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Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated The Book of Cold Cases in Books
May 5, 2022
I love a thriller that involves a chilling ghost story, so when I heard about The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James, I knew I had to read it. (Plus, I loved her other book The Broken Girls.) I was heavily immersed in this novel from the beginning!
I was sucked into the plot of The Book of Cold Cases right away. St. James gets right down to the nitty-gritty in the very first chapter. This book instantly grabs you and doesn't let go until the very last page. I was instantly transported to this small town in Oregon where I was right with the characters. As with her previous books, Simone St. James tells the story from more than one characters' point of view. We are told the story from Beth's, Shea's, and Lily's viewpoint. There was plenty of action and mystery to keep me intrigued throughout my reading journey. My favorite scenes in the book were the ones that involved the supernatural. I loved reading about how Greer mansion was haunted and about what supernatural activities were happening there. I also enjoyed the semi-big plot twist towards the middle of the book. However, I kept expecting an even bigger plot twist towards the end that never came which left me feeling a bit disappointed. However, this didn't really take away from the overall story that much. Something I could have done without was the romance in the book. It wasn't a major thing, but I just felt like there wasn't really a need for it. Other than that, I truly enjoyed this novel. Everything fit together really well (minus the romance), and the story was all tied together by the very end.
I felt that all the characters in The Book of Cold Cases were fleshed out enough to feel realistic whilst reading. I really liked Shea's interest in true crime since I can relate to that. I admired Shea's thirst for knowledge and how far she'd go to find out the truth of things she wanted to know. (I guess we both need closure!) I did feel like she got over her phobia a little too conveniently and quickly though. Beth was a wildcard for me throughout the book. I couldn't tell if she was guilty like many people believed or if she actually was a guilty party. I did like Beth though, and I loved her attitude she had when accused of murder. Lily was fabulously written, and I enjoyed reading about her too. I won't go into much more detail about her due to spoilers, but her part in The Book of Cold Cases was written well. The only character that kind of bothered me was Michael. I just felt like he was thrown in there as an easy way out. We're introduced to him from the beginning, and I kept waiting for some plot twist to happen involving him, but I was sadly disappointed. I just felt as if the book could have done without him.
Trigger warnings for The Book of Cold Cases include violence, murder, profanity, sexual abuse of a minor (not graphic), and kidnapping.
Overall, The Book of Cold Cases is a thrilling read with a fantastically chilling plot. With a spooky ghost story and an intriguing mystery, St. James has a real winner on her hands. I would definitely recommend The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James to those aged 17+ who love being scared and intrigued at the same time. You won't be disappointed.
I was sucked into the plot of The Book of Cold Cases right away. St. James gets right down to the nitty-gritty in the very first chapter. This book instantly grabs you and doesn't let go until the very last page. I was instantly transported to this small town in Oregon where I was right with the characters. As with her previous books, Simone St. James tells the story from more than one characters' point of view. We are told the story from Beth's, Shea's, and Lily's viewpoint. There was plenty of action and mystery to keep me intrigued throughout my reading journey. My favorite scenes in the book were the ones that involved the supernatural. I loved reading about how Greer mansion was haunted and about what supernatural activities were happening there. I also enjoyed the semi-big plot twist towards the middle of the book. However, I kept expecting an even bigger plot twist towards the end that never came which left me feeling a bit disappointed. However, this didn't really take away from the overall story that much. Something I could have done without was the romance in the book. It wasn't a major thing, but I just felt like there wasn't really a need for it. Other than that, I truly enjoyed this novel. Everything fit together really well (minus the romance), and the story was all tied together by the very end.
