tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-367490152024-03-12T19:43:02.863-05:00Hoser's BlookBlook: A blog about books!Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05528213683129033923noreply@blogger.comBlogger1252125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36749015.post-1467655026293594832019-05-18T11:37:00.001-05:002019-05-18T11:37:42.959-05:00The Scent Trail by Celia Lyttleton<i>Non-Fiction</i>
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<img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51G0xQNqbJL._SL160_.jpg" align="left" hspace="10">Celia has decided to get her own bespoke scent created for her (seemingly for the purpose of writing a book about it, rather than actually wanting this just for herself?). She visits someone that helps her pick out the top, middle, and base notes of her scent, including a colour consultation as colour and scent play roles together. After this, Celia sets out to find the origins of each of ingredient.
<BR><BR>While staring this book, I wonder how Celia can keep me interested in her travels to learn about 11 different ingredients. It was interesting to learn about how these items are turned in to scents, and in some instances the massive volume of ingredient that is required to make a small volume of oil for scent. It makes you wonder how the finances work. While perfumes are not cheap, they aren't super expensive either compared to how much volume some of the ingredients require.
<BR><BR>It's also hard to read a book on scent when you can't smell everything she's talking about. I don't recognize some of those ingredients and it would have been great to know what they smell like and what her final scent smells like. Celia tried describing what those smells were like, but many of them were unique to her like the smell of her childhood in some specific place. How can I associate with that? In general, that was my problem with this book. I couldn't connect with anything because I didn't know what the smells were and couldn't connect with her or her descriptions.
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<b>First Line:</b> "There are only a handful of bespoke perfumers in London, and Anastasia Brozler, the founder of Creative Perfumers, is one of them."
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<b>Rating: </b> <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg">
<br>(3/5)HoserLaurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09596946779014382164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36749015.post-82887329043048258712019-05-12T12:30:00.000-05:002019-05-12T12:30:10.410-05:00A Thousand Naked Strangers by Kevin Hazzard<i>Non-Fiction</i>
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<img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51ghEVU2QPL._SL160_.jpg" align="left" hspace="10">Kevin Hazzard re-started his career as an EMS, wanting to help strangers at possibly the worst time in their life. He starts with training and, once he passes, tries to find a job. Unable to find work for a hospital, he works at private company and the tales begin. Given that EMTs are stuck in a truck with another EMT/medic for an entire shift, this book is as much about the people Hazzard works with as the calls he goes on. The two taking all the calls need some level of trust and connection to make it bearable to get through the day.
<BR><BR>Of course, having been an EMT, Hazzard has seen some crazy shit. He takes the reader through some of those more crazy calls. Given that EMTs run calls along with firefighters and police, you would think that EMTs see the least amount of danger but it's still a pretty dangerous career.
<BR><BR>While the individual stories were interesting, there was nothing that really tied it all together or made me care about Hazzard. He seemed like an adrenaline junkie that this career could suit. But it also made him feel a bit less compassionate than someone who you would want doing this job.
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<b>First Line:</b> "I did nothing to save the first person who died in front of me."
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<b>Rating: </b> <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg">
<br>(3/5)HoserLaurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09596946779014382164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36749015.post-46336272741593278812019-05-01T21:15:00.001-05:002019-05-01T21:15:42.528-05:00Dragonwyck by Anya Seton<i>Historical Fiction</i>
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<img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51QI3lt%2BYwL._SL160_.jpg" align="left" hspace="10">Young Miranda lives on a farm with her large family and one day her parents get a letter from a cousin that asks them to send their eldest daughter to Dragonwyck. The letter comes from Nicholas Van Ryn, socialite from the Hudson Valley. Miranda is super excited to leave behind her simple life and become more sophisticated.
<BR><BR>Upon arriving, Miranda meets Nicholas' wife and daughter. The wife doesn't seem to want Miranda around and doesn't hesitate to make that known. Meanwhile Nicholas suffers from violent mood swings and Miranda never really knows what to expect from him. When the family suffers an emergency, Miranda's life changes once again.
<BR><BR>I picked this book up because I enjoyed Seton's Katherine so much. Dragonwyck doesn't have the same magic that Katherine does. I didn't really enjoy any of the characters. Miranda was weak and annoying and even by the end of the book I didn't understand what was going on with Nicholas.
<BR><BR>Everything just went on too long and all the characters were too annoying to enjoy this a lot.
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<b>First Line:</b> "It was on an afternoon in May of 1844 that the letter came from Dragonwyck."
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<b>Rating: </b> <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg">
<br>(3/5)HoserLaurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09596946779014382164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36749015.post-17523059480715237302019-04-19T12:18:00.001-05:002019-04-19T12:18:42.174-05:00Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne<i>Science Fiction</i>
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<img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0140367217.01.MZZZZZZZ.jpg" align="left" hspace="10">Professor Aronnax is invited on an expedition to find a giant sea creature responsible for eating a hole in a steel ship and almost sinking it. Having a passion for studying the sea, he gratefully accepts and brings his assistant along with him. On the ship, they meet Canadian harpooner Ned Land who will be responsible for taking the beast down. It takes a while, but they eventually find the monster and pursue it. When they get close enough they try a shot at the beast, it looks like it does no damage. The beast takes aim at the ship and Prof. Aronnax and his mate go overboard.
<BR><BR>In the water, far away from the ship, they also find Ned Land clinging to what looks like a piece of the beast. But it's made out of steel, surely it's not an animal. Suddenly a door opens and they are brought within this ship and kept captive. The beast they everyone has been trying to pursue is an advanced submarine.
