jenbsbooks's Reviews (2.41k)

It's interesting to see a book touted as a #1 NYT Bestseller - one million copies sold. It was okay for me. I hadn't realized going in (I went in blind without reading the blurb or anything about it) that this was "based on a true story" ... as it's labeled as historical fiction I'll have to go with it being loosely based. The epilogue and Author's Notes (in audio, NOT in the text copies) and the Afterward by Gary (Lale and Gita's son) further confuses the lines between fact and fiction. I would have appreciated a detailed listing of what was fact (or at least based on Lale's recollections, and without corroboration, who knows if they are accurately remembered) and what was completely invented by the author.

I'm not sure why Fredrick Backman can get away with 3rd person/Present tense (I love his books), but it's so awkward by most other authors. It feels like I'm reading a stage play ... which IS how this author originally envisioned this? Then it turned into "nature documentary" feel (for me) ... with Richard Armitage's narration, and writing in (when there wasn't dialog) coming from a detached observer it might as well have been David Attenborough telling us about the mating and life and death situations.

I was confused at the "prologue" - then repeated word for word so quickly, just in chapter 3. I  understand it reveals that first moment, when their eyes met ... but for me, the prologue was unnecessary and repetitive. Like an excerpt/blurb attempting to grab a reader's interest. But that belongs on the back of the book, not PART of the book. 

With all historical fiction, I hope to learn something real, even within a fictionalized setting. I do think I picked up a few things. There wasn't really anything in the writing that made me want to stop and highlight, take notes though.

I had this in all three formats - audio, Kindle and text. I went primarily with audio, and was a bit confused as I turned to the text to re-read portions, that there were some Author's notes(interview) and Additional Information (lots of details and what happened afterward to others) that weren't included in the text copies. I'm used to the audio getting the short end of the stick, but here, it had items NOT in print. I can't comprehend that! It's definitely important information that readers should have access to.  

Going into this blind - I thought the author was a man. When the author's note (also told in first person/present tense) was the same narrator. How much more personal it would have been if the author had deigned to voice it herself. Even if she isn't a talented voice actor, it would mean SO much more if she voiced that small portion. 

So overall - I came away from this with more negative feelings than positive ones. 

ProFanity (x13) and some sex (although it was not detailed). 

 I saw some rave reviews for this in my FB group, yet the reviews on Goodreads seem mixed, and more on the negative side. It's short, I borrowed it from the library, so I figured I'd give it a try and see what the buzz (positive and negative) was about. Coming in somewhat skeptical, I think I was pleasantly surprised.

I'm the same age as the MC, going through some hot flashes. I don't think I'm nearly as high maintenance as she is though! She had a habit of thinking something, and saying out loud (not really realizing she's voicing it openly). It happened quite a few times ... I wasn't sure if I thought that was funny or annoying.

Not a ton of story. It was 1st person/present tense, and then would have memory shifts to the past, no heading, but clarified by the ages of the children "The fall Jamie was four and Willa was not yet one ..." These time shifts were subtle and sudden, , and they were a bit obscure. We/the reader (at least I) wasn't quite sure what was happening in them. It did slip into past tense, which helped keep them separate. Very simple Table of Contents, showing that beyond the memory slips, this stayed quickly chronological, and covers the ONE week away, starting on Saturday, ending on Friday.

This was very "left" ... very open discussions of abortion and homosexuality (I wasn't sure if the MC was actually bi or if that was a joke between her and her lesbian daughter). A very open and "friend" relationship between the parents and their adult children. A good relationship with the aging parents too, although still ... I don't want to grow old, even under the best of circumstances.

There was proFanity (x37) and some sex, nothing too explicitly detailed. Other words/terms I notice ... Lapis, sourdough. Covid came into play, discussions about when it was affecting things. I had to laugh a little at the Amazon info at the end (the kids still use their parents account rather than spending money on their own Prime membership ... my grown children do the same. I see their orders ;) ... connection there!) 

I liked this a lot - very imaginative set-up, futuristic sci-fi world, going out into space. I think I was more impressed with the premise and creativity than the characters though. I never really felt that connected. I'm not on the edge of my seat to continue on with the series, but I think I'll give the next book a go and see if it clicks more ... or less.

