Mattia Goddard
I had the best time reading this locked Island whodunnit. The only thing that would've made it better is a July release date and me reading it on a sunny beach. I loved the back stories for all the women. Their narratives were well fleshed out and made me care -for the most part- about their stories. I'm partial to a high body count and this one delivers. My only real beef is the title. Don't blame the ladies in this one. It's the men that are terrible in this tale. 4 stars. Compulsive read but save it for the beach if you can.
Our book club enjoyed this light fare. Historical fiction meets murder mystery with a whimsical retelling of Agatha Christie's missing 13 days back in 1926. It takes a minute to warm up to the narration by the home wrecker but eventually we come to understand her motivation. The writing in this book had a soothing effect on all of us. We recommend it! And thank you @kellyccall for my signed copy.
And cue the movie. This one has Hollywood written all over it. Vivid characters, powerful emotions that had me teary a few times. Having gone to college in Richmond, I loved the setting. I found the plot to be complex but easy to comprehend and the characters' ex-con street cred and criminal capabilities were frankly fascinating and like nothing I had read before. They consistently outflanked their enemy with their street smarts and I loved every bit of it. Great read. Highly entertaining. And such a satisfying ending. Now I need to go pick up Blacktop Wasteland. I'm a fan.
great book. loved the slow easy storytelling. I felt like I really knew these characters and cared about them.
I don't fully know how I feel about this book yet. I definitely enjoyed the characters, the story, the setting. The ending however has left me with some questions, or rather some loose ends I think. But overall, I enjoyed it. I read it quickly and I definitely wanted to know what was going on and what was happening to Mr. and Mrs. Wright.
With an isolated converted sanatorium locale and a blizzard cutting off access to the cast of characters, I expected this book to be my exact cup of tea. Alas, I found it laborious in places. I did love the creepy converted sanatorium. That was cool - as was the rugged punishing mountainside with non stop snow. Our damaged heroine, however, got annoying. Quickly. Her trauma backstory was hard to believe. And that made her hard to care about. Then on top of all that, the plot of this one was interesting up until the ending. So that's it. My last snow covered mountain thriller for this winter.
I stayed up way past my bedtime to finish this one last night and oh my was it worth it. I enjoyed every page of this book. This book feels original with a main character I was actually rooting for. How unusual is that? I loved how this story was revealed and at 287 pages it moves quickly without sacrificing character development. I'm impressed. Stan Lee trusted her and I see why. She's an excellent storyteller.
This story caused me anxiety as I read it. The mother's trauma was well written and well thought out. I loved hearing from the victim and the kidnapper. The varying POVs added depth to the story. I enjoyed this book and was pleased with the ending. I actually teared up on the very last page. That last page was an excellent finishing touch.
This is my third Swanson book and my favorite of his. The characters are well developed and interesting. I actually wanted to know what they were going to do next. I did not feel that way about Every Vow You Break. He did a solid job of building suspense. Every chapter ends with something important or stressful. Then the next chapter picks up a different character's POV or jumps back in time. In a good way. The ending haunted me, so much so that I dreamt about it. I love/hate the ending.
This is a special book. Chosen for our book club for some lighter fare, we were all besotted with this teenage bowl dust surviving narrator. Set amid the backdrop of Hitler's march across Europe in 1938, this story chronicles some truly epic pieces of American history-most of which we had read little about. The hurricane that hammered New England, the devastating Dust Bowl, the Great Depression and central to it all- the real life story of the two African giraffes rescued then shipped across the Atlantic. Here the author creates a delightful story for the characters on this improbable cross country journey. With a beautiful narrative voice, she puts the reader right in that flatbed truck, safely along for a wild ride. Highly recommend this one. Good clean literary fun.
Book Club pick. Huge book, classic. I enjoyed it for the most part. But... Is it worth the hype? not sure. I appreciate Roarke's uncompromising ideals but all that happens in this book is fairly melodramatic. I cannot imagine an architect dynamiting a housing complex because the design had been altered. Dominique's character is such a pawn it's hard to take it all seriously.
This book starts out as a well executed, unapologetic examination of a 30ish year old couple, whose lives are stalled, and their unhealthy one-sided relationship with a woman from their past. At about the 170 page mark it slowly becomes something else. The talk of “our lives are occurring in parallel dimensions” and “self actualizations” and that type of circular metaphysical talk actually manifests. At that point, I was reading a totally different book. This is where the book slid into a different genre. Horror. Perhaps Sci-Fi. It was interesting. I wanted to know what would happen to all of these people but man did I not expect those last hundred pages. I can't help but not love the horror/sci-fi genre- it's just not me. I like my fiction to be based in reality, but hey now- this woman write.
