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bookappeal

bookappeal

has 24 followers and is following 22 people

I'm a public librarian who loves nothing more than talking with patrons about books. I desperately need to better manage my time so I spend less time reading *about* books and more time just reading them!
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  • member since April 5, 2007

Reviews

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Displaying 1-10 of 243 reviews
  • Sister
    • Rated 5 stars

    “Beatrice Hemming investigates her sister's apparent suicide, refusing to believe that the Tess she knew, pregnant with her first child, would ever take her own life. Bee follows any potentially suspicious acquaintance she can discover, finding along the way that she isn't as different from her younger sister as she always thought. Bee has always been very careful, choosing the safest path through life while Tess lived by "the sacrament of the present" - living in the here and now and unconcerned with the past or future. The author uses an interesting technique - Bee tells parts of the story to her lawyer in preparation for a trial and parts of the story to Tess. Somewhere between testimony and an apology, Bee's story unravels the various mysteries and inconsistencies that surrounded Tess, her friends, and the gene trial she undertook to cure her child of cystic fibrosis in utero. Lupton builds the case slowly - too slowly at times - but the layered plot, the effective storytelling device, and Bee's character development combine into an intriguing and unique reading experience.”

    bookappeal wrote this review yesterday. ( reply | permalink )
  • The Hunter
    • Rated 3 stars

    “Standard suspense/thriller fare. Lescroart hits a few points too repetitively but the resolution is believable and the action is realistic rather than super-human.”

    bookappeal wrote this review 2 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink )
  • Hourglass
    • Rated 3 stars

    “As far as teen-focused fantasy romance novels go, Hourglass is a 4-star read with interesting, well-drawn, likable characters and writing that is funny without being dumbed down. Em's parents were killed in a crash so she is living with her brother and sister-in-law. Shortly before her parents' deaths, Em began seeing people from the past - long past. She finds a kindred soul in Michael, who brings her into a world of other specially-abled people but also asks her to go on a dangerous mission. The plot is developed well until the end when important factors about a type of time travel are thrown in and are not explained sufficiently. A sequel is due in June 2012 so maybe the author will explain further. ”

    bookappeal wrote this review Saturday, December 31, 2011. ( reply | permalink )
  • The Secret Garden
    • Rated 3 stars

    “A sweet story of two children who discover the healing powers of nature and a pleasant attitude. The style of writing (c1911) is very descriptive and the author's point is made repetitively. The Yorkshire dialect could be difficult for juvenile readers but the concept of getting out and enjoying nature is appropriate for today's culture.”

    bookappeal wrote this review Saturday, December 24, 2011. ( reply | permalink )
  • A Christmas Homecoming
    • Rated 3 stars

    “Charlotte Pitt's mother, Caroline, travels with her actor husband, Joshua, to the stately mansion of a wealthy theater patron. The man's daughter has written a stage adaptation of Bram Stoker's newly released, and already popular, Dracula. The script is awful but the acting troupe needs the money. Unexpected help comes from a stranger seeking shelter from the winter storm who seems to have an unusual interest in vampires and a knack for acting. With his suggestions, the play slowly improves until a dead body brings rehearsals - and Christmas - to a chilling halt. Clearly, a murderer is among them and, isolated by the snowstorm, Charlotte aims to do her law enforcement son-in-law proud by solving the crime.

    Perry takes a risk, employing the device of a vampire story in a Christmas novel, but she uses Stoker's idea of 'inviting evil in' as a counterpoint to inviting love and goodness into one's life at Christmas. The device works well but the story would benefit from a more likely resolution.
    ”

    bookappeal wrote this review Sunday, December 18, 2011. ( reply | permalink )
  • Hercule Poirot's Christmas
    • Rated 3 stars

    “No one can throw red herrings like Agatha Christie and this holiday-timed closed-room murder mystery is no exception but the method and motive for the crime ultimately were unsatisfying.”

    bookappeal wrote this review Sunday, December 18, 2011. ( reply | permalink )
  • I Am Half-Sick of Shadows
    • Rated 5 stars

    “It doesn't even matter what the story is. Flavia is a delight, as always.”

    bookappeal wrote this review Sunday, December 18, 2011. ( reply | permalink )
  • Falling Together
    • Rated 3 stars

    “Three close friends separate, for what seems like an odd reason (when it's finally revealed). Pen experiences a failed love affair, the birth of her daughter, and her father's death - all without the support of her best friends. Will becomes a children's author and Cat marries Jason, a buffoon she met in college. Six years after they last saw each other, Pen and Will receive an email from Cat, asking them to meet her at their class reunion. The event launches a journey for the characters as they come to terms with what happened in college and the six years since.

    The plot is so predictable that Pen becomes annoying in her refusal to see what's right in front of her. Cat's story is far-fetched and Will is likable enough but isn't given much to do in the story.

    Previous works by Marisa de los Santos contain more wit, better storylines, and less overly descriptive writing.”

    bookappeal wrote this review Sunday, November 13, 2011. ( reply | permalink )
  • The Art of Fielding
    • Rated 4 stars

    “Though baseball serves as an ever-present backdrop, carrying the story along as the Westish College team makes it's way through game after game with shortstop phenom Henry Skrimshander, the value of this novel lies in the self-discoveries and decisions made by the diverse and interesting characters in Henry's circle of friends and acquaintances. ”

    bookappeal wrote this review Sunday, November 6, 2011. ( reply | permalink )
  • We the Animals
    • Rated 3 stars

    “A visceral vision of three boys, told from the perspective of the youngest, growing up in near poverty with their white mother and proudly Puerto Rican father. The household is charged with hormones - the boys are constantly fighting, scrapping, running, eating; their parents frequently display their obvious sexual attraction. But the family is also charged with the desperateness of their situation and they blame and hate each other just as fiercely as they love.

    Torres uses spare, vibrant language to place the reader right beside the narrator as he discovers his true nature in this intense family.”

    bookappeal wrote this review Sunday, October 9, 2011. ( reply | permalink )
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Displaying 1-10 of 243 reviews

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