spinstah's reviews
1280 reviews

A Power Unbound by Freya Marske

medium-paced

3.0

This was fine. It was slow to start for me - so slow I almost abandoned it. The beginning had a bunch of political stuff that I’m not sure really serves much of a point. And I had completely forgotten who the characters were, and there’s really not any reminders or nudges. It was fun once it got going though. Be aware it’s extremely spicy, possibly moreso than the previous two installments. 

There There by Tommy Orange
Did not finish book. Stopped at 48%.

I got about halfway through this. Normally I enjoy novels structured like this, with characters each getting a couple of chapters and eventually overlapping. But I struggled to get into this one.

Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange
Did not finish book. Stopped at 56%.

This just wasn't holding my attention, and I'm not entirely sure why. It could be something about Orange's style, because looking back I see I also didn't finish There, There. 

An Unexpected Peril by Deanna Raybourn

adventurous funny fast-paced

4.0

I don't know that I care that much about the mysteries in these books, but this one had some interesting turns. I'm here because the characters are always so fun, including the ones who are introduced in this book. And I enjoyed seeing Veronica and Stoker's relationship continue to develop. 

Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas

3.75

The first third or so of this is pretty slow, but once it finally gets going it's pretty good. I do wish the plot had been streamlined a little to make a bit more room for some additional character development for our main characters. As it is, a lot depends on miscommunications and incorrect assumptions. Which is fine and plausible, but doesn't really tell you much about the characters.

Anything's Pastable: 81 Inventive Pasta Recipes for Saucy People by Dan Pashman

5.0

So many delicious looking recipes! I'm excited to dig into this book and start making some fun pasta dishes. I was especially excited to see a few different types of pangrattati, which are essentially crunching toppings for your pasta. A typical "home alone" meal for me is a simple pasta with a fried egg and pangrattato, but it had never occurred to me to add furikake or everything bagel seasoning!  

The Chutney Life: 100 Easy-To-Make Indian-Inspired Recipes by Palak Patel

4.0

Lots of yummy looking dishes in here, and I did copy the recipes for four things. But it remains to be seen if I’ll make any of them, in general they’re a little more involved than what I typically make. 

The Hunter by Tana French

dark tense slow-paced

4.0

This is more about the people than the mystery, which might make it feel slow to some. I enjoyed being immersed in Ardnakelty and seeing what everyone would do next. 

The Spellmans Strike Again by Lisa Lutz

adventurous funny fast-paced

4.0

These books are so fun. It was great to see

Rae get her comeuppance

, can’t wait to see what she gets into next. 

Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher

4.0

This is a lovely novella, very sweet. And at the same time, not sweet at all.