There was ONE connection ... when the MC is recounting how his wife passed away (he had a stroke in their kitchen. It was a Sunday, she went down, hitting her head on the countertop as she fell. He was there trying to control the bleeding and shaking as the paramedics came and took her ...) That's SO similar to a scene from my own life (not a stroke but a seizure, and ... as I'm writing this review, I didn't die). But it was a Sunday and I was in the kitchen, my son in the other room heard the crash and thump. I'd cracked my head on the countertop on the way down. There was blood and shaking and the paramedics came ... just interesting to read such a similar scene!

I think we all wonder what the future might hold, and I admire author's and their imagination! Here, to think of the elderly population being the ones enticed into the armed forces, and with promises (although not a full understanding) of a body refresh, many join up.  The actual details were very interesting. All the different worlds and aliens encountered. This could be a book club discussion, with conversations about what is right/wrong, is it Humans above all others, regardless of the cost to other species? Is signing an "Intent" to join a commitment, even if one doesn't live long enough to fulfill it? What would YOU do if you were 75 in this society? There weren't any discussion questions (this was published in 2005, not sure if including them in the text is a more recent thing?) The title ties in - I like it. 

I LOVED Scalzi's LockIn and Dispatcher series ... thought Starter Villain and Kaiju were just okay. This falls between them. I think I got pulled into the Hell Divers series a bit more. I read a few of the Expeditionary Force series and liked it a lot. Heard rave reviews about Bobiverse, and liked it, but didn't feel compelled to continue after the first book.  I've read a lot of other "similar" sci-fi, but these are the ones that stand out in my memory, and I believe this one will too.  

There was quite a bit of proFanity (x84) and sex, nothing as explicit/spicy as some of the romances, but when our characters get their beautiful new/young bodies ... they want to put them to use!

I really liked this! Psychological thrillers aren't really my jam, I am too critical of what is "real" and I always try to guess the inevitable twists, which leaves me doubting everything.  I keep trying them here and there hoping for a pleasant surprise. I got that here.  I went into it blind, without really reviewing the blurb, so not knowing what to expect (honestly, I think the blurb tells too much). For me, it was fun not knowing, although I'm fairly sure most readers are aware going in that there's an "imposter" situation going on. 

There was a TV show called Imposters that I watched a while ago (the first season, I gave up on season two as it turned too over the top/silly) that had a similar premise. A girl who sets up men, with the meet, then marriage, then steals all their money. Here, money isn't the goal, but there's something, and someone (the boss) pulling the strings. 

First person  - present tense throughout, even though the story had "past" storylines too.  While the "past" chapters were clearly marked (name/alias and  how many years ago) I wonder if I would have preferred the "past" in past tense, to help keep them more distinct?  The "present" got the numerical chapters  and the past "chapters" were unnumbered, between the chronological chapters. The first "past" doesn't show up until we're seven chapters in. There are 10 of them (compared to the 26 "present day" chapters). 

It was a little complex, trying to keep track of everyone, catching all the details. I liked the title tie-in (a couple times, early on, then again later). It was fast moving and kept my attention, and I wasn't sure who to root for, complex characters, not black and white. While I feel like I understood the story, I think maybe I'd catch more on a re-read, that could be interesting to see how many hints were dropped along the way ... I just don't re-read, as there are so many books, so little time! No discussion questions included in the text, but I Googled and found some online and I was glad that I did - just taking a little time to think about some things I might not have otherwise. Still, not really anything super profound that I wanted to save/highlight.

I found the book at a Little Free Library. I recognized the title, having heard some buzz about it. With the physical book in hand, I then put the audio and Kindle copy on hold at the library. It's popular, so I had a bit of a wait. I went primarily with the audio

There was some proFanity (x37) but the sex was not explicit in detail ... which I've come to appreciate. I don't really care for the spicy stuff. 

I liked this ... I think I read it too close to This Tender Land, which I felt had so many similarities. While the latter states it IS a bit of a retelling of Huck Finn/The Odyssey, this book referenced, and our MC even compared his adventures to Huck Finn and the Odyssey (as well as other classics). Both featured an 11 year old narrator, wise beyond his years (especially in vocabulary and literary thought), an older brother, a younger "sister" and many adventures, and religious encounters.

Loved Swede's story/poem, that was fun to follow
When the father sang a little, the narrator in audio sang (much prefer that to "patter-speak)

I can't decide if I liked Ruben breaking the wall and talking to the reader ... he did it a lot, all the way through. "The last thing you expected, right? Me too."

