Adult Archives - Page 29 of 55 - Introverted Reader

Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurty: Book Review

Captains Augustus McCrae and Woodrow Call have retired from active duty in the Texas Rangers and tried to settle in to life as ranchers. When an old buddy shows up talking about how beautiful Montana is and how much land is available for ranching, Captain Call is seized with the idea of being the first man to drive cattle up there. He gathers a crew and, along with Gus and a handful of loyal workers, takes off to cover the 3000 miles to Montana. I was blown away by how much I enjoyed this western. I've read a few of them, and even a few of McMurtry's other novels, but I didn't love any of them the way I loved this. It was just so epic in scale, it gave me a sense of how the "frontier" must have felt back in the day. And yet all these people wandered in and out of each other's lives in a way that is almost unbelievable. In a way it makes sense--there weren't many people, so surely they would all know each other--but the sheer distance makes it feel improbable. I guess I'll never know. It does make for good storytelling. The story switches back and forth between a lot of characters, which is occasionally a turnoff for me. It mostly worked in this book though. I never cared about Elmira one bit and couldn't wait to move on when I got to her sections, but even she served a purpose in the big scheme of things. I never had any trouble keeping track of who was who. Each character was so distinct that there was no danger of confusing anyone. Gus was hands-down my favorite character. I'll probably write a blog post about him alone one of these days. He had…

Coldwater by Mardi McConnochie: Book Review

Author Mardi McConnochie imagines what the lives of the Brontë sisters would have been like if they had grown up on a remote island/penal colony off the coast of Australia. In this fictional tale, their father is the warden of the colony, paranoid to the point of madness and with a giant God-complex. He makes life hard for everyone on the island, including his daughters. Charlotte is the sensible one, Emily is overly sensitive with a large streak of the fey in her, and Anne is caught somewhere between them. The girls realize after their father is shot (it happens on the first page) that they need to try to take control of their own lives, and so they set about trying to earn money the only way they can--by writing. They know it's not a very practical plan when they live in Australia and all the publishers are in England, half a world a way, but what other hope do they have? Their father won't be around forever. I really don't know why this is rated so poorly on Goodreads because I thoroughly enjoyed it. Maybe people are upset that the lives of these classic authors are so very fictionalized? I haven't read reviews yet to see what's going on. I love Jane Eyre and I tend to love Gothic stories. Seeing Charlotte Brontë in her own Gothic story was a treat for me. Emily irritated the heck out of me, but Wuthering Heights irritated the heck out of me too, so I thought she was well-represented. I haven't read any of Anne's work although I intend to. The island is so gloomy and atmospheric that it becomes a character in its own right. I felt so very bad for these sisters. Growing up alone like they have, they…

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield: Book Review

Vida Winter is called the Charles Dickens of her age. No one has ever been able to find out the story of her life. Any reporter who tries gets a beautiful story, but still, it's only a story. But now Vida is old and sick and she must share her story with the world. She chooses Margarate Lea, amateur biographer, to write the final story that everyone has been waiting for. I loved this! It has a very dark, gothic feel to it that reminded me of both Jane Eyre and Rebecca. Vida's story is full of twists and turns and is a delight to read. If you like the Bronte sisters, pick this one up. It's perfect for a dark and stormy day. Reviewed October 24, 2008 Read an excerpt. Buy The Thirteenth Tale at Malaprop’s | Better World Books Friday Flashback Reviews are a weekly feature here on The Introverted Reader. These are old reviews I wrote on GoodReads. Thanks to Angieville and her Retro Friday Reviews for the inspiration and encouragement! I have an affiliate relationship with Malaprop's, my local independent bookstore located in beautiful downtown Asheville, NC; and Better World Books. I will receive a small commission at no cost to you if you purchase books through links on my site.

Dog On It by Spencer Quinn: Book Review

Chet and his human, Bernie, are a private investigating team. When a missing teen case comes their way, Bernie is initially reluctant to take it. He eventually does and the girl shows up under her own steam hours later. But then she goes missing for real. Bernie can just feel that something is really wrong this time. He and Chet go on the hunt, knowing that the more time passes without a ransom note, the worse things look for the missing girl. What a cute book! Chet just cracked me up! Unlike Enzo, the wise canine narrator of The Art of Racing in the Rain, Chet is all dog. His attention span is short. He loves a good steak. He loves treats and the people who hand them out. Unless that person is a perp. Then he'd rather have a bite of their pant leg. And he definitely wants to meet the lady dog he hears barking down the street... I had a good idea from pretty early on what was going to happen because Chet stumbles into it. The suspense comes from wondering if Bernie's going to figure it out in time. Bits of the story seemed implausible, but there are amazing animal stories in the news all the time. Who am I to say what Chet could or couldn't do? I read this on the treadmill at the gym, and it was great for passing the time. I was so caught up in Chet and Bernie that I didn't spend too much time watching the clock. I don't think I ever laughed out loud, but it was a close thing. I know I was grinning like an idiot a few times. Don't expect classic literature here, but if you're intrigued by the idea of a funny mystery told…

