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Tombland (The Shardlake series Book 7)
Book
Summer, 1549. Two years after the death of Henry VIII, England is sliding into chaos . . . The...
The Last Time I Saw You
5.0
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The internationally bestselling author of The Last Mrs. Parrish follows that success with an...
Fiction Mystery Contemporary
Carry On, Warrior: The Power of Embracing Your Messy, Beautiful Life
Book
Anne Lamott meets Elizabeth Gilbert in this inspirational, side-splittingly funny exploration of the...
The Fall of Lisa Bellow
7.0
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The breakout novel from the critically acclaimed author of the short story collections Who I Was...
Stipulations and Complications (The Sisters, Texas Mystery Series Book 3)
Book
Life comes with stipulations. If you want to fit into last year’s swimsuit, you can’t eat ice...
cozy mystery mystery Texas adult fiction series
ClareR (5779 KP) rated Lady MacBethad in Books
Apr 4, 2023
I studied Macbeth at school (pre-GCSE), and I don’t think I was told that it was based on a real historical figure - at least I’ve forgotten in the intervening 30-odd years. All I can remember , is that my English teacher at the time, Mr Jones, asked me to read Lady Macbeth’s part, because he thought I suited it! I’m sure I should have been more insulted than I was, but then I always thought that she had the good part…
Lady MacBethad is the story pre-Macbeth and probably closer to the truth. Shakespeare had his reasons for writing his play the way he did (keeping in with the royals and the fee-paying public, perhaps?), but it seems in reality MacBethad had more of a claim to the throne than Duncan.
This novel is of course from Lady MacBethad’s point of view - but she hasn’t got there yet. In this, she’s Gruoch, or as her grandmother says: “Groa, daughter of Boedhe, son of Coinneach, the rightful King of Alba…You will be the greatest of us all”
Gruoch is brought up in a household where her mother remembers her picti and ancient Druid heritage, but her father, Boedhe, follows the new Christian faith. Gruoch is conflicted. But she does know that she wants to be queen, and will stop at nothing to get there.
She’s so young though, and that does come across in some of her attitude, temper tantrums and opinions. She’s certainly undertaking quite some learning curve.
This was such a readable, immersive story, and I found myself backing Gruoch and wanting to actually help her (she would never have listened). I’ve no doubt this will be one of my favourite books this year - and I do wonder if there will be a sequel? I’d read it!
Lady MacBethad is the story pre-Macbeth and probably closer to the truth. Shakespeare had his reasons for writing his play the way he did (keeping in with the royals and the fee-paying public, perhaps?), but it seems in reality MacBethad had more of a claim to the throne than Duncan.
This novel is of course from Lady MacBethad’s point of view - but she hasn’t got there yet. In this, she’s Gruoch, or as her grandmother says: “Groa, daughter of Boedhe, son of Coinneach, the rightful King of Alba…You will be the greatest of us all”
Gruoch is brought up in a household where her mother remembers her picti and ancient Druid heritage, but her father, Boedhe, follows the new Christian faith. Gruoch is conflicted. But she does know that she wants to be queen, and will stop at nothing to get there.
She’s so young though, and that does come across in some of her attitude, temper tantrums and opinions. She’s certainly undertaking quite some learning curve.
This was such a readable, immersive story, and I found myself backing Gruoch and wanting to actually help her (she would never have listened). I’ve no doubt this will be one of my favourite books this year - and I do wonder if there will be a sequel? I’d read it!
Catriona Ward has got to be one of the best thriller writers around at the moment. I loved The Last House on Needless Street (although it was strange) and this book was just as good, and even more odd. I can’t say that I enjoyed the book as it touched upon some horrifying themes, but I couldn’t put it down as I needed to know what happened. When it came to the twists, I didn’t see most of them coming and Sundial had me guessing the whole way through. The cliffhanger that Catriona Ward ended this book on left some hope that the ending wasn’t as bad as it could be, but also left me with so many questions that are going to remain unsolved.
We meet Rob, a mother who seems to be in a bad marriage with Irving, who seems to cheat on her constantly. There is a lot of manipulation and abuse that is obvious throughout the book, and you consistently wonder why they are still together and don’t just leave each other. Things get worse when Rob starts to suspect something is wrong with her eldest daughter, Callie, and ends up taking Callie back to her childhood home in the desert: Sundial. Here, Rob tells Callie her story and hopes that it explains why Rob and ultimately Callie are the way they are.
