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Name : Amanda D.

My Reviews

 
Book Club Recommended
Inspiring, Fun, Optimistic
Fun Summer Read

This book is fun to read, and the relationships between the characters are fairly believable. Dierdre really does go to Dancing With The Stars, which is kind of a sappy ending, but overall I liked the book.

City of Thieves: A Novel by David Benioff
 
Book Club Recommended
Adventurous, Dramatic, Interesting
A great read!

A well-written tale of an unlikely friendship. Two thumbs up!

The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian
 
Book Club Recommended
Interesting, Confusing, Brilliant
The Double Bind

Has a wicked twist...I didn't find it to be too confusing...I liked it!

 
Book Club Recommended
Adventurous, Interesting, Fun
Miss Peregrine's

Lots of fun reading... a great story interspersed by a collection of very intriguing antique photographs.

Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks
 
Book Club Recommended
Interesting, Informative, Dramatic
Caleb\'s Crossing

I really enjoyed this book, but many in my book club found it to be too far-fetched and depressing. The historical accuracy is incredible, but the language is sometimes a little difficult to understand.

 
Book Club Recommended
Informative, Interesting, Insightful
Stay awake until Lincoln comes on!

The first half of the book is a blow by blow replay of the last battles of the civil war...with arrow diagrams! Very boring stuff and difficult to stay awake through. The last section chronicles Lincoln\\\'s last day, hour by hour and minute by minute. This part is interesting and even exciting. Very educational stuff...just skip to the last section unless you love hearing how many heads were blown off and how many horses died.

The Inquisitor: A Novel by Mark Allen Smith
 
Book Club Recommended
Graphic, Scary
The Inquisitor

Graphic in places, but fulls of twists and surprises, and gripping down to the very end. Yes, the main character tortures people for information, but he is still rather likeable. If you like action-packed thrillers, this book is for you!

Still Alice by Lisa Genova
 
Book Club Recommended
Insightful, Informative, Interesting
Loved it!

A great read...i Highly recommend it!

Divergent by Veronica Roth
 
Book Club Recommended
Adventurous, Dramatic, Interesting
A page turner!

Fun, fast read. Lots of action and adventure in a utopian society. Violence and language are toned down due to the Young Adult categorization of this book.

 
Book Club Recommended
Beautiful, Inspiring, Romantic
Great book!

Extremely clever dialogue, interesting plot, can be a bit depressing/sad at times.

Reconstructing Amelia: A Novel by Kimberly McCreight
 
Book Club Recommended
Dramatic, Interesting, Insightful
Good book!

Suspenseful, dramatic, keeps you guessing until the very end!

 
Book Club Recommended
Insightful, Inspiring, Beautiful
Great book!

A love story of sorts..without the happily ever after.

 
Ghosts from heaven...

A light, fun read for fans of mysteries without graphic violence or foul language. Not terribly suited for book club discussions, best for individual reading.

The Light in the Ruins by Chris Bohjalian
 
Book Club Recommended
Informative, Dramatic, Beautiful
Light in the Ruins

Great historical fiction!

The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty
 
Book Club Recommended
Interesting, Dramatic, Addictive
Good stuff!

The epilogue is the best part...keep reading until the end!

Little Star: A Novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist
 
Unconvincing, Scary, Dark
Not a star!

When reading a book by an author who is being called the Swedish Stephen King, I expected violence and gore. But what I did not expect was stupid! A wolf fur wielding pack of teenage girls who become serial killers using power hand drills and hammers...? Don\\\'t waste your time.

No Book but the World: A Novel by Leah Hager Cohen
 
Boring, Slow
Didn't keep my attention...

Slow and tedious, I tried for weeks to get through this book. It was just not very interesting to me, and not much happens in the story.

The Visionist: A Novel by Rachel Urquhart
 
Book Club Recommended
Dramatic, Interesting, Informative
The Visionist

An interesting look at a Shaker colony in the 1800's. Good historical fiction with eye-opening facts about the life of a Shaker girl.

 
Book Club Recommended
Inspiring, Pointless, Unconvincing

 
Dramatic, Fun, Interesting
Not as bad as I thought it was going to be...

Fluffy, but interesting look at college life for Southern girls in the 1960's. Part historical fiction, part southern belle drama.