Journey to Inuyama by Lian Hearn: Book Review

Picking up exactly where Episode 1 left off, Episode 2 finds Takeo and Kaede en route to a marriage at Lord Iida's stronghold. Takeo is still bent on revenge and Kaede is just trying to survive this brutal world of men. There's still a lot of potential in this series, it's just not getting places very fast. I must be losing my patience for series books as I get older! Kaede is growing fast and I wish more of the story was told from her point of view. Takeo has stalled out a little. I do think he's going to get better throughout the series though. I like Kaede's heart. I was very disappointed in the direction that Shigeru and Lady Maruyama's story went. I guess the Lady's actions make sense within the context of her culture, but I expected more from her. And I think that's really all I have to say. Readers who like books set in Japan will probably be pretty happy with it. I don't have a huge need to continue with the series, but you never know. My review of The Sword of the Warrior (Episode 1) Buy Across the Nightingale Floor: Journey to Inuyama at Malaprop’s | Better World Books I have an affiliate relationship with Malaprop's, my local independent bookstore located in beautiful downtown Asheville, NC; and Better World Books. I will receive a small commission at no cost to you if you purchase books through links on my site.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer: Book Review

A successful WWII columnist, Juliet Ashton, has just published a collection of her popular wartime columns. But now she's looking to write a "meatier" book, she just can't find a topic she wants to live with throughout years of research. Then she receives a letter from Dawsey Adams, a native of Guernsey. He shares with her that her copy of Charles Lamb's book, The Selected Essays of Elia, helped him throughout the Nazi occupation of his island and asks her to help him find more of Lamb's writing. A correspondence begins between Juliet and Dawsey, and ultimately the other members of his book club. The characters in this book were wonderful. I was in love with all of them. They weren't all book lovers when the war started, but by the end, they had experienced how books can make the unbearable a little more bearable. The letter format lets you know the characters more intimately. I think that, other than the characters, what made this book really click with me was that it was obviously written by a book lover for book lovers. Here are some of my favorite quotes from the book: "Reading good books ruins you for enjoying bad books." "Perhaps there is some secret sort of homing instinct in books that brings them to their perfect readers." "It was amazing to me then, and still is, that so many people who wander into bookshops don't really know what they're after--they only want to look around and hope to see a book that will strike their fancy. And then, being bright enough not to trust the publisher's blurb, they will ask the book clerk the three questions: (1) What is it about? (2) Have you read it? (3) Was it any good?" "Because there is nothing I would…

The Sword of the Warrior by Lian Hearn: Book Review

Tomasu is out wandering the mountains where his village is located, as he has countless times before, but this time when he comes back, a warlord has destroyed it and apparently killed all the inhabitants. Tomasu makes his escape after embarrassing the warlord and earning his eternal enmity. A kind stranger on the trail Tomasu takes out of the village helps him get away and the fates of the pair become entwined. Kaede is a hostage in another warlord's castle. She's been treated horribly but after a violent incident, she is finally allowed to live with the family rather than the servants. She is soon after told that she will marry a lord whom she has never met. She reluctantly sets out to meet him. The four stars are more for promise than actual delivery. This first "episode," as it's labeled, is really just setup. I liked Tomasu, or Takeo as he comes to be known, and Kaede. They're gathering a group of strong supporting characters around them as well. The stage is set for a lot of intrigue and action. I love the feel of this little book. It has a great cover and it's just the right size to be easily held and hauled around. I love books that are small. I'm interested to see where all of this goes. There's a magic system that is more hinted at than seen and I can't wait to see more of that. I want to see the woman Kaede becomes; I think she'll be formidable. Takeo is well on the way to his full power but I still can't wait to see more of him. The setting of not-quite-Japan is fascinating as well. My biggest complaint is that the book seriously just stopped. My copy has a "preview" of the…

Songs of Love & Death edited by George R. R. Martin: Book Review

4 Stars. As with almost any anthology, there were stories that I loved and some that just didn't do anything for me. I was a little afraid that it would start to get depressing (star-crossed love just doesn't sound happy, now does it?) but there was a good balance of happy and sad endings. Favorite story: "Hurt Me" by [...]

Moon Women by Pamela Duncan: Book Review

4 Stars. I loved this book. I met author Pamela Duncan at a book festival a few years ago and just chattered away at her. I never do that. I'm usually all tongue-tied at author signings and rarely get out more than "Please" and "Thank you." But it just felt like she was one of my kind of people and so I rattled on while she [...]

The Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon: Book Review

On a dark and stormy night in 1968, a widow is alone at home, as she usually is. She hears a knock on her door. She isn't expecting anyone, but, these being simpler times in many ways, she answers anyway. A young black man and white woman are outside, drenched, in obvious need of help. It soon becomes apparent that the man is deaf and the woman has some sort of developmental disability. There's also a newborn girl hidden under the woman's sodden clothes. White, the girl is obviously not the black man's daughter. Martha, the widow, sets about making the man, woman, and infant comfortable. Then there's a second knock at the door. Police. They're looking for the couple, "escapees" from the local "school for the feebleminded." They quickly find Lynnie, the woman, but the baby is hidden away and they don't seem to know about her. The man, "Buddy," makes his escape out the back door. Lynnie, who hasn't uttered a word up to this point, whispers one request into Martha's ear as the authorities drag her away: "Hide. Her." Meaning the baby. In a life-altering decision, Martha does exactly that. Oh my gosh, this was so heart-breaking to listen to. Seriously. My heart just ached through some of the descriptions. It's just so hard to imagine the conditions that citizens with different abilities were subjected to, and not that long ago. Families were ashamed of their children and locked them away, out of sight, never to visit again. The families who felt differently were often pressured into sending their children to these "schools," where a good front was assumed on visiting days. The book follows Lynnie's story after she is sent back to the school. One toothbrush to share, bullies as "caretakers," violence, menial work, and absolutely…