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Review Date: 11/6/2024
huge thanks to netgalley and st. martin's press for the advanced kindle read. i inhaled this book over 24 hours AND it was truly a wonderful distraction during election day and the day after. this was beautifully crafted. complex characters along with a deeply disturbing narrative of life in new york city and north of the city after climate change floods everything, literally. being a new york city expat, i absolutely loved the setting of the american museum of natural history and even a chapter about storm king mountain, a place i lived and loved for five blissful years. and the might hudson river. oh man, so shocking to witness the obliteration of all of it. so humbling. and so apocalyptical. if you like this genre, this book will captivate you. and might just leave you feeling very grateful for all of life's everyday conveniences and comforts, too. as the buddhists teach, life is impermanent.
Review Date: 9/22/2024
madeline martin does a lovely job of offering the reader a wide variety of characters, many of whom are relatable. libraries and bookshops frame the story with the backdrop being the germans bombing england during world war two. an extra theme that runs through the book is the plight of women wanting to work. only single women can work at the library, mothers and wives and widows cannot. that leaves out a ton of the population, especially during war time. it's quite a plight to observe from the comforts of 2024 standards. there is a lot of feel good stuff going on in this book and also the stark reality of how hard life can be, for all of us. being connected, compassionate and caring makes a world of difference.
Review Date: 3/31/2024
i was hesitant to rate this book with 4 stars because it wasn't totally worthy of it. if i could rate it 3.5 that would sit better. i zipped through this book in about 24 hours so it was definitely an easy read. definitely a beach read. definitely the book i needed after reading some intense books and about to read more deep stuff. so i needed something light and fluffy. the characters are likable and believable. a multi generational group of women, all struggling with their identities, their relationships with the men in their lives and their career paths. and there was a bookstore involved. that always makes me happy. i would've enjoyed more details about the bookstore and books. it was predictable but had some tense moments as well. maybe 4 stars is just right after all............
Review Date: 9/10/2024
i loved this book! the narration was beautifully read by mark deakins. it is a difficult story, about a dystopian Maine during a secession from the USA. two best friends, jess and storey, navigate the woods and burned out towns, dead bodies and a whole lot of heart ache. the story flips to their childhood as well and we get windows into the past that informed the men they now are. strong, tender, bruised and determined. they rescue a little girl, collie, who ultimately helps direct them to safety. we hope........
Review Date: 3/31/2024
i'm not sure another review of this book is needed but here i am anyway. i adored the author's book "cutting for stone" and was excited to read this one. maybe it's the difference of many years between the two but i was definitely not happy about holding a 700 page book endlessly. i think the book would've been fine, more than fine, at 500 pages. hell, maybe even 400 pages! what i loved? following the history of the land itself and the families who lived there. just beautiful. what i didn't love? i didn't feel that pull to read forever. i didn't want to keep those characters with me forever. without spoiling it for anyone, the closing of the book, the pulling together of the entire story, did leave me feeling more complete, so i'm grateful for that. and i am sure that i would've enjoyed the audio book version more, for all reasons.
Review Date: 3/31/2024
ever dream of living your life in the city to take up farming in the middle of nowhere? finding that all of your sleek hip black clothes no longer work while milking a cow or mucking in mud. and worse. that's what kristin did. and as a born and bred new yorker, i can relate. kristin takes us through the four seasons of the year and shows us the nuts and bolts of building a working farm from scratch. it takes all the romanticism out of it, that's for sure. what it leaves is the beauty of nature and community and our relationship with the land and the animals. kristin also writes of the growth of her new relationship with mark, her farm partner, and soon to be husband. they have a "fiery" relationship. does that resonate for any of you readers out there? this is a lovely read.
Review Date: 3/31/2024
aaron falk is back and he is a delightful character, full of vulnerability, brains and kindness. there are tons of wonderful personalities in this book and we get to know a bunch of them well. in the most perfect way, the book gently meanders along and then the tension really rises in the final part of the book. i have loved all of jane harper's previous 4 books. this one joins the ranks. looking forward to the next one.
