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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Do No Harm in Books
Feb 25, 2021
A dark look into how far a mother would go to save her child
After a tough childhood, where she was orphaned and spent time in foster care, Emma finally has the life she's always wanted. A successful doctor, she has a loving husband, Nate, and a young son, Josh. But that all stands to change when Josh, who is only five, is diagnosed with leukemia. Even with her hospital insurance, Josh's potential life-saving treatment will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Determined to save Josh no matter what, Emma makes the decision to sell opioids. Her choice puts her directly against Nate, a local police officer, who is investigating the death of a potential drug dealer. Emma will do anything to save Josh--does that include murder?
"I felt like I'd been dropped down a rabbit hole with the wolf sitting right outside. And the wolf was my husband."
This is a brutal dark read that pulls you into Emma and Nate's dilemma immediately. Personally, I found it hard to read about Josh's illness. I have a difficult time with books about kids being sick. But, McDonald is an excellent writer, and she does a wonderful job portraying stricken parents, pushed to the brink, who would do anything for their child. For Emma, it's turning to selling drugs. For Nate, it's working constantly to solve his current case, which means a promotion that could brings additional money for their family. The story is told from each of their perspectives, ratcheting up the tension with each chapter.
Emma, it seems, really has no limits on what she would do for Josh. McDonald makes the reader question: how far would you go to save your child? The book also offers a nuanced perspective on the opioid crisis, versus the usual "drugs bad" stance we get in many novels, which I appreciated. The entire novel makes you think and question standard perspectives in so many ways. It turns good versus evil and right versus wrong on its heels. And it offers a dark and insightful look into drug addiction and chronic pain and how families support each other (or don't).
Overall, this isn't an easy read, but it's a well-written and compelling one. It's timely, with an excellent perspective on the drug problems facing Americans and leaves the reader questioning much about right versus wrong. 4 stars.
I received a copy of this book from Gallery Books and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review. It is available on 2/16/2021.
"I felt like I'd been dropped down a rabbit hole with the wolf sitting right outside. And the wolf was my husband."
This is a brutal dark read that pulls you into Emma and Nate's dilemma immediately. Personally, I found it hard to read about Josh's illness. I have a difficult time with books about kids being sick. But, McDonald is an excellent writer, and she does a wonderful job portraying stricken parents, pushed to the brink, who would do anything for their child. For Emma, it's turning to selling drugs. For Nate, it's working constantly to solve his current case, which means a promotion that could brings additional money for their family. The story is told from each of their perspectives, ratcheting up the tension with each chapter.
Emma, it seems, really has no limits on what she would do for Josh. McDonald makes the reader question: how far would you go to save your child? The book also offers a nuanced perspective on the opioid crisis, versus the usual "drugs bad" stance we get in many novels, which I appreciated. The entire novel makes you think and question standard perspectives in so many ways. It turns good versus evil and right versus wrong on its heels. And it offers a dark and insightful look into drug addiction and chronic pain and how families support each other (or don't).
Overall, this isn't an easy read, but it's a well-written and compelling one. It's timely, with an excellent perspective on the drug problems facing Americans and leaves the reader questioning much about right versus wrong. 4 stars.
I received a copy of this book from Gallery Books and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review. It is available on 2/16/2021.
MelanieTheresa (997 KP) rated Saving Meghan in Books
May 10, 2019
Contains spoilers, click to show
Although this is billed as a thriller, I personally saw it as more of a family/medical drama/mystery. That said, it was still an excellent read, and all I wanted to know was WHAT IS WRONG WITH MEGHAN?
**WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD**
If you don’t want certain things ruined for you, please read no further.
First things first: I figured out pretty early on that, if indeed Meghan was being poisoned – though I wasn’t yet convinced of that – the poison was obviously in the chicken soup. Every time the soup was mentioned, I’d say out loud “It’s in the soup!” and not once did I doubt myself. ? It’s not revealed until very close to the end of the story, but it was definitely my “I knew it!” moment.
As for whether or not I chose to #BelieveBecky or #ProtectMeghan, I’d say it was equal parts both throughout the story. I pretty much believed Becky right from the beginning, while simultaneously wanting to protect Meghan. I honestly thought Becky’s father Carl was the one poisoning her. Aside from the fact that he’s a total dick, he just seemed to jump on the “her mother must be hurting her” train pretty quickly for someone who’s Becky’s HUSBAND. We find out later that he was cheating on her anyway – and with one of Meghan’s doctors – so, douchebaggery confirmed.
