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obsidian_blue's reviews
3049 reviews
Soğuk Kalp by Tami Hoag
4.0
Mental note. Never ever read two dark books back to back again. I seriously had to take a reading break. Dark Places and Cold Cold Heart just made me long for sunshine and rom-com movies.
Dana’s harrowing story and her return to small town life have rekindled police and media interest in the unsolved case of her childhood best friend, Casey Grant, who disappeared without a trace the summer after their graduation from high school.
Terrified of truths long-buried, Dana reluctantly begins to look back at her past. Viewed through the dark filter of PTSD, old friends and loved ones become suspects and enemies.
Questioning everything she knows, refusing to be defined by the traumas of her past and struggling against excruciating odds, Dana seeks out a truth that may prove too terrible to be believed…
This is a continuation of the story from Tami Hoag's last book, The 9th Girl. We find out about the serial killer who eventually kidnaps Dana and rapes and beats her repeatedly with the goal of turning her into his "9th girl". I have to say I have a tough stomach, but others who may get triggered by books that go into rape and abuse may want to skip this one.
I think the reason why this one stuck in my head so bad was because Dana creeps into your skin. When we first start the book we are taken back to her about to be taken and killed by the serial killer, Doc Holiday. However, through the thought running through her brain that
Where there is life, there is hope
Dana manages to save herself.
The change in her face and personality to everyone around Dana makes you cringe and feel for her. Going from a good looking woman excited about her career and then turning into someone that can't stand for anyone to touch her with nightmares that would have grown men weeping was a lot for her to take.
Prayer. She had prayed and prayed and prayed, but no one had come to save her.
I thought Ms. Hoag realistically showed the trauma that Dana goes through and her recovery. How many times do you read a book like this and the person magically wakes up and is all better. Maybe they have a nightmare or two and the hero comes in and holds her so it makes everything all better.
Reading Dana calling herself "Before Dana" and "After Dana" and realizing that not many people were interested in "After Dana" just pulls at you. Throwing herself into finding out what happened to her best friend Casey I thought was very interesting. I was more invested in Dana and her interactions with other people though than her figuring out what happened to Casey. There was also an odd side plot that involves Dana and her stepfather that never really gets resolved so I am curious about that. Maybe Ms. Hoag will take that up in a future book.
You do want to shake Dana's mom a lot in this book since she seems to have her head fully buried about her husband, and that her daughter is not going to be the same person anymore. There was a scene where her mother is encouraging Dana to go out on a date with a former boyfriend that I cringed at.
We eventually get to what happened to Casey and who was involved though the identify of the killer didn't surprise me. If you read carefully, you could tell who it was going to be and why.
We do get a welcome look at Kovac and Tinks again. I hope that Ms. Hoag brings them back for another book. I love Kovac and Tinks.
That said, the ending just kind of happened and as I said there was the lack of resolution between Dana and her stepfather and that's why I gave this book only four stars.
Dana’s harrowing story and her return to small town life have rekindled police and media interest in the unsolved case of her childhood best friend, Casey Grant, who disappeared without a trace the summer after their graduation from high school.
Terrified of truths long-buried, Dana reluctantly begins to look back at her past. Viewed through the dark filter of PTSD, old friends and loved ones become suspects and enemies.
Questioning everything she knows, refusing to be defined by the traumas of her past and struggling against excruciating odds, Dana seeks out a truth that may prove too terrible to be believed…
This is a continuation of the story from Tami Hoag's last book, The 9th Girl. We find out about the serial killer who eventually kidnaps Dana and rapes and beats her repeatedly with the goal of turning her into his "9th girl". I have to say I have a tough stomach, but others who may get triggered by books that go into rape and abuse may want to skip this one.
I think the reason why this one stuck in my head so bad was because Dana creeps into your skin. When we first start the book we are taken back to her about to be taken and killed by the serial killer, Doc Holiday. However, through the thought running through her brain that
Where there is life, there is hope
Dana manages to save herself.
The change in her face and personality to everyone around Dana makes you cringe and feel for her. Going from a good looking woman excited about her career and then turning into someone that can't stand for anyone to touch her with nightmares that would have grown men weeping was a lot for her to take.
Prayer. She had prayed and prayed and prayed, but no one had come to save her.
I thought Ms. Hoag realistically showed the trauma that Dana goes through and her recovery. How many times do you read a book like this and the person magically wakes up and is all better. Maybe they have a nightmare or two and the hero comes in and holds her so it makes everything all better.
