Password-protected posts contain heavy spoilers and are there to prevent accidental spoiling. They can each individually be accessed with the password "SPOILME(#of the post)". That means if the post is numbered #0000, the password is SPOILME0000 - SPOILME all in caps, no space in between.
Enter at your own risk. And have fun!
When robot Roz opens her eyes for the first time, she discovers that she is all alone on a remote, wild island. She has no idea how she got there or what her purpose is—but she knows she needs to survive. After battling a violent storm and escaping a vicious bear attack, she realizes that her only hope for survival is to adapt to her surroundings and learn from the island’s unwelcoming animal inhabitants.
As Roz slowly befriends the animals, the island starts to feel like home—until, one day, the robot’s mysterious past comes back to haunt her.
From bestselling and award-winning author and illustrator Peter Brown comes a heartwarming and action-packed novel about what happens when nature and technology collide.
I loved the movie! I didn’t know there were books but came across them as I was browsing my library’s catalog and just had to read them!
The Quotes
“The island was teeming with life. And now it had a new kind of life. A strange kind of life. Artificial life.”
“If you stand in a forest long enough, eventually something will fall on you.”
“I’ll tell you what: If I could do it all over again, I’d spend more time helping others. All I’ve ever done is dig tunnels. Some of them were real beauties too, but they’re all hidden underground, where they’re no good to anyone but me.”
“As the robot looked out at the island, it never even occurred to her that she might not belong there. As far as Roz knew, she was home.”
The Narrator(s)
Kate Atwater for the first book, Kathleen McInerney for the second and third book.
My Thoughts
I love that the movie stayed pretty true to the first book. There are some differences, of course, but I feel like the important points were covered. The stories for the second and third books aren’t told in the movie but I’m hoping there will be more movies, maybe! I personally loved the first book most; the other books had good stories to tell too but I wasn’t as invested and I think I didn’t feel the urgency as much. Still a wonderful series and I enjoyed it very much!
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?
Once upon a time, Maggie Cooper lived for adventure. Jumping out of planes was child’s play. Now she can’t even work up the nerve to ask out her coworker. For a bit of self-therapy, she begins to text her recently deceased mother’s phone—the only problem is that the number has been reassigned and for weeks she’s been unknowingly texting a stranger her deepest thoughts and feelings. There have also been some not-so-deep texts, like the ones about her appreciation for her coworker’s butt.
When Chase Beckett, the unsuspecting stranger who has more in common with Maggie than he’d like to admit, texts back, Maggie is beyond mortified. But message after message and night after night, Maggie realizes that Chase’s wit, charm, and advice are exactly what the doctor ordered. Is it enough, though, to get her back up in the sky? And what about her heart? Can she risk taking a leap of faith for the man on the other end of her accidental texts?
I was desperately needing a fun romance and this was available on Audible Plus.
The Quotes
“She used to tell me that it was my job to make myself happy. No one else can do that.”
“Life is short, this I do know. You have to find happiness where you can. That’s all we really have in the end.”
“My mom would sometimes tell us, when we were having a hard time with something, to look outside ourselves for answers. I never quite got what she meant until right now. Being there for someone else … well, it sort of feels like a balm on my soul.”
The Narrator(s)
Holly Warren. I enjoyed it very much!
My Thoughts
This was a quick, fun, read. I love the whole meet-cute story, and I love the chemistry between the two MCs. I love reading romance but it’s not always easy finding good ones that aren’t overly cheesy and/or unrealistic. To be clear, realism isn’t a priority for me when it comes to romance, but I still need things to make sense to an extent. I especially need the characters’ behaviors and motivations to make sense to me, so insta-love is often hard for me to swallow. I love that Maggie and Chase connected as friends and took time to get to know each other here. It was just a cute story that hit the spot for me.
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?
Two writers compete for the chance to tell the larger-than-life story of a woman with more than a couple of plot twists up her sleeve in this dazzling and sweeping new novel from Emily Henry.
Alice Scott is an eternal optimist still dreaming of her big writing break. Hayden Anderson is a Pulitzer-prize winning human thundercloud. And they’re both on balmy Little Crescent Island for the same reason: To write the biography of a woman no one has seen in years–or at least to meet with the octogenarian who claims to be the Margaret Ives. Tragic heiress, former tabloid princess, and daughter of one of the most storied (and scandalous) families of the 20th Century.
When Margaret invites them both for a one-month trial period, after which she’ll choose the person who’ll tell her story, there are three things keeping Alice’s head in the game.
One: Alice genuinely likes people, which means people usually like Alice—and she has a whole month to win the legendary woman over.
