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1250860024
| 9781250860026
| 1250860024
| 3.46
| 16,804
| Aug 08, 2023
| Aug 08, 2023
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it was amazing
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Holy Metafiction Batman! [image] Let me start out by saying, the synopsis doesn’t really tell convey what the story is about, yet it serves a purpose Holy Metafiction Batman! [image] Let me start out by saying, the synopsis doesn’t really tell convey what the story is about, yet it serves a purpose for a different reason. I enjoy Catriona Ward’s writing style, but sometimes it can be a little bleak. Despite that, I ended up really enjoying the story even if it got confusing at times. [image] Looking Glass Sound is heavy on the twists with reveal after reveal. The story kept me guessing at every turn. Because of the nature of the story, I can’t really give a synopsis without spoiling certain aspects of the book. I can tell you though that characters and the supporting cast are explored well where it was hard to dislike most of the characters since they were complex and fleshed out (except for Mr. Cufflinks whose demise was on my wish list). [image] The book is split into four different parts where each could be its own novella. Thankfully, the story did not keep jumping between timelines which is always an added bonus for me unless it is done superbly well. Around the half way mark is when the story started to get convoluted and pulled me out of the story because it got too bleak. This was done for a reason though, and the fourth part was great because of the build up from the third part of the book. [image] I want to put so much more in the review, but even a basic summary would approach spoiler territory so easily. The story gets quite confusing, but if you stick with the story until the end, it should clear itself up and make a great read. I find myself looking forward to each new release by Catriona Ward because even if the story isn’t pulling me in(which they have so far), I know that the twists will. [image] Find this book and other titles within our catalog. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Dec 27, 2023
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Dec 27, 2023
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Dec 27, 2023
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Hardcover
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0593539583
| 9780593539583
| 0593539583
| 3.58
| 12,867
| Apr 25, 2023
| Apr 25, 2023
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really liked it
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A plethora of books lie across the top of a shelf just waiting to be read. What do I do? I go and put another hold or two on more books to join my to-
A plethora of books lie across the top of a shelf just waiting to be read. What do I do? I go and put another hold or two on more books to join my to-read shelf. I’m not going to lie; the cover and the premise enticed me too much for me to just ignore. I ended up enjoying Ascension even if it was a little different from what I thought it would be. [image] I feel like I should also add that the book is constantly shelved as mystery at bookstores, but it really shouldn’t be. This book read like a horror/sci-fi novel with all the tropes it uses. [image] Ascension felt like a cross between The Anomaly by Michael Rutger and the movie Prometheus. (view spoiler)[ I would even say it is similar to a certain Indiana Jones film that is least liked by viewers. (hide spoiler)] I am a sucker for these types of books with an interesting sci-fi and horror premise while sporting actual applications of various scientific fields. [image] The book was a fun ride where I didn’t take it too seriously (like watching a cheesy horror film). The overarching mystery kept drawing me in, and watching our main character face long buried feelings and trauma was an added bonus. [image] Major twists are guessable with hints laid out through the book. (view spoiler)[ The only thing I was really surprised by was the final action a certain mountain climber took. (hide spoiler)] I enjoyed how the theoretical physics, biology and other fields covered was dumbed down enough for the average reader to understand. I also like the implications of the mountain in a historical and mythological context. [image] I would have liked for more information on the (view spoiler)[ Leviathans (hide spoiler)] ... native life. The downside of the page count being lower is that certain things aren’t explored as in depth as they could be including character development. On the other side, the lower page count made it a fun and brief read where pages could have made it cluttered instead of insightful. [image] Ascension is a book that I would recommend to horror, sci fi fans, or fans who like weird speculative fiction. Find this book and other titles within our catalog. ...more |
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1
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Sep 06, 2023
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Sep 06, 2023
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Sep 06, 2023
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Hardcover
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0593201264
| 9780593201268
| 0593201264
| 3.65
| 149,527
| Jan 17, 2023
| Jan 17, 2023
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it was amazing
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As a fan of horror books, I always get recommended Grady Hendrix. My first foray into his catalog was The Final Girl Support Group. To be honest, I di
As a fan of horror books, I always get recommended Grady Hendrix. My first foray into his catalog was The Final Girl Support Group. To be honest, I didn’t enjoy that book that much which ended up being my fault for the most part. I was a bit wary to start this book, but I am glad I did. How To Sell a Haunted House had all the things I like in a haunted house story, and I could not put it down. [image] The prose appealed to me, and I enjoyed how the title of each part of the book signaled a different stage of grief. The book had broad reveals and an engaging plot. There were a couple of red herrings mixed in too. There were times when it felt like the story was about to resolve itself until I realized I had a lot more pages left to go. I usually write a synopsis in my reviews, though with this book, I feel like it would give quite a lot of the fun away. It’s essentially a grieving family having to deal with each other and the fallout when the Will is revealed in a house full of dolls and puppets which may or may not be haunted (they are). Since I won’t reveal too much, the only thing I have to say is Kakawewe! [image] One of the biggest things I enjoyed about this book is the family dynamic. I loved the characters and their interactions because it felt real. The supporting cast was also great. I loved how it kept slowly unraveling the relationships between all of the characters, and how it was revealed that Louise wasn’t really a reliable narrator. [image] How To Sell a Haunted House has all of the horror elements that make a good horror story with a realistic family dynamic. Admittedly, the family tree is a bit off, but that is what makes it so interesting. There really were no downsides to this book for me. I feel that anyone who is a fan of the horror genre would enjoy this book unless you don’t like stories about creepy dolls. [image] Find this book and other titles within our catalog. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jun 28, 2023
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Jun 28, 2023
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Jun 28, 2023
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Hardcover
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1639101705
| 9781639101702
| 1639101705
| 3.87
| 5,998
| Jan 10, 2023
| Jan 10, 2023
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really liked it
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The Nightmare Man is not a book for the faint of heart. It is a fast-paced horror mystery novel with a pace that had me gripping the edge of my seat w
The Nightmare Man is not a book for the faint of heart. It is a fast-paced horror mystery novel with a pace that had me gripping the edge of my seat with everything coming at me at once. What really stressed me out though was the character of Mills. The poor man had so many conflicting conditions in his old age that revolved around sleep. He had insomnia, narcolepsy, and sleep paralysis which honestly is the real horror of the book. [image] I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. The story would go in different directions that kept changing up the book where there was never a dull moment. The Nightmare Man had twists and turns that were surprisingly unsurprising at times. [image] The characters were interesting, and I enjoyed the relationships between all of the characters too. I don’t like it when characters hold secrets from each other and the reader throughout a novel. This story had our characters leave certain things vague on purpose. Some of that was because the chapter would end on a cliffhanger. That of course, sucked me into reading the next chapter. The biggest surprise for me was how quickly some characters would get around to believing farfetched things that other characters experienced. [image] I would normally try to give a summary of the story, but I feel like it would give too much away. My bare bones summary is that an author’s books come to life in a small town. Except it’s not just the graphic killings in his book, but other weird mysteries and crimes that have haunted a town for years. Strap in because the ending comes at you in a rush while leaving room to write a sequel. The book played out like a horror movie with its pacing, and I actually think this book would work almost better as a movie. [image] Overall, I enjoyed the book and the mysteries it threw at me. The fast pace was nice, but it can be a bit much as well. I would recommend this book for horror fans rather than mystery fans unless you like dark mystery tinged with the supernatural as well. I am definitely looking forward to other books coming under this pseudonym by the author. [image] Find this book and other titles within our catalog. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jun 19, 2023
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Jun 19, 2023
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Jun 19, 2023
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Hardcover
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1250829798
| 9781250829795
| 1250829798
| 3.67
| 58,716
| Mar 28, 2023
| Mar 28, 2023
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it was amazing
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A House With Good Bones by T. Kingfisher was a good book that I thoroughly enjoyed. She is an author that consistency puts out horror books that I can
A House With Good Bones by T. Kingfisher was a good book that I thoroughly enjoyed. She is an author that consistency puts out horror books that I can devour and enjoy. This was a fun shorter novel that really didn’t have a downside for me. I enjoyed all the characters and the mother of our protagonist was a saint. [image] Kingfisher is great at bringing out the creepy imagery and atmosphere. She does so here as well. The setting though was more simple and easier to picture compared to her other novels (at least for me). Our main character, Sam, stays at her mother’s home after complications with a dig were uncovered. She discovers her mother acting weirdly just as her brother warned her about. To get to the bottom of this mystery, Sam will be forced to interact with a colorful group of neighbors in a rural suburban community. [image] I felt like the characters were fleshed out well and experienced more development compared to characters in her other novels. The story was easy to follow, and I kept wanting to read the next page without stopping. The pacing was nice with a supporting cast of characters that enhanced the story. I also got to learn a plethora of insect and vulture facts. [image] Overall, I enjoyed this the book way more than I expected to. Nothing really surprised me, but I didn’t care at all because I had an enjoyable time reading it. I would recommend this story to horror fans regardless of whether you are a hardcore fan of the genre or you have a mild interest in in it. [image] Find this book and other titles within our catalog. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jun 07, 2023
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Jun 07, 2023
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Jun 07, 2023
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Hardcover
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1250830753
| 9781250830753
| 1250830753
| 3.86
| 119,534
| Jul 12, 2022
| Jul 12, 2022
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really liked it
