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Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated ABEL 1: It Can't Be You (Phoenix Club, #1) in Books
Jan 6, 2021
I liked this, it had a lot of good things going for it...but...there were a few things that bothered me.
I liked the characters, apart from the flashbacks of Craig obviously. I liked how Abel was so caring of his younger sister and hated himself for what had happened to her under his watch. I liked the camaraderie between all the club staff. I liked Devlin's insistence with his feelings for Abel.
However, I didn't really like the threesome--I knew it was done for a good reason but I can't say I enjoyed reading about Abel hooking up with someone who wasn't Devlin. I didn't like the use of no condoms--Okay, they're likely to be tested regularly working at a gay club but really? I also didn't really like how all the main characters used "babe" when talking to each other, it made them all sound alike and I couldn't really see Devlin using it.
I'll admit I'm intrigued where this is going to go next as I can't see Devlin quitting his pursuit of Abel after the club night and I really liked their relationships progression. I'll keep my eye out for it.
I liked the characters, apart from the flashbacks of Craig obviously. I liked how Abel was so caring of his younger sister and hated himself for what had happened to her under his watch. I liked the camaraderie between all the club staff. I liked Devlin's insistence with his feelings for Abel.
However, I didn't really like the threesome--I knew it was done for a good reason but I can't say I enjoyed reading about Abel hooking up with someone who wasn't Devlin. I didn't like the use of no condoms--Okay, they're likely to be tested regularly working at a gay club but really? I also didn't really like how all the main characters used "babe" when talking to each other, it made them all sound alike and I couldn't really see Devlin using it.
I'll admit I'm intrigued where this is going to go next as I can't see Devlin quitting his pursuit of Abel after the club night and I really liked their relationships progression. I'll keep my eye out for it.
Charlotte (184 KP) rated Victory Lap in Books
Mar 20, 2021
Trying to put feelings into words is always difficult but with Victory Lap it's harder.
I love Kiki, her resilience, how she knows who she is, the beautiful soul that shines from within......I also ache for her.....becoming your true self isn't easy, especially with bullies always there. The support that a "normal" girl would get from their parents is lacking on her father's side, I hate him, his outdated ideas and his constant verbal abuse.
Josh is like a lot of people....blind to the signals of interest. I feel for him as it does cause a few issues.
He also has his own identity to look into and work out what he wants from life. So on the whole I like him but he'd definitely be the mate I sigh about the most.
It hurts knowing that this brilliant piece of fiction mirrors so many people's lives. Worse that it's the young that have to behave like adults and deal with things that adults themselves seem unable to wrap their heads around.
Regardless of who you are, where your niche is READ THIS!!
I love Kiki, her resilience, how she knows who she is, the beautiful soul that shines from within......I also ache for her.....becoming your true self isn't easy, especially with bullies always there. The support that a "normal" girl would get from their parents is lacking on her father's side, I hate him, his outdated ideas and his constant verbal abuse.
Josh is like a lot of people....blind to the signals of interest. I feel for him as it does cause a few issues.
He also has his own identity to look into and work out what he wants from life. So on the whole I like him but he'd definitely be the mate I sigh about the most.
It hurts knowing that this brilliant piece of fiction mirrors so many people's lives. Worse that it's the young that have to behave like adults and deal with things that adults themselves seem unable to wrap their heads around.
Regardless of who you are, where your niche is READ THIS!!
Adam Green recommended It Could Happen To You by Chet Baker in Music (curated)
Cori June (3033 KP) rated The Outsiders in Books
Jun 20, 2021
A great read about a kid in Oklahoma who is just trying to understand life. Written in 1967 it follows Ponyboy, yes that's his real name, his two brothers, and thier 'gang' of greasers as they try to navigate a world where they are labeled little better than hoods and have to avoid getting jumped by the socs from the rich side of town.
It's a coming of age story that I have mixed feelings about waiting so long to have read. It talks about class structure and how the way you present yourself to the world isn't always a reflection of self.