Review Date: 3/31/2024
do you like to hang out with books/libraries/gardens/small towns and nice people? this book is for you. the characters are well developed, kind hearted and flawed, as all humans are. there is time to explore a lovely garden, a backyard free library, and inside your heart, too. this book is soft but not sappy. it would make for a great beach or vacation read and also a wintry day inside by the fire.
Review Date: 3/31/2024
if this story is predictable, it doesn't detract from the fun you will have reading it. the waverly women are eccentric and emotional and electric and engaging. the supporting
cast of men in the book add the needed balance. if you love old homes and some magic, you won't be disappointed. favorite character: bay. she has the kind of confidence i wish i'd
had when i was 15. i read allen's first book in this series, garden spells, many years ago and hardly remember it. first frost stands alone beautifully.
cast of men in the book add the needed balance. if you love old homes and some magic, you won't be disappointed. favorite character: bay. she has the kind of confidence i wish i'd
had when i was 15. i read allen's first book in this series, garden spells, many years ago and hardly remember it. first frost stands alone beautifully.
Review Date: 5/28/2024
i am 69 years old and this book is about 30 somethings. a tiny bit of it was unrelatable for me but mostly it's about a lovely human named daphne who is trying to land, to find her place in the world. she goes from being buttoned up, literally and figuratively, to opening up, blossoming and healing. she meets lovely people along the way who befriend her and encourage her to be herself. there is nothing new, theme wise, in the story, but it's incredibly entertaining. oh and did i mention hot? daphne's love interest, miles, is definitely a guy we'd all like to have met. or meet. oh, and daphne is a librarian. if you've read any of my other reviews, i gravitate towards libraries and librarians. this book delivers. including a huge read-a-thon. and there are some moments outdoors, with beaches and dunes and lakes and kayaks and lavender farms that are delicious. i listened to the audio book and the narrator, julia whelan, was excellent. i am going to explore more of her projects.
Review Date: 7/28/2024
Helpful Score: 3
i was a 14 year old camper in the adirondack mountains the summer of 1969. so not far off from barbara in 1975. i loved this book. read it every chance i got, which tells me it's 5 stars right off the bat. the setting is magnificent. classic mountain vibes. and a really dark dysfunctional family. an amazing array of strong women, from all walks of life. and a thread running through the entire book of the love and respect for the land and the woods that filters from eldest to youngest, from rich to poor. creepy but not scary. gripping but not grisly. a great read.
Review Date: 5/15/2024
if you loved "elinor oliphant is completely fine" or "the reading list", you will love "the good sister" too. the main character, fern, is magnetic. and her new beau, "wally" (aka rocco ryan), is a perfect match for her. the awkward but genuine romance and friendship that grows between them is just lovely. but there is more. there is the dark side, the twin sister, rose. i'll go no further, no spoilers.
oh and fern works in the library. which is always my favorite milieu. read this book!
oh and fern works in the library. which is always my favorite milieu. read this book!
Review Date: 3/31/2024
the singer and poet and author patti smith brought me to this book. this was one of her favorite childhood books. it was written in 1954, a year before i was born, intriguing me further. it was refreshing to read a children's book devoid of modern bells and whistles. there is magic in this book, in the form of an ancient coin but the other magic is one of kids being kids and how they navigate the rather ordinary world of adults, their community and their far from ordinary imaginations. there are plenty of politically incorrect moments in this book, as another reviewer wrote about, but that isn't the reason to read this. read this book to be transported back to a childhood where kids are kids.
Review Date: 3/31/2024
jud brewer has that brilliant combination of nerdy smarts, dry wit and warmth abounding. he presents a book to those of us who have spent our lives struggling with our relationship with food.
the first part of the book is about the science and his programs and his patients. and himself.
the second part of the book is a 21 day program, which one can read and digest as quickly or as slowly as one wants. i chose to read through once and then go back and begin again, taking more time to really digest the details, both what was being offered and what was housed inside of me. this book is about becoming mindful and present with oneself and our bodies, and how to take that awareness and create new helpful habits to replace old unhelpful ones. this book defuncts willpower, counting calories and the food police. one of my favorite parts is about the "committee" that lives inside our head, talking all the time about what we should do (diet and restrict), how we should feel (ashamed and guilty) and how to quiet and disband that committee, one voice at a time. don't hesitate to pick this book up. it's a good one!
