Monday, February 22, 2016

Review: Britt-Marie Was Here

Britt-Marie Was Here Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another wonderful tale from Backman. I really love this author's sense of humor. He has a uncanny knack for creating characters that seem too odd to be true and too odd not to be. I have to admit, I did like his last book more than this one but that's not saying anything bad about this one. His last book is one of my top five all time favorites. So, Britt-Maire is a character tale about an older woman who is extremely anal, but you find out what makes her that way and she has a wonderful learning experience that removes the lemon from her ass. Read this book. Read all of Backman's books.

This honest review is in exchange for a free advance e-edition from Netgalley.com.

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Review: The Decent Proposal

The Decent Proposal The Decent Proposal by Kemper Donovan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was interested in this book because it was described as being Jane Austen in Los Angeles. I'm not really sure that's a great description. Austen had a great sense of humor and a lightness that was conveyed in her writing. There were hints of humor here but this felt much more serious. I got much more of a Great Expectations vibe from the way the story unfolded. This might be a book that is enjoyed more on a second reading, when you have an idea of what kind of mood to expect from it. That said, not a bad little story. I have to admit I really loved the way then ending of the story was told but I can't say more than that without spoiling it.

I received this book free through Goodreads Giveaways.

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Thursday, February 18, 2016

Review: Room

Room Room by Emma Donoghue
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I really don't know what to say about this book. I love that it was told from the child's point of view. It was really interesting, just difficult to articulate the emotions this book causes you to feel. It's really difficult to imagine what it would be like to be a child born into such a situation. It's an wonderful feat that this author attempted to do so.

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Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Review: A Midwinter Ball

A Midwinter Ball A Midwinter Ball by Heidi Ashworth
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I must not have been paying attention when I requested this book or I wouldn't have asked for it. I just really don't care for novellas. There isn't enough time to fully flesh out the story, I'd rather have a full length novel. To me, most novellas have the feel of a novel that should have been but the author didn't feel like finishing. I got kind of the same vibe from these stories. They could have been excellent full-length stories and they languish in this format. The characters and setting are wonderful and they are well drawn and formulated. There is just not enough conflict and the conclusion is rushed.

This review is in exchange for a free e-edition from ebooksforreview.com.

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Saturday, February 13, 2016

Review: That Girl, Darcy: A Pride and Prejudice Story

That Girl, Darcy: A Pride and Prejudice Story That Girl, Darcy: A Pride and Prejudice Story by James Ramos
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I had a few technical problems with the free e-edition I received, I imagine this was unique and not common. It kept disappearing on my kindle and I had to keep looking for it. I also had to bookmark my spot because every time I left the book and came back to it, it had not remembered my spot for me and started again at the beginning.
That aside, this was a cute variation on the P&P story. In this version, the characters are high school kids and the gender roles are reversed. It is obviously not nearly as good as the original (nothing ever will be) but for what it is, it is pretty entertaining. I liked the gender reversal as a tweak. There was also a nice parallel to Romeo and Juliet that worked well. Some of the characters were strange conversions. The girl that substitutes for Wickham just didn't strike me as threatening as she probably should have been.
All in all, not bad.

This honest review is in exchange for a free copy received from ebooksforreview.com.

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Review: The Treatment

The Treatment The Treatment by Suzanne Young
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I'm not really sure why there are 2 more books in this series. This felt like it was very nicely wrapped up by the end. I have them on my library wish list just to see what they're about but I'm not going to rush to read them any time soon.
This was an interesting idea. I just really had a hard time buying into the whole premise of suicide being contagious. Aside from that, the execution is played out decently and the characters are compelling.

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Thursday, February 11, 2016

Review: Why Bernie Sanders Matters

Why Bernie Sanders Matters Why Bernie Sanders Matters by Harry Jaffe
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I've been having a hard time deciding who I want to support between Clinton and Sanders. I've liked Sanders's no-nonsense way of thinking and speaking but I'm also under the impression that even though his ideas are the ideal, he would have a hard time getting anything accomplished because the rest of the government would not work with him. Clinton is more predictable, she seems more likely to be able to compromise and get the job done, and she seems more electable (until the primary in New Hampshire, that is). I was hoping this book would provide some insight that would help me make a decision between the two. It goes into Sanders's early days in politics and explains where he came from and the root of some of his ideas. It talks about his other offices and what he accomplished and, to an extent, how he got the job done. Unfortunately Sanders did not consent to an interview with the author so there is much that would have been helpful to learn that is not included in this book. After finishing this book, I find I am still undecided but still remain convinced that Sanders is very logical and I would love to see his ideas in action. I also still believe that if he were elected, very few people would work with him to get his ideas off the ground. Where Al Gore wrote An Inconvenient Truth after his run for office, perhaps Sanders will write a tome titled An Unfortunate Truth.

This review is in exchange for a free e-galley from netgalley.com.



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Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Review: Natural Hair Coloring: How to Use Henna and Other Pure Herbal Pigments for Chemical-Free Beauty

Natural Hair Coloring: How to Use Henna and Other Pure Herbal Pigments for Chemical-Free Beauty Natural Hair Coloring: How to Use Henna and Other Pure Herbal Pigments for Chemical-Free Beauty by Christine Shahin Wood
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

If it works, this book could be a godsend for me. I, obviously, haven't had the chance to try it out but I'm going to have to do some research and get the ingredients to experiment with this. It does look like it could be very messy but I've made a mess out of boxed colors too. The results photos look really gorgeous! Very interested in trying this out.

This review is in exchange for a free e-galley from Netgalley.com.

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Monday, February 8, 2016

Review: Drums of Autumn

Drums of Autumn Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I thought this one was a bit better and a faster read than her last two in the series. I didn't care for the way she would start chapters and from a different character's point of view and sometimes it would take a few pages to figure out who's perspective it was from. I also didn't like how she would abandon certain characters at the end of a chapter and they'd disappear for the rest of the book and you'd have no idea what happened to them (Lord John for a while, his ward for the entirety of the book). Otherwise, this was pretty good. I'd rather they'd stayed in Scotland as that's just a bit more interesting to me but the change in venue worked well for the story.

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Friday, February 5, 2016

Review: I Am Pilgrim

I Am Pilgrim I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I got this book as a free e-edition from Glose. I don't remember why they gave it to me. I think I did a survey.
This book was okay. There wasn't a lot of suspense for an espionage type story. I expect stories of this genre to be very exciting and keeping me on the edge of my seat. I just wasn't feeling that with this one. It wasn't a bad story, I just didn't love it. Added to that it was VERY long.

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