Phoebe LaMountain

Love of fun British thriller like this! Never got into true crime, but I just really love these women written English thriller novels

3.2

Interesting to an extent a little boring but I did like the characters and how the author attacked transactional relationships. I am glad that Alex was written in a way that made the reader slowly question her motives, but overall it wasn't punchy, but I feel like that was the point. I don't know if it's a situation of it wasn't punchy because it wasn't supposed to be or just because it wasn't great......

2.8

God, this was SO good!!!!!!! I loved how easy of a read this was but also how much of it was just them living at Hogwarts. so much of the movies is just action, action action, but I really just love the story of them discovering different parts of magic and learning through their courses. I'm not like a pothead or anything but the writing is just phenomenal.

I had a harder time getting into this book than I expected but ended up giving it 4.5 stars!!

Girl, Woman, Other has been on my want to read list for a few years now and when I finally found it at a used bookstore, I wanted to start it right away. It felt hard at first with the style in which this book was written, free, flowing with lack of punctuation, capitalization, and other writing/typing rules. Once I kind of adjusted to the style, it flowed so naturally, like the conversations were coming off the page.

I really love the vignettes of characters throughout this book and could feel the dynamic web of connection between them the whole time. That being said, it is offputting when you finish a part of the book and don't get to hear from the character again.

I saw some reviews that people said “oh I didn't feel like I got to like delve into the characters and I wanted them to be more developed”, but I kind of liked that. We just had a snippet of time with them but it's still tells us so much about who they are in their lives. So many books give me too much information about someone and very few leave me wanting more, and I would always prefer the ladder.

Obviously, the characters are all flawed. I think that's what the point is when trying to capture this many women, from so many different time periods & experiences. However, I did not love the way Yazz was written only because I am her age and I didn't feel like it was very representative of our generation. But that being said it's not the fault of the author that she doesn't necessarily have the exact experiences as me and the people I know.

I think once I reach Dominique I really got the bug for this book which I finished pretty quickly once I reached that point.

Definitely recommend if you like reading literary fiction and English literature . it felt so different from my experience and I forget that England is so culturally different from the United States. I know that sounds dumb, but it really feels so different to read.

Loved loved loved 4.5

It weirdly took me a while to write this review. I feel like I read this book so quickly and deeply that I felt so much of it. I really loved this book my favorite in the series so far and I will continue to read them.

Firstly, I think that the world really opened up in this book, connecting all of the previous information that we've been building on in the world building of the previous books. By being able to see students from different schools and how the ministry is completely bumbling it's setting up really well for the next book.

For the characters, I really love the tension between Ron and Harry. It was kind of our first time seeing him lose what he thought was his friendship with Ron when in reality it's so much more. When the Weasley come and visit him for the dragon exhibition and he is so shocked that they're there like I think he's starting to actually figure out that there are family out there for him. He just needs to tell them that he loves them and when something goes wrong

Lastly, the end of the book kind of was disgusting finding out that Barty Crouch Junior was being held hostage was disgusting to me. The whole scene with Voldemort in the end was absolutely disgusting. I

'm so excited to read the next book.

An absolutely incredible book I can't believe it took me so long to read . The way Patchett plays with time both in Commonwealth and the Dutch House is unmatched from any novelist I have ever read. Cannot suggest this book enough.

This book was utterly depressing and invigorating at the same time, which I didn't really think was possible. I love how emotionally intelligent the characters were, but how unsure they were of their actions, which I thought was pretty on par with how peoples lives go in a realistic manner, that being said, I did not like the ending, because I wanted more satisfaction I know it's not a romcom, but I wanted it to end differently.

3.8

I greatly enjoyed this book as well as the audio book. I definitely preferred the physical book more, just because I had a hard time linking the voice to the character.

I always enjoy TJR books, especially with how intertwined all of them are. I think they portray fame and love in an interesting way, and are always such an easy lovely read. Almost every book I have read of hers is about famous people, which gets tiring but she writes it so WELL.

My favorite part of DJ&6 was how it spoke about addiction. I think it was a little ridiculous at the end that all it took for daisy to kick the drug use was one stunt in rehab, however other than that I thought it was well written.

Also I always wish that time period of music was so interesting, so flaring a fake rendition of these stories you hear all the time was super fun.