What did surprise me was who the perpetrator turned out to be: Dr. Amanda Nash, the GI doctor who began the whole process of removing Meghan from her home because she suspected “medical child abuse,” or Munchausen Syndrome by proxy. ? I mean, I knew something was off about her, but I couldn’t figure out what. Turns out she was banging Carl and wanted both Becky and Meghan out of the way. I was not sad when Carl got what he absolutely deserved, nor when Dr. Nash got hers.
Saving Meghan kept me engaged, and was topped off with a pretty satisfying ending, which is something that has been missing from some of my more recent reads.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the ARE, and the awesome holographic bookmark!
**WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD**
If you don’t want certain things ruined for you, please read no further.
First things first: I figured out pretty early on that, if indeed Meghan was being poisoned – though I wasn’t yet convinced of that – the poison was obviously in the chicken soup. Every time the soup was mentioned, I’d say out loud “It’s in the soup!” and not once did I doubt myself. ? It’s not revealed until very close to the end of the story, but it was definitely my “I knew it!” moment.
As for whether or not I chose to #BelieveBecky or #ProtectMeghan, I’d say it was equal parts both throughout the story. I pretty much believed Becky right from the beginning, while simultaneously wanting to protect Meghan. I honestly thought Becky’s father Carl was the one poisoning her. Aside from the fact that he’s a total dick, he just seemed to jump on the “her mother must be hurting her” train pretty quickly for someone who’s Becky’s HUSBAND. We find out later that he was cheating on her anyway – and with one of Meghan’s doctors – so, douchebaggery confirmed.
What did surprise me was who the perpetrator turned out to be: Dr. Amanda Nash, the GI doctor who began the whole process of removing Meghan from her home because she suspected “medical child abuse,” or Munchausen Syndrome by proxy. ? I mean, I knew something was off about her, but I couldn’t figure out what. Turns out she was banging Carl and wanted both Becky and Meghan out of the way. I was not sad when Carl got what he absolutely deserved, nor when Dr. Nash got hers.
Saving Meghan kept me engaged, and was topped off with a pretty satisfying ending, which is something that has been missing from some of my more recent reads.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the ARE, and the awesome holographic bookmark!
Nadya R (9 KP) rated The Tea Rose in Books
Jul 2, 2018
Fiona is 17 years old girl who works in Burton's tea factory. She leads a life of Irish emigrant with her big family. There is Joe as well. The next door boy she is inlove with and also he is inlove with her since they were children. The only light in their light is their cacao box. It consist all of their savings set aside to support their dream - to have their own shop. When one day everything broke down. His father died in accident. Joe, the men she always love, is forced to marry to other woman.
London's atmosphere is so vivdly described. With only two word Donnally took us into her universe. Everything is so bright. It's make you feel the smell of the tea into English's humid air. You can hear Joe, who call you to go and buy some of his fruits and veggies. This is also the time of Jack the Ripper. Series of brutally killed women spread the fear trough the people in Whitechapel. Trying to take the ill baby to the doctor, Fiona's mother Kate became a witness of another Jack's murder and for that she paid with her life. The baby died a couple of days after her mom. Fiona's bigger brother Charlie disappeared, heart-broken because of his mother death. And Fiona end up with her little brother. But when their life is threatened, they catch the first ship to New York. There from poor little girl without a family, she become one of the richest women in New York.
Unputdownable! Totally deserve to be read. All this tragedy. Her misfortune love with Joe. Every time when they are going to meet I became so happy, only to be disappointed because they missed out the chance. Its a huge book with its 800 pages (Bulgarian edition), but they aren't enough for me. I wanted to learn more about Fiona's success. How she became this powerful woman. I missed this ten years that aren't described in the book.
Amazing book that kept me awake three nights in a row.
London's atmosphere is so vivdly described. With only two word Donnally took us into her universe. Everything is so bright. It's make you feel the smell of the tea into English's humid air. You can hear Joe, who call you to go and buy some of his fruits and veggies. This is also the time of Jack the Ripper. Series of brutally killed women spread the fear trough the people in Whitechapel. Trying to take the ill baby to the doctor, Fiona's mother Kate became a witness of another Jack's murder and for that she paid with her life. The baby died a couple of days after her mom. Fiona's bigger brother Charlie disappeared, heart-broken because of his mother death. And Fiona end up with her little brother. But when their life is threatened, they catch the first ship to New York. There from poor little girl without a family, she become one of the richest women in New York.
Unputdownable! Totally deserve to be read. All this tragedy. Her misfortune love with Joe. Every time when they are going to meet I became so happy, only to be disappointed because they missed out the chance. Its a huge book with its 800 pages (Bulgarian edition), but they aren't enough for me. I wanted to learn more about Fiona's success. How she became this powerful woman. I missed this ten years that aren't described in the book.
