Wulf C. Krueger

Well, I'm sitting here in front of my keyboard, thinking what to write about this book... Don't get me wrong, it's clearly Josie Quinn and I like Josie and I like the series... but...Anyway, we're in Denton once more; this time under complicated circumstances: Flooding has hit the city and Josie is stressed out seeing her city sinking. Fortunately, she isn't immediately impacted as her home seems to be on a hill or something. I forgot and it doesn't really matter.Josie and Noah, probably soon to be declared patron saints of Denton, take in Misty - Josie's dead ex-husband Ray's ex-stripper lover - their, Misty's and Ray's, kid, Harris, and their dog in. (Yes, everyone and their dog...)Misty, starting to turn from bimbo to actual human being, immediately counters any kind of normal cognitive reaction by... excessive cooking.And here's the “but” from the beginning: I feel I'm starting to tire a bit of the cast. Noah, the too-good-to-be-true saviour type; Misty, the bimbo; Gretchen the “strong silent type” in a female version and - tada - fresh from the mayor's office: Amber Watts, the mayor's plant or truly an excitable woman who even steals in the course of the investigation.It's just nothing new. That's not bad in itself but we're exposed to so many reminiscences of earlier books and Josie's past, it feels somewhat repetitive. Moreover, we get to see her almost succumb to her demons once more - which seems to pretty much happen in every Josie Quinn novel these days, too.Some loose threads (why doesn't Vera want to enter the policy HQ?) never really get picked up.And, yet, the story is... serviceable. Nothing spectacular but an ok'ish book, featuring ok'ish people.If you like the books (which I still do), you can safely pick this one up; you'll feel right at home. If you're new to Josie Quinn, start with one of the earlier books and know it never gets any better (but rarely worse either!). Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

I had finished a nice-enough book and was looking for the next good read. My wife chose from my list for me and picked this one. She chose well.»Books had always been her solace; novels gave her the space to be bold, brave, beautiful, if only in her own imagination.«This book drew me in, chewed me up and spit me out. If a book really “speaks” to me, I step into it. I stop being a reader and become a silent, helpless bystander, a powerless observer.Give me a book that's well-written, serious and empathetic and I'm in trouble.Elsa lives in Texas during the Great Depression. Cast out by her own parents for “dishonoring” them (by conceiving a child without being married), she is forced to marry her child's father and live on his family's farm.»Elsa had discovered within herself a nearly bottomless capacity for love.«Against everyone's expectations - hers not the least - she not only settles in but learns to love her new life. Until the circumstances force her to flee - with now two children and without the father who has left the family - to an uncertain future in California.»I see one-third of a nation ill-housed, ill-clad, ill-nourished.... The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little. —FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT«We witness how Elsa, her parents-in-law (whom she comes to love more than her birth parents) and her children struggle. This book breathes life into history; almost a hundred years later it makes you see and feel how harsh life must have been.»A fifty-foot zigzagging crevasse opened in the yard. Dead roots stuck out from the crumbling dirt sides like skeletal hands.«In fact, the entire first quarter of the book was outright painful for me. Almost overwhelmingly so. “[b:The Four Winds 53138081 The Four Winds Kristin Hannah https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1594925043l/53138081.SY75.jpg 79888572]” is so carefully, almost tenderly written, that Elsa's emotions, her pain, actually reached me. I felt those emotions and the experience was stunning. Especially when things turned from bleak to worse.I wanted to quit, to drop this book, to get away from all that and just before actually quitting things at least changed. No god, no fate, no destiny, not a light at the end of the tunnel but there is a certain turning point when things start growing instead of declining.That's when I realised those horrifying 25 percent had actually been worth it. There is no simple happily-ever-after for anyone in this book. There's simply no room for that but what we do get - in spite of a somewhat open ending - is closure.All the terror and horror we've witnessed; deep poverty, catastrophe, death, all kinds of loss, it's all worth it in the end. Elsa lives life as well as she manages to and rises far beyond her own expectations. Having been an observer of that was very, very exhausting but I still feel deeply affected and grateful for the unique experience.Kristin Hannah whose “[b:The Nightingale 21853621 The Nightingale Kristin Hannah https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1598993363l/21853621.SY75.jpg 41125521]” I loved and whose “[b:The Great Alone 34912895 The Great Alone Kristin Hannah https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1501852423l/34912895.SY75.jpg 56275107]” was a great book has managed to write an instant classic. A unique masterpiece that lets you not only experience the Great Depression Era but allows you to draw your own conclusions with respect to even modern economic systems...And even if you - like me originally - don't care about the Great Depression (it's long gone, isn't it?); this book is worth reading on many levels.»Courage is fear you ignore.«“The Four Winds” is easily 2021's best book and has more than earned its place among my favourite books of all time.Thank you, [a:Kristin Hannah 54493 Kristin Hannah https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1517255843p2/54493.jpg], for being a literary force of nature. Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

