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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Normal People in Books
Mar 19, 2020
Marianne and Connell form a relationship in school, starting to talk to one another when Connell comes to pick up his mother at her job cleaning for Marianne's family. But at school itself, they pretend not to know each other, fiercely aware of where they stand in the social structure: Connell is a popular soccer star, while Marianne is smart but a social outcast. Things change a year later, when they are both studying at Trinity College. Marianne has found her social circle and is popular among her group of friends. Connell is known as smart, but feels awkward. The two's relationship ebbs and flows--at times, they are deeply in love; at other moments, they date other people and rarely speak.
I'm not exactly sure what to say about this one. I listened to this book over a couple of months as I traveled off and on for work. It felt very slow, and while I know part of it was the stops and starts when I was traveling, but some of it was the book itself. I can definitely recognize the brilliance others found in this novel. Rooney is a wonderful writer, and there were passages that I wish I could capture and save to savor later. At other moments, I wanted to hurry things along quite badly... she turned the water on in the shower, the water came out, the water fell to the floor, etc. Things are described in great detail, and often, I found myself frustrated at that.
This not a plot-driven novel, but a character-driven one. Told from the alternating perspectives of Marianne and Connell over time, it examines various points in their life. At times, they may even go back in time in their various point-of-view segment, forcing you to keep up with exactly what is happening and when. There is much explaining and much examining. A lot of talk of feelings and such. It's a very complex novel. I definitely did grow to be interested in Marianne and Connell, but it did take some time.
As I said, I can see why this book earned such rave reviews, but it wasn't entirely for me. I was frustrated that Marianne and Connell couldn't just talk to each other. The ending of the book left me annoyed--all this for that--and I often wanted things to happen more quickly than they did. Still, I appreciated Rooney's lovely writing. If you want a complicated look at how one relationship can affect two so-called normal people over time, this one is definitely for you. 3 stars.
I'm not exactly sure what to say about this one. I listened to this book over a couple of months as I traveled off and on for work. It felt very slow, and while I know part of it was the stops and starts when I was traveling, but some of it was the book itself. I can definitely recognize the brilliance others found in this novel. Rooney is a wonderful writer, and there were passages that I wish I could capture and save to savor later. At other moments, I wanted to hurry things along quite badly... she turned the water on in the shower, the water came out, the water fell to the floor, etc. Things are described in great detail, and often, I found myself frustrated at that.
This not a plot-driven novel, but a character-driven one. Told from the alternating perspectives of Marianne and Connell over time, it examines various points in their life. At times, they may even go back in time in their various point-of-view segment, forcing you to keep up with exactly what is happening and when. There is much explaining and much examining. A lot of talk of feelings and such. It's a very complex novel. I definitely did grow to be interested in Marianne and Connell, but it did take some time.
As I said, I can see why this book earned such rave reviews, but it wasn't entirely for me. I was frustrated that Marianne and Connell couldn't just talk to each other. The ending of the book left me annoyed--all this for that--and I often wanted things to happen more quickly than they did. Still, I appreciated Rooney's lovely writing. If you want a complicated look at how one relationship can affect two so-called normal people over time, this one is definitely for you. 3 stars.
Merissa (12827 KP) rated My Hurricane in Books
Sep 7, 2017
My Hurricane by J.A. Owenby
My Hurricane is the short story of what Walker's life was like before he met Lacey. When we first meet him, he is still with Brittany and certainly not the person we know from the other books. However, things happen which change him, and we as the reader are with him every step of the way.
I loved how he changed from Mr Fly High Party Boy into someone to be relied upon, not only by his family but also the school. Now, I've already read the three full-length novels in The Truth series, so knowing what I know now only makes my heart ache for Walker even more.
Excellently written, with no editing or grammatical errors to disrupt the reading flow, I found this book to be outstanding. Giving just enough for you to learn about Walker, whilst leaving you wanting more.
Get this novella, and then lose yourself in The Truth series. I can promise you won't regret it. Highly recommended by me.
* 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!
I loved how he changed from Mr Fly High Party Boy into someone to be relied upon, not only by his family but also the school. Now, I've already read the three full-length novels in The Truth series, so knowing what I know now only makes my heart ache for Walker even more.
Excellently written, with no editing or grammatical errors to disrupt the reading flow, I found this book to be outstanding. Giving just enough for you to learn about Walker, whilst leaving you wanting more.
Get this novella, and then lose yourself in The Truth series. I can promise you won't regret it. Highly recommended by me.
* 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!