Amazing book that kept me awake three nights in a row.
A Better Me: The Official Autobiography
Book
'This is the book I wished I'd had to turn to.' Gary BarlowGary Barlow is one of the most successful...
The What, Why & How of Medical School Applications
Christopher Graham, Dayo Kashimawo, Michael Thurm and Rajiv Sethi
Book
BPP University School of Health combines the academic excellence of a university with the real-life...
Jesters_folly (230 KP) rated The Dark Tower (2017) in Movies
Dec 2, 2020
Contains spoilers, click to show
Ahh, the Dark Tower, Stephen King's epic tale that spans 8 core books and crosses over with almost everything he has ever written as well as some he hasn't (unofficially of course). A Saga that has inspired many and disappointed a few (well I'm told the end of book 7 is self indulgent, I'm only at book 4 and that was a while ago). Anway, the Dark Tower books are epic and so they try to put all this epicness in to a hour and a half film and when you consider that IT is only one book and that took 2 films with another possibly on the way and the Stand is only one book and has a hole mini series you can imagine that there is a bit of editing of the source material.
The Dark Tower bring three of the characters from the books; Roland, the gunslinger, Jake, a boy from our world and the Man in Black aka Walter. Unlike the books the film focus' mainly on Jake, a boy who is having dreams about Roland and Walter and who is being hunted by Walter's forces.
The story line is loosely based on the books as Roland hunts the Man in Black across not only his own world but ours as well and attempts to kill him in revenge for his father's death whilst Walter is attempting to destroy the Dark Tower and bring darkness to all the worlds.
Interestingly, although there are many nods and easter eggs to Kings other works, the film version of The Dark Tower is linked more to the Shining and Doctor Sleep than IT or the Stand as it gives Jake 'The Shine' and makes it an integral part of the plot.
As long as you're not expecting too much of the books 'The Dark Tower' is quite a good film, it has a slightly more Sci-Fi feel that the books and the final battle would feel at home in most first person shooter games but, when seen either as it's own thing or possibly as a tie in to the two shining films it's quite a good action film.
The Dark Tower bring three of the characters from the books; Roland, the gunslinger, Jake, a boy from our world and the Man in Black aka Walter. Unlike the books the film focus' mainly on Jake, a boy who is having dreams about Roland and Walter and who is being hunted by Walter's forces.
The story line is loosely based on the books as Roland hunts the Man in Black across not only his own world but ours as well and attempts to kill him in revenge for his father's death whilst Walter is attempting to destroy the Dark Tower and bring darkness to all the worlds.
Interestingly, although there are many nods and easter eggs to Kings other works, the film version of The Dark Tower is linked more to the Shining and Doctor Sleep than IT or the Stand as it gives Jake 'The Shine' and makes it an integral part of the plot.
As long as you're not expecting too much of the books 'The Dark Tower' is quite a good film, it has a slightly more Sci-Fi feel that the books and the final battle would feel at home in most first person shooter games but, when seen either as it's own thing or possibly as a tie in to the two shining films it's quite a good action film.
ClareR (6037 KP) rated The Familiars in Books
Jul 14, 2019 (Updated Jul 14, 2019)
The fact that this book is based on true events makes it all the more harrowing, in my opinion. When people ask “What era would you like to visit or live in?”, I pretty much always answer “I’m fine just where I am. I rather like the antibiotics, general freedom and option not to be hung and/ or burned as a witch, thanks very much”. I do however, very much like reading about the past, and this gives a fascinating insight to the Pendle Hill Witch Trials.
Fleetwood is seventeen years old and pregnant for the fourth time. Her three previous pregnancies have all resulted in stillbirth or miscarriage, and she has found letters from a doctor to her husband, saying that she will not survive another. She meets Alice Grey, who is a midwife, by chance. Alice promises to help her give birth to a living child, and assures her that she will survive the birth.
The fact that Alice is a midwife leaves her vulnerable to accusations of witchcraft, and accused she is. Fleetwood is adamant that she will save her as she is her friend and the only person who will be able to save hers and her baby’s lives. No one takes Fleetwood seriously though; when they do take her seriously, they expect her to go home and knuckle down to the more womanly pursuits of child bearing and being a wife.
Fleetwoods frustration is described so well - no one will listen, and no one will help. It’s such a tense atmosphere - Fleetwood just wants to help,her friend, and there are so many obstacles in the way. Even her social standing is no deterrent if someone were to accuse her of witchcraft if she becomes too troublesome (there’s the example of Margaret Pearson in the story, whose maid accused her of having a toad as a familiar, and spent time in the stocks before being imprisoned)
I really enjoyed this book, and I’ll be waiting for whatever the author writes next (I’m on the mailing list!).
