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MaryAnn (14 KP) rated A Dim Reflection (A Light for Christ Collection #2) in Books
Nov 4, 2019
Back Cover Copy: William Caverly can't seem to understand the unsettling feeling that has been nagging him for far too long. Memories of a baby sister are forever haunting his waking hours, and as he sleeps at night, he is repeatedly awakened by nightmares, confusing ones that he'd rather forget. His baby sister died. He saw her little body laid to rest beside their mother. But that doesnt explain the dim remembrance he has of an event that happened not too long after that.
Charlotte Porter's days are full and busy as she diligently teaches her young art students at her mother's boarding school, and tries desperately to stay away from an annoying suitor. Painting has been her passion and dream ever since she could hold a brush, but lately, she has begun to question her mission and calling in life. What is her real purpose? And why does she know so little about her father, who supposedly died before she was born?
William thinks he's discovered the hidden link that has kept him from his sister for over fifteen years. But then she's kidnapped, leaving William no choice except to find her and get her back. Once and for all.
My Thoughts: This is an exciting series of books, and although this is book 2 in the series, I was able to jump in and follow the story easily. I do recommend that the reader reads book 1 in the series " A Higher Ransom", only because this is such a wonderful and exciting series. This novel is full of adventure and mystery.
The characters are enjoyable, and the readers will have their favorites. The storyline keeps the readers' attention and flows at a good quick pace. There isn't any lagging in the storyline, and the plot is interesting to follow. I believe that the readers', like myself, will enjoy the fact that the author uses plenty of scripture that compliments the plot of the novel.
I will be looking forward to reading more from this author in the future.
Charlotte Porter's days are full and busy as she diligently teaches her young art students at her mother's boarding school, and tries desperately to stay away from an annoying suitor. Painting has been her passion and dream ever since she could hold a brush, but lately, she has begun to question her mission and calling in life. What is her real purpose? And why does she know so little about her father, who supposedly died before she was born?
William thinks he's discovered the hidden link that has kept him from his sister for over fifteen years. But then she's kidnapped, leaving William no choice except to find her and get her back. Once and for all.
My Thoughts: This is an exciting series of books, and although this is book 2 in the series, I was able to jump in and follow the story easily. I do recommend that the reader reads book 1 in the series " A Higher Ransom", only because this is such a wonderful and exciting series. This novel is full of adventure and mystery.
The characters are enjoyable, and the readers will have their favorites. The storyline keeps the readers' attention and flows at a good quick pace. There isn't any lagging in the storyline, and the plot is interesting to follow. I believe that the readers', like myself, will enjoy the fact that the author uses plenty of scripture that compliments the plot of the novel.
I will be looking forward to reading more from this author in the future.
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Blood Moon in Books
Nov 8, 2019
When businessman Recidio Suarez is kidnapped it is the start of a brutal ordeal of beatings and torture as the gang try to steal as many of his assets as they can, and once they have done so it is clear they will kill him.
The police fail to investigate and it is up to Suarez' lawyer Nolan Stevens to track down the gang and try to stop them before they strike again. He races against time to put the evidence together that he needs, but will his efforts be enough?
Based on a true story, there are two distinct phases of this story. Firstly the kidnapping, torture and theft carried out by the gang. The second that of the attempt to capture them. The first part manage to convey the plight Suarez finds himself in well, the panic, the desperation, the pain and the realisation that he is unlikely to get out of this alive.
But it is with the investigation that this novel really steps up a gear. Stevens is a great foil, using the law to his advantage but also carefully breaking it when he needs to. As he tracks the gang down, piecing together their identities, actions and motivations bit by bit the reader is drawn along too, wanting him to succeed.
Everything is described well, from the sticky heat Suarez has to endure in captivity to the indifference of the police and the planning of the gang and the violence of their crimes. I also couldn't help but chuckle as Stevens find time to settle an old score at the same time.
As crime thrillers go this is a good one. Not a 'whodunnit' as that is revealed very early on, but more showing not only how far some people will go for money but also how guile, wit and tenacity will often produce results in the end.
The police fail to investigate and it is up to Suarez' lawyer Nolan Stevens to track down the gang and try to stop them before they strike again. He races against time to put the evidence together that he needs, but will his efforts be enough?
Based on a true story, there are two distinct phases of this story. Firstly the kidnapping, torture and theft carried out by the gang. The second that of the attempt to capture them. The first part manage to convey the plight Suarez finds himself in well, the panic, the desperation, the pain and the realisation that he is unlikely to get out of this alive.
But it is with the investigation that this novel really steps up a gear. Stevens is a great foil, using the law to his advantage but also carefully breaking it when he needs to. As he tracks the gang down, piecing together their identities, actions and motivations bit by bit the reader is drawn along too, wanting him to succeed.
