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Getting It Published: A Guide for Scholars and Anyone Else Serious about Serious Books
Book
For more than a decade, writers have turned to William Germano for his insider's take on navigating...
Russia and the Long Transition from Capitalism to Socialism
Book
Out of early twentieth-century Russia came the world's first significant effort to build a modern...
Schoolgirls, Money and Rebellion in Japan
Book
Japanese society in the 1990s and 2000s produced a range of complicated material about sexualized...
American Hometown Renewal: Policy Tools and Techniques for Small Town Officials
Book
Before the interstates, Main Street America was the small town's commercial spine and served as the...
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Anti-Romance (Anti-Romance #1) in Books
Jan 6, 2021
Huh... 2.5 stars
This was a freebie I downloaded about four years ago and I've put it off for a while because of it's rather bad rating on Goodreads of 3.64. I feel I should point out that most books I read have a rating of between 3.9 and 4.5 stars, so I was wary that I wouldn't like it.
We follow Laney, who writes a blog about her exploits with different men and it's very anti-romance/romance is dead - hence the name of the book. She's currently seeing someone in politics but he gives her an STI and it turns out he is married so she's ready to write her post about him. Then she meets her neighbour Kade, a hot musician who really likes her. And then there's her best friend of years, George, who's been in love with her for years.
I had nothing against Laney spreading the love, really, but I generally prefer to focus on one guy and she was changing between Kade and George rather quickly and easily.
And then the book ended at 49%, mid chapter, mid crisis. It felt too abrupt. Just cut off without some sort of proper ending. I'm understanding it's low rating.
I feel I should also point out that this book is no longer available on Amazon unless you want it as an audiobook and the second part Pro-Love isn't anywhere I can see so I will never know how this story ends. I have to say I was pro Kade since I like the kind of bad boy he seemed to be.
P.S. The best bit for me was probably the four pictures that had hidden penises in them.
This was a freebie I downloaded about four years ago and I've put it off for a while because of it's rather bad rating on Goodreads of 3.64. I feel I should point out that most books I read have a rating of between 3.9 and 4.5 stars, so I was wary that I wouldn't like it.
We follow Laney, who writes a blog about her exploits with different men and it's very anti-romance/romance is dead - hence the name of the book. She's currently seeing someone in politics but he gives her an STI and it turns out he is married so she's ready to write her post about him. Then she meets her neighbour Kade, a hot musician who really likes her. And then there's her best friend of years, George, who's been in love with her for years.
I had nothing against Laney spreading the love, really, but I generally prefer to focus on one guy and she was changing between Kade and George rather quickly and easily.
And then the book ended at 49%, mid chapter, mid crisis. It felt too abrupt. Just cut off without some sort of proper ending. I'm understanding it's low rating.
I feel I should also point out that this book is no longer available on Amazon unless you want it as an audiobook and the second part Pro-Love isn't anywhere I can see so I will never know how this story ends. I have to say I was pro Kade since I like the kind of bad boy he seemed to be.
P.S. The best bit for me was probably the four pictures that had hidden penises in them.
ClareR (5955 KP) rated Wakenhyrst in Books
Apr 5, 2021
Wakenhyrst had me gripped from the first page - well, technically I listened to it, so lets say in the first five minutes.
There’s an underlying feeling of menace and claustrophobia running through this. Partly because of the restraints on Maud because of the fact that she’s female, young and upper class in the Edwardian period; partly because of the ever-present Fen and the mysterious atmosphere surrounding it; partly because we know from the first chapter what is going to happen - and we are heading to that end.
Themes of obsession, superstition and madness run throughout, and it’s not just the uneducated working class fenland men and women who are preoccupied with witchcraft and demonic possession.
Maud’s father Edmund, is translating and researching the book of Alice Pyett, a woman who lived four hundred years before the book is set. She was supposed to have heard the voice of God, but if you ask me, she longed for chastity because she had had a ridiculous amount of children and needed a break.