Update November 2024: Schon lange ist mir klar, dass ich dieses Buch seinerzeit überbewertet habe. Ich werde an der untenstehenden Original-Rezension und auch an der Sterne-Bewertung nichts ändern, aber ich möchte interessierten Personen diese zurecht sehr viel kritischere Rezension ans Herz legen.—-Einer meiner Lieblingsschriftsteller ist von Beruf Schauspieler. Nach vier großartigen, teils autobiographischen, Romanen bedarf [a:Joachim Meyerhoff 4964066 Joachim Meyerhoff https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1461861368p2/4964066.jpg] keiner großen Vorstellung mehr. Wenn also Meyerhoff ein neues Buch geschrieben hat, dann muß bei mir literarisch alles andere hintanstehen. Das ist nichts Neues.Neu für mich persönlich ist allerdings, daß ich dieses Buch als Rezensionsexemplar über NetGalley.de vom Verlag, Kiepenheuer & Witsch, erhielt. Dafür meinen ganz herzlichen Dank an Kiepenheuer & Witsch und NetGalley. Wie schon in den vier vorherigen Bänden von “Alle Toten fliegen hoch” erzählt Meyerhoff auch hier intelligent und mit viel Humor aus seinem Leben - obschon der Auslöser diesmal ein durchlittener Schlaganfall kurz nach dem 51. Geburtstag war.Aber nicht nur der Schlaganfall und der daraus resultierende Krankenhausaufenthalt wird thematisiert, sondern - und das sind meines Erachtens auch die erzählerischen Höhepunkte - auch (in der Erinnerung verschüttete) Erlebnisse aus Meyerhoffs Leben, an die er sich (meist) gern erinnert und uns, seinen Lesern, davon erzählt. “War die Katastrophe im Gehirn vielleicht mit einem »Best of Verschüttet« zu beheben?”Auch sprachlich ist der “Hamster” wiederum ein Genuß - wenige deutschsprachige Autoren unserer Zeit verstehen es so wie Meyerhoff, einerseits mit sprachlichen Bildern zu spielen und wunderbare Wortschöpfungen zu kreieren wie im nachfolgenden Beispiel:“Die drohende Ohnmacht tanzte um mich herum, war mal vor mir, mal hinter mir, umkreiste meine Stirn und schoss mir im Sturzflug mit zusammengefalteten Schwindelschwingen in die Magengrube.”Ein herrliches Bild einer bedrohlichen und erschreckenden Situation - das ist für mich wirkliche Sprachkunst.Sprachkunst aber, die nicht künstlich anmutet, die nicht Überlegenheit demonstrieren oder das Bildungsbürgertum feiern will, sondern eine, die mir und meinem Empfinden nahe ist.Deutschland gilt als das “Land der Dichter und Denker”: Ein manchmal schweres Erbe. Schwer für Autoren, weil sie damit grossen Ansprüchen ausgesetzt werden. Aber auch für uns Leser, die wir von der Schulzeit an mit “Klassikern” traktiert und mit literarisch “schwerer Kost” gefüttert werden, bis wir entweder die Lust am Lesen verlieren oder aber glauben, Literatur müsse “schwer” sein, um lesenswert zu sein.Meyerhoff setzt dem mit intelligenter Leichtigkeit, dabei nur ganz selten ins Seichte abdriftend (und selbst dann unterhaltsam!), daß es auch anders geht. Er schreibt elegant und schön, ohne dabei zu überfordern.Ja, den manchmal bemängelten Pipi-Kaka-Humor gibt es, aber er ist nur Mittel zum Zweck, nicht Zweck der Übung. Das relativiert ihn und läßt ihn als Stilmittel Wirkung entfalten, (meist) ohne albern zu wirken.Dieses Verdienst darf man nicht gering schätzen, denn so mag der eine oder andere, dem die Schule die Bücher verleidet hat, zurückfinden zum Buch als m. E. bedeutendstes Kulturmedium.Für mich fühlt sich Meyerhoff durch seine Erzählungen wahnsinnig vertraut an; viele Merkwürdigkeiten, z. B. die Sehnsucht das eigene Leben (zumindest temporär!) mit demjenigen des norwegischen Bauern zu tauschen oder Buffet-Manieren (oder den Mangel an letzteren!), teilen wir. Kleine Fehler trüben jedoch das Gesamtbild: Einerseits sind dies ganz “harmlose” faktische Punkte, wie z. B. folgendes:“Morgen würde in Hamburg die CSU einen neuen Parteivorsitzenden wählen. Zur Wahl standen Friedrich Merz, Jens Spahn und Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer”Zum einen würde die CSU niemals in Hamburg irgendjemanden wählen, zum anderen sicherlich nicht die Politiker der Schwesterpartei CDU, die das tatsächlich getan hat.Außerdem ziehen sich die Krankenhaus-Passagen dann leider doch etwas, denn die Mit-Patienten bleiben bestenfalls schemenhaft und die Nächte, die Meyerhoff reflektierend verbringt, in der Sorge, etwaige Nachlässigkeit könnte zum nächsten Schlaganfall führen, sind demgegenüber einfach viel interessanter.“Hamster im hinteren Stromgebiet” zeigt uns einen unendlich sympathischen Joachim Meyerhoff, der erwachsen geworden ist. Wir haben ihm dabei staunend, lachend, mal bewundernd und mal bemitleidend zugesehen, aber in jedem Fall war es ein Vergnügen.Der weitgehende Stillstand in diesem Buch schmälert dieses Vergnügen ein wenig, aber dennoch ist dieser vorläufige (?) Abschluß der Reihe sehr lesenswert, auch wenn er nicht ganz an die Qualität seiner Vorgänger heranreicht.#HamsterimhinterenStromgebiet #NetGalleyDEBlog Facebook Twitter Instagram

This completely forgettable shortstory has Bruno in it but he's not even near his beloved Perigord. He's out to catch oyster thieves and for some bizarre reason Isabelle actively engages in this tiniest possible case as well.Just skip this. I only read it for completeness' sake.One star because there are words in this. Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

I seem to be the odd one out but this new Murderbot novella simply didn't work for me. At times, it felt very slow while, at other times, the story raced along - a very uneven pacing, unfortunately.Mensah and the others hardly played any role and our beloved Murderbot pretty much acts as some random security consultant, trying to make sense of a murder.Apart from the (here rather superficial) xenophobia aspects, all the moral aspects of the previous books in this series were largely neglected.To be totally frank, most of the time I was actually bored reading this. Here's to hoping for more than a “filler episode” next time and more exciting new adventures in the future. Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

On a mere whim, on 24 December, I decided I wanted to read a holiday romance during the holiday it depicts. Consulting my library, I quickly settled upon “[b:In a Holidaze 50892287 In a Holidaze Christina Lauren https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1601590329l/50892287.SY75.jpg 75786905]” by [a:Christina Lauren 6556689 Christina Lauren https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1730746046p2/6556689.jpg] which turned out to be a mixed bag but still effectively did the job. Between holiday chores (when my wife asked me to do something “steamy”, I didn't expect it to involve the steam cleaner!). Late at night today, I finished it (the novel, not the cleaner). Mission accomplished.“Holidaze” started exactly as I hoped it would: Two families coming together in a cabin to celebrate Christmas, lots of holiday cheer, endearing characters—it was fun!The “Groundhog Day” style time loop device was, thankfully, used sparingly, but this still was the first minor gripe of mine: »I believe now that the universe delivers random acts of kindness, and it's on us to decide what to do with them.«Attributing intention, kindness, or actually anything beyond its mere existence to “the universe” is misplaced. What we may interpret as kindness, cruelty, or serendipity is simply the happenstance of nature and probability.Maelyn, the female protagonist, was amusing to read about and I really liked when she started not just going with the flow after a short “learning curve”, but, sadly, out of a sense of fatalism, started stepping up her game, actively taking responsibility not only for herself but also for the people around her.»All I know is that the sound of my loved ones' laughter bouncing off the hillside is the best sound I've ever heard. Another small victory.«In contrast, Andrew, for whom Maelyn has been pining for merely 13 years, stays rather bland and generic. He is obviously into her but also never acted upon it and if Maelyn hadn't taken the initiative, nothing ever would have changed. This is a part I really enjoyed:»A rebellious streak races through me. “It's more like, I see my life stretching out ahead of me and figure, why not go for what I want?”“Jam and applesauce on your blintzes,” he jokes. “Cocktails on the porch. Snowball fights.”The word rockets from me: “You.”[...]Adrenaline spikes my blood. “Yeah. Like that.”«Communication, as always, is key, and at least Maelyn is good at it.»“And if there's one thing that we did perfectly, it was talking and being transparent and honest with each other right from the start. Right away, we talked. I can't think of anyone else in the world I've ever felt that comfortable with.”«Of course, there was the usual, somewhat frustrating, third-act breakup—imagine being held accountable for a drunken dream—and plenty of teenage behaviour.Also, my aforementioned steam cleaner was a lot hotter and far steamier than this novel. Bah!Nevertheless, this was a nice, fun, albeit easily forgettable holiday romcom which garners three stars out of five from me. Happy holidays!Blog Facebook Twitter Mastodon Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

