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Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated All I Ever Wanted in Books
Apr 27, 2018
All I Ever Wanted really made me happy, and got me hooked on Kristan Higgins. This is why:
First, I loved the characters. Some were quirky (Louis the mortician, Noah her one-legged grandfather), some were funny (Her sister Hester! ROFL) Some were just mean. (MOM.) And some had the biggest heart in the world (Our hero, Ian). The relationships and the characters played out in such a real tangible way, and I loved every minute of it. Although I’m glad my family isn’t like Callie’s… it’s fun to sit back and watch.
Second: I was very pleased with the fact that the characters, dialogue, and plot weren’t perfect (happyland syndrome.) Some of you may know that happyland syndrome—everything working out perfectly all the time—will make me close a book in three minutes. All I Ever Wanted had nothing of the sort. It felt like real life, and because of that, it was relatable.
Third: It was a very sweet, very real, very good romance. And it was CLEAN. Yes! No skipping chunks of pages and trying to avoid unnecessary scenes! This pretty much made my day—maybe my week—that I’ve found a good romance author who doesn’t write sex scenes into her novels. Thank you Kristan Higgins, you’ve just made my bookshelf.
So that’s why I loved it. And that’s why I’ll be reading more of Higgins’ work in the future.
Content/recommendation: little language, very few sexual references. Ages 14+
First, I loved the characters. Some were quirky (Louis the mortician, Noah her one-legged grandfather), some were funny (Her sister Hester! ROFL) Some were just mean. (MOM.) And some had the biggest heart in the world (Our hero, Ian). The relationships and the characters played out in such a real tangible way, and I loved every minute of it. Although I’m glad my family isn’t like Callie’s… it’s fun to sit back and watch.
Second: I was very pleased with the fact that the characters, dialogue, and plot weren’t perfect (happyland syndrome.) Some of you may know that happyland syndrome—everything working out perfectly all the time—will make me close a book in three minutes. All I Ever Wanted had nothing of the sort. It felt like real life, and because of that, it was relatable.
Third: It was a very sweet, very real, very good romance. And it was CLEAN. Yes! No skipping chunks of pages and trying to avoid unnecessary scenes! This pretty much made my day—maybe my week—that I’ve found a good romance author who doesn’t write sex scenes into her novels. Thank you Kristan Higgins, you’ve just made my bookshelf.
So that’s why I loved it. And that’s why I’ll be reading more of Higgins’ work in the future.
Content/recommendation: little language, very few sexual references. Ages 14+
Nikki Massey (8 KP) rated The Hunger Games in Books
Feb 7, 2019 (Updated Feb 7, 2019)
Unexpected inspiring read
I really didn't know what to expect of this novel. It seemed very much like a teen/young adult novel but I actually found myself gripped in the twists and turns of the story and unable to put the book down as a thirty-something-year-old!
I felt an instant connection to Katniss and could almost picture myself as her.
She may be young and not the biggest or strongest character but she made up for that in guts and brains.
She is a selfless young woman who put the needs of her family in front of everything else. She listened and learned and that gave her survival skills. She was smart and figured out the game and what would keep her alive.
It's refreshing to find a novel where the lead female character wasn't just a stupid and vacant girly girl but actually strong and intelligent. This is the type of role that should be featured more to inspire and motivate more women. To show you don't have to just like the material things in life and you don't need a man to get you out of a tricky situation. In fact, you end up saving the guy and are the heroine of the tale.
I can't wait to read the other two books in the series! I'm just waiting on the postman to deliver them!
I felt an instant connection to Katniss and could almost picture myself as her.
She may be young and not the biggest or strongest character but she made up for that in guts and brains.
She is a selfless young woman who put the needs of her family in front of everything else. She listened and learned and that gave her survival skills. She was smart and figured out the game and what would keep her alive.
It's refreshing to find a novel where the lead female character wasn't just a stupid and vacant girly girl but actually strong and intelligent. This is the type of role that should be featured more to inspire and motivate more women. To show you don't have to just like the material things in life and you don't need a man to get you out of a tricky situation. In fact, you end up saving the guy and are the heroine of the tale.
I can't wait to read the other two books in the series! I'm just waiting on the postman to deliver them!
Ross (3284 KP) rated Myths and Mortals in Books
Apr 8, 2019
*** Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book from the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ***
The follow-up to Smoke and Summons continues straight on. Sandis is no longer connected to her demon of choice, but is safe and free from the (presumed dead) Kazen. Rone is still separated from his mother and running out of time to cross the border and escape the troubled country.
