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Post by Really Red on Jan 5, 2019 3:01:30 GMT
I put a pause on The Nightingale. I'll read the whole thing, but I got Josh and Hazel's Guide To Not Dating by Christina Lauren. It was a super quick read (1 down, 25 to go for the year!) 3.5 stars out of 5. It held my interest for about 2/3rds of the book and read quickly and well, but Josh needed a personality and Hazel needed a bit of calm. The writing is charming and the protagonists are good to each other so that counted for a bit. I just wanted something a bit more. A very good beach read.
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Post by sues on Jan 5, 2019 3:51:11 GMT
To end the year, I read Anne of Windy Poplars (Green Gables 4) which I liked a lot. and Just for the Birds (which is apparently a series and this was #10) by Jinx Schwartz. This was a freebie from Amazon and someone linked it on Facebook. The author is supposed to be hilarious and her books, addictive. The writing wasn't bad, but it was just not my thing. I was hoping to find a series to dive into- but no. I just wanted to be done with the one book.
I started Becoming by Michelle Obama (so far so good) and Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty which has hooked me like her books always do.
Favorites for 2018- The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas was good; well written and suspenseful. A little far-fetched at times, but the characters drew me in and I didn't care so much about the extremes. A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles- it was slow and meandering and I didn't know what the deal was at first. The building up of the characters, the culture, the history- it was this epic story about some of the most interesting characters I have read in a long time. I hated to let them go if that makes sense. It was just a lovely book. The Family Romanov- I didn't know much about the family, and I had no idea if they sorted out the whole Anastasia thing. This book was aimed at young adults- but the reviews said it was well done and gave you the history without turning it into a dry mess. It was fascinating. At first, I thought 'Dear God- they were awful- the whole lot of them!' but then the story of their captivity and how the children really turned into better people under duress really brought it into perspective. They were the real victims; their parents were horrible people. A Man Called Ove - another slow, kind of meandering story that wraps you up in the characters and doesn't want to let you go. It was funny and sad and endearing. I Hate Everyone Except You- Clinton Kelly memoir - snarky and funny and he pulls no punches. Who Thought This Was a Good Idea? - memoir by Alyssa Mastromonaco, a member of the Obama administration. Really fascinating, no matter what your political affiliation. The Hate U Give- terrific characters, the story drew you in from the beginning and just broke your heart and put it back together by the end. A stunning perspective - the 'double life' dynamic of an AA high school student who goes to a mostly white private school, out of her neighborhood. The contrast of her two her worlds, the problems that came with the double life and the central, tragic storyline- it just kept me engaged until the very end. Another book that had me missing the characters when it was done. I'll Be Gone in the Dark- the story of the Golden State Killer. It was UNREAL what this guy did and how he got away with it. Michelle McNamara was like a dog with a bone once she got into the story. It's a pity she didn't live to see his arrest. The book was occasionally dry- as all true crime books can be - but it was sort of necessary dryness if that makes sense. Troublemaker - Leah Remini's memoir about Scientology. The details are jaw-dropping. Seriously- you can't believe what goes on.
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