marilyn
The Testaments just wasn't great. The plot is half-baked and unconvincing - as were the characters. The timeline is confusing and rushed. If I was asked to describe how I felt about why this book exists it would be that Atwood saw how extensively repetitive and dragging the television series was becoming, and decided it would be a good idea to get out in front of it and have her say as to how things supposedly end for Gilead. Unfortunately, it all just feels noncommittal and dissatisfying (not the good/thought-provoking kind).
There's probably fan fic out there that covers similar content in a better way, which is embarrassing for Atwood.
Amy had a few interesting/important things to say but most of this wasn't very interesting. Her reading delivery wasn't great. Maybe it was more relevant when it was released?
The subject matter of this book is interesting, but there's something missing that's hard to place. I think a lack of reflection or deeper exploration of the horrifying things Jones endured could be it. She would say something extremely shocking, and then just move on. It was also difficult to keep track of different people involved. A greater sense of place would have helped too.
There are a lot of upsetting recollections in this book. I'm somewhat used to reading about some pretty awful things but there were a few times I was about to stop listening. If you don't want to hear about bad things happening to animals or children this is not the book for you.
I don't think anything that happened in this book was terribly surprising but it was all entertaining. You don't need to know about tennis, but it's probably even better if you do. I continue to think TJRs books are best in audio format. I liked Carries character arc but also that she didn't undergo an unrealistic personality transformation.
Well researched but delivery could have been better. It was hard for me to keep track of the dressmakers. I didn't really feel like their stories were laid out in a way that you got to know any of them particularly well. I was interested in more specific stories about them actually doing the work.
The concept is good but the characters' behaviors and motivations are unrealistic and confusing. The end is not very interesting.
Starling House is about Opal, who I can only describe as Applejack from My Little Pony. Applejack is inexplicably drawn to Starling House, the mysterious house with a mysterious resident. She starts working as a housekeeper at the house, and becomes more and more engrossed in uncovering its secrets.Starling House is a modern gothic with a romantic element, and interesting/exciting magical realism. In thinking about other comparable books (gothic with emphasis on the house) I've read recently, ([b:Tripping Arcadia 55073801 Tripping Arcadia Kit Mayquist https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1627460785l/55073801.SY75.jpg 85872762], [b:A House with Good Bones 60784409 A House with Good Bones T. Kingfisher https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1664972416l/60784409.SY75.jpg 95849240], [b:Mexican Gothic 53152636 Mexican Gothic Silvia Moreno-Garcia https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1607462569l/53152636.SY75.jpg 73647361]) it has a more satisfying resolution and believable storyline/characters than most.I think the first-person southern perspective was a little overdone (see: Applejack comparison) in some places but it didn't take away too much from the storytelling. I did generally prefer Arthur's point of view, which is written in third person and more neutral.Reflecting back, I think my biggest issue was with Jasper, Opal's brother. There was some build up that was resolved, but still felt like a missed opportunity.Also, I would have liked to have seen how Opal & Arthur got from the end of the main book to the beginning of the epilogue. It's probably ok left to the imagination, but I had to wonder if the author even knew how they got there.To its credit, I did find that Starling House really hooked me in about halfway through and I found it unputdownable after that. 4.5 stars rounded up for me.
It's giving Tina fey/Liz lemon fan fic. Needed way fewer emails. The pandemic making an appearance wasn't my favorite.
First of all I didn't buy most of this. Second of all, this is a romance? Really? When does the romance happen? Wyn is just kinda there the whole time. Third of all, Sabrina is the worst friend, but don't worry she remembers Harriet doesn't like to be touched by strangers so it's okay. Fourth of all, maybe I just don't like Emily Henry's books.
It's an enormous shame that Britney's book is fewer than 300 pages. It really would have benefited from additional space to explore how she felt about defining moments in her life. I don't really care that there wasn't much that wasn't already known by the public about her experiences, but it did shock me that so much was just glossed over with a just sentence or two. Does she owe anyone more of her story? No, but it's really hard to get a sense for who Britney is from this book — which is a shame.
This is a great book that really captures the voice of that age. I think with such an abrupt ending, an epilogue would have been nice.
This book was annoying because the premise is so interesting but the writing is so dry in places, and really needed additional editing. I also didn't really understand any of the characters or their motivations, and Gong doesn't do enough repetition of the relevant groups that you really understand what's going on. I finished the book not quite ever grasping what the Crescent Society's relevance is, or quite what/where Talin is.
Lastly, I didn't really buy the premise that you can take over anyone's body and it's a fact of life like no one cares. I don't know if that's a theme that will be ripped apart in the sequel but I had a hard time suspending my disbelief there.
This book also ends on like 10 cliff hangers so it's not very satisfying after you've trudged through the writing to see what happens. I'll see how the reviews shake out on the next one.
Reviewing this memoir is odd because its existence and approach is maybe more significant than its content. Harry's stories are generally interesting, but I find them to be strangely conflicting and rarely meaningfully introspective.
Despite Harry repeatedly saying that the royal family generally does not put out statements explaining their actions, he continuously expects them to do so and seems to attempt to goad them into doing so belatedly with the jabs he takes in this book. Many of the stories he shares seem to serve no purpose other than to air out dirty laundry — which is confusing considering how highly he says he values privacy. I get that he wants to set the record straight, but in knowing his brother and father will never combat his words, his honesty feels disingenuous and offputting.
