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Before and After Gender - Sexual Mythologies of Everyday Life
Book
Written in the early 1970s amidst widespread debate over the causes of gender inequality, Marilyn...
SWIPE
R.G. Belsky and Bonnie Traymore
Book
Sonya's fed up with bad internet dates. But she never meant to kill anyone. After a stressful...
Domestic Crime Thriller
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2496 KP) rated Force of Habit (Falcone & Driscoll Investigation #1) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Giulia Falcone is 10 months out of the convent and struggling to make her way in the world. She’s landed a job working for PI Frank Driscoll, and their current case involves a stalker. Someone is leaving notes for Blake from Song of Solomon and for his fiancée from the prophets. When Giulia also finds herself a target of the stalker, she and Frank have a personal motive to find out what is happening.
Having read another book with these characters, I was interested in seeing where it all began. Giulia is a fascinating character, and I really identified with her even though I’ve never gone through what she’s facing here. That’s great writing. One thing she is dealing with in her personal life and this case is sex, and I felt the book went too far in the second half, but the book was worth reading. The banter between Giulia and Frank helped lighten things at times. The pacing was a bit off a time or two. It’s a first mystery, and I know the author’s plotting gets better.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/06/book-review-force-of-habit-by-alice.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Having read another book with these characters, I was interested in seeing where it all began. Giulia is a fascinating character, and I really identified with her even though I’ve never gone through what she’s facing here. That’s great writing. One thing she is dealing with in her personal life and this case is sex, and I felt the book went too far in the second half, but the book was worth reading. The banter between Giulia and Frank helped lighten things at times. The pacing was a bit off a time or two. It’s a first mystery, and I know the author’s plotting gets better.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/06/book-review-force-of-habit-by-alice.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Interference Pattern
Book
At first, these extraordinary poems may unsettle and disturb, but the next reading could be one of...
Home (Songbird, #4)
9.0
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Book
Rachel Myers never meant to stay in Payton. Her eyes were set on bigger things than waitressing at...
Contemporary Romance
Laura Doe (1350 KP) rated Romancing Mister Bridgerton (Bridgertons, #4) in Books
Jan 6, 2022
I think that this has by far been my favourite of the Bridgerton series that I have read so far! After not enjoying An Offer From A Gentleman quite as much as the first three, I’m glad to see that Julia Quinn seemed to have gone back to her original style rather than retelling a fairytale.
We follow Penelope Featherington as she resigns herself to a life as a spinster after no proposals in all of the time that she has been out in society. I felt for Penelope that she’d not even interested one man. Despite being intelligent and witty, Penelope never was noticed at the balls and was a wallflower who only had eyes for one man, Colin Bridgerton.
I spent so much of the book wishing for Colin to notice Penelope and notice how talented she was, rather than be like the rest of the ton men. And once he finally did, it was amazing to read on as his feelings grew. Although I wasn’t too keen when he lost his temper with Penelope multiple times, but I understood the reasoning behind him doing so but just wished that he would listen to Penelope’s side a bit more.
I also love the fact that we found out the identity of Lady Whistledown in this book, but will however miss her summary of the parties and her comments about the goings on around town. I think Lady Whistledown’s Society Papers were such a fun addition to the stories and the mystery behind who she was was a puzzle that occupied me throughout the first four books of the series.
I’m hoping the next book is just as good as this one, and I am enjoying this series immensely.
We follow Penelope Featherington as she resigns herself to a life as a spinster after no proposals in all of the time that she has been out in society. I felt for Penelope that she’d not even interested one man. Despite being intelligent and witty, Penelope never was noticed at the balls and was a wallflower who only had eyes for one man, Colin Bridgerton.
I spent so much of the book wishing for Colin to notice Penelope and notice how talented she was, rather than be like the rest of the ton men. And once he finally did, it was amazing to read on as his feelings grew. Although I wasn’t too keen when he lost his temper with Penelope multiple times, but I understood the reasoning behind him doing so but just wished that he would listen to Penelope’s side a bit more.
I also love the fact that we found out the identity of Lady Whistledown in this book, but will however miss her summary of the parties and her comments about the goings on around town. I think Lady Whistledown’s Society Papers were such a fun addition to the stories and the mystery behind who she was was a puzzle that occupied me throughout the first four books of the series.
I’m hoping the next book is just as good as this one, and I am enjoying this series immensely.