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What Moves the Dead is an exciting retelling of Edgar Allen Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher. I must confess though that I didn’t read the origina What Moves the Dead is an exciting retelling of Edgar Allen Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher. I must confess though that I didn’t read the original. I then decided to read the original right before this book since it was short. It might have ruined some key events for me, but it also created an interesting dynamic of being able to compare the two of them them. [image] (No, not that Usher!) I won’t bore you with a summary of the synopsis. Instead, I will bore you with some of the major differences between this book and the original. For one, the narrator is not a stand in for the reader anymore. The main character has a full background and personality which was needed considering the page count increased by five times the original. Background characters received names and became fleshed out. The story also did away with the paranormal in favor of a more biological explanation. Kingfisher built on Poe’s fascination with fungus from the original story and developed it into something of her own. [image] I must confess that I was worried at first that the story would be just like the original, since the siblings had the same names as the original, but my fears were dismissed right away. The story kept the sense of gloom and doom that Poe had in the original, but it was used in a different way. The author uses colorful and descriptive language to describe things such as the fauna that elevated the creepiness factor. I actually felt like this adaption was creepier especially with the rabbits and the hair of some characters. Kingfisher described a character’s smile that I pictured as spine-chilling due to having just watched the movie Smile. [image] There wasn’t really anything surprising about the story (I mean reading the original already gave the general plot). The most surprising thing about this novel is at how in-depth the author researched fungi. It was easy to see how the author used fungus, since Poe described them in depth in his original short story. I enjoyed this adaption and how it was developed, so I am looking forward to Mike Flanagan’s upcoming take on The Fall of the House of Usher to see if he has his own spin on the story. [image] I ended up enjoying this adaption and all the changes that came with it. I like the changes to the characters, and I was glad that the almost twin, incestuous relationship was thrown out even if it lost the symbolism from the original. This is a nice short read that I would recommend to horror enthusiasts or even people who enjoy a darker side of normal fiction. I continue to enjoy T. Kingfisher’s horror books and look forward to her ever-increasing catalog! [image] Find this book and other titles within our catalog. [image] Merged review: What Moves the Dead is an exciting retelling of Edgar Allen Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher. I must confess though that I didn’t read the original. I then decided to read the original right before this book since it was short. It might have ruined some key events for me, but it also created an interesting dynamic of being able to compare the two of them them. [image] (No, not that Usher!) I won’t bore you with a summary of the synopsis. Instead, I will bore you with some of the major differences between this book and the original. For one, the narrator is not a stand in for the reader anymore. The main character has a full background and personality which was needed considering the page count increased by five times the original. Background characters received names and became fleshed out. The story also did away with the paranormal in favor of a more biological explanation. Kingfisher built on Poe’s fascination with fungus from the original story and developed it into something of her own. [image] I must confess that I was worried at first that the story would be just like the original, since the siblings had the same names as the original, but my fears were dismissed right away. The story kept the sense of gloom and doom that Poe had in the original, but it was used in a different way. The author uses colorful and descriptive language to describe things such as the fauna that elevated the creepiness factor. I actually felt like this adaption was creepier especially with the rabbits and the hair of some characters. Kingfisher described a character’s smile that I pictured as spine-chilling due to having just watched the movie Smile. [image] There wasn’t really anything surprising about the story (I mean reading the original already gave the general plot). The most surprising thing about this novel is at how in-depth the author researched fungi. It was easy to see how the author used fungus, since Poe described them in depth in his original short story. I enjoyed this adaption and how it was developed, so I am looking forward to Mike Flanagan’s upcoming take on The Fall of the House of Usher to see if he has his own spin on the story. [image] I ended up enjoying this adaption and all the changes that came with it. I like the changes to the characters, and I was glad that the almost twin, incestuous relationship was thrown out even if it lost the symbolism from the original. This is a nice short read that I would recommend to horror enthusiasts or even people who enjoy a darker side of normal fiction. I continue to enjoy T. Kingfisher’s horror books and look forward to her ever-increasing catalog! [image] Find this book and other titles within our catalog. [image] ...more |
Notes are private!
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2
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Dec 09, 2022
not set
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Dec 09, 2022
not set
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May 03, 2023
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Hardcover
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125075786X
| 9781250757869
| 125075786X
| 3.44
| 14,483
| Feb 28, 2023
| Feb 28, 2023
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liked it
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After enjoying Alex North’s previous two books, I was excited to get started on this one. For some reason, there wasn’t as much hype surrounding this
After enjoying Alex North’s previous two books, I was excited to get started on this one. For some reason, there wasn’t as much hype surrounding this book’s release like the author’s other two books even with its interesting premise. My verdict on this book is that I wanted to like it more than I did because I think Alex North tried too hard to top his other books. [image] I like how short and easy it is to read just as with the author’s previous works. On the other hand, I felt that there were too many POVs jumping around in different timelines as well. The plot became too convoluted since it wasn’t linear. The book felt rushed in wrapping certain while other things really weren’t properly wrapped up. [image] Normally, I am all for twists as I really enjoy them. It seemed like the author tried to be too smart with the twist, philosophy (think Laplace’s demon), and story. I didn't get surprised by anything unlike his last book because of that. I enjoy the author’s flirtation of supernatural elements in his previous mystery books, but the use of the supernatural was too blatant in this one for me. The overuse of it took away from the story. [image] I just did not connect with many of the characters. Katie started out as a solid character for me, but there were instances where she acted out of character which dialed back my fondness of her. I felt bad for Chris but could not connect with him without there being more chapters dedicated to his pov. Other characters felt generic, but I guess my two favorite characters were Siena and Pettifer. The thing I enjoyed the most about the characters was the relationship between them and how it developed (Mother-daughter and siblings especially). (view spoiler)[ I did not enjoy the pov of a certain 2nd generation angel maker because he was a psychotic zealot with tunnel vision. That’s the downfall of having a pov of a psychopath since it's hard to develop them as characters. (hide spoiler)] [image] Motivations for certain characters actions also weren’t properly explained. (view spoiler)[ For one, why was Michael fixated on Siena instead of Katie or Chris since Siena isn’t an anomaly. Who killed Alan? It could have been the goon that Edward dispatched, but Edward seemed like he would have reacted to it in a different way and addressed it in his inner monologue. Speaking of Edward, why wasn’t the topic of his Angels addressed? He supposedly had a lot (number never really addressed), and yet it seemed like there was no investigation following those disappearances. There were other things glossed over too. My biggest gripe was with the father of Edward and Alan. The book made it seem that the nutjob serial kill was in fact some prophet with supernatural abilities. He was straight up despicable, yet the events of the book seemed to confirm he was right since it never addressed the reason for why the book had power in the first place. (hide spoiler)] [image] Overall, I ended up liking the book, but I didn’t love it. It felt like Alex North tried to do too much with story and it backfired and wasn't as engaging as his other books since the story bogged it down. That being said, if you enjoyed his previous works such as the The Whisper Man you probably will at the very least enjoy it. [image] Find this book and other titles within our catalog. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Apr 20, 2023
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Apr 20, 2023
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Apr 20, 2023
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Hardcover
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075955708X
| 9780759557086
| 075955708X
| 3.88
| 1,520
| Apr 05, 2022
| Apr 05, 2022
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really liked it
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The Bladed Faith was a book I was looking forward to reading after having previously read other works by the author. Anticipation for this release was The Bladed Faith was a book I was looking forward to reading after having previously read other works by the author. Anticipation for this release was built up due to how well received the author’s previous trilogy was. This book consistently showed up in the recommendations of other books I enjoyed, so I just knew I had to get my hands on it. [image] Our novel starts with a vivid and tense scene that dashes the hopes of our young prince, Cyrus, whose kingdom burns down around him. An invading empire destroyed everything he loves and put to death the gods of the small island nation like they have to numerous nations before. Cyrus must break his own shackles before he can contest the iron grip of the empire. Cue the arduous training montage. [image] Cyrus joins Thorda and his daughters, Stasia and Mari, and the rebellion they are spearheading against the super soldiers of the empire that has crushed many of Thorda’s rebellions before. The empire has never known defeat, and not only do they subjugate conquered nations, but they trample their religion and kill their gods. Will Cyrus become a symbol of vengeance and hope for his people or will he be used and trampled on in another of Thorda’s failed revolutions? He has to determine if he is truly willing to lose it all to get his revenge. [image] The book featured a vast array of characters where the POV chapters conveyed a unique voice for each character. Even though some characters felt like tropes, they were still interesting to read even if a few started to become generic. The diverse cast had diverse pasts as well that were enjoyable to read, with some that would make for interesting spinoffs. I enjoyed how well combat scenes were written, and I liked how training for our main character wasn’t a simple time skip of a few months. The author took time and made our protagonist human even though he had to contend against god-slaying super humans. [image] There was a lot of things to like about this book as I think it is the author’s best work to date. The start of the book was fantastic, but it started to meander in the middle before finally taking off again with a strong ending. The premise and plot aren’t the most unique, but the afterword of the book gives a better understanding on how the book was written and explains why it wasn’t meant to be unique in the first place. There were some unnecessary POVs in the novel that didn't really contribute to the story, but it was nice getting into the mindset of some supporting characters. I wasn’t really a fan of the main character’s romance (which came out of left field). I thought Stasia’s romance plot was more interesting. Certain scenes felt out of place compared to the pacing of the novel such as the parties or even just celebrating with the group. [image] The opening scene of the book was poignant and set up the novel well. I was satisfied with the ending and felt like it set up the next book too. The novel did include some surprise twists, though the only one that was surprising was the history of the island nation. I enjoyed reading the afterword of the book, as it was interesting to read the process in which he developed the book with writing short stories about each character first and having to rewrite the entire setting. Overall, I enjoyed the book and look forward to reading more of this series. I have read quite a bit of the author's other books, and this felt like him maturing and finding his footing as an author with a more complete novel. I would recommend this book to fans of the author and fans of fantasy books in general, as this was one of the better releases this year. [image] Find this book and other titles within our catalog. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Nov 23, 2022
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Nov 23, 2022
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Nov 23, 2022
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Paperback
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0356516423
| 9780356516424
| 0356516423
| 4.00
| 14,228
| Feb 22, 2022
| Feb 24, 2022
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it was amazing
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4.5 stars (rounded-up)
