Search
Search results
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated I'd Give Anything in Books
Jun 11, 2020
At eighteen, Ginny "Zinny" Beale is a lighthearted, fun, brave girl with a close group of friends and brother with whom she can unite against their uptight mother. But one night changes all of that. Someone sets the town's high school on fire and in the aftermath, the father of Ginny's best friend, Gray, is dead. The townspeople look for someone to blame--leaving most of it on a troubled teen--but Ginny learns some news that changes her entire world. She tells no one, but the secret alters her life and leaves her an outcast among her friends and family. Over the next twenty years, Ginny transitions, settling down, returning to her hometown and marrying Harris, a professor. They have a daughter, Avery, and Ginny cares for her mother, who is dying. But when scandal rocks the town again--this time focused on Harris--Ginny has to make some choices. It's time to confront the past and the secret she's kept buried all this time.
"In one night, one night, I lost all of them."
I adore Marisa de los Santos and her writing, though this wasn't my favorite of her books. Still, she's just so good at capturing the little moments in life: nailing down the feelings and emotions of her characters. Ginny, Avery, and others spring to life in this one. The story swings between past and present, with older excerpts often told from Ginny's diary entries. It takes a while to learn Ginny's big secret, which is a bit of a pet peeve of mine: I'm not always a fan of dragging out a secret.
This is a poignant and sad read, delving into marriage, love, and parenthood. My favorite character was fifteen-year-old Avery, who is hit hard by the incident involving her father, Harris. In many ways, I was far more invested in Avery's growth than Ginny's--I liked Ginny, but I couldn't quite find myself fully wanting to root for her. Although the juxtaposition between young Zinny and present-day Ginny was quite well-done.
Did you stop being your old selves? Did they fall away? Were you always only the self you were in the present?
The book explores how one secret can so change a person and the ripple effect it has on many lives. Ms. de los Santos examines her characters very closely via her writing, and I will always love picking up her books and getting an intimate look at her cast of players. In the end, this is a touching and well-written novel, even if I couldn't always find myself fully engaged in Ginny's world. 3.75 stars, rounded to 4 here.
"In one night, one night, I lost all of them."
I adore Marisa de los Santos and her writing, though this wasn't my favorite of her books. Still, she's just so good at capturing the little moments in life: nailing down the feelings and emotions of her characters. Ginny, Avery, and others spring to life in this one. The story swings between past and present, with older excerpts often told from Ginny's diary entries. It takes a while to learn Ginny's big secret, which is a bit of a pet peeve of mine: I'm not always a fan of dragging out a secret.
This is a poignant and sad read, delving into marriage, love, and parenthood. My favorite character was fifteen-year-old Avery, who is hit hard by the incident involving her father, Harris. In many ways, I was far more invested in Avery's growth than Ginny's--I liked Ginny, but I couldn't quite find myself fully wanting to root for her. Although the juxtaposition between young Zinny and present-day Ginny was quite well-done.
Did you stop being your old selves? Did they fall away? Were you always only the self you were in the present?
The book explores how one secret can so change a person and the ripple effect it has on many lives. Ms. de los Santos examines her characters very closely via her writing, and I will always love picking up her books and getting an intimate look at her cast of players. In the end, this is a touching and well-written novel, even if I couldn't always find myself fully engaged in Ginny's world. 3.75 stars, rounded to 4 here.
Honest Review for Free Copy of Book
Readers should not be fooled by the title The Geek Who Came From The Cold: Surviving The Post-USSR Era On A Hollywood Diet by Leon Kaminsky has nothing to do with food or dieting at all. The “Hollywood Diet” mentioned in the title is movies, mainly those from the US. A little bit of knowledge about Russia and their policies would be helpful when reading this book but is not required.
Leon is a young boy growing up in Russia at the end of the 1900s. He has a nervous problem (possibly anxiety) and has a hard time at school and with other people in general. Leon quickly falls in love with movies, specifically those from Hollywood after seeing them for the first time. Like so many other people who are not exactly social for one reason or another, he trades social interaction for watching films. His love for movies over the years borders on the edge of obsession as he knows not only actors and directors but also the Russian’s who voice over the tapes to translate them. His daily and weekly schedule revolves around what movies are being played on TV or at the theaters.
