Review: Shards of Honour

Shards of Honour
Shards of Honour by Lois McMaster Bujold
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My good friend Jess gifted these books to me back in September but I somehow missed them until now so I wanted to make up for that by immediately reading them. And I am so glad I did! What an awesome writer Bujold is. I love her creativity, I love her characters and I love love love her witty dialogue.

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Review: Barrayar

Barrayar
Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I immediately moved on to this one after Shards of Honor and I am so glad I did! I love Cordelia so so much! She is smart, strong and has some of the best lines!!

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Review: Saltwater

Saltwater
Saltwater by Katy Hays
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

There are messed up families and then there are messed up families!

The Lingates have survived the tragedy of losing Sarah Lingate twenty years ago in Capri. Because they want to prove that it was not a crime, they keep coming back to their house in Capri for a week every year just like they used to.

Everyone’s moved on. Or have they?

Sarah’s daughter, Helen, wants to uncover the truth. She also wants to get out from under their control.

And then her mother’s necklace is uncovered. The one she was wearing the night she died. The one they had thought was lost to the sea or stolen. And, of course, things start to unravel. They get twisted and twisted again. Some I saw coming, and some not at all.

Despite the truly messed up family, I enjoyed reading this novel and swallowed it up in two days.

with gratitude to netgalley and Ballantine Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

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Review: This Book Will Bury Me

This Book Will Bury Me
This Book Will Bury Me by Ashley Winstead
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book took forever for me to read. The characters were mostly insufferable and I just couldn’t get into the story even though I did want to know what happened. Several reviews say this is about a live case in Idaho and even though a bunch of other things happen in the book, and I am sure the twist ending is intended to move the story away from live events, it’s a bit icky to take a current, unsolved live event and use it as a plot device.

I guessed the twist before it came.

In the end, this book was okay. Longer than it needed to be. I think if it were 100 pages shorter, I might have liked it more.

with gratitude to netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

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Review: Twist

Twist
Twist by Colum McCann
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

McCann finds the most interesting premises to write about. His tales are always interesting and his writing is always beautiful. But what i love the most is always his character development. His characters stick with you. They are so three-dimensional they jump off the page.

This is the story of Fennell, a journalist who is sent to connect with Conway. Conway repairs the internet cables that lie in the ocean when they break. He is an engineer and a freediver. He’s married to an artist who becomes famous during the time of the novel. The story is interesting in of itself. There are cables in the sea that carry the information we have at our fingertips. When the cables break, someone has to actually go fix them. Conway is one of those people. That is interesting, isn’t it?

But then there’s so much more. And there’s a mystery. In the solving of that mystery, more mysteries are unearthed and we are reminded that at their core, people are complex and we will never truly know them.

with gratitude to netgalley and Random House for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

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Review: I Cheerfully Refuse

I Cheerfully Refuse
I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

Ok officially DNF’ing this one at 47%. I don’t know if it’s me or the books I am choosing lately but I am almost halfway through this story and I still don’t really know what’s going on and I cannot read it anymore.

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Review: Loving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life

Loving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life
Loving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life by Byron Katie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

People love Byron Katie or they hate her. I feel like self-help or systems like this only serve you as far as you’re willing to go. And you should always take what works and leave the rest. These are not religions. I like that she has a process I can follow. And I also deeply agree that the truth is the truth is the truth so regardless of how I feel about it, it doesn’t change being the truth. And messing with how others should feel, be, behave, etc. is a path to unhappiness since we have no control over what others do and why. So my business is all I get to choose and control. A good reminder.

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Review: The Perfect Son

The Perfect Son
The Perfect Son by Freida McFadden
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It’s interesting to read these earlier McFaddens before her stories became really twisted and her characters became even more deeply unlikeable. I sort of guessed this one though it was a fast read.

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Review: The Housemaid

The Housemaid
The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Ok I buckled. I finally read this. It was ok. I have already read this plot before, albeit maybe it was stolen from McFadden but either way, it didn’t come as a twist this time around of course.

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Review: A Sea of Unspoken Things

A Sea of Unspoken Things
A Sea of Unspoken Things by Adrienne Young
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When her twin brother is accidentally shot dead, James goes back to her hometown to pack up his belongings. But her true motive is really to understand what happened. The uneasy feeling will not leave her alone and she’s confident that things aren’t what they seem.

Add to that a small town where the love of her life, her brother’s on again and off again girlfriend and all her childhood friends still live. A small town full of gossip. A small town she’d managed to escape. A small town where there are no secrets. A small town where she and her brother and her ex were keeping a secret they never told anyone.

And James isn’t sure her brother is as innocent as he seems. But she knows him and there’s no way he could have hurt anyone. Or could he?

Young’s writing is haunting, claustrophobic and atmospheric. Her characters are memorable and three-dimensional. I love reading her stories.

with gratitude to netgalley and Delacorte Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

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Review: The Third Rule of Time Travel

The Third Rule of Time Travel
The Third Rule of Time Travel by Philip Fracassi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What an unusual book this was.

Beth and her husband have created a time machine. It comes with three rules. And you know what’s going to happen next, right?

As soon as there are rules, the story is about how those rules are not working anymore.

Beth’s husband passed away and she’s trying to ensure their life’s work is put to good use. She’s working all the time, trying to understand the intricacies of the machine they invented. When their funding is about to dry out, she’s put through test after test to see where her limit might be.

And, of course, things start to unravel.

I read this in one single sitting.

with gratitude to netgalley and Orbit for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

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Review: What Happened to the McCrays?

What Happened to the McCrays?
What Happened to the McCrays? by Tracey Lange
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I’ve now read and loved every one of Lange’s books.

This is the story of Kyle McCray who has to return home to take care of his dad after he suffers from a debilitating stroke. Kyle left town over two years ago and had not been planning to come back. In fact, he’s pretty sure he’s not welcome back.

Alas.

This is the story of grief, loss, family, forgiveness, shame and so so much love. It’s a reminder that things are rarely what they seem and a reminder of all the things we give up in the name of caring for someone else and managing to hurt them in the process. It’s a reminder that suffering in silence is never better than suffering together and healing together. Some losses are too big but even those, especially those, need the company of grace and love.

Lange’s stories have so many of life’s emotions at their center. And they always remind you what it means to be family.

with gratitude to netgalley and Celadon Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

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