No One Saw by Beverly Long My rating: 1 of 5 stars Thank you to the publisher, MIRA, for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Gist At the time I decided to read and review No One Saw, I was not familiar with the characters of detectives McKittridge and Morgan or the previous story that did the initial introduction of them. I jumped in with both feet, ready to embark on a mystery story with a police-procedural flair to it. The story accomplished that and yet it didn’t. There was a distinct divide between solving the…
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The Sorensen Low Self-Esteem Recovery Program
The Sorensen Low Self-Esteem Recovery Program: Your Guide to a Life Free from Fear and Anxiety by Marilyn Sorensen My rating: 1 of 5 stars I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I have two pet peeves when it comes to non-fiction works. One, back up your work with the appropriate research. Don’t just say “studies have shown…” that is neither professional nor convincing. Two, don’t belittle others in your field of work. Turns out the author of this book did both and then some. In chapter one the author begins introducing low self-esteem, but not in a very scientific…
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White Raven
White Raven by J.L. Weil My rating: 1 of 5 stars I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I don’t even know where to start. I have been having a lot of free time on my hands lately and thought I will work myself through the ever-growing list of NetGalley books. I can’t remember why I requested this story in the first place, because reading the synopsis I can’t really find anything that would personally interest me in the story. I’m not trying to be rude; it just didn’t seem like my cup of tea. Before I started reading I…
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The Song of Achilles
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller My rating: 1 of 5 stars I read this book in early February of this year and I have been dreading writing a review ever since for two reasons. For one, according to the reviews and ratings of it mine is a very unpopular opinion. Secondly, I’m not sure I can keep my sarcasm in check, but I will try my best and as a result turn this into a very boring and dull review…maybe. The Song of Achilles has been on my to-read list for a very long time and I finally took the opportunity to read it now that I have…
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Der Kolumbusfalter und andere Abenteuer
Der Kolumbusfalter und andere Abenteuer by Walt Disney Company My rating: 1 of 5 stars As with most people during these very uncertain and even scary times, I’m stuck at home and trying desperately to find ways to fight off boredom. I was lucky when I found a digital version of the first 20 editions of Lustiges Taschenbuch. The publisher began publishing them way before I was born and when I was introduced to them (at an early age), there were about 30 years worth of editions I had missed. So, here I was, sitting comfortably on my couch, ready to embark on this historic journey.And…I don’t think I will…
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Romantics, Rebels and Reactionaries: English Literature and Its Background, 1760-1830
Romantics, Rebels and Reactionaries: English Literature and Its Background, 1760-1830 by Marilyn Butler My rating: 1 of 5 stars Part of my ongoing research in preparation for my graduate thesis. I mostly focused on the section dealing with Jane Austen and her work, regardless, I really have no idea what this author’s point was supposed to be. I noticed slight anger in her writing, unnecessary social and even personal criticism and more than a few times I found the author judging Jane and her literary choices based on modern times and practices. Almost every time the author began a new point it was built up to encourage literary discussion, maybe…
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Gold Rush Queen: The Extraordinary Life of Nellie Cashman
Gold Rush Queen: The Extraordinary Life of Nellie Cashman by Thora Kerr Illing My rating: 1 of 5 stars * Last semester I took a creative non-fiction course; the last course I needed for my double major and before I started research for my thesis. In this course, the prof wanted us to read a “creative non-fiction” book, i.e. a biography/memoir, and write a review on it. Below is the review I handed in for marking, with only minor changes. I admit, this may not be my best work, but my prof was of the opinion that my writing was sloppy, unclear, unfocused and in need of major editing. I…
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Jessica Jones: Alias, Vol. 1
Jessica Jones: Alias, Vol. 1 by Brian Michael Bendis My rating: 1 of 5 stars I love the Netflix series Jessica Jones and decided to borrow this volume from my local library while waiting for the next season to come out. Well, let me tell you: this was pretty awful. Why? You may ask. Let me count the ways: The dialogue was horrendous. I know the writers tried to make it come across naturally and all, but every speech bubble contained many words repeated over and over again to signify stuttering or hesitation. It’s effective when used sparingly, but this just stopped any form of flow the dialogue could have…
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The Cambridge Introduction to Jane Austen
The Cambridge Introduction to Jane Austen by Janet Todd My rating: 1 of 5 stars Part of my ongoing research in preparation for my graduate thesis. A rather slim volume by the looks of it, I wondered what new information I could glean from such a short introduction to Jane Austen after having completed a month and a half of research, plus a trip to Bath and Chawton in England. I must be completely honest here and ask the very straight forward question: what the heck was this supposed to be? The book begins with a chapter on Jane Austen’s life. It feels thrown together; summarized from other sources that…
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Representing Women and Female Desire from Arcadia to Jane Eyre
Representing Women and Female Desire from Arcadia to Jane Eyre by Marea Mitchell My rating: 1 of 5 stars Part of my ongoing research for my graduate thesis. I’m really not quite sure what this was supposed to argue or communicate. I thought the summary was very misleading, since it says it will examine women and female desire from Arcadia to Jane Eyre not comparing other works of classical literature to Arcadia. Most of the time I had no clue what was going on and noticed that the section focusing on Austen’s Pride & Prejudice talked more about Darcy and Bingley than truly committing to the concept of women and…
