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The Doors of Eden
9.0
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They thought we were safe. They were wrong. Lee and Mal went looking for monsters on Bodmin...
One Hundred Letters from Hugh Trevor-Roper
Richard Davenport-Hines and Adam Sisman
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The one hundred letters brought together for this book illustrate the range of Hugh Trevor-Roper's...
Eilidh G Clark (177 KP) rated Nasty Women in Books
May 13, 2017
Nasty women is hard-hitting, eye-opening, and unashamedly honest.
‘Sometimes the role model you need is not an example to aspire to, but someone who reflects back the parts of yourself that society deems fit.’ -
Becca Inglis
Nasty Women, published by 404 ink, is a collection of essays about what it is, and how it feels to be a woman in the 21st century. When I first picked up the book, I assumed, like I think most readers would, that it would be an easy book to just pick up and put down whenever I had a spare ten minutes. Wrong, I was sucked into this book right from the beginning, and read it all in a day. That doesn’t mean it was an easy read, or perhaps easy is the wrong word – it isn’t a comfortable read - and it isn’t meant to be. Nasty women is hard-hitting, eye-opening, and unashamedly honest.
The book opens with ‘Independence Day’ by Katie Muriel. A story of mixed race and identity in Trump’s America, Muriel discusses her experience of inter-family racism, heightened by political differences, ‘This is not the first, nor is it the last family divide Trump will leave in his wake, but I refuse to think of him as some deity who stands around shifting pieces on a board in his golden war room.’ The anger in this piece is clear, but it is the rationalism and clarity of the writer that speaks volumes. Race, racism and xenophobia, is a prominent feature in these stories. Claire L. Heuchan, for example, talks about ‘Othering’ a term that readers will see repeatedly in this book, ‘Scotland,’ she writes, ‘is a fairly isolating place to be a black woman.’
Survival is a key trope in Nasty Women. Mel Reeve, in ‘The Nastiness of Survival,’ talks about being a survivor of rape and emotional abuse, ‘I do not fit the ‘right’ definition of someone who has been raped.’ This statement alone is filled with irony.
I was particularly drawn to Laura Waddell’s essay, ‘Against Stereotypes: Working Class Girls and Working Class Art.’ Laura talks about the difficulty of both gender and class inequality, and, in particular, the lack of working class writers and working class fiction being published, ‘I have read a lot of fiction’ she says, ‘I have read almost none from housing estates such as the one I grew up on. These stories are missing, from shelves, and from the record.’ As a Scottish fiction writer from a working-class background myself, these words resonate deeply.
Alice Tarbuck’s ‘Foraging and Feminism: Hedge-Witchcraft in the 21st Century’, is almost fun to read in a deeply devastating way. There is a desperate tone in this piece, and a desperate need to escape society. ‘There is beauty and bounty around us if we look for it, and perhaps that is all the magic we need. Or perhaps, what we need is real magic, whether that comes in the form of resistance and community or the form of blackthorn charms and skullcap tinctures, and howling to the moon.
I loved this book. This book gives women a voice. And it is loud! Well done 404 Ink, and all the contributors, for bravely breaking the silence.
Becca Inglis
Nasty Women, published by 404 ink, is a collection of essays about what it is, and how it feels to be a woman in the 21st century. When I first picked up the book, I assumed, like I think most readers would, that it would be an easy book to just pick up and put down whenever I had a spare ten minutes. Wrong, I was sucked into this book right from the beginning, and read it all in a day. That doesn’t mean it was an easy read, or perhaps easy is the wrong word – it isn’t a comfortable read - and it isn’t meant to be. Nasty women is hard-hitting, eye-opening, and unashamedly honest.
The book opens with ‘Independence Day’ by Katie Muriel. A story of mixed race and identity in Trump’s America, Muriel discusses her experience of inter-family racism, heightened by political differences, ‘This is not the first, nor is it the last family divide Trump will leave in his wake, but I refuse to think of him as some deity who stands around shifting pieces on a board in his golden war room.’ The anger in this piece is clear, but it is the rationalism and clarity of the writer that speaks volumes. Race, racism and xenophobia, is a prominent feature in these stories. Claire L. Heuchan, for example, talks about ‘Othering’ a term that readers will see repeatedly in this book, ‘Scotland,’ she writes, ‘is a fairly isolating place to be a black woman.’
Survival is a key trope in Nasty Women. Mel Reeve, in ‘The Nastiness of Survival,’ talks about being a survivor of rape and emotional abuse, ‘I do not fit the ‘right’ definition of someone who has been raped.’ This statement alone is filled with irony.
I was particularly drawn to Laura Waddell’s essay, ‘Against Stereotypes: Working Class Girls and Working Class Art.’ Laura talks about the difficulty of both gender and class inequality, and, in particular, the lack of working class writers and working class fiction being published, ‘I have read a lot of fiction’ she says, ‘I have read almost none from housing estates such as the one I grew up on. These stories are missing, from shelves, and from the record.’ As a Scottish fiction writer from a working-class background myself, these words resonate deeply.
