75 Books...More or Less! discussion

Book # 1 Jimmy The Kid 4/5 stars

Forty years after it was written, Donald Westlake's writing still makes me chuckle. I love the idea that he combined his Richard Stark pseudonym's very noir character, Parker, into this book. The incompetent "gang", led by the ever dour and wry Dortmunder, has decided that kidnapping a child from a plan found in a paperback novel (Parker), is a perfect idea. They use this book as a blueprint for a child heist, and - big surprise - things go wrong. The kid they choose is a rip, not at all what they expected.

Welcome back, Alecia!

Thanks, Elyse...welcome back to you, too

Book # 2 Ask The Parrot 4/5 stars

It's always a good thing when I find a Parker novel I may have missed. It's always a quick and very enjoyable read. In this one, Parker is on the run from a bank robbery, and is being chased by barking police dogs, when he is approached by a local stranger who takes him to his secluded home. And yes, in that home is a parrot who doesn't speak. Yet. What can I say, I'm a fan.

Book # 3 Life After Life 4/5 stars

I am rounding this review from a 3.5 up to a 4 star review because of the enormous effort and creativity involved to write this thought-provoking novel. I will say that it is not an "easy" read, and some of it left me a bit perplexed and frustrated as to it's execution. But overall, it was a very well-written and interesting take on how fragile life is. The slightest change of the choices we make in life, or how the stars align and cause these changes, can produce an entirely different life or outcome of a life. Ursala Todd has many lives in this book, which is set starting with her birth in 1910. Her birth happens many times in the book, with many outcomes. That is just the start of Ursala's journies. Although the characters in her life (her relatives, lovers and friends) remain mostly the same, she changes, and the paths she takes through life vary through each new rebirth.

Hello, Alecia. It's great to see you back this year. Love your reviews . . . so far you've got me intrigued on 3/3 books you've read!

Thank you, Karol. Good to be back for another year of (hopefully) stellar reading!

Book # 4 Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief 3/5 stars

This is a meticulously researched book about Scientology. Even after reading it, I still cannot wrap my brain around the tenets of this religion (is it, indeed, a religion?). This is less a fault of the book itself, than the confounding rules of Scientology, such as the auditing process, and the different levels leading to The Bridge to Total Freedom, and on and on. I am still fuzzy, even after reading this book, as to the basis of the whole thing...something to do with outer space? Then there is the so-called "Sea Org.", where young idealists sign up for a billion year contract to work for little pay and in often harsh conditions. It appears to be quite a punitive religion (cult?) should it's devotees question it or try to leave. A lot is stressed upon the church pursuing it's celebrity adherents such as Tom Cruise and John Travolta. They and others of financial means contribute huge sums of money to the church, and lend it a certain cachet. It appears that people do find help for their lives while following all of these complicated layers of rules and commandments. There was a time in the early 70's when I was approached on a NYC street by a young person with a clipboard. I remember agreeing to take some sort of "personality test" in a room. There followed relentless phone calls to me at my home, trying to get me to join what turned out to be the Church of Scientology. I really had no idea what it was, but I was not interested. It was very difficult to get them to stop pursuing me. This book tries to explain what it's all about, but it is a dense read with some interesting parts.

It's a so-called religion completely made up by L. Ron Hubbard. HE MADE IT UP. And he is quoted as saying "If you want to get rich, create a religion." And yet people are dumb enough to "believe" in it. Scientologists (which my iPad won't even recognize as a word, no replacements found. Lol) believe that aliens put us here, we're their experiments, etc. It's pretty wack-a-doo.

There are a lot of chapters on L. Ron Hubbard, and his backround etc. The author also tries to parallel it to other "made up" religions or dogmas such as The Book of Morman. But one of the big differences in Scientology (besides the outer space stuff;) is there is no real mention of a God of any type. Really, really strange stuff. Wack-a-doo, indeed.

Book # 5 Ordinary Grace 3/5 stars

This was more of an inspirational novel than a mystery. And whatever mystery there was, I kind of figured out. Narrated by 13 year old Frank, it is set in 1961 and opens with a murder of a young boy along the railroad tracks. (view spoiler)[ This turns out to be a red herring. (hide spoiler)] Frank's father is a minister, and the sprituality is found from Frank and his younger brother Jake's discoveries of "ordinary grace". It is a pleasant enough book to pass the time, but I expected something more.

Alecia wrote: "Book # 5 Ordinary Grace 3/5 stars

This was more of an inspirational novel than a mystery. And whatever mystery there was, I kind of figured out. Narrated by 13 year old Frank, it i..."

