Stealing Athena by Karen Essex

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I think this story would be improved if the different narrators had more distinctive voices. I realize the attempt to draw parallels between them but that does not make them the same person.
I must have been feeling pretty dense this week because it took me a while to put 2 & 2 together and realize this was about the real Elgin marbles. Sometimes it does help to read the flyleaf before jumping in to a book. :)
Although I'm very much a devotee of the period romance novel, I am grateful for stories like this that point out how difficult it used to be for women. Sometimes downright horrific. It's easy to romanticize the past but it's not very realistic.



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Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief by Lawrence Wright

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I honestly don't understand how anyone could have listened to L. Ron Hubbard and thought, "Yeah, that guy knows what he's talking about."
I'm almost done with this book but I think my favorite part just happened. A scientologist was offended by the notion of the leader, David Miscavige, being compared to Martin Luther King, Jr. The notion that someone would consider that to be an unfavorable association actually made me laugh out loud.

Fascinating. Just fascinating.



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Henry VIII: The King and His Court by Alison Weir

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Good overview of the man. If you're interested in a specific period or just certain aspects of his life/reign (ex: wives) you might want a more targeted book. I liked that this book was easy to read and not as dry as a lot of non-fiction. He is a heavy subject and an author less considerate of her audience would have made this book more of a slog. I tend to forget that his sons lived beyond their infancy so this was a good reminder of that. I did not realize that so few physical objects survived from his reign. 500 years does not seem so long ago so it's kind of sad in that aspect.



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The Rose of Sebastopol by Katharine McMahon

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This is based on an ARC I received.

An interesting combination of historical fiction, romance, war, and mystery genres. I wasn't sure I was keen on the timeline it was presented to me but by the time I was done, it seemed like it was for the best.



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The Book of Night Women by Marlon James

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I got an ARC a long time ago and just never got around to reading it until now. My mother read this and loved it. It took me a while to get used to the language and it would have been nice to have a glossary explaining some of the words which weren't quite so easy to decipher where they came from. This story had a very epic feel to it, even though it covered a relatively short period of time. It seemed almost too horrible to be true, but that made it seem even more realistic. Mr. James is a very talented story-teller. I look forward to seeing the work he does in the future.



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The Hobbit movie thoughts.

I saw The Hobbit last night. I have to admit I'd forgotten how much like The Lord of the Rings it was. It's basically the same story, just with more dwarves. It was well made but with a bit too much filler added in order to drag it out to the three part series it's become. I'm glad I got to see it on the big screen but it was long and I was a bit bored at times.

The Spy Who Jumped Off the Screen: A Novel by Thomas Caplan

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


President Bill Clinton and I don't like the same kinds of books.



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The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Finally a story with a good balance of interesting plot and well-rounded characters. It feels like all I've been reading lately are character driven stories with not much plot. This book drew me in right away and never let go. I really enjoyed the fairy tale aspect of it and how it still seemed so real and possible. I would have read this much sooner if I had noticed the author's name was Eowyn!! :)



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The Lost Ones by Ace Atkins

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This review is based on an ARC I received from the publisher.

I don't usually read this type of novel but it sounded interesting so I gave it a shot. I hadn't read the first book but I don't think I missed anything by not doing so, this story seemed to be independent. It started off with an old-fashioned noir feel, but kind of morphed into a more standard story-telling format after a while. The writing style was good but it wasn't particularly suspenseful. For something that felt like a mystery, it was more about the characters than the story. I didn't dislike it but I didn't fall in love with it either.



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The Painted Girls: A Novel by Cathy Marie Buchanan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This review is based on and ARC edition I received from the publisher.

It would have been nice if the narrative styles of the two sisters would have been a little more distinctive.
Other than that, I have no complaints. This was a very interesting story and I didn't realize it was so closely based on fact until I read the notes at the end. Very well done.



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The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


I don't understand why this book was such a big hit. It felt like a bit of a slog to get through.



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