jenbsbooks's Reviews (2.41k)

This was just sad, and didn't leave much room for redemption. Just so many sad/bad things happening here. It did keep me involved and questioning throughout.

This is mainly from Heather's POV, 1st person/past tense. There are 57 chapters and they are all from Heather's head. Dropped in-between the chapters (they aren't given a chapter # themselves) is Beth's story (3rd person/past tense). 

This starts with the Author's Note ... I'm still thinking this should have been at the end. I do listen to Author's Notes, but I'm just not sure why this was moved to before the story, rather than included afterward. It WAS interesting, but didn't actually add to THIS story in my opinion - it was more the author's inspiration and research. It was a little odd as the author points out some facts that she then states "I'm hungry for this information. The luridness, certainly, attracts me" and goes on to mention there were three serial killers in her area as she was growling up. It seems somewhere I read this was "based on true events" ... but none of the characters were real people. This was more "there are serial killers out there, some have done this and that, and here's a made up story that could be similar to some things that have happened at some point". Not at all what I'd consider "based on true events". 

I questioned the name Father Adolph ... I guess he would have been born/named before the war. Still, to have no one even mention any issues with name seemed odd to me.  This was dated, with the party line telephone, and the tunnels (can't imagine those would still be accessible today, privacy and all that). Polaroid camera. 

I apparently had "purchased" the Kindle copy in Oct2022 as a Prime First Reads pick. I currently have KindleUnlimited, and this is included there with audio and text. Unfortunately Amazon has a glitch, if you "own" the book, you can't access the included KU audio (you can buy it for $2 ... but I don't want to when I'm only going to listen once and this should be free as part of KU). If you can happen to find a book featured on the KU portion of the website, you can "add to library" and luckily that happened here, so I was able to get the audio for free as part of KU. 

There was no proFanity, but there was some sexual stuff (blow jobs, pictures) and drugs/drinking.  I had very innocent teen years ... I was never pressured, never even offered anything! 

Included in KindleUnlimited, text and audio - this kept my interest, and although I thought I'd figured out some of the stuff, I wasn't exactly sure how things would turn out. It's been a little while since I watched the movie "The Lake House" but this had a similar feel. Two people communicating across time (a little like "Frequency" also). Here, they actually cross and see each other for a few moments too. 

The religion ... I perhaps should have paid a little more attention to the "Christian Fiction" label. It's something I don't care for in my books, and I did not care for it here. One of our MC's father is a reverend. There's quite a bit of scripture, prayer and "the Lord" coming in ... and then especially at the end, I don't know that it's a spoiler ... "I was reminded of the greatest gift of all-treasure in an earthen vessel. Our Heavenly Father provided for all through the death of His Son on the cross. His sacrifice gives life. What we do with our lives are the priceless jewels we will someday return to Him."  Now if one is active Christian, this might be an "ahhhhh" moment. If one is NOT ... this creates different feelings.  The whole book COULD have not had any religion in it (well, still maybe had her father be religious and not believe in divorce), and I for one, would have preferred it that way. For others who want religion in their novels, then this likely fits the bill. 

As with all time travel/time warp ... there are always some "how does that work exactly?" moments that just can't be explained. Here there were several.  Most of the story was 3rd person/past tense, switching between Jack in the present day (a prologue of him in his younger years) and then Jewel (no date given/ no header in the chapters or TOC, revealed a little ways in that she graduated from school in 1915 and it's not long after that) who is in the past. These switches often happened mid-chapter. Then, in chapter 9 there was a section (in italics in print, a little hard to make different in audio ...) and then we have a third timeline, 1967, and another character (Boomer). Then it's back to Jack/Jewel for several chapters ... still 3rd person, but they are writing each other, so the letters are 1st person. Then in Chapter 13, it's back to 1967, and a switch to 1st person, a woman ... This timeline then sticks with her, but in the past, we also switch to the POV of Addie (the maid) and Hunsdon (the husband) and in the present we have the POV addition of Samantha Rose. There weren't chapter headings (other than an indication of the 1967 date) so I struggled a bit to keep track of whose head we were now in (especially in audio, as I could get distracted the and miss the moment the name was given as to whose POV it was - glad I had the text right there to double check things).  My son had just mentioned in a book he was reading with a character named Jack that when "Jack asked" ... in audio, it sounds a little like something else. Of course, as I went back to listening to this book, Jack asked something ...

