4/5 - when a book makes you love its central characters and then has horrible things happen to them…and that makes you very sad, anxious or angry….is that a sign of a good author? i liked this book and its characters but the suffering they go through - it was almost too much. it did make me want to see alaska!

4.5/5 - almost too many twists and turns…to the point of slight confusion. but that is probably a “me” problem. very good writing, great mysteries and well developed characters.

10 out of 5. did nick cave just convert me from my atheism?such a thoughtful interview on the themes of creating art, the power and pain of grief and personal transformation. great book!

so good! 5/5. top read of the year so far in that is makes me feel things. sad things, happy things and profound things…. Backman is a top tier modern author who reveals the reality of life around us and within us.

4.75 - this guy fucks…loved it. loved the world, characters and more. i so appreciate the moral complexity of the main character…i have said this about everyone of his books - make these into a movie!!!! please!!!

4.5/5 - very very good! a great mystery unfolding in a very unique setting. didn‘t love the ending but still very good!

3/5 - i know folks love this book but to me it was a story that has been told so many times. perfect upper middle class family isn‘t actually perfect. maybe felt like it had a lack of nuance that i was looking for. certainly enjoyable read but maybe didn‘t hit the high expectations

not his best but still an enjoyable continuation of Holly‘s story. i loved that he mixed religious extremism into this one. good beach read.

great fantasy. super enjoyable and would have liked if it had been the start to a series instead of standalone. unique ideas about dragons and riders and the power of myth. also nice throuple!

top 5 read of 2025. packed with adventure but even more with meaning. great writing and characters. unique world building. love this fantastical story of coming into your power as a young woman.

another banger from Octavia Butler! complex and thought provoking. supernatural and yet grounded deeply in humanity. highly recommend!

One of the years top reads. Felt transported to that camp and loved the mix of family dynamics, wealth disparity and mystery. great writing!

very unique and unexpected. beautifully written. 4/5

watched the movie and then read the book. very enjoyable and quick read.

I started reading her with The Parable of the Sower, which is so good (go read it now!). This book is also good but not as engrossing or thought provoking. Didn‘t love the two main characters relationship. But the way slavery became real in this story is profound.

this one will stand in for the series so far. hell ya what a great set of books!

she does a great job of showing the real story and cost of immigration. the impact on both the children and spouses. the cost of coming to the us to better ones life are real and lasting.

sucked me in. almost wish it was longer to develop more of the tension of the story and the character of the villain, Art. seems like it could have almost been a series of books. great mix of a good story with philosophical and life affirming truths. 4 out of 5.

i was on a streak of books i haven‘t loved…but damn this one is turning things around. subversive in that the main story is not what you think it is…it is instead a lens by which we can understand the terror of slavery. you can feel it and if we feel it even in small part we can begin to try to deal with the aftershocks that shape our world today.

excellent. devoured this in under 24 hours. he is so good at illuminating the hidden patterns around us. highly recommend!

not bad. interesting mix of family dynamics and fantasy.

so good. loved her book memory police as well. this book captures the complex feelings of being a young adult staying in a new city with extended family. the cast of characters are great. loved it! just good vibes.

should be a action movie. great revenge story with well developed characters. loved the lgbtq themes.

good fun and an easy and engaging read. happy to see he has others in this series and looking forward to spending more time with the gang.

damn what a good book. grabs you and won‘t let you go. this should be made into a movie.

i loved parts of this book…but the way he wrote some of the characters made sections hard to read. ending was a cliff hanger - which was good and annoying simultaneously. i have mixed feelings.

kept my interest. a great way to highlight the courage of real woman spies during WWI. at times maybe a bit melodramatic but i am a sucker for a good story told across two different time periods.

not as good as Dune but still a worthy follow up to one of great science fiction epics

i think this is my 3rd read of this one. so good! getting ready for dune part two in theaters this week!

great read…mind blowing the type of risks these explorers took.

even these old ones as so great. love stephen king!

got to be in my top 5 for the year! such great writting and a story of survival in the west.

great untold history of shipwreck and survival.

very good. lets you live in the community with the characters. good themes and exploration of what it means to love your neighbor. recommend!

definitely enjoyable. like a anti colonialism harry potter. the themes are great and world building is well done. wish we had more time with the magic maybe but still good. good enough i want to check out her other trilogy!

he is still my favorite. the man is a legend and this book was consumed in a few days. i hope he continues the Holly story. makes me want to be a private detective!

very good! good two book series.

great second (and final?) book in the series. for some reason it took me a few initial chapters to get into it - but was great once i did!

go read this book now. got to be in my top 5 of 2023. not just an immigrant story but a story of found family , incredible endurance and courage. he opens a window to his 9 year old self and you feel like you get to fall in love with this kids…such a moving book.

loved it! great multigenerational look at families and relationships set in india. made me feel like i was part of their family…

some of this was a bit too detailed for me but what an adventure. illustrates how very different all parts of our lives were only 100 years ago. a great peek inside a period of true exploration. shows roosevelt as a very unique and iconic american president.

amoung top books of 2023! so well written. explores key themes about family, friendship and feminism. a must read!

neil gaiman is a master…i have read many of his other books but never this small and scary gem. loved it!

another book that should be required reading. such a complete and engrossing look at a complex man and leader. reminded me yet again that american exceptionalism is a myth and we need a full and national reckoning with our racist past and present if ever hope to see the dream MLK spoke of.

great ending to a phenomenal series

amazing

this series is amazing. much more than science fiction and really about the human conditon.

interesting book but never really grabbed me. tried to bring a magical or supernatural world to old hollywood but doesnt really go hard enough.

Great read. Warmly written but tackling big issues of race and class…but on the end a story about family and the ripple effects of our choices over generations.

really great small book. wanted it to continue longer. explores language, our sense of place and even what a modern concept of relationships can be. highly recommended!!