This was such a nice idea: A Christmas romance! Ok, the author added “office romance”, “enemies-to-lovers” and “fake dating to evoke jealousy in an ex” but if that actually had worked out, I probably would have loved it. The beginning is very promising even: The banter between our heroine, Olivia, and her grumpy boss, Asher, is amusing, sometimes even witty and almost always funny.The atmosphere is charged between both of them and had Shepherd kept doing this, added some kind of conflict to solve before the “happily ever after”, everything would have been great.»“Cozied up on the couch. Snuggled under blankets. Snow falling outside. Christmas movies. Cake. We're living a Lifetime special.”«When I read that, I was sure this had to be great! And it was until I came to the second half of the book which manages to derail it completely...If you still want to read this book, take care, huge spoilers follow...Unfortunately, every minor issue is blown out of proportion: Olivia and Asher are caught almost in the act in the office - and Asher's reaction is to call it all off? What kind of guy does that? Ok, I thought, this shouldn't be hard to salvage...Olivia goes out for a kind of “girls night” to console herself and I expected something to go wrong. I did not expect Olivia to have poor enough judgement to accompany a known sexual predator, Levi, whom both her circle of friends and Asher warned her strongly about into a »curtained off rooms his handler is guarding«. Olivia is sexually assaulted there and has to find out the next day that Asher knew exactly about said predator and his methods.She decides that...»Levi is never going to touch another girl the way he touched me tonight. I'm going to make sure of it.«At this point, I thought, ok, this will be harder to recover from because the man Olivia loves knew and didn't do anything about it. I was still holding out hope because the book started out so well and Olivia's courageous decision not to let Levi get away with it was something I appreciated.Even though, I must say, I don't think a book that's basically supposed to be a light Christmas romance is the best place to deal with the very real problem of sexual harassment or assault.Then comes the next sexual assault, Asher making a fool out of himself, Olivia allowing Asher (who knew and did nothing) and her boss, Ana (who knew and did too little), to lull Olivia into complacency and waiting for something big to happen about Levi...This is the point where the book started losing me - further entanglements, e. g. a kiss, ensue - and when Asher and Olivia finally make it up with each other it's just too late for me. Shepherd has already managed to completely derail her storytelling “train” which was moving along so nicely in the beginning...Last and least, I do enjoy a certain amount of well-written smut in a romance. In this case, the “build up” is rather nice but (anti-)climaxes in a meagre »“Well,” I say after I've been sufficiently ravished.«...Ultimately, “Faking Under the Mistletoe” started with a bang, went shortly serious and ended in a whimper. Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

This was, unfortunately, a quick and painful read. We're observing how Wren enters the big - forbidden and foreboding - forest despite her entire family having disappeared in it before.Even worse: She goes into the forest knowing full well it's a trap and, “being eight years old and small for her age” she has absolutely nothing to expect but being lost forever herself.As if that wasn't enough already, the story feels forced, a lacklustre piece that's even gory in part which is something I'm definitely not used to when it comes to Michael's books and other short stories.Ultimately, it ends with a whimper of a solution that is as forgettable as the entire thing.Just stay away from this short story and choose from Michael's other works which are simply marvellous! Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

“(Confession time: that moment, when the humans or augmented humans realize you're really here to help them. I don't hate that moment.)”It doesn't happen often but I'm running out of words. So, go and read my previous reviews first, I'll be waiting here for you. Everything I stated before still holds true for this book.This first full-length Murderbot Diaries novel proves that Wells can obviously write at any length without ever being overly verbose or even boring.“Network Effect” starts (mostly) peacefully and pretty similarly to the previous novellas. It's all there - Dr. Mensah, her family, friends, colleagues and, most importantly, Murderbot who (yes, “which” just wouldn't do!) is still socially “challenged” with many but not with all...“It was just me-the-SecUnit they didn't like. (That didn't apply to the seven kids. I was illicitly trading downloads via the feed with three of them.)”... as is, as shown, the friendly humour. First and foremost, though, Murderbot keeps developing in several significant ways (none of which I'm going to spoil for you!) but keeps up with his “strong convictions”... “Just clients. And if anyone or anything tried to hurt them, I would rip its intestines out.” We get to know new “humans”, we meet another old friend and an original story I enjoyed a lot.All in all, this novel left me yearning for more due to its cleverness, creativity, smartness and all the exciting and suspenseful action. Most of all, though, because Murderbot is one of the most relatable characters in a book I've ever come across. In my review about “[b:Exit Strategy 35519109 Exit Strategy (The Murderbot Diaries, #4) Martha Wells https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1518642623l/35519109.SY75.jpg 56934601]” I wrote I don't love Murderbot. I was wrong. Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

»The lights go out. In an instant, everything is in darkness. The band stop their playing. Inside the marquee the wedding guests squeal and clutch at one another.« These are the strong, foreshadowing first words of this guilty pleasure of a book... There's a wedding on a deserted island, several dark (slightly convoluted) mysteries from the past and on this brightest of days, a severe storm is brewing... This, with a small omission maybe, could have been the blurb to this often-reviewed Goodreads Choice Awards winner of 2020. This slightly Agatha-Christie-inspired setting lent itself to some good whodunnit murder mystery and I fully expected one. Unfortunately, that wasn't quite what I got: What I got was an attempt at showing me the true characters of the bride, the groom, their families and friends, down to Hannah, the Plus-one. That attempt wasn't even bad and rather entertaining. It was slightly marred by the fact that everyone basically “sounded” and “felt” alike. We spend much time “in the head” (or rather: the thoughts) of our heroines and heroes and all their thoughts are expressed similarly. Plus: Only on its last pages does the book finally reveal the actual murder victim. It took us “only” about 75% of the book to get to the “main course” - but at least the voyage was pleasant. From that stems, this is not a fast-paced or true whodunit book at all: The victim wasn't exactly likeable and most of their guests would have had a reason to kill him. And we know all that at this point - so it kind of doesn't matter who the culprit is. The ever-changing perspectives were actually interesting, well-implemented and clearly marked, which, I think, is important to avoid potential confusion. Less helpful were the annoying jumps between “now” (the night of the wedding day) and a day or a few hours before. Such a classically-inspired mystery would have probably benefited from a chronological order. And despite all these flaws I felt mostly interested, entertained and wanted to keep turning the ‘pages' of my Kindle. The brief, fast-paced chapters leading to the finale were a very entertaining feature as well. Of course, this is literary fast food but at least it's good fun. All in all, I had a truly pleasant time reading “The Guest List” and will take a look at the further works of Foley. Four of five stars. Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