Alecia, I picked this one up a while back when it was a kindle daily deal, and hope to start it soon.

Your review made me curious about the book on Scientology. Wack-a-doo can be interesting, much like being riveted by stranger-than-fiction stories, lol

Maybe you will like Ordinary Grace better than I did. I was curious about the Scientology book for the same reasons as you. He's a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, but I had hoped it would be a bit juicier. An interesting subject, for sure.

Book # 6 The Burglar Who Counted the Spoons 4/5 stars

As always, reading Lawrence Block is a pleasure for me. I love his sly, wry humor, and I am always sure to have a fun reading experience. As a voracious reader, I really enjoy that our protagonist, Bernie Rhodenbarr, is a bookstore owner. The little snippets of knowledge and references to various authors and antiquarian books abound and make this series fun for bookworms to read. Bernie is also a thief with his own code of ethics. He abhors violence and usually the people he steals from can afford to miss a piece or two. He also spends some of his time helping a policeman who is wise to Bernie's other job of burgling. He usually suspects Bernie of a nefarious deed, and Bernie then helps him solve the crime to save himself. This book is basically the same scenario, only the booty and body have changed. Bernie's best friend, Carolyn, is along for the ride again, and the two trade quips as they meet for lunch and drinks, and she provides some assistance while he solves a case. I love that she calls him "Bern".

Alecia wrote: "Book # 6 The Burglar Who Counted the Spoons 4/5 stars

As always, reading Lawrence Block is a pleasure for me. I love his sly, wry humor, and I am always sure to have a fun reading experience..."

Alecia, I am adding this one to my "to read" list!

Book # 7 This Dark Road to Mercy 3.5/5 stars

I would give this book a 3.5 rating. The story, told by several narrators, moves along at a nice clip. Some of the connections between the characters were a little murky to me, and that caused me some disorientation at times when the narrative skipped back and forth. But I especially liked the voice of 12 year old Easter, who along with her younger sister Ruby, is in foster care and kidnapped by her estranged father, Wade. Wade has stolen some money, setting off a dangerous search for him and his daughters. Easter is a wise "old soul" who was quite believable and gutsy. I would read more by this author.

I've been wanting to get to Life After Life for the longest time! I've taken it out from the library a couple times but always end up returning it unread because I'm just never in the mood for such a hefty book while I have it. I think if that happens again it might be time to just let it go (at least for now).

It's an unusual book. If you do get into it, I'll be interested to know what you thought. I never cared for her previous books, but this one was interesting.

Book #8 Burial Rites 3/5 stars

Because the writing is so lyrical and evocative, that part of my rating is a 3.5. But I must confess that I was not really "into" this book while reading it. Whether it was all those Icelandic names and places (that do not go trippingly on my tongue/brain) that proved distracting, or something else, I do not know. The description of farm life in early 19th century Iceland is very interesting. Agnes, the condemned woman, is the narrator at times, and other times the narration is in the third person. In the end, I appreciated the writing, but was somewhat underwhelmed by the story.

Alecia wrote: "Book #8 Burial Rites 3/5 stars

Because the writing is so lyrical and evocative, that part of my rating is a 3.5. But I must confess that I was not really "into" this book while rea..."

I think I bought this when it was $1.99 e-book. Looked interesting enough for the price. Haven't gotten to it yet though.

Well, if you get to it, I'll be interested in your thoughts. Many people really liked it.

Alecia wrote: "Book #8 Burial Rites 3/5 stars

... In the end, I appreciated the writing, but was somewhat underwhelmed by the story."

This is a problem I have occasionally as well. I feel like maybe I'm doing a disservice by not rating the book higher... but in the end, my rating is based on whether or not I enjoyed it (whatever the reasons) and not how "good" the book is (something I don't feel qualified to judge anyway).

I agree... My enjoyment of the book is very important. After all, it is MY review ( and yours). But I also feel the need to acknowledge superior writing, even if the whole book did not really wow me.

Alecia and Charleen, I'll chime in with my two cents....Ultimately my rating is based on how much I enjoy a book. I belong to goodreads to find reviews written by readers, not book critics. There's plenty of other places to find critical reviews. But I will often give an additional star for a book I thought was very well-written but didn't wow me and I mention that in my review. As difficult as it may be for authors (who should probably then stay away from GR), I appreciate honest reviews from other readers.

Jan,

I agree with you...no point to reviewing if we are not honest about our enjoyment...or lack thereof. And sometimes it is difficult (and puzzling) to give a 2 (or less) star rating for a book that has other GR readers lavishing 5 star reviews on it. But that's what makes the world go round...our differences of opinion. And it must be very difficult for a GR author to read some of these less than stellar reviews.

