meg reads and reads

Title: Livia Lone Author: Barry Eisler The plot of this novel is great, by turns incredibly moving, immensely devastating, and completely horrifying. Child sex trafficking is not a easy subject to tackle, but Barry Eisler does it convincingly and without holding back. At the beginning, I felt like some of the details were only gratuitous, but as the plot advanced, I realized he had a purpose. That said, there are some issues I have. First, how many times do I have to read the phrase "he panted"? Second, what 8th grader goes to recess? Third, he talks about how the moon was out in one scene, but it was also pouring snow. Which is it? These are three examples of things that really bugged me and that were ultimately distracting while reading. If I ignore those things, it was very enjoyable. I give it three out of five stars. --------- READING PROGRESS: Written in My Own Heart's Blood by Diana Gabaldon: 50% The Waste Lands by Stephen King: 47% The Warriors Ser...

Title: A Dark Lure Author: Loreth Anne White It's been over a month since my last review, and I apologize for that. The lengthy absence was due to a number of factors: my health, a hectic life, and the fact that a lot of the books that I'm reading are quite lengthy. This wasn't one of the lengthier books, but I have to say, it was definitely a great read. I had a hard time getting through it, not because it was bad, but because it was so good. The author did such a good job of writing a thriller that I would literally have a sense of dread so severe that I would have to put the book down and read something else, just because I was so nervous! That said, this is definitely one of the better thrillers I have ever read. One of the things I like most about it is that, though there is a love story subplot, this is not a story where the man saves the woman. The woman saves herself. It's definitely refreshing in this genre. There were a couple of grammatical issues I...

Title: Let's Dance, Snoopy Author: Charles M. Schulz This is going to be an unpopular opinion, but this was not a fun read for me. It took me forever , because I found the comics to be so tedious and so dated. They have definitely not held up well over time. There were a couple here and there that were cute or funny, but, for the most part, no. Two out of five stars. --------------- READING PROGRESS: Written in My Own Heart's Blood by Diana Gabaldon: 5% The Waste Lands by Stephen King: 11% A Dark Lure by Loreth Anne White: 20% The Warriors Series Boxset I by Ty Patterson: NOW STARTING

Title: Warriors Author: Gurpreet Kaur This is a book of poetry, the author of which reached out to me to review. I read this mostly in one sitting, and I found the poems to be relatable, which is good. The grammar and spelling are not the best at parts, and some of the word choices are awkward, but it kept coming back to the fact that most of the poems hit home for me pretty hard and I think would for most people. It was a decent effort, and I think the poet will definitely only improve with experience. Three out of five stars. ------------ READING PROGRESS: Let's Dance, Snoopy by Charles M. Schulz: 87% Written in my Own Heart's Blood by Diana Gabaldon: 8% The Waste Lands by Stephen King: 11% A Dark Lure by Loreth Anne White: 8%

Title: The Killer Collective Author: Barry Eisler So I finally am current with the John Rain series. I have mixed feelings about this book. All in all, it was a fantastic read, though I feel the ending was too neat for most of the characters and not neat enough for others. Ben - I have mixed feelings about Ben's storyline. I feel like we were built up to like him, then dislike him, then not know how to feel about him, and there's no real resolution there. Delilah - I was actually delighted (ha, word choice) to have Delilah back in the plot, and I loved the role that she played in this book. It worked for her. Hort - I don't care what Eisler does, I will never like Hort, and I don't care if we ever see him again. Larison - He's not particularly a likable guy, but his role in this book is effective and important. I was glad to have him back. My main problem with Larison is I feel like Eisler created the Ben Treven series solely to introduce Larison, so w...

Title: The Dark Half Author: Stephen King For me, this was an extremely slow, painfully boring read. The concept was a stretch at best, and though I feel like it may have had some sort of personal significance to Stephen King, as a reader, it was not pleasant. I found it to be uninteresting, kind of gross, and all around a waste of time. I do not recommend this at all. Two out of five stars. ----------- READING PROGRESS: Let's Dance, Snoopy by Charles M. Schulz: 87% The Killer Collective by Barry Eisler: 50% Written in My Own Heart's Blood by Diana Gabaldon: 3% The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands by Stephen King: NOW STARTING

Title: An Echo in the Bone Author: Diana Gabaldon So much happens in this book that it's hard to even know where to start. It's truly a beautiful story and maybe my favorite thus far in the series. There is so much wonderful character development, not just for Claire and Jamie, but also for John, Ian, and William, not to mention the introduction to several wonderful new characters. Gabaldon throws us into the midst of the American Revolution, and she very effectively describes the danger and pride and sheer determination for survival. Once again, her research is spot on, and I only respect her more as a writer the more I read these books. Five out of five stars. ------------ READING PROGRESS: The Dark Half by Stephen King: 71% Let's Dance, Snoopy by Charles M. Schulz: 87% The Killer Collective by Barry Eisler: 29% Written in My Own Heart's Blood by Diana Gabaldon: NOW STARTING