Kristie
It may seem like it took me forever to read this, but it's because I bought it and my library books were due back quickly, so I put it on hold until now.
It's excellent. Is there anyone else in this world with an imagination as big as N.K. Jemisin's? I think not. I broke my own rule about not reading the first in a series because I love her work so very much. This one is outstandingly fun. The battles are amazing The characters are kick-ass. It will be a looooong wait for the next installment, I'm sure. I'm a little bummed that I didn't get to meet her at an event in March, but I probably just would have squeed in total fangirl mode about how much I love her work at her anyway.
I loved every minute of The City and can't wait for more.
Love from Jersey.
Despite the typos in my edition, I loved this. I need to get my hands on more Gaskell immediately. This was the story of poor, orphaned Lois who picked the wrong time to go stay with family in Salem. There are some read WTF? moments in this. For less than 200 pages, I cannot believe how jam-packed it was. Breaking the 4th wall, Gaskell comes in to remind us how the people of this time KNEW IN THEIR HEARTS that what they called witchcraft was real and an immediate threat to all citizens at all times. This was as real as potential attack from the natives who lived in the forest. Even more disturbing is a sub-plot of a pervy cousin deciding that Lois should marry him or suffer consequences.
Shiver!
I loved this.
I ended up plowing through this. Confession time: the S.O. and I are huge GW fans. We have watched/listened to countless biographies and made many a pilgrimage to places where GW had strode across the grounds. To be fair, we live smack-dab in the part of the world where one can hit a GW historical monument with a paper airplane. I, myself, cross the Delaware several times a week. That said, I didn't go into this expecting to learn anything new but Coe did it. I loved how she framed the story. I learned more about GW's mother and stepson. I appreciated the hoecake recipe. This is not a stuffy, scholarly bio but a completely approachable biography that shows GW from many different angles, not all of them flattering and many of them myth-busting. He was a complex dude in a complex time and he was not some sort of God, but incredibly human and fallible. I'm so glad I live in a time when books like this and [b:Never Caught: The Washingtons' Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge 30753748 Never Caught The Washingtons' Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge Erica Armstrong Dunbar https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1483645814l/30753748.SY75.jpg 51303829] are being published so that, We the People, can see the whole story and not just the tall tales our history books have been spoonfeeding us for years. Well done and highly enjoyable.
Something magical happened while I read this book. I would sit, I swear, for hours and read it. I loved every minute of it. But no matter how much I read, the Kindle percent never changed. I can't explain it, it's as if We Ride Upon Sticks was secretly a 1200 page book that says it's 384 pages. Anyway, that's why it seems like it took me a month to read it.
Sticks made me laugh out loud, cringe, feel nostalgic, and want to practice witchcraft, for a hot minute. This would have been amazing to listen to on audio, but I think I'm still way down on the hold's list for that format. It would make such a rad movie. I have to say that I never, not once, could guess where it was going to next and that made it so much more fun to read.
The Danvers Falcons, all of them, are winners in my book.
I really appreciated this work, but I didn't enjoy it. Let me explain. While I was kind of in awe of the IDEA of The Deep (my notes have me saying it's The Giver meets The Little Mermaid- which I still kind of agree with if you accept the fact that the little mermaid was a spoiled teenage brat who was trying to run from responsibility and NOT because she was obsessed with living among the twolegs, although there is a touch of that here), I couldn't stand Yetu. I wanted to strangle her. If Solomon would have written one more time about how Yetu could not handle the responsibility of the Remembering and how much physical pain is caused her, I was going to scream. I get it. Why not ask for help? Instead, she runs away. Fine. But then she acts like a frightened brat in a tidal pool for 100 pages. Finally, there is not so much character growth with Yetu but with the wajinru who figure out what is going on and solve it. Wouldn't it have happened that way if Yetu had said something to begin with? No, it was all “woe is me”. I loved [b:An Unkindness of Ghosts 34381254 An Unkindness of Ghosts Rivers Solomon https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1488470439l/34381254.SY75.jpg 55469636] and I think Aster, who is a goddess, would really lose her patience with Yetu. I know I did. I loved Oori and would read a novel with her backstory in a hot minute. So, I guess I have an idea of what a hero should sound like, and how one should act in a story. I'm glad I read this, but I didn't love it the way I wanted to.
