The Little Book Of Feminist Saints
Manjit Thapp and Julia Pierpont
Book
This inspiring, beautifully illustrated collection honours one hundred exceptional women throughout...
biography gender studies
Alison Pink (7 KP) rated The Sixth Man (King & Maxwell, #5) in Books
Jan 15, 2018
The premise of the book is very cloak & dagger stuff...Dept of Homeland Security, Cabinet memebers, federal prisoners, etc. There were a few places in the book that dragged a bit, but all in all it was a page turner from the outset. Maxwell & King are dynamic lead characters with more twists & turns than you can imagine. There is also a strong chemistry/attraction between them. Baldacci does a great job of putting that aspect out there without making it too sappy, something I hate in spy/action novels.
All told I really look forward to reading more books in this series, even if it means I have to read them out of order!
Rachel King (13 KP) rated Keridan's Journey in Books
Feb 11, 2019
There are so many examples of bad grammar in this book, I don't know where to begin. Commas are so lacking, I want to cry. Specifically, when using prepositions or preposition-like modifiers, commas are needed. Also, compound sentences require the use of a comma. You would be surprised at how much a simple comma allows the reader to garner the true meaning of a sentence. Another example that illustrates how badly this book needed an editor is found on page 86: "I was left to wonder wear my tough skin went." Yes, you read that correctly.
Another huge problem I had with the book is the author's complete disregard for the writer's tool of "show, don't tell." While I understand that sometimes the rule can be disregarded, this book lacks in "showing" so much that I have no connection to any of the characters, and none of the events transpiring can compel any interest or emotional response in me. For example, on page 13, Keridan is thrust into a dream to speak with her mother. It reads "The smells, the colors are only this vibrant in a dream." That's it. No description, no picture painted with words, nothing is detailed, except in the most basic of words, such as "forest grove with flowers", "fairy dress", etc. I don't know what any of the characters look like, nor can I tell the difference between any of them.
I usually love fantasy, especially because of the imaginative descriptions that defy reality and convention, but (see? Comma!) even with a great concept of using the Greek myths of Sirens to build a world, this book is too disappointing and frustrating to be worth my time and energy. In all honesty, this book reads like a first draft of a novel after NanoWrimo -- messy, disorderly, and badly in need of a rewrite.
Sassy Brit (97 KP) rated Daisy Doodles in Books
Jun 6, 2019
Yes, magical things happen when Daisy Doodles!Daisy Doodles
On a rainy day with nothing to do, Daisy doodled a mouse, Pipsqueak, who sneezed itself right off the page and into Daisy’s life. From there Daisy gets busy doodling and cutting out a magical land and suddenly her room disappears and adventures with Pipsqueak begin!
I wanted to review this book because I love rodents, (fancy rats in particular), and if you ask me this so-called mouse, is actually a bare-tailed rat! And as a fancy rat owner, this makes Daisy Doodles an even greater treat for me.
This is a fun, cute story which should appeal to children who love to use their imagination to draw and make things. If they don’t already, this should encourage them to do so!
Daisy is just like any normal little girl bored on a rainy day, and Pipsqueak, well, he’s an endearing character of whom Daisy brings to life through her drawings. A magical blend of colourful photos and beautiful illustrations, make this a super creative, kids picture book for all to enjoy!
Jonathan James and the Whatif Monster
Book
Whenever Jonathan James finds himself in a new situation, he hears his Whatif Monster asking all...
Kane Miller MNS UBAM Usborne Books and More Whatif Monster Whatif
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Everything to Nothing in Books
Nov 13, 2019
Sarah is at college and struggling to cope with an absent father and an alcoholic mother. She escapes from this life by clubbing and sex until the night in question when she is introduced to the highs available from hard drugs.
Michelle is at college with Sarah and they sometimes meet out clubbing. Michelle is looking for a man who likes her for who she is rather than what she looks like. Could Simon be that man?
Sally is Michelle's best friend. She is also the daughter of a billionaire businessman and lives a life full of servants, fast cars and designer clothes. She has it all except a man who is not interested in her because of her money.
