I didn't enjoy The Sanitorium, so I was skeptical, but The Retreat was much more enjoyable. The detective and protagonist, Elin, is reckless and unprofessional, but if you can get past that, and the outlandishness of the storyline, it's a good read, and hard to put down.

👆

I don't even know how to properly rate Stephen King novels at this point; I have yet to find one that I don't like, so I tend to just compare to other King books I've read. Misery is a classic, and I finally understand why.

I wasn't really sure what to expect with this one, but the review from Grady Hendrix convinced me to give it a try. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel from beginning to end. The humorous yet tragic way the characters deal with an apocalyptic situation matches my own sense of humor and how I deflect the traumas of reality at times.

There are a lot of really good things about this novel, including how it made me think about life, mortality, and destiny. It probably would have hit me differently at another point in my life, but between beginning and ending the book, I lost my father to cancer. It really affected how I received the story.

I honestly can't pinpoint what it is about Sager's writing that pulls me in from beginning to end, but Middle of the Night is a perfect example of it. So good! ❤️

Unlikeable though Haymitch initially was when he was first introduced in The Hunger Games, there was always an indication that there was more to him; a reason why he had become a miserable alcoholic. SOTR does a brilliant job of capturing the feel of the original books, making the reader feel for the characters, and keeping us smack dab in the thick of the battle both inside and outside of the arena.

I really enjoyed the first two books of the series, but I found this third installment to be rather underwhelming, as I read it believing that it was the last book in a Trilogy. I bumped my rating up from a 3 to a 3.5 once I learned there is one more book, so my expectations for a good wrap-up were a bit unwarranted. crossing my fingers for an appropriately awesome series ending in the next one.🤞

Someone on Goodreads described this novel as quietly brutal and quietly beautiful, and I don't think that I could describe it much more accurately than that. My rating isn't higher because despite all of its beauty and brutality, I found it also somewhat monotonous at times.

This was a good follow-up to book 1. I have a bit of a hard time with the lack of emotional intelligence of the characters and their unstable romantic relationships, but it is a YA novel, so I have to consider the audience and age of the characters. Otherwise, I have enjoyed the continued storyline and am looking forward to starting the final novel.

This one started out with a bang and had me hooked for the first 1/3, but then it started to feel tedious. By the time it ended, I was sory of glad to be done with it. There were a few too many twists, though admittedly, a few of them were unexpectedly good.

I was hooked from the start and held on tight as it took me from a feeling of comfortable nostalgia to a place of horror and insanity.
King often writes of otherworldly powers, and while reading his stories, I sometimes superstitiously find myself wondering what kind of otherworldly power gave him his undeniable gift of words - and perhaps what he traded to get it. This man's talent for writing shines in Revival.

I wish I had read the books before seeing the show because it made it difficult for me to read without comparison. This first book has significant differences to the show, and I honestly don't understand the reasons for most of the changes - the storylines in the book are interconnected and well developed. All in all, the book was good, and I am looking forward to the next one, as it left on a classic cliff-hanger.

As someone who is very interested in human behavior, including the manipulations of cult leaders (and how intelligent, kind people can fall victim to cults), this memoir was very interesting. The book mostly centers around her involvement in the cult itself. This is definitely an insightful read. It is well written and based on Lenz' memories, well-documemted in her personal journals.

This one really had me going. Listening to the audiobook while driving in my car, there were multiple times where I found myself cursing out loud at one of the two main characters. This book had narcissism, unreliable narration, and surprising twists.

If you have ever struggled with your weight, you will identify with a lot of Thore's experiences growing up with the complexities of diet culture, stereotypes, unrealistic expectations, self-confidence, and a slew of other issues faced by those of us who don't live up to society's standards for perfection. Her message comes across loud and clear, that you can and should love yourself; your worth and humanity are not determined by how you look.

This book had a hold on me from beginning to very end. As always, Sager's writing is impeccable, creating characters with depth, a detailed and storied setting, and a storyline that leaves you guessing (and more often than not, completely wrong), until the very last page

This one was SO GOOD. I don't feel like I can rave about all the things I liked about it because I don't want to give any spoilers. You'll just have to take my word for it and go in blind like I did; you won't be sorry!

