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David McK (3623 KP) rated Ratcatcher (Matthew Hawkwood, #1) in Books
Jan 30, 2019
I picked this book up for something like 99p in a Clearance sale in my local WH Smiths, and I have to say: it actually proved to be a better read than many other books that I've paid full price for.
Set during the late Regency period, this is the era of the Napoleonic Wars, Affairs of Honour (i.e. forbidden duels), Highwaymen and the Bow Street Runners. Starting with the robbery of a coach, this builds up into a plot surrounding a (historically correct) invention that agents of France hope to use against Great Britain to swing the balance of power in their favour. Matthew Hawkwood - the hero of the tale - is a former army officer from the Rifle Corps, who now works as one of the Bow Street Runners (few in number, and who have since been called London's first professional police force), who is initially charged with investigating this robbery. While I did find elements of the plot to be obvious - one reveal, in particular, I saw coming from about a mile away - there is still plenty to enjoy in the novel.
Based on this one, I may be convinced pick up a few more of the sequels ...
Set during the late Regency period, this is the era of the Napoleonic Wars, Affairs of Honour (i.e. forbidden duels), Highwaymen and the Bow Street Runners. Starting with the robbery of a coach, this builds up into a plot surrounding a (historically correct) invention that agents of France hope to use against Great Britain to swing the balance of power in their favour. Matthew Hawkwood - the hero of the tale - is a former army officer from the Rifle Corps, who now works as one of the Bow Street Runners (few in number, and who have since been called London's first professional police force), who is initially charged with investigating this robbery. While I did find elements of the plot to be obvious - one reveal, in particular, I saw coming from about a mile away - there is still plenty to enjoy in the novel.
Based on this one, I may be convinced pick up a few more of the sequels ...
Freshwater
Book
An extraordinary debut novel, Freshwater explores the surreal experience of having a fractured self....
literary fiction
Hazel (1853 KP) rated A Place Called Winter in Books
Dec 17, 2018
<i>This eBook was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review</i>
Loosely based upon a true story, one of Patrick Gale’s ancestors in fact, <i>A Place Called Winter</i> follows the life of Harry Cane during the early 1900s. The book begins with Harry being transferred from a mental asylum to a therapeutic community called Bethel Ranch. The story then backtracks to Harry’s life as a young, nervous, motherless boy and the time he met his future wife, Winnie.
Throughout the book the reader is trying to guess the reason Harry eventually finds himself at Bethel Ranch. Gale describes Harry’s marriage, his discovery of homosexuality and his move to Canada to his final stop at a homestead in a place called Winter. Does Harry develop a mental illness or is it something to do with his scandalous desires? Or, does something else happen later in the book?
After moving to Canada, Harry does not exactly have it easy and the reader feels for him as he perseveres with his new life style. We watch him grow from a timid young man into someone with his own farm and independence. It makes it all the more upsetting to read when certain things take a turn for the worse.
In this historical novel, Patrick Gale emphasizes on the way homosexuality was regarded in society. Entire families cut people out of their lives at the slightest hint of a scandal. Gale also touches on the techniques used within mental asylums during this period as well as racial discrimination.
Occasionally, the story was difficult to read as it alternated between being really interesting and then slightly dull. Overall, regardless of how much was based on actual events, it was a good storyline, and once you have started reading you feel the need to continue to find out what happens to Harry. I have only read one other book by Patrick Gale –<i> Notes From an Exhibition</i> – that I struggled with a little. <i>A Place Called Winter, however, was a lot better than I was expecting. </i>
Loosely based upon a true story, one of Patrick Gale’s ancestors in fact, <i>A Place Called Winter</i> follows the life of Harry Cane during the early 1900s. The book begins with Harry being transferred from a mental asylum to a therapeutic community called Bethel Ranch. The story then backtracks to Harry’s life as a young, nervous, motherless boy and the time he met his future wife, Winnie.
Throughout the book the reader is trying to guess the reason Harry eventually finds himself at Bethel Ranch. Gale describes Harry’s marriage, his discovery of homosexuality and his move to Canada to his final stop at a homestead in a place called Winter. Does Harry develop a mental illness or is it something to do with his scandalous desires? Or, does something else happen later in the book?
After moving to Canada, Harry does not exactly have it easy and the reader feels for him as he perseveres with his new life style. We watch him grow from a timid young man into someone with his own farm and independence. It makes it all the more upsetting to read when certain things take a turn for the worse.
In this historical novel, Patrick Gale emphasizes on the way homosexuality was regarded in society. Entire families cut people out of their lives at the slightest hint of a scandal. Gale also touches on the techniques used within mental asylums during this period as well as racial discrimination.
