Bryce

Good stuff. I'm enjoying this series.

Not as good as the first two volumes, but still enjoyable. 3.5

This is the kind of book that I wish I could have read when I was younger. It manages to be fun and funny and exciting while offering ruminations on God, religion, race relations, and life in the Middle Ages. It didn't dumb anything down for younger people (even the farting dragon was based on actual myth!), but it wasn't afraid to be weird and goofy.

All in all, this is the best kid's book I've read in a long time–and just a really good book in general.

A short read, but a good one. Typically great and imaginative story from [a:Neil Gaiman 1221698 Neil Gaiman https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1234150163p2/1221698.jpg] illustrated by the artists behind the brilliant [b:Daytripper 8477057 Daytripper Fábio Moon https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327876816s/8477057.jpg 13341979].

I received a copy of this book through Net Galley.

“It's way too much pressure, choosing someone, having someone else's life and whatnot mashed in with yours, when you don't even know what you're doing with your own stuff.”

I started out think this book was charming and fairly enjoyable but nothing really special. No, it's not all that original in the overall plot, but it has so much character and heart that I couldn't help but love it. Solid 4.5 stars here, for me.

The characters are distinctive and just plain fun to be around, there's a kindness and warmth to these characters and their relationships that I really appreciated. Alba, Grady, and most of the supporting cast (though especially Alba) feel real, and they're so easily likable that you're along for the ride from the first chapter. This is a very light read, but it has some surprising emotional heft at times, due in large part to the authenticity of the characters and their world. Plus, it has a nicely-realized theme of uncertainty about the future that is MUCH more relatable than, “so many boys are in love with me and also I'm the chosen one.” I really liked this one!

I received a copy of this book through Net Galley.Bill Schweigart knows how to write a good monster story. Is that how you would describe this book? Creature-horror-action-adventure, maybe. [b:The Beast of Barcroft 25300888 The Beast of Barcroft Bill Schweigart https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1442245408s/25300888.jpg 45028658] was a really enjoyable read, and I'm happy to say that this sequel is a worthy addition to what looks to be a series. For all the action, genuinely creepy bits of horror, and interesting takes on some creature myths, what makes both Northwoods and its predecessor a cut above schlocky action-horror fare is the characterization. This author writes characters that are distinctive, developed, and fun to spend time with (not to mention diverse without a big show being made of it). That is what made both of these novels so fun to read, or at least more fun than they would have been otherwise.Now to wait for book 3.

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley.

This is a page-turner in the most traditional sense. It's full of twists and turns, danger lurking around every page. I couldn't shake the distinct feeling that this story has been done before, and has been done with more skill and character, but it's hard to deny the addictive quality of The Passenger. I liked the email format that showed up every now and then, it added a genuine mystery to the MC's past. I wish I had a better sense of who our protagonist was, something that made her an interesting character beyond the needs of the plot. At the same time, the “blank slate” vibe I got from the character could have very well been intentional.

This is a solid 3.5, bumped to a 4 because it held my interest and stuck the landing with its ending.

I received a free copy of this book through the Goodreads First Reads program.

I'm not the intended audience for this type of book, and I can't imagine myself seeking it out if it wasn't free. I tried to keep an open mind going in, thinking that maybe Ransom Canyon will overcome my preconceived notions and turn out to be pretty good. There are some charming moments, it's an easy read, but it isn't going to win over anyone that isn't already a fan of this brand of romance novel.

Every time I started to get into the story, the clunky and inauthentic dialogue took me right out again. The dialogue is not good, at all. I think at least half of the terribly stilted lines would have been improved if someone had just tried speaking them out loud. No one uses contractions (hard to explain why that bothered me so much, but it's noticeable) or anything really resembling natural speech.

I can forgive a lot of the corniness in a book that's aiming to be a light, feel-good romance. I can forgive some of the weirdly rushed romances between some of the characters. I can forgive a lot when I understand what a book is going for, even if I don't personally like it. What I can't forgive is dialogue so unnatural that it frequently took me out of the story. If you know what you're getting into and like this genre: use caution. If you're not a fan of the genre but somehow think this one will change your mind: ehhhh... Good luck.

I received a free copy of this book through NetGalley.

I appreciated reading a story about people that are rarely given the spotlight, and I found many parts of this book to be moving and even beautiful. Unfortunately, I would have to describe Tears in the Grass as, overall, a mixed bag. The writing is sometimes lovely, but some of the dialogue can feel stilted and uncomfortable. I liked Elinor's character quite a bit, though I never felt fully connected or attached to anyone. Towards the end, I started to feel like I was becoming invested in these characters more fully, but then I reached the last page.

All in all, I think Lynda A. Archer did a fairly good—but not great, not quite—job with a novel from a unique perspective. I only wish it utilized its potential with more skill.

At the start of this book, I had an uneasy feeling that it wouldn't live up to the first. It took me a while to get back into the world and the characters, but when I did, I felt the exact same way I did when reading A Darker Shade of Magic. This is the kind of fantasy novel I want to read more of.

Shit. I'm sorry, book, for dismissing you as a generic (albeit pretty well done) romance. That “generic” start made me feel comfortable so that the twist really affected me. That was smart. I was trying to branch out by reading a fluffy romance novel and now I'm just left with a lot of emotions. Shit.

