cjnboston

Pretending to be a very famous title

Revisado: 05-28-24

This is NOT the audio version of the book of the same name. Do not waste your money. It gives very generic advice and was not beneficial in the slightest. It is also not returnable because you have to pay cash for it.

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Not quite Knives Out, more Westing Game

Revisado: 07-31-21

So I definitely understand the urge to compare this book to Knives out, as that’s the most recent cultural reference, but it actually reminded me more of an older children’s book called The Westing Game. Eccentric old rich guy dies, puts on game where no one understands why it’s happening. Definitely darker undertones here.
One thing that really bothers me about female protagonists in literature is when they are ostensibly (and introduced as) strong, independent, and self sufficient, but then spend most of the book, up to and including the denouement depending on male characters that they haven’t had relationships with in the past. This particular one wasn’t super egregious and it was mildly understandable as she’d been thrown into a world where she wasn’t familiar with anything, but this book really wouldn’t pass a solid Bechdel test. Nevertheless, I found it a quick and enjoyable listen and will probably get the second one.
If you’re looking for a stellar example of this genre, definitely check out the Westing Game.

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Nice cozy mystery with some common flaws

Revisado: 11-11-20

As a caveat, I really enjoyed listening to this mystery. Overall, it had an engaging plotline and a relatively good cast of characters. It's listed as a paranormal mystery, but really the only paranormal thing about it is that the lead character can see ghosts. She doesn't have magical powers, or solve crimes that are linked to paranormal activity, or anything that is common in that genre. If you're looking for something like that, there are much better options (Try Victoria Laurie). This is on the level of Diane Mott Davidson or Katherine Hall Page, possibly Andrew Greeley's Bishop series.
However, the execution is faulty. The author only seems to be able to have her character meet her contacts in restaurants, where she inevitably gorges herself because the food is so good (and this character never gets to pick up a check because apparently all the men in her life absolutely feel it's an honor to pay for her to eat). She also introduced a *completely* new subject out of the blue in the last hour of the story, which is a HUGE red flag. But the thing that bothered me the most is that I think she didn't actually read any of her dialogue out loud to see if it sounded natural, so she gets moments where it's incredibly stilted and something that no one would say. It's especially jarring in audiobook format. You can tell the author is a bit older because there are definite norms in this book that are a bit outdated.
Overall, it's definitely not enough to turn me off to this series or this author. This is a pseudonym and she's been publishing since 2012, so I think it's probably just her style. Go into it with your eyes wide open and don't expect it to be Shakespeare, and you'll have a good time!

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esto le resultó útil a 2 personas

This book is incredible

Revisado: 07-05-20

I cannot honestly say enough positive things about this book. The only downside is that there is only one of them! (Although I do understand that it’s a completely different voice for the inimitable Miss Carriger, so it’s hard to inhabit that headspace.) if you’re looking for an incredible sci-fi adventure, this is your book. Gail writes with a creativity and originality that borders on astounding in all of her work, but this one is my favorite. It’s a full cast recording, so if you’re not used to that it does take a little while to get into that cadence. This book is also a major departure from her Finishing school and parasol protectorate series, so if you’re looking for steampunk this isn’t that. If you’re looking for more in the same universe, 5th Gender does take place there, but it is an *explicit* romance (but also of the same high quality plot line). Read this book - it is WELL worth your time.

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esto le resultó útil a 3 personas

I’ve tried to listen to it twice

Revisado: 07-05-20

So, I’ve tried to listen to this book twice. I absolutely loved the Devil Wears Prada movie, but I’m finding myself with the same issue with this book that I had with the book version of The Devil Wears Prada: when authors write about fashion, they tend to get stereotypical and one dimensional. I’m finding that especially with the Eve character, there’s not much depth. You’re obviously supposed to hate her and find her reprehensible, but the truth is that magazines are becoming a dead medium and someone needs to bring them into the next century. There must be a much better and more compassionate way to do that, and I think that anyone that spent time at Harvard would probably behave in a similar way and make some pretty serious missteps and miscues, but overall there needs to be more humanity written into adversaries. It’s just not reasonable. If you’re looking for solid escapism into the fashion world and a good story akin to Devil in a well-told manner, this is your book. It just wasn’t for me.