There is a lot of heavy stuff in it that translates well even decades later. And yeah, there will be people who say there's a little more than friendship between a few of the characters and whether or not that's true is up to the reader.
The book is told by a 14 year olds pov. An old (kind of) soul. But even if he thinks he's in the know he's still 14.
There is triggering things with violence, abuse, alcohol, and smoking, it's worth the discussion (in my opinion).
It's a coming of age story that I have mixed feelings about waiting so long to have read. It talks about class structure and how the way you present yourself to the world isn't always a reflection of self.
There is a lot of heavy stuff in it that translates well even decades later. And yeah, there will be people who say there's a little more than friendship between a few of the characters and whether or not that's true is up to the reader.
The book is told by a 14 year olds pov. An old (kind of) soul. But even if he thinks he's in the know he's still 14.
There is triggering things with violence, abuse, alcohol, and smoking, it's worth the discussion (in my opinion).
Kristina (502 KP) rated A Very Large Expanse of Sea in Books
Dec 7, 2020
I figured with today's current events, I'd give this a read. I can't say I've never seen (or heard) acts (or words) of racism, but I will admit that, for the most part, it hasn't truly been directed at me. Reading this hurt my heart and made me angry in a very violent way. Stupidity is everywhere. Unfortunately, racism is everywhere. However, as someone who's been privileged enough to not have true, memorable experience with it, I was shocked and disgusted by the acts of the people in this fictional community. And while the story itself, characters included, may be storybook fake, the feelings and harassment within are likely based on true acts. Hatred is a horrible thing and Shirin is literally so used to it that she feels it's safer to assume everyone is after her, everyone hates her, everyone is wilfully ignorant and therefore deliberately prejudice towards her - it's her coping mechanism; see the absolute worst in others, keep your distance, and maybe it'll hurt less. We need more people like Ocean, who was so adorably awkward and sweet, and genuinely interested in learning more!
Merissa (13398 KP) rated The Secrets We Keep in Books
Sep 26, 2019
The Secrets We Keep is a story that deals with the aftermath of suicide, with the addition of a May-to-December couple of main characters. This is NOT a light read. It is somber and full of reflection.
That side of the story is really well written. The emotions that pour off each page with make you stop and think. However, for me, I found it overshadowed the romance side of things. I didn't really feel a connection between our main two. There was no build up to them individually, rather just a carry on from the feelings they were dealing with regarding Lacy. There is an epilogue with them, so you do get something, it just didn't exactly work for me.
The writing, though, is wonderful, and there were no mistakes that disrupted my reading. The story is a great one, and the pacing is smooth. The characters themselves will interest and intrigue you. I have no hesitation in recommending this book!
* 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!
That side of the story is really well written. The emotions that pour off each page with make you stop and think. However, for me, I found it overshadowed the romance side of things. I didn't really feel a connection between our main two. There was no build up to them individually, rather just a carry on from the feelings they were dealing with regarding Lacy. There is an epilogue with them, so you do get something, it just didn't exactly work for me.
The writing, though, is wonderful, and there were no mistakes that disrupted my reading. The story is a great one, and the pacing is smooth. The characters themselves will interest and intrigue you. I have no hesitation in recommending this book!
* 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!
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Hot Head (Head #1) in Books
Sep 6, 2019
I'm probably the odd one out with my rating of three stars but I didn't feel the romance (and that's what I read books for). Not right from the start, anyway. Maybe from around the 75% mark but not before.
Seeing it from only Griff's POV helped us realise that he had feelings for his best friend but he fought against it with everything he had. We never really saw anything from Dante to know if he wanted Griff the same way until the second porn video was made--maybe not even then--and that had to be at the half way point.
Maybe if the romance had started a little sooner I'd have given it a better rating.
Another thing that I found a little strange was all the sound effects wrote into the book: "lub-lub" "thwack-thwack". Gave me a few WTF? moments.
One thing I liked the authenticity of the fires and the guys in action; the teasing, the teamwork, the fire fighting.
