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Sara Cox (1845 KP) rated Stepsister in Books

May 3, 2020  
Stepsister
Stepsister
Jennifer Donnelly | 2019 | Young Adult (YA)
2
8.0 (6 Ratings)
Book Rating
This really didn't grasp me and I couldn't bring myself to carry on reading. I feel like the concept could have been good but I just couldn't get into the story. I don't know if it was the way it was written or the storytelling flow, I feel bad but I just couldn't.
It's taken me a long time to get here, before I would just power through a book regardless, I'm glad that I've reached a place where I can now say "this isn't doing it for me, and there's so much more out there to read"
  
Darkfever (Fever, #1)
Darkfever (Fever, #1)
Karen Marie Moning | 2006 | Fiction & Poetry
10
9.2 (12 Ratings)
Book Rating
I LOVED THIS SERIES, I read them all and I was not disappointed by any of them. I would like to write a review of each but I will just say in general that these books were excellent!!!!
  
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englishrose08 (9 KP) rated It (2017) in Movies

Aug 13, 2018  
It (2017)
It (2017)
2017 | Drama, Horror
10
7.9 (354 Ratings)
Movie Rating
what more can i say
im not a big fan of remakes, i avoided this movie for as long as i could, then i finally bit the bullet, and i was very surprised at how enjoyable it was.
  
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Gabby Sidibe recommended The Goonies (1985) in Movies (curated)

 
The Goonies (1985)
The Goonies (1985)
1985 | Adventure, Comedy

"The Goonies, because I think I watched it when I was a kid. It’s tied to the child in me. It’s the memories I have from that, from that time in my life when I was watching it."

Source
  
Beautiful Creatures (Caster Chronicles, #1)
Beautiful Creatures (Caster Chronicles, #1)
Kami Garcia | 2009 | Fiction & Poetry, Paranormal, Romance
4
7.4 (34 Ratings)
Book Rating
So I felt the story started fairly slowly wasn’t sure what to make of it. I went along with it because it feel like I book/story I should like. And it wasn’t that I disliked it I just, I don’t know, I could commit to it. Additionally I found it quite annoying how often author says “in a town like Gaitlin…” I get it. It’s a small town nothing unusual happens. There must be ways that that meaning could be but across without literally saying it every other paragraph. It was one of those things once I noticed it I couldn’t, not notice it.

I felt the story took a long time to get going, I enjoyed a good portion of the book towards the end, but I just felt like the story could have been ironed out better. I can almost see where it was meant to go and what I was meant to feel about characters but I never whole-heartedly did. There just wasn’t enough ‘real’ conversation between characters and it just felt a bit…. Forced, I can’t really think of a better way of describing it. Sometimes whilst I was reading I was thinking there is no way, in reality you’d be in that situation and react that way. If someone is threatening the person you love, you wouldn’t then wonder off and just carry on with what you were doing like the bady wasn’t even there. Even some of arguments between characters seemed lacking in purpose or just seemed to end. I also thought it just sort of ended, I know it is part of a series but normally I feel like I have to know what happens straightaway. I just didn’t get that with this book.

I will read the next book at some point but I’m not in a rush to get to it, but hopefully the story becomes more ironed out and purposeful as even though I may have seemed negative about the book. I could see where it could go and there were times in the book when I was compelled and fully invested. I guess I shall wait and see.
  
I can't remember reading any other book that focuses on a main character's transition from human to vampire. I suppose we'll see more of them, now that Stein has done so. The book is a fairly good read, but you should definitely ignore the text on the back, as it's misleading. I assume <i>Becoming</i> is the first of a series, as there was a major issue left unresolved at the end.

This is definitely <b>not</b> a book for romance fans. While there are some explicit sex scenes, there isn't much real romance. I rather liked the omission, but some folks might assume that it is a paranormal romance.
  
