The Book Was Better

What I liked about this book:  Ryland's self-deprecating humor  The "science for dummies"  The flashback structure  The relatable narration  Ryland and Rocky's relationship  What I didn't love about this book:  Ryland and Rocky's relationship  Relatable-ness to the point of absurdity  Over-science  Full disclosure: I am not a sci-fi person. I thought that this book would be more "realistic sci-fi" in feel, similar to The Martian . The same light-heartedness-around-a-heavy-topic was there, but sorry...you lost me at aliens.  Yes, Ryland and Rocky's relationship is on both lists. I enjoyed their "bromance" and their deep desire to understand each other. But seriously? Let me just send a sample of my ship to this unknown vessel and then let the alien board me? I get that Ryland is a pretty chill dude, but c'mon. In fact, I felt the mental eye roll about most of Ryland's reactions, including waking up from a coma (wow, I'm rippe...

  One of the things I love the most about this collaborative anthology is that it's real. These are real women, facing real struggles, achieving real successes, in the real world.  I was lucky enough to receive my copy from one of the authors and I was blown away by the non-preachy authenticity of these women's tales. From dealing with medical issues and loss, to climbing the corporate ladder and discovering their authentic selves, these stories are indeed inspiring -- and enlightening, engrossing, and powerful.  In a world where it's very easy for women to tear each other down, these women exemplify the great things that happen when we cheer each other on and celebrate our mutual successes. These are the type of women I want in my life.  https://www.amazon.com/Inspiring-Women-Unstoppable-Purpose-Passion-ebook/dp/B0DV6J1KPD 

  This book popped up as a recommendation based on my reading history and I'm a sucker for a cozy mystery, so I thought I'd give it a shot. I wanted to like it. The premise is intriguing enough -- set during WWII, undercover agents being picked off one by one. But... I know that it is common practice to set the scene for a series during the first book. But, when that first book just shows what's unlikeable about the characters until a tiny bit of growth at the end, it makes for a really tough read. The characterization was so flat that not only did I not really feel like I knew them, I also didn't care about them. I could see the potential in the last couple of chapters, and I'm guessing that Dixon will show both personal and relationship transformations in upcoming books, but the result was a rather lackluster opening that didn't really make me want to keep reading. (Unless it's about Benson. He seems like an interesting chap.)  Additionally, I didn't r...

  My book club's theme is to read books that are becoming movies. That way, we have fun reading the book together, and later get the double-whammy of enjoying the movie together, too. In the case of Verity , this is one time that I actually hope the movie is better than the book.  This one goes in my DNL (did not love) pile. In a book that should have been twisty and turny, the twist was not even all that twisty -- predictable even. But my biggest issue -- and biggest bookworm pet peeve -- was that the characters were just not likable. It's hard to root for a hero or heroine that you don't like. They were all terrible people doing terrible things, which is not my jam.  Did I keep reading because I wanted to know what happened next? Yes. Was I satisfied with the ending? Meh. 

 It's been a minute. 14 years to be exact, since I last penned a book review. Goodreads tells me I've read over 1000 books since then; probably more. I thought it about time to revive the conversation -- not just consume the books, but share and talk about them.  First up...one of my favorite new cozy mystery series: The Homefront Sleuths.  From the dynamic father-daughter duo that brought us the Sherlock and Lucy series, this WWII countryside set is like a warm blanket on a cold day. It has just enough intrigue to keep you guessing, a smattering of romance, and vibrant, budding friendships.  So far, I have read up through The Valentine Cipher , which was one of my favorites. Romance is in the air, but so is espionage.  Evie, Nigel, Harry, and the crew always seem to have different pieces to the same puzzle. Part of the magic of this series is the way those pieces eventually fall into place in a non-forced, collaborative way. Every member of the team brings thei...