Occasionally, the story was difficult to read as it alternated between being really interesting and then slightly dull. Overall, regardless of how much was based on actual events, it was a good storyline, and once you have started reading you feel the need to continue to find out what happens to Harry. I have only read one other book by Patrick Gale –<i> Notes From an Exhibition</i> – that I struggled with a little. <i>A Place Called Winter, however, was a lot better than I was expecting. </i>
Southern Today (21 KP) rated And I Darken (The Conqueror's Saga #1) in Books
Nov 7, 2017
And I Darken: Audio Book Review
Contains spoilers, click to show
Historical fiction! Heavy on the fiction, light on the historical, and a good young adult. Now, this is young adult fiction, the kind that even adults can appreciate. Though, this is not for YOUNG young adults. If you are wary of what your kids read, stay away from this. I enjoyed this story, and loved the twists and turns the author took us on.
Again, I did not like the voice of the reader for this novel. She was grating, could not do much variation of the voices and I wish she would not have tried, and was the reason I often considered stopping the track. And I have no idea how to spell any of the names without looking them up.
This novel, by Kiersten White, follows Lada and Radu, in the 1400s, in the Ottoman empire as insurances for the Sultan.
I wonder if, like many young adult series, this would have been better as a single book with the next being far in the future or following other characters during the same time frame.
If you enjoy war novels, historically-set novels, or stories of growing up in difficult circumstances will enjoy this.
Alright, SPOILERS BELOW, SPOILERS BELOW, PLEASE SCROLL FOR DISCUSSION there, that is out of the way.
So, this book covers a good lifetime, showing us the development, fully, of characters. Saw the gay man coming as soon as he was born, which is kind of sad. Why, why make the gay man beautiful? Why make it so obvious from the start?
Why have her fall in love with the future Sultan?
I wanted her, based on the description of the book, to be in her homeland more often than they are. The hatred between the siblings isn't what is odd, but what causes it. How Radu doesn't understand Lada's love towards him and what drives her. I do not understand it.
This book is also supposed to be a gender-bend of Dracula the Impaler. Which is interesting, because I did not figure that out from reading it. It is the correct time period, but gender bending DOESN'T WORK historically. I am sorry, it would be far to complicated to do that. It, it just doesn't work. You can write it and ponder what it would have been if one character was different. But not all. So, is that what this is?
I think I will be reading (or listening?) to the second book of this.
THIS VOICE IS TERRIBLE!
Alright, there. Little bits done
Again, I did not like the voice of the reader for this novel. She was grating, could not do much variation of the voices and I wish she would not have tried, and was the reason I often considered stopping the track. And I have no idea how to spell any of the names without looking them up.
This novel, by Kiersten White, follows Lada and Radu, in the 1400s, in the Ottoman empire as insurances for the Sultan.
I wonder if, like many young adult series, this would have been better as a single book with the next being far in the future or following other characters during the same time frame.
If you enjoy war novels, historically-set novels, or stories of growing up in difficult circumstances will enjoy this.
Alright, SPOILERS BELOW, SPOILERS BELOW, PLEASE SCROLL FOR DISCUSSION there, that is out of the way.
So, this book covers a good lifetime, showing us the development, fully, of characters. Saw the gay man coming as soon as he was born, which is kind of sad. Why, why make the gay man beautiful? Why make it so obvious from the start?
Why have her fall in love with the future Sultan?
I wanted her, based on the description of the book, to be in her homeland more often than they are. The hatred between the siblings isn't what is odd, but what causes it. How Radu doesn't understand Lada's love towards him and what drives her. I do not understand it.
This book is also supposed to be a gender-bend of Dracula the Impaler. Which is interesting, because I did not figure that out from reading it. It is the correct time period, but gender bending DOESN'T WORK historically. I am sorry, it would be far to complicated to do that. It, it just doesn't work. You can write it and ponder what it would have been if one character was different. But not all. So, is that what this is?
I think I will be reading (or listening?) to the second book of this.
THIS VOICE IS TERRIBLE!
Alright, there. Little bits done
Alison Pink (7 KP) rated Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King (The Guardians, #1) in Books
Jan 15, 2018
This book was not at all what I expected but, I don't mean that to sound negative in the least. Let me start by saying that I bought 2 copies of it so I could read 1 & give the other to my nephew for Christmas. I'd seen the trailer for Rise of the Guardians & when I heard it was based on this book I had to read it.
It is written as a legend of how Santa Claus came to be well, Santa Claus! If you think though that you can read this novel & finish with an answer you are wrong. It is just the beginning to the tale of St. Nick.
It starts when a wayward moonbeam accidentally wakes up Pitch, the Nightmare King. Pitch's job was to go around the world feeding off the good dreams of people & replacing them with nightmares. He seems to be succeeding until a wise old wizard tricks a wily thief into coming to his town's aide. That swashbuckler happens to be Nicholas St. North, the man who is presumably going to end up as jolly ole St. Nick.
This is a great story & a quick read. I am looking forward to seeing the movie though I doubt it will be much like the book so be warned!!
It is written as a legend of how Santa Claus came to be well, Santa Claus! If you think though that you can read this novel & finish with an answer you are wrong. It is just the beginning to the tale of St. Nick.
