Take a photo of a barcode or cover
simplyalexandra's Reviews (890)
4 Stars - I recommend if you enjoy historical fiction, quirky characters, especially anything taking place during WWII.
This book follows Juliet, a journalist who is searching for a topic for her next book. When she receives a letter from stranger living on the island of Guernsey, they begin an unlikely friendship. As Juliet learns more about Guernsey, and its occupation by the Germans during WWII, she forms attachments to the people living there, and their stories.
I had heard such great things about this book from nearly everyone. I am so glad that I finally got a chance to read it. It is written in letters, which didn't bother me, but did detract just a little from the detail. It was still very vivid though. I loved the stories the characters told, and I really appreciated that this book, while sad, was very hopeful. It had a resilient tone. It was romantic enough, but not too romantic. I'm very excited to see the movie version whenever it is set to release this year. :)
This book follows Juliet, a journalist who is searching for a topic for her next book. When she receives a letter from stranger living on the island of Guernsey, they begin an unlikely friendship. As Juliet learns more about Guernsey, and its occupation by the Germans during WWII, she forms attachments to the people living there, and their stories.
I had heard such great things about this book from nearly everyone. I am so glad that I finally got a chance to read it. It is written in letters, which didn't bother me, but did detract just a little from the detail. It was still very vivid though. I loved the stories the characters told, and I really appreciated that this book, while sad, was very hopeful. It had a resilient tone. It was romantic enough, but not too romantic. I'm very excited to see the movie version whenever it is set to release this year. :)
Full Review:
4 Stars - I recommend if you are looking for a solid graphic novel. This also contains diverse characters, the main character is deaf.
This graphic novel is a re-telling of the Pied Piper, and follows Maggie, a deaf girl who is shunned by her village. She just wants to live a normal life, but comforts herself by imagining up (rather dark) stories. When her village is facing a rat infestation along with the diseases they carry, the Piper shows up just in time to save them. Maggie is accepted by the Piper, but is he what he seems?
I saw this at Target, and KC got it for me as one of my Christmas gifts. I really didn't know what to expect from it, but I enjoyed it quite a bit. It is short, and only took a few hours to read. I appreciated that the story was a little bit dark, but not overly depressing. I liked the re-imagining of the Pied Piper tale. The art is really lovely as well. I recommend if you are looking for a graphic novel.
Right After Reading:
I loved the art and story of this graphic novel.
4 Stars - I recommend if you are looking for a solid graphic novel. This also contains diverse characters, the main character is deaf.
This graphic novel is a re-telling of the Pied Piper, and follows Maggie, a deaf girl who is shunned by her village. She just wants to live a normal life, but comforts herself by imagining up (rather dark) stories. When her village is facing a rat infestation along with the diseases they carry, the Piper shows up just in time to save them. Maggie is accepted by the Piper, but is he what he seems?
I saw this at Target, and KC got it for me as one of my Christmas gifts. I really didn't know what to expect from it, but I enjoyed it quite a bit. It is short, and only took a few hours to read. I appreciated that the story was a little bit dark, but not overly depressing. I liked the re-imagining of the Pied Piper tale. The art is really lovely as well. I recommend if you are looking for a graphic novel.
Right After Reading:
I loved the art and story of this graphic novel.
4 Stars - I recommend if you enjoy contemporary women's fiction, and a bit of romance.
This story follows Emma, who has married her high school sweetheart. They live an adventurous life full of travel and spontaneity. When her husband, Jesse's, helicopter goes down somewhere in the Pacific, her world is shattered, and she moves back to Boston to be with her family. When she returns, she is able to heal little by little, improve her relationship with her family, and unexpectedly kindles an old almost-romance with Sam. They quickly become engaged, and are comfortable in their life together. It's a completely different life than the one she had before. When Jesse is found alive, after being missing for three years, Emma must decide who she is now, and who is her one true love.
Everyone raves about TJR's books, so I had high hopes for this one. I was pretty gripped by the plot, but I didn't LOVE this book. Anyhow, I found this book to be mostly emotional, rather than romantic. Very few parts of it felt romantic to me. It was more about her relationships with these two men, and finding herself during a chaotic time. A lot of it I was like, "NO DON'T DO IT!" and I felt so bad for all of the characters involved. Yikes. It also kinda bugged me how much baggage she had with her sister, but I am not really sure why. I unfortunately, figured out which way it was going to go very early on in the book. But maybe I'm alone there? This was very entertaining, but it wasn't my favorite.