Seeing it from only Griff's POV helped us realise that he had feelings for his best friend but he fought against it with everything he had. We never really saw anything from Dante to know if he wanted Griff the same way until the second porn video was made--maybe not even then--and that had to be at the half way point.
Maybe if the romance had started a little sooner I'd have given it a better rating.
Another thing that I found a little strange was all the sound effects wrote into the book: "lub-lub" "thwack-thwack". Gave me a few WTF? moments.
One thing I liked the authenticity of the fires and the guys in action; the teasing, the teamwork, the fire fighting.
ClareR (5996 KP) rated The Perseverence in Books
Sep 23, 2019
I’m not quite sure how to review a collection of poetry, so I think I’ll start by saying that I really enjoyed it. The themes centre around feelings of duality, I thought: being deaf in a hearing world, being mixed race, the poet feeling that he doesn’t belong in Jamaica with his relatives telling him just that, a feeling that he doesn’t belong in the UK either.
It made me really think about what it is to have an invisible disability too. In ‘Miami Airport’, the official says:
“You don’t look deaf?
can you prove it?”
This reminded me of the times when I would have to pull up my sons trouser leg to show his splints when challenged about queuing for the disabled toilet (please don’t do this, it’s not cool) - something he rightly wont let me do anymore, I should add!
It was really good to read this on The Pigeonhole, too, and to have some discussion about the poems. I do hope they repeat this soon. Oh, and I bought the book as well, because I really like to read poetry again (and again!). I’m a bit of a ‘poetry dipper’ 😉
It made me really think about what it is to have an invisible disability too. In ‘Miami Airport’, the official says:
“You don’t look deaf?
can you prove it?”
This reminded me of the times when I would have to pull up my sons trouser leg to show his splints when challenged about queuing for the disabled toilet (please don’t do this, it’s not cool) - something he rightly wont let me do anymore, I should add!
It was really good to read this on The Pigeonhole, too, and to have some discussion about the poems. I do hope they repeat this soon. Oh, and I bought the book as well, because I really like to read poetry again (and again!). I’m a bit of a ‘poetry dipper’ 😉
Tim McGuire (301 KP) rated The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019) in Movies
Aug 27, 2019
Amazing, with Feelings...
353. The Peanut Butter Falcon. An amazing movie! We meet a guy named Zak, he has Down Syndrome, lives in a nursing, no family, has Bruce Dern as a roommate and he loves wrestling, so much so, that he plans to break free of his forced housing, go on the run to The Salt Water Redneck's Wrestling School, and with the help of some friends at the home... hint: Bruce Dern... he breaks free. While on the run, he hides on a boat that belongs to Tyler, a fisherman, hobo with a shotgun, and also on the run from a few locals, because Tyler may or may not have destroyed several thousand dollars worth of their equipment. ONce he discovers Zak crashing on his boat, hears his tale, Tyler decides to help him out with the journey. Zak of course has someone looking out for him as well, in this case the nursing home bypasses authorities and just sends a lone aide, Eleanor, out to find him. A touching tale of two guys on the run that form a friendship that feels more like family. Filmbufftim on FB
Tim McGuire (301 KP) rated The Discovery (2017) in Movies
Aug 20, 2019
Sci Fi With Feelings
143. The Discovery. Good pick on my part I really must say! Its a drama with a bit of sci fi thrown in. And I'll admit, its a little on the sad side, but... So Robert Redford is Thomas a scientist who discovers proof of an afterlife, well actually he calls it another plane of existence, but ya know the media...lol... But unfortunately upon hearing this, 1 million people commit suicide... freaky right... but now quite some time later he's called his son Will, Jason Segel, and tells him that he's created something even greater... on the journey to see his dad Will meets Isla, Rooney Mara, looking like the Mother of Dragons, on a ferry to the very island where his dad has his new, umm, compound, saves her from a horrible mistake and forms a pretty tight bond, but... It was really cool flick, filmed in... The Biggest Little State in the Union. Like I said its on the sadder side, but I thought it was pretty cool concept and well executed, so there... filmbufftim on FB