Everything is described well, from the sticky heat Suarez has to endure in captivity to the indifference of the police and the planning of the gang and the violence of their crimes. I also couldn't help but chuckle as Stevens find time to settle an old score at the same time.
As crime thrillers go this is a good one. Not a 'whodunnit' as that is revealed very early on, but more showing not only how far some people will go for money but also how guile, wit and tenacity will often produce results in the end.
Cat Danger Allan (29 KP) rated The Princess Bride in Books
Jan 27, 2020 (Updated Jan 27, 2020)
It is still my favourite book in all of the world. And more then ever, I wish I had written it
Contains spoilers, click to show
I watched the movie and loved how closely it related to the fairy tale in the book. We have Wesley and Buttercup who fall in love. However, when Wesley goes to make his fortune his ship is taken by the dreaded pirate Rogers, who never leaves a man alive. So Buttercup in her depression agrees to marry Prince Humperdink. One day Buttercup is kidnapped by a swordsman, a giant and the brains of the group. And so it goes.
This fairy tale has everything you could wish for. True love, a giant, a deadly forest, sword fighting, magic, pirates. You name it, its probably in there.
But what makes this writer so incredible. Is the abridgement section. Goldman writes this as if he's talking about his childhood story, alas this is all a fairytale too. The introduction where he talks about getting a copy of this book for his child's birthday like his father had done for him is one big hoax. He talks about removing all the sections and chapters from the book that never existed. He is just a great writer
The reunion scene he leaves an address to his publishers and promotes people to write in and ask for a copy of the scene. But this writer is so incredible, he replies back to these messages with a new fake story. It is all about how he is getting sued by Florin and cannot release the scene. If you would like to read the response I found a copy on twitter:
https://twitter.com/LettersOfNote/status/1063443712666161154?s=09
I just found that the storytelling was just so perfect, there was nothing you could not enjoy.
This fairy tale has everything you could wish for. True love, a giant, a deadly forest, sword fighting, magic, pirates. You name it, its probably in there.
But what makes this writer so incredible. Is the abridgement section. Goldman writes this as if he's talking about his childhood story, alas this is all a fairytale too. The introduction where he talks about getting a copy of this book for his child's birthday like his father had done for him is one big hoax. He talks about removing all the sections and chapters from the book that never existed. He is just a great writer
The reunion scene he leaves an address to his publishers and promotes people to write in and ask for a copy of the scene. But this writer is so incredible, he replies back to these messages with a new fake story. It is all about how he is getting sued by Florin and cannot release the scene. If you would like to read the response I found a copy on twitter:
https://twitter.com/LettersOfNote/status/1063443712666161154?s=09
I just found that the storytelling was just so perfect, there was nothing you could not enjoy.
Lenard (726 KP) rated The Call Of The Wild (2020) in Movies
Feb 24, 2020
It Wears Its Heart in the Right Place
I love Jack London's writing. It is so nice to read a story with language that is so straightforward. Caught between the romantic period, when writers used flowery prose and were paid per word, and the stream-of-consciousness movement, where narrators spoke in a manner of events as they were happening right at that moment, London's naturalism was a change of pace for readers.
Buck is the housebroken dog of a San Francisco judge who was indulged as any child of wealth would be in the 1890s. Alaska was harsh environment for man and beast. When money was offered for dogs who could work in Alaska as sled dogs for supplies to mining outposts, Buck is kidnapped. Along the way, Buck begins to learn the lineage of his forebears, the wolves, as he adapts to his new life in the frozen tundra.
The movie itself as adapted in 2020 avoids a lot of the hardships that Buck faces in his new life, but he is given a kindly old sage who looks out for him throughout the movie. It also includes a Snidely Whiplash-like literal gold-digger who comes to Alaska with little knowledge of Alaska or gold prospecting. This character is two-dimensional and portrayed as "evil." Also, the character of Spitz, an Alaskan malamute who leads the sled team and serves as an antagonist for Buck, is given very little screentime.
Last observation, during the film, as Harrison Ford lay on the ground in one of the final scenes, I looked into his eyes and saw not the 77-year-old Harrison Ford who has become a mentor to the film community, but the 30-year-old carpenter who just wanted to drag race a teenager in American Graffiti. He still has within his eyes, the look of hunger that acting feeds. And, he didn't need de-aging SPX to look younger than he is.
Buck is the housebroken dog of a San Francisco judge who was indulged as any child of wealth would be in the 1890s. Alaska was harsh environment for man and beast. When money was offered for dogs who could work in Alaska as sled dogs for supplies to mining outposts, Buck is kidnapped. Along the way, Buck begins to learn the lineage of his forebears, the wolves, as he adapts to his new life in the frozen tundra.
