Jessica

The more I read chick lit, the more I realize how much I don't care for it. Sometimes it seems as though all the plots are the same, and all the narrators the same person. Of course, all that isn't the fault of this book. To be fair, it's a reasonably nice example of the genre. The characters are (for the most part) better fleshed out than your typical chick lit. The story line is fluffy, but it is at least somewhat believable. I liked the main character, and I appreciated that she seemed to grow during the course of the novel. The plot does read a bit like it came from a list of chick lit cliches (the “serious” journalist forced to work for a fluffy magazine for cash and experience... sound familiar?) It wasn't great literature, and there were some parts where I said “Oh come on” out loud, but it did have a sweet (if somewhat unbelievable) ending. Recommended to anyone looking for an easy read.

Let me start by saying that I am a professional musician, and I did really appreciate all the music details included here. I think they might be lost on many readers, but I for one was excited to see a carillon being played. I also enjoyed the great period detail. The mystery, unfortunately, wasn't so great, but I can usually forgive that in a book with so many great details. So why was I left bored by this book? I simply was not touched by the characters, even though they were fairly well drawn. I would recommend this book (the cd is an especially nice touch.) It wasn't for me, but I would be interested in reading other books by the author.

I really enjoy this author. I agree that her style is similar to Janet Evanovich, so if you enjoy funny mysteries give this one a try! My only issue is that I was a little confused by the ending, but what a great ride it was!

This isn't exactly a detective novel. I mean yes, the characters are all PIs, but the book spends most of its time developing the characters and doesn't introduce a mystery until halfway through.

That being said, I did quite enjoy the book - the characters were funny, and I enjoyed the inclusions of lists. I did not really sympathize with the main character, but I did find her surprisingly believable. At the end there is a bit of a shocking twist, which I'm sure will be dealt with in the later books of the series. I thought it was an excellent debut novel, and I would recommend it for anyone who enjoys light humorous fiction.

This book came to me highly recommended, but I walked away from it very disappointed. I'll start with the good. Several of the supporting characters were very well drawn, particularly the narrator's sister, Portia. I would have happily read a novel from her point of view, an incorrigible gossip living an unconventional lifestyle. I enjoyed some of the historical tidbits - for example, the notes about the role physicians played in society during the victorian era.

Unfortunately, I had to go back and check that the novel was indeed set in Victorian times - it reads very much like a regency novel. The main character was a mass of cliches - of course she's more enlightened than others of her era, she's impulsive, gets in trouble etc. I didn't feel any sympathy to her plight. But the male lead - my goodness! He apparently is good at almost everything, and is also secretly half gypsy, a fact I figured out ages before the book chooses to reveal it to the dense heroine.

The characters didn't seem to have any real chemistry, and indeed I disliked Brisbane so very much that I hoped he would succumb to his headaches. But then, of course, it turns out he has “the sight.” Right. The identity of the murderer is far too clear, leading to a very unsatisfying conclusion. I cannot really recommend this book - it has neither enough mystery for mystery fans, nor enough romance for those who love romance.

I really wanted to like this book. I loved the television show and was really upset when it was canceled. Unfortunately, this may be the rare example of a book I thought was inferior to the televised adaption. I just didn't really like the Harry we meet here. There is also far too much talk about vampire politics for my taste (this is true for the whole series, but a little less for this book.) Still, my husband loves this series, so there must be something to them. I was just expecting something a little more well written and interesting.

Although I'm not blind to its flaws, I did quite enjoy this book. It did drag a bit in places, and to be honest the main character could be a bit annoying to me, but I was fascinated with the parallel earth portrayed in the novel.

This is a fun little book that acts as a completely straightforward guide to time travel in the future (which has, of course, been sent back through time so that when time travel is invented we will already know the rules.) Very strange. It's not jokey at all, in fact it reads almost exactly like a Rick Steves guide. It appears to be out of print, but if you're a fan of time travel science fiction I would recommend getting a used copy - it's great fun!

The premise of the book is really intriguing. Unfortunately, the author chooses to spend his time writing a novel that is about confusing political machinations rather the than interesting premise. I agree that the novel jumps around far too much - as soon as you are comfortable with the characters it seems that they are suddenly completely different! Characters appear and are important, only to disappear for most of the rest of the novel. I didn't find Elphaba to be especially sympathetic, as I found so many of her actions to be maddening - perhaps if I understood what had happened in the missing years it would make more sense?

