Review: Check, Please!: #Hockey, Vol. 1

Check, Please!: #Hockey, Vol. 1 by Ngozi Ukazu
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Laugh out loud funny! The graphic novel was good, but I really loved the tweets and extra comics at the end. Bittle is a figure skater who happens to play hockey, but hates to get checked. He loves to bake, vlog and tweet, and tends to get crushes on straight guys which doesn't help him much. But, guys, loooooveeee, happens in college! :)

Great book for high school kids!

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Review: The Blood Whisperer

The Blood Whisperer by Zoë Sharp
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Great standalone mystery/thriller from the author of the Charlie Fox series. The main character is fresh out of prison from serving a murder sentence that she didn't deserve--someone set her up. She was a "blood whisperer," a crime scene tech who asked too many questions when the detectives wanted the cases to be easily solved. Now she's on the run when another murder is framed on her. Fast action and a great mystery! I didn't guess all of the ending, so that's a good thing!

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Review: Pet Sematary

Pet Sematary by Stephen King
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I remember reading this back in junior high? And it freaked me out, because, you know, cats. I've always had them, but they still freak me out a bit. My cat right now scares me constantly--sprinting off my bed at 3 am to confront the invisible ghost that is on the hallway wall.

I do love King's short story collections, when he has to be tighter with words. Way too many adjectives and adverbs in this thing for me, but the narration of the new audio version keeps you listening. If you've seen Dexter, you will recognize the voice, and it helps with the creepy parts!

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Review: The Unlikely Spy

The Unlikely Spy by Daniel Silva
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book forever to finish. It's massive--the paperback is 724 pages, but I also finished up the year on RUSA's Listen List, so I had some major listening and re-listening to do.

Silva is at his best here with WW2 drama--both in Germany and England. Love all the intrigue and backstabbing and spying and smarts. The book has to be good to keep me going with this length!

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Review: The Silence of the Girls

The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ahh, the good old Trojan war, when women were raped constantly, often by the men who killed their loved ones. Reading this novel from the POV of the Trojan woman whom Achilles "wins" puts a whole new spin on war. Horrible stuff. Talk about Stockholm syndrome.

Wonderful audiobook--the two narrators both are excellent and the production was spotless.

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Review: Wrecked

Wrecked by Joe Ide
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Snarky and exciting! I never read the first two books in the series, but I understood everything just fine. And now I will need to go back and read or listen to them. It's like a TV adventure mystery in book form. In audio, this book was wonderful. Great voices!

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Review: The Great Believers

The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Oh, man, this brings back everything I remember about AIDS (and don't remember) in the 1980s. I was so blissfully ignorant back then in elementary school. This brings back the emotions and will make your heart explode. Great audio--give it a listen. Worth your 18 hours.

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Review: Meet Me at the Museum

Meet Me at the Museum by Anne Youngson
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I'm not old enough to love this book. Two older people write each other back and forth, slowly falling in love as they do so. So much telling, which I know is the point of an epistolary novel, but it made for kinda boring reading for me.

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Review: The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century

The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century by Kirk Wallace Johnson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Who know that this book would be so interesting? A young American flautist breaks into a museum in England and steals a bag full of dead birds so that he can sell the feathers. Feather trafficking? These guys who build Victorian flies for fishing are crazy! I had no idea that they wanted all these endangered birds' feathers. Crazy stuff and somehow the book sucked me in.

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Review: The Tattooist of Auschwitz

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

For those of you who like Holocaust fiction, this is based on the true story of the Jewish Slovakian who became the poor man who had to tattoo thousands of people on their entrance to the concentration camp.

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Review: West

West by Carys Davies
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I usually love westerns, but this was slow-going. And the end? I won't give it away, but geez, I felt like I had read a 1950's Boys Life column or something.

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Review: Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen

Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen by Jose Antonio Vargas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Everyone should read this. I had a vague memory of Vargas as being the guest of Pelosi at some point--I remember the commentators talking about him being in the audience somewhere and how it was a big deal. But I didn't remember his name or what the event was.