This is a tricky one... I loved the premise: Nora Seed is seriously depressed - at the age of 15 she quit professional swimming, severely disappointing her father. Her mother died. Her brother, she feels, is in a rough spot because she quit his band.Even her elderly neighbour doesn't need her anymore and now her cat has died.She just doesn't want to go on.»She imagined being a non-sentient life form sitting in a pot all day was probably an easier existence.«(Or wishing to be one's cat, yours truly would like to add.)At this point, Nora tries to end it all (if YOU consider suicide, please google “suicide” in your native language and call one of the hotlines you're going to find!) - only to find herself in the eponymous “[b:Midnight Library 52578297 The Midnight Library Matt Haig https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1602190253l/52578297.SY75.jpg 74043794]”.The concept of the Midnight Library builds upon the hypothesis of the multiverse which basically states that there is a(n) (infinite) number of parallel universes just like ours. Those universes may overlap, or consist completely independently of each other and will, by definition, diverge from each other with every single choice someone makes.When Nora enters the Midnight Library and finds an infinite number of books, she learns that each book represents one possible life she might have lived. The one life she just tried to leave is her “root” life.From her “root” life sprout innumerable other lives of which Nora may try any life she can sufficiently describe (e. g. asking for a “happy” life is not enough as she has to define what makes her life happy).Once she opens the book that corresponds to her description, she enters that life and lives it until she is either so disappointed that she leaves and returns to the library, or she finds a “perfect” life into which she settles, forgetting the entire ordeal of getting there.And this is where the cookie starts crumbling a bit: In one life Nora chooses, she is a glaciologist - but in her root life she wasn't and how is she supposed to navigate a scientist's life not actually being one?Even more problematic to me: What about the lives of her alter egos? Ok, so if she leaves an usurped life, its original “occupant” will just feel weird but be well.What if Nora stays in such a life, though? She would - quite literally - be taking a life. A life that its occupant presumably enjoyed. A life no more or less worth living than Nora's root life.Is “root”-life Nora's life worth more than that of the non-root Nora's? If we really accept the premise of the multiverse - wouldn't all those parallel worlds be equally worthy of existence?What if she robs humanity's only chance at salvation because she steals the life of the one person who might have saved the planet? (Yes, highly unlikely in reality but this is more of a philosophical question.)The Talmud states in Sanhedrin 37a: “Whoever saves a single life is considered by scripture to have saved the whole world.”Isn't the opposite also a valid idea? If we take a single life, don't we destroy a whole “world”?What about partners or children even? Nora would basically be “the other woman”, the one who cheats. The person who stole a child's true parent. (Because Nora might grow into a version of said parent but she will not ever be that parent.)Isn't that a horrible betrayal?And if we take that “permanently taking a life” seriously - doesn't that ultimately amount to murder? (Or maybe: Suicide - again?)Nora even recognizes this fatal flaw of the entire concept at one point:»Everything was right, and yet she hadn't earned this. She had joined the movie halfway.«Unfortunately, this flaw - not having earned this - is inherent in the very premise of the book and it cannot be fixed because there's only one life that Nora has earned a right to...“The Midnight Library” doesn't really deal with these questions because it mostly avoids them: The longer Nora stays in a “borrowed” life, the more she grows (or declines) into it. Thus, referring back to the earlier glaciologist example earlier, she might have grown into that life of a scientist. I can accept that even though it's somewhat deus-ex-machina. I fully buy into the concept of “second chances” (or more) and I found Nora endearing. I liked how she learnt what was right or wrong for her. I'm not entirely happy with the ending (even though it's a happy one) because it is the easiest way out of the prime dilemma (by avoiding it entirely). I cannot fully overcome the “taking a life” issue (or the weaselling out of it) and yet I cannot not like this book either. Four and Five Schrödinger stars out of five - you get to open the box! Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

Cinderella meets [b:Piranesi 50202953 Piranesi Susanna Clarke https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1609095173l/50202953.SY75.jpg 73586702] in a pink wish-fulfilment children's fantasy bubble“[b:The Inheritance Games 52439531 The Inheritance Games (The Inheritance Games, #1) Jennifer Lynn Barnes https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1587396413l/52439531.SY75.jpg 71767646]” by [a:Jennifer Lynn Barnes 164187 Jennifer Lynn Barnes https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1243935916p2/164187.jpg] was a major disappointment. For all practical purposes orphaned 17-year-old Avery inherits a gazillion dollars, has to move into her late benefactor's huge mansion for a year where his toxic and dysfunctional family makes her life difficult...This was such an interesting premise but Barnes' simply can't deliver: Avery herself “feels” a lot younger than 17. She is self-centred, insecure, naïve and while she is supposed to look clever, the “riddles” in this book are mostly either trivial or so obscure that she has to be helped by her male love interests between two of which she simply doesn't decide.Jameson, Grayson - afore-mentioned love interests - aren't even graced with any kind of discernible character. Both young men are just walking stereotypes: Jameson is the young prankster clown and Grayson is the dark, brooding, elegant gentleman. Their siblings, Nash the motor-cycling “lonesome cowboy”, and Xander, basically a clone of Jameson, are as interesting to read about as a brick wall.All the other characters are similarly shallow and just, barely serve their respective purpose but nothing more. No, the head of security doesn't have any secret, he doesn't have to dramatically save his charge (driving a car doesn't count!), he just lurks in the background, probably hoping (in vain) to grow a personality.There are tons of loose ends: Why did the would-be assassin do what they did? What was their accomplice's motivation? I cannot ask any other questions to avoid spoilers but there were so many possibilities and so saddeningly few were actually realised.The very, very short chapters feel like lightly-connected thoughts that butterfly-like sailed through Barnes' mind. Light and pretty - and devoid of substance. This novel is so fast-paced, it doesn't allow for a single moment of reflection. We're just pulled into a wild ride that I always felt invested in enough to see its conclusion but I was thoroughly disappointed at pretty much every step of my reading journey.Especially, since up to about 80% of the book, nothing much actually happens - mostly Avery settling in, Libby, her inconsequential sister, behaving weirdly and inconsistently, the deceased's family acting like caricatures of rich people and some minor riddles - only afterwards some more interesting things happen.Last but not least, this book feels extremely young adult - yes, I'm not part of the target audience but from time to time I do enjoy a good young adult book but this one felt more than that: It felt just plain immature. Two out of five stars.Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

In this eleventh instalment of [a:Benedict Jacka 849723 Benedict Jacka https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1325965585p2/849723.jpg]'s “Alex Verus” series, “[b:Forged 50740363 Forged (Alex Verus, #11) Benedict Jacka https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1591956617l/50740363.SY75.jpg 75767304]” (as aptly titled as ever!), Alex is back at fixing lots of problems. Let's take a quick look back first, though. In “[b:Fallen 43670629 Fallen (Alex Verus, #10) Benedict Jacka https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1554395647l/43670629.SY75.jpg 63342276]” we saw how Alex had to harden and tackle things differently than he used to. He ‘fell' away from trying to be the nice guy and concentrated on what he felt had to be done. He picked himself up and re-emerges ‘forged' by the blows he received and the hits he delivered. “Forged” picks up right there: Alex is back in force and at the height of his game. He quickly realises he currently has three major issues: - The Council of (Light) Mages- Richard Drakh, his former master (and his (former) entourage)- (Dark) Anne, his (ex-?)lover, recently possessed by a Jinn To be able to solve them, he has to solve them separately because he can't deal with all three at the same time. We get to know this ‘forged' Alex a lot better in this penultimate book of the series: »I was left crouching, surrounded by three dead men, alone once more.« This Alex is harder than ever before. Most of the time, he doesn't even consider how to deal with his enemies non-lethally - not because he's turned to “evil” but because he's running out of time and alternatives on many levels. Over the years, Alex has found (and lost) friends he cares for deeply. Even mortal enemies are given chance after chance to walk away. Only now under enormous duress does Alex resolve to the ultima ratio... Everything Alex does is to protect those he loves from harm. Most prominently Anne, Luna, Variam but others as well. That's his cause for which Alex is willing to kill and, if necessary, die.It started showing in the previous book already but by now it's crystal clear that Alex has developed the will to power, but not for the sake of power, but for the sake of his cause. Which, to me, is just. As a result, we're confronted with more blood and gore but never unnecessarily or crossing the border beyond which it would become disgusting. Some loose threads are being picked up again, e. g. Shireen...»“Tomorrow, Shireen,” I said. “It's time to end this.” I stepped out of Elsewhere, and back into my own dreams.« Or... others... »“Enough chances,” Cinder said. “I get it.”« Nothing in the narration is over the top but it's mostly tense and suspenseful. There are some scenes of serene beauty, though, and they counter what otherwise might have become too bleak. Most importantly, we witness Alex neither being “light” nor “dark” - he's somewhere in between and even former enemies can acknowledge and, in some cases, respect that. Those self-righteous zealots who reject Alex' offer of safe conduct and might redeem themselves if it weren't for their fanaticism, in turn fall - never to rise again. While Alex' methods might seem extreme at times, when his enemies tempt his allies they choose to stand at his side based on their own free will. When I read “Fallen”, I wasn't sure I liked the direction Jacka was taking. Now I know he was right and what's coming was and is inevitable... “Forged” is on many levels the culmination of everything that came before it and does its author great honour. I can hardly wait for the final instalment, “[b:Risen 56358066 Risen (Alex Verus, #12) Benedict Jacka https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png 87821781]”, which is expected in December 2021.Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

