Meet Me at the Museum is a very slow burn of a very interesting relationship development. It had a lot of elements I loved: a tie in to a museum (one Meet Me at the Museum is a very slow burn of a very interesting relationship development. It had a lot of elements I loved: a tie in to a museum (one character is a curator at a museum - museums are so closely related to libraries); main characters I liked as people; armchair-travel to a country not my own; an ending I didn't see coming (in entirety). I like a slow burn too. This one had a very steady pace - it never seemed to get inextricably bogged down; it was always moving forward.
I do not usually like epistolary novels. I still hold firm to not enjoying an email epistolary novel, but this one was letters, so that was better. I think it helped that each letter was a good few pages in length. The reader isn't ping-ponged back and forth at a whiplash rate. So I ended up enjoying that aspect of the book too, unexpectedly! The author held firm to format: there was not a single chapter that wasn't a letter!
The only thing that I didn't end up enjoying entirely is a spoiler. You've been warned: (view spoiler)[Marital infidelity. I got very worried about 2/3 of the way through that the one married main character was going to leave her spouse for the other main character. That wasn't exactly what ended up happening, but we come awfully close to it. For me, that isn't something I enjoy in a book, even fiction. I had gotten to "know" the one main character so well through her letters and I felt so very bad for how things shook out for her in the end. I won't say that I regret reading through - I don't - but I also don't know that I'm leaping to recommend this one forward. (hide spoiler)]
Oh, one more thing I liked! As I write this review I'm realizing there were so many more things to like than I think I initially realized. I loved the character growth for both of the main characters. The museum curator especially. He seemed to be so much more vibrant by the end, and I loved that for him....more
This book was a wild ride. The main character is a Scottish teen girl living in a future time when the world has gone to pot for the most part. She's This book was a wild ride. The main character is a Scottish teen girl living in a future time when the world has gone to pot for the most part. She's scraping by earning a living as a ghostalker to support herself, her younger sister, and her grandmother. Like, she acts like a telephone operator for dead folks to reach their still-living friends and relatives. She's got a ton of spunk, which hooked me from the start. The library doesn't even come into play for a good bit into the book - I learned after reading that it's the first in a series. We might get more library next book. She lets her grandma convince her to be nice and help a ghost for free so she ends up joining with another young adult to use magic and old-fashioned detective work to try to solve a mystery involving kids in their area. About ¾ of the way in the book takes a deep dive into some dark magic and gets pretty tense. Definitely kept me up reading a little past my bedtime to see what happens. It's fantastically well written. (I picked it up because I get to help cover an adult book club here at DAV tonight and it's the book they're discussing!)...more
FANTASTIC! I thoroughly enjoyed the tale of young "Long Ears," a boy living in a magical land. He absolutely loves to read and wishes so badly that heFANTASTIC! I thoroughly enjoyed the tale of young "Long Ears," a boy living in a magical land. He absolutely loves to read and wishes so badly that he could use the library in town. So sadly, he can't. He has been deemed "too poor" by the library caretaker (library manager). So Long Ears (we don't learn his name until the end of the book - no spoilers here) dreams of the day he can travel to the far off capital city where the main library is located. He's heard that they have a copy of EVERY BOOK there. One day a group of librarians from that far-off city visit his little town and one of them *gasp* lends him a book. He's overjoyed.
I loved the story itself, of course. And how the librarians are literally magic. And some of the books too! And the boy has the coolest animal friend, Kukuo. He's some kind of magical wolf-unicorn with three tails. I want one. I can't help but wonder if the author is a librarian. There are so many scenes that are PERFECTLY spot-on. Like when a boy asks the visiting librarians to bump him up the holds list and they say they can't and the boy replies "well then what good are you?!" LOL At the end one of the librarians makes an impassioned speech that includes mention of how libraries are for ALL. And so many more references in between.