Billie Wichkan (118 KP) rated The Girl Next Door in Books
May 22, 2019
One little lie just became deadly…
Perfect mother. Perfect wife. Jane Goodwin has spent years building her picture-perfect life in the quiet village of Ashdon. So when sixteen-year-old Clare Edwards is found murdered in Sorrow's Meadow, Jane knows she must first protect her family.
Every marriage has a few white lies and hers is no exception. Jane's worked hard to cover up her dark secret from all those years ago - and she'll do anything to keep it hidden..
Appearances can be deceptive, can't they?
This story is told from multiple points of view and are taken on the journey of what happened on the fateful day and also the aftermath.
This story has so many secrets that are revealed throughout. The village setting is so perfect but is it really all it seems?
The pace and plot were just perfect for this story. Great characters and the suspicions just keep mounting.
The ending has such a shock twist and revelation that will leave you stunned.
Perfect suspense throughout!!
Highly recommend reading!
I would like to thank the Author/the Publishers/NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book for free in exchange for a fair and honest review
Perfect mother. Perfect wife. Jane Goodwin has spent years building her picture-perfect life in the quiet village of Ashdon. So when sixteen-year-old Clare Edwards is found murdered in Sorrow's Meadow, Jane knows she must first protect her family.
Every marriage has a few white lies and hers is no exception. Jane's worked hard to cover up her dark secret from all those years ago - and she'll do anything to keep it hidden..
Appearances can be deceptive, can't they?
This story is told from multiple points of view and are taken on the journey of what happened on the fateful day and also the aftermath.
This story has so many secrets that are revealed throughout. The village setting is so perfect but is it really all it seems?
The pace and plot were just perfect for this story. Great characters and the suspicions just keep mounting.
The ending has such a shock twist and revelation that will leave you stunned.
Perfect suspense throughout!!
Highly recommend reading!
I would like to thank the Author/the Publishers/NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book for free in exchange for a fair and honest review
RavenclawPrincess913 (253 KP) rated The Fault in Our Stars in Books
Jun 1, 2019
Title: The Fault In Our Stars
Author: John Green
Read Dates: May 28th-31st
Why did I choose to read this book?
I chose to read this book because I just had thyroid removal surgery because of a tumor that was size of a tennis ball and was pushing my windpipe and stuff back that I found out is either cancer or precancerous also have other medical issues like my brain tumor. But read this because I felt I could relate to it.
Did I like it? Yes
Four things I liked about this book:
1. I can relate to how she is feeling. For example how she says she feels like a grenade I feel the same about my medical issues and don't want to hurt my family/friends either. It was very emotional.
2. I love the love story between Hazel and Augustus
3. I like how she doesn't give up
4. I like the thing Augustus did for her at the end
One thing I disliked: That Augustus dies it made me cry
Do I recommend this book? Yes
Questions for you:
1. Have you read this book?
2. Can you relate to the book as well?
3. Recommend a similar book.
Author: John Green
Read Dates: May 28th-31st
Why did I choose to read this book?
I chose to read this book because I just had thyroid removal surgery because of a tumor that was size of a tennis ball and was pushing my windpipe and stuff back that I found out is either cancer or precancerous also have other medical issues like my brain tumor. But read this because I felt I could relate to it.
Did I like it? Yes
Four things I liked about this book:
1. I can relate to how she is feeling. For example how she says she feels like a grenade I feel the same about my medical issues and don't want to hurt my family/friends either. It was very emotional.
2. I love the love story between Hazel and Augustus
3. I like how she doesn't give up
4. I like the thing Augustus did for her at the end
One thing I disliked: That Augustus dies it made me cry
Do I recommend this book? Yes
Questions for you:
1. Have you read this book?
2. Can you relate to the book as well?
3. Recommend a similar book.
Mayhawke (97 KP) rated The Big Over Easy: An Investigation with the Nursery Crime Division in Books
Feb 7, 2018
Fford. If you don't know him you should, especially if you love Adams & Pratchett
I picked this up on the off-chance , when it was on special offer. This is how I like to try out writers that are new to me. Buy 'em cheap and then it doesn't matter if (as is so often the case) they end up in the secondhand-bookshop.
If only more of them had fulfilled their promise as this did!
I really wasn't entirely clear on what I was getting, (that happens to me sometimes - I thought 'The Mummy' was a horror film!) but I'm so very glad I got it.
What Adams did for Sci-Fi and Pratchett did for Fantasy, so now Fford s doing for the 'tec novel. This amazing imagination give us a story in which Humpty-Dumpty, noted intellectual, womaniser and law-bender,is found dead at the bottom of a wall. It looks like suicide, but is it? Enter Jack Spratt hard-working, family-man detective with the Nursery Crimes Division.
Few things, even those I love actually make me laugh out loud, but this managed it on several occasions. If you like off-the-wall, bizarre or just plain silly, buy this.Then buy the rest of his books.