I think there's a specific type of reader that will really love this book, and I'm happy to say that I'm absolutely that type of reader. The Hike is strange and funny and terrifying and poignant in equal measure, sometimes (often) in the same scene. I would like this book for its imagination and twisted sense of humor even if there was nothing beyond that, but it manages to be thought-provoking and emotional on top of those things.

It's an adult Alice in Wonderland of sorts, but it isn't weird without a purpose. On top of all that, it has one of the more satisfying and altogether excellent endings I've read in a novel. Highly recommended.

It's not really fair for me to rate this book 3 stars, because it's a thorough and well-researched look at the golden age of detective fiction and the Detection Club. My rating just reflects my personal enjoyment; if this is something you think you would be interested in learning about, it's a great book.

While I found plenty of interesting anecdotes, along with some perspective on influential detective novels of the time, overall this book was fairly long and often dry. A lot of names and dates and discussion of novels that would certainly be appealing to someone truly fascinated by this topic—that someone is not me, unfortunately.

This was a cute book, but it didn't have a ton going for it. At least, not anything I haven't already read and watched a thousand times. Considering how formulaic it is, I almost expected some kind of twist, but none came. It's decently entertaining, but it's so derivative of a thousand other “kid discovers they have powers and goes on a journey” stories, down to the exact plot points. The writing is perfectly nice; I would mark it at 3 stars if it didn't feel so tired.

It didn't completely live up to my expectations (which, let's be honest, were set pretty high by the gorgeous cover and description), but Uprooted is still a very enjoyable fantasy novel. I wasn't too taken by the romance between the Dragon and the protagonist, but I loved the friendship between Kasia and Agnieszka. All in all, definitely worth reading.

Hope Jahren's writing has the ability to make almost anything she chooses to write about seem interesting and worth knowing. Lab Girl is comprised of two parts: stories from her life and career, and information on the plant life she studies. The personal stories are warm, poignant, sometimes funny, and always engaging. The educational sections are, well, educational in addition to being engaging even if the subject of botany holds little interest for you. Mostly, it's because Jahren is a really great writer. Definitely worth reading.

I received a copy of this book through a First Reads giveaway.

I liked this! I enjoyed reading Say's story, and the illustrations did a good job of adding character to the book. As this is an 80-page picture book, there isn't a ton to analyze, but I can say that I enjoyed it.

I really don't like the dystopian YA novels that are all the rage right now, once you've read one you've pretty much read them all. This isn't free of the cliches and derivative plot points found in other books like this, but it feels more authentic and well thought out than most of them. It had a brutality that other young adult dystopia feels like it's trying for, but never really achieves. Overall, it was a good read.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley.

This book reminded me of one of this meandering indie movies that you find on Netflix a lot. They kind of try to be different and quirky, but they never have anything actually interesting to say and you forget what they were about 20 minutes after you're done.

Fire in the Firefly is yet another book that isn't bad per say, just really uninteresting. I don't care about the main character's musings on random shit, or about allll the women who just can't get enough of his old sperm (spoiler?). Nothing made me care. Two stars because I wasn't actively repulsed by it.

I received a free ARC of this book through NetGalley.

There's nothing I dislike more than a book—or a movie or any other type of media—that leaves next to no impression. This isn't a bad novel, it just felt so utterly bland to me that its positive elements barely stood out. As a coming-of-age story, it's forgettable with characters that aren't all that interesting or well-written. It felt like the author was blending a bunch of disparate sitcom plots together, and the result is over-the-top without the fun you'd expect from that. As a satirical look at religion and self-righteousness and church “culture” as a whole, it has a few scattered moments that stood out as clever. You can feel it building toward some smart observation or funny scene, but it sputters out before it gets there.

I don't think this is a very good book, but the worst thing about For The Love Of Mary is how unremarkable it is.

I liked this a lot! I loved the world and the characters, everything was well-drawn and imaginative. The basic plot, of a girl traveling to a different place to save her friend, was nothing new, but I felt that the world and surrounding details made the somewhat overdone elements feel fresh and interesting again. And besides, I'm a sucker for a good book about a quest through a magical world.

This was easily one of the best books I've read in a while. The writing is moving and gorgeous and poetic, it would be enough to make me love this book even if the story and characters weren't so well-drawn and compelling. Great, great book.

Carter & Lovecraft is a perfectly solid and altogether competent novel. The plot kept my interest, it was easy to like the main characters. And yet none of these things me to believe the book was more than just decent.

The story showed a lot of potential early on, with some delightfully weird and mysterious events. Unfortunately, these elements weren't as interesting once they were explained (kind of explained?). There are some smart ideas and very creepy moments early on, but none of things I liked about the book were present as I reached the last page.

This was a pretty fun story, just like the first. I like the style and appealing weirdness, but this book didn't stand out as more than just an enjoyable way to pass the time. But hey, that's a perfectly valid purpose for a book to serve.

The choose-your-own-adventure format is fun at first, but it gets old pretty quickly. I just read the book like normal, and it made perfect sense to me.

NPH seems like a really genuine, nice guy. He's a surprisingly good writer, funny and engaging. There aren't many shocking revelations (any, now that I think about it) or juicy bits of gossip (a little, not much) in this book, it's just a straightforward and undeniably charming look at a performer that also happens to seem like a pretty cool person.