Nomad Deluxe: Wandering with a Purpose
Book
Nomad Deluxe reawakens the deep-seated desire to escape to the most distant reaches of the globe....
Beyond the Grave (The 39 Clues, #4)
Book
Betrayed by their cousins, abandoned by their uncle, and with only the slimmest hint to guide them,...
FlyVPN-Proxy&Unlimited VPN
Utilities and Productivity
App
Change your real IP address, reduce network latency - 40+ countries and increasing servers -...
Africa News TV
News and Entertainment
App
Probably the easiest way to stay up-to-date on news and events across Africa. Watch headline news...
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated The Book of Two Ways in Books
Oct 15, 2020
"For someone who makes a living through death, I haven't given a lot of thought to my own."
I love Jodi Picoult and her books, and I count many of them among my favorites. I was intrigued by this story, but overall, this book wasn't for me. I always appreciate when an author does their research for a book, but there was so very much Egypt (from Dawn) and various scientific concepts (via Brian) in this book. Some will really enjoy this and if these were topics I was more interested in, I probably would have too. But I read this book while was I was working endless days, and I just wanted to lose myself in a story and not read pages upon pages about ancient Egypt or so much scientific theory about multiverses. It was a lot.
When the novel focused on the characters, I was more in. Dawn is an intriguing protagonist--she's not always going to make choices that the rest of us might agree with. She takes a long hard long at her life--her regrets, her past love, her marriage, and more. I don't want to give too much away, but the various paths concept is an interesting one, for sure. I enjoyed both of them--especially Dawn's work as a death doula in her Boston life and then her relationship with Wyatt (who seemed very enigmatic--I could see why she was drawn to him) in Egypt.
No matter what, Picoult does what she does best--give us a fascinating look at love, marriage, and loss. She makes us think and question what we might do in Dawn's position. There are some twists and surprises thrown in along the way. I skimmed some of the Egypt stuff (I'm sorry!) and might have forgiven it all together, except then she gave me an up-in-the-air ending. After all that reading and reading! Sigh. No resolution endings seem to be a theme lately. And not one I'm a fan of, either. So, with that, a 3-star read for me. But I'll read Picoult's next book eagerly, as always.
David McK (3425 KP) rated The Last Camel Died at Noon (Amelia Peabody, #6) in Books
Jan 30, 2019
I have to say, though, that the plot of this one is more-than-slightly reminiscent of [a: H Rider Haggard|4633123|H. Rider Haggard|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1298296700p2/4633123.jpg]'s [b: King Solomon's Mines|108914|In Search of King Solomon's Mines|Tahir Shah|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348655880s/108914.jpg|4188], pretty much just swapping the African setting and characters of that novel for the dusty climes of Egypt - a similarity that Emerson, in a bit of meta-fiction, himself complains about.
Throw in a dash of [b: She|5203|She's Come Undone|Wally Lamb|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1408313457s/5203.jpg|1003370] (also by H Rider Haggard) with a soupcon of intrigue and more entertaining byplay between the Emerson's (with Ramses his usual precocious self), and the result is another entertaining read in the series.
The Drowning King
Book
It's the dawning of a new era for Alexandria and Cleopatra and her younger brother, Ptolemy are...
Kids Songs Machine 2 – children’s sing-along songs from around the world! FREE
Games and Education
App
Kid Songs Machine 2 combines culture, entertainment, and interactivity all into one app and provides...
David McK (3425 KP) rated The Deeds of the Disturber (Amelia Peabody, #5) in Books
Jan 30, 2019
There's also a 2001 film called 'The Mummy Returns': having now read this, I can see more than a few parallels between that movie and this! British museum? Check. Historical(ish) setting? Check. Husband and wife team? Check. Precocious son? Check. Attempted Egyptian ritual/curse? Check (yet again).
OK, so the novel doesn't have the undead wandering around, nor a hot-air balloon, but still enough ...