Mer Barr

I've heard [a:Brandon Sanderson 38550 Brandon Sanderson https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1394044556p2/38550.jpg]'s book are tomes but this plot was well crafted, moved along without sidetracks, and had many characters that were detailed enough [the narrator did a great job of distinguishing the different characters audibly] I didn't have the usual issues of keeping track.I'll add the next in the series to my TBR$.

A story that was not in the tv series, although I would have enjoyed seeing the war hatchet and the lawyer twins. Another well made story line and movement, however I once again am lost trying to track who is connected to whom.

Next one in the series is in the TBR.

A great book if you want to study war strategy and tactics. And it has alot of names and personalities to keep track of. I like an emphasis on plot with short pauses for descriptions of people and ideas.

Interesting topic, some canned characters, the plot continues to move which I prefer, places I've not been to which I like. Reminds me a bit of [b:The Da Vinci Code 968 The Da Vinci Code (Robert Langdon, #2) Dan Brown https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1579621267l/968.SY75.jpg 2982101] with the hidden clues, niche knowledge, and hidden groups.

Fascinating read! Was nice to see references to their directly held research, rather than someone else's, that defined their thoughts in the book. I did find all the names and locations hard to differentiate or visualize, as that part of the world is not where I was raised.

I really like stories that are more about the interesting people rather than relying on action or exploring only the thoughts that go thru someone's mind. And I really enjoy an author that uses really great similes to describe a situation and generate humor.

I'll be moving on to the next in the series.

A nice extension of the storyline, however I've reached my limit of young adult angst. I don't think I'll pick up the next one in the series for awhile.

Very quick and fun read but I think [b:Beautiful Chaos 10757833 Beautiful Chaos (Caster Chronicles, #3) Kami Garcia https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327878503l/10757833.SY75.jpg 11254742] does a much better job on the subject.

So nice to come back to Darkover after such a long time and so nice to see this available in audio! All of the self-doubt and the macho attitudes are annoying, of course it's my buttons being pushed, not a reflection on Ms Bradley's skill.

Usually you open the second book in a series like you do watching a horror flick, thru a crack between 2 of the fingers of the hand covering your eyes. Afraid to find out the second book is not as good as the first, but yet you can't not look either.

Thankfully I enjoyed this one! I wished I'd read this closer to the first book as there are many references to the first that I've forgotten. Also, the list of family members on each side of the wedding aisle is huge and sometimes hard to keep track of. But the author stays focused on the storyline and doesn't get bogged down in detail and minutia.

Putting the rest of the series on the TBR list.

There is alot of bouncing around between subjects and back and forth thru time that I, personally, find difficult but seems to fit the New Orleans feel, and possibly the author as well. I did learn alot about New Orleans, and the 2, or more, Maries, and the people around them.

Considering the amount of time gone by and the lack of documentation, the author does seem to have done her best to research all avenues, relay what the documents say, and call out where she's tried to fill in gaps with her own ideas and opinions.

I seem to remember the beginning of this book and either I never finished it or I'd forgotten the rest. I'm glad I'm rereading it because it's answered alot of the questions I had while reading [b:Speaker for the Dead 7967 Speaker for the Dead (Ender's Saga, #2) Orson Scott Card https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1295660894l/7967.SY75.jpg 2327777] which I seem to remember more of.

I've been wanting to read this book, mainly for the title, and patiently waiting for COVID-19 to die down enough for my library branch to start Interlibrary Loans back up. And it's been a real joy to read! There are many places in the Middle East that I'd love to see and experience but I don't believe I can, so I'm glad to be able to live vicariously thru her experiences.The author's style and imagery reminds me of [a:Frances Mayes 4826 Frances Mayes https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1267654734p2/4826.jpg] and her books on her 2nd home, in Tuscany. I love this style.I'm reading this in 2021 and the book was written in 2006. I do travel often on my own but I'm not sure I would be as comfortable as her friend Bea was. And there has been so much that's changed in the region since the book was written, that it has me wondering if the author would still feel as comfortable traveling the region now as she did then?

Another interesting and creepy subject matter from Mr. King.

Meh. Several times I forgot what the main plot was because the story stayed overlong on this topic or that. Many things just weren't interesting to me.

Another fascinating day in the life of a submarine, read. The author is a contemporary of [a:Richard H. O'Kane 1588996 Richard H. O'Kane https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png], and the USS Pampanito, docked in San Francisco, CA, USA.

Not a series I'll be continuing with. A friend said this book read like a series of short stories strung together and I agree. I can do without the island side story in particular. I did hear “Consider phlebas” towards the end but it went by so fast that I have no idea how the title relates to the story.

I scratched my head for the first 64% of the book trying to figure out what the overarching message or storyline was but around there things started to make sense. About the time of the first reference to wild-built.I'm crossing my fingers this series does not go the way her Wayfarers series did for me. I loved the first book [b:The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet 22733729 The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers, #1) Becky Chambers https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1405532474l/22733729.SY75.jpg 42270825], but just couldn't get interested in any of the characters introduced in the next 2 books. Adding the next book to my tbr.

I'm not fond of knowing how the story is going to go fairly early in the book but in this case I am fond of stories that have characters that you love to get to know.

I like the fact that the author appears to be basing her book on what she's able to verify [she mentions in the intro that it's hard to determine exactly how many were on trial due to the vague descriptions of the accused].

What I wasn't interested in is the style of the presentation of the topic. I had a hard time understanding how what was being presented was organized. It seemed to be a casual wander thru various intermingled subjects, as if listening to someone reminisce almost. I'm more of a logical, linear person.

Being a buddhist of lineages tracing to Tibet, I found the main theme very interesting. Alot of time spent on technical jargon and details that I could have done with 1/3rd less of but overall the set of characters were enjoyable to get to know. I'll continue the series.

Lots of daily living of folks I just couldn't get interested in. I think this is the same thing I said about book 2 in the series.

With several different story arcs it gets a bit confusing at who is where and when but the author does a good job at the very end refreshing one's memory enough that you see the whole picture. Not sure if the Navaho traditions mentioned are real or not but they do sound intriguing.

A biography can sometimes be all from other peoples' points of view, if the subject of the book is not a part of the interviewees. This book does meet those criteria but the chosen glimpses have a gossiping quality that is rather mean-spirited and ego-based, and I'm not fond of this.

I didn't need to get too far into the book to get the over arching message of the book, that the majority of interviewees felt Princess Margaret was hard to interact with. No need to stick it out to the end.

I normally like Elmore Leonard and checked this one out as I'd heard it was the basis for the “Justified” tv-series, but I'm returning this uncompleted because I'm not a fan of drug-related stories. I quite watching the tv series for a similar reason.

I'd hoped to get more on the lead character in Justified. Maybe it's there in the story but I just an not interested anymore.