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esto le resultó útil a 7 personas

So. Much. Fun.

Revisado: 04-03-20

Ok, so this is definitely a bit more explicit than I usually read. And it’s definitely not the thing that you want to autoconnect to the Bluetooth speakers in your car over Christmas break with your husband and daughter in the car so everyone can hear it with one of the raunchiest sex scenes in the book playing (true story). However, this has got to be the most fun romance that I’ve read, possibly ever. The characters are believable and funny, but not to the point of ridiculousness, the narrator nails the plains accents to a T (at least to my NY ears, I’m sure a Minnesotan might pick up on some errors, but they’d probably be too polite to point it out), and I really just didn’t want it to end. I actually listened to it twice in a row! Then I went to see if this author had any other books, which sadly on audible she does not. Ms. And Ms. Andi, this was a collaboration made in heaven, and if you read your reviews, please write more!

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I wanted to love this but...

Revisado: 04-03-20

So, I really wanted to love this. I absolutely love the writers style, and from the beginning she had me hooked on the character and interested in what might happen in the plot. The narrator was excellent. I liked the idea that the protagonist was getting out of a controlling relationship, having a bit of experience in those myself. However, after the first few chapter this book just devolved into the main character whining about how worried she was about not being attractive enough for this guy she was falling for, not being able to see her own good qualities, putting up walls and barriers and ridiculous road blocks under the guise of wanting to protect herself again, and basically just acting a bit obnoxious in a way that made it hard to see while the male lead was attracted to her in the first place. The side plot of criminal sisters was interesting, but I couldn’t make it through enough of the book to see whether that was actually why he was interested in her in the first place, or how it was going to play out in the back half of the story. As a curvy, nerdy, redhead myself I always love it when I come across kindred characters but this one gives gingers a bad name. A bit more realistic editing and I think this could have been an amazing story - the bones are there.

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This kind of story does nothing for women in tech

Revisado: 02-12-20

As a female web dev, I was super excited to read this story and was hopeful as the writer was formerly in tech herself. However, as the storyline continued, it just kept getting more and more stereotypical. The female lead vacillated between wanting to appear confident and never directly addressing the problem with the person she actually should have been talking to in the first place. Her work environment was the kind of brogrammer club that is incredibly outdated in the industry. Instead of advocating for herself and getting the hell out of a job that was making her miserable, she just stayed there. All around, the lead’s behavior was way too unrealistic for me to believe. I wanted to throw my phone across the room a few times because she just wouldn’t get out of her own way and address anything in her life directly. Her biggest problem in her life wasn’t her job, her lack of love life, or the dick pics she was consistently getting, but herself, and she never once addressed that. I couldn’t finish this one, and I was so hoping it would be a positive book about women in the tech industry doing good things in a male dominated field.

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esto le resultó útil a 8 personas

One of the best books I've ever listened to

Revisado: 03-28-18

I was a bit hesitant to purchase this book, but have been trying to branch out and read some new authors I normally wouldn't have considered. Not being a big Twilight fan, I was hesitant with the whole vampire concept, but figured with a release date of 2010 originally hopefully it wasn't derivative. This is, quite simply, one of the best books I've ever heard. It's suspenseful and intriguing without being unnecessarily obtuse or confusing. The world is complex and beautiful and McKinley does a beautiful job of giving you information just when you need it. If you liked Divergent (the first two, let's all agree the third one was disappointing) or Hunger Games, this might be a book for you.
**Generally when I find a book I love, I buy all the other books the author has written. Beware of doing this - Sunshine appears to be a departure from her normal style, not her regular form, which I found incredibly disappointing.

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