If only more of them had fulfilled their promise as this did!
I really wasn't entirely clear on what I was getting, (that happens to me sometimes - I thought 'The Mummy' was a horror film!) but I'm so very glad I got it.
What Adams did for Sci-Fi and Pratchett did for Fantasy, so now Fford s doing for the 'tec novel. This amazing imagination give us a story in which Humpty-Dumpty, noted intellectual, womaniser and law-bender,is found dead at the bottom of a wall. It looks like suicide, but is it? Enter Jack Spratt hard-working, family-man detective with the Nursery Crimes Division.
Few things, even those I love actually make me laugh out loud, but this managed it on several occasions. If you like off-the-wall, bizarre or just plain silly, buy this.Then buy the rest of his books.
Amy-Faye Johnson’s brother, Derek, is about to open his brewery, a moment that the entire family should be celebrating. However, the business is off to a rocky start thanks to Derek’s investment partner, Gordon Marsh, who is fighting with everyone, including Derek. The grand opening ends with Gordon’s body found in the dumpster, and the police looking at Derek. With Murder on the Orient Express fresh in their minds, Amy-Faye and her friends in the Readaholics delve into the case. But can they shift through the various suspects and motives to find the right killer?
This is a great mystery with quite a few suspects and plenty of twists that kept me guessing until the end. There is a large cast of characters, but they are all strong characters, and I had no trouble at all keeping them all straight. The ending was logical, given the real clues that were mixed in with the red herrings. The tie ins to the Christie classic were fun. And the friendships in the Readaholics is a pure joy to see.
NOTE: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2015/12/book-review-readaholics-and-poirot.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
This is a great mystery with quite a few suspects and plenty of twists that kept me guessing until the end. There is a large cast of characters, but they are all strong characters, and I had no trouble at all keeping them all straight. The ending was logical, given the real clues that were mixed in with the red herrings. The tie ins to the Christie classic were fun. And the friendships in the Readaholics is a pure joy to see.
NOTE: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2015/12/book-review-readaholics-and-poirot.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Lindsay (1760 KP) rated A Gift of Grace (Kauffman Amish Bakery, #1) in Books
Feb 15, 2018
The start with several different issues are address in this first book in the series. Rebecca is first having trouble conceiving a child of her own. She get a letter or will after her older sister and brother in law are killed in as automobile accident. She is left to raise two teenage girls.
Jessica and Lindsay are force to move and live with their Aunt and Uncle in this Amish Community. Jessica has a hard time adjusting to live in this small community. Jessica is found guilty of doing just about everything wrong. Lindsay on the other hand is adjusting just fine and fitting in with where is living. Lindsay start wearing plain dresses and start doing things the Amish way. Lindsay goes to work with Rebecca at the bakery for she likes baking. Jessica is sent to work with her Uncle Daniel at the Furniture store as an accountant. Though Jessica does not understand that she and Lindsay are done school though the Amish way of live. Lindsay does not seem to mind. Lindsay by the way try to make new friends and meeting her cousins and other family members. Can it be possible that Lindsay and Jessica are complete opposite of each other and every simpler to Rebecca and Grace?
Jessica and Lindsay are force to move and live with their Aunt and Uncle in this Amish Community. Jessica has a hard time adjusting to live in this small community. Jessica is found guilty of doing just about everything wrong. Lindsay on the other hand is adjusting just fine and fitting in with where is living. Lindsay start wearing plain dresses and start doing things the Amish way. Lindsay goes to work with Rebecca at the bakery for she likes baking. Jessica is sent to work with her Uncle Daniel at the Furniture store as an accountant. Though Jessica does not understand that she and Lindsay are done school though the Amish way of live. Lindsay does not seem to mind. Lindsay by the way try to make new friends and meeting her cousins and other family members. Can it be possible that Lindsay and Jessica are complete opposite of each other and every simpler to Rebecca and Grace?
Kristin (149 KP) rated Breaking Faith in Books
Dec 7, 2018
Disclaimer: I received an e-copy from the author in exchange for an honest (not necessarily positive) review.
It feels weird to say I enjoyed this book due to its subject matter, but I did. It's a very good perspective on just what it means to deal with addiction, from growing up with it due to a family member being involved in drugs to getting dragged down into it yourself.
I will agree with a few other reviewers that the beginning does seem to drag a little bit, as there's a lot of time spent describing her elementary school years, but it's necessary to show what the girls went through dealing with their mom and her addiction and the fallout from all of that. It really picks up after that as we're focusing more on Faith's issues from that point on rather than her mom's, and I was pulled into her story.
