tfpjr492's reviews
25 reviews

Blizzard by Marie Vingtras

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emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Blizzard by Marie Vingtras is a novel about a 10-year-old boy, who gets separated from his caretaker. He is lost in a blinding Alasakan snowstorm. The main characters start searching for him during the storm. They struggle against the elements, but there is plenty of time for each of them to have an inner dialogue. The author gradually develops each character, while she keeps the events moving at a medium pace. This book is recommended for readers, who enjoy well-deveoped characters in desperate circumstances. 
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Extinction by Douglas Preston

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Extinction by Douglas Preston is a story of a de-extinction resort. When two guests disappear mysteriously, law enforcement methodically unravels an evil plot. There is plenty of action, and there are many surprising story twists. The characters are well-drawn. The book is highly recommended for readers of action mysteries.
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The Lost Dresses of Italy by M.A. McLaughlin, M.A. McLaughlin

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emotional mysterious medium-paced

4.75

The Lost Dresses of Italy by M. A. McLaughlin is a historical fiction about poetess Christina Rossetti in the year 1864. She travels to Italy from England, and mysteriously she leaves in Italy three Victorian-era dresses. 
 
After World War II, the dresses are discovered in excellent condition. Costume curator Marianne Baxter travels from the United States to Italy to restore the dresses for a museum exhibition. She unravels the mysteries of Christina Rossetti’s life, while she finds an unlikely romance in her own life. 
 
The author deftly alternates between the two storylines, as she reveals more mysteries and surprises. This book is recommended for those traders, who enjoy historical mysteries.
The White Lady by Jacqueline Winspear

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adventurous inspiring tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

The White Lady by Jacqueline Winspear is an action novel with the main character Elinor White, who has training and experience as a spy in the two world wars. A large part of the story details her experiences as a child spy in occupied Belgium during WWI and as a behind-the-lines operator inserted under cover of darkness into occupied Belgium during WWII. She has natural talents with firearms and foreign languages. She is trained to leverage normal fears into intensified awareness during high-pressure situations.

These experiences have prepared her for a new challenge in post-war Britain. She endeavors to adapt to a simple and slower lifestyle in rural Britain. She appears aloof and mysterious to her neighbors, but Elinor is keenly observant of their daily lives.

“And how did Elinor know all this? Because she made it her business to know. Just as she knew the butcher was fiddling the books and his customers, just as she knew Mrs. Butler at the tea shop in Shacklehurst was a receiver of black market goods.”

Elinor is drawn into the affairs of an organized crime family. In the course of her inquiries and investigation into the crime family, she learns new insights about her traumatic and mysterious past. This book is recommended for readers, who enjoy a spy tale combined with some episodes of an organized criminal enterprise.

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Betrayal by Phillip Margolin

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adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Betrayal by Phillip Margolin is a murder mystery. The victims are a family of four: mother, father, son, and daughter.  There is a wide variety of characters in the story, which stimulates interest and facilitates a fast story pace. 
 
Primarily, the story is presented as a legal case. There are the activities of law enforcement, the tactics of the prosecutor, the steps of the judicial process, and then there are the tireless efforts of the defense attorney and her team. 
 
Homicide detectives Anders and Dillon start the investigation of the crime scene. 
 
That evening, Anders had phoned Dillon at his house a little after nine o’clock. 
 
“Sorry to call so late,” Anders had said, “but 911 got a call from a schoolteacher. He said he went over to the home of one of his students and found the whole family dead. The first responders say there are four victims. They’ve all been shot.” 
 
The story moves quickly as many clues and characters are introduced and developed. The book is recommended for those readers, who enjoy crime stories.
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Banyan Moon by Thao Thai

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

BANYAN MOON by Thao Thai is a fictional tale that describes the troubles of a Vietnamese family, which has settled in America. The focus of this tale is the relationship of three generations of women in the family. The youngest is Ann. Unlike the other two women, Ann was born in America.

Ann seems to be content in her life as a freelance illustrator, living with her boyfriend professor in a lakeside cabin. Her life is turned upside down when her boyfriend confesses an infidelity. She responds by telling her boyfriend that they will take a break from their romance. She then discovers that she is pregnant. 

“But it’s not just me anymore. There’s an us that does not include Noah (boyfriend) - me and the Fetus. Whatever docility I had cultivated is gone. In its place, something wild, unquenchable.”

Next, Ann gets a phone call from her estranged mother, and she learns that her beloved grandmother has died. Ann immediately decides to travel back home.

