Eleni's bookshelf: all en-US Tue, 25 Feb 2025 06:12:55 -0800 60 Eleni's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[The Wild Robot Escapes (The Wild Robot, #2)]]> 34219841 279 Peter Brown 0316382043 Eleni 0 currently-reading 4.36 2018 The Wild Robot Escapes (The Wild Robot, #2)
author: Peter Brown
name: Eleni
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/25
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> The Ministry of Time 199798179 A time travel romance, a spy thriller, a workplace comedy, and an ingenious exploration of the nature of power and the potential for love to change it all:

In the near future, a civil servant is offered the salary of her dreams and is, shortly afterward, told what project she’ll be working on. A recently established government ministry is gathering “expats� from across history to establish whether time travel is feasible—for the body, but also for the fabric of space-time.

She is tasked with working as a “bridge�: living with, assisting, and monitoring the expat known as �1847� or Commander Graham Gore. As far as history is concerned, Commander Gore died on Sir John Franklin’s doomed 1845 expedition to the Arctic, so he’s a little disoriented to be living with an unmarried woman who regularly shows her calves, surrounded by outlandish concepts such as “washing machines,� “Spotify,� and “the collapse of the British Empire.� But with an appetite for discovery, a seven-a-day cigarette habit, and the support of a charming and chaotic cast of fellow expats, he soon adjusts.

Over the next year, what the bridge initially thought would be, at best, a horrifically uncomfortable roommate dynamic, evolves into something much deeper. By the time the true shape of the Ministry’s project comes to light, the bridge has fallen haphazardly, fervently in love, with consequences she never could have imagined. Forced to confront the choices that brought them together, the bridge must finally reckon with how—and whether she believes—what she does next can change the future.]]> 339 Kaliane Bradley 1668045141 Eleni 3
I was drawn to this story that is based on time travel and intrigue. It is also a love story but a subtle one...The story is about a a handful of people who have been pulled from the past into the present because they were going to die anyway. They each are given a bridge, and the story focuses on the narrator who is the bridge for Graham Gore as he learns to adapt to modern London life (Gore was a naval officer who had been on the Erebus, one of two ships in the fatal Franklin expedition in Arctic waters -- the other being the Terror --when both crews ended up disappearing when the ships became ice bound in 1845).

This book has a really good premise, but it is slow going for the first 200 pages as there is not much plot. Nothing much really happens -- although we get to know the characters better, including Arthur, who had been pulled out of the trenches and Maggie who is from the 16th century and has a very fun way of expressing herself.

When the plot kicks in, I feel that I might have missed the reason why the people had been pulled into the present from the past (something about saving the future), but it did become more page turning in the last 150 pages. But it's not clear why these specific individuals were chosen nor what the goal of the Brigadier is nor why things are going to hell in a hand basket.

The writing itself is fresh and well crafted. And I can totally see this made into a movie (so I was not surprized to read that the rights have already been bought up). As a side note: a TV show had been made on the doomed Franklin expedition called The Terror, and it was already on my watch list when I picked up this book, so I wonder how Gore will be portrayed there.]]> 3.54 2024 The Ministry of Time
author: Kaliane Bradley
name: Eleni
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/21
date added: 2025/02/21
shelves:
review:
When it takes me a while to finish a book, when I am not eager to get to it every night before lights out, I wonder why...

I was drawn to this story that is based on time travel and intrigue. It is also a love story but a subtle one...The story is about a a handful of people who have been pulled from the past into the present because they were going to die anyway. They each are given a bridge, and the story focuses on the narrator who is the bridge for Graham Gore as he learns to adapt to modern London life (Gore was a naval officer who had been on the Erebus, one of two ships in the fatal Franklin expedition in Arctic waters -- the other being the Terror --when both crews ended up disappearing when the ships became ice bound in 1845).

This book has a really good premise, but it is slow going for the first 200 pages as there is not much plot. Nothing much really happens -- although we get to know the characters better, including Arthur, who had been pulled out of the trenches and Maggie who is from the 16th century and has a very fun way of expressing herself.

When the plot kicks in, I feel that I might have missed the reason why the people had been pulled into the present from the past (something about saving the future), but it did become more page turning in the last 150 pages. But it's not clear why these specific individuals were chosen nor what the goal of the Brigadier is nor why things are going to hell in a hand basket.

The writing itself is fresh and well crafted. And I can totally see this made into a movie (so I was not surprized to read that the rights have already been bought up). As a side note: a TV show had been made on the doomed Franklin expedition called The Terror, and it was already on my watch list when I picked up this book, so I wonder how Gore will be portrayed there.
]]> <![CDATA[Prevention The Plant-Based Plan: Transform the Way You Eat (100+ Easy Recipes)]]> 57724411 The editors at Prevention showcase the power of plants with 100 nutritious and tasty plant-based recipes for quick and easy everyday meals with many natural health benefits. It can be impossible to keep all the dietary buzzwords straight, so where does "plant-based" eating fit in? In Prevention The Plant-Based Plan, the brand's trusted health experts offer a definitive approach to plant-based eating plus 100 satisfying and delicious recipes for wholesome meals. This essential cookbook A primer to understand how to incorporate plant-based recipes into your meal planning and lower the ratio of animal products to plants on your plate The option of three eating plans that allows readers to choose their commitment to plant-based eating. Beginners can start by introducing one day or three meals while others can challenge themselves to five days or 15 meals. Recipes for breakfast, soups and salads, grains and beans, alternative proteins, and vegetables and sidesTips and tricks about the best sources of plant-based protein and the health benefits of this lifestyle shift Nutritional information for every recipe With this guide in hand, plant-based beginners will learn how to incorporate more plants into their diet and plant-based pros will discover new ways to make every day delicious!]]> 224 Prevention 195078536X Eleni 2 3.27 Prevention The Plant-Based Plan: Transform the Way You Eat (100+ Easy Recipes)
author: Prevention
name: Eleni
average rating: 3.27
book published:
rating: 2
read at: 2025/02/21
date added: 2025/02/21
shelves:
review:
I picked up this book because I have been trying to turn my eating habits towards whole foods plant based eating -- and this one is not for me because it includes eggs in many of the recipes. However, if you would like to eat more veggies, this might be a useful book. I did think that some of the soups, Moroccan cauliflower, and tofu or noodle dishes sounded delicious.
]]> <![CDATA[Cool Beans: The Ultimate Guide to Cooking with the World's Most Versatile Plant-Based Protein, with 125 Recipes]]> 45754812 A fresh, modern look at the diverse world of beans, chickpeas, lentils, pulses, and more--featuring 125 recipes for globally inspired vegetarian mains, snacks, soups, and desserts, from a James Beard Award-winning food writer

Beans are emerging from their hippie roots to be embraced for what they truly are: a delicious, versatile, and environmentally friendly form of protein. With heirloom varieties now widely available across the United States, this nutritious and hearty staple is poised to take over your diet.

Enter Joe Yonan, food editor of The Washington Post, who provides a master base recipe for cooking any sort of bean in any sort of appliance--Instant Pot(R), slow cooker, or stovetop--as well as 125 recipes for using them in daily life, from Harissa-Roasted Carrot and White Bean Dip to Crunchy Spiced Chickpeas to Smoky Black Bean and Plantain Chili. Drawing on the culinary traditions of the Middle East, the Mediterranean, South America, and the American South, and with beautiful photography throughout, this book has recipes for everyone. With fresh flavors, vibrant spices, and clever techniques, Yonan shows how beans can save you from boring dinners, lunches, breakfasts--and even desserts!]]> 240 Joe Yonan 0399581480 Eleni 3 3.53 2020 Cool Beans: The Ultimate Guide to Cooking with the World's Most Versatile Plant-Based Protein, with 125 Recipes
author: Joe Yonan
name: Eleni
average rating: 3.53
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/28
date added: 2025/01/28
shelves:
review:
Of the three cookbooks I looked through by Joe Yonan, this one was the best one. There were many dips and soups and mains that sounded tasty�. And creative uses for beans in drinks or desserts that I am not quite adventurous to try�.
]]> Here One Moment 208516656 If you knew your future, would you try to fight fate?

Aside from a delay, there will be no problems. The flight will be smooth, it will land safely. Everyone who gets on the plane will get off. But almost all of them will be forever changed.

Because on this ordinary, short, domestic flight, something extraordinary happens. People learn how and when they are going to die. For some, their death is far in the future—age 103!—and they laugh. But for six passengers, their predicted deaths are not far away at all.

How do they know this? There were ostensibly more interesting people on the flight (the bride and groom, the jittery, possibly famous woman, the giant Hemsworth-esque guy who looks like an off-duty superhero, the frazzled, gorgeous flight attendant) but none would become as famous as “The Death Lady.�

Not a single passenger or crew member will later recall noticing her board the plane. She wasn’t exceptionally old or young, rude or polite. She wasn’t drunk or nervous or pregnant. Her appearance and demeanor were unremarkable. But what she did on that flight was truly remarkable.

A few months later, one passenger dies exactly as she predicted. Then two more passengers die, again, as she said they would. Soon no one is thinking this is simply an entertaining story at a cocktail party.

If you were told you only had a certain amount of time left to live, would you do things differently? Would you try to dodge your destiny?

Liane Moriarty’s Here One Moment is a brilliantly constructed tale that looks at free will and destiny, grief and love, and the endless struggle to maintain certainty and control in an uncertain world. A modern-day Jane Austen who humorously skewers social mores while spinning a web of mystery, Moriarty asks profound questions in her newest I-can’t-wait-to-find-out-what-happens novel.]]> 512 Liane Moriarty 0593798600 Eleni 4
While I did find the early chapters, especially the ones from the point of view of the older woman, slow, the set up needs to be in place for the novel to then unravel, and the second half of the book had me turning the pages faster, especially when it came to Ethan’s story�.

Ultimately, the message here is one we have heard before but perhaps in the bustle of life forget or can’t do: live every day as if it were your last. Or at least find one good thing in every day�.]]> 3.99 2024 Here One Moment
author: Liane Moriarty
name: Eleni
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/28
date added: 2025/01/28
shelves:
review:
The premise of this novel is great: imagine if on a flight an old woman gets up and starts predicting how the people around her will die and at what age. And when one of the passengers dies as predicted, how will the other passengers respond to their predicted futures?

While I did find the early chapters, especially the ones from the point of view of the older woman, slow, the set up needs to be in place for the novel to then unravel, and the second half of the book had me turning the pages faster, especially when it came to Ethan’s story�.

Ultimately, the message here is one we have heard before but perhaps in the bustle of life forget or can’t do: live every day as if it were your last. Or at least find one good thing in every day�.
]]> <![CDATA[The New Book of Middle Eastern Food]]> 394182 Book of Middle Eastern Food, Claudia Roden re-creates a classic. The book was originally published here in 1972 and was hailed by James Beard as "a landmark in the field of cookery"; this new version represents the accumulation of the author's thirty years of further extensive travel throughout the ever-changing landscape of the Middle East, gathering recipes and stories.

Now Ms. Roden gives us more than 800 recipes, including the aromatic variations that accent a dish and define the country of origin: fried garlic and cumin and coriander from Egypt, cinnamon and allspice from Turkey, sumac and tamarind from Syria and Lebanon, pomegranate syrup from Iran, preserved lemon and harissa from North Africa. She has worked out simpler approaches to traditional dishes, using healthier ingredients and time-saving methods without ever sacrificing any of the extraordinary flavor, freshness, and texture that distinguish the cooking of this part of the world.

Throughout these pages she draws on all four of the region's major cooking styles:
-The refined haute cuisine of Iran, based on rice exquisitely prepared and embellished with a range of meats, vegetables, fruits, and nuts
-Arab cooking from Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan--at its finest today, and a good source for vegetable and bulgur wheat dishes
-The legendary Turkish cuisine, with its kebabs, wheat and rice dishes, yogurt salads, savory pies, and syrupy pastries
-North African cooking, particularly the splendid fare of Morocco, with its heady mix of hot and sweet, orchestrated to perfection in its couscous dishes and tagines

From the tantalizing mezze--those succulent bites of filled fillo crescents and cigars, chopped salads, and stuffed morsels, as well as tahina, chickpeas, and eggplant in their many guises--to the skewered meats and savory stews and hearty grain and vegetable dishes, here is a rich array of the cooking that Americans embrace today. No longer considered exotic--all the essential ingredients are now available in supermarkets, and the more rare can be obtained through mail order sources (readily available on the Internet)--the foods of the Middle East are a boon to the home cook looking for healthy, inexpensive, flavorful, and wonderfully satisfying dishes, both for everyday eating and for special occasions.]]> 513 Claudia Roden 0375405062 Eleni 4 4.13 1968 The New Book of Middle Eastern Food
author: Claudia Roden
name: Eleni
average rating: 4.13
book published: 1968
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/19
date added: 2025/01/19
shelves:
review:
An excellent book that covers various cuisines. I wish there were more photos but I could imagine the results and would love to make some of the recipes soon. A very good, thorough compendium of delicious foods!
]]> <![CDATA[Eat Your Vegetables: Bold Recipes for the Single Cook [A Cookbook]]]> 16142183
Whether you're­­ a single vegetarian, an omnivore who's looking to incorporate more vegetables in your life, or a lone vegetarian in a meat-eating household, you know the frustrations of trying to shop, plan, and cook for one, two or a few. How to scale back recipes? What to do with the leftovers from jumbo-sized packs of ingredients? How to use up all the produce from your farmer's market binge before it rots?

There's no need to succumb to the frozen veggie burger. With Eat Your Vegetables , award-winning food editor of The Washington Post and author of the popular Weeknight Vegetarian column, Joe Yonan serves up a tasty book about the joys of solo vegetarian cooking. With 80 satisfying and globally-inspired vegetarian, vegan, and flexitarian recipes such as Spinach Enchiladas, Spicy Basil Tofu Fried Rice, and One-Peach Crisp with Cardamom and Honey, Yonan arms single vegetarians with easy and tasty meal options that get beyond the expected. In addition to Yonan's fail-proof recipes, Eat Your Vegetables offers practical information on shopping for, storing, and reusing ingredients, as well as essays on a multitude of meatless topics, including moving beyond mock meat and the evolution of vegetarian restaurants.

It's the perfect book for anyone looking to expand their vegetarian and produce-based repertoire -- even couples, as the dishes are easy to share and scale up. In Eat Your Vegetables , Yonan's charming, personable voice and unfussy cooking style encourage home cooks--both new and experienced--to take control in the kitchen and craft delicious veggie-centric meals for one.]]> 192 Joe Yonan 1607744422 Eleni 2 3.72 2013 Eat Your Vegetables: Bold Recipes for the Single Cook [A Cookbook]
author: Joe Yonan
name: Eleni
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2013
rating: 2
read at: 2025/01/19
date added: 2025/01/19
shelves:
review:
Unfortunately, the recipes really did not appeal to me, but I like Yohan’s voice and the idea of the book: it’s worth cooking for one. However, his book Cool Beans had a lot of tasty sounding recipes, especially the dips, and interesting dessert and drink recipes. The bean is so versatile!
]]> <![CDATA[Serve Yourself: Nightly Adventures in Cooking for One]]> 9051664
Joe Yonan brings together more than 100 inventive, easy-to-make, and globally inspired recipes celebrating solo eating. Dishes like Mushroom and Green Garlic Frittata , Catfish Tacos with Chipotle Slaw , and Smoked Trout, Potato, and Fennel Pizza will add excitement to any repertoire and forever dispel the notion that single life means starving, settling for take-out, or facing a fridge full of monotonous leftovers. Yonan also includes shopping and storage tips for the single-chef household, along with creative ideas for making use of extra ingredients. Serve Yourself makes cooking for one a deeply satisfying, approachable pleasure. And with such delectable meals, your solo status could be threatened if you’re forced to share with others!]]> 178 Joe Yonan 158008513X Eleni 2 3.61 2011 Serve Yourself: Nightly Adventures in Cooking for One
author: Joe Yonan
name: Eleni
average rating: 3.61
book published: 2011
rating: 2
read at: 2025/01/19
date added: 2025/01/19
shelves:
review:
Unfortunately, the recipes really did not appeal to me, but I like Yohan’s voice and the idea of the book: it’s worth cooking for one. However, his book Cool Beans has a lot of tasty sounding recipes, especially the dips, and interesting dessert and drink recipes. The bean is so versatile!
]]> The Iron Giant 724659 An iron giant saves the world in this contemporary classic.

A mysterious creature stalks the land, eating barbed wire and devouring tractors and plows. The farmers are mystified—and terrified. And then they glimpse him in the night: the Iron Giant, taller than a house, with glowing headlight eyes and an insatiable taste for metal. The hungry giant must be stopped at any cost.

Only a young boy named Hogarth is brave enough to lead the Iron Giant to a safe home. And only Hogarth knows where to turn when a space-bat as big as Australia, hungry for every living thing on Earth, darkens the sky.

First published in 1968, Ted Hughes's classic tale is a powerful tribute to peace on earth—and in all the universe. Of it Madeleine L'Engle wrote, "How grateful we should be for Ted Hughes's brilliant The Iron Giant. It speaks to all ages, and we need its message even more now." Philip Pullman called it "so gripping that when you begin to read it aloud, everyone stops to listen, young children and old people alike." Whether you think of it as a science fiction fantasy or a modern fairy tale or a tall-tale parable for today, you will never forget it.]]> 96 Ted Hughes 0375801537 Eleni 3
I liked how the book began with a focus on the giant before introducing the humans. There is a very different relationship between the boy and the giant than the film, the boy more so being on the same wavelength as the adults in the town rather than going against them and defending and hiding the giant. For this reason, the junk yard has a different function too.

And the climactic battle at the end is also changed. Rather than a self sacrificing moment, the giant in the book has a contest of strength with the creature from outer space, wins it, and basically enslaves the creature. What I found really weird is this ending where the creature provides the music of the spheres to the humans below, calming them and making them better people, is lauded as a move for peace (the book was written in 1968, the height of the space race and the arms race between East and West). But how can peace rest on the enslavement of a sentient being?]]> 3.71 1968 The Iron Giant
author: Ted Hughes
name: Eleni
average rating: 3.71
book published: 1968
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/14
date added: 2025/01/14
shelves:
review:
I recently enjoyed the film version of this story, so I decided to pick up the book. However, the book is very different from the film, so much so that they tell two different stories despite the kid having the same name....and there being an iron giant in both.

I liked how the book began with a focus on the giant before introducing the humans. There is a very different relationship between the boy and the giant than the film, the boy more so being on the same wavelength as the adults in the town rather than going against them and defending and hiding the giant. For this reason, the junk yard has a different function too.

And the climactic battle at the end is also changed. Rather than a self sacrificing moment, the giant in the book has a contest of strength with the creature from outer space, wins it, and basically enslaves the creature. What I found really weird is this ending where the creature provides the music of the spheres to the humans below, calming them and making them better people, is lauded as a move for peace (the book was written in 1968, the height of the space race and the arms race between East and West). But how can peace rest on the enslavement of a sentient being?
]]> <![CDATA[My Father's Dragon (My Father's Dragon, #1)]]> 34898 96 Ruth Stiles Gannett 0440421217 Eleni 4
A good story for kids 8-10. I like learning about and reading children’s books, and it was interesting to see that this story basically held up 75 years later…well except for the boy’s mother “whipping� him when she found out that he was still taking care of the cat she had told him not to.]]> 4.09 1948 My Father's Dragon (My Father's Dragon, #1)
author: Ruth Stiles Gannett
name: Eleni
average rating: 4.09
book published: 1948
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/06
date added: 2025/01/06
shelves:
review:
This chapter book story from the late 1940s is about Elmer Elevator, the narrator’s father. When he was young, the father was kind to an elderly alley cat that tells him about how the wild animals of a faraway island exploit and abuse a baby dragon, forcing it to ferry them across a river. Elmer decides to save the dragon.