The plot in a nutshell: Caveman grabs a woman, deflowers her, and knocks her up in the process. Woman flees, caveman captures her again, woman turns out to love cavemen and especially this one. Lots of sex ensues, in-between woman tells caveman she's pregnant. Caveman: “We would have had kids anyway!”. Two epilogues with escalating numbers of children and some more caveman behaviour.One star out of five.Blog Facebook Twitter Mastodon Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

I didn't have the slightest idea about how to write this review. The story still resonates within me; simple, and yet hauntingly beautiful. Soul-devouring and yet hopeful.I still have no idea how to write this review so I'll start with the characters since those will be who make or break this book for you. Desiree and Stella Vignes, twins, grow up in Mallard; a small town not on any map comprised of mostly coloured inhabitants. In addition to the ever-present racism of the time - we're starting in 1968 - the inhabitants of Mallard are proud of their town which was founded by a man for “men like him, who would never be accepted as white but refused to be treated like Negroes.”.Adele, their mother, whose husband - their father - has been murdered by white people for no particular reason, stays in Mallard for all her life whereas Desiree and Stella flee it as soon as they reasonably can, at 16.While at first both twins stay together in New Orleans, Stella ultimately leaves her sister behind to pursue another life - “passing over” into a “white life” with a white husband, Blake Sanders, and their soon-to-be daughter Kennedy.Desiree stays behind and goes on to marry the “jet-black” Sam Winston from whom she soon conceives her daughter, Jude. Sam turns out to be a violent abuser, though, and so Desiree flees with Jude back to her hometown Mallard and her mother Adele.Jude, being “Blueblack”, never has a chance in Mallard and takes the first real opportunity to leave. Not in the dark of the night like her mother and aunt but - a new generation's privilege - openly to build herself a new life.Over the decades (covering mostly the 60'ties to the 90'ties of the 20th century) we're following the fates of both “The Vanishing Half”, Stella, Desiree and, most importantly, those of their children, Jude and Kennedy.Because, almost inexplicably, the lives of both Jude and Kennedy intertwine and while they stay just shy of friendship, Jude and Kennedy build upon the familial bonds they share. Much more than that, though, Jude immensely grows through her relationships: Her friendship with Barry who likes to become Bianca or her sometimes-rocky but unending, boundless and unconditional love of her partner, Reese.In fact, the relationships in “The Vanishing Half” are what makes this book so immensely appealing to me. Their credibility and the truthfulness of the emotions displayed raise this book far beyond the ordinary. And, yet, the book is also very, very accessible - no stilted or complicated language, simple truths expressed effortlessly...»When you married someone, you promised to love every person he would be.«Take into account the beautiful and weirdly fitting cover and you get a book that will stay with me for a long time, I think.I cannot recommend this book highly enough for what it achieves - and effortlessly at that.»She did not know that Jude and Reese had talked, once or twice, about marriage. They wouldn't be able to, not without a new birth certificate for Reese, but still they talked about it, the way children talk about weddings. Wistfully.«Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

This is a short story about Suri and Minna from Michael's “The Legends of the First Empire” series which I highly recommend to any fantasy fan. With 36 pages and about 10.000 words it's a very short piece but it nicely “showcases” some of the “features” of the series which is currently comprised of four full length novels and two more in the making (not like Rothfuss or Martin, though...). I'm usually not all that great a fan of short stories but I enjoyed this one. Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

To get one thing out of the way right at the beginning: It's just a disguise. Creed himself says so.Nevertheless, I've been informed by my daughter - who tends to be right (woe be me!) - the author proudly presents views the Dark Ages are rightly about to reclaim. Those views of the author are deeply offensive to many - me as well. And, yet, they do not diminish the greatness of this piece of art.2021 starts out well, reading-wise. I've liked [a:Robert Galbraith 383606 Robert Galbraith https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_50x66-82093808bca726cb3249a493fbd3bd0f.png]'s “Strike” novels from the beginning because Galbraith's characters were so relatable.The eponymous Cormoran Strike, former soldier, now a detective, who lost one of his legs in war. Robin, who starts out as a temporary worker at Strike's then-struggling agency as a secretary, but who becomes Strike's business partner and confidante.Then there's Strike's glamorous ex-fiancee, Charlotte, his estranged rockstar father Johnny Rokeby and Leda Strike, Cormoran's groupie mother.In the beginning of the series, that's pretty much the entire primary cast - apart from the victims, the perpetrators, the witness, etc. - and that would already have been enough because the chemistry between Strike and the others is interesting and vibrant. Especially with respect to Robin...At this point in the overarching story arc Galbraith is obviously in full command of his cast and at the top of his game so far. So, where are we? (Potential mild spoilers for the previous novels follow in the next paragraph solely which you can safely skip if you intend to read the first Strike novels.)Strike's and Robin's detective agency is booming with business. In spite of getting two sub-contractors on-board, Barclay and Morris, Robin and Strike actually have to make use of a client waiting list. Robin has finally gotten rid of her soon-to-be ex-husband, Matthew. She finally realises what she really wants - namely her job as a detective.“Troubled Blood” primarily focuses on a cold case which an annoyed Strike only actually takes to get rid of someone buggering him. Strike and Robin are supposed to find out whatever they can about the disappearance of a GP (general practitioner) - 40 years after the fact!While England at large strongly suspects convicted serial killer Dennis Creed - who sometimes disguised himself as a woman - did away with Dr. Margot Bamborough as well, her daughter Anna isn't quite as sure. As are Robin and Strike after taking a closer look...Thus ensues the longest (at 1.200 pages) and yet most entertaining mystery I've read in recent years. It is not often that I read such a monument of a book and actually enjoy every minute spent “inside” it. Not only do we get to see the cold case to its fascinating conclusion, but we learn a lot about Strike but never explicitly so or heavy-handedly...»The truth was that his feelings contained nuances and complications that he preferred not to examine.«Robin also feels spring coming...»In spite of her tiredness she found her spirits buoyed by the glorious morning, and the idea of Strike waiting at journey's end.«In spite of being mostly story-driven, we get to know a lot about Strike's family, too - especially his aunt Joan - as well as his immediate friends, like his oldest friend from school, Polworth.It's in the way how Polworth especially would be willing to let the world burn but not Strike down that we really get to know who Strike really is.As well as in his relation to his (half-)siblings, their offspring (“a whiny little prick”, “a complete arsehole” (death-defyingly said to their mother...) and a decent boy) and his father, Rokeby. In all these relationships, Strike tries to be honest and this makes the entire book feel honest.One might wish as I did, that both Strike and Robin talked more to each other. There were many scenes during which I wanted to actually shout at both of them (and during one particular scene I did...).Due to all this, it was entirely and unreservedly enjoyable to read these 1.200 pages - and this is truly rare. In its genre, “Troubled Blood” is probably the best book I've read in years and near-perfect.Five out of five stars! Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

