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The Fault in Our Stars
The Fault in Our Stars
John Green | 2012 | Children
10
8.2 (185 Ratings)
Book Rating
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.
  
The Big Over Easy: An Investigation with the Nursery Crime Division
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
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.
  
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Ross (3284 KP) Feb 7, 2018

I much prefer the Nursery Crimes books to the Thursday Next series, for which he is better known.

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Mayhawke (97 KP) Feb 9, 2018

I agree. I waited years for the third one to come out before I gave up all hope.

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>.
  
AG
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
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?
  
BF
Breaking Faith
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
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
  
TD
The Day The Tigers Broke Free
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
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
  
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Sarah (7800 KP) rated Sharp Objects in TV

Aug 29, 2018  
Sharp Objects
Sharp Objects
2018 | Crime, Drama, Mystery
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.
  
Show all 7 comments.
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Katie (868 KP) Dec 2, 2018 (Updated Dec 2, 2018)

I also thought the plot was predictable, but the character development made up for it.

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Katie (868 KP) Dec 2, 2018

@Dean and there is an after after credits scene of the "woman in white"! I almost missed both of them.

Polar Nights (Under an Arctic Sky #1.5)
Polar Nights (Under an Arctic Sky #1.5)
T.T. Kove | 2012 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I received this book from NetGalley in return for a fair and honest review.

This story is set in Svalbard where Andreas is in his last year of University to gain his Masters Degree in Geophysics. Until he is able to get into his dorm, he is due to stay with his step-mother's brother, Christian, which would be okay except Andreas has had a crush on Christian for years.

They are awkward with each other as they try to fight the attraction for a number of reasons, not the least being Christian's concern with how the family would see it and that both of them is afraid to say anything in case of rejection.

This is a gentle, sweet romance with a couple of sexy scenes in there that help you to feel the depth of love they have for each other. The supporting characters are all interesting and with their own stories that I would like to hear more about as the series continues.

There was only one editing issue that I found which was where the word sceptic had been used instead of sceptical. This certainly did not ruin my enjoyment and there was nothing more than that that I saw.

Thoroughly enjoyable and definitely one to continue in the series.
  
Doctor Who: Spare Parts
Doctor Who: Spare Parts
6
8.7 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Like most other Brits, I've watched at least one episode of Doctor Who.

I still watch the (current Doctor) Jodie Whittaker episodes.

Next to the Daleks and The Master, I think the Cybermen are (perhaps) the Doctors most-famous enemies.

However, I've never really found them all that scary: I think because the fact that they are fully encased in their armour (unlike the Star Trek counterparts of the Borg) makes them seem less relevant, less of a body-horror than said Borg.

With all that said, I'd heard recently that this was one of the best Doctor Who Cybermen stories, and so thought I would give it a listen: Set on the world of Mondas, this story deals with the ascension of the Cybermen (well, one ascension anyway: they've had more ascensions than I've had hot dinners!), set during Peter Davison's tenure as The Doctor.

It's not a bad listen, with Davison reprising his role and with the story carefully laying out it's stall (and trying to show the horrors of becoming a Cyberman) through having an audience surrogate of a family on Mondas that The Doctor and his travelling companion Nyssa encounter, and try to help.

But is time a constant? Are some things destined to be? …

Listen and find out!
  
The Frights of Fiji ( Alyssa McCarthy&#039;s Magical Missions #1)
The Frights of Fiji ( Alyssa McCarthy's Magical Missions #1)
Sunayna Prasad | 2018 | Children, Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Well, I found a book to fall into during this strange time. That book is The Frights of Figi, it quite a good book. Once you get into it. This book is about a girl that somehow attracts magic into her life. Why this happens I do not know.

Her name is Alyssa and she lives with her Uncle and cousin. When things start happening, no one believes her. She gets into trouble. Will she get save herself and friends and family. Things get more interesting one she is kidnapped by an evil wizard.

This is good for middle-grade children and ages 8 to 12 years old. The author does a really good job with the plot of the story. The characters are developed well. If you are looking for a good fantasy book for your child or children this one is good. This one as a young girl as a hero.

This is a series. It is a good one at that. Alyssa McCarthy Magical Missions. I can not wait to pick up the second book. I am wondering if her friends from the previous book are going to need to help her or if she ends up doing it herself.