The deeper Edmund gets in to the translation, the stranger his diary entries become. ANd when he stumbles across a painting in the graveyard of his church, his behaviour becomes even more unhinged. To be honest, the descriptions were such that I thought I was seeing the demons along with him!
This book has been sat on my kindle for quite a while now, and I decided to use my Audible credit and listen to it - which was a cracking idea. The narrator, Juanita McMahon, really brings this story to life - and makes it all the more haunting.
This isn’t a ghost story, at least it didn’t seem like one all the way through, but it certainly gave me the chills! I loved it. If you like a chilling, gothic tale, this will suit you down to the ground.
There’s an underlying feeling of menace and claustrophobia running through this. Partly because of the restraints on Maud because of the fact that she’s female, young and upper class in the Edwardian period; partly because of the ever-present Fen and the mysterious atmosphere surrounding it; partly because we know from the first chapter what is going to happen - and we are heading to that end.
Themes of obsession, superstition and madness run throughout, and it’s not just the uneducated working class fenland men and women who are preoccupied with witchcraft and demonic possession.
Maud’s father Edmund, is translating and researching the book of Alice Pyett, a woman who lived four hundred years before the book is set. She was supposed to have heard the voice of God, but if you ask me, she longed for chastity because she had had a ridiculous amount of children and needed a break.
The deeper Edmund gets in to the translation, the stranger his diary entries become. ANd when he stumbles across a painting in the graveyard of his church, his behaviour becomes even more unhinged. To be honest, the descriptions were such that I thought I was seeing the demons along with him!
This book has been sat on my kindle for quite a while now, and I decided to use my Audible credit and listen to it - which was a cracking idea. The narrator, Juanita McMahon, really brings this story to life - and makes it all the more haunting.
This isn’t a ghost story, at least it didn’t seem like one all the way through, but it certainly gave me the chills! I loved it. If you like a chilling, gothic tale, this will suit you down to the ground.
ClareR (5955 KP) rated The Sanatorium in Books
Feb 14, 2021
The Sanatorium is a chilling, atmospheric thriller, set in the Swiss Alps. Elin has been invited to her brothers engagement party in a 5* mountain retreat - a hotel in a converted sanatorium. Understandably (I think), I was creeped out by this whole scenario, and the opening chapter didn’t do much to put me at my ease - but it’s OK, I like being scared witless by a book! Frankly, if a book sells itself as being unnerving or potentially scary, and you can still go up to bed with the landing light off, then it won’t have fulfilled the brief. I sent my husband upstairs first to switch the lights on whilst I was reading this...
Elin is a troubled character, and clearly needs some help with past trauma. This makes her a nervy person who doesn’t have any self-confidence. She shuts her boyfriend out - and can I just say here that he seemed to be an incredibly patient person? I liked his character a lot. Most of the other characters are pretty unpleasant people if I’m honest, and I think any of them could have been the murderer. Some of the people reading along with me on the Pigeonhole worked out who the murderer was, but as usual, I merrily read on without a clue (this is OK by me - I’m in it for the ride and don’t feel the need to try and work it out).
I can’t quite believe that this is a debut, and I really enjoyed it. I would most definitely recommend it!
Many thanks to the Pigeonhole for serialising this. It was a great experience, as always, made all the better by sharing my thoughts with my fellow Pigeonholers! Oh, and thanks again for helping me read another book off my NetGalley list!
Elin is a troubled character, and clearly needs some help with past trauma. This makes her a nervy person who doesn’t have any self-confidence. She shuts her boyfriend out - and can I just say here that he seemed to be an incredibly patient person? I liked his character a lot. Most of the other characters are pretty unpleasant people if I’m honest, and I think any of them could have been the murderer. Some of the people reading along with me on the Pigeonhole worked out who the murderer was, but as usual, I merrily read on without a clue (this is OK by me - I’m in it for the ride and don’t feel the need to try and work it out).
