3.5 Stars. I really enjoyed this concept and these characters, but I wish the storyline had been tightened up a bit. Alice’s whole first mission (Or maybe two? I’ve waited a bit too long on my review) ultimately felt like filler. There’s some setup for the main conflict and the worldbuilding element but that part really could […]
Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix: Book Review
This is my third Grady Hendrix novel this year and with every single one of them, I think the premise sounds like fun and then I’m surprised by how dark the book gets. You would think I’d learn, wouldn’t you? The books do start off amusingly enough but the dread and the creep factor slowly ratchet up until I’m practically […]
Eleven on Top by Janet Evanovich: Book Review
This is Stephanie Plum! It goes without saying that she and Lula and Grandma Mazur are going to have some insanely funny moments. It also goes without saying that Stephanie is going to have some extremely…um, romantic? lusty? naughty? all of the above?… moments with Morelli or Ranger. You either like the formula or you […]
The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb by Melanie Benjamin: Book Review
Vinnie had a fascinating life. She did actually marry Charles Stratton, “General Tom Thumb,” who toured with P.T. Barnum from the age of 5 until his death. Vinnie started her career with the American Museum but after her marriage, she and Charles toured Europe, the US, and eventually the world. That trip would have been almost […]
The Zig Zag Girl by Elly Griffiths: Book Review
3.5 Stars. I’ve never read any of Elly Griffiths’ other mysteries but this one was good. I had a vague guess as to “whodunnit” but I didn’t really know why or how. There was a more personal twist at the end that did surprise me quite a bit. I like surprises. But somehow the whole novel felt a bit gray. DI Stephens seems to have […]
Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige: Book Review
Amy Gumm can’t wait to get out of Kansas. A smart girl who doesn’t fit in with her classmates, she’s always the butt of their jokes. Her mom disconnected years ago, leaving Amy to take care of both of them. Still, she doesn’t expect to leave Kansas like this. When a tornado blows through Amy’s Continue Reading…
The Last Time I Saw Paris by Lynn Sheene: Book Review
Claire Harris is a New York socialite, throwing extravagant parties and softening up her husband’s potential business partners for him. Her past comes back to haunt her one night and she flees to Paris on the eve on the German occupation to find an old lover. Their reunion doesn’t go well and she finds herself Continue Reading…
Blubber by Judy Blume: Book Review
Linda, an overweight girl in fifth grade, gives a report about whales one day. Someone passes around a note that “Blubber is a good name for her” and Linda has a new nickname. The other kids start to tease and harass her and just generally make her life miserable. Our narrator, Jill, watches all this Continue Reading…
Testimony: The Legacy of Schindler’s List: Book Review
Testimony covers a lot of ground, from the making of the movie, Schindler’s List, to the idea of filming Holocaust survivor testimonies, to the actual project, and now sharing the testimonies and collecting new ones from ongoing genocides around the world. The first half of the book kept my attention better than the second half. Continue Reading…
The Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly: Book Review
It’s been two years since the events of The Lincoln Lawyer and Mickey Haller is not on his game. His…medical problems… at the end of the first book have left him addicted to painkillers. He’s done a stint in rehab, he’s taken time off work to get himself together, and he’s starting to think about Continue Reading…
The Curse of the Pharaohs by Elizabeth Peters: Book Review
*Possible spoilers for Crocodile on the Sandbank* Amelia Peabody and Emerson have married and had a son, Ramses. They’ve decided to stay home in England with him and live a quiet life, at least until he’s older. They’re both going slowly crazy. Emerson has been reduced to practically begging the neighbor to let him dig Continue Reading…