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joannneuroth's reviews
93 reviews
Shadow in the Glass by M.E. Hilliard
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
This second in the series didn’t grab me like the first did. Much fussing and dithering as she goes over and over what she knows to date until [bang] the solution occurs to her. Dragged for me
Fadeout by Joseph Hansen
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Dave Brandstetter is a terrific protagonist -- he's smart, tough, clever, compassionate, dogged. He's working through deep grief at losing his partner Rod, and going back to work keeps him focused and moving. He listens to people well, thinks tangentially as a detective should, and gets inside the head of the person whose death he's investigating for his insurance company. The whole series is worth working to find -- it's old and mostly out of print.
The Unkindness of Ravens by M.E. Hilliard
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Greer Hogan is engaging enough that I checked out the second book in the series; she's nosy and pushy and intent on her role as a "girl detective." Light summer reading.
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
5.0
This book took me by surprise. It was utterly fascinating. I’d read no reviews. Hadn’t heard of the author. But just stumbled onto it in the library's "new fiction" section. What a gift! Do read it!
When I'm Gone, Look for Me in the East by Quan Barry
5.0
I found this book enchanting. Two brothers, given to a monastery in Mongolia at a young age, are separated when one accepts the Buddhist discipline and grows into a monk while the other rebels and thumbs his nose at everything monastic. Separated physically, they're still so close mentally that they know each other's thoughts ... and each wants the other out of his head. Reluctantly they agree to work together on a quest to identify a child who is the reincarnation of a great spiritual leader. You travel with them across magnificent vistas and geographies, puzzling out their complex relationship to each other ... to their responsibilities ... to faith (or defiant non-faith). It's very well written -- the prose is serene and almost dreamlike -- and full of surprises. Do give it a try.
Mist B Haven by Martha Steinhagen
5.0
An excellent quick, fun read -- either for your beach bag or your cozy winter fireplace chair. The story carried me along through plot twists and kept me wanting to more at every chapter change. A young woman happens into owning a live-aboard boat, and as she learns her way into boat maintenance, captaining and navigating, and growing herself up along the way, the reader learns about the boating life right along with her. She faces an ethical dilemma, takes her best shot at it, and finds she needs to back up and take a "do-over." Hoping for more from this first-time novelist.
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
5.0
I can't encourage you enough to read this book. Then read Speaker for the Dead and then the whole rest of the series. Then you get to start again through the events of Book 1 from a different character's point of view in Ender's Shadow. Every one of them engrossing, mind-expanding, ethically challenging and magical: the zero gravity chamber in which the boys hone their "battle" skills is magical in its possibilities. Listening to Ender as he grows up, assumes leadership, realizes the consequences of some of his actions and undertakes reparations for harm he's caused is humbling and inspirational. I'm a Quaker, and thought I understood non-violence, but this militarily dominated world at war is possibly the most powerful pacifist argument I've ever read. Don't miss this.