This story follows Emma, who has married her high school sweetheart. They live an adventurous life full of travel and spontaneity. When her husband, Jesse's, helicopter goes down somewhere in the Pacific, her world is shattered, and she moves back to Boston to be with her family. When she returns, she is able to heal little by little, improve her relationship with her family, and unexpectedly kindles an old almost-romance with Sam. They quickly become engaged, and are comfortable in their life together. It's a completely different life than the one she had before. When Jesse is found alive, after being missing for three years, Emma must decide who she is now, and who is her one true love.
Everyone raves about TJR's books, so I had high hopes for this one. I was pretty gripped by the plot, but I didn't LOVE this book. Anyhow, I found this book to be mostly emotional, rather than romantic. Very few parts of it felt romantic to me. It was more about her relationships with these two men, and finding herself during a chaotic time. A lot of it I was like, "NO DON'T DO IT!" and I felt so bad for all of the characters involved. Yikes. It also kinda bugged me how much baggage she had with her sister, but I am not really sure why. I unfortunately, figured out which way it was going to go very early on in the book. But maybe I'm alone there? This was very entertaining, but it wasn't my favorite.
4 Stars - I recommend if you enjoy books that flash back and forth between multiple time periods, romance, adventure, and bits of "historical fiction". As well as Romeo and Juliet. (I'm not bonkers for R&J, but did enjoy this quite a bit!)
This book follows Julie, as she finds out that her beloved aunt Rose, the woman who raised her, has passed away. Not only that, but she has left her entire estate to her twin sister. She quickly finds out that she was left something even more valuable, a key to a safety deposit box in Siena, Italy. She is soon swept up in an adventure to Italy to solve the mystery of the key, all the while uncovering information about her ancestor Giulietta's tragic past in 1340. The past and present are woven together in a mysterious way, as what had happened in the past, was very much still relevant in the present.
I really enjoyed reading this book. It was mysterious and adventurous, I didn't feel like I knew exactly what would happen, or how things would resolve. I felt like it was fast-paced, and considering I'm not overly into R&J I really quite liked this story. I thought that the romance was nice, but not overly important. The feuding sisters bothered me in this one too, but it wasn't a focus for the whole book, so that helped.
This book follows Julie, as she finds out that her beloved aunt Rose, the woman who raised her, has passed away. Not only that, but she has left her entire estate to her twin sister. She quickly finds out that she was left something even more valuable, a key to a safety deposit box in Siena, Italy. She is soon swept up in an adventure to Italy to solve the mystery of the key, all the while uncovering information about her ancestor Giulietta's tragic past in 1340. The past and present are woven together in a mysterious way, as what had happened in the past, was very much still relevant in the present.
I really enjoyed reading this book. It was mysterious and adventurous, I didn't feel like I knew exactly what would happen, or how things would resolve. I felt like it was fast-paced, and considering I'm not overly into R&J I really quite liked this story. I thought that the romance was nice, but not overly important. The feuding sisters bothered me in this one too, but it wasn't a focus for the whole book, so that helped.
Full Review:
3.5 - I recommend if you enjoy mysteries, great writing, experiencing a different world, and small town dynamics.
This book follows Aaron Falk as he heads to his hometown for his high school best friend's funeral. It was a tragic death, as he killed his wife and child before killing himself. His friend's father thinks that there is more to the situation than meets the eye, and asks Falk to investigate, threatening to expose his secret from nearly 20 years ago when another mysterious death occurred in their town. Falk has to dig up some demons to solve this mystery.
First off, the writing is just excellent. Oddly enough the plot reminded me quite a bit of In Cold Blood the only other murder/mystery/etc. type book I've been reading this year. Small, rural town, family group killed by shot gun, small town gossip and dynamics. As the book went on it branched out quite a bit which left me feeling a bit more intrigued. I enjoyed the double mystery in this one especially, though I didn't feel truly shocked by the way things played out in the end. I wanted to know more about Falk as well, I felt like I didn't get a clear feel for his character. Especially since this will be a series... I don't feel super attached to him as I have other book detectives. Overall a good read!*
Right after reading:
4 stars - the writing is excellent. Oddly enough the plot reminded me quite a bit of In Cold Blood the only other murder/mystery/etc. type book I've been reading this year. As the book went on it branched out quite a bit. I enjoyed the double mystery in this one.
