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Reviews by Kelli Robinson

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Clock Dance: A Novel
by Anne Tyler
Beautifully Gentle Story of a Woman's Life (7/22/2018)
Sometimes a book finds you right where you are and turns out to be the perfect book to read in that very moment. Clock Dance was just what the reading doctor ordered. Here's what I needed and here's what I got: a beautifully gentle story of a woman's life with itsmore
Force of Nature: Aaron Falk Mystery #2
by Jane Harper
Things Can Go Wrong in the Woods (11/2/2017)
I had the pleasure of reading Jane Harper's debut, The Dry, earlier this year but Force of Nature (book 2 in the Aaron Falk series) was even better. A multi-day corporate hiking and camping trip sounds scary enough but the drama is definitely intensified by the isolatedmore
I See You
by Clare Mackintosh
London Cyber Thriller (3/18/2017)
A thriller that highlights the sinister side of technology when in the wrong person's hands. Ties old school journalism to the Internet in a creepy but totally plausible deadly cat and mouse game.
News of the World
by Paulette Jiles
Quiet and Powerful (9/19/2016)
After finishing News of the World yesterday, I was thrilled to learn that it made the longlist for this year's National Book Award for Fiction. What a justified honor! Captain Kidd and Johanna will linger for some time in my recollections. As the unlikely duo arrived atmore
What Lies Between Us
by Nayomi Munaweera
Dark and Beautifully Written Tragic Story (12/17/2015)
I knew that I would be emotionally wrecked by this novel from the story of the moon bear in the Prologue. Read those first two pages for a virtual map of the dark and sad story to come - a foreboding that lasts for the next 300 pages. You know how this one is going to endmore
The Life and Death of Sophie Stark
by Anna North
Examination of the Tortured Artist (10/7/2015)
I appreciate a story where the central character is a tortured artist - here Sophie Stark is a tortured but extremely gifted filmmaker. I have known tortured artists in my life (some more prolific in their art than others) and I fundamentally understand how adversity breedsmore
Still Life Las Vegas
by James Sie
Quirky, Strange, Sometimes-Confusing Debut Novel (5/28/2015)
This quirky, strange, sometimes-confusing debut novel doesn't seem to know what it wants to be when it grows up. I agree with others that the writing is good and the reading experience was definitely interesting, but I ultimately found the book to be quite dark and sad withmore
Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend: A Novel
by Matthew Dicks
Creative Narrator Leaves Me in the Middle of the Road (3/8/2015)
The uncertainty of what this book is might be one of the reasons why I struggled to love this book, its narrator, its plot, and its characters. I questioned several times whether I was truly the intended audience for this book. With that said, I read the book quickly. As Imore
He Wanted the Moon: The Madness and Medical Genius of Dr. Perry Baird, and His Daughter's Quest to Know Him
by Mimi Baird with Eve Claxton
Author's Quest to Know Her Father (2/9/2015)
I felt immediate empathy for Mimi Baird and her desire to know the physician father who "disappeared" from her life when she was 6 years old, and was dead 15 years later at the age of 55. Despite only having a few years with him, there is an indelible bond between fathermore
Irritable Hearts: A PTSD Love Story
by Mac McClelland
A Journalist's Powerful Account of Her Struggle with PTSD (1/2/2015)
"No one says that unresolved trauma can kill you. If anyone did, maybe people would take it more seriously. Serious as cancer." Mac McClelland is an American journalist and author that reports on domestic and international human rights stories. She has seen and heard a lotmore
Station Eleven
by Emily St. John Mandel
Too Much Literary, Not Enough Dystopian (1/2/2015)
Station Eleven has received a lot of hype and accolades, and was listed on several "Best of 2014" lists. I do not disagree that this was a beautifully written and original story, but I suspect it will not stay with me - and hence, it earns that middle of the road rating of 3more
Calling Me Home
by Julie Kibler
Debut Novel Tackles Race Relations and Unexpected Friendships (12/17/2014)
Julie Kibler's debut novel tackles many themes common to Southern fiction: race relations; interracial marriage; family secrets; and unexpected friendship. The story is split between a present-day road trip from Arlington, Texas, to Cincinnati for 30-something Dorrie andmore
Red Notice: A True Story of High Finance, Murder, and One Man's Fight for Justice
by Bill Browder
Hedge Fund Manager to Human Rights Activist (12/17/2014)
This is the story of one man's 25-year journey from Stanford Business School to ultra-successful hedge fund manager to human rights activist. This is also the story of one particularly brave Russian lawyer who made the ultimate sacrifice in his fight for justice. Although (more
Cinnamon and Gunpowder
by Eli Brown
Pirate Story for Foodies (12/4/2014)
If you enjoy pirate stories for foodies, with a subtle romance thrown in for good measure, this is the book for you. Not sure that I can name another book like it. My reading challenge was the incredibly unusual vocabulary of author Eli Brown coupled with my dire lack ofmore
The Fault in Our Stars
by John Green
No Emotional Investment For Me (11/25/2014)
This was my first John Green book and, prior to this book, I had no other experience with "cancer kids" in literature. I expected the story to be really sad but...it really wasn't. I generally appreciate snarkiness and Veronica Mars-like intelligence and quick wit inmore
Divergent: Divergent Trilogy
by Veronica Roth
If You Liked The Hunger Games, Read This Book (11/25/2014)
When I stumbled upon The Hunger Games trilogy, I reluctantly read the first book despite the genre being one I generally don't tend towards but fell in love. It felt different and I was open to something different. I searched for recommendations on the next book to read andmore
The Brief History of the Dead
by Kevin Brockmeier
Intriguing Premise (11/25/2014)
This was a reread for me. The premise of the book is so intriguing: a story split between a city of the "living dead" who only remain in the city as long as someone on Earth holds that person in their memory and a wildlife researcher in the Antarctica who may be the onlymore
11/22/63: A Novel
by Stephen King
Spectacular Ending (11/25/2014)
What a spectacular ending to an awesome book. In his Afterword, Stephen King gives credit for the ending to his son, Joe Hill. Kudos to Joe! After 1000 plus pages of reading, I expected to be ready to end this story but, instead, I was thoroughly disappointed to finish.more
Swamplandia!: A Novel
by Karen Russell
Disjointed (11/25/2014)
I just didn't like it. My boyfriend and I read it together and we both felt a real sense of disappointment. Did we just not "get" the hype? Were we missing something? I felt disjointed most of the time like it was really two novels spliced together - one trying to work itsmore
The Kitchen House: A Novel
by Kathleen Grissom
Too Much Sensationalism, Zero Subtlety (11/25/2014)
Sometimes you just don't agree with the majority and that is definitely the case with this book as I gave it only 2 stars. Maybe this book is a victim of circumstance since I'm reading it right on the heels of Gone With the Wind or maybe it is just not as well-written as I'more
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