jenbsbooks's reviews
2129 reviews

Do you ever read a book, and look at the raving reviews and think "did we read the same thing?"  I guess it's different strokes for different folks, and people have different expectations and experiences.

I think I felt mislead by the title/premise ... yes, the thought of "taking themselves out" at 80 came up and was mentioned a few times, but that was not really an important part of the book. This was just a straight-forward, chronological life story. 

The writing ... it felt like something I would/could do. If(when, back in the school days) I attempted to write a story, it would just fall flat. Like my journal now. All the facts, the who/what/where, but no descriptive writing. In other books sometimes I'll roll my eyes a bit at the overly descriptive language, multiple metaphors and sundry similes. Here? I was actively looking for any! I finally found one " Time passed like a slow-moving train."  There was just nothing that evoked feelings/emotions.  The "show don't tell" issue? Here "adrenalin coursed through my veins" ... it just seems like most authors would write something more along the lines of "a fire started in my toes and pulsed throughout my body, bursting me at the seems"  ... our character hears her sister "shriek with pain" ... when something "from the other room there was a sound like ripping metal that tore at my heart" ...

This was basically a simple life story, starting as a teen and ending as an old woman. There were so many tiny events just dropped in ... why? I mean, if this was an actual life history, but when it's a story, I would like a reason? I don't think these are spoilers, because they have nothing at all to do with the story. Lou seeing a black family's house burn down ... okay, she lives through MLK's assassination and riots, but again, it's a couple paragraphs that doesn't impact her life or the story in any way. I felt like the author was perhaps just attempting to get some black history in to be politically correct? I just wish the events mattered to Lou's story. They don't. 

There were a couple of statements nearer the end, that age old "I wished I could go back in time and do things differently" ... I remember feeling some of these same things (the "why is this included?" the writing that didn't really feel sophisticated) with the Middle Falls series ([book:The Unusual Second Life of Thomas Weaver|31286995]) but there, the twist was the MC DID go back in time, relived life and made changes. I think I would have liked that here. What if Lou had gone on that early trip, what she counseled Jeannie differently, etc). 

The early years felt odd ... such a stigma on "riding in a car with boys" being such an awful thing, yet we have Jeannie "in love" with an older man at 13. Lou gets very involved at a young age, sex before marriage (the keeping girls out of cars with boys doesn't seem to keep the kids chaste). Jeannie's situation ... just dropped, no impact on the story (why was it even included, just to make readers thing Jeannie/ and Lou are pretty terrible people for lying?) Lou's moments with Juan ... yes, that circled around, but was that really believable? Then let's just throw pretty much everything at Lou, in a story that intimates committing suicide regardless of the situation.

So honestly - I've had some feelings. I don't want to grow old. It's been strong for years and years and it hasn't changed. There's a list of things "to do" before (more requirements/duties, not a bucket list) and then ... I'm good to go. There's such a stigma and suicide, a quick diagnosis and death, dying in one's sleep, just dropping ... not so bad. I guess I was just expecting a LOT more to deal with the thoughts/choice, changing feelings, impacts on others, about the 80 and out. And 80 ... my line is lower.

No proFanity. Some sex, nothing super explicit ("we made love" ... as mentioned above, nothing very descriptive in the whole book). 1st person/past tense ... it felt like Lou (if a real person, but not really a writer) was asked to write her life history in novel form. 

Well, I seem to be in the minority. I'd heard some rave reviews and decided to give this a try. I had the kindle copy via KindleUnlimited, and the audio on Hoopla. The narration was good (dominantly from the female MC, Tisaanah's POV, 1st person/past tense. There were some chapters from a male character, Max's POV, 1st person/past tense). Fantasy world, with powers and kingdoms. Quite a few unique names. I felt like I was fine following the story, it just never really pulled me in. I didn't come to care about the characters, or what was happening. I had to push to finish, I didn't realize until now that it was 500+ pages ... perhaps one reason why it felt like it was long. 

There was repetition that rubbed me wrong ... SO MANY smirks (30 ... seriously every time another smirk happened I got annoyed), scowls (4), sneers (18) scoffs (18).  Morass (x7) and things were looming 22 times, although these three did totally make me laugh - 

"Must you loom like that?" 
"I am not looming" Nura shot back, looming over Zeryth's shoulder. 

