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Ivana A. | Diary of Difference (1171 KP) rated The Other Mrs Miller in Books
Oct 2, 2020
The Other Mrs Miller is a great mystery to help you out on a boring day. But if you are looking for the dark and twisty masterpiece to blow your mind, I’m afraid this is not it…
Phoebe Miller is married to a man she doesn’t love. He is a psychotherapist and Phoebe feels he constantly analyses her. She doesn’t work because her father was rich. And when he died, women started to tell their stories of all the terrible things he did. All Phoebe wants to do is hide in her house. But she feels constantly watched and notices a car parked on her street almost every day. And then there are these new neighbours that are clearly hiding something. Should she be worried?
There were a lot of relationships in this book that I had an issue with:
- the husband that treats his wife as a study subject
- the wife that treats her husband as garbage
- the new relationship between a man with the IQ of a three-year-old and a woman that has no clue of what she wants
- the unknown sister who would rather threaten you or kill you, than come and tell you she is your sister
- the overprotective mother who doesn’t let her child speak
A very different, and at times, confusing plot. Interesting beginning and introduction, followed by a boring section in the book. A bit of tiny action, and then a slow paced stage again. And finally, an epilogue with a lot of pressure, many characters and a lot of mystery. Very satisfying, until the very last chapter, where the author turns everything around with another small twist, and here I am, sitting on my sofa, with the Kindle in my hand, thinking: THIS IS NOT RIGHT.
A final twist, without any buildup, or any hints, without making any sense or adding to the story in any way. I wish the author or their editor just deleted that last bit. Disappointing.
I did enjoy the whole book, but the very end left me with a bad after-taste and I can’t give it more than these three stars. Amazing mystery, but ahh, if I could just forget about that last chapter.
If you love mysteries, I am still recommending this. You might enjoy it more than I did.
Phoebe Miller is married to a man she doesn’t love. He is a psychotherapist and Phoebe feels he constantly analyses her. She doesn’t work because her father was rich. And when he died, women started to tell their stories of all the terrible things he did. All Phoebe wants to do is hide in her house. But she feels constantly watched and notices a car parked on her street almost every day. And then there are these new neighbours that are clearly hiding something. Should she be worried?
There were a lot of relationships in this book that I had an issue with:
- the husband that treats his wife as a study subject
- the wife that treats her husband as garbage
- the new relationship between a man with the IQ of a three-year-old and a woman that has no clue of what she wants
- the unknown sister who would rather threaten you or kill you, than come and tell you she is your sister
- the overprotective mother who doesn’t let her child speak
A very different, and at times, confusing plot. Interesting beginning and introduction, followed by a boring section in the book. A bit of tiny action, and then a slow paced stage again. And finally, an epilogue with a lot of pressure, many characters and a lot of mystery. Very satisfying, until the very last chapter, where the author turns everything around with another small twist, and here I am, sitting on my sofa, with the Kindle in my hand, thinking: THIS IS NOT RIGHT.
A final twist, without any buildup, or any hints, without making any sense or adding to the story in any way. I wish the author or their editor just deleted that last bit. Disappointing.
I did enjoy the whole book, but the very end left me with a bad after-taste and I can’t give it more than these three stars. Amazing mystery, but ahh, if I could just forget about that last chapter.
If you love mysteries, I am still recommending this. You might enjoy it more than I did.
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2017 has been an extraordinary year for women as they’ve come together in an unprecedented show of...
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated So Close ( Blacklist 1) in Books
Apr 26, 2024
77 of 220
Book
So close ( Blacklist 1)
By Sylvia Day
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The one you believe isn't always the one you can trust...
Widower Kane Black is still ruinously married to his late wife, Lily. Grief has hollowed him… until he sees a woman with his wife’s inimitable beauty on the streets of Manhattan. He whisks her up to his towering penthouse, protectively under guard, nestling her in dark opulence where Lily’s memory is a possessive beguiling force.
Aliyah, Kane’s mother, deals in science. There are too many questions, too few answers, and too much at stake. “Lily” has dangerous control over Kane and there can be only one queen on the throne.