As the book's narration is the mind of an 11-year old, I did have to wonder at his vocabulary and lyrical voice. So many words that just aren't used everyday ... I was listening to the audio, so I didn't note all the words I found just outside the norm: delamination, surmounted, torpid, beneficence, refutation, trenchant ... just a few I did quickly jot down. I happened to check the text for the word "timber" connected to voice ... that's timbre. Timber is wood. It was pronounced correctly (tam-br) in audio. Forbears was pronounced "forebear-ers" (which is what I thought it was for years, but it's not).  Other words I note: sneaked, cerulean, jury-rigged, rifle (going through something, vs riffled), route (pronounced rowt in audio).

There are "miracles" throughout this book ... I think this might be more of an "ahhhh" for those with strong religious beliefs. For me, all of these magical/unexplained happenings throughout ... walking on air? A never emptying soup pot (ala Jesus and the loaves/fishes), guidance and healing. I admit, I still got a little caught up in the otherworldly ending, but when I think about it all ... um, really?

And I feel a little terrible about this, but I got a little tired of hearing about Ruben's breathing troubles repeated so often throughout. I can't even imagine how hard it would be to live with asthma!  

I HATED the musical interludes between chapters in the audio. Just. No. 

Each chapter had a heading ... but there weren't numerical chapters given, which leaves me feeling adrift. I need the "chapter 2" or "chapter 21" and to see how many chapters there are. Sometimes reading over the chapter headings in the Table of Contents (Kindle/Audio ... physical book doesn't even provide a TOC) can totally bring me back to what happened at each point in the book, but these headings were a little obscure, didn't really refresh my memories.

I had this book in all three formats. I'd found a physical copy at a thrift store, bought it for the LFL. That pushes a book up my TBR. I was able to get the audio/Kindle copy easily from the library (Libby/Hoopla).  The Kindle copy had an "Introduction to the 20th Anniversary Edition" which was interesting (as the original release was on 9-11 ... hard to  push a release and book tours in the aftermath of that tragedy). The Kindle copy also had discussion questions, which I appreciate. My own little bookclub ... making me consider things I might not have on my own. 

So - I liked this, not one I'll rave about, but still might recommend. 
It was completely clean, no profanity or sex. 
Past tense ?? First Person - single POV

This book isn't one I'd put on my TBR, but as I've added a Little Free Library, I've been trying to give many/most of the books I pass along a read before I donate them to the LFL. Thus was the case here. I've liked several of Paulsen's other books (The Hatchet series was a favorite with my boys) so I'd picked this up at a thrift store. There wasn't audio available at the library (it was on Audible, but I wasn't going to spend a credit on 80minutes).

This was just super silly ... bordering on, shall I stay, stupid? I know there's a line where adults might roll their eyes and kids might be entertained. Is that the case here?

Whereas the other books I enjoyed (Hatchet series, The Woodsrunner, Harris and Me) all were realistic and believable, this was cartoonish and crazy. 

The original premise is fine, kid gets gifted a small riding lawn mower, gets paid to mow a lawn and is happy he has enough money to repair his bike tube. But then to have dozens of people wanting to hire him immediately (some story of everyone being in the lurch as the last lawn guy ran off with someone's wife). And it was taking the kid two hours to do one lawn? I mow my own, it's not large, but not tiny. I edge and trim. It takes an hour. And I don't have a riding mower. 

And then it got so silly ... a stock broker pays him in stocks (which just happen to have the best return ever) and hooks the kid up with an out of work landscaper, who happens to have many "cousins" ready to work for him, the kid being the boss of this huge lawn care crew.  Throw in a mobster type who wants a cut, and a huge boxer ... whatever.

It was short, I finished it. I'm not even sure if the "lessons" learned (economic expansion, portfolio diversification, law of increasing product demand vs flat production capacity, conflict resolution and its effects on economic policy) are actually something I'd even want children to think about. I think the main thing kids will come away with is "maybe I can earn thousands of dollars in a few weeks too!" and how likely is that?

This says it's part of a series - but it's really a stand alone in my opinion. I don't like when it's called a series when it's not a continuation of the same story. 

I'd been looking forward to this one ... I don't know if the timing was off, but I wasn't getting into it. I finished, but I'm not sure how much I really absorbed the story. This is for my neighborhood bookclub, so we'll see if the discussion shifts my feelings (better, or even worse). I had this in all three formats - I went primarily with the audiobook. 

SO MANY SMIRKS - 40 of them. I was SO sick of smirks. I realize people smirk, but I can only handle so many in one manuscript. And I think that's about five ...