Is it just me or does any other author capture white, middle-age males as well as Anne Tyler? Maybe it's a specific breed of males, but I feel like I have met so many men like Micah. I grew up reading Anne Tyler and this volume could be shelved right next to [b:The Accidental Tourist 60792 The Accidental Tourist Anne Tyler https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327936319l/60792.SY75.jpg 1070136] and [b:Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant 77699 Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant Anne Tyler https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1401953526l/77699.SY75.jpg 75046]. So, early Anne Tyler? I loved it. It took me right back to the same feelings while reading it. This is super short, so I listed it as a one-sitting read. It's hard not to love it, and I did. It may have been just the thing to calm my nerves right now. I love a bit of quirk in my fiction. My only gripe and it's so minuscule I shouldn't even bother mentioning it (I'm just curious if anyone else is bothered by it too) is the title. I GET it. She explains the title in the story, and then the second meaning of something being an “illusion” fits the book. I just immediately thought this was going to be about a redheaded runaway or, even worse, the accident of a hit and run. Geez. I think I'd have preferred Micah's Bad French Accent or something else. LOL.This has me thinking of rereading some of Tyler's older works. I'm down for that.
I thought this was wonderful. How it handles race and socio-economic differences are just perfect for middle-grade readers, especially those who grow up in a non-diverse bubble. My only gripes are the lack of helpful adults (Grandpa being the one exception here). The teachers were just....a-holes and the lack of non-stereotypical females. Seriously, the only female characters are a gossip girl who is used as a tool and a clearly troubled young lady who is, for most of the book, brushed off as “crazy”. She does grow as a character, but only after my pity for her was ripping me right out of the plot and had me wondering why no one was offering this child therapy. As an adult, I realize that I am not the target audience for this book but I felt like I learned something. Also, how fabulous to see a family celebrating Kwanza!!! Loved it!!
This is my second Hurley. I really need to read all of her works. I loved this, not because I even remotely enjoy military scifi (I don't. I liked Old Man's War. End of list). I loved this because of the ideas presented here. I would get so bogged down in thinking about corporate governments and how people survive truly horrifying experiences and just...found myself staring off into space for a bit. I so appreciated the escape and the way it was presented. Kameron Hurley rocks. I have her short story collection laying around somewhere and will get to it (when I finish reading the rest of the Hugo noms and a couple of classics I want to pound out.)
This is my 3rd or 4th Chambers book and I think it's my favorite. Not because it's short, it is, but because it ponders the big questions in life. Not that I didn't think space exploration wasn't important before, I did, but now I think I see the philosophy of WHY it's important. I can't help but wonder if this wasn't written to offset the current state of the country's views on space exploration (too expensive). Chambers even offers up an alternative to creating government expenses.
I really loved that their bodies had to be changed before exploring each new planet, it gave the feeling of a fresh start, a clean slate. I loved visiting the planets with them. I loved Ariadne's simple explanations for what really is a complicated science. I was all in.
This little book is filled with wonder, and that is something I needed right now.
It might be my mood but charming isnt' working for me. I've wanted to read this forever. I think it's my first Agatha Christie. And, to be fair, everything I know about AC is from a Doctor Who episode but she is the queen of mysteries and most emulated so having read one of her works is a great baseline for reading other mysteries.
I didn't love this. I was curious how it was all going to play out and I did laugh out loud a couple of times, so there is that. I did not guess the solution to the murder (not that I've been in training or anything-seriously, mysteries are not my jam). I can see why fans love it.
As far as I'm concerned, this is a classic and I'm glad I spent some time with it.
I expected to enjoy Agnes Grey and I did, for the most part, but I did not LOVE it. I feel I may have some unpopular opinions here but this book and I just spent a bunch of time together and I'm glad I read it but I'm not reading to join team Bronte.
First, I did enjoy Agnes' voice. I thought it was a charming story. I love this time period. I thought Agnes was plucky and very optimistic and more than a bit naive. I can see why this has inspired so many young adult writers in modern times. And, yo, I love reading about what people do all day. First breakfast, then a walk, then write letters, then lessons, etc. It makes me feel like I am there.
Now....it was so very charming and twee that I couldn't read it for very long in a single sitting or I found it starting to get on my nerves. Like eating too much candy. Like a pomeranian wearing too many bows.
While I liked Agnes' voice the story reads like one being written by a young girl, a much younger than 23-year-old girl. I had a problem that Agnes had a problem with EVERYBODY. Really, not one person was nice? I get it, her charges were all little bastards and the people she worked for elitist snobs but the staff that brought up Agnes's cases were also awful, none of the rest of the staff were kind? She's kindly with a poor blind woman in the village but that's not friendship, it's pity.
