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cmclarabee's reviews
627 reviews
The Cliffs by J. Courtney Sullivan
5.0
Knocked my socks off. Absorbing personal family story coupled with fascinating and extensive research and history. Oh, and ghosts!
Be Not Far from Me by Mindy McGinnis
4.5
New author for me and the first YA book I’ve read in a long while. Gripping, thought provoking, and moving, with quite a lot of grisly details too.
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
4.25
Liz Moore won my heart and readership with Heft—particularly her compassionate portrayal of Arthur Opp. Her books since haven’t made as much of an impression on me, but I think I’ll always read whatever she writes. The God of the Woods is absorbing, but unsubtle and a bit preachy, and the bad guys are caricatures. So, a little disappointing, but there were enough interesting characters and events to hold it all together, and Moore’s writing is good, as always.
Same As It Ever Was by Claire Lombardo
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Boy did this one bowl me over! There were times in the first third or so that I had my doubts about where Lombardo was going with Julia's story, but in the end, I was humbled by the depth and grace of her portrayal of marriage, motherhood, and being an ambivalent human. Bravo!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Alcoholism
In My Time of Dying: How I Came Face to Face with the Idea of an Afterlife by Sebastian Junger
2.75
This book is a bit of a muddle, but worth reading. Junger seemed to me to be trying to cover too many things at once, and his research kind of obscured his thesis.
Within Arm's Reach by Ann Napolitano
3.75
Not the usual Irish-American family saga, in that the buttoned up McLaughlins aren’t types I really recognize. I hung in there though, and found the novel quite moving in the end. It was also the first of Napolitano’s books I’ve read, though she’s been on my radar for a while.