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Jack and Jill Magazine

Entertainment and Magazines & Newspapers

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App

ack and Jill magazine opens a world of fun and creativity for kids ages 7 to 12. Now this...

Strong Words: Modern Poets on Modern Poetry

by W. N. Herbert (Editor), W.N. Herbert (Editor)

7.0 (1 Ratings) Rate It

Book

Poetry has never been so rigorous and diverse, nor has its audience been so numerous and engaged....

Essay Poem Poetry Academic Literature Study

ClareR (5726 KP) rated The Last Hour in Books

Mar 28, 2018

The Last Hour

Harry Sidebottom | 2018 | Thriller

9.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

A Roman 24!!

That was one crazy ride from start to finish! The author has said that it's a historical take on 24 (the TV show with Jack Bauer/ Kiefer Sutherland), and he isn't wrong. But where I got fed up with the TV show, this kept my attention from start to finish. The attention to historical detail is so good (you can tell that the author is an academic - he knows how to do his research!), and sitting in my living room reading the book, I was transported to ancient Rome with all the sights and smells (my drains work just fine, thank you!).
The main character, Ballista is instantly likeable. A man with morals and honour, he discovers a plot to assassinate the Emperor that runs deep in the political and military world of Rome. He, and he alone, is the one to stop the assassination of his friend, the Emperor Gallienus. Rightly or wrongly, whether he agrees with the way that Gallienus runs the Empire or not, he is duty bound to save him - if only to save the lives of his wife and children.
I would love to be able to pick out and describe a favourite part of the book, but that comes well in to the second half (and I don't want to spoil the fun for anyone else!). I haven't read a book with quite so much action in a long time. There were some real 'heart in mouth' sections, and great character building (how Harry Sidebottom found the time and space to do that, well! I suppose that's why he writes and I don't!).
I will be on the look out for more of the authors books!
Thanks to The Pigeonhole for the chance to read this book!

Kudos

KatieLouCreate (162 KP) rated Wuthering Heights in Books

Jun 8, 2018

Narrative Frame Format (2 more)

Accurate Depiction of human life

Beautiful writing style

horrible characters (2 more)

no character development

over rated

For a full review you can check out my book review on my blog: https://katieloucreateblog.wordpress.com/2018/06/07/book-review-wuthering-heights/

:) but here are the overall points I thought about the book if you're not up for that ?

I first read this book in college and detested it. I don't know whether it was because I genuinely did not like the book or whether it was because it was being used in academic circumstances. So this year, I decided to re-read the book and settle once and for all whether I like the book.

Overall consensus? It was alright. I certainly enjoyed reading it more the second time around than I did when I first read it. But was it amazing? Was it great? In all honesty, not really.

I enjoyed the writing style and the way Bronte describes things. I like how the story is told, through the eye witness accounts of Nelly Dean to Mr. Lockwood when he comes to visit the Grange. It adds to the question-ability of truth and how stories are told.

But the story itself did not pull me in the way it has done for many other people. The 'love' between Heathcliff and Catherine is nothing less than toxic to me. No matter how much I wanted to invest in it, I just couldn't. Not only that, but all the characters are horrible. They are malicious and selfish humans and although I appreciate the accurate depiction of the human condition, it is hard to like any of the characters when you have no compassion for them and cannot relate to them in any way.