He is judge, jury, and executioner. He is Sir Konrad Vonvalt, who strikes fear into the hearts of all with mysterious powers 4.5 stars (rounded-up) He is judge, jury, and executioner. He is Sir Konrad Vonvalt, who strikes fear into the hearts of all with mysterious powers. I won’t lie, the premise had me hooked from the start. I had this on my TBR list from various blogs and even Goodreads lists as an anticipated fantasy debut for 2022. The synopsis does a good job of painting a glorious picture of Konrad, who will be our main character, right? Well, that isn’t really the case. [image] The story instead follows Helena, who is apprenticed to Sir Konrad, and we see the story through her eyes alone. We follow her, Konrad, and Bressinger (an old friend of Konrad’s who is now employed by him) as they fulfill all of the duties expected of being a Magistrate of the Emperor, including dealing with heathens and religious zealots. A murder case brings the party to a bustling town where underneath the calm exterior lies something that could cause an upheaval for the Empire and Sir Konrad himself. Our party must navigate the case delicately before political strife rumored to be at the center of the Empire can interfere. [image] World settings based on the Roman Empire seem popular for debut fantasy books in the last few years. The empire in this book felt more of a cross between the Ancient Roman Empire and the Holy Roman Empire, since it contained aspects of both. This is the third book I have read this year that uses the conflict between religious leaders wanting to usurp control over the Empire opposed to mages or other power users. The magic used in the book was only teased, but it felt unique in its own right. [image] The religion of the empire reminded me of Judaism and early Christianity in how some books would borrow stories and characters from religions in the surrounding areas (like Samson and other parables, as well as naming demons after Sumerian deities). I would say that is where the similarities end, as the religion was a unique beast of its own. It consumed religions of conquered kingdoms wholly and had numerous gods and creatures as a part of its mythos. Supernatural creatures existed such as a demon in another plane and a clan of people known as wolf men mentioned in the book. [image] The characters in the novel were fleshed out especially considering the novel only followed one point of view. Helena was a complex character fueled by her tragic past and aspirations for a better future for herself. The reader gets to follow her journey as she develops in the face of harsh realities. My slight gripe with Helena is how at times she seemed naïve and squeamish, considering she was a war orphan. The relationships between characters really shined through the pages, especially Helena’s relationship with Konrad as she struggled to define it. The act of making Helena the point of view we follow allowed the author to slowly reveal parts of Konrad’s history while still keeping him mysterious and powerful. [image] The novel was written well, especially for a debut novel. I could feel the conflict rising that continually built up my anticipation. The book elicited different emotions throughout due to the engaging writing. Different events and plot lines that didn’t seem connected at first were brought together, and a mystery was at the bottom of it all. The plot was dark without getting too dark like other stories tend to do in the grimdark genre. The ending of the book hinted at exciting things to come in the series. I liked this book and didn’t really have anything negative to say, except maybe with the synopsis. Konrad would have been great to follow as the main character, since the synopsis made it seem like he was the protagonist. I understand in the end why he wasn’t the main character though. [image] I ended up really enjoying this book. I thought the entry was a great debut, and a great start of a series. It was mainly a fantasy book with mixes of a mystery thrown into the plot that set up future books to come. I would recommend this book to fantasy fans and especially those who are fans of grimdark fantasy. [image] Find this book and other titles within our catalog. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Oct 14, 2022
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Oct 14, 2022
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Oct 14, 2022
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Hardcover
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1534437738
| 9781534437739
| 1534437738
| 4.08
| 20,201
| Apr 19, 2022
| Apr 19, 2022
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really liked it
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Fevered Star is the second installment in a fantasy series set in the pre-Columbian Americas. I remembered really liking the first book in the serie Fevered Star is the second installment in a fantasy series set in the pre-Columbian Americas. I remembered really liking the first book in the series, yet I couldn’t remember parts of the plot and certain characters of the first book. I had to brush up with a quick synopsis before I jumped back into this fun and unique world. I remembered the previous book ended on a heart-pounding cliffhanger, and had to fully equip myself to pick up where I left off. [image] Our novel follows the aftermath of a massacre brought upon by the Crow God. Serapio was supposed to die after completing his mission while Naranpa was supposed to be slain. Both get saved by others and have to recuperate before striking out at enemies surrounding them. Lord Balam must contend with new magic if he is to see his ambitions come to fruition. Xiala believed Serapio to be dead and must navigate a city on lock down while surrounded by fervent believers of the Crow God. Okoa must deal with the fallout of the other big clans and betrayal hidden within his own. He must find out if Serapio is a boon or a deterrent for his clan. [image] The characters had complex motivations, and this book expanded on those. Supporting characters were also developed more frequently. I liked a majority of characters in the book even ones I didn’t necessarily like in the first novel. The novel had five different POVs which meshed well together. Reading Serapio’s chapters as he struggled trying to balance two sides of himself was fun. He had to struggle with being a god to the downtrodden while trying to live as the human named Serapio. It was interesting viewing him and his actions through the eyes of other characters. [image] Fevered Star is a solid second entry in this pre-Columbian tale that expands on the sorcery and magic of the series. The book definitely felt like a second book in a trilogy though. Plot-wise, not a lot really happened in the book. The pacing was decent, but I felt the book could have been longer. There were no huge twists, yet the ending made me want more. I would love it if the next book dives into the gods’ war that happened in the past because it sounds so interesting. [image] The differences between each culture from cities to even clan were interesting to read about. I am enjoying the series so far and the premise just keeps drawing me in. I would recommend this series to adult and teen fantasy fans since these are quicker reads than the average fantasy novel. [image] Find this book and other titles within our catalog. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Sep 30, 2022
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Sep 30, 2022
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Sep 30, 2022
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Hardcover
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1250819342
| 9781250819345
| 1250819342
| 4.15
| 513,820
| May 10, 2022
| May 10, 2022
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it was amazing
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This book is our online book club's October selection. Please feel free to read along with us by securing a copy either via our catalog, Hoopla, or
This book is our online book club's October selection. Please feel free to read along with us by securing a copy either via our catalog, Hoopla, or Libby. Happy reading!
To join the discussion: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/... Two of our staff members wrote a review for this book. Enjoy! Beware of spoilers! Brandon's review: Hidden Pictures is our October 2022 Book Club pick that was chosen by our group members and friends on Goodreads. I was expecting something different than what I got with this book, but I still really enjoyed the book. I also doubled down on these creepy drawings. [image] I won’t bore you with a synopsis of what happens since Cora does it so eloquently below. Though I must you warn that there are pretty big spoilers in her review without revealing the biggest twist. For some reason, I remembered the synopsis being different what is actually printed. Because of that, I missed subtle clues that normally would have been obvious to me, and I was distracted by other red herrings. [image] I enjoyed the one-person narrative without jumping around in time. I enjoyed multiple characters, including our main character, and Russell was such a vibe in how selfless and caring he was. If everyone had a Russell in their life then the world would be a better place. [image] The story grabbed me right away. Everything was easy to visualize with the writing and with the drawings. This book is best consumed in the print version in my opinion because of the numerous pictures included within the book. The creepiness of how they looked like a child’s drawings with an ominous figure always lurking in them set the tone of the story. The pictures noticeably transitioned into these hauntingly beautiful scenes that alerted the reader to a tonal shift. [image] There were a plethora of misdirects and red herrings that keeps you guessing until the end. I felt the ending of the book was also satisfying. I do question some of the choices of characters, but that treads on spoiler territory, so I digress. Some of the pop culture references were mid at best though. Overall, I really enjoyed the book and the mystery at the heart of it. This novel reminded me of books by Simone St. James. [image] Cora's review: Hidden Pictures is our Goodreads book club's October "spooky read." To secure a copy and read along with us, please check out our catalog, Hoopla, and Libby. Happy reading! Hidden Pictures was definitely a mystery/thriller worth reading! Not only is there the added horror aspect, but the main character, I thought, was very well-written, and the red herrings deployed very effective. The horror aspect was evident just from the cover—it is terrifying! Our protagonist is Mallory, a recovering drug addict, who has been taken on for the summer in an affluent suburban neighborhood to babysit a five-year-old, Teddy. Teddy is adorable, and his parents seem well-adjusted and friendly. They have a nice home in a well-off cul-de-sac. I don’t know if the audiobook version of Hidden Pictures describes the pictures Teddy draws, but the book version did. It was apparent from the pictures that something was going on with Teddy, who, while adorable and intelligent, was wary of socializing with other kids and didn’t have many friends. He often draws himself, Mallory, and his family accompanied by an unseen imaginary friend. (view spoiler)[ His imaginary friend appears in the creepiest way possible, and the childish way it is drawn in makes it more sinister to me. It appears the imaginary friend, Anya, is trying to warn Teddy about something that happened at the house in the past: her murder. How a child could normalize this, a haunting by a vengeful spirit, is beyond me. (hide spoiler)] [image] Soon after that, a “story” from Anya begins appearing in these drawings, appearing to show a violent crime, involving a man and a woman, presumably Anya. This is where the author effectively deploys various red herrings, which fooled me for most of the book, even if my subconscious was warning me that this simple explanation for Teddy’s drawings wasn’t the whole story. It seems like the pieces were put together way too easily. (view spoiler)[ Anya is the Russian version of Annie, whom Mallory ties with the drawings appearing to show a murder of a woman at the hands of a mysterious man. The Annie episode exposes the racist past of the neighborhood, where Annie supposedly had been killed for falling in love with an African-American man. (hide spoiler)] [image] Not to mention how suspiciously Caroline, Teddy’s mother, reacts to Teddy’s Anya drawings. She appears very nervous and agitated, even though she insists that this imaginary friend thing is just a normal phase that kids Teddy’s age go through. (Again, the terrifying cover of the book hints otherwise.) (view spoiler)[Did I mention that Caroline is a psychologist working with addicts like Mallory? Her knowledge of psychology I think told her something was off, even though she was consciously trying to shrug it off. (hide spoiler)] [image] Meanwhile, as Mallory is trying to work through her suspicions, she is beset by curious noises coming through the walls of the guest cottage she is staying at on the property. She dismisses them as animal noises. [image] Time passes in a blur, summer passing quickly. One day, Mallory meets Adrian, who lives with his parents in a house nearby. I thought Adrian was a bit of a too-good-to-be-true character, because Mallory lies to him repeatedly, ashamed of her addictive past, the lies snowballing bigger and bigger as Hidden Pictures goes on. I don’t know if I would have stayed with Mallory had I been Adrian. The lies were just too much and made Mallory a distrustful character to many she interacted with in the book, whom it was crucial to her success to win over. [image] Aside from those quibbles, I truly enjoyed Hidden Pictures. Although, I would read this one during the day, with the lights on! Happy reading! Find this book and other titles within our catalog. ...more |
Notes are private!
