Two stars = eh, it was okay
Three stars = liked it
Four stars = really, really liked it
Five stars = absolutely loved it
1-Star (0)
2-Star (0)
3-Star (6)
***A Gentleman in Moscow (Fiction, A.
Towles)
This was a great book, but it was way too
long. It was such a good story, and I
wanted to be friends with the kind Gentleman, Count Roskov. But it was REALLY long in the middle and way
too wordy for my taste.
***The Library Book (Non-Fiction, S. Orlean)
This one surprised me, only because I
thought I would enjoy it so much more.
The general library info was great (did you know that Public libraries
outnumber McDonalds in the United States???), but the history/fire/L.A. part
bored me to death. L
Although it DID make me want to use my local library more. And my library is awesome and not that far
from home.
***Farmer Boy (Fiction, L. Ingalls)
I liked this one, but not nearly as well as
the ones about Laura and her family. I
just wasn’t as interested in Almanzo and his family.
***Idaho (Fiction, E. Roskovich)
This book felt disjointed and all over the
place, but the writing was decent and the story was somewhat interesting.
***Pachinko (Fiction, M. Lee)
Strong start, but about halfway through I
started losing interest and there were too many characters that I didn’t
like.
***The Smell of Other People’s Houses
(Fiction, B. Hitchcock)
A good book about the lives of a group of
teens living in remote Alaska.
4-Star (4)
****Maisie Dobbs #1 (Fiction, J. Winspear)
There is something so exciting about starting the first book of a new
series and LIKING it and then discovering that there are 14 additional books in
the series that have already been published.
I loved this little gem of a mystery, and hope that it only gets better. We meet Maisie Dobbs, a former housemaid
turned WWI nurse, turned private investigator.
She is smart as a whip and tries to not only solve mysteries but help
people in the process. We learn a lot
about her background in this book, so there’s a bit of jumping back and forth
in time. But somehow it works! UPDATE:
I DNF’d the 2nd book because it got weird and then I
researched some of the other books in the series and it seems to be a pattern
so I won’t be reading any further books from this series.
****Victoria the Queen (Non-Fiction, V. Baird)
I listened to the audio version of this book. It was phenomenal. I really didn’t know anything about Queen
Victoria and now I feel somewhat well-versed!
Honestly though I’m not sure if I would have enjoyed this book as much
if I had read it as opposed to listening to it.
The narrator was great.
****Sky Without Stars (Fiction, J. Brody)
3.75 ONLY because I think it’s about 100 pages too long (it’s a 600
page book). And it’s not an ‘easy’ read,
especially for YA. But I really, really
enjoyed it. Who wouldn’t love a
futuristic retelling of Les Miserables told from the perspectives of Chantine
(Eponine), Alouette (Cosette), and Marcellus (Marius)? I’ll definitely read the next book in the
series when it comes out.
****Sorry I’m Late I Didn’t Want to Come (Non-Fiction, J. Pan)
Laugh out loud book about an introvert who decides to do extrovert
things for one year including improv, solo traveling, talking to strangers, and
stand-up comedy…basically the stuff of my nightmares. I loved it!
5-Star (3)
*****Ask Again Yes (Fiction, M. Keane)
I don’t even know where to begin with this book. It is emotionally exhausting, especially the
last 100 pages. It’s the story of the
‘friendship’ of two next door neighbors and their children (2 of them in
particular). The time period of this
book starts in the late 70s, when I was born.
When the kids talked about social studies class, their lunch boxes
(which were lined up on the shelves by the school cafeteria, JUST like ours
used to be), Snapple, Duck Hunt video games, scavenger hunts, and the top 100
countdown on the radio, I got pretty nostalgic.
At one point in the book one of the characters wants to make a dramatic
exit/escape, but he has to let his car warm up first. Because that’s just what we DID back then in
the 80s when it was cold.
But then of course, tragedy strikes and it affects EVERYONE. Relationships are ruined, lives are changed
forever. Bad things happen. Good things happen. I found myself rooting for almost
everyone. This is a great book about
mental illness, alcoholism, human nature, relationships, love, loss, tragedy,
and most importantly, forgiveness.
*****The Book Hog (Fiction, G. Pizzoli)
A charming children’s book about a pig who LOVES books but doesn’t
know how to read. (don’t worry, it has a
happy ending)
*****Little House on the Prairie (Fiction, L. Ingalls Wilder)
Obviously this is a re-read for me, and it’s just as wonderful as I
remember. There is something so calming
about reading these books.
Total Books Read: 13 (10 fiction, 3 non-fiction)
DNF (Did Not Finish) :
Red Rising (it got weird)
Birds of a Feather (it got weird)