I didn’t see the twists coming, and I was shocked by each one right up to the very end of the book. I would say that there should be some trigger warnings for domestic violence and animal abuse though, although the animal abuse isn’t in detail and is glossed over enough to not upset the reader but that they still know what is going on. I look forward to reading more of Catriona Ward’s books in the future.
We meet Rob, a mother who seems to be in a bad marriage with Irving, who seems to cheat on her constantly. There is a lot of manipulation and abuse that is obvious throughout the book, and you consistently wonder why they are still together and don’t just leave each other. Things get worse when Rob starts to suspect something is wrong with her eldest daughter, Callie, and ends up taking Callie back to her childhood home in the desert: Sundial. Here, Rob tells Callie her story and hopes that it explains why Rob and ultimately Callie are the way they are.
I didn’t see the twists coming, and I was shocked by each one right up to the very end of the book. I would say that there should be some trigger warnings for domestic violence and animal abuse though, although the animal abuse isn’t in detail and is glossed over enough to not upset the reader but that they still know what is going on. I look forward to reading more of Catriona Ward’s books in the future.
We Have Your Daughter: The Unsolved Murder of Jonbenet Ramsey Twenty Years Later
Book
New information from We Have Your Daughter has been revealed. Here is some of it. The Family As a...
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated River Road in Books
Feb 8, 2018
Nan Lewis is a creative writing professor at a state school in upstate New York. She lives alone after the tragic death of her young daughter, Emmy--an incident which her marriage could not survive. She's recently been denied tenure by her school and is upset and agitated the university's holiday party. On her way home, she hits a deer, but cannot find the animal when she goes to check on it. Nan eventually makes it back home in a snowstorm, leaving her car at the bottom of her icy, unplowed driveway. But when she wakes in the morning, she learns that one of her prized students, Leia, was killed in a hit-and-run the night before on River Road: the exact road where Nan hit the deer. Because her car was damaged from hitting the deer, Nan is the prime suspect, and she quickly loses the support of her colleagues, who point out that she has become a functioning alcoholic since her daughter's death. Even worse, Nan starts seeing signs that remind her of Emmy's death. Are Emmy and Leia's deaths related? How much did Nan have to drink the night she hit the deer? Will she clear her name before her entire life is destroyed?
I'm honestly not sure why I enjoyed this book as much as I did. It had several things working against it: 1) an unlikable narrator who drinks heavily; 2) a storyline that heavily involved dead children and pets (why?!); and 3) an easily guessed villain. Still, I found this one compulsively readable and stayed up far past my bedtime to finish the second half of the book. Nan grew on me, and I found myself almost protective of her. The lead policeman in the novel, Joe, was a favorite of mine. While I figured out the villain fairly early, I didn't understand the motives, so the plot kept me guessing until the end. Goodman weaves several storylines together--which intersect, but loosely--and somehow they all work. There are several supporting characters, including the woman who killed Nan's daughter and a young single mother from one of Nan's classes, who give the novel a surprising depth.
Anyway, despite some of the craziness, I found myself enjoying the book and racing to finish it. I first fell in love with Goodman due to her novel [b:The Lake of Dead Languages|120274|The Lake of Dead Languages|Carol Goodman|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320554718s/120274.jpg|3159707]. That book was impressive and still sits on my bookshelf to this day. If you haven't read it, I certainly recommend it. However, [b:River Road|25111007|River Road|Carol Goodman|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1454544060s/25111007.jpg|44804735] is a fun thriller and a worthy diversion.
I'm honestly not sure why I enjoyed this book as much as I did. It had several things working against it: 1) an unlikable narrator who drinks heavily; 2) a storyline that heavily involved dead children and pets (why?!); and 3) an easily guessed villain. Still, I found this one compulsively readable and stayed up far past my bedtime to finish the second half of the book. Nan grew on me, and I found myself almost protective of her. The lead policeman in the novel, Joe, was a favorite of mine. While I figured out the villain fairly early, I didn't understand the motives, so the plot kept me guessing until the end. Goodman weaves several storylines together--which intersect, but loosely--and somehow they all work. There are several supporting characters, including the woman who killed Nan's daughter and a young single mother from one of Nan's classes, who give the novel a surprising depth.
