Tag Archive for: Book Club

Service Model

Service ModelTitle: Service Model
Author: Adrian Tchaikovsky
Genre: Science Fiction
Format: Audio
Pages: 373
Length: 12h 22m
Narrator: Adrian Tchaikovsky
Source: Owned
Reason: Book Club
Rating:

My Thoughts

Although SERVICE MODEL was very slow and sometimes boring, I did like aspects of it. I thought the illogicalness of the robot’s logic was funny and I laughed out loud a few times. I also liked the message that if people with bad motives program robots / AI, then those robots / AI are going go about their programming in a way that’s not helpful to society. I think this message is really important in today’s world because of the reliance we’re starting to put on AI chatbots. Machines cannot act outside their programming. They’re black and white and cannot exist in the gray like humans can, and that absolutism will mostly likely result in chaos and destruction.

The Last Anniversary

The Last AnniversaryTitle: The Last Anniversary
Author: Liane Moriarty
Genre: Contemporary
Format: Audio
Pages: 388
Length: 12h 39m
Narrator: Heather Wilds
Source: Library
Reason: BC Backlist
Rating:

My Thoughts

I really enjoyed reading THE LAST ANNIVERSARY. I loved the family drama and mystery. Liane Moriarty does a great job of writing about family dysfunction, sometimes with lovable characters and sometimes not. I think her stories are always very intriguing.

I really liked Rose, Sophie, and Grace. I felt for both Rose and Grace (as well as Enigma and Laura) with each of them suffering through postpartum depression. I’m especially glad Grace got help in the end. I’m sad she pushed Callum into Sophie because now all three of them have unresolved feelings, but I think things are looking up. Hopefully, they all can have a good life despite what happened. I figured out the reveal with Jack and Alice, but I thought the other reveal regarding the breadboard murder was such a great ending.

I didn’t like the audiobook narrator very much. She was okay when she voiced some of the characters, but her Veronica was super annoying and I cringed each time she spoke.

The Girls I’ve Been

The Girls I’ve BeenTitle: The Girls I've Been
Author: Tess Sharpe
Series: The Girls I've Been #1
Genre: Contemporary
Format: Audio
Pages: 356
Length: 9h 48m
Narrator: Tess Sharpe
Source: Library
Reason: BC Backlist
Rating:

My Thoughts

My book club read THE GIRLS I’VE BEEN a few years ago and I wasn’t able to read it at the time. I’m really glad I decided to keep it on my TBR and read it. It was a very intriguing story. At times, it was very difficult to read. The ordeals Nora and her sister had to face because of their mother were horrific. It was interesting to see how Nora’s experiences shaped her into the person she is and how it helps her do what it takes to survive. The only thing that got on my nerves was the repetitive “here’s what I’m working with” at the beginning of most chapters.

The Housemaid

The HousemaidTitle: The Housemaid
Author: Freida McFadden
Series: The Housemaid #1
Genre: Thriller
Format: Audio
Pages: 338
Length: 9h 41m
Narrator: Lauryn Allman
Source: Library
Reason: Book Club
Rating:

My Thoughts

That was some next-level gaslighting. Holy crap! Great twist and well executed. I tore through THE HOUSEMAID. It kept me on the edge of my seat and I didn’t want to put it down. I’m really excited to watch the movie now. (I’m going to read THE LAST MRS. PARRISH by Liv Constantine next to see what all the controversy is about surrounding Freida McFadden’s books.)

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The Spectacular

The SpectacularTitle: The Spectacular
Author: Fiona Davis
Genre: Historical Fiction, Thriller
Format: Audio
Pages: 368
Length: 12h 20m
Narrator: Kimberly Farr, Rachel L. Jacobs
Source: Owned
Reason: Book Club
Rating:

My Thoughts

I really love the historical aspects of Fiona Davis’ novels. In THE SPECTACULAR, I loved the setting of the mid 1950s and early 1990s, and I loved learning some of the history about the Rockettes and Radio City Music Hall. I had no idea about the Mad Bomber (or Big Apple Bomber in the novel) and I had no idea it was the case that put criminal profiling on the map. That was all fascinating. I thought the mystery aspect of the book was a bit far-fetched, but it kept me interested and reading. The romance disappointed me as it was quite a bit lacking.