A good story for kids 8-10. I like learning about and reading children’s books, and it was interesting to see that this story basically held up 75 years later…well except for the boy’s mother “whipping� him when she found out that he was still taking care of the cat she had told him not to.
]]> Nate the Great 961949 64 Marjorie Weinman Sharmat 044046126X Eleni 3 4.04 1972 Nate the Great
author: Marjorie Weinman Sharmat
name: Eleni
average rating: 4.04
book published: 1972
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/30
date added: 2024/12/30
shelves:
review:
A good story for young kids aged 7-9 I would guess. Logical plot, a bit of a mystery to solve, and a dash of humour.
]]> <![CDATA[Forgotten Ways for Modern Days: Kitchen Cures and Household Lore for a Natural Home and Garden]]> 27209363
Using ingredients from your kitchen cupboards, garden, and vegetable patch (or your local supermarket), Forgotten Ways for Modern Days draws on the wisdom of homemakers, gardeners, and crafters of the past, introducing their knowledge and time-tested tips. From brightening your whites by putting eggshells in your washing to making beeswax furniture polish to herbal hair rinses, Rachelle Blondel brings the crafty ways of our grandparents into modern times.]]> 144 Rachelle Blondel 0143110586 Eleni 3 3.86 Forgotten Ways for Modern Days: Kitchen Cures and Household Lore for a Natural Home and Garden
author: Rachelle Blondel
name: Eleni
average rating: 3.86
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/29
date added: 2024/12/29
shelves:
review:
Some good ideas but some seemed too much effort for the result. The beauty products seemed like good ideas because those are very unhealthy.
]]> <![CDATA[PlantYou: 140+ Ridiculously Easy, Amazingly Delicious Plant-Based Oil-Free Recipes]]> 57941199 Plant-based eating doesn't have to be complicated! The delicious recipes in this easy-to-follow cookbook are guaranteed to keep you inspired and motivated.

Enter PlantYou , the ridiculously easy plant-based, oil-free cookbook with over 140+ healthy vegan recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, cheese sauces, salad dressings, dessert and more!

In her eagerly anticipated debut cookbook, Carleigh Bodrug, the Founder of the wildly popular social media community PlantYou, provides readers with the ultimate full color guidebook that makes plant-based meal planning, grocery shopping and cooking a breeze.With every single recipe, you will find a visual infographic marking the ingredients you need, making it easy to shop, determine portion sizes, and dive into the delicious and nutritious dishes.

Get ready for mouthwatering dishes like Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Breakfast Cookies, Best Ever Cauli Wings, and the Big BOSS Burrito that you simply won’t believe are made from plants.

“An instant kitchen classic…In your quest to find delicious food that also promotes health, both human health and the health of the planet and the animals we share our world with, you’ve come to the right place.”�
—from the foreword by Dr. Will Bulsiewicz]]> 288 Carleigh Bodrug 0306923041 Eleni 4
There are simple clean healthy recipes for everyone. I am curious about the tahini chocolate chip cookies and mini raspberry cheez cakes as well as the lentil loaf and creamy mushroom pasta�

Looking forward to trying a few more recipes.]]> 4.40 PlantYou: 140+ Ridiculously Easy, Amazingly Delicious Plant-Based Oil-Free Recipes
author: Carleigh Bodrug
name: Eleni
average rating: 4.40
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/26
date added: 2024/12/26
shelves:
review:
An excellent book if you are curious about plant based cooking and want to give it a try. This morning, I made the tofu scramble with tomatoes and spinach, and it was a very filling and tasty brunch item�

There are simple clean healthy recipes for everyone. I am curious about the tahini chocolate chip cookies and mini raspberry cheez cakes as well as the lentil loaf and creamy mushroom pasta�

Looking forward to trying a few more recipes.
]]> <![CDATA[The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales]]> 407429 A revisionist storyteller provides his mad, hilarious versions of children's favorite tales in this unique and riotous collection.

A long time ago, people used to tell magical stories of wonder and enchantment. Those stories were called Fairy Tales.

Those stories are not in this book. The stories in this book are Fairly Stupid Tales.

I mean, what else would you call a story like "Goldilocks and the Three Elephants"? This girl walking through the woods smells Peanut Porridge Cooking. She decides to break into the Elephants' house, eat the porridge, sit in the chairs, and sleep in the beds. But when she gets in the house she can't climb up on Baby Elephant's chair because it's much too big. And she can't climb on Papa Elephant's chair because it's much much too big. So she goes home. The End.

And if you don't think that's fairly stupid, you should read "Little Red Riding Shorts" or maybe "The Stinky Cheese Man."

In fact, you should definitely go read the stories now, because the rest of this description just kind of goes on and on and doesn't really say anything. I stuck it here so it would fill up the page and make it look like I really knew what I was talking about. So stop now. I mean it. Quit reading this. Open the book. If you read this last sentence, it won't tell you anything.

Signed,
Jack (Narrator)
Up the Hill
Fairy Tale Forest
1992

Story List:
- Chicken Licken
- The Princess and the Bowling Ball
- The Really Ugly Duckling
- The Other Frog Prince
- Little Red Running Shorts
- Jack's Bean Problem (including Giant Story / Jack's Story)
- Cinderummpelstiltskin (Or The Girl Who Really Blew It)
- The Tortoise and the Hair
- The Stinky Cheese Man

SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING: It has been determined that these tales are fairly stupid and probably dangerous to your health.

Edition MSRP: $17⁹⁹ US (ISBN 0-670-84487-X)]]> 52 Jon Scieszka 067084487X Eleni 3
I think I heard about this book from a list of books Neil Gaiman recommended�.]]> 4.20 1992 The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales
author: Jon Scieszka
name: Eleni
average rating: 4.20
book published: 1992
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/25
date added: 2024/12/25
shelves:
review:
One has to be familiar with the original fairy tales to appreciate the parodies of these “fairly stupid tales,� and they were all a lot of fun, silly, and each in its own way expands upon the fairy tale world� the frog who tells a princess he’s a prince, the prince who tricks his parents and puts a bowling ball under the mattresses in the place of the pea, Jack and the Giant arguing who is going to tell their story, etc.

I think I heard about this book from a list of books Neil Gaiman recommended�.
]]> Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich 18486 you've got problems? Dracula, Wolfman, Bigfoot--now they have problems.

Monster-sized.

You try to address Dracula's hygiene issues. And don't even get me started on the Phantom of the Opera.

Really, just read this book.]]> 40 Adam Rex 0152057668 Eleni 3
But it was an enjoyable read this afternoon at the library as I waited for my ride to show up.]]> 4.21 2006 Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich
author: Adam Rex
name: Eleni
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2006
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/23
date added: 2024/12/23
shelves:
review:
I read this after Frankenstein Takes the Cake, and after reading reviews that preferred this prior book. I found that I preferred the Cake. I think this is because that one felt a little more geared towards adults. I think the Poe sections in that are much wittier and more creative than the Phantom of the Opera sections in this book. The parts I really enjoyed were the poems on the Yeti and Bigfoot not liking to be referred to by the other’s name.

But it was an enjoyable read this afternoon at the library as I waited for my ride to show up.
]]> <![CDATA[Superiority Burger Cookbook: The Vegetarian Hamburger Is Now Delicious]]> 35187167
With more than 90 mouth-watering recipes, Superiority Burger Cookbook lays bare the secrets of America’s most talked-about vegetarian restaurant, in recipes as a simple as they are irresistible. Along with recipes for a coterie of other delights―fresh, vegetarian, accidentally vegan, and always incredible―you’ll find out why Superiority Burger in New York City’s East Village is the hottest ticket in North America and the surrounding continents. Superiority Burger is a cozy counter hangout filled with affordable, innovative food that is a protest against the idea that extraordinary fare is the exclusive domain of the elite. Now you can bring its blueprint for rebel compassion and culinary sophistication into your home with this cookbook; a must-read for home cooks who want something delicious, new, and imminently within their reach. The book is divided into six flavorful sections―Sandwiches, Cool Salads, Warm Vegetables, Soups and Stews, Sweets, and Pantry Recipes―and reveals the recipes for some of the restaurant’s the Sloppy Dave, Burnt Broccoli Salad, Russet Potato–Coconut Soup, Tahini Ranch Romaine Salad, and, of course, the now legendary Superiority Burger. "Brooks Headley makes the best veggie burger I’ve ever had." ―David Chang 100 color photographs]]> 224 Brooks Headley 0393253988 Eleni 3 3.97 Superiority Burger Cookbook: The Vegetarian Hamburger Is Now Delicious
author: Brooks Headley
name: Eleni
average rating: 3.97
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/23
date added: 2024/12/23
shelves:
review:
There are a handful of recipes that I would try and Headley’s comments about ingredients and pointers give off a completely different vibe than his Fancy Desserts book (which I gave 1 star to), but I have to say the pictures aren’t so appetizing. The food is made at a cafe in NYC, so many items are shown in paper takeout containers, some of the food overflowing out of them as if dolloped into the container in haste so that the next customer can be served. It looks like bar food, so a little oily looking�. But there are interesting combinations and more unusual fare than most vegan cookbooks that might be worth exploring�.
]]> <![CDATA[Brooks Headley's Fancy Desserts: The Recipes of Del Posto’s James Beard Award–Winning Pastry Chef]]> 25622756 288 Brooks Headley 0393352382 Eleni 1
Here’s an example from the foreword that sets the tone:

“Cooking starts with learning to boil water, but you have no idea how difficult it is to boil water. First, you have your heart broken, and then you revel in the natural wonder of a fresh peach straight off a tree. Next, you drive four hundred miles in a van with no heat and one working door to find out the show has been cancelled, but you set your shit up and play anyhow, making sure to bolt before the flashing lights get too close. You have to fuck countless people, or one person who really counts. You need to feel your face flush with embarrassment and beam with pride, and freeze in abject boredom between the two�.� And this goes on for four more long sentences before ending with, “Boiling water is a bitch.�

This honestly sounds like the first-year creative writing pieces that I had encountered at many open mics during grad school…those attempts to be deep, philosophical, but ending up coming across as pretentious as shit and weirdly sounding like every other 20-something trying to express themselves poetically.

ShawnMS’s negative review sums up my feelings (but I did not end up liking the chef and giving the book 3 stars as they did).

I am obviously not the audience for this book. You might be. If so, enjoy.]]> 3.70 2014 Brooks Headley's Fancy Desserts: The Recipes of Del Posto’s James Beard Award–Winning Pastry Chef
author: Brooks Headley
name: Eleni
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2014
rating: 1
read at: 2024/12/23
date added: 2024/12/23
shelves:
review:
There are a few reviews of this book, some glowing. But I think the style and content were annoying. It looks like a scrapbook-homemade-punk tour-zine about things and people who are not interesting to me with interspersed recipes that often require special equipment or ingredients or oodles of time and finicky steps�. Sure, fancy desserts from an acclaimed chef will likely be difficult to replicate, but I at least want to be inspired by the chef, and I was not.

Here’s an example from the foreword that sets the tone:

“Cooking starts with learning to boil water, but you have no idea how difficult it is to boil water. First, you have your heart broken, and then you revel in the natural wonder of a fresh peach straight off a tree. Next, you drive four hundred miles in a van with no heat and one working door to find out the show has been cancelled, but you set your shit up and play anyhow, making sure to bolt before the flashing lights get too close. You have to fuck countless people, or one person who really counts. You need to feel your face flush with embarrassment and beam with pride, and freeze in abject boredom between the two�.� And this goes on for four more long sentences before ending with, “Boiling water is a bitch.�

This honestly sounds like the first-year creative writing pieces that I had encountered at many open mics during grad school…those attempts to be deep, philosophical, but ending up coming across as pretentious as shit and weirdly sounding like every other 20-something trying to express themselves poetically.

ShawnMS’s negative review sums up my feelings (but I did not end up liking the chef and giving the book 3 stars as they did).

I am obviously not the audience for this book. You might be. If so, enjoy.
]]> Frankenstein Takes the Cake 3294996 Sheesh.
In a wickedly funny follow-up to the bestselling Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich, Adam Rex once again proves that monsters are just like you and me. (Well, sort of.)]]> 40 Adam Rex 0152062351 Eleni 3
Love the idea of poems about monsters. However, I do agree with some reviewers that the rhymes were at times tough to make work, but the Poe poems are parodies, so you need to know the rhythms of Poe’s more famous poems to scan them. I also agree that the book seems to be geared more so to adults as kids would not get many of the references (Tipper Gore, anyone?), but it feels like a Pixar movie where different audiences would get different levels of nuance. I already ordered his prior book Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich that people felt was a stronger one and look forward to reading it.]]> 4.01 2008 Frankenstein Takes the Cake
author: Adam Rex
name: Eleni
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2008
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/22
date added: 2024/12/23
shelves:
review:
This book contains blog posts from the Headless Horseman, poems about Edgar Allen Poe, a parody of the comic strip Peanuts with Dracula Jr as Charlie Brown, and a through story about Frankenstein’s monster getting married, among other monsters and poems.

Love the idea of poems about monsters. However, I do agree with some reviewers that the rhymes were at times tough to make work, but the Poe poems are parodies, so you need to know the rhythms of Poe’s more famous poems to scan them. I also agree that the book seems to be geared more so to adults as kids would not get many of the references (Tipper Gore, anyone?), but it feels like a Pixar movie where different audiences would get different levels of nuance. I already ordered his prior book Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich that people felt was a stronger one and look forward to reading it.
]]> <![CDATA[The Grandest Game (The Grandest Game, #1)]]> 197392670 Get caught up in the puzzles, games, danger, romance, and riches of this lush new chapter in the #1 bestselling Inheritance Games saga—set a year after we last saw Avery and the Hawthornes.

Seven tickets. An island of dreams. The chance of a lifetime.

Welcome to the Grandest Game, an annual competition run by billionaire Avery Grambs and the four infamous Hawthorne brothers, whose family fortune she inherited. Designed to give anyone a shot at fame and fortune, this year’s game requires one of seven golden tickets to enter. With millions on the line, those seven players will do whatever it takes to win.

Some of the players are in it for the money. Some for power. Some for reasons all their own. Every single one of them has secrets. Amidst it all is Grayson Hawthorne, tasked with a vital role in this year’s game. But as tensions rise and the mind-bending challenges push the players to their limits—physically, mentally, and emotionally—it soon becomes clear that not everyone is playing by the rules.

#1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Lynn Barnes delivers a new series in the world of The Inheritance Games, where fan-favorite and new characters collide in a game you’ll never forget.

Do you have what it takes to play?]]> 384 Jennifer Lynn Barnes 0316481017 Eleni 3
What has piqued my interest is the 9th person on the island -- and those who are watching without the game makers' knowledge. I want to see how that plays out in the next book.]]> 3.93 2024 The Grandest Game (The Grandest Game, #1)
author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
name: Eleni
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/12
date added: 2024/12/12
shelves:
review:
What I love about Barnes' series are all the puzzles she creates and embeds into her stories. The plots themselves are so far fetched (how much money and time and effort have been put into creating this Grandest Game for 8 players?) and the characters are not relatable nor likeable (even Gigi can be a bit too much), but I can completely see this book turned into a movie that I would enjoy watching for the escapism....

What has piqued my interest is the 9th person on the island -- and those who are watching without the game makers' knowledge. I want to see how that plays out in the next book.
]]> <![CDATA[At Bertram's Hotel (Miss Marple, #10)]]> 16333
When Miss Marple comes up from the country for a holiday in London, she finds what she's looking for at Bertram's: traditional décor and impeccable service. But she senses an unmistakable atmosphere of danger behind the highly polished veneer. Not even Miss Marple can foresee the violent chain of events set in motion when an eccentric hotel guest makes his way to the airport one day late!

Librarian's note: this entry is for the novel, "At Bertram's Hotel." Collections and other Miss Marple stories are located elsewhere on ŷ. The series includes 12 novels and 20 short stories. Entries for the short stories can be found by searching ŷ for: "a Miss Marple Short Story."]]> 223 Agatha Christie Eleni 3 3.72 1965 At Bertram's Hotel (Miss Marple, #10)
author: Agatha Christie
name: Eleni
average rating: 3.72
book published: 1965
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2024/11/28
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Wild Robot (The Wild Robot, #1)]]> 26030734
When robot Roz opens her eyes for the first time, she discovers that she is all alone on a remote, wild island. She has no idea how she got there or what her purpose is—but she knows she needs to survive. After battling a violent storm and escaping a vicious bear attack, she realizes that her only hope for survival is to adapt to her surroundings and learn from the island's unwelcoming animal inhabitants.

As Roz slowly befriends the animals, the island starts to feel like home—until, one day, the robot's mysterious past comes back to haunt her.

From bestselling and award-winning author and illustrator Peter Brown comes a heartwarming and action-packed novel about what happens when nature and technology collide.]]> 282 Peter Brown 0316381993 Eleni 4
I had wanted to finish this book that I had taken out of the library before I knew that a movie had been made based on it. Now I am looking forward to seeing how the book has been represented on the screen. And I have ordered the next book in the series.]]> 4.19 2016 The Wild Robot (The Wild Robot, #1)
author: Peter Brown
name: Eleni
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/27
date added: 2024/11/27
shelves:
review:
Little did I know that I would be in tears by the end of this book. What a wonderful tale. A mixture of Peter Brown's love of robots and love of nature, this book begins with a wreck on an island that leaves one lone robot intact. Curious otters approach it and accidentally turn it on. The robot's name is Roz, and the tale follows her adapting to the island and its inhabitants.

I had wanted to finish this book that I had taken out of the library before I knew that a movie had been made based on it. Now I am looking forward to seeing how the book has been represented on the screen. And I have ordered the next book in the series.
]]> The Thirteenth Cat 60017819 240 Mary Downing Hahn 0358672511 Eleni 2
The story follows predictable lines, and that’s ok, but there really wasn’t much suspense or spookiness to the tale.]]> 3.69 2021 The Thirteenth Cat
author: Mary Downing Hahn
name: Eleni
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2021
rating: 2
read at: 2024/11/27
date added: 2024/11/27
shelves:
review:
I love cats. That made this story a better read for me, and the beginning was good: a 12 year old girl, Zoey, from NY C is visiting her aunt for the summer and makes friends with Lila, the girl who lives across the street, bonding over the creeps they both get when they think about Zoey’s next door neighbour, whom Lila thinks is a witch. It doesn’t help that she’s an eccentric recluse who has thirteen cats that hunt among the tangled woods that surround her home. Zoey sees that one cat is malnourished and bullied by the others, and that makes her want to save it. But Madame Dupree is not having it!

The story follows predictable lines, and that’s ok, but there really wasn’t much suspense or spookiness to the tale.
]]> <![CDATA[We Solve Murders (We Solve Murders, #1)]]> 203956647 A brand new series. An iconic new detective duo. And a puzzling new murder to solve...

