Sarah

This was actually a huge disappointment for me, especially as Simonson's last novel is one of my favorite books. For me, this book just meandered down a country lane, never going anywhere in particular. Maybe I missed something by listening to the audiobook.

Charming, light read. Good for a summer day in the garden.

Sentimental, yes, and not quite a literary gem, but I did devour this book in two days and shed a tear or two in the process.

Oh gosh. I cried so much over this book! The writing is not exceptional, but the characters tugged at my heart.

Hmm. Not one of his best novels, but I did love the character of Lupe! There were some strange repetitions throughout the book where I had to stop and think, didn't I just read this? The whole section in the Philippines could have been left out - the characters introduced there were odd. I think Irving tried for some magical realism but fell flat.

A little gruesomely detailed for my taste.

Interesting and insightful, but I felt it lacked something. Maybe more of a human element?

So good and fun and hunger-inducing!

I'm undecided on this one. Loved the beginning, with Steinem's memories of her parents, and the remainder of the book had interesting historical highlights. Overall, however, I felt like Steinem played this one a little safe. I couldn't figure out her intended audience - I learned a few things, but mostly confirmed my existing knowledge and didn't feel pushed to make change. In other words, this is a comfortable book for feminists but not likely to inspire much attention from, shall I say, non-believers.

The audiobook reader, for some unfathomable reason, assumes a Southern accent when speaking for Iowan characters. This ended up being a little too light and sappy for me.

Great book - and quite funny.

Funny and charming. I hear the movie is good, too.

For anyone who's forgotten how far women have come in the last fifty years, and how far we have yet to go, Blum's memoir will awaken you to the everyday sexism of the '60s. It might make you throw the book across the room in frustration (women are too weak to climb mountains, too silly to be taken seriously as scientists or leaders, etc.) but it's a good read, especially for all my outdoorsy friends.
It's also interesting to think about all the latent sexism in outdoor gear - my first backpacking pack, a “women's model,” was still too large to fit my waist without towels padding my hipbones. I'm also very over the fixation on hiking boots, which always give me blisters :)

3.5 stars

Super cute sequel! I just love the personality of each crayon. Also, crayons with capes!

What a shame. Bryson has become a grumpy old bastard, nostalgic for the good old days of Britain (when food was served burnt and cold, but there were flowers everywhere) and impatient with anyone (especially food service staff) who can't follow his logic (or whom he deems intellectually inferior).

More like 3.5. Really gets good halfway through.

Just as boring as most of real life.

This reminded me of The Circle, by Dave Eggers, in that we spend way too much narrative time at the office. Who wants to read about office life when we live it 9 hours a day? Also lots of mommy work-life balance annoyance. Disappointing.

I adore this series :) I wish I had waited to read this until Galbraith publishes the next installment so I could binge read!

Good, not great. Not as funny as I was expecting.

Where is this going??
That's all I could think as I listened to this book. Usually, I am a T.C. Boyle fan, but this book was gross and pointless.

Great for classic mystery fans. I'm ready for the next book in the series.

The main character was a little self-indulgently depressing for my taste, and the ending wrapped everything up a little too tidily, but overall a good book.

Fantastic. Recommending Umrigar to my book club as a great author.