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The Marinated Meeple (1848 KP) rated Game Of Thrones - Season 8 in TV
May 20, 2019
Writing (3 more)
Character development
Characters doing things differently fromprevious seasons... against thier nature.
Doesn't live up to the previous standards..... Shouldhave waited for George RR Martin to finish writing it.
Not what we expected, but the spectacle was there. Writing wasn't the same as previous seasons and this time it hurt.
Ev Williams recommended Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder in Books (curated)
Lisa Yuskavage recommended The Gulag Archipelago, 1918-1956 in Books (curated)
Melanie Caldicott (6 KP) rated The Midnight Library in Books
Apr 29, 2021
Repetition (2 more)
Condescending nature of librarian character
Contrived lecturing
Nice concept but dull
I listened to this on audiobook and though I would enjoy the narration by Carey Mulligan. However, I found the writing so repetitive and the character of the librarian so condescending and lecturing that it ended up being a DNF for me. Shame as I liked the premise and it's exploration of mental health. I also liked Haig's previous books which were quirky and well-written but this one just didn't meet the mark for me.
Adam Colclough (3 KP) rated The January Man: A Year of Walking Britain in Books
Apr 19, 2018
The Long and Winding Road
The relationship between fathers and sons is contested ground. An emotional boxing match with incomprehension at golden opportunities wasted in one corner, and frustration at being held to impossible standards in the other.
The sometimes awkward, but always close, relationship between journalist Christopher Somerville and his war hero father is at the heart of this hugely engaging mix of memoir and nature writing. Their shared love of walking was the bond that united two very different characters in a story that unfolds against a backdrop of profound social change.
The quiet stoicism that saw a generation of men through the war giving way to rebellion born of affluence, then morphing into the busy atomisation of twenty first century life. This could make for a maudlin exercise in chin stroking, but is saved from it by Somerville’s good humour and inherent optimism.
Added to this is a deep love of nature and the English countryside and the people who have painted, written about or made their living from it over the centuries. Somerville is able to translate this into nature writing that carries the message that we should value what we’ve got without being either sentimental or didactic.
As a memoirist, he has an eye for the eccentricities of family life and a welcome sense of empathy with the experience of his parent’s generation and how it shaped their outlook. Being reserved is not the same thing as being distant, love strong enough to last a lifetime doesn’t need to announce itself with flowers and candy hearts; it manifests in the little acts that make up a life.
This is also a resolutely practical book, something Somerville senior would have approved of, with several associated walks that can be downloaded. Even if the journey from the bookcase to your easy chair is the closest you get to hiking, it is still worth reading.
The sometimes awkward, but always close, relationship between journalist Christopher Somerville and his war hero father is at the heart of this hugely engaging mix of memoir and nature writing. Their shared love of walking was the bond that united two very different characters in a story that unfolds against a backdrop of profound social change.
The quiet stoicism that saw a generation of men through the war giving way to rebellion born of affluence, then morphing into the busy atomisation of twenty first century life. This could make for a maudlin exercise in chin stroking, but is saved from it by Somerville’s good humour and inherent optimism.
Added to this is a deep love of nature and the English countryside and the people who have painted, written about or made their living from it over the centuries. Somerville is able to translate this into nature writing that carries the message that we should value what we’ve got without being either sentimental or didactic.
As a memoirist, he has an eye for the eccentricities of family life and a welcome sense of empathy with the experience of his parent’s generation and how it shaped their outlook. Being reserved is not the same thing as being distant, love strong enough to last a lifetime doesn’t need to announce itself with flowers and candy hearts; it manifests in the little acts that make up a life.
This is also a resolutely practical book, something Somerville senior would have approved of, with several associated walks that can be downloaded. Even if the journey from the bookcase to your easy chair is the closest you get to hiking, it is still worth reading.
Suswatibasu (1701 KP) rated You Too Can Have A Body Like Mine in Books
Jul 24, 2017
Slightly overhyped with massive plot gaps
I had read a great number of reviews about this eccentric book, but perhaps it was a little too quirky for my liking. There are major similarities with Chuck Palahniuk in terms of the exaggerated style of writing and general shock factor, unfortunately it did not seem to deliver. The characters were undeveloped and there seem to be a lot of loose ends at the end of the book such as what actually happened to B and C? While I can understand the moralistic nature of the story, attacking the usage of food as a means to control people, there seemed to be something missing.