This short autobiography tells his lifestory--how and when he came to America, and how, as a teen, he discovered that he was "illegal." And then comes the passing and lying and growing up to become a successful Pulitzer-winning journalist, who is trying to become a legal citizen, but our process is so fucking messed up.

The immigration policies suck. I don't understand why there are 40 year waitlists. I don't understand why marrying an American makes things easier (that's even more messed up). I don't understand why we let "illegals" pay taxes happily but then don't let them get drivers licenses. The whole system is screwed and it makes me angry.

Vargas is one hell of a storyteller. You won't regret reading this.

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Review: Virgil Wander

Virgil Wander by Leif Enger
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I forgot how much I liked Enger. His writing is subtle and funny, and this novel had me chuckling a few times. Virgil Wander is having a rough time--his car when into the water in Minnesota, and the concussion has him forgetting adjectives and even, sometimes, to eat. He's alone, a bit odd, but an integral part of his small town. He's the town clerk and the owner of the only movie theater which sometimes even surpasses 10 people per night! This is one of those small town novels that's driven by quirky personalities. Kinda like a Mitford novel, but Minnesotan.

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Review: Woman World

Woman World by Aminder Dhaliwal
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I've never read the author's Instagram posts, but this graphic novel collects her art into a paperback. Men have died out and women rule, but still have to deal with the patriarchy and learning to live as women. I chuckled a bit at some of the pages, and there is plenty of irony and pop culture jokes. I wanted more of a narrative thread between the characters, but that's not what this is intended to be. Easy snarky lunch break read.



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Review: The Secrets Between Us

The Secrets Between Us by Thrity Umrigar
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I didn't read the first book, so it took me awhile to catch up and understand what was going on in this one.

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Review: The Last Cowboys: A Pioneer Family in the New West

The Last Cowboys: A Pioneer Family in the New West by John Branch
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I feel like this was written for city people to learn about what life on a ranch is like?

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Review: Circe

Circe by Madeline Miller
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

There have been soooo many myth retellings, but this one stands out because it's interesting and well written. Drags a bit in the last third, but I still wanted to find out more about how Circe ended up like she did.

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Review: Anatomy of a Miracle

Anatomy of a Miracle by Jonathan Miles
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I liked this more than I thought I would, since I'm not a fan of "miracle fic." It's written like a true story. Cameron comes home from the Afghan war in a wheelchair and broken mentally, too. He drinks and smokes a lot, but that's about it. One day in the parking lot of the Busy Bee, he stands up and walks. It's a miracle! Cam is Catholic and an investigation ensues. Was it really a miracle? Had Cameron been faking it for years? Or is there more to his depression and/or miracle?

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Review: America for Beginners

America for Beginners by Leah Franqui
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Sweet and beautiful listen. Try the audiobook--you won't regret it.

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Review: The Royal Runaway

The Royal Runaway by Lindsay Emory
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Good fluffy princess read. Review to come in SLJ AB4T.

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Review: A Noise Downstairs

A Noise Downstairs by Linwood Barclay
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

A faculty member comes across another faculty member driving erratically. He follows him, and then discovers that he has two dead women in his trunk that he's trying to bury. And there starts the mystery. One is in prison, and the other was hit hard in the head with a shovel. There are cheating spouses, negligent shrinks, and all sorts of supposed plot twists that I just found uninteresting. Not my thing at all, and I usually love mysteries and suspense. The audio is full of audible breaths that drove me nuts.

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Review: Charlotte Walsh Likes To Win

Charlotte Walsh Likes To Win by Jo Piazza
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The perfect listen for election week! It is horrible that women have such a bad experience when running for office, but I'm thrilled that more of them did just so in the past two years. Hopefully we can keep increasing those numbers. But, really, questions about shoes and clothing brands have to stop, if men aren't asked the same questions. It's just stupid. And male politicians don't have to smile and "be nice" all the time. Ugh. I'm getting all riled up just thinking about what Charlotte has to put up with in this book as she runs for PA Senate.

Great contemporary book about a woman running for office. Loved how it focuses on a marriage where the woman is more successful than the husband, a working mother's work/family balance, and seems to make running for office less scary.

