The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I really don't have anything bad to say about this book, other than I finished it at work and had to try very hard not to cry in front of my co-workers. That's always a tad embarrassing. I have not read any of Hannah's other books but have heard from a few people that she always does high caliber work. If you are as familiar, this book should not disappoint. If this is virgin territory, prepare yourself for total immersion and extreme depth of character connection. There may be similar stories out there but this is a side of WWII that I have not read about. Although this is a novel, it reads very realistically and not at all over the top. I can see why this book is getting a lot of praise. It's not often I agree with such assessments but I'm happy to be part of the herd this time around.

This review is based on a free e-galley received from Netgalley.com

View all my reviews

As You Wish by Cary Elwes

As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I'm sure I'd been to the movie theater before I was 11 years old, but my first movie memory is of my parents taking me to the old Hollywood Theater (built in 1936) in our small town to see The Princess Bride. It was a first love in many different ways. My first favorite film (still is my favorite), a favorite story (I sought out and read the book a few years later), a first crush (seriously, Wesley, what's not to crush over), my first touch of jealousy (I was a tomboy but still would have killed to be Buttercup)....The Princess Bride was my first "twue wuv." I heard about this book and I couldn't wait to read it. It was really heartwarming to read about a movie that so many people have grown attached to from the point of view of Elwes. He is such a key component it's hard to imagine the movie without him, so it's fascinating to read about his insecurity and worries about the role and his ability to rise to the task. Most touching of all were his tales of Andre the giant, who's heart seemed to have been even bigger than his frame.

I can't talk to you into reading this book. If you love the movie, you should grab on to it and enjoy. It will bring many smiles to your face. If you don't love the movie, well, that's just inconceivable.



View all my reviews

The Bane Chronicles

The Bane Chronicles by Cassandra Clare

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


I had higher expectations. I don't think the short story format does any of these tales justice. There was a decent amount of humor in the first part of the book but it sharply drops off as you go through. After a while it seemed like the only redeeming factor of the collection had pretty much disappeared. I like this author and I like this series, but this could have been better.



View all my reviews

Evernight

Evernight by Kristen Callihan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This was a fun read. Even though it is book 5, the author crafted it so you don't have to have read the others in order to be able to enjoy this one. I would like to go back and read the others though. This is a nice little package of supernatural, steampunk, and romance. There is also good humor, it doesn't take itself too seriously. All in all, a very pleasant surprise and I think a lot of people would really enjoy this author's work.

This review is based on a free e-galley from Netgalley.com



View all my reviews

The Secrets of Life and Death

The Secrets of Life and Death by Rebecca Alexander

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Well, this started off interesting but it just spiraled downward with the weight of its ridiculousness. It held my interest when it was dealing with symbology but when it switched over to vampirism and added a superfluous love story plot line, it lost its hold over me. If I had not received the book free in exchange for this write up, I wouldn't even have bothered finishing it. The one thing that redeemed this story was the allusions to historical figures like John Dee and Erzsébet Báthory. I had not heard of either of these people before (oddly enough, John Dee was mentioned in a TV show I was watching during the time I was reading this book) and I would be interested in reading some non-fiction accounts of their lives.

This review is based on a free copy I received from bloggingforbooks.com.



View all my reviews

The Bone Clocks

The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This was a bit slow at times, something that can be problematic in a book that is so long. The whole first half was a lot of (granted, necessary) build up before you finally get a taste of the sci-fi aspect of the story. The next 150 pages or so is spent waiting for that more interesting aspect of the story to come back. By the time you get near the end, it feels a bit rushed for all the build up. Taking all this in to consideration, the style was not unlike Cloud Atlas in its structure. The premise itself was pretty interesting (I don't want to give anything away) but I wish more time could have been spent on the sci-fi aspect, as that's where the unique action was going on. The other portion of the story (the more novel aspect) did provide a nice balance however. It's a complicated story and it's really hard to describe or review without giving too much up.



View all my reviews

If the Viscount Falls

If the Viscount Falls by Sabrina Jeffries

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Sabrina Jeffries is always a lot of fun to read. It's not exactly literature but she's a good enough writer that you can't just peg her to the smut pile. She actually has good plots to all her stories and this book stays true to form. She's very reliable, you always know what you're in for, and she never disappoints. I haven't read any of the other books in this series but that fact didn't detract from the story for me, you can easily read this as a stand-alone if you want. I would like to go back and read the first three stories though.

This review is based on a free e-edition from Netgalley.com




View all my reviews