Lauren Henderson
This grabbed my attention at the beginning because of the light and quirky way Austin is able to talk about heavy mental health topics. By the end, it kind of became monotonous though. I kept reading because I wanted to find out how Grace died.. the revelation was pretty sudden at the end of the story. The pacing was pretty off the whole story and made it hard to stay engaged after about halfway through.
(a letter to myself and Diana Gabaldon, I guess)
Dear Lauren,
I regret to inform you that no matter how much you think you like this series or how much you really want to like this series, the evidence shows that you do not. You can't make it through five pages without getting tired or completely spacing out. You have tried. You slogged through the first book over several months YEARS ago. Then you picked this one up off and on for the next couple of years. And I know you're thinking about trying again. But really... I think it's time to move on. Sometimes, the TV series is actually enough. (Because that shit is fire). We wouldn't have that without the book, so thank you Diana Gabaldon. And I'm really really sorry that I watched the series first and now feel like the most terrible reader on the face of the earth.
Sincerely,
I tried.
So excellent. I gave it a 4 only because of a couple of minor plot holes. More review to come...
This was my first time to read Sarah Addison Allen. This was a charming, romantic, feel-good read. Typical of a southern setting. The two intertwining story lines were very intriguing. There was a lot of suspense. Although, at the end I was left wanting more.
I absolutely loved the entire story between Julia and Sawyer... their secret lived up to the suspense throughout the novel, and the magic surrounding his “sweet sense” and her baking cakes was fun. I also loved the story of Emily returning to the town where her mother grew up, learning her mother's life long secret, and reconnecting with her grandfather.
What I did not like about this story was the Mullaby family secret and the romance between Emily and Win. There was so much build-up for what felt like no reason after the family's big secret was revealed. The family secret has no reason behind it and honeslty made the story turn cheesy and Twilight-ish at the end. Kind of sad, because I really enjoyed the rest of the book.
That being said, I will read other Sarah Addison Allen books and give her another chance. I did enjoy her writing style. I just wish the story would have been fleshed out a little more and given a reason for the Mullaby family secret.
Oh... and there are recipes in the back of the book for some of the cakes that Julia cooks! I know, right?!
Read about 30% before I called it quits. The writing is an absurd amount of telling in too long sentences instead of showing.. and way too much passive tense... which are slowly becoming my super pet peeves. I think the story is good, so I was almost willing to forgive the weird passive writing, but it was too much to handle in the end. Sorry, beautiful cover.. but DON'T JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER.
I read this forever ago when I was in collegr and just randomly unlocked that memory. Rob Bell could potentially be considered a pioneer in what is now tagged everywhere on the internet as the “deconstruction” movement. He was (is?) a pastor and had not left his practice of faith. I remember thinking “wow.. this dude is really like.. fuck this shit” while still continuing to lead and believe in god. But I also think it's hard to figure out where he was coming from. Was he naively trying to stand out and using controversy to do that? Or was he sincere and fed up with Christianity?
It would be interesting to read this again from a 2020s perspective and see how his ideas aged.
DNF. Quit around page 100.
I'm not thrilled. I think its probably just me - I was automatically turned off by the stereotypical Southern women's club drama and overly hick names. The dialogue is also extremely forced and strange (very clearly written by a man who doesn't understand women), and none of the characters actually have their own character - this is an automatic no-go for me. Plus, bring in the vampire and you all the sudden have a weird telenovella forced plot/dialogue vibe going on.
Just bad.
I get that this book has an important message.. but it's mostly poorly written, and unfortunately the message gets confused. Still trying to figure out the details of how I feel about this one.
So great. If you have ever seen the TV series, don't worry. It doesn't even come close to how great the book is. The differences are astounding. The details are so vivid but not drawn out. This is truly a great book. I hope the rest of the series is the same.
This book just wrecked me. I cried for the whole last quarter... Sarah Jio is so good, and this just became my new favorite. I already feel a massive book hangover coming on.
So nerdy and quirky and whimsical. The characters in this book are all really well written with their own voices. Such a refreshing and different bookish chick lit. It was kind of like a bookish and cutesy Eleanor Oliphant, which I also loved. I guess I'm a sucker for the adult coming of age books. Because let's be real.. we're all always coming of age. This book has so much packed in here but it was so well executed. Nothing felt unfinished to me.
Abby Waxman is extremely quippy and even breaks the fourth wall (is that a thing in books?), but it never gets cheesy. I get cheesed out pretty easily, so I'm super impressed.