Reading Dana calling herself "Before Dana" and "After Dana" and realizing that not many people were interested in "After Dana" just pulls at you. Throwing herself into finding out what happened to her best friend Casey I thought was very interesting. I was more invested in Dana and her interactions with other people though than her figuring out what happened to Casey. There was also an odd side plot that involves Dana and her stepfather that never really gets resolved so I am curious about that. Maybe Ms. Hoag will take that up in a future book.
You do want to shake Dana's mom a lot in this book since she seems to have her head fully buried about her husband, and that her daughter is not going to be the same person anymore. There was a scene where her mother is encouraging Dana to go out on a date with a former boyfriend that I cringed at.
We eventually get to what happened to Casey and who was involved though the identify of the killer didn't surprise me. If you read carefully, you could tell who it was going to be and why.
We do get a welcome look at Kovac and Tinks again. I hope that Ms. Hoag brings them back for another book. I love Kovac and Tinks.
That said, the ending just kind of happened and as I said there was the lack of resolution between Dana and her stepfather and that's why I gave this book only four stars.
The House at the End of Hope Street by Menna van Praag
4.0
Though the synopsis only mentions Alba and Peggy there are actually two other women in this book as well. We also have Carmen, who is hiding something dark in the garden of the house. And we have Greer, who is fresh off dumping her fiancee after finding him with someone else.
The house itself is an entirely other character. Seriously I wish this house existed and I could visit it.
When Alba wakes all she can see are books. Thousands line every inch of every wall and the ceiling, some drift through the air like birds, lifting off from one shelf and settling on another; precarious stacks are spread across the room like skyscrapers. For a moment, Alba thinks she is dreaming.
The house does mysterious things and we also have former residents who in Alba's case she can see and talk to via the portraits on the wall.
So here's the thing. I really did like this book a lot. I really love the magical realism genre and wish that there were more books out there in this genre. However, looking back at it a day later I realized there were a lot of execution problems with this book that made it veer all over the place. I think if we had just had Alba as the main character with Peggy it would have made the book flow better. However, including Carmen and Greer's stories just made the book feel like three books in one. I was not wholly invested in anyone's story's at all throughout the entire book. And in Greer's case I was tired of her storyline by the end.
That said, the epilogue also just kind of happens and everything was wrapped up way too neatly.
I wish we had seen some of the things happen that get mention in the epilogue occur naturally in the book.
I do have to give Ms. Praag kudos for totally fooling me on a plot concerning the next house caretaker though. Other than that, this was a quirky book that I liked. I still love Ms. Praag's The Dress Shop of Dreams much better though.
The house itself is an entirely other character. Seriously I wish this house existed and I could visit it.
When Alba wakes all she can see are books. Thousands line every inch of every wall and the ceiling, some drift through the air like birds, lifting off from one shelf and settling on another; precarious stacks are spread across the room like skyscrapers. For a moment, Alba thinks she is dreaming.
The house does mysterious things and we also have former residents who in Alba's case she can see and talk to via the portraits on the wall.
So here's the thing. I really did like this book a lot. I really love the magical realism genre and wish that there were more books out there in this genre. However, looking back at it a day later I realized there were a lot of execution problems with this book that made it veer all over the place. I think if we had just had Alba as the main character with Peggy it would have made the book flow better. However, including Carmen and Greer's stories just made the book feel like three books in one. I was not wholly invested in anyone's story's at all throughout the entire book. And in Greer's case I was tired of her storyline by the end.
That said, the epilogue also just kind of happens and everything was wrapped up way too neatly.
I wish we had seen some of the things happen that get mention in the epilogue occur naturally in the book.
I do have to give Ms. Praag kudos for totally fooling me on a plot concerning the next house caretaker though. Other than that, this was a quirky book that I liked. I still love Ms. Praag's The Dress Shop of Dreams much better though.
First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen
4.0
This is the second book in the Waverley Family series by Sarah Addison Allen. I suggest you read Garden Spells before starting this book since many events from Garden Spells are referenced in this book.
Look at the cover. I seriously fell in love with that that before I cracked a page open on the book. I told myself to wait to start and finish this book but I needed a nice happy book after Dark Places and Cold Cold Heart. Little did I know there was going to be some dark subject matter in this book as well.