A few pages in before we get the MC's name (happens in 1st person, this was 1st person/present tense, one POV). Mare ... 

Little asides to the reader - telling us something then "not that I'd know anything about that". 

The story was she was a silver raised as a red ... yet they bleed that color blood. In her 17+ years, she never cut herself or skinned a knee (or that's what the masses need to believe?) 

Just having the book on my shelf (grabbed from a LFL), without reviewing the blurb, I hadn't realized it was YA. It felt YA. The fairly common trope of the young woman beating all odds to save the dystopian world.  It's been ages since I read Red Rising, but felt like the red/gold in it was similar to the red/silver here. The "powers" of the silvers made me think a little of Steelheart, or The Boys, where those with the powers are more evil than good.  I would have liked a list of the "power" types ... strongarm, telkie, swift, greeny, stoneskin, whisper, oblivion, magnetron, shadow, storm. There were more. It felt like the X-Men. 

We have our young MC ... more than a love triangle, there was the best friend (Kilorn), the boy (Prince#1) who saved her (Cal), his half-brother, Prince#2 (Maven - I had a hard time remembering his name), I even wondered if Lucas might (a security officer) might come into play. At least the leader of the resistance was a woman, not another possible love interest. I didn't really know where it was going with Cal and Maven. 

I realize Fourth Wing was written after this - but I read it first, so the ending/epilogue here felt very predictable. So similar ...

If I'd read this as a teenager, I think I would have liked it a lot more. If I'd read it before the glut of other YA dystopia/paranormal stuff, I probably would have liked it more.  As it is, I'm not invested enough to continue on with the series, but I might read the blurbs :)

I'd had this on my list for a long time ... WHY did I think this was a P&P or "Downton Abby" type of book? Totally wrong perception on my part! This made me think of Octavia Butler's Kindred (although there's no time travel in The Kitchen House). Both address the horrors of slavery, the "relationships" between the family and the slaves, and Mr.Marshall here, has some similarities to Rufus in Kindred. We see them both as a child, then growing up, the evil as well as the tiny spots of goodness.

This has a prologue - one showing the reader a scene from much later in the book. 1810 at the opening, then going back 19 years starting chapter 1. Personally, I really dislike this technique, it's a "spoiler" ... I prefer NOT to know what it going to happen in the story. At the very end in the author's notes, there is an explanation that makes me a little more accepting of opening the book this way (she basically says that is what she wrote first, before she even had any of the rest of the story). 

I had this in all three formats (audio/ebook and physical book) and went primarily with the audio. Two narrators for the two 1st person POVs, Lavinia and Belle. Laninia's POV is past tense, while Belle's is present tense. There is already a marked difference in the voice in the writing, and again in the narration, but this tense shift further differentiates the two. Basic chronological chapters (55 of them) with an author's note (included in audio) and a Reading Group Guide and Q&A with the author (in the text copies/not audio). I really wish the POVs (and dates when listed) were also listed with the chapters in the Table of Contents. Helpful for if I wanted to go back and check something, and knew which POV I was looking for. I have to manually flip through without it listed.  

This kept my interest, and I cared about the characters ... so it was hard to continue, as so much of it was horrible experiences.  When we "caught up" to the scene in the prologue, it was not word-for-word the prologue, slight changes ("stay here" in the prologue, "stay there" in chapter 55, and other similar/slight shifts ... ) The moment of truth, finding out who ... I had guessed it correctly. 

I don't know that this will really stick in my memory, among all the other historical fiction I've read. It was good, but not one that I'd rave about. No proFanity, there is some sex, nothing written in explicit detail.  There is rape. There is violence. 

So ... just so I remember, this is one I would NOT recommend to most family/friends because of the sexual content and profanity (x70). I know "spice" can be relative, but the sex scenes here were (to me) uncomfortably explicit, so much so I considered a DNF, but I did want to get the story between the sex. I'm NOT a "VidAngel" gal when it comes to movies and such, but I think sometimes hearing every detail described in words and narrated (I went with the audiobook ... earbuds, no playing this where anyone could possibly overhear) is more explicit than watching. And in audio, all the "Oh Bo"  "Oh Winn" actually was over the top annoying ... to me. I realize this portion of the book is actually the draw for some people, who maybe want the sex more than the story. For me, I actually wished there was a clean/closed-door version of the book.