The story focuses more on the characters' feelings than before (where the first book was largely aimless wandering and fighting), with Sandis torn between staying with the only family she has (her estranged uncle) and knowing that he is using her for her powers, as her former master had done. Rone is desperate to escape the country but cannot bear to be parted from Sandis, and there is unspoken tension between them.
The book sees more of the underworld of the city explored as the main characters team up with some undesirables to try and overcome their main enemy.
There are some typical twists and turns along the way, most of which are fairly predictable. The action sequences are good, but I found myself speed-reading the final quarter just to get finished.
A decent story and even though short feels like it could have been edited a bit more. I think I will read the concluding part when it is released, as the ending of this book teased what could be some excited conflicts.
The follow-up to Smoke and Summons continues straight on. Sandis is no longer connected to her demon of choice, but is safe and free from the (presumed dead) Kazen. Rone is still separated from his mother and running out of time to cross the border and escape the troubled country.
The story focuses more on the characters' feelings than before (where the first book was largely aimless wandering and fighting), with Sandis torn between staying with the only family she has (her estranged uncle) and knowing that he is using her for her powers, as her former master had done. Rone is desperate to escape the country but cannot bear to be parted from Sandis, and there is unspoken tension between them.
The book sees more of the underworld of the city explored as the main characters team up with some undesirables to try and overcome their main enemy.
There are some typical twists and turns along the way, most of which are fairly predictable. The action sequences are good, but I found myself speed-reading the final quarter just to get finished.
A decent story and even though short feels like it could have been edited a bit more. I think I will read the concluding part when it is released, as the ending of this book teased what could be some excited conflicts.
Lenard (726 KP) rated Tolkien (2019) in Movies
May 19, 2019
Tolkien is a biopic of author/professor JRR Tolkien, the writer of The Hobbit and other fantasy novels. The only reason it was greenlit was to ensnare fans of the LOTR. The film opens with Ronald in the trenches of Belgium during WWI suffering from trench fever. He is overcome with a need to find his friend who he learns is nearby and in dire trouble. We then flashback to his country childhood home located in a village reminiscent of The Shire from his novels. His father has died and left the family with little hope of survival. The church has found a new home for the Tolkiens in Lake-town, I mean Birmingham. Soon, his mother is dead, Ronald and his brother become wards of the Catholic Church and are moved into the home of elderly woman who already cares for a young female pianist. Tolkien earns scholarship to a local private school where he accidentally becomes friends with other artistically inclined young men. One of whom, the poet, is secretly in love with Tolkien. Thus, with a kiss, I die in the trenches of Belgium fron poison gas. The whole film spends so much time finding connections to his famous novels, it never really gets to know the writer himself. Plus, Nicholas Hoult does not help much playing the writer like a Hugh Grant rom-com character. He even does the squinting quirk multiple times to romance his boarding house companion.
Billie Wichkan (118 KP) rated As Long as We Both Shall Live in Books
May 22, 2019
My wife! I think shes dead! Matt frantically calls to park rangers, explaining that he and his wife, Marie, were out hiking when she stumbled on a cliff edge and fell into the raging river below. They start a search but arent hopeful: no one could have survived that fall.
Its a tragic accident.
But when police discover Matts first wife also died in suspicious circumstances a fire in their family home they have a lot more questions for him.
Is Matt a grieving husband, or has he just killed his second wife? Detectives Loren and Spengler dig into the couples lives to see what they can unearth. And they find that loves got teeth, its got claws, and once it hitches you to a person, its tough to rip yourself free.
So what happens when youre done making it work?
Well this is one crazy warped marriage ride!
Seriously I found myself laughing at the antics and thoughts of these two at times; then on the flip side being gripped by the suspense.
I really enjoyed this one.
Read what happens when 20 years of marriage becomes a minefield of love/hate.
If you love psychological twisty thrillers as much as me then you need to read this one!
Recommend reading.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-book ARC to read and review. This is my honest voluntary review.
Its a tragic accident.
But when police discover Matts first wife also died in suspicious circumstances a fire in their family home they have a lot more questions for him.
Is Matt a grieving husband, or has he just killed his second wife? Detectives Loren and Spengler dig into the couples lives to see what they can unearth. And they find that loves got teeth, its got claws, and once it hitches you to a person, its tough to rip yourself free.
So what happens when youre done making it work?
Well this is one crazy warped marriage ride!