Alecia, I appreciate your review. I have Burial Rites awaiting me on my table. The book captured my attention because of the setting. When it arrived I did glance through the first few pages and noticed all the Icelandic names. I'm planning on having to jot down some notes while reading this one...

Annie,

I kind of got used to the words and names, but still found them distracting. Who knows how I was pronouncing them in my head? Good luck!

Alecia wrote: "Jan,

And sometimes it is difficult (and puzzling) to give a 2 (or less) star rating for a book for a book that has other GR readers lavishing 5 star reviews on it ..."

I agree!!

Book # 9 After I'm Gone 1/5 stars

I found the story line meandering and unfocused. I felt removed from all of the characters, and I kept losing track of what the original premise of the story was about. And 3/4 of the way through, I stopped reading. I did note all the excellent reviews, which puzzle me, but obviously people are enjoying this book. Not for me.

Book # 10Think of a Number 4/5 stars

This was a sensitively written, character and plot-driven mystery. I am rounding it up from a 3.5 to a 4 star rating as I found it to be a very enjoyable read. I started with this first, debut entry into the series to see if I liked it, and to "meet" the main characters. Dave Gurney is a retired detective who lives in a rural area with his very intelligent second wife, Madeleine. There is a tragic element to their relationship, as they lost a 4 year old son to an accident years ago that Dave blames himself for. There is tension and sadness in the relationship, as they have stayed together all the ensuing years. Dave also has a grown son from a previous marriage, and that relationship is strained. This background makes for interesting subtexts that can color his actions and thoughts in the plotting of these stories.

This book is about a serial killer who plots a very devious way to kill his victims. I found it very clever and a little different, and the writing is quite good. I look forward to reading the next book in this series.

I really enjoy the Dave Gurney series, although this first one is still my favorite. The writing is really good and sets it apart from other mystery series... it almost seems to border on literary at times (of course that's coming from someone who rarely reads literary fiction, so my perception may be a bit skewed). Glad to see you enjoyed it!

Charleen,

I agree with you about the writing bordering on the literary. That's what I think sets it apart from the herd of detective/mystery fiction out there. I did enjoy it and look forward to the next one.

I just downloaded this on my kindle, a library loan. I'm looking forward to it!

No risk! Good move.

Book # 11 The Ghost of the Mary Celeste
4/5 stars

I am rounding this up from a 3.5 as I am a fan of Valerie Martin's writing. (view spoiler)[ I found the ending to be rather unstatisfying and very ambiguous (I kept turing the e-book page to make sure there were no more chapters that followed with more explanation). (hide spoiler)] The Mary Celeste is a great unsolved mystery. The ship was found in the late 19th century, floating fully stocked with food, no apparent struggle, and no members of the crew onboard. This novel is made up of various chapters that are all somehow linked to this ship. This was a time of many people believing in spiritualism, with mediums talking to the dead becoming a great pasttime, sometimes a parlor game and many times a solace for the grieving. Martin looks deeply into this phase, and that makes for a very interesting take into the times. I think the ghost story and mystery, such as it is, is secondary to a very intereting, well-researched and well-written look into these times,stocked with fully-fleshed out characters, and evocative prose. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is one of the characters who populates this book, and his presence makes it even more interesting.

Book # 12 The Last Days of California 3/5 stars

The engaging writing in this novel earned it 3 stars in my review. Our 15 year old narrator, Elise, has some amusing observations as she accompanies her older sister and parents on a road trip to California to face the rapture. They are a fundamentalist (and quite dysfunctional) family, and the father has just lost his job. The parents apparently believe the rapture, and the ensuing end of the world, will take place, and thus a lot of junk food is consumed, and overnights at various fleabag motels are described along the way. This is a coming of age novel, that to my mind, should have been a short story. Even though it is a quick, pleasant read, there's not enough "meat" in this book to warrant a novel's length.

Book # 13 Me Before You 3/5 stars

I see that this book garners overwhelmingly superlative reviews, and has touched many people very deeply. I found it to be a very fast read, with enjoyable, easily accessible writing. The extremely tough struggle in the day-to-day life of a quadriplegic, Will, was described very well by the author. It especially reverberated after the short first chapter vividly describing Will's full and active life before his accident. I found it to be an enoyable read even though there were parts that I found predictable and a bit cliched. It was quite a touching love story, with much larger issues going on about quality of life, but it did not resonate as much with me as it seems to do with so many others.