Other words I note: cacophony, deign, cerulean, careen (x12), hearth, roil.  There was a lot of proFanity (x59) even with Max's own 'swear word' "ascended" (x37).  Some explicit sex scenes as well. 

I was just so ready for this to be done ... definitely no interest in continuing on with the series. 

*** Journaling takes a lot of discipline. Or neurosis. ***

I absolutely enjoyed this. Written "journal" style ... it reminded me a little of another favorite; [book:The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Vol. 1|52085140]. The latter is set in late 1800 England, so there is a historical flair/feel to the writing. Here too, while contemporary (1991 to start), our MC is a writer, and with a French background, so this isn't your traditional, straight-forward journal writing (at least mine is much more bland). A love of language, metaphor and similes, descriptive explanations ... it overflows. There is a lot of dialog (which I always have to question in a journal ... I don't, or a least very rarely, include actual dialog. As much as one would like to remember word for word, it's generally just am attempt at recalling what was said. Peter does say at one point "It is difficult, of course, for human beings besides Vivienne to remember past dialogue."  Because YES, we get some of Peter's journal too (a shift about 3/4 of the way through the book)

This didn't have an audiobook, so I read this with my eyes (included in KindleUnlimited)... and that makes highlighting sections, making notes, much easier (than with audio). I highlighted SO much! Funny statements, profound thoughts, connections ...

Speaking of connections ... in today's tech age, with internet and email and text and social media, it can be challenging to be taken back, not TOO long ago (the 90s) when an old fashioned telephone and answering machine was the norm (long distance too), writing letters home when at college. But ironically enough, in 1991, I was in MY second year of college. I remember the phone in the hallway my first year in the dorms, a single phone in the house my roommates and I were renting the second year. I recall writing letters home, as phone calls were long distance (even in the same state). I did NOT have any cute/young professors though, but some of the other college life brought back memories. 

I always note tense in my reviews ... here, it switched between present (I'm writing this right now  ..) and some past tense, when writing about past events. All 1st person, as one would expect in a journal.   The Table of Contents was lacking ... just divided into the main large sections. If you were looking for a particular "chapter" (date) you'd have to flip through until you found it (which, being dates, are chronological, but I still like a TOC. I can see indicating each journal entry as a chapter would have been a lot, but still would have provided some interest at a glance - ie, when she would write every day vs going weeks or longer between entries).

For a limited label, one would call this a romance. But it's so much more. Vivienne's personal struggles and growth, the family dynamics, are profound. Peter's too.

This was one where I fell in love with the characters. I cared about them, felt their pain and their joy. Reading was a delight, just so many little thoughts or turns of phrase that would make me laugh or smile or bring tears to my eyes.  I love the personal connection that I was this exact age, in a similar college situation ... that journal writing has been a part of me since my youth. I'm not nearly as profound, and no one but me would find my entries worth reading (yes, even you Progeny, I think there would be way too much that you'd absolutely lose interest). This was still a story, pulling me in, and while the assumption is, as with most romances, of course they will get together in the end ... I was never sure. 

There was the most minor mentions of sex, but this was PG.

I quite liked this, and it kept my interest while I was listening to the audiobook (text and audio included in KindleUnlimited). There were a couple things that bugged me, and reflecting and finishing, some things didn't stand up as well. Overall, still a positive association.

One pet peeve - I often switch between formats (listening, hearing something I want to highlight/note, so try and find my place in the Kindle copy). Listening in the Audible app, the "whispersync" didn't always take me to the correct location ... and the chapters in Audible and misnumbered. There is a "prologue" (the letter from Angie) which doesn't have an official chapter, but it is assigned the "chapter 1" in Audible - which throws things off for the rest of the book. It's annoying to go to "Chapter 20" on the TOC, and the narration starts saying "Chapter 19" ...

