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Lindsay (1717 KP) rated The Path (Tag #1) in Books
Feb 15, 2018
Review: The Path by Peter Riva Simon Bank does not know he is special. He is the one that starts it all by doing something in the system. He needs to fix it to save humanity on Earth. We learn what we do not know yet. Earth needs to be in balance and if not our world will be gone and we will not know what has happened.Who and how does Peter and then Apollo and Ra become as they do? Peter Riva has you wondering whether it will happen in our real world after a couple chapters. He does so well that all his characters seem real and that you are a part of the story.Will earth survive or will it be exterminated? Simeon reveals secrets and meets up with Crammer and Angie and a few others. Will they help or will they not? Can Crammer and Angie protect Simeon? Will they stay on the Path?If You enjoy this book you will enjoy "Reaching Angelica" which you will want to read. You can review "Reaching Angelica" by clicking the link.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2171 KP) rated The Last Dinosaur (Mirage Mysteries #3) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Melissa Baugh was the victim of a dinosaur – at least the one being used to film a movie outside of Phoenix. Someone used the full size dinosaur to trample her. Phoenix cops Joe and Tommy are called into help with the investigation, but as it leads in some unexpected directions, will they be able to find her killer?
This mystery doesn’t wrap up as neatly as I normally enjoy since a couple of the hows are left for us to figure out. We can, but it would be nice if we didn’t have to guess. However, the who and the why are perfectly logical, and it is a fun ride getting to the end. Joe and Tommy are fun main characters, and I like watching them and the supporting cast in action. We get to see more of Rico, Joe’s son, and I enjoyed that as well. A sub-plot involving a traveling preacher adds to the fun, and the Christian elements adds to the book overall without becoming preachy.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/06/book-review-last-dinosaur-by-sandy.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
This mystery doesn’t wrap up as neatly as I normally enjoy since a couple of the hows are left for us to figure out. We can, but it would be nice if we didn’t have to guess. However, the who and the why are perfectly logical, and it is a fun ride getting to the end. Joe and Tommy are fun main characters, and I like watching them and the supporting cast in action. We get to see more of Rico, Joe’s son, and I enjoyed that as well. A sub-plot involving a traveling preacher adds to the fun, and the Christian elements adds to the book overall without becoming preachy.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/06/book-review-last-dinosaur-by-sandy.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2171 KP) rated A Killer Kebab (Greek to Me Mystery, #3) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
With the restaurant closed for the season and most of her family out of town, Georgie figures now is the perfect time to do some much needed renovations on the restrooms. But Georgie comes back to find a dead body in the rubble of one of the bathrooms. The victim is her divorce lawyer, and the police are quick to arrest a former employee of the restaurant. While Russ is not a nice man, Georgie doesn’t think he’s a killer. But what happened to the victim?
With many of the series regulars out of town, it falls to a minor character from the previous books to step up. That’s not a problem since I really enjoyed getting to know Brenda better. The plot twists in some surprising directions, although I do have a couple of niggles with it. The book ties in some of the on going series plot threads, so it is best to read them in order to fully appreciate this book.
NOTE: I received a copy of this book
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/06/book-review-killer-kebab-by-susannah.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
With many of the series regulars out of town, it falls to a minor character from the previous books to step up. That’s not a problem since I really enjoyed getting to know Brenda better. The plot twists in some surprising directions, although I do have a couple of niggles with it. The book ties in some of the on going series plot threads, so it is best to read them in order to fully appreciate this book.
NOTE: I received a copy of this book
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/06/book-review-killer-kebab-by-susannah.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
ClareR (5686 KP) rated Love Will Tear Us Apart in Books
Jun 8, 2018 (Updated Aug 14, 2018)
More communication needed!!
This book seems to be based around a couples inability to communicate with one another and the problems that goes on to cause. The couple are Kate and Paul, and they have been best friends since they were seven years old. This continues through their teenaged years and into adulthood. They have a pact at 15, that if they aren't married by 30, they'll marry each other. Kate is brought up pretty much by Paul's parents. Hers are too busy initially, and then Kate's mother dies. Her father is too busy and too detached from her by this point. She seems to live a lonely life and the only relief is Paul and his family. We meet them on holiday with their children in the lead up to their 10th wedding anniversary. They seem very distant from one another.
The story follows their childhood, teens, twenties and present day, all in the form of flashback chapters.
I really enjoyed this book: it's melancholy and just plain sad at times, but a well-written, thoughtful novel.