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2
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Oct 21, 2022
Sep 21, 2022
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Oct 21, 2022
Sep 26, 2022
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Sep 21, 2022
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Hardcover
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1250843936
| 9781250843937
| 1250843936
| 3.76
| 252,161
| Aug 30, 2022
| Aug 30, 2022
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really liked it
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Alice Feeney was an author I have heard about but never got around to reading. I love surprise twists in books, and some reviewers have given Alice Fe
Alice Feeney was an author I have heard about but never got around to reading. I love surprise twists in books, and some reviewers have given Alice Feeney the moniker, "The Queen of Twists." I heard good things about her newest book and dove right into it as soon as I got it. I was expecting to get my mind blown with twists, but well... that didn’t really happen. I did enjoy the book though. [image] Our story follows poor broken Daisy Darker, who is invited to the family home on an isolated island for her grandmother’s 80th birthday. She is shunned by most of her family due to past events, yet makes the trek for her beloved Nana, who is her beacon of light in this tumultuous family affair. Sparks ensue when family and friends meet after a long time. That is until the 80 or so clocks in the house strike at midnight, and poor Nana meets her prophesied doom. Was it an accident or were more nefarious plots at play? It turns out more nefarious things are afoot when the family members start dropping like flies after every hour with family videos on VHS tapes left as clues. Daisy must get to the bottom of this before things are too late and must confront past familial strife if she wants to survive the night. [image] The novel features an array of characters all with differing personalities with some not being revealed until the end. The grandmother, Nana, was my favorite character. She was the true savage of the family. She would not hesitate to call mistreatment out. Her first call with Conor’s father was such a great speech. When Nana read her will it was just too superb and made her my favorite right then and there while slinging mud at all of her family members. Daisy was exasperating at times because of a certain thing that I won’t spoil. Otherwise, she really was an interesting character. Trixie was another character I liked too. The other characters were flawed human beings though and the more revealed about certain ones, the more I was hoping they would be on the chopping block next. [image] There really is barely anything I disliked about this book because I liked the writing so much. The first chapter was written so well that it made me excited for the rest of the book. Emotional scenes were stirring, and there were a plethora of them. Thankfully, the author can write these well. Alice Feeney also captured the atmosphere quite well throughout the book where you could just feel it oozing off the pages. There were little poems scattered throughout the story that I just loved and how some of them felt like twisted little nursery rhymes. I was also thankful that there was only one point of view that was followed (it was done for obvious reasons). The only parts of the book that felt like a letdown were the big twists and Daisy’s ramblings at times. [image] I think I expected too much when it came to the twists. I guessed one of the big surprise twists in the first twenty or so pages. (view spoiler)[ Now, when I say spoilers ahead, I really mean spoilers ahead. Don’t keep reading because seeing one can ruin the reading experience like it did when I guessed it. I confess when our main character did the little monologue on the plane about not telling her secret, I said aloud, “Well, you’re ___, right?” I thought the author was being tongue and cheek with it because it seemed so obvious with all of the context clues. I kept getting frustrated because it seemed the charade kept going throughout the book. It wasn’t until the big reveal with another character finally addressing it that I realized it wasn’t supposed to be as obvious as I thought. Realizing it early on though definitely changed my reading experience. I was locked in on one of the killers because of certain things they said and how obvious some things were, but red herrings did make me second guess myself numerous times. The other killer I only guessed in the latter half of the book because of the Agatha Christie story that was referenced in the book and in the blurb (I tried to purposefully avoid mentions of the story since I expected it to give something away. Well, it did.). I don’t like the meditation excuse and instead wanted a plant from the garden (lots of things revolving around flowers) being able to put someone in a death like state. I also guessed who Trixie’s father was right away though considering Lily’s personality I theorized it could have been this character's father too. [image] I actually wanted Daisy to be the murderer or at least a mastermind. I still think that the obvious twist about her contributed to a red herring. Nana constantly mentions about how Daisy should act and pretend certain things in flashbacks. Because of that I felt like Daisy could have been the murderer but was playing it up for the audience. Almost everyone in the end did really have it coming to them. I know it’s morbid, but they were not good people. (hide spoiler)] [image] I might have guessed most of the twists early on, but I still enjoyed this gothic, locked-room murder mystery. I do want to read another book by the author because I enjoyed her writing with this entry, but most importantly, I want to see her twists in other books since she has that Queen of Twists moniker for a reason. I would recommend this book to pretty much everyone since I feel like it can be enjoyed by many. [image] Find this book and other titles within our catalog. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Sep 15, 2022
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Sep 15, 2022
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Sep 15, 2022
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Hardcover
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1250820154
| 9781250820150
| 1250820154
| 3.66
| 360
| Feb 08, 2022
| Feb 08, 2022
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really liked it
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I am not too sure how this book got on my radar, but I think it had something to do with one of the SPFBO reviewers. The description of the book looke
I am not too sure how this book got on my radar, but I think it had something to do with one of the SPFBO reviewers. The description of the book looked like one of the coming-of-age tropes that is used ad nauseam but still a guilty pleasure of mine. Fantasy is probably my favorite genre, but it gets difficult to start a fantasy novel when I have been reading different genres lately. It took me a while to get into this, but the final third of the book more than made up for the beginning. [image] Our book starts off following Emrael who is left to pick up the pieces of his family as his father goes missing during an incursion. His family are a part of a fallen ruling house of a subjugated kingdom; because of that he trains harder than everyone else to become a weapon master to support his family. That is until his entire world collapses when a corrupt noble joins forces with mysterious evil priests from across the ocean. The coalition subjugates all of the artificers overnight in one swoop including Emrael’s brother, Ban. Emrael barely escapes the entrapment due to the help of his mentor, Jaina, who he finds out is a mage and spy from a neighboring kingdom tasked with protecting Emrael and Ban. The novel follows Emrael and his party while trying to elude their would-be captors and trying to enlist help to free his brother from an evil brotherhood with twisted machinations of their own. [image] I don’t want to gush on parts of the book I liked since I tend to do that with fantasy books. Instead, I will focus on some critiques. The dialogue felt simple and awkward, especially in the beginning half of the book between characters. There were also background actions that characters did that were mentioned in passing that didn’t seem to fit with certain personalities portrayed. One example that pops into my head is Jaina laughing and grinning (I’m probably imagining this, but I swear it says she was giggling) in the background when characters were telling stories. Past deeds of certain characters were told and not shown to exhibit the prowess of some characters, where it comes across as characters bragging and felt amateurish in a way. [image] The story felt YA-ish at times as did the romance. The pace of the story also seemed rushed. Random POVs from different characters were randomly interspersed that I felt did not really contribute anything meaningful. I did like that it was mainly just following Emrael’s POV, but it suffered with character development of other characters because of that. The supporting cast of characters felt like archetypes. There are scenes in the book where the author describes a person mysteriously, and it is obvious who that person is. The fact that the author doesn’t describe random background characters in the same way makes it stand out even more. [image] Our main character, to put it so eloquently, is a bit thick in the head. (view spoiler)[ The number of times this fool marches into an enemy military stronghold and announces who he is laughable. He then proceeds to get imprisoned every single time. (hide spoiler)] Emrael spares the lives of certain opponents that the reader can tell will bite back at him, and doesn’t make the greatest decisions while in combat. Emrael runs around repeating that he needs to save his brother every chapter, but consistently journeys in the opposite direction. Our protagonist is constantly called a peasant, yet contains a more powerful lineage than almost every character in the book. Emrael is supposedly one of the most elite fighters in all of the lands, yet constantly struggles against foes. He should be learning magic, but the ones who can teach him don’t think it’s pertinent to train him even considering the foes lining up in front of him. [image] I know I really ripped into the book, but it still was an enjoyable experience for me. I actually think it was a pretty good debut work, and I could see the writing improve as the novel progressed. The quick pacing of the story also was a positive in the end because it held my attention. The world in the novel felt unique enough, with plenty of unexplored places that could be the settings of future books. The actions scenes were done well, and the whole magic system was a complex construct that was easy to understand. The book ended at a satisfying place with the right amount storylines unresolved to keep me interested in the sequel book. Surprisingly enough, I think I want more point of views in a follow-up book, such as more Jaina or Sarlon chapters, since they feel like more complex characters. [image] Overall, I did enjoy the book, especially the last third of it. There were some aspects that I was frustrated with, but considering it was debut novel, they felt like minor road bumps in the grand scheme of things. I would recommend this to fantasy fans or fans of young adult fantasy as it was a pretty solid debut novel. I can only see the series improving even further from here. [image] Find this book and other titles within our catalog. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Sep 03, 2022
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Sep 03, 2022
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Sep 02, 2022
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Hardcover
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1250819997
| 9781250819994
| 1250819997
| 3.79
| 35,352
| Feb 08, 2022
| Feb 08, 2022
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really liked it
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A cruise ship built to accommodate the most affluent people went missing decades ago with no leads on what happened to it. That is, until a ragtag cre