Two: She’s ready for this job and the chance to impress her perennially unimpressed family with a Serious Publication
Three: Hayden Anderson, who should have no reason to be concerned about losing this book, is glowering at her in a shaken-to-the core way that suggests he sees her as competition.
But the problem is, Margaret is only giving each of them pieces of her story. Pieces they can’t swap to put together because of an ironclad NDA and an inconvenient yearning pulsing between them every time they’re in the same room.
And it’s becoming abundantly clear that their story—just like the tale Margaret’s spinning—could be a mystery, tragedy, or love ballad…depending on who’s telling it.
I have been craving some romance in my tbr and I enjoy Emily Henry’s books.
The Quotes
“There’s an old saying about stories, and how there are always three versions of them: yours, mine, and the truth.”
“Love isn’t something you can cup in your hands, and I have to believe that means it’s something that can’t ever be lost.”
“I find myself thinking that maybe every bit of heartbreak in life can be rearranged and used for something beautiful, that it doesn’t really matter whether I chose this path or I was born onto it, so long as I stop and appreciate the path itself.”
“Just because something doesn’t make money or win awards doesn’t mean it doesn’t have value.”
The Narrator(s)
Julia Whelan! I love her!!
My Thoughts
I generally enjoy Emily Henry’s books and she’s one of my go-to authors for books in the romance genre. Having said that, I don’t always enjoy the stories but I do like her writing, and the fact that Julia Whelan narrates this book cinched it for me.
One of the things that has been mentioned about this book is its similarities with The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I love TJR and I can see the similarities with the premise, but as far as vibes go, they are not the same at all. TJR’s book was much more mysterious and had a little bit more gravitas. This book is a little more lighthearted, and Margaret’s story for me was more of a plot device. It was an interesting story, but it’s not what I’m here for. As I said, I was craving romance, and I wanted romance!
Enter Alice and Hayden. I am completely charmed by Alice and her bright personality. I love that it’s addressed from the beginning and I like how she wins people over; she’s friendly and thoughtful, and says what she thinks, and I love that about her. As for the romance part, I love the way she wins Hayden over just by being her friendly, annoying, charming self. I love the non-sexual, intimate moments between them, the way they interacted with each other, but honestly, it’s mostly due to Alice’s personality. I find it hard not to fall for her myself! I would totally want to be BFFs with her if she was a real person!
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?
When you’ve been set up to lose everything you love, what is there left to fight for?
As the day dawns on the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, fear grips the districts of Panem. This year, in honor of the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes.
Back in District 12, Haymitch Abernathy is trying not to think too hard about his chances. All he cares about is making it through the day and being with the girl he loves.
When Haymitch’s name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. He’s torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 tributes: a young friend who’s nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town. As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he’s been set up to fail. But there’s something in him that wants to fight . . . and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena.
I’m a huge fan of The Hunger Games, so obviously I had to read this!
The Quotes
“They will not use my tears for their entertainment.”
“You were capable of imagining a different future. And maybe it won’t be realized today, maybe not in our lifetime. Maybe it will take generations. We’re all part of a continuum. Does that make it pointless?”
“Fire is catching, she’d say, but if this one burns down the arena, I say good riddance.”
“In fifty years, we’ve only had one victor, and that was a long time ago. A girl who no one seems to know anything about.”
The Narrator(s)
Jefferson White. It was absolutely wonderful and I was fully immersed.
My Thoughts
I’m a huge fan of the original trilogy for The Hunger Games, but I was initially resistent when The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes came out because I wasn’t interested in President Snow’s childhood. I did end up reading it and enjoying it very much, and also really admiring Collins’ vision of how things started. So when this book came out, I was excited because I am much more interested in Haymitch’s story, and I also have a lot more confidence that Collins will do a great job with it.
Reading Haymitch’s story, I like getting to know him better. I like learning what really happened with him. I don’t think this story could work on its own but somehow I love THG enough that I want to know more, not just about him, but about other characters too. I’d love a book about Finnick as well, and Johanna, and Beetee, and Mags, and several other characters. I know a lot of people think additional books in THG universe aren’t necessary, and I agree somewhat that I don’t think any of these stories work on their own but I still want to know them!
Perhaps a happy compromise for me is an actual manifestation of that memorial book that Katniss and Peeta were working on, a sort of dictionary/encyclopedia type book with pictures and information about the Victors throughout the years, the people who loved them and whom they loved, anecdotes about them. I would love that!! In any case, at this point I’m not tired of THG world yet and I’ll probably read more if Collins wrote them!
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?
