Meh. A girlfriend gave me this, telling me it was one of the funniest things she'd ever read. So I was disappointed to find that I just kinda...read tMeh. A girlfriend gave me this, telling me it was one of the funniest things she'd ever read. So I was disappointed to find that I just kinda...read these poems. They didn't resonate with me at all (I guess my marriage just isn't in a similar state?) except for the one about the husband clipping his nails when it's already time to leave. That one made me roll my eyes, because my husband SO DOES THAT! But the rest, well, I didn't find them funny, I couldn't relate to them, and I wasn't keen on the foul language. But, on the bright side, at least reading the book didn't take long. So there's that....more
The titular piece was fantastic, and there are a few other gems here, but I found this book to be, overall, very difficult to read. I don't mean it waThe titular piece was fantastic, and there are a few other gems here, but I found this book to be, overall, very difficult to read. I don't mean it was challenging to me because of the content, although some of it was (...and that's what I had been looking for...). No, it was physically difficult to read. The art was DEFINITELY not my preference, and the lettering was too small and awkwardly placed to be comfortable to my eyes. Maybe there's a statement here, but, really, I don't mind having my beliefs challenged, but my poor old eyes are what they are. lol In addition, some of the stories were just plain strange. Disappointing to have to say it, but this was just not my cup of tea....more
Powerful message? I suppose. But this sucker is WAY too depressing for me. Seriously not my cup of tea. Felt the same way about other things I've readPowerful message? I suppose. But this sucker is WAY too depressing for me. Seriously not my cup of tea. Felt the same way about other things I've read by Steinbeck, too. Just give me something with a happy ending...I don't care how unrealistic that is. I NEED IT! lol...more
This is clearly the continuation of Book #2, as it starts right where the cliffhanger of the previous volume leaves off. I found this book to be a litThis is clearly the continuation of Book #2, as it starts right where the cliffhanger of the previous volume leaves off. I found this book to be a little strange, and I can see why it had to be self-published. As n editor, I would have demanded serious rewrites. Still, it's worth the read, if only to see it concluded....more
This isn't Warm Bodies. I'll just say that right up front. It doesn't have the charm, and it certainly is NOT a YA novel. This one is all adult. I lovThis isn't Warm Bodies. I'll just say that right up front. It doesn't have the charm, and it certainly is NOT a YA novel. This one is all adult. I loved Warm Bodies, even though I am not a zombie fan at all. It was a great book. This one is okay, but it's a completely different story...about corruption and companies and dealing with evil on a corporate scale. I did like it, although there were elements I didn't care for, but I don't recommend it freely like I did with Warm Bodies....more
Massively thought-provoking novel, chilling, really, and excellent for all of those folks like me who love apocalyptic novels. No, it's not the best-wMassively thought-provoking novel, chilling, really, and excellent for all of those folks like me who love apocalyptic novels. No, it's not the best-written novel of all time, but if you're willing to look past the less-than-stellar writing and the stereotypical characters, there's a lot to recommend in this one.
I know people have given this book a lot of flack for the fact that chunks of the action happen behind the scenes. You see the battle starting and then it's over and you're dealing with the aftermath/recap. I wanted to bring this up, because for some people (like me...), this was actually a huge plus. let's be honest, I didn't want to watch all those people die. I wouldn't have been able to handle a blow-by-blow description of what happened. Honestly, as I was reading the book, I thought about how grateful I was that the author had granted me the mercy of not having to watch folks die. So while I understand why people may not have preferred the choice the author made here, I sure did.
As for how things could fall apart so fast...it really could happen. Maybe not the starvation issue (most of us could live for months off our own *ahem* personal reserves), but lack of water and medication and sanitation...yeah...that'll kill a society. And with most grocery stores relying on daily deliveries to keep shelves stocked, a massive disaster will mean that all you have to get through will be what you have at the start. And if it really does take a year to get more food in? Do YOU have a year's worth of food and water and medicine stored away? They used to tell us we should have 72 hours worth of supplies. But after seeing what happened in situations like Hurricane Katrina...my recent CERT class said you'd better have enough for a month. And that's assuming it's a local catastrophe. Nationwide? I'd say 6 months is a minimum. And if it's a worldwide disaster, help may never come, so you'd better be ready to live for a year on what you have and know how to grow and preserve food for the next fifteen-twenty years...