The book has time shifts. It starts in the present (the first two chapters) and then moves to the past (starting in 1985 in Ch3). Another pet peeve ... I wish headers included at the chapters were also shown in the TOC. But here, after the start in the present, it pretty much does the one shift back to the past and then goes on chronologically forward from there, skipping years at a time, until it catches up to the present day storyline. Ch15 is 1993, Ch16 is 1997, Ch21 is 2000, Ch28 is 2006, Ch29 is 2013, Ch31 is 2016, Ch38 is 2017, Ch40 (till the end) is 2018+ ... which is "the present" (the letter was written August 2018). Still, I don't like to have to manually check each chapter to see the header to remember the timeline ... if it's a chapter header, place it in the table of contents too so I can see it at a glance. Of course I realize most physical books don't even bother with a TOC at all anymore. 

I enjoyed the premise though. A single mother passes away young, leaving her 18 year old alone, so she tasks four good friends to stay in her daughter's life. Honestly, while I have friends, I may be more disconnected than most/many. I can't even comprehend someone asking me, or vice-versa to be that involved (she asks one of them to move into her home for a year while Romy finishes school). 

Jumping to the past, we get the history of the main four friends ... how they met, their lives through the years. As other reviewers have mentioned, this goes on a little long. Angie IS not very likeable. It's surprising that she and Maggie made it past things into this life long friendship. Very ironic that even Angie thinks some things about Tiger (that he mooches, that he can be inconsiderate) when that's a super strong aspect of herself, especially in the younger years. We see Angie's relationship (such as it is) with Jax, as she meets Hope (the 4th, everyone wonders why she's included in the guardianship). Whereas Angie can be brash and rude, Hope is even more so. 

When the story catches up to the present, and Romany is now the central figure (although it's all 3rd person/past tense, moving between POVs), it was fun to see her interactions with these four adults, her changing views as she learns more about them, and how they themselves change. There are additional things revealed (and yes, I guessed that plot twist).

No proFanity ... some sex, nothing explicit. 

The title "Impossible to Forget" ... is forgettable, as is the cover image (did feathers have anything to do with the story?) This is one I really need to have recorded/reviewed so I remember I read it and how I felt. I don't think it will stick in my memory much. 

I really enjoyed this. I found myself with a smile on my face, with little chuckles here and there. I don't know that I'll really remember the story in the long run, but I think the title/cover is unique enough that I will recall it was read and was one I liked. Very conversational and funny.  The narrator was very good (Eva Kaminsky). While she's narrated a lot, I've heard her in "When The Men Were Gone, and The Arctic Fury, although the narration didn't stand out enough in either that I mentioned it in my reviews). 

First person/Present tense ... even with some flashbacks (labeled in the text chapter heading, but not in the Table of Contents). I think I would have preferred the flashbacks to be in past tense, just to create a little more of a distinction in my mind (I'm listening to the audiobook while multi-tasking, always stopping and starting, and sometimes hard to remember where exactly I am in the book as I come back to it). 

It did have many of the basic "romance" tropes (and our MC is a writer of steamy romance novels, under a pen name) ... the surprise reunion with "the ex" ... the fake dating. Miscommunications. There were some family dynamics. It was interesting that both Penelope and Smith were from influential and wealthy families. I had to laugh a little at "And if we’re talking about being self-made, I’m self-made. I made a life for myself alone in San Francisco after the divorce, and I didn’t take a dime from my parents. I used the trust that Nana Rosie established for me to buy my home."  I guess being "self-made" can be defined differently, but ... well, I never had a trust fund. 

Content: ProFanity (x10).  There was some sex talk/banter, although the MC apparently writes explicit scenes in her books. I don't recall anything explicit. There is a super sweet lesbian relationship. 

Hmmm... I think my face is squinched, which is a slightly negative response to my reading. Reflecting confusion. I finished, but I don't know that I can really say what this book was about or even what happened. This is true for this author's book [book:The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle|36337550] ... I wrote in that review "I liked this ... didn't love it. Unique concept, but confusing. I must admit I didn't really get the ending. I was listening in audio, and maybe could have taken more time, re-read parts - to make sure I understood, if I'd had the Kindle copy, but I didn't."  These same sentiments absolutely apply here. As this book is for bookclub ... I think I will attempt a re-read (I went with audio for my first go round) to see if I can understand it any better, enough to discuss a little anyway. 

As for the audio ... male narrator, which I didn't quite get, as the POV technically was Abi, the AI, who is referred to as feminine. So I would expect a female narrator. It felt a lot like 3rd person much of the time, as unlike average humans, Abi the AI was omniscient, aware of everyone's actions and thoughts at all times (lacking in most 1st person POVs). 

