misajane79's reviews
1586 reviews

The third in the Percy Jackson series. These are always good fun, but I also always want to have some kind of mythology reference next to me as I read. Good stuff though, and I'm really looking forward to number 4.

Chosen for book club, this was a surprisingly readable story about Spindletop, the oil discovery that changed the world forever. It did a great job of exploring the personalities and the science behind the discovery, though my favorite part was regarding the boomtowns that developed throughout East Texas in the wake of the gusher. Did you know that the original Spindletop gusher (called the Lucas Gusher) didn't really make any money at all because it took so long for it to be capped--the technology didn't exist and had to be created on the fly. Doesn't make me feel any better about the oil industry today, but does provide a rich context for how we got to where we are today.

The first of his Nursery Crime series. Frankly, it didn't capture the magic like the Eyre Affair did--and the magic that was there just didn't work like it does in the world he created for Thursday Next. It was okay, and I enjoyed it, but I'm certainly not rushing to read the next one.

I first "met" Madam CJ Walker during my internship at the Women's Museum. We had a few of her cosmetics for display, and she just seemed like an amazing woman. The first African American millionaire, male or female, she created a cosmetics empire long before Mary Kay. This biography is written by her granddaughter, which is both a good and bad thing. She did an excellent job of setting the stage--Walker was definitely a part of the movers and shakers in Jim Crow America. That being said, it took me forever to finish the book. Glad to have it on my shelf, as part of my long standing interest in beauty culture, but I only modestly recommend it. But you should know more about Madam Walker--it's too good of a story!

A joint biography of some of the members of Algonquin's Round Table. It focused on Zelda Fitzgerald, Dorothy Parker, Edna Ferber and Edna St. Vincent Millay--and the people that were a part of their lives. Gossipy and fun, my only quibble is that there was no real intro to the book, which might have been helpful.

Very British, which I found delightful. Humorous and insightful in the weirdness that is family. Definitely worth a read, and a good follow-up to his first novel.

This is one of my all time favorites, and was this month's book club selection. It's been a few years since I've read it, and it's held up well. There are lots and lots of cameos from various historical figures, which is fun from an educational standpoint. It's an easy read and brings up lots of key issues for the time period. Except suffrage--never had noticed that was missing, but with everything else it included (labor, race, class, etc), the omission was something we talked about in book club.

I've loved du Maurier's Rebecca for years, so I thought I'd try another of her novels. This one was okay--the same sense of mystery, complexity, windswept English estate, etc. It wasn't bad, it's just that Rebecca did it so much better.

I've read Chevalier's others and enjoyed this one, but I almost put this book down and stopped reading. For some reason or other, I finished it, but the characters were not engaging and I never really understood all the weaving terminology. Not as good as Girl in a Pearl Earring, and probably won't bother with any of her others (have also read Falling Angels but don't remember much about it).

A sweet little book about the magic of books--and what happens to the characters when you close the covers. A quick, charming read but nothing I'll return to.