Sunday, September 17, 2017
My Top Book Recommendation of the Year
I finished this book as an audiobook this week and was so impressed I wanted to pass it along. Whatever format you choose, seek out Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. A touching, sad little novelette. Simple, yet so beautifully written. I don't want to give away any details! You have to read it and see for yourself!!
A pair of Harlequins
I wrapped up a pair of Harlequins from my piles this week, so here is my brief sum up of each one:
Baby By The Book by Kara Lennox from 2001. Your standard Harlequin theme - A desperate woman with a baby on the way needs a job so she gets one making shelves for the rich writer Rand Barclay. She goes into labor while working in his office, so he takes her to the hospital and the inevitable happens as he starts to care for her and her baby.
I liked it. It stayed the course, the characters were pleasant, and the drama was suitable. I give it a thumbs up in the world of Harlequins. Good luck finding it anywhere, but if it's a part of your own collection you probably agree it's worth a read.
Fire Signs by Jocelyn Griffin, 1986. I've got to be honest, Pre-90's Harlequins were pretty boring. Settings were usually in offices or dealing with world espionage, two snore inducers as far as I'm concerned. Fire Signs falls under the category of Business Takeovers. Sara is reluctant to give up her company, so Nick buys her out and becomes her boss, followed by some boring Daystar chitchat. Nick makes pottery at his aunt's studio (like Ghost) but it just doesn't give the story enough boost.
Baby By The Book by Kara Lennox from 2001. Your standard Harlequin theme - A desperate woman with a baby on the way needs a job so she gets one making shelves for the rich writer Rand Barclay. She goes into labor while working in his office, so he takes her to the hospital and the inevitable happens as he starts to care for her and her baby.
I liked it. It stayed the course, the characters were pleasant, and the drama was suitable. I give it a thumbs up in the world of Harlequins. Good luck finding it anywhere, but if it's a part of your own collection you probably agree it's worth a read.
Fire Signs by Jocelyn Griffin, 1986. I've got to be honest, Pre-90's Harlequins were pretty boring. Settings were usually in offices or dealing with world espionage, two snore inducers as far as I'm concerned. Fire Signs falls under the category of Business Takeovers. Sara is reluctant to give up her company, so Nick buys her out and becomes her boss, followed by some boring Daystar chitchat. Nick makes pottery at his aunt's studio (like Ghost) but it just doesn't give the story enough boost.
Friday, September 8, 2017
The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
I won a preview copy of The Wife Between Us (which doesn't go on sale until January of 2018), read it, and here's my review!
I loved the first half of this book, I liked the second half of this book. Without giving away the plot twist, I'll just say the first half of the book is a woman obsessed with her ex-husband's new girlfriend. We see her unraveling as she starts drinking and stalking. Then-comes the twist and at first I was like 'What is going on?! I don't get it.' Then it fell in place. The story changes from a stalker story to one of a woman's survival.
Me personally? I preferred the stalker element. I liked seeing Vanessa coming undone and I wanted to see that play out. On the other hand, the second half has its dramatic moments. I wasn't quite sure about the ending and had to reread it-Emma is actually who?? Overall I'd give it a solid B to B-. I wanted more stalking less bored suburban housewife and her feelings of entrapment.
I loved the first half of this book, I liked the second half of this book. Without giving away the plot twist, I'll just say the first half of the book is a woman obsessed with her ex-husband's new girlfriend. We see her unraveling as she starts drinking and stalking. Then-comes the twist and at first I was like 'What is going on?! I don't get it.' Then it fell in place. The story changes from a stalker story to one of a woman's survival.
Me personally? I preferred the stalker element. I liked seeing Vanessa coming undone and I wanted to see that play out. On the other hand, the second half has its dramatic moments. I wasn't quite sure about the ending and had to reread it-Emma is actually who?? Overall I'd give it a solid B to B-. I wanted more stalking less bored suburban housewife and her feelings of entrapment.
Saturday, September 2, 2017
Deal or Duel!
My latest review for Blogging For Books is not a book but a new historical game called Deal or Duel!
I wanted to play this game several times before I made my review so I could have a good grasp on how much fun it is and my conclusion is it's so-so.
