NOVEMBER 2024

 

Orbital ~ Samantha Harvey

 ****

2024 BOOKER PRIZE WINNER

A novella really, but it took so long to read!  It is like reading non-fiction, where every idea, every sentence, every character is nuanced and needs consideration.

An unusual, surprising and interesting read.

Goodreads : "A book of wonder, Orbital is nature writing from space and an unexpected and profound love letter to life on Earth"

Isolation Island ~ Louise Minchin

 

Down Cemetery Road ~ Mick Herron

OK

This was the first in the series.  Man! it would have to get better!!

So freakin cliched, So boring, So not Slow Horses!!!

This review on Goodreads says it well :

I guess when you chose to read a schlocky novel that has something to do with cartoonish assassins, British military spies, hard-bitten lady detectives, and a dim-witted heroine, you deserve what you get

Good Night Irene ~ Luis Alberto Urrea

 A total bleh disappointment from one of my favourite authors.

Schmaltzy

OCTOBER 2024

 

Playground ~ Richard Powers

 

The Silent Patient ~ Alex Michaelides

 

Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books ~ Kirsten Miller

 

Dusk ~ Robbie Arnott

 

The Bandit Queens ~ Parini Shroff

 

The Adversary ~ Michael Crummey

 

Tell Me Everything ~ Elizabeth Strout

 

*** LIKE

Not my favourite in the Olive Kitterage and Lucy Barton series and at times it really annoyed mewith irrelevant babble.  

SEPTEMBER 2024

 

We Solve Murders ~ Richard Osman

 

The Ministry of Time ~ Kaliane Bradley

 

The Examiner ~ Janice Hallett

 

AUGUST 2024

 

The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane ~ Lisa See

 

The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels ~ Janice Hallett

 

The Bright Sword ~ Lev Grossman

 

All The Colours of the Dark ~ Chris Whitaker

 *** LIKE

This started out as 4-5 star read.  Ripping page turner with a great premise, excellent character development and interaction, well written dialogue.  If only it had finished half way through.  The second half of the book was an anchor that dragged it down to boredom and cliched triteness.

JULY 2024

 

The Cliffs ~ J. Courtney Sullivan

 

God of the Woods ~ Liz Moore

 Ok but only because it had short chapters so it was a good pick-up and put-down book.

An "un" book ... 

under researched, under developed characters, unwanted characters and un realistic ending.  

Too many characters, too little suspense, too ridiculous an ending.

Holiday camp on grounds of rich entitled sad people whose children (Bear & Barbara) go missing 14 years apart.  Solving the crime/mystery is the premise but all is slowly painted with a broad brush.

And who the heck does the title refer to???!!!

The Midnight Feast ~ Lucy Foley

 

Just as with the Kevin Kwan ...

Better than the last one, but not as good as the Hunting Party

Lies And Weddings ~ Kevin Kwan

 

Like 

Hard to rate ... def better than his last, but no where near CRA

Too much listing of brand names

JUNE 2024

 

Slow Horses (Slough House #1) ~ Mick Herron

 DNF ... but only because I had only recently seen the series ... plan to jump ahead to the unknown.

From the 25% that I did read : great writing and great transfer to the screen

Martyr ~ Kaveh Akbar

 DNF

Got 25% in and decided would rather stick pins in my eyes

From a 1 star Goodreads review (couldn't say it better) :

... overwrought writing, labored poetry album ejaculations, nonsensical plot twists and wholly unearned attempts at topical relevance take over.Performative, contrived nonsense - avoid or proceed at your own risk.

The Unwedding ~ Ally Condie

 Nononononooooo

Reese's Bookclub Pick

Holy Shit ... what a cliched piece of vomit

Long Island ~ Colm Toibin

 

Brooklyn ~ Colm Toibin

 

MAY 2024

 

Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone ~ Benjamin Stevenson

 

The Instruments of Darkness ~ John Connolly

 Not one of my favourite Connolly's.

APRIL 2024

 

The Love Songs of W.E.B Du Bois ~ Honor Fannone Jeffers

 DNF

What a hot mess.

So needs an edit.  Rambles on and on and on

The Hunter ~ Tana French

 *** LIKE

An easy read to slip into but by the end there seem to be so much padding.

The Irish small town setting gains the stars in my rating and Cal, Lena & Trey are all fine characters but there is So Much Waffle, so little action and a lot of So What

And why the heck is it called The Hunter (Gold Hunters?? ... that's stretching it)

James ~ Percival Everett

 

*** LIKE

I can't get carried away with the general love there is for this.

James (Jim from Huck Finn).  

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has its place in American literature because of its use of the vernacular.  

Everett almost mocks this by portraying Jim as a highly educated, erudite slave who hides it.  His almighty twist is that Huck is half black,  and the son of James  ... such a WTF!  

All The Sinners Bleed ~ S. A. Cosby

 

****  Highly RECOMMEND 

Gritty and layered, never padded but so much detail.

Great sense of place with well developed characters.  This is fast moving, evil and believable.

MARCH 2024

 

Three Body Problem ~ Cixin Liu

 

Anita De Monte Laughs Last ~ Xochitl Gonzales

 

Happiness Falls ~ Angie Kim

 

The Beloved Wild ~ Melissa Ostrom

 

FEBRUARY 2024

 

Shanghai Girls ~ Lisa See

 Barely OK

Hard to believe this twaddle was written by the same author as The Island of Sea Women

You Dreamed Of Empires ~ Alvaro Enrigue

 DNF

The Night Tiger ~ Yangsze Choo

 X DNF

I have so enjoyed all the Reese Bookclub choices but couldn't finish this drivel.

Loved to location and the time period and only wish that it had been stronger in the historical fiction area instead of the mawkish romance and repetitive supernatural element 

JANUARY 2024