<BR><BR>Being kept captive on the ship, the trio is allowed to partake in the adventures they go on. They see things no one but those on the ship have seen and venture to places no one has been. It's obviously Verne had an incredible imagination to pull this book together and, despite it being 100+ years old, still reads like something that could happen today. This is where the book excels, as the characters are a bit weak. There was no purpose to Aronnax's assistant in the book at all. He provided absolutely not value to drive the plot forward. And even the main characters like Aronnax, Land, and Captain Nemo we don't find out too much about.
<BR><BR>Even with this, the book's weakest point is the ending. It's like Verne couldn't figure out how to end the book so just gave up and said oh well we're done now. It's unfortunate as otherwise the book was pretty fun.
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<b>First Line:</b> "In the year 1866 the whole maritime population of Europe and America was excited by a mysterious and inexplicable phenomenon."
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<b>Rating: </b> <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg">
<br>(3/5)HoserLaurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09596946779014382164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36749015.post-79096955022083808612019-04-07T10:25:00.000-05:002019-04-07T10:25:26.443-05:00The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd<i>Fiction</i>
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<img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0670033944.01.MZZZZZZZ.jpg" align="left" hspace="10">Jessie gets a call from her aunt summoning her home to deal with a family emergency. Jessie grew up on an island off the coast of South Carolina with her mom, dad, and brother until a tragic boat explosion took her father when she was only 10. Since then, the family was never the same. Jessie escaped the island the first chance she got, got married to Hugh and had a daughter. But when she finds out that her mother has purposely cut off a finger, Jessie needs to return to the island and face the past.
<BR><BR>When Jessie gets to her mother's house, there's a lot of emotions in that house. Jessie knows something is wrong with her marriage and is trying to re-find herself. Her mother is obviously struggling with a very deep grief. The two aren't good at confronting each other so they just dance around each other for the majority of the book.
<BR><BR>Also on the island is a monastery where monks live and the island famous mermaid chair sits. As a child, Jessie was in awe of the mermaid chair and things haven't changed. Finding her mother there one night, she also first sees Brother Thomas and instantly falls in love with him, causing further turmoil in her marriage.
<BR><BR>The love story of this book bothered me from the start. Jessie and Brother Thomas see each other, exchange no more than a sentence or two, and decide they are in love with each other? None of the rest of the book read like a fairy tale so not sure why the author went down this path. The internal struggle they both had on whether to accept the relationship was interesting, coming from two completely different points of view.
<BR><BR>I know others have not enjoyed this book because it doesn't compare to Sue Monk Kidd's other book, The Secret Life of Bees. Having not read that book before, I had nothing to compare this one to. It was very easy to get in to and though I didn't love the story, it was a good enough read to keep me engaged the entire book.
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<b>First Line:</b> "In the middle of my marriage, when I was above all Hugh's wife and Dee's mother, one of those unambiguous women with no desire to disturb the universe, I fell in love with a Benedictine monk."
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<b>Rating: </b> <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhajtHqrQMwXFZ0G0VJ5gyukq0rFcb33iAGFUYXbsd9n5CGU8QuDb0yd9jLwcCqVu3NNJdQZArZJYvyAAeIbDwN5P6Rl70_CtXV33AMLXyVp2t4LosogNQcgU4i2mVIDJO0nQajqw/s320/halfstar.jpg">
<br>(3.5/5)HoserLaurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09596946779014382164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36749015.post-79187327419491309542019-03-30T17:50:00.002-05:002019-03-30T17:50:44.427-05:00The Pearl Diver by Jeff Talarigo<i>Fiction</i>
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<img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/1400034914.01.MZZZZZZZ.jpg" align="left" hspace="10">Miss Fuji is the youngest pearl diver in her group. She feels at peace in the water and comes back daily with bounty from the sea. On one dive, she cuts her arm but doesn't notice the pain. She sees a spot on her skin in the same area where she got cut. She doesn't think too much of it until she finds another spot and goes to the doctor. Miss Fuji has leprosy.
<BR><BR>In the mid 1900s Japan, those with the disease are shunned and sent to an island to live out the rest of their life. Even though Miss Fuji tries to hide, they find her and send her to this island.
<BR><BR>The first part of the book focuses on the profession of pearl diving, which is incredibly interesting. Having recently visited the Korean island of Jeju where this practice is still in place, I really wanted to learn more. Unfortunately this part of the book ends pretty quickly and it moves right in to life on a segregated island. I was disappointed by this, but I blame myself for having incorrect expectations.
<BR><BR>The majority of this book is about being in exile with others like Miss Fuji. She finds herself a job that is important to her and the other patients and seems to find some purpose in life. The book becomes disjointed in this part because it is separated by artifacts from the island and what they mean. It would have flowed better if told traditionally; there wasn't really much value in having these artifacts help tell the story.
<BR><BR>Though this book wasn't bad, it really suffered because I expected a completely different story from it.
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<b>First Line:</b> "Her words are the only remaining artifact of those days before she arrived."
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<b>Rating: </b> <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhajtHqrQMwXFZ0G0VJ5gyukq0rFcb33iAGFUYXbsd9n5CGU8QuDb0yd9jLwcCqVu3NNJdQZArZJYvyAAeIbDwN5P6Rl70_CtXV33AMLXyVp2t4LosogNQcgU4i2mVIDJO0nQajqw/s320/halfstar.jpg">
<br>(3.5/5)HoserLaurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09596946779014382164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36749015.post-50641970337249544942019-03-29T22:12:00.001-05:002019-03-29T22:12:03.730-05:00Digital Fortress by Dan Brown<i>Thriller</i>
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<img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0312995423.01.MZZZZZZZ.jpg" align="left" hspace="10">Susan Fletcher is the head cryptographer at the NSA and has a romantic weekend planned with her fiance. He gets called away on an emergency and it's not long before Susan also receives a call from her boss. She needs to come in to work and not say anything.
