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My Absolute Darling
My Absolute Darling
Gabriel Tallent | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
4
6.0 (5 Ratings)
Book Rating
There are books that make you love them from the first page. This one was not one of those!
There were millions of times when I wanted to give it up and put this book down - I found it extremely hard to keep going, but I somehow finished it.

The story itself is so twisted, it is just unbelievable. It is one of the most twisted plots I've ever read in my life. And there were parts I loved, but there were also parts I hated.

The thing I loved the most was the adventures Turtle had with Jacob.
The thing I hated the most... - Where do I start?
The relationship between Turtle and her father, the unrealistic characters description, the unreliable situations they find themselves into, the unreal thoughts that a 14-year-old girl might have, the swearing throughout the book.

I have never had such a feeling towards a book, and as much as I don't like it - it bothers me. It bothers me of what could have happened, what could be different, why this and why that...

It is definitely worth reading it, but only for those that can cope with it. I am not sure if I can...
  
Seduced by the Handyman (Cougars & Cubs #2)
Seduced by the Handyman (Cougars & Cubs #2)
Nancy Fraser | 2021 | Contemporary, Erotica, Romance
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
cute read, but not one for me.
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

This is book 2 in the Cougars & Cubs series, but it is not necessary to have read book one to enjoy this one.

As much as it pains me to say so, I found this a nice​ read. Ya'll know how much I hate using that word, but it's stuck with me for 2 days since I finished the book, and I can't shift it!

I liked that both Cate and Mitch have a say. I liked that Mitch does what he does to keep Cate's job safe, and they can continue their relationship.

I liked the heat level. It's not scorching, by any means, but it a pleasant heat, like sitting in the April sunshine. Not too much, but enough to feel the sun, you know??

I liked that both Cate and Mitch's friends were positive about their relationship.

I liked that there really isn't any great angst, and no break up/make up.

What's here is well written, and it reads well.

I liked​ it!

But something about it doesn't quite work, and I have no idea what.

a GOOD 3 stars

same worded review will appear elsewhere​​
  
Yard of Blonde Girls by Jeff Buckley
Yard of Blonde Girls by Jeff Buckley
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"The album I got into most from Jeff Buckley was Grace and I listened to that loads. I've listened to that back to front, but more recently I got into Sketches For My Sweetheart which this song is on. I think that this album is all demos and the fact that it still sounds so complete, the message is still so strong, the energy’s still there. Something about that particular song just really felt like church to me I can’t explain it, maybe it’s the chord progression. It was like grunge church, I'm into that. I'd love to go to a sermon where it’s grunge church, that's me. But more so how he kind of created a world in this song where I don't really get what he’s chatting about but I’m with him, I’m on that journey. I love things like that, that I can’t explain, and I think Dark Matter is very much like that, I don't want people to try and explain it. I want people to try and feel it, have that relationship. And then maybe one day find out why it makes you feel this way. I haven't found the answer for this one yet but that's definitely the vibe."

Source
  
Who's Your New Professor by Sam Prekop
Who's Your New Professor by Sam Prekop
2005 | Alternative, Rock
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"Just like we had a group of friends in Toulouse, we had a group of friends in Chicago, with everybody playing in each other's bands, and really we found a family there. Those were wonderful years, but since then a lot of people have moved to LA, or just moved out. Sam I believe still lives in Chicago. I don't know if he's still making music. I sure hope so. He moved away from this type of music to buying analogue electronic machines and playing around with those a lot and it was divine, but he'd moved away from the pop format the last time I heard him. But I do love Sam Prekop, and I probably have even more of a soft spot for his solo albums than for his work with The Sea And Cake, which I also find superb, but the solo stuff has always touched me more somehow. Maybe it's because there's less at stake. Maybe they're more free and therefore more direct. You don't have to show off your prowess so much, I don't know. But I do like the freedom of them. It's like laughter, the way it comes out. I really like that. I find that in beautiful, well-crafted songs we approach perfection. Not that we should seek perfection necessarily; we're perfect as we are. But for me, artistically and aesthetically, we're coming close to something quite perfect, and therefore it makes it into my list. The album feels so lightly or deeply attuned that you don't have to force it down. You don't force it, you just let it be and follow it. You let it guide you, and that's a big quality to Sam's writing. Sam could probably have been a much bigger star in terms of having more fans, but I think he's probably always protected himself from that, knowing very well it would probably destroy his muse. It's very difficult to not get crushed by too much popularity. You want to please people and meet their expectations, and expectations are just the worst thing. They're the worst poison. They should be absolutely prohibited and fought against, actively. I sense that also: that people when they meet me have expectations. They have a whole story in their mind and then when they meet me and I'm just me it's somehow ah, I'm not what you expected me to be. But that's a trap, the expectation, and I try to avoid it. I try to not have expectations, because most of the time you're going to be disappointed. So why live a life of disappointment, when you can live a life of joy?"

