0374153892
9780374153892
0374153892
3.85
120,399
Oct 28, 2004
Oct 28, 2004
None
Notes are private!
0
1
Jun 28, 2025
not set
Jun 28, 2025
Hardcover
0062834843
9780062834843
0062834843
4.17
30,901
Jul 14, 2020
Jul 14, 2020
did not like it
“Any fool can slide down a mountain, but it takes someone of character and discipline to walk up one.” (0 stars)
I've read every Gabriel Allon book up “Any fool can slide down a mountain, but it takes someone of character and discipline to walk up one.” (0 stars)
I've read every Gabriel Allon book up through this text, #20 in the series. I enjoy the series. But this one? THE ORDER is the literary equivalent of a dumpster fire. Honestly, I have no idea what Daniel Silva was thinking. It reads like a rejected “Da Vinci Code” knockoff—if Dan Brown ghostwrote it while half-asleep and deep in a fever dream. And no, that's not a compliment. This book is an anti-religious screed straight out of Dan Brown’s playbook.
This text stinks from early on. Towards the beginning, Gabriel Allon magically predicts a COVID-like global catastrophe. Gee, I wonder when Silva wrote that? Spoiler alert: mid-pandemic. The result? Cringe-inducing hindsight failures. Gabriel gravely pontificates that a wet market will be the root of the disaster—whoops, not quite. Like every other pandemic-era novel rushed to print, this one has aged like a banana in the sun.
Then there’s the political commentary. Oh, the commentary. Silva, once a master of subtlety, suspense, and even handedness now seems intent on turning every character into a surrogate for his own MSNBC monologues. The book is stuffed (to the brim) with smug lectures about right-wing extremism, European decline, and the evils of nationalism. Fast forward five years, and most of Silva’s predictions have faceplanted. Watching those pontifications collapse under the weight of real-world events gave me a petty kind of joy. Cities on fire? Yes—but it’s not the villains Silva tried to pin it on in this book. Irony, thy name is THE ORDER.
Characterization? Ha. What characterization? Every person in this book exists solely to deliver sanctimonious speeches that make Twitter threads seem Shakespearean by comparison. It's as if Silva was allergic to nuance and depth and decided instead to write an op-ed.
And then…we get this mysterious priest…a Father Joshua, who comes and goes at just the needed moment. Is he Jesus? Is he just a wandering wizard? Who knows! He teleports around like a Vatican-themed superhero, delivering cryptic wisdom and adding to the Dan Brown cosplay. I half expected Tom Hanks to pop out and offer exposition.
But nothing prepared me for the final insult: Silva’s Author’s Note. In it, he boldly declares that the Gospels contradict each other and that any journalist writing like Matthew or Mark would be fired. Fired! From the same media complex that ran with the Hunter Biden laptop was “Russian disinfo”? That claimed COVID origins were definitely not from a lab? That did not see Joe Biden’s decline? Oh please. The sanctimony is staggering. Silva writes with the arrogance of a man absolutely certain he’s right—while being objectively, provably wrong.
In short, THE ORDER is a smug, sloppily written, politically motivated disaster masquerading as a spy thriller. If this is the new direction for Gabriel Allon, then the series should be retired immediately. Preferably before Gabriel starts giving TED Talks on global governance and climate reparations. ...more
I've read every Gabriel Allon book up “Any fool can slide down a mountain, but it takes someone of character and discipline to walk up one.” (0 stars)
I've read every Gabriel Allon book up through this text, #20 in the series. I enjoy the series. But this one? THE ORDER is the literary equivalent of a dumpster fire. Honestly, I have no idea what Daniel Silva was thinking. It reads like a rejected “Da Vinci Code” knockoff—if Dan Brown ghostwrote it while half-asleep and deep in a fever dream. And no, that's not a compliment. This book is an anti-religious screed straight out of Dan Brown’s playbook.
This text stinks from early on. Towards the beginning, Gabriel Allon magically predicts a COVID-like global catastrophe. Gee, I wonder when Silva wrote that? Spoiler alert: mid-pandemic. The result? Cringe-inducing hindsight failures. Gabriel gravely pontificates that a wet market will be the root of the disaster—whoops, not quite. Like every other pandemic-era novel rushed to print, this one has aged like a banana in the sun.
Then there’s the political commentary. Oh, the commentary. Silva, once a master of subtlety, suspense, and even handedness now seems intent on turning every character into a surrogate for his own MSNBC monologues. The book is stuffed (to the brim) with smug lectures about right-wing extremism, European decline, and the evils of nationalism. Fast forward five years, and most of Silva’s predictions have faceplanted. Watching those pontifications collapse under the weight of real-world events gave me a petty kind of joy. Cities on fire? Yes—but it’s not the villains Silva tried to pin it on in this book. Irony, thy name is THE ORDER.
Characterization? Ha. What characterization? Every person in this book exists solely to deliver sanctimonious speeches that make Twitter threads seem Shakespearean by comparison. It's as if Silva was allergic to nuance and depth and decided instead to write an op-ed.
And then…we get this mysterious priest…a Father Joshua, who comes and goes at just the needed moment. Is he Jesus? Is he just a wandering wizard? Who knows! He teleports around like a Vatican-themed superhero, delivering cryptic wisdom and adding to the Dan Brown cosplay. I half expected Tom Hanks to pop out and offer exposition.
But nothing prepared me for the final insult: Silva’s Author’s Note. In it, he boldly declares that the Gospels contradict each other and that any journalist writing like Matthew or Mark would be fired. Fired! From the same media complex that ran with the Hunter Biden laptop was “Russian disinfo”? That claimed COVID origins were definitely not from a lab? That did not see Joe Biden’s decline? Oh please. The sanctimony is staggering. Silva writes with the arrogance of a man absolutely certain he’s right—while being objectively, provably wrong.
In short, THE ORDER is a smug, sloppily written, politically motivated disaster masquerading as a spy thriller. If this is the new direction for Gabriel Allon, then the series should be retired immediately. Preferably before Gabriel starts giving TED Talks on global governance and climate reparations. ...more
Notes are private!
1
Jun 20, 2025
Jun 21, 2025
Jun 20, 2025
Hardcover
4.39
2,789,875
Sep 01, 2005
Sep 01, 2005
it was amazing
“I have hated the words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right.”
I first read THE BOOK THIEF in 2007, and I loved it. So much so that “I have hated the words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right.”
I first read THE BOOK THIEF in 2007, and I loved it. So much so that when I started a book club that same year, it was the inaugural book we read together. Fast forward to today: our club has just finished our 100th book, meeting every other month. To celebrate, I chose to revisit the novel that started it all. This reread reminded me of just how much I loved the book the first time—and perhaps even more this time around. Life got in the way, and I didn’t begin reading until just three days before our meeting. Still, I finished it in time, completely engrossed.
At just under 600 pages, this novel is no small commitment, but it’s worth every moment. The story is beautiful. The plot is engaging. The characters are people you feel you already know. Author Markus Zusak’s portrayal is unsentimental, and yet the book is overflowing with sentiment. It somehow balances restraint and emotional depth without falling into melodrama. There are elements that, in lesser hands, would feel trite or overdone—hallmarks of Holocaust-era fiction that can sometimes verge on the nauseating. But Markus Zusak rises above these tropes. He takes the extraordinary and transforms it into something profound.
One of the standout features of this text is its use of language. Zusak is a stunningly creative writer. His use of figurative language is consistently brilliant. Nearly every page contains a unique description or line that stops you in your tracks. One that stayed with me: "The clouds arched their backs to look behind." Are you kidding me? I’ve never read a description of clouds like that, and yet, I completely understood what he was conveying.
Then there are the characters—imperfect, authentic, and deeply human. You love them not because they are flawless, but because their flaws are real, relatable, and ultimately lovable. In their small worlds, their love and relationships make perfect sense. The people they love are their whole worlds.
Mr. Zusak also brings a fresh tone to a well-covered subject. The novel has a Holocaust and WWII backdrop, but it’s not the typical narrative. It’s narrated by Death, which adds a layer of perspective that’s both philosophical and strangely intimate. The setting—a small German town during the war—allows us to witness the daily lives of ordinary Germans. Yes, Nazism and Hitler are ever-present, but the focus is on how decent people survive in an indecent world. It explores how good neighbors and friends can exist—even among those who may harbor or accept indecent ideas. Importantly, there is no Allied perspective. This story is entirely told from the German side, offering a rare glimpse of humanity in places we’re often taught to view with moral distance. It doesn’t ask us to excuse evil—it invites us to recognize the complexity of human life.
There’s a line in the book that struck a deeply personal chord: “You can do all manner of underhanded nice things when you have a caustic reputation.” That’s me in a nutshell. It’s a line written by someone who understands human nature, who has clearly spent time observing people in all their contradictions.
From the beginning, Death warns us that most of the characters we meet—and come to love—will not survive. That’s not a spoiler; it’s part of the book’s structure. But by the time it happens, we’ve come to know them so well that their deaths are a gut punch. I found myself tearing up more than once—and that’s rare for me when reading. In that way, THE BOOK THIEF reminds me of OUR TOWN by Thornton Wilder. It’s about the fleeting, fragile beauty of everyday life. The end result—death—is the same, whether we live in a war zone or on a peaceful mountaintop. And yet, we so often forget the inevitability of that end. Do we truly see the things around us? Do we value them?
I believe that’s the core message of this wonderful book.
I loved the people I encountered in its pages: a kind-hearted painter with an accordion; a sharp-tongued wife whose heart is as big as her voice; a young girl who’s suffered immensely, finding solace in words and books; a loyal, athletic little boy falling in love for the first time; a man forced to hide in a basement because of his heritage; a grieving Nazi mayor’s wife, whose hidden humanity still flickers beneath her sorrow.
I could go on—the list of memorable characters is long.
Quotes:
• “They ignore the reality that a new version of the same old problem will be waiting at the end of the trip.”
• “Trust was accumulated quickly, due primarily to the brute strength of the man's gentleness, his thereness.”
• “A snowball in the face is surely the perfect beginning to a lasting friendship.”
• “And it would show me, once again, that one opportunity leads directly to another, just as risk leads to more risk, life to more life, and death to more death.”
• “But then, is there cowardice in the acknowledgement of fear?”
• “There was nothing like a good fight to expel the teenage energy. Even the enemies were an inch away from friendship.”
• “It was one of those conversations that require some time to elapse between exchanges.”
• “I see their ugly and their beauty, and I wonder how the same thing can be both.”
• “She was saying goodbye and she didn't even know it.”
• “Words are so heavy, she thought...”
If you’ve read THE BOOK THIEF before and haven’t revisited it, I encourage you to do so. It’s just as powerful the second time. Maybe even more so. ...more
I first read THE BOOK THIEF in 2007, and I loved it. So much so that “I have hated the words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right.”
I first read THE BOOK THIEF in 2007, and I loved it. So much so that when I started a book club that same year, it was the inaugural book we read together. Fast forward to today: our club has just finished our 100th book, meeting every other month. To celebrate, I chose to revisit the novel that started it all. This reread reminded me of just how much I loved the book the first time—and perhaps even more this time around. Life got in the way, and I didn’t begin reading until just three days before our meeting. Still, I finished it in time, completely engrossed.