I can’t quite believe that this is a debut, and I really enjoyed it. I would most definitely recommend it!
Many thanks to the Pigeonhole for serialising this. It was a great experience, as always, made all the better by sharing my thoughts with my fellow Pigeonholers! Oh, and thanks again for helping me read another book off my NetGalley list!
Ivana A. | Diary of Difference (1171 KP) rated Set Me Free: How Shakespeare Saved A Life in Books
Oct 5, 2020
This is a story about an Italian prisoner that tells us how the prison system works, all the unfairness in it, and this is also a story that tells us how a person can still turn up good into a bad environment, and I was very happy that I witnessed that change from one chapter into another.
The way it was written was quite good, even though at times it felt a bit blunt and boring. Shakespeare was used in the book a lot, and sometimes he was overused and was in places where he shouldn’t have been. I believe that Shakespeare had influence over Sasa, but not as much as the theatre itself. I believe it was the theatre that made Sasa free, and not Shakespeare in particular. At the end of the day, I actually think that Sasa made himself free… Sometimes you only need a little push and nothing else.
I loved Sasa’s character, and I loved the way he sees life. I love how he sees the positive in all the negative, and besides all, he still wants to be a better person. We are all human, and we all make mistakes, and sometimes people know they made mistakes, regret them and want to become better. That is exactly what Sasa did, in an unfair environment.
I thought the prison was presented a bit unrealistic, as we all know what happens inside, and as much as Sasa wouldn’t hurt anyone if not necessary, almost 90% of the other inmates would – on regular basis. This was a little fact that annoyed me a bit. Other than that, I really enjoyed the book and can’t wait to read another book from Salvatore Striano.
The way it was written was quite good, even though at times it felt a bit blunt and boring. Shakespeare was used in the book a lot, and sometimes he was overused and was in places where he shouldn’t have been. I believe that Shakespeare had influence over Sasa, but not as much as the theatre itself. I believe it was the theatre that made Sasa free, and not Shakespeare in particular. At the end of the day, I actually think that Sasa made himself free… Sometimes you only need a little push and nothing else.
I loved Sasa’s character, and I loved the way he sees life. I love how he sees the positive in all the negative, and besides all, he still wants to be a better person. We are all human, and we all make mistakes, and sometimes people know they made mistakes, regret them and want to become better. That is exactly what Sasa did, in an unfair environment.
I thought the prison was presented a bit unrealistic, as we all know what happens inside, and as much as Sasa wouldn’t hurt anyone if not necessary, almost 90% of the other inmates would – on regular basis. This was a little fact that annoyed me a bit. Other than that, I really enjoyed the book and can’t wait to read another book from Salvatore Striano.
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Betwixt (Betwixt and Between #1) in Books
Jan 24, 2021
14 of 250
Kindle
Betwixt (Bitwixt&Between book 1)
By Darynda Jones
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
Divorced, desperate, and destitute, former restaurateur Defiance Dayne finds out she has been bequeathed a house by a complete stranger. She is surprised, to say the least, and her curiosity gets the better of her. She leaves her beloved Phoenix and heads to one of the most infamous towns in America: Salem, Massachusetts.
She’s only there to find out why a woman she’s never met would leave her a house. A veritable castle that has seen better days. She couldn’t possibly accept it, but the lawyer assigned to the case practically begs her to take it off her hands, mostly because she’s scared of it. The house. The inanimate structure that, as far as Dephne can tell, has never hurt a fly.
Though it does come with some baggage. A pesky neighbor who wants her gone. A scruffy cat who’s a bit of a jerk. And a handyman bathed in ink who could moonlight as a supermodel for GQ.
She decides to give it three days, and not because of the model. She feels at home in Salem. Safe. But even that comes to a screeching halt when people begin knocking on her door day and night, begging for her help to locate their lost objects.
Come to find out, they think she’s a witch. And after a few mysterious mishaps, Dephne is beginning to wonder if they’re right.