 
Book Club Recommended
Informative, Dramatic, Interesting

 
Informative, Optimistic
It was OK...

It was just hard to believe that a country woman in 1912 (and the mother of ten children) could have the perfect husband and family, have time to grow and can her own food, cook, clean and do the laundry, AND have time to solve crimes on the side. Apparently, there are 13 of theses books. Are there really that many crimes on the farm?

 
Inspiring, Slow, Pointless

Take Back the Morning by Evan Howard
 
Informative, Inspiring
Christian Fiction?

A mystery novel interspersed with long religious monologues...may be enjoyed by the super devout.

 
Book Club Recommended
Beautiful, Insightful, Dramatic

 
Book Club Recommended
Fun, Interesting, Insightful

The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd
 
Book Club Recommended
Informative, Insightful, Inspiring

Still Alice by Lisa Genova
 
Book Club Recommended
Insightful, Informative, Interesting

 
Book Club Recommended
Dramatic, Addictive, Interesting
Pretty good thriller...

I\'m not sure it has lived up to it\'s hype...it was a pretty good thriller, mostly exciting and a page-turner, but also a bit predictable.

 
Book Club Recommended
Insightful, Boring, Pointless
Good stuff...

Another generational family saga from Anne Tyler, good stuff for those that enjoy historical fiction and lots of family drama.

An Officer and a Spy by Robert Harris
 
Book Club Recommended
Informative, Slow, Interesting
Historical fiction but a true story

It starts out pretty slow and has a lot of confusing French names and military ranks. If you are good with French, you will enjoy it more. The story itself is fascinating, it just takes a long time to get going. Overall, we enjoyed reading it.

Painted Horses by Malcolm Brooks
 
Slow, Adventurous, Informative
Not as good as the description

A historical fiction novel about two people from different worlds who meet up in Montana. Disjointed a times, it jumps around to different characters and time periods. The two main characters finally meet up for about three days, and then lose contact. There are a few good characters, Max, the gas station guy, and Miriam, the Native American girl who becomes the wilderness guide. There are implausible story lines and things that flat out don't make sense. There is also some violence towards horses. Not recommended.

The Lost Wife by Alyson Richman
 
Book Club Recommended
Romantic, Inspiring, Dramatic
Recommended!

Well-written story of a family torn apart during WWII.

Left Neglected by Lisa Genova
 
Book Club Recommended
Informative, Interesting, Inspiring
You can't go wrong...

with any of Lisa Genova's books. I have read all of them and they are all good!

Fatal Trauma by Richard L. Mabry M.D.
 
Optimistic, Unconvincing, Dramatic
Interesting story but...

The plot of the story was interesting enough and there were moments of action that were really exciting and engaging. However, the story was also interspersed with religious content that seemed hokey and totally out of place. Some of the dialogue was stilted and the characters were pretty one dimensional. Maybe this book is someone's cup of tea. It just didn't do it for me.

 
Book Club Recommended
Dramatic, Addictive, Interesting
Recommended!

A real page turner...Kate Morton's books never disappoint.

A Man Called Ove: A Novel by Fredrik Backman
 
Book Club Recommended
Fun, Insightful, Beautiful
Love this book!

Great characters, lots of interesting plot. One of my favorite books!

The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd
 
Book Club Recommended
Informative, Insightful, Inspiring
Good historical fiction

Very interesting plot, great characters, educational. Make sure you look up the sisters photos on the internet. They are not at all as described in the book!

Scarlet Feather by Maeve Binchy
 
Slow, Boring, Pointless
Waste of time

My book club read this and no one enjoyed it. Boring, slow, and too long, with stilted dialogue.

The Life Intended by Kristin Harmel
 
Book Club Recommended
Optimistic, Informative, Insightful
Interesting topic

Leads to a good discussion of the road not taken...

 
Dramatic, Addictive, Scary
Predictable thriller

It was a page turner with a few flaws, exciting enough with lots of plot twists. There were too many subplots which distracted from the main story. I had the killer figured out early in the book even though the author tried to make about five different characters out to be the killer. When the killer turned out to be who I thought it was, I was disappointed because he made such a lousy serial killer!

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
 
Book Club Recommended
Insightful, Informative, Interesting

 
Book Club Recommended
Informative, Inspiring, Adventurous
Go to Africa!

