jenbsbooks's Reviews (2.41k)

I've read so much WW2 historical fiction, but had never read this - even though as most have, I'd heard a lot about it. I wasn't sure how interested I was in watching the Disney "A Small Light" series, but I started it and was soon sucked in. Rather a difficult watch, knowing what was to come (that the eight+ would be discovered and taken away). The gal who played Anne did a good job. In the show, we see the discovery of the diary by Meip, and it being given to Otto after it was revealed that Anne and Margo hadn't made it. I figured it was time to read the original.

IS there an "original" version ... in the forward here (I went with the audio edition, read by Selma Blair ... I must admit I didn't care for her narration) it mentions Anne's original diary, written by her for her. Then when the idea of diaries/journals being made public after the war (this was showcased in one of the "A Small Light" episodes) we are told that Anne went back through her journal and re-wrote some with that in mind, changing names, etc. Then, when her father prepared the diary for publication, he held back portions (so there was A, B and C versions early on). Then there have been different publications that include or exclude different portions. Regardless of which version, this diary wasn't really prepared the way a regular novel, or biography or book would have been. It makes it hard to "rate" and review.  One can only ponder what the presentation would have been had Anne survived and been able to publish it as she wished (would she have stuck to the diary, or would she have gone the with a more fictional "Secret Annex" as mentioned). What things would she have included or excluded?

Looking at the diary from a historical perspective - to get a personal glimpse of the war and what people were going through ... all the sexual stuff (I know this is a hot-button topic), it was much more than I would have anticipated for this age, this time ... and it just seemed odd to me. Of course there is some questioning but what Anne chose to write about ("How on earth would I go about describing a girl’s parts?" ... and then she proceeds to do so). I kept a journal at that same age and while I had some similar talk, talk, talk about boys as Anne does Peter, I would never randomly say "let me talk about female anatomy and describe parts". I mean she wrote "women's genitals, or whatever they are called" which seems to indicate a lack of knowledge, then she goes on to describe and name the labia and clitoris? Those back to back statements seem to contradict each other! So beyond any parent stressing about their child reading this content, it just doesn't fit with why most people are reading this (a historical holocaust perspective). I guess if one was reading it solely  about "what does a 14 year old girl write about in her diary" ...  I don't know, it just felt like it didn't fit. I could definitely understand why some would prefer an 'edited' version, even if they aren't a prude. 

As mentioned, there was the original and re-written (with the idea of it being read) ... so there's that contradiction as well, as Anne writes " it seems to me that later on neither I nor anyone else will be interested in the musings of a thirteen-year-old schoolgirl. Oh well, it doesn’t matter. I feel like writing, and I have an even greater need to get all kinds of things off my chest" and "since I’m not planning to let anyone else read this" ... and then she indicates she IS writing for an audience and including things for some future reader (i.e. "Since no one would understand a word of my stories to Kitty if I were to plunge right in, I’d better provide a brief sketch of my life, much as I dislike doing so" and "That’s a little hard for outsiders to understand, so I’ll explain"  and "At least one long chapter on our life in hiding should be about politics, but I’ve been avoiding the subject, since it interests me so little. Today, however, I’ll devote an entire letter to politics."  So back to the sexual stuff ... WAS she really writing that to be read by others? My 14-year old self would be SO embarrassed, even my adult self, but everyone is different.

Some parts of the diary do feel exactly like what you'd expect from a young girl's diary "Daddy is always nice to me, and he also understands me much better. At moments like these I can’t stand Mother" and the day-to-day of events unfolding, and then hiding in the annex are very interesting. It actually didn't seem quite as bad, I think I had pictured a tiny closet, is that [book:The Hiding Place: The Triumphant True Story of Corrie Ten Boom|561909]? Here while they only had one toilet and had flushing restrictions during the day, they had several rooms and space. More food was mentioned than I had thought (cakes and gifts and strawberries and such mentioned). I remember in "A Small Light" it really showed that everyone, Meip and Jan, were practically starving too. I just never quite got that feeling from the diary (Anne spends more time moaning about Peter than about her stomach). 

