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mrs_a_is_a_book_nerd's Reviews (456)
Audio. The third installment of _The Inheritance Games_ series did not disappoint. The mysteries of these books, framed as challenges, puzzles, riddles, and games are smart and unique and intriguing. I found myself working to unravel the answers right along with the characters. Each character has his/her own personality, so much so that I could anticipate how a character would react or respond to a given situation in the story. It made them seem real. I really enjoyed this series.
Audio. 17 hours. I'll start by saying that I enjoyed the book...for a while. By hour ~10 I was feeling like I was in the audience at a performance of "The Song That Never Ends." By hour 13, I wanted to quit, but having invested 13 hours of listening, I felt I'd be giving away a part of my life for nought. By the end, I wished I had quit earlier.
In my opinion, this was a book that tried to do and be too much. A mysterious, all-knowing plague doctor; a psychotic, blood-lusting footman; unreliable narrators galore; a deadline; body-shifting; false identities; red herrings; suspects made into corpses; allies who aren't; questionably trustworthy internal voices stemming from memories that can't be recalled... It had gothic elements, horror elements, sci fi elements, fantasy elements. It was part murder mystery, part morality play, and part hallucination after a bad batch of psychedelic mushrooms.
A lot of people seem to have liked it, and it's undeniably a feat of imagination and plotting, so maybe I'm not bright enough for a book like this, but I ended the experience feeling exhausted and relieved rather than entertained and satisfied.
In my opinion, this was a book that tried to do and be too much. A mysterious, all-knowing plague doctor; a psychotic, blood-lusting footman; unreliable narrators galore; a deadline; body-shifting; false identities; red herrings; suspects made into corpses; allies who aren't; questionably trustworthy internal voices stemming from memories that can't be recalled... It had gothic elements, horror elements, sci fi elements, fantasy elements. It was part murder mystery, part morality play, and part hallucination after a bad batch of psychedelic mushrooms.
A lot of people seem to have liked it, and it's undeniably a feat of imagination and plotting, so maybe I'm not bright enough for a book like this, but I ended the experience feeling exhausted and relieved rather than entertained and satisfied.
I enjoyed this mystery/adventure set in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The shifting POV between the narrator's present life and her childhood, paired with her childhood perspectives of her father made for an interesting narrative with complex, dynamic characters.
Audio. Have to say I was disappointed after reading Perfect Marriage. This book was corny to the extreme.
About half the time it played like a teen suspense thriller with plenty of, "No! Don't go in there!" moments.
Another part of the time it was steamy Harlequin romance. But not even in a good way. Like cliche and cringey. I listened to the end, but I don't think the twist at the end made the rest of the book worthwhile. I guess I enjoyed it for the comic aspects, but I don't think that's what most readers are expecting from this author, and the humor was only so because it was so ironic.
About half the time it played like a teen suspense thriller with plenty of, "No! Don't go in there!" moments.
Another part of the time it was steamy Harlequin romance. But not even in a good way. Like cliche and cringey. I listened to the end, but I don't think the twist at the end made the rest of the book worthwhile. I guess I enjoyed it for the comic aspects, but I don't think that's what most readers are expecting from this author, and the humor was only so because it was so ironic.
I am a devout snob about romance novels, but I loved, Loved, LOVED this one! Clever and funny, this book manages to be witty while poignant, smart while irreverent, and heartwarming while insightful. Don Tillman's character is an ironic joy, and the experience of understanding his situation as the reader better than he understands it himself made me root for him to find love all the more. I chewed the audiobook up in like two days and immediately checked out its sequel. Dammit, Simsion: You made a romance reader out of me!
I read the vast majority and appreciated the many insights I gained on my codependency and some of its resultant behaviors. It is, as advertised, a book geared toward loved ones of substance users/alcoholics, so there was a fair amount I struggled to relate to, and ultimately, I left off finishing it for another time.
Another fun episode in the Don and Rosie saga that began with The Rosie Project. One of the things I love about these books is how Don, a man everyone believes is on the spectrum, comes to truths leading to understandings and approaches to love, friendship, marriage, and other human experiences. With his knowledge of genetics and growing understandings of psychology aided by his professor friends, Don boils human behavior down into unemotional truths about what we as humans all want and the ways we behave because of it. His revelations lead readers to reflect on the ways those truths play out in their own lives, and his approaches to problem-solve can lay a path to understanding how we can see our own lives and the relationships in them.
Backman has done it again. The third and final installment in the Beartown series was a satisfying wrap-up that alternately led me to mourn and to celebrate the best and the worst in us all. Listening to this on audio was like returning to a place I've once lived and hearing about what happened to all the residents who used to be my neighbors and friends.
I still count _Us Against You_ as my favorite of the three, but _The Winners_ comes in as a strong runner-up.
Backman has a gift of giving us characters and stories that tune our heart's ears into the soul of what it is to be human, not with judgement, but with a mixture of mournful acceptance and hopeful awe at what each and every one of us is capable of in our best and worst moments.
Bravo and thank you, Mr. Backman.
I still count _Us Against You_ as my favorite of the three, but _The Winners_ comes in as a strong runner-up.
Backman has a gift of giving us characters and stories that tune our heart's ears into the soul of what it is to be human, not with judgement, but with a mixture of mournful acceptance and hopeful awe at what each and every one of us is capable of in our best and worst moments.
Bravo and thank you, Mr. Backman.