Audrey
As soon as I heard about this book I knew it was too intriguing a subject to let sit it on my TBR shelf for any length of time. I wasn't entirely sure what to expect going into it as I've never given any thought to which U.S. presidents were in office while Pope John Paul II was in the Vatican. I ended up getting a lot more out of it than I could have anticipated. Though the book advertises the parallels between the lives of Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II, it's also a thorough discussion regarding communism as well as the faith journeys of both men, one Protestant and the other Catholic. I'd say more of the religious focus is on Catholicism as many 20th Century saints and martyrs are discussed at considerable length. Politics both in the East and the West are also a central focus. While this is a general biography of both Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II, I would hesitate to categorize it predominantly under the biography genre as their life stories are more like footnotes in the greater scheme of things. The basis is more religion and politics. Going in, I assumed it would be purely a biography with discourse about the life parallels and their backgrounds. It wound up being a unique history of Poland and other communist regions and their freedom fighters. I found this book as a whole to be extremely educational on multiple fronts. There is a lot I didn't know about Poland and its government, I didn't know the stories of some of the saints and martyrs in the region, and I found there was a lot I didn't know about Ronald Reagan, either. By the end, I was so mesmerized that I spent six hours straight finishing it. Already planning a reread!
I keep finding myself drawn to books about dirigibles for some reason. This book was interesting enough, but I retained next to nothing. Whether it was a narrator issue or the dryness of the text, even as I was listening to it I knew it was going in one ear and out the other. Good research and all, it just didn't capture my attention.
Though this book has caught my eye in bookstores, I went into it somewhat blindly. I knew it involved H.H. Holmes, but I didn't anticipate everything else it included. Rich with Chicago history, this book discusses the lives of H.H. Holmes and Daniel H. Burnham with a large focus on the World's Fair. Honestly... this was a weird mix with only a slight element connecting the two along with the overall setting of Chicago. While, yes, I did find the book interesting, I was also overwhelmed with the amount of information coming at me. This was very much two separate books with one being more built on fact and the other built on a lot of speculation.
This series has caught my eye for a while, especially when the movie came out. I've been hesitant to pick it up because I'm not typically one for the horror genre. I joined a buddy read which gave me the push I needed to read it. Jacob grew up listening to his grandfather's stories of the peculiar children he knew growing up. As he got older, he discredited his tales as fiction. Never could he have imagined one of those stories coming to fruition and taking his grandfather's life. No one believes his own story now, thinking him traumatized and mentally unwell. Jacob believes the answer to his nightmares lies in his grandfather's stories. He convinces his parents to allow him to take a trip to England where his grandfather lived during World War II. There, he ends up finding the portal into the past. I was surprised by how absorbed I got into the book. Yet, whenever I put it down, I didn't find myself thinking about it. My interest was mostly in the beginning, however. By the end, I was weirded out by the relationship between Jacob and Emma's relationship. While I could anticipate the book ending on a cliffhanger given there are other books that follow, I was a little annoyed as I don't feel invested enough to jump immediately into book two.
I've been meaning to pick this book up for years. I first heard of the book series when I discovered the musical about Elisabeth of Austria. I was particularly drawn to the summary of the second book, but I wanted to start at the beginning. Set in the mid-1800s, teenage Elisabeth (Sisi) travels with her family to see her sister Helene married off to Emperor Franz Joseph. To everyone's surprise, Franz chooses Sisi over Helene to be his wife. Though initially interested in the Emperor, Sisi soon realizes the gravity of not only being royalty but also a wife. Making this more difficult is her overbearing mother-in-law who has her son wrapped around her little finger. Sisi laments as she loses her freedom, control of her children, and lively spirit. Being familiar with the story as I was going in, I feel I didn't like it as much as I could have years back. I enjoyed the scenes between Sisi and Helene, particularly in the beginning, but I found myself waiting for the parts of Sisi's life I find the most intriguing, which I realized will be the focus of the next book. Fitting as it would make for a tediously long book in a single volume, but at the same time, I was feeling let down. I'm excited now that I can move on to Sisi.
