All the Books.

“Rick Deckard is a Bounty Hunter who's on the trail of six "Andys" (Androids) who have come to Earth illegally. His job is to track them down and "retire" them. Something he found easy to do until he met her, Rachael Rosen. The Android that does the impossible, passes the "Voight-Kampff" test. The story quickly devolves into a slow, drawn out and frankly boring mystery that was putting me to sleep by the end."    ⭐⭐ Pros: I was more interested in comparing it to the film, "Bladerunner."/At first I kind of liked the drab, dreary atmostphere but it soon became soporific.  Cons: I had no real idea what was going on with Mercerism/The end there had me blinking in bewilderment, like with Herbert's 29th Dune Book/There was a lot of idle chit-chat while they were in murderous/intense situations, it just seemed odd.  Full Review:  Rick Deckard, a Bounty Hunter, contracted with the San Francisco Police Department hunts down and retires rogue ...

"Charlie Gordon agrees to be the first human test subject to undergo an experimental procedure that could raise his IQ astonishingly. It's a success and Charlie goes from someone with a severe intellectual disability to a genius in only a few short months. Though his knowledge grows by the day, motionally, he has a lot of catching up to do. This was originally a high school assigned read and thus I was hesitant but I'm glad I gave it another chance."    ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Pros: Charlie is truly the tragic hero/Charlie and Algernon ❤️🥲.  Cons: Things have changed so use of the word retardate and such was surprising at first but, it was a different time/Alice Kinnian and her melodrama got a bit old.  Full Review:  Told through progress reports over the course of several months, we see Charlie Gordon's journey. He's agreed to be the first human test subject of an experiment that could raise his IQ at an astonishing rate. They've already had success with Algernon, a lab...

"The one constant in Eddie's life is Ruby Pier. The boardwalk attraction he's worked at since he was a teenager. It's been a staple of his life and sadly, it will also be the place of his death. When he wakes up in Heaven, he meets five people, each who teach him a lesson and help prepare him for the way forward. This book had me hook, line and sinker and didn't disappoint. It was a powerful, emotional and absolutely beautiful read."  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐  Pros: Hooked me right from the start/Every step of Heaven was perfectly heartbreaking/This was an incredibly moving and powerful book.  Cons: The only one I can think of is, I would have liked to have known more about Eddie's life before but we're offered enough in the glimpses shown through the novel.  Full Review:  Eddie is old and tired. He gets up, he goes to work, he comes home, wash, rinse, repeat. His life has had its ups and downs but all we see, at first, is a sad, tired, old man. Every day he goes to wo...

​“The tale of Andy Dufresne and how he served his time at Shawshank prison, as told through the eyes of his friend and fellow inmate, Red. Dark and disturbing but also compulsively readbale. I finished it in 2 days. Also enjoyable is Frank Darabont's 1994 film adaptation, "The Shawshank Redemption." ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Pros : Red has a soothing, drawl, making the reading easy and flowing/Since I saw the film first, I couldn't help but compare the book though I was pleased to find that the two were very similar.  Cons : Things got a bit rambling a bit at the beginning/Since I saw the film first I couldn't help but compare the book but this ended up not being a con.  Full Review: The state of Maine has a prison. Shawshank Redemption. And Red is the guy that can get you things. He also happens to be the only guilty man in Shawshank but that's netiher here nor there. He meets Andy Dufresne for business purposes at first and he finds him to be a calm, cool man and Red likes him i...

"It had a definite The Handmaids Tale feel and I wasn't sure who to trust/what was real so Waters did pique my curiosity. In the end though, I was left feeling rather underwhelmed."   ⭐⭐ Pros: It had me interested and I kept reading, so it did what a book is supposed to do.  Con: The lack of contractions with Emma Burke was extremely annoying/The tension between Emma/Noah, since there was a significant time jump, it was all a bit confusing honestly/Overuse of the word "shift" as to "shift out of his grip."  Full Review:  Emma wakes up with no memory of her life. Apparently, she's the wife of Declan Burke, an enormously successful business man who's also a patient and caring Husband. She was in a terrible accident but they're hopeful that she'll make a full recovery. She's with the best Scientists in the Country, she's in good hands She tries to find peace in this life that she can't remember and Declan really does seem to ca...

