Bibliocity

The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz by Erik Larson My rating: 4 of 5 stars Wow. Took a page out of MW's book to read this one. Thanks, sir. I read Devil in the White City so knew what to expect with Larson's writing style; these are such wonderful reads thanks to his attention to detail and ability to pick out and show the mundane amidst the "splendid and the vile" -- you get glimpses of things like Mary Churchill's sweet naivete and the weird medical contents of Rudolf Hess's crashed plane along with the history. This history goes from around the fall of Paris to around Pearl Harbor with some Epilogue to summarize some of the minor tales. View all my reviews

All the Devils Are Here by Louise Penny My rating: 5 of 5 stars View all my reviews

The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews

Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu My rating: 4 of 5 stars I loved the way Yu wrote this. I haven't read a screenplay since Shakespeare in college, so it took me a bit to understand the difference between Int. and Ext. -- the reason the book is named Interior Chinatown makes understanding these abbreviations pretty important. I had to reread sections at the beginning to get into the swing of things. It's also important to remember this is a satire--funny/not funny is the way things roll. You can laugh at "Generic Asian Man" and "Kung Fu Guy" all you want, but the humor is dark. View all my reviews

Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews

An Unexpected Peril by Deanna Raybourn My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews

Spellmaker by Charlie N. Holmberg My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee My rating: 4 of 5 stars Loved this book. It's a multi-generational pins & balls game. I appreciated learning more about Korean/Japanese history and the discriminatory policies still in place against non-Japanese residents in Japan. I also just realized that the cover looks like a blend of traditional art and the path and pins in a pachinko machine. Cool! (I read the Kindle version so didn't scrutinize the cover until now!!) For those who like historical fiction, you'll enjoy this book. It is not a clean read for language and sexual content, and includes scenes of extreme poverty and deprivation. View all my reviews

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews

Renegades by Marissa Meyer My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews

Star Daughter by Shveta Thakrar My rating: 3 of 5 stars There were aspects of this novel that I really liked but others that I didn't. The concept of the star daughter is awesome, as is the star thief story, as is the idea of a competition--all set in a modern and mythical hindu firmament; however, I couldn't jump as fast from Sheetal's emotional, teenagery reactions to some really heavy stuff to her equally emotional, teenagery reactions to her glittery siderial surroundings. I wished that Thakrar had spent more time on building relationships. It's a clean read, with some kissing and yearning. The girlfriend/boyfriend Sheetal/Dev interactions are sweet. It's also a stand alone novel. I wonder if I were still a teenager would I have liked it more? View all my reviews

The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews

Return of the Thief by Megan Whalen Turner My rating: 5 of 5 stars View all my reviews

Thick as Thieves by Megan Whalen Turner My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews

A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews

The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner My rating: 5 of 5 stars 2nd time through in preparation for The Return of the Thief. I love this one. Eugenides is a great protagonist with a lot of hidden talents. This is probably my favorite book in the series so far. View all my reviews

The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner My rating: 5 of 5 stars View all my reviews

The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner My rating: 5 of 5 stars Again, this is my second time through in preparation for The Return of the Thief. Loved the books the first time around, and enjoyed them just as much again. Having read them, I liked picking up the clues I had missed! That Queen! View all my reviews

The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner My rating: 5 of 5 stars View all my reviews