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Digging Up Mother: A Love Story
8.0
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Doug Stanhope is one of the most critically acclaimed and stridently unrepentant comedians of his...
Biography comedy
Yakuza Moon: The True Story of a Gangster's Daughter
8.3
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This heartbreaking and informative account of the memories of a woman at the heart of Japanese...
This Evening and The Morning
9.0
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A TIME OF CONFLICT It is 997 CE, the end of the Dark Ages, and England faces attacks from the Welsh...
Hazel (2934 KP) rated Terminal Threat (A Leine Basso Thriller #13) in Books
Jun 18, 2023
Once again, DV has surpassed herself and created another enthralling adventure to add to the already amazing Leine Basso back catalogue which just keeps getting better and better. I think with this one, it works well as a standalone but I would recommend reading the rest of the series as you won't be disappointed.
Ava (aka Leine) has decided to retire and move to a village in Italy to open a book shop. Sounds idyllic and simple? Well ... with Leine nothing is that straightforward and when she gets embroiled in the death of a local villager and a local racketeer, it's not only her life that is under threat but the life of the entire village and so she engages her colleagues from her previous life to help out with heart-stopping consequences.
As with DV's previous books, it is littered with excellent characters with Leine being one of my all-time favourites; she is strong, brave, not afraid to kick bottoms but with a soft side that is endearing. The story is exciting, the pace is fast and the setting is perfect.
All-in-all, this is another hit for me and one I won't hesitate to recommend to lovers of books that are full of action with a strong female lead. I can also highly recommend this series and once again, thank you to D.V for accepting me as a member her ARTeam and for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of Terminal Threat and my hungry eyes can't wait to read the next!
Ava (aka Leine) has decided to retire and move to a village in Italy to open a book shop. Sounds idyllic and simple? Well ... with Leine nothing is that straightforward and when she gets embroiled in the death of a local villager and a local racketeer, it's not only her life that is under threat but the life of the entire village and so she engages her colleagues from her previous life to help out with heart-stopping consequences.
As with DV's previous books, it is littered with excellent characters with Leine being one of my all-time favourites; she is strong, brave, not afraid to kick bottoms but with a soft side that is endearing. The story is exciting, the pace is fast and the setting is perfect.
All-in-all, this is another hit for me and one I won't hesitate to recommend to lovers of books that are full of action with a strong female lead. I can also highly recommend this series and once again, thank you to D.V for accepting me as a member her ARTeam and for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of Terminal Threat and my hungry eyes can't wait to read the next!
Robert Capa: A Graphic Biography
Book
'If your pictures aren't good enough, you aren't close enough.' - Robert Capa. 'Robert Capa: A...
Nicole Hadley (380 KP) rated Rooftops of Tehran in Books
Jun 18, 2018
<a href="https://awindowintobooks.wordpress.com">Full Review</a>
I received, Rooftops of Tehran by Mahbod Seraji, for free in exchange for a review. The synopsis of the book immediately caught my attention. From the beginning I was excited to read this novel. The story takes place in Iran. The story shows how American involvement affects everyone and not always in a good way. The characters are well developed. The story has twists, that I never expected but kept the story going.
Pasha, Ahmed, Zari and Faheemah are the main characters. Pasha and Ahmed spend many hours on his rooftop talking, joking, dreaming of the love of their lives and contemplating life. Pasha fantasized being with Zari but she was to married off to a childhood friend. While Ahmed wanted to be with Faheemah and ended up dating with the approval of her parents. Pasha and his friends live in Iran in the 1970's where they are skeptical of religion, arrange marriage and the government of their country. The US is viewed as a place of opportunity but as a place that causes problems.
By reading this book I was able to gain insight to middle class life in Iran during the 1970's until the rule of the Shah. This is a coming of age book that appears simple in the beginning but as the story progresses life gets complicated due to arranged marriage customs, and modern ideas from western culture. School is a place that is run by petty tyrants and when rules are not obeyed punishment is what follows. At the core, is the fundamentalism of Iran's future.