Eleanor Luhar (47 KP) rated Eden Summer in Books
Jun 24, 2019
I keep falling behind on wiring my reviews, sorry! I really need to get back on track. I finished this on Tuesday I think? I really enjoyed it, although it isn't quite worthy of five stars.
I'm going to put in a trigger warning as there are mentions of substance abuse, physical abuse, death, adoption and suicide.
Jess's best friend has gone missing. Through interviews with the police and Jess's personal recollections, we begin to build up a picture of Eden's life before her disappearance. Her sister had recently been killed in a car accident, and her seemingly perfect relationship with Liam was more complicated than anyone realised. Bit by bit, Jess - and we - begin to piece things together and discover where Eden has gone.
The girls are only young - 15 I think? - and very much have the all-consuming passion that young teens feel. As in, every little issue feels huge, and things feel far more serious than they might to an older person. I remember feeling this way. I think it was portrayed so accurately, the way fighting with your best friend feels like the end of the world and a family argument overwhelms you with guilt. It was a bit annoying in some ways, though; no fault of the author, of course, I just get a bit annoyed at kids taking things too seriously. I look back at myself and think how stupid it was to get so caught up in such little issues. So the things that Jess gets so worked up over just seemed a bit trivial to me, like she was exaggerating too much. But as I said, this creates the teenage voice really well in my opinion.
The things that both these girls have gone through are massive, though - Jess was attacked and Eden's sister killed. That's pretty hard for a young girl to deal with, and these are not the problems I'm saying are trivial. These are hugely important and emotional issues and I think it's great to talk about. I love books with these real, albeit sad, events. I think it is so good to discuss all the feelings and situations that follow, and also emphasise how it is not the end of the world if something bad happens. life will continue. Eden says how she feels her sister's death becoming more distant, more bearable, and how she doesn't want that to happen. She feels guilty, as if she's forgetting her and moving on. This is so important. She also thinks about killing herself due to guilt - which I won't ruin too much - but then realises how she shouldn't take life for granted. Her sister would've given anything to be alive still, and she shouldn't be throwing that away.
It was a really good read and I found myself wondering what was going to be revealed next. It was wel written and perfectly captured the young voice of Jess. If I read this when I was younger, I think I would've adored it. I would've understood it and connected to Jess more than I did now I'm older. 4 stars, definitely worth a read.
I'm going to put in a trigger warning as there are mentions of substance abuse, physical abuse, death, adoption and suicide.
Jess's best friend has gone missing. Through interviews with the police and Jess's personal recollections, we begin to build up a picture of Eden's life before her disappearance. Her sister had recently been killed in a car accident, and her seemingly perfect relationship with Liam was more complicated than anyone realised. Bit by bit, Jess - and we - begin to piece things together and discover where Eden has gone.
The girls are only young - 15 I think? - and very much have the all-consuming passion that young teens feel. As in, every little issue feels huge, and things feel far more serious than they might to an older person. I remember feeling this way. I think it was portrayed so accurately, the way fighting with your best friend feels like the end of the world and a family argument overwhelms you with guilt. It was a bit annoying in some ways, though; no fault of the author, of course, I just get a bit annoyed at kids taking things too seriously. I look back at myself and think how stupid it was to get so caught up in such little issues. So the things that Jess gets so worked up over just seemed a bit trivial to me, like she was exaggerating too much. But as I said, this creates the teenage voice really well in my opinion.
The things that both these girls have gone through are massive, though - Jess was attacked and Eden's sister killed. That's pretty hard for a young girl to deal with, and these are not the problems I'm saying are trivial. These are hugely important and emotional issues and I think it's great to talk about. I love books with these real, albeit sad, events. I think it is so good to discuss all the feelings and situations that follow, and also emphasise how it is not the end of the world if something bad happens. life will continue. Eden says how she feels her sister's death becoming more distant, more bearable, and how she doesn't want that to happen. She feels guilty, as if she's forgetting her and moving on. This is so important. She also thinks about killing herself due to guilt - which I won't ruin too much - but then realises how she shouldn't take life for granted. Her sister would've given anything to be alive still, and she shouldn't be throwing that away.
It was a really good read and I found myself wondering what was going to be revealed next. It was wel written and perfectly captured the young voice of Jess. If I read this when I was younger, I think I would've adored it. I would've understood it and connected to Jess more than I did now I'm older. 4 stars, definitely worth a read.
Spark, Homecoming Hearts #2
10.0
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Book
Joey Sullivan’s dreams are over. His band, Below Zero, is dead and gone. He knows he’s destined...