I loved this book. I think that the use of Gilad to describe the snowball effect of the united states patriarchy and deep-rooted misogyny was perfectly executed. In this world, women have lost all individuality, and license to choose. I think the use of offered voice, story, and experiences lent itself to the novel greatly. The book doesn't sensationalize or romanticize violence and shows the deep-rooted breakdown of a person because of the system they are kept in. The moment that kept me thinking the most is the last moment Offred had with Ofglen. When Ofglen kept pushing offred to find more and don't she want to fight. But at that point offred is too tired to fight, she is no one's hero. I think this is a really realistic way to look at the oppression of women. For most of history, not every woman was a hero or the main character of a story. Offred represents all women in her recollection and experience of Giliad.

Wow, I don't think I've read a book about loneliness that's so personal in its experience.

In Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine you slowly but surely develop a picture of a whole person. She's not a great person, but she's not a bad either. She doesn't know who she is, she doesn't know she's struggling, which I think is the part that got me the most. This book is a perfect encapsulation of the simple fact that the small moments that we share with others may mean nothing to you, but so much to others.

Definitely a tough read if you're struggling with any sort of mental illness, loneliness or depression. It's a beautiful book of resiliency, but it doesn't mean that it's not hard to read.

4.25

I enjoyed this book! Great to read on the beach to enjoy a little mystery

Loved the cozy mysterious vibes from this book! Also I had no idea who the killer was until very close before the reveal which was fun.

Changed the way I think about bodies. I want to view myself with neutrality, love, give compassion and be kind. This book is amazingly funny, devastating, and real.

A beautiful book about the tolls, hardships of the field of medicine, and cancer. Kalanithi's description of his passions for science and literature really connects with me, as someone passionate about both. A beautiful story with a wonderful epilogue.

I really enjoyed reading about writing related to his running and the process that he went to to get to the point he needed to or his running. The reason I don't rate it higher is that I felt a lot of his motivation didn't relate to me, and I feel my reasons for running just didn't align.

Amy is completely completely diabolical in the strangest most severe way I've ever read in a character. It didn't even feel like Gillian Flynn wrote her but like unveiled her to the world. I really like this book it made me very sad so I can't give it more than three stars. Some of it was just so demoralizing. I just felt so depressed reading it.

3.0

I started this book because City Lights has about 1000 copies of it.

I love any book about San Francisco. Even just when it's referenced or when it's the backdrop of stories.I love living here and I love the city so much that when it's loved by someone else, it just makes me happy.

That being said, I did not like this books that much. I like the general storyline of a weird book store that has that has a secret that the main character has to solve. San Francisco is a great place to have that story, so many of the homes are so old and creepy and beautiful. I think it's a perfect set up. That being said, they fell victim to the Silicon Valley mindset.

So much of this book was just talking about Google and raving about Google and I just really did not like that. The society was so old and beautiful, and I like that Google didn't solve it, but I didn't like how intertwined it was into the story. I like the hacker guy that I can't remember his name but other than that I did not love the “googlers” (that's what they got them in the book)

Overall, I'm glad I read it. It was fun and interesting and I liked how deep the world felt. I like the meaning at the end and I think it wrapped up pretty. That being said, I think it lost points on missing out on how beautiful and wonderful San Francisco is in a local sense rather than just being a home of silicon valley Idiots.

3.2

Fun romance and work story. Didn't love the conflict arc but thought the characters were very well written

This book is an amazing read for anyone who is considering science as a career. Wilson's ability to connect his career and life together to formulate advice greatly impacted me. He connects to the reader through entomology, but the ideas and concepts are broad enough to relate to any field. It took me a while to finish, but I was really happy I did.

“If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” — Isaac Newton

I enjoyed rereading this book as I hadn't since childhood. As well as that I don't normally read science fiction or fantasy one of the things I appreciate so much about this book is how connected the children are to their emotions, which I think powers children when they read the book. Meg is able to save Charles only because she was able to figure out what she had inside of her already, which was her love, though this may seem simple, I think it is a really good story for young children to hear.

I am finding so much joy rereading these books. The last time I read one was two years ago, and I have completely forgotten how dynamic of a storyteller Rowling is hate her genuinely so much but it's so crazy how good these books are sometimes.

Stephanie land has the uncanny ability to remember details of her life that are so beautiful and mundane.

In Class, Land addresses themes from her first memoir, but really dives into the loneliness and struggle for single parents attempting to get their bachelors degree. This book perfectly addresses the main content of the story as well as the society, implications surrounding impoverished people class and who is considered “worthy” of government assistance, education, or family. Land is a beautiful writer and it's inspiring to hear how she felt before she thought being a writer was ever an opportunity she was going to be able to have. Her personal experience with poverty and systematic issues in governmental assistance agencies opens your eyes to how difficult and redundant so many of these system are. I will read anything she writes.

4.5