I never would have guessed there would be a middle grade book with a Chernobyl backdrop. I've read a couple of nonfiction books about the disaster but none through the lens of fiction. Having it told through the eyes of two children gave a unique insight. Pripyat girls Oksana and Valentina notice a change in the atmosphere on the morning of April 26th, 1986 and are particularly curious about the blue flames coming from the Chernobyl plant. They wonder if this fire is the reason why neither of their fathers have come home from their overnight shifts. Aside from their concern, their days go along as normal; Oksana bullying Valentina which leads to their school day beginning with a punishment. Thoughts of their feud give way to more concerned whispers around town. Valentina's mother isn't fooled by the reassurances from the government and is the least surprised when the Pripyat citizens are eventually boarded onto buses and taken to Kiev. To Oskana's horror, she finds herself separated from her mother due to her elevated radiation levels and has no choice but to leave with Valentina and her mother. Valentina is none too happy about this, either, and is confused why her mother would take in the girl who has treated her so poorly. From Kiev, the girls are sent to Leningrad to stay with Valentina's grandmother. Valentina is nervous as she's always been told she hasn't met her grandmother because she does ‘dangerous things'. Oskana is nervous about being taken in by an old Jewish woman. Both of the girls' worries are soon eased, albeit, not without Oskana being forced to face the reality of the abusive environment she's grown up in and the prejudices she's been told to keep. The book also has a sporadic third point of view through Rifka, showing her life during World War II. Her trials echo some of what Valentina and Oskana are going through. Their stories and Rift's are woven nicely, both empathizing themes of survival and unlikely friendship. As much as I enjoyed the book, I will say it's a tad misleading to say that Chernobyl is the main focus. While it's the driving force of the story, most of the mentions of the disaster end by the halfway point aside from the odd mention here and there. It is more of a story about life in the Soviet Union and the effects of antisemitism, among other difficult subjects. My favorite part of the book is the characters' growth, particularly Oskana's. There is a good balance of her favorable and less than favorable qualities. I also enjoyed Valentina's openness to embracing the traditions her grandmother celebrates despite the risk of doing so. While I did enjoy Rifka's story and it did serve a purpose to the predominant plot, I also think the book could have done without it or at least could have given an abbreviated version. A lot of the book was spent on her when there was enough happening with Oskana and Valentina. In any case, I enjoyed the story immensely and I appreciated the frank exploration of heavier topics for this age group. I know I have another book by this author on my shelf and I am even more excited to read that one!
I found this book at a thrift store and was so drawn to the vibrant and bookish cover that I didn't so much as glance at the synopsis. It's caught by eye on my bookshelf and thanks to a bingo challenge, I was inspired to finally pick it up. What a treat it was! June's life revolves around her job at her small town's library. Her attachment has been even greater since the death of her mother. When the library is at risk of closing, she's forced to come out of her shell for the sake of her friends, job, and the community. I couldn't have picked this book up at a more perfect time. It was a relaxing, sweet read that resonated deeply with me. I love that the romance plot of the book was mostly in the background and didn't overshadow the main plot surrounding the library. Some scenes felt unnecessary and stalled the progression of the book, but it wasn't difficult to get back into the groove once it picked up again. I will absolutely be reading more from this author!
I've had this book on my TBR for a while now. I don't remember what drew me to it in the first place aside from it being historical fiction, so I went into it fairly blindly.
I was surprised in the opening pages to see it set in the future (2025) where we meet Woodrow Wilson Nickel toward the end of his life. After the introduction, the book follows him in the 1930s while tensions are building around the world when two giraffes are found to have survived a hurricane in transport. We follow their cross-country journey along with Woodrow and others.
It didn't register as I was reading that this book is inspired by a true story. I might have appreciated it more had I realized. I didn't find myself overly absorbed in the story, though I did enjoy the premise. It kept me good company during a day of commuting and waiting room visits, so for that, it was perfect.
I have been loving multigenerational fiction books over the past couple of years. It never occurred to me to look into multigenerational nonfiction. Stories like this are haunting when shown in fiction and the impact hits even more in a memoir. Mimi Kwa recounts her family's history from the early days of World War II through the present day. Given the lineage begins before her birth, some sections are more vivid than others. The book covers themes such as mental illness, familial struggles, loss, and other traumas. I found the book interesting yet somewhat difficult to follow. The time jumps were oddly placed and in general I struggled to follow along with it. The writing was strong, although, it read more like fiction than nonfiction which is something I personally don't enjoy in nonfiction. Still, I learned a lot along the way which is the most important factor. A huge thanks to Harper360 for sending me a free ARC of the book to read and review!
A decent summary and a brief discussion on MKULTRA and other mind control projects orchestrated by the U.S.
Feels more like a podcast than a book and leaves the reader with a lot of research to do for themselves. While I would have preferred more detail, I'm sure some people appreciate this condensed version.
This book immediately caught my eye around its release. I have a faint memory of the Waltham murders having grown up in Massachusetts. I was fairly young at the time, so the details are murky and most of what I remember are general comments made by family members. Now as an adult, I was curious to learn more. While the book provided a refresher, I don't feel any more educated on the topic. Despite the tagline on the cover, I didn't realize that this book was going to be more of a memoir than a walkthrough of the crime and all of those things that go into a true crime book. That's not to say that the crime as a whole was not discussed, only that it was told in such a disjointed way that it was difficult to follow and left me feeling confused about what is fact and what is speculation. When the author came to her conclusion toward the end of the book, I felt blindsided. It lacked the evidence to back up the assured statements made. This isn't a crime I've followed in any capacity so I'm not disputing any of the author's claims. I don't know what happened and that's the main reason why I picked up this book in the first place. While I sympathize that the author had a connection to one of the victims and I admire her passion for her investigation, this was ultimately two separate books poorly rolled into one.