"Lowen Ashleigh, a middling-author who's struggling to make ends meets, is offered the dream of a lifetime. Outline and finish the last three books in a best-selling series, since the author, Verity Crawford, no longer can. Verity was involved in a car accident that has left her incapacitated.When Lowen goes to Verity's home and starts combing through her notes for research, though, she comes across an "autobiography" that paints a far darker picture of the grieving woman who currently lives just upstairs. Lowen is soon questioning everytihng, including her own sanity. This was a dark, intense but engrossing read."  ⭐⭐⭐ Pros:  It definitely had an eerie feel at times/Verity is certifiably, terrifyingly insane/Hoover has an easy flow to her writing/It had a good hook, caught me right from the start.  Cons:  I was more interested in the thriller aspect of this romantic thriller so the romantic plot was predicable/Lowen felt flat as a character, I felt like Hoo...

"Red, an operative of The Agency and Blue, an operative of Garden are able to travel through time and space, making corrections, deletions, all manner of alterations that will affect time in past, present and future. When Red stumbles upon a letter in the aftermath of a battle that says, "Burn before Reading" she rises to the bait and that's when she "meets" Blue and their correspondence will be the thing that changes everything."  ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Pros: It was definitely an interesting read, told mostly through correspondence between two enemy agents in the Time War/Red and Blue's differences in beliefs first made them enemies but as time progressed and their letters, first taunts and jeers changed to friendship and love, they too, changed as people.  Cons: The times between the letters, when Red and Blue complete assignments and try to keep their correspondence a secret, could be a little confusing/Since they could travel back and forth through different ...

"Essentially, it's the story of six Astronauts, working and living on the International Space Station that orbits the Earth. Though the author tried to give the characters background, the book was too short to make any one character stick out and the lack of a cohesive plot made it so the book just kept going, around and around, much like the Space Station in its continuous orbit of the Earth." ⭐⭐ Pros: There were moments of true beauty at the beginning, seeing Earth from the vantage point of Space.   Cons: The author tried to give the characters background but they all kind of blurred together, none of them really stuck out/The narrative, since there was no real plot, just ended up going around and around in circles, meandering and pointless.    Full Review: This book follows six astronauts who are on the space station that’s orbiting earth. To be perfectly honest, none of the character stuck out to me enough to remember their names or their places of origin. ...

​ “I initially believed that this would be an off-shoot of Stoker's Dracula and an exploration into the three mysterious "women" that Harker finds when he's roaming Dracula's castle but unfortunately, that was not the case. It had its interesting moments and some potential but in the end it devolved into smut.” ⭐⭐ Pros: It started out with potential, since I thought it would tie into Stoker's Dracula and be an interesting offshoot but it wasn't. Cons: Since the back of the book says that Constanta was Dracula's first bride, I was led to believe that the Vampire in the book, since he's never given a first name, was, in fact, Dracula, but, I was wrong/The timing of everything was just hilariously wrong, let's plot out this whole, dangerous, betrayal, all while the villagers are storming the castle. I guess when you're immortal, your time management skills falter.   Full Review:  Amidst the burning wreckage of her village, Constanta lies on th...

"We're back with Douglas Spaulding, who's dead set on not letting the Summer end. He'll soon learn though that everything is finite and yet not every end has to necessarily be an ending."  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Pros: A quick but powerful read/Douglas Spaulding finally realizes what it's like to grow up.  Cons : I had to laugh at the reason the war comes to an end, women are always the villains.  Full Review:  Even though it's creeping into October, Douglas Spaulding isn't willing to give up on Summer yet. He decides to gather up the troops and go to War against the men who make the rules, basically, the School Board. They hassle old Calvin Quartermain, are generally a nuisance but it gets serious when theft is involved.  Douglas's eternally reasonable and practical Grandfather lays down the law and they return to stolen chess pieces. All the boys are wracked with guilt but Douglas can't stop thinking. He obsesses and frets, as boys will do and though he think...