I will definitely be adding the sequel to my to-read list. Four stars instead of five only for the format... it's manga. And so it did take some brainwork to remember how to read (backwards) and to overlook some of the hyperbolic reactions of the characters in normal conversation. Otherwise, super fantastic! I've already recommended it to two others....more
Christopher Skaife has a really engaging way of writing about his life as the Ravenmaster at the Tower of London. I'm not a "bird person" at all, and Christopher Skaife has a really engaging way of writing about his life as the Ravenmaster at the Tower of London. I'm not a "bird person" at all, and I learned a lot about the Tower and the ravens and his work and was kept entertained the whole time. What I'd love next is a documentary so that I can see him in action and better picture the Tower and the ravens!...more
Delightful! One of the blurbs on the back says that the book has a delightful group of characters... and it's true. This is definitely a character-driDelightful! One of the blurbs on the back says that the book has a delightful group of characters... and it's true. This is definitely a character-driven story. And it's a unique plot.
Main character is Signor Speranza. He is a grandfather and has lived his entire life in the same small (population 212) Italian village. He owns a hotel and a vacuum repair shop and kind of acts as the unofficial mayor. Very early in the book we learn that he has used a cell phone twice in his life: once when his wife called it in order to set it up and then again when he threw it across the room to kill a spider. Instead, multiple times a day he uses a print copy of the Catholic saint compendium to accurately address his prayers.
Most recently, he has had great need to call on the patron saint of plumbing. His village's pipes are too old and are failing and if they cannot be repaired, the town's residents will be relocated. Signor Speranza has only about two months to raise €70,000. He lands upon a scheme to bring attention and prestige to his village... but it will take a village to pull it off.
The book made me laugh and kept me engaged and left me cheering for the citizens. I highly recommend this book if you're looking for a delightful romp in the Italian countryside.
And if you follow my reviews you might know that I have a significant soft spot for grumpy old men and Mitford-type settings... and this book has both. I LOVED IT....more
I thoroughly enjoyed this little book. It read like a good friend with your best interests at heart chatting with you over tea. Yes, tea. Must be: theI thoroughly enjoyed this little book. It read like a good friend with your best interests at heart chatting with you over tea. Yes, tea. Must be: the author is British. Early on, she mentions her Instagram... so of course I looked her up so I could "hear" her voice while I read. Tons of great tips for staying somewhat active at our desks, whether at home or in the office. I plan to incorporate as many of her tips as I can! And as I mentioned, the tone is super friendly. Like she's your pal and just wants to help you cure your backache. Loved it....more
This series gets better and better! Teens kicking butt and taking names; danger; Mexican cartels; mysteries... I couldn't stop listening. I recommend This series gets better and better! Teens kicking butt and taking names; danger; Mexican cartels; mysteries... I couldn't stop listening. I recommend starting with Disappeared first, although I could see jumping in with this one without missing too much. Written by #ownvoices and read by #ownvoices. My only disappointment? Currently no news about a Disappeared #3, and Illegal (I felt) left the door open at the end for another book! I want to know what happens next!...more
This YA book packs quite the punch. Kidnapped girls, the criminal underworld, severe poverty, and a desperate attempt to escape to the United States. This YA book packs quite the punch. Kidnapped girls, the criminal underworld, severe poverty, and a desperate attempt to escape to the United States. You’ll love and root for the characters… and then bite your nails as they try to overcome incredible odds against them. ...more
I didn't like the main character... not sure if that's the way the book was written, or the narrator of the audiobook. She was just so actively passivI didn't like the main character... not sure if that's the way the book was written, or the narrator of the audiobook. She was just so actively passive in her own life. Her younger sister was the interesting one. Then the premise was pretty unlikely, that two girls in the same school would both decide to open a henna business... especially considering one was Brazilian and not connected at all to henna in their culture. Final gripe: the narrator was an American. With a good non-regional dictation coach. The problem is that the book is set in Ireland. The main character is Bengali and her love interest is Brazilian. But because the book sounded like it was recorded in Kansas, I kept forgetting the setting. This had the potential to be a fantastic #OwnVoices read... and it fell flat....more
