Gina > Recent Status Updates

Oof! The typeface is small, oddly blurry, and difficult to read. It took me a bit to realize that we're bouncing between two stories -- 1) applying to and working at a fast food restaurant and 2) the memories of not-so-wonderful family vacations.

This one may not be for me.

15% into the book, and while the opening was engaging, Lori's background story in Mew York City is a bit underwhelming.

Will Charity and Hareny find happiness together?

This is a slim novella, but I am taking my time with this. I savour this with a cup of coffee in the morning or when taking a break at work.

8/18/2026 - I am only 20% into "The Storm", and I have to say that this isn't any better than "They All Fall Down". Why the vast difference in ratings? I've read two other books by Hawkins ("The Wife Upstairs" and "The Villa"), and I liked both. We shall see if "The Storm" holds up for me.

An ode to Agatha Christie minus the nationalism, racism, and anti-Semitism that permeates the Golden Age of crime novels.

Unfortunately, this lacked something. The twist was interesting, and I can't believe that I'd guessed it. I don't think that this was as terrible as some other Goodreads folks did, but it lacked a certain amount of tension. The narration was good.

As I listen to this audiobook, I wonder why it has such low ratings. So far, They All Fall Down is similar to so many other modern locked room mysteries.

I am skuba reading (simultaneously reading the ebook and the audiobook), which is supposed to help with comprehension -- and pronunciation.

Admittedly, the characters and plot are not grabbing me. I understand that this is purposely written for language acquisition and comprehension, but...meh.

Is this YA? Aside from the 25¢ words, the writing (and the narration) strikes me as such.

I am sick! This is my companion. Admittedly I keep falling asleep, so I have to rewind. The sleeping is no reflection on the book.

I am sticking with the French theme, but making it nonfiction and educational.

In a stealth move, I snagged both the audiobook and the ebook on Hoopla (which has usually reached my library's daily limit of borrows by 6:30 AM!).
This is a dual experiment in both comprehensible input and skuba reading.

Part 2. What the hell is happening? This has taken a bizarre turn.