Search
Search results
Deepak Chopra recommended The First and Last Freedom in Books (curated)
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated The Fallen Star (Fallen Star, #1) in Books
Aug 6, 2021
123 of 250
Kindle
The Fallen Star ( Fallen Star book 1)
By Jessica Sorensen
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
For eighteen year-old Gemma, life has never been normal. Up until recently, she has been incapable of feeling emotion. And when she's around Alex, the gorgeous new guy at school, she can feel electricity that makes her skin buzz. Not to mention the monsters that haunt her nightmares have crossed over into real-life. But with Alex seeming to hate her and secrets popping up everywhere, Gemma's life is turning into a chaotic mess. Things that shouldn't be real suddenly seem to exist. And as her world falls apart, figuring out the secrets of her past becomes a matter of life and death.
I thought it was so good! One of the best YA I’ve read In a while. Great story great characters still so many answers to uncover! Alex was push his luck for me sometimes he just grated on my nerves a little. But all in all a very good start to a promising series plus a new author for me too!
Kindle
The Fallen Star ( Fallen Star book 1)
By Jessica Sorensen
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
For eighteen year-old Gemma, life has never been normal. Up until recently, she has been incapable of feeling emotion. And when she's around Alex, the gorgeous new guy at school, she can feel electricity that makes her skin buzz. Not to mention the monsters that haunt her nightmares have crossed over into real-life. But with Alex seeming to hate her and secrets popping up everywhere, Gemma's life is turning into a chaotic mess. Things that shouldn't be real suddenly seem to exist. And as her world falls apart, figuring out the secrets of her past becomes a matter of life and death.
I thought it was so good! One of the best YA I’ve read In a while. Great story great characters still so many answers to uncover! Alex was push his luck for me sometimes he just grated on my nerves a little. But all in all a very good start to a promising series plus a new author for me too!
Jessica Erdas (463 KP) rated The Book Thief in Books
May 16, 2018
It's rare to find a book that grips you by the heart and takes you on a ride. There's so much to love about this book. Zusak definitely has a way with words that draw you in and make it hard to put down. The story is about a young girl torn apart from the life she's known during the holocaust. It details the pain of nazi Germany and the trials that went with it. This is a story about death, love, friendship, books, a love of words, and a young brave girl trying to do the right thing in a world gone bad. It's told in the viewpoint of death and his encounters with the book thief. Finished this in 5 days and I'm sitting here pining for more, even though the story was brought to an acceptable conclusion. Find the time to read this, it's well worth it.
CKD (37 KP) rated Tapestry of Fortunes in Books
Dec 7, 2018
I won this book from the Goodreads First Reads giveaways. I wasn't sure what to expect as I've only read one other book quite a few years ago by this author. I remember that I liked the book but I have not picked up any of her other books to read in the interim. I loved loved loved this book. It focuses on Cecilia (Cece) and her life after she the death of her best friend. She makes some changes in her life and makes some new friends that she probably never would have met and goes on a road trip with them that resolves some issue in each of their lives. I absolutely recommend this book to others. It was enjoyable and I didn't want it to end.
Jackjack (877 KP) rated Peppermint (2018) in Movies
Oct 28, 2020
Amazing!
I have been waiting years to watch this and finally got round too it!!!
Brilliant story with a sad start and action packed ending!
For a mother her happy place in life is with her family, but with the cartel having everyone in their pockets life and justice isn't always easy. A bad choice made on the dads behalf signing the death on his family, how ever the brilliant Jennifer garner survived and has trouble bringing her familys murder to a logical fair ending. In this action packed film you see raw emotions and how far a mother with go to get the ending she waited 5 years to fight for. With no one helping her it's down to her to go back and clean out all the trash!
This is a must see!!!
Brilliant story with a sad start and action packed ending!
For a mother her happy place in life is with her family, but with the cartel having everyone in their pockets life and justice isn't always easy. A bad choice made on the dads behalf signing the death on his family, how ever the brilliant Jennifer garner survived and has trouble bringing her familys murder to a logical fair ending. In this action packed film you see raw emotions and how far a mother with go to get the ending she waited 5 years to fight for. With no one helping her it's down to her to go back and clean out all the trash!
This is a must see!!!