Not bad; not spectacular. I don't regret the time spent listening to it at all. It's just a lovely little story without huge emotional swings or superNot bad; not spectacular. I don't regret the time spent listening to it at all. It's just a lovely little story without huge emotional swings or super tense climax. Bonus: set mostly in Australia with a jaunt to NYC. And the audiobook narrator is either native or does a great job with accents. So that was delightful to listen to. I also like that this one hits that tricky middle age of 19 well. No longer a "teen" but not yet an adult. And y'all know I like YA books with good, positive relationships. The main character here has a fantastically supportive bestie and a great relationship with the grandparents who raised her....more
Wow. This middle grades graphic bio will grab you by the heart and not let go. Beautifully illustrated, this powerful book will give you an almost-tooWow. This middle grades graphic bio will grab you by the heart and not let go. Beautifully illustrated, this powerful book will give you an almost-too-good refugee experience....more
Salty, Bitter, Sweet follows Isabella, a 17-year-old Latina-American teen who has recently moved to France to live with her father and stepmother whilSalty, Bitter, Sweet follows Isabella, a 17-year-old Latina-American teen who has recently moved to France to live with her father and stepmother while attending a special summer culinary school in Lyon. She is navigating a tricky relationship with her father, since the divorce was not long ago, and she blames him. At the same time, she's also dealing with the passing of a beloved grandmother and the impending birth of a new step-sibling... all while trying to decide what to do the following year. Will she win a coveted restaurant apprenticeship through her summer program? Will she go on to higher education? Will she stay with her dad and new stepmother, or move in with her mother?
Each chapter of the book is titled with food. It plays heavily in this book, and had me positively drooling throughout. I loved all the descriptions! And there aren't just descriptions of the food: there are also some descriptions of the French countryside where she lives.... made me want to travel!
I also loved the relationships in the book. Despite the challenges mentioned above, overall Isabella has positive relationships within her family. They all try to get along, and they all recognize that in each other. Isabella also makes and forges strong female friendships throughout the book during her time in the cooking program. And finally: no love triangle! There is, of course, a love interest, but there's not really a love triangle. There's a little bit of will they/won't they, but it never fully develops into the messy love triangle that you find in so many other YA books.
I would highly recommend this book to other YA lovers! I can think of plenty of situations where I'd recommend this to adults who don't typically read YA too. The multicultural, travel, and culinary aspects are fantastic and would have broad appeal. And the teens in the book are very near new adults....more
I liked seeing all the casual portraits from around the world. And I liked the short bios of people who shared happy thoughts or sweet thoughts. I didI liked seeing all the casual portraits from around the world. And I liked the short bios of people who shared happy thoughts or sweet thoughts. I did not like that probably 80% of the short bios were depressing or weird. Learned later in the book that the author purposely asked something like "what's your biggest struggle right now?" to participants, so no wonder so many were downers. Still, I liked the idea enough and the candid portraits enough to go ahead and request his book Little Humans. Hoping that portraits of kids is happier!...more
This was ok. I jumped right in without reading the cover, as I'm wont to do, and didn't realize that it's actually part of a series. I kind of wish I'This was ok. I jumped right in without reading the cover, as I'm wont to do, and didn't realize that it's actually part of a series. I kind of wish I'd started with number one. On it's own, the plot kind of meandered without a real notable climax. There were also some lulls in the action and some events seemed pretty implausible. But it's a true story of this one guy's experiences running an India-to-UK import-export business. Take it with a grain of salt, and you might get a few laughs out of it....more
I LOVED this one! It can look a bit intimidating; my copy clocked in at just over 400 pages... but it's so worth it! A bit of a slow burn to start, buI LOVED this one! It can look a bit intimidating; my copy clocked in at just over 400 pages... but it's so worth it! A bit of a slow burn to start, but then it hooks you. I kept thinking how very Kate Morton-like it was as I read it. I'm not sure who wrote first, though, so it could be that Kate Morton is like Rosie Thomas. Either way, it's got the dual timeline, mystery, rich setting, strong female leads, and deep female friendships that I love in Kate Morton novels.