A cruise ship built to accommodate the most affluent people went missing decades ago with no leads on what happened to it. That is, until a ragtag crew in the middle of nowhere stumbled upon the missing ship which is seemingly empty. Did I mention this book takes place in space where no one can hear you scream? A missing ghost ship in space with a giant mystery looming over everything with a hint of horror seemed right up my alley. [image] Dead Silence by S. A. Barnes follows Claire and her crew, made up of the dregs of the mega corporation she is employed by. On her last trip right before her retirement, Claire’s crew notices a discrepancy with old equipment in the middle of empty space. Upon inspection, they seem to believe they hit the jackpot by finding this missing ship since even the sinks were rumored to be solid gold. Claire starts experiencing hallucinations when they board the ship, yet as the story unfolds it seems these visions of hers have happened before. As they explore more of the lost ship, the mysteries perpetually deepen, as do their fears. [image] #ItsMorbinTime I wanted to write more about the synopsis, but I fear that if I do so then it would give away too much of the plot and the twists that come with it. Essentially, the second half of the book deals with the aftermath of exploring the ship. That would ruin the most story if I went into detail about it. The whole story of the book felt bigger than it actually was with how it was structured. A positive that this book had going for it is that it wasn't bogged down by futuristic science jargon cluttered everywhere as other books in the genre tend to do. The novel follows only one POV, but we follow Casey in multiple timelines until the second half of the book which only follows the present. There also is a mystery behind our main character’s traumatic past that slowly reveals itself as the story keeps unfolding. [image] Claire was a good main character, but she suffered from having the damaged and traumatic past trope. She actually has some good character development too. It was a little jarring though with not knowing what was real or not with the apparitions she saw. I wanted to know if Claire actually had some type of supernatural power to see things or if she was just broken inside due to her trauma. The rest of the cast all fit in with certain tropes, but I still enjoyed them enough as characters in their own right. The setting of the character and her working for a big company isn’t really unique in sci-fi when compared to other adventures such as the Alien with Wayland or even Bladerunner . [image] The ending of the book could have been better, but it was still pretty satisfying as a standalone ending. I actually locked onto the big twist right away even before most of the context clues laid things out. I would like to credit an episode of Project Blue Book for the reason why I deduced it so quickly. I think with the other context clues that readers can get there before it is revealed too. (view spoiler)[ I wanted it to be a supernatural or an alien type of horror instead of just the psychological horror we got. It was done well though. I also wanted the book to explore some of Claire’s lost memories more than it did. (hide spoiler)] [image] This novel was a solid sci-fi entry mixed with some horror and mystery elements. I wouldn't mind reading more stories based in the same universe as I feel this book only scratches the surface. I was expecting a Dead Space type of supernatural horror or a space mystery. The story reminded me of Outbound Flight by Timothy Zahn with the setting of humanity from the Alien franchise. (view spoiler)[ Spoiler warning within the spoiler. It reminded me of that except without the aliens and Jedi. (hide spoiler)] I would recommend this book to sci-fi and horror lovers alike. [image] Find this book and other titles within our catalog. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Aug 26, 2022
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Aug 26, 2022
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Aug 26, 2022
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Hardcover
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0593183193
| 9780593183199
| 0593183193
| 3.59
| 406,638
| Jun 06, 2022
| Jun 21, 2022
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really liked it
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Two staff members reviewed this book. Enjoy!
Spoiler warning! Brandon's review Around this time of year, I always get excited because a n Two staff members reviewed this book. Enjoy! Spoiler warning! Brandon's review Around this time of year, I always get excited because a new Riley Sager book gets released. The premise of this newest book sadly, did not sound that unique, but I’m a sucker for these types of books that take place on lake getaways. I turned my thinking cap on with bated anticipation to see what twists get thrown my way and try to solve as many as I can. Spoiler, I don’t solve them all. [image] Casey is a mourning alcoholic trying to cope with the death of her husband by staying at her lake house. In actuality, she is exiled to her family lake house by her mother after making a drunken scene in front of a crowd of paparazzi (Casey and her family were quite famous in showbiz). Having grown up at the lake house, she knows all of her neighbors until a new celebrity couple move into the house directly across the lake. She also gets surprised when it turns out her next-door neighbors have a dashing stranger house-sitting for them. Casey finds herself spying on the new neighbors while having a drink, frequently. Things go awry when the super model wife goes missing in strange circumstances not long after Casey saved her from drowning. She believes the husband to be complicit. Add to the fact that multiple women have disappeared from the surrounding area over the years means that something isn’t adding up. [image] A lot of Riley Sager’s books change between two timelines almost every chapter, but this endeavor consisted of multiple timelines while mainly following only one with rare switches in-between. It seems that Riley Sager is a bit of a cinephile since there are references to older movies and TV shows in this book, and numerous references in the last book he released. I do like the prose in most of Riley’s books since they grab my attention without letting go through the book. It is simple yet engaging. This book also featured a larger cast of characters that are developed more compared to previous books. Casey’s background though was told instead of shown a lot where she goes on this long inner monologue explaining her own backstory for many pages. [image] Casey is more developed than the previous main characters in Riley’s other books, but at the same time she feels just like all of the other main characters in his novels. Casey did feel more complex with different motivations and traumas that impacted her personality with her biggest flaw being an alcoholic. When I say alcoholic, I mean drinking to keep her demons at bay constantly. I felt that her alcoholism was excessive as it was always brought up with her needing a drink and getting drunk at all times of the day. Again, the supporting cast was well-developed, where I thought Katherine was more compelling of a character than even our main character. Boone though felt like a character trope more than an actual character. [image] There were a couple of red herrings in this book with some more obvious than others. As per usual in a Riley Sager book, there were a lot of twists. The biggest twist for me was only a twist because of the content of the author’s previous works under this pseudonym. Be forewarned, spoilers are ahead: (view spoiler)[ The fact that there was a supernatural aspect in this book took me by surprise as Riley Sager has never included a supernatural aspect before since some other books of his would fit the concept better. I know he has written about the supernatural in books published under a different name, but he never included it under this pseudonym where his twists were always lodged in reality. The whole supernatural aspect felt kind of weird to me in this context. I guessed pretty early on that good old Len actually was involved in the other disappearances. What I didn’t expect was for the local legend that Eli told to actually be true and involved Len in the end. I also kind of figured that Eli either was involved in the actual killing of Len or complicit in helping Casey, but instead he was used as a red herring. Boone and the detective friend of his were obvious red herrings, but I don’t know if I would trust him around stairs as he was caught in other lies (I don’t trust the story about his wife). I was surprised though about Tom at the very end considering what went down in the confrontation at the other house. My running theory was that Katherine was a super fan of Casey’s and had a mental disorder causing a split personality. Nope. The author went with the supernatural route. (hide spoiler)] [image] I did enjoy the book and did like the author’s writing, but I felt this book and his previous book were some of his weaker entries. Certain things such as an aspect of the big twist and the constant drinking of the main character took me out of the story at times. Overall, I had a positive experience and recommend this book to fans of his previous books and fans of horror, thriller, and mystery genres. [image] Cora's review 3.5/5 stars People who know me know I’m a relative newbie to the mystery/thriller genre. I tend to go for nonfiction and sci-fi/fantasy reads. However, I am always willing to try recommendations from friends and coworkers. On the recommendation of Brandon, I gave The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager a try. [image] A decent read, but there were a few quibbles of mine that prevented me from giving it a full four stars. Brandon gave a good overview of the plot in his review, so I won’t rehash that too much here. He’s read a few more of Riley Sager’s books than I have, so he has a better idea of what the author’s writing style is like, and I trust that he gave a good synopsis of the book with that knowledge in mind. Nonetheless, Sager did a decent job of deploying red herrings that kept me utterly confused for about half the book and then dumbfounded at some of the twists. The dumbfounding being bad and good. I figured out some, but there were others that took me by surprise. Speaking of surprises, I did not suspect Casey’s involvement in all of this as much as I should have.(view spoiler)[ Casey was the one that killed her husband Len, who she found was a serial killer that had claimed the lives of three local women. (hide spoiler)] I did suspect every other character in the book, including Katherine herself. That aspect of not knowing who to trust and constantly hunting for clues may be the appeal for many people that enjoy this genre, and I can see why. [image] Now, for the bad. I was a bit disappointed in the supernatural element that reared its head in the last half of the book. To me, relying on this kind of element is lazy, when the more interesting thing is trying to figure out the people involved, their motivations, and how they played their part in the mystery song-and-dance. Getting supernatural elements involved muddies things up too much for me and helps to spoil any of the appealing realism in the story. That probably is just me and my reading tastes here speaking, but I guess I prefer my mystery/thriller without any monsters or ghosts or the like. Lastly, another quibble of mine involves characterization and tropes. (Mostly looking at Boone, here.) Boone felt like a shallowly written character laden with tropes. An ex-cop, in recovery himself, also widowed, and hot (of course). (view spoiler)[ Perhaps I am being a bit unfair on Boone here, but the author playing on reader suspicions that he may have had something to do with his wife’s accidental death was the most depth I saw invested in him. (hide spoiler)] It just seemed like most of his identity and personality followed well-trod tropes, and I would have liked to see his character more fleshed out. [image] Overall, The House Across the Lake was an okay read. Not the worst, but not the best. -Cora Find this book and other titles within our catalog. ...more |
Notes are private!
