Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Book Review- A Spy Among Friends by Ben Macintyre

I tried this on a whim. It is not what I usually read. Not my usual cup of tea if you will. I love history, I love books. It seemed like a good compromise.

I was SO bored. I didn't feel any attachment to the two real life people in the books, didn't care about their friendship and was not moved at all to find out what happened to them. Nothing new is historically revealed through this book, and while it does offer a fresh perspective on the relationships I found it hard to pay attention to the book long enough to finish.

Having said that, I will be the first to admit that I have almost never found a non fiction book that I love. I just don't find them as interesting as escaping into a world different from my own.

If you read historical non fiction and enjoy it you may be far more capable of reviewing this book than I.

Saturday, July 25, 2015

Book Review of "The Little Paris Bookshop" by Nina George.

I didn't like this story as much as I anticipated I would. I like the basic plot of the book, a bookseller who heals through prescribing books to people from his floating bookstore. A fifty year old bookseller who has never gotten over a love lost decades before, and his search for answers to questions that have remained unanswered for years.
However, I found I was unable to relate to the characters and felt little for their triumphs and problems. It took fifty pages before I got to the heart of the plot and past the descriptions of Perdu, the bookseller's, neighbors.
George does a great job of weaving in quotes, snippets of plots, and the many reasons people read a book, but in all I found the characters and structure of the story lacking. George keeps adding more and more characters to a story and none are interesting.
Based on my experience with stories like this such as "Shadow of the Wind" I expected to love this story, but by the end it was a chore to read.


I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review by Books for Blogging.

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Book Review: "The Fold" by Peter Clines.


I am traditionally not a science fiction reader. However, Peter Clines "The Fold" is not a traditional science fiction book. It is a book of mystery, science fiction, fantasy, romance and government conspiracy theory. 
I thought that I would struggle to get through this book but found I was shutting myself in my room for hours just to get to the end of this amazing tale. The main character of this engaging read is Mike Erickson, a high school English teacher who wants nothing more than to be normal. However, his mind is anything but normal. Mike has an eidetic memory giving him "instant access to a time-stamped DVD of everything I've ever seen". Clines creates an interesting image of red and black ants that are the warring parties of Mike's brain. One is his memories and the other is his thoughts and they each fight for supremacy.
Mike is sent to investigate a government program run by a famous scientist that has been creating some questions about it's viability. He soon finds himself utilizing his talent more than he ever wanted to figure out what this group of scientists is up to and more importantly what they are attempting to hide from everyone. 
Clines creates fascinating characters that seem to change with each turn of the page, keeping the reader guessing as to what their motive is and what could possibly happen next. There were time during this book that I laughed out loud at the wit of the Sherlock Holmes type hero, and times I sat with my mouth ajar at the plot twists I never saw coming. 
Even if you do not typically pick up science fiction books I would highly recommend this book as it is so much more than just science fiction. 

I received a free copy of this title from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review. 

Monday, May 25, 2015

Book Review: "The Mapmaker's Children" by Sarah McCoy

There are several things required for me as a reader to engage in a story. It has to have good if not great characters, a compelling plot line that I am invested in or relate to, and it has to grab my attention right away. If I have trouble getting into a story I am more and more likely to put the book down and not pick it back up.This story by Sarah McCoy met all of those requirements and more.
The Mapmaker's Children is Sarah McCoy's third novel and the first piece I have read by her. What immediately grabbed my attention was the historical nature of the book. This story is set simultaneously in the spring of 1859 and the summer of 2014. With every other chapter trading off to tell the story of Sarah, the daughter of the abolitionist John Brown, and Eden a modern woman attempting to come to grasp with what she sees as her failure as a woman and a wife.
Usually with books that trade main characters every other chapter I become more emotionally involved with one story line and skim or skip the other. This was not the case with Sarah, or Eden's stories.
Each chapter finds the reader in the same setting of West Virginia for the most part.  However, the time and political temperament of The United States could not have been more different.
Sarah's story picks up in New York state in the tumultuous days prior to Abraham Lincoln's election and the eruption of The Civil War. When we first meet Sarah she is recovering from an illness that has left her barren. She is considered "damaged" and her mother wonder's aloud "who will love her now?" (5). IT is Sarah's strong character that creates not only a future for herself, but also for many escaping slaves and their families heading north on the Underground Railroad by her ability to create maps that are hidden within her beautiful drawings.
Flash to the future and Eden's story. The reader is transported 155 years into the future to 2014 where slavery has been abolished, woman have the right to vote, and the mysteries left behind by Sarah Brown keep a modern woman from losing her mind and coming to grips with not being able to have children.
Both women, though in different lifetimes and different situations find their stories mirroring each other as both women are forced to find what they will do with their lives now that they will not be mothers in the traditional sense. Both women face the reality of what and who they are without the desired and expected title of mother, wife, and partner.
This story, though filled with heavy topics, history, and emotions is kept light through the introduction of Eden's neighbor girl named Cleo who is wise beyond her years, and a small puppy named Cricket who lightens the mood of both the characters and the readers with each scene he is in.
This book did not take me long to read at all and I
highly suggest this for anyone who loves a good historical novel, stories about people, self discovery, or just a well written story.

I received a free copy of this title from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.

Friday, May 1, 2015

Summer To Do List

There are several things that I am looking forward to doing this summer. I have compiled a list of things that I want to do, visit and experience.
1. Go Antiquing
2. Take a day trip to St. Cloud
3. Start doing Yoga again
4. Go miniature golfing
5. Go Paddle boating
6.Go to a flea market
7. Go to Mystic Lake casino
8. Go to El Maro Winery
9. Go strawberry picking

This is my list of things that I want to plan for my summer ahead. I want to be busy and I want to enjoy the summer season.

Monday, March 17, 2014

In which I Get Lucky.

I am not an active person, never have been. I hope to be someday and have taken a giant step in that direction this weekend. I participated in and finished my first 7K! Several weeks ago I decided to sign up for the St. Patrick's Day Get Lucky 7K that was being held in my area. This was something I was going to do to prove that I could start and finish something physical.
It turns out not only did I finish, but I also completely enjoyed challenging myself. This was something completely new to me. I had never chosen to challenge myself physically before!
While I am sore, and have been for the past couple days, I find myself with a new addiction that is actually good for me! Most of my...okay make that ALL of my past addictions have been food, movies, tv, or reading. I have never had such a great time engaging in an activity that is healthy for me!
I am now looking forward to doing several more 5Ks that are peppered throughout the rest of the year. The two I am seriously looking into at this point are the Women Rock, and the Monster Dash. I would also like to find one that benefits animals and get involved with that one.
My goal over the next few months is to up my 5K time so I can start to try to best myself! Woohoo!

Sunday, March 9, 2014

Technical Errors

I logged back in yesterday to find that the two posts I had scheduled had not been published like they were supposed to! Oops! So you get two for today. Enjoy