At just under 600 pages, this novel is no small commitment, but it’s worth every moment. The story is beautiful. The plot is engaging. The characters are people you feel you already know. Author Markus Zusak’s portrayal is unsentimental, and yet the book is overflowing with sentiment. It somehow balances restraint and emotional depth without falling into melodrama. There are elements that, in lesser hands, would feel trite or overdone—hallmarks of Holocaust-era fiction that can sometimes verge on the nauseating. But Markus Zusak rises above these tropes. He takes the extraordinary and transforms it into something profound.
One of the standout features of this text is its use of language. Zusak is a stunningly creative writer. His use of figurative language is consistently brilliant. Nearly every page contains a unique description or line that stops you in your tracks. One that stayed with me: "The clouds arched their backs to look behind." Are you kidding me? I’ve never read a description of clouds like that, and yet, I completely understood what he was conveying.
Then there are the characters—imperfect, authentic, and deeply human. You love them not because they are flawless, but because their flaws are real, relatable, and ultimately lovable. In their small worlds, their love and relationships make perfect sense. The people they love are their whole worlds.
Mr. Zusak also brings a fresh tone to a well-covered subject. The novel has a Holocaust and WWII backdrop, but it’s not the typical narrative. It’s narrated by Death, which adds a layer of perspective that’s both philosophical and strangely intimate. The setting—a small German town during the war—allows us to witness the daily lives of ordinary Germans. Yes, Nazism and Hitler are ever-present, but the focus is on how decent people survive in an indecent world. It explores how good neighbors and friends can exist—even among those who may harbor or accept indecent ideas. Importantly, there is no Allied perspective. This story is entirely told from the German side, offering a rare glimpse of humanity in places we’re often taught to view with moral distance. It doesn’t ask us to excuse evil—it invites us to recognize the complexity of human life.
There’s a line in the book that struck a deeply personal chord: “You can do all manner of underhanded nice things when you have a caustic reputation.” That’s me in a nutshell. It’s a line written by someone who understands human nature, who has clearly spent time observing people in all their contradictions.
From the beginning, Death warns us that most of the characters we meet—and come to love—will not survive. That’s not a spoiler; it’s part of the book’s structure. But by the time it happens, we’ve come to know them so well that their deaths are a gut punch. I found myself tearing up more than once—and that’s rare for me when reading. In that way, THE BOOK THIEF reminds me of OUR TOWN by Thornton Wilder. It’s about the fleeting, fragile beauty of everyday life. The end result—death—is the same, whether we live in a war zone or on a peaceful mountaintop. And yet, we so often forget the inevitability of that end. Do we truly see the things around us? Do we value them?
I believe that’s the core message of this wonderful book.
I loved the people I encountered in its pages: a kind-hearted painter with an accordion; a sharp-tongued wife whose heart is as big as her voice; a young girl who’s suffered immensely, finding solace in words and books; a loyal, athletic little boy falling in love for the first time; a man forced to hide in a basement because of his heritage; a grieving Nazi mayor’s wife, whose hidden humanity still flickers beneath her sorrow.
I could go on—the list of memorable characters is long.
Quotes:
• “They ignore the reality that a new version of the same old problem will be waiting at the end of the trip.”
• “Trust was accumulated quickly, due primarily to the brute strength of the man's gentleness, his thereness.”
• “A snowball in the face is surely the perfect beginning to a lasting friendship.”
• “And it would show me, once again, that one opportunity leads directly to another, just as risk leads to more risk, life to more life, and death to more death.”
• “But then, is there cowardice in the acknowledgement of fear?”
• “There was nothing like a good fight to expel the teenage energy. Even the enemies were an inch away from friendship.”
• “It was one of those conversations that require some time to elapse between exchanges.”
• “I see their ugly and their beauty, and I wonder how the same thing can be both.”
• “She was saying goodbye and she didn't even know it.”
• “Words are so heavy, she thought...”
If you’ve read THE BOOK THIEF before and haven’t revisited it, I encourage you to do so. It’s just as powerful the second time. Maybe even more so. ...more
Notes are private!
1
May 24, 2025
May 27, 2025
May 24, 2025
Hardcover
0316254975
9780316254977
0316254975
4.43
19,037
Oct 23, 2014
Feb 02, 2016
really liked it
“…coils of conspiracy.”
LAMENTATION is the sixth installment in C.J. Sansom’s Matthew Shardlake series, and it delivers another dive into the turbulen “…coils of conspiracy.”
LAMENTATION is the sixth installment in C.J. Sansom’s Matthew Shardlake series, and it delivers another dive into the turbulent world of Tudor England. I've followed this series with varying levels of enjoyment, and this text ranks among the stronger entries, especially in how it weaves together political intrigue, religious fervor, and personal stakes.
This novel revisits themes previously explored in REVELATION (Book 4), particularly the lethal implications of theological dissent in Henry VIII’s later years. While REVELATION channeled religious paranoia through the lens of apocalyptic prophecy and serial murder, LAMENTATION centers its mystery on the very highest levels of power. Sansom constructs his mystery around Queen Catherine Parr and her radical Protestant sympathies. In the final year of Henry VIII’s reign, she becomes the target of conservative factions on the Privy Council, who are looking to reassert Catholic orthodoxy. The queen’s theological manuscript, “Lamentation of a Sinner” has gone missing, and its disappearance could spark charges of heresy that end in her execution.
Tudor England, as Sansom vividly paints it, is a nation on the brink of combustion. The summer has been marked by heresy hunts. Theological distinctions, like one's stance on transubstantiation, can mean the difference between safety and being burned at the stake. Sansom excels in portraying how doctrinal disagreements had visceral, life-and-death consequences. The religious atmosphere is charged and perilous. Here, Sansom’s skills truly shines—his prose never descends into the didactic, and the details are painstakingly authentic.
As always, it is the characterization of protagonist Matthew Shardlake that centers the novel. Shardlake serves as a grounded observer and moral (though not religious) compass amid the chaos of the Tudor court. That said, I found Shardlake’s characterization slightly less compelling in this installment than in earlier volumes. Some of the personal nuance and emotional struggle that so enriched earlier books in the series feels more muted here.
The first half of the novel is a standout. Sansom achieves a perfect blend of historical fact and fictional drama. The narrative moves briskly, balancing courtly maneuverings with moments of real suspense. We are plunged into the shadowy world of palace informants, theological smugglers, and secret printing presses.
However, the final 200 pages lost some of that momentum. The resolution of the mystery follows more conventional tropes of the genre—interrogations, last-minute discoveries, and a tidy wrapping-up of loose ends. Compared to the gripping stakes and historical depth of the beginning, the conclusion feels somewhat formulaic and lacking the emotional intensity that characterizes Sansom’s best writing.
Quotes:
• “One never knows if fools are always so foolish as they seem.”
• “Yes, people are suspicious of your trade, they think all lawyers will serve any master for a fee.”
• “How little excuse people need to turn on each other.”
• “But I believe that if faith and doubt battle together within a human soul, that soul becomes the stronger and more honest for it.”
• “I was surprised, sir, but men who lust fiercely after religion can often turn out to have strong lust of the flesh as well, can they not?”
• “But it is not good to cower from the world too long, perhaps.”
• “It drives them to a careful, fearful orthodoxy which, whatever it is, is not faith.”
• “There is a surfeit of secrets in this world.”
• “I was told before I came to London how magnificent the royal palaces were. And I have seen it for myself, it is true. And yet- fear and death stalk there, even more than in the rest of the world.”
• “Some quarrels go so deep they are impossible to mend.”
For fans of religious and political intrigue, Tudor history, and well-researched historical fiction, this book is a strong recommendation. Among the series, it arguably achieves the best synthesis of these elements, even if it doesn’t quite reach the character depth of some earlier entries. Sansom once again demonstrates his mastery of the period and offers a sobering reminder of how easily faith can become weaponized when tethered to politics and fear. If these themes resonate with you, then both LAMENTATION and the Shardlake series are well worth your time. ...more
LAMENTATION is the sixth installment in C.J. Sansom’s Matthew Shardlake series, and it delivers another dive into the turbulen “…coils of conspiracy.”
LAMENTATION is the sixth installment in C.J. Sansom’s Matthew Shardlake series, and it delivers another dive into the turbulent world of Tudor England. I've followed this series with varying levels of enjoyment, and this text ranks among the stronger entries, especially in how it weaves together political intrigue, religious fervor, and personal stakes.
This novel revisits themes previously explored in REVELATION (Book 4), particularly the lethal implications of theological dissent in Henry VIII’s later years. While REVELATION channeled religious paranoia through the lens of apocalyptic prophecy and serial murder, LAMENTATION centers its mystery on the very highest levels of power. Sansom constructs his mystery around Queen Catherine Parr and her radical Protestant sympathies. In the final year of Henry VIII’s reign, she becomes the target of conservative factions on the Privy Council, who are looking to reassert Catholic orthodoxy. The queen’s theological manuscript, “Lamentation of a Sinner” has gone missing, and its disappearance could spark charges of heresy that end in her execution.
Tudor England, as Sansom vividly paints it, is a nation on the brink of combustion. The summer has been marked by heresy hunts. Theological distinctions, like one's stance on transubstantiation, can mean the difference between safety and being burned at the stake. Sansom excels in portraying how doctrinal disagreements had visceral, life-and-death consequences. The religious atmosphere is charged and perilous. Here, Sansom’s skills truly shines—his prose never descends into the didactic, and the details are painstakingly authentic.
As always, it is the characterization of protagonist Matthew Shardlake that centers the novel. Shardlake serves as a grounded observer and moral (though not religious) compass amid the chaos of the Tudor court. That said, I found Shardlake’s characterization slightly less compelling in this installment than in earlier volumes. Some of the personal nuance and emotional struggle that so enriched earlier books in the series feels more muted here.
The first half of the novel is a standout. Sansom achieves a perfect blend of historical fact and fictional drama. The narrative moves briskly, balancing courtly maneuverings with moments of real suspense. We are plunged into the shadowy world of palace informants, theological smugglers, and secret printing presses.
However, the final 200 pages lost some of that momentum. The resolution of the mystery follows more conventional tropes of the genre—interrogations, last-minute discoveries, and a tidy wrapping-up of loose ends. Compared to the gripping stakes and historical depth of the beginning, the conclusion feels somewhat formulaic and lacking the emotional intensity that characterizes Sansom’s best writing.
Quotes:
• “One never knows if fools are always so foolish as they seem.”
• “Yes, people are suspicious of your trade, they think all lawyers will serve any master for a fee.”
• “How little excuse people need to turn on each other.”
• “But I believe that if faith and doubt battle together within a human soul, that soul becomes the stronger and more honest for it.”
• “I was surprised, sir, but men who lust fiercely after religion can often turn out to have strong lust of the flesh as well, can they not?”
• “But it is not good to cower from the world too long, perhaps.”
• “It drives them to a careful, fearful orthodoxy which, whatever it is, is not faith.”
• “There is a surfeit of secrets in this world.”
• “I was told before I came to London how magnificent the royal palaces were. And I have seen it for myself, it is true. And yet- fear and death stalk there, even more than in the rest of the world.”
• “Some quarrels go so deep they are impossible to mend.”