I did cry at this one. If you let yourself immerse in the world he creates, you probably will, too. And you'll be calling your family to make sure everyone has emergency plans in place...
Let me just say that this was another excellent book. I devoured it! While I found it to be less engaging than the first one, it was still wonderful. Let me just say that this was another excellent book. I devoured it! While I found it to be less engaging than the first one, it was still wonderful. The plot felt more predictable, and I think the racism element felt forced, but Parker's character development was gorgeous. I give the story a solid 4 stars. But then I made the mistake of reading the afterward. And I was disappointed. Because suddenly I'm being told that one of the strong female characters is transgender. Really? Because a woman can't be strong and brave and have a sexy shaved head and still be female? This bothered me. It wasn't supported by the text, and it felt like it was tossed in just to be PC. Personally, I think women should be allowed to be strong and brave and shave their heads and still be female. And since we, as women, are still fighting for that, this was a huge disappointment. Wasn't it enough to make men have relations with men? Guess not.
Content Advisory: not generally provided for adult titles, but there is some homosexuality and gender identity issues that may concern some readers. However, they are minor and easily skipped over. If this is of concern to you, I recommend skipping the afterward....more
I picked up this book when I was out visiting the author's farm. It was a fun outing. And the chocolate was tasty. I expected this book to be a story I picked up this book when I was out visiting the author's farm. It was a fun outing. And the chocolate was tasty. I expected this book to be a story of how the farm was created. Or something like that. Instead, I got a poorly written narrative (complete with errors any good editor should have fixed) about a bunch of animals who behave like humans in a totally unrealistic way. And the diversity message was a subtle as a military tank. Wanna smack me over the head with that some more? I get it already! The story is illogical, and jumps from place to place without reason. Really, it's horrible. I feel bad, because I do think the author cared greatly about this story, but it desperately needed an editor with a thick skin and a red pen to go through it. It's a short volume, but I took days to get through it. I just couldn't stomach more than a chapter or two (Luckily, all the chapters are only a few pages long...) at a sitting. Read three chapters of this, then reward myself with an entire novel, then come back to slog through a few more chapters here. *sigh* I don't know. Maybe it was just me. But I couldn't find anything to love about this one.
Content Advisory: none, unless you count bad writing......more
Holy cow this book was good! I was about 20 pages in when I looked up from the pages and said, "Wow! I'm going to like this book!" At around 150 pagesHoly cow this book was good! I was about 20 pages in when I looked up from the pages and said, "Wow! I'm going to like this book!" At around 150 pages in, I took another breath, looked up and said, "Wow! This book is great!!!" Then I disappeared into the pages until the end. The writing was excellent, and the story both compelling and believable. I absolutely could NOT put it down! Not only was it a powerful glimpse into the racism and sexism that was rampant at this time in history, but it provided a look at just how much the human race can achieve when we have a goal and work at it together. While I loved many elements of this book, I was especially thrilled to see a couple REALLY good examples of healthy and loving marital relationships. These are so very rare in literature today, and I am so grateful to the author for showing that marriages really CAN stay loving, committed, and passionate even after many years of marriage. It's so nice seeing a marriage like mine reflected in a novel! In addition, having a character deal with anxiety (especially back then when there was SUCH a stigma!) was a breath of fresh air. Yep. I thought this book was stellar. Pun intended. Highly recommended.
Content Advisory: not generally provided for adult titles, but I would have no concerns with this for most adult readers...more
Excellent adaptation of the original. The art here managed to add to the story, and the text was easy to read. It was relatively true to the original Excellent adaptation of the original. The art here managed to add to the story, and the text was easy to read. It was relatively true to the original and serves as an excellent introduction to the full novel. While nothing can truly match the full text, the illustrations here made the version, in some ways, even more powerful. It broke my heart. Highly recommended.
Content Advisory: murder, hatred, death...and everything you'd expect from Frankenstein...more
I found this book to be utterly charming. It's a magical tale, and while magical realism doesn't usually work for me, it was subtle enough here that iI found this book to be utterly charming. It's a magical tale, and while magical realism doesn't usually work for me, it was subtle enough here that it wasn't a stretch. Not a story for children, but, perhaps, for the child in all of us. It was interesting seeing the Nativity story and it's impacts on the world historically and geographically, and it made me want to create a story-based advent calendar myself. The kiddos would love it! While the ending is rather too ambiguous for my taste, I assume that was a compromise between those willing to accept magic and those who need cold, hard facts. Still, it was a happy ending, and so I'll be content with that.
