Sheila The Reader's Updates en-US Mon, 09 Jun 2025 04:03:58 -0700 60 Sheila The Reader's Updates 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg GiveawayRequest721590102 Mon, 09 Jun 2025 04:03:58 -0700 <![CDATA[<a href="/user/show/90133049-sheila-the-reader">Sheila The Reader</a> entered a giveaway]]> /giveaway/show/414183-before-we-were-innocent Before We Were Innocent by Ella Berman
100 copies available, ends on July 01, 2025
Enter to win ]]> GiveawayRequest721589666 Mon, 09 Jun 2025 04:03:11 -0700 <![CDATA[<a href="/user/show/90133049-sheila-the-reader">Sheila The Reader</a> entered a giveaway]]> /giveaway/show/409774-everything-we-never-knew Everything We Never Knew by Julianne Hough
10 copies available, ends on June 09, 2025
Enter to win ]]> Rating865926949 Mon, 09 Jun 2025 04:01:33 -0700 <![CDATA[Sheila The Reader liked a review]]> /
Sheila The Reader liked MsHeather's review of The Crash:
The Crash by Freida McFadden
"Uhh...too expository..too inner-monologue. But not even authentic, because no one fills in the listener on the past via inner-monologue. It's been awhile since I've read a Freida..are they all like this? It was just too much."
]]> ReadStatus9525246974 Sun, 08 Jun 2025 19:31:32 -0700 <![CDATA[Sheila The Reader started reading 'Home of the American Circus']]> /review/show/7531214121 Home of the American Circus by Allison Larkin Sheila The Reader started reading Home of the American Circus by Allison Larkin
]]> Review7244102921 Sun, 08 Jun 2025 19:28:24 -0700 <![CDATA[Sheila The Reader added 'The Favorites']]> /review/show/7244102921 The Favorites by Layne Fargo Sheila The Reader gave 4 stars to The Favorites (Hardcover) by Layne Fargo
What an absolutely good, rollicking time this was! I listened to The Favorites on audio and I cannot recommend the experience enough. Full cast narration always gets bonus points from me, and this one really delivered. It felt like I was dropped right into an authentic late 90s/early 2000s figure skating drama that I didn’t even realize I missed until now.

The plot follows a documentary crew digging into the scandal surrounding two rival figure skaters from decades earlier. As secrets start to surface, so do the egos, ambition, and all the delicious chaos you could hope for in a story like this.

This book is pure entertainment. It’s messy, dramatic, gossipy, and so addictive. One of those audiobooks that takes over your day� you find yourself walking the dog twice, scrubbing the porch, pulling weeds, anything just to keep listening.

I have to say, I loved Katarina. Maybe we weren’t supposed to, but I admired how she stayed so true to herself and her goals. She may not have always made the best choices, but they were hers and I respected that. The whole cast of characters was a mix of love-to-hate and hate-to-love, and that’s part of what made it so fun. You want to shake them, but you also get them.

This isn’t the kind of book that moves you to your core, and it’s not trying to be. It’s a romp. A juicy, chaotic, soap-opera of a story, and it completely worked for me. Highly recommend for when you want something dramatic, bingeable, and wildly entertaining. ]]> ReadStatus9522162085 Sun, 08 Jun 2025 04:28:41 -0700 <![CDATA[Sheila The Reader wants to read 'We Are All Guilty Here']]> /review/show/7637112842 We Are All Guilty Here by Karin Slaughter Sheila The Reader wants to read We Are All Guilty Here by Karin Slaughter
]]> ReadStatus9522150825 Sun, 08 Jun 2025 04:23:30 -0700 <![CDATA[Sheila The Reader wants to read 'Never Flinch']]> /review/show/7637105490 Never Flinch by Stephen King Sheila The Reader wants to read Never Flinch by Stephen King
]]> ReadStatus9520533671 Sat, 07 Jun 2025 16:22:41 -0700 <![CDATA[Sheila The Reader started reading 'The Favorites']]> /review/show/7244102921 The Favorites by Layne Fargo Sheila The Reader started reading The Favorites by Layne Fargo
]]> Review7627133862 Sat, 07 Jun 2025 14:34:10 -0700 <![CDATA[Sheila The Reader added 'Lone Dog Road: A Novel']]> /review/show/7627133862 Lone Dog Road by Kent Nerburn Sheila The Reader gave 4 stars to Lone Dog Road: A Novel (Paperback) by Kent Nerburn
Two young Lakota brothers, just eleven and six years old, flee across the Dakota plains under the cover of night, escaping a government agent determined to take them to an Indian boarding school. What begins as a chase becomes a moving, character-rich journey as the boys travel toward the pipestone quarries of Minnesota, seeking to replace their great-grandfather’s sacred pipe that was broken in an act of cruelty.

I listened to this story on audio after hearing great things, and it truly is an epic. Sweeping and poignant, it's filled with vivid landscapes, complex characters, and a powerful message about loss, survival, and cultural resilience. Some parts were heartbreaking, especially as it reminded me once again of how much was taken from Native peoples in the name of assimilation and control.

The boys' bravery stood out, especially the youngest, Ruben, whose unique way of seeing the world was so gently and respectfully portrayed. It was clear to me he is somewhere on the spectrum, and I appreciated how his personality was treated with dignity and love by both the characters around him and the author himself.

The cast of characters the boys meet adds real richness to the journey, each one leaving their mark on the story in a meaningful way. That said, I think I would have enjoyed this more as a physical read rather than an audiobook. The full-cast narration had its strengths, but over such a long story, it became a bit tiring. After the boys were returned home, the momentum dipped, and I felt that shift more keenly in audio form. Some of the performances also lacked the emotional depth that the story itself was full of, which created a bit of a mismatch.

Still, I’m grateful to have experienced this one, and I’d recommend it, especially in print. Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the gifted audiobook in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.
]]> ReadStatus9519303484 Sat, 07 Jun 2025 09:50:43 -0700 <![CDATA[Sheila The Reader wants to read 'Smoke on the Wind']]> /review/show/7635147953 Smoke on the Wind by Kelli Estes Sheila The Reader wants to read Smoke on the Wind by Kelli Estes
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