For fans of religious and political intrigue, Tudor history, and well-researched historical fiction, this book is a strong recommendation. Among the series, it arguably achieves the best synthesis of these elements, even if it doesn’t quite reach the character depth of some earlier entries. Sansom once again demonstrates his mastery of the period and offers a sobering reminder of how easily faith can become weaponized when tethered to politics and fear. If these themes resonate with you, then both LAMENTATION and the Shardlake series are well worth your time. ...more
Notes are private!
1
May 12, 2025
May 23, 2025
May 12, 2025
Paperback
1101872764
9781101872765
1101872764
4.24
61,180
Mar 01, 1971
Nov 04, 2014
really liked it
“I know none of the intimate circumstances; I only guess backward from the consequences.”
ANGLE OF REPOSE was my first experience with the works of Wal “I know none of the intimate circumstances; I only guess backward from the consequences.”
ANGLE OF REPOSE was my first experience with the works of Wallace Stegner, and it took some time to settle into. This is a literary novel—it demands patience, especially through the first 50 pages. But once I adjusted to the style and scope, I found myself consistently engaged every time I picked it up.
While the text mostly held my attention, there were some parts that fell flat for me. One such section was set in Leadville, Colorado. Ironically, it’s the only location in the novel that I have personal experience with—I had family that lived there for years—yet it was the least compelling to me.
On the other hand, many other aspects of the book were powerfully rendered. One particularly memorable scene involves an argument between a husband and wife, triggered by uncertain professional futures and exacerbated by alcohol. That scene felt incredibly real—it reeked of humanity and was artfully done.
As the narrative progressed, my feelings toward the characters shifted. Susan Ward, the protagonist, became increasingly irritating due to her unrelenting snobbery and her clear disdain for those around her. In contrast, her husband, Oliver Ward, grew more and more endearing. I ended up loving him by the end of the book.
Chapter 5 of the section titled “The Mesa” stood out as a masterclass in writing. Stegner seamlessly weaves together past and present, exploring themes of trust, longing, and adultery with nuance and depth. It's a brilliant section, emotionally resonant and skillfully executed.
Quotes:
• “Many things are unclear to me, including myself, and I want to sit and think.”
• “…If I listen I might learn something.”
• “Respectability is a burden perhaps greater than I want to bear.”
• “It won’t do it any good to fog it all up with words.”
• “… perhaps that not even gentility and integrity are proof against the corrosions of human weakness, human treachery, human disappointment, human inability to forget.”
• “I can't help feeling that if justice is observed, mercy is forever unnecessary.”
• “I know no way of discounting the doctrine that when you take something you want, and damn the consequences, then you had better be ready to accept whatever consequences ensue.”
• “It is a sort of insanity not to be happy, when one has reasonable health and good children…”
• “Touch. It is touch that is the deadliest enemy of chastity, loyalty, monogamy, gentility with its codes and conventions and restraints. By touch we are betrayed, and betray others.
• “There is some history that I want not to have happened.”
• “Satisfying natural desires is fine, but natural desires have a way of being both competitive and consequential.”
• “I want a society that will protect the wildlife without confusing itself with it.”
• “Civilizations grow and change and decline- they aren't remade.”
Though ANGLE OF REPOSE isn’t a quick read—it’s long, and not particularly fast-moving—its pacing isn’t a weakness. The novel’s strength lies in its dual storyline and in its exploration of how human emotions, relationships, and struggles remain fundamentally the same across time. That timelessness is what gives the novel its weight and beauty.
And finally, the last sentence of the novel is interesting, unexpected, poignant, and, for ANGLE OF REPOSE, absolutely perfect. ...more
ANGLE OF REPOSE was my first experience with the works of Wal “I know none of the intimate circumstances; I only guess backward from the consequences.”
ANGLE OF REPOSE was my first experience with the works of Wallace Stegner, and it took some time to settle into. This is a literary novel—it demands patience, especially through the first 50 pages. But once I adjusted to the style and scope, I found myself consistently engaged every time I picked it up.
While the text mostly held my attention, there were some parts that fell flat for me. One such section was set in Leadville, Colorado. Ironically, it’s the only location in the novel that I have personal experience with—I had family that lived there for years—yet it was the least compelling to me.
On the other hand, many other aspects of the book were powerfully rendered. One particularly memorable scene involves an argument between a husband and wife, triggered by uncertain professional futures and exacerbated by alcohol. That scene felt incredibly real—it reeked of humanity and was artfully done.
As the narrative progressed, my feelings toward the characters shifted. Susan Ward, the protagonist, became increasingly irritating due to her unrelenting snobbery and her clear disdain for those around her. In contrast, her husband, Oliver Ward, grew more and more endearing. I ended up loving him by the end of the book.
Chapter 5 of the section titled “The Mesa” stood out as a masterclass in writing. Stegner seamlessly weaves together past and present, exploring themes of trust, longing, and adultery with nuance and depth. It's a brilliant section, emotionally resonant and skillfully executed.
Quotes:
• “Many things are unclear to me, including myself, and I want to sit and think.”
• “…If I listen I might learn something.”
• “Respectability is a burden perhaps greater than I want to bear.”
• “It won’t do it any good to fog it all up with words.”
• “… perhaps that not even gentility and integrity are proof against the corrosions of human weakness, human treachery, human disappointment, human inability to forget.”
• “I can't help feeling that if justice is observed, mercy is forever unnecessary.”
• “I know no way of discounting the doctrine that when you take something you want, and damn the consequences, then you had better be ready to accept whatever consequences ensue.”
• “It is a sort of insanity not to be happy, when one has reasonable health and good children…”
• “Touch. It is touch that is the deadliest enemy of chastity, loyalty, monogamy, gentility with its codes and conventions and restraints. By touch we are betrayed, and betray others.
• “There is some history that I want not to have happened.”
• “Satisfying natural desires is fine, but natural desires have a way of being both competitive and consequential.”
• “I want a society that will protect the wildlife without confusing itself with it.”
• “Civilizations grow and change and decline- they aren't remade.”
Though ANGLE OF REPOSE isn’t a quick read—it’s long, and not particularly fast-moving—its pacing isn’t a weakness. The novel’s strength lies in its dual storyline and in its exploration of how human emotions, relationships, and struggles remain fundamentally the same across time. That timelessness is what gives the novel its weight and beauty.
And finally, the last sentence of the novel is interesting, unexpected, poignant, and, for ANGLE OF REPOSE, absolutely perfect. ...more
Notes are private!
1
Mar 2025
Mar 28, 2025
Mar 01, 2025
Paperback
1982112794
9781982112790
1982112794
4.45
146,749
2022
Sep 27, 2022
it was ok
“Guilt is always stronger than logic.” (1.5 stars)
It is early in 2025, but I have a feeling that THE WINNERS may win the “most disappointing book of t “Guilt is always stronger than logic.” (1.5 stars)
It is early in 2025, but I have a feeling that THE WINNERS may win the “most disappointing book of the year award” for me this year. What a waste of time. Not once in this 673-page book did I feel invested in it. In fact, I should have put it down. This is a classic example of a self-indulgent book, one where the author is too big for his editors to say, “This is 400 pages too long!” And that is not an exaggeration, this is an overwritten novel. There are entire chapters that are superfluous to the plot.
The biggest problem with this text is that I was halfway done with it, and I still had no idea what it was supposed to be about. Its focus was everywhere and nowhere at the same time. It boggles my mind that a concluding text in a trilogy could be so unfocused. Which tells me that the author had no story he needed to tell, he just wrote the thing because he was supposed to. After BEARTOWN (the first book in the series) Mr. Backman should have pulled the plug on this series. That novel is fine as a standalone book.
Quotes:
• “Naïve dreams are love’s last line of defense…”
• “…because no one stands a chance if they are alone.”
• “People say that our worst moments reveal who our friends are, but of course most of all we reveal ourselves.”
• “It’s only a story, it might not even be true, but that doesn’t mean it’s improbable.”
• “The most unbearable thing about death is that the world just goes on.”
• “Warriors are supposed to love other men, not fall in love with them.”
• “Everyone dreams about being invisible sometimes, no one dreams of being transparent.”
• “Time is unreliable when it comes to those we love.”
• “The lack of words is worse than loneliness.”
• “It’s the same everywhere: almost everyone loves too much, hates too easily, forgives too little.”
And just as you are getting to the falling action and the conclusion of this tome, Mr. Backman gives the reader another kick in the nads because the final pages of this book are bad. Like Instagram poetry pages bad! There are so many stupid and uninspired threads in this novel that the conclusion takes over 40 pages for the author to give each of them an overwrought, and mostly unrealistic, ending.
Goodness, I wished I had skipped THE WINNERS.
I will still read Mr. Backman, but I will be more selective about it. ...more
It is early in 2025, but I have a feeling that THE WINNERS may win the “most disappointing book of t “Guilt is always stronger than logic.” (1.5 stars)
It is early in 2025, but I have a feeling that THE WINNERS may win the “most disappointing book of the year award” for me this year. What a waste of time. Not once in this 673-page book did I feel invested in it. In fact, I should have put it down. This is a classic example of a self-indulgent book, one where the author is too big for his editors to say, “This is 400 pages too long!” And that is not an exaggeration, this is an overwritten novel. There are entire chapters that are superfluous to the plot.
The biggest problem with this text is that I was halfway done with it, and I still had no idea what it was supposed to be about. Its focus was everywhere and nowhere at the same time. It boggles my mind that a concluding text in a trilogy could be so unfocused. Which tells me that the author had no story he needed to tell, he just wrote the thing because he was supposed to. After BEARTOWN (the first book in the series) Mr. Backman should have pulled the plug on this series. That novel is fine as a standalone book.
Quotes:
• “Naïve dreams are love’s last line of defense…”
• “…because no one stands a chance if they are alone.”
• “People say that our worst moments reveal who our friends are, but of course most of all we reveal ourselves.”
• “It’s only a story, it might not even be true, but that doesn’t mean it’s improbable.”
• “The most unbearable thing about death is that the world just goes on.”
• “Warriors are supposed to love other men, not fall in love with them.”
• “Everyone dreams about being invisible sometimes, no one dreams of being transparent.”
• “Time is unreliable when it comes to those we love.”
• “The lack of words is worse than loneliness.”
• “It’s the same everywhere: almost everyone loves too much, hates too easily, forgives too little.”
And just as you are getting to the falling action and the conclusion of this tome, Mr. Backman gives the reader another kick in the nads because the final pages of this book are bad. Like Instagram poetry pages bad! There are so many stupid and uninspired threads in this novel that the conclusion takes over 40 pages for the author to give each of them an overwrought, and mostly unrealistic, ending.
Goodness, I wished I had skipped THE WINNERS.
I will still read Mr. Backman, but I will be more selective about it. ...more
Notes are private!
1
Feb 2025
Mar 2025
Feb 01, 2025
Hardcover
0316477591
9780316477598
0316477591
3.99
16,997
Sep 11, 2018
Sep 17, 2019
really liked it
“…he found shelter in Medicine’s routine.” (3.5 stars)
Daniel Mason’s novel THE WINTER SOLDIER is a tale that weaves together historical detail and emo “…he found shelter in Medicine’s routine.” (3.5 stars)
Daniel Mason’s novel THE WINTER SOLDIER is a tale that weaves together historical detail and emotional depth. Set against the backdrop of World War I, the story follows Lucius, a young medical student thrust into the chaos of a field hospital in the remote Carpathian Mountains. Mason’s ability to bring the stark realities of war to life is evident in his vivid descriptions of the hospital’s primitive conditions and the challenges faced by both the medical staff and their patients.
