Rating: DNF
Cliff Notes: I am half way through this book, 5 hours. And I have no idea what the hell is happening or who any of these people are. Enough.
Full Summary: I cannot give you a summary because seriously – I have no idea what the heck is going on. I know there was a murder, but no idea how any of it was going to come together or who all the people even were.
Rating: 4 stars
Cliff Notes: I loved it until I got caught up in the number of lives and the timelines – just like with Dark Matter and the number of Jasons.
Full Summary: I definitely plan on going to this author’s backlist for future TBR choices.
I am married to a Super Nerd and when he saw that I was reading a book called Recursion, he was really excited and impressed. Apparently “recursion” is a nerd topic or theory of something or other. I am not smart enough or really interested at all in what recursion is, but it was funny to watch him think I had turned a nerd corner, then to watch it slide off of his face.
Rating: 4 stars
Cliff Notes: 1 – I loved Linda Holmes since I listened to her podcast: Pop Culture Happy Hour. 2 – The dialogue in this book is TOP NOTCH.
Full Summary: I thought this was a great book, a perfect summer read. Even if it did have a happy dumb ending.
Rating: DNF
Cliff Notes: Ugh. I cant even with this guy. I threw this book.
Full Summary: First of all, I NEVER want to read a book that takes 3 (super small font super single spaced) pages of a dude dissecting a shark. Then to have to read about him playing two women to sleep with them both in the same night. Almost as gross as the fish guts. I tried for about 2 weeks or so to power through this book because my parents have a condo near Sanibel and I thought it would be fun to connect to those places.
It was not.
Rating: 3 stars
Cliff Notes: It was a good distraction, but I did not really connect with it.
Full Summary: I don’t know if this book did not land with me because of my feelings about motherhood or what. I like it because I had just visited Seattle and lots of places talked about in the book were those we had visited. However in general – just a good distraction from a really hectic work week – which is ALWAYS a good thing!
Rating: 4 stars
Cliff Notes: I just love a book that is a family saga.
Full Summary: This one moved between generations really well – always forward in general, but the flashbacks were seamless. I really hope this is made into movie.
This book even distracted me from a root canal! Then when the hygienist was walking me out she asked me how I was enjoying it because she had seen Jimmy Fallon gushing about it being the book of the summer and the book his viewers voted on to be his book club read. Who knew I was in such good company!? And seriously – you just cannot swing a dead cat without hitting a celebrity who is starting up a book club. I wonder how many of these celebrities 1) read books before their publicist told them to start a book club and 2) actually read the books they pick fo the club,
Rating: 5 stars
Cliff Notes: When I finished this book I was devastated because I can never read it for the first time again.
Full Summary: OH MY GOSH THE WORDS IN THIS BOOK.
“Of course, nobody is required to stand in the field of honor,” Olive continued. “If you find it too challenging, you may always exit, and then you can remain a child. But if you wish to be a person of character, I’m afraid this is the only way. But it may be painful.”
Note: The bolding in the passages above are my own, not the author’s.
“The field of honor is a painful field,” Olive went on at last, as though Peg had not spoken. “That’s what my father taught me when I was young. He taught me that the fired of honor is not a place where children can play. Children don’t have any honor, you see, and they aren’t expected to, because it’s too difficult for them. It’s too painful. But to become an adult, one must step into the field of honor. Everything will be expected of you now. You will need to be vigilant in your principles. Sacrifices will be demanded. You will be judged. If you make mistakes, you must account for them.”
“Eventually all of us will be called upon to do the thing that cannot be done. This is the painful field, Angela.”
I knew I was going to like this book because I like pretty much all of the words that Elizabeth Gilbert writes. Then as reviews came out, EVERYONE loved this book. But what I did not expect was to be blown away. I plan to buy this book even after I read it just so I can have it.
Let me tell you what this book is NOT – it is not about NYC during WW2 when all the men went away. I have heard that review a lot and that is not it. Just trust me and go read it. Buy it. Read it again. You will not be sorry.
Rating: 3 stars
Cliff Notes: Eh, it was fine.
Full Summary: It sounded so promising – a female senior citizen private eye! How cool is that?! But then it continued to have more suspense related to whether or not she was going to be able to breathe than if she was going to solve the case.
Rating: 3 stars
Cliff Notes: Audiobook – EXCELLENT narrator in Kyla Garcia.
Full Summary: This book would make a FANTASTIC movie. I got frustrstrated at the constant message of “I don’t need a man, I want to save Cuba!….. oh, I cannot give this man up.” Blarrghhhhh
This reminded me a little of The Americans TV show with a strong woman spy kind of character that I just wanted to ditch the man and move on.
Rating: 3 stars
Cliff Notes: I did not love it as much as most Jodi Picoult books, mostly because I hate a happy wrapped up ending. I thought for sure we were going to be looking at four deaths, then nope.
Full Summary: What amazes me most about this author is the sheer depth of research she does for each topic. This book was no exception. The knowledge of ghosts and paranormal activity was very real and made for an interesting read. What does not make for an interesting read for me is a dopey love story. There was a bit too much of that for me.
