Loved getting to know more about Alek
345968
It took a little bit to get interesting for me. But as I kept reading I realized this is probably one of my favorite stories from this series. Gretchen  is one of the Sisters of Lamidae. So she's very well guarded and protected. They can't be with a man unless they're human. Alek is a gryphon. One of Roses guardians to help fulfill the prophecy to get all Supernaturals back to Veil. This book gets very emotional. The author also addresses sexual abuse and the problems victims deal with. Another home run for Krystal Shannan.
3605949
I really enjoyed reading this book, although there were some things I didn't appreciate. The author has made this story come to life, and stuck very closely to the Biblical account, which I liked very much. Michal is a much more vivid character to me now! The only part I didn't like was the occasional, somewhat explicit, references to marital intimacy. If those had not been included, I would have highly recommended this book to my friends. That being said, I did appreciate and enjoy much of the book, especially a conversation between Michale and Mephibosheth, when he sarcastically said, I missed the part where God is supposed to comply with our wishes.
I received a free ecopy of this book from NetGalley, and chose to write a review.
4289299
I really enjoyed this book, it was easy reading and gave a lot of interesting details of the eastern front as well as the life of a Stuka pilot. It was amazing how many tanks were destroyed by one pilot, I didn't realize how much damage Stukas did in the later parts of the war.
3367837
I really enjoyed reading "The Lasko Interview" while at the same time learning and growing spiritually.  I found myself reaffirming many of my personal beliefs and challenging myself to trust more in the Holy  Spirits leadership.  It has  suspense, romance, action, evil, Christianity  and it is delivered in a format that was fun to read.
1282387
I loved reading this book.  Ben's story was gave me a lot of insight to what happened in Poland.  My father -in-law was from Poland and was taken from his home to work in the coal mines in Germany.  He was not Jewish, but never the less, lost his entire family during the war.  He too went to a displaced persons camp before coming to NY .  I only met him a few times before his untimely death at 64.  I would have liked to have heard his story.  Ben's story was so rich in detail, perhaps a little too perfect for a man of 83, but it serves as a vehicle to tell the story of what happened during those years.
2351942
I loved this book, I just wish I knew a bit more about Russian history. Count Alexander Rostov was sentenced to house arrest in a Moscow hotel for the rest of his life. He was a true gentleman and made the best of the situation. The story takes place over a number of years and involves the Count's interactions with the guests and workers of the hotel. It is beautifully written and I did not want it to end.
620192
I am so proud of these three young gentlemen.  They were willing to die to save each other and other passengers they didn't even know.  I watched Alek on Dancing with the Stars and he is so "real" and not full of himself with his new-found celebrity.  Spencer, what a guy... and Anthony, so interesting... This book tells you how they met, what they experienced to "bond" them and the choices they made in life (some weren't entirely their own) helped them on that train that day in August in 2015.
1473051
I really enjoyed this book.  I was completely drawn in by seeing things from Milena/Alexandra's view, and the back story was gradually revealed in a way that kept me wondering but never made me feel completely lost.  There were some twists that I didn't see coming, which really makes a book so much more enjoyable.  At the end, I found myself thinking "I hope there's more to come, and I definitely want to see it!"
1809681
I enjoyed the story, but it felt like Rinda matured and came to a lot of insightful conclusions very quickly, considering how sheltered, spoiled, and selfish she had been. And Alek, oh-so patient, witty, young and good-looking, seems almost too good to be true.
2632837
This was a heart-warming story of not just love, but growing up. Twenty-year-old Alex Grady is a champion ice skater, but he's also full of insecurity and anxiety. He doesn't have the best censor, but most of his negativity comes from his envy of other competitors. I could relate to him, especially in my younger years, of constantly trying to measure up. I liked the growth Alex goes through in the course of training and attending the Olympics. Matt was a good, grounded personality to help Alex see his own worth and also be kinder to other skaters. At his core, Alex is a good guy and Matt brings out the best in him, which is what any good love interest should do. Reading about the skating was fascinating, too! Another well-written book from Keira. I wouldn't expect anything less!
3263683
I have a big interest in central and eastern Europe's post-communist transition so really enjoyed A Country Lost, Then Found.
I particlarly enjoyed the book's sections on the birth and early growth of the Slovak Spectator newspaper: I worked at the Sofia Echo in Bulgaria in 1998-1999, and was struck by the number of Zednik's tales that chimed with my recollections of my time grafting for a similarly nascent English-language paper.
Structurally I liked how Zednik's narrative jumped about  a welcome change from the usually chronological ordering of similar tomes  and blended seamlessly the personal with the political.
Zednik's arrival (from the USA) in Bratislava and then day-to-day living with his elderly grandparents, Babka and Dedko, are particularly vividly/colourfully recalled: a particular triumph given the spartan/thrifty (grey) nature of Bratislava during this period.
2679634
I was really looking forward to reading this book about a young Jewish guy, living in the UK with the idea of joining the IDF. I have visited Israel twice myself recently and have 2 teenage sons who both feel very much like Marc did about becoming a warrior for Israel.

