
Alice (117 KP) rated Daisy Jones & the Six in Books
Mar 3, 2021
<blockquote><b>"Fire is great man, but we're made of water. Water is how we keep living. Water is what we need to survive."</b>- Billy Dunne</blockquote>
I have so many emotions. When I picked this book up having read the description I didn't think that it was going to be my sort of thing. OH, HOW WRONG I WAS! I ended up falling in love with the writing, the characters and the story. There were so many quotes in this book that I loved that I ended up having a whole note in my notes app filled with quotes from this book alone. This book broke me, I don't know how I'm moving on from this point, there were times I had to pause so I could adequately cry. I can't actually put into words just how special this book is and I'm so happy that I decided to pick it up and give it a go. This little book has somehow managed to leapfrog its way from a book I didn't even think I'd like, to the very top of my list of favourite books of all time. I listened to the audiobook version through my local library but I've literally just bought myself a physical copy so that I can love and cherish it forever.

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2277 KP) rated The Twelve Jays of Christmas in Books
Jan 2, 2022 (Updated Jan 2, 2022)
It’s almost become tradition to drop in on Meg and company during Christmas, and I always enjoy these seasonal visits. The Christmas spirit is strong in this entry, although we did miss a few of the regular traditions around town. The plot had several fun complications, but I did figure out what was going on a little early. A few of my favorite supporting characters weren’t in town when most of the action took place (although I think they got the same amount of page time as they normally would), but the rest of the cast more than made up for it. Between these characters and the animal antics, I was smiling if not laughing as I read. Fans of the series will delight in this newest Christmas visit with old friends.

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2277 KP) rated Public Anchovy #1 in Books
Aug 2, 2024 (Updated Aug 2, 2024)
This is a mystery trope we don’t see very often any more, and I was a little concerned about the author pulling it off when I sat down to read it. I need not have worried. There was plenty here to keep me engaged and confused as we worked toward the logical climax. We do see most of the regulars (only one gets a cameo as a result of the set up), and it was nice to get updates on them. Meanwhile, the suspects kept me guessing. The atmosphere of the storm also added to the fun of the story. There are some recipes at the end, and the focus on creating a pizza with alternative ingredients. This is the best book in the series to date.

Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated American Hippo (River of Teeth, #1-2) in Books
Jan 30, 2019
River of Teeth (Part 1):
I somehow missed that this was a novella, every time I looked at it online. It wasn't until I checked it out from the library and was shocked at how small it was that I made that discovery. It was a welcome one, since I checked out seven other books that day, and finding something short was a relief!
And I AM SO GLAD I finally read this, because it's AMAZING. It opens on Winslow seducing a federal agent, and quickly moves to him gathering up a crew to drive feral hippos out of a marsh in Louisiana. I was expected a fun hippo-cowboy romp, and I got that - what I wasn't expected was strong, deadly women, a bisexual male hero, a nonbinary love interest, and hippo steeds. I don't know why hippo steeds didn't occur to me - it's not like they could wrangle hippos from atop horses! There is so much goodness packed into this little volume.
River of Teeth: short and sweet, action-packed with amazing characters and a fascinating, bizarre, but historical premise.
Taste of Marrow (Part 2):
Another quick novella, Taste of Marrow is the sequel to the bizarre alternate history novella River of Teeth. It picks up a few months after the ending of the first - people have had a chance to heal their injuries from the explosive ending of the first book, and hippos have begun to spread to previously safe waterways. The cast of this book consists of the surviving characters from the first, plus only one more semi-important character.
It's not quite as good as the first - no explosions and it's less of a rollercoaster - but there is some character development, and a deeper exploration of a few characters than we saw in the first book. I wish my library had the omnibus edition, because it includes two short stories set in the same world, and I'm very curious which aspects of the world she explored in those.
But this is a fun pair of books, very quick, easy reads, and it's just fun to say you're reading a book about hippos and cowboys!
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.com

Kristy H (1252 KP) rated American Dirt in Books
Apr 9, 2020
Lydia Perez lives in Acapulco with her husband, a journalist, and their eight-year-old son, Luca. She runs a bookstore, and one day someone comes in and buys several books that Lydia stocks solely because they are her favorites, not because she expects them to sell. They strike up a friendship and Javier returns frequently to her bookstore. It's only later that Lydia realizes that he is the leader of the newest, powerful drug cartel in town--the one that is ruining Acapulco. And the same jefe about whom her husband is writing an explosive journalistic profile. Once it's published, Lydia and Luca must flee Acapulco, becoming migrants overnight. They are heading to the United States, the one place Javier can't hurt them. But can they survive the dangerous journey?
This is an eye-opening and sad book. It's certainly heart-rendering and gives you such empathy for what Lydia and Luca must go through. For me, it was Luca who made this book. He is an endearing and indomitable character, and I loved him dearly. Cummins is a strong writer, and her characters certainly do come to life. I did find the story a little slow; it took it a while to really get going. It was also incredibly stressful--no surprise there--so I was on edge the entire time I was reading. However, I found myself rooting for Lydia and Luca as if they were true, actual people and for that, I applaud Cummins, no matter her motivations for writing this book. There's also so much about this story that broke my heart and it made me even further aware of so many deplorable things. The world is a terrible and scary place.

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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated The Rumour in Books
Feb 13, 2018
There is a small group of novelists who write about Nantucket, and I tend to get them confused, because I'm awful like that, but this book had been on my "hold" list at the library forever, so I probably read a review of it somewhere. It was a pleasant and refreshingly enjoyable read; I would categorize it as an ideal beach book. It's not going to win any writing prizes, but it was a surprisingly captivating tale of these two families on Nantucket. There was no one real identifiable character (both Grace and Madeline have their strengths and weaknesses and could be rather irksome at times) but it was still enjoyable. Even better, while the plot was silly and a little ridiculous at times, with the families still having far too much money, they also had some real problems and issues, which they actually had to address. It also wasn't completely predictable, nor did it just focus on a love story, which was nice for this genre.
Overall, 3.5 stars: put a paperback of this in your beach or pool bag this summer; it will be a fun diversion.