KimMiE"

MI-5 with monsters!

The Rook by Daniel O'Malley

May 2, 2026 by KimMiE" 2 Comments

Just last week I confessed that espionage is not my jam. This week I’m saying that espionage can be my jam if it contains vampires, flesh-absorbing monsters, and a kick-ass female protagonist. Shout out to MsWas for the recommendation. This book saved me when I was in a mini-slump! A woman becomes conscious (I’m specifically avoiding the term “waking up”) in a London park with no memory of who she is or how she got there, surrounded by dead bodies, all of whom are wearing […]

When the source material lets you down

Hopscotch by Brian Garfield

April 26, 2026 by KimMiE" Leave a Comment

A few weeks ago I wrote about how delighted I am when I read the source material for a beloved movie and it turns out that the movie was a fantastic adaptation of a fantastic novel. I had a less rewarding experience with Hopscotch, which is rather a dull but light spy thriller written in 1975 and adapted into a charming (if dated) comedy action film starring Walter Matthau in 1980. The novel is about CIA field agent Miles Kendig, who is being forced into […]

H.G. Wells is the villain for boring me to death

The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells

April 11, 2026 by KimMiE" Leave a Comment

Sometimes the idea of a story is a thousand times better than the actual story, as is the case with H.G. Wells’s The Invisible Man. I look at that cover and think, “This is going to be one badass book–a fun, light read that will nevertheless leave me pondering the nature of loneliness and isolation.” (Okay, I didn’t get all of that from the cover.) With fewer than 200 pages, this book turned out to be an unexpected slog and I’m still not sure what […]

Unspeakable pain, unspeakable loneliness

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

March 29, 2026 by KimMiE" Leave a Comment

Decades ago, when I first heard the term “footbinding,” I thought it simply meant that the feet of Chinese girls were wrapped tightly to keep them small and delicate. Then when I learned that there was much more to it than that, I realized it was awful but didn’t give it much more thought. After reading Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, which goes into detail about how girls as young as 5 or 6 were subjected to the practice, I’m truly horrified. If you […]

When a great story is adapted into a great movie, x2

Different Seasons by Stephen King

March 21, 2026 by KimMiE" 11 Comments

At least 30 years ago I read The Shining and really enjoyed it, so I’m not sure why I never picked up another book by Stephen King. Probably it’s because I’m not a huge horror fan, although Shirley Jackson’s Haunting of Hill House started to change my mind about that. Recently, a friend of mine convinced me that I should try Different Seasons, and knowing that it contained the novella that was the basis for The Shawshank Redemption, I thought, “Yes! Excellent idea!” It’s always […]

wicherwill
on Domestic Issues
I'm actually surprised, I felt like this book wouldn't hold up very well at all just because of the overall...
Tracy
on can a fiction book about the historical racial terrorism be funny actually yes
I really liked Dr No. James was good but got a little dark. Erasure was great but I hated the...
ElCicco
on “The wonder is that you could start life with nothing, end with nothing, and lose so much in between.”
I can see this being one of my top reads this year. I keep thinking about it
faintingviolet
on First Book in a New Series
The cat gets an okay amount of page time. She is an 18 year old senior lady who belongs to...
Esmemoria
on “The wonder is that you could start life with nothing, end with nothing, and lose so much in between.”
I loved this book. One of my top five reads from last year.

About KimMiE"