Friday, August 30, 2019

Review: The Library of Lost and Found

The Library of Lost and Found The Library of Lost and Found by Phaedra Patrick
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sweet little read about a mousy library staff member who breaks out of her shell when she discovers family secrets. Of course, she falls in love, gains her own voice, develops better relationships with her family members, and even stops being a hoarder. In print, I would have been bored. But in audio, this was a peaceful work with lovely accents full of expression, pain, and hope.

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Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Review: Don't Skip Out on Me

Don't Skip Out on Me Don't Skip Out on Me by Willy Vlautin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What the hell, Vlautin?

That's the reaction you'll have when you get to the end of this one. I tagged it Western, but that's more of the overall feel of the novel, even though there is a sheep ranch involved. Young Horace Hooper is a boxer--he's dead set on training and being seen as a Mexican boxer (even calls himself Hector Hidalgo), even though he is half-Paiute. He's decent because he hits hard and doesn't give up, but his doggedness isn't a good thing when it comes to his mental and physical well-being. Meanwhile old Mr. Reese, the rancher with a bad back, is hoping Horace will give up his dream of being a boxer and just come back to his adoptive home, take over the ranch, and be loved. Lots of redemption, forgiveness, and love in this little book. I loved it.

And thanks to BJ Barham, lead singer of American Aquarium, for mentioning that he was reading Willy Vlautin. I've had this book on my shelf for a year, and that interview made me pick it up and start reading.

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Friday, August 23, 2019

Review: The Home for Unwanted Girls

The Home for Unwanted Girls The Home for Unwanted Girls by Joanna Goodman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

When I'm stressed, I read historical fiction, so I found this ARC on my shelf from last year. Maggie is half-French and half-English and lives in rural Quebec, but she's never felt at home anywhere other than her dad's seed store. When she falls in love with a French boy, her father disapproves, and she is sent away to break up the romance. But, a baby interferes. At 15, Maggie is pretty well forced to give up the baby, as it was done in those times, and poor Elodie is stuck in the horrible child trafficking Catholic/Jewish Quebec nightmare. It's one of those feel-good novels, so everything works out, but I never quite connected with the writing or the characters. Fast, easy read though.

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Review: City of Girls

City of Girls City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My kind of historical fiction! With a conversational tone, Vivian tells her story about being kicked out of Vassar and getting wild and crazy in NYC in the 1940s. She becomes a seamstress for her aunt's playhouse, and I just loved all the characters and how they broke stereotypes for women during that time. Fast, easy, and pleasurable read.

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Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Review: 29 Dates

29 Dates 29 Dates by Melissa de la Cruz
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Cute YA read about a Korean teen who is sent to the US for her senior year of high school in order to help her get into good colleges. She is constantly being set up by a Korean matchmaker, even in San Francisco, and the transcripts from those blind dates are hilarious.

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Sunday, August 18, 2019

Review: Grace and Fury

Grace and Fury Grace and Fury by Tracy Banghart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Fairly predictive, but I could see reluctant teen readers loving this smash-up of the Hunger Games and the Selection that takes place in some Venice-like world.

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Friday, August 2, 2019

Review: Bunny

Bunny Bunny by Mona Awad
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I am not quite sure what I just read....

But this book does remind me why I always felt more at home with my fellow history minors instead of those who were English majors, especially those who took a lot of creative writing courses. :)

I'm not sure what was happening very often, but I hope there were drugs involved....

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