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reading_with_t's Reviews (656)
Curious. Mysterious. Secretive.
This was my first Agatha Christie read! I had never read one of her books before, but after reading this one, I am definitely adding some of her others to my TBR!
It was mysterious, in a calm and collected way. The Murder leaves many questions for everyone involved and brings to light different aspects of many lives. The constant secrets and deviousness added to the suspense.
Although I guessed the ending, it still made for a wonderful read! Have you read it? What are your thoughts?
This was my first Agatha Christie read! I had never read one of her books before, but after reading this one, I am definitely adding some of her others to my TBR!
It was mysterious, in a calm and collected way. The Murder leaves many questions for everyone involved and brings to light different aspects of many lives. The constant secrets and deviousness added to the suspense.
Although I guessed the ending, it still made for a wonderful read! Have you read it? What are your thoughts?
"What was worse, we asked ourselves, to sit and wait for our own deaths with proper somber faces? Or to choose our own happiness?"
Reminiscent. Calm. Relaxing.
This book flowed throughout the different characters' lives quite well, giving you pause to think about some comments as having deeper meaning. It slowly moved through, detailing different stories as memories, giving the reader insight into the characters' actions and thinking. A drawback was that even with as much detail given on the characters, somehow they still feel 2D and you don't really feel anything towards them. The book is based on quite a few lives and yet it doesn't force the reader to develop this emotional attachment to them, unfortunately. Otherwise, there was good detail, flow and unraveling of memories. A nice, relaxing read!
Reminiscent. Calm. Relaxing.
This book flowed throughout the different characters' lives quite well, giving you pause to think about some comments as having deeper meaning. It slowly moved through, detailing different stories as memories, giving the reader insight into the characters' actions and thinking. A drawback was that even with as much detail given on the characters, somehow they still feel 2D and you don't really feel anything towards them. The book is based on quite a few lives and yet it doesn't force the reader to develop this emotional attachment to them, unfortunately. Otherwise, there was good detail, flow and unraveling of memories. A nice, relaxing read!
Petty. Immature. Exaggerated.
Overall this book was a quick, easy read, with some societal issues highlighted and debated by the characters throughout Reid's work.
The characters all seemed petty - Alex, Emira, Kelley. They were all holding grudges from a decade ago or just assuming what someone else had done and taking petty actions rather than walking away or moving on.
This immaturity with the characters made this read difficult for me to connect with. High school is one period of time, and after ten years so much more has happened with these characters that I can't understand why they're so hung up. Especially after reading the ending.
Each small incident was blown into a large deal with characters focusing on tiny inconveniences rather than the larger issues. I would have preferred the characters to be more mature and take real action to fix issues that actually affected their lives and futures.
I might have had high expectations because of bookstagram, but this was not a favourite for me. What did you think?
Overall this book was a quick, easy read, with some societal issues highlighted and debated by the characters throughout Reid's work.
The characters all seemed petty - Alex, Emira, Kelley. They were all holding grudges from a decade ago or just assuming what someone else had done and taking petty actions rather than walking away or moving on.
This immaturity with the characters made this read difficult for me to connect with. High school is one period of time, and after ten years so much more has happened with these characters that I can't understand why they're so hung up. Especially after reading the ending.
Each small incident was blown into a large deal with characters focusing on tiny inconveniences rather than the larger issues. I would have preferred the characters to be more mature and take real action to fix issues that actually affected their lives and futures.
I might have had high expectations because of bookstagram, but this was not a favourite for me. What did you think?
Emotional. Captivating. Struggle.
This was not a book I ever would have picked up. Learning about the lives of a band through the 70s-90s, in an interview format no less - I would not have imagined enjoying this.
BUT WOW.
This book grabbed me within the first two pages and I flew through it. The characters are well-rounded, real people. They make you feel what they're feeling - grieving when they grieve, loving as they love, and struggling as they struggle. It was so captivating and engaging quicker than any fictional drama I have ever read. The reader is brought alongside the band through memories and reminiscing, knowing they fall apart when you start, but hoping otherwise.
Reid writing this as an interview gave insight and depth to the characters like you wouldn't imagine. Hearing them explain their own struggles and situations makes the reader feel like the interviewer themself. Each character had their own way of speaking, their own nuances and catch-phrases - I can see how an audiobook of this read would be phenomenal - and I don't listen to books.
This book blew me away from start to finish. There was nothing in this book that stood out or caught me off-guard, which I think added to how real the book felt. This band could've existed. These struggles were struggles that many people have - addiction, balancing family and work, expectations, disappointment, and so on. Very real. Very relatable. And yet not relatable at all - being in a globally famous rock band. This was my first book by Taylor Jenkins Reid, but it won't be my last!
