3.5 stars. Missing, Presumed starts with Detective Sergeant Manon Bradshaw at yet another lackluster internet date. It’s an interesting way to start a mystery novel. I think it was meant to be cringe-funny, but I only found myself cringing. I think Steiner was probably trying to introduce us to our main character outside of work so we’d get a broader picture of who she is. Manon’s someone without a lot of close ties and so lonely that she listens to her police scanner for fun. […]
Life’s too short to read stories without well-written female characters
I feel a little bad calling one of Le Guin’s books meh, but A Wizard of Earthsea was really only so-so for me. I bumped it up a little in the rating purely due to how groundbreaking the book must have been in 1968 when it was released. This series influenced many famous authors and for good reason. A wizard protagonist with dark skin? A school for wizards? An epic bildungsroman featuring a somewhat unlikeable character? All those things should be considered when evaluating this […]
Well that was darker than expected
3.5 stars. Just like faintingviolet, I had to rush out and get the sequel to Daughter of Smoke and Bone. It ended on a bit of a cliffhanger and I just had to find out what was next for Karou, Akiva, and company. Like many middle books of trilogies, there was a lot of set-up and plot mechanics to wade through in Days of Blood and Starlight. It was still very readable however and Taylor did a good job of building tension and suspense while […]
Angels and Demons
A few years ago I tried to read this and gave up in the first 20 pages because I was just not in the mood. I’m so glad I gave this a second try because it was a delight. Once the story got going, I could not stop listening (I opted for the audiobook version). Let’s just say there were some late nights involved and I seriously considered calling in sick to work. Karou is a teenager going to art school in Prague. At least, […]
Norway can keep its lutefisk, but I’ll happily take any mystery novels it wants to hand over
This was my first foray into Norwegian fiction and didn’t know what to expect. This mystery was a complete sucker punch and I loved it. Apparently Karin Fossum is called the Norwegian queen of crime. I didn’t know that until after I finished Eva’s Eye, but I can definitely see why she has the nickname. Her plot kept me guessing right up until the end and then left me shocked and disconcerted. Eva and her daughter, Emma, spot a dead body floating in the river […]
Don’t you forget about me
I’ve been meaning to read some Liane Moriarty for the longest time. Everyone said they were unputdownable books about suburban drama and they weren’t wrong. What Alice Forgot was completely addictive reading and just what I needed. Moriarty tackles hard topics in an easy to digest way. The premise is a bit far-fetched but works once you just buy into it. Alice Love hits her head in the gym one day and wakes up thinking it’s a decade earlier. At 40, she’s a completely different […]
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