Linda's Updates en-US Sun, 27 Apr 2025 09:32:50 -0700 60 Linda's Updates 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Review7523098903 Sun, 27 Apr 2025 09:32:50 -0700 <![CDATA[Linda added 'Say Goodbye for Now']]> /review/show/7523098903 Say Goodbye for Now by Catherine Ryan Hyde Linda gave 3 stars to Say Goodbye for Now (Kindle Edition) by Catherine Ryan Hyde
]]> Comment289928097 Sat, 26 Apr 2025 12:09:53 -0700 <![CDATA[Linda commented on Courtney's review of A Nest of Nightmares]]> /review/show/6750311592 Courtney's review of A Nest of Nightmares
by Lisa Tuttle

I may not bother ordering this but did you have to ruin the ending of the one about the dead dog? Spoiler alert? ]]> GiveawayRequest704912748 Thu, 24 Apr 2025 14:55:40 -0700 <![CDATA[<a href="/user/show/97536890-linda">Linda</a> entered a giveaway]]> /giveaway/show/411779-swan-song Swan Song by Katy Regnery
20 copies available, ends on May 20, 2025
Enter to win ]]> Review6371210035 Wed, 23 Apr 2025 19:23:34 -0700 <![CDATA[Linda added 'The Familiar']]> /review/show/6371210035 The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo Linda gave 4 stars to The Familiar (Kindle Edition) by Leigh Bardugo
Luzia is a young woman working as a scullion in the home of an impoverished upper-middle class couple in Medieval Spain. She sleeps on the floor of the larder, owns one dress, and sometimes uses magic to secretly improve her life in small ways. Using songs culled from the teachings of her mother and her aunt, Luzia fixes burnt bread, multiples potatoes, and makes the occasional flower bloom out of season. What her employers and fellow servants do not know is that Luzia is from a family of conversos, Jews who accepted baptism to avoid deportation in 1492 and live in constant fear of discovery by the Inquisition.
When Luzia forgets herself and fixes a broken goblet at a dinner party, she comes to the attention of an aristocrat who has fallen out of favor with King Philip and hopes to restore his fortune by offering a miracle-worker. To prepare for the competition of others who claim special powers, Luzia must accept the instruction of Santangel, an unusual man who may be immortal.
What makes this book so compelling is that no one really understands the source of the magic. Is it demonic or angelic, real or a fraud? Even Luzia, who creates small miracles by singing Ladino rhymes but knows she must conceal her language, must learn how to use her power for more than she has ever imagined.
The Familiar is a marvel - historical fiction, fantasy, and an amazing love story. The setting is fresh, the characters richly detailed, and the magic convincing. I would recommend this to fans of Naomi Novik or Katherine Arden. ]]> ReadStatus9341570462 Tue, 22 Apr 2025 20:44:03 -0700 <![CDATA[Linda started reading 'The Lost Queen']]> /review/show/7511268715 The Lost Queen by Aimee Phan Linda started reading The Lost Queen by Aimee Phan
]]> Review7507362589 Tue, 22 Apr 2025 20:41:15 -0700 <![CDATA[Linda added 'Michael Without Apology']]> /review/show/7507362589 Michael Without Apology by Catherine Ryan Hyde Linda gave 3 stars to Michael Without Apology (Kindle Edition) by Catherine Ryan Hyde
Michael is a handsome young man with a secret he hides from the world. On his first day of college, he meets his mentor, the professor of an introductory film class. The two bond over a shared experience and Michael decides to produce his first film on the subject of body image.
Thirteen years earlier, young Michael is injured in a fireworks accident that lands him first in the hospital and then in foster care. The novel goes back and forth between past and present. Most of the story consists of interviews with people, each of whom will present his or her own truth, physical and emotional, on camera.
Although I soon became caught up in Michael's experiences, I did think the author took short cuts. Everyone Michael met seemed to be important to him, granting him some piece of wisdom that made him a better person. Without denying that everyone is special, I think so much significance can seem a bit much. Similarly, while Michael worked hard, I find it unrealistic that a complete novice would produce a student film that appeared to blow audiences away. The epilogue was nice, but, a bit rushed.
I enjoyed this book but wish it were less facile.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for granting me access to a free advance reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. ]]> Review7511210599 Tue, 22 Apr 2025 20:18:12 -0700 <![CDATA[Linda added 'Pay It Forward']]> /review/show/7511210599 Pay It Forward by Catherine Ryan Hyde Linda gave 3 stars to Pay It Forward (Mass Market Paperback) by Catherine Ryan Hyde
]]> ReadStatus9335996988 Mon, 21 Apr 2025 14:02:13 -0700 <![CDATA[Linda started reading 'Michael Without Apology']]> /review/show/7507362589 Michael Without Apology by Catherine Ryan Hyde Linda started reading Michael Without Apology by Catherine Ryan Hyde
]]> Review7486935450 Mon, 21 Apr 2025 13:58:46 -0700 <![CDATA[Linda added 'The Bible Says So: What We Get Right (and Wrong) About Scripture’s Most Controversial Issues']]> /review/show/7486935450 The Bible Says So by Daniel McClellan Linda gave 3 stars to The Bible Says So: What We Get Right (and Wrong) About Scripture’s Most Controversial Issues by Daniel McClellan
The Bible Says So is an interesting book without a defined readership.
The author identifies himself up front as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (AKA Mormons) but he aims this book at a wider audience. Dan McClellan is a Bible scholar with the academic credentials to prove it and he uses his considerable erudition to prove that the book known as the Bible is not the unified Word of God cherished as divinely inspired by millions of fundamentalist Christians. It is actually a varied collection of many different books written by different authors at different times in different places and in several different languages, none of which were English. A detailed analysis of the biblical words for "inspired" and a comprehensive history of the formation of the modern canon(s) of scripture destroys the idea of the Bible as the unchanging guidebook for all Christianity.
In different chapters, the author demolishes contemporary ideas of the Bible as a source of revealed truth about slavery, homosexuality, female modesty, and numerous other topics, including the actual nature of God.
The problem with this book is that readers dedicated to a conservative "King James only" viewpoint will be horrified and condemn it as blasphemy. Everyone else already agrees with a more liberal interpretation and probably doesn't need such a detailed reminder.
The first few times I read an endnote "apologizing" to a pop music group for adapting one of their song titles to a chapter heading, I thought it was cute, but after awhile, I stopped bothering with the notes.
While I did learn a bit about the Bible, I began skimming towards the end as I really didn't need convincing. Perhaps a recent refugee from a fundamentalist background would find it more helpful.
I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Essentials for giving me access to a free advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. ]]> UserFollowing325747189 Sun, 20 Apr 2025 17:48:49 -0700 <![CDATA[Linda is now following Diane Ferbrache]]> /user/show/2880213-diane-ferbrache Linda is now following Diane Ferbrache ]]>