Many thanks to the author and The Pigeonhole (a social reading platform) for my copy of this book.
The story follows their childhood, teens, twenties and present day, all in the form of flashback chapters.
I really enjoyed this book: it's melancholy and just plain sad at times, but a well-written, thoughtful novel.
Many thanks to the author and The Pigeonhole (a social reading platform) for my copy of this book.
Nicole Hadley (380 KP) rated Presidents of the United States (A TIME for Kids Book) in Books
Jun 18, 2018
TIME for Kids: Presidents of the United States by The Editors of TIME for Kids is a book that contains a lot of information perfect for middle school aged children.
The book begins with the history of how the presidency began. It then explains the three branches of government and why we have political parties. Then it devotes one to two pages to each one of our 45 Presidents. For each President, there is a section on their basics: birth date and place of birth, date of death, family, years of presidency, political party and vice-president. It gives a brief biography of their time as President and key dates during their presidency. The picture of each President is tastefully done.
The end of the book gives a glimpse into the White House and a couple pages on the famous First Ladies. For your history and political-loving children, this is a great book to keep on hand. It would also be a great reference for all those school projects on Presidents.
I received the advanced reader's copy from Time Inc. Books and Liberty Street Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The book begins with the history of how the presidency began. It then explains the three branches of government and why we have political parties. Then it devotes one to two pages to each one of our 45 Presidents. For each President, there is a section on their basics: birth date and place of birth, date of death, family, years of presidency, political party and vice-president. It gives a brief biography of their time as President and key dates during their presidency. The picture of each President is tastefully done.
The end of the book gives a glimpse into the White House and a couple pages on the famous First Ladies. For your history and political-loving children, this is a great book to keep on hand. It would also be a great reference for all those school projects on Presidents.
I received the advanced reader's copy from Time Inc. Books and Liberty Street Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2171 KP) rated With a Little Bit of Blood in Books
Jun 20, 2018
Henry and Eliza Must Solve a House Party Murder
Eliza Doolittle and Henry Higgins have been invited to the first house party thrown by the new Lord and Lady Ashford (she the former Clara Eynsford-Hill). The timing is perfect since a couple of strange things have forced the duo to look for a place to stay. However, the first morning a fellow guest is killed during the rabbit hunt. Henry is sure it was a hunting accident, but Eliza isn’t so sure. Who is right?
This is another fun mystery with the characters made famous by Pygmalion and My Fair Lady. The plot did seem to start slowly, however by the end I realized how things played into the overall story. A few of the regulars are reduced to cameos, but it was still nice to catch up with them. We have a rather large cast of characters, but it was always easy to keep them straight as the story unfolded. We get some fun with new (for 1913) things like airplanes and cars as well as mentions of the more serious things unfolding in the world at the time.
This is another fun mystery with the characters made famous by Pygmalion and My Fair Lady. The plot did seem to start slowly, however by the end I realized how things played into the overall story. A few of the regulars are reduced to cameos, but it was still nice to catch up with them. We have a rather large cast of characters, but it was always easy to keep them straight as the story unfolded. We get some fun with new (for 1913) things like airplanes and cars as well as mentions of the more serious things unfolding in the world at the time.
Kristin (149 KP) rated Calves In The Mud Room in Books
Dec 7, 2018
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
While this may not be your typical "coming of age" story as it only takes place over the course of a couple days, I would still term it as "coming into your own".
Wade lives on a farm which has gone to crap since his granddad passed and his stepdad started taking over. Not "taking over the farm", mind you, because he can't be bothered to lift a finger. No, he's just taken over Wade's life, and not for the good.
When we meet up with Wade, it's the date of a school dance and the girl of his dreams as actually asked him to be her date. He should be on cloud nine, right? Well, he is, until his day snowballs into one from Hell. Cue all the ill-timed things which can possibly happen when you're in a hurry and need to look your best, and multiply it by 10 because he's on a farm. How will his night turn out?
Great little story, and I'd definitely be interested to see where this character and author go from here.
5 stars
While this may not be your typical "coming of age" story as it only takes place over the course of a couple days, I would still term it as "coming into your own".
Wade lives on a farm which has gone to crap since his granddad passed and his stepdad started taking over. Not "taking over the farm", mind you, because he can't be bothered to lift a finger. No, he's just taken over Wade's life, and not for the good.
When we meet up with Wade, it's the date of a school dance and the girl of his dreams as actually asked him to be her date. He should be on cloud nine, right? Well, he is, until his day snowballs into one from Hell. Cue all the ill-timed things which can possibly happen when you're in a hurry and need to look your best, and multiply it by 10 because he's on a farm. How will his night turn out?