Personal note - a Dr. Greyson (I note the name, even if the spelling is different than my Grayson). And even if I didn't like THIS Greyson. This storyline was a little weird. 

So ... not sure if this is one I'd really recommend. More of a "give it a try if it sounds appealing to you" type of thing. But it's not available at the local library. Only through Amazon/KU.

No proFanity, nothing very sexual - there was some abuse and murder ...

I really struggle with reading ... with my eyes ;) When I stop, am still ... I fall asleep. This series doesn't have audio however, so, my eyes it is! At least this allows me to stop and highlight portions worth keeping close. I love looking back at my Kindle Notes for a book and being brought back to the best bits. The print copy also has a few things, like Capitalized Words, which wouldn't quite convert, even with excellent enunciation. There are also crossed out words (which was handled well in audio in the [book:Shatter Me|10429045] series). Still, I wonder when audio will be introduced ... and I'll have to give the series a relisten after my read. 

I'd gone to a book club discussion a bit ago ... there I accidentally overheard that there was a kiss (I was only through book 3 at the time). So I knew a kiss was coming, was wasn't sure from who. Two main possibilities, although there also were others it could have come from. 

Book 7 is out ... I'm preparing my eyes for more reading!

 I thought I might enjoy the play on Phantom of the Opera ... reversing the roles. Here, it's a female with a scarred face (she had been playing Fantine in LesMis). Evita is also mentioned (the song Don't Cry For Me Argentina is anyway). Andrew Lloyd Webber's name comes up. Phantom does not ;) There's "Christopher" the lead singer in a heavy metal band, and Raul (running a competing business), a Paris (Nevada) Opera house that might just be haunted. A song ... "Demon of Music" ...

I appreciate KindleUnlimited - to be able to borrow a book as part of a subscription and not feel like I've wasted money, just a little time, if it turns out the book isn't for me. Thus was the case here. I got to page 95/28% ... not that far, but a term another reviewer used ... "cock talk" began taking over ... spicy books just aren't something I enjoy. It's not sexy, it's cringeworthy. And I feared what would be coming in the remaining portion of the book. Best to just move on methinks ...

A kindle search showed there was a lot of proFanity (x93) and I was turned off early enough, even though I'm sure things get much more explicit. I know some enjoy that. 

Just okay for me ... I'm NOT a horror gal, this isn't really my genre. Bookclub chose this as a "Halloween Themed" read for October, and I'd had it on my list. I wonder if I'll appreciate it any more after a bookclub discussion? 

This DID have a unique setup - I had the audio version, and the digital e-book ... I've heard the print copy has the look of an Ikea catalog. While I went primarily with the audio ( two narrators, Bronson Pinchot doing the "catalog" portions,  Tai Sammons doing the main story portion - 3rd person/past tense) I had the Kindle copy, which include some illustrations and diagrams that just can't convert to audio fully. A map of the store, catalog pages, an order form. Each chapter would begin with a page/product ... a picture and description. These became more "unusual" later on in the book. 

The MC is Amy, a worker, or "partner" at the local Orsk superstore. The word partner always threw me a bit, I guess I associate it more with law offices and the higher ups there. Here, all the workers are partners ... a nice thought I guess. I don't know if that's an Ikea thing or not, but this is definitely an Ikea knockoff ... from the types of furniture, to the shopping experience, to the meatballs sold in the food court. I'm not super familiar with Ikea myself, but I have been to at least have a general idea of the similarities. I've also worked in retail to have some familiarity with how things work behind the scenes. 

Does Ikea have a "Bright and Shining Path"? This annoyed me some ... coming from an LDS background, this just felt a little scriptural (1st Nephi Chapter 8 - dark and dreary wilderness, a large and spacious field, a strait and narrow path which came along by the rod of iron, a great and spacious building). The "Bright and Shining Path" was referenced 31 times. 

While things were weird from the start (while the store had been open for a while, some things have been happening recently, and as the story opens, the employee doors won't open, the escalator is running the wrong way, etc)... it sets the scene for a few of the employees to spend the night to see if they can figure out what is going on.

There are a few "scary" moments, but it isn't until Chapter 8 that it turns "horror" and I was imagining this as a movie in my head ... and it wasn't a great movie. Like many of the horror films out there, my imaginative picture was a little hokey. This was reinforced by the continued "catalog" showcase ... as the descriptions of the products stray from the norm. It fought the atmosphere ... is this supposed to be scary, or silly? 