This story is a real rollercoaster of a book. It did take a while to get going and introduce the characters, taking it time to fill in their personalities and circumstances but this is time well spent for later. Of the three Michelle is necessarily less well developed since there is no specific hook to her storyline beyond her association with both of the others. All the characters are well drawn with a sense of realism, even for Sally who lives a lifestyle entirely outside of the experience of 99.99% of the population. They have their flaws but this a real strength and the various dalliances and romances are painted very well and are not in any way forced.
The emotions the story evokes run the whole gamut. Laugh out loud humour at the antics of David's gran; wanting to shake Sarah out of her clearly stupid and self destructive decisions, down to the very harrowing end of the book.
And that ending is the most powerful part of the book and will stay with you for a long time. This is not a morality tale where bad things only happen to bad people and the good guys ride off into the sunset. Bad things can happen to good people and often for little or no reason and the complete deconstruction of the worlds around the three women in final act, although requiring some suspension of belief at some of the coincidences and circumstances, is shocking. And then becomes even more shocking with every page. You have been warned!
The book is not perfect; it is a little slow at times and the 'flashback' sections when the characters are introduced I felt could have been covered with a couple of paragraphs rather than pages of close description of the events as they happened. And occasionally the prose is a little clumsy when trying to express some fine or complex point about a character. But overall this is definitely worth a read. But only if you don't like happy endings.
Note: This book is rated Adult due to frequent and detailed descriptions of sexual acts and drug use
The Business of Being Social: A Practical Guide to Harnessing the Power of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Other Social Media Networks for All Businesses
David Taylor and Michelle Carvill
Book
What is social media? Have you got a facebook page but are unsure how it can benefit your company?...
Big Shots: The Photography of Guy Webster
Book
A stunning retrospective of noted celebrity and rock photographer Guy Webster's work in 1960s Los...
MSC1: Be Confident in Who You Are
Book and Education
App
Now for iPhone and iPad! • “As you prepare for back to school, don't forget the anxiety...[this...
Beckie Shelton (40 KP) rated The Marriage Pact in Books
Oct 6, 2017
The marriage pact by Michelle Richmond was surprisingly good, The author has found a unique idea and evolved it from there.
With some surprising twists and turns that I didn't see coming this was a refreshing contribution to the psychological genre and I only had minor issues and niggles that pulled this down slightly for me.
So the marriage Pact involves newlywed's Jake and Alice who receive an enticing gift from one of Alice's Clients at the law firm she works at.
"The Pact"
It is designed to keep couples happy and fulfilled in their marriages, the rules seem to make sense and The Pact seems harmless in its intentions.
Initially impressed Alice and Jake start to realise there is more at stake than they realise as their dreams start to evolve into nightmares.
And no one leaves "THE PACT" ever.
So let me break this down for you first three-quarters of The Marriage Pact I loved, the story flowed, it was well written and my only minor criticism would be sometimes Jake could waffle on a tad too much with his inner monologue and I found this a touch irritating and longwinded.
Then came the last quarter, not sure what happened here but I really was not feeling it, the whole visit Orla at her home seemed unnecessary and a bit boring to me.
I would have really preferred another direction to be taken and a bit more of a pro-active stance applied here rather than talking.
Then came the ending, this is where my main issue lies, it was just so anti-climatic and blah and after all Jake's moralistic stances he just walks away, leaving the corruption behind for someone else to deal with.
I'm not saying he's wrong to do this, I just find it mildly surprising after listening to Jakes Inner moral compass throughout The Marriage Pact that he just abandons all his principles and jumps ship.
I would also have liked to see inside Alice's head as well, she was such a diverse character with so much to offer and I felt we didn't get to know her properly in her entirety.
So this was such a page-turner and even with the issues I've described, I have to give this a Four star as It was such compelling reading.
This was such an interestingly unique story that I would definitely recommend Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the Author Michelle Richmond for providing me with an Arc of The Marriage Pact, this is my own honest unbiased opinion.
Arc Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
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