lisabage's reviews
571 reviews

The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer

adventurous hopeful mysterious 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

4.0

“A magical realm beckons two friends to confront their traumatic past and rescue a missing sister, blurring the lines between reality and fantasy.” 

 

Such a great fantasy world, with interesting characters, sisterly love, and a sweet romance. Highly recommended for people who love the idea of falling into an alternate world of magic. 

I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalie Sue

challenging emotional funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A quick corporate comedy with some romance on the side. The trials and tribulations of a cubicle-bound woman trying to just exist. When she’s accidentally given access to the whole offices emails and chats, things go from bad to worse. Highly recommended to anyone who’s ever felt trapped by their jobs. 

“So many office situations show no regard for people with anxiety, yet we’re the bad guys if we can’t cope.”

The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise by Colleen Oakley

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted fast-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? Yes

4.0

A fun road trip mystery adventure with a young woman and an old woman. I liked  watching their relationship and how they helped each other along the way. Not a very complicated story but the plot was interesting and the writing was solid. 

The Mango Tree: A Memoir of Fruit, Florida, and Felony by Annabelle Tometich

challenging emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

4.0

An amazing well crafted coming of age memoir. A half filipino young girl desperately hides her embarrassment of her mother and her culture while growing up in Ft Myers. But in adulthood, she comes to understand more. A touching story of how a girl interprets her mother’s mental struggles, and how family overcomes even the worst episodes to strengthen future generations. Highly recommended for mothers and daughter. 

The Forest of Lost Souls by Dean Koontz

adventurous dark mysterious fast-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? Yes

4.0

A slowly unfolding mystery with a strong female lead character. A sprinkle of romance, some interesting bad guys, with wolves and dogs and a touch of the supernatural. Enjoyable read, although the first 1/3 of the book feels like Koontz swallowed a thesaurus. The MC lives remotely and I believe he was trying to set that scene, but it was more distracting than helpful. Still recommended, and know the last 2/3s is more normal.

The Restless Wave: A Novel of the United States Navy by Admiral James Stavridis, USN

adventurous informative medium-paced

3.75

Audiobook. Good narration and interesting story. A bit slow at times and somewhat predictable. Follows a young sailor from the naval academy through Pearl Harbor. Recommended for history buffs. 

The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny

adventurous mysterious tense 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

4.5

A solid mystery and characters we already love. Not her best, and a cliffhanger ending which was a bit frustrating. But still a solid Gamache story. 

James by Percival Everett

challenging reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

Almost didn’t make it through this one. The first half was so slow and too closely followed Huck. Felt like the author was more interested in being clever than writing something interesting. But once Huck was out of the picture and even when he came back, I saw what so many critics and others became enamored with. 

By the Light of Dead Stars by Andrew Van Wey

adventurous emotional mysterious 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

Through 80% I thought, yeah, this is okay. Reasonable interesting, likable characters, well plotted. But then the last 20% was more creative, faster paced, and really filled out the character arcs. Great and highly recommended read. 

We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer

challenging mysterious tense fast-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

4.0

A good start to October. A simple start, solid suspenseful build up, and a knockout ending. The ending was a bit unsatisfying and a lot unsettling. Recommended for a suspenseful light and creepy mystery.