the first part of the book is about the science and his programs and his patients. and himself.
the second part of the book is a 21 day program, which one can read and digest as quickly or as slowly as one wants. i chose to read through once and then go back and begin again, taking more time to really digest the details, both what was being offered and what was housed inside of me. this book is about becoming mindful and present with oneself and our bodies, and how to take that awareness and create new helpful habits to replace old unhelpful ones. this book defuncts willpower, counting calories and the food police. one of my favorite parts is about the "committee" that lives inside our head, talking all the time about what we should do (diet and restrict), how we should feel (ashamed and guilty) and how to quiet and disband that committee, one voice at a time. don't hesitate to pick this book up. it's a good one!
Review Date: 8/3/2024
i didn't love this book but i also couldn't put it down. it's good dystopian literature. rainy and sol and lark are fabulous characters. i would totally want to meet and know them. "flower", the sailboat, the waterways and shorelines, are all magical. the bad guys are creepy. and there are plenty of them.
this is a lovely parable of how one must always remain a good guy, even when the going gets tough.
this is a lovely parable of how one must always remain a good guy, even when the going gets tough.
Review Date: 8/1/2024
i LOVED this book.it flowed so well in audio. the narration was beautifully done by jessie mueller. the book is indeed two sided. one is the story of a mother and daughter and their lives in an abusive commune in western, massachusetts in modern times. the other part of the story is solid historical fiction about nathaniel hawthorne in the mid 19th century and the thread between both stories is his book "the scarlet letter". one cannot help but root for mia and her mother ivy, and be in awe of constance and sarah, supporting characters, who create a sanctuary for mia as she grows into adulthood. this book is inherently about love and loss, grief and growth. it is about women finding their way in the world, whether it's the 1800's or the 2000's. whom amongst us cannot relate to that? and it is also about the magic of books and stories and the doors that open through words.
Review Date: 3/31/2024
as cliched a story as this is, it's more. if you are a jewish new york baby boomer, chances are you knew the catskills scene back in the 60's and 70's. i spent my summers at sleep away camp minutes away from all of the borscht belt hotels. they were legendary. in the early 2000's i had the opportunity to work as a massage therapist at the last hotel still in operation. the place was falling apart but the nostalgia and charm and energy was still alive. this book has a bittersweet vibe to it.
it is the story of two families who become one family. it includes 4 generations and i found myself growing to love them the further i read. there are tons of current terms in the book which rub up against the vintage feel of the golden hotel. but somehow, it works! a good beach read.
it is the story of two families who become one family. it includes 4 generations and i found myself growing to love them the further i read. there are tons of current terms in the book which rub up against the vintage feel of the golden hotel. but somehow, it works! a good beach read.
Review Date: 3/31/2024
so so many people have already read this book. so i'll just pop in to share a few things. firstly, i listened to the audiobook and there is an interview at the end with the author which was the absolute best part of the book for me. second favorite part was elizabeth zott's cooking show "dinner at 6". however unrealistic it was (remember, guys, this is FICTION), she really inspired her female audience. my favorite character was by far "mad". what a quirky, smart, sensitive, kind and inquisitive kid.
Review Date: 3/31/2024
this is a book that puts you right there in provence, france, amidst beautiful countryside, generations of families and friends who have lived there forever, and charm abounding
we follow tempesta from new york, where she is living a tight unhappy life, to the south of france, where she blooms, along with her lovely herbs. a delightful love story that
encompasses both human suffering and joy. it has lots of spirit!
we follow tempesta from new york, where she is living a tight unhappy life, to the south of france, where she blooms, along with her lovely herbs. a delightful love story that
encompasses both human suffering and joy. it has lots of spirit!
Review Date: 8/27/2024
right out of the gate the audio narration is brilliant. but the book did not captivate me most of the way along. it was creepy which is not usually my thing. but i loved the rural setting. and the old manor house. and the woods. and the characters were rather diverse and fabulous. my favorite character was definitely eddie. what a lovely human. sensitive and smart. anyway, surprisingly the book came together near the end in ways i did not anticipate, the sign of a good book, for sure. and a good read.
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