While getting my Master's in Forensic Psychology, I had to study addiction of all types, including drugs, and I found this to be a very accurate representation of what it's like to grow up with it, deal with it firsthand, and try to bring yourself out of it.
Very interesting read!
5 stars
It feels weird to say I enjoyed this book due to its subject matter, but I did. It's a very good perspective on just what it means to deal with addiction, from growing up with it due to a family member being involved in drugs to getting dragged down into it yourself.
I will agree with a few other reviewers that the beginning does seem to drag a little bit, as there's a lot of time spent describing her elementary school years, but it's necessary to show what the girls went through dealing with their mom and her addiction and the fallout from all of that. It really picks up after that as we're focusing more on Faith's issues from that point on rather than her mom's, and I was pulled into her story.
While getting my Master's in Forensic Psychology, I had to study addiction of all types, including drugs, and I found this to be a very accurate representation of what it's like to grow up with it, deal with it firsthand, and try to bring yourself out of it.
Very interesting read!
5 stars
Kristin (149 KP) rated The Day The Tigers Broke Free in Books
Dec 7, 2018
Disclaimer: I received an e-copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Charlie is a journalist; he makes it his goal in life to dig up all the dirt, to get whatever information he can in any way possible. However, this time, the story's personal: His nephew is dead, supposedly by his own hand. Charlie's not buying that for one bit, though. His new goal? Bring justice for his family and drag as many people down as possible.
I found this story incredibly interesting from the start. The opening just pulls you in, and from that point, you're totally invested in what's happened to this young man. Was it suicide? Was it murder? The town says it's the former, but Charlie's on a vendetta, and he's not going to let it go. Quite a few of the characters he meets along the way are hideous, and their portrayal is perfect. Growing up in a small town, I know what it's like when an "outsider" comes in, questioning how you do things, stirring up trouble. This story is en embodiment of small-town life: the closed ranks, the suspicion of someone different, the racism and prejudice, etc. What's the final verdict on David's death? You'll have to read that for yourself.
4 stars
Charlie is a journalist; he makes it his goal in life to dig up all the dirt, to get whatever information he can in any way possible. However, this time, the story's personal: His nephew is dead, supposedly by his own hand. Charlie's not buying that for one bit, though. His new goal? Bring justice for his family and drag as many people down as possible.
I found this story incredibly interesting from the start. The opening just pulls you in, and from that point, you're totally invested in what's happened to this young man. Was it suicide? Was it murder? The town says it's the former, but Charlie's on a vendetta, and he's not going to let it go. Quite a few of the characters he meets along the way are hideous, and their portrayal is perfect. Growing up in a small town, I know what it's like when an "outsider" comes in, questioning how you do things, stirring up trouble. This story is en embodiment of small-town life: the closed ranks, the suspicion of someone different, the racism and prejudice, etc. What's the final verdict on David's death? You'll have to read that for yourself.
4 stars
Sarah (7800 KP) rated Sharp Objects in TV
Aug 29, 2018
Brilliantly dark and intriguing
It’s rare to find a tv show like this nowadays. I’ve watched the entire series across two evenings, and for me this is definitely not a common occurrence!
I love Amy Adams (and not just because I’m jealous of her hair), she’s a fantastic actress and is brilliant as the haunted and troubled Camille. She’s supported by a great cast and there is a lot of well done character development. Even if Adora is one of the most infuriating characters I’ve seen on screen for some time. The series itself is very dark, covering everything from Camille's past to the current murder and disappearance of the young girls. Everything from the music to the directing and cinematography is perfect for this story, and every episode left me wanting to watch more.
My only criticisms are that the ending was a tiny bit predictable (I’ve probably read too many books, and I haven’t even read this one!), and whilst I enjoyed delving into Camille’s past and family, I found that the story about the two girls wasn’t quite in the forefront after the first couple of episodes. I know the reasons for this, but for me the investigation could’ve been a little more prominent.
I love Amy Adams (and not just because I’m jealous of her hair), she’s a fantastic actress and is brilliant as the haunted and troubled Camille. She’s supported by a great cast and there is a lot of well done character development. Even if Adora is one of the most infuriating characters I’ve seen on screen for some time. The series itself is very dark, covering everything from Camille's past to the current murder and disappearance of the young girls. Everything from the music to the directing and cinematography is perfect for this story, and every episode left me wanting to watch more.
My only criticisms are that the ending was a tiny bit predictable (I’ve probably read too many books, and I haven’t even read this one!), and whilst I enjoyed delving into Camille’s past and family, I found that the story about the two girls wasn’t quite in the forefront after the first couple of episodes. I know the reasons for this, but for me the investigation could’ve been a little more prominent.