<BR><BR>Once she's in to work she's debriefed by her boss. The super computer that the NSA has built and has never spent more than 3 hours cracking a code has been chugging away for more than 12 hours now. It has finally found the unbreakable code. This will be a complete reset for the NSA and their super expensive machine will become useless. The NSA can't let this happen.
<BR><BR>Even though it's the weekend, there are others hanging around the NSA and they cannot find out. But the NSA is full of suspicious people and it's only a matter of time.
<BR><BR>The setting for this book is interesting, taking place completely at the NSA headquarters. Despite this book being pretty old by now, it still reads as if it could happen in current day. The story starts off interesting. This code is unbreakable, what is the NSA missing and how do they find the code. It devolves into something completely unbelievable and overblown. The ending was pretty weak and at that point I was just happy the story was coming to a close. This probably my least favourite Dan Brown book.
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<b>First Line:</b> "It said that in death, all things become clear; Ensei Tankado now knew it was true."
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<b>Rating: </b> <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg">
<br>(3/5)HoserLaurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09596946779014382164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36749015.post-61709017607988977902019-03-14T20:40:00.002-05:002019-03-14T20:40:31.913-05:00All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders<i>Science Fiction</i>
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<img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51Qmf%2ByqPWL._SL160_.jpg" align="left" hspace="10">I struggle to find the words to describe this book for me. It centres around two characters: Patricia and Laurence. Patricia is a witch who can cast spells, heal people, fly, and talk with animals. Laurence is a tech geek who can build incredibly complex machines and AI. The two should have absolutely nothing in common but they find each other as outcasts in school. When Laurence learns of Patricia's skills, they drift apart but reconnect as adults. Meanwhile, the world around them is turning to shit and it could be on them to fix it.
<BR><BR>In a book of science fiction and fantasy, I expect some realism to ground the story but there were things that just didn't make sense. For example, in school, Patricia is made to look like she is cursing and throwing a dead animal at the guidance councilor. She runs away from the school and the <i>entire town</i> groups up to find her. Excuse me? Why does a town care enough about a school kid an a supposed curse to hunt her down?
<BR><BR>There's also the trained assassin sent to kill the kids. He has a heavy presence at the start of the book, completely disappears for a while, then pops up again with an incredibly quick and unsatisfactory resolution to the point where I dont even understand the purpose of introducing this character at all.
<BR><BR>The book was riddled with weird problems like the two described. I liked Patricia and Laurence as characters and the premise of science vs nature was a good one, but the execution just wasn't satisfactory for me.
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<b>First Line:</b> "When Patricia was six years old, she found a wounded bird."
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<b>Rating: </b> <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhajtHqrQMwXFZ0G0VJ5gyukq0rFcb33iAGFUYXbsd9n5CGU8QuDb0yd9jLwcCqVu3NNJdQZArZJYvyAAeIbDwN5P6Rl70_CtXV33AMLXyVp2t4LosogNQcgU4i2mVIDJO0nQajqw/s320/halfstar.jpg">
<br>(2.5/5)HoserLaurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09596946779014382164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36749015.post-42010851759791475012019-03-09T12:51:00.000-05:002019-03-09T12:51:04.419-05:00The Book of the Unnamed Midwife by Meg Elison<i>Fiction</i>
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<img src="https://d3nc0ar6dmrp7n.cloudfront.net/images/journalpics/143/77/cover/100_14372477.jpg" align="left" hspace="10">When the disease hit, the midwife was right in the thick of it working at the hospital as it took out almost all females and children. No babies survived childbirth and hardly any of the mothers. Men were contracting the disease as well, but the mortality rate wasn't as high as the females. When she falls sick she thinks this is the end for her as well.
<BR><BR>Waking up in the hospital after society has fallen, the first thing she must do is find supplies. She soon runs in to two men, one of which is cooking food and invites her to eat. After eating, they enter a mall for supplies and when others in the mall learn there is a female, they attack. The men manage to keep them away but cut ties with her after that. They can't be responsible for keeping a female safe in these conditions. Many females are being kept as slaves and raped daily since there are so few.
<BR><BR>Back on her own, she changes her appearance to be as male as possible and runs in to more people. Both those that want to help her and those that want to hurt her. She also finds a few small groups of people that are working together to survive.
<BR><BR>I could not put this book down. I was completely invested in the midwife surviving her journey, wherever it was going to lead to. There were some interesting characters introduced along the way but all of them in passing. This tale, for the most part, is pretty lonely, but there are some relationships and companionship that give a bit of light to this overall dark tale.
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<b>First Line:</b> "Mother Ina tapped her fingers on her hollow wooden belly."
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<b>Rating: </b> <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhajtHqrQMwXFZ0G0VJ5gyukq0rFcb33iAGFUYXbsd9n5CGU8QuDb0yd9jLwcCqVu3NNJdQZArZJYvyAAeIbDwN5P6Rl70_CtXV33AMLXyVp2t4LosogNQcgU4i2mVIDJO0nQajqw/s320/halfstar.jpg">
<br>(4.5/5)HoserLaurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09596946779014382164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36749015.post-42516022772870306662019-03-03T21:38:00.004-05:002019-03-03T21:38:34.297-05:00Dark Places by Gillian Flynn<i>Mystery</i>
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<img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51Co6i%2BEhOL._SL160_.jpg" align="left" hspace="10">Libby Day was the victim of a horrific crime when she was a child. Her brother killed her mom and two sisters but Libby managed to escape and run away, only to finger him to the police later. Now in her 30s, she has run out of the money the community pooled together for her and needs to find a new way to sustain herself. She is offered money to appear at a nearby club that is interested in true crime and despite no interest in doing this, the money wins out. Attending this event, she finds that everyone thinks her brother innocent and Libby's testimony spoon fed to her by the police. Libby starts to question that night.