I have access to the text via Hoopla, which ... well I'm a Kindle snob. There's no place to make highlights or notes, to save with all my other kindle notes. I'm still hoping that a Kindle copy becomes available from the library. There seemed to be more audio copies, and I was able to snag a physical copy. 

Not labeled as "parts" per se, there are six sections (a countdown), with chronological chapters running through (80 of them)/ short chapters. 

Portions here reminded me a LOT of The Giver ... the little society, the "end date" for the older folks (they are basically killed but it isn't seen that way, just accepted), no "birth" but parents apply for a child and are given one. 

Words: route, scowl, scant, hectoring, jerry rig, cacophony
Lots of metaphors
No proFanity

I might update this review if I do get a re-read in, and after book club discussion. 

I remember seeing this come across as an Amazon First Reads choice a bit ago ... as I splurge on KindleUnlimited here and there, and Amazon has a glitch where if a book is in KU with text and audio, if you "buy" the kindle copy (free), if you then get KU, there's no way to access the KU audio. You can PAY for it, but that rubs me the wrong way. It should still be included. Anyway, I've stopped picking a First Reads, as I figure I'm more likely to listen to the book via KU. I generally don't care to "own" the book, as I rarely listen more than once.

This didn't have the highest reviews (I believe under 4* ... now it is slightly over) and I had dismissed it (even as one to read/listen with KU). Hubs listened to a book called [book:The Push: A Climber's Journey of Endurance, Risk, and Going Beyond Limits|33155369], and I decided to read(listen) too. This is another side to part of that memoir, as Beth and Tommy were climbing together for years, were kidnapped together in Kyrgyzstan, married and divorced (all things I knew from The Push).  Hubs was the one to bring up this book ... it's not one I would have picked up on my own, but I did have some interest in another perspective. 

My first thought when I started this was ... they should have picked a different narrator. Not that the narration was bad, but she sounded so young, like a teenager. Oops ... it's narrated by the author (which I appreciate). For not being a trained voice actor, Beth did a really good job with the narration. I guess her voice just matches her little body, even as she ages into her 40s I believe she'd be now?

This began with an author's note ... and honestly, I thought that was probably the most profound part of her writing. Just the acknowledgement of how our own perceptions/reflections can change ... if she'd written this earlier, it might have sounded quite different, that her feeling will likely continue to change. That this is a snapshot, and "to the best of my ability, this is a work of non-fiction" ... there was quite a bit of dialog (no one remembers word for word what was said though, right?) That was one thing I really felt with Brittany Spear's Memoir, that it was too soon following her coming out from under the stewardship, that some additional time passing would have changed some of her own perceptions. I just really appreciated the author's thoughts on that.

The Table of Contents just had basic chronological chapters (three parts, 53 chapters). I REALLY wish the date headers included in the chapters, were also included in the TOC. I really like to be able to look, at a glance, and see what I'm dealing with (chronological progression, jumping back and forth in time, having those references if I want to re-read a portion). The first couple chapters are August 2000 (after the kidnapping), chapter 3 jumps to right before (June2000), chapter 7 goes ealier, April2000, chapter 9 is July2000 again. It would pop back to August 2000 ... some after, some during. I struggled a bit with all the time hopping. I'm sure it's a challenge to any writer of a memoir to come up with a good presentation (strictly chronological? Topics?) I just didn't care for the back and forth here.

Beth is pretty blunt with her descriptions ... pee and poop and periods and sex. She doesn't badmouth Tommy at all, other than describing his "crooked teeth" more than once. Not quite so generous with his father. Tommy didn't demean Beth in his book either, even though she cheated on him during their marriage. It was a little interesting coming into this memoir already knowing much of what they'd been through (no real "he said/she said" differences/conflict, as with the Into Thin Air/The Climb controversy). 

