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Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated When Dimple Met Rishi in Books
Jan 23, 2020
Cute contemporaries might be my downfall this year - there are so many amazing ones, and I am on a contemporary spree of sorts. (I hopped back to fantasy, but I'll be back for more cute ones, contemporary!)
Sandhya Menon’s debut novel has got to be one of my favorite contemporaries - and that says a lot since I'm not exactly a contemporary person. If anything, I avoid the genre like the plague.
Sit back, grab some Pocky Sticks, and allow me to gently shove this wonderful book in your face.
<b>Four Reasons to Pick Up When Dimple Met Rishi</b>
Rishi and Dimple are the cutest beans together - After the early hiccup between the two of them, I loved seeing their interactions together. I'm pretty sure my heart eyes emoji went a little out of control. Also can I please adopt them?
Women in STEM - I'll admit it: we need more females in the STEM fields - in both reality and in the literature we read. Dimple has a passion for coding, and the book is set around Dimple’s aspirations to win Insomnia Con (where coders spend several weeks creating an app of their own) in addition to her developing romance with Rishi.
Dimple doesn't care for romance - Dimple cares more about other things (like coding), and I really loved Menon included this because I can definitely relate. I prefer no makeup, and I suppose if I were in Dimple’s place, my mother would say no boy would want to talk to me because I look like I'm going to bite a boy. (Good.)
Iced coffee being thrown - I don't care what some peeps think about Dimple throwing iced coffee at Rishi, but I think it was A+, and it is one of my favorite scenes in the book. I was looking forward for this scene to happen, and if this book becomes a movie, this scene has GOT to be in there.
If you’re looking for a cute romance, definitely give When Dimple Met Rishi a try! If not for the cute romance, at least for the iced coffee being thrown?
<a href="https://thenovelistics.blogspot.com/2017/09/when-dimple-met-rishi-by-sandhya-menon.html">This review is originally posted on The Novelistics</a>
Sandhya Menon’s debut novel has got to be one of my favorite contemporaries - and that says a lot since I'm not exactly a contemporary person. If anything, I avoid the genre like the plague.
Sit back, grab some Pocky Sticks, and allow me to gently shove this wonderful book in your face.
<b>Four Reasons to Pick Up When Dimple Met Rishi</b>
Rishi and Dimple are the cutest beans together - After the early hiccup between the two of them, I loved seeing their interactions together. I'm pretty sure my heart eyes emoji went a little out of control. Also can I please adopt them?
Women in STEM - I'll admit it: we need more females in the STEM fields - in both reality and in the literature we read. Dimple has a passion for coding, and the book is set around Dimple’s aspirations to win Insomnia Con (where coders spend several weeks creating an app of their own) in addition to her developing romance with Rishi.
Dimple doesn't care for romance - Dimple cares more about other things (like coding), and I really loved Menon included this because I can definitely relate. I prefer no makeup, and I suppose if I were in Dimple’s place, my mother would say no boy would want to talk to me because I look like I'm going to bite a boy. (Good.)
Iced coffee being thrown - I don't care what some peeps think about Dimple throwing iced coffee at Rishi, but I think it was A+, and it is one of my favorite scenes in the book. I was looking forward for this scene to happen, and if this book becomes a movie, this scene has GOT to be in there.
If you’re looking for a cute romance, definitely give When Dimple Met Rishi a try! If not for the cute romance, at least for the iced coffee being thrown?
<a href="https://thenovelistics.blogspot.com/2017/09/when-dimple-met-rishi-by-sandhya-menon.html">This review is originally posted on The Novelistics</a>
Inside Chefs' Fridges. 40 of Europe's Most Interesting Chefs Open Their Home Refrigerators
Carrie Solomon and Adrian Moore
Book
Ours is the era of the celebrity chef. Like never before, we're fascinated by fine food and the...
TR
The Recipe Hacker Confidential: Break the Code to Cooking Mouthwatering & Good-for-You Meals Without Grains, Gluten, Dairy, Soy, or Cane Sugar
Book
Unlock the secret to cooking mouthwatering and nutritious meals--without giving up your favorite...
