karenluvstoread's reviews
193 reviews

Set in 1700s Scotland, this novel is based on the true story of the last person to be executed as a witch in Britain. 

The story is well written, engaging, and kept me turning the pages. The writer pulls you in right away and you become invested in the characters. It has a bit of romance, it has the theme of found family, and it has a strong female main character. 

It would pair well with other books that explore the witchcraft accusations and witch trials that swept different areas in that time in history, such as The Crucible by Arthur Miller and Hester by Laurie Lico Albanese. 

The only complaint I have with the book is that there were so many grammatical errors. They just jump off the page at me, which can be distracting at times. 🤷‍♀️😂 Despite that though, I really enjoyed this book. It is haunting and compelling; a book you won't want to put down once you start reading it. 

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This is such a delightful little book! The story is about a man who went about planting trees in his area and ended up transforming what looked like a barren, almost waste-like land to a flourishing, beautiful area with a lush forest. This story really highlights how just one single person can make a difference for their land and the environment. 

Here is one of my favorite passages from the book:

This book is delightful with the talking element of the typewriter. The story itself is heartfelt and moving. It delves into topics of grief, illness, recovery and the struggles of various family members throughout all of that. I loved having the voice of the typewriter and how the author wrote that character. It was very unique, creative, and well done. It also showed the typewriter’s struggle with feeling left behind in a world that was moving on to computers. In addition, there were some elements of this story that reminded me so much of the movie Up (which is a movie I adore). 

I went into this book not knowing much of what it was about. And I'm glad I did! I feel like this story is hard to describe – not just in general terms, but also because of how it’s structured. This novel is smart, moving, and compelling. It mixes narrative novel story telling with memoir and also diary forms. As I read along, I kept sensing that there was more beneath the surface of what I was reading and I couldn't quite figure out all the layers that were potentially present. Finally, I gained my footing with the narrative and thought I had figured out what the story was centering on, what it was about generally speaking, and then it turned it on its heels and I was left stunned. By the end, everything fell into place and I marveled at the genius of the author's writing and storytelling. Brilliantly done!

I absolutely loved the structure of this book! It is definitely one I will want to read again and it has made it on my favorites list for 2024 reads. I definitely want to read more from this author!

Y'all, this book was hard to put down; yet it was also hard to read at times. Hannah doesn’t shy away from showing you some of the aspects of the war in Vietnam itself. And the book also helps you see what the climate was like in America surrounding America’s involvement in the Vietnam War. 

Some things I appreciated about this novel:

*Hannah focusing in on the women who served in Vietnam. She shows how people said there were no women in the Vietnam War and therefore wouldn't acknowledge them as veterans. The absolute denial and overlooking of women veterans is horrendous! 

*Hannah focusing in on what it was like for these women who came back from serving in Vietnam – from struggling with daily life to PTSD to the effects of agent orange that was used. 

This novel was so well written! I’ve loved every book I’ve read by Hannah including this one. Her writing skill is excellent and the stories she tells are so compelling and powerful. I really appreciate Hannah researching this time in history and giving all the women who served in Vietnam a voice, telling their stories and letting people know they were there. 

 

The Frozen Deep is a novella written by Wilkie Collins (not to be confused with the play that Wilkie Collins and Charles Dickens collaborated together on). 

The story is centered around an expedition which left from England in search of the Northwest Passage. However, it is about much more than this expedition! Amongst this narrative is a love triangle that culminates into a gripping story and a powerful ending.

I thought this novella was fantastic! I loved the writing style and it kept me engaged from beginning to end. And that ending! Whew – it had me in tears. 

What a great introduction to Wilkie Collins' writing! I definitely want to read more by this author. 

This is a beautiful collection of poetry that took me by surprise. Deeply moving and meditatively written, Clarke taps into your emotions through vivid language and storytelling. Many of the poems are powerful and compelling. 

One of my favorite poems in this collection was called "The Presence". It was a poem told from the perspective of observation through the eyes of an animal that’s being hunted. So powerful!

This was excellent! It is one that I definitely feel like needs to be read more than once because there’s just so much discussion of historical aspects. I know I missed a lot on this first read. 

I loved how it tied into other things I’ve read or watched – Dracula by Bram Stoker and the movie “Dracula Untold” where Luke Evans plays Vlad the Impaler. 

I thought the writing style itself was well done. It kept me engaged and I wanted to know what would happen next in the story. This was the perfect read to go alongside my re-read of Dracula in October!

Stoner is such a sad and moving story. In this character driven novel, we follow William Stoner throughout his life – from growing up on a farm, to going away to university, to marriage, to fatherhood, and more. The author tells a story, one of man who lived the best he knew how…a man who found solace in books and learning. 

At times, I felt so sorry for Stoner; at other times, I got irritated with him. His wife simultaneous made me angry whilst also feeling pity for her because of her upbringing/context. I felt so sorry for their poor daughter. 

My friend and I buddy read this and we had a lot of good discussion of this book, probing the depths of these characters – what we thought, what the author may have been trying to convey, how we felt. This book is a quiet novel yes; but one that has the ability to generate a lot of discussion. 

I thought the author wrote the story well. I can’t say I absolutely loved it, but I thought it was well done and some of the writing was absolutely beautiful.

Here's a quote from the book:
“It was winter, and a low damp midwestern mist floated over the campus. Even at midmorning the thin branches of the dogwood trees glistened with hoarfrost, and the black vines that trailed up the great columns before Jesse Hall were rimmed with iridescent crystals that winked against the grayness.” (p. 17)

 

What a phenomenal book! This story pulled me in from the start and kept my attention until the end. It’s thought-provoking, vivid, powerful, and emotive. I love a book that makes me feel all kinds of emotions; and this one certainly did that. I was so invested in the group of four students and the ending just gutted me. The last part of the book literally had me sobbing. I felt like the story was well written with deep dives into characters mixed with fast moving plot and high stakes...and all combined with some amazing descriptive writing. 

Some of the themes and issues explored: identity, friendship, found family, loyalty, trust, betrayal, colonialism, discrimination, racism, elitism, and a powerful portrayal of the effects and pain of systemic oppression 

I found the discussions of the art of translating languages fascinating. 

I took my time with this book, immersing myself in the story and its atmosphere. It had a slow progressive build that kept me reading. In my opinion, Kuang exhibited such masterful, brilliant writing in this compelling story. This has been the first book I’ve read by Kuang and I definitely want to read more by her! 

An example of the amazing writing:
“London was drab and grey; was exploding in colour; was a raucous din, bursting with life; was eerily quiet, haunted by ghosts and graveyards.” (p. 19)

I mean come on! Isn’t that amazing writing??!!!

I highly recommend listening to the audiobook along with reading in print for this one. The audiobook is phenomenal!