<BR><BR>Going back and forth between the events leading up to the crime and current day for Libby, we slowly learn how that night unfolded while Libby starts piecing things together by speaking to those close to her family during that time. Libby herself is a bit of a mess, but it surprisingly doesn't really impact how she conducts her investigation in to that night, which is surprising.
<BR><BR>Having read a few Flynn books in the past, I found this one a bit slower than her others and the ending not as surprising as <i>Gone Girl</i> or <i>Sharp Objects</i>. Because the middle part of the book was a bit slow, I'd say this was an average mystery and the worst of the Flynn books I've read.
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<b>First Line:</b> "I have a meanness inside me, real as an organ."
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<b>Rating: </b> <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhajtHqrQMwXFZ0G0VJ5gyukq0rFcb33iAGFUYXbsd9n5CGU8QuDb0yd9jLwcCqVu3NNJdQZArZJYvyAAeIbDwN5P6Rl70_CtXV33AMLXyVp2t4LosogNQcgU4i2mVIDJO0nQajqw/s320/halfstar.jpg">
<br>(3.5/5)HoserLaurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09596946779014382164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36749015.post-17143756033698372702019-02-22T23:39:00.001-05:002019-02-22T23:39:18.432-05:00Beneath the Bleeding by Val McDermid<i>Mystery</i>
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<img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51NLgzmv0qL._SL160_.jpg" align="left" hspace="10">Dr. Tony Hill is bedridden after an attack at a mental ward and an axe to the knee. It's really not a good time to be immobile when a top footballer is admitted to the hospital and the staff finds out that he has been poisoned with ricin. He passes away and Detective Chief Inspector Carol Jordan is called in to investigate. Researching from a hospital bed, Tony is frustrated at the lack of progress he makes, but eventually finds a possible connection to another mysterious poisoning case.
<BR><BR>During the memorial for this football player, an alleged terrorist attack occurs, bombing the stadium and killing many. Could these be connected? Why was the stadium targeted?
<BR><BR>I haven't read a Hill/Jordan mystery for a while but this one felt pretty lazy. The bombing builds up for a very long time and then only takes place in the last third of the book and really has nothing to do with anything else in the book. It just didn't connect for me. Then when they finally catch the murderer, though we sort of know the motive, the murderer refuses to give the full story on why he did it. It's like McDermid didn't want to bother sorting out that part of the story.
<BR><BR>Definitely not my favourite Hill/Jordan mystery. I hope Jordan sorts out her drinking problem soon but I doubt that'll be the case.
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<b>First Line:</b> "The phases of the moon have an inexplicable but incontrovertible effect on the mentally ill."
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<b>Rating: </b> <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhajtHqrQMwXFZ0G0VJ5gyukq0rFcb33iAGFUYXbsd9n5CGU8QuDb0yd9jLwcCqVu3NNJdQZArZJYvyAAeIbDwN5P6Rl70_CtXV33AMLXyVp2t4LosogNQcgU4i2mVIDJO0nQajqw/s320/halfstar.jpg">
<br>(4.5/5)HoserLaurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09596946779014382164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36749015.post-7611434111640964792019-02-10T15:48:00.001-05:002019-02-10T15:48:41.540-05:00When by Victoria Laurie<i>Fiction</i>
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<img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51KFmULVBuL._SL160_.jpg" align="left" hspace="10">Since she was young, Maddie Fynn has been able to see people's death dates. She first recognized it on her dad's forehead, but wasn't aware of what it meant until he was killed in action. Now a teenager, Maddie's mother is a drunk and Maddie is convinced her mom blames her for her dad's death. To try and make ends meet, and pay for mom's habit, Maddie sees clients who want to know when they will die. A lady brings a picture of her daughter who is undergoing treatment for a medical issue to determine if she will survive. Maddie gives her the good news that she will survive, but her son has a death date within a week. The mother leaves in a huff, unbelieving what she has been told.
<BR><BR>When that boy is found murdered the next week, the mother points at Maddie as a suspect and the FBI investigates. Thinking she may be responsible for the boy's death, they look in to Maddie and her friends, making life very uncomfortable for everyone. Maddie was just trying to help though. And when she sees the death date of a cheerleader on the opposing team, she knows she can't keep quiet.
<BR><BR>This was definitely a unique concept and though I doubt FBI would treat teenagers the way they did in this book, it made you turn the pages and figure out what would happen. It was pretty easy to guess who the killer was, but that didn't really take away from the book. This isn't prize winning literature but it was fun.
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<b>First Line:</b> "I'm not exactly sure when I first started seeing the numbers."
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<b>Rating: </b> <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg">
<br>(4/5)HoserLaurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09596946779014382164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36749015.post-36682087612525623072019-02-02T13:01:00.001-05:002019-02-02T13:01:42.428-05:00Charleston by John Jakes<i>Historical Fiction</i>
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<img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0451207335.01.MZZZZZZZ.jpg" align="left" hspace="10">This epic tale of the Bell family spans three generations. The Bells are from Charleston, South Carolina in the time leading up to the Civil War. One side of the Bell family is progressive and believes in the emancipation of slaves, the other side of the family treats their slaves horribly and are incredibly racist. The story of this family starts in Charleston during the revolutionary war when the British controlled the city, then the time period between the revolutionary war and the civil war while racial tensions ran high, and finally the Civil war.
