"It is strange to be known so universally and yet to be so lonely." - Albert Einstein
Mary Katherine "Merricat" Blackwood is our guide — an unreliable"It is strange to be known so universally and yet to be so lonely." - Albert Einstein
Mary Katherine "Merricat" Blackwood is our guide — an unreliable narrator whose gaze casts the world in a strange light. She lives with her sister Constance and their Uncle Julian in a crumbling mansion perched above a hostile village: they are isolated, reclusive, and the last of their kin, clinging to the ruins of what once was.
I expected a horror story. What I found instead was something quieter, more haunting. These three souls are imprisoned not by ghosts, but by trauma and devotion. It’s a tale of isolation that both shelters and suffocates. Then a stranger arrives, and the balance tilts. I began to understand that their solitude was never indulgent — it was essential.
This slow-burn novella depicting an ill-fated family is achingly sad. The prose is lovely, and the story lingers like a half-remembered dream. I absolutely recommend it....more
Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch is a Vietnam vet who served as a tunnel rat — an experience that left him wi"You can't patch a wounded soul with a Band-Aid."
Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch is a Vietnam vet who served as a tunnel rat — an experience that left him with unconventional skills and a duffel full of demons.
Back in Los Angeles, he found his calling in the LAPD, rising to hero status in its homicide division. But glory is fleeting. After tracking down a serial killer, Bosch's case ends in a controversial shooting, leading to his demotion. His fall from grace sees him bogged down in the seedy trenches of Hollywood homicide.
And that's where this story begins...
May 20th, 1990 Harry gets a weekend callout: a body is found in the Hollywood Hills, a known haunt for drug users. It presents as just another overdose until Bosch recognizes the victim as a fellow tunnel rat he hasn't seen in twenty years. While others are eager to write it off and get back to their weekend, Harry can't let it go. That stubborn streak, that refusal to look away, is what makes him a dynamite detective, and a thorn in the side of anyone wanting this case to disappear quietly.
Connelly has crafted a phenomenal character in Harry Bosch: broken, flawed, and fiercely solitary in a profession that thrives on camaraderie. I was riveted by his relentless pursuit of truth.
If you're craving a police procedural packed with grit, heart, and more twists than a tilt-a-whirl, then this one’s for you!...more
"He's more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same." ~ Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights
From the moment I met the fla"He's more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same." ~ Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights
From the moment I met the flawed and completely lovable characters in Broken Country, I knew I wouldn't come out of this experience unscathed. Each character's humanity was vividly portrayed, showcasing their happiest moments, darkest hours, and the choices they made—both good and questionable. The narrative felt raw and incredibly real. I imagined myself as a shadow in a corner, watching their story unfold and hoping for a positive outcome because I loved them all: Beth, Frank, Gabriel, and the rest.
Was the plot unpredictable and shocking? For the most part, no, but that didn't diminish my enjoyment one bit. Hattie Morahan narrated the audiobook version, and her expert delivery was impressive.
Broken Country is a beautiful, heartbreaking, and utterly captivating tale. I approached this book knowing very little beyond the blurb, so I'll keep this review spoiler-free, hoping that if you get a chance to read it, you will love it, too. It was a perfect escape....more
"Perhaps all life was like that—dull and then a heroic flurry at the end."
The Power and the Glory, set in 1930s Mexico during a period of state perse"Perhaps all life was like that—dull and then a heroic flurry at the end."
The Power and the Glory, set in 1930s Mexico during a period of state persecution against the Catholic Church, follows a whisky priest on the run and a police lieutenant who vows to rid his small corner of the world of its clergy. Their paths, fraught with danger and moral dilemmas, intersect with a group of unfortunate characters, each of whom profoundly impacts the fate of both men.
Mr. Tench was the whisky priest's first encounter at a port where they both searched for their own version of freedom.
"A few vultures looked down from the roof with shabby indifference: he wasn’t carrion yet."
A dentist by trade, Mr. Tench, had come to Mexico from England nearly twenty years earlier and found the country to be a bit like the Hotel California — he'd checked out long ago but could never leave. As the doleful dentist and the camouflaged cleric share a glass of bootlegged brandy while waiting for a boat, fate intervenes and pulls the padre back into the bowels of a country from which he was not likely to escape.
"There is always one moment in childhood when the door opens and lets the future in. We should be thankful we cannot see the horrors and degradations lying around our childhood, in cupboards and bookshelves, everywhere."
This was not a story to be rushed. I found myself reflecting on how prejudice can cloud our vision. Life is vast, and we limit ourselves when we close our hearts to other perspectives. Some passages halted my reading, leaving me to gaze into the distance as I basked in their brilliance. The narrative was a potent exploration of darkness, with occasional rays of hope to light the way.
The praise I've seen for this book is well deserved. The elegant writing alone makes it a five-star winner....more
"Her will, like the veil strung to her bonnet, flutters in every breeze; always there is the desire urging, always the convention restraining."
Most o"Her will, like the veil strung to her bonnet, flutters in every breeze; always there is the desire urging, always the convention restraining."
Most of us, at one time or another, have wished for some elusive ‘thing’ that we believed would make our lives complete, but Emma Rouault has turned wishful thinking into an art form. Life on her father's farm is dull as dishwater, so to escape the boredom, she reads romance novels and dreams of a white knight on a majestic steed who will carry her away.
Enter Charles Bovary, a country doctor coddled far too long by his mother, who barely graduated from medical school and experienced nothing but bad luck in love. The last thing he needs is a flighty, beautiful wife with Champagne tastes that far exceed his income. But when Emma’s father breaks his leg, and Charles is called in to mend it, the farmer’s daughter bewitches him, and their fates are sealed.
My heart ached for Charles; he loved his wife and would have given anything to see her happy. But he had to engage with Emma; destructive, miserable Emma… I longed to reach into the pages and give her a good shake. She continually chased a dream while ignoring the steadfast love that waited patiently for her on her doorstep.
Madame Bovary is a tremendous tragedy brimming with beautiful prose. Bravo, Monsieur Flaubert!...more
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