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Nancy Whang recommended Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) by Eurythmics in Music (curated)
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated The Gates of Evangeline in Books
Apr 9, 2019
Charlotte Cates has started having dreams about young children now that her son has passed away. She is not sure what these dreams mean, but when they start to come to fruition, she sees that she may have a gift she may not really want. Sent to Louisiana to write a book about the abduction of young Gabriel Deveau, she believes she knows what has happened to him from one of her dreams. Will she be able to find out what happened to this boy? What other dreams will she have before she gets the answers she is looking for?
I started this book and at first I couldn't get into it. I put it down for a couple of weeks and then picked it back up. I'm so glad that I did. While some parts of this book were a little bit predictable, this was an overall good read. I was invested in the story and I was desperate to know what was going to happen to Charlotte, or Charlie as she likes to be called.
After the death of her own child, she was lost and unsure about how to continue her life. She wasn't really into her job and then came the opportunity arose for her to write about something, she thought she had first hand knowledge about. Leaving her home in Connecticut to live at Evangeline, the estate where Gabriel went missing, she uncovers a lot about the Deveau family that she never knew was possible.
At 75% I literally felt my heart begin to race. And it was difficult to put the book down from then on. Highly recommended.
I started this book and at first I couldn't get into it. I put it down for a couple of weeks and then picked it back up. I'm so glad that I did. While some parts of this book were a little bit predictable, this was an overall good read. I was invested in the story and I was desperate to know what was going to happen to Charlotte, or Charlie as she likes to be called.
After the death of her own child, she was lost and unsure about how to continue her life. She wasn't really into her job and then came the opportunity arose for her to write about something, she thought she had first hand knowledge about. Leaving her home in Connecticut to live at Evangeline, the estate where Gabriel went missing, she uncovers a lot about the Deveau family that she never knew was possible.
At 75% I literally felt my heart begin to race. And it was difficult to put the book down from then on. Highly recommended.
postapocalypticplayground (27 KP) rated Strange the Dreamer in Books
Mar 23, 2018
A dreamy read
When I first started reading Strange the Dreamer my first feeling was that I was in for something special. I have never read a Laini Taylor book before and I was immediately struck by her use of language and the writing style is almost musical with a lilting flow. The language is mature in nature and very different from what you would normally expect in a YA read. The story itself is told in 3rd person but moves between the two main characters, Lazlo and Sarai. Lazlo is a wonderful character, quiet and unnasuming but full of wild dreams about the lost city of Weep. The stories that fuelled his play as a young child become his lifes work as an adult, channeling his time into learning all he can of the city from scraps left behind in the library he finds as his workplace. He is wonderfully earnest, yet there is a fire in him – so when a delegation arrives that promises an answer to his dreams he comes out from his shadow, his lifes work given meaning. Sarai is also in a strange form of existence, one of only 5 surviving children of the citadel of Weep her life is sheltered and borderline to poverty. As with all children of the citadel, she has a power passed down from her parents, Sarai holds the power of dreams but as the daughter of the Godess of Despair her world becomes one of never ending nightmare.
When Sarai’s and Lazlo’s worlds collide within their dreams they start to unravel the truth behind all that took place in Weep and a mystery that has haunted both the residents of Weep iteslf and those who remain in the citadel. The world building is beautiful, the story is quite a slow burn, providing you with the minimal amount of information that you need to form a picture of what is happening. This makes the reveals all the more satisfying and really gives you a chance to understand the world and appriciate the depth of thought put into its creation.
The only downside to this approach is that for the most part I felt that the side characters got left behind. Whist time was spent on the others within the Citadel, I felt that those who were met by Lazlo during his journey were almost a side thought and they appeared just enough to progress the story. There were some members of Lazlo’s party that I was desperate to find out more about, and I felt that there was plenty of opportunity within the 500+ pages to accommodate this as some parts could have done with a little trimming; the delicious slowness treading a very fine line between frustratingly dull at times. There is a second book in the works, so maybe these characters may get there turn then, but from the ending i’m not sure that they will.