This book immediately caught my eye around its release. I have a faint memory of the Waltham murders having grown up in Massachusetts. I was fairly young at the time, so the details are murky and most of what I remember are general comments made by family members. Now as an adult, I was curious to learn more. While the book provided a refresher, I don't feel any more educated on the topic.
Despite the tagline on the cover, I didn't realize that this book was going to be more of a memoir than a walkthrough of the crime and all of those things that go into a true crime book. That's not to say that the crime as a whole was not discussed, only that it was told in such a disjointed way that it was difficult to follow and left me feeling confused about what is fact and what is speculation. When the author came to her conclusion toward the end of the book, I felt blindsided. It lacked the evidence to back up the assured statements made.
This isn't a crime I've followed in any capacity so I'm not disputing any of the author's claims. I don't know what happened and that's the main reason why I picked up this book in the first place. While I sympathize that the author had a connection to one of the victims and I admire her passion for her investigation, this was ultimately two separate books poorly rolled into one.
Though I'm not usually a fantasy reader, I occasionally find myself in the mood for a fantasy book. I stumbled across the Legends of Milana series and found the synopsis intriguing. I was particularly interested in the religious themes, so I gave it a go. I think I am more partial to fantasy series geared toward younger readers because I found myself much more absorbed in the universe than I typically am with this genre. That said, I also am not the target age group so it wasn't something that stuck with me as much as it might with other readers. It was exactly what I was looking for when I picked it up and I enjoyed my time with it. I plan on continuing the series next time I'm in the mood for a similar read.
I'm always curious to learn about different people, places, and periods in history that I have little to no knowledge of. In the case of The Talented Mrs. Mandelbaum, I went in with absolutely no foreknowledge. In general, I'm not super well-versed in the era of the 1800s. The book discusses the rags-to-riches life story of Frederika Mandelbaum. Starting out as a peddler, she ended up with ties to the underworld and ultimately became an entrepreneur. With 19th Century New York as a backdrop, the book offers not only a biography of Mrs. Mandelbaum, but also a look at the climate of the times. The book is rich with photographs which add to the atmosphere. While I found the topic interesting and I was taken with the setting, I didn't latch onto Fredericka. The book had a tendency to stray, so maybe that was a contributing factor for me even though I did find the side players interesting as well. The topics of the book were another reason I struggled to connect on a personal level. Overall, the research is solid and is presented well. A good read for history lovers! A huge thanks to Random House and NetGalley for inviting me to read a digital ARC of the book!
Truthfully, the cover of this book had me thinking this was going to be some kind of beach-read thriller (is there such a thing?). I wasn't sure what to expect but I'm almost always willing to give a thriller a try. I'm glad my first impression of the book was wrong! First Jessica, then Norah, then Alicia. These three girls were taken in at different times by someone whom they were told was a loving and caring foster mother. This is especially true for Jessica who, for a time, was the apple of Miss Fairchild's eye. Things begin to change when Miss Fairchild takes in two other girls, and later, some younger children. The three older girls forge a strong bond, knowing that getting through the day under Miss Fairchild's roof relies on teamwork. In the present-day timeline, Jessica, Norah, and Alicia are grown and have lives of their own. It's been years since they've seen Miss Fairchild. When a body is found under the house they grew up in, they must confront their pasts. Whether it's as witnesses or suspects, none of them are certain. I loved the foster sister relationships in this book. I love how much these girls/women looked out for one another. Though I was more invested in the past storyline, I was quite interested in the mystery in the modern setting as well. I found Miss Fairchild to be an intriguing antagonist right up to the end. Without getting into spoilers, I will admit that I was left a little perplexed by her motives aside from the obvious character traits she displays. Were the characters particularly memorable and unique? No. Did I enjoy the vibes? Absolutely. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator, Jessica Clarke, does a fantastic job delivering the story. A huge thanks to Macmillan and NetGalley for inviting me to read a free audio ARC of the book!