In his journal, Nobel Prize winner John Steinbeck called East of Eden “the first book,” and indeed it has the primordial power and simplicity of myth. Set in the rich farmland of California’s Salinas Valley, this sprawling and often brutal novel follows the intertwined destinies of two families—the Trasks and the Hamiltons—whose generations helplessly reenact the fall of Adam and Eve and the poisonous rivalry of Cain and Abel.
Adam Trask came to California from the East to farm and raise his family on the new rich land. But the birth of his twins, Cal and Aaron, brings his wife to the brink of madness, and Adam is left alone to raise his boys to manhood. One boy thrives nurtured by the love of all those around him; the other grows up in loneliness enveloped by a mysterious darkness.
First published in 1952, East of Eden is the work in which Steinbeck created his most mesmerizing characters and explored his most enduring themes: the mystery of identity, the inexplicability of love, and the murderous consequences of love’s absence. A masterpiece of Steinbeck’s later years, East of Eden is a powerful and vastly ambitious novel that is at once a family saga and a modern retelling of the Book of Genesis.
“And now that you don’t have to be perfect, you can be good.”
“I believe a strong woman may be stronger than a man, particularly if she happens to have love in her heart. I guess a loving woman is indestructible.”
“But the Hebrew word, the word timshel—‘Thou mayest’— that gives a choice. It might be the most important word in the world. That says the way is open. That throws it right back on a man. For if ‘Thou mayest’—it is also true that ‘Thou mayest not.”
“Sometimes a man wants to be stupid if it lets him do a thing his cleverness forbids.”
The Narrator(s)
Richard Poe. It was good, no complaints.
My Thoughts
I think I would’ve liked it more if I didn’t have such high expectations from the get-go. A friend from years ago once told me this was her favorite book and talked it up so much that I had the impression I was going to be blown away. Add to that, the fact that it’s been 20 years since and the legend of the book has only grown in my mind, so perhaps it was unsurprising that I would be disappointed.
In the interest of fairness though, I’m being as objective as I can about my thoughts on this book. I love Lee, he was the best character in the book, but I didn’t like most of the other characters. The women especially weren’t developed well enough; it didn’t feel like they were real people but rather just plot devices and caricatures.
I get that this story is a retelling of the Adam & Eve, Cain & Abel stories, but it felt a little on the nose and doesn’t bring anything new to the table. I love retellings, but I need them to serve the story a little more than this!
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?
Although most children today are introduced to the world of Oz through the classic 1939 movie, L. Frank Baum has been captivating the hearts of the young, and not so young, for over a hundred years.
This delightful compilation includes all fifteen books written by L. Frank Baum:
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz The Marvelous Land of Oz Ozma of Oz Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz The Road to Oz The Emerald City of Oz The Patchwork Girl Of Oz Little Wizard Stories of Oz Tik-Tok of Oz The Scarecrow Of Oz Rinkitink In Oz The Lost Princess Of Oz The Tin Woodman Of Oz The Magic of Oz Glinda Of Oz
Perhaps there is no better, or fitting, introduction one could give to this compilation than the author’s note that Baum himself writes in his very first book, “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.” Here he reveals the true intention of his work. Folklore, legends, myths and fairy tales have followed childhood through the ages, for every healthy youngster has a wholesome and instinctive love for stories fantastic, marvelous and manifestly unreal. The winged fairies of Grimm and Andersen have brought more happiness to childish hearts than all other human creations. Yet the old time fairy tale, having served for generations, may now be classed as “historical” in the children’s library; for the time has come for a series of newer “wonder tales” in which the stereotyped genie, dwarf and fairy are eliminated, together with all the horrible and blood-curdling incidents devised by their authors to point a fearsome moral to each tale. Modern education includes morality; therefore the modern child seeks only entertainment in its wonder tales and gladly dispenses with all disagreeable incident. Having this thought in mind, the story of “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” was written solely to please children of today. It aspires to being a modernized fairy tale, in which the wonderment and joy are retained and the heartaches and nightmares are left out.
I was reading it for a thick book challenge; multiple books in one binding count!
The Quotes
“The reason most people are bad is because they do not try to be good.”
“Do not, I beg of you, dampen today’s sun with the showers of tomorrow.”
“Finally, were you all like me, I would consider you so common that I would not care to associate with you. To be individual, my friends, to be different from others, is the only way to become distinguished from the common herd. Let us be glad, therefore, that we differ from one another in form and in disposition. Variety is the spice of life, and we are various enough to enjoy one another’s society; so let us be content.”
“There is no living thing that is not afraid when it faces danger. The True courage is in facing danger when you are afraid, and that kind of courage you have in plenty.”
The Narrator(s)
Charles Hubbell. The narration was fine, but the audio engineering was a pain! I had to adjust the volume constantly because they weren’t consistent across the chapters, and we’re talking about a 64-hour audiobook, so that’s a lot of adjusting.