Seriously I found myself laughing at the antics and thoughts of these two at times; then on the flip side being gripped by the suspense.
I really enjoyed this one.
Read what happens when 20 years of marriage becomes a minefield of love/hate.
If you love psychological twisty thrillers as much as me then you need to read this one!
Recommend reading.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-book ARC to read and review. This is my honest voluntary review.
Elli H Burton (1288 KP) rated My Daughter, My Mother in Books
Jun 16, 2019 (Updated Jun 16, 2019)
Hard to get into but easy to finish
I usually go for books set a lot earlier that 1984 so when I picked this up I was full of anticipating I would immediately hate it and stop reading. Luckily that wasn't the case!
It jumps back and forth from past to present and includes real life issues going on in the world at that time. I personally love to see a story include real life problems as it feels like it actually happened and makes it so much more interesting to read. Don't worry, I know these people don't actually exist!!
It took me a few chapters to get into it but once I did I began to love it. Although the actual plot on both sides if good, it feels rushed to get the story out and some bits are quite difficult to grasp.
There is a family in the book that are sikh which despite my religious education at school I don't know much about so to an extent this book taught me something about sikhs. This is also hard because there are certain aspects to the writing i found hard to understand.
I like to see the good in every story so I'd say have a read of it yourself and see what you think.
It jumps back and forth from past to present and includes real life issues going on in the world at that time. I personally love to see a story include real life problems as it feels like it actually happened and makes it so much more interesting to read. Don't worry, I know these people don't actually exist!!
It took me a few chapters to get into it but once I did I began to love it. Although the actual plot on both sides if good, it feels rushed to get the story out and some bits are quite difficult to grasp.
There is a family in the book that are sikh which despite my religious education at school I don't know much about so to an extent this book taught me something about sikhs. This is also hard because there are certain aspects to the writing i found hard to understand.
I like to see the good in every story so I'd say have a read of it yourself and see what you think.
Kyera (8 KP) rated A Hot Glue Gun Mess: Funny Stories, Pretty DIY Projects in Books
Jan 31, 2018
This is not the usual book that I read, but I was intrigued when I heard about it. I've watched Mr. Kate's YouTube channel and she has some cool DIY projects/decorating tips. The structure of the book is not uncommon, as she tells a short story and then breaks it up with photos - except in this book, the photos are a DIY project that you can do.
There are 50 different stories and accompanying projects. While the DIY's are meant to relate to the story that Mr. Kate just finished telling, they're generally pretty nebulous and only remotely related. I personally found around 10 to be interesting, but that will vary from person to person. They're not just crafty projects, but beauty tips and fashion.
The stories themselves are also very varied, from cute tales about meeting her (now) husband to crude ones that won't appeal to everyone. She also is from a very well off family, so readers may be put off by her constant name-dropping or rich-kid woes. I wasn't completely turned off by it, but I also was 99% there for the crafts and didn't really borrow the book so that I could be engrossed by the stories.
Overall it was a cute book, but probably not one that I would go out and buy. I'll just borrow it from the library if I ever decide I want to do one of the projects.
There are 50 different stories and accompanying projects. While the DIY's are meant to relate to the story that Mr. Kate just finished telling, they're generally pretty nebulous and only remotely related. I personally found around 10 to be interesting, but that will vary from person to person. They're not just crafty projects, but beauty tips and fashion.
The stories themselves are also very varied, from cute tales about meeting her (now) husband to crude ones that won't appeal to everyone. She also is from a very well off family, so readers may be put off by her constant name-dropping or rich-kid woes. I wasn't completely turned off by it, but I also was 99% there for the crafts and didn't really borrow the book so that I could be engrossed by the stories.
Overall it was a cute book, but probably not one that I would go out and buy. I'll just borrow it from the library if I ever decide I want to do one of the projects.
Zuky the BookBum (15 KP) rated Dont Look Now in Books
Mar 15, 2018
I think this book is very deserving of 4 stars rather than the 3 a lot of people have decided to give it. While I agree the last two books of the collection (The Way of The Cross and The Breakthrough) were disappointing in relation to the first three (Don't Look Now, Not After Midnight and A Border-Line Case) I don't think that knocked the book of a star as each story was well written and unique.
My favourite was, by far, A Border-Line Case. Du Maurier does a great job of building tension throughout and while people are complaining that it's twist ending is nothing new, you have to remember that this was originally published in the 70's and so the twist probably was something new and from that time since there have been repeats of the shock ending - meaning Du Maurier's story is unique and the others thereafter are not (though a lot of them are in other ways).
