Eh. I am pretty much reading anything that costs me zero dollars, so I thought I try one of the Amazon Original Stories. I have read Taylor Jenkins Reid before so I thought this be at least a good read, even though it’s a short story. I liked the idea of writing letters back and forth, but though two of the characters were beyond boring, and hated the last letter that was sent. It pretty much makes one of the characters totally crap and actually […]
Very Strong Debut, Some Issues with Character Development and Pacing
I really loved the premise of the “Forgotten Hours” (a teenage girl loses her best friend and father after a rape accusation and trial). This type of plot feels very timely. That said, I thought that the story being told in third person point of view actually pushed me away as a reader. I think if it was told in the first person point of view I would have felt more entwined with Katie and her choices. Also, if it had been first person point […]
An unending tale of sorrow, blood, and love
I’ve read a number of books by Isabel Allende, and I’m sure I’ll read more. However, I didn’t know about The House of the Spirits (1982) until I saw it on my 50 Books Every Woman Should Read Before She Turns 40 List. As Allende’s first novel, it seems quite personal in nature. Apparently, Allende began writing it as a letter to her 100-year-old grandfather when she heard he was dying. There are some parallels with her real life. The House of the Spirits is pretty dense and comes […]
London is drowning and I live by the river
When pressed, I’ll tell people I don’t like fantasy. This claim is usually followed by a list of exceptions. I like Neil Gaiman. I like Harry Potter. I also like the Rivers of London-series by Ben Aaronovitch. The rest of the genre is, as they say, not my cup of tea. No offense to you fantasy lovers, but it just doesn’t do much for me. The suspension of disbelief required is, apparently, too big a leap. One of the reasons I do like these books, […]