Anne uses quite a bit of dialog (lots, word for word from long discussions) ... I had to wonder about that. I've been reading [book:The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Vol. 1|52085140], fictional but presented in a journal format, and wondered at the use of of all the dialog in it too. I have kept a journal for years, from my teen times, and while I might paraphrase something that was said here and there, I've never included dialog in my journal writing ... Anne IS wanting to be a writer, so it's not beyond possibility, and it reads better than how I write ;) As Anne mentioned "it seems to me that later on neither I nor anyone else will be interested in the musings of a thirteen-year-old schoolgirl" honestly ... MY journal entries from my younger years, and more recently ... are generally boring even to me! Sometimes I just have to shake my head at all the details and what I chose/choose to include. Like Anne, it's just my own record, and getting things off my chest. 

I wondered about "I have little desire to still be a freshman when I’m fourteen or fifteen" ... today's freshman in the US are fourteen or fifteen. Was it different in school then/there?

Lately I've looked into a few graphic novel adaptations of books ([book:To Kill a Mockingbird: A Graphic Novel|38359009], [book:The Giver: Graphic Novel|40796210]) and I see there is a graphic novel adaptation of this (and a different biography one). I might look into those to see how that presentation compares. 

Amazon has a bunch of "Original Collections" filled with bitty-books ... super short stories. This was one of the latest introduced Oct2023, the "Creature Feature" and of the six, this was rated the highest.  I figured I'd give it a go between other books. Free (Kindle and audio) to Prime subscribers. 

For just over 50 pages, this had 14 chapters. There seemed to be some abrupt pauses in the audio. Contemporary setting, Covid is mentioned, and plays a small, although not essential, part. This went super quick as these novellas do. Just not really long enough for me to really get into it ... and it's over. 

I think this does have some stuff that could be dissected and discussed - in a book club or school setting. I might come to appreciate it more with a deeper dive, but just for a quick listen for entertainment ... it was pretty good, definitely an "ewwww" for the spooky season.

Some proFanity (x6) and gore. 

I liked this, it kept me pretty captivated - afterward reflecting on it I question some things, but overall it was a good thriller. It's received some mentions from friends/Facebook. Glancing over the other reviews, I didn't see any immediate comparisons to [book:Room|31685789] which surprised me, as they do have some strong similarities. A little bit to [book:The Butterfly Garden|29981261] too, although the latter is a little "more". 

The chapter set up here was unique and probably what will be the most memorable to me.  The blurb states this story is told from the perspectives of three women "His 13-year-old daughter, his girlfriend—and the one victim he has spared" although "spared" is a misnomer ... he just hasn't killed her, yet. She/"Rachel" is the most prominent storyteller, she gets the most chapters. Unlike Cecilia and Emily (daughter and latest love interest) whose chapter headings are their name, our captive is "The Woman in the Shed" ... and that status shifts throughout the book (becoming "The Woman in the House, The Woman-Before the House, Before the Shed and more). These headings were interesting and illuminating. These portions were also ... would you call it "second person"? It's saying "YOU" but while that does help to pull the reader in and make them imagine they were in that position, it's not indicating the reader really. It seems more of a disassociative thing. It does really set these portions apart. They are in present tense, even when shifting to the past. Emily/Cecilia are told in the traditional 1st person, also present tense. 

There are some portions in past tense - not indicated in the blurb, but in addition to "Rachel" and Emily and Cecilia ... we also get the POV of the other victims. These are past tense. The headers for these chapters are Chapter Six: Number One, Chapter 12: Number Two, Chapter 22: Number Three, etc.  This felt a little like [book:The Shining Girls|16131077], which had a similar "victim perspective" right before they were killed, as did the start of [book:Follow the River|138872] (completely different genre/historical fiction, and only at the start during the Indian attack). 

This, and Room/ButterflyGarden ... the "bad guy" is keeping a woman to have her there for sex whenever he wants. And it seems to be daily. You hear that rape is more about power/control than sex, but is that the case here? Is it sex they want, however unwillingly given? Is the power/control?

We never really got to learn about Aiden, about his "why" or who he really was.

Not suitable for every bookclub, but there could be quite a bit of discussion here.

