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jens_toweringtbr's reviews
219 reviews
All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A Flicker In the Dark was my top thriller of the year *until* this read ๐๐ผ I loved it even more than Flicker!! I appreciate publisher @minotaur_books for the ARC and give thanks to @netgalley @macmillan.audio for the gripping audio!
Readers who enjoy:
๐๏ธDomestic Thrillers
๐Unreliable Narrators
๐Dual Timelines
๐๏ธTrue Crime Podcasts
๐Atmospheric Writing
๐ฑUnexpected Twists
Willingham's prose in combination with Karissa Vacker's narration was AMAZING. I listened while driving out of town for a work trip and was white knuckled on my steering wheel and holding my breath until the conclusion. The atmospheric setting in the lowcountry marshland of Savannah, GA and Beaufort, SC was great; the pacing was well-timed; the flashbacks to Isabelle's childhood added depth and suspense; there were multiple story arcs and misleading twists and turns that had me guessing until the end.
Readers who enjoy:
๐๏ธDomestic Thrillers
๐Unreliable Narrators
๐Dual Timelines
๐๏ธTrue Crime Podcasts
๐Atmospheric Writing
๐ฑUnexpected Twists
Willingham's prose in combination with Karissa Vacker's narration was AMAZING. I listened while driving out of town for a work trip and was white knuckled on my steering wheel and holding my breath until the conclusion. The atmospheric setting in the lowcountry marshland of Savannah, GA and Beaufort, SC was great; the pacing was well-timed; the flashbacks to Isabelle's childhood added depth and suspense; there were multiple story arcs and misleading twists and turns that had me guessing until the end.
The Little Wartime Library by Kate Thompson
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
"๐๐ช๐ด๐ต๐ฐ๐ณ๐บ ๐ช๐ด๐ฏ'๐ต ๐ข๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต ๐ฅ๐ข๐ต๐ฆ๐ด ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฃ๐ข๐ต๐ต๐ญ๐ฆ๐ง๐ช๐ฆ๐ญ๐ฅ๐ด, ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ณ๐ฐ๐บ๐ข๐ญ๐ต๐บ. ๐๐ต'๐ด ๐ข๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฅ๐ช๐ฏ๐ข๐ณ๐บ ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ฆ ๐จ๐ฆ๐ต๐ต๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฃ๐ถ๐ด๐ช๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ด๐ด ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ญ๐ช๐ท๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ด๐ฑ๐ช๐ต๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ด๐ถ๐ค๐ฉ ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ๐จ๐ช๐ท๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฐ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ด. ๐๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ด๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ค๐ฆ๐ด๐ด ๐ข๐ญ๐ธ๐ข๐บ๐ด ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐จ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ณ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ฆ."
"Sometimes you need to come underground into the darkness in order to be able to see."
An uplifting and inspiring novel based on the true story of a librarian who created an underground shelter during World War II, perfect for readers of The Paris Library or The Last Bookshop in London.
London, 1944. Clara Button is no ordinary librarian. While Nazi bombs tear apart the city around her, she turned the Bethnal Green tube station into the countryโs only underground library. Down here, a secret community thrives with thousands of bunk beds, a nursery, a cafรฉ, and a theater. Clara and her assistant, Ruby Munroe, offer solace and escape from the bombs that fall upon their city. The womenโs determination to remain strong in the face of adversity is tested to the limits when it may come at the price of keeping those closest to them alive.
I have read about the Blitz and how tube tunnels were used for safety and refuge during bombings but did not fully understand how much of Londoners daily lives occurred underground. This powerful and immersive novel held a spotlight on a diverse group of community members weaved into a cohesive narrative of heartbreak and resilience.
This book was profoundly full of hope and a reminder of the importance of libraries as a community hub. The author interviewed hundreds of librarians during her research, and I loved the quotes from library workers at the beginning of each chapter; equally powerful was the Authorโs Note at the end of the novel and a continued call to support libraries from the impact of the Covid pandemic.
"Sometimes you need to come underground into the darkness in order to be able to see."
An uplifting and inspiring novel based on the true story of a librarian who created an underground shelter during World War II, perfect for readers of The Paris Library or The Last Bookshop in London.
London, 1944. Clara Button is no ordinary librarian. While Nazi bombs tear apart the city around her, she turned the Bethnal Green tube station into the countryโs only underground library. Down here, a secret community thrives with thousands of bunk beds, a nursery, a cafรฉ, and a theater. Clara and her assistant, Ruby Munroe, offer solace and escape from the bombs that fall upon their city. The womenโs determination to remain strong in the face of adversity is tested to the limits when it may come at the price of keeping those closest to them alive.
I have read about the Blitz and how tube tunnels were used for safety and refuge during bombings but did not fully understand how much of Londoners daily lives occurred underground. This powerful and immersive novel held a spotlight on a diverse group of community members weaved into a cohesive narrative of heartbreak and resilience.
This book was profoundly full of hope and a reminder of the importance of libraries as a community hub. The author interviewed hundreds of librarians during her research, and I loved the quotes from library workers at the beginning of each chapter; equally powerful was the Authorโs Note at the end of the novel and a continued call to support libraries from the impact of the Covid pandemic.