“Is it ok if I pretend you‘re an insurance salesman for awhile?”

“Sure.”

“How was your day dear?”

“I almost sold a policy, but the client gave me the finger and got away.”

I did not enjoy this one as much as I would have liked. The idea of hidden doors to different worlds was cool, but the execution was off. The main character was weak and rather unlikable through much story. She was basically a bi-racial version of Bella from Twilight, so weak and melodramatic but everyone magically loves her, including the dog. And then she gets super powers. The ending tied things up but was lacking any real catharsis. Just meh.

3.5 stars. This is a pick, but barely. The characters were good and the setup was interesting. However, there was all this build up and setup of the world, that just didn‘t go anywhere. I was a bit disappointed by figuring out one of the main twists a quarter of the way through the book. The ending wasn‘t bad, but it could have been much better. Is this her first book? It reads like a first book, writing is good but needs improvement.

“Alright, alright. So we need something less drastic than murder”

Listening to this one on Audible. I think I may like this book, or perhaps found my spirit character.

I read this because my Grandmother suggested it. It started out cute, but then took too long to get to the climax of the book. The main issue could have been prevented with some basic communication that would be normal in this situation. This was annoying because Grisham made a point of discussing other times when the characters spoke or had written during the 2 months. The resolution was predictable. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ is generous, but it‘s the holidays.

Currently having buyer‘s doubt. Not regret, but a mild case of adulthood that doubts that Flo at Progressive is a fan and will understand where my insurance money went.

I bought the book because of the cover and the synopsis seemed interesting. Then I read a write up on the book, before I started reading it, that said it was a dark mystery. It‘s not. Still the story might have been ok if I didn‘t hate the main character. Why can‘t some writers understand that you can write an angsty character without making them a hateful jerk. The rest of the book wasn‘t enough to balance the terrible main character.

“I rolled my eyes so hard I saw my brain.” - Alice

So far, I don‘t like Alice all that much, but I can relate to this.

"Don't know why a lying priest will suddenly tell us the truth," Cyclops mumbled. "I ain't Catholic, but I always thought them upstanding folk who don't lie or cheat."

Clearly he didn't have a good grasp of European history.

This was book two in what appears to be an on going series. There are at least 6-7 books so far. I really enjoy the characters and the lite humor. These are not deeply intense and suspenseful, but they do draw you in. They are more like if Nancy Drew was a bit older, and a 19th century clock magician. Ned would be tall, dark, handsome, and bit roguish. The only downside is they changed the narrator on the audio version. So I read myself instead.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters are fantastic and diverse. The story moves at a quick pace and draws you in immediately. There was a lot of humor, but also enough twists and turns to keep me guessing about the outcome, the characters, and the overall story. It was at least a quarter of the way through before it was completely clear it was more of a fantasy novel. While it works alone, I will definitely look into the rest of this series

This was a really cute audio book. Standard modern gothic. Guy inherits old house. He and his friends stay there to fix it up. They run into the ghosts of tortured lovers. While the basic plot was typical and the main villain was pretty much telegraphed from the start, I still enjoyed it. The POV switching was spotty in a few places, but the characters were good and it the book was filled tons of snarky humor. I would give it 3.5 / 5 stars.

" I'm just trying to figure out how we can make it look like an accident or maybe a shark attack. Jaws was set in New England, so it's plausible. All we need to do is call in a few fake great white sightings and bend the tips of Nina's garden tools into triangle shapes so we can make the little teeth marks." She paused when she realized the other two were staring at her. "I went too far didn't I?"

"You had me until the mangled gardening tools"

"Yes, who can resist the pasty green girl who looks like she is on the verge of puking." Nina pushed her mess of wind-blown auburn hair out of her face.

"Some guys are into the exorcist look," he said shrugging.

This is the second in the Lady Sherlock series. Honestly, I think I like this one better than the first one. Again, the characters are well developed without taking themselves too serious. I like that Charlotte (Sherlock) is human and has a bit of humor about her. While she is very intelligent, there isn't the smugness or pedantic nature that you tend to find with detective characters. Maximum acceptable # of chins is something I can relate to.

