Chris
Enjoyed this. It's Auntie Mame moves to Palm Springs. Thought this was going to be over-the-top silly - but it's not - it's funny and wise. Patrick is a delight. You'll get all the Easter Eggs if you've actually read Auntie Mame, but it's enjoyable without that reference.
This one is a fast read. It's an unusual world of angels, vampires, and humans. That bit I liked. Kat Kennedy's review amusingly sums up the bigger issues I have with this one. The relationship between the two main characters is...erm...distractingly unhealthy. But there's some witty banter, and the characters intrigued me, and I'm hopeful book 1 is long setup for what happens in book 2 (like the weak pilot in a strong series).
I didn't pay much attention to the description - the cover caught my eye, and I noted it was a story that took place during the 40's - so I bit and opted for the audiobook.
That cover looks like it's going to be a story of three chummy girls during the 40's. Um...it's not.
I'll note that I'm not sure I'd have picked it up if I'd done more than just skim the description. This is a book about three separate women and the horrors of the Ravensbrook concentration camp. The women's paths do cross - but they cross as victim, tormentor, and savior. I still don't know why it's called “Lilac Girls” - maybe that bit passed me by and I didn't catch it.
All that aside - I really really enjoyed this one. The story is well told, and the audiobook is well performed. Two of the women are based on real people - the third is a hybrid of several of the survivors of Ravensbrook. I was most impressed that the ‘baddy' is a three-dimensional character - not just bad for the purpose of being bad.
This book is definitely a piece of historical fiction. But good historical fiction makes you want to learn more about what you just read about. And this is the case with this tale. I realized I didn't know much about the Ravensbrook Rabbits - and I'd like to read more.
Scientist turned middle school teacher gets roped into a last ditch effort to save Earth. There's lots of nerdy science and even aliens from outer space. This was the second time reading this. Enjoyed it as much as the first reading. If you liked The Martian, you'll like this one, too.
Six stories that thinly link together. I started this one in 2014, got about 30% into it and put it down for almost 3 years - as I thought it was fine, but really wasn't hooked. Picked it back up recently as it still simmered on my ‘currently reading' shelf and figured I'd best get on with it. I ended up listening to the last 70% via Audible (the recording is well done, btw). Parts of it I thought were fine, other parts I really liked. I would not have been able to get through Zachry's tale but for the fact that I was listening to the thing. Favorite bit was Timothy C tale - very funny once it gets rolling. I also really enjoyed the clone saga. Each segment is told in a very different voice. The linkage is thin - but interesting to see how each bit ties to the next and each story wraps up.
Delightful! Nanny Ogg had me laughing out loud and Magrat had me gasping with surprise.
Zombies and gators and mystery, oh my! Another really fun installment in the White Trash Zombie series. The book wraps up the threads of the series nicely and could stand firm at book #6, but I'd not say no to another installment down the line! If you enjoyed the weird humor in the Sookie Stackhouse series, you'll enjoy this series. I've only ever listened to the books in this series. Allison McLemore does a fabulous job voicing all the characters in the story. Found I was looking for reasons to drive or clean so I could listen to more of the story - which is always a sign of a good book!
Quick easy read. The book is part of a series, but it doesn't end on a cliffhanger. I'll pick up the rest in time and I look forward to reading them.
This is a melodramatic portrayal of an emotionally damaged trial lawyer and his long-suffering array of fans. He's so beautiful, so talented, so rich, and so very very very very very very very very sad and insecure (but that doesn't interfere with his ability to be the best trial attorney out there!). His personal tragedies are more numerous than Job's. The book cover portrays a man weeping - I don't think he's weeping enough. The cover should be a picture of some martyred saint - Saint Sebastian with all the arrows would be perfect. The end plate could be a woodcut scene of a mob of Victorian men grieving and tearing their clothes.
I hung in there until the end - because after awhile the idea of finishing this thing was akin to summiting Everest. I did the same thing with the ridiculously bloated “And Ladies of the Club”. I can proudly say I finished both of these books - but sweet Jebus, I'm never getting the time it took to read them back.
WWII and a bracing cup of tea. story told via letters and diary entries of several women in a small English town during WWII. The shifting perspectives adds an interesting depth to the characters. Enjoyed this one. It's Maeve Binchy meets Flavia DeLuce without the mystery.
This book taught me that I should run run run like hell away from the practice area of Partnership Taxation. Just seeing the title brought on waves of horror.
Want to stop using legalese? This book will help. If your clients can't read it and understand it, then you're not doing your job.
Good basic information on drafting wills. Particularly helpful as a source for ideas for wording on odd - yet not uncommon situations.
The 2nd installment in the Beach View Boarding House series doesn't disappoint! Plucky characters, romance, and restorative cups of tea. What's not to love!
Stuck with what to put in that client letter? This book will help! Great base for client correspondence - particularly for the new attorney.
Gripping zombie story. Found I had to push my ‘but why didn't they...' questions out of my head in regards to some of the technology ‘quirks' at the beginning of the book. Found it easier going to just go with the idea that this was a slightly earlier time period. Once I did that I found I enjoyed the story much more. I look forward to reading the next in the series!
Excellent! Wish this had been around when I was heading into law school, or while I was in law school, or while I was getting ready to transition from student to practice. Fantastic advice.
Like comfort food. Very enjoyable light reading by D. E. Stevenson (writer of the ‘Miss Buncle' series). It's a story about a woman raising her step-son and twins. Katherine and her step-son face several choices and both consider the potential impact those choices may or may not make on their own personal freedom. It also gives them perspective on their own blessings. The story is romantic and set in Scotland. The characters well described and memorable. So fix yourself a nice pot of tea and sit back and relax. If you are a fan of Maeve Binchy or Rosamund Pilcher you will probably enjoy this one.
Antihero with worst name ever makes for a funny caper of a story. Pratchett brings his razor sharp social commentary with a good coating of humor to make it all palatable. Great stuff. Can't believe I got this far into adulthood without having read Pratchett (this is about the 7th of his I've read).
Listened to this one in the car. This is the sequel to Katherine Wentworth. Much more romantic - and as such, it's pure cotton candy. But - it's more fluff than substance, and I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as the first book, which had a definite theme that ran through it (the value of personal freedom - and what looks easy isn't necessarily ‘freeing'). This book takes puts the same characters through their paces by dropping in several stressful situations. It's entertaining to see how things shake out.
First 1/3 is great. The world building, character development, watching the relationship grow between the old man, the dog, and Charlie. Then the story shifts... and loses some focus. As I learned from Under the Dome, when the path of the story and outcome is less certain to the author, King has a way of circling back and repeating parts of the story...there isn't story progression so much as looping and rehashing and then some forward movement. Rinse and repeat. Charlie also seemed less like a 17 year old and more like a seasoned older adult...that became more of an issue the story progressed.
Not bad, but definitely not my fav.