This book was great fun! I'm not big on Emma, the book or the character, but she was a dear in this murder mystery.
I found myself picturing the characThis book was great fun! I'm not big on Emma, the book or the character, but she was a dear in this murder mystery.
I found myself picturing the characters from Clueless rather than any other adaptation, which made this story especially funny. Picture Alicia Silverstone and Britney Murphy solving crimes...hilarious.
I think it helps to have a basic background of Emma going into this so that some of the particulars of the side and supporting characters make more sense.
Looking forward to reading the next book in the series....more
I had a hard time with some aspects of this book, particularly when it comes to some characteristics of this particular Mary Bennet. If you imagine inI had a hard time with some aspects of this book, particularly when it comes to some characteristics of this particular Mary Bennet. If you imagine in your head 2005 Mary rather than 1995 Mary, this Mary seems more plausible.
I nearly quit this around 40%, but I'm glad I stuck it out because I quite enjoyed it in the end.
The jury is still out on whether I enjoyed it enough to continue with a series avout Mary Bennet, however.
Listened to the audiobook and it was really well done....more
This should have been fascinating, but instead it was just ok.
There was too much jumping around from historical events and pop culture. Focus3.5 stars
This should have been fascinating, but instead it was just ok.
There was too much jumping around from historical events and pop culture. Focus on the rabies. It's interesting enough on its own.
Rabies is a terrifying disease. Nearly universally fatal, you can count the number of survivors on two hands with fingers left over.
Contact your doctor after any contact with a bat, even if you think you weren't bitten.
Vaccinate your dogs and cats.
Don't believe the 80s TV shows that depict post-exposure shots as 20 long needles into your stomach. In reality, it's 4 (or 5 if you're immunocompromised) shots in your arm over a month's time.
Don't watch Old Yeller. (Ha!)
55,000-60,000 people die of rabies every year, despite effective vaccines and post-exposure treatments. That number was completely shocking to me.
One time I had to help a veterinarian remove the head of a cat suspected of having rabies to submit it to the health department for testing. It was traumatic and something I'll never forget.
You should still read this if you're even slightly interested in rabies or public health....more
I had such high hopes for this book, but it just didn't deliver.
I can (and did) read Divine Rivals in 2 days, but this took me 3 weeks to finally get I had such high hopes for this book, but it just didn't deliver.
I can (and did) read Divine Rivals in 2 days, but this took me 3 weeks to finally get through. I enjoyed parts of it when I would pick it up to read, but it never became something I looked forward to reading.
This book was entirely too long, the prose was entirely too flowery, and the magic system needed more exploration because I still don't understand it after 500 pages.
I spent the first 100 pages or so trying hard to figure out how everything connected to Divine Rivals. Once I stopped doing that, I could enjoy this story for what it is: heavy mythology about selfish and self-interested gods and goddesses who use humans as their pawns.
Would I recommend this? Sure. Will I read it again? Probably not....more
I went into this expecting a story full of Christmasy magic. Instead, I got a beautiful story about the realities of war, PTSD, and love.
Weav4.5 stars
I went into this expecting a story full of Christmasy magic. Instead, I got a beautiful story about the realities of war, PTSD, and love.
Weaving elements of The Nutcracker into a WWII setting was unexpected and worked really well. I don't seek out WWII fiction as a rule, but this one really touched me.
Watching Clara and James learn to navigate the after-effects of war was beautiful. It was a good reminder that our duty isn't necessarily to "fix" people, but to be there for them and to remind them again and again that they're not alone.
"Your responsibility is to keep going. And mine is to be right there at your side. And until God brings us home, I'm afraid you're stuck with me."
I really wanted to love this, but I just found Elnora completely insufferable.
I watched this movie repeatedly as a tween/teen, and I also found ElnoraI really wanted to love this, but I just found Elnora completely insufferable.
I watched this movie repeatedly as a tween/teen, and I also found Elnora insufferable in that.
I've listened to 3 hours of this audiobook, and the thought of enduring 9 more hours makes me want to get lost in the Limberlost swamp.
Maybe this would be better read than listened to, or maybe this is better if you don't already have strong feelings about Elbora, or maybe this is just one of those books that I'll dislike under any circumstance....more
My hopes were high for this Robin Hood tale, which was probably the reason why I found it lacking.
Mariah/Marian was not nearly as enamored of3.5 stars
My hopes were high for this Robin Hood tale, which was probably the reason why I found it lacking.
Mariah/Marian was not nearly as enamored of Robin Hood as I needed her to be. It's Robin Freaking Hood! Swoon a little bit more!
The romance between Maid Marian and Robin Hood is an epic tale. This was not.
I loved seeing the merry men, but they needed a bit more character development.
The stakes needed to be a bit higher overall.
I love the time-traveling costume shop aspect of this series. It's so clever and unique.
If you feel so-so about Robin Hood in general, this is probably a book for you. If you are a Robin Hood fanatic (guilty) you might need more from this book.
I did look forward to picking this up any chance I had a free moment, so it wasn't as middling as my review might lead you to believe.
I received an advanced copy from the publisher for review. All thoughts and opinions are mine....more
I had no idea what I was getting into with this book, but I had a great time with it!
I'm not a huge fan of mysteries, so I'm not all that qua3.5 stars
I had no idea what I was getting into with this book, but I had a great time with it!
I'm not a huge fan of mysteries, so I'm not all that qualified to rate the quality of the actual mystery in this. It was, however, fun to see it all unfold.
Sometimes Finlay drove me absolutely bonkers, and I wanted to shake some sense into her at several moments. Most of the time, though, I was rooting for her to rediscover herself.
Did I like this enough to listen to the next book? Probably?...more
I loved so much about this story. It's a generational tale of women, yet I found i didn't care nearly so much about the daughter and grandda3.75 stars
I loved so much about this story. It's a generational tale of women, yet I found i didn't care nearly so much about the daughter and granddaughter as I did for Millicent.
Her story was tragic in every way. I wasn't prepared for the kind of heartache she'd endured. Watching her story unfold was a real treat.
As I read this, all I could think about was my beloved animal science professor, Dr. Roeder. She was a force of a woman. She once said to us that God gave her brains and a uterus and she intended to use both. Amen.
Read this if you love stories of resilience, love, family, and enduring it all with the help of good people.
While I enjoyed this book and looked forward to listening to it at every opportunity, I was also ready for it to be over long before it actua3.5 stars
While I enjoyed this book and looked forward to listening to it at every opportunity, I was also ready for it to be over long before it actually ended.
The characters are well-developed and the world-building is excellent. The audiobook narrator was wonderful.
But there was just something that kept me from fully loving this story. I couldn't say what that something was, but there was a definite something.
I'd still recommend this book, and I'm glad I finally made the time to read/listen to it....more
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