I haven't read any of Du Maurier's other stories and I'm glad of that because it seems like these short stories are being compared to her other works. So for me, having nothing to compare these stories with, it seems I found this a lot more enjoyable than other people seemed to!
Even though the last two stories weren't as fun and spooky they were still good stories and I would recommend this book to many of my friends and family.
My favourite was, by far, A Border-Line Case. Du Maurier does a great job of building tension throughout and while people are complaining that it's twist ending is nothing new, you have to remember that this was originally published in the 70's and so the twist probably was something new and from that time since there have been repeats of the shock ending - meaning Du Maurier's story is unique and the others thereafter are not (though a lot of them are in other ways).
I haven't read any of Du Maurier's other stories and I'm glad of that because it seems like these short stories are being compared to her other works. So for me, having nothing to compare these stories with, it seems I found this a lot more enjoyable than other people seemed to!
Even though the last two stories weren't as fun and spooky they were still good stories and I would recommend this book to many of my friends and family.
Andy K (10823 KP) rated Aliens (1986) in Movies
Oct 23, 2018
Sci fi action at its finest
Alien and Aliens have to be up there with The Godfather I and II and Raiders/Temple of Doom and one of the greatest one-two punches in movie history.
"They mostly come at night...mostly"
Make sure if you are watching after not seeing for awhile or never seen you watch the 1990 "Director's Cut". As with several Cameron epics, the story and characters get flushed out a lot more and the extra scenes are very good. With Aliens, though, I would have omitted the scene near the beginning where we meet Next and her family when they discover the chestbursters. I think Newt's reveal works better if we were to first meet her while crawling around underneath the decks of the colony.
The only thing that ever bothered me was the extremely bad timing of Ripley being floating in space for 57 years, then she gets found, then they lose contact with the colony on LV426 right after that? Talk about a horrible coincidence!
Another remarkable item of the film;s slow progression is we don't even see an alien until well over a hour into the film and it doesn't matter. The tension built and anticipation Cameron delivers are amazing!
Nonetheless, Aliens is a masterpiece of sci fi cinema which has rarely been equaled. Now if only they wold quit trying!.
"They mostly come at night...mostly"
Make sure if you are watching after not seeing for awhile or never seen you watch the 1990 "Director's Cut". As with several Cameron epics, the story and characters get flushed out a lot more and the extra scenes are very good. With Aliens, though, I would have omitted the scene near the beginning where we meet Next and her family when they discover the chestbursters. I think Newt's reveal works better if we were to first meet her while crawling around underneath the decks of the colony.
The only thing that ever bothered me was the extremely bad timing of Ripley being floating in space for 57 years, then she gets found, then they lose contact with the colony on LV426 right after that? Talk about a horrible coincidence!
Another remarkable item of the film;s slow progression is we don't even see an alien until well over a hour into the film and it doesn't matter. The tension built and anticipation Cameron delivers are amazing!
Nonetheless, Aliens is a masterpiece of sci fi cinema which has rarely been equaled. Now if only they wold quit trying!.
Merissa (13063 KP) rated Lyle's Lynx (Itayu Lake, #6) in Books
Dec 17, 2018
Lyle's Lynx is the sixth book in the Itáyu Lake series, and this one definitely follows on from the previous book. Lyle has come to Itáyu Lake after his ex-lover. However Adriano has definitely moved on. He has found his mate in Ignacio, a demon. When Lyle chases after him, he also finds his mate in Kai, a Lynx shifter. Lyle is ashamed of his reaction when he met Kai though, and so he needs a bit of time and space before he can accept him. Kai graciously gives him all the space he needs, whilst keeping an eye on him from afar. Soon though, Lyle turns up at Kai's door and realises that he has received a whole lot more than just a mate!
This was a brilliant addition to the series, with lots of character growth from Lyle as he shows he's not just a cheating-ho. He is now loyal Lyle, and is prepared to stand up for his new family, no matter what. This is very well written, with no editing or grammatical errors to disrupt the reading flow for me. I enjoyed the fast pace of this book, and the relationship that still managed to grow between them. Definitely recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
This was a brilliant addition to the series, with lots of character growth from Lyle as he shows he's not just a cheating-ho. He is now loyal Lyle, and is prepared to stand up for his new family, no matter what. This is very well written, with no editing or grammatical errors to disrupt the reading flow for me. I enjoyed the fast pace of this book, and the relationship that still managed to grow between them. Definitely recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!