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2
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Nov 26, 2022
Aug 05, 2022
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Dec 06, 2022
Aug 05, 2022
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Aug 05, 2022
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Hardcover
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1250249279
| 9781250249272
| 1250249279
| 3.58
| 10,316
| Sep 17, 2020
| Mar 29, 2022
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really liked it
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Imagine waking up every day and not recognizing the person looking back at you in the mirror. That’s how the main character, Eleanor, felt every day.
Imagine waking up every day and not recognizing the person looking back at you in the mirror. That’s how the main character, Eleanor, felt every day. Eleanor witnesses the death of her grandmother and saw the killer, but the problem is that she can’t describe what the person looks like to the police due to prosopagnosia. I didn’t know much about the book before I read it other than the fact that I like previous books by the author, and that it takes place in Sweden. [image] Following the murder of Eleanor’s grandmother, Vivianne, she tries to piece her life back together as she starts to see things that aren’t there. She is informed by lawyers that she is the heir to the giant summer home that Vivianne kept secret from her. Eleanor joins a cast of characters to help inventory the old mansion. Eleanor though feels like they are not alone on this giant estate and begins to think that the things she hears and sees around the house are not just hallucinations after all. The police never caught the murderer, and Eleanor fears the killer might have followed them there. She must navigate large family secrets long buried in the past. Maybe she can even find the groundskeeper who no one can get a hold of. [image] I wasn’t really sure what to expect of the book considering the premise of the author’s last book. It ended up being a murder-mystery-whodunit trapped on a Swedish gothic estate. The story follows two storylines throughout most of the book, with the first being in the present following Eleanor. The second story line took place decades ago, following Anushka, who worked as the help for the family. I was glad that the past storyline only had a few pages at most every time it interjected the present timeline. The prose flowed well through the translation. I thought as with other books by the author that she addressed prosopagnosia and other mental disorders well. The characters were written well, with unique personalities, where prosopagnosia didn’t solely define Eleanor at all. [image] The plot was driven by both the mystery and the characters. Eleanor was a great main character with faults that were not just her own, but she tried to work through everything, which was enjoyable to cheer for. Sebastian and Veronika both felt unique instead of cardboard cutouts (unlike the lawyer) where each of them had well-defined motivations for their actions. Vivianne though...Vivianne was well-written, but I disliked her on almost EVERY level in both the present and past storylines. Anushka though kind of felt like a cliché at times. She was written well enough, but there was just something missing. I sympathized with some of the rest of the supporting cast too. (view spoiler)[ Annika completely lost any form of enjoyment or sympathy that I had for her as the plot kept chugging along with so many motivations questionable later on. (hide spoiler)] [image] This book had quite a lot of twists both big and small where I guessed most of them, yet a few did surprise me. I liked the overall mystery, and the conclusion was satisfying too. The author sprinkled in minor red herrings for misdirects, but the biggest misdirects were some of the smaller mysteries I kept trying to discover instead. The "author notes" section at the end of the book mentioned that a major character named Alexia got cut in the final draft because she distracted too much from other characters and the plot. I honestly would have liked that character, which could have maybe even elevated the story to a 5 stars for me (I’m stuck between a 4 and a 4.5 tbh). (view spoiler)[ I really wished Kickli would have been told the actual fate of her mother. I can kind of understand the initial subterfuge but to keep it going was malicious. Now, I am going to really go in on Vivianne, so when it’s tagged spoiler I mean spoiler! I just cannot fathom the compete personality change of Annika. It seemed she embodied all the bad parts of Marta’s personality and kept up the act even when Evert died. The really crappy thing is how she mistreated Veronika. I thought maybe either Veronika having a different mother or father would have been the reason why she treated one daughter better than the other. Nope. The innocent maid became a toxic entity who destroyed the lives of all those around her and kept doing so. They tried to do the POV of hers at the end, but at that point I just didn’t have an ounce of pity for her. She did not have to keep up with the secrets of her dead husband, but she did. She mistreated Victoria, who was supposedly all she had left. (She had a daughter and probably extended family still around for all we know.) I guess I’ll stop venting about the character because honestly I just loved to hate her, and it seems like it elevated the story for me too. (hide spoiler)] [image] Overall, I liked the book and thought the mystery and dark family secrets were well done. I liked this book even more than The Lost Village by the same author, though the premise and atmosphere of that book was so good. It was interesting as well to learn more about face blindness. I wouldn’t really tag this book as horror though. Otherwise, if you enjoyed this book, check out other works by Camilla Sten, or other similar authors such as Simone St. James, Ruth Ware, and others who write historical horror/mystery. [image] Find this book and other titles within our catalog. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jul 2022
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Jul 2022
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Jul 01, 2022
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Hardcover
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0593328337
| 9780593328330
| 0593328337
| 3.62
| 5,141
| Apr 26, 2022
| Apr 26, 2022
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really liked it
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This is the second book I have read written by Alma Katsu with the first being The Hunger. The story mainly has to do with the Japanese internment ca
This is the second book I have read written by Alma Katsu with the first being The Hunger. The story mainly has to do with the Japanese internment camps of WWII with a mixture of horror, which is interesting to read about since you can compare it to multiple adaptions. Off the top of my head, I remember a season of Teen Wolf and the second season of The Terror tackling the internment camps with some horror/supernatural type of twist. In fact, I liked the first season of The Terror so much that I read the book it was based on...which got me into reading The Hunger in the first place. [image] The novel follows four different point of views that become connected one way or the other. Meiko and her daughter, Aiko, must survive in an internment camp after being betrayed by close acquaintances where they face ostracism from other Japanese prisoners due to the fact Meiko is married to a white military pilot serving in the war. Things take a turn for the worse when they realize something is running rampant through the population. Archie is a minister whose life and faith fell apart after an explosion took everything from him. He must battle his demons or succumb to the sickness and racism that seems to be gripping his whole parish and town. Jane is a journalist who starts to notice strange incidents and illnesses intertwined across the country. It doesn’t take her long to realize that somehow even the Internment Camps might be involved. The main characters race to get to the bottom of this wave of sickness before it is too late. [image] The novel was different than what I expected. I kept comparing this novel with the author’s previous work I read. In The Hunger, the tone of the book was really heavy, dark and somber with all the characters in one large caravan. This story wasn’t quite as bleak, and the characters were spread out through the US. I guess the The Terror: Infamy spoiled me since I wanted to experience more of the story in the camp with more interactions on all involved there. The story felt a little less historical too compared to the author’s other works, but then again that could be because of the modern parallels she drew in the story. It was interesting to see the different takes on supernatural horror done with the internment camps. Teen Wolf had a Nogitsune, The Terror: Infamy had a Bakemono/Yurei, and this book had (view spoiler)[ a Jorōgumo. Well maybe. The book hints at that it could be or that it might not be as well. (hide spoiler)]. [image] Another thing that I enjoyed in this book over the other book I read by the author is that I like the characters more in this one. I liked Fran as a character especially since she kept following the mystery despite all of the obstacles put in her path. The thing I disliked was how she was phased out of the story after a certain point. Archie was a bit of a coward and hard for me to like until the end. I enjoyed Meiko as a character with all of the struggles she went through, but at times, she felt cold with little personality. It could be a cultural thing, but even with her daughter the relationship felt different at times. Speaking of Aiko, I wanted more of her as a POV in the story. The differing views between her and her mother could have been great. (view spoiler)[ I was thrown for a loop when it came down to the explanation of the sickness. Was it more scientific or more supernatural? I understood that it came from the spiders, but was the lady in the kimono a hallucination or was it the actual demon and everything was a curse? At first, I thought the balloons could have been the ones that Meiko’s father originally used to test the winds, but then I surmised that these balloons were probably released intentionally by the Japanese military. Some other things I wondered about were why it seemed “The Fervor” caused white men to get whipped up into a racist mindset instead of death like the camp inhabitants. I also wondered about its effect on women in general since it didn’t really cover many female victims. (hide spoiler)] [image] Overall, I enjoyed this story more than previous works I have read by the author. I like historical fiction with a mixture of horror so of course I enjoyed this book. I just wish there was a little more of the horror element. Outside of horror fans, I think someone who wants to know more about the era and Japanese internment camps would enjoy this without having to read through a nonfiction book. [image] Find this book and other titles within our catalog. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jun 17, 2022
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Jun 17, 2022
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Jun 17, 2022
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Hardcover
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0765389126
| 9780765389121
| 0765389126
| 3.98
| 67,705
| Mar 15, 2022
| Mar 15, 2022
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really liked it
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Two staff members wrote reviews for this book. Enjoy!
