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Hazel (1853 KP) rated Our Summer Together in Books

Dec 14, 2018  
Our Summer Together
Our Summer Together
Fanny Blake | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry, Romance
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
<i>I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.</i>

This latest book by women’s fiction author Fanny Blake is an uplifting story about family and finding love later in life. <i>Our Summer Together</i> begins with Caro, a portrait painter, and part-time art teacher, running around after her two adult daughters, Lauren and Amy. With barely a moment to herself, Caro flits between looking after her three-year-old grandson and helping out at Amy’s florist shop. However, one day, a brief encounter on the train home sparks excitement back into her life.

From the train to decorating her house and, finally, becoming her lodger, Caro gets to know the mysterious Damir as he gradually opens up about his past. Despite being fifteen years younger than her, Caro falls in love with the Bosnian and he with her, but can this elation last?

Despite her new chance at love, Caro has so many other things to worry about. Her ex-husband Chris is filing for divorce so that he can marry his new, much younger woman. However, this involves selling the house that Caro lives in and where her children grew up. On top of that, her eldest daughter, Lauren, is sceptical about Damir and is not afraid of saying so. With life as she knew it crashing down around her, Caro must decide whether Damir is worth it, but, most importantly, does he really want her in his life?

The title of the book, <i>Our Summer Together</i>, creates a sense of foreboding from the very beginning. Implying that Caro and Damir will only have one season together puts the reader on tenterhooks: what will go wrong? Desperate for a happy ending, we plough through the chapters wishing that their happiness could last forever.

It is refreshing to read about a romance developing between older characters rather than the typical twenty or thirty-something. A second chance at love feels much more satisfying than a will-they-won’t-they, playing hard-to-get attempt at a first serious relationship.

Alongside the love and joyfulness is a darker history that opens the readers’ eyes to events occurring during their lifetime that they may not have been very aware of. Growing up in Bosnia, Damir was subjected to war and violence, losing all his family and having a disastrous start at adulthood. For Damir, his relationship with Caro is not only a second-chance at love, but a second-chance at life, too.

<i>Our Summer Together</i> is a relaxing book to read that can either be devoured quickly or eked out over a period of time. With humour, reality and a range of emotions, it is impossible to find the story boring. Whatever your usual genre of choice, this book will be a refreshing change.
  
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graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated Land of the Living in Books

Feb 15, 2019  
LO
Land of the Living
Nicci French | 2004
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
With a gripping start that fully captured my attention, I had a hard time putting LAND OF THE LIVING down. The suspense-filled atmosphere leapt off the pages and I found myself catching my breath and actually feeling the pressure presented within the covers. This doesn't usually happen to me, especially from a book I know is fiction. The author (or authors really) have done a fabulous job bringing the book to life and I imagine the plot does a fairly accurate job conveying a true life account of something like this. I only have a few minor quibbles. Firstly, Abbie does some dumb things, however it's still believable that she might react that way in her situation, and really, she's not a brainless twit of a victim. Although what she does later was very stupid and I wanted to smack her. Still, after the fact, I suppose I understand it now. Secondly, and I guess lastly, I do not believe for a second that the police are so inept that they could not follow-up on simple, routine leads. If Abbie can do it, surely they can too. To sum it up, the terror was evident, the environment creepy, and the overall pace was just right. A thrilling good read, if not a perfect one.
  
    Time Out Bahrain Magazine

    Time Out Bahrain Magazine

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Butch Vig recommended Country Life by Roxy Music in Music (curated)

 
Country Life by Roxy Music
Country Life by Roxy Music
1974 | Rock
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"I am a huge Roxy Music fan! I was the president of the Roxy Music fanclub in Madison, Wisconsin, which only had about seven members. We used to have Roxy Music nights, once a month, we would play their albums, all the different members' solo albums, and the live bootlegs. I love all their albums but I think for me Country Life was kind of their most consistent and most focused one. You really start to hear some of the sophistication that Bryan Ferry would later bring to Roxy Music. The first couple of records had a lot of quirky artiness to them yet the songs were so well written and their arrangements are spot on. There are so many great songs on Country Life including the opener, 'The Thrill Of It All', which is just epic. I love 'Out Of The Blue' and 'Prairie Rose', and 'Casanova' – that’s like a dirty funk number. One of my inspirations as a drummer is Roxy Music. I love Paul Thomspon's drumming on all the records and I've always looked at him as an inspiration. At the time of release they covered the album with a brown wrapper as the artwork was deemed to be offensive - the cover has this beautiful slash trashy glam vibe to it and that kind of defines what I loved about Roxy Music."

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