Amy, Kane’s sister-in-law, has been bloodied by deceit and betrayal, and she’s devolving into murderous rage. She’s paid too high a price and now intends to claim what she’s owed.
Three women, linked by buried secrets, circle the man who unquestioningly accepts the return of his beloved long-dead wife. Kane is happier than he’s ever been, and he’ll do anything to stay that way.
This was different to what I expected. First of all I think I’ve been starved of news from the Crosses and it was nice to catch up on them a little. This is was messed up family all being played by a devious mother trying to control her sons. Amy is completely vindictive and horrid but is it a product of what these men and the mother in law from hell have done or is she naturally that way? When you read this and learn about Lily I wasn’t expecting the answer and yes I had a WTF moment! The book was good and I did enjoy it but I think the last 10 chapters are what made me give it 4⭐️ instead of 3.
Book
So close ( Blacklist 1)
By Sylvia Day
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The one you believe isn't always the one you can trust...
Widower Kane Black is still ruinously married to his late wife, Lily. Grief has hollowed him… until he sees a woman with his wife’s inimitable beauty on the streets of Manhattan. He whisks her up to his towering penthouse, protectively under guard, nestling her in dark opulence where Lily’s memory is a possessive beguiling force.
Aliyah, Kane’s mother, deals in science. There are too many questions, too few answers, and too much at stake. “Lily” has dangerous control over Kane and there can be only one queen on the throne.
Amy, Kane’s sister-in-law, has been bloodied by deceit and betrayal, and she’s devolving into murderous rage. She’s paid too high a price and now intends to claim what she’s owed.
Three women, linked by buried secrets, circle the man who unquestioningly accepts the return of his beloved long-dead wife. Kane is happier than he’s ever been, and he’ll do anything to stay that way.
This was different to what I expected. First of all I think I’ve been starved of news from the Crosses and it was nice to catch up on them a little. This is was messed up family all being played by a devious mother trying to control her sons. Amy is completely vindictive and horrid but is it a product of what these men and the mother in law from hell have done or is she naturally that way? When you read this and learn about Lily I wasn’t expecting the answer and yes I had a WTF moment! The book was good and I did enjoy it but I think the last 10 chapters are what made me give it 4⭐️ instead of 3.
The Savage Garden
Book
The lights here are all dark and vixens pull men into the shadows. Hers was a tale as old as...
romance
Erika (17789 KP) rated Twelve Nights at Rotter House in Books
Oct 31, 2020
This book has stuck with me. I read Ocker's non-fiction book @Cursed Objects: Strange but True Stories of the World's Most Infamous Items, the other day, so I decided to try out his novel.
In the first chapter, we find out that the original title of the book was 13 nights, rather than 12. So, obviously, something happened. The main character is a travel writer (like the author), and a skeptic (like the author), who decides to spend 13 nights in a supposedly haunted house.
There were hints, dropped throughout, as to what is actually happening, various movie and book references. Crimson Peak was the most obvious one.
After one night spent alone, the author's best friend comes to visit. There's some unspoken thing that happened a year ago, that's not all that hard to figure out. When things begin to happen, screams, apparitions, etc, the author explains them away. He is a skeptic after all.
The woman character/ghost, has a head that's split down the middle... wonder what that symbolizes.
Towards the end, the author gradually unravels. The end, with the twist... Honestly, I have mixed feelings about it. That's why I just rated this as ok. It was entertaining, and haunted me for about three days,
In the first chapter, we find out that the original title of the book was 13 nights, rather than 12. So, obviously, something happened. The main character is a travel writer (like the author), and a skeptic (like the author), who decides to spend 13 nights in a supposedly haunted house.
There were hints, dropped throughout, as to what is actually happening, various movie and book references. Crimson Peak was the most obvious one.
After one night spent alone, the author's best friend comes to visit. There's some unspoken thing that happened a year ago, that's not all that hard to figure out. When things begin to happen, screams, apparitions, etc, the author explains them away. He is a skeptic after all.