Cora's review The Kaiju Preservation Society is the first of John Scalzi's books I Two staff members wrote reviews for this book. Enjoy! Cora's review The Kaiju Preservation Society is the first of John Scalzi's books I have read. I apologize that I am late to the party. I am happy to report that I really enjoyed this fast-paced romp through pop culture and science fiction alike (Godzilla, anyone?) even if the worldbuilding details were sometimes set aside in favor of moving the plot along. The author admitted that this was a book written through the COVID-19 pandemic, which made it even easier to connect with the characters and the timeline. I could tell that Scalzi had fun writing it, and I enjoyed the enthusiasm that came through throughout The Kaiju Preservation Society. In fact, our protagonist, Jamie, is one of the bigger nerds present in this novel, quick with a nerdy quip and a canister launcher (just read the book to figure out the last one). I thought it was a good choice that Jamie's gender was never specified throughout the novel. I know of a few people where that mystery proved a little distracting, but I didn't find that to be the case for me. I think the ambiguity made it easier for the reader to picture their own person and enjoy the story, and also, the subject matter at hand was frankly more interesting (personally, I thought Jamie was a woman, but that was my own imagination and interpretation of the narrative). [image] I mean, a whole other world of Godzilla's (the proper term here being "kaiju") and a whole organization dedicated to protecting these incredibly dangerous organisms like real-world conservation groups do pandas or tigers! That's the premise that drew me in here, and I didn't fixate on the gender question much. [image] Anyways, Jamie ends up in the Kaiju Preservation Society (KPS) working as a laborer/grunt based on sheer good luck. After losing employment as a food delivery person at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York, Jamie encounters a frequent delivery contact who is also happening to be hiring on behalf of KPS. They're down a team member because of COVID, and Jamie gladly steps in. [image] Jamie is thrust into the captivating, yet dangerous alternate Earth where a few mass extinctions never happened and mammals like us never evolved. There's more oxygen in this atmosphere, not to mention more humidity, and the fact that life here has a more positive relationship with radiation than life on our Earth. (The whole alternate-world premise reminded me of a previous book I read that explored similar ideas, called The Doors of Eden by Adrian Tchaikovsky. That's another good book, especially if you enjoyed The Kaiju Preservation Society!) Not to mention that kaiju exist, Godzilla and his cousins roaming free! (view spoiler)[Turns out kaiju have also made incursions into our Earth since the dawn of the Atomic Age. (hide spoiler)] Life that evolved to develop biological reactors was another fascinating aspect of the kaiju, although I didn't completely get the science behind it. [image] Jamie befriends a few fellow scientist friends along the way, as well as an adrenaline-junky of a helicopter pilot, encountering danger and overcoming obstacles with them. I really enjoyed their group dynamic and the sheer amount of nerdiness being expressed in their interactions. Through these friendships, Jamie becomes something of a generalist in their group, as well as a useful member to have around when nasty creatures threaten the team. Which is good when push comes to shove, and a kaiju is in danger, bringing both Earths into potential conflict. [image] How will it end up? Read to find out! I hope you enjoy the book as much as I did. Also, I am thinking that The Kaiju Preservation Society is a stand-alone novel, but I'd be okay with a sequel! -Cora Brandon's review Ah, The Kaiju Preservation Society is a book I added to my TBR list immediately. One glance of the synopsis was all it took for me to salivate over the premise. As a child, I loved Godzilla and other large Kaiju. I would go to Suncoast in the mall to buy the latest stock of Godzilla VHS tapes. I have also enjoyed John Scalzi’s other books so this crossover was going to be perfect for me. [image] Jamie was recently laid off from a lucrative job right before the Covid pandemic hit. The company was sold off using the plans Jamie schemed, yet Jamie was not able to reap the benefits while the owner got billions. The pandemic hit Jaime hard where any type of job became a necessity. In comes Tom, an acquaintance from college, with a mysterious job offer with pay and benefits too good to be true. Jamie saddles up and agrees to the offer before finding out the cloak and daggers project is on another world. Jamie joins up with a team of some of world’s brightest scientists as someone who “lifts things.” [image] The “alien” world is almost a mirror of ours except it is full of giant Kaiju (think King Kong and Godzilla) and no mammals except for the humans stationed there from our world. The humans observe and try to help these colossal beings since they are so fascinating and need help. The Kaiju rely so much on parasites and other organisms in pretty much their whole life cycle. The Kaiju are pretty much giant walking nuclear reactors with the sex drive of a panda that could go nuclear anytime. This could result in the barrier between our two worlds to thin. [image] I liked this novel, but I hyped myself up way too much for it. The author said that he wrote the novel quickly, and that it was like a pop song that just came to him while he was trying to hammer out a different book. I think pop song is an apt description for the book. The book didn’t go deep into things with shallow descriptions and a plot riddled with cliches. I guessed the conflict and resolution almost immediately with the ending coming full circle. That being said, the novel was fun and easy to get into with some enjoyable humor. The book was lighthearted for most of the story until it wasn’t. [image] There were certain things I liked and disliked about the presentation of characters. The gender neutrality of Jamie “I Lift Things” Gray was something I really liked. I would constantly try to see if the author made a subconscious slip up in the writing that would sway me in picturing Jamie’s gender. I tried to look at mannerisms and reactions but to no avail as I kept changing my mind. Characters’ physical characteristics were hardly descriptive which made it easier for Jamie to be a neutral protagonist but hurt some of the other characters for me outside of Tom. Jamie’s close group of scientist friends were hard to distinguish other than the geology expert. The only thing that separated them, at least for me, was their occupation and specific fields. I liked the rapport between them though. The supporting cast outside of them were also great especially the pilot. (view spoiler)[ I loved how the villain chastised the cliché of villains monologuing and then immediately went into a monologue. (hide spoiler)] [image] There were certain things about the book that I felt could have been improved upon or irked me. First of all, is the lack of descriptions on a lot of things other than the characters. It might have been just me, but I was having a hard time imagining even some of the Kaiju other than having wings, a biological nuclear reactor, and hordes of parasites that live on their bodies. Edward and Bella were given a brief description on their appearance, but other Kaiju seemed to just be described as being immense. There are supposedly many different iterations of Earth that exist, yet somehow the scientists haven’t found a way to travel to any other variations (I understood the reasoning providing but did not buy it). (view spoiler)[ The biggest thing that threw me for a loop was how easy it was to take Bella over. The men were armed to the teeth with guns which were told to be ineffective with the local wildlife, insects, and vegetation. Bella’s parasites should have also been able to tear the men to shreds. Somehow though they were able to pull it off when trained teams used to the world have trouble doing most things like this. (hide spoiler)] [image] I don’t want to make this review out to be negative especially since in the end I did like the book. The humor and interactions between characters felt nice. The symbiotic relationship between Kaiju and their parasites was really interesting to read about and how certain biological organs of Kaiju grow. I really liked the premise and would love for it to be explored more. I felt like this book was a teaser for something more. Another book in this universe might scratch my itch for the premise especially since there are bases on other continents. Overall, I recommend this book as a quick and fun read for pretty much anyone especially sci fi fans. [image] Find this book and other titles within our catalog. ...more |
Notes are private!
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2
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Jun 06, 2022
May 27, 2022
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Jun 06, 2022
May 27, 2022
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May 27, 2022
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Hardcover
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0063003058
| 9780063003057
| 0063003058
| 3.65
| 681,453
| Feb 22, 2022
| Feb 22, 2022
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liked it
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This book is our online book club's selection for August. To read along with us, please secure a copy via our catalog, Hoopla, or Libby. Happy read
This book is our online book club's selection for August. To read along with us, please secure a copy via our catalog, Hoopla, or Libby. Happy reading!
To join the discussion: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/... Two staff members reviewed this book. Enjoy! Brandon's review: I read this since it is our August book club pick, and would give this book a 3.5 to a 4 star rating. I don't think I need to summarize the events of the book, since Cora did it so eloquently below! I will keep my review brief. I read the The Guest List by the author a while ago, so I had mixed feelings about starting this book. I really disliked almost every character in that book, where they felt cartoonish at times with how bad of people they were. Compared to this book where they were portrayed more realistically (I actually liked Jess as a main character). I enjoyed the relationships between characters and contrast in behaviors with Ben and Jess with their upbringing and interactions with the rest of the cast. The constant POV changes in this book contributed more to the story in this book versus the multitude in the previous book that felt unnecessary. I liked the storyline and the mystery in this book more as well. The one thing in my opinion that the previous book had over this one is that the atmosphere and the setting were better. I ended up liking this book more than I expected. Foley's writing was easy to get absorbed into. I wasn’t really surprised by any of the mysteries and twists revealed, but they weren’t as obvious as other books in the genre I’ve read recently. Overall, this was a nice quick read. I have to admit that it got tiresome when all the introductory chapters of each individual ended with pretty much “everything was fine until that man, Ben, got here.” [image] Cora's review: Somewhere between 3 to 3.5 stars The Paris Apartment was an entertaining mystery/thriller taking place in a posh Paris apartment. My rating is based on my being spoiled by The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides and that some of the twists were a bit easier to guess. All that notwithstanding, I found myself absorbed by the story. [image] Everything was sketchy as soon as the story opens. Our protagonist, Jess, has come to Paris to visit her half-brother, Ben. (view spoiler)[She has escaped from a rather toxic employment situation in England and seeks to reconnect with the brother she hasn't seen in a while. There may or may not have been cash theft involved. Jess grew up in the foster care system. Ben was adopted, but she was not. She feels abandoned, but she still cares about Ben. (hide spoiler)] Jess is no angel, scrappy and reckless, yet readers will find themselves rooting for her to solve the mystery of this story. [image] Jess arrives at her brother's address, but he's not answering. Of course, Ben is not there to buzz her in. He seems to have vanished into thin air. She has nowhere else to stay, so ends up getting herself into the apartment building with the help of one hostile resident and her own ability to pick-lock doors. Every apartment resident she meets over the course of a tense couple of days treat her as if she's dangerous, and tend to start at her questions of where her brother, Ben, is. Let's just say they all gave off airs of hiding something. It definitely kept me guessing. [image] Let's take inventory. There's the reclusive Mimi, with serious psychological issues. (Serial killer in waiting?) She lives in one of the apartments with her more outgoing, party-girl roommate, Camille. Then there's Antoine, an abusive drunkard, whose wife, Dominique, is leaving during the time this story is set. Antoine's seeming opposite, the Cambridge-educated Nick, seems to be the most normal of them, although he is clearly troubled. Finally, living in the top-floor penthouse, there is Sophie, and her frequently absent husband, (and raging, misogynistic) Jacques. Me @ Jacques: [image] Jess enlists the help of a few people to help her untangle the mystery: Nick, who'd been friends with Ben in their Cambridge days and seems to want to help, and Ben's journalistic contact, Theo. (Although, I was screaming at Jess not to trust Nick, because he was clearly hiding something, like everyone else in the cursed apartment building, even if he was a "nice guy." If there's anything I've learned from the few mystery/thrillers I have read, is to trust no one. Even Theo, I had questions about.) Turns out Ben was working on some sort of investigative piece that he had pitched to Theo before his mysterious disappearance. [image] This is where some things started to click for me in the story. Rich people don't like people like Ben digging into their business. This premise made the story all the more realistic, notwithstanding that in the background, the Yellow Vest protests were happening in other parts of Paris. The whole atmosphere becoming sinister and almost echoing each other. There was the obvious violence of the loud street protests and the more silent, but no less violent happenings in the shadows. This is proven by Jess's various excursions into both the rich and poor sections of Paris in search of clues. Although, I gotta say, the author clearly set up that Ben had been hurt or worse by someone in the apartment building. I was saying to myself, "Ah yes, one of you silenced Ben and the rest of you are covering." But when what ultimately had happened was explained, I was not expecting the twists (in retrospect, I should have) involved. [image] Ultimately, The Paris Apartment was a decent enough story to keep me occupied, a good literary escape into a city I have not had the opportunity to visit yet. Find this book and other titles within our catalog. This novel is our Goodreads Book Club selection for August. To secure a copy and read along with us, please check out our catalog or Libby. Happy reading! ...more |
Notes are private!