In summary I found Strange the Dreamer to be a wonderful read if not a little slow at times. It was so beautifully different to the fantasy I have been reading recently and I give this 4*
When Sarai’s and Lazlo’s worlds collide within their dreams they start to unravel the truth behind all that took place in Weep and a mystery that has haunted both the residents of Weep iteslf and those who remain in the citadel. The world building is beautiful, the story is quite a slow burn, providing you with the minimal amount of information that you need to form a picture of what is happening. This makes the reveals all the more satisfying and really gives you a chance to understand the world and appriciate the depth of thought put into its creation.
The only downside to this approach is that for the most part I felt that the side characters got left behind. Whist time was spent on the others within the Citadel, I felt that those who were met by Lazlo during his journey were almost a side thought and they appeared just enough to progress the story. There were some members of Lazlo’s party that I was desperate to find out more about, and I felt that there was plenty of opportunity within the 500+ pages to accommodate this as some parts could have done with a little trimming; the delicious slowness treading a very fine line between frustratingly dull at times. There is a second book in the works, so maybe these characters may get there turn then, but from the ending i’m not sure that they will.
In summary I found Strange the Dreamer to be a wonderful read if not a little slow at times. It was so beautifully different to the fantasy I have been reading recently and I give this 4*
Merissa (12058 KP) rated Wish (Indigo Dreams #1) in Books
Dec 17, 2018 (Updated Jun 7, 2023)
This is the story of Indigo, a sixteen-year-old girl who dreams of being a ballet dancer. Having taken ballet lessons for years, she understands that it isn't something that will just happen without a lot of hard work. However, she is struggling at the present due to family circumstances. Wish tells her story, about the circumstances and decisions made that set her on the path to her future.
This was very well-written with characters that were believable and fully dimensional. The storyline was well-paced and continued to hold my interest throughout. The romance between Jesse and Indigo actually takes a back seat in the story behind the ballet which makes a nice change in a Young Adult book. You never know which way things will go until you get there. This is not just some "everything is peachy" fluffy book, it is a book that deals with a serious subject, alcoholism, in a very realistic way and shows how it impacts not only the drinker but friends and family too.
This is a very different book that is well worth the time it takes to read. I would like to read more about Indigo and her dreams. Definitely recommended.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jan 12, 2015
This was very well-written with characters that were believable and fully dimensional. The storyline was well-paced and continued to hold my interest throughout. The romance between Jesse and Indigo actually takes a back seat in the story behind the ballet which makes a nice change in a Young Adult book. You never know which way things will go until you get there. This is not just some "everything is peachy" fluffy book, it is a book that deals with a serious subject, alcoholism, in a very realistic way and shows how it impacts not only the drinker but friends and family too.
This is a very different book that is well worth the time it takes to read. I would like to read more about Indigo and her dreams. Definitely recommended.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jan 12, 2015
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Braving Fate ( The Mythean Arcana book 1) in Books
Apr 24, 2022
70 of 230
Braving Fate ( The Mythean Arcana book 1)
By Linsey Hall
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶🌶🌶
As chaos looms, a warrior queen is reborn
Scholar Diana Laughton can't shake her terrible nightmares. Dreams of battle, dreams of blood... dreams so vivid she's living them day and night. When demons invade her quiet life and she flees to Scotland, she fears she might be going mad. Or perhaps she's remembering a past life she never knew existed...
In the midst of betrayal, he must protect her
Mythean Guardian Cadan Trinovante is haunted by a tortured history he shared with Boudica, Britain's warrior queen. Now that she's been reincarnated and given a deadly task, he vows to protect her. He won't let her uncover the truth about their past. It would make her hate him--a fate he refuses to accept.
To succumb to seduction could prove fatal
Thrown together in a shadowy world that exists alongside our own, Diana must learn to fight the demonic forces that want her dead. When Diana attempts to seduce Cadan for information about her past, he aches to claim her. His greatest battle will be resisting a passion that has lasted centuries... and is prophesied to destroy them both.
I really liked it. I love anything mythological or history based and I’m going to be honest I didn’t have a clue who Boudica was so I I also went off and learnt who she was. The story was really good and the characters were interesting it’s definitely a series and author I’ll be following. It was a little brushed or a bit jumpy in places but overall a decent start.