One other "horror" I read that stands out in my memory is [book:The Ruins|21726] ... I listened to the audiobook and just wasn't loving it, or really even liking it. There was NO humor there, it was straight scary. There were still some things that just weren't really making sense to me though. After I finished listening (and rated it a 2* also I think) I looked at the Kindle copy ... and got sucked in. Not that the narration had been bad, but maybe horror (for me) is better experienced on my own? I pretty much ended up re-reading the entire book. It was horror and gore, but was captivating, even though I already knew how it ended. Here at Orsk ... I'd find myself grimacing at some of the gore, but other than that, not really caring about the characters or being caught up in the storyline. I was watching how much time until it was done.

I did like the little twist at the end.

There were just two instances of proFanity, a few other curse words. Sex is mentioned but nothing explicit. Some horror/gore.

Included in KindleUnlimited, audio&text - my subscription is coming to an end, so KU books have been pushed up on my TBR list. This was fine, WW2 historical fiction/romance. I didn't really feel like I learned anything noteworthy or new. 

3rd person/Past tense ... we have three main POVs ... (1) Ella - a journalist from the US (2) Danni - a photographer from the US (3) Chloe- a model from the UK. The timeline stays pretty much chronological, starting in July 1943 for all three women. 

While technically this dealt with some difficult situations (death and injury of war) it all still felt a little light. Maybe that was partially because these women were on the outside looking in, literally. They were "covering" the war, as a journalist, as a photographer, not actually IN the trenches themselves, even though they were in dangerous situations.  The way things came together and wrapped up also had a bit of an "after school special/Hallmark" feel, even when everything wasn't absolutely happily ever after. There were some character deaths to mourn, but still a little unrealistically positive and perfect. 

Title tie in and cover ... no "ahhh" moment or feeling, just felt a little thrown on. Ella is the "correspondent" ... is that supposed to be her on the cover? Why does she get top billing when it's more a story of all three women. I'm never sure what a better title would be, or cover image, but this came off generic to me. 

Personal Pet Peeve ... I wish the Table of Contents included the POV/Headings. It's such a help in audio to be able to glance at the chapter and see the POV listed as well (with constant stop/starts in can be all to easy to forget which POV is happening, and often having to wait a little before it is again revealed within the chapter text). Also, I often want to review a portion here and there, and maybe knowing it was in a Chloe section, I know which chapters to turn to if the header is included in the TOC, instead of having to flip through them all to find what I'm looking for. 

No proFanity - a little sex, although nothing explicit, mostly closed door. Violence/gore was fairly mild for a book about war as well. Pretty PG. 

Hmmm ... not sure how I felt about this one. It's always a little hard rating a non-fiction book. You can't really comment on the "story" per se, so it's more the organization and presentation, the overall feel.  I generally like to note if a book is first person or third person and it's a little hard to define here. At times it's first person from the author's POV, then he's telling the stories based on interviews and such (3rd person) but then uses a lot of quotes and such (1st person) ... 

This begins with an Author's Note ... I do think this was better at the beginning than afterward, as most author's notes are situated. As mentioned on the POV above, the author states "this is written from their points of view. Missing are the voices of their victims and the families who suffered"  and so this does come across a little as a slant toward these murderers ... are we supposed to feel sorry for them? It does address the basic questions - were they "born bad" or can childhood abuse be blamed? Is prison for rehabilitation, or punishment?  When can it be taken too far?

The sub-heading on the title ... "two inmates who changed the system" almost makes it sound like the change was for the better ... and I guess that depends on WHO it it better for. The change IS the move TO supermax and solitary, and no contact, which was deemed necessary as these two prisoners really didn't have anything left to lose. Why wouldn't they kill again and cause more problems in prison? Honestly ... I guess I am a death penalty gal. I just don't understand why prisoners like this shouldn't receive it. I need to read a story that makes me question the death penalty, this did not (except to ask why it wasn't an option). 

I had a little trouble focusing on the "story" ... I went with the audio edition, but had the Kindle copy close by for reference. The narration was a little bland, and didn't set things apart as much as in print. In the Kindle copy, it was obvious it was a quote as the text was in italics and indented. In audio, it all blended together a bit more. 

