDark secrets, boarding school bullies, and a slow burn murder mystery. This is a densely plotted police procedural that investigates the schoolyard honor code of "withhold(ing) the truth out of loyalty to one’s mates" as much as it does the murder itself. There are red herrings all over the place and the main suspects do so much deflecting it begins to look as if every single student and faculty member on the school grounds might be the guilty party. As a mystery this can be read as a standalone but the developments in the personal lives of the series regulars add so much fullness to the story I have to say don’t - start with the first book. I’d be picking the next one up right now if I knew how to keep it from hijacking my free time the way this one did. 4 ½ stars....more
I went into The Duke and I expecting a story as engaging as the first one in Netflix's Bridgerton series so that's probably why I was a little disappoI went into The Duke and I expecting a story as engaging as the first one in Netflix's Bridgerton series so that's probably why I was a little disappointed. On the plus side this had the same fake date romance trope going on, always a favorite although it wasn't as involved as Netflix's, and the audiobook narration was well done. But on the negative side there was a manipulative act near the end that would be downright creepy if the genders of the two were reversed. The second epilogue contains a spoiler for Colin’s story so I'd say skip it until you're done with the series if you’re planning to read on. 2 ½ stars...more
No, it's not all in our heads. It's true that historically women's healthcare has been substandard when compared to men's, and in many ways it continuNo, it's not all in our heads. It's true that historically women's healthcare has been substandard when compared to men's, and in many ways it continues to be so today. This book shows how biases in women’s medical treatment go beyond ObGyn issues and explains the history behind those biases. It's divided into eleven chapters that cover the eleven organ systems the same way physiology textbooks for doctors in training do. The author is a breast cancer oncologist and the examples she draws from her own medical practice are, to me, the most interesting and relatable parts of the book. 3.5 stars....more
The Known World is an epic story about slavery set almost entirely in Virginia before the Civil War. Its plot is like an old‑time patch work quilt madThe Known World is an epic story about slavery set almost entirely in Virginia before the Civil War. Its plot is like an old‑time patch work quilt made up of barely matching pieces that become something wondrous when stitched together. Since it’s hard to do justice to a book like this in a review I’ll just say the Pulitzer it won in 2004, and all the five‑star ratings here are well earned....more
Not my favorite but still an entertaining mystery. I think part of the problem was the switch to a different narrator from the one who did the first tNot my favorite but still an entertaining mystery. I think part of the problem was the switch to a different narrator from the one who did the first two audiobooks. The new guy was hard to understand when he did a heavy Scottish accent although he was fine in the other parts of the story. I'm curious to see where things go between Hamish and Priscilla so I plan to continue on with the series but I'll probably stick to print. 3.5 stars...more
What an incredible book. This is a deeply atmospheric story of survival set in a near future ravaged by the effects of climate change. It's filled witWhat an incredible book. This is a deeply atmospheric story of survival set in a near future ravaged by the effects of climate change. It's filled with scenes of destruction but it's surprisingly hopeful at the same time. 4.5 stars...more
Shift is the prequel to the events in Wool, the first book in the Silo trilogy. While it does fill in a lot of the background that was conspicuously aShift is the prequel to the events in Wool, the first book in the Silo trilogy. While it does fill in a lot of the background that was conspicuously absent from the first book, overall it raises more questions than it answers. If you've already read Wool, I'd say your options are to consider it to be a stand-alone (from the author’s notes I take it that was his original intent) and stop there or commit to reading all three. That’s assuming the last book pulls the story together better than this one does and answers the larger questions it introduces....more
A is for Amish is the first book in a series about an Amish couple’s four adult grandchildren who were raised ‘English’ but now want to join the AmishA is for Amish is the first book in a series about an Amish couple’s four adult grandchildren who were raised ‘English’ but now want to join the Amish community. Are they ready to give up their modern lifestyles and can they each find a way to fit in?
This turned out to be a very lucky Goodreads Giveaway win for me. I wouldn’t have known about it otherwise since I don’t read much Amish fiction. That will be changing - the minute I finished this I looked to see when the next one was coming out. My thanks to GR Giveaways and the publisher for a copy to review.
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