Source
  
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Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Acid in Books

Jan 6, 2021  
Acid
Acid
Emma Pass | 2013 | Dystopia
8
7.5 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
***I received this ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***

3.5 stars.

This was a long book and therefore I had to break it up with others but it didn’t take away my intrigue with the book. A lot happened in it and it kept me coming back, if only to read a few pages at a time.

I’ll admit for the first 15% or so I was really interested but then it got a little slow (which was when I started breaking it up with other books) and it was only when I got to around the 50% mark that I got really into it again and quite literally devoured it in a few hours.

The plot was different to anything I’ve ever read and I think it was for that reason that I was so intrigued. How England is being run by an agency that doesn’t allow you to go abroad at all or to leave the city without a valid c-card (I.D). If this is what’s going to happen in the future then God help us…though in another hundred years I think I’ll be long past dead and wont particularly care.

That’s something else I like about this book, the fact it’s set in England (which doesn’t seem to happen so often in the books I read) and we travel from London to Manchester and a few other places :)

Jenna is a strong, kick-ass, character and I found myself willing her on whether in prison or out in London and the other areas they visit. I also liked her relationship with Max.

If you like something young adult, dystopian and intriguing then you will love this. It’s certainly different.
  
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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Dear Mr. M in Books

Feb 13, 2018  
DM
Dear Mr. M
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
"M" is a famous writer whose best days are probably, if truth be told, behind him. He's best known for his novel, Payback, which tells the story of a high school history teacher, Mr. Landzaat, who went missing one winter after having an affair with one of his female students. That student, Laura, had moved on to a relationship with a boy her own age, Herman. The two were staying at a vacation cottage and were the last ones to see their teacher. Did they have something to do with his disappearance? Now, M lives with his beautiful (much younger) wife and little daughter in an apartment. They have a neighbor who seems to have a odd fascination with the couple, but why? The novel weaves together the tales of these disparate characters.

I had heard a lot about Koch's novels and was excited to win this one via a Goodreads Giveaway. It was certainly interesting and definitely different than many novels I read. I have to admit that it was a rather slow read, especially the first three quarters or so. There was actually a point where I was considering giving up for a bit, but I soldiered on. Some characters in the novels never have names (just initials), and we don't really get insight into who our varying narrators are. While I understand why (and it adds to the drama of the novel), I'll confess that it gets a little confusing at times. You really have to stay on your toes as you read.

Still, the novel is definitely more compelling toward the end, and I found myself staying up late to finish it. The twist at the end was certainly not what I expected. The varying viewpoints wind up working out well, as you really see the story unfold from everyone's perspective. Still, I found the story a bit diluted by a bit of a "meta" storyline about writers, as well as an odd insertion about M's father and his role in the resistance, as well as M's own views, which never really seemed to have a full role or point in the tale. I enjoyed the novel, but I didn't love it, and it (frankly) exhausted me a bit.

I received a copy of this novel via a Goodreads Giveaway (thank you!) in return for an unbiased review.
  
SC
Sex Criminals, Vol. 1: One Weird Trick
6
8.7 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
When I saw this making the rounds on booktube, I thought I must read it, it sounds amazing and nothing I have never read before. It appears graphic novels and comics are popular once again.

First of all I want to mention just how amazing the artwork in this book is and the colours are so pretty as can be seen above.

I had to read this twice as I just wasn't sure first time round, I took my time reading this once again and I stand by my initial thoughts that this book is ok but could be better.

The story just jumps all over the place, you will be reading about current happenings and then it will jump to the future and I was just like huh! whats going on? and getting very confused! (it's not difficult)

I didn't feel any connection with the main characters John and Suze they just meet at a party have sex, realise they can both stop time and John reminiscing on the first time he realised he could do it.

The premise of the books sounds great and had me hooked but it was just ok. - John and Suze find that they can both stop time when they climax, so they make a plan to rob the bank to fund the library that is closing down.