I felt that all the characters in The Book of Cold Cases were fleshed out enough to feel realistic whilst reading. I really liked Shea's interest in true crime since I can relate to that. I admired Shea's thirst for knowledge and how far she'd go to find out the truth of things she wanted to know. (I guess we both need closure!) I did feel like she got over her phobia a little too conveniently and quickly though. Beth was a wildcard for me throughout the book. I couldn't tell if she was guilty like many people believed or if she actually was a guilty party. I did like Beth though, and I loved her attitude she had when accused of murder. Lily was fabulously written, and I enjoyed reading about her too. I won't go into much more detail about her due to spoilers, but her part in The Book of Cold Cases was written well. The only character that kind of bothered me was Michael. I just felt like he was thrown in there as an easy way out. We're introduced to him from the beginning, and I kept waiting for some plot twist to happen involving him, but I was sadly disappointed. I just felt as if the book could have done without him.
Trigger warnings for The Book of Cold Cases include violence, murder, profanity, sexual abuse of a minor (not graphic), and kidnapping.
Overall, The Book of Cold Cases is a thrilling read with a fantastically chilling plot. With a spooky ghost story and an intriguing mystery, St. James has a real winner on her hands. I would definitely recommend The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James to those aged 17+ who love being scared and intrigued at the same time. You won't be disappointed.
Sexist, self-absorbed codswallop
This is probably one of the worst books I've read this year unfortunately. It's full of contradictions, too many to go through each and every one. But here are a few.
For one, it claims to be an anti-self-help book but in fact it is, not only that it repeats phrases that other books use often but it reiterates it in a much more uglier fashion by replacing every other word with "f**k".
Secondly, the author is actually incredibly sexist throughout the whole book - revealing that this book is for a privileged white, male audience. He flashes his wealth throughout the book by even saying "I come from a wealthy family" and 'this doesn't apply to an Indian family who need an extra $10'. And then talks about his sexual exploits with women, saying that one of his former goals was to "be with more women" - like women are collective objects. He's boastful about sleeping around throughout, referring to women in a derogatory way.
The chapter on false memories and child sexual abuse is shocking, absolutely no disclaimers, just a rookie spouting off information that he clearly had no idea about. He discounts thousands of horrific accounts as if they're something imagined up and to be gotten over with. An extremely precarious viewpoint.
The irony is that the author describes himself perfectly here: "People declare themselves experts, entrepreneurs, inventors, innovators, mavericks, and coaches without any real-life experience. And they do this not because they actually think they are greater than everybody else; they do it because they feel that they need to be great to be accepted in a world that broadcasts only the extraordinary." And this pretty much sums up the book.
For one, it claims to be an anti-self-help book but in fact it is, not only that it repeats phrases that other books use often but it reiterates it in a much more uglier fashion by replacing every other word with "f**k".
Secondly, the author is actually incredibly sexist throughout the whole book - revealing that this book is for a privileged white, male audience. He flashes his wealth throughout the book by even saying "I come from a wealthy family" and 'this doesn't apply to an Indian family who need an extra $10'. And then talks about his sexual exploits with women, saying that one of his former goals was to "be with more women" - like women are collective objects. He's boastful about sleeping around throughout, referring to women in a derogatory way.
The chapter on false memories and child sexual abuse is shocking, absolutely no disclaimers, just a rookie spouting off information that he clearly had no idea about. He discounts thousands of horrific accounts as if they're something imagined up and to be gotten over with. An extremely precarious viewpoint.
The irony is that the author describes himself perfectly here: "People declare themselves experts, entrepreneurs, inventors, innovators, mavericks, and coaches without any real-life experience. And they do this not because they actually think they are greater than everybody else; they do it because they feel that they need to be great to be accepted in a world that broadcasts only the extraordinary." And this pretty much sums up the book.
graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated The Jinx (Rachel Benjamin, #2) in Books
Feb 15, 2019
Jan. 16, 2008
I'm close to the middle of the book and am not sure if I want to read on because of these reasons...
(1) I've picked this book up numerous times, in many months I might add, and have only read a few pages at a time. Definitely not a good sign.
