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Liberty Boston (93 KP) rated Mockingbird in Books
Mar 15, 2021
Mocking Bird Review
I'm writing this in a document first so I can copy/paste to everything else later LOL.
Mocking Bird was given to me by my aunt who occasionally sends me books she thinks I'd enjoy. I'm mentioning this because Mocking Bird arrived with a purpose. My family, or more accurately, my Mom's side of the family suspected I was Autistic but I was never tested.
When I read the book for the first time (2016/17-ish) I found that Caitlin and I shared a lot of quirks and that I related to her in a way I hadn't related to any protagonist before. I mentioned these things to my Bonus Mom who skimmed it and said:
“We're getting you tested”
Months later I was officially diagnosed as Autistic.
With that little story out of the way onto the book itself.
I loved this book and frequently re-read it. I love seeing the world as Caitlin does even in the middle of a tragedy. Reading her journey and how she navigated the world without her brother really hit home for me. It treats the topic respectfully and realistically. Showcasing her day-to-day struggles in a world without her brother.
I have to admit, I was at first caught off guard by the formatting of the book. The dialogue is in italics and without quotation marks but in the context of the book, it makes sense.
It's a very fast read for me. If I were to just sit down with it and read without stopping I would most likely finish in a few hours maybe even less time than that but ten-year-old me would probably flip the book over and start again.
It really is that enjoyable and I cannot say enough good things about it but as someone who has very little experience or know-how writing a book review I've probably bored you already.
I love this book and highly recommend it!
I'm writing this in a document first so I can copy/paste to everything else later LOL.
Mocking Bird was given to me by my aunt who occasionally sends me books she thinks I'd enjoy. I'm mentioning this because Mocking Bird arrived with a purpose. My family, or more accurately, my Mom's side of the family suspected I was Autistic but I was never tested.
When I read the book for the first time (2016/17-ish) I found that Caitlin and I shared a lot of quirks and that I related to her in a way I hadn't related to any protagonist before. I mentioned these things to my Bonus Mom who skimmed it and said:
“We're getting you tested”
Months later I was officially diagnosed as Autistic.
With that little story out of the way onto the book itself.
I loved this book and frequently re-read it. I love seeing the world as Caitlin does even in the middle of a tragedy. Reading her journey and how she navigated the world without her brother really hit home for me. It treats the topic respectfully and realistically. Showcasing her day-to-day struggles in a world without her brother.
I have to admit, I was at first caught off guard by the formatting of the book. The dialogue is in italics and without quotation marks but in the context of the book, it makes sense.
It's a very fast read for me. If I were to just sit down with it and read without stopping I would most likely finish in a few hours maybe even less time than that but ten-year-old me would probably flip the book over and start again.
It really is that enjoyable and I cannot say enough good things about it but as someone who has very little experience or know-how writing a book review I've probably bored you already.
I love this book and highly recommend it!
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Invisible Girl in Books
Oct 29, 2020
A dark, creepy read full of surprises
Owen Pick, a teacher in his thirties, has never had a relationship with a women. He's barely even had a successful date. He's teased by the young female students at the college where he works. He lives in a flat owned by his elderly aunt and recently has found solace on incel forums. Across the street from Owen lives the Fours family. They, frankly, find Owen creepy, especially mom Cate and her teenage daughter. Dad, Roan, a child psychologist, is too busy with work to care that much, while their teenage son is basically the only one Cate doesn't need to worry about. And then there's Saffyre Maddox. Now seventeen, Saffyre, was once a patient of Roan's. She misses their connection and seeks to maintain it by following him. Then, one night, Saffyre disappears, and it seems like Owen was the last person to see her. What truly happened to Saffyre?
After a bit of a slump with thrillers, I'm on a roll (though what's with ambiguous endings lately?). This was a creepy and ominous read! There is a lot going on here--Saffyre and her childhood issues; Owen and his many problems with women; and the complete dysfunction of the Fours family--but Jewell does a good job weaving them all together. The result is a tense and dark novel that keeps you guessing the entire time.
"I have a dark past, and I have dark thoughts." ~Saffyre
This is an engaging read, with Saffyre, Cate, and Owen turning into dynamic and unique voices. It's also ominous, with the overriding sense that something bad is going to happen. Secrets are the name of the game here, and Jewell turns the sexual predator theme on its head a bit. There's also plenty of revenge and strong women, which is great.
I wasn't a fan of the ending, which leaves things up in the end, but this is still a twisty ride with interesting characters and a different plot. 4 stars.
After a bit of a slump with thrillers, I'm on a roll (though what's with ambiguous endings lately?). This was a creepy and ominous read! There is a lot going on here--Saffyre and her childhood issues; Owen and his many problems with women; and the complete dysfunction of the Fours family--but Jewell does a good job weaving them all together. The result is a tense and dark novel that keeps you guessing the entire time.