There is also a part that refers to all women in the sex industry must have been abused in there younger days which I found very stereotypical, not funny and could be offensive to some readers.

Also there is sex police! Yes you heard me right! SEX POLICE!!

The humour on this novel was very crude or could be called 'Bathroom humour,' there is a lot of sexual content and pictures so if you are easily offended this is not the book for you.

So overall this book was just MEH! It had it pro's but unfortunately was outweighed by the cons. I am not sure if I will be continuing on with this series, I think I need to see what other people think first.

I rate this 3 out of 5 stars.
  
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p3anut (62 KP) rated the Xbox One version of Dauntless in Video Games

Jun 1, 2019  
Dauntless
Dauntless
2019 | Action, Action/Adventure, Role-Playing
Customization (2 more)
Hack and slash fun
Voice acting
Beta (1 more)
Tutorial
Dauntless+dash of monster Hunter+ rpg mmo=
I want to start out by saying if it wasn't for Xbox game share I never would have discovered dauntless. I saw my buddy had downloaded it so I decided to give it a go.

At first glance I was a little put off since it was made by epic, had fortnite looking character models and I didn't know anything about the game. And right now I'm a little burnt out on the fortnite craze.

After about 10mins of playtime, I found myself really enjoying the hunting aspect of the game. The monsters are huge and sometimes they have little ones around them that you have to kill before attacking the bigger ones. The battles range from 5min to 30min so far which is pretty nice depending on your time constraints.

The world hub that you visit in between hunts is fairly decent sized and full of human characters. They have this cool little icon feature where you can see if the player is on pc or Xbox. The hub is full of what you would expect from an RPG games as a service title. It has your typical weapon master, grenade master, potions master, and armor master. And of course looped into all of those are micro transactions for skins and dye packs etc.

Which if you're like me you don't really care about customizing the color of your hat etc. Enough to spend actual money on.

I've only played about 4 hrs of dauntless and so far I'm pretty into it. I do feel like eventually the grind will get repetitive but I will update once I have at least 10hrs put into it. As I mentioned in my tags it is in a beta stage so don't be surprised from some lag from time to time or quests not showing on the screen as completed because even tho it doesn't show, it does complete them
  
The Complete Love Mark Box Set by Linda Kage
The Complete Love Mark Box Set by Linda Kage
Linda Kage | 2022 | Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is a review for The COMPLETE Love Mark Boxset, which features stories about Erick and Ianna, Urban and Vienne, Nicolette and Farrow, Indigo and Quilla, Olivander and Unity, and Dori and Xavier. You also get Allera and Brentley's story thrown in for good measure.

This boxset/world shines a whole new light on the insta-love/lust trope as those from High Cliff have a tattoo near one of their eyes that tells them when they have found their true love. When that happens, all reason and rational behaviour go out of the window, leaving only burning lust. Along the way, we get the stories from the couples and the overall story arc that links them all together.

I enjoyed all the stories, some more so than others but the one character I absolutely loathe is Nicolette. I coped with her in Urban and Vienne's story as she was only a teenager. I had to force myself to finish her book, although I loved Farrow, and despised her in Dori's story. And she's not in it for long! Just long enough to remind me why I disliked her so much.

To be perfectly honest, I would not recommend reading this as a boxset but as more individual stories. So long as you can remember the overall story arc you should be okay, but there is a lot of repetition about just what the love mark means, how it makes you behave, plus other things, that become obvious when you read them back-to-back.

This was a new-to-me author and I am intrigued enough to look for other books by her. I have no hesitation in recommending this series but with the caveat already mentioned.

** 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!
  
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Zuky the BookBum (15 KP) rated Dog in Books

Mar 15, 2018  
D
Dog
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I enjoyed this short story more than it seems others did. I don't know anything about Mexican culture and so I cannot understand the inaccuracies in this book, but I wholeheartedly understand the difficulties people will have with this novella if they are aware of true Mexican culture. For me this was purely fictional, the comments about Mexico didn't settle in my head as correct or accurate, I'd only take things as true if this was non-fiction or a documentary, though I'm always still happy to be corrected and to learn!

A creepy novella that I found fun to read. I wasn't so keen on all the sudden turn of events. The beginning of the story was drawn out and really let you into the narrators life whereas it just seemed to get rushed towards the end.

Thrilling and different. It was a nice change to the things I'm used to reading.