My Thoughts
Believe it or not, it’s my first time reading the Oz stories, including the first book! I’m so pleasantly surprised with how fun they are, and how completely imaginative and wholesome. There are a few old-fashioned ideas, but considering these books were written so long ago, and have mostly wholesome messages, I’ll forgive the few transgressions. I love that even though there are so many different characters, they are all very distinct and individual. The adventures were fun and low-stakes, and all’s well that ends well. I loved it!
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?
The timeless tale continues… The most popular and beloved American historical novel ever written, Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind is unparalleled in its portrayal of men and women at once larger than life but as real as ourselves. Now bestselling writer Alexandra Ripley brings us back to Tara and reintroduces us to the characters we remember so well: Rhett, Ashley, Mammy, Suellen, Aunt Pittypat, and, of course, Scarlett. As the classic story, first told over half a century ago, moves forward, the greatest love affair in all fiction is reignited; amidst heartbreak and joy, the endless, consuming passion between Scarlett O’Hara and Rhett Butler reaches its startling culmination. Rich with surprises at every turn and new emotional, breathtaking adventures, Scarlett satisfies our longing to reenter the world of Gone With the Wind, and like its predecessor, Scarlett will find an eternal place in our hearts.
It’s the unofficial sequel to Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell, and I usually read them both together.
The Quotes
“Should-haves solve nothing. It’s the next thing to happen that needs thinking about.”
“’If only’ repeated again and again in her head like a battering ram…’if only’ could break your heart.”
“I’m going to make a world for myself by my rules, not anybody else’s. Don’t worry about me. I’m going to learn to be happy.”
“She’d done harder things in her life, she could do this. She had to.”
The Narrator(s)
Linda Stephens. I enjoyed the narration very much, I was completely immersed in the world.
My Thoughts
I realize that a lot of GWTW purists hate this book for various reasons, but I personally love it and in fact, I love this more than GWTW itself. Some of the complaints include the fact that Scarlett’s personality in this book isn’t consistent with her personality in GWTW, but in my opinion that’s one of the weakest arguments against this book, because Scarlett starts off at what? 17 years old? in GWTW, and she’s in her 30s in this book.
Honestly, if you haven’t changed from the time you were 17 to when you were in your 30s, I’d be more concerned. Plus, we know Scarlett had gone through so much, and that final scene at the end of GWTW was another catalyst for her and I’d like to think that she grew from that. Not overnight, but that’s the reason why I love this book so much.
I’m a character-driven reader, and I loved seeing Scarlett grow and change throughout the book. It was such a great study of her character by a writer that wasn’t even the original author, and I respect Ripley for it. It was very realistic for me that Scarlett would make the choices she made, do the things she did, act the way she acted, in this book. I’ve always loved Scarlett as a character but I didn’t necessarily like her as a person in GWTW. I grew to love her as both in this book.
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?
Since its original publication in 1936, Gone with the Wind—winner of the Pulitzer Prize and one of the bestselling novels of all time—has been heralded by readers everywhere as The Great American Novel.
Nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read.
Widely considered The Great American Novel, and often remembered for its epic film version, Gone with the Wind explores the depth of human passions with an intensity as bold as its setting in the red hills of Georgia. A superb piece of storytelling, it vividly depicts the drama of the Civil War and Reconstruction.
This is the tale of Scarlett O’Hara, the spoiled, manipulative daughter of a wealthy plantation owner, who arrives at young womanhood just in time to see the Civil War forever change her way of life. A sweeping story of tangled passion and courage, in the pages of Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell brings to life the unforgettable characters that have captured readers for over seventy years.
It’s one of my favorite books as a child and I was feeling a little nostalgic.
The Quotes
“I can’t think about that right now. If I do, I’ll go crazy. I’ll think about that tomorrow.”
“Life’s under no obligation to give us what we expect. We take what we get and are thankful it’s no worse than it is.”
“No, my dear, I’m not in love with you, no more than you are with me, and if I were, you would be the last person I’d ever tell. God help the man who ever really loves you. You’d break his heart, my darling, cruel, destructive little cat who is so careless and confident she doesn’t even trouble to sheathe her claws.”
“I wish I could care what you do or where you go but I can’t… My dear, I don’t give a damn.”
The Narrator(s)
Linda Stephens. I enjoyed the narration very much, I was completely immersed in the world.
My Thoughts
This is one of my favorite books that I read and reread over and over again as a child. I thought it was one of the most romantic stories I’ve ever read, but unfortunately, there are many parts of the book that hasn’t aged well at all. The last time I read this was maybe four years ago and I remember feeling sad and disillusioned about all the problematic issues with the toxic romance, abusive relationships, slavery and the KKK.
