annewithabook's reviews
1753 reviews

Then Came the Thunder (Three Willows, #1) by Rachael Huszar

mysterious fast-paced

3.5

I really enjoyed this book. It's not always sure what it wants to be (a mix of historical romance, mystery, and fantasy horror) and it does feel very short (being only about 150 pages), but it always kept me interested. I was interested in finding out about Sam's past. I was interested in figuring out who was attacking livestock in the town of Three Willows. I was interested in learning about the impact of the Civil War on these characters. So while not an exceptional book, it does make for a perfect, quick historical mystery read.

Lucky Leap Day by Ann Marie Walker

lighthearted slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

I loved the premise of the book, a comedy of a heartbroken women who goes to Dublin on a vacation she was supposed to go with her cheating boyfriend and meets an Irish stranger who she marries after a drunken night. However, the middle part of the book really fell apart for me. I loved the beginning, as we got to know the selfish dreamer Cara, who hoped to be a screenwriter. Finn's introduction was funny to, as he picks her up in a Uber and the two are immediately drawn to each other. And the short time spent in Dublin was fun, as we learned a bit about the city. But here is where the story falls apart. After finding themselves married after a drunken night, Cara convinces Finn to return to LA with her. Finn is...well, perfect. He's a great guy and, as we are constantly reminded every two pages of the book, super hot. I mean, I get physically being attracted to the main love interest, but that is honestly all he is. And Cara is so focused on her hopes to become a screenwriter, the only time we see her actually focusing on the romance is when she is noticing how hot Finn is. So yeah, I never felt the chemistry. The ending did somehow bring the romance together into an adorable ending, but because I never felt their chemistry, the ending felt forced and fake. Also, I was disappointed how little of the book was set in Dublin. The dog was cute though.

Hungry Bengal: War, Famine and the End of Empire by Janam Mukherjee

challenging informative sad slow-paced

3.75

This book examines the circumstances around the Bengal Famine in 1943 in India, where millions of people died due to starvation, mostly caused by WWII and government incompetence. It's a very dense book to read, but fascinating especially if you are curious about the history of famine, disease, WWII, or India.

The Shadow of the Gods by John Gwynne

adventurous challenging dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Wow...where do I start with this book. It is a difficult read for a mostly non-fantasy reader. There is a lot of worldbuilding, a lot of detailed, well-developed characters, and a lot of names/terms to keep track of. Saying that, this is a brilliantly written book, clearly inspired by Viking mythology. The ending brought everything together perfectly, and each of the three main characters were interesting and understandable with their individual goals. Also, the description just makes you feel part of a complex, brutal warrior's world. I can't wait to read the next book!

Jingo by Terry Pratchett

adventurous funny slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Another Pratchett book, another mess ensues. This follows a group of city guards who must deal with a war after two countries start fighting over a mysterious island which has risen out of the sea. This book has Pratchett's signature quirky humor, but for me the overall plot wasn't very engaging. I get the main point that war is just completely absurd and pointless, and there are a lot of fun scenes, but the overall narrative never captured me. Still an enjoyable read, but not my favorite in the Discworld series.

Up to No Gouda by Linda Reilly

lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I was in a reading slump before reading this book, and it really is that type of light, enjoyable reading to get me out of that slump. Following the owner of a grilled cheese sandwich restaurant (who doesn't love grilled cheese sandwiches?), it is that perfect cozy mystery in which you can enjoy the characters while also trying to guess which of them is a nefarious murderer. It isn't exactly unique among the cozy mystery genre, but it is a lot of fun and I look forward to following along in this series as it comes out. 

The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.25

This book...is so intolerable. It has a great premise and I enjoyed the set-up. However, nothing went well in this book for me. All the twists just started to feel like a soap opera, making no twist actually impactful. This had the set-up for a complex mystery and instead turned into a reverse-harem, teen drama with too much random angst. All the interesting aspects of the plot, like Avery's intelligence, is ignored for most of the book. So yeah, I might be in the minority on this but this book was so bad!

The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley

mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

I DNFed The Guest List, so I went into this book with very low expectations. And, while I had criticisms about this book, it definitely is an intriguing mystery. It follows a group of guests who go on vacation to a hunting lodge in Scotland in the winter, right before a fierce storm hits. I love the isolation mystery trope. However, all the guests are all either forgettable or insufferable. The two employees (Heather and Doug) at the lodge were the only characters I found interesting. Everyone else I could not care at all for. There is a good final twist, but the characters were obnoxious from beginning and ending. The main saving factor for me was the great suspense. I kept reading because I wanted to know the mystery's solution, especially considering we don't even know the victim until near the end, which shows that the book succeeded in the mystery factor even if it didn't for me with the characters.

A Christmas Carol, the Chimes and the Cricket on the Hearth by Charles Dickens

hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Most people know and love A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickins, and it is indeed a great and moving Christmas story. However, this is a collection of three of Dickens holiday tales. The Chimes follows an old man who wakes up to find himself dead near New Years and his daughter alone. The Cricket on the Hearth is a little bit more of a mess with more characters, centering around the miser Tackleton as he tries to make everyone's lives horrible around the holidays. The Cricket was definitely my least favorite, but all of these establish clear themes such as be kind, the poor are often disregarded by society, and Christmas is a time for new beginnings. If you are looking to sit down with some truly remarkable and moving Christmas stories, I would recommend all three of these novellas.

Red Famine: Stalin's War on Ukraine, 1921-1933 by Anne Applebaum

challenging informative slow-paced

4.0

This seems like a relevant book to read in this current age, considering Russia's Invasion of Ukraine in 2022. This book examines the Soviet Union's treatment of Ukraine, from it's takeover of Ukraine in the 1910s to one of the worst famines in all of history in the 1930s. It is a truly sobering book to read, and while I knew of the incident in general, to read the details of how horrific it was to live in the Soviet Union is pretty sobering. It is truly sad how Stalin tried to cover up just how horrific the Ukrainian people were treated, with even their language being obliterated. I also appreciated how this book is written in an accessible way, making it not simply a book for scholars. Saying that, it does get repetitive at times, making it a slow read. But I appreciate this book bringing a mostly unknown moment of history into the public eye.