Too. Many. Characters. And the ones I wanted to hear more from were barely in the book.
There was too much going on in too many places around the worlToo. Many. Characters. And the ones I wanted to hear more from were barely in the book.
There was too much going on in too many places around the world...I couldn't keep track, so I basically stopped caring. And I was SO SICK of chapters ending with "cliffhangers" that basically announced the characters were both clueless and doomed. Endings like... ...they had no way of knowing that before the day ended they'd all be dead... or ...Unknown to him, he wouldn't live to see another day... or ...he had no idea that everything would soon fall apart... Those aren't exact quotes (because I didn't care enough to look them up), but they might as well be. Really, it didn't make the book thrilling. It was annoying.
I gave this series a solid try, but I haven't enjoyed either one I read, so I'm done. Sorry. Guess this is what I get for taking book recommendations from customers......more
I feel bad rating this book so poorly, but it was appallingly boring. I mean, the book is 230 pages and maybe 50 of them involved something actually hI feel bad rating this book so poorly, but it was appallingly boring. I mean, the book is 230 pages and maybe 50 of them involved something actually happening. I wanted to quit reading more than once, and found myself struggling not to just skim to get through faster. I am glad I finished it, though, because there were a few real gems contained within. It's clearly a series, since there is absolutely NOTHING resolved at the end. While I'm not sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for the next one, I will probably read it if it ends up coming across my desk. If nothing else, I'd like to read more about Bette. She was the shining jewel character of the novel....more
After listening to library customers rave about Clive Cussler, I figured I should give it a try. I was told this was the best series, so I started herAfter listening to library customers rave about Clive Cussler, I figured I should give it a try. I was told this was the best series, so I started here. And I did like it...I guess. It's surprisingly tame, considering how many awful and immoral things happen. Nothing graphic at all, which was good for me. The story was fine, but there were just SO many characters. I couldn't keep track of them! And it didn't help that they all were in disguise half the time, so I couldn't even rely on physical descriptions to tell them apart. I'm going to give one more book in the series a try and see how it feels. I'll decide then if I wish to continue....more
Hmmm...I didn't like this version as much as the Kindle. Same story, of course, but the names was a little tougher to assimilate, and the print was hoHmmm...I didn't like this version as much as the Kindle. Same story, of course, but the names was a little tougher to assimilate, and the print was horrible. Guess translation really does make a difference! This one took me a lot longer to get through. Almost 18 hours! And with this being a second read-though, that's saying something. It's just really, REALLY hard to read. Like...difficult on the eyes. My advice if you're struggling to get through this one? Don't give up on the book, just get a different version....more
Read for Goodreads 2018 Summer Reading Challenge, Expert Level. One and Done: Read a book that you can finish in one day
This was a funny challenge for Read for Goodreads 2018 Summer Reading Challenge, Expert Level. One and Done: Read a book that you can finish in one day
This was a funny challenge for me, since every single book I read WAS finished in one day. I'm a fast reader. Always have been. So finishing a book in one day isn't a challenge at all. Half the time, I read whole TEXTBOOKS in one day when I was in school! So I decided to do something that was actually a challenge. I'd take a looooong book that I'd never read and see if I can do it in one day. 24 hours. Midnight to midnight. I picked War and Peace because, well, everyone talks about how long it is, and I'd never read it. Average read time, according to my Kindle, is just over 34 hours. I figured I could shave 10 hours off that, so I gave it a try. And you know what? I did it! Total read time? 15 hours and 42 minutes. Piece of cake.
So how was the book? Surprisingly, not very difficult to read. Yes, the names were a bit of a challenge (and does everyone have to have like four different names???), but the version I read, at least, made the story very accessible. And it was a good story, epic and sweeping, but, really, just about people living and dying. You know...life. I enjoyed the search for meaning that was evident among several characters in the text, and found myself cringing when people made bad choices. Not surprisingly, I did prefer the "peace" segments to the "war" ones...
It felt like watching a miniseries (or a soap opera minus much of the romance). SO many characters to keep track of! Still, I did like it and am disappointed that it took a challenge like this to get me to read it. Seriously. I need to stop listening to my own book prejudice and just read all those things I've been putting off! lol...more
This was a recommendation from a customer. She said the series was amazing and I just HAD to read it. Ugh. Why do I ever listen???