Steve Wheeler is enjoying retired life. He does the odd bit of investigation work, but he prefers his familiar habits and routines: the pub quiz, his favorite bench, his cat waiting for him when he comes home. His days of adventure are over: adrenaline is daughter-in-law Amy’s business now.

Amy Wheeler thinks adrenaline is good for the soul. As a private security officer, she doesn’t stay still long enough for habits or routines. She’s currently on a remote island keeping world-famous author Rosie D’Antonio alive. Which was meant to be an easy job...

Then a dead body, a bag of money, and a killer with their sights on Amy have her sending an SOS to the only person she trusts. A breakneck race around the world begins, but can Amy and Steve stay one step ahead of a lethal enemy?

Alternate cover edition of ISBN 059365322X.]]> 400 Richard Osman Eleni 4
There’s Rosie D’Antonio, a successful writer who is being protected by Amy Wheeler on a private island off the coast of the Carolinas because she has had death threats. Amy has been sent on this job by her boss Jeff Nolan, and we discover that there have been three suspicious deaths in the vicinity of the most recent jobs Amy has done. They seem to have been orchestrated by Francous Loubet, our villain, who uses Chat GBT to disguise his writing style into that of a cultured British gentleman. He has an inside person at Jeff’s agency and a person he goes to to organize hits in Dubai, who hires Eddie, a friend from his childhood, to kill Amy (to make sure she is framed for the three deaths). These victims are new-to-the-game influencers on the books of a small time agent in a small town in the UK. And into this mix comes Amy’s father-in-law, Steve, a retired cop who spends his retired widowhood with a small circle of friends who comprise his pub quiz team, solving the odd job, whatever comes up in the village he lives in. Which is not much.

Loved Steve and look forward to reading about him go on more adventures around the world.]]> 4.07 2024 We Solve Murders (We Solve Murders, #1)
author: Richard Osman
name: Eleni
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/27
date added: 2024/11/27
shelves:
review:
It must have been hard to work with new characters given the success of The Thursday Murder Club (looking forward to the upcoming version with Helen Mirren). I had a bit of a moment adjusting and felt the first 50 pages were rough going� but then I settled back into Osman’s style of short chapters covering a range of characters who eventually will all intersect � kind of like a Guy Richie movie.

There’s Rosie D’Antonio, a successful writer who is being protected by Amy Wheeler on a private island off the coast of the Carolinas because she has had death threats. Amy has been sent on this job by her boss Jeff Nolan, and we discover that there have been three suspicious deaths in the vicinity of the most recent jobs Amy has done. They seem to have been orchestrated by Francous Loubet, our villain, who uses Chat GBT to disguise his writing style into that of a cultured British gentleman. He has an inside person at Jeff’s agency and a person he goes to to organize hits in Dubai, who hires Eddie, a friend from his childhood, to kill Amy (to make sure she is framed for the three deaths). These victims are new-to-the-game influencers on the books of a small time agent in a small town in the UK. And into this mix comes Amy’s father-in-law, Steve, a retired cop who spends his retired widowhood with a small circle of friends who comprise his pub quiz team, solving the odd job, whatever comes up in the village he lives in. Which is not much.

Loved Steve and look forward to reading about him go on more adventures around the world.
]]> <![CDATA[Unruly: The Ridiculous History of England's Kings and Queens]]> 152034931 A rollicking historyof England's earliest kings and queens, a story ofnarcissists, excessive beheadings, middle-management insurrection, uncivil wars,and more, fromaward-winning British actor and comedian David Mitchell

Think you know the kings and queens of England? Think again.

In Unruly , David Mitchell explores how early England’s monarchs, while acting as feared rulers firmly guiding their subjects� destinies, were in reality a bunch of lucky bastards who were mostly as silly and weird in real life as they appear to us today in their portraits.

Taking us right back to King Arthur ( he didn’t exist), Mitchell tells the founding story of post-Roman England right up to the reign of Elizabeth I ( she dies), as the monarchy began to lose its power. It’s a tale of bizarre and curious ascensions, inadequate self-control, and at least one total Cnut, as the English evolved from having their crops stolen by the thug with the largest armed gang to bowing and paying taxes to a divinely anointed King.

How this happened, who it happened to, and why the hell it matters are all questions Mitchell answers with brilliance, wit, and the full erudition of a man who once studied history—and is damned if he’ll let it off the hook for the mess it’s made of everything.

A funny book that takes history seriously, Unruly is for anyone who has ever wondered how the monarchy came to be—and who is to blame.]]> 433 David Mitchell 0593728491 Eleni 4
What I appreciated was the research, the details that I had never read about before�.

At first, though, the tone was a little jarring and the jokes seemed forced and way too many on every page, but then the writing became a little more focused on the history, and the jokes became less intrusive�.]]> 4.13 2023 Unruly: The Ridiculous History of England's Kings and Queens
author: David Mitchell
name: Eleni
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/12/01
date added: 2024/10/22
shelves:
review:
I found out about this book from an interview done by Mitchell —a comic actor who had studied history at university � on The Graham Norton show. This book covers English royals from the break down of the Roman empire to Elizabeth I.

What I appreciated was the research, the details that I had never read about before�.

At first, though, the tone was a little jarring and the jokes seemed forced and way too many on every page, but then the writing became a little more focused on the history, and the jokes became less intrusive�.
]]> Finch House 101139779 Encanto meets Coraline in this spooky middle grade story that deals with family ties, fear of change, and generational trauma as it follows a girl who must convince an old, haunted house to release its hold on her and her family.

Eleven-year-old Micah has no interest in moving out of her grandfather’s house. She loves living with Poppop and their shared hobby of driving around rich neighborhoods to find treasures in others� trash. To avoid packing, Micah goes for a bike ride and ends up at Finch House, the decrepit Victorian that Poppop says is Off Limits. Except when she gets there, it’s all fixed up and there’s a boy named Theo in the front yard. Surely that means Finch House isn’t Off Limits anymore? But when Poppop finds her there, Micah is only met with his disappointment.

By the next day, Poppop is nowhere to be found. After searching everywhere, Micah’s instincts lead her back to Finch House. But once Theo invites her inside, Micah realizes she can’t leave. And that, with its strange whispers and deep-dark shadows, Finch House isn’t just a house…it’s alive.

Can Micah find a way to convince the house to let her go? Or will she be forced to stay in Finch House forever?]]> 207 Ciera Burch 166593056X Eleni 3 3.74 2023 Finch House
author: Ciera Burch
name: Eleni
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/09/24
date added: 2024/09/24
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Gallery of Rogues (The Swifts #2)]]> 190119424
Now that the murderer has been caught and her family is safe, Shenanigan Swift can return her attention to important projects, like combing the lake bottom for the family treasure. But the routine won’t last for long, because a new adventure is about to begin--in Paris. Shenanigan, Phenomena, and their uncle Maelstrom are off to France to unravel the mystery of a strange series of elaborately staged art museum heists.

The A Gallery of Rogues is the highly anticipated sequel to Beth Lincoln’s celebrated debut, The A Dictionary of Scoundrels . Beloved characters are back, joined by a fresh flock of relatives—the Martinets, the French branch of the Swift family tree. There are new mysteries—and more dead bodies—in this delicious sequel that once again celebrates words, family, and lots of shenanigans.]]> 370 Beth Lincoln 0593533267 Eleni 4 4.29 2024 A Gallery of Rogues (The Swifts #2)
author: Beth Lincoln
name: Eleni
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/24
date added: 2024/09/24
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales]]> 57640291
Featuring a new preface, Oliver Sacks’s The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat tells the stories of individuals afflicted with perceptual and intellectual disorders: patients who have lost their memories and with them the greater part of their pasts; who are no longer able to recognize people and common objects; whose limbs seem alien to them; who lack some skills yet are gifted with uncanny artistic or mathematical talents. In Dr. Sacks’s splendid and sympathetic telling, his patients are deeply human and his tales are studies of struggles against incredible adversity. A great healer, Sacks never loses sight of medicine’s ultimate responsibility: “the suffering, afflicted, fighting human subject.”]]> 320 Oliver Sacks 0593466675 Eleni 0 to-read 3.77 1985 The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales
author: Oliver Sacks
name: Eleni
average rating: 3.77
book published: 1985
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Secret of the Key (Sixty-Eight Rooms, #4)]]> 18769817
Chicago sixth graders Ruthie and Jack think they’ve learned everything about the magic of the Art Institute’s Thorne Rooms. But the magic starts to act strangely when Ruthie and Jack discover two rings that are out of place—and out of time—and a portal that shouldn’t be open but somehow is. Ruthie and Jack follow the clues to seventeenth-century England and the Brownlow house, where they meet the Brownlow’s governess, Rebecca. But Rebecca has a few secrets of her own—and she might even be in the wrong century! Can Ruthie and Jack discover the truth about Rebecca’s mysterious past, or will they end up stuck in the wrong century themselves? Their quest for answers takes them from 1930s New York City and San Francisco to turn-of-the-century China. The only one who can truly answer their questions may be the woman who started it the room’s creator, Narcissa Thorne. But to talk to Mrs. Thorne, they’ll have to go back in time and find her!

Unlock the magic . . . in the exciting conclusion to the Sixty-Eight Rooms Adventures!]]> 256 Marianne Malone 0307977226 Eleni 4 4.01 2014 The Secret of the Key (Sixty-Eight Rooms, #4)
author: Marianne Malone
name: Eleni
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/07
date added: 2024/09/07
shelves:
review:
A well plotted end to a lovely series. In this story, Ruthie comes across a note from Mrs. Thorne, who had commissioned the sixty-eight miniature rooms back in the late 1930s, that using the key that shrunk them down to five inches tall, small enough to enter each room, was too dangerous, something that both she and her best friend Jack realize in two scary mishaps as they travel through the rooms� portals. And in a portal to early 18th century England, they discover something that shocks them and helps them decide it is time to stop their adventures and put the key in a safe place.
]]> <![CDATA[A Dictionary of Scoundrels (The Swifts #1)]]> 61103085 In her family, Shenanigan Swift has always been synonymous with mischief. As Arch-Aunt Schadenfreude always says, "She can't help her name." When a family reunion suddenly turns into a murder mystery, Shenanigan is determined to catch the perpetrator. A celebration of words and individuality, this remarkable debut is both brilliantly contemporary and instantly classic.

shenanigan, noun
1. Tomfoolery, skulduggery, mischief of all varieties
2. A devious trick for an underhanded purpose

On the day they are born, every Swift child is brought before the sacred family dictionary. They are given a name and a definition, one it's assumed they will grow up to match. Unfortunately, Shenanigan Swift doesn't much like being told what to do.

Troublemaker and mischief enthusiast Shenanigan rattles around the grand old Swift house rehearsing Arch-Aunt Schadenfreude's funeral with her older sisters Phenomena and Felicity, plotting future crimes, and wondering whether she is herself by choice or design. When the Family Reunion floods the house with people, Shenanigan is excited to meet her rogue's gallery of relatives--until one of them gives Schadenfreude a deadly shove down the stairs. Shenanigan had planned to spend the reunion hunting for Grand-Uncle Vile's hidden treasure. But more murders and an awful lot of suspects--from newcomers Daisy and Atrocious to beloved Uncle Maelstrom--keep complicating Shenanigans plans.

With some help from her sisters and their newly befriended cousin Erf, can Shenanigan catch the killer? And in a world where definitions are so important, how will she define herself?
]]> 338 Beth Lincoln 0593533232 Eleni 4
The Swifts are a colourful bunch, each either embracing or challenging their given names, names that were chosen randomly from the family dictionary. Lincoln has a sense of fun and writes so many smile worthy tongue-in-cheek sentences that this was a joy to read.

Looking forward to the second book.]]> 4.06 2023 A Dictionary of Scoundrels (The Swifts #1)
author: Beth Lincoln
name: Eleni
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/03
date added: 2024/09/03
shelves:
review:
At a family reunion, the matriarch Aunt Schadenfreude is pushed down the stairs and dies. Shenanigan, along with her sister Phenomenon and a newly met cousin called Erf, investigates the murder --as other bodies pile up.

The Swifts are a colourful bunch, each either embracing or challenging their given names, names that were chosen randomly from the family dictionary. Lincoln has a sense of fun and writes so many smile worthy tongue-in-cheek sentences that this was a joy to read.

Looking forward to the second book.
]]> <![CDATA[Death in Venice and Other Tales]]> 53064 384 Thomas Mann 0141181737 Eleni 4 3.92 1911 Death in Venice and Other Tales
author: Thomas Mann
name: Eleni
average rating: 3.92
book published: 1911
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves:
review:

]]> Mansfield Park 45032 488 Jane Austen Eleni 3 3.86 1814 Mansfield Park
author: Jane Austen
name: Eleni
average rating: 3.86
book published: 1814
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Pirate's Coin (Sixty-Eight Rooms, #3)]]> 15926769
Here's What People Are Saying about The Sixty-Eight Rooms Adventures!
The New York
"Irresistible."

Chicago
"Exhilarating."

Chicago
"Marianne Malone has tapped into a fantasy that is . . . completely universal."]]> 224 Marianne Malone 030797717X Eleni 3
But that is not their only adventure as a side quest is extremely personal: Jack has a coin from his great great great great (more greats) pirate ancestor from Cape Cod in the early 18th century that has the same magical properties as Phoebe's slave tag and the Countess's key that have helped the two of them enter the miniature rooms at the museum and from there into the actual worlds the rooms represent. Having only his mother for family, Jack is eager to learn more about where he came from and meet Jack Norfleet, his namesake. But be careful what you wish for!]]> 3.97 2013 The Pirate's Coin (Sixty-Eight Rooms, #3)
author: Marianne Malone
name: Eleni
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at: 2024/08/07
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves:
review:
As in prior adventures, in this third book of the Sixty-Eight Rooms, Jack and Ruthie get to help a classmate right a wrong done to her great grandmother -- the descendant of Phoebe, the slave girl whom they had met in South Carolina. They find out that she had paid for her freedom with the herbal medicines she had concocted, travelling North to Chicago perhaps because she remembered that that was where Jack and Ruthie were from. However, as they learn from their classmate, some decades later in the early 20th century, the mob challenges the ownership of the herbal recipes that Phoebe had written down for her family to use to build a business.

But that is not their only adventure as a side quest is extremely personal: Jack has a coin from his great great great great (more greats) pirate ancestor from Cape Cod in the early 18th century that has the same magical properties as Phoebe's slave tag and the Countess's key that have helped the two of them enter the miniature rooms at the museum and from there into the actual worlds the rooms represent. Having only his mother for family, Jack is eager to learn more about where he came from and meet Jack Norfleet, his namesake. But be careful what you wish for!
]]> <![CDATA[Still Life (The Books of Elsewhere, #5)]]> 18667875 The fifth and final book in The Books of Elsewhere.

Annabelle McMartin is gone for good, but something worse lurks just out of sight--watching, waiting, preparing to strike. Then a field trip to the local art museum reveals a shock. What Olive discovers will create a chain of events that propel her to discoveries she may not wish to uncover, involving Morton's vanished parents and the very deepest, darkest roots of Aldous McMartin's creepy painted world.

In this fifth and final book, Olive must seek the full, complex story of Elsewhere, its magical origins, and its creator, and in so doing, face her own fears and limitations--and possibly the destruction of Elsewhere itself. How far will Olive go to save the people and home she loves? And what will be the final cost?]]> 352 Jacqueline West 0803736916 Eleni 4
When Aldous finally makes his appearance -- I was not expecting how *that* happens! -- Olive finds herself trapped in Elsewhere with her parents, the Nivens, and Rutherford and his aunt. The others don't seem to realize they are not in the real world, and, if they stay there long enough, they will die and just become painted versions of who they once were. Olive has to figure out what is the best way to overcome Aldous and save both the living and the painted people in Elsewhere.]]> 4.41 2014 Still Life (The Books of Elsewhere, #5)
author: Jacqueline West
name: Eleni
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2024/07/10
date added: 2024/07/10
shelves:
review:
Thee was a (slightly) surprizingly dark as well as a sweet (painted) ending to this final book in the series. The previous owner of Olive's home wants his house back, and Aldous McMartin's presence looms everywhere: in the shadows outdoors, in the gathering darkness in the paintings, in the museum where Olive discovers a very important painting.

When Aldous finally makes his appearance -- I was not expecting how *that* happens! -- Olive finds herself trapped in Elsewhere with her parents, the Nivens, and Rutherford and his aunt. The others don't seem to realize they are not in the real world, and, if they stay there long enough, they will die and just become painted versions of who they once were. Olive has to figure out what is the best way to overcome Aldous and save both the living and the painted people in Elsewhere.
]]> <![CDATA[The Strangers (The Books of Elsewhere, #4)]]> 16101027 It's Halloween night when strangers come to Linden Street...and something dear to Olive goes missing. To what lengths will she go to get it back? Can she trust the strangers? Will she turn to a new and dangerous magic within the paintings of Elsewhere? Or will she put her faith in her own worst enemies to save the people and home she loves?
The stakes grow higher, the secrets more dangerous, and mystery and magic abound as Olive, the boys, and the cats uncover the true nature of the house on Linden Street.]]> 320 Jacqueline West 0803736908 Eleni 4
I found that I got stymied in the second book of the 100 Cupboards series, even though I had really enjoyed the first book. The events were a little confusing and odd and slowed down the story rather than kept it going. The Sixty-Eight Rooms Adventures are good, but the characters in Elsewhere are more compelling, and I find that I want to know what happens to them more than the other characters in the other books....

In this book, Olive is worried about her decision to let her friend Morton out of the painting he is trapped in to enjoy Halloween. She knows that his days are filled with sameness -- nothing happens in the paintings as nothing can change there. But what if it's a bad idea to go to her school's party? What she doesn't know is that what is really dangerous is leaving her home unattended.

Again, while the bad guys of the story are obvious, the scenes and descriptions and characters are well written.

I have just started the fifth book and will be sad to say goodbye to Olive and Rutherford (even though I think that the representation of Olive's parents and the art teacher are a bit *much*).]]> 4.29 2013 The Strangers (The Books of Elsewhere, #4)
author: Jacqueline West
name: Eleni
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2024/07/08
date added: 2024/07/08
shelves:
review:
I am currently reading three children's book series --The Books of Elsewhere (five books total), the Sixty-Eight Rooms Adventures (four books), and the 100 Cupboards series (three books). This is my favourite series of the three.

I found that I got stymied in the second book of the 100 Cupboards series, even though I had really enjoyed the first book. The events were a little confusing and odd and slowed down the story rather than kept it going. The Sixty-Eight Rooms Adventures are good, but the characters in Elsewhere are more compelling, and I find that I want to know what happens to them more than the other characters in the other books....

In this book, Olive is worried about her decision to let her friend Morton out of the painting he is trapped in to enjoy Halloween. She knows that his days are filled with sameness -- nothing happens in the paintings as nothing can change there. But what if it's a bad idea to go to her school's party? What she doesn't know is that what is really dangerous is leaving her home unattended.

Again, while the bad guys of the story are obvious, the scenes and descriptions and characters are well written.

I have just started the fifth book and will be sad to say goodbye to Olive and Rutherford (even though I think that the representation of Olive's parents and the art teacher are a bit *much*).
]]> <![CDATA[Spellbound (The Books of Elsewhere, #2)]]> 9261978
With no way into the McMartin house's magical paintings and its three guardian cats reluctant to help, Olive's friend Morton is still trapped inside Elsewhere. So when Rutherford, the new oddball kid next door mentions a grimoire—a spellbook—Olive sees a glint of hope. If she can find the McMartins' spellbook, maybe she can help Morton escape Elsewhere for good. Unless, that is, the book finds Olive first.