Also, Agnes was not the world's greatest nanny. I know the parents didn't back her up but why was she doing everyone's work for them? WTF? Wasn't there books about being a governess available to read and study? A correspondence course?
And a note about the animal cruelty. There is a ton of animals being harmed for fun, and only one character (one of Agnes's charges) who's character development was shaped by it.
What I'm taking from this is that a simple life can be a lovely life. Mr. Weston was a great character. I also loved Agnes's mom, who married for love. I really like Agnes. It also sheds light on how staff can be treated like furniture.
I can't say anything about this masterpiece that hasn't already been said. My thoughts are my own. First, this was the perfect book to read during a pandemic as it had nothing to do with what was going on in the world right now and I needed the escape. I spent 2 hours researching paper knives because I had never heard of one before.
Second, it reads like a textbook for how to live life, and that's the first time I've really experienced that in a novel. I loved Levin, even though he could be a bit of a downer because he was so thoughtful. I loved his ideas, I was even enthralled with the discussion of the peasant and the idea that they may own some of the lands.
Now, Anna. I think the problem here was not that Anna did not love Vronsky (and vice versa). It had everything to do with the fact that Anna lost Anna. She had no place outside of society and was no longer a parent to her son (I understand why she saw her daughter as a symbol of her old life, but I can't excuse it). A relationship needs two complete people. Vronsky had a life, a home, and Anna. Anna had Vronsky. If she were alive today, this may have been a completely different story, but maybe not. She chose to obsess over him. The death scene was heartbreaking.
My favorite part was when Levin was working in the fields and came up with his idea of a”working cure”. I too love to lose myself in mindless tasks, such as raking leaves. I always feel better physically afterward and my mind has the freedom to wander while my arms do the work.
The only part that really dragged for me was the voting in of the new marshall. I just felt that went on forever.
I'm so glad I can cross this one off the TBR. It was a great read.
I grabbed this because I loved the art on the cover. I was a little worried because all of the blurbs on the back are from directors and creators of children's movies, instead of children's authors. This reads like a movie. It would make a great read-aloud as each chapter is a little adventure. It was just the little escape I needed in this pandemic. I love the idea that everyone has 1. a cat that stalks you to bring you bad luck and 2. a lucky rabbit who is there to bring you luck. I love the balance there.
And this:
“....even the most important of businessmen decided they'd better just relax and save their rude remarks for the ambivalent hipsters who'd collectively annexed their coffee shops.” pg 151
It loses a star for an unnecessary romance (really Morel? Love? You are like the Imperator Furiosa of rabbits)and because I felt like it had potential to be a new classic for children but it goes for the laughs instead of exploring deeper themes.
It's no secret that I love historical fiction with a side of magic. Yes! Lately, I can't get enough portal fiction so throw that in for good measure. I believe I found this while putting together a list of Starless Sea read-alikes, and I'm going to agree that it's definitely a cousin from the same family tree.
I loved January. She was snarky, had spunk, and determination. Everyone else has a back story but is not really developed, but that's okay. It's January's story. The big bad here is an interesting concept. I loved the worlds behind the doors we got to peek into and Bad is my new favorite fictional dog.
I can't wait to read more by Harrow.
Whoooo. How to review this? Let me try. First, it's a masterwork. Beautifully written, not one wasted sentence and every little detail that seemed superfluous ended up being used meaningfully. I went into this cold. [b:Scowler 15797695 Scowler Daniel Kraus https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1360646291l/15797695.SY75.jpg 21520599] was one of the few books I have read that has actually scared me. I still think about it. Bent Heavens is also terrifying but in a different way. It's very, very, very upsetting and difficult to read. Had I known, I would not have chosen it for cozy shelter-in-place reading. Woof. So what I did was read this in small chunks a little bit each day. And I needed the breaks. The emotional punches from this one are strong. Because when you get what Kraus is really saying, what he is really showing you here, it will knock the wind out of you.In the end, I think this is an important work. It's meaningful. It is not for the light or cozy reader, despite it's being in Young Adult. Should it be a YA book? It is at my library. Just because the protags are teens does not mean it automatically belongs in YA. Then again, I could have handled it at that age. Listen, this review and my emotional nerves have me talking to myself. I need to get back to Anna Karenina.
I grabbed this back in November, looking forward to a reread. I loved this collection when I read it the first time. This time, I took my time reading each story and really let them settle before I moved on. I have found that tastes change and my new favorites were The Specialist's Hat, Water Off a Dog's Back and the Survivor's Ball, or The Donner Party. I did not enjoy The Girl Detective as much as I remembered liking it before. Oh, well. Link is still amazing.