One thing that bugged me a bit was the constant "sent it"  or "send it" (ascended it) ... climber speak, and I'm sure it was in Tommy's book too, but I don't remember it being said as often, or rubbed me the wrong way (there it was the word route, 200+ times, which, it is integral to rock climbing). Here, route was said 156 times, but for some reason it didn't really bother me this time. Hard to tell how many times "sent" was used in the "ascent" context. 30 times (but some of those being regular usage) ... but  "Tommy and Nick sent it" "Tommy sent a route ..." "after I sent the Sphinx ..." "we sent the Nose together" ... Ironically when she first uses the words "Take" and "the push" -she does pause to say "this is climber speak for ..." those words seem 'logical' but she did take that moment to clarify. I think if she had for "sent" rather than just using it over and over, I wouldn't have minded. "Sending" used 57 times (a few were regular, non-climbing uses). 

I go through book a lot faster than Hubs, so I finished this as he's just starting it. Honestly, I was prepared for him to listen for a bit and say he was going to try something else. He's not that far in, but he seems intrigued with the alternate POV. It will be interesting to me to see if he continues to feel that way. 

There is a lot of "emotional woman" thoughts ... the constant battle with weight, with staying relevant and competitive in a man's world, the negativity and depression and other mental struggles. And while Beth never really talks badly about Tommy, she does intimate that after the kidnapping, the relationship was more a "I made a promise" and obligation than a love match, at least on her side. One has to wonder if he likes having their sex life labeled as lack-luster so publicly (even if she does take the 'blame' for this) ... honestly, as she hadn't been shy about telling all about bodily issues, I was waiting for more information on her sex with Randy, which didn't really ever get discussed much (was it so much more wonderful with him, did she get to feel what an orgasm was like ... or was that still an issue?) It was interesting to have the POV of the person who has the affair.

So - solid 3* for me. While there was too much time hopping, it was written well enough . Other than the initial author's note, I didn't really find anything profound, making me want to make notes or highlights. It's not really one I'd recommend, unless they'd read The Push or were really into climbing. It will be interesting to see if there are more things to discuss with Hubs as he continues on with the book. 

There was some proFanity (x7) ... some talk of sex/an affair, but nothing explicit. Quite a bit of pee/poop talk, some body (she never uses the word anorexic, but ... she hardly eats anything much of the time, didn't have her first period until almost 20, likely because of bodyweight issues). 

I liked this a lot, but I'm not sure I'll remember it ... I can absolutely imagine me seeing the title/cover and struggling to recall if this was one I'd read or not, much less recall the storyline. It's why Storygraph is great, keeps my record for me to check!

This had three POVs, the chapters were labeled; Fiona is the main (gets the majority of the chapters), and her story is told in first person. Sloane is in the same timeline (the present), we get an omniscient 3rd person here. Lillian is in the past, also third person. All past tense. A single narrator (Carlotta Brenton - I think I've just heard her once before, The Longest Echo). I might have preferred having different narrators for the Sloan and Lillian chapters, just to provide more "voice" distinction. I did need to glance at my phone/Audible from time to time to remind myself whose "head" we were in (I'm multi-tasking, and stopping/starting up again a lot, easy to lose track). 

In some ways, Fiona seemed a little TOO perfect ... caring for her invalid father, keeping a huge secret for her mother, having to head off to Italy for an inheritance from her birth father, who she knows nothing about. There dealing with a couple half-siblings who aren't happy to find out about her, having more difficult situations come up. She just handles everything so well. 

With the three different POVs, it was very interesting to get Sloane's background and take on things, the reader would have a different view of her without knowing all that is going on in the background (again Fiona is so nice about it, before she really knows some of the info). Lillian's chapters were interesting, because we/the reader, have quite a bit of knowledge about the future, but no one knows what happened in the past ... we are finding out along with Fiona. 

No profanity. Some sex, but pretty closed door (one inappropriate picture sent as well). Other words I watch/notice: rifled, smirk, sneaked ... medieval was said 13 times, which, it was generally an apt description for things there in Italy, but it felt a tad overused. It stood out to me anyway. 

Wine plays a big part in this story, a vineyard, they make wine, they drink wine. I grew up molly-mormon, and while never encountering any sort of alcohol, I had the general "romantic" view of wine and champagne and such. I've still never tasted it, but I've smelled it. I've got some sensory issues ... but it smells SO terrible, I can't even imagine trying to drink it. Beyond any religious upbringing, my repugnance for wine now is so absolute, sometimes it's even hard for me to read about it, and people liking it ... I know I'm the weird one, but it's something that's so hard to fathom for me! 