The house isn't the only one keeping secrets anymore. You'll never guess what happens next in this thrilling, chilling fantasy series, perfect for fans of Pseudonymous Bosch, Coraline , and Septimus Heap.]]> 295 Jacqueline West 0803734417 Eleni 4
Her neighbour Mrs. Nivens, though, is being awfully inquisitive. Is she a friend or a foe? Can Olive trust anyone given the power that the house wields over her subconsciously? Does Mrs. Nivens have any memories that might help Olive defeat the evil lurking in the very foundation of her home? And why does Olive feel more alone than ever?

I enjoyed this second book in the series --and I have to mention, now that I am reading the fourth book, that Jacqueline West creates wonderful imagery and descriptions that are fresh and apt, making her story even more pleasurable.]]> 4.16 2011 Spellbound (The Books of Elsewhere, #2)
author: Jacqueline West
name: Eleni
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2024/07/01
date added: 2024/07/01
shelves:
review:
In this second book, we almost come face to face with Aldous McMartin -- or rather bony hand to hand! Olive wants to pry the McMartin's grimoire out of Aldous's painted hands in a self-portrait (well of hands) in the the attic of her home after her friend Rutherford mentions that witches or warlocks often have one in which they write all their spells. Olive hopes the grimoire is the key to helping her friend Morton escape from the painting in which he is trapped.

Her neighbour Mrs. Nivens, though, is being awfully inquisitive. Is she a friend or a foe? Can Olive trust anyone given the power that the house wields over her subconsciously? Does Mrs. Nivens have any memories that might help Olive defeat the evil lurking in the very foundation of her home? And why does Olive feel more alone than ever?

I enjoyed this second book in the series --and I have to mention, now that I am reading the fourth book, that Jacqueline West creates wonderful imagery and descriptions that are fresh and apt, making her story even more pleasurable.
]]> <![CDATA[The Second Spy (The Books of Elsewhere, #3)]]> 11737314
Some terrifying things have happened to Olive in the old stone house, but none as scary as starting junior high. Or so she thinks. When she plummets through a hole in her backyard, though, she realizes two things that may change her mind: First, the wicked Annabelle McMartin is back. Second, there's a secret underground that unlocks not one but two of Elsewhere's biggest, most powerful, most dangerous forces yet. But with the house's guardian cats acting suspicious, her best friend threatening to move away, and her ally Morton starting to rebel, Olive isn't sure where to turn. Will she figure it out in time? Or will she be lured into Elsewhere, and trapped there for good?]]> 297 Jacqueline West 0803736894 Eleni 4
]]> 4.27 2012 The Second Spy (The Books of Elsewhere, #3)
author: Jacqueline West
name: Eleni
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2024/06/28
date added: 2024/06/28
shelves:
review:
A note in her art room locker makes Olive wary of everyone, even her closest friends. But she too has hidden things from the cats and Rutherford that drives them all away, leaving her paranoid and alone�. With Annabelle still out there manifesting her unknown plan, it seems Olive is helpless to stop her � or Annabelle’s grandfather. The danger in this book is more palpable than the prior two books, making this the most exciting installment of the Elsewhere books so far.


]]> <![CDATA[Stealing Magic (Sixty-Eight Rooms, #2)]]> 11492727 256 Marianne Malone 0375868194 Eleni 4
While the first volume took its time setting up the characters and their families and the sixty-eight room exhibit, the second volume dives headlong into the plot. Ruthie and Jack discover that some of the rooms have missing items, some of which magically animate certain room’s backdrop so that it’s possible for the children to visit certain historical periods. This time, rather than Revolutionary era France and Salem era MA, they travel to Paris in the late 1930s and the Southern US in the early 1800s.

But someone (not hard to figure out, but this is *not* a mystery story) has stolen the magic key needed to shrink a person to the right size to enter the rooms, and they know that person does not have good intentions.

The kids are brave and resourceful and kind, the periphery characters likeable ( Mrs. McVittie and Dr. Bell), and, as the story comes to an end, it seems as if the kids had had an unintentional major impact on another young girl, the slave they had encountered and to whom they had gifted pencils and a notebook, which I guess lies at the heart of many unanswered questions for the kids to explore next.

I enjoyed this book a little more than the first and look forward to the next two books.

]]> 3.99 2012 Stealing Magic (Sixty-Eight Rooms, #2)
author: Marianne Malone
name: Eleni
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2024/06/20
date added: 2024/06/20
shelves:
review:
This series is based on actual miniature rooms that the author is familiar with with some magic sprinkled on top. In this story, the sixty-eight miniature rooms in the art museum continue to attract a lot of visitors � and an art thief!

While the first volume took its time setting up the characters and their families and the sixty-eight room exhibit, the second volume dives headlong into the plot. Ruthie and Jack discover that some of the rooms have missing items, some of which magically animate certain room’s backdrop so that it’s possible for the children to visit certain historical periods. This time, rather than Revolutionary era France and Salem era MA, they travel to Paris in the late 1930s and the Southern US in the early 1800s.

But someone (not hard to figure out, but this is *not* a mystery story) has stolen the magic key needed to shrink a person to the right size to enter the rooms, and they know that person does not have good intentions.

The kids are brave and resourceful and kind, the periphery characters likeable ( Mrs. McVittie and Dr. Bell), and, as the story comes to an end, it seems as if the kids had had an unintentional major impact on another young girl, the slave they had encountered and to whom they had gifted pencils and a notebook, which I guess lies at the heart of many unanswered questions for the kids to explore next.

I enjoyed this book a little more than the first and look forward to the next two books.


]]> <![CDATA[The Sixty-Eight Rooms (Sixty-Eight Rooms, #1)]]> 6609848 288 Marianne Malone 0375857109 Eleni 3
The premise is a fun one and the characters relatable and likeable. The pace of the story was really quite slow but this allowed for us to better know the two kids, so I am invested enough to see where this story goes next.]]> 3.72 2010 The Sixty-Eight Rooms (Sixty-Eight Rooms, #1)
author: Marianne Malone
name: Eleni
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2010
rating: 3
read at: 2024/06/19
date added: 2024/06/19
shelves:
review:
Ruthie and her best friend Jack go on a class field trip to an art museum where Ruthie becomes intrigued by the Thorne miniatures, 68 rooms representing different countries and time periods (these rooms are based on an actual group of rooms created in the 1930s and 40s that Marianne Malone is familiar with). When the two kids get a peek behind the scenes, they discover a key that enables Ruthie to shrink to just five inches tall, so the two make plans to visit the rooms after hours�.

The premise is a fun one and the characters relatable and likeable. The pace of the story was really quite slow but this allowed for us to better know the two kids, so I am invested enough to see where this story goes next.
]]> <![CDATA[The Indian Slow Cooker: 70 Healthy, Easy, Authentic Recipes]]> 42899237 “India’s [cuisine] is perhaps best suited to the steady simmer of a slow cooker... easy, healthful recipes with traditional flavors. � —Better Homes & Gardens This updated edition of Anupy Singla’s bestselling debut cookbook includes fifteen additional Indian recipes developed specifically for the slow cooker. Since its original publication in 2010, The Indian Slow Cooker has become a touchstone primer for everyone seeking an accessible entry point to cooking authentic, healthy Indian fare at home. Taking full advantage of the ease and convenience of the slow cooker, these recipes are simpler than their traditional counterparts and healthier than restaurant favorites, as they don’t require extra oil and fat. Singla’s “Indian Spices 101� chapter introduces readers to the mainstay spices of an Indian kitchen, as well as how to store, prepare, and combine them in different ways. Among these sixty-five recipes are all the classics—specialties like dal, palak paneer, and aloo gobi—and dishes like butter chicken, keema, and much more. The result is a terrific introduction to healthful, flavorful Indian food made using the simplicity and convenience of the slow cooker. “Next time you have a hankering for Indian food, don’t think take-out. Think ahead. That’s the message from Anupy Singla, author of The Indian Slow Cooker who is on a mission to correct misperceptions about Indian food. � —Associated Press “Because Indian dishes are rich in spices and robust flavors, they stand up well in slow cookers. Singla actually developed the recipes specifically for the slow cooker so the techniques and ingredients work well in the machine. � —Good Housekeeping]]> 168 Anupy Singla 1572848294 Eleni 3
So I wanted to find sine more recipes. I found some on Forks Over Knives website and got this Indian Slow Cooker book out of the library. There were some interesting ideas for creating curries and using beans (of course there were traditional meat dishes like butter chicken and tikka marsala too, but I am vegan). Definitely worth checking out. Looking forward to trying some recipes. Three stars for now till I find some new favourites.]]> 3.65 2010 The Indian Slow Cooker: 70 Healthy, Easy, Authentic Recipes
author: Anupy Singla
name: Eleni
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2010
rating: 3
read at: 2023/10/14
date added: 2024/06/01
shelves:
review:
Since I work late on Monday nights, not getting home till 9pm, it has been nice to come home for the past three weeks to a slow cooker meal: wheatberry chili; pumpkin, red lentil, and chickpea stew; and sweet potato and green lentils�. My home smelt wonderful when I came in through the front door, and there was plenty of healthy food waiting.

So I wanted to find sine more recipes. I found some on Forks Over Knives website and got this Indian Slow Cooker book out of the library. There were some interesting ideas for creating curries and using beans (of course there were traditional meat dishes like butter chicken and tikka marsala too, but I am vegan). Definitely worth checking out. Looking forward to trying some recipes. Three stars for now till I find some new favourites.
]]> <![CDATA[Dandelion Fire (100 Cupboards, #2)]]> 3392898 480 N.D. Wilson 037583883X Eleni 0 currently-reading 3.93 2008 Dandelion Fire (100 Cupboards, #2)
author: N.D. Wilson
name: Eleni
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2008
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/21
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> Babel 57945316 From award-winning author R. F. Kuang comes Babel, a historical fantasy epic that grapples with student revolutions, colonial resistance, and the use of language and translation as the dominating tool of the British Empire

Traduttore, traditore: An act of translation is always an act of betrayal.

1828. Robin Swift, orphaned by cholera in Canton, is brought to London by the mysterious Professor Lovell. There, he trains for years in Latin, Ancient Greek, and Chinese, all in preparation for the day he’ll enroll in Oxford University’s prestigious Royal Institute of Translation—also known as Babel. The tower and its students are the world's center for translation and, more importantly, magic. Silver-working—the art of manifesting the meaning lost in translation using enchanted silver bars—has made the British unparalleled in power, as the arcane craft serves the Empire's quest for colonization.

For Robin, Oxford is a utopia dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. But knowledge obeys power, and as a Chinese boy raised in Britain, Robin realizes serving Babel means betraying his motherland. As his studies progress, Robin finds himself caught between Babel and the shadowy Hermes Society, an organization dedicated to stopping imperial expansion. When Britain pursues an unjust war with China over silver and opium, Robin must decide . . .

Can powerful institutions be changed from within, or does revolution always require violence?]]> 544 R.F. Kuang 0063021420 Eleni 0 currently-reading 4.17 2022 Babel
author: R.F. Kuang
name: Eleni
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/21
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Six Characters in Search of an Author]]> 741618 Six Characters in Search of an Author, embodies the Nobel Prize-winning playwright's innovations by presenting an open-ended drama on a stage without sets.
First performed in 1923, this intellectual comedy introduces six individuals to a stage where a company of actors has assembled for a rehearsal. Claiming to be the incomplete, unused creations of an author's imagination, they demand lines for a story that will explain the details of their lives. In ensuing scenes, these "real-life characters," all professing to be part of an extended family, produce a drama of sorts � punctuated by disagreements, interruptions, and arguments. In the end they are dismissed by the irate manager, their dilemma unsolved and the "truth" a matter of individual viewpoints.
A tour de force exploring the many faces of reality, this classic is now available in an inexpensive edition that will be welcomed by amateur theatrical groups as well as by students of drama.]]> 64 Luigi Pirandello 0486299929 Eleni 4 3.83 1921 Six Characters in Search of an Author
author: Luigi Pirandello
name: Eleni
average rating: 3.83
book published: 1921
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/05/06
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[100 Cupboards (100 Cupboards, #1)]]> 1661390
Henry scrapes the plaster off the wall and discovers doors—ninety-nine cupboards of all different sizes and shapes. Through one he can hear the sound of falling rain. Through another he sees a glowing room—with a man strolling back and forth! Henry and his cousin Henrietta soon understand that these are not just cupboards. They are, in fact, portals to other worlds.

100 Cupboards is the first book of a new fantasy adventure, written in the best world-hopping tradition and reinvented in N.D Wilson's own inimitable style.]]> 289 N.D. Wilson 0375838813 Eleni 3
For example, on the second page, Wilson writes that in the town, "There is never graffiti. Vandals would have to drive more than twenty miles to buy the spray paint." Now if someone wanted to spray paint, 20 miles is nothing -- a kid could bike it in an hour and a half, buy a ton of spray paint for current and future use, and bike back all in an afternoon....

An example of odd metaphors is when he writes, "The bus stopped amid a shower of metallic grunts." I can either go with metallic showers or metallic grunts -- but not both. The bus gets many more descriptions, one of which is that the uncle watched "the bus march out of the other end of town." Why have the bus marching?

But that's all in the first chapter, and, thankfully, things got better. The idea of the book is fun, the sisters, Henrietta, Penelope, and Anastasia are all distinct and have their own quirks, and Henry is the perfect mix of brave and vulnerable.

I look forward to reading the next in the series and exploring more of the cupboards -- perhaps discovering why these doors to other worlds exist in a farmhouse attic in the first place.]]> 3.80 2007 100 Cupboards (100 Cupboards, #1)
author: N.D. Wilson
name: Eleni
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2007
rating: 3
read at: 2024/04/02
date added: 2024/05/06
shelves:
review:
I am glad that I stuck with this book because the first ten pages or so had overlarded descriptions that felt off and unnatural or ideas that just didn't feel logical.

For example, on the second page, Wilson writes that in the town, "There is never graffiti. Vandals would have to drive more than twenty miles to buy the spray paint." Now if someone wanted to spray paint, 20 miles is nothing -- a kid could bike it in an hour and a half, buy a ton of spray paint for current and future use, and bike back all in an afternoon....

An example of odd metaphors is when he writes, "The bus stopped amid a shower of metallic grunts." I can either go with metallic showers or metallic grunts -- but not both. The bus gets many more descriptions, one of which is that the uncle watched "the bus march out of the other end of town." Why have the bus marching?

But that's all in the first chapter, and, thankfully, things got better. The idea of the book is fun, the sisters, Henrietta, Penelope, and Anastasia are all distinct and have their own quirks, and Henry is the perfect mix of brave and vulnerable.

I look forward to reading the next in the series and exploring more of the cupboards -- perhaps discovering why these doors to other worlds exist in a farmhouse attic in the first place.
]]> The Lost Bookshop 65137920 The Keeper of Stories meets The Lost Apothecary in this evocative and charming novel full of mystery and secrets.

‘The thing about books,� she said ‘is that they help you to imagine a life bigger and better than you could ever dream of.�

On a quiet street in Dublin, a lost bookshop is waiting to be found�

For too long, Opaline, Martha and Henry have been the side characters in their own lives.

But when a vanishing bookshop casts its spell, these three unsuspecting strangers will discover that their own stories are every bit as extraordinary as the ones found in the pages of their beloved books. And by unlocking the secrets of the shelves, they find themselves transported to a world of wonder� where nothing is as it seems.]]> 432 Evie Woods 0008609209 Eleni 3
As a work of magic realism, this book mixes, as Woods says herself, magic, mystery, and romance. I am not much for romance, but I enjoyed the focus on characters who love books and their authors.

Three stories intertwine, those of Martha, Henry, and Opaline. Martha has left her abusive husband to forge a new life in the home of Madame Bowden on Ha’penny Lane; Henry has come to Ha’penny Lane to trace the remains of a bookshop that had been run by Opaline, a dealer in rare books in the early 20th century, whose letters and life lie at the heart of his dissertation. No one knows of the existence of a bookstore on that street, yet there are strange events that suggest that it indeed did once exist.

While there is also a touch of melodrama in Opaline’s chapters, and the novel was not one that sucked me in but rather slowed me down to digest between three to six chapters at a time, I enjoyed getting to see the twists and turns of both the plot and the character’s lives.]]> 4.04 2023 The Lost Bookshop
author: Evie Woods
name: Eleni
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/04/12
date added: 2024/04/12
shelves:
review:
3.5 stars.

As a work of magic realism, this book mixes, as Woods says herself, magic, mystery, and romance. I am not much for romance, but I enjoyed the focus on characters who love books and their authors.

Three stories intertwine, those of Martha, Henry, and Opaline. Martha has left her abusive husband to forge a new life in the home of Madame Bowden on Ha’penny Lane; Henry has come to Ha’penny Lane to trace the remains of a bookshop that had been run by Opaline, a dealer in rare books in the early 20th century, whose letters and life lie at the heart of his dissertation. No one knows of the existence of a bookstore on that street, yet there are strange events that suggest that it indeed did once exist.

While there is also a touch of melodrama in Opaline’s chapters, and the novel was not one that sucked me in but rather slowed me down to digest between three to six chapters at a time, I enjoyed getting to see the twists and turns of both the plot and the character’s lives.
]]> Never Lie 62080187
But when they visit the remote manor that once belonged to Dr. Adrienne Hale, a renowned psychiatrist who vanished without a trace four years earlier, a violent winter storm traps them at the estate� with no chance of escape until the blizzard comes to an end.

In search of a book to keep her entertained until the snow abates, Tricia happens upon a secret room. One that contains audio transcripts from every single patient Dr. Hale has ever interviewed. As Tricia listens to the cassette tapes, she learns about the terrifying chain of events leading up to Dr. Hale’s mysterious disappearance.

Tricia plays the tapes one by one, late into the night. With each one, another shocking piece of the puzzle falls into place, and Dr. Adrienne Hale’s web of lies slowly unravels.

And then Tricia reaches the final cassette.

The one that reveals the entire horrifying truth.]]> 286 Freida McFadden Eleni 3
Having to spend the night there, the wife, Tricia, discovers a hidden room by the staircase that contains the psychiatrist's taped sessions with all her patients. Picking out a few to listen to to pass the time, Tricia begins to unravel what happened to the home's owner and suspect that there is someone still lurking in the home as the storm hems them in for multiple days.

I would give this 3.5 stars because it was very well plotted. To say more would do the novel a disservice. Very enjoyable mystery.]]> 4.09 2022 Never Lie
author: Freida McFadden
name: Eleni
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2024/04/02
date added: 2024/04/02
shelves:
review:
A newly wed couple are looking for places to buy and end up in an out of the way location in the middle of a snow storm. There is a mystery attached to this lavish home that used to belong to a well known psychiatrist who just disappeared. No one knows what happened to her. The police suspected her boyfriend, but there was not enough proof to arrest him.

Having to spend the night there, the wife, Tricia, discovers a hidden room by the staircase that contains the psychiatrist's taped sessions with all her patients. Picking out a few to listen to to pass the time, Tricia begins to unravel what happened to the home's owner and suspect that there is someone still lurking in the home as the storm hems them in for multiple days.