I would recommend this book to everyone - as I already have started doing.
This was not a book I ever would have picked up. Learning about the lives of a band through the 70s-90s, in an interview format no less - I would not have imagined enjoying this.
BUT WOW.
This book grabbed me within the first two pages and I flew through it. The characters are well-rounded, real people. They make you feel what they're feeling - grieving when they grieve, loving as they love, and struggling as they struggle. It was so captivating and engaging quicker than any fictional drama I have ever read. The reader is brought alongside the band through memories and reminiscing, knowing they fall apart when you start, but hoping otherwise.
Reid writing this as an interview gave insight and depth to the characters like you wouldn't imagine. Hearing them explain their own struggles and situations makes the reader feel like the interviewer themself. Each character had their own way of speaking, their own nuances and catch-phrases - I can see how an audiobook of this read would be phenomenal - and I don't listen to books.
This book blew me away from start to finish. There was nothing in this book that stood out or caught me off-guard, which I think added to how real the book felt. This band could've existed. These struggles were struggles that many people have - addiction, balancing family and work, expectations, disappointment, and so on. Very real. Very relatable. And yet not relatable at all - being in a globally famous rock band. This was my first book by Taylor Jenkins Reid, but it won't be my last!
I would recommend this book to everyone - as I already have started doing.
Difficult. Devastating. Grief.
Jing-Jing Lee brought these situations to life. I found it INCREDIBLY difficult to read because I felt hopeless reading about Wang Di's experience. Her guilt and shame for her actions made me want to hug her and tell her she did it for survival and that she was still worthy of love and adventure and joy.
This was an interesting read. I would have preferred that it be chronological because that way it would have been more hopeful rather than just sad, but I understand why it was written how it was as well.
A good book - but I wouldn't pick it up if you're looking for something light and happy. This is very devastating although circular in the lives coming together toward the end.
Let me know what you thought!
Jing-Jing Lee brought these situations to life. I found it INCREDIBLY difficult to read because I felt hopeless reading about Wang Di's experience. Her guilt and shame for her actions made me want to hug her and tell her she did it for survival and that she was still worthy of love and adventure and joy.
This was an interesting read. I would have preferred that it be chronological because that way it would have been more hopeful rather than just sad, but I understand why it was written how it was as well.
A good book - but I wouldn't pick it up if you're looking for something light and happy. This is very devastating although circular in the lives coming together toward the end.
Let me know what you thought!
Hope. Injustice. Freedom.
This book was so wonderfully crafted. I was drawn in by the tenth page and didn't want to put it down. I felt like I was witnessing the injustices of the justice system along with the author and holding my breath hoping they were released. She brings you along getting to know the incarcerated from birth to present and how their story unfolds.
There is not much I can say about this book. It is real life. It is told about a few and represents many. This is a book everyone should read. Barnett is such a powerful force and strong woman. We need more people like her. She gives a voice to so many we have locked away without voices.
I strongly recommend this read.
This book was so wonderfully crafted. I was drawn in by the tenth page and didn't want to put it down. I felt like I was witnessing the injustices of the justice system along with the author and holding my breath hoping they were released. She brings you along getting to know the incarcerated from birth to present and how their story unfolds.
There is not much I can say about this book. It is real life. It is told about a few and represents many. This is a book everyone should read. Barnett is such a powerful force and strong woman. We need more people like her. She gives a voice to so many we have locked away without voices.
I strongly recommend this read.
Slow. Unknowing. Steady.
This book did not resonate with me. The author was writing in a suspenseful tone but nothing suspenseful happened. I would go as far as to say nothing happened in the book - the author just alluded to chaos without anything in the characters' lives changing.
The characters overexaggerated and overreacted to everything without a reason to. I wish it had talked about race, class and modern reliance on technology more rather than skirting and sort of alluding to it.
I can understand the potential this book has and that some people would like it, but it wasn't for me. I found myself waiting for something to happen and closed the book thinking it could have been summed up as a prologue rather than the story.
Let me know what you thought!
This book did not resonate with me. The author was writing in a suspenseful tone but nothing suspenseful happened. I would go as far as to say nothing happened in the book - the author just alluded to chaos without anything in the characters' lives changing.
The characters overexaggerated and overreacted to everything without a reason to. I wish it had talked about race, class and modern reliance on technology more rather than skirting and sort of alluding to it.
I can understand the potential this book has and that some people would like it, but it wasn't for me. I found myself waiting for something to happen and closed the book thinking it could have been summed up as a prologue rather than the story.
Let me know what you thought!
Cautious. Unsettling. Disturbing.