(2) It's slow and rather boring
(3) Rachel's been irritating - whiny, pompous, dumb, and she overreacts.. This doesn't sound like the girl from the first book.
(4) I am so sick of hearing about her Diet Coke addiction! WTF?????!!!!!
(5) Ms. Sturman seems to like throwing out words that are hardly used in the English language in attempt to make her look smarter than she might, in fact, be.
(6) I think I already figured out who's the culprit to this mystery (and I use this term loosely since there's hardly any mystery so far). Of course I'm not sure about this, but who's to tell?
I'm still thinking I might read towards the end because I have the next one at the ready. Hopefully it will improve. If not, then it's the end of the line for me. But then again, I might just 'cheat' and read the last chapter or two.
Jan. 17, 2008
I give up! I am not enjoying this book at all and I might as well give it up as a lost cause. I mean there's no sense in finishing it if I'm not liking it. I did read the last few chapters and they were utterly ridiculous - now I'm not even sure if I want to read the next book. I might try though. It's such a disappointment because I really liked The Pact and thought it was a nice change in the Chick Lit scene. *sigh* Oh well. Good luck to future readers.
I'm close to the middle of the book and am not sure if I want to read on because of these reasons...
(1) I've picked this book up numerous times, in many months I might add, and have only read a few pages at a time. Definitely not a good sign.
(2) It's slow and rather boring
(3) Rachel's been irritating - whiny, pompous, dumb, and she overreacts.. This doesn't sound like the girl from the first book.
(4) I am so sick of hearing about her Diet Coke addiction! WTF?????!!!!!
(5) Ms. Sturman seems to like throwing out words that are hardly used in the English language in attempt to make her look smarter than she might, in fact, be.
(6) I think I already figured out who's the culprit to this mystery (and I use this term loosely since there's hardly any mystery so far). Of course I'm not sure about this, but who's to tell?
I'm still thinking I might read towards the end because I have the next one at the ready. Hopefully it will improve. If not, then it's the end of the line for me. But then again, I might just 'cheat' and read the last chapter or two.
Jan. 17, 2008
I give up! I am not enjoying this book at all and I might as well give it up as a lost cause. I mean there's no sense in finishing it if I'm not liking it. I did read the last few chapters and they were utterly ridiculous - now I'm not even sure if I want to read the next book. I might try though. It's such a disappointment because I really liked The Pact and thought it was a nice change in the Chick Lit scene. *sigh* Oh well. Good luck to future readers.
Lindsay (1779 KP) rated No Name Baby in Books
Feb 15, 2018
I thought to myself when I started reading this. What is this story about. It starts out with Sophie's dream. She was dreaming about three gravestones by a fence. Her mother was calling her from downstairs.
There this big family secret. Sophie blame herself for her mama premature labor. For her mama had loss lots of babies. The new baby is Sophie new living sibling. You could tell their was some secret that the adult were trying to cover up and not tell her. Her Aunt Rae act strange to Sophie though out the book. If you want to find out what this secret is I suggest you read the book. For I am not tell you any spoilers. I thought that Aunt Rae was a bitter woman and could not believe what see did to her niece Sophie.
Several chapter were all about chores and watch the baby. I understand that they were to be Italian-American. Sophie is like the first or second generation to be born in america. You would think that her grandmother, Aunt, Papa, Mamma would teach her about her homeland. Though some Italian word were metion though out book here and there.
I will tell you this I though it was one I could put down and leave down. I though okay what on tv and glance it and then I turn my nook off for bit and turned back on. I would not recommend this book. It was not my cup of tea though that does not mean it was a bad book or anything to do with the author who wrote. It just was not my cup of tea. I will a good read.. I though though to myself a few questions though I can not remember I was thinking when though questions came.
