Kiwiria's July Jaunts
Aug. 1st, 2023 01:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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christianreaderSlow month, but I've also read a bunch of novel length 9-1-1 and Ted Lasso fanfics which haven't made it on to this list.
The Cornish Midwife - Jo Bartlett, 4/5, Audiobook ~8hrs
Sweet story, set in a very charming village close to an area of UK that I'm familiar with, so I recognized many of the place names ;-)
The plot in itself wasn't really anything special, but it was charmingly written (and narrated) and definitely turned out to be a feel-good novel. I was slightly worried about how the third act conflict would shape out, but it fortunately turned out to have a quicker resolution than I had feared.
Identity - Nora Roberts, 4/5, Audiobook ~15hrs
Pretty stereotypical Nora Roberts. But I like stereotypical Nora Roberts, so that suited me just fine :-) I really like that with the obvious exception of the "bad guy", people are generally just genuinely nice in Nora Roberts novels. It makes for pleasant reading.
I really enjoyed reading about Morgan's job at the resort. I always find it fascinating to read when people are passionate about their work, and this really shone through here. I don't know if Nora Roberts has bartended herself, or if it's all made up for the book, but it worked for me regardless.
Not sure how realistic the bad guy was here, but it worked in the context of its own universe, so that's fine by me.
About a Boy - Nick Hornby, 3/5, 278 pages
I've never seen the movie, so I went into this read completely blind. It was very different from what I had expected, but well-written and poignant. I actually really appreciated that the main relationship wasn't romantic, but the relationship between Will and Marcus. I also liked Ellie a lot, and was happy to see how that friendship turned out.
It's not a book I'm likely to reread - and I don't know that it made me want to watch the movie either - but I'm glad to have read it.
The Name Curse - Brooke Burroughs, 3/5, 333 pages
Can't quite make up my mind what I thought of this book. It had a strong start, but then sagged at around the mid-way point, and never fully gained traction again. Thus it took me MUCH longer to finish that it ought to have done.
I think one of my issues was that I had expected the Denali hike to take up a much larger part of the book than it actually did - this is NOT a "book about a hike" it's a "book about the people you meet on a hike"... which is well and good, but wasn't what I was looking for.
I did like the characters though, so never considered giving up on the book. It was just a more run-of-the-mill chick-lit than I had hoped for when I set out.
Zero at the Bone - Jane Seville*, 4/5, 293 pages
Hadn't read this in ages, and had forgotten most of the plot - I just remembered the basic premise, so it was fun to rediscover it. The plot is fast-moving and captivating - kept me intrigued from the first page, and I found the concept interesting - reading about the ins and outs of the life of a hitman and a person heading towards witsec.
Still the real strength of the novel lies in the characterizations and the dynamics between Jack and D. I loved seeing how Jack slowly but surely was allowed to see through D's facade and got under his skin enough to see him without his mask.
I LOVED Jack in court. Let our a loud "HA!" when he got the better of the other lawyer :-D I did think there were a few things there that weren't completely followed up on afterwards, but nothing important, and I can see how the details of the aftermath of the court case could get lost in the details of Jack and D's relationship.
Books Read: 63
Book of the Month: Identity
Biggest Disappointment: None this month.
The Cornish Midwife - Jo Bartlett, 4/5, Audiobook ~8hrs
Sweet story, set in a very charming village close to an area of UK that I'm familiar with, so I recognized many of the place names ;-)
The plot in itself wasn't really anything special, but it was charmingly written (and narrated) and definitely turned out to be a feel-good novel. I was slightly worried about how the third act conflict would shape out, but it fortunately turned out to have a quicker resolution than I had feared.
Identity - Nora Roberts, 4/5, Audiobook ~15hrs
Pretty stereotypical Nora Roberts. But I like stereotypical Nora Roberts, so that suited me just fine :-) I really like that with the obvious exception of the "bad guy", people are generally just genuinely nice in Nora Roberts novels. It makes for pleasant reading.
I really enjoyed reading about Morgan's job at the resort. I always find it fascinating to read when people are passionate about their work, and this really shone through here. I don't know if Nora Roberts has bartended herself, or if it's all made up for the book, but it worked for me regardless.
Not sure how realistic the bad guy was here, but it worked in the context of its own universe, so that's fine by me.
About a Boy - Nick Hornby, 3/5, 278 pages
I've never seen the movie, so I went into this read completely blind. It was very different from what I had expected, but well-written and poignant. I actually really appreciated that the main relationship wasn't romantic, but the relationship between Will and Marcus. I also liked Ellie a lot, and was happy to see how that friendship turned out.
It's not a book I'm likely to reread - and I don't know that it made me want to watch the movie either - but I'm glad to have read it.
The Name Curse - Brooke Burroughs, 3/5, 333 pages
Can't quite make up my mind what I thought of this book. It had a strong start, but then sagged at around the mid-way point, and never fully gained traction again. Thus it took me MUCH longer to finish that it ought to have done.
I think one of my issues was that I had expected the Denali hike to take up a much larger part of the book than it actually did - this is NOT a "book about a hike" it's a "book about the people you meet on a hike"... which is well and good, but wasn't what I was looking for.
I did like the characters though, so never considered giving up on the book. It was just a more run-of-the-mill chick-lit than I had hoped for when I set out.
Zero at the Bone - Jane Seville*, 4/5, 293 pages
Hadn't read this in ages, and had forgotten most of the plot - I just remembered the basic premise, so it was fun to rediscover it. The plot is fast-moving and captivating - kept me intrigued from the first page, and I found the concept interesting - reading about the ins and outs of the life of a hitman and a person heading towards witsec.
Still the real strength of the novel lies in the characterizations and the dynamics between Jack and D. I loved seeing how Jack slowly but surely was allowed to see through D's facade and got under his skin enough to see him without his mask.
I LOVED Jack in court. Let our a loud "HA!" when he got the better of the other lawyer :-D I did think there were a few things there that weren't completely followed up on afterwards, but nothing important, and I can see how the details of the aftermath of the court case could get lost in the details of Jack and D's relationship.
Books Read: 63
Book of the Month: Identity
Biggest Disappointment: None this month.
