Jessie Burton | The Muse | Judy | A | This was a great book. Beautifully written with a great story to back it up. It kept you guessing, but led you gently to the final reveal. I loved the setting in 1936 Spain. It was described with such love and appreciation. Olive and Theresa were great characters. Good job! |
Ethan Canin | Carry Me Across the Water | Judy | A | Well written story that skips between time periods. Sometimes I wish a story could be just told chronologically, but that is not the modern way. I suppose it would be difficult to build suspense if you knew everything from theI enjoyed this book very much. I I loved the setting and Templeton and the comparison to Cooperstown. I thought the monster in the background was very clever. I thought the characters were well-developed and interesting. It had a few interesting twists and kept my interest the entire time. I thought the writing was also very fun and clever. Good job! beginning. I'm also a little WWII'd out. But that is not the fault of the author. Interesting plot |
Patrick deWitt | The Sisters Brothers | Judy | B | This seemed like a bloody version of the Princess Bride, with ridiculous events woven into the story of a couple of killers. It was entertaining and interesting, but somewhat pointless in the end. |
Lauren Groff | The Monsters of Templeton | Judy | A | I enjoyed this book very much. I I loved the setting and Templeton and the comparison to Cooperstown. I thought the monster in the background was very clever. I thought the characters were well-developed and interesting. It had a few interesting twists and kept my interest the entire time. I thought the writing was also very fun and clever. Good job! |
Anthony Marra | The Tsar of Love amd Techno | Judy | A | I loved the way the stories interconnected. The writing style was beautiful and fluid. The story was so well researched, and I learned a lot about Russia and Chechnya. Some if it was hard to hear, but it kept my interest till the very end. |
Lauren Groff | Arcadia | Sheryl | C | The 60's commune experience was interesting but I did not enjoy the last half of the book after leaving the commune. |
Patrick Dewitt | Undermajordomo Minor | Sheryl | D | I did't really enjoy the fairytale story however the best part was the romance of Klara and the main character Lucy , who was a wimpy liar. |
Canin, Ethan | The Palace Theeme | Sheryl | ? | I read this book and all I remember is that it was 4 individual stories and I cannot remember one. Oops!!! Old age or boring stories, not sure! |
Jessie Burton | The Muse | Sheryl | A | I thought this book was beautifully written and I found the characters interesting and fun to follow. |
Jess Walter | The Financial Lives of Poets | Sheryl | B | The subject matter was not my favorite but I recognized the struggle to live out your dreams in ways that are not always how you imagined. |
Jess Walter | Beautiful Ruins | Sheryl | C | My favorite character was Pasquale from Italy but did Richard Burton really have an illigitimate child? Can't wait to find out at the Sojourn. |
Anthony Marra | The Tsar of Love | Martha | A | I listened to this book, which made it challenging to follow with Russian character names. However I loved the intricacy of how the stories were intertwined. I enjoyed the history and the depth of character development. |
Lauren Groff | Fates and Furies | Martha | A- | It was fascinating to learn that this started as two separate books, that she eventually merged into one. This really pointed out how perspectives in a relationship can be SO different. |
Jessie Burton | The Miniaturist | Nora | B+ | Interesting presentation from the author--she seems an unlikely writer, Well developed sense of what Amsterdam during this era, and also how puritanical it was,
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Ethan Canian | America, America | Nora | B+ | Interesting story of corruption in politics--big surprise. More interesting is how that corruption affects everyone who surrounds them. |
Patrick de Witt | Undermajordomo Minor | Nora | B | Very funny presenter. Not what I suspected from reading the book. The book is kind of a fairy tale which is not a genre that turns me on. |
Lauren Groff | Fates and Furies | Nora | B+ | Interesting to hear the author talk about separate realities in a marriage--also not what I had thought about in reading the book. So I did get some insight from listening to the author. |
Anthony Marra | Tsar of Love & Techno | Nora | A | Loved this author's writing and he didn't disappoint in person. Not only is his writing inspired, but his view of the world is compassionate and optimistic in a world that is so desperate. |
Jess Walter | Financial Lives of Poets | Nora | C | Liked the author's presentation but didn't like the book about losers making stupid choices and learning nothing. |
Jessie Burton | | Suzanne | | |
Ethan Canin | | Suzanne | | |
Patrick deWitt | | Suzanne | | |
Lauren Groff | | Suzanne | | |
Anthony Maraa | | Suzanne | | |