mkjacobswrites's reviews
564 reviews

The Tower of Swallows by Andrzej Sapkowski

3.5

This was a good addition to the series, and I'll keep reading for sure. We got more Ciri finally, and she's starting to come into her own, though I didn't love that her sections were sometimes past tense and sometimes present. I feel like the motivations of side characters weren't always clear. It would've been nice to feel present more for action rather than having everything relayed after the fact or being in a perennial chase sequence. 

By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult

4.25

I really enjoyed Picoult's examination of how finding an ancestral connection can impact a life so profoundly in the present. Some of the feminist messaging felt overly aggressive or repetitive, but I ultimately found interest in both storylines. I would've liked to see more of Melina's actual play.

The Small and the Mighty: Twelve Unsung Americans Who Changed the Course of History by Sharon McMahon

4.0

There was some super fascinating information here. I had not heard of most of the heroes she names; I loved hearing the story behind America the Beautiful especially. The organization was sometimes hard to follow, though; tangents would stretch to multiple pages, but I wanted more focus on each person we were actually discussing.

Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World by Vivek H. Murthy

4.5

This was a powerful book with up-to-date research and ideas for how to connect our communities in an increasingly isolated world. It's easy to think "oh, that's for other people - I have plenty of friends" - and Murthy compellingly addressed that attitude, showing how deep connections are more than just someone you can technically call a friend. How many times have we hesitated to call our friends when we actually need help because it could bother them? And though loneliness affects everyone at some point, the solutions can also start small, with anyone: a kid can invite someone to sit by them at lunch. 

LifeStyled: Your Guide to a More Organized & Intentional Life by Shira Gill

4.5

This was a gorgeously put together guide with helpful categories. I am definitely going to take some of the questions Gill asked as journal prompts.

The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

4.5

Reading this along with watching the movies has been indulgent fun. There are some times in the book where the pacing drags, but that's mostly just because I can't wait to watch what happens next unfold! I love that we get to see so much interiority on the page, and the songs are a nice touch, too.

The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter

3.75

There were great moments here with a decent romance book premise, and this would probably be a great light read during the holidays. I didn't like that the protagonist conveniently forgot her first meeting with her love interest, even though we got it as a scene early on, so we knew what she was missing and it honestly seemed like she was just being mean. There were some fun Clue vibes here, but some of the side characters were underdeveloped. I also felt like the mystery pacing was often unsatisfying, leading up to the epilogue that I thought was undeserved. 

Save the Cat! Writes a Novel: The Last Book on Novel Writing You'll Ever Need by Jessica Brody

4.0

This was a cool way to look at novel structure with helpful guides, though some of the categorizations seemed more forced than others and the summaries started to get repetitive.

The Bishop's Wife by Mette Ivie Harrison

2.5

There were aspects of this story that were very intriguing or poignant, such as the contrast of one young couple being excitedly pregnant with their first daughter while another couple deals with infertility and the ward comes together for a funeral. However, the tone was extremely bitter towards the Church, callings, and men in general. A lot was misrepresented and disproportionate to anything like reality as far as I can tell. The pacing of the narrative wasn't always smooth either, and some interesting tangents were unexplored. I got so frustrated with almost every character at some point.

Everything is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo

3.75

There was a lot of promotional material in this book, but the core message had valuable reminders. It's true that we often give up rather than taking baby steps knowing that we can figure things out eventually.