Most of Flying Solo was cute enough but what was the point of the duck heist “caper”. It dragged on forever and wasn’t particularly funny or well-paced. It almost felt like the whole point was to drag the brother up from NYC but why? It didn’t add any value to the storyline or give depth … Continue reading
I was excited about this one. I recommended it to both the Baltimore City and County libraries and was excited when it came in. What a disappointment. A lot of it didn’t make a lot of sense and there was little plot or character development. The book seemed to switch perspectives but it was very … Continue reading
I liked the idea of The Second Mother. A woman wanting to start over ends up at a remote island to be the teacher after the last ones left. I don’t think the book needed the mystery element which might have been part of why it felt flat. Nothing sat right about the ages to … Continue reading
Sometimes it’s hard to review a book without feeling like a mean baby yourself. Unfortunately, Mean Baby is a book that left me with a lot of questions. It’s difficult to write about someone who is ostensibly being honest about their life especially when that person is apparently struggling with a major illness and who … Continue reading
I was excited to read Metropolis. I loved the idea of a diverse group of strangers all coming together in connection to one event simply because they own a storage unit. Unfortunately, the book did not hold up to its promise. The writing was clunky and repetitive. How many times did I need to read … Continue reading
I generally like true crime best when it’s written by a woman, especially if the victim(s) are women. That is the case in Trailed so I felt like I was predisposed to like the book and for the most part, I did. Kathryn Miles certainly put a lot of effort and thought into solving the … Continue reading
How We Fall Apart was one of those books I was so excited to read because it seemed like it was tailor-made for me. Gossip Girl plus murder plus high pressure to succeed? Yes, please! But I ended up disappointed. I didn’t really think the details added up. I am still confused about how a … Continue reading
Bon Appétempt: A Coming of Age Story (with recipes!) by Amelia Morris is one of those memoirs written by a person who doesn’t seem to understand what she is telling us about herself. Some warnings—She has massive unreflected on privilege and an eating disorder she passes off as “dieting”. She got the book deal off … Continue reading
There is a lot to love about The Verifiers by Jane Pek. The interesting main character, a timely mystery about the ethics of online dating and data collection, a mysterious research group/detective agency, sibling and parent issues, urban bike riding, a realistic NYC backdrop. So much material and depth there. What dropped it down to three … Continue reading
I am a lifelong resident of Baltimore, a city that has a fair amount in common with Detroit so I was interested in reading Gentrifier: A Memoir by Anne Elizabeth Moore I was really disappointed. She presents most of the stories as sort of vignettes without a lot of depth or discussion. This happened, this happened, … Continue reading
Rachel Reads Books 