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Are You Considering Therapy?
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Are You Considering Therapy? is a guidebook for people who are thinking about going into therapy but...
ClareR (6256 KP) rated Three Days in June in Books
May 28, 2026
I think of Anne Tyler books as being in my ‘Chatty’ genre. Three Days in June is like your friend telling you about how they’re getting on - and Gail isn’t having the best of days at the start. It looks as though she’s losing her job. And all at the beginning of the weekend where her daughter will be getting married. Or will she? Because it looks as though the wedding is hanging in the balance.
Gail and her ex-husband, Max, are staying together in Gail’s house, along with Max’s foster cat. A lot of the 165 pages are flashbacks to the early days of their marriage, their daughter’s childhood and the reason for the end of their marriage.
Nothing exciting happens. The story jogs along with us, the readers, getting the inside story of their lives and thoughts. I love this kind of book. Yes, I love an exciting Sci-Fi, Fantasy or Historical Fiction, but sometimes I just really like a story to be like real life should be - largely unexciting, with people who care about one another.
If that doesn’t sell this book, then I have no idea what will! The world is a crazy place at the moment, and it’s nice to think that there might be people just going about their daily lives, not thinking about the huge, scary things. Just normal, everyday drama is what I need sometimes, and Anne Tyler delivers so skilfully on that.
Gail and her ex-husband, Max, are staying together in Gail’s house, along with Max’s foster cat. A lot of the 165 pages are flashbacks to the early days of their marriage, their daughter’s childhood and the reason for the end of their marriage.
Nothing exciting happens. The story jogs along with us, the readers, getting the inside story of their lives and thoughts. I love this kind of book. Yes, I love an exciting Sci-Fi, Fantasy or Historical Fiction, but sometimes I just really like a story to be like real life should be - largely unexciting, with people who care about one another.
If that doesn’t sell this book, then I have no idea what will! The world is a crazy place at the moment, and it’s nice to think that there might be people just going about their daily lives, not thinking about the huge, scary things. Just normal, everyday drama is what I need sometimes, and Anne Tyler delivers so skilfully on that.
Merissa (14146 KP) rated Colorado Flames With A Texas Twist (Colorado Heart #3) in Books
Apr 15, 2023
We're back with the boys of the Wild Bluff ranch and this time it's James who takes the spotlight. He is following - or stalking in his words - Brody, supposedly to make sure that Brody doesn't talk about the ranch but in reality, it is because James is fascinated with him. Brody comes across as a 'clean-cut boy' but has his own secrets to hide.
The one thing that stuck out for me in this book is the introduction to new characters, a new scene and a whole backstory that I know absolutely nothing about. Whilst I can see them having more importance as the story goes on, I have no idea who they are or what they're about right now. The other thing is that 'Mike' is mentioned more than once but from what I could understand, there is more than one 'Mike' character so I have no idea which one was which and who was being spoken about. I guess if you've read the other series, you will know more but I haven't.
On the whole, this was very enjoyable and I liked spending time with Zander, Marshall, Tucker and Billy, as well as James and Brody. Definitely enjoying these reads.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Sep 9, 2015
The one thing that stuck out for me in this book is the introduction to new characters, a new scene and a whole backstory that I know absolutely nothing about. Whilst I can see them having more importance as the story goes on, I have no idea who they are or what they're about right now. The other thing is that 'Mike' is mentioned more than once but from what I could understand, there is more than one 'Mike' character so I have no idea which one was which and who was being spoken about. I guess if you've read the other series, you will know more but I haven't.
On the whole, this was very enjoyable and I liked spending time with Zander, Marshall, Tucker and Billy, as well as James and Brody. Definitely enjoying these reads.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Sep 9, 2015
ClareR (6256 KP) rated The Pharmacist in Books
Jul 24, 2022
The Pharmacist is the kind of book that I find I have to ration. I love it, but frankly the concept is terrifying. I read a lot of books about End Of Times, apocalypse, dystopia - I’m addicted, but I find I can’t stop thinking about them, and I even dreamt about The Pharmacist!
This isn’t a light read, and the dread isn’t even underlying: it’s constantly there, glowering in every paragraph, every sentence. The reader doesn’t know why these specially chosen people are all holed up in a bunker together, but something terrible, world changing, has happened.
And the claustrophobia! I could imagine the close living quarters, the smell of the not-quite-clean inhabitants, the fear of doing something to incur the wrath of the bunkers leader. Now, he’s quite some character: power mad and more than happy to use anyone to get what he wants. And although the pharmacist, Wolfe, is supplying him with ever greater supplies of drugs, she is the one who is at his mercy.
