Chris
Read this the first time in 1988 - it had been a Christmas gift. At the time I didn't realize it was the first in a series. Couldn't put it down - and as I rushed towards the end I couldn't, for the life of me, figure out how the author was going to tie up all the loose ends. Flipped back to the dust jacket and swore loudly when I realized I'd be waiting for awhile for a sequel.
Author does a wonderful job of ‘world building' - the detail in the story is fabulous, and the characters are well developed.
This recently has been released on audiobook - something I've been patiently waiting for, for quite some time. And again, the wait was worth it - it's as fabulous as I remember the 1st time I read it.
Did this one as an audiobook - read by Francis McDormand. I like her as an actress - but wouldn't do audiobook with her reading.
But getting away from that - would have to say this is one of the few books where I thought the movie was better. In this instance - probably due to the era in which the book was written...some things are dated in a not so charming way.
Creepy, melodramatic, and oddly funny. Listened to this one in the car on a road trip with my college-aged son - it was selected strictly for genre and length, and neither one of us knew anything about it. We both enjoyed it. It's “Grey Gardens” meets “The Beguiled”.
Cute story. Liked the characters. It took me a bit to realize that most of the character names are towns in Nebraska. The storyline regarding the Indian Hills Theater made me feel a nostalgic and a little sad - was sorry they tore the place down. Used to love going to movies there.
Some bits I liked - but huge chunks are basically: Oooooh, a hint of lavender and vanilla, somebody save me....swoon. Eyeroll. I attempted to timewalk my way to the end. Not my cup of tea.
This is about as far from my day to day grind as it gets...therefore, quite a nice little vacation wrapped up in a story about mountain girls from a mining village exposed to books for the first time. Really enjoyed this one.
another highly entertaining installment in the series. The story is very funny, and smart as well. love that the bicycle is named Gladys.
Listened to this one in the car. Took a bit to get rolling, but once I figured out who everyone was and how they were related I really enjoyed it.
This was a favorite of mine back in the 80s. Recently re-read it (listened to it on audible)- and was just as amused. Things drag a smidge more towards the end than I remember, but I enjoyed it.
Bloated and pretentious with just enough moments with a little zip to keep me listening until the end. The only thing that made this one tolerable was the ‘skip ahead 30 seconds' button.
Another good installment in the series. This one has three separate stories and does wrap up a few loose ends.
Enjoyable short read. The language is slangy enough that you can't let your focus wander, or you'll lose the thread of the story.
I so wanted to like this one. I got to chapter 6 - and just couldn't drag myself through it any further. It became a quality of life issue. Was listening to this one via audible. Tons of detail about the boat, sails, etc - easy to get lost in the details. Also easy for the mind to wander and lose track of the story.
Short story about a man living his best life with the limitations set for him by a witch's curse. You can find this one over on the author's website.
Listened to this one in the car. Good reader - really brought the characters to life. I'd like to give it 3 1/2 stars... I just didn't like it enough to give it four, but it's better than a 3. There were parts of this book that I found pretty gripping - other bits made me roll my eyes. I don't think I'll dash on to part 2. It's a book about reporters and bloggers and election coverage... with the backdrop of taking place many years after the Zombie apocalypse (or whatever you want to call it). The Zombie backdrop is interesting, and well done.
Listened to this one in the car. Really enjoyed it. Edward developed nicely as a character throughout the story.
This one has been sitting on the ‘to read' shelf for a few years. Had purchased it after some family members commented how much they enjoyed it, but indicated it was ‘heavy'. The first bit got me to buy it, the latter bit is what had me passing over it to read something else. So, with a sigh, I finally decided to dive in. Much to my surprise, I really enjoyed it. Was pleasantly surprised with the humorous insights of Little Bee which helped balance what is ultimately a pretty weighty topic. I'll say no more on that. This one is excellent book club fodder - there's lots to talk about.
I struggled with this one until about 2/3 of the way thru. Then I thought it got funny. Not thrilled with her having to be rescued every third page - but am trying to chalk it up to it being written in the early 90's - which doesn't make the premise any less gag-worthy, but it allowed me to move on. The guy who does the gender reversal review on this one on this site sums it up nicely. I'll try the second one in the series before I give up on it.
I really enjoyed this one. If you liked The Stand and enjoy a good distopian zombie-esque (new word! ) story, you'll like this one. I listened to this one in the car - audio book is well done. There's a bit that drags about a third of the way through...but it picks back up again, so hang in there! . I look forward to jumping in to the next one in the series.
Short read about a girl on the autism spectrum coming to terms with grief. If you enjoyed Eleanor Oliphant or the Edward series, you'll like this one.
2019 I did a second read of this one - not as charming as the first time. The story is frustratingly slow with a great deal of repetition that could have been trimmed. Am now partially into the companion book All Clear. These two books could have been one book.
For instance:
a. Mike's obsessing for the 50th time about his having changed the timeline: me wondering how in the hell someone could be a participant in this time travel program without an iota of knowledge as to how it works. I seriously want to hit Mike right now. Mike has an over-abundance of stupid for someone working in field-research and writing.
b. Polly works in a department store, but can't seem to get her hands on a black skirt. Me wondering why her boss doesn't bring her a couple to choose from and tell her they'll take the cost of the skirt from her next two paychecks. Your business has a dress code, your business therefore has a plan to ensure your employees adhere to it. After all, there's a war on, right? Eyeroll.
c. The endless speculation as to why the gates won't open and the other endless ‘what if's.
d. Not remembering the name of the stupid airfield (mostly an issue in Book #2) - we remember you can't remember, just please stop endlessly ruminating about it.
I'm ‘re-reading' via audiobook. And have now resorted to hitting the ‘bump it forward 10 seconds' button when the ruminating begins.
What works - the historical bits. Those are fun- and made me want to go find out more when I was done with the book.