Braving Fate ( The Mythean Arcana book 1)
By Linsey Hall
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶🌶🌶
As chaos looms, a warrior queen is reborn
Scholar Diana Laughton can't shake her terrible nightmares. Dreams of battle, dreams of blood... dreams so vivid she's living them day and night. When demons invade her quiet life and she flees to Scotland, she fears she might be going mad. Or perhaps she's remembering a past life she never knew existed...
In the midst of betrayal, he must protect her
Mythean Guardian Cadan Trinovante is haunted by a tortured history he shared with Boudica, Britain's warrior queen. Now that she's been reincarnated and given a deadly task, he vows to protect her. He won't let her uncover the truth about their past. It would make her hate him--a fate he refuses to accept.
To succumb to seduction could prove fatal
Thrown together in a shadowy world that exists alongside our own, Diana must learn to fight the demonic forces that want her dead. When Diana attempts to seduce Cadan for information about her past, he aches to claim her. His greatest battle will be resisting a passion that has lasted centuries... and is prophesied to destroy them both.
I really liked it. I love anything mythological or history based and I’m going to be honest I didn’t have a clue who Boudica was so I I also went off and learnt who she was. The story was really good and the characters were interesting it’s definitely a series and author I’ll be following. It was a little brushed or a bit jumpy in places but overall a decent start.
ClareR (5726 KP) rated The East Indian in Books
Jul 13, 2023
I loved The East Indian by Brinda Charry, but boy did it make me mad!
“Tony” (so named because a British man couldn’t pronounce his real name, and we never find out what that is) comes from the Coromandel coast. He travels to London with a white man in order to be his servant, but the man dies on the voyage. In London, Tony has to fend for himself, a child alone in a big city that takes advantage of the vulnerable. Unsurprisingly, Tony is kidnapped, transported to America, and becomes an indentured servant. It looks as though his dreams of becoming a medicine man will never come to pass. But he does make friends with some of the boys on the voyage. When he arrives in America, he is mistaken for a native Indian - he isn’t as black as the Africans - and he’s often referred to as a ‘Moor’.
There’s little wonder that Tony has so many friends, he’s a likeable boy. He hates to see the maltreatment of his fellow indentured servants and slaves.
This book illustrates the lives of indentured servants and the beginning of slavery under British rule in the colonies. It’s not a nice way to live; seen through the eyes of a child it’s both less and more horrific. Tony doesn’t necessarily see how bad things are, because he has no comparison until he starts to get older.
The most infuriating part for me (it’s a long list!), was how Tony and the Africans were ‘othered’ by the white man: they weren’t to be trusted, their ways of life were seen as primitive, they were seen as a belonging or little better than animals.
This book predates slavery as it was to become, but you can see the beginnings of it. As an indentured servant, you belonged to your master.
Jamestown is described so well (sights, sounds and smells) as are the wilder areas: the forests, mountains and rivers. It sounded beautiful, kept that way by Native Americans who were already being driven from their homeland.
It’s a sobering, beautiful story, and I’m so glad that I got the chance to read it - thanks Pigeonhole!
“Tony” (so named because a British man couldn’t pronounce his real name, and we never find out what that is) comes from the Coromandel coast. He travels to London with a white man in order to be his servant, but the man dies on the voyage. In London, Tony has to fend for himself, a child alone in a big city that takes advantage of the vulnerable. Unsurprisingly, Tony is kidnapped, transported to America, and becomes an indentured servant. It looks as though his dreams of becoming a medicine man will never come to pass. But he does make friends with some of the boys on the voyage. When he arrives in America, he is mistaken for a native Indian - he isn’t as black as the Africans - and he’s often referred to as a ‘Moor’.
There’s little wonder that Tony has so many friends, he’s a likeable boy. He hates to see the maltreatment of his fellow indentured servants and slaves.
This book illustrates the lives of indentured servants and the beginning of slavery under British rule in the colonies. It’s not a nice way to live; seen through the eyes of a child it’s both less and more horrific. Tony doesn’t necessarily see how bad things are, because he has no comparison until he starts to get older.