What kept me engaged throughout the novel was Mr. Mason’s attention to historical accuracy and his integration of medical and military details into the narrative. The depiction of wartime medicine adds a compelling dimension to the story. I also appreciated Mason’s portrayal of Vienna society and Polish culture, which enriched the backdrop of the novel. Despite considering the book average overall, there was a quality in the text that kept me turning the pages.
While I admired Mason’s craftsmanship, the book didn’t fully captivate me. The pacing felt uneven, with moments slowing the narrative’s momentum. Even so, Mason’s lyrical prose and his ability to evoke a strong sense of place helped mitigate these shortcomings, adding depth and atmosphere to the story.
The central relationship between Lucius and Margarete, the enigmatic nurse who becomes his partner and guide, serves as the emotional core of the novel. However, the pivotal event meant to profoundly transform Lucius’s life felt unconvincing to me. It lacked the emotional weight the author seemed to intend, occasionally pushing the narrative into melodramatic territory.
Quotes:
• “Our exotic things are always female.”
• “But most advances in medicine involved some serendipity.”
• “He now understood why one might die for someone else. It wasn’t mercy; it was torture to remain.”
• “If anything, there was something in the very denial of the flesh that acknowledged the power of flesh’s pleasures.
• “…who seem forever stuck in eternal winters.”
• “Marriage is a market, like any other. And a very liquid market, I should add.”
• “…for she smiled with a smile that only the very beautiful can mage, wicked and conciliatory at once.”
• “But now, they both had retreated from whatever dream they’d tested.”
• “But what he was seeking was forgiveness and atonement, and he couldn’t think of any worthy offering to give.”
I will add that the last 20 pages beguiled me. I was caught up in them, and it was nice to be swept up in such a manner.
Ultimately, THE WINTER SOLDIER is a read for those who enjoy richly detailed historical fiction. It may not have gripped me as deeply as I had anticipated, but the thoughtful writing and immersive historical context made it a worthwhile experience. ...more
Daniel Mason’s novel THE WINTER SOLDIER is a tale that weaves together historical detail and emo “…he found shelter in Medicine’s routine.” (3.5 stars)
Daniel Mason’s novel THE WINTER SOLDIER is a tale that weaves together historical detail and emotional depth. Set against the backdrop of World War I, the story follows Lucius, a young medical student thrust into the chaos of a field hospital in the remote Carpathian Mountains. Mason’s ability to bring the stark realities of war to life is evident in his vivid descriptions of the hospital’s primitive conditions and the challenges faced by both the medical staff and their patients.
What kept me engaged throughout the novel was Mr. Mason’s attention to historical accuracy and his integration of medical and military details into the narrative. The depiction of wartime medicine adds a compelling dimension to the story. I also appreciated Mason’s portrayal of Vienna society and Polish culture, which enriched the backdrop of the novel. Despite considering the book average overall, there was a quality in the text that kept me turning the pages.
While I admired Mason’s craftsmanship, the book didn’t fully captivate me. The pacing felt uneven, with moments slowing the narrative’s momentum. Even so, Mason’s lyrical prose and his ability to evoke a strong sense of place helped mitigate these shortcomings, adding depth and atmosphere to the story.
The central relationship between Lucius and Margarete, the enigmatic nurse who becomes his partner and guide, serves as the emotional core of the novel. However, the pivotal event meant to profoundly transform Lucius’s life felt unconvincing to me. It lacked the emotional weight the author seemed to intend, occasionally pushing the narrative into melodramatic territory.
Quotes:
• “Our exotic things are always female.”
• “But most advances in medicine involved some serendipity.”
• “He now understood why one might die for someone else. It wasn’t mercy; it was torture to remain.”
• “If anything, there was something in the very denial of the flesh that acknowledged the power of flesh’s pleasures.
• “…who seem forever stuck in eternal winters.”
• “Marriage is a market, like any other. And a very liquid market, I should add.”
• “…for she smiled with a smile that only the very beautiful can mage, wicked and conciliatory at once.”
• “But now, they both had retreated from whatever dream they’d tested.”
• “But what he was seeking was forgiveness and atonement, and he couldn’t think of any worthy offering to give.”
I will add that the last 20 pages beguiled me. I was caught up in them, and it was nice to be swept up in such a manner.
Ultimately, THE WINTER SOLDIER is a read for those who enjoy richly detailed historical fiction. It may not have gripped me as deeply as I had anticipated, but the thoughtful writing and immersive historical context made it a worthwhile experience. ...more
Notes are private!
1
Jan 2025
Jan 09, 2025
Jan 01, 2025
Paperback
0062834835
9780062834836
0062834835
4.28
32,987
Jul 16, 2019
Jul 16, 2019
liked it
“The cruelty of the desert had influenced the faith.”
Daniel Silva's THE NEW GIRL delivers much of what fans of the Gabriel Allon series have come to e “The cruelty of the desert had influenced the faith.”
Daniel Silva's THE NEW GIRL delivers much of what fans of the Gabriel Allon series have come to expect: a tightly plotted, high-stakes geopolitical thriller with well-drawn characters and intricate storytelling. The novel opens with the kidnapping of a mysterious girl from a Swiss private school, revealing a complex web of international intrigue involving Saudi Arabia, intelligence agencies, and global power struggles. One character in the book remarks, “Because men who tell one lie usually tell others.” This text amply demonstrates that idea.
While engaging and well-written, THE NEW GIRL doesn’t stand out as a series highlight. Silva's knack for weaving timely geopolitical events into his fiction has been clearly evident in this series, but some of his 2019 predictions (this text’s publication) about global affairs feel off when viewed from the perspective of late 2024. For instance, certain political dynamics involving Middle Eastern diplomacy and shifts in power haven't aged as presciently as in previous books. This doesn’t detract entirely from the story but does make it feel slightly less impactful compared to other entries in the series.
For fans of Gabriel Allon, it’s an enjoyable, if not groundbreaking, read. I am starting to feel that the series is coming near to its conclusion. Or it should. But there are 5 other novels after this one! THE NEW GIRL has not given me a reason to walk away, so on to number 20 in the series soon. ...more
Daniel Silva's THE NEW GIRL delivers much of what fans of the Gabriel Allon series have come to e “The cruelty of the desert had influenced the faith.”
Daniel Silva's THE NEW GIRL delivers much of what fans of the Gabriel Allon series have come to expect: a tightly plotted, high-stakes geopolitical thriller with well-drawn characters and intricate storytelling. The novel opens with the kidnapping of a mysterious girl from a Swiss private school, revealing a complex web of international intrigue involving Saudi Arabia, intelligence agencies, and global power struggles. One character in the book remarks, “Because men who tell one lie usually tell others.” This text amply demonstrates that idea.
While engaging and well-written, THE NEW GIRL doesn’t stand out as a series highlight. Silva's knack for weaving timely geopolitical events into his fiction has been clearly evident in this series, but some of his 2019 predictions (this text’s publication) about global affairs feel off when viewed from the perspective of late 2024. For instance, certain political dynamics involving Middle Eastern diplomacy and shifts in power haven't aged as presciently as in previous books. This doesn’t detract entirely from the story but does make it feel slightly less impactful compared to other entries in the series.
For fans of Gabriel Allon, it’s an enjoyable, if not groundbreaking, read. I am starting to feel that the series is coming near to its conclusion. Or it should. But there are 5 other novels after this one! THE NEW GIRL has not given me a reason to walk away, so on to number 20 in the series soon. ...more
Notes are private!
1
Dec 26, 2024
Dec 29, 2024
Dec 26, 2024
Hardcover
0064402754
9780064402750
0064402754
4.25
66,605
1972
Apr 12, 2005
really liked it
“Hey, unto you a child is born!”
I first discovered THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER in my school library in the mid-1980s when I was in elementary scho “Hey, unto you a child is born!”
I first discovered THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER in my school library in the mid-1980s when I was in elementary school. I remember enjoying it so much that I read it repeatedly, until my parents eventually bought me my own copy.
Although I’ve never forgotten about the book, I hadn’t read it in probably 35 years—until recently, when a new movie adaptation was released. Inspired by the film, I picked up a copy of the text at my local bookstore. Within the first 10 pages, memories from all those years ago came flooding back.
As a child, the story’s themes of grace and redemption didn’t resonate with me as deeply as they do now. But as a man in his mid-40s, who has returned to faith in the last decade, I find this book incredibly moving. It’s not preachy or didactic, but an honest and heartfelt exploration of how even those who’ve faced life’s hardest knocks can find beauty in the story of Christ’s birth.
And after all, isn’t that why He came?
I was delighted to gift a copy of this book to one of my nieces this Christmas. Of all my nieces, she’s the one most likely to see herself in some of the characters. I hope she discovers the same joy, self-recognition, and wonder at what the Christ child came to do that I now see in this story.
Revisiting this book after so many years was a true joy. It had been absent from my bookshelf for far too long, and I’m so glad to have rectified that. ...more
I first discovered THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER in my school library in the mid-1980s when I was in elementary scho “Hey, unto you a child is born!”
I first discovered THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER in my school library in the mid-1980s when I was in elementary school. I remember enjoying it so much that I read it repeatedly, until my parents eventually bought me my own copy.
Although I’ve never forgotten about the book, I hadn’t read it in probably 35 years—until recently, when a new movie adaptation was released. Inspired by the film, I picked up a copy of the text at my local bookstore. Within the first 10 pages, memories from all those years ago came flooding back.
As a child, the story’s themes of grace and redemption didn’t resonate with me as deeply as they do now. But as a man in his mid-40s, who has returned to faith in the last decade, I find this book incredibly moving. It’s not preachy or didactic, but an honest and heartfelt exploration of how even those who’ve faced life’s hardest knocks can find beauty in the story of Christ’s birth.
And after all, isn’t that why He came?
I was delighted to gift a copy of this book to one of my nieces this Christmas. Of all my nieces, she’s the one most likely to see herself in some of the characters. I hope she discovers the same joy, self-recognition, and wonder at what the Christ child came to do that I now see in this story.
Revisiting this book after so many years was a true joy. It had been absent from my bookshelf for far too long, and I’m so glad to have rectified that. ...more
Notes are private!
1
Dec 23, 2024
Dec 26, 2024
Dec 23, 2024
Mass Market Paperback
0316078913
9780316078917
0316078913
3.89
129,458
Dec 1997
Oct 20, 2010
liked it
“I think I’ll be a low-key sort of elf.”
I first read HOLIDAYS ON ICE over 20 years ago in my 20s, back when I was a big fan of David Sedaris. As I’ve “I think I’ll be a low-key sort of elf.”
I first read HOLIDAYS ON ICE over 20 years ago in my 20s, back when I was a big fan of David Sedaris. As I’ve gotten older, however, I find his work less satisfying. To be fair, I haven’t yet read his two most recent books.
Many of the pieces in this collection left me feeling unsatisfied. That said, this edition includes some additional stories, and the ones carried over from the original edition remain enjoyable. HOLIDAYS ON ICE opens with the famous “Santaland Diaries”, which has been adapted into plays and other formats. It details Sedaris’s experience working as an elf in Macy’s Santaland at their flagship Manhattan store. The piece is good for a laugh and remains a highlight of the collection.