The woman character/ghost, has a head that's split down the middle... wonder what that symbolizes.
Towards the end, the author gradually unravels. The end, with the twist... Honestly, I have mixed feelings about it. That's why I just rated this as ok. It was entertaining, and haunted me for about three days,
Hazel (1853 KP) rated The Storyteller in Books
Dec 7, 2018
This is my Book of the Month for May 2014. You can check out and reblog my Tumblr post here: http://fuzzysparrow.tumblr.com/post/87410836442
Jodi Picoult is the bestselling author of numerous novels, with <i>My Sister’s Keeper</i> being the most well known, perhaps. All of her stories are well written although it is still possible to notice improvements in the writing over the years right up until now with her latest, <i>The Storyteller</i>, which quite possibly could be her best yet.
Arguably, <i>The Storyteller</i> does not quite read as a Jodi Picoult novel is known to. This is, in part, because of the nature of the story. Most of her previous books deal with medical ethics and/or court cases, whereas this story contains neither. <i>The Storyteller</i> contains a combination of past and present - the main focus being on the Holocaust.
Four people narrate the novel: two in the present day and two giving an account of their experience during the Second World War. It begins with Sage Singer, a 25 year old, hermit-like woman with a disfiguring facial scar – the result of a terrible accident, one that also led to the death of her mother. For the past three years Sage has been participating in a grief group – a place where people who have lost loved ones can come together and talk about their feelings. After three years surely Sage would no longer need the help of the group? However she still attends, not because she finds it helpful, but for the opposite reason. She even says herself: “If it were helpful I wouldn’t still be coming.” It unfolds that she still blames herself for her mother’s death despite the reassurances that it was an accident and not her fault.
It is through the grief group that Sage meets an elderly man, Josef Weber. After becoming friendly and discovering that Sage comes from a Jewish family, Josef confesses to something terrible – he was a Nazi during the war. He killed people. He wants Sage to represent all the Jews he killed and forgive him. Then he wants her to help him die.
Whilst, Josef recounts his experience of being part of the Nazi party, another account is also given. Minka, Sage’s grandmother, describes the terrors she faced as an imprisoned Jew suffering fates such as the deaths of all her family and friends and her time in Auschwitz. Another element to the novel is the vampire story Minka wrote as a teenager. This is interspersed between the other chapters of the book. Unwittingly, Minka’s fictional tale reflects the alienation and destruction of the Jews. The final character is Leo who, like Sage, is narrating the present day, and trying to locate ex-Nazi members in order for them to be punished by the government.
One thing to praise Picoult for, not just in <i>The Storyteller</i>, but also in all her novels is the amount of in-depth research she undertakes to make her stories as accurate as possible even though they are fictional. Minka’s account was written is such a way that it was almost believable that Picoult had been there and experienced it herself. She even learnt to bake bread so that she could write from the point of view of a baker. This is pure dedication!
<i>The Storyteller</i> is an amazing, beautiful book, which is not purely an enjoyable read. It informs, shocks and stays with you for a long time. You will question your own morals and ability to forgive. Is anyone entirely evil? Is anyone entirely good? Perhaps we are both, so why should anyone have the right to treat others as inferior from themselves?
Jodi Picoult is the bestselling author of numerous novels, with <i>My Sister’s Keeper</i> being the most well known, perhaps. All of her stories are well written although it is still possible to notice improvements in the writing over the years right up until now with her latest, <i>The Storyteller</i>, which quite possibly could be her best yet.
Arguably, <i>The Storyteller</i> does not quite read as a Jodi Picoult novel is known to. This is, in part, because of the nature of the story. Most of her previous books deal with medical ethics and/or court cases, whereas this story contains neither. <i>The Storyteller</i> contains a combination of past and present - the main focus being on the Holocaust.
