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Cynthia H. (cinderh) - Reviews

1 to 20 of 35 - Page:
The Auschwitz Escape
The Auschwitz Escape
Author: Joel C. Rosenberg
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 4.4/5 Stars.
 18
Review Date: 2/3/2015
Helpful Score: 1


What a gripping book! The action and suspense never stop, but are not over done either. The story is compelling and makes me want to read the real accounts. I thought the ending seemed a teeny bit rushed to close up the loose ends, but still a fantastic read!


Autumn
Autumn
Author: David Moody
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.4/5 Stars.
 32
Review Date: 3/3/2014
Helpful Score: 1


Truly just an OK book. The character's are not well developed and well, kind of dumb. At first the rising dead aren't dangerous, but everyone is freaking out about going outside. Umm...go get supplies! Some of the characters are just plain jerks. The two main male characters fight without reason like 10 and 13 year old brothers and it doesn't add to the story at all. Just thrown in for conflict I guess. It ended up just being irritating. The seems almost like a young adult book, but there are no young characters so it's not in that category.


Bird Box: A Novel
Bird Box: A Novel
Author: Josh Malerman
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 3.7/5 Stars.
 17
Review Date: 2/3/2015


This is a great psychological post apocalyptic horror novel. The author is great visually and emotionally in his writing and his creepiness factor is high as well. It is written in the past and present, but is very easy to follow. My only complaint is the lack of explanation, but it is still a very entertaining read.


A Bone to Pick (Aurora Teagarden, Bk 2)
A Bone to Pick (Aurora Teagarden, Bk 2)
Author: Charlaine Harris
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 378
Review Date: 6/9/2014


I'm not sure what to make of this book. Other than a murder there isn't much mystery. No sleuthing to be seen here. The "who done it" is solved by no one really. It's just dumb luck. There is another lackluster budding romance that is no better than in the first book. Aurora strikes me as an unfeeling, greedy little thing in this book. She's so happy with her inheritance without much regard to the dead friend that left it all to her. Then she decides she doesn't want to work anymore. She just seems rather unfocused and uninspiring in this book.


Child 44 (Leo Demidov, Bk 1)
Child 44 (Leo Demidov, Bk 1)
Author: Tom Rob Smith
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 104
Review Date: 2/3/2015


Not knowing much about Starlin-era Soviet Union I wasn't sure what I was getting into. I had read a little bit about the Gulag's, but nothing about the average person living at the time. This was exciting and fascinating at the same time. The story was riveting, but I'm not sure I liked the characters. I felt there was something a bit lacking in the explanation of the murders and what happened to Leo as a child. That sounds like a fascinating story too. I'll look into the next book for sure.


Daughters of the Witching Hill
Daughters of the Witching Hill
Author: Mary Sharratt
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 14
Review Date: 2/3/2015


I've read other books about witch trials, but mostly what happened in Salem. This book is just as heartbreaking of course. The author did a great job of bringing the characters to life and giving them personality. It's easy to see how a small community could easily turn on itself in the wake of superstition.

The book is written in the words of two characters. The first half by one and the last half by another. I thought I might not like the changeover, Sharratt was successful at making the transition very smoothly.


Dead Man's Deal (Asylum Tales, Bk 2)
Dead Man's Deal (Asylum Tales, Bk 2)
Author: Jocelynn Drake
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4.3/5 Stars.
 10
Review Date: 2/3/2015


This book was certainly better than the first book. I'm still not feeling the relationship between Gage and Trixie. There was a bit less going on in this book and that was my main gripe about Angel's Ink. I did enjoy Gage more as well since his character wasn't being pulled in a thousand different directions. I hope Bronx has more of a role in the next book. I felt like he and Trixie's character's were after thoughts with this installment.


The Dinner
The Dinner
Author: Herman Koch, Sam Garrett (Translator)
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.2/5 Stars.
 100
Review Date: 2/3/2015
Helpful Score: 1


So this book is is supposed to be "A European Gone Girl" according to the Wall Street Journal. I don't agree. Yes, these people start to change through the book, but not in the same way. I didn't find the narrative to be as gripping and frankly, I don't see why some of these people weren't thrown in jail years ago for some of the things they had done. Some of the book feels vague to me and other parts are vivd with detail. The premiss of the story was good, but I think it could have been written better. Sometimes I just flat out didn't understand what the narrator was trying to convey. Maybe because it felt disjointed at times because the author would just stop and switch to something else just as things would get interesting and not bring that particular thing back into the story. The book was intriguing enough for me to try another by this author though.


Elizabeth of York: A Tudor Queen and Her World
Elizabeth of York: A Tudor Queen and Her World
Author: Alison Weir
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3/5 Stars.
 2
Review Date: 2/3/2015


I found this book very interesting, but somewhat hard to get though because it gets bogged down with the account records of how much was spent on things. I understand that it is a way to document things that were going on though. I did not know anything about Henry VII or Elizabeth of York. I had some background on her mother and father and I've read much about her son. This book helped to fill that time period in. It wasn't only about Elizabeth as there seems to not be much that survived in her own hand. Much of the book is speculation about her based on documentation of others. It also starts with her birth and goes into pretty good detail of that time with Elizabeth Woodville and Edward IV. Because there isn't a lot of documentation about Elizabeth herself the book goes into detail about what was happening around her and to the people around her. Since I knew nothing about the period it was fine with me since it was a bit broad in scope. If I had been looking for a book just about Elizabeth of York I would have been disappointed.