The SAVAK is present everywhere and people of all ages feel their impact. SAVAK have an impact on Iranian culture and not in a good way. They cause confusion, heartbreak and even death.
This story is written in a fast paced narrative perspective. The author has developed the characters well. At the end of the story I felt like I was sitting on the rooftop with Pasha experiencing his life, the twists, the secrets and all that effected his life with him.
I received, Rooftops of Tehran by Mahbod Seraji, for free in exchange for a review. The synopsis of the book immediately caught my attention. From the beginning I was excited to read this novel. The story takes place in Iran. The story shows how American involvement affects everyone and not always in a good way. The characters are well developed. The story has twists, that I never expected but kept the story going.
Pasha, Ahmed, Zari and Faheemah are the main characters. Pasha and Ahmed spend many hours on his rooftop talking, joking, dreaming of the love of their lives and contemplating life. Pasha fantasized being with Zari but she was to married off to a childhood friend. While Ahmed wanted to be with Faheemah and ended up dating with the approval of her parents. Pasha and his friends live in Iran in the 1970's where they are skeptical of religion, arrange marriage and the government of their country. The US is viewed as a place of opportunity but as a place that causes problems.
By reading this book I was able to gain insight to middle class life in Iran during the 1970's until the rule of the Shah. This is a coming of age book that appears simple in the beginning but as the story progresses life gets complicated due to arranged marriage customs, and modern ideas from western culture. School is a place that is run by petty tyrants and when rules are not obeyed punishment is what follows. At the core, is the fundamentalism of Iran's future.
The SAVAK is present everywhere and people of all ages feel their impact. SAVAK have an impact on Iranian culture and not in a good way. They cause confusion, heartbreak and even death.
This story is written in a fast paced narrative perspective. The author has developed the characters well. At the end of the story I felt like I was sitting on the rooftop with Pasha experiencing his life, the twists, the secrets and all that effected his life with him.
Thomas Becket: Warrior, Priest, Rebel, Victim: A 900-year-old Story Retold
Book
From the winner of the 2004 Whitbread Biography Award and the Marsh Biography Award John Guy, comes...
Ross (3284 KP) rated She Has A Broken Thing Where Her Heart Should Be in Books
Jun 15, 2020
Good suspenseful paranormal story
I received a free copy of this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Prior to starting this book, I was only aware of Barker from his work with Dacre Stoker on Dracul, the prequel-cum-biography telling a variation of Bram Stoker's life story. This book is very different, though it also tells someone's full life story.
Jack Thatch has had a tough life already when we meet him, his parents dying in a car crash when he was very young, and he spends his childhood living with his Aunt. A chance meeting with a mysterious girl in the cemetery on the anniversary of his parents' death haunts him and each year he returns looking for her, and the mystery continues. This carries on, with a new chapter telling the events of each subsequent year, and the "burned but not burned" bodies that appear on the same day.
There is a little of a Stephen King feel about the book - telling of a young boy growing up and telling every detail of his life and his friendships and gradually letting the paranormal elements of the story build up.
The first third of the book is excellent, setting the scene and sewing the seeds of the mystery to follow and introducing the cast of characters and their interactions and conflicts. This part of the story rattles along with decent pace and the reader can get a good feeling of momentum.
The middle third ground to a halt for me. The chapters became longer, the story being told felt less important and the reduction in pace was a bit of a kick in the teeth.
But the final third this book gets going again in superb style. This could well have been an excellent story in its own right, but definitely benefits from the lengthy build-up. We gradually have one group of characters grow and come into conflict with another, all building up to an inevitable meeting.
This is a great, but long, story of special abilities, how they could impact someone's life and be abused by those in power, and how they will eventually become out of control.
Prior to starting this book, I was only aware of Barker from his work with Dacre Stoker on Dracul, the prequel-cum-biography telling a variation of Bram Stoker's life story. This book is very different, though it also tells someone's full life story.
