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Review Date: 11/16/2023
This is another book that I'm not sure I can rate in the traditional sense. I enjoyed it, and it's very well-written, but the content just isn't something you can put a star count on.
I will say that if you are, like me, wanting to read more about Alcatraz, you may be a little disappointed in this book. It's Quillen's complete autobiography, and most of the Alcatraz portion is dedicated to the Battle of Alcatraz. The book is certainly still worth reading despite these things.
I will say that if you are, like me, wanting to read more about Alcatraz, you may be a little disappointed in this book. It's Quillen's complete autobiography, and most of the Alcatraz portion is dedicated to the Battle of Alcatraz. The book is certainly still worth reading despite these things.
Review Date: 1/19/2024
In some ways this book was even more difficult to read than the first one. It's essentially a laundry list of bad decisions Whitey made over several years as he bounced from prison to prison and violated parole. Reading it all laid out like that was very disheartening and also, in my opinion, unnecessarily repetitive. Unlike the first book this one had almost no redemption to it. I wish there had been more about Whitey's life after prison and the change in him, especially his relationship with God.
Review Date: 8/14/2023
A very interesting book with a unique writing style and a lot of wisdom. It's fascinating how reading something you already know in different words can make it have a much more profound effect on you.
Review Date: 12/17/2023
Cute stories for the Christmas season!
Review Date: 10/12/2023
Amy Clipston always delivers with sweet, clean romances! At some points I found this story to be a little cheesy, but it was still very enjoyable.
This book is the first in a series that follows a group of cousins who work at a local market. At first, I found it a little difficult to keep up with all cousins/characters, but I'm sure that will get easier as I continue the series.
This novel focuses on Christiana, her love of baking, and her complicated relationship with a young man she meets at the market. I found their interactions at little immature at points, but it was nice to see the male lead struggling with some very human emotions, like self-confidence issues.
This book does a great job of showing how life can be messy, unpredictable, and downright confusing, but it's all part of God's plan, and if we have faith, everything will work out. I really appreciated that message!
This book is the first in a series that follows a group of cousins who work at a local market. At first, I found it a little difficult to keep up with all cousins/characters, but I'm sure that will get easier as I continue the series.
This novel focuses on Christiana, her love of baking, and her complicated relationship with a young man she meets at the market. I found their interactions at little immature at points, but it was nice to see the male lead struggling with some very human emotions, like self-confidence issues.
This book does a great job of showing how life can be messy, unpredictable, and downright confusing, but it's all part of God's plan, and if we have faith, everything will work out. I really appreciated that message!
Review Date: 8/31/2023
Did not enjoy this book. The plot involves the entire family being obsessed with a house. Constantly hearing about Mannerling, Mannerling, Mannerling got very old after just a few pages. I also didn't like how the male lead had a change of heart halfway through and started treated the female love interest very poorly just because he was jealous. Talk about a lack of character.
Review Date: 10/20/2023
An interesting book with lots of fascinating, behind-the-scenes details. Very quick read. Unfortunately, in my opinion, Babyak's determination to portray the escapees (especially the Anglins) as loud-mouthed idiots made the book less enjoyable. I don't understand why she held that view even after they managed to carry out the escape without anyone significant ever knowing what they were up to.
I also thought the prisoners' imagined conversations were a bit too vulgar and could've definitely been left out.
Speaking of the conversations, Babyak's attempt at writing Southern dialects was unintentionally hilarious to me.
I also thought the prisoners' imagined conversations were a bit too vulgar and could've definitely been left out.
Speaking of the conversations, Babyak's attempt at writing Southern dialects was unintentionally hilarious to me.
Review Date: 10/22/2023
A decent, standard cozy mystery, but nothing special in the writing or plot to make it stand out from the thousands of others in the genre. If you enjoy cheese and various facts about it, you'll probably get a kick out of this book.
I didn't really like Willa - like most cozy main characters, she acts like a know-it-all and won't follow the police's advice even when it's really good advice (like how not to become the next murder victim). The side characters were more appealing to me, especially Baz. If the books starred him as the main character I'd probably continue the series, but for now I'll be shelving this and moving on to something else.
I didn't really like Willa - like most cozy main characters, she acts like a know-it-all and won't follow the police's advice even when it's really good advice (like how not to become the next murder victim). The side characters were more appealing to me, especially Baz. If the books starred him as the main character I'd probably continue the series, but for now I'll be shelving this and moving on to something else.