At first the game is pretty complicated and there are lots of things to remember on each turn-challenge cards, duel cards, moving duel cards back 5 paces, drawing a Hamilton card etc. My advice is not to tackle the rule book all at once, read the instructions only when you reach that point in game play, reading the rules of skirmishes when you haven't even played duel is not going to make the game any easier. After two or three games you start to get the hang of all the rules and how it works and I found it to be mildly fun. (don't forget how complicated Monopoly must have seemed the very first time you played it and how now you can play without any instruction.)
There are some unanswered questions I have about the game play and here they are:
1. How can a player win with $1000 when only $300 is allowed in the treasury per game and the treasury can't be refilled with money from the 'mint'? Even if you keep all of your original $150, gain all of your partner's $150, and empty the treasury that's still only $600.
2. It says any player picks a Hamilton Card at the start of each new round. How is it decided who picks? And is the rule on the card applied only to the reader or to every player in the game?
3. "There can be up to four simultaneous duels at one time" -against the same person if you're playing a two person game? Can one person have more than one duel going with one other player or is this rule only applied when four people are playing and you can challenge up to three of them at once?
I changed some of the rules to fit my game and, as I said, it was fairly fun. I'd wait until this game hits the bargain bin before buying it though.
I wanted to play this game several times before I made my review so I could have a good grasp on how much fun it is and my conclusion is it's so-so.
At first the game is pretty complicated and there are lots of things to remember on each turn-challenge cards, duel cards, moving duel cards back 5 paces, drawing a Hamilton card etc. My advice is not to tackle the rule book all at once, read the instructions only when you reach that point in game play, reading the rules of skirmishes when you haven't even played duel is not going to make the game any easier. After two or three games you start to get the hang of all the rules and how it works and I found it to be mildly fun. (don't forget how complicated Monopoly must have seemed the very first time you played it and how now you can play without any instruction.)
There are some unanswered questions I have about the game play and here they are:
1. How can a player win with $1000 when only $300 is allowed in the treasury per game and the treasury can't be refilled with money from the 'mint'? Even if you keep all of your original $150, gain all of your partner's $150, and empty the treasury that's still only $600.
2. It says any player picks a Hamilton Card at the start of each new round. How is it decided who picks? And is the rule on the card applied only to the reader or to every player in the game?
3. "There can be up to four simultaneous duels at one time" -against the same person if you're playing a two person game? Can one person have more than one duel going with one other player or is this rule only applied when four people are playing and you can challenge up to three of them at once?
I changed some of the rules to fit my game and, as I said, it was fairly fun. I'd wait until this game hits the bargain bin before buying it though.
One Thousand White Women / Jim Fergus
The latest book I finished reading is One Thousand White Women which I received from Reading Group Gold.
The word I would use to describe this book is Bold. It's written Journal-style by an imaginary woman in the 1800's named May Dodd who was institutionalized against her will by her ex-husband. Her only chance for a new life is to join a government program that grants 1000 white women to the Native Americans of the West. May befriends a variety of different women along the train ride and they all settle in the camp together with their new spouses. It's not all happy and it's not all easy, that's why I labeled this book as Bold, it explores the idea of these women becoming sight unseen brides and the new life they have to adjust to among people so different from them.
It's incredible how the author was able to so vividly imagine this story and it is told with realistic first person accounts.It's not a short read (434 pages) and it can be racy for those who were expecting something more old fashioned because of the era it's set in.But it's worth the time to seek it out online or at the library.
The word I would use to describe this book is Bold. It's written Journal-style by an imaginary woman in the 1800's named May Dodd who was institutionalized against her will by her ex-husband. Her only chance for a new life is to join a government program that grants 1000 white women to the Native Americans of the West. May befriends a variety of different women along the train ride and they all settle in the camp together with their new spouses. It's not all happy and it's not all easy, that's why I labeled this book as Bold, it explores the idea of these women becoming sight unseen brides and the new life they have to adjust to among people so different from them.
It's incredible how the author was able to so vividly imagine this story and it is told with realistic first person accounts.It's not a short read (434 pages) and it can be racy for those who were expecting something more old fashioned because of the era it's set in.But it's worth the time to seek it out online or at the library.
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