While the title states TWO men ... this seems to be Silverstein's story with Fountain more of a footnote. Mentioned at the start, then not again until Chapter 11, and taken under Silverstein's wing. 

Plenty of proFanity (x51) and violence and gore ... feces was only in there 12 times? I could have sworn it was more.  

Not really a book I'd recommend - just a lot of misery without really offering something to take away from the information given. 

This was a short read, YA ... but I think it packs a punch and even at 50+ years old I appreciated the points to ponder and think this could make for good book club discussion, even with the elementary school setting (the MC is a 4th grader). 

So ... I had not read [book:From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler|3980] in my younger years, and knew it was featured in this book ... so I gave it a quick go before picking this book up. I don't know that it's necessary to be familiar with that story, but I do think it made it a bit more enjoyable/relatable. There are SO many books mentioned by name (one has to wonder how many of the older ones kids today are actually familiar with, many are award winners, but still ... Indian Captive, Sounder, The Indian in the Cupboard, My Teacher is an Alien, The Chronicles of Pyrain, Little House on the Prarie, Hatchet, The Great Brain, Island of the Blue Dolphins, My Side of the Mountain, Hattie Big Sky, The Sign of the Beaver ... then there were some that are newer, or have had recent comebacks (with movie tie-ins) Harriet the Spy, Coraline, The Giver, The Golden Compass, Bridge to Terabithia, The Face on the Milk Carton, A Day No Pigs Would Die, Matilda, Are You There God It's Me Margaret) it was fun to see which ones I recognized, had read, loved, etc. Ones I'd bought for my boys (Captain Underpants). 

It was interesting to see this from a child's perspective (how can something I love be banned? Ah, the innocence ...) and to see the different emotions and growth.  At first, I got a little annoyed at the inner dialogue (that we often didn't know was internal until after it was said and then qualified with "is what I WANTED to say, but what I did say was ..." but that was an important distinction (that she didn't say things/stand up for herself).  

The ideas ... how SOMEONE can find SOMETHING wrong with every book out there, that INTENTIONS can be good, but still not be the best for everyone. I just recently finished [book:Take My Hand|55650158] which had a similar look at intentions. I liked here that Amy Anne was able to see that some of her initial thoughts (that Trey's mom was awful, that Trey had betrayed her) were not correct.   It would be an interesting discussion as to what would have been the "correct" response (if Amy Anne had been able to speak up originally at the first meeting?), that theft and defying the school board weren't "right" ... I thought maybe the "freedom of speech" that was being studied, and the "right to assemble" might play a bigger part than it did. 

One thing that was a frustration for me is a simple presentation problem ... I really wish books listed both a chronological chapter # AND the chapter heading. It's just a reference issue. If I am shifting between Kindle and Audio, and/or mentioning a specific spot for bookclub discussion, it's just hard when there aren't numerical chapters listed. I appreciate the chapter headings, but it IS easier to say "Chapter 12) rather than "the Our Own Little Book Club chapter ... can publishers not just include both? Chapter 12: Our Own Little Bookclub. Is there some reason to not include chapter numbers? 

I had one additional frustration with this book ... not really with this book, but as I was Googling and looking up some other things, I came upon a website https://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com/search?q=%22ban+this+book%22 which had a "NOT RECOMMENDED" because "did he have to throw Native readers under the bus?" While the article does bring up some interesting points I might not have considered, it just felt ironically like it was picking on the smallest of points ... just exactly like the kids were doing to show how ridiculous it can be, that anyone can find something "bad" ... and that's just what this article, what this website, seems to be doing. On the one hand, author's get reamed if they don't attempt to be inclusive, and on the other hand, if they do try, they get raked over the coals for doing in "wrong" ... While this website "does not recommend" this book, I totally do! Even though it's "young" I think I'll throw it out as a recommendation for book club, and recommend to friends and family, as I'd love to know what they think of it. This is a book that will stay with me. 

I'd heard of this, but it was never one I read in my younger years. I had [book:Ban This Book|31702735] on my "to read" list and knew from its blurb, that this book was featured heavily in it ... so I figured I'd give it a quick read first.  While I liked it fine, I guess I'm not sure what makes it stand out so much to be a favorite or award winner ... perhaps if I'd read it myself when I was closer to the age of the MCs, to really imagine myself doing something like that (different perspectives reading as an adult, and 50+ years after original publication). 