Many thanks to Readers First for my copy of this book.
Fleetwood is seventeen years old and pregnant for the fourth time. Her three previous pregnancies have all resulted in stillbirth or miscarriage, and she has found letters from a doctor to her husband, saying that she will not survive another. She meets Alice Grey, who is a midwife, by chance. Alice promises to help her give birth to a living child, and assures her that she will survive the birth.
The fact that Alice is a midwife leaves her vulnerable to accusations of witchcraft, and accused she is. Fleetwood is adamant that she will save her as she is her friend and the only person who will be able to save hers and her baby’s lives. No one takes Fleetwood seriously though; when they do take her seriously, they expect her to go home and knuckle down to the more womanly pursuits of child bearing and being a wife.
Fleetwoods frustration is described so well - no one will listen, and no one will help. It’s such a tense atmosphere - Fleetwood just wants to help,her friend, and there are so many obstacles in the way. Even her social standing is no deterrent if someone were to accuse her of witchcraft if she becomes too troublesome (there’s the example of Margaret Pearson in the story, whose maid accused her of having a toad as a familiar, and spent time in the stocks before being imprisoned)
I really enjoyed this book, and I’ll be waiting for whatever the author writes next (I’m on the mailing list!).
Many thanks to Readers First for my copy of this book.
ClareR (6037 KP) rated Bone China in Books
Aug 19, 2019
Bone China by Laura Purcell is a gothic novel set in Cornwall. Hester Why has travelled to Cornwall to take up a post as a Lady’s maid - and also to escape her past. But if she thinks she’s going to have an easy time of it, she has another thing coming! Morvoren House has its own secrets, not helped by the very strange Creeda, who believes that fairies will spirit Miss Rosewyn (the ward of Miss Pinecroft, the elderly woman that Hester is looking after) away.
We also get to see some of Hester’s past before Cornwall - and the reason why she has ended up in Morvoren House; and that of Louise, some 40 years before Hester’s arrival.
Unsurprisingly, bone china features prominently in this story, and I was delighted to hear the story of the willow pattern again - a story that my own grandmother used to tell me when showing me her willow pattern tea service.
Louise’s story tells of the time after her mother and siblings have died of phthisis (or tuberculosis), and her father, who was a doctor, deciding that he will find a cure for it. Prisoners from the local prison are kept in caves beneath the house, the theory being that the fresh air would strengthen their lungs. I know! Horrifying!!
I didn’t find the jumping between timelines at all confusing, and I really enjoyed the way it did this. The unreliability of Hester’s narrative due to gin and laudanum was also really well done. I never knew if what was happening was due to the gin, laudanum, actual reality or the fairies!
And the landscape and sights of Cornwall were beautifully described. I love Cornwall - it’s one of my most favourite places. The rawness of the coast is a pleasure to read about, and instantly took me to the cliffs by the sea.
I tried to make this book last longer, but had no luck at all because I was desperate to know what was going to happen! And that ending - I’m still in shock!!!!
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this completely absorbing book! It was a pleasure to read.
We also get to see some of Hester’s past before Cornwall - and the reason why she has ended up in Morvoren House; and that of Louise, some 40 years before Hester’s arrival.
Unsurprisingly, bone china features prominently in this story, and I was delighted to hear the story of the willow pattern again - a story that my own grandmother used to tell me when showing me her willow pattern tea service.
Louise’s story tells of the time after her mother and siblings have died of phthisis (or tuberculosis), and her father, who was a doctor, deciding that he will find a cure for it. Prisoners from the local prison are kept in caves beneath the house, the theory being that the fresh air would strengthen their lungs. I know! Horrifying!!
I didn’t find the jumping between timelines at all confusing, and I really enjoyed the way it did this. The unreliability of Hester’s narrative due to gin and laudanum was also really well done. I never knew if what was happening was due to the gin, laudanum, actual reality or the fairies!
And the landscape and sights of Cornwall were beautifully described. I love Cornwall - it’s one of my most favourite places. The rawness of the coast is a pleasure to read about, and instantly took me to the cliffs by the sea.
I tried to make this book last longer, but had no luck at all because I was desperate to know what was going to happen! And that ending - I’m still in shock!!!!
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this completely absorbing book! It was a pleasure to read.
Alpha's Embrace (Omega Misfits #3)
6.0
Rate It
Book
I am Misha and I am twenty years old. My name was given to me at birth by the doctor who...
iSee, the vision simulator
Medical and Health & Fitness
App
For many it is hard to imagine how it is like for persons with a vision impairment. How do you see...