So I loved Garden Spells. I thought it was wonderfully written and it made me want to go out and investigate a tons of plants and flowers to see how I could include them in my cooking. This sequel I found though was pretty jumbled. There seemed to be a lot of things going on which were not really tied together like they were in Garden Spells.
We still touch about Claire and Sydney, but not enough for me.
Claire still has the ability to grow and cook things using the flowers in her garden. She has now changed careers from a caterer to making homemade candies though she feels lost now since she is no longer able to use the plants and flowers from her garden most.
Sydney is devastated that she can't get pregnant and wants to give Henry a child. Sydney is still able to style a woman or man's hair that seems to bring out something from inside them.
Bay is Sydney's 15 year old daughter who always know where things should go and is proud to embrace her Waverley heritage unlike her mother.
Things that I liked in this book.
One, the character of Bay. Two, the fact that we get to see how close Sydney and Claire have gotten in 10 years. And three, the introduction to other strange people in the town of Bascom.
I think if the book had just been focused on Bay that would have worked better. Bay and her entire plot really did work for me. Ms. Allen is able to write Bay very well and I wish she had more teenagers featured in her books. I really loved The Girl Who Chased the Moon and thought that she wrote the characters of Emily and Win. There were some shades of "Twilight" in there with those two characters, but thank goodness the other characters and plots in that book saved it from falling too deeply into that writing and storyline.
Instead we get a very weird side plot with a mysterious man that comes to town focused on Claire. That plot didn't work and it made the whole book feel off to me. I actually found myself getting annoyed by this guy and wish that he had not taken up so much room in this book. I really wish that Ms. Allen had left him mysterious instead of getting into his past. That's the part of the book that is pretty dark. It is never outright said but you find out this man was abused as a small boy.
Sydney's plot and ultimate resolution was so obvious it was almost painful.
We also don't get enough of the men in the Waverly women's lives at all. There are little asides to Henry and Tyler, but compared to the last book I wish we had got to see more into these characters' heads this time.
Look at the cover. I seriously fell in love with that that before I cracked a page open on the book. I told myself to wait to start and finish this book but I needed a nice happy book after Dark Places and Cold Cold Heart. Little did I know there was going to be some dark subject matter in this book as well.
So I loved Garden Spells. I thought it was wonderfully written and it made me want to go out and investigate a tons of plants and flowers to see how I could include them in my cooking. This sequel I found though was pretty jumbled. There seemed to be a lot of things going on which were not really tied together like they were in Garden Spells.
We still touch about Claire and Sydney, but not enough for me.
Claire still has the ability to grow and cook things using the flowers in her garden. She has now changed careers from a caterer to making homemade candies though she feels lost now since she is no longer able to use the plants and flowers from her garden most.
Sydney is devastated that she can't get pregnant and wants to give Henry a child. Sydney is still able to style a woman or man's hair that seems to bring out something from inside them.
Bay is Sydney's 15 year old daughter who always know where things should go and is proud to embrace her Waverley heritage unlike her mother.
Things that I liked in this book.
One, the character of Bay. Two, the fact that we get to see how close Sydney and Claire have gotten in 10 years. And three, the introduction to other strange people in the town of Bascom.
I think if the book had just been focused on Bay that would have worked better. Bay and her entire plot really did work for me. Ms. Allen is able to write Bay very well and I wish she had more teenagers featured in her books. I really loved The Girl Who Chased the Moon and thought that she wrote the characters of Emily and Win. There were some shades of "Twilight" in there with those two characters, but thank goodness the other characters and plots in that book saved it from falling too deeply into that writing and storyline.
Instead we get a very weird side plot with a mysterious man that comes to town focused on Claire. That plot didn't work and it made the whole book feel off to me. I actually found myself getting annoyed by this guy and wish that he had not taken up so much room in this book. I really wish that Ms. Allen had left him mysterious instead of getting into his past. That's the part of the book that is pretty dark. It is never outright said but you find out this man was abused as a small boy.
Sydney's plot and ultimate resolution was so obvious it was almost painful.
We also don't get enough of the men in the Waverly women's lives at all. There are little asides to Henry and Tyler, but compared to the last book I wish we had got to see more into these characters' heads this time.
Murder in Mesopotamia by Agatha Christie
4.0
I wish that I had liked this one more than I did (I gave it 3.5 stars but Goodreads only gives full stars so I rounded up to a 4). I think the main problem was that the story was told from Amy Leatheran's point of view.