There this big family secret. Sophie blame herself for her mama premature labor. For her mama had loss lots of babies. The new baby is Sophie new living sibling. You could tell their was some secret that the adult were trying to cover up and not tell her. Her Aunt Rae act strange to Sophie though out the book. If you want to find out what this secret is I suggest you read the book. For I am not tell you any spoilers. I thought that Aunt Rae was a bitter woman and could not believe what see did to her niece Sophie.
Several chapter were all about chores and watch the baby. I understand that they were to be Italian-American. Sophie is like the first or second generation to be born in america. You would think that her grandmother, Aunt, Papa, Mamma would teach her about her homeland. Though some Italian word were metion though out book here and there.
I will tell you this I though it was one I could put down and leave down. I though okay what on tv and glance it and then I turn my nook off for bit and turned back on. I would not recommend this book. It was not my cup of tea though that does not mean it was a bad book or anything to do with the author who wrote. It just was not my cup of tea. I will a good read.. I though though to myself a few questions though I can not remember I was thinking when though questions came.
Lindsay (1779 KP) rated No Name Baby in Books
Aug 30, 2018
I thought to myself when I started reading this. What is this story about. It starts out with Sophie's dream. She was dreaming about three gravestones by a fence. Her mother was calling her from downstairs.
There this big family secret. Sophie blame herself for her mama premature labor. For her mama had loss lots of babies. The new baby is Sophie new living sibling. You could tell their was some secret that the adult were trying to cover up and not tell her. Her Aunt Rae act strange to Sophie though out the book. If you want to find out what this secret is I suggest you read the book. For I am not tell you any spoilers. I thought that Aunt Rae was a bitter woman and could not believe what see did to her niece Sophie.
Several chapter were all about chores and watch the baby. I understand that they were to be Italian-American. Sophie is like the first or second generation to be born in america. You would think that her grandmother, Aunt, Papa, Mamma would teach her about her homeland. Though some Italian word were metion though out book here and there.
I will tell you this I though it was one I could put down and leave down. I though okay what on tv and glance it and then I turn my nook off for bit and turned back on. I would not recommend this book. It was not my cup of tea though that does not mean it was a bad book or anything to do with the author who wrote. It just was not my cup of tea. I will a good read.. I though though to myself a few questions though I can not remember I was thinking when though questions came.
There this big family secret. Sophie blame herself for her mama premature labor. For her mama had loss lots of babies. The new baby is Sophie new living sibling. You could tell their was some secret that the adult were trying to cover up and not tell her. Her Aunt Rae act strange to Sophie though out the book. If you want to find out what this secret is I suggest you read the book. For I am not tell you any spoilers. I thought that Aunt Rae was a bitter woman and could not believe what see did to her niece Sophie.
Several chapter were all about chores and watch the baby. I understand that they were to be Italian-American. Sophie is like the first or second generation to be born in america. You would think that her grandmother, Aunt, Papa, Mamma would teach her about her homeland. Though some Italian word were metion though out book here and there.
I will tell you this I though it was one I could put down and leave down. I though okay what on tv and glance it and then I turn my nook off for bit and turned back on. I would not recommend this book. It was not my cup of tea though that does not mean it was a bad book or anything to do with the author who wrote. It just was not my cup of tea. I will a good read.. I though though to myself a few questions though I can not remember I was thinking when though questions came.
Cori June (3033 KP) rated The Last Unicorn (The Last Unicorn, #1) in Books
Dec 11, 2018
harpy scene (2 more)
the characters
The timelessness and that it grows with you
As a child l loved this movie. And I cannot write a review with out chiming in with the movie. Both the book and screenplay was written by Peter S. Beagle. So they are very similar the book expands most of the scenes. And the only thing that is omitted is basically chapter 10(?). I had watched the movie the first time when I was around 5 or 6 and first read the book while I was a college student 17 or 18 and loved it too. The book and movie is for all ages (although that harpy scene...) and it does and doesn’t change as you grow older. It’s about love and duty, innocence and aging, loss and sorrow and many many things in between. Smendrick is still my favorite character although know I’m older I realize the importance of Molly Grue. A very well written story. Good on a lazy day when you don’t want to rush through a book.
