Sisters
8.0
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Something unspeakable has happened to sisters July and September. Desperate for a fresh start,...
Literary Fiction Gothic
Eye of the Dolphin (2006)
6.3
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Alyssa is a troubled 14-year old, suspended from school a year after her mother has drowned. Her...
Frank Herbert's Dune, the Graphic Novel book 2: Muad'dib
6.0
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In DUNE: The Graphic Novel, Book 2: Muad’Dib, the second of three volumes adapting Frank...
ClareR (5885 KP) rated The Silence of Scheherazade in Books
Nov 29, 2022
We follow four families as their lives are changed forever when the Ottoman Empire is torn apart, and the city of Smyrna is at the front and centre of the trouble and violence.
This novel covers about 17 years from 1905, and follows four families from very different backgrounds: Levantine, Greek, Turkish and Armenian.
Scheherazade is born in September 1905, and never knows her mother as she is abandoned. An Indian spy (sent from the British) is who will tie them all together.
My thoughts:
I love an epic, sprawling story, and following the lives of four families certainly gives a lot of scope for that.
It was fascinating to learn about the different cultures of the four families, and of course Smyrna was a main character in itself.
It’s a book to be immersed in, with the sights and smells beautifully described.
Just my kind of book!
Staged 4 Murder
8.0
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Casting suspicion . . . Sophie “Phee” Kimball wants to get some work done at her private...
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated The Burning Girls in Books
Aug 17, 2023
Book
The Burning Girls
By C.J. Tudor
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
When Rev Jack Brooks and teenage daughter Flo move to Chapel Croft, they're far from welcome.
The closed-off community, deeply suspicious of outsiders, is watching them carefully.
Yet Jack has more frightening concerns.
Rumours of the town's secrets are spreading like wildfire, while strange happenings haunt Jack and Flo's every move.
The past is catching up with Chapel Croft - and with Jack - and it's darker than anyone could have feared . . .
This was really really good almost 5⭐️ something just held me back and I’m not sure what! Well this had a few unexpected turns at the end that I didn’t see coming and reading as a mother it can be quite chilling. Highly recommend this is the first time I’ve read C.J. Tudor it won’t be the last!
Vital Found ( Evelyn Maynard trilogy book 2)
8.0
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The electrifying sequel to the International Bestseller Variant Lost.Bradford Hills feels more like...
The Weekend Before the Wedding
8.0
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One weekend, one bride-to-be, what could possibly go wrong… All Shelley wanted on her hen...
The Seventh Victim
8.0
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On a cold February afternoon in 1990, seven-year-old Danny Redpath disappeared from his home. Four...
Canadian author Susin Nielsen continues to entertain children with her latest novel Word Nerd. Similarly with characters from previous novels, the pre-teen Ambrose is a bit of a misfit. With a deathly peanut allergy and an over protective parent who travels from job to job, Ambrose never manages to make any friends. Now settled in Vancouver, Ambrose is the happiest he has ever been. He is homeschooled away from all the bullies, has made a friend and found a passion in Scrabble. However, he has to keep all of this secret from his mother.
Ambrose is a funny, intelligent narrator who draws the reader in from the very first line: “The day I almost died…” Like many children who do not fit in with peers at school, Ambrose’s passions lie within less conventional past times, i.e. playing Scrabble. Able to quickly pull out several words from a jumble of letters – emphasized by the anagram chapter headings – he is overjoyed to learn of a nearby Scrabble club and knows just the person to accompany him.
Cosmo is a character that younger readers may struggle to come to terms with. An ex-convict and recovering drug addict, Cosmo also enjoys playing Scrabble and is persuaded by his annoying neighbour – Ambrose – to go to the club. An unconventional friendship sparks between the two of them, both unintentionally helping the other out. Cosmo encourages Ambrose to stand up to the bullies, whereas having a child around keeps Cosmo away from the things that resulted in a prison sentence. Despite the positives in this relationship, Ambrose’s mother believes Cosmo to be completely untrustworthy.
Although Ambrose and Cosmo are the main characters in Word Nerd, Ambrose’s mother maintains an important role. Having lost her husband suddenly and unexpectedly, she must have been terrified to learn of Ambrose’s peanut allergy. In order to prevent her son from leaving her as well, she has become overprotective and controlling, denying Ambrose the right to live his own life.
Some readers may have experienced similar situations either at school or with their parents. Word Nerd, whilst being a form of entertainment, explains the potential reasons behind these scenarios, helping children to understand what may be occurring in their lives. It also highlights the dangers of drug addictions and crime, but also suggests that people can change their ways.
Word Nerd, whilst voiced by a twelve year old, is more appropriate for readers in their teens. Ambrose is very mature at such a young age, and the book contains subjects of drugs and violence as well as mild sexual references. What Susin Nielsen has produced is an amusing story with a powerful message. Both entertaining and insightful, Word Nerd is perhaps Nielsen’s best novel yet.