*I won an ARC of this title in a goodreads giveaway, thank you to the giveaway host! :)
3.5 - I recommend if you enjoy mysteries, great writing, experiencing a different world, and small town dynamics.
This book follows Aaron Falk as he heads to his hometown for his high school best friend's funeral. It was a tragic death, as he killed his wife and child before killing himself. His friend's father thinks that there is more to the situation than meets the eye, and asks Falk to investigate, threatening to expose his secret from nearly 20 years ago when another mysterious death occurred in their town. Falk has to dig up some demons to solve this mystery.
First off, the writing is just excellent. Oddly enough the plot reminded me quite a bit of In Cold Blood the only other murder/mystery/etc. type book I've been reading this year. Small, rural town, family group killed by shot gun, small town gossip and dynamics. As the book went on it branched out quite a bit which left me feeling a bit more intrigued. I enjoyed the double mystery in this one especially, though I didn't feel truly shocked by the way things played out in the end. I wanted to know more about Falk as well, I felt like I didn't get a clear feel for his character. Especially since this will be a series... I don't feel super attached to him as I have other book detectives. Overall a good read!*
Right after reading:
4 stars - the writing is excellent. Oddly enough the plot reminded me quite a bit of In Cold Blood the only other murder/mystery/etc. type book I've been reading this year. As the book went on it branched out quite a bit. I enjoyed the double mystery in this one.
*I won an ARC of this title in a goodreads giveaway, thank you to the giveaway host! :)
3.5 - I recommend if you enjoy women's fiction, and stories about picking yourself up and following your dreams. It's a bit romantic, but not overly.
This story follows Nina, a English librarian who's just been laid off because her library branch is being absorbed by the bigger one. She's got more books than she can count, and she's taking in strays from the closing building. She doesn't like the idea of taking on a technology position in the bigger branch... so on a whim she decides to buy a large van, and make a mobile bookstore. The only issue is, the van is in Scotland. When she arrives to see the van, she's in love with the country as well. She buys the van and begins her new adventure abroad selling books.
My sister-in-law got me this book for my birthday, and I was glad to have something fresh on my shelf to read! Thanks, Kels!This book started a bit slow for me, it takes about 100 pages for her to get the van... but I really enjoyed the idea behind the book so I kept reading. (again, keep in mind I still read this in two evenings... so it's not THAT slow). I love that her goal was to get people books that were perfect for them! Also, I had no idea this book took place in Scotland... I can't get way from the Scottish. ;) I enjoyed the characters that she meets and their interactions, I enjoyed all the different types of books she talked about. I liked the book tree with Marek, and also everything with her landlord. It was romantic enough, but not overly. The pacing was a bit odd (slow at first, a good pace in the middle, and then a lot wrapping up right at the end) but it didn't affect my reading too much. Overall this is a quick and sweet read, a bit inspiring to make daring changes. :)
This story follows Nina, a English librarian who's just been laid off because her library branch is being absorbed by the bigger one. She's got more books than she can count, and she's taking in strays from the closing building. She doesn't like the idea of taking on a technology position in the bigger branch... so on a whim she decides to buy a large van, and make a mobile bookstore. The only issue is, the van is in Scotland. When she arrives to see the van, she's in love with the country as well. She buys the van and begins her new adventure abroad selling books.
My sister-in-law got me this book for my birthday, and I was glad to have something fresh on my shelf to read! Thanks, Kels!This book started a bit slow for me, it takes about 100 pages for her to get the van... but I really enjoyed the idea behind the book so I kept reading. (again, keep in mind I still read this in two evenings... so it's not THAT slow). I love that her goal was to get people books that were perfect for them! Also, I had no idea this book took place in Scotland... I can't get way from the Scottish. ;) I enjoyed the characters that she meets and their interactions, I enjoyed all the different types of books she talked about. I liked the book tree with Marek, and also everything with her landlord. It was romantic enough, but not overly. The pacing was a bit odd (slow at first, a good pace in the middle, and then a lot wrapping up right at the end) but it didn't affect my reading too much. Overall this is a quick and sweet read, a bit inspiring to make daring changes. :)
.jpg)
2.5 - I recommend this book if you enjoy contemporary fiction, with a secret society, solve the code, kind of vibe to it. It is very light hearted.