I will leave with this one quote:
“It’s a rare man who is taken for what he truly is,...there is much misjudgment in the world. Now, I knew you for a unicorn when I first saw you, and I know I am your friend. Yet you take me for a clown, or a clod, or a betrayer, and so must I be if you see me so. The magic on you is only magic and will vanish as soon as you are free, but the enchantment of error that you put on me I must wear forever in your eyes. We are not always what we seem, and hardly what we dream.”
I will leave with this one quote:
“It’s a rare man who is taken for what he truly is,...there is much misjudgment in the world. Now, I knew you for a unicorn when I first saw you, and I know I am your friend. Yet you take me for a clown, or a clod, or a betrayer, and so must I be if you see me so. The magic on you is only magic and will vanish as soon as you are free, but the enchantment of error that you put on me I must wear forever in your eyes. We are not always what we seem, and hardly what we dream.”
BT
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Liberty Boston (93 KP) rated Hocus Pocus and the All-New Sequel in Books
Mar 15, 2021
It's a very sad thing when the book you were so excited about lets you down. Such is the case with Hocus Pocus & The All-New Sequel. The book, written by A. W. Jantha is split into two parts.
Then.
Now.
Then is a novelization of the movie which I very much enjoyed. 90 percent of the dialogue is taken directly from the movie while there's just enough added detail to give the characters some new depth and set up for the second half of the book.
Now: the second half of the book, the sequel was...
well, It was disappointing.
How?
First, there's the bizarre jump from third person to first and later second POV.
It just throws you into Poppy's world with minimal backstory on who she is and why we should like her or her friends, Travis and Isabella.
Secondly, the characters are STUPID!
Stupid choices left, right, and, center.
As a writer, I understand there needs to be some way to kickstart the conflict but going to the Sanderson house has danger written all over it.
Oh, let's talk about the Sandersons,
The witches are back in all their evil glory with added sister Elizabeth who turned her back on the family legacy of darkness.
Then there's their mother. Their mother who they could not shut up about. Mother this and Mother that.
All the hype got me excited about Sanderson's sister's flashbacks. Backstory. Entire chapters dedicated to them.
it didn't happen.
I was treated to brief remembrances but no backstory.
Then the Mother who was so hyped up made a one chapter appearance before going kersplat.
WHAT WAS THE POINT??
You don't hype a character that much for them to do NOTHING.
The book gets by on nostalgia alone.
Don't even get me started on the bizarre and unneeded cliffhanger.
Very sad.
Then.
Now.
Then is a novelization of the movie which I very much enjoyed. 90 percent of the dialogue is taken directly from the movie while there's just enough added detail to give the characters some new depth and set up for the second half of the book.
Now: the second half of the book, the sequel was...
well, It was disappointing.
How?
First, there's the bizarre jump from third person to first and later second POV.
It just throws you into Poppy's world with minimal backstory on who she is and why we should like her or her friends, Travis and Isabella.
Secondly, the characters are STUPID!
Stupid choices left, right, and, center.
As a writer, I understand there needs to be some way to kickstart the conflict but going to the Sanderson house has danger written all over it.
Oh, let's talk about the Sandersons,
The witches are back in all their evil glory with added sister Elizabeth who turned her back on the family legacy of darkness.
Then there's their mother. Their mother who they could not shut up about. Mother this and Mother that.
All the hype got me excited about Sanderson's sister's flashbacks. Backstory. Entire chapters dedicated to them.
it didn't happen.
I was treated to brief remembrances but no backstory.
Then the Mother who was so hyped up made a one chapter appearance before going kersplat.
WHAT WAS THE POINT??
You don't hype a character that much for them to do NOTHING.
The book gets by on nostalgia alone.
Don't even get me started on the bizarre and unneeded cliffhanger.
Very sad.