There was quite a bit of proFanity (50x) and while the sex was never graphic, in fact, barely mentioned (the sound of a zipper, and after he got up ... ) - it IS still rape even though she isn't fighting him.

This is one of the Amazon Original short stories, Obsession Collection. I guess I liked this, it kept my interest (for all the 50+ pages) but reflecting back upon it, ehhhh. I'm a little more judgmental with books that are supposed to be realistic (not paranormal, sci-fi, fantasy) and thinking about this ... really? Even with suspension of disbelief ... any real discussion would include spoilers. 

This starts with the common "prologue" which is actually a scene from further in the story, then "two hours earlier" ... and we build to it. But it's already a spoiler, because we know what's going to happen. Here, we don't fully understand it, and you don't know who "he" is, or any additional background, so it is effective at "catching" the reader right away, although I'm still not a fan of the technique.

Overall, I didn't have a huge issue with the basic premise ... SPOILERS ...

a woman in a seemingly perfect relationship, actually being abused, can't get out, friend finds out and will help ... but then really, we have FIVE women who are all in on it, willing to take on the responsibility/guilt of taking a life, not one of the cracking or suffering or having second thoughts? Even with just two individuals, so much could go wrong, and here we have multiple women plotting and planning. And of course the bad husband just happens to have a life-threatening nut allergy, and he just happens to not keep his epi-pen with him, and even though he's super careful (as nuts could kill him) every house along the progressive dinner is able to incorporate nuts with no questions/suspicions. So, as it recapped and wrapped up, I actually liked it less than when I'd been in the middle of it.

 

The Kindle and Audio are included in Prime Reading (and KindleUnlimited, which I don't have presently). I went with the audio and liked the different narrators for each woman. I understand the whole progressive dinner idea, and using the addresses as the chapter headings supports that, but having the woman hosting be the heading would have been more helpful (it was there in the chapter heading in the book, but not in the Table of Contents, to see at a quick glance).

1st person/present tense - the POV shifts showcasing each woman involved as they host the progressive dinner. The "People Like Them" phrase of the title was used effectively in the book. The cover image is representative of the story. Just shy of 90minutes. Very short, as these collections always are.  A decent little palate cleanser between other books. No proFanity, some implied sexuality, but quite clean. 

Not my usual read - but I've been trying to stick to 'spooky' for October, and my son saw this recommended and was giving it a go, so I figured I would as well. Unfortunately my KU subscription just ended ... I would have liked to have the text for reference (but didn't feel like paying $4, ebook not at the library, although the audio was). 

But seriously ... have these characters not seen Jurassic Park? Don't know KNOW at some point something like this (taking a motorized tram, even with wonderful safety features) through a supernatural forest (it erupted overnight, taking out a town, killing many) filled with every sort of monster imaginable ... is going to go wrong? 

3rd person/past tense ... the POV shifts through several characters. Starting in the prologue (when the trees first appear, it's Mike's story ... until Mike is no more. Throughout the book, several characters are followed right up until their destructive demise (a recent read [book:Follow the River|138872] - historical fiction based on true events, did the same thing, switching 3rd person POVs through to death during an Indian attack). Once the chapters begin (no headings, just #s) there is 30-something/divorced Christopher, he's one of the main characters, going on the tour with his mother. There is Mark - who was very annoying with his sexual thoughts about his coworker while reminding himself he's married, seriously, this was SO overdone and irritating  - who works as a cryptozoologist in the Haunted Forest. There is the POV of Tommy ... just six years old (the narration and writing of these sections did feel very young). There are more POVs, it was a tad challenging to keep track of everyone. There was a character named Lee Burgundy, and my sons had Anchorman on a little too recently (Ron Burgundy) and that's all I could think about anytime they said the full name (which was a lot - wish I had a Kindle copy to check). 

Lots of blood and gore and bodies being torn apart by every monster imaginable. Through in some demons and selling your soul ... I think I got a little lost here (could have used the Kindle for re-reading clarification, it's too much trouble to try to find spots in audio to relisten).  Some proFanity as well. Confusing little section when one of the characters starts imagining an "after" (but it's written as real, so readers are "what??").  Words to note - Cerulean, Ululations ... and my son pointed out "penis" ...