I appreciate the honesty that Marc has written with, and the reality of life in the army versus the ideal that he had imagined beforehand. The difficulty of adjusting to a life outside of the confines of being in the army too. You could really feel his struggle. I felt completely drawn into his world, and felt at times as if you were right there on an operation with him!

I am so glad I read it, and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the reality of joining the IDF
4741656
After watching the movie Gorky Park, I decided to read the book. I am so glad I did! It introduced me to the dark and deep character of Arkady Renko. I then read the next two Arkady Renko novels - Polar Star and Red Square. Of these two, I think Polar Star is the better, mainly because it takes you into the bowels of a Russian fishing boat and creates a wonderful world of action and intrigue there. Red Square, set in Moscow and Germany, is very good, but Gorky Park and Polar Star were tough acts to follow.
I was a little reluctant to start book four (of eight) in the Arkady Renko series. I think its setting in Havana rather than Russia was a little of a put off for me. I travel to Russia regularly (since 1994) and love the accurate depictions of Russian culture and life that I found in the Martin Cruz Smith novels. However, I am so glad I didn't skip this book in the series, as I was tempted to do. While it reveals nothing radically new about the character of Renko, Smith once again writes in a way that is both picturesque and engaging. And the ending caught me more by surprise than any of the others I had read in the series. A lot of loose threads were brought together at the end which I didn't even realize were loose threads through the novel.
True to Smith's style, Arkady is a Russian soul adrift in a changing world (and a changing Russia). At the end of the novel he ends up back in the Russia he left when he went to Havana to investigate (at his own expense) the death of a long time friend. But Russia is changing so rapidly in the early 90's that the Russia he returns to is not the same Russia he left... setting up the next Renko saga, Wolves Eat Dogs. Can't wait to see what's next as Arkady heads for Chernobyl.
4239163
I enjoyed all 3 books. It kept me interested in what was going to happen. I actually didn't want it to end 5he way it did. It should of been at least 5 more chapters or a surprised 4th book. Loved Alek & Sara's story
1533298
I loved getting the story from his perspective.  This made me think about some aspects in a completely different manner.  Looking forward to reading the other books as well.
4017788
I love Erdrich as an author, and Tracks did not disappoint me. I had never read anything in her Love Medicine series before, but now that I have, I want to go and read them all.

I love Nanapush, one of the narrating characters, and despise Pauline, the other narrator. Nanapush's chapters gave us great insight into his wisdom and humour, and he gave us a wonderful portrait of Fleur Pillager from the perspective of her friends and family. Pauline, on the other hand, gives us great insight into her delusions and warped sense of morality while giving us the perspective of Fleur as a rival and adversary, even if this adversarial relationship is onsided. As one of my friends put it, "Pauline is nucking futs."

I love Fleur's characterization in Tracks, and she's become one of my all time favourite fictional characters. I love the details that Erdrich puts into the setting, the place and the culture this novel resides in. I am Anishinaabe as well and the culture as presented here is both familiar and foreign, as Tracks takes place in a different time, among a people whose assimilation was not yet as advanced.

Overall, I'd give this book a 4.5 if I could, but I can't, and so a 5 is closer to how I feel than a 4 is.
952838
I loved finding out more about one of my favorite Cassandra Clare characters. Magnus is just too compelling not to want a book that's all about him. It's just a joy to fill out the back story of such a completely delicious morsel of so many of her other books. I would suggest a series on Magnus alone if this book hadn't been so wonderfully presented.