I would give this 3.5 stars because it was very well plotted. To say more would do the novel a disservice. Very enjoyable mystery.
]]> Their Eyes Were Watching God 37415 238 Zora Neale Hurston 0061120065 Eleni 3 3.98 1937 Their Eyes Were Watching God
author: Zora Neale Hurston
name: Eleni
average rating: 3.98
book published: 1937
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2024/03/22
shelves:
review:

]]> Jane Eyre 10210 Alternate editions can be found here and here.

A gothic masterpiece of tempestuous passions and dark secrets, Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre is edited with an introduction and notes by Stevie Davis in Penguin Classics.

Charlotte Brontë tells the story of orphaned Jane Eyre, who grows up in the home of her heartless aunt, enduring loneliness and cruelty. This troubled childhood strengthens Jane's natural independence and spirit - which prove necessary when she finds employment as a governess to the young ward of Byronic, brooding Mr Rochester. As her feelings for Rochester develop, Jane gradually uncovers Thornfield Hall's terrible secret, forcing her to make a choice. Should she stay with Rochester and live with the consequences, or follow her convictions - even if it means leaving the man she loves? A novel of intense power and intrigue, Jane Eyre dazzled readers with its passionate depiction of a woman's search for equality and freedom.]]> 532 Charlotte Brontë 0142437204 Eleni 3 4.14 1847 Jane Eyre
author: Charlotte Brontë
name: Eleni
average rating: 4.14
book published: 1847
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2024/03/22
shelves:
review:

]]> A Midsummer Night’s Dream 1622 298 William Shakespeare 0743477545 Eleni 3 3.95 1595 A Midsummer Night’s Dream
author: William Shakespeare
name: Eleni
average rating: 3.95
book published: 1595
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2024/03/22
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Sir Gawain and the Green Knight]]> 3049 144 Unknown 0451528182 Eleni 5 3.71 1375 Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
author: Unknown
name: Eleni
average rating: 3.71
book published: 1375
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/03/22
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Vindication of the Rights of Woman]]> 224387 269 Mary Wollstonecraft 0141441259 Eleni 4 3.92 1792 A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
author: Mary Wollstonecraft
name: Eleni
average rating: 3.92
book published: 1792
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/03/22
shelves:
review:

]]> Northanger Abbey 50398 Northanger Abbey is often referred to as Jane Austen's "Gothic parody." Decrepit castles, locked rooms, mysterious chests, cryptic notes, and tyrannical fathers give the story an uncanny air, but one with a decidedly satirical twist.

The story's unlikely heroine is Catherine Morland, a remarkably innocent seventeen-year-old woman from a country parsonage. While spending a few weeks in Bath with a family friend, Catherine meets and falls in love with Henry Tilney, who invites her to visit his family estate, Northanger Abbey. Once there, Catherine, a great reader of Gothic thrillers, lets the shadowy atmosphere of the old mansion fill her mind with terrible suspicions. What is the mystery surrounding the death of Henry's mother? Is the family concealing a terrible secret within the elegant rooms of the Abbey? Can she trust Henry, or is he part of an evil conspiracy? Catherine finds dreadful portents in the most prosaic events, until Henry persuades her to see the peril in confusing life with art.

Executed with high-spirited gusto, Northanger Abbey is a lighthearted, yet unsentimental commentary on love and marriage.]]> 260 Jane Austen 1593082649 Eleni 4 3.85 1817 Northanger Abbey
author: Jane Austen
name: Eleni
average rating: 3.85
book published: 1817
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/03/22
shelves:
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]]> A Doll's House 37793

A Doll's House (1879), is a masterpiece of theatrical craft which, for the first time portrayed the tragic hypocrisy of Victorian middle class marriage on the stage. The play ushered in a new social era and "exploded like a bomb into contemporary life".

The Student Edition contains these exclusive features:

· A chronology of the playwright's life and work

· An introduction giving the background of the play

· Commentary on themes, characters. language and style

· Notes on individual words and phrases in the text

· Questions for further study

· Bibliography for further reading.

]]> 122 Henrik Ibsen 1406914835 Eleni 5 3.76 1879 A Doll's House
author: Henrik Ibsen
name: Eleni
average rating: 3.76
book published: 1879
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/03/22
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review:

]]> <![CDATA[Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Charlie Bucket, #1)]]> 6310 (back cover)]]> 176 Roald Dahl 0142403881 Eleni 4 4.16 1964 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Charlie Bucket, #1)
author: Roald Dahl
name: Eleni
average rating: 4.16
book published: 1964
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/03/22
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review:

]]> James and the Giant Peach 6689 176 Roald Dahl 0375814248 Eleni 4 4.04 1961 James and the Giant Peach
author: Roald Dahl
name: Eleni
average rating: 4.04
book published: 1961
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/03/22
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator (Charlie Bucket, #2)]]> 6687 159 Roald Dahl 0142404128 Eleni 4 3.69 1972 Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator (Charlie Bucket, #2)
author: Roald Dahl
name: Eleni
average rating: 3.69
book published: 1972
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/03/22
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review:

]]> Richard III 42058 Richard III with a new, modern-spelling text, collated and edited from all existing printings; it uses the First Quarto, the text closest to the play as it would have been staged. It includes passages from Sir Thomas More's 'History of Richard III'; on-page commentary and notes explain meaning, staging, allusions, and much else; and a detailed introduction that considers composition, sources, performances, and changing critical attitudes to the play. This edition also comes illustrated with production photographs and related art, a full index to the introduction and commentary, and has a durable sewn binding for lasting use.]]> 419 William Shakespeare 0192839934 Eleni 5 3.91 1593 Richard III
author: William Shakespeare
name: Eleni
average rating: 3.91
book published: 1593
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/03/22
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review:

]]> Child 44 (Leo Demidov, #1) 2161733 509 Tom Rob Smith 0446402397 Eleni 4 4.10 2008 Child 44 (Leo Demidov, #1)
author: Tom Rob Smith
name: Eleni
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2008
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/03/22
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review:
This book was totally a page turner for me.... the last night of reading, I couldn't put it down and stayed up till 6am to finish it.... it's well written, both detailed in its descriptions and sparse at the same time... chilling opening scenes.... hauntingly paranoid thereafter.... a story that surprized me with each new revelation, not about the murders but about Leo's relationship to his wife... I had reevaluate past scenes given new information.... definitely this is more than a murder mystery - it's about loving and living under an oppressive system that makes your loved ones perhaps be your closest enemies....of course reminded me of 1984.... but that book was more conceptual and polemical and so it's story suffered; here it does not.
]]> <![CDATA[The Shadows (The Books of Elsewhere, #1)]]> 7249522 256 Jacqueline West 0803734409 Eleni 4
Jacqueline West's book fit the bill. Eleven year old Olive and her mathematician parents move into an old house whose previous owner is now dead. They keep all of the old furnishings, including some very odd paintings that seem fixed to the walls and cannot be taken down. Because it is summer break and her parents basically ignore her, Olive has plenty of time to explore and discover the house still has some inhabitants: three cats -- who can talk.

When Olive finds a pair of spectacles in one of her searches, she discovers they give her the power to enter the paintings, and, in the gloomiest and eeriest painting, she saves a boy called Morton, helping him escape the woods to enter another painting of a distant town. As Olive unravels the sinister secrets the house contains piece by piece, she finds herself the target of a malevolent evil that lurks in the shadows.

A nice concept, humourous lines, and a sympathetic heroine all made for a pleasant story that I finished over two "read before bed" sessions.

The book is part of a series of five, and I have already ordered book two at the library....]]> 3.97 2010 The Shadows (The Books of Elsewhere, #1)
author: Jacqueline West
name: Eleni
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2024/03/15
date added: 2024/03/15
shelves:
review:
It's spring break -- and I was looking for a children's book to while away some of the hours....

Jacqueline West's book fit the bill. Eleven year old Olive and her mathematician parents move into an old house whose previous owner is now dead. They keep all of the old furnishings, including some very odd paintings that seem fixed to the walls and cannot be taken down. Because it is summer break and her parents basically ignore her, Olive has plenty of time to explore and discover the house still has some inhabitants: three cats -- who can talk.

When Olive finds a pair of spectacles in one of her searches, she discovers they give her the power to enter the paintings, and, in the gloomiest and eeriest painting, she saves a boy called Morton, helping him escape the woods to enter another painting of a distant town. As Olive unravels the sinister secrets the house contains piece by piece, she finds herself the target of a malevolent evil that lurks in the shadows.

A nice concept, humourous lines, and a sympathetic heroine all made for a pleasant story that I finished over two "read before bed" sessions.

The book is part of a series of five, and I have already ordered book two at the library....
]]> <![CDATA[The Black Guy Dies First: Black Horror Cinema from Fodder to Oscar]]> 60321468
The Black Guy Dies First explores the Black journey in modern horror cinema, from the fodder epitomized by Spider Baby to the Oscar-​winning cinematic heights of Get Out and beyond. This eye-opening book delves into the themes, tropes, and traits that have come to characterize Black roles in horror since 1968, a year in which race made national headlines in iconic moments from the enactment of the 1968 Civil Rights Act and Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination in April. This timely book is a must-read for cinema and horror fans alike.]]> 336 Robin R. Means Coleman 1982186534 Eleni 0 currently-reading 4.05 2023 The Black Guy Dies First: Black Horror Cinema from Fodder to Oscar
author: Robin R. Means Coleman
name: Eleni
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/03/04
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Last Action Heroes: The Triumphs, Flops, and Feuds of Hollywood's Kings of Carnage]]> 62192505
“This book takes you so close to the action that you can smell the sweat, cigar smoke, and bad cologne that brought these movies to life.”—Paul Scheer

The Last Action Heroes opens in May 1990 in Cannes, with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone waltzing together, cheered on by a crowd of famous faces. After years of bitter combat—Stallone once threw a bowl of flowers at Schwarzenegger’s head, and the body count in Schwarzenegger’s Commando was increased so the film would “have a bigger dick than Rambo ”—the world’s biggest action stars have at last made peace.

In this wildly entertaining account of the golden age of the action movie, Nick de Semlyen charts Stallone and Schwarzenegger’s carnage-packed journey from enmity to friendship against the backdrop of Reagan’s America and the Cold War. He also reveals fascinating untold stories of the colorful characters who ascended in their high-kickers Chuck Norris and Jackie Chan, glowering tough guys Dolph Lundgren and Steven Seagal, and quipping troublemakers Jean-Claude Van Damme and Bruce Willis. But as time rolled on, the era of the invincible action hero who used muscle, martial arts, or the perfect weapon to save the day began to fade. When Jurassic Park trounced Schwarzenegger’s Last Action Hero in 1993, the glory days of these macho men—and the vision of masculinity they celebrated—were officially over.

Drawing on candid interviews with the action stars themselves, plus their collaborators, friends, and foes, The Last Action Heroes is a no-holds-barred account of a period in Hollywood history when there were no limits to the heights of fame these men achieved, or to the mayhem they wrought, on-screen and off.]]> 352 Nick de Semlyen 059323880X Eleni 3
Now that I have completed the book, I can say that he synthesizes so many bits of information into a smooth and well written narrative. By the end, while Semlyen seems to re-embrace those 80s action hero movies, I came away from the book disliking the likes of Stallone etc for their inflated egos and macho posturing�.]]> 4.10 2023 The Last Action Heroes: The Triumphs, Flops, and Feuds of Hollywood's Kings of Carnage
author: Nick de Semlyen
name: Eleni
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/03/04
date added: 2024/03/04
shelves:
review:
Just started this book but wanted to make a note. The reason I borrowed this book from the library is that I used to teach a segment of Susan Bordo's book about masculinity -- the essay was called "(Re)Discovering Male Beauty," and it took on the shift in the 90s towards the Calvin Klein ideal for men's bodies that shifted away from the Schwarzenegger and Stallone he-man macho type figure. That CK ideal was born in gay clubs and the movement of athletes rather than body builders. So I am hoping this is not going to be merely a book of anecdotes and biography -- but a few chapters in, that seems to be all on offer. It is well written and smooth to digest, but I am hoping for some cultural context as well.

Now that I have completed the book, I can say that he synthesizes so many bits of information into a smooth and well written narrative. By the end, while Semlyen seems to re-embrace those 80s action hero movies, I came away from the book disliking the likes of Stallone etc for their inflated egos and macho posturing�.
]]> <![CDATA[The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle]]> 36337550
There are eight days, and eight witnesses for you to inhabit.

We will only let you escape once you tell us the name of the killer.

Understood? Then let's begin . . .

Evelyn Hardcastle will die. Every day until Aiden Bishop can identify her killer and break the cycle. But every time the day begins again, Aiden wakes up in the body of a different guest. And some of his hosts are more helpful than others . . .

The most inventive debut of the year twists together a mystery of such unexpected creativity it will leave listeners guessing until the very last second.]]> 432 Stuart Turton Eleni 5
Set in an abandoned country home, the same guests who had attended a party 19 years ago are gathered once again on the anniversary of the death of their hosts' older son, Thomas, the young child having been murdered by his mother's lover who had been caught and hanged for the crime.

The mother has always blamed her daughter, Evelyn, who had been charged with watching over Thomas that day but who had decided to go out riding instead. Now, a young woman, she is to be married off to a wealthy man in exchange for money to restore the family's fortunes. And it doesn't make Mrs Hardcastle too sad that the prospective bridegroom is seen as utterly repulsive.

The main character, Sebastian Bell, wakes up in the woods on the morning before the wedding announcement, disoriented and unable to remember anything besides the name Anna. What he discovers is that he must solve a murder that is going to take place at the party after the announcement: who is going to kill Evelyn Hardcastle?

I know that some readers had a hard time with all the characters invovled -- but that is why we are provided with the invitation to the party on the first page. I referred to that invitation a handful of times and then after that I had all the names down.... it requires that little bit of effort, but it is well worth it as this is the BEST murder mystery I have read in years.... inventive, clever, and fiendish.]]> 3.78 2018 The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
author: Stuart Turton
name: Eleni
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2024/02/20
date added: 2024/02/20
shelves:
review:
If Agatha Christie wrote a sci fi murder mystery, this would be it.

Set in an abandoned country home, the same guests who had attended a party 19 years ago are gathered once again on the anniversary of the death of their hosts' older son, Thomas, the young child having been murdered by his mother's lover who had been caught and hanged for the crime.

The mother has always blamed her daughter, Evelyn, who had been charged with watching over Thomas that day but who had decided to go out riding instead. Now, a young woman, she is to be married off to a wealthy man in exchange for money to restore the family's fortunes. And it doesn't make Mrs Hardcastle too sad that the prospective bridegroom is seen as utterly repulsive.

The main character, Sebastian Bell, wakes up in the woods on the morning before the wedding announcement, disoriented and unable to remember anything besides the name Anna. What he discovers is that he must solve a murder that is going to take place at the party after the announcement: who is going to kill Evelyn Hardcastle?

I know that some readers had a hard time with all the characters invovled -- but that is why we are provided with the invitation to the party on the first page. I referred to that invitation a handful of times and then after that I had all the names down.... it requires that little bit of effort, but it is well worth it as this is the BEST murder mystery I have read in years.... inventive, clever, and fiendish.
]]> <![CDATA[Garlic and the Vampire: A Graphic Novel]]> 56470362 A farm-fresh debut graphic novel starring a heroine who is braver than she realizes.

Garlic feels as though she’s always doing something wrong. At least with her friend Carrot by her side and the kindly Witch Agnes encouraging her, Garlic is happy to just tend her garden, where it’s nice and safe.

But when her village of vegetable folk learns that a bloodthirsty vampire has moved into the nearby castle, they all agree that, in spite of her fear and self-doubt, Garlic is the obvious choice to confront him. And with everyone counting on her, Garlic reluctantly agrees to face the mysterious vampire, hoping she has what it takes.

After all, garlic drives away vampires�right?]]> 160 Bree Paulsen 006299509X Eleni 4 4.29 2021 Garlic and the Vampire: A Graphic Novel
author: Bree Paulsen
name: Eleni
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2024/02/13
date added: 2024/02/13
shelves:
review:

]]> Garlic and the Witch 59811239 Bree Paulsen's brave little protagonist, Garlic, is back in this charmingly illustrated standalone companion to Garlic and the Vampire, serving up another tale of friendship, magic, and self-discovery. Give both books to readers who fell in love with Tidesong or Witch Boy!

Garlic loves spending time with Witch Agnes, Carrot, and her new friend, the Count, who has proven to be a delightful neighbor to the village of vegetable people rather than a scary vampire. But despite Agnes's best attempts to home-brew a vegetarian blood substitute for Count, the ingredient she needs most can only be found at the Magic Market, far from the valley.

Before she knows it, with a broomstick in hand, Garlic is nervously preparing for a journey.

But Garlic is experiencing another change too--finger by finger, she appears to be turning human. Witch Agnes assures her that this is normal for her garden magic, but Garlic isn't so sure that she's ready for such a big change. After all, changes are scary...and what if she doesn't want to be human after all?]]> 160 Bree Paulsen 006299512X Eleni 4 4.34 2022 Garlic and the Witch
author: Bree Paulsen
name: Eleni
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/02/13
date added: 2024/02/13
shelves:
review:

]]> The House in the Pines 61251242 Armed with only hazy memories, a woman who long ago witnessed her friend's sudden, mysterious death, and has since spent her life trying to forget, sets out to track down answers. What she uncovers, deep in the woods, is hardly to be believed....

Maya was a high school senior when her best friend, Aubrey, mysteriously dropped dead in front of the enigmatic man named Frank whom they'd been spending time with all summer.

Seven years later, Maya lives in Boston with a loving boyfriend and is kicking the secret addiction that has allowed her to cope with what happened years ago, the gaps in her memories, and the lost time that she can't account for. But her past comes rushing back when she comes across a recent YouTube video in which a young woman suddenly keels over and dies in a diner while sitting across from none other than Frank. Plunged into the trauma that has defined her life, Maya heads to her Berkshires hometown to relive that fateful summer--the influence Frank once had on her and the obsessive jealousy that nearly destroyed her friendship with Aubrey.

At her mother's house, she excavates fragments of her past and notices hidden messages in her deceased Guatemalan father's book that didn't stand out to her earlier. To save herself, she must understand a story written before she was born, but time keeps running out, and soon, all roads are leading back to Frank's cabin....

Utterly unique and captivating, The House in the Pines keeps you guessing about whether we can ever fully confront the past and return home.]]> 321 Ana Reyes 0593186710 Eleni 3
This was a well written book, and I enjoyed how the story unfolded in two time lines -- the story of how Maya first met Frank leading up to Aubrey's death and the story of Maya investigating now two murders -- if not more.

However, I have read a few stories now where the mystery unfolds in two time lines, and I think perhaps it is becoming a bit of a gimmick.]]> 3.05 2023 The House in the Pines
author: Ana Reyes
name: Eleni
average rating: 3.05
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/02/09
date added: 2024/02/09
shelves:
review:
Maya sees a video making the rounds on social media -- a couple is sitting in a diner when suddenly the woman keels over dead. For everyone, it is a shocking and unnerving video: why would a young woman who was seemingly healthy just drop dead? But for Maya, it was also a case of deja vu. Seven years before, she had watched her friend Aubrey die in exactly the same circumstances sitting next to exactly the same guy. How did he do it?

