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Isaac and the Egg
Isaac and the Egg
Bobby Palmer | 2022 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Isaac and the Egg should come with a warning (I need to make it absolutely clear here that I loved this book!).

Isaac Addy really isn’t coping with the death of his wife. You’ll stand with him on the bridge as he contemplates throwing himself off as he can’t go on without her, and then he hears a strange noise coming from the woodland below and goes to investigate.

I adored this beautiful, heartfelt, crazy book. I also can’t see how I can tell you ANYTHING at all about it without dropping huge spoilers and making it sound ridiculous. And this is most certainly NOT a ridiculous book. I swung between utter heartbreak (not good on a dog walk) and laughing (also not great, but people always smile back!)

It’s just a perfect book.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Johnny Flynn, who was such a good choice. I’ve heard of him before, and have listened to his music for years (I’ve never seen him act though, and I’m thinking I should!). He has such a gentle voice, absolutely suited to a novel with the themes of love and loss.

So read it, listen to it - but just do one or the other. You won’t regret it. Just keep the tissues handy.
  
The Solitary Protector (Etherya's Earth #8)
The Solitary Protector (Etherya's Earth #8)
Rebecca Hefner | 2023 | Paranormal, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
THE SOLITARY PROTECTOR is the eighth book in the Etherya's Earth series and we FINALLY get more of Alrec and Kilani!!! I can't believe I've waited this whole time. And now we get their son, Leo, too. Be still my beating heart.

Addie wants to know more about her purple eyes and sets off on a journey. Along the way, she meets Leo. To say these two are opposites would be an understatement at first glance, but once you learn more about them, you realise that they are both different and the same. Delayed gratification and so much hotness! Add to that a dash of heartbreak, hard choices, and a newly-found prophecy and you've got a recipe for a 5-star read!

Another star in the crown of Etherya's Earth, I honestly love this series. The one thing I'd recommend is to read it from the beginning, just so you get the full benefit. After all, these relationships don't just happen, you know. 😉

HIGHLY recommended by me!

** 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, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jun 7, 2023
  
The Winter of the Witch (Winternight Trilogy #3)
The Winter of the Witch (Winternight Trilogy #3)
Katherine Arden | 2019 | Fiction & Poetry
10
9.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Winter of the Witch is the conclusion to the Winternight trilogy that began with The Bear and The Nightingale (enjoyable, but a little overhyped) and continued in The Girl in the Tower (fantastic). And ooooohhh what a conclusion it is! Vasya truly comes into her own in this book, dealing with the Russian fae with a confidence and conviction she didn't quite have before. The war between the twin brother spirits - the Bear and the Winter King - comes to a head, with Vasya in the middle. While that war is heating up, so is the war between the Tatars and the Russians, with its climax in a version of the real-world Battle of Kulikovo.

The whole of Vasya's family history is finally revealed, which has surprises of its own. Previously unknown family members appear, and Vasya is no longer as alone in her powers as she thought she was.

It can be very hard to review books in a series - especially concluding books - without spoiling things, so I'll just say this was an epic conclusion to the trilogy and was just as enchanting as the other books. I cried at more than one point in this book, because Vasya's heartbreak is so poignant. Gorgeous book. Beautiful use of Russian mythology. This entire trilogy is just brilliant.

You can read all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.com
  
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ClareR (5542 KP) Apr 3, 2019

I have this sat on my ‘to read’ bookshelf - and I really need to get round to it!!!! I’ve loved this series, and it looks as though the ending won’t disappoint! Good review - thank you ?

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Awix (3310 KP) rated Wild Rose (2018) in Movies

Apr 16, 2019 (Updated Apr 16, 2019)  
Wild Rose (2018)
Wild Rose (2018)
2018 | Drama, Music
A Star is Paroled, More Like
Scottish-set take on the same kind of material as A Star is Born features a terrific performance (both acting and musical) from Jessie Buckley, and much less material about people falling in love or weeing themselves on stage. Talented but off-the-rails young woman comes out of prison, tries to reconnect with her mother and children, plans (not very realistically) to go to Nashville and become a country star. (The point is repeatedly made that country music is not the same as country and western music, but this is possibly not the venue to be pedantic in.) Features a cameo by Whispering Bob Harris, who gives an oddly unconvincing performance even though he's playing himself.

Buckley is tremendous, as noted, but Julie Walters is equally good as her disapproving mum (no singing from Walters, though); the film plays engagingly with audience expectations and - to its credit - resists the temptation to suggest there are easy answers to life's questions. It works really hard to earn its moments of triumph and joy: there is some real heartbreak along the way, and the film suggests that while being dedicated to your dreams is all very well, it can also make you a horrible person to be around. Cheats a bit at the very end, but has earned the right to by that point, I would say.
  
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Awix (3310 KP) rated Rocketman (2019) in Movies

May 29, 2019  
Rocketman (2019)
Rocketman (2019)
2019 | Biography, Drama
One day it may be possible to review Rocketman without comparing it to Bohemian Rhapsody (same director, very similar subject matter, same grab-bag of familiar music), but clearly not today. Musical prodigy Reggie Dwight learns to tinkle the ivories, meets lyricist Bernie Taupin, reinvents himself as glam-rock superstar Elton John, but must contend with both success (350 million records sold) and heartbreak (Watford lose the 1984 FA cup final 2-0).

A generally upbeat portrait of the music legend (as one might expect, given he exec-produced and his husband produced it) Dexter Fletcher's film features an unexpectedly good performance from Taron Egerton and, as a full-blown musical it isn't afraid to embrace elements of fantasy (the story still plays fast and loose with the facts a bit). On the other hand, it doesn't have a big iconic moment like Live Aid to build up to, the only real option being Elton singing at the funeral in 1997 (which would require a movie with a wholly different tone). In the end the movie handles the rags rather better than the riches, goes to pieces a little bit just as its subject did, but in the end proves to be a surprisingly touching tale of a man exorcising his personal demons. Great soundtrack, too, obviously.