The movie itself as adapted in 2020 avoids a lot of the hardships that Buck faces in his new life, but he is given a kindly old sage who looks out for him throughout the movie. It also includes a Snidely Whiplash-like literal gold-digger who comes to Alaska with little knowledge of Alaska or gold prospecting. This character is two-dimensional and portrayed as "evil." Also, the character of Spitz, an Alaskan malamute who leads the sled team and serves as an antagonist for Buck, is given very little screentime.
Last observation, during the film, as Harrison Ford lay on the ground in one of the final scenes, I looked into his eyes and saw not the 77-year-old Harrison Ford who has become a mentor to the film community, but the 30-year-old carpenter who just wanted to drag race a teenager in American Graffiti. He still has within his eyes, the look of hunger that acting feeds. And, he didn't need de-aging SPX to look younger than he is.
AI
Abducted in Iraq: A Priest in Baghdad
Saad Sirop Hanna and Edward S. Aris
Book
How do we respond in the face of evil, especially to those who inflict grave evil upon us? Abducted...
Orphan of Islam
Book
"I've told you before, and I will tell you again, if you are unable to read the Holy Book you will...
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post
Feb 6, 2021 (Updated Feb 6, 2021)
Benedick Lewis (3001 KP) rated Die Trying (Jack Reacher Book#2) in Books
Sep 14, 2020 (Updated Sep 14, 2020)
Some really tense moments - particularly towards the end (3 more)
Reacher isn’t always right but he always wins
Nice chemistry between the two main characters
A definite resemblance to Far Cry 5
Different from the first but equally as good
Jack Reacher (no middle name)’s second outing is a lot different to his debut. Killing Floor was a personal story and felt more focused around Reacher - it also felt like he had godly powers and never seemed to lose. In Die Trying, Reacher is put in a situation out of his element initially but eventually gets his stride. Without wanting to spoil too much, it involves Reacher and a woman on crutches getting kidnapped. When they find out the purpose of the kidnapping, things are a lot worse than one can imagine.
It isn’t really giving anything away to make parallels with 2018’s Far Cry 5. It would be really surprising if the makers of the Ubisoft hit hadn’t read this book. Child’s style is very too the point - with a little padding here and there that if you preserve you get through. Chapters are broken into segments and sometimes flick between multiple characters, which keeps the pace rolling. Child has a good ability to make an event happen and for it to be seen via multiple character perspectives observing said event. It was a little confusing towards the end with certain twists, if you’re not reading in one go, but it isn’t so dense that you lose track and give up.
The payoff is satisfying and action packed, delivering surprises and rapid story telling. Sometimes novels have difficulty rounding things up but there’s no trouble here. It is a well researched novel as well but Andy McNab’s Nick Stone delivers more authenticity regarding weapon handling and operation.
Read this if you enjoy a Hollywood style thriller. It is compact enough to get through quite quickly but detailed enough to make you enjoy the ride.
It isn’t really giving anything away to make parallels with 2018’s Far Cry 5. It would be really surprising if the makers of the Ubisoft hit hadn’t read this book. Child’s style is very too the point - with a little padding here and there that if you preserve you get through. Chapters are broken into segments and sometimes flick between multiple characters, which keeps the pace rolling. Child has a good ability to make an event happen and for it to be seen via multiple character perspectives observing said event. It was a little confusing towards the end with certain twists, if you’re not reading in one go, but it isn’t so dense that you lose track and give up.
The payoff is satisfying and action packed, delivering surprises and rapid story telling. Sometimes novels have difficulty rounding things up but there’s no trouble here. It is a well researched novel as well but Andy McNab’s Nick Stone delivers more authenticity regarding weapon handling and operation.
Read this if you enjoy a Hollywood style thriller. It is compact enough to get through quite quickly but detailed enough to make you enjoy the ride.
Ross (3284 KP) rated A Not So Dead Man's Journey in Books
Sep 20, 2019
Needs a good edit/proof-read
The first book in this new author's series immediately throws the reader into an exciting Indiana Jones-style ruined temple where the main character, Alden, is searching for ancient magical texts.
From the end of this scene, however, the tone changes dramatically as Alden returns home to a painfully dull and twee life with his wife and daughter. This section is laboured and very dull, going way beyond setting the scene and embedding the characters.
Alden is then thrown into a new quest as he is kidnapped by pirates and taken far away to take part in a magical ritual. From here, where the story should be hooking you and growing, the pace is all wrong and I felt like I was the one taken prisoner by this book.