I read this book a long time ago, in my chick lit days when I was obsessed with finding my own love story. I enjoyed it. Now, I probably wouldn't so much because I have my own pretty great love story. But it's a cute book (if you can call that a compliment)
I love this series. I think I identify with Reese so much because I too am a very stubborn woman. This is an adventure about family secrets and love story in one. I love it.
The Twilight books firmly instilled my dislike of new young adult fiction. After avoiding Twilight like the plague, a friend finally talked me into reading them. I read each in about a day. I will admit, they draw you in. But then they just end.. blah. And nothing ever happened... except fighting over this overly shy and selfish girl. Way too teeny for me.
Terrible. Literally nothing has happened and every character is outrageously boring.. except Jessie. I actually quit this book after 275 pages because a thing actually finally happened and guess what.. then everyone reacted extremely stupidly. So I'm done done cause ain't nobody got time for finishing books that they don't like.
(I'm doing a terrible job picking books lately and that makes me very sad)
Wow!!! So good. Even minor characters have exceptional character development and unique voices. And a double layer twisty ending. I GET THE HYPE.
You know how the mood of some books rub off on you? This one did that to me, but in a not so great way. There's just so much loss and freaking sadness. I was quiet and sad for two days after I finished it. I may be weird... but my mood is always affected by the books I'm reading.
This is the story of Adeline and Emmeline Angelfield, two very unique twins, told from the point of view of Vida Winter (a well-known and secretive writer on her death bed). The twins and their family live a secluded life and are an eerie mystery until now. It is well known that no one knows the truth about Vida Winter's life, and she has chosen Margaret Lea (also a twin) as the author of her story.
Throughout the entire book, the point of view switches between Vida and Margaret. You come to understand the story through Vida, and you come to understand Vida's true nature through Margaret. This story is beautifully crafted. Diane Setterfield intricately weaves words and creates an ominous tone that I love. You really come to see the beauty of reading and stories to connect people.
I was really engrossed at the beginning of the story. It starts off with just the right amount of delicious creep. Then it just kept getting sad, and distraught, and then almost hopeless. It slowed down some, and then picked back up after the twist at the end. I definitely didn't see the twist coming, it was so out of the blue that it felt disconnected.
The story centers on the bond of family and the ability to let go. It is beautifully tied up at the end (but in a sad way...)
But, the literary amazingness of this author is to die for...
There is something about words. In expert hands, manipulated deftly, they take you prisoner. Wind themselves around your limbs like spider silk, and when you are so enthralled you cannot move, they pierce your skin, enter your blood, numb your thoughts. Inside you they work their magic.
If not for the disconnect I felt about the plot, I would give this book a higher rating. I would definitely read Diane Setterfield again.
I picked up The Witch's Kind because I loved A Secret History of Witches by Louisa Morgan. But this book is a perfect example of how one style of writing can come very naturally to an author, but they struggle with others. A Secret History of Witches is written in third person. The atmosphere and characters are so well developed; the story almost lives in its own time. The Witch's Kind is written in first person, and it feels like it's written by a totally different author. It struggles to create a sense of place and time. Instead of setting the scene, the author drops words that date it like “party line”, and they are so out of place that it's jarring. It's just disjointed and doesn't flow well at all. Overall the writing feels forced and extremely distracting.
I cannot give a fair rating for this book, since I haven't ever finished it. I've attempted twice and gotten half way. There's this one really long drawn out part. But I will try again.
I love the musical so much, and the book does add more depth into the story of Elphaba and Glinda (of course pictured as Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth in my head when I read), and I like what I've read so far. It's written like a classic, and we all know what that can mean. Who knows.. maybe I've gotten two pages from the book picking back up. I really enjoyed the beginning about Elphaba growing up and being sent to school. But then when you get into all the clock stuff, it starts slowing down for me. I hate to be the one to never finish a book though, so I will. I freaking will.
I don't know how I missed the boat on this book when I was younger... It was first published when I was five, so maybe it was just before my time - when I started reading longer books, I was all about Nancy Drew and only Nancy Drew. I had actually barely heard about The Giver until it was being made into a movie. I didn't make it around to reading the book until after I watched the movie... and that was really only because I really like the movie. I guess I stalled with reading this because it's labeled as a children's book. But it is far from juvenile. It is extremely insightful into human emotions and what makes life meaningful but also has the chance to make it painful. I love the message in this book. It's a heavy children's story, but an important one. I'm dying to move on to the next books in the series.
So sad. But oh so good. I hate reading the book after I watch the movie. Usually, I'll just not read the book because it makes me mad that I keep picturing the movie in my head. But I gave this one a chance. It was really good. Nicholas Sparks is always a tear jerker, but I found this story to be less cheesy than some of his others.