Book # 14 The Black-Eyed Blonde: A Philip Marlowe Novel 3/5 stars

I have read one or two books by Benjamin Black, and I appreciated his ease in emulating Raymond Chandler's voice in this novel. It is set in LA, which is alien territory for the Irish author. But I think he pulls this exercise off very well. The noir style, rhythms and plotting feel right, and it's a fun read.

Book # 15 Belle Cora 2/5 stars

It's difficult to give a low rating in the midst of so much apparent enjoyment from other readers, but I'm afraid this one was a huge effort for me to finish. The subject matter (the "based on true events" saga of a woman who rises to become a reknown madame) should be interesting and spicy. But I found most of this very long saga dry, tedious, and wordy.

Book # 16 The Martian 3/5 stars

I was compelled to give this a 3 star rating, even though it was not my "thing"...so many scientific facts and so much data crammed into a space adventure story. This story is mostly narrated (in the form of a log kept through his ordeal) by a genial, nerdy, clever, wonky botanist/engineer, who is left for dead by his crew on a mission to Mars. Parts of it were very interesting and fun, and some parts were quite juvenile and awkwardly written. But I had to applaud the spirit and ingenuity of the protagonist.

Alecia wrote: "Book # 16 The Martian 3/5 stars

I was compelled to give this a 3 star rating, even though it was not my "thing"...so many scientific facts and so much data crammed into a space adv..."

I've been on the library holds list for about a month for this one. I don't mind waiting but I am intrigued by the synopsis.

As I commented, there was too much scientific data for me, but I, too, was attracted by the premise. Lots of people seemed to have liked it. I can see it as a movie...

Book # 17 Clever Girl 2/5 stars

Although I found the beginning of this book, when we follow a young Stella being raised by a single mother,rather interesting, the rest of the novel left me cold. I was not very interested in any of the characters, including Stella. And I was mystified by many of her feelings, motivations, and actions. The writing was good, but the substance was lacking.

Book # 18 The Weight of Blood 2/5 stars

I thought this would be a better read than it turned out to be. It is a tale, set in the Ozarks, told mainly by two separate voices. One is Lila, who mysteriously disappeared one day when she was barely twenty years old. The other is told by her daughter, Lucy, when she is a teenager. One of Lucy's neighbors has been brutally murdered, found after a long, mysterious disappearance. The chapters interweave with each other (broken up by short chapters about other characters told in the third person) until the story comes together. Although I was interested in it when I started reading, that interest flagged as I proceeded, and I barely held on until I finished.

I've heard mixed things about Clever Girl.

Alecia, you are reading a lot of the books that I have on my list and jotted down on scraps of paper!

I hope you enjoy them better than I did! I am finding the one I'm reading now, Savage Girl, a better read.

Book # 19 Savage Girl 2.5/5 stars

I was wavering between 2 and 3 stars for this one. Because of the calibre of the writing and some of the period details, I would give it a 2.5/3 and round it up to a 3. I was interested in the beginning, as the writing was good and the premise interesting. Set in the gilded age, with a fantastically wealthy, eccentric family traveling around the USA in their own private railway car, the scion of the family decides to "adopt" some unusual characters into his family. He is captivated by a "Savage Girl" he sees in a side show, purportedly raised "in the wild", and decides to take her into his family to prove his theory about nature vs. nurture. His son, Hugo, is the book's unreliable narrator, and some savage murders are interwoven in the story. I found the story line becoming murkier and and more lurid the further along I read. It was by turns gothic, a love story, a horror story, and an historical narrative of the fashions and manners of the time. But it did not work as a whole for me.

Book # 20 Family Life 3.5/5 stars

I would give this a 3.5/5 stars. Our young narrator, Ajay, guides us through his family's journey to America and the ensuing tragedy that happens to his family while living there. The assimilation process is very difficult for these (and other) immigrants. Being taunted in school and having to witness the breakdown of his parent's marriage makes Ajay's life a solitary and sad one. Ajay's journey out of his household, and his insights into himself make up the book's core. The writing is simple and lovely, and reading the novel goes by very quickly. I had read that this is an autobiographical piece, so it is hard to know how much of this actually happenend to the author. For some reason he chose a fictional format instead of a memoir to tell this story.

Book # 21 The Accident 3/5 stars

Even though the ending confused me, it was an enjoyable enough read. It's twisty-turny plot hinges on a premise that is somewhat questionable to me. Would a publication exposing a powerful man cause all this intrigue and murder to stop it's publication? If you go along for the ride, it's entertaining enough. I was not a huge fan of his first novel, The Expats, and this one is also in the same category.