There are content warnings (including "graphic sexual content") in the Kindle version ... but those warnings were NOT included in the audio version. The author's note at the beginning was included in audio (I wish it had been the author voicing it, that makes it more personal to me). Very interesting to note that the author has the same hand condition as the character in the book. The Kindle copy had a cute bonus chapter (from Bo's perspective, a scene not in the main book, so all new!) There were some chapter headings (mostly time), some (not all) of these were in the Kindle Table of Contents. The audio TOC was bare bones, just the chapter numbers (34+Epilogue). 

I had the audio and Kindle copy - and my brain would get confused as I checked my Libby app as they had different covers. I like the visual of them on the couch best. That cute cartoon cover just doesn't allude to the sexual content the way the Harlequin romance covers do though! 

No discussion questions included in the book - and I didn't find any online with a quick Google search. I like when they are part of the text, right there ... it's like a mini-book club in my mind. I'm sure there are lots of things to think about with this, but right now I'm just remembering the cute parts of the story. There was quite a bit of humor (Mia Mia - Here we go again ...) but also the fact that both MCs were dealing with a disability, cancer, unexpected pregnancy, depression/suicide (in the past) ...

There were a lot of smirks (25) and a few "Shit-eating grins" (that's about the same as a smirk, right?). Rifling, roiling ... just words I notice. 

1st person, Present tense.

50 Shades of Gray is a sexually heavy book many are aware of ... the sexual content here wasn't quite at that level. But I still had the slightest connection (beyond that) to the man having money/power ... Bo was wonderful (almost TOO much so?) and Wil certainly wasn't a fainting violet, but there was a time when he was paying for everything, wanting her to quit her job and she jokes "you really did want a kept woman. I was right." and ... yes, some of the sexual stuff (connection, not bondage, but beyond the "norm"? Maybe that is normal,  I'm just vanilla). 

So - I liked the story, but the sex overpowered everything, which ... I think this book had something to say, but that's not what I'll remember about it. 

I picked this up from a Little Free Library - the paperback cover is beautiful, it actually shimmers. I'm really a digital girl though, so I ended up getting the audiobook and kindle copy from the library. It wasn't a long wait. 

This is one that I think I would have enjoyed a little more in my younger years, when I was reading (not listening). Not to say the audio wasn't good, it was. There are three MCs, and even though it was all 3rd person (past tense) there were three different narrators, which I appreciated. It helped keep Loulie, Mazen and Aisha more distinct, having three different voices for them. Each chapter had a header to announce the POV ... these names were included in the Kindle Table of Contents, but not in the audio (and alas, the physical book doesn't even have a TOC page). In addition to the chapters from our three MCs, there were three stories .... The Tale of the Jinn, The Tale of Amir and the Lamp, and The Tale of the Queen of the Dunes.  70 chapters (plus the three tales). 

While in the audio, I referred to the Kindle copy several times, double checking words, doing a quick re-read when I got a little confused. Set in this foreign land, and with the fantasy feel, there were a lot of names and words I wasn't familiar with, and the writing itself was more complex. Diawan, souk, akhi, concupiscence, riposte, ululated, palimpsest, hammam, ifrit, shinsha ... I've actually read about the Jinn in a few reads already. There was the Aladdin imagery (even the phrase "a whole new world" which I wondered if that was just chance or an Easter Egg drop to the Disney film) which I'm familiar with, and the 1001 Arabian Nights, which I'm not. 

I finished the book ... I never felt like I really got pulled in, enough to get emotional when there was a death or hardships. In fact, to that point SPOILER

there were too many THEY ARE DEAD! Oh, actually, let's bring them back to life! Not really dead, not really gone.

When it ended, I was caught off guard - cliffhanger,  set up for the sequel ... which I don't think I'm invested enough in to read. As mentioned above ... I actually think back when I was younger, when I didn't have thousands of books waiting at my fingertips, when I wasn't hurrying through books as quickly (listening while doing other things), I think I WOULD have really fallen more for this world and this story. 

Quite a few of the words I notice - cerulean, dais, cacophony, snuck, chaos, plethora, ululation, purloined, susurration, brusquely, route (pronounced "rowt" by the Loulie narrator). ProFanity x 2.  Also, that narrator spoke songs, there were a few. 

This has a YA tag ... it didn't really feel YA to me. The characters seemed a bit older, although I can't recall if we were given exact ages. The complexity, and while nothing super sexually explicit, there was some (I had to look up the meaning of concupiscence ...  means strong sexual desire or lust.