"I have a dark past, and I have dark thoughts." ~Saffyre
This is an engaging read, with Saffyre, Cate, and Owen turning into dynamic and unique voices. It's also ominous, with the overriding sense that something bad is going to happen. Secrets are the name of the game here, and Jewell turns the sexual predator theme on its head a bit. There's also plenty of revenge and strong women, which is great.
I wasn't a fan of the ending, which leaves things up in the end, but this is still a twisty ride with interesting characters and a different plot. 4 stars.
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ClareR (5911 KP) rated The Saint of Lost Things in Books
Apr 12, 2023
The Saint of Lost Things by Tish Delaney was read wonderfully by Bronagh Waugh on the audiobook. Not just the accent - she gave the characters in the book their personalities, bringing them off the page and into my ears!
This isn’t a happy family by any means. Lindy’s Catholic-when-it-suits-him grandfather makes it clear that he only tolerates her. He punishes her for every minor infraction because she is “the wrong child”. He punishes her because she’s illegitimate and female, and what’s more, her mother is no longer alive to take her share of the punishment. Lindy is, of course, responsible for her fathers existence - he’s a gypsy, a tinker and a whole host of other unpleasant names that I could have done without learning. In fact, Lindy is responsible for a great many things that she doesn’t know about.
The writing makes this abusive family seem almost acceptable, and at the same time, shows it up for the horror show that it is. Bronagh Waugh’s narration adds more of a wry, dark humour to what would be a relentlessly sombre story otherwise.
I felt sorry for Auntie Bell, also held in low esteem by her own father and given no option but to look after her niece. To be fair, she’s not very nice about it, and is all too keen to tell Lindy that she was forced to look after her and in doing so, Lindy ruined her life.
Lindy’s life isn’t much better. She tries to have her own life away in London, but ends up returning to the farm and her awful grandfather.
Her life changes forever when the parish priest comes to her with news she never thought she’d have. This news changes everything. And what an earth shattering piece of news it is!!
I really enjoyed this, even though it wasn’t the happiest of books. I found myself thinking about it, even when I wasn’t listening. These are all fascinating characters and brought to life so well by the narrator.
Recommended.
This isn’t a happy family by any means. Lindy’s Catholic-when-it-suits-him grandfather makes it clear that he only tolerates her. He punishes her for every minor infraction because she is “the wrong child”. He punishes her because she’s illegitimate and female, and what’s more, her mother is no longer alive to take her share of the punishment. Lindy is, of course, responsible for her fathers existence - he’s a gypsy, a tinker and a whole host of other unpleasant names that I could have done without learning. In fact, Lindy is responsible for a great many things that she doesn’t know about.
The writing makes this abusive family seem almost acceptable, and at the same time, shows it up for the horror show that it is. Bronagh Waugh’s narration adds more of a wry, dark humour to what would be a relentlessly sombre story otherwise.
I felt sorry for Auntie Bell, also held in low esteem by her own father and given no option but to look after her niece. To be fair, she’s not very nice about it, and is all too keen to tell Lindy that she was forced to look after her and in doing so, Lindy ruined her life.
Lindy’s life isn’t much better. She tries to have her own life away in London, but ends up returning to the farm and her awful grandfather.
Her life changes forever when the parish priest comes to her with news she never thought she’d have. This news changes everything. And what an earth shattering piece of news it is!!
I really enjoyed this, even though it wasn’t the happiest of books. I found myself thinking about it, even when I wasn’t listening. These are all fascinating characters and brought to life so well by the narrator.
Recommended.
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Merissa (13051 KP) rated The Bookshop of Secrets in Books
Feb 13, 2025
THE BOOKSHOP OF SECRETS is the latest book by Kerry Barrett and is set in Lisbon, Portugal, during the early 1940's. Lara has travelled there from London following the death of her father, in search of family on her dead mother's side. She finds a family of friends, but not the one she thought she would. A series of events leads her into staying there and there she is when war breaks out.
I loved this story! It is the third or fourth book by this author I have read and, just like the others, I was gripped by the story and the characters. The descriptions of the world Lara lives in are crisp and clear, defining the current state of affairs for her without hitting the reader over the head!
Fleming is a name that is dropped (which I loved!) as well as Edward and Wallis. There was also a hint about Sandra's background which was perfect and I would love the know who the inspiration was for her part. How the story was woven around these characters and situations astounds me. I found it to be phenomenally written and perfectly paced.
