jess
I did not love this book. But, I really appreciated the author's note at the end.
I think the book had believable characters and a moving plot. I just did not like the POV character, and sometimes that happens.
I think the author was able to convey the almost painful attachment we can make to some memories and how people can obsess over things that don't mean anything to others. He does some beautiful work with having characters grow and also let other people be.
Audiobook
Another captivating story with the characters so carefully crafted by Steig Larsson. I was impressed with how smooth the reading went. Kudos to David Lagercrantz for carrying this on.
I enjoyed reading this story. It has crisp characters, a well-stitched plot, and fantasy. A quick read; I can only hope the rest of the series follows in the same fashion.
I'm so glad to have turned to this story again. It's such a beautiful story of life, with all its struggles and uncertainties. The characters are crafted just so to win your heart, except Heep-who was never intended to do so.
This story also gives a glimpse of life in Victorian England-how children were taught, what kind of traveling systems were in place, how the courts worked, the relative wealth of different classes, etc.
As it is a rather long story, I'd recommend the audio version for busy folks.
I absolutely did not need to read this book - my kitchen is pretty organized, and I'm not feeling flustered in there. But, what's not to love about reading someone else's ideas for how to make it better. This is worthwhile because of the mindset of freedom and accepting of what really matters.
This story is delightful, and the introduction to a series. Eoin Colfer captures your attention with a devious but still lovable character and a hint of another world. There is adventure, imagination, and perhaps a bit of moral learning. Will our characters survive? Will they do the right thing? Most of us can't relate directly to the youthful Artemis (filthy rich boy genius with a personal amazing bodyguard/servant) or the spunky Holly Short (being a fairy and all), but the characters are well written and fun. Somewhat predictable, this story (and series) is fun and worth following.
I'd recommend this book (series) to readers of any age at this lexile. There's something for girls and boys, with strong protagonists from both. There is some cartoon style violence.
I am doing this review well into the fourth book, and I'm happy that I can report that the story gets better, and our devilish Artemis becomes a better role model for younger readers over time, er, book(s).
This autobiography is so compelling, it's a wonder the author was anything but a novelist. The story is tragic and beautiful and so full of information.
I recommend the audiobook because the Scottish brogue of the narrator really brings the main character to life.
A great add to any collection regarding WW2, India, the British Empire, Japan, or Autobiographies. Not appropriate for very young children. Teens could read it.
This book was so hard for me to follow because I don't play video games. I think it might be better for folks who have the context for games. The characters were interesting, and the setting was complex. Definitely creative.
Honest - I love this series, with these characters. It's compelling and beautiful. This last book had too much kissing/time under covers/erotica/whatever for me. It's like it tried too hard to make things work out - for too many of the characters. Other than that, I enjoyed it. The closure with the Salsbury's was quite lovely. Neither the plot nor the ending went my way, but, it wasn't my book to write. The ending was fine, even if it wasn't how I hoped.
I love the first two books so so much, and this one is still good, but less so. I'm already almost through my fourth listen to book 1
Branden did an excellent job jumping into this series. His writing style is a little easier on my head, but he keeps it close to Robert Jordan.
You want to read this one.
Pretty sure it's YA.
We've got: a strong female POV character, sports, drama, Ojibwe and Anishinaabe culture, science, crime, suspense, romance, and a little bit of attitude.
The characters are so believable, and the plot plays out like a non-fiction account. You are there as Daunis feels shock, love, victory, and defeat.
Caution: there are both a gunshot murder and rape in this book. Neither are described in great detail, but may be a trigger for some.
The premise of this book is that you can eat well on little money.
The recipes feature fresh vegetables and spices. The few that I made were simple to follow and turned out well. I'd use less cayenne.
I have so much trouble rating this one. Powerful, beautiful, but sad.
On the one hand, this is well done. The characters are so real. The challenges they face are believable. The separate but dependent plots are interesting and creative.
On the other hand, the stories are all depressing; aside from a few moments for readers to catch their breath, this is a downer. I felt it in my heart.
This is a silly romantic comedy. There's a happy ending.
I didn't much care for the racy bits all throughout the last third.
interesting person, science, and stories...but told at an excruciatingly slow pace - rhythm of this book was off
This book was challenging to read. It was as if someone had randomly deleted about two-thirds of the words. There are some real philosophic gems buried in here if you can get through it.
Perhaps my confusion lies in a lack of familiarity with the original text. I plan to reread ‘Alice in Wonderland' and then reconsider this one.
I think a little is lost on people not familiar with Sweden. However, this story included interesting characters and a good mystery.
So imaginative - the characters are practically people you know. I truly enjoyed this book. I bet it would have been even better if I had read more of the earlier books. I may just have to start Discworld from #1. Gasp
Wow. I am not certain what brought me to read this book, but it has a powerful message about planning ahead for a dignified end of life. Ultimately, the author compels the reader through narrative stories to think through what they want to do and what tradeoffs they are willing to take when they begin facing serious impairment to continuing basic care.
Since everyone will die at some point, I think everyone should read this book or at least take a few moments to research palliative care and plan for the eventuality. This is not planning for after the end of our days (burial, cremation, etc.) but for planning for our last days (years) before the end.
“We call people who have won their causes heroes, but we call those in the middle of their causes crazy.”
This book is well-written and talks about several perspectives on what it means to dedicate your time over a long time to certain causes rather than jumping between them or keeping your selves compartmentalized.
He addresses the very real challenge that we have in that we grow up hearing and seeing stories where all the accolades go to the dragon slayer, the general leading the charge, the one speech ...bu the work is done by the many not the one...and many tiny acts leading up to the dragon slaying.
...
So, you know, that feeling when you are interested in a thing, but you know that you don't like something about it - like maybe you are Catholic, but don't like the whole history of abuse? Well, this book argues that that is one of the things that keeps us from joining with groups or communities or causes. Because no group is perfect, we hesitate to take on the identify of the thing that is bigger than ourselves because it will necessarily come with parts that we don't like.
We have to take action, probably boring action with meetings, over and over again, to build the community we want. Probably with people who disagree with us a little bit.
The book has an agenda - he clearly wants people to consider becoming more dedicated over time. It is argued as a moral imperative, but it did not come across as preachy to me.
Full disclosure, though, I had several moments in this book where I said, “Oh, yes, I thought this already but did not have the language...” so I clearly came to the book already in line with the author's thinking. I'm not sure how it might come across to someone with a different headspace.
This book makes me want to think about how I am or am not contributing to making the world where I want to live.
I truly enjoyed this story. A small group of characters pull on all of your heartstrings with their wonky flaws. The plot unfolds in ways that are not completely expected, and the whole thing just flies by. I recommend this book to just about everyone. It is a lovely tribute to hopefulness, innocence, and our imperfections. Read the book.
- Middle grade reader
- Deals with moving, sick parents, bullying
- Learning to love yourself and respect others
- It's funny, and compelling