Comforting the Grump (Forestville Silver Foxes #5)
8.0
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I don’t do emotions or romantic entanglements. My life is simple: I work hard and I play hard,...
Contemporary MM Romance Series
Abolishing the Traditions of Men in the Church
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This book shows how the original Hebrews, including the followers of Christ, understood God’s...
religion
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Right to Kill ( DS Joe Romano 1) in Books
May 6, 2024
Right to Kill ( DS Joe Romano 1)
By John Barlow
⭐️⭐️
On a Thursday night in February, DS Joe Romano finds himself back on home turf in Wortley, West Leeds. He’s following up on the disappearance of drug dealer Craig Shaw.
It’s the start of a case that could make or break Romano’s career. Because Shaw is about to go from missing to murdered.
While some don’t think Shaw’s killer should be brought to justice, Romano believes every life counts. But he’s running out of time.
The killer is ready to strike again. And Romano will be forced to question whether anyone has the right to kill.
Oh gosh I don’t know where to start. This started well death by pencil is something different and I was excited to see where this was going. Interesting premise and I thought I was going to love it. Then it all went downhill a little, the character Rita yea rubbed me the wrong way I got to the point where I just couldn’t read her. The communication between a few characters was so cringy I should have stopped there. Also a social media scene not needed by this time I’d got to the point I just wanted to reach the end and not for a good reason. I had high hopes!
James
9.0
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Enthralling and ferociously funny, James by Percival Everett is a profound meditation on identity,...
Historical Fiction Slavery Retellings Huckleberry Finn
The Lotus House (Echoes of Empire)
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A gripping, emotional drama of love and courage set in the Philippines during WW2. 1960: Nancy...
Asian Military Historical Fiction Romance
Into The Churn
10.0
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Seventeen-year-old Ezren Hart interns in her mother’s terraforming lab, studying Belethea’s...
Young Adult Science Fiction Adventure Action Romance
Murder in the Tattoo Parlor
5.0
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When Joy wants to get a tattoo to surprise her fiancé Roy Stockton (and check off another Bucket...
Murder on Devil’s Pond
10.0
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A quaint Vermont inn offers idyllic peace–until a body is found on the property–in this charming...
Louise (64 KP) rated Sunflowers in February in Books
Jun 28, 2018
This is a UK YA debut novel by Phyllida Shrimpton and very reminiscent of the lovely bones by Alice Sebold. When I read the synopsis of this book I knew that I was going to have to read it. The exploration of life after death fascinates me, are there spirits? is there really life after death? This book had depth to it and has some very important messages, it covers a lot on grief and guilt.
Our story starts out pretty much as the synopsis states…Lily is 15 years old and is on a bank of grass and has no idea how she got there. The first thing she notices is her purple converse laying in a puddle, her mum is going to be so mad that she has ruined them especially as she begged and pleaded with her for them. Thankfully the Police turn up just in time, hopefully they will be able to take her home, It’s only when they ignore her that she starts becoming alarmed, she can’t seem to touch them or communicate with them. One of the policemen radio in that they have found her, but it can’t be her as they keep ignoring her, when she looks in the same direction as the Police she sees herself lying in a ditch DEAD! For some reason Lily is still around in spirit, she stands next to her mother and father when they identify her body, she even attends her funeral. Being a spirit is pretty lonely, watching everyone grieving for her not being able to console them but worst of all is being emotionally numb, it’s only one evening when her twin brother has an out-of-body experience in the night that she finds she can actually communicate to the outside world. She wants one chance to say goodbye to everyone properly and then maybe she will finally rest in peace.
This was a very ambitious concept to try to pull off for a debut novel and I think she might have just done it. There were some aspects of this book that I was sceptical of, but other than that it was an enjoyable read. I liked how much grief was tackled and the ways in which people cope.The way she was drawn to people when they were thinking about her was a nice touch which meant we got to see several characters which broke any monotony up. This did delve in the stages of grief. We had Denial, anger,guilt,depression and acceptance and you could see each of these stages in the characters throughout the book. I also liked the message of not taking things for granted because you never know when your life might end and you wish you could have done things differently. Lily could see her family falling apart and her mission was to stop that from happening – they needed to be together and move on with their lives but she also need to learn to forgive so she too could move on.
Overall I enjoyed this book it had a lot of important messages and dealt with a delicate subject pretty well. I would say this is the YA of ‘The Lovely Bones’.
<i>I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.</i>
Written by the English Pen Award winner Laia Jufresa (and excellently translated by Sophie Hughes) <i>Umami</i> is a story of the troubled lives of a small community in Mexico as they go through various stages of grief. What this story reveals is that everyone deals with heartache in his or her own personal way, however the things they do can affect everyone around them.
Set in Belldrop Mews, Mexico City, five characters give an account of their own experiences over a five-year period, which when combined together produce an overview of life within the mews. Firstly there is Ana (2004), a preteen determined to plant her own garden in the depressing back yard of her family home. Despite her steps to do something positive, she and her family are still mourning the death of her little sister Luz who drowned a few years ago. The second perspective comes from Marina Mendoza (2003), a young adult artist suffering from an eating disorder whilst dealing with memories of her childhood.
Alfonso, the aging owner of the mews, begins his story in 2002 a couple of years after the death of his wife. Previously he was an anthropologist obsessed with the concept of <i>umami</i>, a Japanese word meaning <i>“a savory taste; one of the five basic tastes.”</i> He is an old soul that has fallen into depression, feeling, like Ana, a misfit. The final two narrators are young girls: Pina (2001) who is Ana’s best friend, and Luz (2000), Ana’s five year old sister shortly before she died. Both speak of loneliness as they look at the world through childishly naïve eyes. Pina is suffering the effects of her parents’ constant fighting, whereas Luz is crying out for attention from her family who will not let her join in the “big girl” activities.
<i>Umami</i> may not be a happy book but it has a very powerful voice. None of the characters have yet completely recovered from their experiences however they are all (barring Luz) making positive progress. Without knowing it, each member of the Belldrop Mews community is encouraging the rest as they drag themselves out from the depths of their despair – some by aspiring to be like another, and others listening to what their neighbours are telling them.
The message of this story is about the benefits of a community. Whether big or small, being within a group of people can prevent you from wallowing in your dark feelings and begin to continue with your life instead. This is something that the world at large would profit from.
The unconventional style of <i>Umami</i> may not be agreeable with some readers due to its lack of a clear beginning, middle and end. In fact it does not have a conclusion at all, leaving nothing fully resolved. Yet Jufresa did not intend it to end “happily ever after,” real life is not like that; but what is true is that with time and exposure to positive relationships things can get better.
The aspect preventing a higher rating is the occasional allusion to sexual content, especially from the mouths of girls too young to fully understand the concept. This was uncomfortable to read, however thankfully the majority of the novel was free of unpleasant imagery. <i>Umami</i> is down to earth, relatable and moving; Laia Jufresa is definitely an author to watch.