It wasn’t a bad book it was very middle of the road compared to her other books. It’s got a decent story some good characters hoping we see the ex get his comeuppance a little more! I do love her little quotes at the start of each chapter it wouldn’t be a Darynda book without them!
Kindle
Betwixt (Bitwixt&Between book 1)
By Darynda Jones
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
Divorced, desperate, and destitute, former restaurateur Defiance Dayne finds out she has been bequeathed a house by a complete stranger. She is surprised, to say the least, and her curiosity gets the better of her. She leaves her beloved Phoenix and heads to one of the most infamous towns in America: Salem, Massachusetts.
She’s only there to find out why a woman she’s never met would leave her a house. A veritable castle that has seen better days. She couldn’t possibly accept it, but the lawyer assigned to the case practically begs her to take it off her hands, mostly because she’s scared of it. The house. The inanimate structure that, as far as Dephne can tell, has never hurt a fly.
Though it does come with some baggage. A pesky neighbor who wants her gone. A scruffy cat who’s a bit of a jerk. And a handyman bathed in ink who could moonlight as a supermodel for GQ.
She decides to give it three days, and not because of the model. She feels at home in Salem. Safe. But even that comes to a screeching halt when people begin knocking on her door day and night, begging for her help to locate their lost objects.
Come to find out, they think she’s a witch. And after a few mysterious mishaps, Dephne is beginning to wonder if they’re right.
It wasn’t a bad book it was very middle of the road compared to her other books. It’s got a decent story some good characters hoping we see the ex get his comeuppance a little more! I do love her little quotes at the start of each chapter it wouldn’t be a Darynda book without them!
Kim Pook (101 KP) rated It: Chapter Two (2019) in Movies
Oct 3, 2019
The acting (1 more)
The humour
Very funny for a horror movie
Contains spoilers, click to show
I enjoyed the first chapter so had to watch the second. I have read it is much closer to the book than the 80s version, however having never read the book i can't comment on that element.
The movie is set years after the first one and the loser gang have now gone their seperate ways, All but one had moved out of derry, some of them have a successful career and Beverly is unfortunately in an abusive marriage, but all this changes when they get the dreaded phone call to come back to derry - pennywise has returned and needs to be destroyed for good! The first few minutes of the movie where we are reintroduced to the characters is pretty slow going but once they meet up at the restaurant, things move pretty quickly and you forget how long the movie actually is. What i found with this movie though is how funny it is, not just at the humour between the group but the different monsters we meet, for example a zombie knew how to drive a car 😂😂. I was a little disappointed with the ending as i expected something spectacular to kill him, but it was literally just belittling pennywise until he shrunk down into a baby like form and then removing his heart and squeezing it until he dies, it just seemed too easy! I'm also surprised that they still had him tramsform into a spider like form, despite people not liking the original ending, again though this might be in the book. Regardless of these faults though i still enjoyed the movie and highly recommend it.
The movie is set years after the first one and the loser gang have now gone their seperate ways, All but one had moved out of derry, some of them have a successful career and Beverly is unfortunately in an abusive marriage, but all this changes when they get the dreaded phone call to come back to derry - pennywise has returned and needs to be destroyed for good! The first few minutes of the movie where we are reintroduced to the characters is pretty slow going but once they meet up at the restaurant, things move pretty quickly and you forget how long the movie actually is. What i found with this movie though is how funny it is, not just at the humour between the group but the different monsters we meet, for example a zombie knew how to drive a car 😂😂. I was a little disappointed with the ending as i expected something spectacular to kill him, but it was literally just belittling pennywise until he shrunk down into a baby like form and then removing his heart and squeezing it until he dies, it just seemed too easy! I'm also surprised that they still had him tramsform into a spider like form, despite people not liking the original ending, again though this might be in the book. Regardless of these faults though i still enjoyed the movie and highly recommend it.