If you’re into true crime, this is a must read. Paul
Holes is admirable for his dedication to cold cases, yet it’s clear that his obsession caused him to neglect his family. But he’s so good at what he does, and it’s one of those cases where there’s no clear way to reconcile both sides. I listened to this one on audio, and despite graphic descriptions of crime scenes, I never felt Paul Holes was writing for shock value. This is a really tough read, and a reminder that crime has many victims. 

3.5 stars. It’s not for everyone, but it’s a solidly written book (although I did get confused about dates sometimes), and I appreciated Holes’ raw honesty and compassion for the victims.

I don’t know whether to rate this 3, 4, or 5 stars.

Multiple characters and plot lines, slow burn mystery, more literary than thriller despite the premise. The idea of erasing memories is so provocative, and I wanted a little bit more from the author and what she wanted to say about memories and how they shape identity. I initially gave the book 3 stars, but after a book club discussion, I decided on a final rating of 3.5.

Humor not my style 

The premise is great, but I don’t think it’s my type of humor.

I think I would’ve given this 5 stars, if not for the clunkiness of the the narrative with the scientific exposition. It’s nice to go in not knowing plot points in these types of books, but at the same time, it may be helpful to know that there’s a lot of backstory for one of the characters before any strange sci-fi things happen, and that it gets a bit noir-like for a while as our characters try to figure out what’s going on. That being said, the scope of Liu Cixin’s writing amazed me with the real-world implications of the three body problem and what humans might do if faced with - no joke here - impending doom.

On a side note, I really loved the Netflix show as well; it was quite different in some ways, but just as mindblowing. Just know that both the book and series end on a mild cliffhanger. I will definitely keep reading, and crossing my fingers that Netflix renews the show!

I like seeing the different characters and how their lives intersected, although that device can feel a bit contrived. Also with that many characters, it can be difficult to flesh them out; to me, most of them felt one-note (the dutiful yet plucky daughter, and the wife who longs for a more fulfilling relationship with her scientist husband, the silent stubborn father who doesn’t understand why his son doesn’t want to follow in his footsteps, the determined wife whose husband is just along for the ride). The backdrop is of course Panama, which was the most interesting part of the book. 3 stars.

Part noir detective, family drama, and commentary on racism in 1940s San Francisco. There’s definitely an audience for this book, if you like historical mystery. The audio production was fantastic, but the actual story felt too heavy-handed for me, with chapters beginning with exposition about the times that read like an article, and it felt like the author relied too much on “tell, don’t show.” I wasn’t a fan of the ending, and I’m also still not completely sure why it’s called The Golden Gate.