"Halloween comes a week early to Green Town, Illinois. In the form of "Cooger and Dark's Pandemonium Shadow Show". It's a Carnival, led by the delightfully terrifying Illustrated Man and when Will and Jim stumble upon its secret, things go from hypnotizing to horrifying. The epitome of good versus evil told as only Bradbury can tell it."  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Pros : Bradbury's writing is truly immersive, you are right beside Jim and Will through the whole insane story/The Illustrated Man is one of my all time favorite literary villains.  Cons : Bradbury does have a way with words but sometimes, that way can be very long and a little bit rambly/The ending when read at face value is simply silly.  Full Review:  Tom Fury, the seller of Lighting Rods, can feel the storm brewing. He can tell, it's going to be a monster. He happens upon two boys, lounging in their yards and decides to warn them of the danger.  They are William Halloway and Jim Nightshade. Will, born...

"There is a small, dimly lit, quiet cafe on a side street where you can, in fact, travel back in time. Except, there are rules and the #1 is "you must return before the coffee gets cold." This was a quirky and interesting read about four people and their reasons for wanting to travel back in time."  ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Pros: A fun and unique idea/The rules made the concept of time travel almost plausible.  Cons: it could’ve been the translation but everything was very direct. He said this. She looked at him with a somber expression. She cried. It was a bit emotionless at times.  Full Review:  You can travel back in time in a small, unassuming cafe but there are rules that must be followed.  You must sit in a certain seat. You can only meet with people who have come to the cafe before. Anything you do will not change the present and also, there’s a time limit.  You must return before your coffee gets cold.  A unique and interesting read. It followed four people who ...

"Bradbury captures the excitement and eagerness of Summer, as only a 13 year old boy can feel it. Through the eyes of Douglas Spaulding, we see Green Town, Illinois and the many people and places that make it special. The reader tags along on Douglas' many adventures and learns, just as he does about life, love, loss and practically everything in between." ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Pros: Bradbury's writing is so beautifully lyrical/He has the ability to make something as simple as playing hide and seek on a summers night a truly nforgettable experience/Though a standlone novel in its way, it's also peppered with some of Bradbury's memorable short stories, like Old-Fashioned Lime-Vanilla Ice , The Sound of Summer Running , and The Lonely One.    Cons: Though I'm sure it's a generational thing, some of the dialogue between the characters, "gosh, gee golly whiz",  was a bit “Leave it to Beaver” at times.  Full Review: It's the Summer of 1928 and Douglas Spauld...

"A powerful and engrossing read that follows the lives of three women, all descendants of the Weyward women, a line of Witches. They must do what they can to not only keep their secret safe but also grow and change around the boundaries and limitations that Society has placed upon them. It took a bit to get into the story but once I did, I was hooked. A great read."  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Pros: The storyline for each protagonist was different but engrossing, especially considering the times in which they happened/This was an empowering read as far as strong female characters go.  Cons: The book was a little slow to find its footing but once it did, I was hooked.  Full Review: The Weyward women have always been special. Though unfortunately, special isn't always the best thing, especially for young women who live in a patriarchal society.  This is a story told from three the points of view of three different women, all descendants of the Weyward line. There's Altha, a young woman who...

"It had a very "tortured Vampire with a Soul", "Angel" feel to it at times but for the most part it was an interesting read and a unique take on the Vampire mythos."  ⭐⭐⭐ Pros: The vampirism was a very vague concept, the transition just kind of happened with no real details but somehow, it was fitting.  Cons: Though “every new beginning comes from some other beginnings end” it seemed like Colette could never quite catch a break, it was just one death and disaster after another/Sometimes Holland would explain how Colette managed to feed even when living amongst humans but at other times, that detail seemed to be skipped over.  Full Review:  Colette LaSange is the prim, proper and intelligent mistress of a posh pre-school in upstate New York. Her students adore her and she them but every day at nap time, she sneaks away to the attic, to feed. She's a Vampire. And though she's managed to find a way to feed just enough from her many cats to keep hersel...

