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Deborah (162 KP) rated Six Tudor Queens: Katherine of Aragon, the True Queen: Six Tudor Queens 1 in Books
Dec 19, 2018
Weir again goes from traditionalist historian to historical novelist, but she can't seem to leave the historian bit behind. Much as I dislike wholesale abandonment of historical accuracy and the flagrant sensationalism of Phillipa Gregory and her Ilk, I really found this book over long and tedious - I could quite cheerfully have done some poisoning myself just to get the book over and done with! It feels like Weir has looked up every single historical quote she could find from people in the period and tried to squeeze them into the book. I had read biographies of the period that are more enlightening that this and do more to bring the people and period to life.
During the third quarter of the book, we get a lot of Henry coming in to visit Katherine, giving us a bit of plot exposition and then having a strop and stomping out like a child having a tantrum. After about the tenth occurrence this gets rather tedious and doesn't feel altogether likely.
I was slightly weirded by the implication that Katherine on arrival quite fancied the ten year old Henry and the bit in the Tower with the 'ghost lady' and the shivers down the spine in Peterborough cathedral seemed out of place and both only really play off if you have a knowledge of the period already, in which case you really don't need to be reading this.
Finally, for all the historical stuff Weir has stuffed in there, she really does need to pay better attention to her geography. I know Ampthill isn't that far from Dunstable, but I think I little effort would inform her that it's more like 14 miles and not the 4 she has in the book!
While the writing isn't awful, it's just not engaging and the book is far too long and becomes tedious. Does Weir really believe that Katherine believed that, after everything that he had done, Henry would meekly accept the Pope's vastly overdue ruling, put Anne and Elizabeth and the change of a male heir aside along with his leadership of the Church of England? hindsight is a wonderful thing, but I find it hard to beleive that Katherine was as stupid and naive as she comes across here. She says she still loves Henry and wouldn't do anything against him, yet writes to the Pope and the Emperor with a clear intention of inciting war! I think Weir means to make her sympathetic, but I just found her exasperating. I would recommend some good non-fiction book on the period ahead of this.
During the third quarter of the book, we get a lot of Henry coming in to visit Katherine, giving us a bit of plot exposition and then having a strop and stomping out like a child having a tantrum. After about the tenth occurrence this gets rather tedious and doesn't feel altogether likely.
I was slightly weirded by the implication that Katherine on arrival quite fancied the ten year old Henry and the bit in the Tower with the 'ghost lady' and the shivers down the spine in Peterborough cathedral seemed out of place and both only really play off if you have a knowledge of the period already, in which case you really don't need to be reading this.
Finally, for all the historical stuff Weir has stuffed in there, she really does need to pay better attention to her geography. I know Ampthill isn't that far from Dunstable, but I think I little effort would inform her that it's more like 14 miles and not the 4 she has in the book!
While the writing isn't awful, it's just not engaging and the book is far too long and becomes tedious. Does Weir really believe that Katherine believed that, after everything that he had done, Henry would meekly accept the Pope's vastly overdue ruling, put Anne and Elizabeth and the change of a male heir aside along with his leadership of the Church of England? hindsight is a wonderful thing, but I find it hard to beleive that Katherine was as stupid and naive as she comes across here. She says she still loves Henry and wouldn't do anything against him, yet writes to the Pope and the Emperor with a clear intention of inciting war! I think Weir means to make her sympathetic, but I just found her exasperating. I would recommend some good non-fiction book on the period ahead of this.
Becoming a Marihuana User
Book
OG Kush. Sour Diesel. Wax, shatter, and vapes. Marijuana has come a long way since its seedy days in...
graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated Shadow Princess (Taj Mahal Trilogy, #3) in Books
Feb 15, 2019
I have tried, over and over and over again, to get through this book. I just can't and I won't try anymore. There are far better books to read than to waste time on one that's not worth the expense it takes to get through it. Technically, the writing is good, but everything is just so boring and lifeless; I don't care about anyone or anything. Maybe if it didn't often read like a history lesson and had some movement, I would have liked this book better. Good historical fiction incorporates the history seamlessly into the narrative. This book didn't and the history actually came in chunks that disrupted the story. This is an author I'll be sure to steer clear of from now on.
starwarsluvr (236 KP) rated Zombified in Books
Jan 30, 2018
I got this book from the author for a honest review. I am not a big fan of zombie books and honestly this one isn't a lot different for me except that the characters and plot of the book were better then most...I still didnt like the whole zombie eating people thing etc...but honestly I did enjoy the story..there was more to the zombies then just eating people and wasn't a bad story. I would def recommend this story to those who enjoy zombies especially and for those who might be interested in trying a new zombie book just to try one this would be a good one to start with. I am thinking about reading the next book when it comes out. :)
saheffernan (157 KP) rated Saint X in Books
Mar 7, 2020
Wonderfully descriptive, bits to move the story along, somewhat compelling characters. There are different parts I loved and different parts that were just so slow. The first 3 pages was description of the island we would be visiting and not really any story. 1/4 of the way in it picked up and continued for about a few chapters but then we got to mid way and it just started to get hard to believe and continued on a slow pace until the end.
I did really like how we learned of Alison through articles, many people's recalled memories, her diary entries. These are the parts I felt kept the book interesting after each chapter we'd get more and more of Alison.
I did really like how we learned of Alison through articles, many people's recalled memories, her diary entries. These are the parts I felt kept the book interesting after each chapter we'd get more and more of Alison.
Be Awesome: Modern Life for Modern Ladies
Book
Hadley Freeman, Guardian features writer and author of the popular 'Ask Hadley...' column, reminds...
The Dangerous Book for Idiots: 100 Crazy Projects for the Crazy Fool
Book
Are you stark raving bonkers? Have you no care for life and limb? Too much adrenaline and not enough...
A Good Clean Heart
Book
"This one time, I just know she's gonna hit the roof. I just put you in the pushchair and get out...
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated The Unidentified Redhead (Redhead, #1) in Books
Jan 6, 2021
This is my second book by the author, the first being Wallbanger which I loved.
I liked this one to start with. Younger man older woman romances can always be interesting and how these two got together was just that. It was cute and flirty.
I just didn't always get the humour these two shared. Maybe it's because I'm a Brit...but so was Jack, so I'm a little stumped there.
The rest of the storyline didn't grab me either. It was almost like nothing happened in the story but their budding romance, which would be fine normally but I wasn't 100% behind it.
I haven't decided if I'll continue the series but at the moment I'm hovering more over the 'not' side of things.
I liked this one to start with. Younger man older woman romances can always be interesting and how these two got together was just that. It was cute and flirty.
I just didn't always get the humour these two shared. Maybe it's because I'm a Brit...but so was Jack, so I'm a little stumped there.
The rest of the storyline didn't grab me either. It was almost like nothing happened in the story but their budding romance, which would be fine normally but I wasn't 100% behind it.
I haven't decided if I'll continue the series but at the moment I'm hovering more over the 'not' side of things.