Dallas

Enlightening

Revisado: 11-10-24

Brock’s nonfiction tale — in which he played a major role during previous journalistic positions — of the far-rightening of the US Supreme Court brings to light concerning allegations not just of Justice Clarence Thomas, but many others in the Republican party, the Christian religion, and on the High Court itself. Readers will hear familiar news stories examined by both Republican and Democratic commentary as Brock explains how a branch of government supposed to bring balance to politics now reaches to become a political arm in its own — and of the — right.

The narration was read in such a way that at times, I had trouble discerning what was a quote from an outside source versus what were Brock’s own words.

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This One was HARD.

Revisado: 02-27-23

Seriously: This was a HARD book for me to listen to. I might feel differently had I read it instead of listened to it, but Hendrix left me in a bit of a bind with "How to Sell a Haunted House". Hendrix captured the dialogue and interaction of family trauma and drama in such a hyper-realistic way that it made me physically uncomfortable to hear. That's worthy of applause, truthfully, though it was one more such interaction away from making me DNF. I enjoyed the premise of the story, but feel like there were too many things going on at once regarding the "haunted" part of the house. There is also one instance of haunting that {and I realize I'm saying this about paranormal entities that some people don't believe in!} defies all the logic of what I know of paranormal activity. It ends up being a pretty central point of the plot, which is unfortunate, because I wish it had been handled differently. "How to Sell a Haunted House" is not going to be a re-read for me, but I do think it was a well-written book that will definitely leave you on the edge of your seat throughout many chapters. I will also forever not be able to look a squirrel the same way.

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An Absolute Rollercoaster

Revisado: 01-22-23

Whew. This book was a RIDE. I finished it several months ago before posting this review, and reflecting back, I still have many complicated thoughts and reactions about it! I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but don't go into this book expecting the typical "bored, sad single woman spies on her neighbors and sees something awry" theme that seems a bit pervasive these days. In the end, I think Sager gave me literary whiplash, and I do mean that in a complimentary way. :)

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Spooked.

Revisado: 01-22-23

I can definitely see why "The Hacienda" was so well-received. The way Cañas creates settings is phenomenal, and I was only a few chapters in when another reader in my book club and I both said how we could easily see this becoming a movie or limited series. There were moments I felt I was *in* the house and had to stop listening at night as I got spooked, in a good way!! It was refreshing to see non-female characters described as witches, something that I do in my own books, instead of gendering a character as a witch versus a warlock/wizard. My one qualm is that Andrés' inner monologue seemed to repeat itself a lot, both i theme and verbiage, through most of the story, but that doesn't take away from my enjoyment of it. Kudos to whomever chose what sounded like Spanish-speaking narrators for this story, and for Cañas to actively include Mexican cultural elements and fashion, without pausing the dialogue or plot so the narrator can explain what a sarape or a mantilla is. I loved that aspect of the writing and story!

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If Words Were Stitches ...

Revisado: 01-22-23

If words were stitches, then Purcell embroidered a magnificent tapestry of intrigue and paranormal, bound in the cardboard shell of period drama. Dorothea enters the story as a well-developed character, and I love how the reader learns about Ruth through both their eyes — almost as though Dorothea is a narrator of the entire tale, though it's told in dual POV. Though I personally am not a huge fan of the high society scenes {in most books, not just this one}, the majority of the story sucked me in almost immediately, and by the first half-hour I texted my book club to suggest this as a future pick. The performance rating I gave two stars because though Ruth is supposed to be a teenager through most of the book, I felt the narrator chosen to portray her had a much older, almost wizened sort of voice. For me, it did not match the character — though this narrator does a great job of doing Billy's mother's voice as a side character! I thought that a third POV was added when Billy's mother initially spoke in the story.

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