<BR><BR>The focus is on the more progressive side of the Bell family. They free their slaves, treat them well, and one of the family members ends up travelling eastern USA to speak out against slavery. This makes no friends in Charleston, including with the other side of her family, and makes returning to Charleston hard for her.
<BR><BR>This book has a lot of Charleston history in it, much of it I was not aware of. However because of this history, there were problems with pacing of the novel sometimes. Jakes would start talking about generals and presidents and governors which had nothing to do with the characters for a full chapter, taking you away from the characters he was trying to get you invested in. Because of this, the 530 page book took me 3 weeks to read, which is a pretty long time for me.
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<b>First Line:</b> "One night in early November 1779, he dreamed a terrifying dream."
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<b>Rating: </b> <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhajtHqrQMwXFZ0G0VJ5gyukq0rFcb33iAGFUYXbsd9n5CGU8QuDb0yd9jLwcCqVu3NNJdQZArZJYvyAAeIbDwN5P6Rl70_CtXV33AMLXyVp2t4LosogNQcgU4i2mVIDJO0nQajqw/s320/halfstar.jpg">
<br>(3.5/5)HoserLaurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09596946779014382164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36749015.post-37923277112765458352019-01-13T21:46:00.002-05:002019-01-13T21:46:23.761-05:00The Inn at Lake Devine by Elinor Lipman<i>Fiction/Romance</i>
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<img src="https://books.google.com/books/content?id=Mn7sdokRiTwC&printsec=frontcover&img=1&zoom=5&stbn=1" align="left" hspace="10">Natalie Marx is just a kid in 1962, looking forward to a family vacation. When her parents call up the Inn at Lake Devine, they quickly are turned away for being Jewish. Her parents move past it but Natalie can't. She needs to see this place and learn why the inn-keeper acts the way she acts. Eventually, Natalie gets an invite with a friend when her friend's family is going for a summer vacation there. At first, the inn-keeper doesn't realize that Natalie is Jewish and she really enjoys her time, including getting friendly with the children of the owners. But eventually the owner finds out and the reception is much cooler.
<BR><BR>As Natalie grows older, the inn stays in the back of her mind. Eventually she runs in to the friend that invited her on that family holiday to find out she is engaged to the eldest son of the owners. Natalie finds herself back up at this inn and the owner is no nicer than she was in the past.
<BR><BR>Despite the racial undertones of this entire book, it really is a romance. There are a couple of relationships focused on in the book, though obviously Natalie's is the focus. It's not a typical romance that's sappy in nature but a pretty relaxed and gentle romance.
<BR><BR>This was an easy book to read. The characters were well flushed out and felt real. When the antisemitism issue was finally addressed it was a bit underwhelming, but the rest of the book made up for it.
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<b>First Line:</b> "It was not complicated, and, as my mother pointed out, not even personal: They had a hotel; they didn't want Jews; we were Jews. "
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<b>Rating: </b> <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg">
<br>(4/5)HoserLaurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09596946779014382164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36749015.post-83196826641034329522018-12-31T11:36:00.001-05:002018-12-31T11:36:05.069-05:00Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil DeGrasse Tyson<i>Science</i>
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<img src="https://books.google.com/books/content?id=i1hOugEACAAJ&printsec=frontcover&img=1&zoom=5&stbn=1" align="left" hspace="10">In this short book, Tyson takes on the major topics of astrophysics and tries to explain them in a way that is digestible. We start with the big bang and how the universe was created. There are still so many things that we don't have complete understandings of though and it makes you wonder who the next scientists will be with the next big discovery and when these discoveries will happen.
<BR><BR>I was expecting a bit more of a dumbed down version of astrophysics than what was presented in this book. I did most of my reading of this book before going to sleep and it's just not a 'before sleep' kind of book. The subjects are pretty complex and there are many facts thrown out there in a single sentence. It was overwhelming and I missed a lot because of it.
<BR><BR>Tyson also gets in to the major elements that form the universe, but is that really astrophysics? My expectations of this book were completely different than what I got out of it.
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<b>First Line:</b> "In the recent years, no more than a week goes by without news of a cosmic discovery worthy of banner headlines."
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<b>Rating: </b> <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhajtHqrQMwXFZ0G0VJ5gyukq0rFcb33iAGFUYXbsd9n5CGU8QuDb0yd9jLwcCqVu3NNJdQZArZJYvyAAeIbDwN5P6Rl70_CtXV33AMLXyVp2t4LosogNQcgU4i2mVIDJO0nQajqw/s320/halfstar.jpg">
<br>(2.5/5)HoserLaurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09596946779014382164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36749015.post-84753052154273830572018-12-27T14:55:00.002-05:002018-12-27T14:55:59.907-05:00After Dark by Haruki Murakami<i>Fiction</i>
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<img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41OPPueZbTL._SL160_.jpg" align="left" hspace="10">After dark in Japan, sees a teenager nursing a coffee in a Denny's, reading a book. A young man walks up to her and recognizes her. He knows her sister and asks if he can join her. Her name is Mari but she doesn't find out what his name is. He talks about her sister and how he had a crush on her. He leaves to go to band practice and soon after, another woman walks in frantically looking for her, because she has heard that Mari speaks Chinese. A woman has been assaulted but only speaks Chinese. Can Mari help?