"After being forced to make a deal with the devil, Sasha is accepted into the School of Special Technologies. The Curriculum is brutal, the teachers abrasive and demanding and discipline is deadly. Unfortunately, the characters were flat and the plot completely disintegrated after Part 1." ⭐⭐ Pros: The repercussions for students missing classes/exams are extreme and frightening but it keeps you reading/Some of Sasha's transformations were interesting, at first.   Cons: The characters were kind of flat and one dimensional. The Special Technologies that they're studying made absolutely no sense and as the book went on it just became more and more obscure and I found myself annoyed by it all.   Full Review: Alexandra (Sasha) Samokhina is on Summer Holiday with her mother when she keeps seeing a man in dark glasses. At first, it feels like he's haunting her but every time Sasha wishes it was a dream, he just keeps appearing. Finally, he approaches her and tells her t...

"The premise had promise but it was obvious very quickly that this plot was going to be paper thin. With a painfully oblivious FMC, the "suspense" is honestly laughable but McFadden did something right because I was curious. I had to see what happened but it just let me shaking my head."  ⭐️ Pros: It was a quick, easy read.  Cons: Painfully predictable at the beginning and then hilariously ridiculous at the end. Full Review Brooke Sullivan just started her new job as an NP at the Raker State Penitentiary. If she wasn't already nervous about starting a new job, well, this one comes with an extra helping of awkward. The father of her child, the first boy she ever loved, her high-school sweetheart, just happens to be an inmate at the prison. And Brooke was the one who put him there.  He's Shane Nelson. Former star Quarterback and the boy of Brooke's dreams. At least that's what she thought on that fateful night, eleven years ago. when they confessed the...

"The beginning had real potential. It offered a bit of history of how the Hunger Games evolved and a glimpse into the mind of Coriolanus Snow who was a conflicted and sympathetic character. It all went downhill once the Games began and, honestly, I felt like it never quite recovered. Not my favorite of the series."   ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Pros:  There were some interesting moments, brief glimpses into Snows past, especially during the war/At first, his concern for Lucy Gray was legitimate.  Cons: Snow's wavering loyalties got tiresome at the end/I started losing connection with the characters oncee the Games started.   Full Review:  The city of Panem is still being re-built after the war with the Rebels ended but there are some things that still remain. Such as class at the Academy. It's a big day today. It's Reaping Day on the tenth Hunger Games and it's the first time that Students of the Academy will be Mentors to the Tributes.  Coriolanus is nervous, since ...

"Pan's sardonic wit brings real humor to her retelling of the year she threw herself out of her comfort zone by forcing herself to be extroverted. By embracing the fear and fully committing to her project, she does things she never would have imagined and her overall message of courage and hope are fun and inspiring. A fun and funny read that anyone could enjoy." ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Pros: From the very first page I could tell Pan was going to be hilarious and she didn't disappoint/She's funny but she gets at the deeper/darker parts of life, depression, feeling stuck and her idea, though radical was an interesting one.  Cons: Once I got about 3/4 of the way through the book, it started to get repetitive, which is a trend in "self-help" books, at least for me.  Full Review:  Jessica is what has apparently been dubbed a "Shintrovert" or a shy introvert.  When she decides to move across the Pond to London and marry her boyfriend Sam, she falls into a depressio...

“The gut-wrenching and sometimes soul-crushing conclusion to an incredible, fast paced, action packed, no holds barred and no feelings spared series. Collins has made her mark and will be a name well remembered in Dystopian Fiction.” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Pros: All the characters attempts to help Peeta were genuine and kind/The ending though crushing was acceptably bittersweet.  Cons: Katniss’ blatantly disobeying every single order she's given and refusing to cooperate gets tiresome/Again, the Katniss/Peeta/Gale love triangle goes on and on/Finnick 🤯, I will never be okay with that.  Full Review;  ***Disclaimer - If you have not read  The Hunger Games  or Catching Fire  by Suzanne Collins, please do so and then feel free to read this post at your leisure. That way, you'll know what I'm talking about 🙌.*** After the explosive cliffhanger of Catching Fire, Katniss finds herself safe and healing in the previously thought destroyed, District 13. The underground rebel...