Alice Tarbuck’s ‘Foraging and Feminism: Hedge-Witchcraft in the 21st Century’, is almost fun to read in a deeply devastating way. There is a desperate tone in this piece, and a desperate need to escape society. ‘There is beauty and bounty around us if we look for it, and perhaps that is all the magic we need. Or perhaps, what we need is real magic, whether that comes in the form of resistance and community or the form of blackthorn charms and skullcap tinctures, and howling to the moon.
I loved this book. This book gives women a voice. And it is loud! Well done 404 Ink, and all the contributors, for bravely breaking the silence.
ClareR (5726 KP) rated Vicious Rumer in Books
Apr 16, 2018
Rumer Cross believes she is cursed by the mother and violent criminal, who abandoned her. She has been through the foster care system, and suffered at the hands of people who would judge her for that. She escapes the system and becomes a shadow. That way, no one will get close. To get close to Rumer means certain death. She is cursed, after all.
Her day becomes unimaginable bad when a top/ the top London crime boss decides that she knows where something is that he wants.
This is a very dark, violent, action-packed book, and definitely not one for the faint-hearted! And I loved it. Rumer is a lonely young woman, afraid to get close to anyone, and fighting for her life. There are so many twists and turns that it made ME paranoid, never mind Rumer. I'm glad I got the chance to read this through The Pigeonhole, and I'll be keeping an eye out for any other books that the writer writes in the future.
Her day becomes unimaginable bad when a top/ the top London crime boss decides that she knows where something is that he wants.
This is a very dark, violent, action-packed book, and definitely not one for the faint-hearted! And I loved it. Rumer is a lonely young woman, afraid to get close to anyone, and fighting for her life. There are so many twists and turns that it made ME paranoid, never mind Rumer. I'm glad I got the chance to read this through The Pigeonhole, and I'll be keeping an eye out for any other books that the writer writes in the future.
Safe With Me
8.0
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Thirteen years ago someone did something very bad to Anna. Now it’s her turn to get even … ...
The Kingdom of Back
9.0
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From #1 New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu comes a historical YA fantasy about a musical...
ClareR (5726 KP) rated Young Elizabeth: Princess. Prisoner. Queen in Books
Jun 3, 2024
Young Elizabeth: Princess. Prisoner. Queen by Nicola Tallis is such an interesting non-fiction account of Elizabeth’s life: from her mother, Anne Boleyn meeting Henry VIII, to the day she succeeds to the throne. In those intervening years, Elizabeth is pronounced a bastard after the execution of her mother, is predated on by her stepmothers husband, is accused of trying to topple her sister Mary from the throne, is imprisoned in the Tower and other great houses - as long as she is out of Mary’s way. She is spied on and may well have really been involved in plots against her sister.
Elizabeth was far too clever to be caught, and that comes across really clearly. She was her parent’s daughter: clever, resilient and she knew the best people to have around her. These personality traits and the things that happened to her, formed the young woman and queen she would later be.
Nicola Tallis read through, and included, a lot of Elizabeth’s personal correspondence. It must have been exhausting for Elizabeth. She was constantly under suspicion of treason. She may well have been though, and she certainly didn’t conform wholeheartedly to Catholicism as Mary wanted her to.
This was such a fascinating read - and I’m notoriously picky with non-fiction. I often find it dry and hard to concentrate on, but not with Young Elizabeth. It was riveting, and held my attention from start to finish!
Elizabeth was far too clever to be caught, and that comes across really clearly. She was her parent’s daughter: clever, resilient and she knew the best people to have around her. These personality traits and the things that happened to her, formed the young woman and queen she would later be.
Nicola Tallis read through, and included, a lot of Elizabeth’s personal correspondence. It must have been exhausting for Elizabeth. She was constantly under suspicion of treason. She may well have been though, and she certainly didn’t conform wholeheartedly to Catholicism as Mary wanted her to.
This was such a fascinating read - and I’m notoriously picky with non-fiction. I often find it dry and hard to concentrate on, but not with Young Elizabeth. It was riveting, and held my attention from start to finish!
The Anxiety Solution: A Quieter Mind, A Calmer You
Book
The Anxiety Solution is your guide to being a calmer, happier and more confident young woman....
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated The Stolen Goblin Bride (Stolen Brides of the Fae #1) in Books
Jul 21, 2021
Contains spoilers, click to show
112 of 250
Kindle
The Stolen Goblin Bride ( Brides of the Fae book 1)
By Emma Hamm
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
When a mortal girl steals a necklace from a Goblin, there will be a price to pay...
Esther knows the rules. Don't talk to the goblins. Don't look at the goblins. Above all else, don't buy or trade with the goblins.
Then, one day before market, she sees a young rat faced boy selling a necklace that looks eerily like her mother's, what's a young girl to do? Of course she tries to buy it, but he won't sell it to her. So she steals it because it's her mother's necklace.