I am a sucker for a good coming of age story, and this one did not disappoint. I highly recommend the audiobook, as it has excellent narration and a pleasant surprise at the end.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. A traditional sort of haunted house story, with a bit of a twist. Or, I guess, several twists.

I had only general knowledge of Lisa Marie ahead of this - her famous father and her multiple marriages (most notably to Michael Jackson). This memoir covers these topics and much more, painting a fuller understanding of her life, her struggles, and the essence of who she was.
I would describe Lisa Marie as a beloved mother who loved fiercely despite, or maybe because of, the devastating loss that irrevocably changed the path of her life.

The synopsis made it sound much more exciting than it actually is. It felt long and kind of slow.

Honestly, this story was ridiculous. A few other words that come to mind: outlandish, contrived, and frustrating.
And yet...
I could not put the book down and was thoroughly entertained to the very end.

In one word: BONKERS! (But in a good way).
I thoroughly enjoyed this thriller, and the mental gymnastics required to follow the storyline through to its end. The Only One Left drew me in from beginning to end.

3/5
It was lovely to listen to the voice of Emily Gilmore for the duration of this audiobook. Bishop seems to be, for all intents and purposes, exactly who I expected her to be. She has had a long, successful career in the performing arts, and is an advocate for women's reproductive rights. Don't expect her to dish any entertainment gossip in her memoir - she keeps it classy 😉

This final volume of Locke & Key is nothing short of epic.

❤️

I will take all the Locke & Key I can get. ❤️

2.5/5
Nothing to write home about. 🤷‍♀️

This is the best volume so far - we finally get the back story of how the keys came to be.

Sooo good. 😊

I love L&K more and more with each volume. Always something I missed the first and second time through the series, too.

Love, love, love it!

I have never seen a second of Drake & Josh, nor have I seen any of Peck's Vines, YouTube videos, etc., but I did enjoy listening to this on audiobook. It's clear that Peck has spent significant time working on himself over the years and has some good takeaway insights.

Just finished reading this for the third time. I think this might be an annual tradition for me now. I love pretty much everything about Locke & Key.

Solid novel - good storyline, not predictable, well-written. Would recommend to friends.

I have yet to read a Blake Crouch novel that I don't like. Like his other novels, Run is well written and shows great insight into the human condition and human behavior. I described Run to my husband as "Kind of like The Walking Dead, but without the dead." Run focuses on what a family has to do to survive when (living) humans are the thing to be feared.

I hate to say this because I love Hoffman's other novels, but this one was a bit disappointing to me. The first quarter or so of the book had me fully invested. Beyond that, it was sort of a poorly developed romance. I can't say much more without spoilers, so I will just say that I think this novel had great potential, and it just didn't make it there.

B-A-N-A-N-A-S. Thoroughly enjoyable and frightening. Well done!

"If the world is hell and evil is all around them, what else can they do but try and help each other?"

The synopsis pulled me in, but in the end, I just didn't feel like the novel delivered. I definitely wouldn't classify it as a "psychological thriller".

Some books just feel like magic, and for me, this is one of them (among the likes of Where The Heart is, The Help, and Practical Magic). I think what makes the magic is the author's ability to fully immerse the reader's senses in her descriptions of the setting, and to make the reader fall so in love with the characters. This one is going in my top 10. 🥰

This book is an excellent example of why I sometimes give authors a second chance, even if I dislike one of their books. I was not a fan of Rose's The Perfect Couple, but I really felt there was a lot of potential in her writing. I really enjoyed Home is Where the Bodies Are.

This book made me so mad, I had to wait a few days to share my thoughts.
Ridiculous. No likeable characters. Misleading narration (and not in a way that makes sense in the end).... I really wanted to like this book, but I just didn't.

I love "time travel" stories. WPWT is a unique take on this, and I very much enjoyed the journey.

This will always be one of my favorites. The 80s nostalgia is strong with this one. I can't say enough about how much I love it.

HOLY sh*t.

This one was a strong 4.5/5.

Sager pitching the plot line to his publishers:'Okay, hear me out...'

...

Publishers: 'Say whaaaaat?'

And yet, it works. Incredibly well.

Basically, it's a typical Ware novel - I keep reading all her books, hoping that one will eventually break through whatever it is that keeps me from rating it higher. I can't put my finger on what it is. It's like there is a potential there that just hasn't quite been reached.3/5