Tag: book review 2016

The Graduate by Charles Web

December 28, 2016 Whitney Review 4 Comments
The Graduate by Charles Web

“Mrs. Robinson, are you trying to seduce me?” is a highly quotable line and Anne Bancroft’s triangle leg being infamous. However, I was always curious about its novel origin. Having never seen the movie, despite knowing the pop culture references I wasn’t sure what to expected. Will it be erotic, serious, or a romp of […]

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A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote

December 22, 2016 Whitney Review 4 Comments
A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote

A Christmas Memory is a lovely collection of holiday stories. Prior to this small book, the only thing I had read by Truman Capote was In Cold Blood. Part of the brilliance behind that work of non-fiction was the writing, it was almost lyrical and truly remarkable. In this way, I was not disappointed by […]

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Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

December 21, 2016 Whitney Review 2 Comments
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

Roald Dahl was a go-to author for me growing up. I loved the magical worlds he built, the palaces made of chocolate, trained squirrels and gobstoppers create a unique story that is absolutely scrumptious. The characters Roald Dahl draws in his books bounce off the wall Monty Python style. Willy Wonka was crazy like a […]

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The Mischief of the Mistletoe by Lauren Willig

December 16, 2016 Whitney Review 2 Comments
The Mischief of the Mistletoe by Lauren Willig

I had been curious about The Pink Carnation series as it has been billed as a “Jane Austen-inspired” series. Jane Austen does make a cameo via a letter but that is where the inspiration stops. I had been looking for a warm holiday read with a bit of intrigue, however, what I received was an […]

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Gossip Girl by Cecily von Ziegesar

December 14, 2016 Whitney Review 4 Comments
Gossip Girl by Cecily von Ziegesar

I had heard interesting things about the CW tv show Gossip Girl, instead of watching the program. The reader in me reached for the book.  I was so disappointed.  Gossip Girls was a poorly preformed Mean Girls.  It lacked a Toaster Strudel heiress and a burn book.  I’m not saying that Lindsey Lohan’s film is […]

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The Miserable Mill by Lemony Snicket

December 12, 2016 Whitney Review 2 Comments
The Miserable Mill by Lemony Snicket

I have slowly been reading A Series of Unfortunate Events in preparation for Netflix’s adaptation due out in 2017. The first three books were a little formulaic but I was hoping for something fresh in The Miserable Mill and did receive a little of that. Unfortunately, we still had the naive adults who don’t see […]

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A Last Goodbye by J.A. Jance

December 9, 2016 Whitney Review 0 Comments
A Last Goodbye by J.A. Jance

The Last Goodbye by J.A. Jance was a small accompaniment to the Ali Reynolds series. While advertised as such, I don’t think I would categorize The Last Goodbye as a mystery. It was more of a feel good Christmas wedding story with the mystery being an after thought. The lost and found dog, the center […]

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Skipping Christmas by John Grisham

December 7, 2016 Whitney Review 0 Comments
Skipping Christmas by John Grisham

When one thinks of John Grisham one thinks of legal thrillers such as The Firm and The Pelican Briefs not a Christmas story. Yet Skipping Christmas was my first John Grisham novel. Considering this was not his usual fare I was a bit hesitant but Skipping Christmas sounded like a cute holiday read and decided […]

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Why Not Me? By Mindy Kaling

December 3, 2016 Whitney Review 2 Comments
Why Not Me? By Mindy Kaling

Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling was just the book I needed after the horrendous 2016 presidential election. I had been in such a funk and was having difficulty taking Taylor Swift’s “Shake it off” mantra. After binge watching the first three seasons of The Mindy Project I was going through withdrawal. To get me […]

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