Reviews by Jane H. (Prospect, KY)

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King of the Armadillos
King of the Armadillos
by Wendy Chin-Tanner
King of the Armadillos (5/15/2023)
Several years ago, I read IN THE SANCTUARY OF OUTCASTS by Neil White. It was a memoir about the leper colony at Carville, so I was quite interested to read KING OF THE ARMADILLOS.

I think it put an interesting human touch to what I'd already read. I learned even more …more
Scatterlings
Scatterlings: A Novel
by Resoketswe Martha Manenzhe
Scatterlings (10/6/2022)
I have mixed feelings about this book. It wasn't an easy read..I am assuming this is a translation just by the cadence of the text. There was so much African history and folklore appearing around the actual storyline… I enjoyed that part thoroughly. The story itself seemed …more
Never Saw Me Coming
Never Saw Me Coming: A Novel
by Vera Kurian
Never Saw Me Coming (5/26/2021)
This read like a bad YA novel…..writing very immature and patchy. The setup had tons of holes in it, characters not well developed. It was truly a disappointing entry for First Impressions.
The Personal Librarian
The Personal Librarian
by Marie Benedict, Victoria Christopher Murray
The Personal Librarian (2/3/2021)
I love the subjects Marie Benedict chooses for her books. They always provide great historical insight of women who were ahead of their time and thus were not properly lauded for their accomplishments. I had never heard of Bella da Costa Greene, or of the fabulous library …more
The Narrowboat Summer
The Narrowboat Summer
by Anne Youngson
The Narrowboat Summer (11/19/2020)
This was a pleasant read, but not one needing deep thought or commitment. The whole concept of two women meeting as strangers and agreeing to take on a boat trip when neither were familiar with boats was somewhat of a stretch. To stretch the idea even further, they took on …more
With or Without You
With or Without You: A Novel
by Caroline Leavitt
With or Without You by Caroline Leavitt (5/2/2020)
Leavitt is one of my fav writers, so I jumped at the chance to read this new one of her offerings. Totally absorbing story, relatable characters and an interesting dilemma faced by all three main characters. I wondered while reading if the author had been prompted to write …more
He Started It
He Started It
by Samantha Downing
He Started It (2/15/2020)
I hope the cover art is not what will ultimately be used. When I saw it, my expectations immediately plunged. It looked like a comic book potboiler.

Not sure if that colored my thoughts on the actual content....I hope not. I did not enjoy this book at all. Characters were …more
Father of Lions
Father of Lions: One Man's Remarkable Quest to Save the Mosul Zoo
by Louise Callaghan
Father of Lions (2/1/2020)
This was a very compelling true account of love and loyalty during the time of war. The author did a great job of setting the scene of what these people were facing from their physical location in a crossfire of war. It was chilling to me how the residents just accepted …more
I Want You to Know We're Still Here
I Want You to Know We're Still Here: A Post-Holocaust Memoir
by Esther Safran Foer
I Want You To Know We're Still Here (11/9/2019)
This book was obviously well researched and produced from a place of deep familial love. I, personally, found it was a little slow in the beginning and dogged by repetition. As I went from mid-book to the end, the momentum picked up and I felt more connected. I was curious …more
Remembrance
Remembrance
by Rita Woods
Remembrance (10/19/2019)
I REALLY wanted to like this book. But 240 pages into it, I really didn't care what happened to anyone I was reading about. I was into the first part of the book but when they crossed over into the imaginary world of Remembrance, they just lost me. It's a compelling enough …more
More News Tomorrow
More News Tomorrow: A Novel
by Susan Richards Shreve
More News Tomorrow (3/31/2019)
I found the writing and storyline in this book to be average....but not exciting or memorable. Characters lived predictably. I probably agreed a little with Nicholas that the whole trip was ill conceived and unnecessary.
The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls
The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls
by Anissa Gray
The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls (10/7/2018)
Although I really liked the body of this book, it took me a bit to really get into the characters. I think it needs a little tighter editing in the first 125 pages. After that, the story seemed to come together better and I became invested in the characters. I thought the …more
Fly Girls
Fly Girls: How Five Daring Women Defied All Odds and Made Aviation History
by Keith O'Brien
Fly Girls (5/27/2018)
I thought the book achieved just the right balance of history vs. storyline. I had read other books about some of the women aviators featured, and I felt this author did a particularly nice job of intertwining their stories into the history of aviation. I was struck by how " …more
Motherhood
Motherhood
by Sheila Heti
Motherhood (2/2/2018)
I am sure somewhere in the pages of MOTHERHOOD, there is a profound message. I got so weary slogging through the stream of consciousness writing that I probably just didn't see it. I made it to the end only by sheer steely will.
Our Lady of the Prairie
Our Lady of the Prairie
by Thisbe Nissen
Our Lady of the Prairie (11/1/2017)
Loved, loved the writer's command of the English language and wry approach to what life threw her way. I will definitely read other books by her. In this specific book, I felt she led with a strong first third of the story, began to seriously lag in the middle, but rallied …more
Young Jane Young
Young Jane Young
by Gabrielle Zevin
Young Jane Young (7/3/2017)
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The writing style was unique but not distracting. The characters were just that ... true characters. I could just see this as a first-rate movie in the right hands. I thought the portrayal of the wife was straight-on, having worked in the …more
The People We Hate at the Wedding
The People We Hate at the Wedding
by Grant Ginder
THE PEOPLE WE HATE AT THE WEDDING (4/23/2017)
Not knowing what to expect, I was pleasantly surprised to find I was reading a comedic look at a supremely dysfunctional family as they prepare for a wedding of one of their own. I thought the characters were perfect satires of self-absorbed millennials and the author did a …more
Edgar and Lucy
Edgar and Lucy
by Victor Lodato
Lucy and Edgar (11/20/2016)
By the end I loved this book, but the first 1/3 was pretty tough to slog through. I just couldn't get a handle on where it was going or how the characters fit together. FINALLY, I turned the corner and once I "got it", I found the book hard to put down. If you're having …more
Cruel Beautiful World
Cruel Beautiful World
by Caroline Leavitt
Cruel Beautiful World (8/18/2016)
I had no expectations when I started this book ...I was simply blown away that I couldn't put it down! There were so many aspects to why it held my attention that it is difficult to explain. Certainly the character development....but Ms. Leavitt was also able to make me …more
Security
Security
by Gina Wohlsdorf
Security (6/29/2016)
Terribly written book -- had to finally put it down after 125 pages. I had a chance to review this before it came out. Am seriously surprised it ever made it into print.
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