ClareR (5674 KP) rated A Quiet Life in Books
Apr 11, 2023
I loved A Quiet Life, but boy did it break my heart. I think I was dehydrated for almost ALL of the 10 days that I read this on The Pigeonhole.
Grief and loss are central themes. The three main characters are navigating their way through different kinds of loss: Chuck is grieving after the loss of his wife of many years from cancer; Kirsten is coming to terms with violent death of her father; Elle is living in a nightmare where her daughter has been abducted by her father.
The writing is utterly beautiful, and I found myself completely caught up in the lives of these people. Even though two of the characters are dealing with grief, it’s such a life affirming novel.
Highly recommended - just have the tissues close at hand!
Grief and loss are central themes. The three main characters are navigating their way through different kinds of loss: Chuck is grieving after the loss of his wife of many years from cancer; Kirsten is coming to terms with violent death of her father; Elle is living in a nightmare where her daughter has been abducted by her father.
The writing is utterly beautiful, and I found myself completely caught up in the lives of these people. Even though two of the characters are dealing with grief, it’s such a life affirming novel.
Highly recommended - just have the tissues close at hand!
Kim Pook (101 KP) rated Bad Boys for Life (2020) in Movies
Feb 19, 2020
They're baaack!!!
Contains spoilers, click to show
Me and my husband watched this at the cinema yesterday and I was pleasantly surprised. After such a long wait for this I half expected it to be disaapointing, but it was far from it. Shortly after the film starts you think it's the end of the road of one of the bad boys as he gets shot multiple times and ends up fighting for his life. Forward 6 months and you think it's his funeral but in actual fact it's a wedding and the character is there enjoying it, and you breathe a sigh of relief. The whole movie is fast paced, full of comedy at every chance they get and a lot more action than the previous movies. Only downside was the death of a certain character, I won't tell you who but in my husbands words "that was bang out of order". We find out quite quickly into the movie that Marcus had hung up his badge and retired and It's this death that forces marcus and mike back together doing what they do best. A very entertaining movie from beginning to end and one to add to the buy list.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2165 KP) rated A Lady’s Guide to Etiquette and Murder in Books
Feb 15, 2019
The Countess of Harleigh Must Solve the Murder of the Season
It is 1899, and the Countess of Harleigh, born as Frances Wynn in America, has just completed her year of mourning after the death of her husband. Reggie’s death was no great loss since he spent more time with other men’s wives then he did with Frances. In fact, it was only through Frances’s quick thinking that his death didn’t cause a scandal. Fortunately, Frances has enough money of her own that she can move out of her in-law’s home and set herself and her daughter up in a small place in London with a minimal staff. Unfortunately, trouble follows Frances to her new life when a detective shows up asking about the night Reggie died. Why is this coming up a year after his death?
Frances can’t spend too much time dwelling on this, however, since her sister, Lily, is coming to London for her first season with Frances as her chaperone. Between the balls and other social functions, Frances hears of a string of robberies happening in the London upper class. What will happen when those thefts begin to hit close to home?
I’d heard lots of good things about this book, so I was looking forward to reading it. Unfortunately, I had some serious issues with the plot. I can’t get into any more without giving away plot spoilers, so I’ll just say I found several things under done. I’m sure some of it is my expectations when it comes to a mystery plot, but I still think there were some flaws. However, I really enjoyed the cast of characters. They are all lots of fun, and I enjoyed spending time with them. The setting is great as well. Who doesn’t dream of living the life of the English upper crust? I enjoyed this enough to consider reading the sequel when it comes out despite my issues with the plot.
Frances can’t spend too much time dwelling on this, however, since her sister, Lily, is coming to London for her first season with Frances as her chaperone. Between the balls and other social functions, Frances hears of a string of robberies happening in the London upper class. What will happen when those thefts begin to hit close to home?
I’d heard lots of good things about this book, so I was looking forward to reading it. Unfortunately, I had some serious issues with the plot. I can’t get into any more without giving away plot spoilers, so I’ll just say I found several things under done. I’m sure some of it is my expectations when it comes to a mystery plot, but I still think there were some flaws. However, I really enjoyed the cast of characters. They are all lots of fun, and I enjoyed spending time with them. The setting is great as well. Who doesn’t dream of living the life of the English upper crust? I enjoyed this enough to consider reading the sequel when it comes out despite my issues with the plot.
