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stacia_reads's reviews
985 reviews
The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum
4.0
Such a lovely holiday read! Baum's explanations of all the things that make Santa Santa was a lot of fun. I read most of it in front of the Christmas tree and enjoyed it.
A Technique for Producing Ideas by James Young
4.0
I'm not sure there's anything here in terms of his steps to ideas that I haven't read before but this is a nice short book and I enjoyed reading it, especially right at the end of the year as I'm preparing to start a couple of new projects.
Almost Heaven by Marianne Wiggins
3.0
This is a book I picked up based on the cover catching my eye at a used bookstore. The spine is rainbow-striped so it really stands out. The teaser says it's about a reporter who comes home burnt out from reporting about the war to find his best friend's sister is suffering from "hysterical amnesia" after witnessing the death of her husband and four children. It sounded interesting so I picked it up.
And it WAS interesting, but it fell short of its potential. The pieces never came together coherently for me. There were secondary bits that seemed to never pay off so probably could've been cut altogether. I don't need things explained in great detail but I found myself completely confused by some of those secondary bits. For example, there's a totally minor plot about two people named Sydney getting married, one of whom has gotten breast implants, and until the last 20 pages I was convinced it was two women. Which is fine, but it wasn't clear.
I understand that the main character, Holden, is supposed to be motivated by his burnout and what he's gone through covering the war, but his actions in the last third of the book in regards to Melanie (the amnesiac sister) seem really implausible and bizarre. To me, that means either the author didn't do a good enough job convincing me or I wasn't the right audience for this book.
And it WAS interesting, but it fell short of its potential. The pieces never came together coherently for me. There were secondary bits that seemed to never pay off so probably could've been cut altogether. I don't need things explained in great detail but I found myself completely confused by some of those secondary bits. For example, there's a totally minor plot about two people named Sydney getting married, one of whom has gotten breast implants, and until the last 20 pages I was convinced it was two women. Which is fine, but it wasn't clear.
I understand that the main character, Holden, is supposed to be motivated by his burnout and what he's gone through covering the war, but his actions in the last third of the book in regards to Melanie (the amnesiac sister) seem really implausible and bizarre. To me, that means either the author didn't do a good enough job convincing me or I wasn't the right audience for this book.
This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper
4.0
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
My full review: http://rhymeswithcroatia.com/book-review-this-is-where-i-leave-you-by-jonathan-tropper/
The book is both funny and sad, intermingling the sappy moments with irreverent humor and awkward remarks that seem appropriate to a dysfunctional family dynamic. Despite his death in the opening of the story, father Mort is a strong character in as every remembers him and tries to grow up in his absence. I also enjoyed the authentic feel to the family relationships – they were flawed but real. They had each others’ back, especially against outsiders, but things weren’t warm and fuzzy. Even a couple of long-standing issues that were able to come to a resolution were done so hesitantly and out of necessity, in a way that indicated all parties involved felt uneasy about the longevity of the truce.
But then the ending of the book (again, no spoilers) seems to undo any of the character growth shown for Judd. The book starts with him losing his father just after losing his wife and the job he loved. He’s had a terrible series of events and it’s almost enough to make you excuse some of his poor behavior. Almost. Then you see hints of redemption. However, the end of the book left me unsatisfied, as if that growth had been undone.
My full review: http://rhymeswithcroatia.com/book-review-this-is-where-i-leave-you-by-jonathan-tropper/
The book is both funny and sad, intermingling the sappy moments with irreverent humor and awkward remarks that seem appropriate to a dysfunctional family dynamic. Despite his death in the opening of the story, father Mort is a strong character in as every remembers him and tries to grow up in his absence. I also enjoyed the authentic feel to the family relationships – they were flawed but real. They had each others’ back, especially against outsiders, but things weren’t warm and fuzzy. Even a couple of long-standing issues that were able to come to a resolution were done so hesitantly and out of necessity, in a way that indicated all parties involved felt uneasy about the longevity of the truce.
But then the ending of the book (again, no spoilers) seems to undo any of the character growth shown for Judd. The book starts with him losing his father just after losing his wife and the job he loved. He’s had a terrible series of events and it’s almost enough to make you excuse some of his poor behavior. Almost. Then you see hints of redemption. However, the end of the book left me unsatisfied, as if that growth had been undone.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
3.0
I think I'm not very much into YA books. I was intrigued by the way the story was told, through letters, though the format didn't always seem to stay true to that.
One Day by David Nicholls
4.0
I'd really like to give this 3.5 stars, not 4, but I'm erring on the side of generosity because I did enjoy reading it. Still, minus half a star for largely unlikable characters.
Without spoiling it, the book goes into a bit of back and forth timewise at the end that gives a bit of insight into the characters' motivation that may have made me understand them better throughout. Because mostly I kept wondering why they put up with each other. Dexter especially seemed lousy and Emma seemed a bit insufferable and shiftless.
Since we saw Dex and Em each year on the same date, I couldn't decide if that was really cool or a bit of a cop out in that we didn't experience certain key events. Big things - births, deaths, weddings, etc, took place "off screen" and I'm still not sure how I felt about that. But, still, I did enjoy reading the book and seeing what was next, what would they be doing the next time we checked in on them.
Interesting book.
Without spoiling it, the book goes into a bit of back and forth timewise at the end that gives a bit of insight into the characters' motivation that may have made me understand them better throughout. Because mostly I kept wondering why they put up with each other. Dexter especially seemed lousy and Emma seemed a bit insufferable and shiftless.
Since we saw Dex and Em each year on the same date, I couldn't decide if that was really cool or a bit of a cop out in that we didn't experience certain key events. Big things - births, deaths, weddings, etc, took place "off screen" and I'm still not sure how I felt about that. But, still, I did enjoy reading the book and seeing what was next, what would they be doing the next time we checked in on them.
Interesting book.
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
4.0
That was an interesting read. I'm not sure how I feel about the ending and I won't give anything away. Complex characters and a lot of twists and turns.