Amy Leatheran speaks in an older voice during the course of this story though she was apparently a young nurse when this story takes place. The foreword was written by Doctor Giles Reilly (another character in the story) who mentions that it was four years ago when these events take place so she had to be in her early 30s or mid to late 30s by the time the story is told. However, she spoke as a woman in her late 50s in my opinion. She just seemed quite old in her mannerisms and thinking and how she spoke. Perhaps Ms. Christie should have aged the character. She can write younger female characters and has done so quite well before. Perhaps Ms. Leatheran was a stand in for a Miss Marple type character.
The flow of the novel through 1/4 of the story was quite slow. I found myself having trouble keeping everyone separate and trying to figure out how everyone was connected.
I was actually relieved when the actual murder took place since that meant that Poirot was soon to be on the scene.
I do always enjoy reading other character's points of view of Poirot. Ms. Leatheran talks about how short, old, and foreign Poirot is in her eyes. She even dislikes him through a good portion of the book until she realizes how smart he really is. We eventually have Ms. Leatheran stepping in for the missing Hastings and helping Poirot with his investigation of who killed Ms. Leidner. Once Poirot is on the scene the book flows much easier.
I can say that for once I guessed at who the murderer was correctly. I just didn't understand how they possibly could have done it. Once the solution was laid out it seems perfectly understandable and I felt foolish for not putting it together.
Also though I guessed the murderer it still made no sense to me how a woman like Mrs. Leidner could be totally in the dark about the identity of her killer. I just had so many questions there. I don't want to spoil for those who haven't read, but my first thought was one of incredulity when I realized who the murderer is and who they could possibly be.
I then promptly watched David Suchet in Hercule Poirot's "Murder in Mesopotamia". This one had Hastings assisting Hercule and we once again get to the same murderer. However, the set up is different with Hercule in place before Mrs. Leidner is murdered.
I do want to say a good thing for me that I did watch "Murder in Mesopotamia" this weekend. Netflix then recommended to me "Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries" and I promptly watched all of series 1 and 2. I am now in love with Essie Davis. I will have to pick up these books sometime in the future since they sound right up my alley. When I am done with Poirot it will be nice to read another novel with another female protagonist since I am now done with Miss Marple.
Amy Leatheran speaks in an older voice during the course of this story though she was apparently a young nurse when this story takes place. The foreword was written by Doctor Giles Reilly (another character in the story) who mentions that it was four years ago when these events take place so she had to be in her early 30s or mid to late 30s by the time the story is told. However, she spoke as a woman in her late 50s in my opinion. She just seemed quite old in her mannerisms and thinking and how she spoke. Perhaps Ms. Christie should have aged the character. She can write younger female characters and has done so quite well before. Perhaps Ms. Leatheran was a stand in for a Miss Marple type character.
The flow of the novel through 1/4 of the story was quite slow. I found myself having trouble keeping everyone separate and trying to figure out how everyone was connected.
I was actually relieved when the actual murder took place since that meant that Poirot was soon to be on the scene.
I do always enjoy reading other character's points of view of Poirot. Ms. Leatheran talks about how short, old, and foreign Poirot is in her eyes. She even dislikes him through a good portion of the book until she realizes how smart he really is. We eventually have Ms. Leatheran stepping in for the missing Hastings and helping Poirot with his investigation of who killed Ms. Leidner. Once Poirot is on the scene the book flows much easier.
I can say that for once I guessed at who the murderer was correctly. I just didn't understand how they possibly could have done it. Once the solution was laid out it seems perfectly understandable and I felt foolish for not putting it together.
Also though I guessed the murderer it still made no sense to me how a woman like Mrs. Leidner could be totally in the dark about the identity of her killer. I just had so many questions there. I don't want to spoil for those who haven't read, but my first thought was one of incredulity when I realized who the murderer is and who they could possibly be.
I then promptly watched David Suchet in Hercule Poirot's "Murder in Mesopotamia". This one had Hastings assisting Hercule and we once again get to the same murderer. However, the set up is different with Hercule in place before Mrs. Leidner is murdered.
I do want to say a good thing for me that I did watch "Murder in Mesopotamia" this weekend. Netflix then recommended to me "Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries" and I promptly watched all of series 1 and 2. I am now in love with Essie Davis. I will have to pick up these books sometime in the future since they sound right up my alley. When I am done with Poirot it will be nice to read another novel with another female protagonist since I am now done with Miss Marple.