Lux knows the rules. He's a jeweler and he can sell his wares to those who want to faithfully buy them. Something doesn't feel right about selling this particular piece to the beautiful young woman who immediately steals his heart. So he doesn't.
But when he realizes the mortal girl stole from him, he's forced to enact magic that can't be unwritten. Stealing from a goblin always has a price.
I like it! A strange little novella of a mortal being unwittingly kidnapped by a goblin and finding herself his bride! Of course she falls in love with a rat goblin and chooses to change into a goblin! It was straight to the point and a fun little read!
Kindle
The Stolen Goblin Bride ( Brides of the Fae book 1)
By Emma Hamm
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
When a mortal girl steals a necklace from a Goblin, there will be a price to pay...
Esther knows the rules. Don't talk to the goblins. Don't look at the goblins. Above all else, don't buy or trade with the goblins.
Then, one day before market, she sees a young rat faced boy selling a necklace that looks eerily like her mother's, what's a young girl to do? Of course she tries to buy it, but he won't sell it to her. So she steals it because it's her mother's necklace.
Lux knows the rules. He's a jeweler and he can sell his wares to those who want to faithfully buy them. Something doesn't feel right about selling this particular piece to the beautiful young woman who immediately steals his heart. So he doesn't.
But when he realizes the mortal girl stole from him, he's forced to enact magic that can't be unwritten. Stealing from a goblin always has a price.
I like it! A strange little novella of a mortal being unwittingly kidnapped by a goblin and finding herself his bride! Of course she falls in love with a rat goblin and chooses to change into a goblin! It was straight to the point and a fun little read!
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Premonition (2007) in Movies
Aug 14, 2019
Linda Hanson (Sandra Bullock), Is a woman whose comfortable life is about to to turned upside down when her husband (Julian Mc Mahon) is killed in a tragic car accident while away on a business trip. Suddenly a windowed mother of two young girls Linda is grief stricken and falls asleep wondering what she will do to handle her loss.
When Linda awakens the next morning, she is shocked to discover her husband alive and well downstairs. This bizzare occurence sets a chain of events into motion where each day she awakens, finds that her husband is either alive or dead. What is even more bizzare is that some days she awakens days in the future after her husbands accident to learn that other events have transpired while other days she awakens before the accident and wonders about her sanity.
Eventually Linda decides to map out the days she has visited and learns that she is covering the days leading up to and following the accident, and sets a plan into motion to answer the questions she has about why she is suddenly moving back and forth through time each day, as well as the events surrounding her visions of the future.
While the premise of the film is good, it looses momentum very quickly and soon becomes a myriad of plot holes and worn scenarios that ultimately leads to a very silly, and wholly unsatisfying ending, that does little to resolve the premise and mystery of the setup.
What further frustrated me about the film is the utter lack of chemistry between Bullock and Mc Mahon, who come across very stiffly during their scenes with one another, and seem almost to be taken an Acting 101 seminar rather than convincing us they are a married couple.
Mc Mahon’s part is also so lacking in substance I was suprised that an actor of his status would accept such a shallow part, as there is very little for him to do in this film as he is reduced at best to a moving prop and a plot device for much of the film.
This ultimately dooms the film as we feel very little for the characters as Bullock is very bland and by the numbers in her performance, which really strains the audeince to care for the chacters and their outcomes which is essential in a film of this type.
As it stands, Premonition is a good idea that goes nowhere fast, which is what I think will ultimately become of this film after its opening week at the box office.
When Linda awakens the next morning, she is shocked to discover her husband alive and well downstairs. This bizzare occurence sets a chain of events into motion where each day she awakens, finds that her husband is either alive or dead. What is even more bizzare is that some days she awakens days in the future after her husbands accident to learn that other events have transpired while other days she awakens before the accident and wonders about her sanity.
Eventually Linda decides to map out the days she has visited and learns that she is covering the days leading up to and following the accident, and sets a plan into motion to answer the questions she has about why she is suddenly moving back and forth through time each day, as well as the events surrounding her visions of the future.
While the premise of the film is good, it looses momentum very quickly and soon becomes a myriad of plot holes and worn scenarios that ultimately leads to a very silly, and wholly unsatisfying ending, that does little to resolve the premise and mystery of the setup.
What further frustrated me about the film is the utter lack of chemistry between Bullock and Mc Mahon, who come across very stiffly during their scenes with one another, and seem almost to be taken an Acting 101 seminar rather than convincing us they are a married couple.
Mc Mahon’s part is also so lacking in substance I was suprised that an actor of his status would accept such a shallow part, as there is very little for him to do in this film as he is reduced at best to a moving prop and a plot device for much of the film.
This ultimately dooms the film as we feel very little for the characters as Bullock is very bland and by the numbers in her performance, which really strains the audeince to care for the chacters and their outcomes which is essential in a film of this type.
As it stands, Premonition is a good idea that goes nowhere fast, which is what I think will ultimately become of this film after its opening week at the box office.