If I had one bad thing to say it would be that my romantic little heart was desperate for an official, rock-solid HEA for Lara. Don't get me wrong, it was alluded to, but I want to know for sure. In fact, not just for Lara, but for Bill, Phil, Miguel, Bea, Hector, Sandra... do you want me to continue? Suffice it to say, this book was outstanding but I'm not ready to let go of these characters yet. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED by me and I can't wait for the next book by this amazing author.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Feb 5, 2025
I loved this story! It is the third or fourth book by this author I have read and, just like the others, I was gripped by the story and the characters. The descriptions of the world Lara lives in are crisp and clear, defining the current state of affairs for her without hitting the reader over the head!
Fleming is a name that is dropped (which I loved!) as well as Edward and Wallis. There was also a hint about Sandra's background which was perfect and I would love the know who the inspiration was for her part. How the story was woven around these characters and situations astounds me. I found it to be phenomenally written and perfectly paced.
If I had one bad thing to say it would be that my romantic little heart was desperate for an official, rock-solid HEA for Lara. Don't get me wrong, it was alluded to, but I want to know for sure. In fact, not just for Lara, but for Bill, Phil, Miguel, Bea, Hector, Sandra... do you want me to continue? Suffice it to say, this book was outstanding but I'm not ready to let go of these characters yet. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED by me and I can't wait for the next book by this amazing author.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Feb 5, 2025
Igniting His Flame (Redwood Bay Fire #1)
10.0
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Love makes us all brave DARIO After escaping my controlling ex-boyfriend and moving to...
RəX Regent (349 KP) rated We Own the Night (2007) in Movies
Feb 25, 2019
Crime movie for crime movie fans
Contains spoilers, click to show
This is a crime film for crime movie fans. It has it all, from sex, violence, wires and gritty hits. But at its heart is family, here driven by the two leads, Mark Wahlberg and Jequium Phoenix, reunited in yet another of James Grey's films. The tone is dark, with a realistic look as we are taken on trip back to 1988 and a fictional cop family, led by the Deputy Chief Of Police (NYPD) Robert Duvall, who is the father to Wahlberg's up and coming cop, with Phoenix's nightclub manager, who is not a criminal as such, but is a disappointment to his family.
As the trio become embroiled in an organised crime syndicate, they find themselves under a very personal attack and must take down the mob boss to save their lives. The problem with this film is that it plods its way through, lacking enough tension or high key performances to carry, what to me, should have been a taunt screenplay. Instead, it's a bit flat, with Phoenix's trademark sleepy performance. On the other hand, it's quite good, driven by real motivations and characters, is what saves this from 5/10 rating is a fantastically low-key car chase which looked and felt phenomenal, ending with tragedy which would drive the story in a more dubious direction.
Phoenix will end up being granted special dispensation to become a cop in order to track down the mobster, a plot point that I found to be a little far-fetched, though maybe this sort of thing has happened, I don't know but it just tipped the film over the edge of plausibility. I feel that We Own The Night, the motto of the now disbanded NYPD Street Crime Unit, which is headed up here by the fictional Captain Joseph Grusinsky (Wahlberg) thinks very highly of itself as a top quality crime drama, up there with the likes of The Godfather (1972) and Heat (1995), but it is not. It's good and better if you like the genre, but this is a film set in the late 80′s, made in the style of The Godfather light, which was a quintessential 1970′s movie. It needed to pack more of a punch or have some of the style which films such as those of Michael Mann or Martin Scorsese.
A decent story, good cinematography and noble effort but failed to blow me away.
As the trio become embroiled in an organised crime syndicate, they find themselves under a very personal attack and must take down the mob boss to save their lives. The problem with this film is that it plods its way through, lacking enough tension or high key performances to carry, what to me, should have been a taunt screenplay. Instead, it's a bit flat, with Phoenix's trademark sleepy performance. On the other hand, it's quite good, driven by real motivations and characters, is what saves this from 5/10 rating is a fantastically low-key car chase which looked and felt phenomenal, ending with tragedy which would drive the story in a more dubious direction.
Phoenix will end up being granted special dispensation to become a cop in order to track down the mobster, a plot point that I found to be a little far-fetched, though maybe this sort of thing has happened, I don't know but it just tipped the film over the edge of plausibility. I feel that We Own The Night, the motto of the now disbanded NYPD Street Crime Unit, which is headed up here by the fictional Captain Joseph Grusinsky (Wahlberg) thinks very highly of itself as a top quality crime drama, up there with the likes of The Godfather (1972) and Heat (1995), but it is not. It's good and better if you like the genre, but this is a film set in the late 80′s, made in the style of The Godfather light, which was a quintessential 1970′s movie. It needed to pack more of a punch or have some of the style which films such as those of Michael Mann or Martin Scorsese.
A decent story, good cinematography and noble effort but failed to blow me away.