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Hazel (2934 KP) rated The Resistance Girl in Books
Mar 27, 2022
The first book I have read or listened to by this author and if her others are anything like this one, it won't be the last.
Following the lives of a small group of people in Norway during WWII, this is a compelling story of their bravery as part of the resistance movement.
With exceptionally strong characters and a powerful story, this is an important part of history that I was not familiar with and although this is historical fiction, it does weave actual events into the story which gives it a sense of realism and shows you what lengths 'normal' people will go to to protect freedom and whilst they have a strong regard for the danger they are putting themselves and, potentially, others in, the bigger picture is far more important. A poignant read given the current events in Ukraine.
The narrator told the story with ease and kept me engaged and enthralled from beginning to end; her voice was perfect.
Recommended for anyone who enjoys a great story of bravery, love and the importance of family, friends and freedom.
Thank you to HarperCollins UK Audio and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.
Following the lives of a small group of people in Norway during WWII, this is a compelling story of their bravery as part of the resistance movement.
With exceptionally strong characters and a powerful story, this is an important part of history that I was not familiar with and although this is historical fiction, it does weave actual events into the story which gives it a sense of realism and shows you what lengths 'normal' people will go to to protect freedom and whilst they have a strong regard for the danger they are putting themselves and, potentially, others in, the bigger picture is far more important. A poignant read given the current events in Ukraine.
The narrator told the story with ease and kept me engaged and enthralled from beginning to end; her voice was perfect.
Recommended for anyone who enjoys a great story of bravery, love and the importance of family, friends and freedom.
Thank you to HarperCollins UK Audio and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.
Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated The Last Song in Books
Apr 27, 2018
My Summary: Ronnie does not want to spend the summer with her dad. Her dad left them three years ago, and she hasn’t really forgiven him for it. She hated him for it so much, that she refused to take his calls, quit playing the piano, and never read the letters he sent her. What is she going to do all summer stuck with a dad she hates in a small town with nothing but sand on every side of her, no clubs, no friends…
When she finds Will, the cutest volley-ball players slash aquarium volunteer in her back yard helping her protect un-hatched sea turtles from being eaten by raccoons, she judged him as not-her-type. She doesn’t expect to find a friend in a jock-rich-perfect-family boy, nor does she expect that this will be the best—most exciting, most scary, most fun, most painful—summer of her lifetime.
My Review: I’m not really sure where to start here, other than I am so utterly pleased with The Last Song, I cannot begin to find words to describe it.
Ronnie, Jonah (her brother), Her dad Steve, Will… all the characters really, were such real characters. I felt everything they felt, I laughed when they laughed, and I (nearly) cried when they cried.
I hate it when books suffer from "happy-land syndrome—" where everything works out just too perfectly that it seems silly. The Last Song seemed to work perfectly, but it didn’t have that plot-manipulated feel to it. It didn’t feel like Sparks was just trying to move the story along and causing things to line up too perfectly to be realistic—it felt like the story was writing itself, and it was perfect. The pacing didn’t feel rushed or slow. It was not a thriller, but I did find myself sitting on the edge of my seat dying to find out what happens. I read it through in two or three days (which is fast for me right now, what with school the way it is!). There are twists, there are surprises—some beautiful, some painful, but all wonderful.
The writing was contemporary. It was easy reading and it wasn’t Dostoevsky, but it wasn’t bad either. The humor was light and witty and sarcastic, sometimes laugh out loud, and more times than I can count my sister would look up from her homework and say “Haley. What is so funny?” The perspective alternated between several different characters, but it wasn’t disorientating. It was all from third person perspective, but I still felt like I could get inside the character’s head.
The end was perfect. That’s all I can really say about it because any information would totally ruin the story. All the loose ends were tied, all the questions were answered, and the ending was open to the future but closed in a wonderful conclusion. Suffice to say I grinned so wide I couldn’t see, and my cheeks are still sore.
Audio Review: Let’s just say that I almost gave up reading The Last Song when I started listening to the audio. Pepper Binkley read Ronnie’s perspective and had a high pitched voice, she read a little too fast (which is rare. Most of the time readers are way too slow), there was no differentiating between voices of characters so you couldn’t tell who was talking, and she seemed up tight and nervous. Scott Sowers read the various men’s perspectives, and he read alright. He was a little slow and his voice took some getting used to but he was otherwise ok. I did get too frustrated to get far in the audio book though. I ended up quitting and reading the paperback. I recommend reading The Last Song over listening to it.
Content: blissfully clean. There was romance between Will and Ronnie, but no sex. It wasn’t needed, either. I feel like the fact that they didn’t sleep together added to the book rather than took away from it. It was also clean of foul language. There was some mention of God and the Bible, but never did it feel like Sparks was preaching.