Review Date: 2/14/2024
A fun, light read!
Review Date: 12/4/2023
Did not enjoy this book. The multiple points of view was confusing, especially in such a short book where there just isn't time to get background on all the characters. I didn't find the content inspirational or heart-warming - on the contrary, I often found it depressing or downright irritating.
Why was everyone in this small town so petty and quick to judge? Why were there so many mentions of things like abusive spouses, injured veterans, dysfunctional families, etc that really detract from the Christmas mood? Why did it take over 70 pages for God to even be mentioned in the story?
If you are looking for a quick, cozy Christmas read, I wouldn't recommend this.
Why was everyone in this small town so petty and quick to judge? Why were there so many mentions of things like abusive spouses, injured veterans, dysfunctional families, etc that really detract from the Christmas mood? Why did it take over 70 pages for God to even be mentioned in the story?
If you are looking for a quick, cozy Christmas read, I wouldn't recommend this.
Review Date: 9/20/2023
Not as cute and charming as the first book, but still cozy. The whole âmystery' in this book was really obvious, and Vera's search for info and clues was stretched out to fill pages. Other things took more precedence than the murder, like the relationship conflict. I felt like I was more or less reading a novel about Orville and Vera's relationship issues with some murder mystery elements thrown in.
I'm planning to read the third book in the series - hopefully it's more similar to the first!
I'm planning to read the third book in the series - hopefully it's more similar to the first!
Review Date: 7/20/2023
For this to be Poirot's 'last and greatest' case, I felt it was a let down. There is very little action in the book; it's mostly mental deliberation. As usual, there are dozens of red herrings and the characters are caricatures rather than actual characters.
The ending was obvious and not the least bit interesting. How many times can Christie use the one-person-is-disguised-as-another-and-manages-to-fool-everyone trope and expect her readers not to catch on?
The best thing I can say about the book is that it was fast-paced and didn't take long to read.
The ending was obvious and not the least bit interesting. How many times can Christie use the one-person-is-disguised-as-another-and-manages-to-fool-everyone trope and expect her readers not to catch on?
The best thing I can say about the book is that it was fast-paced and didn't take long to read.
Review Date: 1/19/2024
Helpful Score: 1
It's hard to give this book a rating.
Like most of Graham's books that I have read, the writing style is excellent and at times stunningly beautiful. But the plot of this novel just doesn't quite reach the level of charm found in the first one. In fact, after reading the first book for the second time, I almost felt that it would've been better off as a singular novel instead of a seriesâ¦
I think the main issue I have with this book is that it begins to stray away from the microcosm of Nampara proper. We have scenes solely involving the Warleggans, or solely involving those at Trenwith, and none of them interest me nearly as much as Ross and Co (with the exception of Verity).
Francis and Elizabeth have become extremely flat characters whose sole purpose seems to be to throw spurs under Ross' saddle (Francis by refusing to join in with the Carnmore scheme as well as blaming Ross for Verity's marriage, and Elizabeth by still attracting him on some vague level).
The Warleggans are a necessary evil so Ross continually has something to strive against (something tangible that he can potentially conquer, unlike the poverty around him or the injustices in parliament that he also raves against), but I think the story would be more interesting if we never got Warleggan's private thoughts, as we sometimes did here.
The plot with Keren, Mark, and Dwight did nothing but make me think of Dwight as an immature, unprofessional child with no experience of the world and no self-respect. He's conscious of Keren throwing herself at him, trying to get him to bend, and he willingly bends anyway� His initial resistance was a complete joke. It's a shame because he is a promising character and this blights him for the rest of the series. Graham should've let Keren have Bodrugan instead of Dwight.
With all that being said, I still love Ross. I love his wit, his barely repressed rage, his sturdiness, his devotion to his cottagers, and his will to go on. The scene of him throwing Sanson in the river is one of the highlights of the book. I'm also happy that Verity stood up for herself in this book and married Blamey.
P.S. In the first book Demelza's place of origin was written as Illugan, but in this one it reads as Illogan. I wonder why the change?