The Neighbor by Dean Koontz
5.0
It's been a while since I actually read and reviewed a Dean Koontz book that was not part of his Odd Thomas series. I used to love to read Dean Koontz when I was younger and devoured Strangers, Watchers, The Servants of Twilight, Ticktock (which was more adventure/funny than scary and I loved it), and a collection of short stories that I mentioned yesterday, Strange Highways.
Then I don't know what happened. I started to find myself not loving all of his more recent fare and then just outright not liking them. I finally stopped buying his books because I felt like I was reading the same plot over and over again with new character names. I was tired of reading about this super women that seemed to have no flaws and only existed to further along the hero's plot.
I decided to take a gamble on this short story since hey it was .99 cents and clocked in at 33 pages. I have to say. I am very glad that I did.
This short story really reminded me of old school Dean Koontz. What I mean by that is that you have the story building to a climax and there are no international organizations out to destroy the world, there are no aliens, and most importantly there are no dogs.
There is just a story of 12 year old Malcolm who loves his sister Amalia the most in this world since they were dealt a crappy hand and have two parents who treat them like slaves.
So what would be the worse thing to have happen to this boy? What do you think?
This short story explores that and more. We actually have an interesting tale of a neighbor who was just a man who also was more than he appeared. And this story reminded me again that sometimes people who are truly evil can live next door.
I highly recommend!
Then I don't know what happened. I started to find myself not loving all of his more recent fare and then just outright not liking them. I finally stopped buying his books because I felt like I was reading the same plot over and over again with new character names. I was tired of reading about this super women that seemed to have no flaws and only existed to further along the hero's plot.
I decided to take a gamble on this short story since hey it was .99 cents and clocked in at 33 pages. I have to say. I am very glad that I did.
This short story really reminded me of old school Dean Koontz. What I mean by that is that you have the story building to a climax and there are no international organizations out to destroy the world, there are no aliens, and most importantly there are no dogs.
There is just a story of 12 year old Malcolm who loves his sister Amalia the most in this world since they were dealt a crappy hand and have two parents who treat them like slaves.
So what would be the worse thing to have happen to this boy? What do you think?
This short story explores that and more. We actually have an interesting tale of a neighbor who was just a man who also was more than he appeared. And this story reminded me again that sometimes people who are truly evil can live next door.
I highly recommend!
Sylvester by Georgette Heyer
5.0
This is my January read from the Dead Writer's Society.
I have never read Georgette Heyer before but I am going to have to add this author to my must read list for 2016 I think. I don't have much free book time these days it feels like.
This book was snappy, funny, and the hero and heroine were wonderfully perfect for one another. I was surprised to see how much I liked Sylvester and adored the character of Phoebe.
I was worried at first I wouldn't be very interested in it since the first chapter I found to be a bit slow. However, after the first chapter I found the book flow much easier. At first Sylvester seems distant and cold. I thought Ms. Heyer doing a very nice job showing the layers of Sylvester. And I did feel badly for him once you realize besides his anger at Phoebe of being rejected from a proposal he wasn't going to give, his feelings are also hurt. In his mind, what girl doesn't want to marry a duke.
But the discovery of Phoebe had decided he was not at all the sort of man she wished to marry had made Sylvester furious. While he believed her to be eloping with her true love he bore her no ill-will; but the case was now altered, and the more the thought of it the more did the wound to his self-esteem smart.
I initially felt that Phoebe was foolish and way too stubborn. However, once again Ms. Heyer was able to show the layers to this character. You feel for Phoebe being brought up by a woman she despises and who dislikes her just as much.
This book reminded me a bit of Catherine Coulter's Midsummer Magic with the two leads disliking each other at first sight. And in that case the heroine was also a great horsewoman who cared more for them than men.
Some people may be a bit put off by the writing. This reminded me of a lot of regency romance reads that my mother used to have hidden on her side of the bed. I actually prefer this writing and dialogue compared to many romances taking place in regency days and having the hero and heroine use modern slang. It drives me up the wall when they do.
The other characters in this book are quite well rounded and totally made me crack up at their pushing and pulling to get these two people together.
I was very happy to have read this book and definitely will check out more from this author in the future.
I have never read Georgette Heyer before but I am going to have to add this author to my must read list for 2016 I think. I don't have much free book time these days it feels like.