Another standout is the wonderfully sharp Christmas letter written by the fictional matriarch of the Dunbar family. In “Season’s Greetings”, Sedaris creates a wholly believable and hilariously passive-aggressive persona in the voice of Mrs. Dunbar. This piece is so wrong on so many levels, but I can’t help grinning every time I read it.
My favorite piece in this collection, however, is one I don’t remember from my initial reading: “Front Row Center”. In it, a character reviews local elementary school holiday productions as if they were legitimate professional theater performances. The satire had me in stitches, with numerous laugh-out-loud lines. At the same time, it acknowledges the absurdity and charm of those productions, which we endure and enjoy only because someone we love is performing. The final lines of this story are unexpectedly moving, as Sedaris makes an important and poignant point. For me, it’s by far the standout piece in this collection.
Quotes:
• “All of us take pride and pleasure in the fact that we are unique, but I’m afraid that when all is said and done the police are right: it all comes down to fingerprints.”
• “Under certain circumstances parental pride is understandable but it has no place in the theater, where it tends to encourage a child to believe in a talent, that more often than not, simply fails to exist.”
• “If I could believe in myself, why not give other improbabilities the benefit of the doubt?”
Overall, HOLIDAYS ON ICE is a quick and entertaining read for the season, though it’s not exactly a feel-good book. It’s more for the grown-up who wants a day of biting humor amidst the sugary kindness of the Christmas season. ...more
I first read HOLIDAYS ON ICE over 20 years ago in my 20s, back when I was a big fan of David Sedaris. As I’ve “I think I’ll be a low-key sort of elf.”
I first read HOLIDAYS ON ICE over 20 years ago in my 20s, back when I was a big fan of David Sedaris. As I’ve gotten older, however, I find his work less satisfying. To be fair, I haven’t yet read his two most recent books.
Many of the pieces in this collection left me feeling unsatisfied. That said, this edition includes some additional stories, and the ones carried over from the original edition remain enjoyable. HOLIDAYS ON ICE opens with the famous “Santaland Diaries”, which has been adapted into plays and other formats. It details Sedaris’s experience working as an elf in Macy’s Santaland at their flagship Manhattan store. The piece is good for a laugh and remains a highlight of the collection.
Another standout is the wonderfully sharp Christmas letter written by the fictional matriarch of the Dunbar family. In “Season’s Greetings”, Sedaris creates a wholly believable and hilariously passive-aggressive persona in the voice of Mrs. Dunbar. This piece is so wrong on so many levels, but I can’t help grinning every time I read it.
My favorite piece in this collection, however, is one I don’t remember from my initial reading: “Front Row Center”. In it, a character reviews local elementary school holiday productions as if they were legitimate professional theater performances. The satire had me in stitches, with numerous laugh-out-loud lines. At the same time, it acknowledges the absurdity and charm of those productions, which we endure and enjoy only because someone we love is performing. The final lines of this story are unexpectedly moving, as Sedaris makes an important and poignant point. For me, it’s by far the standout piece in this collection.
Quotes:
• “All of us take pride and pleasure in the fact that we are unique, but I’m afraid that when all is said and done the police are right: it all comes down to fingerprints.”
• “Under certain circumstances parental pride is understandable but it has no place in the theater, where it tends to encourage a child to believe in a talent, that more often than not, simply fails to exist.”
• “If I could believe in myself, why not give other improbabilities the benefit of the doubt?”
Overall, HOLIDAYS ON ICE is a quick and entertaining read for the season, though it’s not exactly a feel-good book. It’s more for the grown-up who wants a day of biting humor amidst the sugary kindness of the Christmas season. ...more
Notes are private!
1
Dec 14, 2024
Dec 21, 2024
Dec 14, 2024
Paperback
0593317890
9780593317891
0593317890
4.27
7,525
Jul 25, 2023
Jul 25, 2023
it was ok
“But true is true, whether you want it to be or not.” (2.5 stars)
If you, like me, fell in love with Richard Russo's North Bath Trilogy—starting with N “But true is true, whether you want it to be or not.” (2.5 stars)
If you, like me, fell in love with Richard Russo's North Bath Trilogy—starting with NOBODY’S FOOL and continuing with EVERYBODY’S FOOL—you enjoyed the rich tapestry of salt-of-the-earth characters. These were real, complex people you came to love, navigating the gritty realities of small-town life. However, I suggest you skip what I hope is the final installment of this series, SOMEBODY’S FOOL. It pains me to say this, but Russo has seemingly lost his touch with North Bath.
To begin with the positives, there are a few moments in SOMEBODY’S FOOL that reminded me why I loved this series. The character of Rub Squeers returns, and Russo handles Rub’s grief over Sully’s death with poignant care. It’s deeply moving, raw, and authentic—one of the few elements of the book that stayed with me.
Additionally, there’s a lovely chapter titled “Too Late,” in which a mother and daughter, who have struggled throughout the series to connect, share a moment of profound understanding. This chapter stands out as Russo at his best: simple, human, and deeply resonant.
Unfortunately, these highlights are overshadowed by the book’s numerous shortcomings. The hallmark wit and dry humor that defined the first two novels are noticeably absent. This loss of humor leaves the story feeling flat and lifeless by comparison. Moreover, the novel leans heavily into contemporary cultural tropes and stereotypes, which feel forced and out of place in the world Russo has built. For instance, there are obligatory mentions of a closeted homosexual character and the latest cultural fad, a man who decides he is a woman. These moments are not explored with the depth or nuance one would expect from Russo; instead, they feel perfunctory, as if included solely to tick cultural boxes. Each of these topics is given less than half a page, making them feel like superficial nods rather than meaningful elements of the story.
Another issue is the inconsistency in the text’s treatment of race. The word “Black” is capitalized when referring to ethnicity, while “white” is not. It struck me as distracting, inconsistent, and ridiculous.
On a literary level, the novel suffers from excessive internal monologues and navel-gazing. While Russo’s earlier works allowed readers to inhabit the minds of his characters, these internal explorations were balanced with action and dialogue that brought the characters to life. In SOMEBODY’S FOOL, however, the narrative spends so much time inside the characters’ heads that it feels stifling. The story lacks the spark of dynamic characterization and the engaging momentum of its predecessors.
Quotes:
• “If potholes and second-rate schools kept taxes low and degenerates, atheists and Starbucks out, then let’s hear it for potholes.”
• “Did lust count as a feeling? he wondered. It should.”
• “Aren’t we all trapped in our heads?”
• “Maybe she figured a few chips and cracks were worth it, proof she’d lived and loved.”
• “His myriad, strident opinions on a wide range of subjects he viewed as proof of enviable intellectual acuity, whereas in reality, they rendered him tiresome in the extreme…”
• “…I’ve learned to put hurt in a different room from the one I’m in.”
• “People who love you are the easiest to lie to.”
• “After all, how long could you stay pissed off at somebody for trying to be happy?”
Ultimately, this text feels disconnected from the heart and soul of the series. The characters and storylines that once felt organic now feel contrived, as if Russo were writing not from a place of inspiration but out of obligation. It’s disappointing to see such a series conclude on a note that feels so inauthentic and lackluster.
If you’re a fan of the first two books, my advice is to cherish them and let the series end there in your mind. I doubt I’ll pick up another installment if Russo chooses to continue. SOMEBODY’S FOOL left me with a lingering sense of regret, wishing I had stopped after book two and preserved my admiration for this once-brilliant series. ...more
If you, like me, fell in love with Richard Russo's North Bath Trilogy—starting with N “But true is true, whether you want it to be or not.” (2.5 stars)
If you, like me, fell in love with Richard Russo's North Bath Trilogy—starting with NOBODY’S FOOL and continuing with EVERYBODY’S FOOL—you enjoyed the rich tapestry of salt-of-the-earth characters. These were real, complex people you came to love, navigating the gritty realities of small-town life. However, I suggest you skip what I hope is the final installment of this series, SOMEBODY’S FOOL. It pains me to say this, but Russo has seemingly lost his touch with North Bath.
To begin with the positives, there are a few moments in SOMEBODY’S FOOL that reminded me why I loved this series. The character of Rub Squeers returns, and Russo handles Rub’s grief over Sully’s death with poignant care. It’s deeply moving, raw, and authentic—one of the few elements of the book that stayed with me.
Additionally, there’s a lovely chapter titled “Too Late,” in which a mother and daughter, who have struggled throughout the series to connect, share a moment of profound understanding. This chapter stands out as Russo at his best: simple, human, and deeply resonant.
Unfortunately, these highlights are overshadowed by the book’s numerous shortcomings. The hallmark wit and dry humor that defined the first two novels are noticeably absent. This loss of humor leaves the story feeling flat and lifeless by comparison. Moreover, the novel leans heavily into contemporary cultural tropes and stereotypes, which feel forced and out of place in the world Russo has built. For instance, there are obligatory mentions of a closeted homosexual character and the latest cultural fad, a man who decides he is a woman. These moments are not explored with the depth or nuance one would expect from Russo; instead, they feel perfunctory, as if included solely to tick cultural boxes. Each of these topics is given less than half a page, making them feel like superficial nods rather than meaningful elements of the story.
Another issue is the inconsistency in the text’s treatment of race. The word “Black” is capitalized when referring to ethnicity, while “white” is not. It struck me as distracting, inconsistent, and ridiculous.
On a literary level, the novel suffers from excessive internal monologues and navel-gazing. While Russo’s earlier works allowed readers to inhabit the minds of his characters, these internal explorations were balanced with action and dialogue that brought the characters to life. In SOMEBODY’S FOOL, however, the narrative spends so much time inside the characters’ heads that it feels stifling. The story lacks the spark of dynamic characterization and the engaging momentum of its predecessors.
Quotes:
• “If potholes and second-rate schools kept taxes low and degenerates, atheists and Starbucks out, then let’s hear it for potholes.”
• “Did lust count as a feeling? he wondered. It should.”
• “Aren’t we all trapped in our heads?”
• “Maybe she figured a few chips and cracks were worth it, proof she’d lived and loved.”
• “His myriad, strident opinions on a wide range of subjects he viewed as proof of enviable intellectual acuity, whereas in reality, they rendered him tiresome in the extreme…”
• “…I’ve learned to put hurt in a different room from the one I’m in.”
• “People who love you are the easiest to lie to.”
• “After all, how long could you stay pissed off at somebody for trying to be happy?”
Ultimately, this text feels disconnected from the heart and soul of the series. The characters and storylines that once felt organic now feel contrived, as if Russo were writing not from a place of inspiration but out of obligation. It’s disappointing to see such a series conclude on a note that feels so inauthentic and lackluster.
If you’re a fan of the first two books, my advice is to cherish them and let the series end there in your mind. I doubt I’ll pick up another installment if Russo chooses to continue. SOMEBODY’S FOOL left me with a lingering sense of regret, wishing I had stopped after book two and preserved my admiration for this once-brilliant series. ...more
Notes are private!
1
Nov 26, 2024
Dec 14, 2024
Nov 26, 2024
Hardcover
3.90
37,003
1951
Nov 29, 1995
it was amazing
“After all, the truth of anything at all doesn’t lie in someone’s account of it.”
I really enjoyed this book! THE DAUGHTER OF TIME was a great and unex “After all, the truth of anything at all doesn’t lie in someone’s account of it.”
