ashley_schulte's reviews
252 reviews

The Shanghai Secret by Vanessa Lind

adventurous emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

I really enjoyed this story that was told both through present day eyes an eyes from the past. It was a story about two interesting women with one trying to find out the story and full picture of the other. I love how descriptive the author is of the settings throughout this book and I now want to some day visit Astoria just because of how I picture it from her descriptions. I sometimes struggle with books that go back and forth between times and perspectives, but I did not have trouble during this book. I was easily able to keep everything straight and follow along while also being anxious to go to whichever time we weren't in at that point in the book. This was a very enjoyable read about a time and place I was not familiar with. It made me want to learn more about the historical events that took place.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I made the mistake of watching the show before reading this novel. This is one where you really need to read the book and then enjoy the tv show created from it. It was different reading it and already knowing how the story ends, it would have been a much better and quicker read had it been a mystery. That said it was a good book with an interesting story and an interesting twist.

Wool by Hugh Howey

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

I first watched the tv show they made from this series and it got my interest piqued so I had to then read the book. I especially did not want to have to wait for the next season to figure out what comes next. I decided to listen to this as an Audiobook and it was great. I really enjoyed the story and it kept my interest the entire time. The narrator also did a great job. I immediately wanted to start book 2 after finishing this one. Great book. I don't know if it will be a reread anytime soon, but it was very entertaining.

Lonely Planet Experience Hawaii 1 by Lonely Planet
Did not finish book. Stopped at 16%.

Had to return to the library and went on our trip shortly after. 

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

adventurous slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

0.25

I immensely disliked this book to be perfectly honest. The only reason I finished it was because I’m stubborn and the fact that it is considered a classic. It just really irritated me from beginning to end. I am glad I got through it and I will never be reading it again. 

Dust Child by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai

emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I have not read any historical fiction books about the Vietnam War and in fact the extent of my knowledge was the very cursory education I received while I was in school, which was not a lot. This was quite eye opening and made me realize how much I don’t know about it and the lasting effects that the war had. I thought the book was well written and it was an easy read that kept my attention. The only thing I struggled with was the constant changing of characters and time periods from chapter to chapter. Overall? Great book and I would recommend giving it a read. 

The Fork, the Witch, and the Worm by Christopher Paolini

adventurous fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

This was a nice addition to the world of Eragon. It had some interesting new stories. It was not my favorite book in this world, but I did enjoy it. 

Under the Heavens by Ruth Fox

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

I truly enjoyed listening to this audiobook. It was such an original story and was quite unexpected. It takes you into space and into relationships that are hard to imagine ever being possible, which made the whole story fun and interesting. I would definitely listen to this one again or even pick up a hard copy to read it again. The author did a great job at pulling you into this science fiction novel and making a very different idea still seem relevant. The narrator was also excellent. Great job all around.

Broken Objects by Paul Michael Peters

dark hopeful sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

This was a pretty quick read that takes place during an interesting period of history that I honestly don't know a lot about. You really to feel for the main character, Linnea. She had one very tough life and it was very difficult at times to read some of the horrible things she went through. For me this one had some instances that were a little too far fetched and I believe may have gone a bit too far, but overall I enjoyed the majority of the book. I definitely could have done without the last few chapters personally and I will not be reading this book again. Overall an interesting and different historical fiction novel.

Henry: A Polish Swimmer's True Story of Friendship from Auschwitz to America by Katrina Shawver

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

Wow was this a good book. It is about a Polish swimmer who survived the concentration camps of WWII. I had never heard his story and it was fascinating, heartbreaking, and inspiring. His is a story that deserves to be told, I highly recommend reading this book. The author did a wonderful job in putting it to paper. She went back and forth between current times and interviewing him and his memories. I don't always like this way of writing, but I think she did a phenomenal job. This will definitely be going on my re-read list.