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nicoleswanson's reviews
224 reviews
Behind the Palace Doors: Five Centuries of Sex, Adventure, Vice, Treachery, and Folly from Royal Britain by Michael Farquhar
4.0
Not my favorite, but that’s my fault. I should have realized that any book on the British monarchy would have a series of people with the same name and the same title doing much of the same thing.
I had a hard time keeping straight who was who and who did what. But again, no fault of the writer. It was very well written and made these historical figures seem very relatable. A super enjoyable book, even if all the Georges are now the same person in my mind.
I had a hard time keeping straight who was who and who did what. But again, no fault of the writer. It was very well written and made these historical figures seem very relatable. A super enjoyable book, even if all the Georges are now the same person in my mind.
Buzz, Sting, Bite: Why We Need Insects by Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson
5.0
Absolutely wonderful. I immediately put her other books on my tbr list.
A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang
2.75
I wanted to like this more. The descriptions and the emotions are beautiful and well written. The observations about the the failings of humanity poignant.
Unfortunately the plot is filled with so many holes it leaks like a sieve- and written in a way that makes those holes distracting.
Maybe had it been written differently you wouldn’t have noticed or cared, but the way it was I couldn’t help but be torn out of the emotion and beauty and into the “reality” of it which was sorely lacking.
A shame, really.
Unfortunately the plot is filled with so many holes it leaks like a sieve- and written in a way that makes those holes distracting.
Maybe had it been written differently you wouldn’t have noticed or cared, but the way it was I couldn’t help but be torn out of the emotion and beauty and into the “reality” of it which was sorely lacking.
A shame, really.
The Big Sort: Why the Clustering of Like-Minded American Is Tearing Us Apart by Bill Bishop
3.75
I did this one as an audiobook and to be honest probably shouldn’t have. I may reread the physical copy and amend my rating, but it was a bit hard to follow and very repetitive. However, again, that was the audio version and maybe it’s just a book better read in other ways.
There were some great nuggets, some studies that were really fascinating. But overall it felt like I was hearing hours of what seemed common sense to me and not particularly worth writing a whole book about. I think perhaps it would have been better as an article.
There were some great nuggets, some studies that were really fascinating. But overall it felt like I was hearing hours of what seemed common sense to me and not particularly worth writing a whole book about. I think perhaps it would have been better as an article.
A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Really enjoyed this one as an audiobook- there are two narrators for the two different perspectives.
I enjoyed that magic in this world isn’t explained very much. The story is about the growth of the characters and an in depth description of mechanics of magic would have just taken away from that. The reason that the people in this book can do magic or how they do it is irrelevant. Really, even their ability to do it isn’t as important as their motivations and personalities.
The villain is not dangerous because they can do magic. They’re dangerous because they are ruthless.
I also love that the heroine is not overpowered. Being strong, doing what she needs to do, it’s difficult. She fails in many ways. It makes her real.
I enjoyed that magic in this world isn’t explained very much. The story is about the growth of the characters and an in depth description of mechanics of magic would have just taken away from that. The reason that the people in this book can do magic or how they do it is irrelevant. Really, even their ability to do it isn’t as important as their motivations and personalities.
The villain is not dangerous because they can do magic. They’re dangerous because they are ruthless.
I also love that the heroine is not overpowered. Being strong, doing what she needs to do, it’s difficult. She fails in many ways. It makes her real.