Recommendation: Ages 14+
When she finds Will, the cutest volley-ball players slash aquarium volunteer in her back yard helping her protect un-hatched sea turtles from being eaten by raccoons, she judged him as not-her-type. She doesn’t expect to find a friend in a jock-rich-perfect-family boy, nor does she expect that this will be the best—most exciting, most scary, most fun, most painful—summer of her lifetime.
My Review: I’m not really sure where to start here, other than I am so utterly pleased with The Last Song, I cannot begin to find words to describe it.
Ronnie, Jonah (her brother), Her dad Steve, Will… all the characters really, were such real characters. I felt everything they felt, I laughed when they laughed, and I (nearly) cried when they cried.
I hate it when books suffer from "happy-land syndrome—" where everything works out just too perfectly that it seems silly. The Last Song seemed to work perfectly, but it didn’t have that plot-manipulated feel to it. It didn’t feel like Sparks was just trying to move the story along and causing things to line up too perfectly to be realistic—it felt like the story was writing itself, and it was perfect. The pacing didn’t feel rushed or slow. It was not a thriller, but I did find myself sitting on the edge of my seat dying to find out what happens. I read it through in two or three days (which is fast for me right now, what with school the way it is!). There are twists, there are surprises—some beautiful, some painful, but all wonderful.
The writing was contemporary. It was easy reading and it wasn’t Dostoevsky, but it wasn’t bad either. The humor was light and witty and sarcastic, sometimes laugh out loud, and more times than I can count my sister would look up from her homework and say “Haley. What is so funny?” The perspective alternated between several different characters, but it wasn’t disorientating. It was all from third person perspective, but I still felt like I could get inside the character’s head.
The end was perfect. That’s all I can really say about it because any information would totally ruin the story. All the loose ends were tied, all the questions were answered, and the ending was open to the future but closed in a wonderful conclusion. Suffice to say I grinned so wide I couldn’t see, and my cheeks are still sore.
Audio Review: Let’s just say that I almost gave up reading The Last Song when I started listening to the audio. Pepper Binkley read Ronnie’s perspective and had a high pitched voice, she read a little too fast (which is rare. Most of the time readers are way too slow), there was no differentiating between voices of characters so you couldn’t tell who was talking, and she seemed up tight and nervous. Scott Sowers read the various men’s perspectives, and he read alright. He was a little slow and his voice took some getting used to but he was otherwise ok. I did get too frustrated to get far in the audio book though. I ended up quitting and reading the paperback. I recommend reading The Last Song over listening to it.
Content: blissfully clean. There was romance between Will and Ronnie, but no sex. It wasn’t needed, either. I feel like the fact that they didn’t sleep together added to the book rather than took away from it. It was also clean of foul language. There was some mention of God and the Bible, but never did it feel like Sparks was preaching.
Recommendation: Ages 14+
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Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated Angry Optimist: The Life and Times of Jon Stewart in Books
Sep 6, 2017
Insight into a beloved but flawed role model
So I’m a little ambivalent about this book. Jon Stewart took over at The Daily Show the same year I graduated high school. I was 16 and only starting to pay attention to politics. I was also raised quite conservative Christian – the pundit we listened to the most was Rush Limbaugh. And here was a man saying things that were the total opposite of what I’d been taught – but also things that resonated a lot more with me. Many years later, when The Daily Show and Jon Stewart were labeled the most trusted voices in news media, I had no trouble at all believing it. He not only knew how to speak to my generation, he also spoke for us. All the things we were thinking, he was out there shouting. He was our window into this grown up, corrupted world of politics, and we loved him for it.
Not to say he’s perfect. I’d heard – and Angry Optimist mentions – that he can occasionally be a rage-filled asshole. That the staff of The Daily Show has a woman problem. (As in, not enough of them, and can’t keep them.) So while I do admire the man, I am not blind to his flaws.
The book is interesting – I learned more about his early life and career – but nothing really game-changing. And perhaps that says something about Stewart. There aren’t really any skeletons in his closet, or scandalous stories. He’s just an angry Jewish comedian.
Rogak’s style of writing is easily consumed; I read the entire book in about three hours. Perhaps part of why I find it so anticlimactic is that she ends it with this sense of not knowing what Stewart might be up to next, and whether, if he does decide to leave The Daily Show eventually, if the show will end with him – and we know those answers now, three years after the book was published. Stewart has retired (barring the occasional appearance on Colbert’s show) and Trevor Noah is doing an admirable job of holding down the fort after Stewart’s exit. (With less anger, and a little more befuddlement, which is a fun change.) I was also a little disappointed that she mentions Stewart’s friendship with Anthony Weiner – but doesn’t say anything about how he took the ribbing from Stewart over Weiner’s rather unglamorous exit from politics.