Phew, Josie is back! After having been disappointed by [b:Her Silent Cry 46272655 Her Silent Cry (Detective Josie Quinn #6) Lisa Regan https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1560372423l/46272655.SY75.jpg 71273620], the previous instalment in the Josie Quinn series, this book brings her back on the right track. This time, Josie investigates the murder of a couple and the disappearance of a friend of theirs, deep in the woods. A hermit, some creepy underground caverns and a strange cult feature prominently in this story and lend it a lot of atmosphere and, at least to me, a strong appeal. Of course, “Cold Heart Creek” is the same literary junk food as its predecessors and, thus, you shouldn't expect deep insights into the state of mankind, human nature or the question to 42 but if you - like me - enjoy a good thriller with likeable protagonists, despicable villains and some fast-paced action in combination with a good part police procedural, you can't really go wrong with this book. I have just one minor gripe: The resolution of a long-term dilemma of Josie's is rather simplistic and, in my opinion, less than convincing. Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

“I freeze, my sense of relief gone in an instant. Because although their words differ, my parents' message is the same. Never go back there. It's not safe there. Not for you.”Damn, this was good! I knew [a:Riley Sager 15263414 Riley Sager https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1555890121p2/15263414.jpg] from his second book, “[b:The Last Time I Lied 36626748 The Last Time I Lied Riley Sager https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1511141004l/36626748.SY75.jpg 57845636]”, which I really liked. This one is even better!“Home Before Dark” tells the story of the Holt family who moved into a house that “remembers” - and it hasn't seen much love... In fact, it came cheap because Baneberry Hall is a veritable haunted house. Or is it not? Our hero is Maggie Holt, the daughter, who doesn't remember much (almost nothing, actually) about the house and their short time in it. After her father Ewan's death, Maggie inherits the huge house and decides to renovate and sell it; after all, she's an interior designer and has her own company. There's more to it, though...““I have a confession to make,” I eventually say. “Let me guess,” Dane says, deadpan. “Your real name is Windy.” “Close. I didn't come back just to renovate Baneberry Hall. My real reason for returning is to try to figure out why we left this place the way we did.” “You think there's more to the story?” “I know there is.” I tell him everything.”Sager's narrative switches between passages from “the Book” that Ewan Holt, Maggie's father, wrote about his family's short stint at Baneberry Hall 25 years ago and Maggie's own musings here and now.Often, both timelines feature similar events or mingle with each other which makes things even more interesting.For me, this novel worked on several levels: The “haunted house” angle has always fascinated me and appeals to my taste for the mysterious. Getting the story told from both the past and the present alternatingly, made for a rare and almost artistic balance that supported the atmosphere because we feel there's something off but we cannot put our finger on what it is exactly.“I hold the page close to my face, as if that will help me better make sense of it. I'm still staring at those emphatic question marks when I hear a noise. A creak. Coming from the room next door. The Indigo Room.”I'm not superstitious, I don't believe in anything “supernatural”. I do love a good ghost story, though, and this is an excellent one which I didn't want to put down. There were several key scenes that made me think I had figured it out but the solution in the end was as simple as ingenious - and, of course, I'm not going to spoil it for you. I didn't see it coming and when I thought about a few seemingly loose threads, I quickly realised I had been doubly fooled!It's still not a perfect mystery: Maggie, as likeable as she is, remains largely flat and doesn't really change or grow much over the course of the action. A few minor characters, e. g. the friendly neighbourhood ex-con, Dane, were a bit cliche and could easily have been improved upon had they gotten a little more time in the limelight (same goes for most secondary characters).Nevertheless, this was a very satisfying read that prompted me to immediately start on Sager's “[b:Lock Every Door 41837243 Lock Every Door Riley Sager https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1540938359l/41837243.SY75.jpg 65308942]” and if you, like me, enjoy a good story, a haunted house and chasing shadows (or something more sinister?) - go for this book because...“Every house has a story to tell and a secret to share.” Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

“It was suddenly as if the book were not a dining room table at all, but a sort of Sahara. And having emptied his canteen, the Count would soon be crawling across its sentences with the peak of each hard-won page revealing but another page beyond. . . .” This book was a huge let-down. Amazon tells me, its print edition has 378 pages. Those must be metres high and wide because I swear it were 10.000 for me. In fact, reading this book felt exactly like my opening quote. Count Alexander Rostov has the bad luck to be born into a family of aristocrats during revolutionary times. His only redeeming feature from the perspective of his “comrades” is a poem he wrote. Which is why they don't put him against a wall but into life-long house arrest inside his favourite hotel, the Metropol in Moscow. Ok, well, he's moved from his favourite suite to the attic but ultimately, Alexander makes the very best of it or – as the blurb puts it – “can a life without luxury be the richest of all?” The answer, sadly, is no. A resounding “no” because the Count – being a self-declared “gentleman” lives after a code of honour that more reliably imprisons him than any government ever could. He reads what he's supposed to read (Montaigne, but in his most brutish way he uses the book to prop up his table! Oh heaven, what a villainous miscreant!), lives where they tell him and lives out a quaint live which, to be honest, is simply immensely boring. During his first year of house arrest Rostov meets Nina who is (metaphorically) going to become his daughter's mother. Their meeting is amusing and their adventures raised my hopes for a good book but, alas, it was not to be. Nina becomes first a pioneer, next an exile and ultimately a victim of her Soviet dream and we only ever get reminiscences about her. An opportunity lost. Now, the Count gets settled into a life that's the very definition of twee and is actually happy with it. He meets a beautiful (willowy) woman whom he “consorts with” but would never risk his modest but gentlemanly bachelorhood for her. Not even “moving together” in the hotel ever crosses his mind. He twists a young girl whom he calls his daughter into a younger version of himself whom he basically (and gentlemanly!) has to “push from the nest” because she's afraid of the world beyond the doors of her hotel home. Which is mostly the Count's very own fault. Here's an example so you can make your own mid up – it's pretty much the best example of the strenuous way of telling a non-story: “After all, what can a first impression tell us about someone we've just met for a minute in the lobby of a hotel? For that matter, what can a first impression tell us about anyone? Why, no more than a chord can tell us about Beethoven, or a brushstroke about Botticelli. By their very nature, human beings are so capricious, so complex, so delightfully contradictory, that they deserve not only our consideration, but our reconsideration—and our unwavering determination to withhold our opinion until we have engaged with them in every possible setting at every possible hour.” Why, yes, I haven't made that up – he did it! Even worse, the characters don't develop in any way. The Count at 32 (at the beginning of the book) feels pretty much exactly the same (namely like a wise old sage!) in all aspects that matter (yes, he takes one step after another but that's not what I mean) compared to himself at 64 (at the end of the book). His friends are the same as well; they're all noble, self-deprecating and revere “His Excellency”, the Count without ever criticising or questioning him. We don't learn much about “Russia under[going] decades of tumultuous upheaval”; in fact such small matters as World War II are mostly skipped or “charmingly” referred to. All that ever matters is the count, the willow and his daughter. Only during a few key moments in the book do we get to see real emotions and passions. If and when we do, though, it certainly “shakes the dust from the chandeliers.”. Because one thing's for sure: Towles can definitely write. Let's take a look at Rostov remembering something as simple as bread: “The first thing that struck him was actually the black bread. For when was the last time he had even eaten it? If asked outright, he would have been embarrassed to admit. Tasting of dark rye and darker molasses, it was a perfect complement to a cup of coffee. And the honey? What an extraordinary contrast it provided. If the bread was somehow earthen, brown, and brooding, the honey was sunlit, golden, and gay. But there was another dimension to it. . . . An elusive, yet familiar element . . . A grace note hidden beneath, or behind, or within the sensation of sweetness.” An author who can so richly and evocatively write on such a simple subject most certainly deserves my respect but the story is so lacking it's the book's ruin. Whenever passions run high, we really get to see the quality of writing but there is way too much of what I like to call “non-content” - filling material, literary waste products – that gather and celebrate dark masses in honour of their ilk: “For the record, the Count had risen shortly after seven. Having completed fifteen squats and fifteen stretches, having enjoyed his coffee, biscuit, and a piece of fruit (today a tangerine), having bathed, shaved, and dressed, he kissed Sofia on the forehead and departed from their bedroom with the intention of reading the papers in his favorite lobby chair. Descending one flight, he exited the belfry and traversed the hall to the main stair, as was his habit.” For the record, I know the Count to be a slave of his habits and I really couldn't care less (especially in such detail!) about the exact measure of his eccentrics. Said eccentricities lie not only within the Count but inside the author as well and once fancy strikes (he'd probably prefer the less prosaic “providence”) him it's “as if Life itself has summoned them” (the eccentricities!) and force him to randomly capitalise words. Must be the literary adoption of wagging one's finger, I guess. It's truly sad because the book has an interesting premise and the potential for greatness which it can't fully realise despite having something to say: “I have had countless reasons to be proud of you; and certainly one of the greatest was the night of the Conservatory competition. But the moment I felt that pride was not when you and Anna brought home news of your victory. It was earlier in the evening, when I watched you heading out the hotel's doors on your way to the hall. For what matters in life is not whether we receive a round of applause; what matters is whether we have the courage to venture forth despite the uncertainty of acclaim.” Only the ending – amusingly exactly the piece most proponents of this book loathe – somewhat reconciles me – the Count finally overcomes his artificial convictions and starts living a little, next to a willow... A satisfying end to a book that seemed to never end but eventually came to a proper close. Amor Towles writes like I would imagine Count Knigge on a charming rampage. Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