Like most of Graham's books that I have read, the writing style is excellent and at times stunningly beautiful. But the plot of this novel just doesn't quite reach the level of charm found in the first one. In fact, after reading the first book for the second time, I almost felt that it would've been better off as a singular novel instead of a seriesâ¦
I think the main issue I have with this book is that it begins to stray away from the microcosm of Nampara proper. We have scenes solely involving the Warleggans, or solely involving those at Trenwith, and none of them interest me nearly as much as Ross and Co (with the exception of Verity).
Francis and Elizabeth have become extremely flat characters whose sole purpose seems to be to throw spurs under Ross' saddle (Francis by refusing to join in with the Carnmore scheme as well as blaming Ross for Verity's marriage, and Elizabeth by still attracting him on some vague level).
The Warleggans are a necessary evil so Ross continually has something to strive against (something tangible that he can potentially conquer, unlike the poverty around him or the injustices in parliament that he also raves against), but I think the story would be more interesting if we never got Warleggan's private thoughts, as we sometimes did here.
The plot with Keren, Mark, and Dwight did nothing but make me think of Dwight as an immature, unprofessional child with no experience of the world and no self-respect. He's conscious of Keren throwing herself at him, trying to get him to bend, and he willingly bends anyway� His initial resistance was a complete joke. It's a shame because he is a promising character and this blights him for the rest of the series. Graham should've let Keren have Bodrugan instead of Dwight.
With all that being said, I still love Ross. I love his wit, his barely repressed rage, his sturdiness, his devotion to his cottagers, and his will to go on. The scene of him throwing Sanson in the river is one of the highlights of the book. I'm also happy that Verity stood up for herself in this book and married Blamey.
P.S. In the first book Demelza's place of origin was written as Illugan, but in this one it reads as Illogan. I wonder why the change?
Review Date: 9/14/2023
A very enjoyable read! The plot is a little dark but the book is interspersed with plenty of humor to keep it from being too heavy. The writing style is excellent - I felt like I could picture everything right as it was happening.
I guessed the twist, but that didn't bother me. I liked the entire cast of characters and wanted to see how everything ended for each of them, even when I was no longer trying to figure out who the villain was.
My favorite part of the book was the relationship between the sisters. It was very well-written, so realistic and believable. This also added much needed levity to the story.
I guessed the twist, but that didn't bother me. I liked the entire cast of characters and wanted to see how everything ended for each of them, even when I was no longer trying to figure out who the villain was.
My favorite part of the book was the relationship between the sisters. It was very well-written, so realistic and believable. This also added much needed levity to the story.
Review Date: 1/19/2024
This book had so much potential, but unfortunately it fell flat for me.
As other reviews have said, it's more of a chick-lit book than romance. Also, why is this labeled a Christian fiction book� It's clean-ish fiction but the only time religion is even remotely mentioned is in one brief reference to Sunday school over 200 pages in.
Cat and Zaiah had no chemistry and I just can't see a couple like them ever working. I didn't like how Zaiah had a cop-out for not liking excessive cell phone usage. Would it have been so hard to have a character opposed to that without a tragic, dramatic back story?
Also, is Zaiah his real name? I kept waiting for him to mention it being a nickname for Isaiah or something, but that never happenedâ¦
The whole story just felt unrealistic, and while there were some cute elements and funny moments, this was not my favorite read.
As other reviews have said, it's more of a chick-lit book than romance. Also, why is this labeled a Christian fiction book� It's clean-ish fiction but the only time religion is even remotely mentioned is in one brief reference to Sunday school over 200 pages in.
Cat and Zaiah had no chemistry and I just can't see a couple like them ever working. I didn't like how Zaiah had a cop-out for not liking excessive cell phone usage. Would it have been so hard to have a character opposed to that without a tragic, dramatic back story?
Also, is Zaiah his real name? I kept waiting for him to mention it being a nickname for Isaiah or something, but that never happenedâ¦
The whole story just felt unrealistic, and while there were some cute elements and funny moments, this was not my favorite read.
Review Date: 10/19/2023
So far, this book was my favorite in the series! It was much easier to keep up with all the characters and I found Salina and Will's story much more interesting than Christiana and Jeff's. Their Amish/Mennonite relationship was unique and not something I see a lot of in this type of fiction.
Throughout this book the author emphasized how you can use different ways to feel close to God. Salina mentioned praying and talking to The Lord while gardening, and Will mentioned feeling close to God while he follows his passion for cooking. It's so true that when we follow God's plan for our lives by using the talents and passions He gave us, we will feel closer to Him! I loved that message!
