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Category: Book Reviews

Book Review: Coraline

Book Review: Coraline

Coraline

by Neil Gaiman

How have I missed this book? I really enjoy the movie, but for some reason, I’ve never investigated the book.

And that’s a bummer because it’s such a fun read! The story moves fast and the characters are wonderful. I liked the side characters much better in the book than I did in the movie. The story strikes exactly the right tone between whimsical and creepy and it’s a very quick read.

My rating: 5 stars

Have you read Coraline? What did you think of it? Do you prefer the book or the movie?

Book Review: The Sergeant’s Daughter

Book Review: The Sergeant’s Daughter

The Sergeant’s Daughter

by Teressa Shelton

Critiquing a memoir is always tricky, especially one that includes allegations of abuse. I think Teressa was treated very unfairly, I am deeply sorry that this happens to anyone, and I really admire her for surviving what had to have been horrific.

I read this entire book in one day and it’s not a short story. The writing style is engaging and the story is so engrossing, and yes, disturbing at times. It doesn’t get too graphic, but there are definitely some heartbreaking moments and I got very invested in the fate of each sister.

I probably won’t read it again, but it was definitely worth reading once.

My rating: 4 stars

Book Review: The Outsider

Book Review: The Outsider

This book … eh.

I have tried and tried and tried to read Stephen King. The Outsider is my latest attempt to get into the thrills and chills promised by his name.

But I can’t do it. I abandon every single one at about the 30 percent mark and go to Wikipedia to read the plot summary. So I guess that means I’m interested enough to find out what happens, but not interested enough to invest the time reading the other 70 percent of the book.

The plot was compelling – how can DNA evidence put a man in two places at the same time – and becomes especially relevant when one of the timelines includes a horrendous crime. (Warning: not for the faint of heart.) But I couldn’t get into it. I know Stephen King is a master at building suspense, but honestly, I just got bored. The climax wasn’t even very scary, but I was reading it on Wikipedia at nine in the morning, not breathlessly turning pages to learn the resolution after I’d spent all night reading.

This isn’t the first scary book I’ve tried to read this year, only to get bored and either start skimming or give up entirely. The horror genre just isn’t for me, even during spooky season.

My rating: 2.5 stars

Book Review – The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

Book Review – The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

I was on the library waiting list for two months for this book and finally got it on Friday. It’s 442 pages in small font, but I read the whole thing in one weekend. Literally could not put it down.

My review: 5 stars

If you like fantasy and great storytelling, this book is for you. It’s fabulous! V.E. Schwab winds the story over three hundred years and across the entire world and makes it look effortless. The writing is superb, the prose is the kind that wiggles down inside you and makes your heart ache because of the beauty. You want to immerse yourself in the pages, get lost, and never come back.

This is one I will be buying for my own collection and will reread many times over. Well done, Ms. Schwab!

Q&A – 5 Things About Me (Part 2)

Q&A – 5 Things About Me (Part 2)

This will be an ongoing series where I answer the most common questions I get from readers:

Q1:  What is your favorite book?

A:  Jane Eyre! I have always had a soft spot for anything gothic Victorian and for unconventional characters. Did you know that Charlotte Bronte wrote it to prove she could sell a book in which the main characters were not conventionally attractive? I’d say she nailed it. I love Jane and Rochester and their banter makes me swoon every time. Okay, the gypsy scene is a bit much, but I’ll forgive her that considering the environment and time in which she was writing.

My other favorite books include the Little House books (Laura Ingalls Wilder) and the Daughter of Smoke and Bone series (Laini Taylor).

Q2:  What genres do you like/dislike?

A:  I’ll read almost anything, but my favorites are young adult, women’s fiction, adventure, and sweet romance and I do like the thrills that come with a good suspense novel. I don’t really like anything that’s too heavy on the military or tech lingo, like Tom Clancy, and I stay away from erotica or anything too graphic.

Q3:  What is your writing Kryptonite?

A: Wikipedia. When I’m writing a first draft, I have to turn the internet off because it’s way too easy to click over for a quick bit of research for the story and then an hour later, I’m twenty pages deep into serial killers.

Q4: Do you read your book reviews?

A:  Absolutely. I want to know what’s working and what isn’t. I don’t put a lot of stock in one bad review, I just figure it wasn’t a good fit for that reader; however, if multiple readers start mentioning the same problem, I take notice. But I ignore the trolls. I had one person leave one-star reviews on all my books after I refused to send him money. Lame.

Q5:  Do you write characters with actors in mind if the book ever became a movie?

A:  I will sometimes draw inspiration from an actor’s look, but I try to let my characters develop on their own and not base them off anyone in particular. There are several bookstagrammers who like to cast the main characters when they do a book review and I always love to see who they pick. So far, they’ve never used the same actor I did when writing the book, but there’s always a first.

I love to hear from readers! If you have any questions, you can send them to me at: AuthorJeanetteLewis@gmail.com

Book Review – The Handmaid’s Tale

Book Review – The Handmaid’s Tale

I am very behind the curve on The Handmaid’s Tale. I haven’t seen any of the TV show, but I finally read the book.

My rating: 3.5 stars

Margaret Atwood writes beautiful prose. There were paragraphs that made me want to go back and read them over and over, just for the pure pleasure of the way her words flowed. She is truly an artist with language and she is very good at setting a scene and building tension into a story. I also really liked how Atwood built on existing US culture and religion to create a story that’s extreme, but not entirely unbelievable as a post-apocalyptic world.

3.5 stars because once the novelty wore off, I had a hard time getting into the story. I didn’t care about any of the characters or what happened to them and there’s so much left unsaid and open to the reader’s interpretation, that I found the ending very unsatisfying. It’s also a pretty dark and depressing read most of the time, so not one I’d want to read again.