Jack Thatch has had a tough life already when we meet him, his parents dying in a car crash when he was very young, and he spends his childhood living with his Aunt. A chance meeting with a mysterious girl in the cemetery on the anniversary of his parents' death haunts him and each year he returns looking for her, and the mystery continues. This carries on, with a new chapter telling the events of each subsequent year, and the "burned but not burned" bodies that appear on the same day.
There is a little of a Stephen King feel about the book - telling of a young boy growing up and telling every detail of his life and his friendships and gradually letting the paranormal elements of the story build up.
The first third of the book is excellent, setting the scene and sewing the seeds of the mystery to follow and introducing the cast of characters and their interactions and conflicts. This part of the story rattles along with decent pace and the reader can get a good feeling of momentum.
The middle third ground to a halt for me. The chapters became longer, the story being told felt less important and the reduction in pace was a bit of a kick in the teeth.
But the final third this book gets going again in superb style. This could well have been an excellent story in its own right, but definitely benefits from the lengthy build-up. We gradually have one group of characters grow and come into conflict with another, all building up to an inevitable meeting.
This is a great, but long, story of special abilities, how they could impact someone's life and be abused by those in power, and how they will eventually become out of control.
Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated I am, I am, I am: Seventeen Brushes with Death in Books
Jan 12, 2018
Moving, harrowing, well-written
I Am, I Am, I Am is a memoir by award-winning British author, Maggie O'Farrell. It is subtitled Seventeen Brushes With Death, and in describing these (mostly, but not exclusively, her own) experiences, O'Farrell also, of course, shares many other important moments of her life. As well as describing the situation that led to them, the physical effects they had on her and those close to her, she also notes the change in attitude they caused.
There is a deep sense of violence faced by a woman's body, which is apparent in her experiences. She describes near misses with vehicles, a mugging, juvenile encephalitis, the birth of her first child, near drownings, a knife-throwing act, dysentery-induced dehydration, and an encounter with a murderer.
The section about her miscarriages is deeply moving. She questions why it isn't discussed and why it is given little exposure. She explains how mothers end up feeling isolated because of the little care given to those who have experienced it. Her voice and pain shines through at this particular point.
As with her fiction, O'Farrell’s prose is often exquisite. This is a privileged peek into the life of an amazing author, a moving and fascinating read.
There is a deep sense of violence faced by a woman's body, which is apparent in her experiences. She describes near misses with vehicles, a mugging, juvenile encephalitis, the birth of her first child, near drownings, a knife-throwing act, dysentery-induced dehydration, and an encounter with a murderer.
The section about her miscarriages is deeply moving. She questions why it isn't discussed and why it is given little exposure. She explains how mothers end up feeling isolated because of the little care given to those who have experienced it. Her voice and pain shines through at this particular point.
As with her fiction, O'Farrell’s prose is often exquisite. This is a privileged peek into the life of an amazing author, a moving and fascinating read.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2434 KP) rated Just Killing Time (Clock Shop Mystery, #1) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Ruth Clagan is devastated to learn that her grandfather has passed away. While they had been estranged recently, she had hoped to reconnect with the man who had been very important to her earlier in her life. Since she has inherited the family clock shop, she returns to Orchard, Massachusetts, to figure out what to do with the business. As she reconnects with old friends and makes new ones, she begins to question what happened to her grandfather. Was his death related to the recent burglary in the shop? Or maybe his work in town? Or is something else happening?
I loved Ruth from page one, and that didn’t diminish as the book progressed. Her friends are just as strong and likeable, and her connection to her grandfather adds a nice layer to the book. The mystery was a little weak, and Ruth reconnecting with this part of her life was interesting and kept the pages flying. I enjoyed this book and I’m looking forward to the sequel.
NOTE: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2015/10/book-review-just-killing-time-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
I loved Ruth from page one, and that didn’t diminish as the book progressed. Her friends are just as strong and likeable, and her connection to her grandfather adds a nice layer to the book. The mystery was a little weak, and Ruth reconnecting with this part of her life was interesting and kept the pages flying. I enjoyed this book and I’m looking forward to the sequel.
NOTE: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2015/10/book-review-just-killing-time-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.