Category Archives: Reason: Book Club

May 12, 2023 · 5:35 am

Just the Way You Are by Beth Moran

Just the Way You Are by Beth Moran

I had my doubts that Just the Way You Are would have the happy ending the way I wanted it, but it pulled through in the last couple pages. While I found Ollie’s best friend Steph to be one of the worst, most annoying people I have ever encountered (not to mention controlling and an awful friend), I liked everyone else. I truly cared about what happened to most everyone (but definitely not Steph). The medical facts weren’t exactly right, but without personal experience with that particular illness I doubt anyone would notice nor did those errors really matter. Overall, it’s just a lovely, sweet feel good story. I recommend this book to adults who enjoy slow burn romances.

5 (out of 5) Stars
Books Read in 2023: 54
Pages Read in 2023: 17,563

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April 19, 2023 · 8:06 pm

The Robe by Lloyd C. Douglas

The Robe by Lloyd C. Douglas

The Robe takes the reference to casting lots for Jesus’ robe and follows the Roman who won on a quest to learn about the man he crucified. It’s very long, but feels like it reads fast. The story moves along at a good pace and so it never seems tedious to read. The wording is kind of poetic at times. I recommend reading this book to all Christians.

5 (out of 5) Stars
Books Read in 2023: 44
Pages Read in 2023: 14,722

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Filed under Historical Fiction, Reason: B&N Book Challenge, Reason: Book Club, Reason: Flourish & Blotts Reading Challenge

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March 20, 2023 · 7:49 pm

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Jennifer Ryan

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Jennifer Ryan

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle is historical fiction done right. It really captures the feel of a small English town in the middle of World War II. The three intertwining stories are incredibly sweet. The main characters are incredibly likable and I found myself really rooting for them all to have a happily ever after. The chapters rotate between the three main characters’ stories making it hard to put the book down since I always wanted to find out what happens next. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction.

5 (out of 5) Stars
Books Read in 2023: 37
Pages Read in 2023: 12,168

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Filed under Historical Fiction, Reason: B&N Book Challenge, Reason: Book Club, Reason: Flourish & Blotts Reading Challenge

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February 16, 2023 · 7:20 pm

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

For the most part Cinder is a very enjoyable book. It’s a very unique take on the Cinderella story. It’s sci-fi but not super technical so it’s appealing even to people that aren’t really into sci-fi. There are two problems with the book, though. First, it is extremely predictable. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but I spent 2/3 of the book just waiting for what I already knew would happen to happen. It was just really obvious that was the way it was going. Second, it ends very abruptly. The story continues in the next book, but I much prefer books in series to each have a satisfactory ending. When this one ended I was left feeling kind of cheated out of a chapter or two to wrap things up a bit (it didn’t help that because there is so much back matter, the Kindle book was only at 80% when the book ended). I recommend this book to people who enjoy young adult dystopian books but only if you are planning to go all in and read the entire series.

3 (out of 5) Stars
Books Read in 2023: 23
Pages Read in 2023: 7367

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Filed under Dystopian, Reason: B&N Book Challenge, Reason: Book Club, Reason: Flourish & Blotts Reading Challenge, Science Fiction, Young Adult

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December 19, 2022 · 10:04 am

Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Callahan

Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Callahan

I am not a fan of CS Lewis. I do not love the Narnia series. It was fine, but it’s not something I’ll read again and I’m definitely not a fan. So when I read the synopsis of Once Upon a Wardrobe, which was picked to read for my book club, I was not thrilled. As it turns out, I absolutely loved it! The story is very sweet and a little sad. CS Lewis answering the question of where is Narnia through stories of his life is delightful. The way his stories are woven with Megs and George’s lives is lovely. It’s a pretty quick read and quite enjoyable. I recommend it to anyone who loves Narnia, CS Lewis, or just a sweet story about the love between siblings.

5 (out of 5) Stars
Books Read in 2022: 110
Pages Read in 2022: 38,715
Graphic Novels: 3

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November 20, 2022 · 7:20 pm

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

Some of the characters in The Thursday Murder Club are absolutely hysterical. I instantly fell in love with both Elizabeth and Joyce. But there are way too many characters. It’s very hard to keep them straight, especially since some are mentioned and then not again for several chapters. The British wit is fabulous. While the elderly group figures everything out, and in fact are the only ones who know the whole truth in the end, the police are not portrayed as completely inept. I certainly didn’t have it all figured out before the end, but it did all fit together in a way that made sense. This is a good book, but not one I’d go out of my way to read.

3 (out of 5) Stars
Books Read in 2022: 103
Pages Read in 2022: 35,989
Graphic Novels: 3

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November 1, 2022 · 8:20 am

Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy by Karen Abbott

Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy by Karen Abbott

Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy is impeccably researched. The notes, bibliography, and index are massive (making up more than the last third of the book). At times it reads like a historical fiction novel even though only actual quotes are used, but other times it reads like a textbook. The author skips around between the four woman profiled, Emma Thompson, Rose Greenhow, Elizabeth Van Lew, and Belle Boyd, and sometimes it is hard to remember which is which and what was happening to them the last time they were discussed. I recommend this book to adults interested in the Civil War.

3 (out of 5) Stars
Books Read in 2022: 97
Pages Read in 2022: 34,367
Graphic Novels: 3

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October 18, 2022 · 12:18 pm

The Center Cannot Hold by Elyn R. Saks

The Center Cannot Hold by Elyn R. Saks

Elyn Saks is a very successful woman. She is married, holds a rather impressive job, and has been published multiple times. She also has schizophrenia. The Center Cannot Hold is her story. She talks about her struggles with accepting that she needs medication and even accepting that she has a mental illness. Many times she quit taking her medication or reduced it thinking she could just try harder. The descriptions of psychosis and her delusions are vivid. Her writing is engaging even when discussing the more clinical aspects of her illness. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in mental illness.

5 (out of 5) Stars
Books Read in 2022: 90
Pages Read in 2022: 31,629
Graphic Novels: 2

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September 21, 2022 · 12:25 pm

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Where the Crawdads Sing is a slow moving book. I generally do not care for books like that, but for this one it totally worked. It just fits the vibe and makes you kind of feel like you’re in the marsh, living a little slower, noticing things happening around you. The character development in this book is phenomenal. Even some of the side characters grow and change. The descriptions of things living in the marsh are incredible and vivid. The ending is both surprising and, when I think about, just what part of me hoped for. Kya learning to read so quickly and being able to comprehend high level textbooks is somewhat questionable as is her ability to so easily communicate with others even though she was so young when her family left her and spends long periods of time all alone. I recommend this book to adults who enjoy contemporary fiction.

4 (out of 5) Stars
Books Read in 2022: 83
Pages Read in 2022: 29,583
Graphic Novels: 2

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Filed under Contemporary Fiction, Reason: Book Club, Reason: Grim Readers

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July 30, 2022 · 2:09 pm

The Do-Over by Bethany Turner

The Do-Over by Bethany Turner

The Do-Over is a really cute book that is more or less predictable, but in all the ways you want a romcom to be predictable. While I found it easy to put the book down as needed, I did look forward to picking it back up when I had more time to read. While the end was perfect, I wish there had been a little bit more and it kept going for at least a few more pages. I recommend this book to adults who enjoy clean romantic comedies.

4 (out of 5) Stars
Books Read in 2022: 73
Pages Read in 2022: 26,404
Graphic Novels: 1

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