Scary Mary
Scary Mary
S.A. Hunter | 2010 | Fiction & Poetry
4
6.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
I felt this book was a bit of a let down. I couldn't get into it for the longest time at all until a little over half way through it. Even then, I wasn't *that* into it.

I also couldn't relate to any of the characters. Mary was too much of a stereotypical goth which really annoyed me. Stereotypes in books drive me crazy especially goth ones. I didn't care what happened to Mary or anyone really.

The plot was a bit boring...trying to get rid of an evil ghost. Even the ending was a bit sudden and disappointing.

This book was just okay. Nothing special. I won't be reading the next book in the series.
  
Won&#039;t You Be My Neighbor? (2018)
Won't You Be My Neighbor? (2018)
2018 | Biography, Documentary
Just remember 143
This documentary is about a man i watched all the time when i was a child. I have learned many life lessons from him. I have showed my own children some of his shows. I this reminds me you have to talk to kids as a kid. If you grew up watching him or have kids watch it and learn why he was a great teacher. I found it very moving documentary.

And when you watch it you will learn why the header to this is 143.
Now if you know song sing it with me
A beautiful day for a neighbor
Could you be mine?
Would you be mine?
  
Death in the Dojo
Death in the Dojo
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
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I remember reading The Death in the Dojo a few years ago. I still remember the story and the feelings it brought me. This is a story about a mystery, about karate and the love between a daughter and her dad. I need to just say that this book has and always will have a special place in my heart. 

I have been in a dojo since I remember myself. And the sensei is no one else, but my dad. From the very first kata and my first wins and losses, till the days when I started becoming a national champion and travelling across countries, my dad was always the person beside me. The one to guide me and show me the right way. The one to pick me when I fall, and the one who believed in me, when everyone else didn’t. 

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<b><i>“I went over to the Asano dojo for the last half hour of training and saw a good fight among six black belts. I stood and watched the white gi’s moving quickly round the wooden floor, black belts flying. There was something beautiful about this, more like a dance rather than a fight. It made me feel sad, not to be there doing it. "</i></b>

Even though this book is not the best mystery you will ever read, I doubt that was its real purpose.

I believe that the purpose of this book was to show us a glimpse of what karate really means, to show us the honour, the respect, the persistence we all share in unison. 

<b><i>“It was true that the great masters seemed to have an unusual sense of peace around them.”</i></b>

Death in the Dojo starts off when Kate, a journalist, is tasked to investigate the recent murder of the famous karateka Kawaguchi. It is a complete mystery how he would be killed with just one punch called gyaku zuki and die. The mystery is not behind whether it’s possible for him to die from one punch, but the mystery is why he allowed for this to happen. As a master, he is very well able to defend himself against just one punch. 

On this note, I have to mention that in the book, the punch is spelled as “yaku-zuki”, which is incorrect.   

When this mystery is connected to another mystery that happened many years ago, Kate is determined to find the full truth once and for all. 

Even though it is quite a short book, it contains a lot of information and a couple of unexpected plot twists. It captures perfectly the cultural differences between England and Japan, which is shown through the love and relationships between daughters and their dads.

<b><i>“It was my Dad who taught me how to fight. He never treated me any differently than my brother. He showed me how to fight with my fists up when I was five and to get up quickly if I fell down. I was never allowed to give up. … It was a lesson that would be useful to me many times over the years. Whenever something bad happens in my life and I feel like giving up, I hear dad’s voice in my ears, telling me to get up off the floor.”</i></b>

I truly loved this book. It will always stay in my heart. I will keep coming to it when I miss my karate days. I recommend it if you like mysteries and martial arts. Also if you are a fan of the Japanese culture. The ending wasn't the best mystery ending ever, as the story went sort of unfinished, and we didn't truly solve one of the mysteries, but it was still a lovely read for me.

<b><i>This blog post is dedicated to my amazing and one and only dad! I love you! </i></b>

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As a standup act I would have rolled, but as a book, it was mediocre.