Kitty

Not done yet, but as usual Dan Brown tells a thrilling story, easy to follow, sometimes fun - but with holes. Weak spots in his plot spoil the suspension of disbelief. For example: how Sexton’s assistant gets back in line after having witnessed Sextons betrayal and knowing about the financing of his campaign. And how can she enter a fully secured NASA-building? Etc etc.

The oceanic eruption at the end is too spectacular, almost silly.

Good plot twist near the end, though.

3 for credibility, 4,5 for telling a thrilling story.

Good plot. Somewhat too long, or rather, nothing much changes in the case for too many pages.

Like with the first book in this series, I find the plot a little contrived. Overly complicated. And like the first book, it’s a little too long.

Fantastic author, but could not stomach the subject matter. DNF.

Terribly well written, dazzlingly good actually, but plotwise it’s boring. And I want to read good stories, not just great sentences. So I ditched The Nix at around 50%.

Good story, intelligent, plot a little contrived.

Bought it in 1986. Read it in 2025. Rather outdated by now.

5 stars for this series, actually.

Although well written, the plot is very thin and the fictional police work is shoddy. At 4/5 I could not bare the clichées any linger. Did not finish.

If, at 30% into a book, I am still not feeling any interest in its characters, I usually put it down. Which I did here. Too convoluted a plot. Tales too long to take off.

Interesting plot, very unexpected personal developments for the protagonist, never seen this idea developed.

Mediocre.

This book was a little too much - plotwise. Other than that, thrilling as ever.

I never realised Pratt was describing his own wife’s illness, (very realisticallt), nor that this was to be the last Joe Dillard novel. Nor that he died in 2018 and that the 11th book in the series will be written by his son.

Doomscrolling in literature. What happens after everything’s gone? A fascinating story. Bleak, yet full of love. A father trying to protect his son. Simple dialogue, words repeated over and over again. It’s all right. Yes. Yes. Of course you can. Etc. But lovely too.

Very interesting. The chapters on beer and sex less so. The historical enacting or experimenting Goodman describes is often elucidating.

Very well written! And most interesting. Both Humboldts importance and his interesting life (and astounding energy) - very glad to have learned of him and his influence on Darwin etc.

Mwah. Not as good. Also, goes on too long.

Great books, Cavanagh’s.

An unusual book, in that it gives you pov’s of many people involved in a jury case. But what exactly is the point the author is trying to make?

Well written as usual, but subject matter too saddening. Yes, climate change is upon us and we should have acted. I live this every day. So stopped reading.

A very nice, quiet yet interesting scifi story from the pov of a 70 year old woman. It is comforting in a way. Even in her old age, life can still get better. I love where she decides to do a better job than she did with her own children.

Strangely addictive, and me being an atheist to boot. There is addictiveness in the ongoing cycle of emotional highs and lows, and the soothing wisdom of the old character Geesje. Cleverly interwoven storylines. It’s christian propaganda, it’s about an astoundingly Good set of christian people - in short it’s a soorhing fairytale.

On rereading P&P it struck me how eminently readable it still is, how neatly it is constructed, how many things happen in it - scene upon scene upon scene -and how suspenseful it is. Since I am reading JA’s letters at the same time, I recognise her opinions in Elisabeth.

Started out fine, then soon got dreary.

Although I liked Brooklyn and Long Island better, still I think this a very good book. A quiet book, about rebuilding a life after a husband died. In a family where not everyone talks enough. I still can’t explain why, but I love Toibin’s very simple and sometimes barren style. And I can’t stop reading, even when little happens, like in this wisow’s life.