skconaghan's reviews
451 reviews

Girl at War by Sara Nović

dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Beautiful prose tells the horrific story of a child navigating the realities of living in a war-torn city during her coming-of-age years.

Zagreb, 1991: Ana is a ten-year-old who wants to live a normal life of adventure and discovery, but the breaking apart of Yugoslavia in violent bloody pieces that shatter her childhood make it difficult for her to play freely and mature naturally.

And then she finds herself gone, adopted by a new culture and a foreign family and wrestling with a deep confusing conflict of soul and identity. The girl is at war within, trying to choose which of her cultures she wants and needs, and to remember the Croatia of her childhood and find herself in the midst of the sanitised rubble. 

A stark emotional journey that takes us into a view of what damage lingers in the heart of those who have grown in these war torn conditions, despite the veneer they may adorn their polished surfaces in the years that follow.

Julia Whelan’s narration delivers a melancholic story with smooth ease, softening the edges yet transmitting the intensity and love of a family in the midst of personal and national tragedy.

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

emotional medium-paced

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

3.0

The story is character driven, and while there is a plot, it is secondary to the daytime drama of the lives of these unprincipled narcissists that think being famous is the be all and end all—except for one woman who, despite caving to the pressure and falling in with the selfish social scene, manages to find true love in the mediocre mundane of middle America.

It has its surprises and twists, and secret-reveal moments throughout. Patchet is a good storyteller, I just didn’t much like this story.

Meryl Streep makes this drama more dynamic in her performance of the audiobook. 

Into the Uncut Grass by Trevor Noah

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A cute wee story for mothers and children that draws them together despite the daily conflicts met in the process of growing up. The short narrative addresses the challenge of living in obedience because it’s the best option, and finding independence in the long journey to maturity. 

 

Into the Uncut Grass is a short tale that mothers and children can enjoy together. It traces the adventure of a creative boy as he strikes out to find independence from the rules and schedules that hem him into the comfort and nourishment of home—and choosing what’s best in the end. 

 

Contains a charming insightful personal introduction by Trevor Noah. 

Hallowe'en Party by Agatha Christie

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I love an Agatha Christie, and prefer Poirot to some of her other self-proclaimed detectives, but Hercule isn’t at his best here, and neither is Christie. The story doesn’t do much in the way of building a setting that whispers of Hallowe’en, and apart from a party with the veil of a Hallowe’en theme that sets the stage, you don’t even feel the crisp cold air of the shortening days of the end of October anywhere in this story. 

 

A bit of a yucky murder involving a child, and a Hercule ‘procedural’ that unravels more of the backstories of other murders and sticky adult relationships along the way until more present havoc ensues, and then at the despicable climax, Hercule discovers the linchpin that explains the current crime and solves a bunch of tepid cases along the way. 

 

Short enough it doesn’t drag, with plot-serving dialogue and characters that seem familiar but lack flair, and entertaining enough to pass the time, but I’d recommend 40 other Hercule Poirot novels before I’d suggest this one. 

The Reason You Walk by Wab Kinew

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

A story of personal reconciliation between son and father that extends to working towards reconciliation of a people and the colonisers of this now shared nation—and even beyond, as a model for reconciliation in our global community.

Wab Kinew writes with sincerity, a vulnerable honesty, openness, and with a genuine spirit of humility and forgiveness. He calls for all these things in the greater community by sharing of this kind of love and forgiveness between himself and his father, and their painful, beautiful journey to an end on this earth.

His is a voice Canadians should stop and listen to… that all would do well to listen to…

The Drowned Woods by Emily Lloyd-Jones

adventurous fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I was loving this as much as The Wild Huntress to begin with, but the story took a curve near the middle and careened off into something I wasn’t so keen on with one too many easy deceptions and a very naive protagonist. 

I enjoyed the magical elements, especially as they were elemental, and the plot was nifty most of the way through, but then the ending was more of a ‘wait…what just happened…?’ sort of twist, rather than an ‘omg I never saw that coming!!’ thing—like it took you a bit by surprise, but not in a good way.
 
Trevor, though, man Trevor takes the cake. Best character of the bunch. 

A decent bit of folkloric entertainment, well-written and designed, but lacking the feel of magic I’d so enjoyed in her other work. 

… a lot of drive-by cameos by hero-like cooks. Random. These cooks and Trevor definitely held my interest.

The Wedding People by Alison Espach

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

Stark, honest, introspective, deeply philosophical and literary, entwining the most heartwarming and heartbreaking parts of being human, yet maintaining a realistic foot in a’ life goes on’ sort of melancholic hopefulness. A coming together of two nearby generations of sceptics and lovers, hellbent on loving and being loved in the face of fuss-ups and frequent failures.

We don’t judge a book by its cover, though the cover art should give us a clue as to the content, and while the cover of this novel in one way says it all, it leaves so much open to interpretation—as with all worthwhile art—and everything you think might be implied by this morbidly nihilistic contrary YOLO sort of cover art is explored—and so much more… 

An unexpected surprise, my fave anti-romance novel of the year. Deserves all the accolades.

We Solve Murders by Richard Osman

adventurous emotional funny inspiring lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

What can I say? To start and end with: Nicola Walker’s narration. And that is worth its 5-stars right there. 

So, I planned on listening to this over the course of the week— you know, get home from work, turn on the audiobook, put on the kettle and really soak in this mystery with a cup of Earl Grey as I detox the day—but, no such luck. I started yesterday afternoon and reluctantly fell asleep only to rise this morning at 6am anxious to finish before the sun is even up. On both counts (writing and narration) a 5-star production with all the pointy jags and fuzzy feels. 

From a private island in South Carolina to the gold-rimmed towers of Dubai, the cosy pubs in the overcast streets of Axley to the blazing sun of St Lucia, this chase is heady and contorted, yet manages to be nostalgic, current, and thought provoking all at the once. Osman puts us into the dark, lush, pained and ridiculous thoughts of each character, transports us to sweaty saunas and stuffy pubs and crisp penthouses in glass towers, and lures us into an unexpected conglomeration of intimate awkward relationships and international criminal rings and murders, solved handily by a retired policeman reluctantly roped in by his feisty daughter-in-law. 

AND THEN OSMAN ENDS IT WITH THAT!! Looking forward to the follow-up…

Now, Mum knows what she’s getting for Christmas, but for this one, and I think it’s about time, I really should get her onto the audiobooks… 

Shield Maiden by Sharon Emmerichs

adventurous tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

This reshaped tale of adventure turns the second half of the epic of Beowulf into something for the battle-hardy, love-sick daughters.

3.4 for this fast read, with ample adventure, new romance, a social vibe, and a driving plot. The characters lacked the depth so expertly injected into the original cast and I wanted more from these people—they had potential, but never managed to quite win my soul and earn my agony. I know this setting well, but I feel the author relied too heavily on what we might already know of the Nordic setting of Beowulf, giving limited time and creativity to its development. However, the novel was worth the time it took to read with a well-crafted plot and plenty of alternate storylines that deviated from the original to keep me hooked. 

An entertaining reboot of the old familiar.

I liked it!

The Ornithologist's Field Guide to Love by India Holton

adventurous funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Holton’s writing is sharp, owlishly witty, intelligent, and provokes gut-giggles with her creation of bird-brained capers that she injects with outrageous hyperboles, misappropriations, and well-placed understatements. She weaves our chirping, warbling lovers in an flashy courtship dance like no other, hits on all the feminist issues of the mid-1800s, and as we fly through twists and turns in raucous encounters with madcap hilarity, she brings us to the flapping end of a flitting flight in superb satisfaction!