This book was snappy, funny, and the hero and heroine were wonderfully perfect for one another. I was surprised to see how much I liked Sylvester and adored the character of Phoebe.
I was worried at first I wouldn't be very interested in it since the first chapter I found to be a bit slow. However, after the first chapter I found the book flow much easier. At first Sylvester seems distant and cold. I thought Ms. Heyer doing a very nice job showing the layers of Sylvester. And I did feel badly for him once you realize besides his anger at Phoebe of being rejected from a proposal he wasn't going to give, his feelings are also hurt. In his mind, what girl doesn't want to marry a duke.
But the discovery of Phoebe had decided he was not at all the sort of man she wished to marry had made Sylvester furious. While he believed her to be eloping with her true love he bore her no ill-will; but the case was now altered, and the more the thought of it the more did the wound to his self-esteem smart.
I initially felt that Phoebe was foolish and way too stubborn. However, once again Ms. Heyer was able to show the layers to this character. You feel for Phoebe being brought up by a woman she despises and who dislikes her just as much.
This book reminded me a bit of Catherine Coulter's Midsummer Magic with the two leads disliking each other at first sight. And in that case the heroine was also a great horsewoman who cared more for them than men.
Some people may be a bit put off by the writing. This reminded me of a lot of regency romance reads that my mother used to have hidden on her side of the bed. I actually prefer this writing and dialogue compared to many romances taking place in regency days and having the hero and heroine use modern slang. It drives me up the wall when they do.
The other characters in this book are quite well rounded and totally made me crack up at their pushing and pulling to get these two people together.
I was very happy to have read this book and definitely will check out more from this author in the future.
Last Call by Alice Clayton
5.0
This is the final book in The Cocktail series by Alice Clayton. Though the other books in the series are full length novels this one is a novella clocking in at 177 pages. I was able to finish this in one day so if you are thinking of buying it know that it is going to be a really fast read. I can honestly say I was surprised that Ms. Clayton chose to end the series with a novella. I really did enjoy this book and wish that we had gotten a novel length ending to the story of Caroline and Simon. Maybe we will see them pop up in future books, which will be nice.
So all of my former comments/complaints about the previous books in this series have evaporated in this last book.
We have a mature and happy Caroline and Simon together. Caroline is dealing with the fact that many of her friends are married, engaged, and/or having a baby. She finds that though she is happy to be with Simon and living together, a part of her is hesitant to get married. And I really love the discussion between the character of Caroline with several other characters about that fact. She is happy in her career and her life. She wants to be with Simon always. Marriage still gives her pause (which is a perfectly natural state to be in) and so does having children.
We also have Ms. Clayton incorporating San Francisco into this book more than she has done in prior books. I really did feel as if this book was taking place there, and not Anywhere, USA.
There were also really hilarious and funny moments and dialogue which I chuckled out loud to a few times. Unlike with before when I thought Ms. Clayton relied too heavily on the text messages between characters, she employs that again here, but in this case, it worked, and made the scene even funnier.
The sex scenes unlike in previous novels did not feel like too much. Though I have to say that a man with Simon's staying power cannot be believed. It seems like they have sex pretty much everyday. I love that Simon and Caroline are really hot for each other though I think it's unrealistic to have sex everyday at least two to three times per day. Do these people ever do anything else?
Also the secondary characters like Sophia and Neil and others did not overwhelm the main story. We got looks at previous characters from the other books, Vi and Clark and Chloe and Lucas which was nice.
The writing flowed very naturally and the plot worked together very well. I even had a tear in my eye at a critical point in the story after reading this:
Hey and babe were now officially the most beautiful words in the English language.
I do think that the way this ended could lead to another book in the series or at least a novella which I think would be welcomed by many readers.
In sum, Last Call went out with a bang!
So all of my former comments/complaints about the previous books in this series have evaporated in this last book.
We have a mature and happy Caroline and Simon together. Caroline is dealing with the fact that many of her friends are married, engaged, and/or having a baby. She finds that though she is happy to be with Simon and living together, a part of her is hesitant to get married. And I really love the discussion between the character of Caroline with several other characters about that fact. She is happy in her career and her life. She wants to be with Simon always. Marriage still gives her pause (which is a perfectly natural state to be in) and so does having children.
We also have Ms. Clayton incorporating San Francisco into this book more than she has done in prior books. I really did feel as if this book was taking place there, and not Anywhere, USA.