This book is not at all what it seems. But in a good way. A very good way. Surprise after surprise. If you enjoy domestic thrillers add this one to your list. It is quick and thought provoking and will keep you guessing.
This book was a knockout! What a way to finish the year. I loved it. I got caught up in a sport I knew nothing about and characters like none I'd ever encountered. Excellent story. I didn't want to put it down. 5 star read.
It took me a bit to get into this one but about 100 pages in I couldn't put it down. Midway through the perspective shifts to the wife and it's a game changer. The ending is deeply, deeply satisfying on many levels. It was similar to The Wife Between Us. I'll be picking up their next book The Last Time I Saw You.
This book grew on me and by midway I was invested in finding out how Bambi's opera ball was going to turn out. There is a scene in this story where 100 wealthy women attend a luncheon. That entire chapter is absolute gold. I loved it. I enjoy stories that deal with the ultra rich and the bizarre lives they lead. Lives so unlike our own. The author wrote with nuance about their fashion, their homes, their staff, their outrageous shopping- all so interesting sometimes bordering on shocking- how many facials can one woman have in one week? There is an emphasis on philanthropy which is essential to so many causes in our world. I found that part of the book to be an interesting layer. Well done with this one.
My non-fiction November read. This book is a gem. I already loved his acting and his docuseries Searching for Italy. This book absolutely solidified my admiration and affection for Stanley Tucci. What an interesting guy- such a colorful family - both the one that he came from and the one he's created. He takes us through growing up in New York and his mother's incredible cooking prowess. He talks about his classic film Big Night that is an absolute culinary feast. He takes us to movie sets and through Covid. Then right at the end he takes us through his almost unbearable health scare. What a story! All of it. Just so good. Plus recipes sprinkled throughout! Chef's Kiss Stanley. Truly.
I loved the plot, the characters and dialogue- especially the internal monologue. Only 3 stars because not quite a hundred pages in I knew who the “bad guy” was.
Finished this sweet book today. I see why it's on week 7 of the NYTimes bestseller list. Good story, great characters and a feel good message. Not my usual dark and twisty fare- a delightful change for me. I recommend this one as a good palate cleanser when you've had enough blood and guts and torment and terror.
This book was ok. I did not love it. Especially the ending. I really did not like how it ended. The protagonist had lots of internal turmoil about the stepdaughter's treatment of her and that got tedious. The story is interesting and I I wanted to know what was going to happen but I'm not sure why this book is still on the bestseller list. It's just ok.
Merged review:
This book was ok. I did not love it. Especially the ending. I really did not like how it ended. The protagonist had lots of internal turmoil about the stepdaughter's treatment of her and that got tedious. The story is interesting and I I wanted to know what was going to happen but I'm not sure why this book is still on the bestseller list. It's just ok.
I gave this book 3 stars because it moved so fast and kept my interest- I read it in 3 days. That also gets to my main criticism though- I moved lightning fast because the writing was fairly basic. No big words are going to trip you up in this one and I hate to admit it but rather juvenile dialogue. Some not subtle hints were dropped so when the last twist hit, I was not surprised. I liked the premise and ONE character, but I thought the idea of a Steve Jobs-esque man falling for a 20 year old who gives him rules to follow really strained reality. I mean give me a break- no sex kitten is that irresistible... no ex-wife would put up with that BS in the work place.
This book took me longer than normal to finish and I think that was because the heroine had an internal monologue that I found a bit irritating. Of course, all of that ended up getting explained but it wasn't the quick read I'm used to.
I just finished Station Eleven- a decidedly un-Christmasy read written in 2014- that is Get This- about a Pandemic.
This pandemic was far worse than the one we experienced in 2020.
This one felled society.
Imagine so many people dead so fast that in a few weeks time there is no more electricity.
No more gasoline.
No more air travel, space travel.
All of it. GONE.
This book is brilliantly crafted- the Post Technology World that Emily St. John Mandel has drawn has been so clearly and accurately illustrated.
Is this what our world would be like if 99% of the population died?
And yet for all this doomsday plague horror- somehow, some way, this story is beautiful and soothing.
I think perhaps because the reader learns that in the face of such inestimable loss, what truly matters is our collective humanity. The beauty is in how those left after the Georgia Flu has run through the planet, decide how they will move forward, how they will connect, how they will live.
I felt inexorably pulled into this post-pandemic hellscape -into a future that somehow elicited no fear just profound appreciation for our collective human experience.
Highly Recommended Read.