Thursday, April 7, 2011

3 Mini-Reviews

I have not been sleeping well at all recently and many things have suffered because of that.  One of those is my blog because I am just too tired to write a full review of my recent reads.  Instead of waiting so long to review the books until I've forgotten what I read I've decided to do a few mini-reviews giving you my overall impression without all the details.

Side Jobs: Stories From the Dresden Files
Side Jobs by Jim Butcher is a book of short stories from The Dresden Files series.  Most of these stories were originally published in other anthologies but Butcher pulled them all together into one book.  I love having short stories by one author in a book instead of having to search for them in multiple anthologies!  Butcher also gave a little introductory information for each story including some information about his inspiration, what anthology the story was originally in, and where it fits in the timeline of the books.  I enjoyed every one of these stories, especially the last one because it takes place after Changes and before Ghost Story which isn't out yet.  If you are a fan of the Harry Dresden books, Side Jobs is a must have for your collection.  (Side Jobs is in our personal book collection.)

The Peach Keeper: A NovelThe Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen is a story of friendship lost and regained, of finding one's path, and finding love in unexpected places.  Allen brings sights, sounds, scents, textures, and flavors off the page in a way that I have not experienced with any other author.  She uses beautiful phrasing that places you in the heart of Walls of Water experiencing everything alongside her characters.  I fell in love with Sarah Addison Allen's writing in The Girl Who Chased the Moon and I'm happy to say that The Peach Keeper provided me with the same magic.  Allen breathes life and magic into her words, giving me hope that anything is possible. (I received an ARC of The Peach Keeper from the Amazon Vine program for review.)

The Book of Tomorrow: A NovelThe Book of Tomorrow by Cecelia Ahern brings tomorrow into today with a diary that seems to write itself in advance.  This gives Tamara Goodwin the opportunity to try to change events as they happen. Each evening she reads about the next day discovering clues along the way to family secrets long buried which will change what she knows about her life forever.  Cecelia Ahern writes interesting but very flawed characters and wonderful description. The book started a bit slowly and unevenly but that felt like it mimicked Tamara's emotions as she struggled to find her footing in the strange and uncertain world after her father's death.  The Book of Tomorrow was a very fast and interesting read. I enjoyed the story, the writing, and the way the characters changed throughout the book.  (I received an ARC of The Book of Tomorrow from the Amazon Vine program for review.)

Note: All opinions provided on this blog are my own. If a product was given to me for review, the source of that product is noted in the post. Bookstore links are generally affiliate links and I do earn a small amount for each purchase. Other affiliate links will be noted in the post.

2 comments:

  1. I love "The Book of Tomorrow," it reminds me of the books that really magicked me away when I was younger. Great story.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I actually really like reading mini-reviews, short and to the point.

    ReplyDelete

I love hearing from you! Please share your thoughts with me :-)