oceanwriter's reviews
554 reviews

Kill for Me, Kill for You: A Novel by Steve Cavanagh

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 20%.
Not liking the tone of the book in regards to religious organizations and not worth my time. The beginning was strong but the dual timeline was already becoming tedious. 
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Wellness by Nathan Hill

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 61%.
Though I typically like character-driven literary fiction, this book is just too long and too unrelatable for my stage of life. I wanted to push though, especially more than halfway through it, but I could not bear the idea of reading another 300 pages. It's a book I may revisit in a decade or so. 
None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 48%.
As great as the full cast audiobook is, the intensity of the performance is too much for me for a story I’m not particularly enjoying. I don’t like how the
pedophilia
is being handled and according to reviews, it’s not going to get any better. This was my freebie from BOTM so I don’t feel obliged to push through. 
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Annie Finds a Home by Amy Ehrlich

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hopeful lighthearted relaxing fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Cute, but certainly not the best children’s adaption of the movie. Most of the plot lines and characters were omitted. 
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The Last Chance Library by Freya Sampson

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emotional hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 
I found this book at a thrift store and was so drawn to the vibrant and bookish cover that I didn’t so much as glance at the synopsis. It’s caught by eye on my bookshelf and thanks to a bingo challenge, I was inspired to finally pick it up. What a treat it was! 
 
June’s life revolves around her job at her small town’s library. Her attachment has been even greater since the death of her mother. When the library is at risk of closing, she’s forced to come out of her shell for the sake of her friends, job, and the community. 
 
I couldn’t have picked this book up at a more perfect time. It was a relaxing, sweet read that resonated deeply with me. I love that the romance plot of the book was mostly in the background and didn’t overshadow the main plot surrounding the library. Some scenes felt unnecessary and stalled the progression of the book, but it wasn’t difficult to get back into the groove once it picked up again. I will absolutely be reading more from this author! 
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West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I’ve had this book on my TBR for a while now. I don’t remember what drew me to it in the first place aside from it being historical fiction, so I went into it fairly blindly. 
 
I was surprised in the opening pages to see it set in the future (2025) where we meet Woodrow Wilson Nickel toward the end of his life. After the introduction, the book follows him in the 1930s while tensions are building around the world when two giraffes are found to have survived a hurricane in transport. We follow their cross-country journey along with Woodrow and others. 
 
It didn’t register as I was reading that this book is inspired by a true story. I might have appreciated it more had I realized. I didn’t find myself overly absorbed in the story, though I did enjoy the premise. It kept me good company during a day of commuting and waiting room visits, so for that, it was perfect. 
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Conspiracy Fact: Human Experimentation in the United States: DECLASSIFIED by Kate Marcello

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informative fast-paced

3.0

I accidentally read the two books in this series out of order. Thankfully, they each read as a standalone. 

Much like I felt with the book about MKULTRA, this book is a good summary of the history of human experimentation in the U.S. and prompts the reader to further their research. 
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Conspiracy Fact: MKULTRA and Mind Control in the United States: DECLASSIFIED by Kate Marcello

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informative fast-paced

3.0

A decent summary and a brief discussion on MKULTRA and other mind control projects orchestrated by the U.S. 

Feels more like a podcast than a book and leaves the reader with a lot of research to do for themselves. While I would have preferred more detail, I'm sure some people appreciate this condensed version. 
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House of Kwa by Mimi Kwa

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emotional informative reflective slow-paced

3.0

I have been loving multigenerational fiction books over the past couple of years. It never occurred to me to look into multigenerational nonfiction. Stories like this are haunting when shown in fiction and the impact hits even more in a memoir. 
 
Mimi Kwa recounts her family’s history from the early days of World War II through the present day. Given the lineage begins before her birth, some sections are more vivid than others. The book covers themes such as mental illness, familial struggles, loss, and other traumas. 
 
I found the book interesting yet somewhat difficult to follow. The time jumps were oddly placed and in general I struggled to follow along with it. The writing was strong, although, it read more like fiction than nonfiction which is something I personally don’t enjoy in nonfiction. Still, I learned a lot along the way which is the most important factor. 
 
A huge thanks to Harper360 for sending me a free ARC of the book to read and review! 
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The Waltham Murders: One Woman's Pursuit to Expose the Truth Behind a Murder and a National Tragedy by Susan Clare Zalkind

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dark informative mysterious slow-paced

1.0

This book immediately caught my eye around its release. I have a faint memory of the Waltham murders having grown up in Massachusetts. I was fairly young at the time, so the details are murky and most of what I remember are general comments made by family members. Now as an adult, I was curious to learn more. While the book provided a refresher, I don’t feel any more educated on the topic. 
 
Despite the tagline on the cover, I didn’t realize that this book was going to be more of a memoir than a walkthrough of the crime and all of those things that go into a true crime book. That’s not to say that the crime as a whole was not discussed, only that it was told in such a disjointed way that it was difficult to follow and left me feeling confused about what is fact and what is speculation. When the author came to her conclusion toward the end of the book, I felt blindsided. It lacked the evidence to back up the assured statements made. 
 
This isn’t a crime I’ve followed in any capacity so I’m not disputing any of the author’s claims. I don’t know what happened and that’s the main reason why I picked up this book in the first place. While I sympathize that the author had a connection to one of the victims and I admire her passion for her investigation, this was ultimately two separate books poorly rolled into one. 
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