A female Sherlock Holmes is not a new idea, but this one is very well done. It is a nice take on the mystery itself. However, the characters are the best part. They are well rounded without taking themselves too seriously. And tru...ish to the source, "Sherlock" has an addiction to a white powder, just not the same one. I really enjoyed this one. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I got the book through Once Upon a Bookclub. The book was good, I really enjoyed it. However, I am not sure the box as a whole is worth the amount paid. The experience and idea behind the box is good, but I have seen other book boxes where it felt like you were getting good/equal value for the money spent

I really enjoyed this book. It has a nice writing style and a quick pace that draws you in almost immediately. There were some aspects that were a bit predictable. I figured out the villain, if not the motive, halfway through the book. But the mystery isn't the best part of the the book. The best part is the journey and the love story hidden in the mystery/suspense. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was surprisingly close. I do like travel and languages and enjoy books that cover different locales. I MAY have spent more than a few hours in the language section trying to learn how to say things in a foreign language that I am not supposed to.

https://www.buzzfeed.com/hannahagbeni/which-library-section-are-you?utm_source=d...

This book surprised me. It starts off slowish. However it has become one of my favorite read again books. This book is character based, there is not a lot of obvious action. But stick with it. The characters are well developed and you will be surprised halfway through the book to find how much you care about them. The only villain is the power we give to doubt and the mistakes we have made. Not my usual genre, but beautiful book.

Thanks to my sister, I got lost down the Buzzfeed rabbit hole. This one was too funny not to share. I got The mad woman in the attic! Everyone Has A Victorian Lady Who Embodies Their Personality, And Here's Yours https://www.buzzfeed.com/beatrizserranomolina/theres-a-lil-victorian-lady-in-all...

I am very picky about audio books. If the voice or style of the reader annoys me, I will stop and try to find the book in print or move on to a different audio book. Listening to this one at work. I would have been happy with just Derek Jacobi reading it. But, it is a full cast with Andrew Scott (Moriarty) as the assassin. Probably shouldn't have been amused by Jacobi's grandpa voice reading it like a bedtime story about a triple murder, but I was

This book was an OK read. It had some enjoyable moments where you are interested in the characters and the mystery around them. Unfortunately there are moments where you wouldn't mind drowning a few of the characters, the main one in particular. The main character is my big issue with the book. He is essentially an angsty teenage girl rocking PMS while trapped in the body of a 35 year old man. His emotional reactions are frequently over the top.

Eating Marco's pizza with old world pepperoni while reading a book about 14th century Italy seemed oddly appropriate. The wine of choice this evening is from the mountain vineyards of Dew.

Trying to read this now. I am about 100 pages in. I hate the idea of not finishing a book, but I can't be bothered to care about the main character. I honestly like the character and book more before she got to medieval Sienna. So far it reads a bit pedantic, like the author is trying to show off her research. I hope it gets better. 😕

No one who knows me would be surprised. Which Book Perfectly Matches Your Personality? https://www.buzzfeed.com/ishabassi/i-just-wanna-be-at-home-reading?utm_term=.rap... #120535222

I should not have bought Thrawn yet. Sure, I told my sister that she HAD to read the original trilogy when she mentioned it. But, I have so many other books waiting to be read. His blue smirking face and red eyes were mocking me when I walked by though. What was I supposed to do? I shall leave him wrapped in his bag until I get around to him. That should teach his smirking self a lesson.

This was a pretty good book. Being read by Wil Wheaton made it even more entertaining. It started a bit slow, but by chapter 10 it picks up and stays pretty steady. The main character would almost have that thing some writers do of being made too lucky and good at everything. However the author adds occasional angsty teen stupidity to make him annoying for other reasons. However other characters and nostalgic tidbits make it an enjoyable read.

That amusing moment when the guy (Wil Wheaton) reading the audio book you are listening to has to read a passage about himself. There are several SNG mentions in the book, but this part was about Wil himself and not his character. Wonder how many times he had to read before he did so without laughing.

When I updated my TBR on Friday I forgot my latest audio books. When I bought this one with a credit, I wasn't paying attention to the picture. I just wanted to read it before the movie came out. I was not expecting it to be read by Wil Wheaton. He isn't the best book narrator, sounding more like a guy running a table top game. This is oddly appropriate and very amusing for this book.

This was a charming quick read. The kind you read on a day you want to curl up and do nothing. It is a blend of romance, murder mystery, and typical small town antics. While some aspects and characters lean towards cliche in places, it isn't so bad as to diminish the charm of the book.

This wasn't a bad book. The main character was a bit whiney for my liking. If you judged Simon just on what he said, he would be more likable. But, you get to see his inner mopiness. Ironically, the one time that he shows some balls, he is being a d*ck to another character. The story is about a curse. However, I found the motivation behind the curse to be narrow mindedness and selfishness. This is true for most of the characters in general.

The bookstore was closed so I ended up in the book section of Target looking for anything that didn't sound like the next coming of Twilight. I finally bought The Night Circus and this book. The main character is a librarian so I hoped it might be like The Little Paris Bookshop, which I loved. Nope, it is apparently about circus people. I accidentally bought two books about circus people. We will see how it goes.