In all fairness, mayThis was a recommendation from a customer. She said the series was amazing and I just HAD to read it. Ugh. Why do I ever listen???
In all fairness, maybe I didn't like it because it's #14 in the series, but I don't actually think that was the problem. The fact is, I was painfully bored for the first 150 pages of the book. Seriously. Nothing. Happened. And I still have no idea why Anna was even IN the park. Her presence made no sense. She truly had no purpose at all in relation to the actual study, telling me she is only there because something horrid is going to happen. Which it FINALLY does. From there, the story did get better, but it was a little gory for my personal taste. And the language. Yikes! We're not talking about mild cursing here. We're talking seriously foul language.
Overall, it wasn't a horrible book, I guess, but I didn't enjoy it and I wouldn't read more by this author. Bummer, really, because it's refreshing to read about someone older than 25! lol...more
Read for Goodreads 2018 Summer Reading Challenge, Expert Level. It’s 12 o’clock Somewhere: Read a book that takes place in a bar or heavily features drRead for Goodreads 2018 Summer Reading Challenge, Expert Level. It’s 12 o’clock Somewhere: Read a book that takes place in a bar or heavily features drinking
Okay. So it wasn't technically a bar. It was a pub. A traditional Irish pub. Which I love a little, and if it were near me, I would so be visiting! Besides, they serve Irish Coffee. So...yum!!!
I liked the book well enough. It wasn't really anything special, but it was fun. I did like the familiar relationships between the siblings. The romance was weak and improbable, but I can live with that. Could have done without the sex scenes, though...
I thought the set-up for the mystery was odd, and the fact that she never came clean about it was frustrating. Really, the whole thing was a stretch. But, well, it was a quick, easy read, so it's fine. I don't regret reading it, but I don't think I'll read more from this author....more
I was incredibly surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. Not being a fan of Westerns, I expected to spend most of my time rolling my eyes and just I was incredibly surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. Not being a fan of Westerns, I expected to spend most of my time rolling my eyes and just waiting for it all to be over. But this book was different. First off, Mattie is a wonderful character. She's strong, independent, deeply moral (didn't expect all the political and religious commentary!), and not afraid to do what needs to be done. Really, you'd never guess she was only 14. Most adults I know couldn't handle things as well as she did.
What I found most fascinating, though, was the style of the writing. It was really rather...dry. I don't mean that in a bad way, though. it felt like a very practical, no-nonsense person writing a memoir...or giving a court statement. Factual and honest, not glossing over mistakes in judgment or lapses in memory. It was so different from books I normally read, filled with passion and color and emotion. Mattie just tells it like it is, and you can't help but cheer for her. Highly recommended....more
Read for Goodreads 2018 Summer Reading Challenge, Expert Level. The Future Is Bright: Read a book that takes place in the future
So...I'll just come rigRead for Goodreads 2018 Summer Reading Challenge, Expert Level. The Future Is Bright: Read a book that takes place in the future
So...I'll just come right out and say this. I'm decidedly NOT a feminist, and I AM a member of the religious right (not far right, but still...), so everything about this book was viewed from this lens. I think this is important, because it shows that even someone with highly conservative leanings can still be appalled and disgusted at the treatment of women in this book. Seriously...what the heck? I mean...they're killing Baptists and Quakers for being too liberal? Something is so very, very wrong here. And men behaving that way...shameful. Stick up for your female sisters, guys, or you're going to hate the world you live in! Because we're all in this together, and if we don't look out for each other, the world is going to rip away all we hold dear!
My rating here is not based of feminism or lack thereof, and it certainly isn't about religion. I didn't like the book because I didn't like the ending. I know it's supposed to feel like an actual found account (and I LOVED the "Historical Notes" section at the end!), but I hate books without endings. Seriously. I got all attached to these people, and I don't get to know what happened to ANY of them??? It's a testimony to how much I liked the rest of this book that it got two stars. Usually books that leave me hanging like this get only one. So that's something.
Oddly, the book left me annoyed, but not haunted. Books like this that are set in the near future and are this horrible usually make me worried. But this felt too...sudden. Like the world just suddenly went crazy and nobody even tried to fight it. I suppose it's possible, but I couldn't buy it. Americans may have plenty of faults, but refusing to stand up and fight is NOT one of them.
Overall, I didn't hate the book, but it didn't do much for me, either....more