Whatever is outside the bunker is worse than what’s inside (I debate this, and would be much happier taking my chances on the outside!). And the tasks that the leader demands that Wolfe undertakes, get worse and worse.
This is an unrelentingly grim read, and I’m sure it says a whole lot about me when I say that I loved it. I looked forward - with trepidation - to reading every one of the ten instalments on The Pigeonhole.
This isn’t a light read, and the dread isn’t even underlying: it’s constantly there, glowering in every paragraph, every sentence. The reader doesn’t know why these specially chosen people are all holed up in a bunker together, but something terrible, world changing, has happened.
And the claustrophobia! I could imagine the close living quarters, the smell of the not-quite-clean inhabitants, the fear of doing something to incur the wrath of the bunkers leader. Now, he’s quite some character: power mad and more than happy to use anyone to get what he wants. And although the pharmacist, Wolfe, is supplying him with ever greater supplies of drugs, she is the one who is at his mercy.
Whatever is outside the bunker is worse than what’s inside (I debate this, and would be much happier taking my chances on the outside!). And the tasks that the leader demands that Wolfe undertakes, get worse and worse.
This is an unrelentingly grim read, and I’m sure it says a whole lot about me when I say that I loved it. I looked forward - with trepidation - to reading every one of the ten instalments on The Pigeonhole.
BookInspector (124 KP) rated Cold Calling in Books
Sep 24, 2020
Even from the description, it was visible, that this book will contain tons of strong language, and it did. I believe all of us had to deal with a “cold call” at least once in our lifetime, and it is really annoying, to be honest. This book is an insight into behind the scenes of “cold calling” companies, and I found it incredibly interesting to read. After reading this novel, I promised myself not to be rude to people who work in this industry, because as it showed, their life is already not the best.
This book about a guy named Rhys. He works in a call centre and lives really sad and monotonic life. He hates his job and actually his life. His life is a routine of work, porn websites after work, casual drink with friends he hates, sleep, repeat. One day after a lot of drinks, he kills a family, takes their baby, cooks it and eats it. And it somehow changes his life, and he needs more… So this book is about a guy who from being an ordinary boring dude, becomes a vicious and exciting murderer. The characters chosen for this book are just like normal, ordinary lads, very believable and you see these kinds of people every day. Haydn Wilks has quite a bit of experience working in call centres himself, and I appreciate, that he shared the details of it with the readers.
The plot of this book left me interested and grossed out at the same time. I like horror books, but this one overwhelmed me. There were some really nasty parts in here, and if I would be a meat eater, it would put me off from it for quite a while. The details of cooking human flesh, eating it, and sharing with others just gives me nausea. So if you got weak stomach and you are sensitive, this book is definitely not for you. I really enjoyed reading about Rhys’s psychotic plans of how to find new victims and how to preserve their bodies, I like when books give insights into murderers thoughts, I find that very interesting.
This book is quite short and really quick paced, so it is a quick read even though it doesn’t have chapters. This book is written in a very interesting manner, it is like a letter to yourself, about yourself. Here is the first paragraph of the book:
“You were born the year the Berlin Wall fell. For your generation, it’s impossible to conceive of life outside capitalism. It feels as permanent and natural as gravity or the four seasons. You were born into a system and you’ve inherited its world view. A person’s beliefs are shaped by their society. No preindustrial revolution European intellectuals were openly atheist. Human civilisation is an echo chamber. Imagine how ideas that are emerging now will get amplified and distorted over time. These are the thoughts that fill your head as you stare into the computer screen; at names and addresses and telephone numbers; black details on slow-blinding white.”
So this kind of writing style justifies the lack of chapters and brought something new to my reading spectra because I don’t remember reading anything similar. This book is easy to read and doesn’t have a difficult language. I don’t know was the author lazy or genius, but this book does not have an ending. The ending of the book tells the reader to create their own ending. As this is the first book I read by this author, I really don’t know if other books by this author have the same ending style, or it’s just this one. So, to conclude, this book was too strong for me, that’s why my rating for it is not the best. However, if you have a strong stomach, interested in behind the scenes of call centres, and like books about cannibalism, this one would be a great book for you.
This book about a guy named Rhys. He works in a call centre and lives really sad and monotonic life. He hates his job and actually his life. His life is a routine of work, porn websites after work, casual drink with friends he hates, sleep, repeat. One day after a lot of drinks, he kills a family, takes their baby, cooks it and eats it. And it somehow changes his life, and he needs more… So this book is about a guy who from being an ordinary boring dude, becomes a vicious and exciting murderer. The characters chosen for this book are just like normal, ordinary lads, very believable and you see these kinds of people every day. Haydn Wilks has quite a bit of experience working in call centres himself, and I appreciate, that he shared the details of it with the readers.