It starts when a wayward moonbeam accidentally wakes up Pitch, the Nightmare King. Pitch's job was to go around the world feeding off the good dreams of people & replacing them with nightmares. He seems to be succeeding until a wise old wizard tricks a wily thief into coming to his town's aide. That swashbuckler happens to be Nicholas St. North, the man who is presumably going to end up as jolly ole St. Nick.
This is a great story & a quick read. I am looking forward to seeing the movie though I doubt it will be much like the book so be warned!!
The Power of the Dog
Book
"Billed as the next Stoner, this 1967 reissue is in fact the better novel...a rich and challenging...
The Sabotage Diaries: The True Story of a Daring Band of Allied Special Forces and Their Covert Operations in Nazi-Occupied Greece
Book
Based on the wartime diaries of Allied soldier and saboteur Tom Barnes, this account of thrilling...
Night Reader Reviews (683 KP) rated The Evil that came to Denham in Books
Jan 20, 2020
Honest Review for Free Copy of Book
The Evil that came to Denham by John Ulrich is based on a real story that I doubt many people have heard of. This story is The Denham Massacre in 1870 where all seven members of the Marshall family were brutally murdered. If this is something that interests you I invite you to read on.
The narrator tells the story of his parents in their first house in Denham. Christine (the narrator's mother) comes from an extremely proper family. Her father is extremely controlling and abusive while her mother is religious and believes that her husband’s behavior is the will of God. Neither one of Christine’s parents approves of John, her boyfriend (and the narrator's father) because he is a garbage collector and doesn't come from money. It is their dislike for John and the mistreatment of Christine that pushes John to quickly find a home of their own.
John comes across a home for rent called Harridons at Cheapside Lane in Denham in the paper. After making the proper arrangements John, Christine, and their friend Dave happily rent the house. The happiness is short-lived as Christine is soon the first to hear the disembodied screams of women and children. It quickly becomes clear that there is more to this house than the three originally though. It takes a long talk with a priest and the landlords before they learn the truth behind the house. A horrible massacre many years before has stained the very land the house sits on and has left behind some very unhappy sprits.
I enjoyed the style of the storytelling used. When someone in the main story is telling another character a story about something else that happened in the past it is written like a flashback. The entire thing flows wonderfully without any jarring transitions. What I did not like was how just about everyone is accepting of what was going on in the house. Naturally, I expected more people to be skeptical of the paranormal happenings. This isn’t so much a problem as it is an odd observation.
This is an adult horror book that could be acceptable for slightly younger readers, such as those still in high school. One of the big issues is the fact that there is a fair amount of vivid gore scenes that some younger readers may find disturbing. Readers should also be prepared for a relatively long novel. I rate this book 3 out of 4. While not my favorite book its was still wonderful. A great read for any time of the year but especially around Halloween as this one truly was creepy. The fact that it is based on a true story adds to the creepy level even more.
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The narrator tells the story of his parents in their first house in Denham. Christine (the narrator's mother) comes from an extremely proper family. Her father is extremely controlling and abusive while her mother is religious and believes that her husband’s behavior is the will of God. Neither one of Christine’s parents approves of John, her boyfriend (and the narrator's father) because he is a garbage collector and doesn't come from money. It is their dislike for John and the mistreatment of Christine that pushes John to quickly find a home of their own.
John comes across a home for rent called Harridons at Cheapside Lane in Denham in the paper. After making the proper arrangements John, Christine, and their friend Dave happily rent the house. The happiness is short-lived as Christine is soon the first to hear the disembodied screams of women and children. It quickly becomes clear that there is more to this house than the three originally though. It takes a long talk with a priest and the landlords before they learn the truth behind the house. A horrible massacre many years before has stained the very land the house sits on and has left behind some very unhappy sprits.
I enjoyed the style of the storytelling used. When someone in the main story is telling another character a story about something else that happened in the past it is written like a flashback. The entire thing flows wonderfully without any jarring transitions. What I did not like was how just about everyone is accepting of what was going on in the house. Naturally, I expected more people to be skeptical of the paranormal happenings. This isn’t so much a problem as it is an odd observation.
This is an adult horror book that could be acceptable for slightly younger readers, such as those still in high school. One of the big issues is the fact that there is a fair amount of vivid gore scenes that some younger readers may find disturbing. Readers should also be prepared for a relatively long novel. I rate this book 3 out of 4. While not my favorite book its was still wonderful. A great read for any time of the year but especially around Halloween as this one truly was creepy. The fact that it is based on a true story adds to the creepy level even more.
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https://smashbomb.com/nightreader
The Book of Lost Friends
Book
THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER 'A tale of enduring power' Paula McLain From the author of the...
A History of Violence (2005)
7.2
Rate It
Movie Watch
Tom Stall (Viggo Mortensen) is living a happy and quiet life with his lawyer wife (Maria Bello) and...