I had just read a somewhat mediocre book when I found out [a:Lisa Regan 6443334 Lisa Regan https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1589563239p2/6443334.jpg] (whom I always want to spell Reagan because whenever I read one of her books, I'm reminded of the late cowboy/ultra-conservative president) had published another of her Josie-Quinn thrillers.Regan's books rarely feature something new and exciting but on the other hand, they rarely disappoint because Josie, a small-town detective, and her team are interesting to read about - and quite often the story unfolds at breakneck speed.This instalment in the series is no exception to either of those two sides of the coin: “Josie stood in place, her feet concrete blocks. “We believe that Trinity was abducted by a serial killer.”” What a way to break such news to the family... Josie's long-lost twin sister, roving reporter Trinity, now fallen from her network's graces, is abducted - and by a serial killer to boot. “Josie's heart ached for her twin. “That's terrible.””This is either a recipe for a literary disaster or something good. Fortunately, while this book is not a highlight of the series, it's quite enjoyable while still being nothing special. While the story is interesting and engaging, I saw every plot “twist” coming from miles away - up to the very last sentence in the book. Sometimes, going back to the well-known, successful formulas can actually be pleasant. This is such a case for me. There are a few instances in which Josie and her team make some truly stupid mistakes for which I wanted to shout at them but, ultimately, this Josie Quinn thriller won't disappoint (if you liked her this far!) and I'm going to stick with her for the time being. Blog Facebook Twitter InstagramMerged review:I had just read a somewhat mediocre book when I found out [a:Lisa Regan 6443334 Lisa Regan https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1589563239p2/6443334.jpg] (whom I always want to spell Reagan because whenever I read one of her books, I'm reminded of the late cowboy/ultra-conservative president) had published another of her Josie-Quinn thrillers.Regan's books rarely feature something new and exciting but on the other hand, they rarely disappoint because Josie, a small-town detective, and her team are interesting to read about - and quite often the story unfolds at breakneck speed.This instalment in the series is no exception to either of those two sides of the coin: “Josie stood in place, her feet concrete blocks. “We believe that Trinity was abducted by a serial killer.”” What a way to break such news to the family... Josie's long-lost twin sister, roving reporter Trinity, now fallen from her network's graces, is abducted - and by a serial killer to boot. “Josie's heart ached for her twin. “That's terrible.””This is either a recipe for a literary disaster or something good. Fortunately, while this book is not a highlight of the series, it's quite enjoyable while still being nothing special. While the story is interesting and engaging, I saw every plot “twist” coming from miles away - up to the very last sentence in the book. Sometimes, going back to the well-known, successful formulas can actually be pleasant. This is such a case for me. There are a few instances in which Josie and her team make some truly stupid mistakes for which I wanted to shout at them but, ultimately, this Josie Quinn thriller won't disappoint (if you liked her this far!) and I'm going to stick with her for the time being. Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

Oh, well, from the lofty heights of Obama's presidential memoirs which I enjoyed, I went on to read this. I needed a short moment of pure escapism and easy-going reading: “Please excuse me for a moment while I disengage my brain!”For that purpose, this novel worked well enough - albeit not perfectly but we'll come to that.Anyway, this is the third instalment of a loosely connected series about the romantic endeavours of a group of twenty-somethings (I guess). It started out well with Everly's romance with her boss (Calloway) and now we're reading about Sophie, Everly's successor as Calloway's personal assistant, who meets Camden Cox, a notorious womanizer.Sophie and Cox end up in Vegas where they “accidentally” marry each other in a drunken stupor. The remainder of the book is - expectedly - about how they find out they don't want a divorce.The ensuing chaos is amusing enough; ok, everything is clichéd and rather simplistic but that was to be expected. Worse, though: Every single character feels like an exaggerated parody of themselves and whereas Sophie is fairly likeable, Cox is - for the most part - annoying. This kind of machismo...»Ever so gently, I backed us out of the parking spot. A man did not simply drive a supercar. A man had to coax it. Caress it. Make love to it from the driver's seat and be respectful of its power.«... and what it says about Cox' ideas about women made me cringe. He constantly and unchangingly calls Sophie “sugar”. Uh... And she's pretty much fluttering her eyelids at him, enjoying his manly attention...So, while this book was still a funny romance, it was just a little too sappy, too simplistic and too clichéd for me to completely enjoy it and, thus, it only garners three out of five stars from me. Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