The plot of this book left me interested and grossed out at the same time. I like horror books, but this one overwhelmed me. There were some really nasty parts in here, and if I would be a meat eater, it would put me off from it for quite a while. The details of cooking human flesh, eating it, and sharing with others just gives me nausea. So if you got weak stomach and you are sensitive, this book is definitely not for you. I really enjoyed reading about Rhys’s psychotic plans of how to find new victims and how to preserve their bodies, I like when books give insights into murderers thoughts, I find that very interesting.
This book is quite short and really quick paced, so it is a quick read even though it doesn’t have chapters. This book is written in a very interesting manner, it is like a letter to yourself, about yourself. Here is the first paragraph of the book:
“You were born the year the Berlin Wall fell. For your generation, it’s impossible to conceive of life outside capitalism. It feels as permanent and natural as gravity or the four seasons. You were born into a system and you’ve inherited its world view. A person’s beliefs are shaped by their society. No preindustrial revolution European intellectuals were openly atheist. Human civilisation is an echo chamber. Imagine how ideas that are emerging now will get amplified and distorted over time. These are the thoughts that fill your head as you stare into the computer screen; at names and addresses and telephone numbers; black details on slow-blinding white.”
So this kind of writing style justifies the lack of chapters and brought something new to my reading spectra because I don’t remember reading anything similar. This book is easy to read and doesn’t have a difficult language. I don’t know was the author lazy or genius, but this book does not have an ending. The ending of the book tells the reader to create their own ending. As this is the first book I read by this author, I really don’t know if other books by this author have the same ending style, or it’s just this one. So, to conclude, this book was too strong for me, that’s why my rating for it is not the best. However, if you have a strong stomach, interested in behind the scenes of call centres, and like books about cannibalism, this one would be a great book for you.
Debbiereadsbook (1801 KP) rated Surprise Delivery (Hearts and Health #5) in Books
Mar 25, 2018
the warm and fuzzies are back!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarain, I was gifted my copy of this book.
This is book 5 in the Hearts and Health series, but you don't need to have read the other books. I first met Eric in the first book I read, which was book 2, because I still haven't got round to reading book 1 yet! Casper pops up in book 4. All stand alone stories, with connecting characters based in and around the hospital in Ashe, Kansas. But you should! Cos, you know, warm and fuzzies, people! Warm. And. Fuzzies.
Cos that's what I'm loving about this series! That feeling it gives, when two guys finally give in to their feelings. When they get over their hang ups. When they give up the guilt that has been eating them alive and just LOVE on each other! I live my life through books like this!
Casper does all his adrenaline junkie stuff as a way to connect with his dead boyfriend of 5 years. Eric is married to his job, because his real husband left him. When Eric's 16 year old niece turns up at his door, pregnant and thrown out of her home, the two men are thrown together. Casper pulls at Eric to live a little, and Eric pulls at Casper to just slow down a bit.
Expect some roller coaster emotions from Casper here, as he deals with his self inflicted guilt. He struggles to let Kage go, and he struggles to talk to Eric, which in turn leads to some roller coaster emotions from Eric, although not quite as painful reading. I bawled my eyes out for them both!
Paul and Zane play a part, Paul especially for Eric dealing with the Board and budgets, makes Eric see, really SEE what's going on in the ER and it's Paul who makes Eric begin to think that maybe, just maybe, there is life OUTSIDE of this hospital. He just needs the push that Paul, Olivia and Casper give him. Trent and Xavier pop up too, but only briefly.
I loved this book, I read it in one sitting. I can't wait for more books in this series, but I'm wondering which way things will go now. Especially with what Eric, Paul and Trent have to decide to do. I don't really care whether future books will be based in the hospital or elsewhere, I just want and need more of these guys!
5 Warm And Fuzzies stars!
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
This is book 5 in the Hearts and Health series, but you don't need to have read the other books. I first met Eric in the first book I read, which was book 2, because I still haven't got round to reading book 1 yet! Casper pops up in book 4. All stand alone stories, with connecting characters based in and around the hospital in Ashe, Kansas. But you should! Cos, you know, warm and fuzzies, people! Warm. And. Fuzzies.
Cos that's what I'm loving about this series! That feeling it gives, when two guys finally give in to their feelings. When they get over their hang ups. When they give up the guilt that has been eating them alive and just LOVE on each other! I live my life through books like this!
