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ClareR (5726 KP) rated Many Different Kinds of Love: A Story of Life, Death and The NHS in Books

Apr 6, 2021

This is the story of Michael Rosen’s experience with Covid-19. How he became ill, then very ill, was hospitalised, put on a ventilator for 48 days, and his hard work back to good health - with complications included.
I can remember being really worried when Michael Rosen said he was feeling unwell last year, and even more so when it was reported that he had been taken in to hospital. There was that long period where I could only imagine how distressed his family must have been feeling.
This book documents it all. There are the diary entries from the carers whilst Michael Rosen was in an induced coma: the nurses, physiotherapists, speech and language therapists - all those from right across the NHS who helped him, turned him, talked to him, kept him clean and made sure that he heard from his family. They clearly did an amazing job, and this showed the sheer volume of people who cared for him.
It’s a really moving book. I read much of this with a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes. And of course there were the funny bits, as there always is with Michael Rosen.
I’m just so glad he made it. This book is going on the Keeper Shelf, because this will be a book that we will all look back on in years to come, when memories of Covid-19 start to dim.

Kudos

Debbiereadsbook (1197 KP) rated A is for Aftercare (The Alphabet of Desire #1) in Books

Jul 28, 2021

focuses more on the care a Daddy gives

Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarain, I was gifted my copy of this book.

Archie gets a job as PA for his favourite author and finds himself wanting to do so much than manage his diary. Hamish is is a grumpy so and so, but the young Archie becomes his muse very quickly. When one of Archie's brothers gets an invite to an adult party, both Archie and Hamish see the other in a different way.

I really really enjoyed this! It focuses more on the CARE a Daddy gives, in all ways, rather than the sex part, and I loved that I found it equally warm and fuzzies/too stinking cute and smexy!

It's not especially taxing on the brain, no complicated plot line or too much trauma to either of them, and I appreciated that right about now.

I loved that Archie and Hamish get on well together, as boss/employee, as friends, and then as Daddy/boy. They really are perfect for each other, they fit so well together. I loved Hamish's friends, and seeing how they might fit into future books. I loved the ABC triplets and I really look forward to reading Blake and Corey's tales!

It says 230 odd pages, but I didn't think it was that long. I really got sucked in with these two and time flew.

4 good solid stars

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**

Kudos

BookInspector (124 KP) rated Grace is Gone in Books

Sep 24, 2020

Grace is Gone

Emily Elgar | 2020 | Philosophy, Psychology & Social Sciences, Thriller

6.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

This novel is told by Cara and Jon, two completely different characters. Cara is Grace’s friend and neighbour, her mom was best friends with Grace’s mother Meg. Cara knows Grace quite well, but was it well enough though? That is what she keeps asking herself over and over again. Jon is a journalist, who is trying to save his breaking family, and he has this strange obsession with Meg and Grace, he wants to find Grace, but I didn’t really understand why? Meg and Grace kind of ruined his life. I liked Jon and his parts of this book more, he was more interesting with his family drama and his past. Cara’s journey was okayish, she was very repetitive with all the regret about Grace, that I found quite irritating. It was very interesting to see how Meg and Grace had the community in their grip, by just being there.

The narrative was well delivered, I liked the investigation Cara and Jon were doing, as well as discovering more about Grace and Meg as the pages fly by. Even though Grace is missing, she plays a very important part in this search through her diary, that was very intriguing to read. The plot is pretty slow for about half of the book and I needed more pace and suspense, but it does pick up towards the end of the book, with quite intriguing twists and turns, so don’t give up on it.