This series of events sets up an emotionally strained reunion with her mother. The visit to her childhood home rekindles old memories, new mysteries, and opportunities for a new life.

This reader found the book to be a tough read due to secondary themes of physical and emotional abuse, violence, and estrangement. This book is recommended for readers, who enjoy a tale about the mysteries of the human heart and the human yearning for a better life.
The Dictionary People: The Unsung Heroes Who Created the Oxford English Dictionary by Sarah Ogilvie

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informative slow-paced

4.0

THE DICTIONARY PEOPLE by Sarah Ogilvie is a non-fictional account regarding the development of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED). The development of the OED spanned the period from 1858 to 1928. This descriptive dictionary was different than earlier prescriptive dictionaries, which narrowly specified the usage of words. Instead the OED tracked the changes in the usage of words from the first known origin through the intervening history and up to the current time. 

 It was a huge project that involved more than 3,000 unpaid volunteer readers throughout the English-speaking world and beyond. These readers were instructed to find all words no matter how rare, unusual, or even archaic. They were required to write on paper slips quotations using the subject word and details of the source. Millions of these slips were mailed to the editor for review, editing, and inclusion. 

The book also describes the various readers and some of the unusual words included in the OED. This book is recommended for those readers, who can trudge through voluminous details of OED history.

The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel: Genius, Power, and Deception on the Eve of World War I by Douglas Brunt

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informative inspiring mysterious medium-paced

4.75

The Mysterious Case of Rudolph Diesel is a non-fictional account of the demise of the inventor of the diesel engine. To understand the end of his life, the author presents Rudolph Diesel’s life story, as well as the economic and political circumstances of the era before World War I. It is a fascinating read. 

The book also is an interesting study of the development of new technology and the consequences of that technology. It took an immensely driven Rudolph Diesel to dedicate his life to the development of an efficient engine, that could use alternative fuels. His drive did not lead him to obstinacy. After spending years developing an ammonia-fueled engine, he concluded that it would never reach his goal of high efficiency. He abandoned that quest and searched for a new type of internal combustion engine. His relentless pursuit led him to a complex design, and then the construction of several test engines. 

After he demonstrated his concept, he sold manufacturing rights to businesses in many national markets. He then had never-ending demands on his time to refine the engines in the individual markets. 

Diesel technology came to play an important role in World War I, but an even greater role in World War II. Today diesel engines are found in a wide variety of engine markets, and their use continues to grow. This book is in part a case study of the development of a new technology and its effects on mankind. The book is recommended for readers of technological history.

Lost & Hound by Rita Mae Brown

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relaxing slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Lost & Hound is a novel about the lifestyle of the Jefferson Hunt Club in Virginia. Oh yes, there is a mysterious murder, which intrudes on the activities of the club. Master of Foxhounds “Sister” Jane Arnold has an opinion about the club’s sense of community. 

“She believed Jefferson Hunt brought people together. Riding in the hunt field overcomes barriers. The fox doesn’t care about your color, religion, social status, or income. He’ll make a fool out of you if he can. Usually he can. Fox hunting is a great equalizer. You can stay on your horse or you can’t. Eventually everyone hits the dirt.” 

A hunt club has a hierarchy. “A foxhunter earns their hunt button first in many hunts, which means they’ve been a regular, learning territory, etc. A hunter who takes the fences after a number of years is often awarded the hunt’s colors.” 

This book is a delightful read about the interpersonal dynamics of a hunt club, and the mystery is eventually solved. The book is recommended for those readers, who enjoy deliberately paced stories.

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Above the Salt by Katherine Vaz

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emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Above the Salt is a novel about immigrants from the Azores to 19th-century America. It includes themes of romantic love, devotion, and acts of kindness and generosity.

Romantic love is perhaps the major theme, because it involves the major characters, John and Maria. Young boy John first meets Maria in a garden on their native island, Madeira. John forms an immediate impression of Maria.

“. . . the girl was assertive in a way that did not befit Christian humility, and she wore pretty clothing and walked with too proud a spine, and her laugh was boisterous . . .”

John and Maria immigrate to America at different times, and their paths cross in Illinois. Maria is engaged to be married to an American. 

John and Maria profess their love for each other, but they proceed with different lives. Can their romance endure over the decades despite vast distances, social upheaval, family disagreements, and more? How does their lifelong romance contrast with the practicalities of their marriages? This novel is recommended for those readers, who enjoy sweeping life stories.


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