Anyway, despite some of the craziness, I found myself enjoying the book and racing to finish it. I first fell in love with Goodman due to her novel [b:The Lake of Dead Languages|120274|The Lake of Dead Languages|Carol Goodman|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320554718s/120274.jpg|3159707]. That book was impressive and still sits on my bookshelf to this day. If you haven't read it, I certainly recommend it. However, [b:River Road|25111007|River Road|Carol Goodman|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1454544060s/25111007.jpg|44804735] is a fun thriller and a worthy diversion.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated All Our Pretty Songs (Metamorphoses, #1) in Books
Feb 13, 2018
Two girls grow up, as close (or closer) as sisters, until a boy and a strange man (?) come between them. Aurora is the daughter of a famous musician, who died when she very young; her mother still spends most of her days in a drug-induced haze. It's up to her best friend (whose name we never learn -- she's simply the narrator of this tale) to protect Aurora, who is described as lovely and other-worldly, from herself. The girls spend their days together -- watching movies in Aurora's bed, partying hard, dancing in mosh pits at concerts, etc. One day they meet a musician named Jack, a beautiful man/boy, who enraptures the narrator, and seems to set them on a course to be torn apart.
This is a very strange book. The first half or so is actually pretty compelling and interesting. The story of Aurora and the narrator's friendship is fascinating, and their "girls gone wild" story is plausible, if not a little much. Aurora's mom could clearly care less where her daughter is. The narrator's mom, Cass, was friends with Aurora's mom, but they clearly fought when the girls were young and are not on speaking terms, though Cass cares deeply for Aurora. This is all good stuff.
Once Jack arrives and Aurora meets Minos, a bizarre music producer, things get weird. The book takes on this mystical, paranormal feel, and it's just strange. It almost feels like this part of the plot was forced into what was otherwise just a good (really, good) story about friendship and teenage girls and life. I won't go into many more details about the plot, but the narrator basically goes on a quest, which I didn't completely understand and then the book just ends, leaving you hanging and everything unresolved. And despite the fact that there is another book in the series, it looks to be about the girls' mothers, not the girls, therefore giving me no resolution whatsoever! Grr.
That's not to say that McCarry's writing isn't lovely. It's a beautiful, poetic book - almost too much at times, as I found myself practically skimming to get to the actual plot. The narrator was a compelling character, and the whole story was so well-written that I could imagine every person, every wild party, every journey. I just think that it almost would have been just as good, if not better, without all the crazy characters and odd mythology-type "stuff" thrown in. But what do I know, really? And I'll probably read the second book out of total curiosity because Maia (Aurora's mom) and Cass were pretty fascinating.
This was probably closer to 2.5 stars for my overall feeling at the end, but bumped up a bit for the beginning and the general writing.
This is a very strange book. The first half or so is actually pretty compelling and interesting. The story of Aurora and the narrator's friendship is fascinating, and their "girls gone wild" story is plausible, if not a little much. Aurora's mom could clearly care less where her daughter is. The narrator's mom, Cass, was friends with Aurora's mom, but they clearly fought when the girls were young and are not on speaking terms, though Cass cares deeply for Aurora. This is all good stuff.
Once Jack arrives and Aurora meets Minos, a bizarre music producer, things get weird. The book takes on this mystical, paranormal feel, and it's just strange. It almost feels like this part of the plot was forced into what was otherwise just a good (really, good) story about friendship and teenage girls and life. I won't go into many more details about the plot, but the narrator basically goes on a quest, which I didn't completely understand and then the book just ends, leaving you hanging and everything unresolved. And despite the fact that there is another book in the series, it looks to be about the girls' mothers, not the girls, therefore giving me no resolution whatsoever! Grr.
That's not to say that McCarry's writing isn't lovely. It's a beautiful, poetic book - almost too much at times, as I found myself practically skimming to get to the actual plot. The narrator was a compelling character, and the whole story was so well-written that I could imagine every person, every wild party, every journey. I just think that it almost would have been just as good, if not better, without all the crazy characters and odd mythology-type "stuff" thrown in. But what do I know, really? And I'll probably read the second book out of total curiosity because Maia (Aurora's mom) and Cass were pretty fascinating.
This was probably closer to 2.5 stars for my overall feeling at the end, but bumped up a bit for the beginning and the general writing.