Review: Eifelheim

Pin It Eifelheim by Michael Flynn
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Eifelheim was presented to me as a recommendation from a close friend who tends to like books that are very dense in background details and include thick, heavy minutia. I can certainly appreciate that but I tend to find those details tedious. Eifelheim wasn't a significant departure from the type of books I tend to enjoy and Michael Flynn is a very skilled author so I found myself quite taken by the story and setup of the book. It falls smack-dab in the middle of sci-fi and historical fiction and is one of the more original plots I've discovered recently. To say I devoured it would be a far stretch of the imagination - sometimes I got lost in the details - but I have to admit I thoroughly enjoyed the story. Despite Michael Flynn's excellent storytelling, I felt that the novel could have been condensed, possibly even to short story form, even though it isn't a particularly long book.

Overall I enjoyed it and will likely check out more books by Michael Flynn but I doubt I will be raving about it to anyone.



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Review: Edenbrooke

Pin It Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I am not, by any stretch of the imagination, the key demographic for a novel like Edenbrooke. With that said, I consider myself as having a relatively eclectic taste in books and have enjoyed several romances and other fiction that probably aren't meant for me. I don't think anyone would consider me a manly man. I can't grow proper facial hair and I barely tolerate most sports. I grew up with all sisters and, as a result, have worn more dresses and nail polish than most modern women. Well, when Edenbrooke was given to me as a recommendation for my 2018 challenge to read books out of my comfort zone, I jumped at the chance. Not only was it different but several friends and acquaintances have rated it very highly on Goodreads.

I truly went in with an open mind while trying desperately to overlook the flaws in the writing and the painfully juvenile prose but this was simply too painful for me in the end. The first mention Marianne made of wanting to 'twirl' made me cringe but when this was repeated over and over I honestly started wanting to punch something in the face. If anything, this book made me MORE aggressive and 'manly' out of pure rage and frustration. Even if I weren't a man, I can't imagine anyone considering this book enjoyable or of literary merit.

There are high-quality romances aplenty that can be found in any bookstore so I find it inconceivable that anyone would want to finish this. I made it to just shy of 50% of the way through and I consider that a feat of great self-control.

I would recommend this book to:
-people who really like twirling
-no one else

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Book of Grievances: #LegoLivesMatter

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As you may beginning to notice, Ryan is a common denominator in these grievance reports....

(Events as recorded today, 5/10/17)

Elaina's side of the story:

(translation: "Ryan, Ethan are being mean to me. (hearts) Daddy" She clearly knows how to work her side of the story...)

Ryan's version:

Verdict: Squeaky-E wins this one if for no other reason than she knows how to suck up.

Book of Grievances: A Shocking Situation

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This incident didn't so much involve a disagreement between children but rather our eldest (Mister-E) doing something really dumb that could have killed him or burned the house down. I suppose this event could be classified as 'Ethan vs. electrical outlet.'

Ethan's description of events:

Verdict: Everyone's still alive and the house is still intact so I suppose we'll chalk this up to a lesson learned.

Book of Grievances: The Lego House

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We already knew who was at fault in this incident, therefore we only made the perpetrator write in the Book of Grievances. Because she violated the book's rules (1 full page of writing) we made her do an extra chore at home.

Ryan's version:

Book of Grievances: The Potty Kerfuffle

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(As recounted by my children on 4/16/17)

Elaina's version of the events:

(translation: "Ryan put her leg up. -Elaina")

Ryan's version:

Verdict: Elaina shouldn't have been in the bathroom while Ryan was doing her business. However, I have no doubt that Ryan purposely swung her legs into contact with Squeaky-E. Therefore, it's a draw. No winner.

Book of Grievances: The flying toy incident

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As told by my children on 4/11/17.

Ryan's version of the events:

Elaina's version:

The verdict: It's a draw. I have no idea who to believe.