Mair is a youngish adult who has just lost her father. She and her two siblings are cleaning out their childhood home in Wales to prepare it for sale, as you do after losing the final parent. They find an absolutely gorgeous Kashmir shawl in one of their mom's dresser drawers, along with a lock of hair. No explanation. The siblings agree amicably that Mair can keep the shawl.
Mair is in between jobs and not tied down to her own nuclear family yet, so she embarks on a months-long journey to India to try to trace the roots of the shawl and the lock of hair. She knew that her maternal grandparents had served as missionaries in India, but she doesn't know many details and did not think that they served in the Kashmiri area. In a journey that takes her across India, back to Wales, and even onward, Mair will learn so much more about her grandmother and her time in India... and learn more about herself.
At the same time, there are chapters interspersed that are from Mair's grandmother's (Nerys's) point of view, in the 1940s in India. Rosie Thomas does such a great job unfolding the story gently and evenly across both timelines. I couldn't put down the book! I relished every lush description of scenery across India and reveled in the development of Nerys's friendships with other expats in India.
I was unsure of the book at first; the front flap lauded it as a winner of a romance writer award. I am so glad that I tried it though (thank you to a relative for gifting it to me!) because it was just such a delightful journey....more
A classic! A young Ukrainian boy loses his mitten in the snow and a whole passel of animals find it one by one. They all squeeze in and enjoy it's warA classic! A young Ukrainian boy loses his mitten in the snow and a whole passel of animals find it one by one. They all squeeze in and enjoy it's warmth for a little while. Joey got the giggles when larger and larger animals kept showing up to try to squeeze in!...more
Review of averages on this one: I would have given it a high four stars; Joey a low three stars. It's a neat story that follows the journey children iReview of averages on this one: I would have given it a high four stars; Joey a low three stars. It's a neat story that follows the journey children in Haiti take to get to school each day. It's a long run over many hills and away from their home village, but they run because they are so excited to get there. Introduces American children to the difference in education in another country. And I also liked the near-lyrical cadence of the prose....more
Delightful! A history of Britain told in a narrative style that's easy to follow and full of dry wit. I literally laughed out loud at bits but also leDelightful! A history of Britain told in a narrative style that's easy to follow and full of dry wit. I literally laughed out loud at bits but also learned a ton. Highly recommend! And kudos to my aunt for sending to me!...more
OHMYGOODNESS THIS WAS SO GOOD. The Silent Patient was forget-about-all-your-other-responsibilities-and-obligations-in-order-to-read good. Toward the eOHMYGOODNESS THIS WAS SO GOOD. The Silent Patient was forget-about-all-your-other-responsibilities-and-obligations-in-order-to-read good. Toward the end I read through dinner, into the evening, and past my bedtime to finish. I then immediately set the book down, told my husband to read it, and looked up the author while praying they had an extensive back catalog. They do not. I am devastated.
Anyway, The Silent Patient is about a woman, Alicia, who murders her husband and then never talks again. Because she expressed no remorse in the killing and is now mute, she ends up in a high security mental institution rather than in prison. Theo is a psychotherapist who takes a job at the same facility and begins working with Alicia. He makes greater progress more quickly than anyone else has been able to do. Throughout the book, you get to see snippets of Alicia's diary from before the murder, and very small hints as to what might lead to the murder. Theo reveals even more through his interviews with Alicia's closest friends and family. Even despite the hints, I doubt a reader would be able to figure out what led Alicia to murder her husband before Alex Michaelides reveals it. The tension builds slowly and before you know it you're fully invested in this mystery and needing to know more!...more
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