I really enjoyed this book! THE DAUGHTER OF TIME was a great and unexpected read. In this text a 400-year-old murder is “solved” from a hospital bed in London. There is no action, just astute observation and process of deductive reasoning, and I found it utterly fascinating.
The plot in short, Police Inspector Alan Grant lies in a hospital bed, recovering from broken bones. He is bored to tears and a friend brings him several items to pass the time, including pictures of historical people. Alan becomes fascinated with the portrait of Richard III and slowly concludes that this is not the face of the man that history records as an infamous monster. He then sets out to research and ponder (from his bed) if this man is capable of the murder of his nephews, the famous Princes in the Tower, who suddenly disappeared and who history tells us Richard had murdered to protect his throne.
Some thoughts I want to share…
- This novel is enhanced by a knowledge of the period covered, England 1455-1500. It is not necessary, but I think it enhances the read.
- The book is set in 1951, and the time period is key to keep in mind in terms of understanding how the “investigation” is handled. There is no Google and internet in 1951. It was so fun to inhabit a world where one can’t search the internet for answers. They must utilize libraries. Gasp!
There are some incredible strengths to this novel. Among many:
- The characterization is really well done. Author Josephine Tey has a deft knack for making people seem instantly real and full. Her protagonist Grant has a nickname for almost every character in the text, and his nicknames are spot on, and flesh out and expand the characters. It all works hand in glove to create a well-rounded cast of characters for this text.
- The book is filled with delightfully drool lines, like this one, which our protagonist muses as he observes a character who has brought him an item that he needs. “She ceased to be a large female who breathed like a suction-pump and became a potential dispenser of delight.”
- The humor is in this text is sly and very dry. More than a couple of times while reading I laughed out loud. I was not expecting that with this book.
Quotes:
• “Marta looked as scandalized as a lifetime in the theatre and an hour of careful make-up allowed her to.”
• “It was shocking how little history remained with one after a good education.”
• “When you sit on a throne I suppose companionship is a rare blessing.”
• “Grant had dealt too long with the human intelligence to accept as truth someone’s report of someone’s report of what that someone remembered to have seen or been told.”
THE DAUGHTER OF TIME may not be for everyone, but it was for me. A well written, concise, and vastly intriguing fictional take on one of the great unsolved mysteries of history. The conclusions it presents are indeed plausible, which makes the book even more interesting. It certainly made me think about my perceptions, and how I think about situations (current and historical) that I interact with.
As Inspector Grant observes as he contemplates a portrait of Richard III, “Villains don’t suffer, and that face is full of the most dreadful pain.”
Could be…could be. ...more
I really enjoyed this book! THE DAUGHTER OF TIME was a great and unex “After all, the truth of anything at all doesn’t lie in someone’s account of it.”
I really enjoyed this book! THE DAUGHTER OF TIME was a great and unexpected read. In this text a 400-year-old murder is “solved” from a hospital bed in London. There is no action, just astute observation and process of deductive reasoning, and I found it utterly fascinating.
The plot in short, Police Inspector Alan Grant lies in a hospital bed, recovering from broken bones. He is bored to tears and a friend brings him several items to pass the time, including pictures of historical people. Alan becomes fascinated with the portrait of Richard III and slowly concludes that this is not the face of the man that history records as an infamous monster. He then sets out to research and ponder (from his bed) if this man is capable of the murder of his nephews, the famous Princes in the Tower, who suddenly disappeared and who history tells us Richard had murdered to protect his throne.
Some thoughts I want to share…
- This novel is enhanced by a knowledge of the period covered, England 1455-1500. It is not necessary, but I think it enhances the read.
- The book is set in 1951, and the time period is key to keep in mind in terms of understanding how the “investigation” is handled. There is no Google and internet in 1951. It was so fun to inhabit a world where one can’t search the internet for answers. They must utilize libraries. Gasp!
There are some incredible strengths to this novel. Among many:
- The characterization is really well done. Author Josephine Tey has a deft knack for making people seem instantly real and full. Her protagonist Grant has a nickname for almost every character in the text, and his nicknames are spot on, and flesh out and expand the characters. It all works hand in glove to create a well-rounded cast of characters for this text.
- The book is filled with delightfully drool lines, like this one, which our protagonist muses as he observes a character who has brought him an item that he needs. “She ceased to be a large female who breathed like a suction-pump and became a potential dispenser of delight.”
- The humor is in this text is sly and very dry. More than a couple of times while reading I laughed out loud. I was not expecting that with this book.
Quotes:
• “Marta looked as scandalized as a lifetime in the theatre and an hour of careful make-up allowed her to.”
• “It was shocking how little history remained with one after a good education.”
• “When you sit on a throne I suppose companionship is a rare blessing.”
• “Grant had dealt too long with the human intelligence to accept as truth someone’s report of someone’s report of what that someone remembered to have seen or been told.”
THE DAUGHTER OF TIME may not be for everyone, but it was for me. A well written, concise, and vastly intriguing fictional take on one of the great unsolved mysteries of history. The conclusions it presents are indeed plausible, which makes the book even more interesting. It certainly made me think about my perceptions, and how I think about situations (current and historical) that I interact with.
As Inspector Grant observes as he contemplates a portrait of Richard III, “Villains don’t suffer, and that face is full of the most dreadful pain.”
Could be…could be. ...more
Notes are private!
1
Oct 12, 2024
Oct 15, 2024
Oct 12, 2024
Paperback
0143120654
9780143120650
0143120654
4.36
22,139
Sep 02, 2010
Dec 21, 2011
liked it
“Faith and desperation showed equally in his face.” (3.5 stars)
HEARTSTONE is a solid book, but it is not my favorite of the five books in the Matthew “Faith and desperation showed equally in his face.” (3.5 stars)
HEARTSTONE is a solid book, but it is not my favorite of the five books in the Matthew Shardlake Tudor mystery series that I have read. There was something about it that was not as satisfying as the four books that preceded it.
In this installment of the series, lawyer Shardlake is dispatched to England’s coastal region, near Portsmouth on the eve of the anticipated French invasion in summer 1545. As mentioned, this text was not my favorite thus far, but it does keep building the tension and the intrigue. I certainly never was going to not finish it. Bit by bit, the reader becomes aware of more and more, and suddenly you find that you are very interested in this story!
Quotes:
• “However much one lacks piety, the atmosphere in a graveyard encourages quiet reflection.”
• “Politics is like dice; the better the player, the worse the man.”
• “God will not suffer injustice to children.”
• “Someone has to care for those nobody else cares for.”
• “But often in this life we must spend our time associating with those who are not our friends, must we not?”
• “But no secret lasts forever.”
• “But there are only so many favors a man can call in from anyone.”
• “But I have faith. It is the only way to live with the mystery.”
Before I end this review, there are two items that deserve to be singled out in HEARTSTONE.
First, there is a section where our protagonist goes on a king’s warship. It is surprisingly evocative. The details and atmosphere given to secondary moments like this in the text are vivid.
Second, I have greatly enjoyed in this series the developing and deepening characterization of Matthew Shardlake. In this novel his presumptuous and obsessive nature is used to good effect, and it is a natural development from earlier novels.
There are two more books in this series. I will be reading them! ...more
HEARTSTONE is a solid book, but it is not my favorite of the five books in the Matthew “Faith and desperation showed equally in his face.” (3.5 stars)
HEARTSTONE is a solid book, but it is not my favorite of the five books in the Matthew Shardlake Tudor mystery series that I have read. There was something about it that was not as satisfying as the four books that preceded it.
In this installment of the series, lawyer Shardlake is dispatched to England’s coastal region, near Portsmouth on the eve of the anticipated French invasion in summer 1545. As mentioned, this text was not my favorite thus far, but it does keep building the tension and the intrigue. I certainly never was going to not finish it. Bit by bit, the reader becomes aware of more and more, and suddenly you find that you are very interested in this story!
Quotes:
• “However much one lacks piety, the atmosphere in a graveyard encourages quiet reflection.”
• “Politics is like dice; the better the player, the worse the man.”
• “God will not suffer injustice to children.”
• “Someone has to care for those nobody else cares for.”
• “But often in this life we must spend our time associating with those who are not our friends, must we not?”
• “But no secret lasts forever.”
• “But there are only so many favors a man can call in from anyone.”
• “But I have faith. It is the only way to live with the mystery.”
Before I end this review, there are two items that deserve to be singled out in HEARTSTONE.
First, there is a section where our protagonist goes on a king’s warship. It is surprisingly evocative. The details and atmosphere given to secondary moments like this in the text are vivid.
Second, I have greatly enjoyed in this series the developing and deepening characterization of Matthew Shardlake. In this novel his presumptuous and obsessive nature is used to good effect, and it is a natural development from earlier novels.
There are two more books in this series. I will be reading them! ...more
Notes are private!
1
Sep 28, 2024
Oct 22, 2024
Sep 28, 2024
Paperback
0143133365
9780143133360
0143133365
3.39
11,767
1977
Jun 05, 2018
really liked it
“What do I get out of my work?”
PAPER MONEY was my first experience reading Ken Follett. I enjoyed it! Published a couple of years before I was born th “What do I get out of my work?”
PAPER MONEY was my first experience reading Ken Follett. I enjoyed it! Published a couple of years before I was born this text is a taut, tightly written book with fully realized characters, coming in at a quick 221 pages. It is not a bit overwritten. There are few, if any, superfluous words.
There is not a central protagonist in this slim novel. It is a true ensemble piece. The point of view shifts by chapter, and there are quite a few very different voices and storylines explored in this book. In PAPER MONEY Mr. Follett demonstrates a clever interlocking of several plot threads, all told over the period of one day, starting at 6 AM and ending at 4 PM.
Quotes:
• “Everything in business is courage.”
• “What had he done with his life, to be left with no one who would love him right or wrong?”
• “A reputation for honesty was made slowly and lost quickly in the City.”
Unfortunately, I disliked the final chapter of this book, a lot. However, everything that came before it was great!
I have been aware of Mr. Follett for a while. PAPER MONEY guarantees that I will read more of his work. ...more
PAPER MONEY was my first experience reading Ken Follett. I enjoyed it! Published a couple of years before I was born th “What do I get out of my work?”
PAPER MONEY was my first experience reading Ken Follett. I enjoyed it! Published a couple of years before I was born this text is a taut, tightly written book with fully realized characters, coming in at a quick 221 pages. It is not a bit overwritten. There are few, if any, superfluous words.
There is not a central protagonist in this slim novel. It is a true ensemble piece. The point of view shifts by chapter, and there are quite a few very different voices and storylines explored in this book. In PAPER MONEY Mr. Follett demonstrates a clever interlocking of several plot threads, all told over the period of one day, starting at 6 AM and ending at 4 PM.
Quotes:
• “Everything in business is courage.”
• “What had he done with his life, to be left with no one who would love him right or wrong?”
• “A reputation for honesty was made slowly and lost quickly in the City.”
Unfortunately, I disliked the final chapter of this book, a lot. However, everything that came before it was great!
I have been aware of Mr. Follett for a while. PAPER MONEY guarantees that I will read more of his work. ...more
Notes are private!
1
Sep 2024
Sep 02, 2024
Sep 01, 2024
Paperback
0062406655
9780062406651
0062406655
4.57
85,601
Nov 14, 2023
Nov 14, 2023
really liked it
“If you want to get away with lying, first change the language.”
