Mer Barr

My favorite fiction books are those focused on unique, well-crafted, characters who interact in a small area. In this book there are plenty of characters to choose from and all the story is within an environment I would be so happy to have access to. A bookstore that has tea and wants their customers to get comfortable and stay awhile.

There are some moments where the story stalled a bit but then picked back up. It was nice to see people mature, grow, and improve over the several years of the storyline.<spoiler>Also glad the store owner's sadness at the very beginning of the story was spelled out at the very end, rather than upfront, as so many authors like to do.</spoiler>

This book is not a continuation of the prior book's main character's story but does mention him in passing. It is in the same universe and does include one of the characters from the prior book but this books main character is new.

Still alot of interesting technology and ethics to contemplate, still good writing.

This book seems to be well-rounded on Luther and his break with the Catholic Church. It has alot of details about different debates between Luther, the Emperor, the Pope, and the different interpretations of Catholic belief. The author refers to alot of source documents which I like to see when it comes to non-fiction, however I have no desire to confirm their accuracy or validity. The author did a good job of trying to tell Luther's story.

I wanted a high-level understanding of his why and how so this book had much more than I really needed.

Interesting concept, interesting people, well written, no sidetracking but the author lost me with the plot. At the halfway mark there doesn't seem to be any forward motion. It seems to be people living their lives, trying to deal with disconnects and unrequited desires, and interacting with others. And maybe a hint of mystery.

I do love good stories about unique characters and their interactions with each other but this story isn't about that.

More thought provoking subjects.