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David McK (3557 KP) rated Skulduggery Pleasant in Books
Jan 26, 2024
The first in Derek Landy's 'Skulduggery Pleasant' series, which I decided to borrow recently from Kindle Unlimited.
I read (or heard) somewhere that this was attempting to be the heir to the Harry potter crown, and I can definitely see the similarities: a secret world alongside our own full of magic, where a dark sorcerer wants to gain control over the mortal world, and where a young pre-teen is introduced to the world and has (to them) unknown connections to it already, and some unpleasant relatives...
However, unlike the Harry Potter series, this is primarily set in and around Dublin (rather than London) - and so, to me, is closer to home - while the home life of the protagonist is far more settled: she's not an orphan, and lives with her family.
I also found Skulduggery Pleasant to be more of an interesting character than Dumbledore, as well as playing a far larger role in the proceedings.
Finally, I may yet read more of these.
I read (or heard) somewhere that this was attempting to be the heir to the Harry potter crown, and I can definitely see the similarities: a secret world alongside our own full of magic, where a dark sorcerer wants to gain control over the mortal world, and where a young pre-teen is introduced to the world and has (to them) unknown connections to it already, and some unpleasant relatives...
However, unlike the Harry Potter series, this is primarily set in and around Dublin (rather than London) - and so, to me, is closer to home - while the home life of the protagonist is far more settled: she's not an orphan, and lives with her family.
I also found Skulduggery Pleasant to be more of an interesting character than Dumbledore, as well as playing a far larger role in the proceedings.
Finally, I may yet read more of these.
Nadya R (9 KP) rated A Man Called Ove in Books
Jul 2, 2018
I cried my eyes out in the mid of the night. All these emotions that pinched my heart, I can barely breathe. I don''t even know what to write down here. This is a book has to be experienced, it has no logical explanation.
Is there somebody that doesn't know Ove? With his colorful expressions, he made me giggle in the middle of my lectures in university (and made my Architecture lecturer wonder what the funny thing is). From the first page I knew that I would love this curmudgeon Ove.
Ove is one of these people, that don't like anything. Nobody do nothing in the right way. Always complanes from the new generation, who cant even change the flat tyre on their own car. The story goes trough two different times: now- after Sonja death and before - what the life of young Ove looks like. The flashback shows us a kind, hard-working young men, truly honest man. The bureaucracy and the series of misfortune events, that follows him through his own life, leaded to all his negativism rooted deep in his heart. And after he finally used to live with all world letting him down, his only cherish in this grumpy world, the only person who understand him and love him, betrayed him as well. After Sonja death he can't find a reason to stay alive. All he wants is to die and be together with his wife again. His sunlight has gone and after her its only darkness. Gray-colored everyday routine. Whitout her. So he decided that he has to die and be with her again.
Going throug a series of funny series, he became too busy to die today or tomorrow. Then Parvaneh showed up with her crazy family and frustrated all his suicidal plans. She bring the hope back to him. He realized that the life without Sonja is worse, but since he has 3 children, who he didn't even know 2 weeks ago, but they do love him like he is their biological granddad, the life is actually not that bad.
Although Ove is an old curmudgeon, I can assure you that he has the biggest heart you have ever saw.
Is there somebody that doesn't know Ove? With his colorful expressions, he made me giggle in the middle of my lectures in university (and made my Architecture lecturer wonder what the funny thing is). From the first page I knew that I would love this curmudgeon Ove.
Ove is one of these people, that don't like anything. Nobody do nothing in the right way. Always complanes from the new generation, who cant even change the flat tyre on their own car. The story goes trough two different times: now- after Sonja death and before - what the life of young Ove looks like. The flashback shows us a kind, hard-working young men, truly honest man. The bureaucracy and the series of misfortune events, that follows him through his own life, leaded to all his negativism rooted deep in his heart. And after he finally used to live with all world letting him down, his only cherish in this grumpy world, the only person who understand him and love him, betrayed him as well. After Sonja death he can't find a reason to stay alive. All he wants is to die and be together with his wife again. His sunlight has gone and after her its only darkness. Gray-colored everyday routine. Whitout her. So he decided that he has to die and be with her again.
Going throug a series of funny series, he became too busy to die today or tomorrow. Then Parvaneh showed up with her crazy family and frustrated all his suicidal plans. She bring the hope back to him. He realized that the life without Sonja is worse, but since he has 3 children, who he didn't even know 2 weeks ago, but they do love him like he is their biological granddad, the life is actually not that bad.
Although Ove is an old curmudgeon, I can assure you that he has the biggest heart you have ever saw.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Twenty-One Truths About Love in Books
Mar 19, 2020
Dan Mayrock is an obsessive list maker who has quit his job as a teacher and opened a bookstore. But now he's in financial trouble and afraid to tell his wife, Jill. Jill was previously married and Dan feels he can never quite live up to Jill's late husband. And then, Jill gets pregnant. Now Dan feels even more pressure to be the best he can be for Jill.