I went with the audio edition, and the narration was good. I checked out the Kindle copy too, and did refer to it when the tense/tone shifted ... there is a prologue by the titled Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, a letter (in italics in the Kindle copy) to her lawyer (1st person, past tense) ... then it moves to the chapters (3rd person, past tense) ... and these chapters, this book, is actually the "file" referenced in the letter? Mrs. Frankweiler writing Claudia's story (until in intersects). So, throughout the book, there are sudden breakthroughs, where Mrs. Frankweiler is again talking in an aside to the lawyer, dropping little additional tidbits. I wondered if these would be italicized like the letter at the beginning, but they were just included in parenthesis.  Quick shift to a 1st person presentation, then back to 3rd person as the story continues. Then in Chapter 9, the story being told shifts as Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler is not only telling the story, but is IN the story (so first person pretty much from there until the end). There is also a write-up from Sheldon, Mrs. Frankweiler's driver, giving a recap of things that happened outside of Mrs. Frankweiler's perview, and ends again with a writing to her lawyer. 

It was cute, and when I came to GoodReads and looked up some of the quotes that others had saved, there were some that I liked and added to my quotes collection.

I liked this... not sure how much I'll remember it. Published in April2023, I don't think it was a "first reads" book, but it was on KindleUnlimited with audio and text (not at libraries though). Sometimes as I am attempting to cram as many KU books in as I can before my subscription is up, they all have a similar feel (at least the ones I am drawn to). 

To help myself focus, and have reference readily available, I listened to this in my Kindle app (with the text there, highlight moving as the audio is spoken). As such, I can't leave a review on Audible, as I didn't listen through the Audible app. No biggie, I'm mostly a Goodreads gal anyway.  Two narrators, one being Lauren Ezzo, who I still associate most with [book:The Hundredth Queen|32852217]. For the "Anne" narrator, I felt like I wanted/needed to speed up the audio a bit, but then it was too fast for the "Maggie" portions. I was glad they had two narrators, even though Maggie's sections were 3rd person (as opposed to Anne's 1st person account) but it helped break up the sections and keep them straight. The tense was also different, past tense for Anne's portions (which were in the past) and present for Maggie's chapters (which were actually in the future ... not "futuristic" but set in January 2024 to start. Have to wonder just a bit about the author's choice to do that? It really didn't matter, could have been 2022 or 2023 or just "present day" or something. Just something I noticed and wondered about, and something that won't really be relevant if read after that date ... unless there is some big world change like Covid that would actually change things). 

I did check out the Audible version and there is a major annoyance for me ... in Audible, it's listed as Chapter 1, Chapter 2 ... in the Kindle copy it's listed as Anne, Maggie ... PLEASE KEEP THE TABLE OF CONTENTS CONSISTENT BETWEEN FORMATS! And per the Kindle copy, DO please list chapter numbers! And if there is a date in the heading, include that too ... i.e., Chapter 1: Anne. Sept1999 Chapter 2: Maggie. Jan2024.  I can't be the only person attempting to find a spot in different formats! If this was a bookclub read and everyone was instructed to turn to ... there aren't chapters in the Kindle copy and "turn to the .... 6th Maggie section" takes everyone a while to count down in the TOC to find the "sixth Maggie section" and anyone who has the audiobook has NO clue where to go if they wanted to follow along for reference.  Yes, this is a pet peeve of mine, and it's not just this book, but it honestly affects my enjoyment, leaves a negative feeling and often drop a rating (although this wasn't really a 5* for me regardless, good, just not 5*). 

I guessed some of the "reveals" ... although the main one is pretty obvious and I don't know is meant to be much of a mystery.  I preferred the Anne/past sections, the 3rdPerson/PresentTense felt really off and odd, not natural at all (although as mentioned, it did help keep the sections, past/present, very separate). There was ONE Tracey section ... that was awkward too, and in audio, should that have a separate narrator too? It was 1st person/past tense, August1999 ... was this an interview for the podcast? Was it a letter? A conversation? Was it just a memory? And it was read in Anne's voice ...

I'm not sure how likeable Anne was, or Todd. I liked Keith a lot. Maggie was good, but the 3rd person/present tense felt like a bit of a wall, I never felt that close to her as a character, always set apart, looking down.  I liked the book while I was listening to it, but as I finished it up and moved on and then try to remember the story, it's already fading. 

Some proFanity (x17) and some sex, nothing super explicit, but also not completely closed door.