I said in a previous post that Sierra Simone is quickly becoming my go to author for erotica but my issues with the last series of hers that I read almost stopped me from picking this book up. It is the first book in a series that is still being published so I decided to take my chances. Like the first book in the “New Camelot Trilogy,” this book is a great start…I just hope the quality continues.
I don’t know why I waited so long to read this book. It has been on my radar since it was released and I had heard good things but it took being quarantined for me to read a book about my profession (maybe this is a sign that I’m missing work.) While marketed as a true crime book, this is also a love letter to libraries and the librarians that dedicate their lives to ensuring these institutions stay vital parts of the community they serve. I would recommend this for anyone who has ever wondered what librarians do all day.
Readers, I have something to confess… I am a librarian who has never read a Stephen King book. Shocking, I know. In my defense, I am not a horror fan and anything I read or consume that is even remotely horror is very specific (I know what I can handle.) But Mr. King has written various genres so that’s where my excuse falls apart. So why this book as my first King? Besides having been recommended to me by numerous friends, I LOVE time travel and will read anything about it. Having read this, I am now mad that I haven’t read King books before and waited so long to read this one. Have you ever started a book and liked it so much that you subconsciously read it really, really slowly in order to make it last? Only me? This is how I felt reading this book. I didn’t want it to end yet couldn’t wait to see what would happen, simultaneously. I know I am late to the game but I cannot recommend this book enough.
What a refreshing romance this was! Most hetero romance novels center on the female characters and spend little time on the male characters. This book takes what we think about romances and flips it around. I was really charmed by this book and can’t wait to read the rest of this series.
This was a book club pick and read like one. Some interesting characters and situations that led to a fairly good discussion about our thoughts. I liked the overall story and the writing and would recommend this book to someone looking for a light, family drama.
There are authors out there that write books that require contemplation when finished. They require thought and analysis and ask the reader to think about what they just read. Emily St. John Mandel is one such author. Whenever I read her books, I think “this is how books should be written.” The problem with “The Glass Hotel” is not really anything that can be helped…it’s the follow up to “Station Eleven,” a book that is in my top ten books of all time and won numerous literary awards. Despite not quite reaching “Station Eleven” heights, it was still a mesmerizing, haunting tale that I would recommend.
I have been meaning to read a Mia Sosa book for a while, so when her newest was released I decided to give it a try. This felt like a movie romantic comedy and had some genuine funny moments that had me laughing out loud. However, the romance itself was just so-so and I found myself wanting more.
I picked this book up because it fit one of my reading challenge prompts (a book translated from an Asian language) and because the cover caught my eye. Never let anyone tell you that covers don’t matter. This was a fairly quick read and felt more like various vignettes than a novel but there was a uniqueness to the story that I enjoyed.
I am in several book clubs and as such find myself reading books from all different genres and subjects, something I appreciate as it forces me out of my reading comfort zone. I actually picked this book as my book club’s next read, knowing that it sounded good and that non-fiction is usually not my genre…and that I am participating in a non-fiction genre study for the next two years and could use this for one of the reading prompts. I ended up thoroughly enjoying this book (as much as you can enjoy a book about murder victims) and would recommend this, especially to those who don’t like non-fiction and are looking for a more narrative telling of a true story.
Continue reading “The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper”
Whoa boy, this book series. Sierra Simone has become my go-to for well-written erotica and this book didn’t disappoint if you are looking for something very, very sexy. If you are looking for a super dramatic, smut filled romance, look no further. However, by book 3, I was beginning to tire of all the sex and needed some more story. I would recommend this series but didn’t feel the need for it to go on as long as it did.
