jsant's Reviews (1.04k)

John Lewis: A Life

4.5

emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

A well-crafted biography of Civil Rights leader, John Lewis. Focusing on his public life, his impact and his many accomplishments.

Contact

Carl Sagan

4.5

adventurous mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

It's been years since I read this book or watched the movie, so I was excited to read it again with(mostly) fresh eyes. The story on the surface is intriguing, the story underneath about religion made me think.

Its also interesting to read a "futuristic" book written years ago, where that future is now the past (the late 1990s), and to see how many of the author's predictions have come true.

The Plot

Jean Hanff Korelitz

5.0

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

A bookish thriller. It immediately caught my attention and didn't let it go. All the right twists and turns. Glad I stumbled on the NYT review of, "the sequel" so I could discover this first hook.

The Last Witch in Edinburgh

Marielle Thompson

2.75

adventurous reflective tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

This book had all the elements I love (historical fiction, witches, empowered women, etc), unfortunately it just wasn't put together in a way I could love it. Some of the themes and messages the author was trying to get across seemed a bit heavy handed and could have done with some subtlety to make them more effective.

I appreciates the Author's note at the end that gave background into the history and lore.

The Bandit Queens

Parini Shroff

3.75

dark emotional lighthearted medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Not the book I was expecting
It's an interesting glimpse into the lives of a group of women in rural India, dealing with awful husband's, a strong patriarchy, a cats system and life. How they come to lean on each other is both light hearted and dark.

The Author's note at the end made love the book even more.

Her Heart for A Compass

Sarah Ferguson Duchess of York

3.5

adventurous emotional 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: No

Historical fiction in England, Ireland, Scotland and the United States in the mid to late 1800s, following a young royal who bucks tradition, refuses to get married and instead strikes out on her own.

Garters and Gargoyles

Nancy Warren

3.0

mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Short mystery in the vampire Knitting club. Nice break between novels. I enjoy this slightly ridiculous series

The Sicilian Inheritance

Jo Piazza

4.0

mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

One of my favorite historical fiction formats - where the story bounces between a modern day person and one In the past and their stories connect. This one goes between a woman in early 1900s Sicily and one in modern times from Philadelphia who travels to Sicily to seek the truth of a possible inheritance.