This is S.T. Dubbs debut novel that takes place in Tucson, AZ where the author actually resides. I really wanted to like this book and placed it on hold because I, too, love birding. There was a very simple plot of an avid birder, John Maguire, who enters a birding contest but his partner drops out at the last minute and asks an acquaintance to step in. Enter Celeste who knows nothing about birds. The rest of the book is a basic boy meets girl, and they fall in love with no twists or surprises. John and Celeste are in their 40's and the sex scenes, sexting, etc. were a bit much and not believable, and I am no prude. But it is called Birding with Benefits...!

I have mixed impressions of and feelings about this novel. I found the plot intriguing, and enjoyed Serafina's narrative voice in her alternating chapters, as compared to Sara's, which disappointingly tended to fall more often into cliché turns of phrase. I understand the need to set the characters' "voices" apart and distinguish the eras in which they are living, but wonder if this could have been done with a bit more finesse for Sara's chapters. Some plot revelations were telegraphed and therefore more predictable, while others felt more satisfyingly surprising. At times, the events and interactions themselves seemed to draw on stereotypes, though I appreciate that the author appears to have researched the book quite thoroughly. There were also some unexpectedly graphic passages in the book, so readers who are especially sensitive to intimate and/or violent imagery may wish to be aware of this before reading. Overall, though it would be missing a meaningful modern dimension, I think I might have preferred this as a purely historical fiction novel, set entirely in Serafina's time period. All that said, I would still be interested to read other novels by this same author, in the hopes that they are more of the quality of Serafina's chapters than Sara's.

I adored this book! The protagonist's "voice" comes through so strongly and distinctively in the first-person narration, and I love the contemporary take on the more traditional epistolary genre. The story is well paced and makes for quite a page-turner. I appreciate the inclusion of supportive educators. The subject matter also remains extremely timely and pertinent in the context of current sociopolitical events. I highly recommend it - and would love to know whether Rachel Maddow herself has read it!

As a scientist, how could I not want to read a book about a booth owned by a company called DNAMix that uses a cheek swab and DNA to tell you what your ideal job/potential should be? This book has become an Apple TV plus series, and it contains a series of dramatic stories in a small town in Louisiana that have been somewhat changed by the readouts from the booth. The main stories follow Doug and Cherylee Hubbard as well as Jacob and Hank Richieu. The endings were not surprising except for the booth being a scam by one of the characters. I am on the fence on whether I liked the book, but I am intrigued with the author's style of writing enough to want to read his bestseller, My Sunshine Away.

This story is a sweet love story where the conflict is internal and the character needs to overcome herself. Very cute. Loved it!

I think it had too many different points of view and I didn’t enjoy the back and forth timelines but overall it was a decent story. I really liked reading from the state trooper’s point of view the most.

My first feminist theory book. Really interesting! Great insight mixed with humor. Never got bored. Will be reading her other books. Recommend totally.

'Maybe in Another Life' was a compelling read but then held some aspects I disliked. I did fall in love with the characters, such as the main one, Hannah. I was glad to see how far she'd come in both lives. Her life story makes me feel a bit better. She changed from indecisive to quite decisive. Hannah transformed as a person and chose to follow a healing path. I was fond of how she learned to accept many things that came in her way. What I didn't like was how many times cinnamon rolls and high buns were mentioned. I also got bored of how tedious the story got. Oftentimes, it repeated what happened in that life to the other life. TJK incorporated lots of wisdom within Hannah, which I found nice. Overall, I'm satisfied the story ended happily, but it just wasn't one of my best reads.

Interesting back and forth with the different time periods. I would look for this author's other offerings.

The Penderwicks in spring deserves 5 stars because the author made it so interesting for the reader and heartfelt to the reader