I had a tough time getting into this and almost DNF'd it. I hung in there and it got better. In the end, I enjoyed it but had some problems with the world-building (such as on the ship). I also wish there had been more character development. People kept being introduced and then dropped. Was Eden important? Taren?
I still don't think I understand tar.
That said, it was a fun, escapist read.
I'm a little late logging this one because....pandemic. Also, I literally misplaced this book. Finally, I found it in a bag of shoes (!) and was then able to finish it. My thoughts: There was a show on a while ago called Hap and Leonard (it's also a book series by [b:Mucho Mojo 102119 Mucho Mojo (Hap and Leonard, #2) Joe R. Lansdale https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1171484469l/102119.SY75.jpg 1457512]. We have: a time before cellphones, crime, swamps, good-hearted people of the land, crazy preachers, and magic. The Boatman's Daughter could have been an episode of that show. So, if you enjoyed that, you will love this. There were times when I felt that Miranda Crabtree rivaled only Mattie Ross in the level of grit, but sometimes her one-liners and complete badassery went a little over the top and she ends up being more like the red-haired guy from CSI: Miami who whipped off his sunglasses to deliver cringe-worthy one-liners every episode. I was willing to forgive the cheese because Davidson also gives us Baba Yaga. No, for real. Sadly, her back story gets no play, but she's pretty badass as well. And a little gross. In the end, considering the circumstances of the world right now, and the fact that I put it down for a large chunk of time, was able to retain the characters and plot and had no problem picking it up again, I have to go 4 stars on this one. It loses a star because it should have been about 150 pages shorter. There are a great many scenes of the same scene, but now from a different character's POV. It got a little old. On a horror scale, it's about a low-medium. The setting is the scariest thing about the entire novel, except for the evil human characters.
Some notes, as I need to pass this one to another book club member.
This was....not my cup of tea. I found the stories to be headache inducing, they moved too fast and there were too many of them, and they jumped in mid-action and my brain had to wrap itself around the plot with no time to spare.
The first story was pretty great, but I know almost nothing about Sue Storm. I already love Captain Marval, Storm, and Kamala Khan. I am not up on their current story lines though, so I had to piece things together.
The Millie the Model thing was what passed for comics for girls when I was a kid, and I didn't like them then and I don't like it now.
The rest felt like incomplete snippets from larger stories. Walk on fan service numbers.
I was super disappointed in the last bit because I was really interested in early female comics creators and not only were they just thrown at us with very little backstory or intro, they seemed to be in some petty fight to get on stage and that rubbed me the wrong way.
This was recommended to me late last year, when I had my own little obsession with Treasure Island going on (well, really it was more with Black Sails, but they are branches on the same tree). So I get it and our unnamed narrator is definitely standing on a cliff of change when we meet her. I DID not expect this book to go down any of the avenues it went down. It was completely unique and weird and wonderful and I loved it. I laughed out loud. I winced.
So good.
This was pretty damned wow. Even without the plot, which are not given until the very end, it is full of incredible scenes and dialog. I am reminded of the movie, Brazil. I questioned, multiple times, whether of this was actually happening or not. It's impossible to review without giving too much away. I just read another review (and I plan to read many more because now I want to go over and over what just happened) who described it as a “horror novel in broad daylight”. Yup, I agree. I can also say I can't think of any thing else I have ever read that is similar to it (and how often do I say that?) But I will put this out there, I think in tone at least I was reminded of [b:Eileen 23453099 Eileen Ottessa Moshfegh https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1479545528l/23453099.SX50.jpg 43014905]. Here's a link to the review I read: https://theasylum.wordpress.com/2013/10/21/muriel-spark-the-drivers-seat/
And it's over. I have now officially finished all of the Tournament of Books 2020 shortlist. Why I saved this one for last is beyond me. It was not for me. It wasn't Call Me Zebra, but damn, it was very much like reading the phone book.
Once I got over the idea that there was going to be a plot (there wasn't really) and it wasn't going to be a study of characters (many of them lack personalities outside of a description of their preferred sexuality), and I accepted the fact that this was to be a story of ideas.....I just read it. I read through countless arrests, meetings with lawyers, a trashfire of a relationship, a suicide attempt that was just ....so unfair to a dog, and Elspeth's sort-of love life and I did not care at all. Because the ideas being explored here were not explored in a way that made any sense to ME, as the reader. I actually learned more about what this book was trying to say from reading a review about it than reading it.
I wont remember this book in a week. That's the truth.