Rachel King (13 KP) rated Darkest Mercy (Wicked Lovely, #5) in Books
Feb 11, 2019
The final book in the Wicked Lovely series, this book does a thorough job of wrapping up all of the sub-plots that were left hanging throughout the books. As with any decent book series, there were lots of what-ifs that I never got to see play out, but Marr's focus seemed to be on resolving the obstacles that blocked a number of romantic relationships within the series, such as Donia and Keenan's. Many of the main players made an appearance in the book, with quite a number of them exchanging point-of-view for the benefit of the reader. A few new characters were even introduced, such as the king of the water fey that Keenan sought out.
With the build-up to Aislinn deciding between Keenan and Seth in the previous books, her final decision seemed sort of anti-climactic, though I still liked her decision. I also really liked what followed, though I get the feeling that this series was more about female power, than a balance of power between male and female.
Reading about Niall's disconnection and madness was quite fascinating, though I believed for most of the book that it was for reasons other than what was revealed. I was quite thrilled when Leslie showed up, though her part seemed rather short and abrupt. Seth's part in the book also seemed stilted. For all his talk and potential, he is not allowed to do much due to poor circumstances, and I was really quite disappointed, as he has always been my favorite character in the series.
The final battle in the faery war was gruesome, but short and filled with more talk than necessary. The two faeries whose specialty was death seemed to have much potential for creating obstacles, but in the end they just seemed to have rather simple lives - even to the point of ignorance.
I actually would love for this series to continue, if only to focus more on the politics and power games, since this book seemed to be all about everyone's romantic happily ever after.
With the build-up to Aislinn deciding between Keenan and Seth in the previous books, her final decision seemed sort of anti-climactic, though I still liked her decision. I also really liked what followed, though I get the feeling that this series was more about female power, than a balance of power between male and female.
Reading about Niall's disconnection and madness was quite fascinating, though I believed for most of the book that it was for reasons other than what was revealed. I was quite thrilled when Leslie showed up, though her part seemed rather short and abrupt. Seth's part in the book also seemed stilted. For all his talk and potential, he is not allowed to do much due to poor circumstances, and I was really quite disappointed, as he has always been my favorite character in the series.
The final battle in the faery war was gruesome, but short and filled with more talk than necessary. The two faeries whose specialty was death seemed to have much potential for creating obstacles, but in the end they just seemed to have rather simple lives - even to the point of ignorance.
I actually would love for this series to continue, if only to focus more on the politics and power games, since this book seemed to be all about everyone's romantic happily ever after.
Molly J (Cover To Cover Cafe) (106 KP) rated The Forgiving Jar in Books
Feb 25, 2019
Many of y'all know me, and know that one of my favorite genres to read is Amish fiction. Among that Amish fiction, there is this really amazingly talented author who never fails to hook me, keep me focused on the story, and make me feel as if I was a character within the pages as I follow the ups, downs, ins and outs of her beloved characters' lives. That author is Wanda Brunstetter. She is phenomenal. So, I looked forward to opening up the next book in her Prayer Jars series. Let me tell you this: She did not disappoint me. In fact, I was blown away with this story.
Ms. Brunstetter has woven a tender story with this book. It's full of secrets and twists, but also full of hope, longing, forgiving and grace. Sara and Brad's characters are tenderly chiseled together to create a few sparks of romance blooming within the book, and Michelle's character.....well, let me say that at first, I wanted to hate her, for assuming a life that wasn't her own. But, through the words of Ms. Brunstetter, through the forgiving grace of God, I was able to see why she did it, and much like the story line suggests, and forgive her for it, the same as if she truly did it to me.
The way Ms. Brunstetter makes me feel at the end of the book, like she wrote solely for me (which, of course, I know she did not but that's how good her writing is!), has once again left me ready for her next book in the series so I can feel this way again. The Forgiving Jar is a tender story, one that makes the reader sit and reflect about forgiving and letting go of the pain and the past, and focus on the here and now. Anything less than a 5 star praise for this book, would not be doing it justice. Well done, Ms. Brunstetter. Well done.