Book Divas (227 KP) rated The Snake Den (Shadow and Ink #2) in Books
Jul 16, 2019
Wow! Just wow! This time around I know exactly what rating to give this dark but perplexing read. I am truly enjoying the fact that I am still completely clueless as to the true nature of Six. Is Six an angel? A demon? The figment of Corbin's fragmented mind? The author once again reeled me in right from the start with her beautifully dark writing style. The characters are all stunning and unique and I simply cannot wait for the next book in the series as this cliff hanger ending was more intense than the last. It is indeed a pleasure to spend time in the mind of Nikki Rae.
BookInspector (124 KP) rated Viper's Daughter (Chronicles of Ancient Darkness #7) in Books
Sep 24, 2020
The protagonists in this book were Torak and Renn, and the book was mostly told from their perspectives. Renn leaves Torak unexpectedly, when Torak finds out where and why Renn left, he follows her to the Far North, where everything is completely different from the forest, where he grew up. I adored the characters in this book, they are very mysterious to me. Reading their thoughts about hunting, offerings and general respect to the mother nature is so refreshing and new to me. I am not a very big fan of stories based on folk stories and spirituality, but this book really captivated me.
I really enjoyed the narrative of this book, it is set in the antarctic kind of place, where ice covers everything. It has plenty of adventure, wild and dangerous animals, spirituality and inner thoughts. I really loved the human-nature balance and relationship portrayed in this novel, I think it is a very important thing for us to remember because we do take nature for granted. Even though this book is a part of the series, I was able to read it as a stand-alone.
The writing style of this book is exquisite! The author portrayed the nature in this book with such great detail, I felt like sitting on the boat with Torak and witnessing everything with my own eyes, the experience was incredible! For some reason I really like books set in north and cold climates, people’s survival skills really amaze me. The chapters have a very decent length, and constant change of the perspectives doesn’t leave the reader bored. I liked the ending of this book as well, I think it rounded the story nicely.
I really enjoyed the narrative of this book, it is set in the antarctic kind of place, where ice covers everything. It has plenty of adventure, wild and dangerous animals, spirituality and inner thoughts. I really loved the human-nature balance and relationship portrayed in this novel, I think it is a very important thing for us to remember because we do take nature for granted. Even though this book is a part of the series, I was able to read it as a stand-alone.
The writing style of this book is exquisite! The author portrayed the nature in this book with such great detail, I felt like sitting on the boat with Torak and witnessing everything with my own eyes, the experience was incredible! For some reason I really like books set in north and cold climates, people’s survival skills really amaze me. The chapters have a very decent length, and constant change of the perspectives doesn’t leave the reader bored. I liked the ending of this book as well, I think it rounded the story nicely.
Liliannar (58 KP) rated Blindsighted (Grant County, #1) in Books
May 29, 2018
The overall story for this book was decently well written. My biggest issue was the cookie-cutter nature of the characters. Nearly every character fit a stereotype about law enforcement or victims. Within meeting characters initially you have a generally clear impression of exactly what is going to happen. There are some variances in what I expected, but for the most part this is a very easy to predict book. The writing was still good, and since I listened on Audible and it was narrated by Kathleen Early it was pleasant to listen to. The cadences for some of the characters seemed to be a bit "off" but after getting to know that character it seems that's how they were meant to be written.
Caffeinated Fae (464 KP) rated A Spell for Chameleon in Books
Jul 12, 2018
I really wish that I loved this book as much as I loved it in middle school. I guess science fiction/fantasy really is not my favorite type of book. I found that I was bored quite a lot with this book.
I have realized that I struggle with books when they are logical. I like my emotional books. The logical nature of this novel seemed dull to me. I did like the plot line, I just did not enjoy the writing style.
All in all, this book kept me entertained. It is a good mix between science fiction and fantasy, however, it falls too much to the science fiction side that I had a hard time enjoying the novel.
I have realized that I struggle with books when they are logical. I like my emotional books. The logical nature of this novel seemed dull to me. I did like the plot line, I just did not enjoy the writing style.
All in all, this book kept me entertained. It is a good mix between science fiction and fantasy, however, it falls too much to the science fiction side that I had a hard time enjoying the novel.