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2
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Aug 12, 2022
Jun 20, 2022
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Aug 12, 2022
Jun 20, 2022
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May 24, 2022
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Hardcover
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1250812682
| 9781250812681
| 1250812682
| 3.79
| 24,068
| Mar 01, 2022
| Mar 01, 2022
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really liked it
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Sundial was a book I added immediately to my TBR list after I finished the author’s previous book, The Last House on Needless Street . I enjoyed al
Sundial was a book I added immediately to my TBR list after I finished the author’s previous book, The Last House on Needless Street . I enjoyed all the twists in that book so I was looking forward to this one. This book though is kind of hard for me to review as I have mixed feelings about it. [image] The story is pretty much split into two different parts with some random pages sprinkled in from a novel the main character writes. Rob is struggling with making her marriage and family look perfect from the outside. In truth, everything is in shambles. Her husband is a serial cheater, an emotional and physical abuser, and a text book narcissist to say the least. What really frightens Rob though is that her daughter, Callie, might be trying to kill her younger sister, Annie. Rob and Callie don’t get along so she ultimately decides to go on a road trip to the middle of a desert where she grew up to straighten up Callie. This trip will determine the fate of her family one way or another. [image] The second part of the story took up a larger chunk of the story than I initially thought it would. It follows Rob from her childhood through her college years. Rob was raised on a small commune in the Mojave Desert with her family and groups of top college students researching experiments. Rob lives there with her twin sister, Jack, who is her everything. The experiments are being carried out on dogs where most of them were rescued from the puppy farm which was a revealed to be a puppy mill where the owners abused the dogs intensely. Slowly, we learn that the experiments being done on the dogs attempt to wipe out the “warrior” gene which is one of a couple markers that is theorized to cause psychopathy. One event causes Jack to change, and the rest of the story deals with the fallout. [image] I must confess that the book was really hard for me to get into until maybe the final half of the book. The story did not really have an overarching mystery like some of the author’s previous works to hook me into the story. The past of Rob took up a majority of the book and felt like such a departure from the current timeline since the blurb on the back cover was about the present. The tone in the beginning of the novel was somber and dark with a lot of psychological elements thrown into it that was too heavy for me to read. Nevertheless, I persisted through to the end. The ending was great. It alleviated all my woes I was feeling, and the payoff made it that much better. The Last House on Needless Street was the same, but it still had this mystery that pulled me through the slower parts while this one did not until it was revealed. One of the best things about the novel was pov changes between Callie and Rob interpreting the same scenes and how they kept misinterpreting the other’s actions and thoughts. [image] I suppose I should talk about the array of characters presented. I really didn’t like any of the characters to be honest except for Callie. I was hoping for a meteor to land on top of Irving throughout the book. I loathed his character with a passion. He was a manipulative narcissist who just had no redeeming qualities at all. Jack was a damaged character, but it kept getting harder and harder for me to feel sympathy for her. Falcon and Mia (especially Mia) were made to be sympathetic to the readers, but I was hard pressed for that as well considering the experiments they conducted. I enjoyed the pov of Callie especially as the story kept chugging along. Rob though...hmm...I didn’t like her character as a protagonist as she was self-centered and narrow minded with her head in the clouds. My personal feelings about the characters aside, the characters were really well written, and I felt the author wrote aspects of psychopathy quite well for the most part. [image] Psychopathy was a large focus of the novel. Of course, with that you have to analyze the whole nature versus nurture debate that surrounds the topic. The book definitely addresses this and explores it in numerous ways. The book was well written, and the author did enough research of various subjects that she exhibited in the story. All of her research amplified my enjoyment for the ending chapters of the book since it was so interesting. I just would have like there to be something more in the earlier book because I didn’t really care for the characters. I felt like the reason I didn’t care for some of the characters was because she wrote them too well with their flaws dragging them down. I slogged through the story because the plot was meandering until the final third of the book where the story shifted gears and went into overdrive. [image] I would be remiss if I did not talk about the endings and twists of the book. The last part of the book had reveals after reveals shown. I did guess most of the twists well before they happened, but a small amount caught me by surprise. I still enjoyed the twists when they were revealed since they were done well. (view spoiler)[ I was a bit surprised that the mention of an embolism was foreshadowing what was going to happen. I also was a bit surprised by the actual nature of the puppy farm. I figured Jack and Rob would have been actual relatives of the owners and probably did the deed of killing them, but I was surprised to see the true nature of place. Another thing that kind of surprised me was just how malicious and diabolical Annie was. I suspected that she was the bad child just not to that extent when it came to having such twisted plans. I also guessed that Rob was actually the bad one as a child compared to Jack. Her personality was so self-centered, and the fact that she came off as so naïve as a child solidified it for me. I am surprised that Irving could keep Rob under his thumb so long with his abuse when obviously Rob was unstable. Rob’s more vicious psychopathic tendencies not being leaked out against Irving all these years was a bit hard to believe. She might not be a full-blown psychopath anymore, but she clearly suffered some type of mental disorder. The biggest thing for me though is the contacts. At first, I thought it could have been a red herring. I was beginning to suspect that Jack and Rob eventually switched places due to Rob being the one who died and whoever survived used colored contacts since their eyes being different colors was their main difference. I don’t think it would have taken much to fool Irving as he was a controlling narcissist who couldn’t tell them apart at first. Then it seemed like nothing was going to come from it as it wasn’t addressed. Callie (I really liked the premise of the second Callie too) though kept on remarking that her mom seemed like she was adjusting her contacts even though she didn’t need contacts even right up to the end. Also, there was the fact that contact solution was on a receipt that Callie found on her mother’s purchases. Everything was revealed and wrapped up so the fact that the contacts were still brought up towards the end was weird. (hide spoiler)] [image] The story elicited different feelings from me as you can see. Most of the story following Rob growing up was a struggle to get through as she was ignorant of a lot of things until eventually everything including unmentioned mysteries were revealed. The latter part of the book saved the story for me because I was not enjoying to novel at that point, and in retrospect I wish the author would have hinted at something juicy or a big mystery to keep my interest. The characters were well written, but I just didn’t like them. Do I recommend this book? Yeah, I do because overall, seeing how things ended up, I felt the ride was eventually worth it. If you enjoyed her last book or enjoy a lot of plot twists then I think you will enjoy this book too. [image] Find this book and other titles within our catalog. ...more |
Notes are private!
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May 20, 2022
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May 20, 2022
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May 20, 2022
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Hardcover
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La Crosse County Library
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Books:
brandon
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3.46
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it was amazing
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Dec 27, 2023
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3.58
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really liked it
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Sep 06, 2023
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Sep 06, 2023
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3.65
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it was amazing
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Jun 28, 2023
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Jun 28, 2023
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3.87
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really liked it
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Jun 19, 2023
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Jun 19, 2023
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3.67
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it was amazing
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Jun 07, 2023
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Jun 07, 2023
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3.86
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really liked it
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Dec 09, 2022
not set
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May 03, 2023
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3.44
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liked it
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Apr 20, 2023
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Apr 20, 2023
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3.88
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really liked it
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Nov 23, 2022
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Nov 23, 2022
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4.00
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it was amazing
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Oct 14, 2022
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4.08
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really liked it
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Sep 30, 2022
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4.15
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it was amazing
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Oct 21, 2022
Sep 26, 2022
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3.76
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really liked it
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Sep 15, 2022
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Sep 15, 2022
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3.66
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really liked it
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Sep 03, 2022
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Sep 02, 2022
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3.79
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really liked it
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Aug 26, 2022
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Aug 26, 2022
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3.59
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really liked it
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Dec 06, 2022
Aug 05, 2022
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Aug 05, 2022
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3.58
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really liked it
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Jul 2022
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Jul 01, 2022
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3.62
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really liked it
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Jun 17, 2022
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Jun 17, 2022
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3.98
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really liked it
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Jun 06, 2022
May 27, 2022
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May 27, 2022
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3.65
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liked it
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Aug 12, 2022
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May 24, 2022
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3.79
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really liked it
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May 20, 2022
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May 20, 2022
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