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Books You’re on the Fence About - 2024
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Jonetta
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Jan 01, 2024 04:46AM
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Somebody to Love - April Wilson - (Illinois)
Genera: M/M Romance/Mystery & Suspense
3.5�
Review: /review/show...
Happy New Year, everyone!Ended 2023 with two mixed historical fiction reads.
1. Dinner with Churchill by Robin Hawdon
A great book in the first half, but went on a downwards spiral in the second half. The postscript killed it entirely. But the Churchill-related historical research is excellent.
/review/show...
2. The Leftover Woman by Jean Kwok
Might have worked better for me had it not been marketed as a mystery-thriller and had the plotting been tighter.
/review/show...
The Vaster Wilds
was beautifully written, but a little too woowoo for me. My three star review:/review/show...
Great Expectations � Charles Dickens � 3.5***
Decades ago, I read a children’s classic abridged version; I’ve also seen at least one of the film adaptations; I figured it was time to get to the original. It’s typical Dickens in that there are many characters and many hidden relationships between them, which will eventually be revealed and explain the seemingly “random� encounters. I enjoyed watching Pip mature from a child to a young man, and I loved his brother-in-law Joe Gargery. On the other hand, I thought Dickens gave too little attention to the women. Miss Havisham and Estella would be ideal main characters but were relegated to supporting roles.
LINK to my full review
The Case of the Missing Servant � Tarquin Hall � 3.5***
This debut novel was just delightful! Puri is a marvelous character, and I want to follow the series just to get to know him better. But the supporting cast is also wonderful. As Puri and his team travel from the swanky Gymkhana Club to the slums of Dehli, and from a desert oasis to a distant mine, the reader gets a view of modern-day India that is colorfully vivid. I’ll definitely read more from this author.
LINK to my full review
Somebody To Hold - April Wilson - (Illinois)
Tyler Jamison series Book #2
Narrators: Jack Dupont, J. F. Harding
Genera: M/M Romance/Police procedural
3�
Review:/review/show...
Domestic Violets
is Matthew Norman’s first book and he definitely improved with time. My three star review:/review/show...
Mod
my review
Here is my 3.09 rounded to 3 stars review of When Grumpy Met Sunshine
by Charlotte Stein:/review/show...
Romantic Comedy
Overall, this was a story that quickly drew me into Alfie and Mabel’s world and their journey together. It was an engaging and cute read with plenty of witty banter. The characterization was excellent and the descriptions gave readers an appreciation for their living conditions. However, at 60%, the book went steamy and spicy without advancing the story line much until the last 10%.
The Queen Of the Tambourine � Jane Gardam � 3***
This slim novel is written in epistolary style, as Eliza Peabody writes letters to her former neighbor. The novel won Britain’s Whitebread Award for Best Novel of the Year in 1991, but it missed the mark for me. I liked it but didn’t love it.
LINK to my full review
Royal Flush � Rhys Bowen � 3***
Book number three in Bowen’s “Royal Spyness� series of cozy mysteries, starring Lady Georgiana Rannoch, thirty-fourth in line to the throne. I like this cozy series. Georgie and her best friend Belinda are quite the pair. And I like the historical background that Bowen weaves into her plots as well.
LINK to my full review
Randall and Hudson - M.A. Innes
Beautiful Shame series Book #2
Genera: M/M Romance/ Consensual Humiliation /BDSM D/s
3�
Review: /review/show...
I struggled with There, There and I just had the same reaction to Wandering Stars
. My three star review:/review/show...
All the Ways We Lied by Aida Zilelian
Loved the Armenian and the dysfunctional family bits, but the final section messes up the whole experience.
/review/show...
The Stolen Lady � Laura Morelli � 3.5***
A work of historical fiction with a dual timeline � 1939 in France as the Germans are invading; and 1479 in Florence, when Leonardo da Vinci is commissioned to paint a portrait of Lisa Gherandini. In both cases one woman takes it upon herself to ensure that the portrait remains hidden away in order to protect it. Between the two storylines, I clearly preferred the World War II one. I wasn’t sure that this novel needed the 15th century story line. I really appreciated the extensive author notes / interviews and historic photos of the Louvre staff moving these treasures.
LINK to my full review
The Writing Retreat - Julia Bartz - (New York)
Genera: Mystery & Suspense/Thriller
3.5�
Review:/review/show...