THE LITTLE LIAR has a great premise, an interesting perspective, an intriguing story, “If you want to get away with lying, first change the language.”
THE LITTLE LIAR has a great premise, an interesting perspective, an intriguing story, and a great idea for a narrator. And it is a good read and one I am glad I have under my belt. Mitch Albom does a nice job with this book. He really does. But as I was reading it, I kept wondering what this great premise would have looked like in the hands of a truly stellar writer. Someone like a Mark Helprin, or a Kent Haruf. However, I will give credit where it is due. Mr. Albom has taken the Holocaust and given a unique and compelling version of a well-worn story in this novel.
The plot, Nico Krispis is 11 years old when his Greek town comes under Nazi occupation, and the deportation dictated by the Final Solution comes to his life. This little boy has never told a lie…until he is tricked into giving misinformation to his fellow Jews. Other key characters are a Nazi officer named Udo Graf, Nico’s older brother, Sebastian, and a friend of the family that both boys have a crush on, Fannie. The story takes us from the 1940s to the mid-1980s.
One of the strongest aspects of this novel is that it is told by a 3rd person omniscient narrator. The Narrator in this case is the Angel of Truth. This device is well deployed by Mr. Albom, and for me was the most intriguing and well-done aspect of the text. When you are presented with unvarnished truth, with no pretense or disguises allowed, it gives the reader no room to question what they are reading. If Truth says it, it is! No unreliable narrators or questions in this book.
Quotes:
• “Humans can be trusted only to watch out for themselves.”
• “Humans lie constantly, especially to their Maker.”
• “But just as ignoring proper food will ultimately decay your body, so will handpicking the Truth eventually rot your soul.”
• “Sometimes, it is the truths we don’t speak that echo the loudest.”
• “Like many decisions that change a life, it comes silently, without fanfare.”
• “But a lie comes in many disguises; sometimes, it looks like safety.”
• “We are all one fateful act from a redirected destiny, and the price we pay can be immeasurable.”
• “Perhaps it’s because the lies you die with are the first thing the Lord peels away-the lies you have told, and the lies that have been told about you.”
• “Jealousy rarely forgets.”
• “When it comes to lies, governments can outlast anyone.”
There are lots of nuggets of great human truth strewn throughout THE LITTLE LIAR, and I am very glad that I read this book. Lines like the following are all over this text, and they serve as a powerful reminder of the great responsibility, and consequences, of the Truth. “Truth calls for a reckoning, whether immediate or in the distant future.” We would all do well to realize how very true that statement is!
Another thing that I appreciated about this book was that its bent was toward human redemption and the goodness that humanity is capable of. I think too often in literature we can forget about that, and if we don’t strive to recognize the goodness we are capable of, then all is lost. I won’t have a problem with a book that strives to remind us of that fact. ...more
THE LITTLE LIAR has a great premise, an interesting perspective, an intriguing story, “If you want to get away with lying, first change the language.”
THE LITTLE LIAR has a great premise, an interesting perspective, an intriguing story, and a great idea for a narrator. And it is a good read and one I am glad I have under my belt. Mitch Albom does a nice job with this book. He really does. But as I was reading it, I kept wondering what this great premise would have looked like in the hands of a truly stellar writer. Someone like a Mark Helprin, or a Kent Haruf. However, I will give credit where it is due. Mr. Albom has taken the Holocaust and given a unique and compelling version of a well-worn story in this novel.
The plot, Nico Krispis is 11 years old when his Greek town comes under Nazi occupation, and the deportation dictated by the Final Solution comes to his life. This little boy has never told a lie…until he is tricked into giving misinformation to his fellow Jews. Other key characters are a Nazi officer named Udo Graf, Nico’s older brother, Sebastian, and a friend of the family that both boys have a crush on, Fannie. The story takes us from the 1940s to the mid-1980s.
One of the strongest aspects of this novel is that it is told by a 3rd person omniscient narrator. The Narrator in this case is the Angel of Truth. This device is well deployed by Mr. Albom, and for me was the most intriguing and well-done aspect of the text. When you are presented with unvarnished truth, with no pretense or disguises allowed, it gives the reader no room to question what they are reading. If Truth says it, it is! No unreliable narrators or questions in this book.
Quotes:
• “Humans can be trusted only to watch out for themselves.”
• “Humans lie constantly, especially to their Maker.”
• “But just as ignoring proper food will ultimately decay your body, so will handpicking the Truth eventually rot your soul.”
• “Sometimes, it is the truths we don’t speak that echo the loudest.”
• “Like many decisions that change a life, it comes silently, without fanfare.”
• “But a lie comes in many disguises; sometimes, it looks like safety.”
• “We are all one fateful act from a redirected destiny, and the price we pay can be immeasurable.”
• “Perhaps it’s because the lies you die with are the first thing the Lord peels away-the lies you have told, and the lies that have been told about you.”
• “Jealousy rarely forgets.”
• “When it comes to lies, governments can outlast anyone.”
There are lots of nuggets of great human truth strewn throughout THE LITTLE LIAR, and I am very glad that I read this book. Lines like the following are all over this text, and they serve as a powerful reminder of the great responsibility, and consequences, of the Truth. “Truth calls for a reckoning, whether immediate or in the distant future.” We would all do well to realize how very true that statement is!
Another thing that I appreciated about this book was that its bent was toward human redemption and the goodness that humanity is capable of. I think too often in literature we can forget about that, and if we don’t strive to recognize the goodness we are capable of, then all is lost. I won’t have a problem with a book that strives to remind us of that fact. ...more
Notes are private!
1
Aug 18, 2024
Aug 19, 2024
Aug 18, 2024
Hardcover
0316485616
9780316485616
0316485616
4.28
70,270
Oct 22, 2019
Oct 22, 2019
liked it
“Everybody counted or nobody counted.” (3.5 stars)
THE NIGHT FIRE is the third installment in Mr. Connelly’s Renée Ballard series. Of the three it is m “Everybody counted or nobody counted.” (3.5 stars)
THE NIGHT FIRE is the third installment in Mr. Connelly’s Renée Ballard series. Of the three it is my favorite so far. The relationship between Renée and her unofficial under the radar partner Harry Bosh is getting a little more development, and it was just a tightly plotted novel. By the book’s end three subplots are seamlessly and intriguingly connected into a coherent throughline.
In this text Mr. Connelly also brings in one of his other regulars, Mickey Haller (the Lincoln Lawyer), and a defendant he gets off in court, a cold case from many years ago, and an “accident” at a homeless encampment come together in a manner that never bored me.
Quotes:
• “Take every case personally and you get angry. It builds a fire. It gives you the edge you need to go the distance every time out.”
• “How did one child retain hope in the darkness, and another come to believe it was gone forever?”
• “True heroes are hard to come by I guess.”
One glaring flaw is that the falling action and conclusion of this text is a little to on the nose. I saw it coming a mile off, but the story is a good one and I was always engaged when I picked it up. That is becoming a bigger deal to me the older I get.
On to # 4 in the series soon. ...more
THE NIGHT FIRE is the third installment in Mr. Connelly’s Renée Ballard series. Of the three it is m “Everybody counted or nobody counted.” (3.5 stars)
THE NIGHT FIRE is the third installment in Mr. Connelly’s Renée Ballard series. Of the three it is my favorite so far. The relationship between Renée and her unofficial under the radar partner Harry Bosh is getting a little more development, and it was just a tightly plotted novel. By the book’s end three subplots are seamlessly and intriguingly connected into a coherent throughline.
In this text Mr. Connelly also brings in one of his other regulars, Mickey Haller (the Lincoln Lawyer), and a defendant he gets off in court, a cold case from many years ago, and an “accident” at a homeless encampment come together in a manner that never bored me.
Quotes:
• “Take every case personally and you get angry. It builds a fire. It gives you the edge you need to go the distance every time out.”
• “How did one child retain hope in the darkness, and another come to believe it was gone forever?”
• “True heroes are hard to come by I guess.”
One glaring flaw is that the falling action and conclusion of this text is a little to on the nose. I saw it coming a mile off, but the story is a good one and I was always engaged when I picked it up. That is becoming a bigger deal to me the older I get.
On to # 4 in the series soon. ...more
Notes are private!
1
Aug 04, 2024
Aug 11, 2024
Aug 04, 2024
Hardcover
0385544189
9780385544184
0385544189
4.15
115,523
Oct 15, 2019
Oct 15, 2019
liked it
“You’re paying for it.”
I read THE GUARDIANS sitting with my feet in the ocean, so I am sure that this colored my reading experience with it. In this b “You’re paying for it.”
I read THE GUARDIANS sitting with my feet in the ocean, so I am sure that this colored my reading experience with it. In this book the good guys win, and the momentum is always heading in a positive direction. So, I’m saying it is ridiculous, but a good read for the beach.
Alternating between fist and second person point of view, the novel follows Cullen Post, an Episcopal minister and lawyer who works on behalf of falsely convicted prisoners. The case that is the book’s driving force involves a man falsely convicted twenty-two years ago of killing his lawyer. It is quickly discovered that he was a diversion, scapegoated to protect the real killers and their conspiracy.
Interesting to me was the slightly religious bent the novel has because of the protagonist being a part time minister. Although the religious element is slight in this text, it was nice to read a mainstream fiction book where Christianity is not mocked.
THE GUARDIANS was not a bad read for what it was. Not something I would ever pick up again.
I end with the only quote from the book that made me take notice- “Prison is a nightmare for those who deserve it. For those who don’t, it is a daily struggle to maintain some level of sanity.” ...more
I read THE GUARDIANS sitting with my feet in the ocean, so I am sure that this colored my reading experience with it. In this b “You’re paying for it.”
I read THE GUARDIANS sitting with my feet in the ocean, so I am sure that this colored my reading experience with it. In this book the good guys win, and the momentum is always heading in a positive direction. So, I’m saying it is ridiculous, but a good read for the beach.
Alternating between fist and second person point of view, the novel follows Cullen Post, an Episcopal minister and lawyer who works on behalf of falsely convicted prisoners. The case that is the book’s driving force involves a man falsely convicted twenty-two years ago of killing his lawyer. It is quickly discovered that he was a diversion, scapegoated to protect the real killers and their conspiracy.
Interesting to me was the slightly religious bent the novel has because of the protagonist being a part time minister. Although the religious element is slight in this text, it was nice to read a mainstream fiction book where Christianity is not mocked.
THE GUARDIANS was not a bad read for what it was. Not something I would ever pick up again.
I end with the only quote from the book that made me take notice- “Prison is a nightmare for those who deserve it. For those who don’t, it is a daily struggle to maintain some level of sanity.” ...more
Notes are private!
1
Aug 2024
Aug 02, 2024
Aug 01, 2024
Hardcover
0062967509
9780062967503
0062967509
4.08
2,448
Jan 26, 2021
Jan 26, 2021
really liked it
“Life is just a few minutes!” (3.5 stars)
Went on the annual beach trip, and that meant it was time for another installment in Mr. Dorsey’s Serge A. St “Life is just a few minutes!” (3.5 stars)
Went on the annual beach trip, and that meant it was time for another installment in Mr. Dorsey’s Serge A. Storm series. These books are usually good for a laugh and a bonkers plot. TROPIC OF STUPID is a great addition to the series.