3.5 stars I think. While I liked it, I don't know that it's one I'll remember. I probably wouldn't go out of my way to recommend it unless someone was looking for a story along these specific lines.  It's not one that I feel I need a copy of for my personal library. There weren't really any quotes or notes/highlights that I felt I needed to stop and record. 

I liked this ... text was included in KindleUnlimited, with a $3 add on for audio. I paid it (I think it HAD been in the AudiblePlus catalog at one point, but no longer). Narration was fine, but there were three separate 1st person POVs ... Meghan, Brecia and Skye. Only one narrator. I don't know if she tried to make the voices different? They all sounded the same to me. I think this really needed three different voices, three different narrators. At least each chapter was marked with the POV, and the Audible table of contents showed it too ... I can't tell you how many times I had to glance at my phone screen to double check whose head we were in. Not just the narration, I felt like I needed a reference as to which girl was which at the start. The book starts with Meghan, one year ago. Brecia was the first, her storyline starts two years ago. Skye is in the present. Meghan and Brecia's storylines ultimately come together with Skye in the present. 

There have been a few book with a "ghost" lingering around ... [book:In an Instant|51037979], [book:If I Stay|4374400], a few others. Always interesting to see the qualities and tricks given (can they make things move, can they walk through walls?) in any one story. Here they have some minor "haunting" abilities (making electronics surge), animals can see/sense them, can't "teleport" but can walk/run without getting tired.

This was very UTAH centered. Something I note, as it's my home state. While the word "Mormon" was never mentioned, it was alluded to several times (thinking someone didn't drink coffee as it's against their religion, mention of church congregation, visiting teachers, song "Abide with Me"). A funny ... indicating maybe a certain someone needs to work on the "thou shalt not kill" teaching!

The Fugitive movie (love it!) was also alluded to. "He's not Richard Kimball, he's the one-armed man!" 

Song SUNG ... another thing I note, when a character sings in the story, does the narrator sing it. Here, yes she did, and she sang it well. The aforementioned "Abide With Me ..." just a few lines.

I was perhaps in a bit of an emotional state already. This got to me a few times.  Because of the whole "ghost" angle, this can't really be considered "realistic" like many of the crime/thrillers. I tend to be super judgmental (could that really happen? Me thinks not). Here ... I think I've stepped back on the "reality" of everything, because of the supernatural element.  

It was a little frustrating that it was never really explained WHY ... there was a motive for Brecia, although a year afterward? No sexual assault with the other two. Just wants to kill?

I actually really like the cover with the shattered pieces ... good tie-in with the three girls. The title does tie-in, although ... it actually could have not included that and still worked. A bit of a stretch. The audio cover, the single shoe ... I liked that one too, but prefer the "pieces" cover.

Not many of the words I watch for ... scowl (x7), one smirk ... proFanity x7. 
Some sex (minor) ... and of course murder.

I guess there is a small follow-up novella, but I can't really call this a series. 

I liked this ... I'm not sure how much I'll remember, or even if I'll remember I read it though. Included in KindleUnlimited, text and audio. Audio read by the author, and she's a great narrator. British. 3rd person. Past tense. 

Some of the words/phrases I note - scant, smirk, purloined, detritus, route. "For all intents and purposes" was said four times.  Britishisms ... Kitchen Roll (paper towels), Answer Phone (answering machine/voicemail). I don't know that I'd heard those ones before (although I had just heard "loo roll" for toilet paper ... that was this author as well). 

Basic chronological chapters (no headers). Just 13 chapters plus an epilogue. There were book club questions included in kindle. I'm wondering who wrote them? These were written more personally "This book made me lament the loss of letter writing ... have you kept letters?" and "I love the way Sarah and Victoria ..." This would be fine for bookclub, but didn't have anything I really wanted to stop and note/highlight, profound passages, etc.  There was proFanity (x15) and some sex, not super explicit, but a little more than some might be comfortable with. Dealing with death, and betrayal and forgiveness (or not?) 

I had to remind myself how young Victoria was. I guess I've read a lot of fiction where the characters were older, mid 20s. Victoria is only 18. So when I'd get frustrated with some of her actions and choices, I'd mentally have to remind myself that she is 18, not 25. That is a big difference. 

3.5 stars?