Great little story, and I'd definitely be interested to see where this character and author go from here.
5 stars
Kristin (149 KP) rated Catch Me If You Dare (Jake Mathews, #2) in Books
Dec 7, 2018
Disclaimer: I received an e-copy in exchange for an honest review.
Jake Matthews is a US Marshall, and a damn good one, at that. However, a notorious killer by the name of Max Baxter has chosen Jake, by name, to play a part in his little games. Max turned himself in to Jake after the FBI failed to catch him on their own, and now, four years later, he's broken himself out of prison and is on the run again. And guess who's invited to catch him this time?
This story is a real attention-grabber within the first couple chapters. It's also a rather exciting cat-and-mouse game, as we bounce back and forth between Jake and Max, learning about each one from his own eyes as well as from the other's. Max is back at his usual tricks, but he's directly involving Jake for this one, and it will take all the Marshal's training, intelligence, and cunning to not only outsmart the killer but save his victims, as well. Will he succeed, or will Jake be yet another notch on Max's belt? You'll have to find that out for yourself.
4 stars
Jake Matthews is a US Marshall, and a damn good one, at that. However, a notorious killer by the name of Max Baxter has chosen Jake, by name, to play a part in his little games. Max turned himself in to Jake after the FBI failed to catch him on their own, and now, four years later, he's broken himself out of prison and is on the run again. And guess who's invited to catch him this time?
This story is a real attention-grabber within the first couple chapters. It's also a rather exciting cat-and-mouse game, as we bounce back and forth between Jake and Max, learning about each one from his own eyes as well as from the other's. Max is back at his usual tricks, but he's directly involving Jake for this one, and it will take all the Marshal's training, intelligence, and cunning to not only outsmart the killer but save his victims, as well. Will he succeed, or will Jake be yet another notch on Max's belt? You'll have to find that out for yourself.
4 stars
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2171 KP) rated That Touch of Ink in Books
Jul 24, 2018
More Than a Touch of Fun
When decorator Madison Night receives a five thousand dollar bill in the mail, she realizes this rare denomination is a message from her past. Sure enough, her ex-boyfriend Brad is soon back in her life trying to reconcile even after he lied to her to get her out of her life. But Madison has other things to worry about, like the dead body she stumbled upon. What has Brad gotten her involved in?
Warning: allow plenty of time when you pick up this book because you will not be able to put it down. The story is filled with twists and turns that will keep you engaged from start to finish. The plot is a bit more teen sleuth than usual cozy murder mystery, but that’s not an issue at all, and everything makes sense by the end. This is combined with fantastic characters, led by Madison who gets some real growth here. Fans of Doris Day will spot a couple of winks to the movie That Touch of Mink here, but if you haven’t seen the movie, you are still in for a delightful read.
Warning: allow plenty of time when you pick up this book because you will not be able to put it down. The story is filled with twists and turns that will keep you engaged from start to finish. The plot is a bit more teen sleuth than usual cozy murder mystery, but that’s not an issue at all, and everything makes sense by the end. This is combined with fantastic characters, led by Madison who gets some real growth here. Fans of Doris Day will spot a couple of winks to the movie That Touch of Mink here, but if you haven’t seen the movie, you are still in for a delightful read.
Lou Grande (148 KP) rated The Apparition (2012) in Movies
Jul 9, 2018
There are two reasons to watch this movie, and only two: Sebastian Stan's goofy hair and you desperately need to kill an hour and a half. The Apparition follows the standard straight-to-video line: young couple moves into a new house, spooky stuff happens, everyone very easily accepts that it can only be caused by ghosts, they seek out "professional" help, and everything goes to hell in a handbasket. I watched this about two hours ago and I really can't tell you anything notable about it, except that Sebastian Stan cannot rock bangs, poor baby. It's PG-13, so you can't even get a little gratuitous nudity out of the deal. I guess Stan is half-naked in a few scenes, but I mostly just found myself staring at his larger-than-average nipples. But I digress.
Unless you have a penchant for Tom Felton (you know, as a wizard, you think he'd be used to these situations by now) or Sebastian Stan, your time is probably more valuable than this movie. I have one of those things, so I took the hit for you. You're welcome.
Unless you have a penchant for Tom Felton (you know, as a wizard, you think he'd be used to these situations by now) or Sebastian Stan, your time is probably more valuable than this movie. I have one of those things, so I took the hit for you. You're welcome.