“Though the Katiniss/Gale/Peeta love triangle made me want to scream, the story itself was fast paced, action packed and exciting. Collins is great at laying on the pressure and keeping those pages turning.” ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Pros: Collins is fantastic at pacing and pressure/Finnick Odair is right up on top when it comes to favorite characters.  Cons: I abhor love triangles! Peeta/Gale/Katniss’ indecision about who to love but I have to remind myself they are only teenagers after all, everything IS the end of the world 🙌💯🙄 Full Review  ***Disclaimer - If you have not read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, please do so and then feel free to read this post at your leisure. That way, you'll know what I'm talking about 🙌.*** Katniss and Peeta are safely back in District 12. They've tried, with varying degrees of success to adapt to life after the Games. It's not easy though. Plagued by nightmares of what they were forced to do in the Arena to survive, they now understand why Hay...

“In punishment for rebelling, the Districts of Panem are forced to send two Tributes to the Capitol every year, to fight in the Hunger Games. Katniss has managed to avoid being chosen for 4 years but now, the odds are not in her favor and her life, along with everyone elses, will be changed forever. An incredible, intricate, dark and deeply moving read."  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Pros:  An absolutely terrifying premise but Collins has built her world well. It is true Dystopian fiction/Peeta, I have always loved Peeta as a character because he is a genuinely good person, Rue as well.   Cons: Oh the convoluted and confused fumblings of awkward, teenage hormones/The Gale/Peeta/Katniss love triangle, I abhor love triangles.  Full Review: Katniss lives with her sister Prim and her mother on the Seam. It's the border of Ditsrict 12, the last District in the grand nation of Panem. District 12's chief export and payment to the Capitol is coal. So it's a dark and dreary place to live....

“An interesting premise with some fun parts but I almost DNFed it because I didn't feel connected to the FMC and this novel seemed to have a hard time deciding whether it was humor or mystery."  ⭐⭐ Pros: It was an interesting premise/Gore is a saucy man and he and the FMC have a fun repartee Cons: The FMC had no name so, I felt disconnected from her/The FMC seemed to go from being catatonically depressed, to terrifyingly bewildered, back to depressed but even then her emotions felt forced and fake/It was hard to keep all of the "Expats" straight since they referred to each other by name while also sometimes referring to each other by the years they were taken from/This tried to be a thriller but Bradley's sardonic writing style just didn't work for me.  Full Review: FMC lands a job as a “Bridge” at The Ministry of Time. They've managed to extricate a handful of people from the past. She’s to help Commander Graham Gore, who was taken from a failed Arctic ...

"As heartwarming as it is heartbreaking, this story was an intimate and genuine look at life, love and the bonds we form with family, found family and friends. And how sometimes, even when we want to, there are just some secrets we can't share. Vuong is a beautiful storyteller and I'll be picking up more of their books very soon."  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Pros:  There was the sense that Grazina and Hai really cared for one another/How Hai helped Grazina through the rough nights was touching but at the same time, unnerving/Hai's relationships with the others who work at Home Market are all touching in their own ways.  Cons:   I think I wanted more history behind his childhood, what may have happened that led him to start using pills to escape reality though, sometimes there is no reason, unfortunately/Though Hai was a complex character, there were times where I wanted to shake him for his lies and deceit.  Full Review In the backwoods of Connecticut, Hai, a twenty-something year o...

"This was a true Rabbit hole of a book, filled with pop culture references, theories about parallel universes and many other mind bending twists. The beginning had real potential and there were definitely parts where, like Alice, I found myself murmuring, "Curiouser and curiouser." By the end though, I'd lost interest as the narrative/characters became repetitive and overdone." ⭐⭐ Pros: Miles has a quick, sardonic wit that was fun to read/K is relatable in his anxieties and eccentricities.  Cons: I started losing interest when the multiverse got involved and there were magic lines you could use to travel through time/It all became rather repetitive by the end/K never stopped asking the most asinine questions again and again.  Full Review: There's a secret game that exists in the world. It's shrouded in mystery, darkness and danger and only those who are intimately familiar with the dark web and conspiracy theories seem to know anything about it.  It...