ClareR (5674 KP) rated The Sentence in Books
Nov 6, 2023 (Updated Nov 6, 2023)
Christina Dalcher really does write a good dystopian thriller! This time, the US government has decided that the way to end capital punishment is to make the prosecutors responsible for any miscarriages of justice pay with their own lives. So if an innocent person goes to the electric chair, the prosecutor will follow them - and all without a trial. That trial already happened when the wrong person was deemed guilty.
This is such a tense read! Justine Boucher had always campaigned against the death sentence, but when her husband is brutally murdered, she is given a case where the person on trial appears to be guilty without question. But as time goes on, and Justine asks more questions, it begins to look as though there is more to the ‘guilty’ mans case. The parts from Jake Milford’s (the prisoner waiting on death row) diary entries are heartbreaking.
This throws up the question of just who is this State Remedies Act for? It still satiates the need for blood, for someone to pay with their life for the life that’s been taken. Ok, in my opinion, this is why a death penalty will never work. How can we always be 100 percent sure that someone is guilty? Is it worth killing the majority if one innocent person slips through the safety net?
It was interesting to read how Justine had gone from being a member of Vita with her husband, campaigning for the abolishment of the death penalty, to making sure that the man she was prosecuting was killed. I think this proved that once you put a human with all of their emotions and opinions in to the equation, it will always be nigh-on impossible to have an impartial verdict.
This is a really tense read, and the fact that we never really know how it ends was the icing on the cake for me - frustrating, but oh so good. It certainly leaves the reader with a lot to think about.
This is such a tense read! Justine Boucher had always campaigned against the death sentence, but when her husband is brutally murdered, she is given a case where the person on trial appears to be guilty without question. But as time goes on, and Justine asks more questions, it begins to look as though there is more to the ‘guilty’ mans case. The parts from Jake Milford’s (the prisoner waiting on death row) diary entries are heartbreaking.
This throws up the question of just who is this State Remedies Act for? It still satiates the need for blood, for someone to pay with their life for the life that’s been taken. Ok, in my opinion, this is why a death penalty will never work. How can we always be 100 percent sure that someone is guilty? Is it worth killing the majority if one innocent person slips through the safety net?
It was interesting to read how Justine had gone from being a member of Vita with her husband, campaigning for the abolishment of the death penalty, to making sure that the man she was prosecuting was killed. I think this proved that once you put a human with all of their emotions and opinions in to the equation, it will always be nigh-on impossible to have an impartial verdict.
This is a really tense read, and the fact that we never really know how it ends was the icing on the cake for me - frustrating, but oh so good. It certainly leaves the reader with a lot to think about.
Deborah (162 KP) rated The Third Plantagenet: George, Duke of Clarence, Richard III's Brother in Books
Dec 21, 2018
John Ashdown-Hill really has the ability to write clearly and compellingly. This latest offering takes a look at the middle of the brothers of York, George, Duke of Clarence.
Much less well known than his more famous brothers, Edward IV and Richard III, nonetheless, Clarence and his life and death were am important part of the story of this period. His supposed death by drowning in a butt of Malmsey wine is one of those well known 'facts' that might be a mythology all of its own, but Ashdown-Hill provides evidence to suggest that drowning was used as a method of execution in this period and considered kinder than hanging or beheading!
It's not a long book and a good proportion is given over to a study of the Clarence vault at Tewksbury abbey and the remains therein. If you are interested in the period, this is certainly worth a read. I look forward to the forthcoming companion volume, The Dublin King.
Much less well known than his more famous brothers, Edward IV and Richard III, nonetheless, Clarence and his life and death were am important part of the story of this period. His supposed death by drowning in a butt of Malmsey wine is one of those well known 'facts' that might be a mythology all of its own, but Ashdown-Hill provides evidence to suggest that drowning was used as a method of execution in this period and considered kinder than hanging or beheading!
It's not a long book and a good proportion is given over to a study of the Clarence vault at Tewksbury abbey and the remains therein. If you are interested in the period, this is certainly worth a read. I look forward to the forthcoming companion volume, The Dublin King.