I also enjoyed the overall theme of following your heart. It was difficult at times to wait for the characters to make up their minds, but just like in real life, relationships aren't always easy!
One thing I noticed was that both this book and the first in the series had a domineering father that refuses to listen to his daughter until the last moment. I don't enjoy that trope and hope it is left out of the next book!
Throughout this book the author emphasized how you can use different ways to feel close to God. Salina mentioned praying and talking to The Lord while gardening, and Will mentioned feeling close to God while he follows his passion for cooking. It's so true that when we follow God's plan for our lives by using the talents and passions He gave us, we will feel closer to Him! I loved that message!
I also enjoyed the overall theme of following your heart. It was difficult at times to wait for the characters to make up their minds, but just like in real life, relationships aren't always easy!
One thing I noticed was that both this book and the first in the series had a domineering father that refuses to listen to his daughter until the last moment. I don't enjoy that trope and hope it is left out of the next book!
Review Date: 10/4/2023
An interesting book. It's worth the read just to discover the âtruth' so to speak of Frankenstein (i.e., Frankenstein isn't even the monsterâ¦)
I removed stars mainly because Victor was so whiny and unlikeable. I got tired of reading all his justifications for why he neglected his creation. Overall, I felt really bad for the monster. I also didn't like how this book was told as a story within a letter, the way Wuthering Heights or The Tenant of Wildfell hall is. Walton was a pointless character. It would've made more sense to have the book be Frankenstein's autobiography from his death bed with a final note from the monster before he went to his funeral pyre.
I removed stars mainly because Victor was so whiny and unlikeable. I got tired of reading all his justifications for why he neglected his creation. Overall, I felt really bad for the monster. I also didn't like how this book was told as a story within a letter, the way Wuthering Heights or The Tenant of Wildfell hall is. Walton was a pointless character. It would've made more sense to have the book be Frankenstein's autobiography from his death bed with a final note from the monster before he went to his funeral pyre.
Review Date: 12/17/2023
This book is well-written but nothing about it really grabbed my interest. There were a few inconsistencies that bothered me, and the way the main characters' pasts intertwined was a little too coincidental for my tastes.
I did think the historical setting was unique. I might try another of this author's books and see if I like it more.
I did think the historical setting was unique. I might try another of this author's books and see if I like it more.
Review Date: 9/17/2023
I loved the bookish aspects of this story, and the fact that it was set at Biltmore (at least at first). There are several touching, memorable quotes in Basham's writing as well.
I didn't enjoy either of the romances in the book. They both felt rushed, and Clara's story mirrored Sadie's so much (the instantaneous love affair with a handsome Englishman) that it became predictable.
Overall, it's a sweet story, and if you're looking for a cozy historical romance with a modern twist, this is the book for you!
I didn't enjoy either of the romances in the book. They both felt rushed, and Clara's story mirrored Sadie's so much (the instantaneous love affair with a handsome Englishman) that it became predictable.
Overall, it's a sweet story, and if you're looking for a cozy historical romance with a modern twist, this is the book for you!
Review Date: 10/8/2023
This was my first book from this author. I enjoyed the unique historical setting. It was evident a lot of research when into this novel. I the beginning of the book I really felt like I was experiencing the fire!
This book also has a lot more substance than you normally find in Christian fiction. It's not just a romance novel - there's a back plot involving Mollie looking out for a group of Civil War veterans that is very touching.
Unfortunately, the romance element was my least favorite part of this book. Mollie and Zack acted like high schoolers most of the time, refusing to be mature and talk things out. A love triangle (or more like love quadrilateral) developed. I didn't like the way Mollie and the colonel's relationship was handled. It felt like author gave him a bunch of random flaws all of a sudden just so Mollie would have an excuse to break up with him.
This book also has a lot more substance than you normally find in Christian fiction. It's not just a romance novel - there's a back plot involving Mollie looking out for a group of Civil War veterans that is very touching.
Unfortunately, the romance element was my least favorite part of this book. Mollie and Zack acted like high schoolers most of the time, refusing to be mature and talk things out. A love triangle (or more like love quadrilateral) developed. I didn't like the way Mollie and the colonel's relationship was handled. It felt like author gave him a bunch of random flaws all of a sudden just so Mollie would have an excuse to break up with him.
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