Mota Junior Junior itibaren Tomponskiy ulus, Sakha (Yakutiya) Republits, Cónaidhm na Rúise itibaren Tomponskiy ulus, Sakha (Yakutiya) Republits, Cónaidhm na Rúise

I'm finished with Peace Like a River: it got better half way through, but the end derailed. I am not sure I like the way it was written. I am not fond of all the jumping around, it was a little confussing

A fast paced, action filled read set in the near future. The plot has many interesting twists and turns with the two main characters exposing a nefarious plot that could cost them their lives. If you like Tom Clancy's Net Force or the Jason Bourne series you'll love this. Highly recommended! Full review here

Let me just say it, I hate memoirs. I really truly do. I have read enough stories about how someone painted themselves green for a year and journaled about it, I have worked my way through stories about abusive families and drunken childhoods, I have found no interest in true tales of cooking one’s way through divorce. Overall, I am not the memoir type. It is for this reason that I have NO idea why I requested to read this book. When it arrived on my doorstep I took one look at it and thought “damn. another whiny memoir about a sucky childhood”. But let me say this: I WAS SO WRONG! Sure Jeanne Darst had an alcoholic mother, a distant father, and distraught siblings but her spin on her personal history is perfection. There is no whining, no complaining, and some actual levity. I haven’t laughed this much since “Are You There Vodka? It’s Me Chelsea” (and we all know how much I loved that book). My only complaint is that no one told me this was funny, so I was the most shocked when I started hysterically laughing on the subway. All I could do was lift up the book to my fellow passengers as a gesture of apology and endorsement. Jeanne Darst is moved from her loving household with her parents, siblings, and grandmother in St. Louis, Missouri to the bustling city of New York. Everyone is unsure if this midwest family can make the transition to the city that never sleeps. Fotunately, or unfortunately, they fit right in. Darst’s father is a starving novelist who has never actually written a published book but has great ambitions and knows that his break is just around the corner. Darst’s mother is an alcoholic raised with an in-house horse trainer only to be shackled to four kids and a dreamer husband in her adulthood. To say that she is resentful is a grave understatement. Jeanne chronicles her father’s revolving door of jobs, her mother’s attempt at the workforce and the inevitable disintegration of their familial relationships. While the goal of most parents is to inspire their children to follow their dreams, Jeanne’s family history pushes her away from her ambitions of being a writer. In order to find herself, she must first follow in the footsteps of her parents and recover from their wrongdoings. I know this sounds heavy...and it is. BUT it is also hilarious! Darst has a fantastic wit, an excellent handle on sarcasm, and an eye for the ridiculous. She clearly loves her family but she sees its flaws and isn’t afraid to reveal them to the world. Additionally, she is open about herself and her character flaws. In this way, she reminds me a great deal of Chelsea Handler who is able to poke fun at the one she loves but also at herself. However, unlike Handler, Darst is introspective and understands the reasoning behind her actions. I want to give this five stars, but I felt that it did lag towards the end and regress into some navel-gazing. Still, I think just about everyone would benefit from reading this book! www.iamliteraryaddicted.blogspot.com

Just an amazing book with a fascinating main character. Flavia de Luce is like no other 11 year year old though in my mind she shares some traits with Vendetta from the Making Fiends web show. The book description is actually accurate and presents a faithful representation of what you get in the book (surprise, surprise). What I will add is that the actual character development in the book goes well beyond a thin veneer and you gain a lot of insight into Flavia over the course of the book. While the rest of the characters are not necessarily paper-thin, they are not the main focus and serve really as foils for Flavia to interact with. I'm really looking forward to reading other books in the series.