<BR><BR>Throughout the night, the story switches between Mari, the young man, and the Chinese woman. We learn more about Mari's sister and how she is sleeping her life away.
<BR><BR>The interactions between the characters were interesting and the concept of one night in Japan was unique. However by the end of it, literally nothing has happened and you're questioning what the point of the book was.
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<b>First Line:</b> "The eyes mark the shape of the city."
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<b>Rating: </b> <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg">
<br>(3/5)HoserLaurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09596946779014382164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36749015.post-7177278270187842402018-12-21T19:40:00.001-05:002018-12-21T19:40:41.526-05:00Final Approach by John J Nance<i>Thriller</i>
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<img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51xu40TNVYL._SL160_.jpg" align="left" hspace="10">A storm in Kansas City has pilots concerned. Thunderstorms are rolling through and the airline doesn't take kindly to delays. One pilot is on the ground and decides not to take off, another is in the air and despite hitting a microburst on his first approach, he circles around and tries again. When he comes down, he ends up landing directly on the waiting plane, tearing it in half and killing most people on board the two flights.
<BR><BR>Joe Wallingford from the NTSB is called in to investigate. He must determine what the cause of the crash was and it could be everything from pilot error to plane malfunction to weather to sabotage. Despite doing his best job to investigate, there's a lot of political powers at play who only care about climbing up the ladder rather than doing what's best for the NTSB. There are so many things for Joe to investigate, but he's getting blocked from getting some of the information he needs.
<BR><BR>Having read and enjoyed a few Nance books in the past, I was looking forward to this one. Final Approach was easy to get in to, had a very slow middle, and an action-packed ending. I wish some of the action from the end had been spaced out a bit better because I was getting a little bored in the middle of the book. I also felt like the romance introduced for Joe added nothing to the plot and could have been done without.
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<b>First Line:</b> "A lightning flash blinded Dr. Mark Weiss momentarily through the rain-smeared windshield, illuminating his wife Kimberly in the passenger seat of the family's station wagon as she turned in his direction."
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<b>Rating: </b> <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhajtHqrQMwXFZ0G0VJ5gyukq0rFcb33iAGFUYXbsd9n5CGU8QuDb0yd9jLwcCqVu3NNJdQZArZJYvyAAeIbDwN5P6Rl70_CtXV33AMLXyVp2t4LosogNQcgU4i2mVIDJO0nQajqw/s320/halfstar.jpg">
<br>(3.5/5)HoserLaurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09596946779014382164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36749015.post-36573096547095871032018-12-06T20:31:00.000-05:002018-12-06T20:31:33.959-05:00Guantánamo Diary by Mohamedou Ould Slahi<i>Non-Fiction</i>
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<img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51Bj2jOJzjL._SL160_.jpg" align="left" hspace="10">Slahi is a Muslim originally from Mauritius, but lived for stints in Germany in Canada. While in Canada, the police followed him around at the US' request. The Americans were convinced he was part of the Millenium plot to bomb LAX. Slahi decides Canada is not the place for him and returns home where he is asked to turn himself in. Since he believed he had nothing to hide, Slahi dutifully turned himself in and the start of his horrific 14-year journey began. Again, acting on behalf of the Americans, his own country questions him and his involvement with Al Qaeda. Slahi doesn't give them much because there's not much to give them. His government believes him, but the American pull is bigger and he gets transferred to Jordan. Jordan is where torture begins for Slahi, but those officers also find that there isn't much Slahi is giving them and that's when he gets transferred to Guantánamo Bay.
<BR><BR>This is where the real torture starts. In this redacted version of Slahi's journal, it's surprising that the American government allows the stories of Slahi's torture to reach the public. Slahi was beat, forced to stay away, forced to stand for hours, made to listen to heavy metal music on repeat, put in very cold conditions and then doused with water, etc. Eventually and not surprisingly Slahi breaks and tells his captors what they want to hear. His life gets easier but he isn't allowed to leave.
<BR><BR>At the end of the book, Slahi is still in prison and he remains there until 2016. All for knowing the wrong people. If this book came out before the Abu Ghraid scandal, it would have been shocking. That scandal desensitized us to what American imprisonment of terrorists involves. It's still surprising, and pretty depressing to me, that the world superpower would resort to this. I feel bad for Slahi and his family and while I'm glad he's out now, it's far too late. It also begs the question, who else is in that jail that is innocent and just rotting there?
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<b>First Line:</b> "⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛, July ⬛, 2002, 10 p.m."
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<b>Rating: </b> <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg">
<br>(4/5)HoserLaurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09596946779014382164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36749015.post-82342493614603207752018-11-26T22:10:00.000-05:002018-11-26T22:10:27.195-05:00The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver<i>Fiction/Literature</i>
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<img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0060930535.01.MZZZZZZZ.jpg" align="left" hspace="10">The Price family of six travels to the Congo to bring the Baptist faith to the people of the Congo. The couple has four daughters, including twins Leah and Adah. Adah was born with part of her brain not working, suffers a limp, and doesn't talk much but she is incredibly smart. Eldest daughter Rachel is a teenager who only cares about herself and youngest daughter Ruth May is a firecracker.
<BR><BR>The Congolese don't take too well to the new faith being shown to them but they don't want the family to suffer either so help out in small unseen ways. Unsurprisingly, things in the Congo don't work like they do in the USA. The family fails at many things and then starts to fail at their relationships as well.
<BR><BR>This was a very slow book to read through. There were some uncomfortable subject and some characters that were pretty easy to hate. It's amazing how out of touch the father was.
<BR><BR>The ending seemed to just keep going and going. It almost would have been better if the last few chapters weren't included and we weren't given the final update on their adult life. It really just made me feel even more disconnected from the family.