Four people narrate the novel: two in the present day and two giving an account of their experience during the Second World War. It begins with Sage Singer, a 25 year old, hermit-like woman with a disfiguring facial scar – the result of a terrible accident, one that also led to the death of her mother. For the past three years Sage has been participating in a grief group – a place where people who have lost loved ones can come together and talk about their feelings. After three years surely Sage would no longer need the help of the group? However she still attends, not because she finds it helpful, but for the opposite reason. She even says herself: “If it were helpful I wouldn’t still be coming.” It unfolds that she still blames herself for her mother’s death despite the reassurances that it was an accident and not her fault.
It is through the grief group that Sage meets an elderly man, Josef Weber. After becoming friendly and discovering that Sage comes from a Jewish family, Josef confesses to something terrible – he was a Nazi during the war. He killed people. He wants Sage to represent all the Jews he killed and forgive him. Then he wants her to help him die.
Whilst, Josef recounts his experience of being part of the Nazi party, another account is also given. Minka, Sage’s grandmother, describes the terrors she faced as an imprisoned Jew suffering fates such as the deaths of all her family and friends and her time in Auschwitz. Another element to the novel is the vampire story Minka wrote as a teenager. This is interspersed between the other chapters of the book. Unwittingly, Minka’s fictional tale reflects the alienation and destruction of the Jews. The final character is Leo who, like Sage, is narrating the present day, and trying to locate ex-Nazi members in order for them to be punished by the government.
One thing to praise Picoult for, not just in <i>The Storyteller</i>, but also in all her novels is the amount of in-depth research she undertakes to make her stories as accurate as possible even though they are fictional. Minka’s account was written is such a way that it was almost believable that Picoult had been there and experienced it herself. She even learnt to bake bread so that she could write from the point of view of a baker. This is pure dedication!
<i>The Storyteller</i> is an amazing, beautiful book, which is not purely an enjoyable read. It informs, shocks and stays with you for a long time. You will question your own morals and ability to forgive. Is anyone entirely evil? Is anyone entirely good? Perhaps we are both, so why should anyone have the right to treat others as inferior from themselves?
A Fish Supper and a Chippy Smile: Love, Hardship and Laughter in a South East London Fish-and-Chip Shop
Book
'Oi, Hilda, the sign outside says you're frying today but I ain't seeing nothing done in ere!' The...
Chris Sawin (602 KP) rated Coraline (2009) in Movies
Jun 20, 2019
Coraline is bored to tears in her new home. She's just moved away from the town she knew along with her best friends while her parents are too busy with their work to pay any sort of attention to her. While exploring her new home one rainy day, she comes across a secret door. The door winds up leading to an "other" world where her parents are actually fun and everything seems to be focused around Coraline, but there is a catch. Everyone has buttons for eyes and Coraline soon finds out that things aren't as wonderous and magical in the "other" world as they appear to be.
Henry Selick delivers a stop-motion animated feature that's darker than what people may be expecting. Having a film based on a story by Neil Gaiman should be the first clue that this isn't an everyday run-of-the-mill children's film. If anything, adults will probably get more of a kick out of it. There's a scene where Miss Forcible, a woman with gigantic breasts, is wearing barely anything at all. Remember that Lil Kim outfit? It was kinda like that. If replacing somebody's eyes with buttons still doesn't put parents off from showing this to their three year old, then the dark atmosphere most certainly will. The film generally has a creepy feeling throughout its duration while it focuses around creatures that are insect-like and are practically in the face of the audience the entire time. Since the film was shot in 3-D, it shows at times as characters are pretty much jumping off the screen.
Coraline may not be for everyone, but it will be a blast for fans of The Nightmare Before Christmas and Corpse Bride. It's a stop-motion animated film that's full of imagination and creativity that is probably best for anyone over the age of ten. The only downside was not being able to catch this in 3-D while it was in theaters.
Henry Selick delivers a stop-motion animated feature that's darker than what people may be expecting. Having a film based on a story by Neil Gaiman should be the first clue that this isn't an everyday run-of-the-mill children's film. If anything, adults will probably get more of a kick out of it. There's a scene where Miss Forcible, a woman with gigantic breasts, is wearing barely anything at all. Remember that Lil Kim outfit? It was kinda like that. If replacing somebody's eyes with buttons still doesn't put parents off from showing this to their three year old, then the dark atmosphere most certainly will. The film generally has a creepy feeling throughout its duration while it focuses around creatures that are insect-like and are practically in the face of the audience the entire time. Since the film was shot in 3-D, it shows at times as characters are pretty much jumping off the screen.
