Very likable characters, but not enough excitement to keep me hooked. The story meanders just a little to much. You can definitely see strong echo's of Star Trek's influence in Lords novel. If you enjoy your sci-fi on the lite side with a touch of romance this might be for you.
I liked the idea behind this novel but for some reason I had a hard time staying awake. Yes, there were creepy moments, but when a plot becomes to political I have a tendency to zone out. Still a good read, and I enjoyed the bit about the "night managers," as some one whose had their share of night shifts I could really relate to how you almost become zombie like. :)
Setting up house
Looks like all my books imported okay, no problems here. Its been awhile since I've played with HTML codes but its been fun arranging my profile. I'm hoping to get my follower/ friend list matching GR and BL, so I can go back and forth more smoothly. I won't be syncing until I get myself better organized.
Dystopia's are the potato chips of my reading world. Basically these books pretty much all read the same, (man destroys the world and new weird societies attempt to survive), but no matter I never get tired of them. This set of small books in one volume was exceptional, I was hooked from the get go. It was truly wonderful to read a dystopian with adult characters and not all of the teen-drama/romance that seem to permeate this genre. Thank-you Mr. Howey for such a fantastic read!
1
Way too long, could have easily shaved off a hundred pages and not harmed the plot. From the historical perspective I enjoyed it. I thought the author did a superb job of describing the English civil war, the politics and the religious upheaval of the time. But...it just wasn't my cup of tea. Not because its glbtq, but because it's one looong drawn out romance. If I had to sum it up, I would say the first hundred pages and the last hundred pages were suspenseful and interesting, but the middle was tedious, with a lot of romantic wallowing that took forever to go anywhere. If historical erotica with rough sex is your thing you may like this.
I read this book some time back in the early 80's when I was a teen. I remember loving it, should probably do a reread.
Basically a story about a mother and daughter who immigrate from Hong Kong to New York. The heroine Kim Chang takes us through her journey of overcoming extreme poverty to rising success. Kim's aunt Paula has helped them come to America but when they arrive she dumps them in a condemned apartment, and puts them to work in a clothing factory "sweat shop." Kim is determined to better her and her Ma's existence, so begins her journey of a double life. During the day she works hard at school to get good grades and to fit in as well as she can with the other kids, and in the evening she goes to the factory to help her mother work for a meager living.
I think what saddened me the most was having to see Kimberly take on adult responsibilities so young. She wants to have friends and a normal family life, but she is so ashamed of her poverty, and fearful that her mother will loose her job that she goes through great lengths to keep it secret.
Both a sad and inspirational read. It does make you want to give pause and think about how much we take for granted.
As much as I enjoyed Jordan's first novel [b:Mudbound|2138727|Mudbound|Hillary Jordan|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1296591096s/2138727.jpg|2144215], I found this one to be very disappointing. Way to heavy handed with social and religous issues. I want to be told a story not given a sermon.
The story has its funny moments and Scalzi is a pretty decent writer, but for some reason I just wasn't grabbed by it as much as I thought I would be. I was almost tempted to skip the Codas, but I would recommend you read them because they do tie in with the plot and help explain the whole bizarre setup in a more deeper thoughtful way. 3 Stars.
When I pulled this from my library's book shelf I really didn't expect much, but what a great surprise this one turned out to be. The story revolves around a group of British boarding school boys but it is not YA. It manages to stay suspenseful through its entirety. I thought the characters were very well created, and that Patrick Redmond did a wonderful job of nailing down adolescent behavior. This story sucked me in and didn't let go till the very end.
This book definitely struck a nerve. The author takes us into the world of the Ultra Orthodox Hasidic Jewish community, and gives us a glimpse of family life through the eyes of two girls raised as sisters.
I appreciated the fact that Markovits shows us both the good, as well as the bad side of the faith. As I read I kept running to the computer to look up different Jewish terminology, it was a learning experience. The story its self went down a path I didn't quite expect. It's a very heartbreaking read that left me feeling unsettled.