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Review: Lovely War

Lovely War by Julie Berry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received this ARC from the publisher. No quotes are included since I read the advance copy.

I knew I would love this one going into it because of the awesome cover. I'm a sucker for historical fiction, especially the World Wars. I'm glad this one focused on WWI, along with the Harlem Hellfighters, jazz music, women's roles in society, shell shock, and race relations. The four main young adults are very distinctive, and readers will have no problem keeping their stories straight and cheering for them.

At first I wasn't too thrilled with the concept of Aphrodite and Ares being on trial for sleeping around on Hephaestus, but I grew to love how they told the stories of the four human characters. The old mythology legends and Trojan War histories kept coming back to me as I read, and it really did help improve the novel. I came to love Aphrodite (what the heck?), as well as pity Hephaestus and his love for his cheating wife. That's just weird because it's not like I usually develop feelings for Greek gods.

If you love historical fiction, read this, no matter your age. Sure, it's written for teens, but adults will pick this one up, too.

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Review: The Other Woman

The Other Woman by Daniel Silva
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm so glad he has an author's note at the end to let me know what's real and what isn't in the book, because, seriously, reading this genre makes me question everything in politics and international relations. But, I guess I question everything I see online, too, so what's the difference?

My favorite Israeli spy is back when foreign spies start dropping like flies, and he gets accused of assassinating them. He didn't, but now he has to find out who did. There is a tangled web of Brits, Americans, Russians, and Israelis in this one, and I love how they all can quickly travel around the world in borrowed jets and zip through passport control. In my next life, I will be in the CIA. Or at least a librarian with security clearance.

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Review: Wildcard

Wildcard by Marie Lu
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Not as good as Warcross to me, but still a good followup to the continuing saga of Emika Chen and her complicated relationships with Hideo, the developer of the game Warcross, his younger evil brother Zero, and her gaming team. I felt like I had to keep having things explained to me while I read this because it was a bit convoluted. But it was a satisfying ending, which is always nice to have in YA scifi/fantasy.

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Review: Pure Grit: How WWII Nurses in the Pacific Survived Combat and Prison Camp

Pure Grit: How WWII Nurses in the Pacific Survived Combat and Prison Camp by Mary Cronk Farrell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love reading nonfiction about things I never learned about in school. I was a history minor in college and took a lot of military classes--I never knew that some American nurses were POWs in WWII in the Pacific. Loved the details about some of the women in the book--you see them in pictures, hear their stories, and grow concerned about whether or not they make it. The description of the Coming Home after the war fascinated me--hard to be a happy homemaker when you ate almost nothing for three years and saw war and devastation. PTSD was prevalent, but the government giving them reparations for being a POW were not. Fascinating stuff. These were tough women and set the tone for future war nurses in Korea and Vietnam.

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Review: Junkyard Dogs

Junkyard Dogs by Craig Johnson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Walt Longmire is the perfect Sunday read for me. Short, action-packed, and funny. I need to meet a Walt in my real life, please.

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Review: The Orphan's Tale

The Orphan's Tale by Pam Jenoff
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I have to stop reading these popular adult books that are reviewed well on Goodreads because I just don't agree. The writing of this book was horrible--the voices of Astrid and Noa were not distinct at all. Luckily each chapter has their name on it so readers can tell.

Was it a fast, easy read? Yes. Did it have some major holes in the plot? Yes.

I won't read any more by this author, since I didn't like another by her either. This is very simplistic historical fiction--not literary at all.

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Review: An Absolutely Remarkable Thing

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

You know it's good when the credits start rolling from the audiobook and you say "What the f***?" in your car. Really loudly.

Does it seem like Hank wrote some of this based on his twitter fame? Yeppers. But I don't care.

April May makes youtube history when she discovers a statue she calls Carl in the middle of NYC. Turns out she was the first to make world history, since Carl is one of many Carls dropped in cities worldwide from some alien universe. Lots of messages her about viral posts and social media, but I enjoyed seeing those as I learned more about April May, her friends, family, lovers, and some other civilization.