Coraline may not be for everyone, but it will be a blast for fans of The Nightmare Before Christmas and Corpse Bride. It's a stop-motion animated film that's full of imagination and creativity that is probably best for anyone over the age of ten. The only downside was not being able to catch this in 3-D while it was in theaters.
Cruise (Moonshine Task Force #6)
5.5
Rate It
Book
The kid is now a man, and he’s got something to prove….. Caleb “Cruise” Harrison “A...
Scott Tostik (389 KP) rated He's Out There (2018) in Movies
Aug 16, 2019
The mask... Wicked (1 more)
One helluva great build up
Slow burn that heats up well
Contains spoilers, click to show
Woman takes kids to weekend home in the woods. Husband to meet up with them later that night. What could possibly go wrong?
Well... Lemme tell you.... Your whole fuckin day just got ruined by some psycho in a mask who starts of small... Banging on windows... Moving things around the yard... Typical teenage prank type stuff...
As the fear builds, his sadistic nature come to the surface... He intercepts the husband on his way through the darkened goat path of a road and proceeds to carve out his eyeballs and leave his corpse on the front step... Like some cat leaving his master a dead rat or bird... Seeking approval
There's a scene near the end of the film that I found kind of brilliant.
The killer hangs three life sized dolls, representing the mother and her children, for the three to find when they try to run... Stopping them in their tracks... Then... As if they were kids playing a game, he begins pelting them with paintballs to drive them back into the house... Giving himself total control over the situation. The killer has made it impossible for the victims to leave... Thinking the car is a good idea... Mommy hides her children in the closet... Telling them how brave they are and giving them a watch to time 20 seconds before they make a break for it to meet their mother at the car... Mom takes the keys from her dead husbands pocket and start a the car. She then grabs the kids from the closet and is immediately trapped in a room by Mr. Madman.
A neighbor comes over and sees the carnage that is the yard, smashed up SUV, deadman on the steps and tries to help... His fate is sealed by an axe to the head...
The killers total control of everything is what makes me like this movie... Reminds me of The Collector in so many ways... Total control...
Its worth a watch or two... When the climax of the film finally comes a long... Its kind of a let down... But the build up was nice and impressive... If you're looking to get blue balled by a movie... Its a great pick :)
Well... Lemme tell you.... Your whole fuckin day just got ruined by some psycho in a mask who starts of small... Banging on windows... Moving things around the yard... Typical teenage prank type stuff...
As the fear builds, his sadistic nature come to the surface... He intercepts the husband on his way through the darkened goat path of a road and proceeds to carve out his eyeballs and leave his corpse on the front step... Like some cat leaving his master a dead rat or bird... Seeking approval
There's a scene near the end of the film that I found kind of brilliant.
The killer hangs three life sized dolls, representing the mother and her children, for the three to find when they try to run... Stopping them in their tracks... Then... As if they were kids playing a game, he begins pelting them with paintballs to drive them back into the house... Giving himself total control over the situation. The killer has made it impossible for the victims to leave... Thinking the car is a good idea... Mommy hides her children in the closet... Telling them how brave they are and giving them a watch to time 20 seconds before they make a break for it to meet their mother at the car... Mom takes the keys from her dead husbands pocket and start a the car. She then grabs the kids from the closet and is immediately trapped in a room by Mr. Madman.
A neighbor comes over and sees the carnage that is the yard, smashed up SUV, deadman on the steps and tries to help... His fate is sealed by an axe to the head...
The killers total control of everything is what makes me like this movie... Reminds me of The Collector in so many ways... Total control...
Its worth a watch or two... When the climax of the film finally comes a long... Its kind of a let down... But the build up was nice and impressive... If you're looking to get blue balled by a movie... Its a great pick :)