Probs not one I'd recommend, but it was fine for Halloween. Trying to imagine it a bit as a movie ... would it be "real" enough to be scary or too over the top that it would be funny?

2.5 stars. So ... methinks "psychological thrillers" just aren't my jam. There's been one or two that I actually got into, but generally I'm just shaking my head wondering at all the raving reviews. Samsies here. 

This had a unique presentation ... starts with a prologue of an unknown man (I'd actually forgotten about it until I perused my Kindle copy while prepping for writing this review). The main story is told from two perspectives - two different 45 year old women, Josie and Alix. Mixed in-between, are "graphic audio" spots ... an "ad" for a Netflix special, podcast recordings and other interviews, some music and sound effects added to these portions. In print, these sections have different text and placement to make them stand apart.

No set chapters - after the prologue, there are only four "parts", and a fifth one (16 months later). In this, the audiobook Table of Contents was a little more informative, with the headers included (dates) and broken down into additional sections. They did NOT indicate the POV, so you had to grab that from the text. All 3rd person, present tense ... present tense can be written so I don't notice it ... that wasn't the case here. I was always very aware of the tense. It felt awkward.  While there were different narrators for the two POVs, the voices weren't that different. As I'd pop in and out of the story (I'm listening while multi-tasking, constantly stopping and starting up again randomly) I'd never be able to tell right off which POV we were in by the voice, had to wait for the text to point out the character. 

I felt like the title was an issue ...  a spoiler if you will ... NONE OF THIS IS TRUE ... I think that is one of my main issues with these "psychological thrillers with an unbelievable twist" ... I'm always on edge, second guessing everything, trying to guess "the twist" ... I can't fully get involved in the story because I'm analyzing everyone and everything. Throw in an unreliable narrator. Then the chronology... The prologue, is one of those "scenes" from later in the book/movie, shown at the start, then you build up to that moment, but by then it's already a bit of a spoiler because you know, have already seen what happens. In the Netflix teaser, some facts are dropped, that readers probably aren't paying too much attention to because they don't know anything yet, but again, super spoiler ... Then when things DID happen, were revealed, much of the time it wasn't obvious. I actually had to stop my audio and turn to the Kindle copy because I thought I'd missed something, things being referred to, that hadn't actually been revealed yet. It just annoyed me. 

The characters weren't very likeable either ... major issue with an older man and teenage girl, drinking problems, major family drama. Supposed to be "realistic" but ... really? I know there ARE crazy stories out there but I'm a bit judgmental when it comes to realistic fiction.

I'd just seen so many rave reviews about this, I didn't really even read the blurb, just figured I'd put it on hold at my library. A bit of a wait because it IS very popular. While I didn't have any trouble getting through it and finishing it, as I think back on it, it isn't a positive recollection. Not one I'd recommend personally. 

One odd little statement that rubbed me the wrong way (as a mother to two electricians) ... "only people who were brought up on estates and married to electricians experienced domestic violence" ... WHAT? Is that a stereotype? I've never heard anything like that (or is "electrician" just a generalization of those who go into a trade over college education). I'm not even picking on the statement because I'm offended about the electrician crack (ok, maybe a little), more the "I've never heard of that generalization at all!" point. It just seemed so strange and out of the blue. 

Quite a bit of proFanity, and some sexual stuff, and violence (nothing super gory or gratuitous). 

I had loved Dark Matter by this author, and was fully expecting to like this one ... but it just wasn't happening for me. I never really got into the storyline or cared about the characters. 

Told in first person - mostly past tense, but slipped into present tense a few times (memories, reliving them? At the end, current time ...) Covered a bit of time, jumping ahead a year, then more.

It felt a bit preachy to me at times - the whole climate change, humans being a blight. Could make for some interesting discussions though. There were some "bookclub" questions at the end, but they didn't really cover what I thought was worth discussing. For me, it was interesting to "upgrade" someone, make them "better" ... what IS better? More intelligent? More attractive (ala [book:The Uglies Trilogy|493455] - who determines what the basis of beauty is?), physical abilities? What does more intelligence do? Is it a "fix" or do people still have different perspectives? Is there one "right" way?  There were quite a few quotes saved by other users that are discussion worthy ...