The Sandalwood Tree � Elle Newmark � 3.5***
A good historical fiction tale framed by the British leaving India as that country gained its independence. Newmark captivated me with this dual story line of relationships and the difficulties two people might have as a result of different cultural backgrounds, family expectations, and emotional trauma suffered by one or both of the parties.
LINK to my full review
Dark Divide & Badlands Witch - Carrie Vaughn - (Nevada)
Cormac and Amanda's story
Genera: Mystery/Paranormal
3�
Review:/review/show...
Requiem for a Mezzo � Carola Dunn � 3***
Book number three in this delightful cozy mystery series set in 1920s England. Daisy may be “to the manor born,� but she is fiercely independent. She’s also observant, intelligent and an astute judge of character. There are plenty of suspects including other performers, jealous lovers, a long-suffering sister, and a possible anarchist. It’s a fast read with a satisfying resolution. I’ll keep on with this series.
LINK to my full review
The Revenant by Michael Punke was weird...like the novel is alright in a vacuum, but just felt off (not good nor bad) for me.
Here's my non-spoiler review:
/review/show...
Heaven by Mieko Kawakami is not something for sensitive readers.
Here's my non-spoiler review:
/review/show...
Here is my 2.98 rounded to 3 stars review of January Fifteenth
by Rachel Swirsky:/review/show...
Near future
Universal Basic Income
Switches points of view between four characters
Takes place in one day
Great premise, but didn't deliver everything I expected.
There wasn't a resolution / conclusion to the stories.
Thought-Provoking.
Midnight Howl � Clare Hutton � 3.5***
This is the fifth entry in the Poison Apple series of middle-school books dealing with various paranormal phenomena. Each book can easily be read as a stand-alone work, however. I’m not a great fan of paranormal genre, but this one is light on the paranormal and focuses more on the relationships between the kids. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the story. At its core, this is a story of friendship, loyalty and compassion.
LINK to my full review
Red Berries, White Clouds, Blue Sky � Sandra Dallas � 3.5***
In this novel, suitable for middle-school children, Dallas focuses on one Japanese-American family and their experiences inside the WW2-era internment camp near Ellis, Colorado. Dallas deals well with this episode of USA’s history. She shows how ill-equipped the camps were for the influx of residents, and details the efforts made by the Japanese-Americans to improve the conditions, and form their own governing groups within the camps. I liked how she showed the different attitudes and coping mechanisms that people employed.
LINK to my full review
Mod
my review
Here is my 3.28 rounded to 3 stars review of Radiant Heat
by Sarah-Jane Collins:/review/show...
Atmospheric Mystery
Lake Bend, Victoria, Australia
Annoying Main Character
Great World-building
Flashbacks adversely affected the pacing for me despite their importance to the story line. There was little to no warning of the time changes and this became disconcerting at times.
Overall, this engrossing, dark, intense, and unsettling thriller has good characterization, even with a main character that wasn’t extremely likeable, and great world-building while pulling on the heart strings.
All The Little Raindrops - Mia Sheridan
Genera: Mystery & Suspense/Dark Thriller
3.5�
Review: /review/show...
I finished
In the Shadow of the Glacier by Vicki Delany.My review: /review/show...
And I listened to
Gulf Coast Reunion by Maggie Miller.My review: /review/show...
The Lifeboat � Charlotte Rogan � 3.5***
In the summer of 1914, newly married Grace Winter and her husband Henry, set sail from London back to America. But after an explosion aboard ship, Grace is hurried aboard a lifeboat that is over capacity. As days go by with no sign of rescue it becomes clear that not all (if any) will survive. Grace is not a completely reliable narrator. There are times when I felt Grace was a weak woman content to let the wind blow her where it will. And other times when I felt she was manipulative and scheming. But then again, we have only Grace’s word for what happened.
Old Bones � Douglas Preston & Lincoln Childs � 3***
First book of the Nora Kelly series. An expedition to find the “Lost Camp� of the infamous Donner Party goes awry quickly. The body count rises as a major spring storm threatens to strand the expedition members. Preston and Childs are great thriller writers. They keep the reader turning pages with short sentences and chapters. I really liked Nora and will read more of this series.
LINK to my full review
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