This book follows Clay, a young man in need of a job. The recession has hit, and he finally finds a new place of employment: Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore. He quickly notices that this is not just any bookstore. There a frantic customers who request books from the "way back list", and check them out with special member cards. Clay investigates what's going on in the bookstore with his muti-talented friends. What is Mr. Penumbra up to?
I had a hard time getting into this book. I liked the setting and quirky characters, which made it quick enough to read... but all of the tech-related descriptions really through off the flow of the book for me. I'm not a techy person. Normally a book with codes and secret societies might be just a little bit serious or dark. This book is neither, which made the mystery seem a bit unimportant. I didn't find myself caring what the society was up to. I also didn't love the fact that most of the early on pieces of the puzzle are solved by using power technology. I'd rather read about clever people who know clever things and solve clever puzzles. Not because they have access to Google's super computers. So, toward the end, it got a bit more interesting to me. There was a bit less of the technology, but it took too long for me to fully appreciate it. I did enjoy the characters through the end, and things related to the bookstore itself. By the time I got to the end of the book, I wasn't invested in the mystery, and then when everything was revealed, it felt anticlimactic. I think I'm in the minority on this one, but it just wasn't my jam. I would rather have read about Clay and the quirky people he observes in the bookstore.
Right after reading:
I just didn't love this... : /
This book follows Clay, a young man in need of a job. The recession has hit, and he finally finds a new place of employment: Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore. He quickly notices that this is not just any bookstore. There a frantic customers who request books from the "way back list", and check them out with special member cards. Clay investigates what's going on in the bookstore with his muti-talented friends. What is Mr. Penumbra up to?
I had a hard time getting into this book. I liked the setting and quirky characters, which made it quick enough to read... but all of the tech-related descriptions really through off the flow of the book for me. I'm not a techy person. Normally a book with codes and secret societies might be just a little bit serious or dark. This book is neither, which made the mystery seem a bit unimportant. I didn't find myself caring what the society was up to. I also didn't love the fact that most of the early on pieces of the puzzle are solved by using power technology. I'd rather read about clever people who know clever things and solve clever puzzles. Not because they have access to Google's super computers. So, toward the end, it got a bit more interesting to me. There was a bit less of the technology, but it took too long for me to fully appreciate it. I did enjoy the characters through the end, and things related to the bookstore itself. By the time I got to the end of the book, I wasn't invested in the mystery, and then when everything was revealed, it felt anticlimactic. I think I'm in the minority on this one, but it just wasn't my jam. I would rather have read about Clay and the quirky people he observes in the bookstore.
Right after reading:
I just didn't love this... : /
3.5 - I recommend if you enjoy YA fantasy, especially ones filled with mythology and folktales. This one deals with coastal myths of selkies (similar to mermaids).
This book follows Noah and his sister Lo as they spend a summer with their grandmother on a remote island in coastal New Hampshire. Noah has a dream internship with a marine biology center and his idol, a renowned professor from a university. Lo is recovering from her eating disorder, and trying to get a break from her parents. When Noah mistakenly saves a girl from drowning one day, he can't get her out of his head... or his grandmother's stories about selkies. Mysterious creatures who shed their seal skins and come ashore as humans.
I think I picked this one up at a booksale (a discarded library version, noless) and said, "hmm... this looks really young... but it's about selkies! uuughhh" .. so it came home with me. I hand't read anything about selkies before, and it was very interesting. They're basically nicer versions of sirens or mermaids, who are therefore often taken advantage of by humans. I thought it was interesting how the generational aspect of Noah's family was woven into their connection to the sea, and to the selkies. I thought the mystery was very easy to guess, but that's ok. This book was quite easy to read, a tad bit too easy I suppose, but it was very fun. It varies POV by chapter, which was mostly ok, but I felt like a few of the chapters were from POVs that don't get developed very much by the end of the story, yet I don't know that there are more books or anything. Nothing really wrong with this one, sweet, and fun. I appreciated that there was a bit of diversity in this book as well!