There were also really hilarious and funny moments and dialogue which I chuckled out loud to a few times. Unlike with before when I thought Ms. Clayton relied too heavily on the text messages between characters, she employs that again here, but in this case, it worked, and made the scene even funnier.
The sex scenes unlike in previous novels did not feel like too much. Though I have to say that a man with Simon's staying power cannot be believed. It seems like they have sex pretty much everyday. I love that Simon and Caroline are really hot for each other though I think it's unrealistic to have sex everyday at least two to three times per day. Do these people ever do anything else?
Also the secondary characters like Sophia and Neil and others did not overwhelm the main story. We got looks at previous characters from the other books, Vi and Clark and Chloe and Lucas which was nice.
The writing flowed very naturally and the plot worked together very well. I even had a tear in my eye at a critical point in the story after reading this:
Hey and babe were now officially the most beautiful words in the English language.
I do think that the way this ended could lead to another book in the series or at least a novella which I think would be welcomed by many readers.
In sum, Last Call went out with a bang!
Three Act Tragedy by Agatha Christie
5.0
This book did start off really slow. The first few pages were setting the scene so to speak and it was good to set up all of the characters.
However, this story was told from Hercule Poirot's friend Mr. Satterthwaite third person point of view. I realize that I really don't care for most of the Poirot stories unless they are told from Captain Hasting's points of view. Probably because Hastings is an excellent stand in for the reader and his mind goes to where most readers go to when trying to solve the murders. Satterthwaite is no Hastings.
We have three murders for Poirot and when you see how the things tied together you go to yourself, aha. Of course this makes sense. Honestly I am curious about how Agatha Christie wrote. Did she write the endings to her books and work her way back? I always think that things make such sense when you get to the end but I am always wrong about who the murderer is and she does such a great job of showing you plenty of other potential suspects.
I thought this book though I rated it five stars was a bit stiff in certain places. The writing didn't flow as naturally as it did for Lord Edgware Dies. I thought they had a more interesting cast of characters in that one too.
Of course in the final denouement we have Poirot revealing all to the assembled and I thought it was very clever how the murder set everything into motion. I will admit I didn't even try to figure out who the murderer was in this one and just sat back and enjoyed it.
However, this story was told from Hercule Poirot's friend Mr. Satterthwaite third person point of view. I realize that I really don't care for most of the Poirot stories unless they are told from Captain Hasting's points of view. Probably because Hastings is an excellent stand in for the reader and his mind goes to where most readers go to when trying to solve the murders. Satterthwaite is no Hastings.
We have three murders for Poirot and when you see how the things tied together you go to yourself, aha. Of course this makes sense. Honestly I am curious about how Agatha Christie wrote. Did she write the endings to her books and work her way back? I always think that things make such sense when you get to the end but I am always wrong about who the murderer is and she does such a great job of showing you plenty of other potential suspects.
I thought this book though I rated it five stars was a bit stiff in certain places. The writing didn't flow as naturally as it did for Lord Edgware Dies. I thought they had a more interesting cast of characters in that one too.
Of course in the final denouement we have Poirot revealing all to the assembled and I thought it was very clever how the murder set everything into motion. I will admit I didn't even try to figure out who the murderer was in this one and just sat back and enjoyed it.
Lord Edgware Dies by Agatha Christie
5.0
Lord Edgware started off a bit bumpy for me due to some of the racial slurs and stereotypes that were being thrown around by some of the characters. I really did have a hard time going on with the book after the "n" word was said. I literally closed it and said the hell with this. What disturbs me is that this isn't the first time I started to see the casual racism in Agatha Christie's works. The Big Four and it's racism towards Asians. There was also the calling out of young women who claimed rape to get money or married and how women falling in love with one another was not what they really wanted, they really do just want to get married to a man and live happily ever after in Nemesis. I do still love Agatha Christie's works but am starting to realize that if she and I ever met we probably wouldn't get on so to speak.
The story is once again told from the perspective of Captain Hastings who is back in England from his home in Argentina. He remarks that the people involved are long gone and many did not realize that Poirot had a hand with the murderer being captured.
This was a really quick read for me and I loved how there were so many viable suspects for who could have killed Lord Edgware. What really got me was that I was so smug halfway through by thinking I knew who killed Lord Edgware. I literally had my mouth hanging open when at the final denouement Hercule Poirot explains who the real murderer is and why they did. In the end, we have Hastings as the narrator including a letter the murder sent to Hercule Poirot prior to them being hanged. I can say that all signs points to the murder being a total narcissist and sociopath. I honestly didn't see it and I can say that no matter how smart I think I am, Agatha Christie is always one upping me.