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Review: Follow the River

Follow the River by James Alexander Thom
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Somewhere I read that this was a great example of good historical fiction so I had to give it a try. I read tons of historical fiction growing up, so I'm not sure if this is re-read or not, but it didn't seem familiar. I've read plenty of captivity narratives, including Mary Rowlandson in a college class, and Lois Lenski's Indian Captive: The Story of Mary Jamison growing up. I remember owning the book club version of White Captives by Evelyn Sibley Lampman and reading it over and over when I was a kid. More recently, I read Paulette Jiles' News of the World.

But it's difficult to read a 1981 book through my 2018 eyes. It's just so "whites are awesome!" and full of Indian bashing. The main character, Mary, the woman who is taken captive, fantasizes unrealistically about her husband and kidnapper sexually, and it just seems out of place. Yes, this women walked for hundreds of miles along rivers (I'm not sure why she didn't just save time and walk EAST?) I know the novel is based on her captivity story written by her ancestors but it just feels awkward. The best bits are when she is actually traveling the river and climbing the cliffs, but it does get monotonous. The author explored the same area himself, and you can tell because the writing is very descriptive.

The dialect is written as said back then, and thankfully there isn't much of it, because it's difficult to read.

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Review: Hey, Kiddo

Hey, Kiddo by Jarrett J. Krosoczka
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Lots of cuss words in this one, so fair warning, schools. Buy it anyway, but watch who you check it out to? ;)

I love the Lunch Lady graphic novels for kids, and had no idea about the background of the author/illustrator. He didn't have the best childhood, and you'll find out. Raised by his grandparents, who had their own problems, and teased because he wasn't athletic, Krosoczka drew all the time. Thankfully his grandparents paid for him to take art classes, and it really saved his life. Art saves, people!

This memoir is fairly dark--all that info is in the subtitle (How I Lost My Mother, Found My Father, and Dealt with Family Addiction), but the art is exquisite. Love how he explained what he did with it at the end, too, and the "real things" that he included. It's amazing how many steps these illustrators go through--actual drawing, computer stuff, then drawing again. Crazy.

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Review: Ordinary Grace

Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I don't like mysteries when I know who did it very early and then have to finish the novel to make sure I'm right. That's the way this one was--the foreshadowing was very clear, which made it a slower read. I did love the setting--small town Minnesota, and the time period, 1961. The book just read odd--way too many people died in this small town during one summer, and the police force was basically non-existent. It was trying to be a Harper Lee-like novel, but didn't quite get there for me.



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Review: A Borrowing of Bones

A Borrowing of Bones by Paula Munier
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is perfect for those of you who like feel-good mysteries. Can't go wrong with a war dog from Afghanistan and his reluctant new owner who loved his handler!

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Review: Artificial Condition

Artificial Condition by Martha Wells
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

How in the world can a SecUnit grab my attention like this? Love this series, and I'm not a huge scifi fan (but I see you, Firefly). I love the novella length and that fact that I can sit down for a bit and read these in one seating. Off to interlibrary loan Book #3!

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Review: Someone Like Me

Someone Like Me by M.R. Carey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

wtf did I just read? I've read thousands of book so I appreciate a plot I haven't read before! This thriller novel focuses on two characters who see the same psychiatrist. Liz, a good mom of two kids, has a mental break when her ex-husband beats her one too many times. Fran is a teenager dealing with psychotic episodes because she was kidnapped as a child and held in a gross motel room by a mentally challenged monster. Both are suffering from some mental illness--something like multiple personality disorder or hallucinations. Liz is fighting with her alter-ego Beth who doesn't put up with crap from the ex. Fran has a noble imaginary fox following her around to protect her from the bad guys. Their stories intertwine when Fran becomes friends with Liz's son. And, whoa, you'll be on the edge of your seat when these two characters do battle with themselves? their others? It's complicated. And there's a Abenaki Indian/skadegamutc element to the story, which fits with the Pittsburg setting.