Lots of science talk too ... there was a lot I recognized from school study or other books, and other stuff that I had absolutely no idea about.

There was proFanity (x28). No sex that I recall, some violence and "end of the world" devastation.

I liked this a lot. It was one that had been mentioned multiple times in various Facebook groups, enough that I'd put it on hold at my library. It took a while to become available - enough time that when it was ready, I really didn't remember anything about it. Historical fiction as it turns out. 

It's interesting to peek at the Table of Contents ... this story takes place over four days, December 26, 1811-December 29, 1811. The story shifts POV (although it stays 3rd person) between Sally (a widow in her 30s), Cecily (a teenaged slave girl), Gilbert (a slave, married, uncle to Cecily), and Jack (14-year old boy working at the theater). The chapters start in the above mentioned order, they switch around. The first chapters introduce the characters and a little about their background and set the scene ... and the fire, the title coming into play, happens during Jack's first section. It's right there at the start of the book. In audio, there were four different narrators for the four different POVs.  All the POVs are told in present tense ... and it was a little jarring, didn't flow. Personal preference would have been to have it told in past tense.  

This could make for an interesting Book Club discussion - many points to ponder. There was a LOT implied about how women were treated, about slavery (a word of note, "manumission" was included here. Just one I've taken note of before and will always "see" if mentioned). 

Last month I read a 9-11 book [book:102 Minutes: The Untold Story of the Fight to Survive Inside the Twin Towers|177187] which really had some similarities. People trapped inside, some helping, some only out for themselves (more so in The House is on Fire than 102 Minutes), people choosing to jump from high up to escape flames.   I've read a few books mentioning the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire too (1911), some similar scenes. (1811, 1911, 9-11, 2001 ... some eerie similarity to the dates). 

Yes - this is a book I'd recommend. No proFanity. Some sexual content/abuse, some violence/gore and racial issues.  Thumbs up for a clear Table of Contents and consistency between the Kindle and the audio editions.  It IS on Hoopla, also Libby - as mentioned, I had a slight wait on hold.

I liked the first book enough to continue on with the second ... but this just wasn't grabbing me. Not bad, I just had quite a few books become available on hold that I was more excited about and didn't feel like pushing through. I was a chapter 14 ...

I'd gone with audio again, same narrator as the first book (but this changes at book 5 apparently). The Southern twang seemed a bit more pronounced this go round. It seemed just a little odd how the author felt the need to tell the types of car everyone is driving, a blue honda, a black dodge charger, a silver prius ... does it really matter? It's like when some authors go overboard describing clothes or food when that is not the focus of the story. I don't think the cars and had special meaning, so every time it was pointed out the type of car one was driving, it just bugged me a bit.

I'm doubting I'll come back to the series ... again, nothing really against it, just SO many books out there that maybe appeal to me more.  The text is included in KindleUnlimited (my subscription just ended), not available at any of my libraries. Audio is at some libraries, and included in AudiblePlus. 

3.5 stars. I liked this ... enough that I picked up (but ... didn't finish) the second in the series. Looks like there are 13! Text included in KindleUnlimited, audio included in AudiblePlus (at least the first few). 

This was contemporary paranormal, third person POV, pretty much in Charlie's head the whole time. She's a divorced mom, let her husband have guardianship of their son after she had attempted suicide/had a bit of a mental breakdown. She can see ghosts ... she doesn't even realize some are ghosts right off. Her cousins also have "gifts". She's asked to help clear out a haunted house, there's family who thinks she's trying to pull a fast one, and then there's both old and new murder mysteries to solve. 

I'm not sure how much will really stick in my memory though - nothing super new or distinct. A little bit of humor here and there, but fairly dark. A couple instances of proFanity. Some of the story is getting mixed in my mind with another recent read featuring serial killers [book:The Quarry Girls|57836903] - although the latter had nothing supernatural. 

I thought this would be a fun addition to my "halloween" October reads. I read quite a bit of paranormal, but haven't had witches/ghosts on the radar for a bit.  The audio was good, a very southern twang.