I was hesitant to reread it again this time, but I went into it with the understanding that it was written a long time ago and it was true to the times, and I think it’s important to acknowledge that times like these existed, things like these happened. I no longer romanticize the story, but I now enjoy it for the historical masterpiece that it is. It is an interesting story with amazing characters, written extremely well, and I think I’m happy to leave it at that.
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?
A masterpiece of rebellion and imprisonment where war is peace freedom is slavery and Big Brother is watching. Thought Police, Big Brother, Orwellian – these words have entered our vocabulary because of George Orwell’s classic dystopian novel 1984. The story of one man’s Nightmare Odyssey as he pursues a forbidden love affair through a world ruled by warring states and a power structure that controls not only information but also individual thought and memory 1984 is a prophetic haunting tale More relevant than ever before 1984 exposes the worst crimes imaginable the destruction of truth freedom and individuality. With a foreword by Thomas Pynchon.
It was the Book of the Month for my online bookclub.
The Quotes
“Perhaps one did not want to be loved so much as to be understood.”
“Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.”
“Doublethink means the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one’s mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them.”
“Until they become conscious they will never rebel, and until after they have rebelled they cannot become conscious.”
The Narrator(s)
Simon Prebble. It was great, no notes.
My Thoughts
I’ve been curious about this book for a while. I’ve seen so many real world references to this book and the ideas in the book, of course, but interestingly, not many references about the characters themselves and what they do. It’s crazy that this was written so many years ago and still relevant now. It’s a scary world to live in and an extreme one. I would’ve never believed it could become a reality but a lot have happened that I never believed would.
I think it makes sense that the ideas and not the characters are the big players in this story. I don’t like the characters much, but I also don’t think we’re necessarily meant to like them. They are oppressed, brainwashed, indoctrinated, in some form or other.
The scariest part of the story for me is realizing how beliefs can totally change your reality, and it doesn’t matter if two plus two equals four. If you live in a world where everyone around you believes that two plus two equals five, then that’s your reality. It’s so easy to get gaslit and believe that you’re the one who’s got a perception problem. I’m scared just thinking about it.
I don’t think it’s necessary to read the book in order to get the ideas/references if you’re already exposed to discourse about these ideas, but I do believe that it’s helpful as recommended reading for school, for starting conversations and discussions about how these ideas take form in our world and how to prevent them.
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?
Victor Hugo’s tale of injustice, heroism and love follows the fortunes of Jean Valjean, an escaped convict determined to put his criminal past behind him. But his attempts to become a respected member of the community are constantly put under threat: by his own conscience, when, owing to a case of mistaken identity, another man is arrested in his place; and by the relentless investigations of the dogged Inspector Javert. It is not simply for himself that Valjean must stay free, however, for he has sworn to protect the baby daughter of Fantine, driven to prostitution by poverty.
My online book club had a reading challenge and we get points for thicker books, and this book also happened to be a buddy read, plus it’s been on my TBR for years!
The Quotes
“Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise.”
“It is nothing to die. It is frightful not to live.”
“A man is not idle because he is absorbed in thought. There is visible labor and there is invisible labor.”
“The future has several names. For the weak, it is impossible; for the fainthearted, it is unknown; but for the valiant, it is ideal.”
The Narrator(s)
Frederick Davidson. He was a great narrator; he was very easy to listen to and helped me sail really smoothly through a huge book with no issues.
My Thoughts
This is a tale of miserable wretches, alright, the title does not lie. I ended up enjoying it so much more than I thought I would, and I got really invested in the story and the characters. Having said that, I don’t necessarily like any of the characters. I thought Valjean and Javert were both quite annoying and overly dogmatic in their individual approaches to life. It was a whole lot of unnecessary drama, but I was very much pulled into the story, and I couldn’t look away!
Although I didn’t like the characters very much, I absolutely loved the experience of reading the book. There were a lot of digression by the author towards other historical events that happened, and he writes about them in detail. It took me away from the main story but it was also interesting and made me want to learn more about those events. The story also reminded me a little of The Count of Monte Cristo – which is one of my all-time favorite books – they had similar elements in both stories. However, it cannot compare to The Count of Monte Cristo for the place it holds in my heart.
I do believe that this is one of those stories I’d enjoy rereading again. It’s a huge book with a ton of details I’ve probably skimmed over on a first reading, so I’m sure I’ll get more out of it each time I reread. It’s not one I’ll want to reread anytime soon though, but I’ll have fond memories of reading it the first time.
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?