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Review: The Cruel Prince

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It's been so long since I've read and loved a fairy book! Of course, it's Holly Black who brings me back to the fey. Jude is human, but thanks to horrific circumstances, she lives in the Court of Faerie. She makes the best of her situation--learning to fight, learning family histories, and using her ability to lie to her advantage. LOTS of backstabbing and horrible things happen, like always with the fairies, and I loved it! Can't wait to read Book #2.

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Review: The House of Broken Angels

The House of Broken Angels by Luis Alberto Urrea
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm not even quite sure of the plot of this one, but the narration was fantastic. This guy can TALK. He's the kind of narrator that you want to whisper in your ear as you're falling asleep. The book is literary, so there is a lot of telling instead of action, but the family is preparing for a funeral/death, so it's not the most exciting plot out there. But, whoa, you will want to listen to this one. The narrator manages the Spanish, metal music voice (hilarious!), and even a parrot!

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Review: Dread Nation

Dread Nation by Justina Ireland
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Alternative history post-Civil War with zombies? Yes! This was just the kind of genre-bender I love--enough historical fiction to make me happy, with a bit of a current day political theme going on, too.

Jane goes to private ladies school for African-American girls to be trained as Attendants--fighters who protect their white ladies from zombie (and men!) attackers. When she crosses the wrong person, she's sent out West to a settlement where religious extremists are in control, and everything goes to shit.

Can't wait to read Book #2!

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Review: Carl and the Meaning of Life

Carl and the Meaning of Life by Deborah Freedman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Adorable illustrations! Carl is an earthworm. When he's asked why he turns hard dirt into fluffy soil, he can't answer the question, and so he wanders around to ask the others animals why he does what he does. Since he's not improving the soil, it hardens, plants die, and the animals go away to greener pastures. So he gets back to work and the whole circle of life thing continues. Easy science lesson with every read.

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Review: Hands Up!

Hands Up! by Breanna J. McDaniel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A positive portrayal of being told to put your "hands up!"--singing in church, getting dressed, fixing hair, 5th position in ballet ("graceful like Ms. Misty"), playing defense in basketball, and high fives. Last page shows everyone with hands up at a rally holding signs that say, "Black Lives Matter," "Water=Life," and "Ningun ser humano es ilegal." Not many words on each page--short and simple. Would be great for reading to a group of children as they could put their hands up for each action. Digital mixed media for the illustrations--looks like boxy, crayon-ish drawings that are bold and simple.

This is perfect for social justice displays for the little ones.

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Review: Meet Miss Fancy

Meet Miss Fancy by Irene Latham
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Fictional picture based on the real Miss Fancy the Elephant that lived for a bit at the park in Birmingham, Alabama. The main character, Frank, loves elephants, but the "No Colored Allowed" sign means that he can't visit Miss Fancy.

Is it wrong that I hate to see smiling elephants when they are kept in captivity?

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Review: The Mindful Way to a Good Night's Sleep: Discover How to Use Dreamwork, Meditation, and Journaling to Sleep Deeply and Wake Up Well

The Mindful Way to a Good Night's Sleep: Discover How to Use Dreamwork, Meditation, and Journaling to Sleep Deeply and Wake Up Well by Tzivia Gover
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Um, if you're having trouble sleeping, are you even dreaming? Because I sure don't. So that means half this book is worthless, since it's all about journaling your dreams. Not what I was looking for.

This was too feel good and hippie-ish for me and too light on the science. Also, the 3M Cloud Library version of its seems like it's missing things. For example, she discusses yoga poses, but there aren't pictures of what those poses look like. Makes me wonder if they are there in the print version?

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Review: Brief Chronicle of Another Stupid Heartbreak

Brief Chronicle of Another Stupid Heartbreak by Adi Alsaid
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

What a frustrating and realistic teen romance! Lu is a high school senior who is paid to write about love, except she is nowhere close to an expert about it. She obsesses with guys and then ends up making mistakes. The typical writer, she observes everything, but she crosses over into gross territory quite a bit by eavesdropping and butting into people's lives while ignoring others. I cringed a lot while reading this--but that may have been the adult in me.

Unfortunately, this is another love story to New York City (you can tell that publishers/editors live there), and setting plays a fairly big part in the novel.