I have also heard that the audio book is not good – apparently the narrator is boring. So I’d recommend the print book over the audio, if you choose to read it.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com
Not to say he’s perfect. I’d heard – and Angry Optimist mentions – that he can occasionally be a rage-filled asshole. That the staff of The Daily Show has a woman problem. (As in, not enough of them, and can’t keep them.) So while I do admire the man, I am not blind to his flaws.
The book is interesting – I learned more about his early life and career – but nothing really game-changing. And perhaps that says something about Stewart. There aren’t really any skeletons in his closet, or scandalous stories. He’s just an angry Jewish comedian.
Rogak’s style of writing is easily consumed; I read the entire book in about three hours. Perhaps part of why I find it so anticlimactic is that she ends it with this sense of not knowing what Stewart might be up to next, and whether, if he does decide to leave The Daily Show eventually, if the show will end with him – and we know those answers now, three years after the book was published. Stewart has retired (barring the occasional appearance on Colbert’s show) and Trevor Noah is doing an admirable job of holding down the fort after Stewart’s exit. (With less anger, and a little more befuddlement, which is a fun change.) I was also a little disappointed that she mentions Stewart’s friendship with Anthony Weiner – but doesn’t say anything about how he took the ribbing from Stewart over Weiner’s rather unglamorous exit from politics.
I have also heard that the audio book is not good – apparently the narrator is boring. So I’d recommend the print book over the audio, if you choose to read it.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com
Dana (24 KP) rated A Gathering of Shadows in Books
Mar 23, 2018
So you all know how I felt about the first book. Yeah, those feeling are continuing over to this one.
I honestly could not put this damn book down if I tried. Which I didn't try because that would have been me depriving myself of something amazing and there is no reason to do that.
If I thought the first book hit my feelings, which it did, this one ran them over with a damn truck.
I loved the addition of Allucard Emery. He was my favorite new character because he is amazing and beautiful and just so great. I love his sass. He is such a great magic mentor for Delilah and I want him to have the world. He deserves to be happy. Anyone who thinks differently can fight me.
I love the idea of this competition. It's cool to see different kinds of magic users with the different elements, but also how they use them. Some are more defensive users, some more attack based. But all of them are really cool. I won't give away too much, but I am happy with the last couple of fights and how they went on. Especially that one. You know which one I'm talking about. Just great stuff there.
I love how Delilah and Kell's relationship is evolving in this book. They don't necessariily see all that much of each other, but when they do, sparks are FLYING. I was listening to the audio book when I was out running errands and in the middle of Michael's, I burst out laughing when they got to the ball part. It was just so cute and fun to see them relaxed for a change. Big fan. I ship them so hard it hurts. So whenever they were cross with each other, in my head, I was pushing them together saying "make up damn it. You will make beautiful children."
Those plot twists though. All of them got me right in the feels.
I will say without shame that I cried in this book. More than once. And almost in public. Those people in Michael's must have thought I was crazy.
The ending was mean. I mean, come on Victoria. That hurt. Why would you put me through that? I mean, yes, it was amazing that you wrote it so well I almost threw the book across the room, but still. My heart. I have to wait a bit until I can read the next one because I don't have any book stores around me to be able to get it and my library doesn't have it in physical copy either. But they do have an audio book version that I am on hold for. So there's that. I cannot wait.
I honestly could not put this damn book down if I tried. Which I didn't try because that would have been me depriving myself of something amazing and there is no reason to do that.
If I thought the first book hit my feelings, which it did, this one ran them over with a damn truck.
I loved the addition of Allucard Emery. He was my favorite new character because he is amazing and beautiful and just so great. I love his sass. He is such a great magic mentor for Delilah and I want him to have the world. He deserves to be happy. Anyone who thinks differently can fight me.
I love the idea of this competition. It's cool to see different kinds of magic users with the different elements, but also how they use them. Some are more defensive users, some more attack based. But all of them are really cool. I won't give away too much, but I am happy with the last couple of fights and how they went on. Especially that one. You know which one I'm talking about. Just great stuff there.
I love how Delilah and Kell's relationship is evolving in this book. They don't necessariily see all that much of each other, but when they do, sparks are FLYING. I was listening to the audio book when I was out running errands and in the middle of Michael's, I burst out laughing when they got to the ball part. It was just so cute and fun to see them relaxed for a change. Big fan. I ship them so hard it hurts. So whenever they were cross with each other, in my head, I was pushing them together saying "make up damn it. You will make beautiful children."
Those plot twists though. All of them got me right in the feels.
I will say without shame that I cried in this book. More than once. And almost in public. Those people in Michael's must have thought I was crazy.
The ending was mean. I mean, come on Victoria. That hurt. Why would you put me through that? I mean, yes, it was amazing that you wrote it so well I almost threw the book across the room, but still. My heart. I have to wait a bit until I can read the next one because I don't have any book stores around me to be able to get it and my library doesn't have it in physical copy either. But they do have an audio book version that I am on hold for. So there's that. I cannot wait.