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Showing posts from September, 2024

The Grace Year by Kim Liggett

" The Handmaids Tale meets Lord of the Flies, Liggett slams her foot down on the gas and never lets up. This was a terrifying, dark, eerily realistic novel about identity, love, courage, truth and hope. This is one of those books that you just have to read to understand but once you do, it'll stay with you, or I hope it will." 5 Stars Pros: The  grisly, violent oppressiveness of the Patriarchy, always a good setting for dystopian fiction//It was  tied up so well at the end and though it wasn't the ending I thought it would be, it was definitely a good one.  Cons:  There were so many girls in the Grace year that it was hard to remember them all, they kind of faded into background noise/Everyone and their mother was willing to go to the ends of the Earth for the MC.    Full Review Tierney is terrified, knowing that in just a day, her Grace year will start. The time when she and all girls of a similar age are sent off into the wilderness for a year, to survive...

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume.

"A quick, fun read about a kid who's just trying to figure out how she fits into everything and every now and again, she asks God, for a little help. This brings back all the angst of being a Tween and though it was nostalgic, I'm glad I'm well past that part of my life." 4 Stars Pros:  It was definitely a reminder of what it's like to be a pre-teen, all the emotions, confusion and attempts to create an identity for yourself and figure out who you are.  Cons:  I had to keep in mind that the MC, Margaret, was an eleven year old girl, so her reaction to everything, IE, everything was the end of the world, was to be expected though, it did get a bit tiresome.  Full Review Margaret Ann Simon is an only child. She's used to her life in New York City. She visits with her Grandmother, almost every single day and she likes her life. Her parents decide to uproot everything and move to Farbrook, New Jersey and to Margaret, she just can't figure out why.  She doe...

Hell Bent (Alex Stern #2) by Leigh Bardugo

"Once Galaxy "Alex" Stern has a goal, there's no stopping her. And since, at the end of Ninth House  she'd made it her mission to figure how to get Darlington out of Hell and back in Lethe where he belongs, well, Hell Bent  is the perfect title and as wild of a ride as you can imagine." 4 Stars Pros: Stern and Darlington's chemistry is exquisitely painful/Darlington is the gentleman Demon and I adore him.  Cons: Bardugo mixed the Eitan storyline in well but at the same time, you want Alex to be able to focus on one thing at a time/Sometimes too many side quests get this old brain confused.  Full Review It's been a long Summer for Alex Stern.  It's been spent mostly reading in the warmth of Il Bastons' safe, secure library and researching everything she can about how to get into Hell.  Once Galaxy (Alex) Stern has a goal, she's off like a shot, or like a cannon ball as she refers to herself on multiple occasions. It's only the beginni...

Persepolis Rising (The Expanse #7) by James S.A. Corey

"It felt like a bit of a forced reboot, Crew of the Rocinante, 2.0 or something. I liked it and I didn't. The time jump was confusing and felt like lot of missed character growth. Not a terrible addition but not my favorite." 3 Stars Pros:  Same cast of characters, so not a lot of new people to remember/Sanchez was frighteningly inept but powerful and that's what made him terrifying.   Cons:  I think it was the pacing that put me off, or the fact that a number of years were supposed to have passed in between Babylon's Ashes  and Persepolis Rising  that made me feel like I'd missed something. I feel like this was trying to be a reboot, kind of like "The Force Awakens" for "Star Wars."  Full Review Years have passed and the crew of the Rocinante have been through it all together. But, there comes a time when the life of derring-do adventure loses its flair and Holden realizes that, he doesn't want to be the pilot of the Rocinante anymore....

Rabbit Is Rich (Rabbit Angstrom #3) by John Updike.

"Harry "Rabbit" Angstrom finally feels settled, successful and steady in life. He's married, is a member of the Flying Eagle Country Club and is the head Sales Associate at Springer Motors. He's more or less content but that all changes when Nelson, his son, returns home from College for Summer Break and drops a bombshell. Now Rabbit has to decide how to deal with the consequences and attempt to ignore his first instinct, which is, of course, to run away when things get tough."  3 Stars Pros:  With each novel, about ten years has passed, so it's been an interesting way to see how Rabbit and his family has or hasn't changed and how the world around them has.  Cons:  Rabbit Angstrom is now bordering on creepy, lecherous old man, all he seems to think about is sex/The way Janice, Nelson and Rabbit speak to each other, it's one argument or snide remark after the other. It certainly doesn't make me think of a content, happy family/The things Rabbi...