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Shiloh Run Press and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*
Ms. Brunstetter has woven a tender story with this book. It's full of secrets and twists, but also full of hope, longing, forgiving and grace. Sara and Brad's characters are tenderly chiseled together to create a few sparks of romance blooming within the book, and Michelle's character.....well, let me say that at first, I wanted to hate her, for assuming a life that wasn't her own. But, through the words of Ms. Brunstetter, through the forgiving grace of God, I was able to see why she did it, and much like the story line suggests, and forgive her for it, the same as if she truly did it to me.
The way Ms. Brunstetter makes me feel at the end of the book, like she wrote solely for me (which, of course, I know she did not but that's how good her writing is!), has once again left me ready for her next book in the series so I can feel this way again. The Forgiving Jar is a tender story, one that makes the reader sit and reflect about forgiving and letting go of the pain and the past, and focus on the here and now. Anything less than a 5 star praise for this book, would not be doing it justice. Well done, Ms. Brunstetter. Well done.
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Shiloh Run Press and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*
ZebraLily (5 KP) rated The Usborne Complete Shakespeare: Stories from all the plays in Books
Mar 21, 2018
MY FAVORITE USBORNE BOOK!
This book is absolutely breathtaking! In most schools, children are not introduced to Shakespeare until at least late middle, if not high-school, and by then, it’s in his original language. By providing children, and adults even, with a book such as this, in a readable language relavent to today, we are able to fully enjoy Shakespeare’s stories in a way that we can comprehend before diving into his original works. By providing books such as these, our children will better appreciate his work when they approach it in school in later years because they will already be familiar with his plays. Each play is labeled as a comedy, tragedy, or historical play, and then provided with a one-page synopsis of the play, along with beautiful illustrations of the characters and how they relate to the other characters. Then you’ll dive into 7-8 pages of text that are written in plain-English that relay the story! This is brilliant! There are a handful of his lesser-popular works that are provided in a simple one-page summary with illustrated characters, but they are still included, as well as a brief section of Williams Shakespeare’s life. This book is also hard bound with extra padding to protect the cover, and a ribbon bookmark to save your place. It will definitely be a treasured book in your family’s library for years to come! My 6yo daughter has absolutely fallen in love with is works because of this...and I must say.....she’s SIX and already knows Shakespeare!!!! All thanks to Usborne Books and More! This is why I do what I do! You can find this book on my website at: https://k6798.myubam.com for only $24.99 and it’s well worth it! Happy reading!
Lindsay (1760 KP) rated Balloons for Tiger in Books
May 13, 2021
I am sure most, if not everyone as lost a pet or two in their lifetime. Whether you were a child yourself or you are a parent of one. I am sure it has been hard to tell your child or children about pet loss. Well, this book is called "Balloons for Tiger" is a book about pet loss.
It can show you how to deal with pet loss with your child or children. It is a good one for children to understand a pet's death, but that their pet's love is continual with them; It may help open your child or children to talk about their loss of their favorite pet.
You never know, maybe your child will want to send balloons to their lovely pet in haven. They will show it back in another way. You may find another way to show your child grief for their precious pet. It is suitable for adults as well.
This book reminded me of my loving cat that has passed away. I loved Pumpkin dearly, and I still miss him today, And it has been two or three years since the cat passed. I keep him and his brother. We couldn't own one and let the other one go. His name is Pumpkin, and I still love him, and his brother Patches is still around somewhere in the neighborhood.
I miss my little boy. He was just so cuddly and my reading buddy. This book reminded me to keep those memories alive, and I will send my love for him. I hope to see him on the rainbow bridge when coming home to be with him.
Children will love this book. Parents will like it as well. It got some good tips in the back of the book to help guide or guide children with talking about pet loss or ideas to deal with the loss of a pet. The book is good even if you lose a pet that is not a cat. You can change the pet to a fish if you so wish. Or even a dog. The pet can signify adjusted to whatever pet you want it to be for your family. Pets are family members too.
It can show you how to deal with pet loss with your child or children. It is a good one for children to understand a pet's death, but that their pet's love is continual with them; It may help open your child or children to talk about their loss of their favorite pet.
You never know, maybe your child will want to send balloons to their lovely pet in haven. They will show it back in another way. You may find another way to show your child grief for their precious pet. It is suitable for adults as well.
This book reminded me of my loving cat that has passed away. I loved Pumpkin dearly, and I still miss him today, And it has been two or three years since the cat passed. I keep him and his brother. We couldn't own one and let the other one go. His name is Pumpkin, and I still love him, and his brother Patches is still around somewhere in the neighborhood.