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<b>First Line:</b> "Imagine a ruin so strange it must never have happened."
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<b>Rating: </b> <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg">
<br>(3/5)HoserLaurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09596946779014382164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36749015.post-39682944805627694382018-11-10T13:07:00.001-05:002018-11-10T13:07:54.763-05:00The Drop by Michael Connelly<i>Mystery</i>
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<img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/515qLbT0QFL._SL160_.jpg" align="left" hspace="10">Detective Bosch has been a part of the cold case division for a short time. He knows he doesn't have too long left in his career, as he's already back from retirement and can only stay a maximum of 5 more years on the force. He has a young partner, Detective Chu, and a bunch of cold cases to get through. When a hit comes back on DNA, but for someone that would have been a child at the time of the crime, Bosch and Chu are asked to investigate. This comes at the exact same day that ex-Deputy Chief Irvin Irving learns that his son has committed suicide. Irving is now a councilman and against the police department after being ousted. He's never been a fan of Bosch, but Bosch is requested specifically from Irving to investigate his son's death.
<BR><BR>Now with two cases, Bosch buckles down. Is the Irving death really a suicide or was there a third party involved? Any why was the blood of a child found at a murder scene? The two cases take Bosch and Chu all over. A new female love interest is introduced and there's already ups and downs in that relationship.
<BR><BR>Every Bosch book I've read captures your interest right away and holds you the entire time. I really enjoy Maddie and how her youth allows her to see different things than her dad does. This different perspective and her interest in the police force will make her a very interesting character in the future and she's already starting to impact some of what her dad does.
<BR><BR>This is another great book in the Bosch series. Looking forward to reading the next one.
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<b>First Line:</b> "Christmas came once a month in the Open-Unsolved Unit."
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<b>Rating: </b> <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg">
<br>(4/5)HoserLaurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09596946779014382164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36749015.post-14207463976030747052018-10-30T20:57:00.001-05:002018-10-30T20:57:57.854-05:00The Postmistress<i>Fiction</i>
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<img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51cDtea%2BLiL._SL160_.jpg" align="left" hspace="10">Iris is the postmaster in Massachusetts during WWII. She takes her job very seriously, as she is entrusted with delivering messages of life to mothers, sons, and lovers during war time. She falls for Henry, who every day goes up to the top of the tallest building looking for German U-boats in the harbour. In the same town are newlyweds Emma and Dr Trask. When the doctor is called to deliver a child and loses the mother, he blames himself. He needs to make up for the loss he feels he caused and decides to head over to England, after hearing a report from reporter Frankie Bard about the bombings over there.
<BR><BR>Most of the characters reside in the USA but we have the reporting from Frankie Bard on what's happening in Europe and a little bit from Dr. Trask. Dr. Trask is really just a vessel for his wife's story, her concern for him, and her interactions with Iris over how they think he is doing. Frankie has some heartbreaking stories to tell of her travels in Europe, but they are so detached from the other characters in the book that they're almost like a completely separate story.
<BR><BR>The Postmistress is the title of the book and supposedly the centre of the book, but she herself complains during the novel that it's not 'postmistress' it's 'postmaster', so why the hell is the book called 'postmistress'? Unfortunately this book offers nothing unique from most other WWII books to make it stand out. It has a disjointed story with a weak ending and isn't something I'd recommend.
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<b>First Line:</b> "It began, as it often does, with a woman putting her ducks in a row."
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<b>Rating: </b> <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhajtHqrQMwXFZ0G0VJ5gyukq0rFcb33iAGFUYXbsd9n5CGU8QuDb0yd9jLwcCqVu3NNJdQZArZJYvyAAeIbDwN5P6Rl70_CtXV33AMLXyVp2t4LosogNQcgU4i2mVIDJO0nQajqw/s320/halfstar.jpg">
<br>(2.5/5)HoserLaurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09596946779014382164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36749015.post-23333616440499788922018-10-23T20:28:00.002-05:002018-10-23T20:28:17.944-05:00The Hummingbird's Daughter by Luis Alberto Urrea<i>Historical Fiction</i>
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<img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/514O6525LLL._SL160_.jpg" align="left" hspace="10">In late 19th century Mexico, Teresa is born an unknown father and mother known as the hummingbird. Her mother abandons her with her aunt quickly and Teresa questions who her family is. She makes friends with the local healer and midwife Huila. Huila takes Teresa under her wing, recognizing something special in this girl. Teresa's aunt eventually abandons her as well, and Teresa is taken in by Huila, who works in the household of Don Tomas, which ends up being Teresa's real father.
<BR><BR>Life is tough during this time. There are dangers from many different sources. Teresa witnesses these dangers as she grows up and knows that she wants to care for people, same as Huila does. She learns how to bring children in the world and finds that she can take pain away from the mothers as they give birth. Huila tries to nurture these skills in Teresa.
<BR><BR>Mexico itself becomes a character as the country, its landscape, and its people provide the perfect backdrop to the magical nature of Teresita and her healing powers. There are some supernatural elements that lost me a little, but eventually brought me back on board to the story. It's obvious that Urrea, who at the end states he believes Teresa is in relation to him, has done an incredible amount of research for this project. His passion for his homeland and the history flows off the page. Even when there were hiccups in the story for me, this passion kept me glued to the story.
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<b>First Line:</b> "On the cool October morning when Cayetana Chavez brought her baby to light, it was the start of that season in Sinloa when the humid torments of summer finally gave way to the breezes and falling leaves, and small red birds skittered through the corrals, and the dogs grew new coats."