This was a well written book, and I enjoyed how the story unfolded in two time lines -- the story of how Maya first met Frank leading up to Aubrey's death and the story of Maya investigating now two murders -- if not more.

However, I have read a few stories now where the mystery unfolds in two time lines, and I think perhaps it is becoming a bit of a gimmick.
]]> <![CDATA[The Mystery Guest (Molly the Maid, #2)]]> 157062582
When Detective Stark, Molly’s old foe, investigates the author’s unexpected demise, it becomes clear that this death was murder most foul. Suspects abound, and everyone wants to know: Who killed J. D. Grimthorpe? Was it Lily, the new Maid-in-Training? Or was it Serena, the author’s secretary? Could Mr. Preston, the hotel’s beloved doorman, be hiding something? And is Molly really as innocent as she seems?

As the high-profile death threatens the hotel’s pristine reputation, Molly knows she alone holds the key to unlocking the killer’s identity. But that key is buried deep in her past, as long ago, she knew J. D. Grimthorpe. Molly begins to comb her memory for clues, revisiting her childhood and the mysterious Grimthorpe mansion where she and her dearly departed Gran once worked side by side. With the entire hotel under investigation, Molly must solve the mystery posthaste. Because if there’s one thing she knows for sure, it’s that secrets don’t stay buried forever.]]> 293 Nita Prose 0593356187 Eleni 3
Her grandmother had been a cleaner at the estate of the well known author J D Grimthorpe who had been scheduled to give a talk at the hotel one afternoon but who fails to deliver that speech because he drops down dead on stage. Through flashbacks of the time when her grandmother had taken her to Grimthorpe's manor -- a time when she was supended from school for not quite understanding the facial expressions and manner of her classmates (I am wondering whether the first book indicates why Molly is challenged by this), the weeks when she began her apprenticeship into the world of mops and polish, Molly tries to figure out the mystery by first figuing out what sort of man J D Grimthrope had been. Knowing that, she might just catch his killer.]]> 3.76 2023 The Mystery Guest (Molly the Maid, #2)
author: Nita Prose
name: Eleni
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/01/20
date added: 2024/02/06
shelves:
review:
Not sure if I should have read The Maid first as this is the second book about Molly Gray and how her observation skills lead her to help an unwilling Detective Stark figure out the who and why. Working as a hotel maid, Molly is used to being overlooked and condescended to by others, so Detective Stark is not the first to do so. But she takes enormous pride in her work in cleaning the Regency Grand Hotel because of the respect and love Molly has for her grandmother, and, from her, she has picked up numerous saying about cleanliness and etiquette that she repeats not only to maids-in-training but also to herself for encouragment when she falters in her attitude towards others or her resolve in completing a task.

Her grandmother had been a cleaner at the estate of the well known author J D Grimthorpe who had been scheduled to give a talk at the hotel one afternoon but who fails to deliver that speech because he drops down dead on stage. Through flashbacks of the time when her grandmother had taken her to Grimthorpe's manor -- a time when she was supended from school for not quite understanding the facial expressions and manner of her classmates (I am wondering whether the first book indicates why Molly is challenged by this), the weeks when she began her apprenticeship into the world of mops and polish, Molly tries to figure out the mystery by first figuing out what sort of man J D Grimthrope had been. Knowing that, she might just catch his killer.
]]> Severance 36348525
Candace won’t be able to make it on her own forever, though. Enter a group of survivors, led by the power-hungry IT tech Bob. They’re traveling to a place called the Facility, where, Bob promises, they will have everything they need to start society anew. But Candace is carrying a secret she knows Bob will exploit. Should she escape from her rescuers?

A send-up and takedown of the rituals, routines, and missed opportunities of contemporary life, Ling Ma’s Severance is a quirky coming-of-adulthood tale and satire.]]> 291 Ling Ma 0374261598 Eleni 4
Shen fever leaves those infected as semi-zombies, people who are rotting on the outside but seem to be doomed to repeat simple tasks from their prior lives over and over, endlessly, until mercifully someone puts them out of their misery.

The story is set in 2011; we follow the story of Candace, a former publisher of specialized bibles working in New York City as she travels across several states with a group of survivors on the way North to what their leader, Bob, believes will be a safe haven. He calls it the Facility. During the journey, we learn about Candace's parents -- their immigration from China to Salt Lake City and the lives they built there -- and her work life and love life in NYC via flashbacks -- how she fell for her downstairs neighbour Jonathan when they meet on their shared fire escape. The trouble is, Candace is now pregnant, and she wonders whether the group she is with, especially given the way Bob keeps a tight grip on everyone, is the best to raise a child in this new world....

Well written and a page turner for sure.]]> 3.90 2018 Severance
author: Ling Ma
name: Eleni
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2024/01/19
date added: 2024/02/06
shelves:
review:
How odd to be reading a book that is set in the aftermath of an epidemic -- Shen Fever-- that hits the USA from China when this book was published two years before Covid?

Shen fever leaves those infected as semi-zombies, people who are rotting on the outside but seem to be doomed to repeat simple tasks from their prior lives over and over, endlessly, until mercifully someone puts them out of their misery.

The story is set in 2011; we follow the story of Candace, a former publisher of specialized bibles working in New York City as she travels across several states with a group of survivors on the way North to what their leader, Bob, believes will be a safe haven. He calls it the Facility. During the journey, we learn about Candace's parents -- their immigration from China to Salt Lake City and the lives they built there -- and her work life and love life in NYC via flashbacks -- how she fell for her downstairs neighbour Jonathan when they meet on their shared fire escape. The trouble is, Candace is now pregnant, and she wonders whether the group she is with, especially given the way Bob keeps a tight grip on everyone, is the best to raise a child in this new world....

Well written and a page turner for sure.
]]> The Midnight Library 102189586 The #1 New York Times bestselling WORLDWIDE phenomenon

Winner of the ŷ Choice Award for Fiction A Good Morning America Book Club Pick Independent (London) Ten Best Books of the Year

The dazzling reader-favorite about the choices that go into a life well lived, from the acclaimed author of How To Stop Time and The Comfort Book.

Somewhere out beyond the edge of the universe there is a library that contains an infinite number of books, each one the story of another reality. One tells the story of your life as it is, along with another book for the other life you could have lived if you had made a different choice at any point in your life. While we all wonder how our lives might have been, what if you had the chance to go to the library and see for yourself? Would any of these other lives truly be better?

In The Midnight Library, Matt Haig's enchanting blockbuster novel, Nora Seed finds herself faced with this decision. Faced with the possibility of changing her life for a new one, following a different career, undoing old breakups, realizing her dreams of becoming a glaciologist; she must search within herself as she travels through the Midnight Library to decide what is truly fulfilling in life, and what makes it worth living in the first place.]]> 304 Matt Haig 0525559493 Eleni 0 to-read 4.01 2020 The Midnight Library
author: Matt Haig
name: Eleni
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/02/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Holding 31364727 New York Times).

The remote Irish village of Duneen has known little drama, and yet its inhabitants are troubled: Sergeant P.J. Collins hasn’t always been this overweight; Brid Riordan, a mother of two, hasn’t always been an alcoholic; and elegant Evelyn Ross hasn’t always felt that her life was a total waste.

So when human remains—suspected to be those of Tommy Burke, a former lover of both Brid and Evelyn—are discovered on an old farm, the village’s dark past begins to unravel. As a frustrated P.J. struggles to solve a genuine case for the first time in his professional life, he unearths a community’s worth of anger and resentments, secrets and regrets.

Darkly comic, at times profoundly sad, and “especially inviting because of its tongue-in-cheek wit� (Kirkus Reviews), Holding is a masterful debut. Graham Norton employs his acerbic humor to breathe life into a host of lovable characters, and explore—with searing honesty—the complexities and contradictions that make us human.]]> 320 Graham Norton 1444792008 Eleni 3
The setting is near Cork, Ireland, in a small village where the policeman, P J Collins, really has nothing much to do. He wishes there were more exciting events he could tackle: be careful what you wish for.

A construction crew unearths some bones that were buried about 20 years ago, around the time that Thomas Burke was thought to have left town because of a love triangle. We find out that twenty years prior, Evelyn and Brid had fought in the streets over the affection of Thomas Burke who that very day was seen to catch a bus for Cork, never to return. Both women each in their own way still carry that past with them,

When a detective from Cork shows up, I found myself rooting for P J Collins to show that he is capable of solving the crime. But the crime is embedded in secrets, and those who hold them have to be willing to share them.

The book has a wry sense of humour that I would expect to find in a Graham Norton book, but it is also good at capturing the dead ends that people find themselves in later on in life, that time when it seems someone is stuck in a rut and must change even if change does not seem possible.

There has been an adapation of this book made by ITV that I am hoping to get to see.]]> 3.69 2016 Holding
author: Graham Norton
name: Eleni
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2021/01/01
date added: 2024/01/30
shelves:
review:
I absolutely love Graham Norton's talk show -- have watched every season for decades -- and so I was curious to see what kind of murder mystery he would create as I also love murder mysteries.

The setting is near Cork, Ireland, in a small village where the policeman, P J Collins, really has nothing much to do. He wishes there were more exciting events he could tackle: be careful what you wish for.

A construction crew unearths some bones that were buried about 20 years ago, around the time that Thomas Burke was thought to have left town because of a love triangle. We find out that twenty years prior, Evelyn and Brid had fought in the streets over the affection of Thomas Burke who that very day was seen to catch a bus for Cork, never to return. Both women each in their own way still carry that past with them,

When a detective from Cork shows up, I found myself rooting for P J Collins to show that he is capable of solving the crime. But the crime is embedded in secrets, and those who hold them have to be willing to share them.

The book has a wry sense of humour that I would expect to find in a Graham Norton book, but it is also good at capturing the dead ends that people find themselves in later on in life, that time when it seems someone is stuck in a rut and must change even if change does not seem possible.

There has been an adapation of this book made by ITV that I am hoping to get to see.
]]> The Invisible World 98535773
Eve is frustrated. An artist without inspiration or direction, she’s suffering a slew of strange, unexplained phenomena and comes to a simple conclusion: her house is haunted. She does what any sensible woman would do and she contacts a paranormal investigations show in the hope of getting some answers.

When the show descends upon her home, they’re intent on creating just another staged spectacle. But, unexpectedly, the crew encounters some very real activity—shelves collapse, electronics go haywire, a cameraman disappears in the dead of night. As these incidents multiply, it's up to the show’s harried, skeptical producer, Sandra, to create order from the madness, while she struggles with her own beliefs about what she’s witnessing. Meanwhile, the show’s teenage ghost hunter Caitlin is caught up in the unexplained events, convinced she’s glimpsing the “other side� and desperate to make contact—even if it means putting the investigation, and herself, in jeopardy.

As their supernatural experiences intensify, they’ll have no choice but to venture into the invisible world within themselves and prove that a house is only as haunted as the people in it.]]> 292 Nora Fussner 0593684842 Eleni 3 3.25 2023 The Invisible World
author: Nora Fussner
name: Eleni
average rating: 3.25
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2023/12/22
date added: 2023/12/22
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Love and Lemons Cookbook: An Apple-to-Zucchini Celebration of Impromptu Cooking]]> 25982864
The beloved Love & Lemons blog has attracted buzz from everyone from bestselling author Heidi Swanson to Saveur Magazine, who awarded the blog Best Cooking Blog of 2014.

Organized by ingredient, The Love & Lemons Cookbook teaches readers how to make beautiful food with what’s on hand, whether it’s a bunch of rainbow-colored heirloom carrots from the farmers market or a four-pound cauliflower that just shows up in a CSA box. The book also features resources to show readers how to stock their pantry, gluten-free and vegan options for many of the recipes, as well as ideas on mixing and matching ingredients, so that readers always have something new to try.

Stunningly designed and efficiently organized, The Love & Lemons Cookbook is a resource that you will use again and again.]]> 320 Jeanine Donofrio 1583335862 Eleni 2
I think this is a good book to encourage people to try vegetables as the center of a dish. If you bought let's say eggplant or carrots, you could check the book to see what you could make as it was organized -- as the subtitle says -- from Apple to Zucchini, and there were lovely pictures, but not many of the recipes inspired me to want to make them-- I would say a dozen or so maybe.

So it you are looking for a new cookbook, try their Love and Lemons Everyday cookbook.]]> 4.15 2016 The Love and Lemons Cookbook: An Apple-to-Zucchini Celebration of Impromptu Cooking
author: Jeanine Donofrio
name: Eleni
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2016
rating: 2
read at: 2023/12/19
date added: 2023/12/19
shelves:
review:
I took out two books from Love and Lemons -- and found the other one to be really good (worth buying as I was interested in two thirds of the hundred recipes there -- and some I was not purely because I am vegan and they were vegetarian ones that I did not think would be good converted).

I think this is a good book to encourage people to try vegetables as the center of a dish. If you bought let's say eggplant or carrots, you could check the book to see what you could make as it was organized -- as the subtitle says -- from Apple to Zucchini, and there were lovely pictures, but not many of the recipes inspired me to want to make them-- I would say a dozen or so maybe.

So it you are looking for a new cookbook, try their Love and Lemons Everyday cookbook.
]]> <![CDATA[Love and Lemons Every Day: More than 100 Bright, Plant-Forward Recipes for Every Meal]]> 41386934 The ultimate guide for cooking outrageously delicious, vegetable-packed meals every day of the week, from bestselling author of The Love & Lemons Cookbook .

Known for her insanely flavorful vegetable recipes and stunning photography, Jeanine Donofrio celebrates plants at the center of the plate with more than 100 new vegetarian recipes in Love & Lemons Every Day. In this book, Jeanine shows you how to make any meal, from breakfast to dessert, where produce is the star. Butternut squash becomes the best creamy queso you've ever eaten, broccoli transforms into a zesty green "rice" burrito filling, and sweet potato blends into a smooth chocolate frosting. These exciting and approachable recipes will become instant additions to your family's regular meal rotation.

This book is a resource, filled with smart tips for happier, healthier eating. You'll find inspiration from Jeanine's signature colorful infographics - such as a giant matrix of five-ingredient salad dressings, a guide to quick weeknight pastas, and a grid to show you how to roast any vegetable. There are also plenty of practical charts, such as a template to make versatile vegetable broth, seasonal produce guides, and clever ideas to use commonly tossed vegetable parts -- you'll never toss those cauliflower cores, corn cobs, or broccoli stalks again!

Packed with imaginative every day meals, go-to cooking tips, alternatives for dietary restrictions, and guides for mastering produce-based kitchen staples, Love & Lemons Every Day is a must-have for herbivores and omnivores alike.]]> 320 Jeanine Donofrio 0735219842 Eleni 4
If I make any dishes in the new year, I will let you know.]]> 4.22 Love and Lemons Every Day: More than 100 Bright, Plant-Forward Recipes for Every Meal
author: Jeanine Donofrio
name: Eleni
average rating: 4.22
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2023/12/19
date added: 2023/12/19
shelves:
review:
I have taken out both Love and Lemons Cookbook: An Apple-to-Zuchinni Celebration of Impromtu Cooking (the name says it all) and this one at the same time from the library and am tempted to buy this one as I think about two thirds of the recipes look interesting -- and some I rejected purely because they are vegetarian and I am vegan (though the book helpfully makes suggestions for turning recipes into vegan ones -- some of which I will try but those with cheese don't work as well I believe because cutting out the cheese totally changes a dish and vegan cheese is not that good -- the only thing that I do miss is a good cheese).

If I make any dishes in the new year, I will let you know.
]]> Ghost Wall 38922230
For two weeks, the length of her father's vacation, they join an anthropology course set to reenact life in simpler times. They are surrounded by forests of birch and rowan; they make stew from foraged roots and hunted rabbit. The students are fulfilling their coursework; Silvie's father is fulfilling his lifelong obsession. He has raised her on stories of early man, taken her to witness rare artifacts, recounted time and again their rituals and beliefs—particularly their sacrifices to the bog. Mixing with the students, Silvie begins to see, hear, and imagine another kind of life, one that might include going to university, traveling beyond England, choosing her own clothes and food, speaking her mind.

The ancient Britons built ghost walls to ward off enemy invaders, rude barricades of stakes topped with ancestral skulls. When the group builds one of their own, they find a spiritual connection to the past. What comes next but human sacrifice?

A story at once mythic and strikingly timely, Sarah Moss's Ghost Wall urges us to wonder how far we have come from the "primitive minds" of our ancestors.]]> 152 Sarah Moss 1783784458 Eleni 3
Not that the three students are really experiencing any thing like the deprivation of the past since they sleep in tents with air mattresses, use modern products like nail polish and hair brushes, and make covert trips to a nearby town for crisps and chocolate or to beg for a shower. However, the family that has teamed up with the university group is adhering more to the "rules" as the father is an avid amateur of the time period. He forces his wife and daughter to sleep in the cold and uncomfortable hut that had been built for the purpose, and his daughter -- the narrator of the novella -- uses the knowledge that she has acquired from her father to help the students scavange for roots and berries and nuts.

As the story unfolds, we learn more about the narrator and her family's dynamics. While the ending was predictable, the writing was beautiful and both sparse and evocative, creating a sense of the past imposing on the present through Moss's knowledge of the natural enviroment.]]> 3.72 2018 Ghost Wall
author: Sarah Moss
name: Eleni
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2023/12/19
date added: 2023/12/19
shelves:
review:
The story is about multiple worlds colliding during an university field trip to participate in an Iron Age reenactment -- not just the worlds of Iron Age/the present but also male/female, self educated/formally educated, working class/middle class.

Not that the three students are really experiencing any thing like the deprivation of the past since they sleep in tents with air mattresses, use modern products like nail polish and hair brushes, and make covert trips to a nearby town for crisps and chocolate or to beg for a shower. However, the family that has teamed up with the university group is adhering more to the "rules" as the father is an avid amateur of the time period. He forces his wife and daughter to sleep in the cold and uncomfortable hut that had been built for the purpose, and his daughter -- the narrator of the novella -- uses the knowledge that she has acquired from her father to help the students scavange for roots and berries and nuts.

As the story unfolds, we learn more about the narrator and her family's dynamics. While the ending was predictable, the writing was beautiful and both sparse and evocative, creating a sense of the past imposing on the present through Moss's knowledge of the natural enviroment.
]]> <![CDATA[The Franchise Affair (Inspector Alan Grant, #3)]]> 243401 304 Josephine Tey 0684842564 Eleni 3 3.95 1948 The Franchise Affair (Inspector Alan Grant, #3)
author: Josephine Tey
name: Eleni
average rating: 3.95
book published: 1948
rating: 3
read at: 2023/12/17
date added: 2023/12/17
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Vegetarian: 100 Everyday Recipes]]> 24502028
All the Everyday recipes use fresh ingredients with the emphasis on flavour and visual appeal. They are practical and easy to follow, accompanied by step-by-step instructions and full-page colour photography.]]> 208 Ivy Contract Eleni 3
Looking forward to trying some over the holidays.]]> 2.60 2011 Vegetarian: 100 Everyday Recipes
author: Ivy Contract
name: Eleni
average rating: 2.60
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at: 2023/12/01
date added: 2023/12/01
shelves:
review:
I had bought this book a while ago, but only recently did I seriously go through it for potential recipes. Out of the 100 listed, about 30 sound interesting, including eggplant pate, tuscan bean stew, lentil bolognese, Thai bean curd cakes with chili dip, and mixed vegetable curry with chickpea pancakes.