The most infuriating part for me (it’s a long list!), was how Tony and the Africans were ‘othered’ by the white man: they weren’t to be trusted, their ways of life were seen as primitive, they were seen as a belonging or little better than animals.
This book predates slavery as it was to become, but you can see the beginnings of it. As an indentured servant, you belonged to your master.
Jamestown is described so well (sights, sounds and smells) as are the wilder areas: the forests, mountains and rivers. It sounded beautiful, kept that way by Native Americans who were already being driven from their homeland.
It’s a sobering, beautiful story, and I’m so glad that I got the chance to read it - thanks Pigeonhole!
Becs (244 KP) rated Death of a Salesman in Books
Oct 2, 2019
Wow. Death of a Salesman was a different style of a literary classic that I was honestly never expecting. It grabbed my emotions and pulled on my heartstrings. The plot contained a rollercoaster of events, and I’ll admit, there were a few times I was utterly confused and wanted to throw the book across the room. But towards the end of the ride, I was able to understand what each issue each of the characters had and what it meant to them.
Understanding the pain that Willy was going through. Understanding the issues Biff has with stealing from jobs. Understanding Happy’s need to sleep around. Bringing to light the issue of a salesman’s career and how the job market was going downhill. Death of a Salesman is worth a read or a couple of rereads!
Genre: Literary Classic, plays
Audience: Young Adult and Adults
Interests: Plays, salesmen, American Dreams, family-ties
Quality: The quality of Death of a Salesman is not one you can take lightly. There are moments throughout the play that a younger version of myself would never be able to understand until I experienced the real world for myself. Now, I understand what it’s like losing a job you hoped to have for the rest of your life. Becoming depressed to the point that you just don’t know what to do anymore regarding your family other than hoping that they can make ends meet when you’re gone.
Insights: Death of a Salesman shows that dreams are not always sunny beaches and sprinkles. But that it contains a dark side that will rip your happiness and everything you’ve lived for into a million tiny pieces that will never be able to be fixed again.
Favorite Quotes: “The jungle is dark but full of diamonds, Willy.”
“I realized what a ridiculous lie my whole life has been.”
“I stopped in the middle of that building and I saw — the sky. I saw the things that I love in this world. The work and the food and time to sit and smoke. And I looked at the pen and said to myself, what the hell am I grabbing this for? Why am I trying to become what I don’t want to be? What am I doing in an office, making a contemptuous, begging fool of myself, when all I want is out there, waiting for me the minute I say I know who I am! Why can’t I say that, Willy?”
Aesthetics: I love how Arthur Miller shows the reader what it’s like in a world as a struggling family. Nonetheless, a struggling middle-aged man in the fifties who is battling depression and the loss of his career. It really shows the reader that anything can happen, that you could possibly lose your career. That you could possibly lose your home or even your loved ones. Anything can happen when life decides to wipe your slate and leave you with nothing in return. So the time we have now, we must cherish it. For we never know how much time we truly have.
“The only thing you’ve got in this world is what you can sell.”
Understanding the pain that Willy was going through. Understanding the issues Biff has with stealing from jobs. Understanding Happy’s need to sleep around. Bringing to light the issue of a salesman’s career and how the job market was going downhill. Death of a Salesman is worth a read or a couple of rereads!
Genre: Literary Classic, plays
Audience: Young Adult and Adults
Interests: Plays, salesmen, American Dreams, family-ties
Quality: The quality of Death of a Salesman is not one you can take lightly. There are moments throughout the play that a younger version of myself would never be able to understand until I experienced the real world for myself. Now, I understand what it’s like losing a job you hoped to have for the rest of your life. Becoming depressed to the point that you just don’t know what to do anymore regarding your family other than hoping that they can make ends meet when you’re gone.
Insights: Death of a Salesman shows that dreams are not always sunny beaches and sprinkles. But that it contains a dark side that will rip your happiness and everything you’ve lived for into a million tiny pieces that will never be able to be fixed again.
Favorite Quotes: “The jungle is dark but full of diamonds, Willy.”
“I realized what a ridiculous lie my whole life has been.”