He takes readers through the difficulty of obtaining some of the popular movies that can be found just about anywhere here in the United States. This difficulty is not only because of how much Russia censored movies from just about anywhere but because the titles are often changed as well. Leon shares his excitement and the challenges he faced to get his first VCR play and to transport his VHS collection when his family moved. He even talks about when owning a VCR was illegal in Russia and when people would give anything to have one, including offering to trade a boat for a VCR.
What I liked best was that the informative quality of the book was wonderful and the author clearly did his research (I even wondered at times if the book was based on the author’s own childhood). I appreciated the human qualities of the book, such as the struggles Leon faces at school. New facts about Russia was presented to the readers in a way that prevented anything from feeling too overly informative. What I did not like was the fact that the book ends fairly abruptly. I would have liked to see at least one chapter about after the family’s move to Germany. There were also multiple sections where it would begin on one topic and end on another, seemingly unrelated topic.
Movie fans will enjoy this book but it is recommended that they be somewhat familiar with movies from the 1980s (I think was the time period of most movies mentioned in the book, I myself am far from a movie buff at all) and newer. High school students may not be able to fully appreciate the cinematic history in this book and may feel more like a history book to them. It should also be noted as VHS tapes are already a thing of the past (I am holding on to a few to show my children in the future) upcoming generations may not know what the book is talking about without asking their parents or google. Finally, I give this book a rating of 3 out of 4. This book is very informative about a topic not many people are probably aware of. Sadly this gives it a very narrow target audience. The way the book is written makes it feel like it is an autobiography about a movie lover growing up where movies are largely controlled. The plot of the book is frequently lost through during all the movie talk.
https://www.facebook.com/nightreaderreviews
Leon is a young boy growing up in Russia at the end of the 1900s. He has a nervous problem (possibly anxiety) and has a hard time at school and with other people in general. Leon quickly falls in love with movies, specifically those from Hollywood after seeing them for the first time. Like so many other people who are not exactly social for one reason or another, he trades social interaction for watching films. His love for movies over the years borders on the edge of obsession as he knows not only actors and directors but also the Russian’s who voice over the tapes to translate them. His daily and weekly schedule revolves around what movies are being played on TV or at the theaters.
He takes readers through the difficulty of obtaining some of the popular movies that can be found just about anywhere here in the United States. This difficulty is not only because of how much Russia censored movies from just about anywhere but because the titles are often changed as well. Leon shares his excitement and the challenges he faced to get his first VCR play and to transport his VHS collection when his family moved. He even talks about when owning a VCR was illegal in Russia and when people would give anything to have one, including offering to trade a boat for a VCR.
What I liked best was that the informative quality of the book was wonderful and the author clearly did his research (I even wondered at times if the book was based on the author’s own childhood). I appreciated the human qualities of the book, such as the struggles Leon faces at school. New facts about Russia was presented to the readers in a way that prevented anything from feeling too overly informative. What I did not like was the fact that the book ends fairly abruptly. I would have liked to see at least one chapter about after the family’s move to Germany. There were also multiple sections where it would begin on one topic and end on another, seemingly unrelated topic.
Movie fans will enjoy this book but it is recommended that they be somewhat familiar with movies from the 1980s (I think was the time period of most movies mentioned in the book, I myself am far from a movie buff at all) and newer. High school students may not be able to fully appreciate the cinematic history in this book and may feel more like a history book to them. It should also be noted as VHS tapes are already a thing of the past (I am holding on to a few to show my children in the future) upcoming generations may not know what the book is talking about without asking their parents or google. Finally, I give this book a rating of 3 out of 4. This book is very informative about a topic not many people are probably aware of. Sadly this gives it a very narrow target audience. The way the book is written makes it feel like it is an autobiography about a movie lover growing up where movies are largely controlled. The plot of the book is frequently lost through during all the movie talk.
https://www.facebook.com/nightreaderreviews
Andy K (10823 KP) rated What We Left Behind: Looking Back at Deep Space Nine (2018) in Movies
Jul 23, 2019
Where would we be without DS9?