Looking forward to trying some over the holidays.
]]> <![CDATA[The Last Devil to Die (Thursday Murder Club, #4)]]> 62226126
An old friend in the antiques business has been killed, and a dangerous package he was protecting has gone missing.

As the gang springs into action they encounter art forgers, online fraudsters and drug dealers, as well as heartache close to home.

With the body count rising, the package still missing and trouble firmly on their tail, has their luck finally run out? And who will be the last devil to die?]]> 421 Richard Osman 0241512441 Eleni 4
It was nice to see Joyce take more of a leading role in getting even -- especially with a guy who was preying on one of the lonely men in their community by pretending to be Tatiana online and extorting money to be able to supposedly visit. I wish that Ron would have more of a role because I often think that there's not much that he is contributing each novel that anyone else couldn't have done....

This is the fourth book of the series -- and I can't wait for the next one. I am also curious about Osman's next book which he says will involve a father-in-law/daughter-in-law pair of sleuths.]]> 4.44 2023 The Last Devil to Die (Thursday Murder Club, #4)
author: Richard Osman
name: Eleni
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/10/17
date added: 2023/10/17
shelves:
review:
When their antique dealer friend Kuldesh is murdered and the heroin worth 100,000 pounds goes missing for which he had been used as a go-between, retirees Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim, and Ron want to make sure that his murderer comes to justice. But in this murder mystery, the group have more than just criminals to deal with. We get closer to a couple of the main protagonists this time around, and one scene actually had me in tears because it reminded me of my mother who had suffered with dementia in her final years....

It was nice to see Joyce take more of a leading role in getting even -- especially with a guy who was preying on one of the lonely men in their community by pretending to be Tatiana online and extorting money to be able to supposedly visit. I wish that Ron would have more of a role because I often think that there's not much that he is contributing each novel that anyone else couldn't have done....

This is the fourth book of the series -- and I can't wait for the next one. I am also curious about Osman's next book which he says will involve a father-in-law/daughter-in-law pair of sleuths.
]]> Hit Parade of Tears 62920022 A new collection of stories from the cult author of Terminal Boredom.

Izumi Suzuki had ideas about doing things differently, ideas that paid little attention to the laws of physics, or the laws of the land. In this new collection, her skewed imagination distorts and enhances some of the classic concepts of science fiction and fantasy.

A philandering husband receives a bestial punishment from a wife with her own secrets to keep; a music lover finds herself in a timeline both familiar and as wrong as can be; idle high school students find adventure in another dimension but aren't all that impressed; a misfit band of space pirates discover a mysterious baby among the stars; Emma, the Bovary-like character from one of Suzuki's stories in Terminal Boredom, lands herself in a bizarre romantic pickle.

Wryly anarchic and deeply imaginative, Suzuki was a writer like no other. These eleven stories offer readers the opportunity to delve deeper in this singular writer's work.]]> 288 Izumi Suzuki 1839768495 Eleni 0 currently-reading 3.42 2023 Hit Parade of Tears
author: Izumi Suzuki
name: Eleni
average rating: 3.42
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/09/26
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention� and How to Think Deeply Again]]> 57933306 Our ability to pay attention is collapsing. From the New York Times bestselling author of Chasing the Scream and Lost Connections comes a groundbreaking examination of why this is happening--and how to get our attention back.

In the United States, teenagers can focus on one task for only sixty-five seconds at a time, and office workers average only three minutes. Like so many of us, Johann Hari was finding that constantly switching from device to device and tab to tab was a diminishing and depressing way to live. He tried all sorts of self-help solutions--even abandoning his phone for three months--but nothing seemed to work. So Hari went on an epic journey across the world to interview the leading experts on human attention--and he discovered that everything we think we know about this crisis is wrong.

We think our inability to focus is a personal failure to exert enough willpower over our devices. The truth is even more disturbing: our focus has been stolen by powerful external forces that have left us uniquely vulnerable to corporations determined to raid our attention for profit. Hari found that there are twelve deep causes of this crisis, from the decline of mind-wandering to rising pollution, all of which have robbed some of our attention. In Stolen Focus, he introduces readers to Silicon Valley dissidents who learned to hack human attention, and veterinarians who diagnose dogs with ADHD. He explores a favela in Rio de Janeiro where everyone lost their attention in a particularly surreal way, and an office in New Zealand that discovered a remarkable technique to restore workers' productivity.

Crucially, Hari learned how we can reclaim our focus--as individuals, and as a society--if we are determined to fight for it. Stolen Focus will transform the debate about attention and finally show us how to get it back.]]> 357 Johann Hari 0593138511 Eleni 4
Hari writes fluently, with nice details, and interweaves good anecdotes with the research he presents having travelled around the world to interview many different kinds of scientists and activists (and realizes his awful impact on his carbon footprint). At least he travelled to try to figure out what is going on in our society -- how various factors including pollution, bad diets, social media, multitasking (something I am majorly guilty of), and working too many hours, lead to anxiety, stress, tiredness, and distracted attention.

It seems some partents of children with ADHD were offended by this work, but he never attacks parents and says in his work that what he is presenting is a diversive topic that scientists disagree about. Some believe that ADHD is more about the environment we live in -- that affects us all -- rather than a biological element (except for a few cases -- not the majority, which is how it is being treated now with drugs).

The most important thing, I think, is the need to let children have free time to play with other kids. Not supervised by adults (as in a soccer league) but to make up their own games and rules and negotiate with others. As Hari points out, my generation had that, so I was intrigued by the schools and countries (Finland) that encourage play.]]> 4.22 2022 Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention— and How to Think Deeply Again
author: Johann Hari
name: Eleni
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2023/09/26
date added: 2023/09/26
shelves:
review:
As I was reading this book, I kept thinking "this should be required reading for sophmores in college" (I work at a uni, hence where my brain went -- of course I think everyone should read it).

Hari writes fluently, with nice details, and interweaves good anecdotes with the research he presents having travelled around the world to interview many different kinds of scientists and activists (and realizes his awful impact on his carbon footprint). At least he travelled to try to figure out what is going on in our society -- how various factors including pollution, bad diets, social media, multitasking (something I am majorly guilty of), and working too many hours, lead to anxiety, stress, tiredness, and distracted attention.

It seems some partents of children with ADHD were offended by this work, but he never attacks parents and says in his work that what he is presenting is a diversive topic that scientists disagree about. Some believe that ADHD is more about the environment we live in -- that affects us all -- rather than a biological element (except for a few cases -- not the majority, which is how it is being treated now with drugs).

The most important thing, I think, is the need to let children have free time to play with other kids. Not supervised by adults (as in a soccer league) but to make up their own games and rules and negotiate with others. As Hari points out, my generation had that, so I was intrigued by the schools and countries (Finland) that encourage play.
]]> <![CDATA[Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers (Vera Wong, #1)]]> 61827543 Tea-shop owner. Matchmaker. Detective?

Sixty-year-old self-proclaimed tea expert Vera Wong enjoys nothing more than sipping a good cup of Wulong and doing some healthy ‘detective� work on the internet (AKA checking up on her son to see if he’s dating anybody yet).

But when Vera wakes up one morning to find a dead man in the middle of her tea shop, it’s going to take more than a strong Longjing to fix things. Knowing she’ll do a better job than the police possibly could � because nobody sniffs out a wrongdoing quite like a suspicious Chinese mother with time on her hands � Vera decides it’s down to her to catch the killer.

Nobody spills the tea like this amateur sleuth.]]> 339 Jesse Q. Sutanto 0593549228 Eleni 3
It did take me a few pages to get into the book because, at first, I felt the character was a bit stereotypical along the lines of My Big Fat Greet Wedding (which annoyed me because no one is stupid enough to not know what a ring cake is and because of not knowing put a vase of flowers in the middle; no one thinks a vegetarian who doesn't eat meat can eat lamb). Vera was a bit too cute-sy and over the top. But she endeared herself to me -- as she does to her murder suspects.

While the story was predictable, Vera Wong kept it light and engaging.]]> 4.01 2023 Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers (Vera Wong, #1)
author: Jesse Q. Sutanto
name: Eleni
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2023/09/08
date added: 2023/09/08
shelves:
review:
As a fan of Miss Marple, I enjoyed Vera Wong's investigative style based as it is on observation and experience.

It did take me a few pages to get into the book because, at first, I felt the character was a bit stereotypical along the lines of My Big Fat Greet Wedding (which annoyed me because no one is stupid enough to not know what a ring cake is and because of not knowing put a vase of flowers in the middle; no one thinks a vegetarian who doesn't eat meat can eat lamb). Vera was a bit too cute-sy and over the top. But she endeared herself to me -- as she does to her murder suspects.

While the story was predictable, Vera Wong kept it light and engaging.
]]> <![CDATA[In Flanders Fields: The Story of the Poem by John McCrae]]> 967762 32 Linda Granfield 155005144X Eleni 3 4.32 1915 In Flanders Fields: The Story of the Poem by John McCrae
author: Linda Granfield
name: Eleni
average rating: 4.32
book published: 1915
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2023/07/26
shelves:
review:

]]> I Have Some Questions for You 61053829
But when the Granby School invites her back to teach a course, Bodie is inexorably drawn to the case and its increasingly apparent flaws. In their rush to convict Omar, did the school and the police overlook other suspects? Is the real killer still out there? As she falls down the very rabbit hole she was so determined to avoid, Bodie begins to wonder if she wasn't as much of an outsider at Granby as she'd thought—if, perhaps, back in 1995, she knew something that might have held the key to solving the case.]]> 438 Rebecca Makkai 0593490142 Eleni 4 3.57 2023 I Have Some Questions for You
author: Rebecca Makkai
name: Eleni
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/07/16
date added: 2023/07/16
shelves:
review:
More of a review later, but I am giving this four stars for its ambition.
]]> <![CDATA[The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma (The Mysterious Benedict Society, #3)]]> 6164358 ALL IS
LOST.

Join the Mysterious Benedict Society as Reynie, Kate, Sticky, and Constance embark on a daring new adventure that threatens to force them apart from their families, friends, and even each other. When an unexplained blackout engulfs Stonetown, the foursome must unravel clues relating to a nefarious new plot, while their search for answers brings them closer to danger than ever before.]]> 400 Trenton Lee Stewart 0307582396 Eleni 4 4.29 2009 The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma (The Mysterious Benedict Society, #3)
author: Trenton Lee Stewart
name: Eleni
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2009
rating: 4
read at: 2023/06/27
date added: 2023/06/27
shelves:
review:

]]> Bossypants 9418327
She has seen both these dreams come true.

At last, Tina Fey's story can be told. From her youthful days as a vicious nerd to her tour of duty on Saturday Night Live; from her passionately halfhearted pursuit of physical beauty to her life as a mother eating things off the floor; from her one-sided college romance to her nearly fatal honeymoon—from the beginning of this paragraph to this final sentence.

Tina Fey reveals all, and proves what we've all suspected: you're no one until someone calls you bossy.]]> 283 Tina Fey Eleni 3 3.97 2011 Bossypants
author: Tina Fey
name: Eleni
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at: 2023/06/21
date added: 2023/06/21
shelves:
review:
It was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I laughed out loud at quite a few of her stories -- even some of the self-depracating ones, though it ended up that were too many of those moves. And I enjoyed some of her joke about being a celebrity and what's expected of her therefore, but, and I guess this might have to do with being a sketch writer? comedy writer? the chapters felt sparse and I know I could have asked tons of questions after completing each just to get a more fleshed out story....
]]> <![CDATA[The Winterhouse Mysteries (Winterhouse, #3)]]> 44281070 Danger, intrigue, and the power of family combine in this fast-paced conclusion to the Winterhouse middle grade trilogy.

It’s springtime at Winterhouse and Elizabeth is settling into the joyful chaos of her new home. But it isn’t long before she and Freddy are drawn into an ominous new mystery. Guests at the hotel start behaving oddly, and Elizabeth’s powers manifest in thrilling—sometimes frightening—new ways. As unnatural tremors shake the foundations of Winterhouse, Elizabeth hears cries for help from Gracella Winters, a villain she’d thought dead and gone for good.

Elizabeth’s discovery of a rare book containing secrets of an ancient ritual leads to a tragic realization: someone at the hotel is trying to help Gracella rise again. Can Elizabeth and Freddy banish these threats and protect the future of Winterhouse once and for all?]]> 384 Ben Guterson 1250123925 Eleni 4
This however was a very satisfying ending to the trilogy -- especially one of the final scenes between the children.

]]> 3.98 2019 The Winterhouse Mysteries (Winterhouse, #3)
author: Ben Guterson
name: Eleni
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2023/06/20
date added: 2023/06/20
shelves:
review:
I think it's hard for a book series to sustain the wonder that comes from being introduced to new characters, new settings, and new adventures, and so I thought the second book of the series, while good, was not as enjoyable as the first.

This however was a very satisfying ending to the trilogy -- especially one of the final scenes between the children.


]]> The Haunted Tea-Cosy 306846 66 Edward Gorey 0747545308 Eleni 3
The tale is a wisp of nonsense inhaled in under five minutes� I am looking forward to more absurd Gorey pieces.]]> 3.99 1997 The Haunted Tea-Cosy
author: Edward Gorey
name: Eleni
average rating: 3.99
book published: 1997
rating: 3
read at: 2023/06/17
date added: 2023/06/17
shelves:
review:
Much more fun if you have read (or watched) Dickens� A Christmas Carol. But not quite as sentimental nor edifying. A visit from the spectre of Christmas that never was, Christmas that isn’t, and Christmas that never will ends in a party for all.

The tale is a wisp of nonsense inhaled in under five minutes� I am looking forward to more absurd Gorey pieces.
]]> <![CDATA[The Secrets of Winterhouse (Winterhouse, #2)]]> 40584349 Bookish puzzles, phantom mysteries, and evil curses await as Elizabeth returns to Winterhouse in The Secrets of Winterhouse, the second book in Ben Guterson's magical series.

Back at the Winterhouse hotel for another holiday season, Elizabeth and Freddy dig deeper into the mystery surrounding Riley S. Granger, a hotel guest who left behind odd artifacts—one being a magical book that the evil Gracella Winters once attempted to use to gain destructive power over the entire Falls lineage. The two friends follow a trail of clues, inadvertently attracting the attention of a suspicious new hotel guest: Elana Vesper. The clock is ticking as Elizabeth and Freddy struggle to figure out whether Elana is merely a pawn or a player in the plot to revive the spirit of Gracella. If that wasn’t enough, Elizabeth suspects she is coming into her own special powers—and she’s fearful it might lead her right into Gracella’s vicious web. Mystery, adventure, and a winning friendship combine in this much anticipated sequel.]]> 371 Ben Guterson 1250123909 Eleni 3 3.93 2018 The Secrets of Winterhouse (Winterhouse, #2)
author: Ben Guterson
name: Eleni
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2023/06/17
date added: 2023/06/17
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Janus Stone (Ruth Galloway, #2)]]> 6268632
Ruth and Detective Harry Nelson would like to find out—and fast. When they realize the house was once a children’s home, they track down the Catholic priest who served as its operator. Father Hennessey reports that two children did go missing from the home forty years before—a boy and a girl. They were never found. When carbon dating proves that the child’s bones predate the home and relate to a time when the house was privately owned, Ruth is drawn ever more deeply into the case. But as spring turns into summer it becomes clear that someone is trying very hard to put her off the trail by frightening her, and her unborn child, half to death.

The Janus Stone is a riveting follow-up to Griffiths’s acclaimed The Crossing Places.]]> 328 Elly Griffiths 0547237448 Eleni 3 3.89 2010 The Janus Stone (Ruth Galloway, #2)
author: Elly Griffiths
name: Eleni
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2010
rating: 3
read at: 2023/06/05
date added: 2023/06/05
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey (The Mysterious Benedict Society, #2)]]> 2159225 Children
You must not come
STOP
Dangerous

The Mysterious Benedict Society is back with a new mission: to go on a mind-bending international scavenger hunt designed to engage their individual talents. As they search for all the clues and riddles Mr. Benedict has hidden for them, Reynie, Sticky, Kate, and Constance faces an unexpected challenge that will reinforce the reasons they were brought together in the first place and require them to fight for the very namesake that united them.

Join
The Mysterious
Benedict
Society
At your own
Risk]]> 440 Trenton Lee Stewart 0316057800 Eleni 4
The plot was solid, the adventures cool, and the development of Constance’s abilities smart. With their beloved Mr Benedict kidnapped, the children must voyage to Portugal to follow in his footsteps to save him. Using their talents, the children work together to avoid the Ten Men and the police to figure out why their mentor was interested in a strange plant on a remote island.

I look forward to reading the next in the series.]]> 4.21 2008 The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey (The Mysterious Benedict Society, #2)
author: Trenton Lee Stewart
name: Eleni
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2008
rating: 4
read at: 2023/06/05
date added: 2023/06/05
shelves:
review:
I noticed some readers were impatient with what they called a slow start, but I appreciated that there was a logical reason to bring the four kids together again and how well Stewart managed to begin a new story while referencing the first book just enough to make sense of the current one.

The plot was solid, the adventures cool, and the development of Constance’s abilities smart. With their beloved Mr Benedict kidnapped, the children must voyage to Portugal to follow in his footsteps to save him. Using their talents, the children work together to avoid the Ten Men and the police to figure out why their mentor was interested in a strange plant on a remote island.

I look forward to reading the next in the series.
]]> The Rule of Three 56688986
Once a week, three women get together for book club in Kingsland, a private, gated community full of neighbors looking to do their business away from prying eyes. On the same night, their husbands meet up to play poker, where much more is being planned than anyone could guess.

But on this particular night, something goes terribly wrong. When all three men end up dead or hospitalized, and the entire town is being questioned, no one seems to be able to answer the only question that really needs asking: What the hell happened?

This is a riveting story, not just of powerful women or vengeful men, but of secrets, neighbors, blackmail, business gone wrong, and the most intimate of desires spilling into full view.]]> 336 E.G. Scott 0593185471 Eleni 3
I think that what was hard was keeping track of all the characters until about 60 or 70 pages in when it started to be clearer who was married to whom and their back stories, but the wives were not really distinct and then none were likable, no matter how despicable their husbands were as foils.

I would have given this 2.5 stars if I could � and that would have been for an attempt at something interesting that just wasn’t pulled off.]]> 3.24 2022 The Rule of Three
author: E.G. Scott
name: Eleni
average rating: 3.24
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2023/06/05
date added: 2023/06/05
shelves:
review:
I had a hard time getting into this story � and not just because I’d figured out what happened almost immediately. That actually added to my interest as I could track how the author Scott managed to be careful with the dialogue to pull it off.

I think that what was hard was keeping track of all the characters until about 60 or 70 pages in when it started to be clearer who was married to whom and their back stories, but the wives were not really distinct and then none were likable, no matter how despicable their husbands were as foils.

I would have given this 2.5 stars if I could � and that would have been for an attempt at something interesting that just wasn’t pulled off.
]]> Winterhouse (Winterhouse, #1) 29540876 An enchanting urban fantasy middle-grade debut―the first book in a trilogy―set in a magical hotel full of secrets.