There were some memorable one liners, but I felt myself saying, "Just write the dang column, Lu." Lu is a selfish girl--she takes her friendships for granted, but then when she needs them, she NEEDS them. Her idolizing the relationship of Cal and Iris seems to fit her personality perfectly, as well as the mistakes she makes.

I'm looking forward to seeing what other people think about this one. I think it will be picked up--great title and cover, and readers will want to know what ends up happening to Lu. If anything, this book shows that love is always around--those teen relationships might seem like forever, but there is always someone else who is interesting. :)

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Review: Nodding Off: The Science of Sleep from Cradle to Grave

Nodding Off: The Science of Sleep from Cradle to Grave by Alice Gregory
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Not quite what I was looking for, but I was able to skip the chapters about babies and adolescents to get to the adult and advice information. Funny thing is that I read this until 1 am one night this week, trying to make myself go to sleep, and it didn't happen.

Plenty of footnotes and research involved, but her tone was conversational which made it an easy read. She is British, so, you know, everything is spelled wrong. ;)

I did learn about about CBT-I, which I had never heard of, as a treatment for adult insomnia, so that is something I'm going to look into. She also, like my personal doctor, hates sleeping pills and self-medicating to sleep, so I guess my dr knows what he's talking about. I've always thought reading helps me go to sleep, but she mentions that it might not, since my brain spins quite a bit when I'm processing that information. Meditation might be more of what I need.

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Review: The Ensemble

The Ensemble by Aja Gabel
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

There is no need for a sentence to ever be 26 lines long. EVER.

Had promise as a coming-of-age tale, but the four main characters (all members of string quartet) grow old quickly, and it's then a tale of marriage and divorce, children, longing, and not fulfilling your dreams.

Too literary for my liking.



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Review: Kings of the Yukon: One Summer Paddling Across the Far North

Kings of the Yukon: One Summer Paddling Across the Far North by Adam Weymouth
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Strange mix of nature loving from a Brit and the world of disappearing salmon. Lots of interviews with people along the river.

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Review: The Growing Season

The Growing Season by Helen Sedgwick
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Almost the entire audio production of this is muffled and cloudy, so I was disappointed at the very beginning. After listening to so many clear productions, this was such a downer. The narrator is good, so I wish the production had the same quality. At 016, I had to blast the volume to hear the narration. The odd thing was that at 024, when Daphne speaks, the cloudiness goes away. Why is that? The closet door was opened in the downstairs basement room where the audio was recorded? Grrr. Even my Airpods and Bose headphones couldn't get rid of the muffled sound.

I loved the idea of this book--pouch created to that fathers can carry babies, too, and in order for women to become more equal to men. But I've heard most of the same ideas in better written books. Not new scifi at all.

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Review: All Systems Red

All Systems Red by Martha Wells
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Awesome little scifi novella that is a perfect Alex Award winner. Nonstop action, short, with great characters that you want to know more about! I love the idea of a murderbot gone rogue and suddenly developing FEELINGS. The introverted comments the SecUnit makes throughout cracked me up! Looking forward to reading Book #2 in this series to see what SecUnit does next.

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Review: Clock Dance

Clock Dance by Anne Tyler
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

If this is what older women's fiction is like when I get really old, I don't want to get old. I felt like I was slogging through it--I wanted to tell Willa to get a backbone. This novel gives us Willa's life story. It is rather boring and that of a typical woman, but she does make (to my eyes) horrible decisions about the men in her life and her other major life choices. When she does finally get some gumption, it didn't feel realistic, because I'm not sure if people change that much later in life? Do they?

And the whole knife/airplane scene was just freaking ridiculous.

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Review: White Nights

White Nights by Ann Cleeves
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It took me forever to read this book, and that is a sign of how well it grabbed me. I loved the TV series and love the setting, but this book was too long. A lot of brooding and choppy transitions. It was difficult to read things from Taylor's POV since he's a jerk--I wish we just heard from Perez, since he's the knight in armor we all want to spend our time with. They mystery seemed far-fetched in this one, too. Things just didn't click. I won't give up though. Judging from other people's ratings, the books get better.

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