This book hadn't been on my radar but I have seen it around over the past few years. I picked it up when it was selected as a group read. I'm glad I got to go into it with an open mind. I came away with mixed emotions. Beginning in the early 1900s, we meet Sunja and her family living in Korea. She meets Hansu and envisions a future with him, especially once she discovers she's pregnant. Unbeknownst to her, he has a wife and children in Japan. Refusing to see him again, she accepts the offer of marriage from Isak, an ailing minister. Together they set off for Japan to live with Isak's brother and his wife with Isak adopting Noa and raising him as his own. Parts two and three follow the lineage of Sunja's family through to the 1980s. As I was reading the book's first part, I anticipated this being a five-star read. I was completely absorbed in the plot, characters, setting, history, writing... all of it. Part two started to lose me a little bit, especially reaching the second half of it. Part three was an absolute headache. I no longer had a grasp on the characters or the many plot lines the story now involved. So many of the monumental moments of the book, particularly in the second half, start, occur, and end in the span of one to three paragraphs — if that. Because of this, there's no chance to build a bond with a number of the characters or their situations. After a slower build in the beginning, all of a sudden switching to fast pacing and sporadic time jumps was dizzying. I cannot recall most of this second of the book as my reading was interrupted to go back and see if I missed something, only to realize a major plot point was dropped in a singular sentence with little to no explanation around it. I'm definitely walking away feeling disappointed after so much enjoyment in the beginning, but I'm glad I went along for the ride.
I'm feeling indifferent to this book. It wasn't bad, but I didn't find it particularly good, either. The premise is solid and promises a lot. Sadly, so much of it falls flat. Nelly is an heiress living in Chicago who is writing anonymous articles about the lives and perspectives of Black Americans. While she's content with her dreams of being a journalist, her family expects her to marry and produce children. She soon finds herself involved in a high-risk investigation. I found this book to be far too long for the plot. So many scenes dragged on. There are some nice quotes that I saved, however, I noticed more cliched phrases than I could count. I'm not usually too bothered by those in moderation but they became distracting here. Aside from this, the writing was good. Had I realized this was being marketed as a romance, I probably would have passed on it. Glancing at the Book of the Month summary, I assumed it would be a mystery. While there are some mysterious elements, I would use the term loosely. I really wanted to love the story. It's ultimately on me for not doing my research.
I was instantly taken in by the setting. This is probably one of the most perfect locations I've read in a thriller. I only wish I had been as taken in by the story and its presentation. Along with the synopsis, the opening pages hooked me. We meet Dr. Connie Woolwine as she's examining the body of a deceased woman who's had her newborn baby taken from her. Connie is determined to find the culprit, believing that there is a chance the baby is still alive. To do so, she must stay amongst the inmates at a high-security prison. First, I should say that a lot of what I didn't like about this book boils down to personal preference. I found this to be too gory for my liking with a lot of medical detail, blood, etc. Readers with a stronger stomach will enjoy this a lot more. I also struggled to click with any of the characters and struggled for a while to keep the supporting roles straight, especially with how dialogue-heavy the book becomes as it goes on. The high points for me surround, again, the setting of the book and the general atmosphere. I would have liked a little more time spent on descriptions even though the cover captures the vibe quite well. A huge thanks to Harper360 for sending me a free ARC of the book!
After such a lovely experience reading The Dictionary of Lost Words, I had high anticipation for this book. I sort of regret that now as I think I set it too high in the sense I was expecting to recreate my first experience with this author two years ago. I still enjoyed the essence of the book, it just hit differently this time. And that's okay. The story focuses on twin sisters Peggy and Maude, their careers as bookbinders, as well as WWI and the Spanish Flu epidemic. Each other the sisters have different personalities and are charming in their own right. Though not a sequel to The Dictionary of Lost Words, there are mentions of Esme and her book scattered throughout. Both books are and can be read as a standalone. I wish I knew what exactly, but something was lacking for me. It might just be me being in a different place, though I have seen some reviews that share my reaction. It didn't feel the characters were as fleshed out as they were in the first book and I wonder if that is in part because we have two protagonists as well as very present supporting characters. I still loved the writing and highlighted several lovely quotes, it was just overall a different experience than I'd expected. I will likely revisit this one at a later time.
Between the author and the synopsis of this book, I was super excited when I came across this book. The Old Hollywood feel jumps off the page early on in the book, granted, it highlights the darker side of show business. Mina Sinclaire ran away to Hollywood with a dream of saving her family's farm. Instead, she finds herself deep in poverty and making money any way she thinks she can despite the shame it brings her. Her only saving grace is her friendship with her agent, Max, and the hope that he will make her star despite a recent strain that's been put on their relationship. Things get worse for her when she finds herself in the vicinity of a murdered industry man. The lead-in is slow, and truthfully, I could only take Mina's voice in small doses. I found myself more invested in Oscar and Max's side of the story. The end of the book was worth the slower sections as the story has a beautiful theme of love and forgiveness. Particularly toward the end, there are some lovely quotes.