The shtick of this book is that it's told entirely in list form. No dialogue, no narrative, nothing. Just lists. It did wear a little thin at times, but it was an interesting way to learn about someone's life. You learn about Dan's finances, feelings, and amazingly, a lot about his past.
For me, what really got me about this book is that I just couldn't warm to Dan. I think most people find this book heartwarming and cute, but I found him--and it--annoying and whiny. He doesn't want to tell his wife about his financial problems with the store, so he concocts some ridiculous scheme to "help" the family instead. It was just too much for me. Man up, tell your wife, and take responsibility for your actions. I didn't find it cute, and if I was his wife, I would have kicked him to the curb.
It's a shame, because a lot of the book was filled with really funny and spot-on observations about life. I especially loved Dan's ruminations on teaching and meetings. They were incredibly true to life. There are a lot of humorous and touching moments in this book, but I could never really push past the fact that he was a spineless liar.
"'Let's start off with an icebreaker' are words no human being has ever wanted to hear."
Overall, I enjoyed pieces of this book, but found myself skimming others. I liked the idea of it, but could never warm to Dan and since the whole book was his lists and life, it was hard to enjoy without liking him. I need a book from the POV of his older Bingo buddy, Bill. Now he was a cool dude.
The shtick of this book is that it's told entirely in list form. No dialogue, no narrative, nothing. Just lists. It did wear a little thin at times, but it was an interesting way to learn about someone's life. You learn about Dan's finances, feelings, and amazingly, a lot about his past.
For me, what really got me about this book is that I just couldn't warm to Dan. I think most people find this book heartwarming and cute, but I found him--and it--annoying and whiny. He doesn't want to tell his wife about his financial problems with the store, so he concocts some ridiculous scheme to "help" the family instead. It was just too much for me. Man up, tell your wife, and take responsibility for your actions. I didn't find it cute, and if I was his wife, I would have kicked him to the curb.
It's a shame, because a lot of the book was filled with really funny and spot-on observations about life. I especially loved Dan's ruminations on teaching and meetings. They were incredibly true to life. There are a lot of humorous and touching moments in this book, but I could never really push past the fact that he was a spineless liar.
"'Let's start off with an icebreaker' are words no human being has ever wanted to hear."
Overall, I enjoyed pieces of this book, but found myself skimming others. I liked the idea of it, but could never warm to Dan and since the whole book was his lists and life, it was hard to enjoy without liking him. I need a book from the POV of his older Bingo buddy, Bill. Now he was a cool dude.
TM
The Man Who Created the Middle East: A Story of Empire, Conflict and the Sykes-Picot Agreement
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The New Arrival: The Heartwarming True Story of a 1970s Trainee Nurse
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BookInspector (124 KP) rated The Art of Hiding in Books
Sep 24, 2020
3.5 stars
The main character in this book was Nina, a mother of two boys and a wife of a wealthy businessman. After her husband’s unexpected death, she finds out, that she was living in a bubble, and her husband left them bankrupt. Kicked out of her beautiful home and with pennies in her pocket, she needs to find out the way to survive.
I really liked Nina as a protagonist in this novel. I really liked her strength and her relationship with her boys. She had huge changes to endure, but I think she handled the situation pretty great. This novel was mostly told from Nina’s perspective, sometimes throwing in other character’s thoughts. My least favourite was Nina’s older son, I do understand he is a teenage boy, but a little bit of understanding and common sense from his part would’ve saved Nina so much stress. :S But again, what do I know about kids.
The narrative of this book was very absorbing to me, I was very intrigued of where the life will take Nina and her boys. There was so much loss, that it was really heartbreaking to see them struggling so much. I really enjoyed the topics which author has discussed, such as family relationships; the differences between being poor and rich, and how it affects people; use of survival skills after they were subdued for a very long time, and many more. Even though the story was engrossing, some parts were pretty repetitive for me, and that made my interest drop until a turn or surprise came along.
This novel is very well written and the language used was very easy and pleasant to read. It has decent chapter length which was divided into smaller parts as well, so the book didn’t drag to me. The ending of this novel rounded this story pretty well and left me satisfied with the outcome. So, to conclude, I enjoyed this story, filled with life-changing events and pretty strong characters. I did admire Nina and her life journey, and I do recommend to give this book a try, it has great life lessons to offer.
The main character in this book was Nina, a mother of two boys and a wife of a wealthy businessman. After her husband’s unexpected death, she finds out, that she was living in a bubble, and her husband left them bankrupt. Kicked out of her beautiful home and with pennies in her pocket, she needs to find out the way to survive.