The reader is brought along the events that result in the protagonist being charged with murder through a written letter. The easy writing makes this a quick read through some unfortunate and unsettling events.
I went into this book thinking it would be suspenseful and thrilling (based on reviews and the synopsis). None of these events really rattled me or had me on edge. I am not superstitious, do not believe in ghosts, and overall was probably too 'logical' to get caught up in it. I was constantly thinking of the ways that these instances could be explained without any supernatural beings present.
In that way, the book didn't resonate with me, but overall it was a good read. A nice, simple mystery that can keep the reader guessing and eager to know what happens. Not a five star read, but I would be interested in picking up another Ruth Ware book because I think there is potential in her writing style, and I just chose a plot that wasn't a good match personally.
If you've read it, let me know your thoughts!
The reader is brought along the events that result in the protagonist being charged with murder through a written letter. The easy writing makes this a quick read through some unfortunate and unsettling events.
I went into this book thinking it would be suspenseful and thrilling (based on reviews and the synopsis). None of these events really rattled me or had me on edge. I am not superstitious, do not believe in ghosts, and overall was probably too 'logical' to get caught up in it. I was constantly thinking of the ways that these instances could be explained without any supernatural beings present.
In that way, the book didn't resonate with me, but overall it was a good read. A nice, simple mystery that can keep the reader guessing and eager to know what happens. Not a five star read, but I would be interested in picking up another Ruth Ware book because I think there is potential in her writing style, and I just chose a plot that wasn't a good match personally.
If you've read it, let me know your thoughts!
Timing. Choices. Personal Battles.
I picked this book up in January and after a chapter I put it back down. I had picked up some books from the library and wasn't into the book so I put it back on the shelf. But I picked it up Friday night again and am glad I did - I finished it within 12 hours!
Backman writes in a unique way that was at points frustrating but reflective of life. You don't always have all of the information in a scene. You don't take in everything all the time and the writing seemed to emphasize that life is this way. Not in the way that we don't have all the answers, but in a way that we don't have enough information to know the whole picture. Each character makes assumptions and guesses that are challenged.
This read was very interesting, with some turns and twists and changes to keep the reader guessing throughout. The book deals with family, trauma, growth, choices, forgiveness, timing, change and control. And lots more. Yet, it's a very simple and easy read.
I enjoyed this book and look forward to another Backman work. What did you think?
I picked this book up in January and after a chapter I put it back down. I had picked up some books from the library and wasn't into the book so I put it back on the shelf. But I picked it up Friday night again and am glad I did - I finished it within 12 hours!
Backman writes in a unique way that was at points frustrating but reflective of life. You don't always have all of the information in a scene. You don't take in everything all the time and the writing seemed to emphasize that life is this way. Not in the way that we don't have all the answers, but in a way that we don't have enough information to know the whole picture. Each character makes assumptions and guesses that are challenged.
This read was very interesting, with some turns and twists and changes to keep the reader guessing throughout. The book deals with family, trauma, growth, choices, forgiveness, timing, change and control. And lots more. Yet, it's a very simple and easy read.
I enjoyed this book and look forward to another Backman work. What did you think?
Heartbreaking. Hopeful. Freedom.
I did not read the synopsis before beginning this book. I am not sure what I was expecting, but it definitely exceeded whatever my expectations were.
Westover's childhood is full of terrible memories pieced together. She is expected to be an individual without question, thought, or hesitation. Her heartbreaking journey is one of conditional love, familial anger, fear of society, and grasping at opportunity.
I've always believed that knowledge is power. That education provides opportunities beyond financial success to a questioning and curious way of living. And questioning life is a power we hold. A power to change, to understand differences, to right wrongs, to grow.
Westover's journey shows how education can challenge everything you've known and force you to challenge your assumptions, which leads to personal growth.
This book has some difficult parts (abuse, vulgar language, gruesome injuries, parental neglect) but is worth the read for sure! Let me know your thoughts!
I did not read the synopsis before beginning this book. I am not sure what I was expecting, but it definitely exceeded whatever my expectations were.
Westover's childhood is full of terrible memories pieced together. She is expected to be an individual without question, thought, or hesitation. Her heartbreaking journey is one of conditional love, familial anger, fear of society, and grasping at opportunity.
I've always believed that knowledge is power. That education provides opportunities beyond financial success to a questioning and curious way of living. And questioning life is a power we hold. A power to change, to understand differences, to right wrongs, to grow.
Westover's journey shows how education can challenge everything you've known and force you to challenge your assumptions, which leads to personal growth.
This book has some difficult parts (abuse, vulgar language, gruesome injuries, parental neglect) but is worth the read for sure! Let me know your thoughts!