Still very glad that I read this and now onward to Three Act Tragedy.
The story is once again told from the perspective of Captain Hastings who is back in England from his home in Argentina. He remarks that the people involved are long gone and many did not realize that Poirot had a hand with the murderer being captured.
This was a really quick read for me and I loved how there were so many viable suspects for who could have killed Lord Edgware. What really got me was that I was so smug halfway through by thinking I knew who killed Lord Edgware. I literally had my mouth hanging open when at the final denouement Hercule Poirot explains who the real murderer is and why they did. In the end, we have Hastings as the narrator including a letter the murder sent to Hercule Poirot prior to them being hanged. I can say that all signs points to the murder being a total narcissist and sociopath. I honestly didn't see it and I can say that no matter how smart I think I am, Agatha Christie is always one upping me.
Still very glad that I read this and now onward to Three Act Tragedy.
Yes Please by Amy Poehler
5.0
So I previously read Tina Fey's memoir Bossypants and thought it was interesting to get her perspective on being a woman in comedy. There were parts of her memoir that I wished that she had shared more personal details with me as a reader. I think the goal of a good memoir is that it is about opening yourself up to the faceless reader and letting them know about events and people that shaped you. It helps if you have something to share or some experience that makes a reader feel a certain kinship with you. The worst memoirs I have read through the years are the ones were the author doesn't seem to learn a blessed thing and blames everything on outside parties. Or the book feels scattered because they are telling you point blank there are other details that would explain things but they are not going to explain them because they are private. I dislike memoirs like that because all I want to ask is "well why did you write this?"
Amy Poehler's Yes Please ultimately clicked for me in a way that Tina Fey's memoir never did. Amy Poehler draws you in and tells you about proud moments and not so proud moments of things she has done. I felt like I was unwinding with a good friend while drinking some wine and she was just shooting the shit (so to speak) with me.
The memoir does jump around a bit and it is not told in a straight orderly line, but I was able to follow everything and loved this book to bits.
Probably for the first time ever I would recommend people buy this book in hardcover. I borrowed this from my local library (which I was only allowed a 14 day borrowing period) and it was so sparkly, vibrant, and beautiful. I know another post I took pictures to show everyone but it was just lit up with color. Also one of the sections was pretty cool since she set aside space for the reader to write down the story of their birth as told to them by their parents. I honestly teared up a bit at that point because I know the story of my birth, but my parents are no longer around. She tells everyone to go and call their mom and dad and tell them that you love them and boy do I echo that one. Even if you are having a fight right now because your mother asked you why are you still alone or criticized something you said, wore, or did, just get over it. Parents mean well. And just think their mom and dad did the same thing to them.
This entire memoir was such a fast read. I actually had trouble putting it down since I was trying to finish up A Game of Thrones before the end of the year and I sneak peeked at this book.
I was so happy that the first book I read in 2015 was such a great one and that it really resonated with me.
Amy Poehler's Yes Please ultimately clicked for me in a way that Tina Fey's memoir never did. Amy Poehler draws you in and tells you about proud moments and not so proud moments of things she has done. I felt like I was unwinding with a good friend while drinking some wine and she was just shooting the shit (so to speak) with me.
The memoir does jump around a bit and it is not told in a straight orderly line, but I was able to follow everything and loved this book to bits.
Probably for the first time ever I would recommend people buy this book in hardcover. I borrowed this from my local library (which I was only allowed a 14 day borrowing period) and it was so sparkly, vibrant, and beautiful. I know another post I took pictures to show everyone but it was just lit up with color. Also one of the sections was pretty cool since she set aside space for the reader to write down the story of their birth as told to them by their parents. I honestly teared up a bit at that point because I know the story of my birth, but my parents are no longer around. She tells everyone to go and call their mom and dad and tell them that you love them and boy do I echo that one. Even if you are having a fight right now because your mother asked you why are you still alone or criticized something you said, wore, or did, just get over it. Parents mean well. And just think their mom and dad did the same thing to them.
This entire memoir was such a fast read. I actually had trouble putting it down since I was trying to finish up A Game of Thrones before the end of the year and I sneak peeked at this book.
I was so happy that the first book I read in 2015 was such a great one and that it really resonated with me.