5 stars personal male/male romance contemporary
Merissa (13810 KP) rated Entangled (Dark Faeverse #3) in Books
Dec 23, 2025
ENTANGLED is the third book in the Dark Faeverse series, although you don't need to have read the others. There is an introduction at the beginning to give you an idea of what's gone on before.
Mara is the younger, always overlooked, and tossed aside sister of Sarah. They are both scientists, although their work is in different fields. When Mara gets the opportunity to talk about her work at a conference in the Vine Court, she takes it, understanding that it may be too good to be true, but fed up with being invisible. Thorian doesn't think Maya is invisible at all. In fact, she is the culmination of a long plan, one that he hopes will save his court.
Although there are still plot holes and time disparities, this was a whole lot better than the last book. The relationship between Maya and Thorian was better, although (obviously) still very manipulative. To be honest, I found the storyline with Sarah to be completely unnecessary.
According to the last chapter, it's off to the mountains for the Stone Court next. I am interested in how that one will work. Thorned is still my favourite so far, but Entangled is next to it.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Dec 23, 2025
Mara is the younger, always overlooked, and tossed aside sister of Sarah. They are both scientists, although their work is in different fields. When Mara gets the opportunity to talk about her work at a conference in the Vine Court, she takes it, understanding that it may be too good to be true, but fed up with being invisible. Thorian doesn't think Maya is invisible at all. In fact, she is the culmination of a long plan, one that he hopes will save his court.
Although there are still plot holes and time disparities, this was a whole lot better than the last book. The relationship between Maya and Thorian was better, although (obviously) still very manipulative. To be honest, I found the storyline with Sarah to be completely unnecessary.
According to the last chapter, it's off to the mountains for the Stone Court next. I am interested in how that one will work. Thorned is still my favourite so far, but Entangled is next to it.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Dec 23, 2025
Sarah (7800 KP) rated The Umbrella Academy in TV
Mar 6, 2019
Deserving of the hype
I have to admit, I was pretty impressed with this show. It's not every day when you watch something that meets all of the hype surrounding it, and I was quite sceptical to begin with.
The show manages to brilliantly blend action, the supernatural and dark humour to form an intriguing and interesting adult plot, with just enough twists to keep you hooked without going too OTT (Lost style). It also has some brilliant fight scenes (with a decent amount of blood and gore) that are paired with a truly killer soundtrack. And it has fortunately gone down the adult route rather than making this suitable for kids like some of the Marvel type shows/films.
The characters too for the most part are witty, deep and well thought out, from the family members to the villains Hazel and Cha-Cha. My favourites are by far Five and Klaus. Robert Sheehan is a great actor, I've loved him since Misfits and he's really perfect for Klaus. And Aidan Gallagher is brilliant as the old man in a child's body Five, there's something very humorous seeing a thirteen year old outsmarting and killing people. He's a true delight whenever he's on screen. My only real issue with the characters is with Vanya. For me I found her very dull to begin with and I thought her entire storyline was a teeny bit predictable. She does pick up and get more interesting towards the end, it's just a shame she puts a downer on the earlier episodes. Luckily the rest of the show more than makes up for it.
I can't begin to say how devastated I was at the end of the final episode. I could've quite happily watched more, so I really hope they renew this for another season.
The show manages to brilliantly blend action, the supernatural and dark humour to form an intriguing and interesting adult plot, with just enough twists to keep you hooked without going too OTT (Lost style). It also has some brilliant fight scenes (with a decent amount of blood and gore) that are paired with a truly killer soundtrack. And it has fortunately gone down the adult route rather than making this suitable for kids like some of the Marvel type shows/films.
The characters too for the most part are witty, deep and well thought out, from the family members to the villains Hazel and Cha-Cha. My favourites are by far Five and Klaus. Robert Sheehan is a great actor, I've loved him since Misfits and he's really perfect for Klaus. And Aidan Gallagher is brilliant as the old man in a child's body Five, there's something very humorous seeing a thirteen year old outsmarting and killing people. He's a true delight whenever he's on screen. My only real issue with the characters is with Vanya. For me I found her very dull to begin with and I thought her entire storyline was a teeny bit predictable. She does pick up and get more interesting towards the end, it's just a shame she puts a downer on the earlier episodes. Luckily the rest of the show more than makes up for it.
I can't begin to say how devastated I was at the end of the final episode. I could've quite happily watched more, so I really hope they renew this for another season.