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<b>Rating: </b> <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg">
<br>(4/5)HoserLaurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09596946779014382164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36749015.post-90782107006037213532018-10-11T19:03:00.000-05:002018-10-11T19:03:41.546-05:00Tulip Fever by Deborah Moggach<i>Historical Fiction</i>
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<img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0099288850.01.MZZZZZZZ.jpg" align="left" hspace="10">During the seventeenth century of Amsterdam, the tulip craze was at an all time high. People were buying and selling bulbs without even seeing them. Many were getting rich but some were losing everything.
<BR><BR>Cornelis and his young wife Sophie decide to get their portrait painted by artist Jan van Loos. As soon as Sophia sees him, she falls in love with him. Jan tells her she must leave her husband and live with him. The two hatch a scheme that involve tulips and the pregnant servant Maria.
<BR><BR>Honestly, most of the characters are idiots in this book. There were a thousand simpler ways of ditching the old husband than the one they came up with. But of course, without this crazy idea there would be no book. Tulips really only come in to it near the end so I'm also not convinced this is the correct title for the book. It was still enough of a plot to keep me entertained enough to continue reading. It just wasn't the best crafted idea ever as I kept rolling my eyes.
<BR>Each chapter starts with a quote, and some chapters are only one page long, making it feel at times that there were more quotes than story.
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<b>First Line:</b> "We are eating dinner, my husband and I."
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<b>Rating: </b> <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg">
<br>(3/5)HoserLaurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09596946779014382164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36749015.post-89662809097903163682018-10-08T12:33:00.002-05:002018-10-08T12:33:36.102-05:00The Food Taster by Peter Ebling<i>Historical Fiction</i>
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<img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0452284341.01.MZZZZZZZ.jpg" align="left" hspace="10">Ugo has had a tough life. His mother committed suicide so she wouldn't have to die from the plague. His father and brother treated him life garbage until one day he had enough and left. In his travels, he fell in love with a girl and they had a child, Miranda. His wife died in childbirth. They had a small farm that was doing poorly when the Duke happened upon his land. Angry that Ugo's land has disturbed the Duke's hunt, the Duke decides that he must become his new food taster.
<BR><BR>Ugo and Miranda move to the Duke's castle and Ugo starts tasting the Duke's food for poison. He finds that he can no longer enjoy his food anymore since he's so worried about dying. Everything he does is to try and keep himself and his daughter safe and alive. This leads to some pretty crazy situations, including getting the Duke's girlfriend killed for thinking and pretending there was poison in his food when there wasn't.
<BR><BR>Ugo isn't very smart and doesn't always make the right decision, but he's always trying to do best for his daughter. This includes as she grows up and trying to find the right husband for her. There's a boy in the kitchen that tries to trade Miranda's hand in marriage for information to Ugo about possible poisoning of his dishes.
<BR><BR>This was a fun book. Ugo got in to some very unique and troublesome situations. His heart was always in the right place though, he was a pretty likable character.
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<b>First Line:</b> "For years after my mother hanged herself, I wished I had been older or stronger so that I could have stopped her."
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<b>Rating: </b> <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhajtHqrQMwXFZ0G0VJ5gyukq0rFcb33iAGFUYXbsd9n5CGU8QuDb0yd9jLwcCqVu3NNJdQZArZJYvyAAeIbDwN5P6Rl70_CtXV33AMLXyVp2t4LosogNQcgU4i2mVIDJO0nQajqw/s320/halfstar.jpg">
<br>(3.5/5)HoserLaurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09596946779014382164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36749015.post-40906975076686289612018-09-25T19:24:00.000-05:002018-09-25T19:24:19.895-05:00The Chimney Sweeper's Boy by Barbara Vine<i>Fiction</i>
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<img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0140272348.01.MZZZZZZZ.jpg" align="left" hspace="10">Gerald Candless, renown author, dies of a heart attack leaving behind his wife and two grown daughters. The girls, Sarah and Hope, were very close to their dad as he fostered a special relationship with them at the expense of his wife Ursula. As the family comes to term with the loss, we learn how spoiled the two girls are and how miserable Ursula was with her husband.
<BR><BR>When Sarah is approached to write a biography of her dad, she accepts. The first thing she does is start looking in to his past only to find that there's nothing to look in to. Gerald Candless does not exist before a certain date and the Gerald Candless of the town her father claimed as his died as a child. Their father assumed this identity. Why? What was he running from?
<BR><BR>This book was difficult to get through for two reasons. First, all the characters are either miserable people or pathetic. The girls are complete snobs and never get what's coming to them. The mom could have helped herself but did nothing. The second reason is because there's a whole bunch of unnecessary filler content. Why do we need to know about Hope and her boyfriend or Sara and her boyfriend? There is no substance there and it doesn't really drive the plot forward.
<BR><BR>When we finally find out the reason Gerald left his original life, it's a bit of a let down. We are told throughout the book a few times that this reason is not true only to find out it is. The way it was revealed was sort of interesting, but none of the characters ever really find out which was a let down.
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<b>First Line:</b> "Not a word to my girls, he had said on the way home from the hospital."
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<b>Rating: </b> <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kU29BXsQavlycYiIUbYgVaitKhT97nVYAvTaoMr1mhg6sGcKdAxy8pgPKTGThn_smG15iaNsoVbIdjYK8VA3OxqtNmv3eGLXsDjR2zzEBPU3Y8vJwt3zcPVhf5eT1r8jsFyraQ/s1600/star.jpg">
<br>(3/5)HoserLaurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09596946779014382164noreply@blogger.com0