phantom_librarian's reviews
94 reviews

The Final Solution: A Story of Detection by Michael Chabon

challenging slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

1.5

I wanted this to focus more on the Jewish boy who fled Nazi Germany. He was almost an afterthought. I found the style, which I presume was to emulate that of Conan Doyle, to be so ponderous it was annoying. It obscured any enjoyment of the supposed story here.

No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister

5.0

The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett by Chelsea Sedoti

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

4.75

On a whim, I checked out this e-audiobook for a light summer listen. I did not expect to be so blown away. It's the type of book I wish they had written 50 years ago when I was 17 like the main character.

Hawthorn feels like an outsider and that she is not living a normal high school life. Stuck with a weird name, living an unwanted vegan life her hippy mother foists on her, not ever asked to a dance, she felt pathetic. And then Lizzy disappears. Every boy notices Lizzy and Hawthorn is fascinated by her.

What isn't in this book? Hawthorn has her own theory of what happened to Lizzy, and it's not a popular one. In the course of her "investigation", Hawthorn is confronted with teasing, bullying, first love, facing the finality of the death of people close to her, depression and what is "normal". And her first person narration eases us, the reader through these challenges, with insights, discoveries and realizations.

I cannot know what would have been the effect of reading of someone struggling as I did would have had on me 50 years ago, but I'd like to have had a chance. Though parts of this book may be regarded as depressing, I finished this book feeling uplifted. I want to re-listen and make notes of some of the observations so I can remind myself of facing challenges in my own life.

I have not read any of the other reviews of this book; I did not want to know and be swayed by them. I will note, this is not a mystery, nor is it a comedy, as the blurb suggests.

I can imagine some finding too much crammed into a book, or the book being unrealistic. I could agree, but for a girl who had/has felt like a freak, it's nice to see someone rise above it and find that not knowing what's coming isn't as frightening or crippling as it may seem. 

My local library does not have this book, and I'll be recommending for them. 

Without a Trace by Colleen Coble

mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

2.75

Christian

The Train in the Meadow by Robert Nathan

challenging slow-paced

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

1.0

While Justice Sleeps by Stacey Abrams

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

The audiobook is marred by the choice of reader. The main character, a woman of grit who made her way through law school despite the challenge of living with a drug-addicted mother, is jarringly done with a breathy voice. I suspect the narrator was attempting to depict the overwhelming challenge the protagonist is facing, but it diminishes the character too much. I may try reading the novel to see if it feels differently.

The Afterlife of Holly Chase by Cynthia Hand

adventurous hopeful lighthearted reflective fast-paced

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

4.25

This has a very Jasper Fforde feel to it. The made-up technology is worked into the story with little explanation of its origin,

especially since the company has been around for over 170 years

.  The world of the company exists and the reader is left to accept it. Some will find it amusing, absorbing, whatever, and others will probably reject it as silly or ludicrous. This might be why it struck me as so Fforde-esque. 

I totally enjoyed Holly's "voice". Though occasionally snarky, she comes to have a purity of purpose. She does use people, like Stephanie, but she comes around. It is a story of redemption. I really enjoyed it.

The Clutter Corpse by Simon Brett

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Minor: Addiction and Drug use

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton

4.0

The Lifeboat by Charlotte Rogan

3.0