ben
36 books.
read
The Graveyard Book
by: Neil Gaiman
"Definitely my favorite Neil Gaiman book so far! It was exciting and creepy, sad and sweet. It was so incredibly imaginative! I think Gaiman weaves humor and pathos so well into interesting story lines. And the protagonist was so charming!"
- katelynn
05/21/2019
- katelynn
05/21/2019
read
The Wednesday Wars: A Newbery Honor Award Winner
by: Gary D. Schmidt
"Funny and heartfelt – all around a delight!"
- katelynn
09/01/2017
- katelynn
09/01/2017
read
Us Against You (Beartown, #2)
by: Fredrik Backman
read
The Fifth Season (The Broken Earth, #1)
by: N.K. Jemisin
"I feel like maybe I should withhold comment until I’ve read the whole series.. In isolation I liked the book but did not love it. The world is hard and ugly but there were moments of goodness and beauty to hold onto. Probably not enough of those for my taste though.
It’s incredibly creative but sometimes hard to follow."
- katelynn
07/02/2019
It’s incredibly creative but sometimes hard to follow."
- katelynn
07/02/2019
read
The Bear and the Nightingale (The Winternight Trilogy, #1)
by: Katherine Arden
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Recursion
by: Blake Crouch
"Good grief. Just like with Dark Matter, this wrinkled my brain and warmed my heart. Also like Dark Matter, it is a perfect movie concept."
- katelynn
06/07/2020
- katelynn
06/07/2020
read
Once Upon a River
by: Diane Setterfield
"This book was wonderful.
Just enough gothic, just enough fairy tale, just enough adult/complex relationships and struggle - this will be a favorite. I love the language, sense of place, and story-telling themes.
Now we need a movie, please and thank you."
- katelynn
03/05/2020
Just enough gothic, just enough fairy tale, just enough adult/complex relationships and struggle - this will be a favorite. I love the language, sense of place, and story-telling themes.
Now we need a movie, please and thank you."
- katelynn
03/05/2020
read
The Sisters Brothers
by: Patrick deWitt
"This was a pleasant surprise! It was really fun to read something from such a different genre. It was a lot more serious than I was expecting- the characters have a lot of depth. Great!"
- katelynn
05/19/2016
- katelynn
05/19/2016
read
This Is How It Always Is
by: Laurie Frankel
read
Defending Jacob
by: William Landay
"Wow what an emotional ending - I feel like I'll be reeling for a while. What a well-written book - but definitely hard to read. It's unsettling and disturbing- especially as a parent. Not sure I'd re-read it, but it's definitely worth the first read. I'll be thinking about this book for a long time."
- katelynn
01/24/2015
- katelynn
01/24/2015
read
Station Eleven
by: Emily St. John Mandel
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This Tender Land
by: William Kent Krueger
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The Wee Free Men (Discworld, #30; Tiffany Aching, #1)
by: Terry Pratchett
read
Me Talk Pretty One Day
by: David Sedaris
"This was a very funny, thoughtful collection of essays that was absolutely perfect for the audio format. I laughed out loud a lot - very embarrassing. It felt like I was listening to a really long podcast rather than a book."
- katelynn
03/28/2018
- katelynn
03/28/2018
11/22/63
by: Stephen King
read
The River
by: Peter Heller
"4.5
Beautiful writing, amazing setting, and page-turning plot. A literary thriller with an incredible premise. The ending was heart-breaking, but there's plenty of warning for it if you're looking.
I loved the way the sentence structure was sometimes long and lyrical but sometimes short and staccato - moving you at the pace of the story.
I will definitely read more by this author!"
- katelynn
05/26/2021
Beautiful writing, amazing setting, and page-turning plot. A literary thriller with an incredible premise. The ending was heart-breaking, but there's plenty of warning for it if you're looking.
I loved the way the sentence structure was sometimes long and lyrical but sometimes short and staccato - moving you at the pace of the story.
I will definitely read more by this author!"
- katelynn
05/26/2021
read
Homegoing
by: Yaa Gyasi
"My reaction to this book is summed up in a jaw drop. That's how I felt pretty much the last third of the book, like my jaw was on the floor. This story is beautiful and sweeping and heartbreaking and so much to process! It will leave you changed. This book reminds me of The Invention of Wings - not in content, but in the way I know I will be thinking about it for years to come.
I highly recommend the audio version."
- katelynn
04/21/2020
I highly recommend the audio version."
- katelynn
04/21/2020
read
Everyone Brave is Forgiven
by: Chris Cleave
"Still reeling a bit from this one. It started out so light-hearted and hilarious - the tone reminded me so much of P.G. Wodehouse, which I LOVE. There's a moment when all of that changes. The tone of the book, along with the internal journey of the characters, gets more and more serious. As I can imagine with the war, it's rather a jarring change, but it feels real and true.
The writing is so, so good. It checked my boxes of heart and humor, then checked my additional box of "teaches me history without me noticing".
I didn't love the ending, but again, it felt real. It's not neat and tidy, but it speaks to the reality of the time and the progression of the characters."
- katelynn
12/13/2019
The writing is so, so good. It checked my boxes of heart and humor, then checked my additional box of "teaches me history without me noticing".
I didn't love the ending, but again, it felt real. It's not neat and tidy, but it speaks to the reality of the time and the progression of the characters."
- katelynn
12/13/2019
Inkheart (Inkworld, #1)
by: Cornelia Funke
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All the Light We Cannot See
by: Anthony Doerr
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News of the World
by: Paulette Jiles
"Lovely and gritty and poignant.
A bit slow, but worth the effort."
- katelynn
03/20/2021
A bit slow, but worth the effort."
- katelynn
03/20/2021
The Deptford Trilogy: Fifth Business/The Manticore/World of Wonders
by: Robertson Davies
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Ordinary Grace
by: William Kent Krueger
The Deptford Trilogy
by: Robertson Davies
read
The Girl Who Drank the Moon
by: Kelly Barnhill
"Just wonderful."
- katelynn
04/12/2022
- katelynn
04/12/2022
read
The Wednesday Wars
by: Gary D. Schmidt
"Funny and heartfelt – all around a delight!"
- katelynn
09/01/2017
- katelynn
09/01/2017
read
The Kite Runner
by: Khaled Hosseini
read
I Kill Giants
by: Joe Kelly
Exit West
by: Mohsin Hamid
Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest
by: Stephen E. Ambrose
read
Becoming Odyssa: Adventures on the Appalachian Trail
by: Jennifer Pharr Davis
"Fantastic! The author was so real and relatable – although to be fair I already had a lot in common with her before starting the book. But she communicates with a rawness and humility that is so refreshing. Her experiences definitely challenged me to seek adventure, develop deeper relationships, and reflect on how the opinion of others effects my view of myself."
- katelynn
03/02/2016
- katelynn
03/02/2016
The Murmur of Bees
by: Sofía Segovia
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The Invention of Wings
by: Sue Monk Kidd
"Wow. This book has challenged me deeply. I have so much to chew on about purpose and priority. Shoot. Both inspiring and convicting."
- katelynn
12/21/2015
- katelynn
12/21/2015
Sleeping Giants (Themis Files, #1)
by: Sylvain Neuvel
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Big Little Lies
by: Liane Moriarty
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Anxious People
by: Fredrik Backman
"Backman does it again: writes incredible characters who form beautiful relationships and give us amazing insights into what it means to be human. It’s a story that unfolds in one day but delivers so much hope! I cried a lot. "
- katelynn
12/31/2020
- katelynn
12/31/2020