Chris
This is not a sequel - this book takes the story from Every Day ... and retells it from the perspective of Rhiannon. I enjoyed it, it's well written, I liked the characters and the pace - but am not sure it adds much to the story.
I read Every Day 4 years ago... I wonder if it would have been better if I'd re-read it before reading this one - so it was fresher in my mind. However, since it was a retelling of Every Day, I might not have been quite as enchanted to read this companion book right on the heels of finishing the first book - I suspect it would have felt a bit cumulative. With the 4-year gap between books - what I enjoyed was revisiting this world for a bit.
This cannot be read as a standalone, btw... it's a companion to the first book and is told with the idea that the reader already knows all the quirks of the world that A lives in.
9th in the series... I love this series, btw - but this one is the weakest. 2 1/2 stars - it was somewhere between ‘it was ok' and ‘I liked it'. When I reread the series I may just skip over this one.
I enjoyed how Flavia's relationship with her sisters transitions into something more like an alliance - all three girls bring something different to the table in regards to skillsets. I look forward to seeing where this goes in the next books.
I always love the dabbling with chemistry. And the characters were fun.
But WTH was the chapter where she has this psychic vision of what may have happened to the church ladies. Sweet jebus. This is where the book completely lost me. And I found it difficult from this point on to follow how she was getting to her conclusions.
Cath adoresHarry Potter Simon Snow and she loves to write fan fiction. Cath and her twin sister Wren head off to University of Nebraska Lincoln for their freshman year of college. (There are lots of UNL landmarks mentioned here!) I listened to this one in the car. The audiobook is well done. really enjoyed the characters and the story.
Excellent account of the first manned mission to leave earth orbit to orbit the moon.
I listened to the audiobook - and highly recommend it. At the end of the book there is an interview between the author and Frank Borman that I highly recommend: the interview humanizes Borman considerably and puts some of the book's characterizations of Borman into a better context.
I tossed this one on my to-read list because of the ratings, and because (not having focused too hard on the description) I assumed ‘windup' meant ‘android/robot thingy'. Once I jumped in and started reading, I realized it was a rather interesting sci-fi take on a world where genetically modified seeds and other organisms have taken a turn to the extreme. I found the first half of the book enjoyable, but slow. That first half is a lovingly crafted bit of world building - and it's a very richly detailed world when the story starts to really move. The story takes place in the future in Thailand. It's sci-fi, but (as I sit between cornfields and watch the crop dusters do their thing) not a far cry from plausible. Raced through the last 150 pages - couldn't put it down. Very enjoyable.
Loved the movie. Listened to this one in the car, and really enjoyed it. It differs slightly because the point of view changes - which gives some nice additional detail to the story. There is also an additional storyline for Strickland's wife - which I enjoyed. Now I need to go rewatch the movie again.
Threw this into my ‘to read' pile because of the reviews, but I was a bit put off by the title... sounded like Rebbeca of Sunnybrook Farm. So I let it sit, unread. Finally download it from Audible and listened to it in the car. LOVED it! Is it a zombie story? Yes. Is it a coming of age zombie story? Yup! And Stony is an interesting character, as are the characters around him. Highly recommended!
Third in the series - and it sticks the landing nicely. The action returns to Kerenza and adds two more teens to provide their perspective to the story. Relax - your favorites from the first two books have substantial parts in this tale as well - including Hal AIDAN . I really enjoyed this one - but the first in the series is my hands down favorite. As with the first two, I listened to this one in the car - the production is really well done.
Another great installment in the Maisie Dobbs series. The historical event the story pivots around is Dunkirk. Thought the storyline was plausible for Maisie (more than making up for the faults I found in #12). The only bit that had me scratching my head was the plot twist towards the end - which really has nothing to do with the main threads of the book - but it didn't detract from an otherwise strong addition to the series.
This is a series - not a group of stand alone books with the same main character - you really need to read them in order since each book builds on what came before it.
Fascinating topic - but meh in the telling. I listened to this as an audiobook - the reader has a William Shatner-esque pause. The first half was a steady uphill slog. I found myself skimming just to get through it. The second half was better and it picked up as it moved along, but it was never so gripping that I could hear the Star Trek fight song in my head as I listened to the book. And it should have been gripping. It's the world's most deadly virus! I'd give it another half star if I could, but I can't - so three it is.
I enjoyed parts of this book a great deal - and was ok on other parts. I listened to this one in the car. As with “the Disappearing Spoon” - this one is a story about a large topic broken up in vignettes - each chapter focuses on an area of the brain. Like “Disappearing Spoon” - some topics lend themselves better to story telling than others. The strongest chapter in the book was the section on Kuru, which is something I knew nothing about (other than a throw-away diagnosis from the tv series House). The chapter covers the discovery and research history of the disease - and, it was so well told I found I wanted to remain in the car to listen. The Broca and Phineas Gage chapters were also excellent.
I listened to this one in the car - and went into it thinking it would pale in comparison to Code Name Verity. I felt that way through about the first 40% of the book... I was enjoying the story - but wasn't really hooked. Main character Rose is shallow and naive - she likes to fly. She's a participant in the war - but she is just skipping along the surface of things and doesn't grasp the horror (and has no desire to learn more or believe the little she's hearing). Then her life takes a horrific turn and Rose's real “education” begins. It's at this point that the book began to click for me.
I absolutely loved how Rose's character grows throughout the book. I enjoyed getting to know the other people in her world. Polish resistance prisoner (and rebellious teen) Roza is the most enjoyable to get to know - her sarcasm and whit add humor and depth to what might easily have become a maudlin retelling of the horrors of Ravensbrück. This is a new favorite, I will add this to my ‘reread' list.
You don't need to have read Code Name Verity to read this one. But reading it will give you more insight into two of the characters.
Listened to this in the car. Loved it. It's the story of Eleanor who is socially awkward and working through some rather difficult personal history. Eleanor slowly blossoms as the book progresses. I really liked that the story doesn't go any further than it needs to. Eleanor develops as a person - and it's interesting getting to know her. Even with Eleanor's somber personal history - the story is actually funny - and I suspect much MUCH funnier in book form rather than audiobook (as humor is about timing... and the timing isn't always quite right). I'll probably reread this one in the future. A+
