xennicole's Reviews (2.27k)

I enjoyed this book a lot. It was a fun read.

Considering was I disappointed and bored by the first novel and had somewhat high hopes with this one because my favorite secondary characters were the lead in this novel. Witty and snarky. I enjoyed this one and laughed out loud a few times.

Okay. I liked secondary characters over the primary. Falling for your step (no way related by blood) brother is a troupe that is used. Writing at times felt heavy-handed. Quick Read.

It was a good quick novella set around Christmastime.

Man, I thought this would be the book I would read in a day, but for some reason I would be read a bit and then get sidetracked with another book. I am guessing that since it is about war and military that was the reason I just couldn't sit down and read it in one sitting. Details and many people involved in this story made me put it down after a while. It was well done, like any of Sarah Vowell's books, she does the grunt work of reading diaries, letters and papers that most people would never read and then manages to make history relevant to her and us in a entertaining way. Not many people can write like she can.

Good book on the inner workings of the people that fought and brought the Revolutionary War to the somewhat (still) United States.

It was uneven in writing but good. I think I had issues with the sequencing and for some reason the history of beginning of Russia came at the end of the book and not the front. I didn't like how he structure the chapters and I found the more interesting information come towards the end of the book. This is a book for people who know Russian history because the author doesn't go into much detail, unless it serves his purpose, for which I can't tell what it is.

I know that his family background is part Russian and he visited and worked for for various news organizations but the writing you couldn't tell if he was mocking Russia or uplifting and then he turn his writing to America and you wouldn't know where he he stood. He uses first-hand accounts with people he has talked to to move the book long, but it left it a little bland and tended to be the parts I ended up skimming over.

Meh. While decent, the "firebrand atheism," the most vocal brand of atheism isn't going to convince people who don't want to be convinced and leaves those unsure (agnostics) feeling bad that they can't proclaim from the mountain tops that there doubt is pointless. It was an interesting read from the loudest atheist in America.

While I agree about Church/Religions getting government subsides/tax breaks without any oversight and other things that government does that does not make this a tolerant nation that is suppose to have freedom "from" religion (mostly Christianity, or what America calls Christianity) and it should be because the Constitution says so, but I digress.

Interesting read, but didn't sway me to move from my indifference to religion any closer to Atheism nor it is make me swing any closer to religions.

This is Martha Hall Kelly's 1st book and it is really, really good. She did her research and as the reader you could tell. My only issues what that the stories finally connected 80 percent or 400 pages (out of 500) into the book, I just wished there was more. There were moments I wished she would have continued the characters thoughts but was cut off and moved to another character. But these things are minute and personal preference.

Very good book, I would recommend without hesitation.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I always find it interesting to read early works of authors, reading and learning the quirks that become them. Most of these short stories are from a young Truman Capote who is trying to find is voice and characters. But what draws the reader to continue past the one-dimensional characters is the narrative that moves past the scene - that is where the magic lies.