Casper does all his adrenaline junkie stuff as a way to connect with his dead boyfriend of 5 years. Eric is married to his job, because his real husband left him. When Eric's 16 year old niece turns up at his door, pregnant and thrown out of her home, the two men are thrown together. Casper pulls at Eric to live a little, and Eric pulls at Casper to just slow down a bit.
Expect some roller coaster emotions from Casper here, as he deals with his self inflicted guilt. He struggles to let Kage go, and he struggles to talk to Eric, which in turn leads to some roller coaster emotions from Eric, although not quite as painful reading. I bawled my eyes out for them both!
Paul and Zane play a part, Paul especially for Eric dealing with the Board and budgets, makes Eric see, really SEE what's going on in the ER and it's Paul who makes Eric begin to think that maybe, just maybe, there is life OUTSIDE of this hospital. He just needs the push that Paul, Olivia and Casper give him. Trent and Xavier pop up too, but only briefly.
I loved this book, I read it in one sitting. I can't wait for more books in this series, but I'm wondering which way things will go now. Especially with what Eric, Paul and Trent have to decide to do. I don't really care whether future books will be based in the hospital or elsewhere, I just want and need more of these guys!
5 Warm And Fuzzies stars!
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Eleanor (1463 KP) rated Indelible (Grant County, #4) in Books
Jul 23, 2019
Better then the last but still not in the same league as the first couple of books in this series....
This is the fourth in the Grant County series and for a series that started so strong (I loved the first two books) I was really disappointed with this. I would recommend approaching this series in order as they do carry a lot of emotional baggage through the series.
This was the first one I listened to as an audiobook and the Southern American accents used were a bit grating for me, so I'll try to stick to the books in the future for this series (obviously a personal preference.)
With a shootout occuring in the town in the present day, we get flashbacks to an “origin” type story 12 years earlier, which sets out to give the reasoning behind the attack. It’s a pretty shocking attack and the present day part was tense.
This book is very focused on two of the main characters from the series, Medical examiner Sara Linton and her now ex husband / current boyfriend (it’s a complicated relationship) Police Chief Jeffrey. In the flashback parts of this book we see Sara and Jeffrey taking a trip to Jefferies hometown where his best friend ends up shooting someone and a body is found from Jefferies distant past. I didn’t find the investigation part here as engaging as in the previous books, with too much focus on what Jeffrey was like as a lad.
I think my main issue with this particular book is I just don’t like Jeffery and having so much dedicated to back story for him didn’t endear him any more to me. I came out of that part of the story still not liking him or really understanding why Sara is so in love with him (I suppose love is blind.)
Although I enjoyed the action packed present day shootout it still had a character issue in the form of the ever complicated Lena Adams. She is back to being a cop and this is her first day back (talk about bad timing!) I really have no idea why they are letting her back on the force she just seems to be a terrible cop (and not a particularly nice person) who is suffering from PTSD.
I feel I may be being too harsh on this book and I can fully understand people who love the characters in this series (or love to hate main characters) enjoying this book. I just prefer this series when it’s slightly more focused on a case rather than their personal lives.
This was the first one I listened to as an audiobook and the Southern American accents used were a bit grating for me, so I'll try to stick to the books in the future for this series (obviously a personal preference.)
With a shootout occuring in the town in the present day, we get flashbacks to an “origin” type story 12 years earlier, which sets out to give the reasoning behind the attack. It’s a pretty shocking attack and the present day part was tense.
This book is very focused on two of the main characters from the series, Medical examiner Sara Linton and her now ex husband / current boyfriend (it’s a complicated relationship) Police Chief Jeffrey. In the flashback parts of this book we see Sara and Jeffrey taking a trip to Jefferies hometown where his best friend ends up shooting someone and a body is found from Jefferies distant past. I didn’t find the investigation part here as engaging as in the previous books, with too much focus on what Jeffrey was like as a lad.
I think my main issue with this particular book is I just don’t like Jeffery and having so much dedicated to back story for him didn’t endear him any more to me. I came out of that part of the story still not liking him or really understanding why Sara is so in love with him (I suppose love is blind.)
Although I enjoyed the action packed present day shootout it still had a character issue in the form of the ever complicated Lena Adams. She is back to being a cop and this is her first day back (talk about bad timing!) I really have no idea why they are letting her back on the force she just seems to be a terrible cop (and not a particularly nice person) who is suffering from PTSD.
I feel I may be being too harsh on this book and I can fully understand people who love the characters in this series (or love to hate main characters) enjoying this book. I just prefer this series when it’s slightly more focused on a case rather than their personal lives.