This book follows Noah and his sister Lo as they spend a summer with their grandmother on a remote island in coastal New Hampshire. Noah has a dream internship with a marine biology center and his idol, a renowned professor from a university. Lo is recovering from her eating disorder, and trying to get a break from her parents. When Noah mistakenly saves a girl from drowning one day, he can't get her out of his head... or his grandmother's stories about selkies. Mysterious creatures who shed their seal skins and come ashore as humans.
I think I picked this one up at a booksale (a discarded library version, noless) and said, "hmm... this looks really young... but it's about selkies! uuughhh" .. so it came home with me. I hand't read anything about selkies before, and it was very interesting. They're basically nicer versions of sirens or mermaids, who are therefore often taken advantage of by humans. I thought it was interesting how the generational aspect of Noah's family was woven into their connection to the sea, and to the selkies. I thought the mystery was very easy to guess, but that's ok. This book was quite easy to read, a tad bit too easy I suppose, but it was very fun. It varies POV by chapter, which was mostly ok, but I felt like a few of the chapters were from POVs that don't get developed very much by the end of the story, yet I don't know that there are more books or anything. Nothing really wrong with this one, sweet, and fun. I appreciated that there was a bit of diversity in this book as well!
3 Stars - I recommend if you are looking for a graphic novel that's funny, and about sex. I've got mixed feelings on this one.
This graphic novel follows Suzie, who has the odd ability to stop time when she has sex. Then she meets John, and she finds out that he has the same ability. When you have sex and stop time... what else is there to do but rob banks?
I had heard really good things about this graphic novel. I was looking forward to a funny, witty, sexy comic about time-stopping, bank robbing shenanigans... but I have some conflicting feelings.... On the one hand, I appreciated a heroine who was body positive and owned her sexuality, on the other hand, I found this a bit gratuitous (yeah, I know it's called "sex criminals")... and a little bit stark. I was hoping for a little bit of sex, and a lot of shenanigans... but it ended up being a lot of time spent in adult stores and reviewing awkward middle school sex experiences. I understand that the characters need background, and that it's not meant to be a one-sided funny sort of thing.... but I found it a little depressing. Parts of it were definitely funny, and the idea is clever, but I wanted more of Suzie and John's relationship, and their quest to use their frozen time.
Mixed feelings. A little gratuitous all things considered...
This graphic novel follows Suzie, who has the odd ability to stop time when she has sex. Then she meets John, and she finds out that he has the same ability. When you have sex and stop time... what else is there to do but rob banks?
I had heard really good things about this graphic novel. I was looking forward to a funny, witty, sexy comic about time-stopping, bank robbing shenanigans... but I have some conflicting feelings.... On the one hand, I appreciated a heroine who was body positive and owned her sexuality, on the other hand, I found this a bit gratuitous (yeah, I know it's called "sex criminals")... and a little bit stark. I was hoping for a little bit of sex, and a lot of shenanigans... but it ended up being a lot of time spent in adult stores and reviewing awkward middle school sex experiences. I understand that the characters need background, and that it's not meant to be a one-sided funny sort of thing.... but I found it a little depressing. Parts of it were definitely funny, and the idea is clever, but I wanted more of Suzie and John's relationship, and their quest to use their frozen time.
Mixed feelings. A little gratuitous all things considered...
2 Stars - I recommend this if you've read the rest of the series and are looking for a feel good fluffy read.
These books are very much a guilty pleasure....it's nice to read something that works out and is fluffy... especially when the news is anything but fluffy.
This book was again not my favorite. I think I might need to stop reading her books... because I feel like they are all falling a little flat for me. I don't know if it's a ghost writer... or what's going on. But they haven't been great lately for me. Maybe I'm just outgrowing them. You never know! Anyhow, I loved parts of this. There's kind of a tough guy who doesn't think he's great and I just had a soft spot for him! His name was Rooster.. I mean...how can you go wrong? hehe
These books are very much a guilty pleasure....it's nice to read something that works out and is fluffy... especially when the news is anything but fluffy.
This book was again not my favorite. I think I might need to stop reading her books... because I feel like they are all falling a little flat for me. I don't know if it's a ghost writer... or what's going on. But they haven't been great lately for me. Maybe I'm just outgrowing them. You never know! Anyhow, I loved parts of this. There's kind of a tough guy who doesn't think he's great and I just had a soft spot for him! His name was Rooster.. I mean...how can you go wrong? hehe