“Another scenic and beautiful photographic road trip through places time forgot. Desoriser brings history when she can and her own insight and musings allow the reader to wonder as well. What caused these once thriving places to be abandoned? We'll never know but Desrosier gives us small glimpses of the lives that were lived in these places and some of the stories that hide behind their crumbling walls."  ⭐⭐⭐ Pros : Beautiful photography, some gorgeous architecture and interesting histories/As with all the places in these books, the reader is left to wonder why these houses were abandoned when someone obviously loved them once.  Cons: It's sad to see so many buildings left to ruin, shows how quickly things can change/There was an understandable melancholy air to some of the places pictured.   Full Review: Ranging from the White Mountains of New Hampshire to the Green Mountains of Vermont, we're taken on another photographic road trip through places time forgot. Desor...

"An intricate story of two women whose lives, loves and lies all coalsece into one of the most satisfying and shocking plot twists I've come across in awhile. O'Farrel's style is quick and immersive and once the story grabs you, you don't want to let go. This was a great read and I'm eager to see what else O'Farrell has to offer." ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Pros : O’Farrell has a very immersive style, you’re dropped right into the scene/That plot twist with the Pollack painting was 󠅓fantastic.  Cons : Since you’re seeing things as they happen, sometimes it’s hard to find a good stopping point or you’re afraid you’ll forget what's going on/Innes could be a bit cocky and infuriating at times.  Full Review: This book follows two storylines. The past where Lexi, a young girl who decides to move to London and start living her life and Elina, who's just recently had an emergency C-section and is having a hard time adapting to life with a newborn.  At first things are a ...

"A shadowy, Sherlockian, "searching the foggy British Moors at night" YA mystery. It was an interesting mix between ghost story and fairy tale and Schwab's effortless way with words made for a pretty entertaining read."  ⭐⭐⭐⭐  Pros: Had a darker more ethereal air, not unlike Verity/Schwab's grasp of Magical Realism is 💯/You have to love the old sister witches who live on the edge of the Moor. They're always the real heroes of the story😂🙌.  Cons: Lexi's attitude of "I’m the only one who can do it" and then solves the mystery with the awkward clumnsiness of adolescent love got kind of old/People fall in love so quickly in stories, they know each other for like, a day and 🙌true love.  Full Review:  One night while lighting the candles, preparing to read her sister to sleep, Lexie looks out the window and onto the Moor. What she thinks is a shadow at first, is actually a boy, not much older than she but there's something about him. Hi...

"This book and its beautiful message truly is a wonder. Palacio pulls at all of your heartstrings but you're smiling admist the tears. It's one of those books that will stay with you long after you've finished it."  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Pros:  Happy tears, sad tears, there were many moments in this book that had me choking up/Auggie was a funny kid and sharp as a tack.  Cons: It felt like everyone was always yelling at each other, even when they were just talking, it just seemed odd.  Full Review:  Born with an extremely rare genetic condition, August (Auggie) Pullman looks very different from everyone else. He's had about 30 surgeries on his face and he's only 10 years old. His parents are always telling him how strong and brave he is and he's willing to believe them. That is, until they drop a bombshell and he's really not sure if he can handle it.  They think it's a good idea for him to start going to public school this year.   Unbeknownst to him, he'...

“With her focus now on New Hampshire, Desrosiers takes us down different roads in this book. Photographs and histories of places with sadly, darker pasts are told in delightfully frightening detail and the photographs just make all of it so much more real. A quick, fun and intriguing read."   ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Pros: Desrosiers takes us deeper into the histories of the places she chose to showcase in this book and some of the stories are truly haunting.  Cons: Some of the stories, such as Doc Benton weren't accompanied with many photos but these are photographs of abandoned places falling into ruin, so safety was the main reason I'm sure.  Full Review:  In this addition of Desrosiers photographic journey around abandoned places in New England, she focuses on the state of New Hampshire. Unlike  Abandoned Vermont: Down Forgotten Backroads (America Through Time), this book dives deeper into the histories of the places she's visited and some of them are truly unsettli...