I really liked Nina as a protagonist in this novel. I really liked her strength and her relationship with her boys. She had huge changes to endure, but I think she handled the situation pretty great. This novel was mostly told from Nina’s perspective, sometimes throwing in other character’s thoughts. My least favourite was Nina’s older son, I do understand he is a teenage boy, but a little bit of understanding and common sense from his part would’ve saved Nina so much stress. :S But again, what do I know about kids.
The narrative of this book was very absorbing to me, I was very intrigued of where the life will take Nina and her boys. There was so much loss, that it was really heartbreaking to see them struggling so much. I really enjoyed the topics which author has discussed, such as family relationships; the differences between being poor and rich, and how it affects people; use of survival skills after they were subdued for a very long time, and many more. Even though the story was engrossing, some parts were pretty repetitive for me, and that made my interest drop until a turn or surprise came along.
This novel is very well written and the language used was very easy and pleasant to read. It has decent chapter length which was divided into smaller parts as well, so the book didn’t drag to me. The ending of this novel rounded this story pretty well and left me satisfied with the outcome. So, to conclude, I enjoyed this story, filled with life-changing events and pretty strong characters. I did admire Nina and her life journey, and I do recommend to give this book a try, it has great life lessons to offer.
Chaturanga Astrology Horoscope and Compatibility
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100 Days of Sunlight
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When 16-year-old poetry blogger Tessa Dickinson is involved in a car accident and loses her eyesight...
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Saints for All Occasions in Books
Mar 6, 2019
Beautiful story of parenthood, immigration, siblings, religion, and so much more
Nora and Theresa Flynn are only twenty-one and seventeen when they leave their native Ireland and immigrate to the U.S. For her entire life, Nora has been the quintessential older sister, raising Theresa and their younger brother after the death of their mother. Now she's headed to Boston to be married to their former Irish neighbor, Charlie, whom Nora doesn't really even love. Theresa, meanwhile, is outgoing, beautiful, and intelligent. She loves the dances and social atmosphere in Boston, but that all changes when she winds up pregnant. Both Nora and Theresa are forced to make some drastic life decisions that will affect them for the rest of their lives. Fifty years later, in 2009, Nora and Charlie have four children: John, Bridget, Brian, and Patrick. But Theresa and Nora are no longer speaking, and Theresa lives as a cloistered nun in an abbey in Vermont. What happened between the two sisters? And how will a sudden tragedy affect their current, separate lives?
This was an amazing book - just beautiful, heartbreaking, and lovely. Sullivan captured the essence of each of her characters so perfectly. I could picture every one, and each was so realistic, with their own background, mannerisms, and details.
The novel switches between the past, starting with Nora and Theresa's journey to Boston, and 2009, with a shocking event that rocks the entire family. We hear from each character--Nora, Theresa, John, Bridget, Brian, and Patrick. As I said, they are each an individual and embellished with Sullivan's wonderful writing and details. For instance, I loved the tidbit that Nora and her daughter-in-law communicated for years mainly through Nora's daughter's dog at family gatherings. It said so much with just one story. (And I've so been there.)
I became attached to each character in their own way thanks to the strong writing and characterization. I don't always enjoy books with shifts between time periods, but all flowed seamlessly here. There's an underlying thread that ties everything together, just adding to the brilliance of the novel. While it's really a story of a family, there's still a bit of suspense, as you try to fit some pieces together. Everything works so well.
Overall, I just loved this beautiful story of parenthood, immigration, siblings, religion, and so much more. It's achingly well-written, and while it ended just right, I was still sad to see the characters go. I'll certainly be recommending it to everyone I know
This was an amazing book - just beautiful, heartbreaking, and lovely. Sullivan captured the essence of each of her characters so perfectly. I could picture every one, and each was so realistic, with their own background, mannerisms, and details.
The novel switches between the past, starting with Nora and Theresa's journey to Boston, and 2009, with a shocking event that rocks the entire family. We hear from each character--Nora, Theresa, John, Bridget, Brian, and Patrick. As I said, they are each an individual and embellished with Sullivan's wonderful writing and details. For instance, I loved the tidbit that Nora and her daughter-in-law communicated for years mainly through Nora's daughter's dog at family gatherings. It said so much with just one story. (And I've so been there.)
I became attached to each character in their own way thanks to the strong writing and characterization. I don't always enjoy books with shifts between time periods, but all flowed seamlessly here. There's an underlying thread that ties everything together, just adding to the brilliance of the novel. While it's really a story of a family, there's still a bit of suspense, as you try to fit some pieces together. Everything works so well.
Overall, I just loved this beautiful story of parenthood, immigration, siblings, religion, and so much more. It's achingly well-written, and while it ended just right, I was still sad to see the characters go. I'll certainly be recommending it to everyone I know