I miss my little boy. He was just so cuddly and my reading buddy. This book reminded me to keep those memories alive, and I will send my love for him. I hope to see him on the rainbow bridge when coming home to be with him.
Children will love this book. Parents will like it as well. It got some good tips in the back of the book to help guide or guide children with talking about pet loss or ideas to deal with the loss of a pet. The book is good even if you lose a pet that is not a cat. You can change the pet to a fish if you so wish. Or even a dog. The pet can signify adjusted to whatever pet you want it to be for your family. Pets are family members too.
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Letter to My Daughter in Books
May 10, 2018
Maya Angelou has long been one of my favorite authors. I have even performed her poetry during my high school day in regional speech & debate tournaments. [b:I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings|13214|I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings|Maya Angelou|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327957927s/13214.jpg|1413589] was her first book that I read as an adolescent. Her words are always inspiring and listening to her read [b:Letter to My Daughter|4016515|Letter to My Daughter|Maya Angelou|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320448534s/4016515.jpg|4062985] was incredible. Reading her books always leave me feeling refreshed and alive, but hearing the emotion in her voice while she was reading her words, gives the book even more enjoyable. Hearing her voice crack as she talks about being beaten and raped almost brought me to tears. It made me feel a deeper connection to Ms. Angelou.
It's ironic that this book is called <u>Letter to My Daughter</u> when Maya Angelou doesn't have a daughter. She claims women such as Oprah Winfrey, Rosa Johnson Butler, Valerie Simpson, Brenda Crisp, and Frances Berry allowed her to be a mother to them. This book goes through different aspects of Maya Angelou's life from childhood living with her grandmother, to becoming an undeveloped woman who thought sex would bring in her breasts. And it did, but they were filled with milk.
We as women go through many struggles in life. A lot of the time, we put ourselves on the back burner in order to take care of those around us. In this book, Maya Angelou proves to us that no matter the struggle, if we work hard and put ourselves first, we can accomplish anything. She had it just as hard, actually harder than any of us and look at all she had done in this world.
I recommend this book to all the women I know. It will leave you feeling empowered, strong and on top of the world.
It's ironic that this book is called <u>Letter to My Daughter</u> when Maya Angelou doesn't have a daughter. She claims women such as Oprah Winfrey, Rosa Johnson Butler, Valerie Simpson, Brenda Crisp, and Frances Berry allowed her to be a mother to them. This book goes through different aspects of Maya Angelou's life from childhood living with her grandmother, to becoming an undeveloped woman who thought sex would bring in her breasts. And it did, but they were filled with milk.
We as women go through many struggles in life. A lot of the time, we put ourselves on the back burner in order to take care of those around us. In this book, Maya Angelou proves to us that no matter the struggle, if we work hard and put ourselves first, we can accomplish anything. She had it just as hard, actually harder than any of us and look at all she had done in this world.
I recommend this book to all the women I know. It will leave you feeling empowered, strong and on top of the world.
Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated The Kingdom of Copper (The Daevabad Trilogy #2) in Books
Apr 1, 2019
I....may have an unpopular opinion on this book. First, I LOVED the first book of this trilogy, The City of Brass. Absolutely loved it. It was one of my favorite books of that year. I like this one significantly less. I think that probably wouldn't be the case if I had read this in quick succession, but I read City of Brass when it came out, and had to wait a year for this one, in which time I read around 200 more books.
I expected a certain amount of backstory explanation in Kingdom of Copper - and it wasn't there. I think the book assumes you remember everything that happened in City of Brass - and I most certainly did not. I don't remember why we have the division between the djinn and the daeva, or really which is which. I know the shafit are part human, part...djinn? Daeva? See that's the problem. These are very politicky books and forgetting key parts of the political drama makes this book VERY hard to follow. I don't know WHY there's conflict between certain people, and I don't recognize missteps when characters make them because I've forgotten who has which opinions.
All the worldbuilding explanations are in the first book, and they aren't revisited in this one. Had I KNOWN that, I might have re-read City of Brass before this came out, as much as I dislike re-reading anything.