Even White Trash Zombies Get the Blues (White Trash Zombie, Bk 2)
Even White Trash Zombies Get the Blues (White Trash Zombie, Bk 2)
Author: Diana Rowland
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 43
Review Date: 2/13/2014


I really enjoyed this book and where the author is taking Angel. She's growing, yet still a bit unsure of herself. I like the supporting characters as well with the exception of her boyfriend who I think is overbearing.

The plot was more enjoyable than the first book and some loose ends were tied up. Very unique take on zombi-ism and how it works. Looking forward to the next installment in the White Trash Zombie series.


Ex-Heroes (Ex-Heroes, Bk 1)
Ex-Heroes (Ex-Heroes, Bk 1)
Author: Peter Clines
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4.5/5 Stars.
 13
Review Date: 2/3/2015
Helpful Score: 1


Maybe not quite a four star book, but close enough. Superhero's in the zombie apocalypse... Hmmm...ok. Certainly a new idea. I thought the characters and their struggles were well though out. The plot...was very comic book and so was the protagonist. It was an entertaining read, but I found myself almost more interested in the flashbacks that let us see who these superheros were. The back and forth in time was a little distracting for me. I also felt like the book just throws you into the middle of the story and that's why all the flashbacks were needed. It felt like a few to many characters to keep track of, even if some of them were already dead except for the flashbacks. I am interested in where the characters go from here so I will continue on with this series.


Five (Beatrice Kaspary, Bk 1)
Five (Beatrice Kaspary, Bk 1)
Author: Ursula Archer, Jamie Lee Searle (Translator)
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 8
Review Date: 2/3/2015


I felt that this book was well thought out and certainly had me stumped. Ms. Archer sure writes 'crazy' well. I admit to thinking that the clues just went on a little to long and the middle portion of the book got a little bogged down for me, but it picked right back up again in the last 50-60 pages. I liked the writing style and I hope the author brings Beatrice back and turns this into a series because I'd be interested in following her story a bit longer.


Forget About It
Forget About It
Author: Caprice Crane
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 110
Review Date: 3/10/2014


This book was just ok. I had hoped for more since I loved Stupid and Contagious so much. I didn't find this book as funny. This poor girls family was just horrid and so mean that it made me kind of sad for her. I did like her attitude in the end and liked how everything was resolved. All in all, there was nothing really memorable here.


The Girl in 6E
The Girl in 6E
Author: A. R. Torre
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 3.2/5 Stars.
 3
Review Date: 2/3/2015
Helpful Score: 1


This book is certainly like nothing I've read before. Gave me a little bit of a ride as I couldn't figure out how the story line would play out. I did find it a little unbelievable that this young woman who has been locked in her apartment for 3 years suddenly jumps in a car and drives for hours. I think that someone who was in that self imposed isolation would be a bit afraid to go out into the world again. I also thought the story bogged down a bit with her fear of how dangerous she was. It seemed to take up the whole first half of the book and I got the point much sooner than that. The relationships that she has with other characters is very interesting and I enjoyed them. I will certainly watch for the next book to come out so I can see where this character is going.


Half a King (Shattered Sea, Bk 1)
Half a King (Shattered Sea, Bk 1)
Author: Joe Abercrombie
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 4.1/5 Stars.
 12
Review Date: 2/3/2015


I was lucky enough to get an ARC edition of this book to review. I thought it was typical Abercrombie. If you like his other works, you'll like this one. He writes with very dry wit, sarcasm and has a tendency to keep me on edge regarding where the story is going. Oh, and blood, lots of blood and grit. The story itself isn't particularly original, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's a fun, quick ride and I'm looking forward to the next book to see where this story goes.


The Husband's Secret
The Husband's Secret
Author: Liane Moriarty
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 212
Review Date: 2/3/2015


Really enjoyed this one! Certainly a lighter fun read...a little on the predictable side. I really enjoyed the process of Cecelia coming undone. Not sure I liked the outcome, but I loved that last chapter! Will read more by this author.


The Invention of Wings
The Invention of Wings
Author: Sue Monk Kidd
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 161
Review Date: 5/6/2014
Helpful Score: 6


Loved this one. Well written so that you know just what the characters are feeling. The chapters flowed smoothly even though the narrator changed back and forth from Handful to Sarah. Both character's stories where equally interesting. I really appreciated the rather long author's note at the end. Ms. Kidd went into great detail about what was fact and what was fiction and I was glad to have read what happened to everyone after the final scene in the book.


Joyland
Joyland
Author: Stephen King
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 161
Review Date: 3/19/2014


I really liked the characters, but I almost always like King's characters and writing style. The story I thought ended rather quickly, and the mystery of the killer wasn't hinted at enough throughout the story. It seemed more like a coming of age story, with a murder thrown in.


Kitty's Greatest Hits
Kitty's Greatest Hits
Author: Carrie Vaughn
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 14
Review Date: 2/3/2015
Helpful Score: 1


I normally don't like short stories, but this collection held my interest the entire way through. Most of the stories are related to the Kitty novels and I was happy to learn a bit more about the other characters that make appearances in the books.


Lock In (Lock In, Bk 1)
Lock In (Lock In, Bk 1)
Author: John Scalzi
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 4.2/5 Stars.
 14
Review Date: 2/3/2015


I enjoyed this book. I thought the concept was interesting, as were the characters. The narration flowed well and the characters interacted well with good conversations and easy banter throughout. The concept was a little muddled for me at times and I found I had to go back and read the paragraph again to make sure I got what was being explained. I felt like this might be the first in a series and we will see this world again. I would read the next one if I am right.


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