MaidMerry reviewed Today Will Be Different by Maria Semple
Eleanor knows she's a mess. But today, she will tackle the little things. She will …
3 for the story. 5 for the audio reading.
4 stars
3 for the story. 5 for the audio reading.
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MaidMerry reviewed Today Will Be Different by Maria Semple
Eleanor knows she's a mess. But today, she will tackle the little things. She will …
3 for the story. 5 for the audio reading.
4 stars
MaidMerry reviewed Today Will Be Different by Maria Semple
Eleanor knows she's a mess. But today, she will tackle the little things. She will …
3 for the story. 5 for the audio reading.
4 stars
MaidMerry rated The Ninth Hour: 4 stars
The Ninth Hour by Alice McDermott
On a dim winter afternoon, a young Irish immigrant opens the gas taps in his Brooklyn tenement. In the aftermath …
MaidMerry rated The lost continent: 3 stars
The lost continent by Bill Bryson
The Lost Continent: Travels in Small-Town America is a book by travel writer Bill Bryson, chronicling his 13,978 mile trip …
The Body by Bill Bryson
Bill Bryson once again proves himself to be an incomparable com- panion as he guides us through the human body—how …
MaidMerry reviewed Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
Reminded me of 'The Wedding'by Dorothy West (1920). Although, this spans three generations. A humane …
Review of 'Vanishing Half' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
The book was engaging and the characters (mostly) well-developed. I felt that Part 5 dragged, though, which is one reason I couldn't give it five stars. I think the book should have ended sooner.
The narration was brilliant.
MaidMerry rated The substitute: 4 stars
The substitute by Nicole Lundrigan
Warren Botts is a disillusioned Ph.D., taking a break from his lab to teach middle-school science. Gentle, soft-spoken, and lonely, …
MaidMerry rated An Irish Country Doctor: 4 stars
An Irish Country Doctor by Patrick Taylor
Barry Laverty, M.B., can barely find the village of Ballybucklebo on a map when he first sets out to seek …
MaidMerry rated Brave New World: 4 stars
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Originally published in 1932, this outstanding work of literature is more crucial and relevant today than ever before. Cloning, feel-good …
MaidMerry rated The Good Sister: 4 stars
MaidMerry reviewed Fight Night
Review of 'Fight Night' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
I love Miriam Toews' characters, and the ones in this novel are no exception. They have a sense of humour even in the face of trauma. They are like dandelions: cheerful and plucky and surviving, in spite of difficult circumstances.
I loved Swiv's relationship with her grandma, and I adored her grandma (as did all the characters in the novel).
The ending in the novel is inevitable, but is handled with such love and sensitivity and grace that it softens the blow, and the reader is left with a sense of hope and a recognition of the unending circle of life.
MaidMerry reviewed Almost Wife by Gail Anderson-Dargatz
Review of 'Almost Wife' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
I'm an Anderson-Dargatz fan, but I did not care for this 'Chick Lit With an Edge' book.
*Spoilers ahead.*
One reason I can't stand chick lit is that the heroines are usually so stupid (oh, but I'm in loooooooove), and the protagonist in this book is no exception.
While it's true that many women miss the warning signs of an abuser, and that abusers can be charming and lovable at times, there didn't seem to be any really strong reasons for this heroine to be missing those signs, especially since she seemed torn from the beginning between her slick city fella and her rural childhood sweetheart. (Hallmark Christmas movie much? Bring on the plaid shirts and hot chocolate.)
Throw in the soap-opera-ish elements, such as the paternity test to determine who the real father is, and the action-film elements, such as the chase scenes, with events happening incredibly fast, …
I'm an Anderson-Dargatz fan, but I did not care for this 'Chick Lit With an Edge' book.
*Spoilers ahead.*
One reason I can't stand chick lit is that the heroines are usually so stupid (oh, but I'm in loooooooove), and the protagonist in this book is no exception.
While it's true that many women miss the warning signs of an abuser, and that abusers can be charming and lovable at times, there didn't seem to be any really strong reasons for this heroine to be missing those signs, especially since she seemed torn from the beginning between her slick city fella and her rural childhood sweetheart. (Hallmark Christmas movie much? Bring on the plaid shirts and hot chocolate.)
Throw in the soap-opera-ish elements, such as the paternity test to determine who the real father is, and the action-film elements, such as the chase scenes, with events happening incredibly fast, and a serious and important subject has been reduced to a series of Hollywood tropes and clichés.
The only reason I gave this 3 stars is because it did keep me turning the pages (even while knowing I was going to be disappointed).
MaidMerry rated The Night Circus: 4 stars
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the …