krista225's reviews
1153 reviews

I loved the premise of this book. It tackles so many of today's political concerns, from climate change to capitalism. It addresses man's need for control over the world around him versus the idea of living in harmony with nature. This political thriller should have kept me well-entertained as it was set in a post-apocalyptic world destroyed by man's greed and love of war. I tend to love these kind of books. Unfortunately, this one just fell flat for me. 

There were a few reasons why my enjoyment fell off. While I love books that explore the above-mentioned themes, I don't enjoy being preached at and felt there were too many instances when the story devolved into the author standing on a soapbox moralizing.  Even if I agreed with the sentiments expressed, they often dumped me out of Ven's story and back into reality. A more subtle approach would have been more pleasing for this reader; your mileage may vary. 

I also felt there was too much description, and the inner monologues often seemed to disrupt the flow of the action sequences. Any tension that was built by the author seemed to be reduced by meandering attention to detail or the MC's tendency to walk down memory lane at the most inopportune time. It was a little frustrating as I'd just start to get excited by where the story was going and then...I'd be deflated and bored. 

So, while I loved the premise, the delivery didn't really work for me. I wish it had because I feel like I should have loved this and didn't. 

I read this book years ago and loved it. Nothing has changed. The audiobook was fantastic. 

Wolves are amazing creatures, and I feel that this book exemplifies that fact.  The author even discusses how they changed the Yellowstone environment for the better. Reintroducing the elk's natural predator allowed Willow trees to recover, creating a cascading ecological effect that improved the natural landscape. It's astounding. 

These little factual tidbits were sprinkled into '06's story. Although she would later become collared and become officially known by that collar number, the heroine of our story was born in 2006 and was nicknamed 06. As park rangers and visitors alike were able to follow her through their scopes, she became one of the most famous wolves to emerge out of the Yellowstone reintroduction program.  Her story is inspiring and sad, and one worth knowing. 

It has been years since I first read this book. I must admit, I had forgotten the entire storyline and the characters. In fact, if not for Goodreads, I might have thought this book was new to me. So much for my memory!

On to the book review..

This was cute. In this first Discworld book, we meet the failed wizard Rincewind and the clueless tourist Twoflower. Through some twist of fate, Rincewind is tasked with keeping Twoflower alive. Given how cowardly and inept Rincewind is, it is a good thing Twoflower happens to be traveling with a magic, walking piece of luggage that is programmed to protect and follow its master any- and everywhere. 

I love the quirky sense of humor that Pratchett brings to his Discworld novels. I smile a lot and may even occasionally giggle a bit. The shenanigans of the tourist perfectly exemplifies how a lot of travelers move through foreign lands, oblivious to dangers and in awe of what the locals consider mundane. Also, as a photographer myself, Twoflower's insistence on photographing everything, no matter how dangerous or inane, made me laugh in self-mockery. Same, Twoflower, same. I am that tourist, too!

I'm planning on reading a Discworld novel every month until the series has been completed. So...on to the next!

This is the second book in a series. I've read several of these books and tend to enjoy them quite a bit. This was no exception. 

Like most romances, I found this predictable. That didn't make it any less pleasurable, though. I thought it was very cute, and I even laughed out loud a couple of times. The shenanigans the contestants got up to during the Christmas Kringle Competition were great. 

Also, if this matters to you, the narrator has sidebar conversations with the hero of our story and breaks the fourth wall by addressing the reader. This might come in handy for some reading challenges, so I thought I'd include that little note. 

This was a great book to start off 2025 with because it was fast-paced and engaging. I was intrigued. I managed to guess one major mystery but went back and forth on the other.  For a while, I wasn't even sure I could trust the narrator. 

I would definitely recommend this to my murder mystery-loving friends and family.  

This was a strange little novella. It was both a character study of Kim Jiyoung and a social commentary on life as a Korean woman during the late 20th century.  It often pointed out how difficult life could be for girls and women during this period of history, interjecting facts alongside Kim Jiyoung's experiences. 

As I read, I felt like I was reading a mental health intake overview with some creative license taken. Well, it turns out I was right. The last part of the book is the therapist reflecting on his time with Kim Jiyoung, his earlier misdiagnosis, and his current thinking on her situation.  There really is no resolution. 

In fact, even though the therapist is the one interjecting the factoids throughout his recounting of Jiyoung's life, the book ends with him embodying the problematic mindset found in so many other men as he bemoans the need to replace his pregnant secretary.

 

The title is very fitting. 

Young Eliza believes herself to be on the righteous path when she marries the manor lord's son. It's only when she finds herself with child that she discovers her husband has never considered himself truly wed to her. He scoffs at their "marriage" and insists it was never legal. Her mother, who had overseen the wedding herself, goes off to have words with the boy's family. When she returns, she informs Eliza that the marriage was a scam and Eliza is being sent to live with a London apothecary who will oversee the termination of the pregnancy. 

The story really starts when Eliza arrives at her destination. Installed as a housemaid, she works for the reclusive apothecary, his live-in apprentice, and his not-so-nice wife. The only other help in the household is a young woman with what I assume to be Down's Syndrome based on her physical description and personality. 

Eliza and Mary, the other young woman, find themselves at the mercy of their employers. This extends beyond being expected to cook and clean. The apothecary has his own demons, most of which center around his perception of women and how he believes their bodies work. Determined to prove his thesis, he felt no compunction using Eliza and Mary in his studies. 

Years ago, I read a very disturbing book called The Trotula. It was written during the Middle Ages by men who believed they also understood human anatomy and biology. As I read this novel, I wondered if the author had also stumbled across the Trotula because the depth and breadth of misunderstanding about how women's bodies work in this fictional world was reminiscent of the very real medical treatise I had read so long ago. 

Back to the novel. Eliza is a difficult character to love. She's rather crass and often lacks compassion for others. However, she does grow throughout the book, and by the end, she is a much more mature and likable character. 

I listened to this one on Audible, which made for some interesting car rides. 

In this collection, Nancy Friday asked women to share their sexual fantasies. It is amazing how many women responded and, even more astounding, how many admitted to some pretty graphic fantasies, not all of which involved men. The breadth of fantasies was so wide that Nancy broke them down into "rooms" within an imaginary house. This enabled her to organize the fantasies into chapters with a specific focus. 

No matter how strange a woman's fantasy might be, it is hard to believe it wasn't covered in this book. Seriously. I try not to judge, but there were some bizarre things shared with her that made me slightly uncomfortable. And I'm not one to get squimish usually. 

It was an interesting social experiment that challenged the idea that women were less sexually minded then men. I think it was especially so when it was published in 1973. 

Smells transport us. The smell of a man's cologne can evoke memories of a first love. Basement musk reminds us of our grandparents' house. A freshly bathed baby flashes us back to the first time we held our own newborn. Smell is powerful and this book explores and experiments with this very real phenomenon by introducing some magical realism to expand upon the concept and give it multidimensional layers. 

The main character narrated the tale for us, taking her back to her earliest memories. She and her beloved father were the sole tenets on their island. They fished and framed. They raised chickens. More importantly, they spent their idle hours in stories and, occasionally, smelling the magical scent jars. Years pass. Tragedy occurs. The fairytales get set aside until reality begins to illuminate their true origins. 

I really enjoyed this book. Would recommend.