In giving highly detailed accounts of certain events (including his time at war and various other random thought processes), it feels like Harry is oversharing in some places so we take his other, more “controversial” takes at face value.
I don't really care much about what's true or not, but I was hoping for something more thoughtful beyond cheap gossip and belabored war stories.
After being a little bored of the sister dynamic in The Wilderwomen, I wasn't really excited about Ink Blood Sister Scribe. That really didn't last long, because Törzs wastes absolutely no time here in building up the suspense, relationships, and plot.
I was not expecting the elements of horror that came through (literally - IYKYK) in this novel, but I did get chills at least once. I'm generally not a horror reader so I was a little spooked but it certainly isn't a scary book.
The only element I struggled with was keeping track of the relevancy of some of the book-object related items, but I suspect I could go back and find answers. The eye on display, and any tie in between the moth blanket on display and the related vampire book?
I'm surprised by all of the reviews that declare this book a failure of fantasy. It's not clearly not intended solely as a fantasy novel. It has elements of fantasy, sure, but also science fiction... horror... magical realism. It has way more in common with Mexican Gothic than Fourth Wing or The Fifth Season.
Thornhedge is a story about Toadling, a fairy who is sent to bestow a gift upon a human child. Things don't quite go as planned, and Toadling spends 200 years watching over a keep that holds a ‘sleeping beauty.' One day, a knight comes along, having read a story about a princess in a tower, and Toadling has to contend with his curiosity.
This novella is a breezy, fun read. While I found myself invested in the characters in a short amount of time and would like to spend more time with them, I am similarly grateful that Kingfisher didn't belabor the story for the sake of it.
I previously read Nettle & Bone by Kingfisher, and was pleased to find a similar balance of sweetness & spookies in Thornhedge (greenteeth are a new one for me). I also enjoyed the way Kingfisher explored the themes of family, beauty, and kindness.
While this is a re-telling of Sleeping Beauty at its base, I would say the association is loose and the story and the themes extend well beyond the original framework. I think anyone interested in a quick, uplifting, enchanting story will enjoy this.
I received a digital review copy of this book via NetGalley.
This was a cute story. I felt like their relationship timeline was a little rushed but it was still an entertaining and easy read. You can see all the plot elements coming immediately. Simon probably needs to go to therapy.
This book wasn't quite what I expected, probably because I haven't read Hilderbrand before and didn't know her style. I thought that it would be more of a mystery/haunted house theme based on the description, but the plot with the ghost is really more of an afterthought.
Despite not being what I thought, I really enjoyed it. This book is quick, fun, and light. A good summer read. It's very much a quirky contemporary fiction novel.
I liked the premise of the story, and I particularly liked the exploration of the challenges with belonging that mixed-race people experience. The authoritative, present-tense quippy writing didn't always work for me, but I also found Olivia to be extremely petty which didn't help. There were also a few moments that took me out of the story - still thinking about that 3 foot by 2 foot, 3-layer horse-shaped cake. I don't really understand why Bennett likes Olivia at all, but that seems to be a common problem for me with this genre.
I read Of Boys and Men in advance of attending a keynote speech by Reeves (for work). I'm really glad that there is an increasing interest in addressing issues faced by men — I don't think that it's helpful to assume that because a group has historically held more power, opportunities, etc that they don't also deserve and need support. Especially because we know that they do. Just look at the data regarding deaths of despair, education, and violence to start. We can't put it on individuals alone to pull themselves up, especially when we demand systemic change for other social issues. As Reeves says, we can support men AND women, we don't have to choose.
I think that this book is a good start to get the conversation going. My main points of contention are that sometimes facts can feel glossed over — some of the assertions I felt would be better supported with information about the methodology and the context of the research. That said, nearly half of this book is references (truly) which makes it nearly impossible to provide context for all facts. I still needed a little bit more though. My other gripe was a lack of exploring why men are having these issues. You can kind of infer some of the reasons, but I would have appreciated a stronger exploration on the why. I get the sense that this isn't fully laid out because people don't actually know the reasons why — yet.
I appreciate Reeves being willing to put himself out there to start addressing issues facing boys and men. He says that if we don't step in now to help, other groups will (and are), and they're probably not the groups that we'd prefer are doing so. I think he's right. He's certainly an interesting, engaging live speaker — the book was just okay for me though.
What I really like about TJ Klune's writing is that it's very outwardly warm. Everything that I have read of his has a sense of kindness and safety, like ‘I know we're doing this difficult thing but we can do this together and it's going to be okay.'
I did feel a little conflicted about this book. The first half was much harder for me to get through than I expected based on my experience with his past books, but it did pick up in the second half.
It's hard to pinpoint exactly where I felt this one fell a little flat. I think there might have been a bit too much dialogue (sometimes it felt like every conversation was a round table that all of the main characters had to weigh in on).
I felt a little frustrated by Rambo. While he was described as a character riddled with anxiety, I felt like he was a contradictory mix of anxious and overzealous.
I would also have liked to have seen a little bit more depth to Victor. As arguably the primary main character, I'm not sure I could actually describe his personality or motivation. Building onto that, the romance piece also missed some depth to me.
Overall, it was a worthwhile read but readers should not expect a similar experience to “The House in the Cerulean Sea” and “Under the Whispering Door” beyond the overall voice and tone.
I received a digital review copy of this book via NetGalley.