The story line of this book is laid out in a very interesting way. The interviews and emails were fun to read and really added to my enjoyment of the story. Initially I did find it difficult to keep track of all the characters, but the plot twists were good and overall the …more story held my interest. The ending was unexpected which, for readers who enjoy mysteries, that is a perfect way to have it end. Reading it again is on my list of things to do as it would be fun to read a second time and try to pick out all the clues that I missed the first time around. (less)

Blind Man's Bluff is a powerful story about the author's journey after learning at 16 that he is legally blind. I was struck by the struggle the author, James Tate Hill, had with coming to terms with being blind. His interesting approach (acting as if he could see, not …more telling others about his visual difficulties, and his unique ways of overcoming obstacles to everyday tasks) kept me wanting to know more of his story. I enjoyed Hill's transitions throughout the book which took many little stories and tied them all together to give me a true picture of his journey to realizing it was OK to be himself and to accept help from others. I smiled when Hill wrote, "Asking for help means I will never be independent, but how many of us truly are?" Well said. (less)

Ariandne is a wonderful reimagining of Greek mythology from a woman's viewpoint. Jennifer Saint weaves the stories of Ariandne and her sister Phaedra around the heroes and gods they are related to or encounter. The story gave me a very different and delightful perspective …more on familiar mythology stories. Saint provides enough background on the different characters in the story that even someone with limited knowledge of Greek mythology can still follow the story easily. (less)

Laura Imai Messina starts off her book, The Phone Booth at the Edge of the World, stating that there is a real telephone booth in a garden somewhere in Japan with a disconnected telephone. Every year thousands of people make pilgrimages there to talk to their loved ones who …more have died.
Before I speak more about the book, I want to say that I am someone who has lived through the loss of a loved one and my review of this book comes from that perspective. With that being said, I enjoyed the variety of characters and the different ways each had of coming to terms with the loss of their loved ones. The characters were believable and memorable and I loved how their stories intertwined to form a beautiful tapestry of healing and hope.
One thing that confused me was when the story unexpectedly jumped from past to present to future. It may be the author had a reason for doing this but I found it disorienting. The time jumps did not take away from my enjoyment of the story however, and by the end of the book, I wanted to jump on a plane and go to Japan to search for the telephone booth myself. (less)