All of that aside, and despite my confusion, I mostly enjoyed this continuation of Nahri's story. We delved a little more into murky bloodlines, the more recent past of Daevabad, and the more ancient past of Nahri's healer ancestors, the Nahids.
I still love Nahri, I like Ali a little more, and I like Dara a little less. I am curious to see where the third book leads, especially after the cliffhanger ending of this one. I just might have to re-read both City of Brass and this one before reading the trilogy's conclusion.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.com
I expected a certain amount of backstory explanation in Kingdom of Copper - and it wasn't there. I think the book assumes you remember everything that happened in City of Brass - and I most certainly did not. I don't remember why we have the division between the djinn and the daeva, or really which is which. I know the shafit are part human, part...djinn? Daeva? See that's the problem. These are very politicky books and forgetting key parts of the political drama makes this book VERY hard to follow. I don't know WHY there's conflict between certain people, and I don't recognize missteps when characters make them because I've forgotten who has which opinions.
All the worldbuilding explanations are in the first book, and they aren't revisited in this one. Had I KNOWN that, I might have re-read City of Brass before this came out, as much as I dislike re-reading anything.
All of that aside, and despite my confusion, I mostly enjoyed this continuation of Nahri's story. We delved a little more into murky bloodlines, the more recent past of Daevabad, and the more ancient past of Nahri's healer ancestors, the Nahids.
I still love Nahri, I like Ali a little more, and I like Dara a little less. I am curious to see where the third book leads, especially after the cliffhanger ending of this one. I just might have to re-read both City of Brass and this one before reading the trilogy's conclusion.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.com
Cori June (3033 KP) rated Gold Unicorn in Books
Dec 3, 2018
This is going to be lengthy and a little roundabout up here I go...
When I first read this book I was in middle school ~12or so. I loved it and tried as hard as I could to find the prequel. The pet peeve was my favorite character (I -for some quark of the universe- find all of Thanith Lee’s series the second books before the first ones). It scared me and made me think. This was not my normal image of what a unicorn was and a female lead was quite new to me, especially one that saves herself. When I was 15 I read it again as I had found the third book. It had changed. I found Tanaquil self-centered and for all her travels short sighted. The relationship between the sisters was weird and not yet having read the first book I found Tanaquil being unfair toward her mom. I also found the interaction between her and the men interesting. I finally found the first book in my twenties so I reread the series. It had changed again. I realized how badly things could have turned out how lucky she was and yes still scared of some of the parts but was for different reasons. The interaction between the men and women were annoying anyone who wasn’t a main character was frivolous and silly. And having read the first book seeing Tanaquil not as self centered. I was also amazed that it was labeled a kids book. Now in my thirties, it has changed again. Mostly because of what is going on in the world. The best intentions of Tanaquil’s half sister which always unnerved me, I understand better. I as an adult realized this was the first (or one of the first) books I had ever read in which there is no clear cut villain. It is well written and worthy of being read over and over and I will lend it to my friends, nephews, and cousins to read.
When I first read this book I was in middle school ~12or so. I loved it and tried as hard as I could to find the prequel. The pet peeve was my favorite character (I -for some quark of the universe- find all of Thanith Lee’s series the second books before the first ones). It scared me and made me think. This was not my normal image of what a unicorn was and a female lead was quite new to me, especially one that saves herself. When I was 15 I read it again as I had found the third book. It had changed. I found Tanaquil self-centered and for all her travels short sighted. The relationship between the sisters was weird and not yet having read the first book I found Tanaquil being unfair toward her mom. I also found the interaction between her and the men interesting. I finally found the first book in my twenties so I reread the series. It had changed again. I realized how badly things could have turned out how lucky she was and yes still scared of some of the parts but was for different reasons. The interaction between the men and women were annoying anyone who wasn’t a main character was frivolous and silly. And having read the first book seeing Tanaquil not as self centered. I was also amazed that it was labeled a kids book. Now in my thirties, it has changed again. Mostly because of what is going on in the world. The best intentions of Tanaquil’s half sister which always unnerved me, I understand better. I as an adult realized this was the first (or one of the first) books I had ever read in which there is no clear cut villain. It is well written and worthy of being read over and over and I will lend it to my friends, nephews, and cousins to read.