Ellesfena

Public health nerd (there are dozens of us!), non-fiction lover, with a side of YA and mysteries. My real CBR goal is to have the titles of as many of my reviews as possible be Mountain Goats lyrics.

Ellesfena's Reviews:

And the Headstones Climbed up the Hill

Dreamland: The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic by Sam Quinones

January 23, 2019 by Ellesfena 1 Comment

Last year I read Nicholas and Alexandra and discovered a whole new, extremely specific genre that I love: nonfiction books about some point in time where everything came together in a very particular way that changed the entire course of history. I’m very pleased to say that Dreamland is now the second book I can add to that category (which really needs a snappier name). Dreamland is actually two stories which fit together perfectly to create something really terrible: it’s the story of Purdue Pharma’s development and aggressive marketing of Oxycontin, and the story of how a small Mexican state […]

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1/23/2019 | Ellesfena's CBR11 Review No:1 |

I Did It

Saga, Vol. 1 by Brian K Vaughan and Fiona Staples

December 16, 2018 by Ellesfena 19 Comments

I really can’t believe I’m reviewing my 52nd book of 2018, because I never thought I’d get here. 2018 was a slog, y’all. The funny thing is, I thought it was because I hadn’t read that many great books this year, but that wasn’t true at all–I could barely find a one least favorite for the CBR wrapup post because I had enjoyed almost everything I read. I just couldn’t get into writing the reviews this year. Luckily, I am extremely competitive with myself, and since I cannonballed the past 2 years there was no way I was going to […]

12/16/2018 Ellesfena's CBR10 Review No:52 |

So Perfectly Harriet

Harriet the Spy; The Long Secret by Louise Fitzhugh

December 16, 2018 by Ellesfena Leave a Comment

Harriet M. Welsch is such a gem. I’ve read both of these books, particularly Harriet the Spy, many, many times in my life because I so enjoy spending a little time with her. They both focus on Harriet (11 in Harriet the Spy, 12 in The Long Secret), a sixth-grader at an exclusive private school in New York City. She wants to be a writer someday, and has an insatiable curiosity that she feeds by writing down everything she observes in her notebook. She has a “spy route” of certain people in her neighborhood that she spies on regularly, but […]

12/16/2018 Ellesfena's CBR10 Review No:51 |

Thank you, Melani!

The Ghost Map by Steven Johnson

December 6, 2018 by Ellesfena 4 Comments

Can’t wait to get started on these! Thank you so much!

12/6/2018 Ellesfena's CBR10 Review No:0 |

Probably Not a Zebra

Lethal White by Robert Galbraith

November 29, 2018 by Ellesfena 2 Comments

Lethal White is the fourth book in the Cormoran Strike series, and it’s the one I liked best besides the first. This series has, on the whole, been a bit of a letdown for me. I really liked Cuckoo’s Calling and got excited about the possibility of a new series to enjoy, but then The Silkworm and Career of Evil were both so gross that I really didn’t enjoy them much at all. I still wanted to give this one a try because I like the main characters so well, and I’m glad I did. Lethal White was scary and […]

11/29/2018 Ellesfena's CBR10 Review No:49 |

Do Every Stupid Thing that Makes You Feel Alive

Kristin Lavransdatter Trilogy: The Wreath; The Wife; The Cross by Sigrid Undset

November 25, 2018 by Ellesfena 4 Comments

The Kristin Lavransdatter books tell the story of the life of Kristin Lavransdatter, a Norwegian woman living in the 14th century. I read historical fiction only very rarely, and a series about a Norwegian housewife in the Middle Ages wouldn’t normally be something that would be very high on my TBR list. I chose these because at some point in the last year, I was reading an article which had a short quote from one of the books. I can’t remember the quote or the context, but I was so taken with the power of that short quote that I […]

11/25/2018 Ellesfena's CBR10 Review No:48 |

Desperate Times

Death of a Gossip; Death of a Cad by M.C. Beaton

November 18, 2018 by Ellesfena 1 Comment

I listen to a lot of cozy mystery audiobooks in a year and I usually don’t review them. But I’m starting to worry I won’t hit my cannonball if I don’t start reviewing some more of the books I read, and so here we are. Earlier this year I finished the Agatha Raisin series by M.C. Beaton (well, at least what was written to that point), and needed a new series of cozy mysteries to listen to while driving. I’ve found that cozy mystery audiobooks are a great choice for long trips, as I can sort of dip in and […]

11/18/2018 Ellesfena's CBR10 Review No:45 |

Double Bingo, so at least this book was good for something

The Vacationers by Emma Straub

October 27, 2018 by Ellesfena Leave a Comment

Ugh, I didn’t enjoy this book in the slightest, which I guess makes sense since it fills the Not My Wheelhouse square for Bingo. The Vacationers is the story of a family from New York that goes on vacation to Mallorca, along with their oldest son’s girlfriend, and the best friend of the wife and his husband. I would use names here to help distinguish between characters but I’ve honestly forgotten half of them already. Man, I just. . . I really hated this book. There are several different subplots here. There’s the parents, who are fighting because Dad slept […]

10/27/2018 Ellesfena's CBR10 Review No:43 |

Moonlight Reader on You’re Not Over The Hill If You Can Still Match Wits With German SpiesThank you!
Moonlight Reader on You’re Not Over The Hill If You Can Still Match Wits With German SpiesThe Big Four is terrible! Destination Unknown isn't very good. Mystery of the Blue Train is pretty bad, but not as bad as The Big...
Interrodroid3000 on The Americas Deserved Better Than Guns, Germs, and SteelI have Lies My Teacher Told Me on my list. I'm going to add this, too, now. Thanks for the review!
allisonata on The Americas Deserved Better Than Guns, Germs, and SteelHi, faintingviolet! Yes, we're finally getting around to understanding the Inka khipu code, writ in textile. Mind BLOWN.
allisonata on The Americas Deserved Better Than Guns, Germs, and SteelThanks, Ellesfena! I started this book with the intention to "take my vitamins" but couldn't put it down. Wait till you get to the part...