Category Archives: book review

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

With all of the books that I review I hardly ever feel the need to either push a copy into your hands and compel you to read it or snatch it out of your hands if I’ve hated it.

But sometimes I do.

If I was into writing lengthy reviews, I’d go on about how this is a fantasy, but don’t judge it by the genre.That even regular fantasy readers will find it to be something beyond the ordinary. That the book has depth… deep, dark, depth. That it’s the first of three and the second came out this week. That it is the first of a trilogy; sequels I love, never ending sagas I do not, trilogies are perfect. That Pat Rothfuss is a Wisconsin local and Stevens Point Alum. That of all my favorite authors, he’s the only one who’s blog I follow because he’s a darn funny guy. That I’d love to sneak into your house and place it on all your nightstands and then steal the rest of the books in your house forcing you to read this one.

But I don’t really do that sort of thing.

Would I recommend it? Yup.  If you’d like to check out Pat Rothfuss’s website just click the image of the book.

Dragon Haven by Robin Hobb

Usually  I like to snap a photo of the book I read because personally if I’m browsing at a book store a cover I have seen is far more likely to catch my eye than a title. I can’t remember authors to save my life (that was never my job in the Battle of the Books) and I’m iffy on names, but I can usually spot a familiar cover. Hopefully it’ll help someone else out one day as well.

But today I’m refusing to share.

I think I’ve mentioned this before so forgive me – but seriously. Do the cover artists even READ the books?

Would I recommend it? Yes, but with the same spiel (which I thought you spelled schpeil until tonight, who knew?) as last time, so I won’t get into it again!

P.S. Usually when I read before bed I get sleepy after a few chapters and go to sleep. All of Robin Hobbs books have had the opposite effect on me. This has resulted in much less sleep than planned on. It’s dangerous, just thought I should warn you!

Black Heels to Tractor Wheels by Ree Drummond

Have you visited The Pioneer Woman‘s website? She makes me want to eat large amounts of food, take better pictures, laugh a lot, and add a few more kids and dogs to my life. In addition to her very active blog she also writes books, first a cookbook and now this one:

Black Heels to Tractor Wheels is her and her husbands own true love story.  It’s funny, in a neurotic, cute, lovable sort of way.

Would I recommend it? Yes, although if you’ve read all her website there isn’t too much new here though it is fun to read it all at once.

The Bucolic Plague by Josh Kilmer-Purcell

This book just wasn’t quite what I expected.

Which begs the question of just what was I expecting from “an unconventional memoir” of “how two Manhattanites became gentlemen farmers.”

I think the answer to that is that I was expecting more farming and less about the balancing act of relationships and life in general. Then I was disappointed and didn’t feel like being all introspective.

Then I found out that one of the men worked for Martha Stewart, in the words of my friend Katie, “Hilarious.”

Would I recommend it? Yes. It was funny, and introspective and it’ll do you good to read about gay farmers.

No. It was at times laugh out loud funny but at the end of the day it is a book about gay men (one an ex-drag queen) who start a small farm.  I think the nich of people who would enjoy such a book is too small to give it a full recomendation.

Heck, I’ve got no idea if anyone should read this, but I admit, I mostly liked it. If you want a peek at their lives you can check out their website here: http://beekman1802.com maybe it’ll help you decide!

The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory

Geeze Jessie couldn’t you read a new author?

I know, I know, there are already three of Gregory’s books I’ve done my tiny reviews on. What can I say? I love her!

For whatever reason reading about the royal families plotting to destroy each other and take the throne while using their children as pawns never gets old for me.

Would I recommend it? Yes.

On a different topic altogether in the background of the picture you can notice Piper sleeping on the couch (because as Johnny pointed out that is where she is usually to be found) and my stereo in the hole in my wall, (just because Corky asked).

Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb

I checked it out for you and I’m happy to report that book one of The Rain Wild Chronicles is just as good as the rest of Hobb’s books.

So, go get Assassins Apprentice and start at the beginning.

Would I recommend it? What are you waiting for? Assassins Apprentice, chop, chop!

Also if you really feel the need six of her other books can be found in the fiction archives, but they all say the same thing:

Gotta start with Assassins Apprentice.

Flight of Passage by Rinker Buck

I love books that suck you in and teach you something new about things you didn’t even think you wanted to know about.

That was this book.

Before and after reading this book I have no desire to fly a plane (I chalk it up to this problem), but in the middle of the book…

…in the middle of the book it almost seemed like a great idea.

Would I recommend it? Yes, if only to find out what two teenage boys in an airplane do when confronted with prairie dogs, yes.

A Garden For A Groundhog by Lorna Balian

Happy Groundhogs Day!

Actually I’m not a big fan of Groundhogs day.

We live in Wisconsin, there is ALWAYS six more weeks of winter.

This Groundhogs day the groundhogs  at my house today may be  smarter than my husband.

My husband is on the road to work in the below zero wind chill, and blowing snow,  you know the blizzard that’s caused the state to declare a civil emergency in this area.

I’m certain the groundhogs are sleeping through the blizzard instead of checking for shadows.

So, who’s smarter John or a groundhog???

But, regardless  of my own feelings on Groundhogs Day (or my husbands activities) I thought the girls should have a book so they could learn the whole crazy Groundhog Day tradition. I picked the cutest looking one from the pile at the library and headed home not expecting much.

The book is about the O’Learys and their little farm.  On about page three I thought this book might have something going for it:

Then Mrs O’Learys response to Groundhogs Day really had me hooked…

By the time Groundhogs Day really rolled around I was loving it.

When spring came and Mr O’Leary put in action his plan to foil the ground hog I was planning a new blog.And by the end I was convinced that this is the best Groundhogs Day book ever!

Would I recommend it? Yes!

Boundary Waters by William Kent Krueger

Well Corky since you asked…

I’d say this book has a classic example of why I think the little blurb reviews pasted on the covers of books are not to be trusted. This has one that says:

“The bitter cold can be felt emanating from the pages. – Midwest Book Review”

I’m sorry Midwest Book Review, but it’s not that cold in the book. The weather in upper Minnesota is getting near winter and there are a few nasty characters but, having apparently read much more gruesome books, I wouldn’t describe the baddest guy in here as “bitter cold.”

Would I recommend it? Eh… fifty-fifty…

I liked that it was set in an area I knew, the plot twists surprised me and I liked the main character. But I prefer my gruesome murder mystery’s to occur places that I don’t ever travel therefore reducing my tendency to jump out of my skin for no reason.

Secretariat by William Nack

Would I recommend it? That depends.

If you are a horse lover, racing buff  or just fascinated by Secretariat then yes.  This is a well written biography of a horse. Information, facts, quotes, history – it’s all in there. Not only that, but it was written by a man who spent a considerable amount of time near the horse and the people surrounding him, not just a random bozo who looked up facts one day.

But that brings us to the depends part of the recommendation…

All that information, all that history, if you are just out looking for an enjoyable read you’d better skip this one. Unless you fall into any of the categories above, the who beget who in horse racing history may make the first chapters seem endless. If you can make it through that then you’ve got to wade through Secretariat’s syndication.  Unless you really want to know all about who got all shares (and if I remember correctly there were 32) you’ll get very bored and may walk away. This would be sad because then you would never make it to the last third of the book. The last third of the book is where Secretariat wins the triple crown, and where I found out that even reading about a horse races makes me cry.

It’s good –  but it’s not for everyone.

Now, go and watch Secretariat race in the 1973 Belmont stakes and tell me it didn’t bring a tear to your eye!