This is a great book full of interesting stories about the animals and people that live in South Africa. Educational and entertaining!

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
 
Book Club Recommended
Informative, Beautiful, Insightful
Brilliant!

A 300-year historical saga that follows two lines of African ancestors, one who stays in Ghana and one who is sold into slavery in America. Each chapter focuses on the next generation and their struggles to survive. A masterpiece!

Lilac Girls: A Novel by Martha Hall Kelly
 
Book Club Recommended
Informative, Inspiring, Dramatic
Lilac Girls

A view of the Holocaust from the perspective of a Polish political prisoner, a female German concentration camp doctor, and an American charity worker. Interesting historical details of the time period plus graphic accounts of the medical experimentation that took place at the Ravensbruck camp. Solid historical fiction.

Whistling Past the Graveyard by Jonathan Maberry
 
Dark, Scary, Fantastic
Short stories

A compilation of spooky short stories...some are interesting and engaging, others are just weird.

Artemis: A Novel by Andy Weir
 
Book Club Recommended
Adventurous, Informative, Interesting
Good, but...

Not as good or as funny as "The Martian". Interesting information on what a settlement on the the moon might be like. Not sure who the audience is supposed to be. Too much foul language and promiscuity in female protagonist is annoying.

 
Book Club Recommended
Informative, Interesting, Insightful
Great!

Amazing true story of an African American woman whose cancer cells are the source of the HeLa cell line, the first immortalized cell line and one of the most important cell lines in medical research. Science buffs will love it!

 
Book Club Recommended
Interesting, Insightful, Informative

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
 
Book Club Recommended
Insightful, Inspiring, Life Changing

A Gentleman in Moscow by AMOR TOWLES
 
Book Club Recommended
Beautiful, Brilliant, Insightful

A Man Called Ove: A Novel by Fredrik Backman
 
Book Club Recommended
Fun, Insightful, Beautiful

The Nightingale: A Novel by Kristin Hannah
 
Book Club Recommended
Dramatic, Informative, Inspiring

 
Interesting, Beautiful, Gloomy
Too much like real life

Sad, and difficult to get through. Lots of racism, violence, and a horrible government too much like the way our own is headed. Depressing to read and know that much of it is the truth.

The Moments Between Dreams by Judith F. Brenner
 
Book Club Recommended
Inspiring, Dramatic, Scary
Say YES to the vaccine!

3.5 stars. An interesting novel about a family in Chicago affected by the polio virus in the 1940's, before the Salk vaccine was invented. It was scary how little could be done for those infected. Also focuses on spousal abuse and the unfortunate lack of women's rights. There was some hokey dialogue, but overall, an enjoyable book.

James: A Novel by Percival Everett
 
Book Club Recommended
Brilliant, Insightful, Dramatic
Great read!

I highly recommend this book for everyone! It is beautifully written, clever, funny, a fantastic adventure story, told from the perspective of the slave (James). Having read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn a plus, but not required to enjoy this gem.

All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker
 
Book Club Recommended
Slow, Dark, Beautiful

A good, twisty thriller with lots of interesting geographical mentions. However, it is very long and will be too slow for some.

 
Book Club Recommended
Gloomy, Dramatic, Beautiful

Demon Copperhead: A Novel by Barbara Kingsolver
 
Book Club Recommended
Dark, Brilliant, Difficult

 
Book Club Recommended
Interesting, Dramatic, Beautiful

 
Book Club Recommended
Beautiful, Optimistic, Fun

The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
 
Book Club Recommended
Beautiful, Informative, Brilliant

Horse: A Novel by Geraldine Brooks
 
Book Club Recommended
Interesting, Informative, Dramatic

Great for book clubs!

 
Book Club Recommended
Fun, Addictive, Interesting

 
Book Club Recommended
Adventurous, Optimistic, Fun

 
Poorly Written, Dramatic, Unconvincing
Just say no...

DNF. The perfect book for right wing extremists and conspiracy theory wackos (MAGA people). Unreadable for everyone else.

Verity by Colleen Hoover
 
Addictive, Interesting, Poorly Written
No

A twisty, fast paced thriller with plenty of red herrings interspersed with chapters consisting of ridiculous and cringe worthy, repetitive sex acts. Just say no.

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