ArecRain (8 KP) rated I Heart Geeks in Books
Jan 18, 2018
I received a complimentary copy in exchange for a review.
The good thing about anthologies is that if you dont like the story you are reading, you can move on to the next one. Unfortunately, I found myself doing that a lot with this anthology. I requested it because it showcases a culture I am apart of. I go to cons, I read comics books, and play video games. I even have a twitch account where I stream.
But this just wasnt what I was looking for. Out of all the stories, I only enjoyed a couple. I felt that many of the characters and situations were cliché and stereotypical. While I understand that those type of people and situations exist, I felt that each story was a repeat of the others. When I say those people and those situations, I am talking about the anti-social, socially awkward people who are sensitive and easily hurt.
I understand, I get it. Those people need representation, too. But these werent the people I wanted to read about. I wanted to read about the happy, friendly, quirky people you cant help but love. The people who are unapologetic in their love of all things nerdy regardless of what that includes. Most of the protagonists in their stories were fragile and delicate. It seems that every protagonists I read about has been hurt before and is resolved to not love again.
Its an old tired trope. I wish I would have enjoyed it more. I loathe writing negative reviews, but reading this anthology just frustrated me.
The good thing about anthologies is that if you dont like the story you are reading, you can move on to the next one. Unfortunately, I found myself doing that a lot with this anthology. I requested it because it showcases a culture I am apart of. I go to cons, I read comics books, and play video games. I even have a twitch account where I stream.
But this just wasnt what I was looking for. Out of all the stories, I only enjoyed a couple. I felt that many of the characters and situations were cliché and stereotypical. While I understand that those type of people and situations exist, I felt that each story was a repeat of the others. When I say those people and those situations, I am talking about the anti-social, socially awkward people who are sensitive and easily hurt.
I understand, I get it. Those people need representation, too. But these werent the people I wanted to read about. I wanted to read about the happy, friendly, quirky people you cant help but love. The people who are unapologetic in their love of all things nerdy regardless of what that includes. Most of the protagonists in their stories were fragile and delicate. It seems that every protagonists I read about has been hurt before and is resolved to not love again.
Its an old tired trope. I wish I would have enjoyed it more. I loathe writing negative reviews, but reading this anthology just frustrated me.
Dana (24 KP) rated Hamilton: The Revolution in Books
Mar 23, 2018
I am so happy Hamilton was made into a book, especially since I most likely won't be able to see the musical in person anytime soon!
The physical book is so freaking beautiful. I love how huge it is, the cover is amazing, the spine makes me think of all of the Barnes and Noble leather bound classics. I am just so freaking happy about this book!
I love the little annotations throughout the lyrics! It is so awesome to be able to see the amount of detail and thought that went into creating the musical that I didn't think went into writing the musical!
The stories about the cast and writing process were so interesting as well. It makes everything seem more grounded in the lives of the actors. They were all so perfect for their roles.
The stories in here were all very heartwarming. I cried at least four times that I'll admit to. Also, Lin's annotations about the lyrics and his note books are great insights into the depth of how he thought of these lyrics.
I love being able to see the pictures. It's almost like being there. (almost...)
Honestly, I just can't think about anything bad to say about this freaking book! I am just so happy and I love it so much!!
I know they probably do this for a lot of musicals, but this is the first one I've seen and I hope they keep doing this for more Broadway lays-it allows people to get access to something otherwise unavailable to them (myself included).
I just love this all so much!!
The physical book is so freaking beautiful. I love how huge it is, the cover is amazing, the spine makes me think of all of the Barnes and Noble leather bound classics. I am just so freaking happy about this book!
I love the little annotations throughout the lyrics! It is so awesome to be able to see the amount of detail and thought that went into creating the musical that I didn't think went into writing the musical!
The stories about the cast and writing process were so interesting as well. It makes everything seem more grounded in the lives of the actors. They were all so perfect for their roles.
The stories in here were all very heartwarming. I cried at least four times that I'll admit to. Also, Lin's annotations about the lyrics and his note books are great insights into the depth of how he thought of these lyrics.
I love being able to see the pictures. It's almost like being there. (almost...)
Honestly, I just can't think about anything bad to say about this freaking book! I am just so happy and I love it so much!!
I know they probably do this for a lot of musicals, but this is the first one I've seen and I hope they keep doing this for more Broadway lays-it allows people to get access to something otherwise unavailable to them (myself included).
I just love this all so much!!
Elmo Loves 123s
Games and Education
App
This is an app full of games, activities, and videos, which will help teach your child about numbers...