In this installment Florida history buff and serial killer (of people who deserve it) Serge Storms gets caught up in Christ’s Sermon on the Mount and also on internet ancestry services that use DNA to make family connections for people. It makes for an interesting combination!
The text boasts lots of subplots; a determined woman in law enforcement, a sleezy lawyer who finds redemption, a serial killer (not Serge) on the rampage and they all eventually tie nicely together to create a coherent and fun plotline.
Quotes:
• “Destiny, for better or worse, has stuck me with you as my soul mate. Who decides this shit?”
• “And since the meaning of life isn’t about us, it must be about how we treat others.”
• “Because doing the right thing isn’t always easy or fun, and sometimes it’s downright sacrifice. You have to become the kind of person who wants to do the right thing more than what you personally desire.”
• “Millions of Americans aren’t happy unless they’re unhappy.”
• “One thing I’ve learned is that human behavior will never stop surprising you.”
• “If you don’t make up cool s%#t about your family, nobody else will…”
• “Nudity and gibberish are underrated.”
• “Just talking to myself…I like the company.”
• “He inhaled deeply and happily through his nostrils, taking in the invigorating aroma of coffee and freshly baked Latin bread, trying to inhale life itself.”
I read TROPIC OF STUPID in the pool with palmetto trees blowing in the breeze. That combined with the fact that Serge’s sidekick Coleman was less annoying to me in this installment than in others in the series and that the plotting was tighter than in some of the previous books, made this a quick and really enjoyable outing for me. ...more
Went on the annual beach trip, and that meant it was time for another installment in Mr. Dorsey’s Serge A. St “Life is just a few minutes!” (3.5 stars)
Went on the annual beach trip, and that meant it was time for another installment in Mr. Dorsey’s Serge A. Storm series. These books are usually good for a laugh and a bonkers plot. TROPIC OF STUPID is a great addition to the series.
In this installment Florida history buff and serial killer (of people who deserve it) Serge Storms gets caught up in Christ’s Sermon on the Mount and also on internet ancestry services that use DNA to make family connections for people. It makes for an interesting combination!
The text boasts lots of subplots; a determined woman in law enforcement, a sleezy lawyer who finds redemption, a serial killer (not Serge) on the rampage and they all eventually tie nicely together to create a coherent and fun plotline.
Quotes:
• “Destiny, for better or worse, has stuck me with you as my soul mate. Who decides this shit?”
• “And since the meaning of life isn’t about us, it must be about how we treat others.”
• “Because doing the right thing isn’t always easy or fun, and sometimes it’s downright sacrifice. You have to become the kind of person who wants to do the right thing more than what you personally desire.”
• “Millions of Americans aren’t happy unless they’re unhappy.”
• “One thing I’ve learned is that human behavior will never stop surprising you.”
• “If you don’t make up cool s%#t about your family, nobody else will…”
• “Nudity and gibberish are underrated.”
• “Just talking to myself…I like the company.”
• “He inhaled deeply and happily through his nostrils, taking in the invigorating aroma of coffee and freshly baked Latin bread, trying to inhale life itself.”
I read TROPIC OF STUPID in the pool with palmetto trees blowing in the breeze. That combined with the fact that Serge’s sidekick Coleman was less annoying to me in this installment than in others in the series and that the plotting was tighter than in some of the previous books, made this a quick and really enjoyable outing for me. ...more
Notes are private!
1
Jul 30, 2024
Jul 31, 2024
Jul 30, 2024
Hardcover
0593440633
9780593440636
0593440633
4.08
342,291
1997
Dec 28, 2021
it was ok
"The sour smell of used money." (1.5 stars)
This was my first Jack Reacher novel. I doubt there is another Reacher novel in my life anytime soon. The p "The sour smell of used money." (1.5 stars)
This was my first Jack Reacher novel. I doubt there is another Reacher novel in my life anytime soon. The plot, in short, Jack Reacher gets off a bus in the little town of Margrave, Georgia and a few hours later he is arrested for a murder he did not commit. Jack Reacher is a former military MP and West Point grad and he does not take getting arrested for something he did not do lightly. What follows contains the obligatory action, blood, and sex that one would expect in a novel like this.
I was just not into this text. It's very heavy in the body count. Very heavy! And it just felt poorly developed. The denouement of the novel is pure violent fantasy schlock. The book just feels like a book of male teenage fantasy. My 15-year-old self would have loved it. I can see why some people like it, but it's just not for me.
Quotes:
* "My name is Jack Reacher," I said. "No middle name. No address."
* "The big things and the small things which were supposed to represent home."
* "They had that slack, empty look that is left behind when life has departed."
I understand that the hero of books like these are meant to be" too good to be true," but there still has to be an element of believability with that character, and in this novel there isn't. Jack Reacher does not feel real to me. This is the first novel of what is obviously a very successful series, so maybe Mr. Child got better. I'm just not sure that I am interested in finding out. ...more
This was my first Jack Reacher novel. I doubt there is another Reacher novel in my life anytime soon. The p "The sour smell of used money." (1.5 stars)
This was my first Jack Reacher novel. I doubt there is another Reacher novel in my life anytime soon. The plot, in short, Jack Reacher gets off a bus in the little town of Margrave, Georgia and a few hours later he is arrested for a murder he did not commit. Jack Reacher is a former military MP and West Point grad and he does not take getting arrested for something he did not do lightly. What follows contains the obligatory action, blood, and sex that one would expect in a novel like this.
I was just not into this text. It's very heavy in the body count. Very heavy! And it just felt poorly developed. The denouement of the novel is pure violent fantasy schlock. The book just feels like a book of male teenage fantasy. My 15-year-old self would have loved it. I can see why some people like it, but it's just not for me.
Quotes:
* "My name is Jack Reacher," I said. "No middle name. No address."
* "The big things and the small things which were supposed to represent home."
* "They had that slack, empty look that is left behind when life has departed."
I understand that the hero of books like these are meant to be" too good to be true," but there still has to be an element of believability with that character, and in this novel there isn't. Jack Reacher does not feel real to me. This is the first novel of what is obviously a very successful series, so maybe Mr. Child got better. I'm just not sure that I am interested in finding out. ...more
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1
Jul 26, 2024
Jul 30, 2024
Jul 26, 2024
Paperback
1250179165
9781250179166
1250179165
3.57
20,988
Jan 11, 2018
Feb 11, 2020
liked it
“I never had enough of living.” (3.5 stars)
Translated from Italian, author Rosella Postorino’s AT THE WOLF’S TABLE is an interesting book. I liked it, “I never had enough of living.” (3.5 stars)
Translated from Italian, author Rosella Postorino’s AT THE WOLF’S TABLE is an interesting book. I liked it, but I think that it tries to be too many things at once.
In short, it is the story of Rosa Sauer, a woman who has left Berlin to live with her in-laws after her parents are killed in the bombs that drop on Berlin. In rural Germany, she is conscripted to be one of Hitler’s food tasters when he is at his headquarters, known as the “Wolf’s Lair.” Rosa’s husband is also missing in action.
Told in the first person, Rosa fills us in on how she came to be where she is, and bit by bit we get backstory and new revelations as they are detailed and revealed by her. The author uses this device well, and there were more than a few times in the novel where I was surprised by something I had just learned. This device is well utilized.
The text is a slow burn, I did not mind that, it is really a character study. As a result, there are few characters, other than Rosa, who are fully rendered. There are a lot of secondary characters in the text, and as mentioned, with only a few exceptions their names and attributes run together. I was never fully aware of who was who. Because they are not distinctly drawn, they tend to jumble together. There are a couple of exceptions to this, and those characters gave me enough to go on to enjoy the book.
Quotes:
• “A person can cease to exist even when alive.”
• “In those who recognize it, weakness awakens guilt.”
• “Often, sharing a secret doesn’t bring people together-it separates them.”
• “It’s endearing, the human need to eat so as not to die.”
• “People use love to justify all kinds of things.”
• “Everything considered, life matters so little, and devoting it to someone fills it with meaning.”
• “…how strange, one death that contains another.”
• “It’s deranged, the human species; it’s instincts shouldn’t be heeded.”
• “With time, even the enthusiasm of a miracle dampens.”
• “Marriage is a fluctuating system-it moves in waves, it can always end and always begin again, it has no linear progression, not does it follow logical paths.”
• “When you lose someone, the pain you feel is for yourself….”
• “The past doesn’t go away, but there’s no need to dredge it up; you can try to let it rest…”
I will say this, the ending was a fascinating take by the writer. I have no other comment than that. I would love to know why she chose to conclude the novel in the way that she did.
I would urge someone who starts this book to stick with it. Get past the first 75 or so pages. It gets better. AT THE WOLF’S TABLE boasts an intriguing premise and plot and it gives some interesting insight into the lives of the German civilian population during WW II. ...more
Translated from Italian, author Rosella Postorino’s AT THE WOLF’S TABLE is an interesting book. I liked it, “I never had enough of living.” (3.5 stars)
Translated from Italian, author Rosella Postorino’s AT THE WOLF’S TABLE is an interesting book. I liked it, but I think that it tries to be too many things at once.
In short, it is the story of Rosa Sauer, a woman who has left Berlin to live with her in-laws after her parents are killed in the bombs that drop on Berlin. In rural Germany, she is conscripted to be one of Hitler’s food tasters when he is at his headquarters, known as the “Wolf’s Lair.” Rosa’s husband is also missing in action.
Told in the first person, Rosa fills us in on how she came to be where she is, and bit by bit we get backstory and new revelations as they are detailed and revealed by her. The author uses this device well, and there were more than a few times in the novel where I was surprised by something I had just learned. This device is well utilized.
The text is a slow burn, I did not mind that, it is really a character study. As a result, there are few characters, other than Rosa, who are fully rendered. There are a lot of secondary characters in the text, and as mentioned, with only a few exceptions their names and attributes run together. I was never fully aware of who was who. Because they are not distinctly drawn, they tend to jumble together. There are a couple of exceptions to this, and those characters gave me enough to go on to enjoy the book.
Quotes:
• “A person can cease to exist even when alive.”
• “In those who recognize it, weakness awakens guilt.”
• “Often, sharing a secret doesn’t bring people together-it separates them.”
• “It’s endearing, the human need to eat so as not to die.”
• “People use love to justify all kinds of things.”
• “Everything considered, life matters so little, and devoting it to someone fills it with meaning.”
• “…how strange, one death that contains another.”
• “It’s deranged, the human species; it’s instincts shouldn’t be heeded.”
• “With time, even the enthusiasm of a miracle dampens.”
• “Marriage is a fluctuating system-it moves in waves, it can always end and always begin again, it has no linear progression, not does it follow logical paths.”
• “When you lose someone, the pain you feel is for yourself….”
• “The past doesn’t go away, but there’s no need to dredge it up; you can try to let it rest…”
I will say this, the ending was a fascinating take by the writer. I have no other comment than that. I would love to know why she chose to conclude the novel in the way that she did.
I would urge someone who starts this book to stick with it. Get past the first 75 or so pages. It gets better. AT THE WOLF’S TABLE boasts an intriguing premise and plot and it gives some interesting insight into the lives of the German civilian population during WW II. ...more
Notes are private!
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Jul 10, 2024
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Jul 10, 2024
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