Es ist keine 24 Stunden her, als ich tief seufzend neben meiner Frau ins Bett sank und mein Schicksal beklagte, schon wieder ein... komisches... Buch zu lesen. “Über Südtirol”, sagte ich und meine Frau antwortete, “Oh, nein, Südtirol - Faschismus und Nationalsozialismus, lies doch etwas Leichteres...”Sie hatte - wie (fast) immer Recht - und Unrecht zugleich. Ja, die Geschichte ist nicht leicht verdaulich: Trina, eine zu Beginn des Romans junge deutschsprachige Lehrerin, lebt im inzwischen buchstäblich untergegangenen Alt-Graun, einem kleinen bäuerlich-geprägten Dorf mit ihrem Ehemann Erich.Trina durchlebt die Italianisierung (also die versuchte Ausmerzung alles deutschsprachigen und des altösterreichischen Charakters) durch den Faschismus, auf- und überlebt Aufstieg und Fall des deutschen Nationalsozialismus und bleibt in ihrem Dorf, obschon die persönlichen Verluste ihrer Familie ans Unerträgliche grenzen.Schlußendlich weichen Trina und Erich doch der Gewalt; diesmal derjenigen der Unternehmen, denn die damalige Firma Montecatini überflutet Alt-Graun im Rahmen eines wenig sinnvollen Staudamm-Projektes. (Übrigens hat die heutige Edison S.p.A., Rechtsnachfolgerin von Montecatini, sich dem Autor völlig verweigert...)Von alldem erzählt Balzano mit großer Empathie, mit Behutsamkeit und Vorsicht. Er verurteilt nicht, sondern beschäftigt sich mit einem Stück Geschichte, über das ich fiel las, auf einer enorm persönlichen Ebene. Wüßte man es nicht besser - Balzano wurde 1978 geboren - so möchte man meinen, er sei dabei gewesen. Als habe er Trinas Verlust der Tochter, des Sohnes, der Heimat und letztlich noch ihres Mannes als mitfühlender Augenzeuge erlebt und ganz schlicht diese Geschichte empfindsam niedergeschrieben.Nichts ist wirklich leicht an diesem Buch - außer vielleicht der ruhigen Sprache, die unzweideutig erkennen läßt, wem die Sympathie des Autors gehört. Diese Sprache erzählt unaufgeregt und eindringlich von Trina, die wiederum als Ich-Erzählerin ihrer verlorenen Tochter Marica ihr Leben erzählt.Doch genau das ist wohl der große Verdienst dieses nicht allzu langen Buches - 275 Seiten weist die Print-Ausgabe auf: Die tragische Geschichte eines “ertrinkenden” Tals in Südtirol zwischen Faschismus und Nationalsozialismus auf einer zutiefst persönlichen Ebene “anfaßbar” und “erlebbar” zu machen.Selbst wer so gar nichts mit Politik, Krieg und Geschichte “am Hut” haben mag, dafür aber ein offenes Herz, der wird sich diesem Buch letztlich nicht entziehen können.Da fallen ein paar “Längen”, die nicht von der Hand zu weisen und verantwortlich für meinen eingangs geschilderten Seufzer sind, letzten Endes nicht ins Gewicht.Es bleibt ein eindringliches Bild auf dem Cover: Der denkmalgeschützte Kirchtum von Alt-Graun, der sich über die Fluten erhebt. Darunter liegt eine Geschichte, die Balzano gekonnt und lesenswert auferstehen läßt. Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

Well, this was a fairly mixed bag of a read... A school for kids learning to control their magic, surrounded by hostile creatures and even the school making life as hard as possible for its pupils. Pupils who are left entirely on their own - no teachers, hardly any protection and a deadly competition for resources, power and the arcane...It sounds all so well and, indeed, I was drawn into the book fairly quickly: We're accompanying Galadriel (El) during her penultimate school year which she passes by scolding the local hero Orion Lake (yes... the rest is silence...) for almost desperately trying to get on her good side. Sadly, El's “good side” is something she strongly tries to hide by playing bad ass...»Meanwhile I was well on the way to successfully making myself violently, instead of just modestly, hateful to every enclave kid in the place, probably before the end of term at my current pace.«... and almost to this reader as well. Her treatment of Orion, her social awkwardness, it all felt so very, very young adult (and I'm not sure about the “adult” part in that) that I frequently got annoyed and rolled my eyes at so much fumbling.There's also not much of a plot - gather information, get attacked, make friends, fix a major problem, get the guy - that's pretty much all there is to be found story-wise.The characters are also rather bland and shallow - the in-kids are pretty much only annoying with few redeeming qualities, Orion Lake is the archetypal white knight who comes to everyone's rescue (but with special fervour if a damsel in distress is involved!) and even El and her two friends are about as shallow as a puddle.The writing is adequate for that and, thus, serves its purpose.And despite all that, I still enjoyed “A Deadly Education” - the setting of a magical school somewhere out of the normal realms, an isolated population scheming, some really interesting ideas about monsters and the dark side of magic as well as the showdown at the end; it all appealed to me and made me read on.I might even pick up the next book in the series as well.(Barely) four stars out of five.P.S.: No, El is not Murderbot. They play in entirely different leagues. Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

Der Literaturkritiker Denis Scheck hat dieses Buch empfohlen (“Auf nur 160 Seiten entfaltet die Autorin Monika Helfer eine beeindruckende und gehaltvolle Geschichte über Familienstrukturen und Beziehungen.”) und sein Wort hat für mich Gewicht.Wie so oft, wenn's dem Esel zu wohl wird, naja, Ihr wißt schon... Das Problem dieses kurzen Büchleins ist, daß es die einerseits sehr persönlich erzählte Familiengeschichte der Autorin ist. Helfer beantwortet darin sich und uns die Frage “Woher komme ich?”. Das deutet aber auch bereits mein erstes Problem an: Diese Frage habe ich mir in bezug auf die Autorin nie gestellt. Ihre persönliche Antwort läßt mich daher weitgehend kalt.Parallel kommt hinzu, daß es - zumindest meinen Lese-Erfahrungen zufolge - kein seltenes Schicksal ist: Familie auf dem Dorf am Ende der Welt vor gut 100 Jahren - zur Zeit des Ersten Weltkrieges. Die Frau, Helfers Großmutter Maria, ist nicht landläufig (sic) “normal” und wird daher samt ihrer Familie der ganzen denkbaren Boshaftigkeit einer dörflichen “Gemeinschaft” ausgesetzt - widerlich, aber hinlänglich bekannt.Noch schwieriger wird es, wenn eine ohnehin schon nicht besonders spannende Geschichte mühselig zu lesen. Ein Beispiel; das folgende ist nämlich ein einziger Satz:“Tag und Nacht zog das Pferd den Schneepflug über die Wege und schaufelten die alten Männer, die man im Krieg nicht brauchen konnte, die Schellen am Zaumzeug waren Tag und Nacht zu hören, und einmal — alle waren schon in der Kirche, aus den Mündern dampfte es, aus dem Weihrauchfass in Walters Händen dampfte es, seit Neuestem war er Ministrant, weinend hatte er gebettelt, Ministrant sein zu dürfen, auf die Knie war er vor Maria gegangen, wie es der Pfarrer den Schülern beigebracht hatte, in ihren besten Kleidern waren alle in der Kirche, Frauen und Mädchen links, die Männer und die Buben rechts —, da öffnete sich der Haarknoten an Marias Hinterkopf, sie nahm das Schultertuch ab und versuchte, die Haare neu aufzustecken.”Das sind, falls ich richtig gezählt habe, 123 Worte (!) in einem Satz, der letztlich aussagt, daß Marias Haarknoten sich gelöst und sie versucht hat, diesen wieder herzurichten. Alles andere ist “Beiwerk”. Dergestalt lesen sich leider weite Teile des autobiographischen Romans, auf dessen Lektüre ich gut und gerne hätte verzichten können.Dennoch: “Die Bagage” ist kein schlechtes Buch. Nur einfach kein originelles Buch und allenfalls nehme ich mit vollem Einverständnis und Genugtuung folgende Erkenntnis über Pfarrer mit: “Er war derselben Meinung wie sein Vater, dass so einer eine überflüssige Existenz sei, ein Nichtsnutz.” Denis Scheck bleibt trotzdem mein Held! Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram