4, 224 pages. 3 years, 3 months. And we’re done. If you’ve read my last Harry Potter review, you know that I’ve been reading the series aloud to my daughter. I decided when she was born to wait to read them until she was 8, and then we’d read them together. We started them the summer after she turned 8. We finished last night. She’s 11. Today was her first day of middle school. It would be absolutely impossible to write a review that would […]
If we took a holiday Took some time to celebrate Just one day out of life It would be, it would be so nice
This novel was author Muriel Spark’s favorite of her own works. It is short — a mere 107 pages — but suspenseful, dark and twisted. The NYT called it a “spiny and treacherous masterpiece.” What makes it all the more horrifying is that the reader knows from the beginning what is going to happen. Lise, the young woman going on holiday, is going to be murdered. We know how it happens but we don’t know who does it or exactly how Lise gets herself into […]
#2 for Jennifer Knight’s paranormal investigations
Disclaimer: I’ve been sick with a double ear infection (in the same ear – don’t ask) for the past five days, so hopefully this all makes sense! Ok, so like I said with my review for Book 1 of this series, Jennifer Knight is a British detective, but she can also communicate with / get feelings from paranormal sources. This is normally not my jam, but the way it’s incorporated into the story is so seamless (for me) that it doesn’t jar me out of […]
Book 2 for the CSU
Ok, so this is book 2 for the “CSU” series by D.H. Dublin (who is apparently really Jon McGoran). Like I said in my review for Book 1 (Body Trace), I have no idea where these books came from, but I’m now currently working on Book 3, so apparently I like them :). Also, all 3 of my books are autographed by the author. I don’t remember buying them, but I really don’t know how else they got onto my bookshelf (book fairy?). Anyway, Madison […]
In which I try not to let my personal pickiness ruin a good book
3.5 stars I can recognize a good book when I see one. The Absolutely True Diary… is touching, thoughtful, considered, and funny. It features a unique protagonist who is fleshed out honestly and whose diverse perspective (drawn from Sherman Alexie’s own experiences) is a valuable addition to the YA landscape. I came away from reading this book not just with an abstractly increased sense of empathy, but with an actual education. Should this book be widely read and roundly discussed? Yes, absolutely. Did I “enjoy” […]
I’ll forgive the rather tortured “leftovers” metaphor, because this was a great read
Poor Fizzy — she does everything she can to get it right, but just can’t seem to make everyone happy. Everyone being her recently divorced parents, their new significant others, the school counselor and her mean math teacher. Her mother moved her across town after the divorce, so she has no friends at her school. In fact, she has no one to talk to at all besides her aunt, who’s helping her try to win the Southern Living cook-off. And even that relationship has had its […]