I have sympathy for the writers of the musical, who had to take this source material and turn it into a musical with a happy ending. I don't think the musical is great, but at least it didn't leave me with a bad taste in my mouth the way the book did.

I know we aren't supposed to take chick lit seriously, but this book made me angry for the messages it sends out. I had zero sympathy for the main character, but I had even less sympathy for her annoying friend and boyfriend, who seemed to have a really hard time understanding that she couldn't be there for them 24/7. Most of the characters are flat. I was unable to even raise up any real ire directed at the editor, due to the cartoonish way in which she was presented. The ending of the book feels rushed and tacked on, and I really wasn't buying it.

I haven't seen the movie, but I understand that it improves on the book (really, it would be hard not to.) I can't recommend this; there are better chick lit novels out there.

I read this book in the fifth grade, and I remember it making a big impression on me! I was terrified by what happened to Johnny's hand, and I loved the story about the Revolutionary war. I can't say that I remember much of what I read for school, but this one has always stuck in my head. Recommended for younger readers!

I devoured this series as a little girl. Curiously, I never really wanted to be a nurse, but I did envy her uniform, which sounded just fabulous! Reading them as an adult, I find that the story holds up very well, so long as you keep it in the context of its time. Lots of WWII era propaganda in the first few books, but I find it enjoyable and sweet. I don't know that young girls today would relate to this series now, but I'm still trying to collect the entire series!

1.5 stars. I DNF'd this book at about 50% through. I thought it had an intriguing premise, but I didn't think any of the characters were well fleshed out. I also didn't care for the magical quality of the boxes - where did they come from? The book seemed unconcerned in finding out. Instead it turned into a political drama, which was not why I picked this one up.

I read all the Nancy Drew files books growing up (after finishing the originals!) I loved this one because it was set in Louisville, where I'm from. I can't say the ghost writer did her research - one memorable scene involves Nancy complaining of the cold and saying “where's that balmy Kentucky weather?”

I love this book. The recipes are just as I remember from my Swedish family!

I read this long ago, but Libba Bray's “A Great and Terrible Beauty” reminded me of its existence. I loved Lois Duncan as a teen, and this boo is deliciously creepy!

I may stand alone, but I enjoyed The Meowmorphosis! I have, it must be said, a vague dislike for the work being parodied (Kafka's Metamorphosis). I was forced to read it in school, and while I was (and am) a voracious reader, the endless allegory pretty much ticked all my boxes. Or so I thought. As it turns out, I would have been fine with all sorts of allegory if it came along with an adorable kitten instead of a disgusting insect.

If you've read the original you already know what happens here - just imagine it with 50x the cuteness, a sort of unholy amalgamation of serious literature and every adorable cat video on Youtube. I quite enjoyed it. I'm not sure I can recommend buying a copy - it's a bit of a novelty act - but it's certainly worth checking out of the library!

Note: I received a free copy from the publisher. It came with a poster of the cover which my husband promptly claimed for his University office.

I've knit two patterns from this book, the shrug and the puff sleeved cardigan. It's got a lovely selection of patterns and clearly explains how to adjust for different body types. Highly recommended!

I watched the book trailer and thought it looked pretty good - plus I'm a big Trek fan, so I figured why not? The answer to why not is that it makes a better film. The book isn't very well written and the characters are dull. I was disappointed - I swear there was at least one conversation in there taken almost verbatim from the documentary “Trekkies.” Not recommended.

This was a perfectly serviceable romance. The romance was sweet, the hero and heroine believable, and the supporting characters delightful. I took off two stars for one reason - the central conflict in the story is that the lovebirds never actually speak to one another. Eve is also a bit too perfect and selfless. Still, a solid romance by Mary balogh, and I do recommend the Bedwyn series!

I have a complicated relationship with Emily Henry. Funny Story may be one of my favorite romances of all time, but Happy Place was a hard no for me, for instance. This one, unfortunately, falls into the same for different reasons. I don't love books with multiple timelines, and I thought the story with Margaret was, quite frankly, boring. It does feel like women's fiction, which isn't a genre I typically enjoy. I'm sure many people will love this book, but it's DNF for me.

Simple and concise, this is the book I recommend to beginning conductors.

This is a great book! It just had too many POVs for me to keep up with right now. I might come back later and try it again when I have more time.

Abandoned for the moment with 50% read. I think the main character comes across as being very young. I do love the setting, and the dialogue is witty - I will get back to it eventually!

I might come back later, but I think I just don't vibe with the main character or the general pacing of the plot. It's very incentive though! I absolutely see why it's so beloved.