Alden goes through something of a transformation (which is not explained in any way, but that is largely fine) and having been away for 10 years he travels home.
A number of things about the story are just absolutely implausible, and inconsistent. Characters who have barely met, let alone like each other are suddenly best friends with so many fond memories. Magical abilities are suddenly revealed which would have been very useful earlier in the story. And the underlying plot needs a lot of work to thrash out the details and character motivations.
The author's narrative tone is quite charming, but a little twee for some of the darker sections of the story, and the character's thoughts are quite irritatingly thrown in and generally add little of substance.
The writing needs a lot of work, there are so many spelling errors and grammar crimes. And the punctuation is all wrong as well, which may sound pedantic but at times it does throw the reader off and make them question what the sentence meant (see "helping your uncle jack off his horse").
I am convinced there is a good story in here somewhere but it needs a really thorough proof-read and substantial editing.
From the end of this scene, however, the tone changes dramatically as Alden returns home to a painfully dull and twee life with his wife and daughter. This section is laboured and very dull, going way beyond setting the scene and embedding the characters.
Alden is then thrown into a new quest as he is kidnapped by pirates and taken far away to take part in a magical ritual. From here, where the story should be hooking you and growing, the pace is all wrong and I felt like I was the one taken prisoner by this book.
Alden goes through something of a transformation (which is not explained in any way, but that is largely fine) and having been away for 10 years he travels home.
A number of things about the story are just absolutely implausible, and inconsistent. Characters who have barely met, let alone like each other are suddenly best friends with so many fond memories. Magical abilities are suddenly revealed which would have been very useful earlier in the story. And the underlying plot needs a lot of work to thrash out the details and character motivations.
The author's narrative tone is quite charming, but a little twee for some of the darker sections of the story, and the character's thoughts are quite irritatingly thrown in and generally add little of substance.
The writing needs a lot of work, there are so many spelling errors and grammar crimes. And the punctuation is all wrong as well, which may sound pedantic but at times it does throw the reader off and make them question what the sentence meant (see "helping your uncle jack off his horse").
I am convinced there is a good story in here somewhere but it needs a really thorough proof-read and substantial editing.
ClareR (5950 KP) rated Things In Jars in Books
Sep 22, 2019
Victorian England, a female detective and a touch of the supernatural - what’s not to like?
Things in Jars is set in Victorian London. Bridie Devine is a female detective who is called on by Sir Edmund Athelstan Berwick, a baronet, to find his secret daughter, Christabel, who has been kidnapped. However, he doesn’t want to involve the police (this is where alarm bells start to go off!). Very few people in his household know about the existence of Christabel, and she is shut away, ostensibly to protect them from her. Because Christabel is not an ordinary child: she has supernatural powers that can harm people. Bridie doesn’t believe this, of course. So with the help of Cora, her 7 foot tall housemaid and Ruby, the ghost of a prizefighter, she sets out to rescue the child.
I absolutely loved this book. I was never sure if the mythical, fairytale elements were real, or whether Bridie believed them to be real. The seedy, macabre side to London, the sights and smells of the winding streets and the general atmosphere were so well described, that I could have been standing next to Bridie, watching the moving tattoos across Ruby’s torso! Bridie is an excellent character. She feels compelled to find Christabel, mainly because she is coming to the job with a failure weighing heavy on her shoulders, but also she can remember being alone in the world as a child.
Mrs Bibby is a superb villain - she has her conspirators dancing to her tune. She has a gun (and a limp!) and she’s not afraid to use it! Her macabre ‘fairytales’ really ramped up the atmosphere, and showed how truly awful she was. There was a real menace about her.
Other than what I’ve said here, all I can really say is - go and read this book! I loved it (I’ve said that already, I know!), go and read it - you won’t be sorry!
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book.
I absolutely loved this book. I was never sure if the mythical, fairytale elements were real, or whether Bridie believed them to be real. The seedy, macabre side to London, the sights and smells of the winding streets and the general atmosphere were so well described, that I could have been standing next to Bridie, watching the moving tattoos across Ruby’s torso! Bridie is an excellent character. She feels compelled to find Christabel, mainly because she is coming to the job with a failure weighing heavy on her shoulders, but also she can remember being alone in the world as a child.
Mrs Bibby is a superb villain - she has her conspirators dancing to her tune. She has a gun (and a limp!) and she’s not afraid to use it! Her macabre ‘fairytales’ really ramped up the atmosphere, and showed how truly awful she was. There was a real menace about her.
Other than what I’ve said here, all I can really say is - go and read this book! I loved it (I’ve said that already, I know!), go and read it - you won’t be sorry!
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book.