Great

Great recipes

Not my favorite by Kathy Reichs but a solid Temperance Brennan novel. Ending was a surprise.

I remember watching Jane's videos in Gombe when I was in elementary school. Her wisdom fascinated me then so I was excited to read this book. I agree with her ideas about hope. Unfortunately the book read like chat between friends not an interview which waned my interest. Jane's responses to Doug's questions were harsh, especially when he asked her thoughts on reincarnation. A true hero deserved a better and charismatic interviewer than him. Great pictures encouraged me to finish the book.

A group of researchers, some based on real people such as William James, study possible psychic phenomena in an old house on an isolated island. Erik Larson wrote this as an audio book only, the theory being that a ghost story is better told aloud. Interesting, but the ending was somewhat of a let-down.

Great recipes

This book was about a friendship that spanned decades of two women who ultimately chose different paths in life. At the end it really did pull at emotions and drew some tears. In retrospect, the author attempted too great a task in one volume. The span of time and drama throughout took some impact away from the last part of the book. I felt sorrow towards the end however, what tools the author had left plot-wise were limited. I feel the agenda/purpose of highlighting inflammatory breast cancer subsumed this story. Sure, that could have happened.... however I feel that killing off a main character is a convenient way to wrap up not only the mother/daughter conflict but the betrayal experienced by the main character. I think perhaps it is a good treatise on the grace of forgiveness and the importance of letting go of petty grievances/jealousies. I had watched the Netflix series based on this novel prior to reading it and felt the series was telling a similar but different story. Do not reject the novel in place of the series. The book is probably still very satisfying for many readers.

That book was amazing. I love soccer so that was my book.

romance, mystery, history, family....this novel has a little bit of everything. First book in a 2 book series about half sisters who recently discover each other and the family they share. A race against the clock to discover a missing heirloom and flashbacks to tell their grandfather's story of his time in the Dutch Resistance during WW2.

So good, and yet I’m so sad the Practical Magic series has come to a close!