Orphan Elizabeth Somers’s malevolent aunt and uncle ship her off to the ominous Winterhouse Hotel, owned by the peculiar Norbridge Falls. Upon arrival, Elizabeth quickly discovers that Winterhouse has many charms―most notably its massive library. It’s not long before she locates a magical book of puzzles that will unlock a mystery involving Norbridge and his sinister family. But the deeper she delves into the hotel’s secrets, the more Elizabeth starts to realize that she is somehow connected to Winterhouse. As fate would have it, Elizabeth is the only person who can break the hotel’s curse and solve the mystery. But will it be at the cost of losing the people she has come to care for, and even Winterhouse itself?

Mystery, adventure, and beautiful writing combine in this exciting debut richly set in a hotel full of secrets.]]> 384 Ben Guterson 1250123895 Eleni 4
The story is focused on Elizabeth, an eleven year old who goes to a hotel to spend Christmas while her uncle and aunt enjoy a holiday on their own. What’s strange is that the family is poor, so who has paid for these trips? And why is Elizabeth travelling alone?

This mystery and many others are not hard to figure out, but the joy is in the word play, the relationships, and how the discoveries come about.

One added perk was that actual books are named in the story (since Elizabeth is a great reader) that I have either read (Mysterious Benedict Society; this book reminded me to take out the next volume) or want to check out to see if it’s for me (e.g. Inkheart).]]> 3.94 2018 Winterhouse (Winterhouse, #1)
author: Ben Guterson
name: Eleni
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2023/04/26
date added: 2023/04/26
shelves:
review:
This is finals week, aka grading week, so an enchanting children’s book is just what I have needed for the past few days.

The story is focused on Elizabeth, an eleven year old who goes to a hotel to spend Christmas while her uncle and aunt enjoy a holiday on their own. What’s strange is that the family is poor, so who has paid for these trips? And why is Elizabeth travelling alone?

This mystery and many others are not hard to figure out, but the joy is in the word play, the relationships, and how the discoveries come about.

One added perk was that actual books are named in the story (since Elizabeth is a great reader) that I have either read (Mysterious Benedict Society; this book reminded me to take out the next volume) or want to check out to see if it’s for me (e.g. Inkheart).
]]> <![CDATA[Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass (Masterwork Studies Series)]]> 38689 208 Donald Rackin 0805794301 Eleni 3 3.57 1991 Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass (Masterwork Studies Series)
author: Donald Rackin
name: Eleni
average rating: 3.57
book published: 1991
rating: 3
read at: 2023/04/09
date added: 2023/04/09
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Seventy Times Seven: A True Story of Murder and Mercy]]> 61391704
On a spring afternoon in 1985 in Gary, Indiana, a fifteen-year-old girl kills an elderly woman in a violent home invasion. In a city with a history of racial tensions and white flight, the girl, Paula Cooper, is Black, and her victim, Ruth Pelke, is white and a beloved Bible teacher.

When Paula is sentenced to death, no one decries the impending execution of a tenth grader. But the tide begins to shift when the victim's grandson Bill forgives the girl, against the wishes of his family, and campaigns to spare her life. This tragedy in a midwestern steel town soon reverberates across the United States and around the world--reaching as far away as the Vatican--as newspapers cover the story on their front pages and millions sign petitions in support of Paula.

As Paula waits on death row, her fate sparks a debate that not only animates legal circles but raises vital questions about the value of human life: What are we demanding when we call for justice? Is forgiveness an act of desperation or of profound bravery? As Bill and Paula's friendship deepens, and as Bill discovers others who have chosen to forgive after terrible violence, their story asks us to consider what radical acts of empathy we might be capable of.

In Seventy Times Seven, Alex Mar weaves an unforgettable narrative of an act of violence and its aftermath. This is a story about the will to live--to survive, to grow, to change--and about what we are willing to accept as justice. Tirelessly researched and told with intimacy and precision, this book brings a haunting chapter in the history of our criminal justice system to astonishing life.]]> 384 Alex Mar 0525522158 Eleni 0 to-read 3.94 2023 Seventy Times Seven: A True Story of Murder and Mercy
author: Alex Mar
name: Eleni
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/04/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Crossing Places (Ruth Galloway, #1)]]> 6688087 304 Elly Griffiths 0547229895 Eleni 3
An enjoyable read, better than the last couple of reads, so I would give this 3.5 stars.]]> 3.88 2009 The Crossing Places (Ruth Galloway, #1)
author: Elly Griffiths
name: Eleni
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2009
rating: 3
read at: 2023/04/02
date added: 2023/04/02
shelves:
review:
A fan of the TV show Vera, I am used to the rugged Norfolk landscape as a backdrop to murder. And while there is some physical similarity and even some overlap in their choice of abode between. Era and Ruth (though. Vera lives in the moors not the coast), what makes these stories refreshing is that Ruth is an archaeologist. Called in to examine some bones found in salt marshes near a henge by the sea that end up being from the Iron Age, Ruth gets embroiled in a young child’s disappearance that might be linked to one ten years before.

An enjoyable read, better than the last couple of reads, so I would give this 3.5 stars.
]]> The Family Game 60417443 A rich, eccentric family. A time-honored tradition. Or a lethal game of survival? One woman finds out what it really takes to join the 1% in this riveting psychological thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of Something in the Water, Mr. Nobody, and The Disappearing Act.

Harry is a novelist on the brink of stardom; Edward, her husband-to-be, is seemingly perfect. In love and freshly engaged, their bliss is interrupted by the reemergence of the Holbecks, Edward's eminent family and the embodiment of American old money. For years, they've dominated headlines and pulled society's strings, and Edward left them all behind to forge his own path. But there are eyes and ears everywhere. It was only a matter of time before they were pulled back in . . .

After all, even though he's long severed ties with his family, Edward is set to inherit it all. Harriet is drawn to the glamour and sophistication of the Holbecks, who seem to welcome her with open arms, but everything changes when she meets Robert, the inescapably magnetic head of the family. At their first meeting, Robert slips Harry a cassette tape, revealing a shocking confession which sets the inevitable game in motion.

What is it about Harry that made him give her that tape? A thing that has the power to destroy everything? As she ramps up her quest for the truth, she must endure the Holbecks' savage Christmas traditions all the while knowing that losing this game could be deadly.]]> 319 Catherine Steadman 0593158067 Eleni 3
The premise is that a talented British author, Harriet, aka Harry, falls for a rich American (Edward) and a little over eight months into their relationship, she uproots herself to come to New York where she has been living with Edward for four months. As she says twice, they have been together a year and change. Soon after we pick up their story, they become engaged, and Harriet becomes introduced to his family over the holiday season (Thanksgiving, Krampus, and Christmas). At these events, where games become less than festive, it becomes clear that Edward’s father Robert knows Harriet’s secret and uses that knowledge to confess a secret of his own. It is up to Harriet to dig into that secret and discover what lies beneath.

I enjoyed the novel’s pacing in the second half more than the first, perhaps because there were some things in the first 40 pages that annoyed me. First, there is NO WAY she did not know that the third Thursday of November is Thanksgiving. As a Brit living in the US myself, and having only been here three months by then, it was clear that the holiday was coming as it’s a *very* big deal in the US, unlike the harvest celebration in October in England.

Second, how on earth was she already an American citizen by the time the book opens? She is not married to Edward to go that route and if she got a green card through merit or lottery, there is a very long process of form filling, payments, medical, citizenship exam, etc.to get to that citizenship.

Third, I have lived in three apartment buildings, and there is no way a courier can come to your apartment door (as one does to deliver a package to Harriet) without someone letting them in the main door or buzzing them in, and most of us are wary of letting anyone we don’t know into the building (though are we to suppose the family’s money gives them all access?).

And, finally, it just is not believable to me that this woman does not keep track of her period. Am I the only woman who had a sense of when the next one was starting? Really? She thought she had food poisoning but had already skipped a period? She didn’t even give it a thought?

Bottom line: Bad thing is, I did not care about Harriet. Good thing is the Robert plot was interestingly wrought to keep me reading.]]> 3.83 2022 The Family Game
author: Catherine Steadman
name: Eleni
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2023/03/26
date added: 2023/03/26
shelves:
review:
It seems that if the antagonists are the ultra rich, then we can imagine them capable of absolutely everything and anything. They’re just not like us. This was at the core of the young adult books The Inheritance Games trilogy and now the plot for an adult version that is nastier and messier.

The premise is that a talented British author, Harriet, aka Harry, falls for a rich American (Edward) and a little over eight months into their relationship, she uproots herself to come to New York where she has been living with Edward for four months. As she says twice, they have been together a year and change. Soon after we pick up their story, they become engaged, and Harriet becomes introduced to his family over the holiday season (Thanksgiving, Krampus, and Christmas). At these events, where games become less than festive, it becomes clear that Edward’s father Robert knows Harriet’s secret and uses that knowledge to confess a secret of his own. It is up to Harriet to dig into that secret and discover what lies beneath.

I enjoyed the novel’s pacing in the second half more than the first, perhaps because there were some things in the first 40 pages that annoyed me. First, there is NO WAY she did not know that the third Thursday of November is Thanksgiving. As a Brit living in the US myself, and having only been here three months by then, it was clear that the holiday was coming as it’s a *very* big deal in the US, unlike the harvest celebration in October in England.

Second, how on earth was she already an American citizen by the time the book opens? She is not married to Edward to go that route and if she got a green card through merit or lottery, there is a very long process of form filling, payments, medical, citizenship exam, etc.to get to that citizenship.

Third, I have lived in three apartment buildings, and there is no way a courier can come to your apartment door (as one does to deliver a package to Harriet) without someone letting them in the main door or buzzing them in, and most of us are wary of letting anyone we don’t know into the building (though are we to suppose the family’s money gives them all access?).

And, finally, it just is not believable to me that this woman does not keep track of her period. Am I the only woman who had a sense of when the next one was starting? Really? She thought she had food poisoning but had already skipped a period? She didn’t even give it a thought?

Bottom line: Bad thing is, I did not care about Harriet. Good thing is the Robert plot was interestingly wrought to keep me reading.
]]> <![CDATA[Bram Stoker's Dracula: A Documentary Journey into Vampire Country and the Dracula Phenomenon]]> 6123695 432 Elizabeth Russell Miller 1605980528 Eleni 4 research-for-courses
It focuses of course on Dracula, the writing of the novel, publication history, influence, criticism, but it also has a base in the folklore about vampires and provides excerpts from many different texts.

I learned a lot and took many notes and look forward to finessing my lectures and discussion questions because of it.

I also think it is a good text not just for teachers but for anyone who is fascinated by vampires -- you can skim sections and jump to the places you might be more interested in (for example, the various representation of Dracula in the movies).]]> 4.38 2004 Bram Stoker's Dracula: A Documentary Journey into Vampire Country and the Dracula Phenomenon
author: Elizabeth Russell Miller
name: Eleni
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2004
rating: 4
read at: 2023/03/21
date added: 2023/03/21
shelves: research-for-courses
review:
As an instructor for a vampires course, I found this a very helpful resource. In fact, I believe that the person who set up the Slavic department's course some years back must have used this book as a guide.

It focuses of course on Dracula, the writing of the novel, publication history, influence, criticism, but it also has a base in the folklore about vampires and provides excerpts from many different texts.

I learned a lot and took many notes and look forward to finessing my lectures and discussion questions because of it.

I also think it is a good text not just for teachers but for anyone who is fascinated by vampires -- you can skim sections and jump to the places you might be more interested in (for example, the various representation of Dracula in the movies).
]]> <![CDATA[The Couple at the Table (Spilling CID, #11)]]> 60323157 Honeymooners at a posh resort receive an ominous warning with deadly consequences in the latest gripping, twisty psychological thriller from New York Times bestselling author Sophie Hannah.

Jane and William are enjoying their honeymoon at an exclusive couples-only resort...

...until Jane receives a chilling note warning her to "Beware of the couple at the table nearest to yours." At dinner that night, five other couples are present, and none of their tables is any nearer or farther away than any of the others. It's almost as if someone has set the scene in order to make the warning note meaningless--but why would anyone do that?

Jane has no idea.

But someone in this dining room will be dead before breakfast, and all the evidence will suggest that no one there that night could have possibly committed the crime.


]]> 359 Sophie Hannah 006325770X Eleni 3
Jane receives two notes: one says "Beware"' and the other says "Beward of the couple at the table closest to yours." This sets Jane, understandably, into paranoia as she accuses different people of having sent her the note. But, in the end, she decides that Lucy must have sent the note. She hadn't though....and when Jane is found murdered by two off duty married police officers, we seem to have a "locked room"situation as only William follows Jane back to their cottage, and blood splatter evidence indicates that he had his back turned when Jane was murdered. But why didn't he hear or see anything? And CCTV indicates no one entered the resort, not from the gates, not from the walls. And all the other guests and Anita were still at the outdoor dinner area, and no one had left that area. So whodunnit?

The thing is, I feel way we discover how the pieces fit at the end is a little too impossible for us to have figured certain things out, but then the murderer should have been known by everyone -- I can't understand, for example, why Lucy did not know who it was.... and Lucy is the main character, and she is really an unbelievable one. As someone who overthinks things myself and knows the value of writing stuff down, I still found her implausible....

but I did like the two police officers and their role in the story. And I was compelled enough to want to see what happened next.]]> 3.00 2022 The Couple at the Table (Spilling CID, #11)
author: Sophie Hannah
name: Eleni
average rating: 3.00
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2023/03/21
date added: 2023/03/21
shelves:
review:
The story is about a country estate resort where five couples are enjoying their holidays being catered to by the staff led by Anita, who stays at the resort. One of the couples is the owner's daughter, Jane, and her new husband, William on their honeymoon; another is the husband's ex Lucy, and her new fiance, Pete.

Jane receives two notes: one says "Beware"' and the other says "Beward of the couple at the table closest to yours." This sets Jane, understandably, into paranoia as she accuses different people of having sent her the note. But, in the end, she decides that Lucy must have sent the note. She hadn't though....and when Jane is found murdered by two off duty married police officers, we seem to have a "locked room"situation as only William follows Jane back to their cottage, and blood splatter evidence indicates that he had his back turned when Jane was murdered. But why didn't he hear or see anything? And CCTV indicates no one entered the resort, not from the gates, not from the walls. And all the other guests and Anita were still at the outdoor dinner area, and no one had left that area. So whodunnit?

The thing is, I feel way we discover how the pieces fit at the end is a little too impossible for us to have figured certain things out, but then the murderer should have been known by everyone -- I can't understand, for example, why Lucy did not know who it was.... and Lucy is the main character, and she is really an unbelievable one. As someone who overthinks things myself and knows the value of writing stuff down, I still found her implausible....

but I did like the two police officers and their role in the story. And I was compelled enough to want to see what happened next.
]]> The Guest House 59971277 The baby is coming. There's no way to call for help. And there's no way out.

With a few weeks to go until their first baby is due, Jamie and Victoria head off for a weekend break in a small countryside guesthouse.

The next morning, Jamie and Victoria awake to find the guesthouse has been emptied. Both their mobile phones and their car keys have disappeared, the owners are nowhere to be seen, and all the doors are locked. Even though it's a few weeks early, Victoria knows the contractions are starting. And there's no way out...

A riveting psychological thriller for fans of Ruth Ware and Lucy Foley, The Guest House will keep readers on the edge of their seats.]]> 320 Robin Morgan-Bentley 1728256062 Eleni 3 3.52 2022 The Guest House
author: Robin Morgan-Bentley
name: Eleni
average rating: 3.52
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2023/03/20
date added: 2023/03/20
shelves:
review:

]]> The Guest List 52656911
The bride � The plus one � The best man � The wedding planner � The bridesmaid � The body

On an island off the coast of Ireland, guests gather to celebrate two people joining their lives together as one. The groom: handsome and charming, a rising television star. The bride: smart and ambitious, a magazine publisher. It’s a wedding for a magazine, or for a celebrity: the designer dress, the remote location, the luxe party favors, the boutique whiskey. The cell phone service may be spotty and the waves may be rough, but every detail has been expertly planned and will be expertly executed.

But perfection is for plans, and people are all too human. As the champagne is popped and the festivities begin, resentments and petty jealousies begin to mingle with the reminiscences and well wishes. The groomsmen begin the drinking game from their school days. The bridesmaid not-so-accidentally ruins her dress. The bride’s oldest (male) friend gives an uncomfortably caring toast.

And then someone turns up dead. Who didn’t wish the happy couple well? And perhaps more important, why?]]> 319 Lucy Foley Eleni 3 3.82 2020 The Guest List
author: Lucy Foley
name: Eleni
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2023/03/16
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Thomas Hardy's World: The Life, Times and Works of the Great Novelist and Poet]]> 221138 144 Molly Lefebure 1858682452 Eleni 2 3.00 1997 Thomas Hardy's World: The Life, Times and Works of the Great Novelist and Poet
author: Molly Lefebure
name: Eleni
average rating: 3.00
book published: 1997
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2023/03/09
shelves:
review:
For Thomas Hardy course; some factual errors in the book; mostly basic historical background but with the odd interesting fact.
]]> <![CDATA[The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue]]> 60795461 447 Victoria E. Schwab 0765387573 Eleni 0 to-read 4.21 2020 The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
author: Victoria E. Schwab
name: Eleni
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/03/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Nasty, Brutish, and Short: Adventures in Philosophy with My Kids]]> 58709514 From a University of Michigan professor of law and philosophy, a delightfully funny and thought-provoking investigation into life’s biggest questions with the help of fantastic philosophers old and new—including his two young children


Like any new parent, Scott Hershovitz closely observed his two young sons, Rex and Hank. From the time they could talk, he noticed that they raised philosophical questions and were determined to answer them. Children find the world a puzzling place, so they try to puzzle it out. Often, that leads to profound insight. Sometimes, his kids recreated ancient arguments. Sometimes, they advanced novel views. Kids are natural philosophers, Hershovitz realized. Indeed, they are some of the best around.

With great humor and storytelling, Hershovitz follows an agenda set by Rex and Hank. To start, they try to make sense of morality, asking questions about rights, revenge, and authority. Then they try to make sense of themselves, inquiring into sex, gender, and race. Finally, they try to make sense of the world, exploring the nature of truth, the existence of God, and other daunting mysteries that most grown-ups have learned to look past. Through the lens of his sons� curiosity, Hershovitz takes us on an engaging tour through contemporary and classic philosophy. It’s a fun romp through the field—the class you wish you took in college.

We want our children to think deeply about themselves, the world around them, and their place within it. Hershovitz calls on us to support kids in their philosophical adventures. But more than that, he challenges us to join them so that we can become better, more discerning thinkers and recapture some of the wonder kids have at the world.

]]> 384 Scott Hershovitz Eleni 4
Using conversations he’s had with his two sons, he shows us that human beings are philosophers by nature and that complicated ideas can be discussed at any age.

Hershovitz has a sense of humour as he shares his take on philosophical questions but he’s never dogmatic and remains open minded. And that’s exactly the attitude that someone thinking should take.
]]> 4.22 2022 Nasty, Brutish, and Short: Adventures in Philosophy with My Kids
author: Scott Hershovitz
name: Eleni
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2023/02/25
date added: 2023/02/25
shelves:
review:
Hershovitz comes across as a good father and a good philosopher in this book organized around key concepts such as knowledge, God, justice, etc.

Using conversations he’s had with his two sons, he shows us that human beings are philosophers by nature and that complicated ideas can be discussed at any age.

Hershovitz has a sense of humour as he shares his take on philosophical questions but he’s never dogmatic and remains open minded. And that’s exactly the attitude that someone thinking should take.

]]>