“I stopped in the middle of that building and I saw — the sky. I saw the things that I love in this world. The work and the food and time to sit and smoke. And I looked at the pen and said to myself, what the hell am I grabbing this for? Why am I trying to become what I don’t want to be? What am I doing in an office, making a contemptuous, begging fool of myself, when all I want is out there, waiting for me the minute I say I know who I am! Why can’t I say that, Willy?”
Aesthetics: I love how Arthur Miller shows the reader what it’s like in a world as a struggling family. Nonetheless, a struggling middle-aged man in the fifties who is battling depression and the loss of his career. It really shows the reader that anything can happen, that you could possibly lose your career. That you could possibly lose your home or even your loved ones. Anything can happen when life decides to wipe your slate and leave you with nothing in return. So the time we have now, we must cherish it. For we never know how much time we truly have.
“The only thing you’ve got in this world is what you can sell.”
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Echoes of Us in Books
Jun 23, 2020
110 of 200
Kindle
Echoes of us
By S.H. Timmins
What happens if your life begins on the wrong side of right?
What will you sacrifice when secrets and money are the weapons of choice?
How do you combine memories and dreams to reshape the future?
You place your trust in the innocence of love, embrace the passion it offers, and never let it go.
Jolene and Cruz are childhood friends who were ripped apart by tragedy, tearing Jolene from her home and everything she knew. Now, in their senior year of high school, Cruz finds Jolene in her new life - a life she never wanted and will do anything to escape from. Together, they need to discover the secrets that forced them apart, to save Jolene from the dangers of her new family. Along the way, they find that a friendship born in childhood can become the love of a lifetime.
This is a new author for me and I have to say I enjoyed this book so much! Her writing style is so comfortable to read, the story is really good and you’re rooting for Jolene all the way through! It’s so sweet and endearing. I would definitely love to see another book following these characters!
Kindle
Echoes of us
By S.H. Timmins
What happens if your life begins on the wrong side of right?
What will you sacrifice when secrets and money are the weapons of choice?
How do you combine memories and dreams to reshape the future?
You place your trust in the innocence of love, embrace the passion it offers, and never let it go.
Jolene and Cruz are childhood friends who were ripped apart by tragedy, tearing Jolene from her home and everything she knew. Now, in their senior year of high school, Cruz finds Jolene in her new life - a life she never wanted and will do anything to escape from. Together, they need to discover the secrets that forced them apart, to save Jolene from the dangers of her new family. Along the way, they find that a friendship born in childhood can become the love of a lifetime.
This is a new author for me and I have to say I enjoyed this book so much! Her writing style is so comfortable to read, the story is really good and you’re rooting for Jolene all the way through! It’s so sweet and endearing. I would definitely love to see another book following these characters!
Debbiereadsbook (1202 KP) rated A Cold Christmas and the Darkest of Winters in Books
Dec 17, 2021
not bedtime reading but very good!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
A collection of 23 different authors come together to bring you short stories set around the winter season or Christmas.
Not a single one of these authors have I read before, and there is a varied bunch of tales here. Some are just sad but some are downright scary!
Loosely, they are "holiday" stories, but more are winter ones, rather than Christmas.
An eclectic bunch of tales that can be read at any time, but I'd recommend NOT at bedtime! You might stop on one of the scary ones, and get some weird dreams as a consequence, like I did!
I didn't read them all, I will be honest, but the ones I read were very good, or excellent. Just on the short side. but 23 stories across 360 odd pages is never going to produce novel length books.
4 stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
A collection of 23 different authors come together to bring you short stories set around the winter season or Christmas.
Not a single one of these authors have I read before, and there is a varied bunch of tales here. Some are just sad but some are downright scary!
Loosely, they are "holiday" stories, but more are winter ones, rather than Christmas.
An eclectic bunch of tales that can be read at any time, but I'd recommend NOT at bedtime! You might stop on one of the scary ones, and get some weird dreams as a consequence, like I did!
I didn't read them all, I will be honest, but the ones I read were very good, or excellent. Just on the short side. but 23 stories across 360 odd pages is never going to produce novel length books.
4 stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
Blaine Harrison recommended track In the Aeroplane Over the Sea by Neutral Milk Hotel in In the Aeroplane Over the Sea by Neutral Milk Hotel in Music (curated)
9.0
Album
Favorite