Maybe the best Trek of all time?
Sisko, Odo, Kira, O'Brien, Dax, Quark, Bashir and the rest of the massive cast brought Star Trek to life as never before in this vastly different "station"ary style of Trek.
At the time, syndication was where it was at for reruns and additional revenue for a TV program. DS9 bucked the trend of wrapping up everything within one episode and began a TV serial which pretty much ran almost the entire run, much to the dismay of studio executives. Nowadays, shows like The Walking Dead, Lost, or Game of Thrones do this every week, but in the mid 90s this was not common.
Sandwiched in between The Next Generation and Voyager, DS9 did not get a lot of respect during its initial run at all. Also at that time, Trek TNG movies were in full swing so the show had to compete with that as well. Television stations would often preempt the show, skip a week or run the show in the early morning hours which made it even harder for its audience to keep track of the action.
DS9 certainly got a 2nd life with the current popularity of "binge watching" on your favorite streaming service. Having the ability to watch multi-part episodes or entire seasons within a few weeks brought back to life the en genius writing, acting and production quality of the series.
For this documentary, former showrunner Ira Steven Behr took several years worth of cast, crew and fan interviews, clips, behind the scenes footage and compiled a wonderful interesting film for any Trek fan. Many cast members major and minor as well as producers, writers and tech workers told tales of working on the show and how they very much enjoyed their time.
Throughout the many iterations of Trek, original creator Gene Roddenberry felt the show should entertain as well as provide social commentary on the issues of the time and DS9 was no exception. Throughout the show's 7 year run they dealt with issues such as racism, homelessness, same sex relationships and even genetic engineering.
One of the most fun subplots of the film was gathering the show's original writers in a room to formulate the first episode for the fictitious "Season 8" which will never actually happen (although I wish it would). The ideas, plot points and arcs they went through and came up with were extremely interesting, keep with the high level of writing the show originally produced, but also through us a few curveballs with some fun surprises.
Through the cast interviews we got to hear how the crew got along, some of their favorite and least favorite episodes and even the friendships they have maintained with one another.
The DVD set I received also had included a vast assortment of additional footage featuring even more nuggets and stories of what made the show great.
Overall, this film was one of the best documentaries I have ever seen about one of my favorite television programs in my lifetime. I might have to start binge watching the show again very soon.
Did I mention my name appears in the end credits?!? 😊
Sisko, Odo, Kira, O'Brien, Dax, Quark, Bashir and the rest of the massive cast brought Star Trek to life as never before in this vastly different "station"ary style of Trek.
At the time, syndication was where it was at for reruns and additional revenue for a TV program. DS9 bucked the trend of wrapping up everything within one episode and began a TV serial which pretty much ran almost the entire run, much to the dismay of studio executives. Nowadays, shows like The Walking Dead, Lost, or Game of Thrones do this every week, but in the mid 90s this was not common.
Sandwiched in between The Next Generation and Voyager, DS9 did not get a lot of respect during its initial run at all. Also at that time, Trek TNG movies were in full swing so the show had to compete with that as well. Television stations would often preempt the show, skip a week or run the show in the early morning hours which made it even harder for its audience to keep track of the action.
DS9 certainly got a 2nd life with the current popularity of "binge watching" on your favorite streaming service. Having the ability to watch multi-part episodes or entire seasons within a few weeks brought back to life the en genius writing, acting and production quality of the series.
For this documentary, former showrunner Ira Steven Behr took several years worth of cast, crew and fan interviews, clips, behind the scenes footage and compiled a wonderful interesting film for any Trek fan. Many cast members major and minor as well as producers, writers and tech workers told tales of working on the show and how they very much enjoyed their time.
Throughout the many iterations of Trek, original creator Gene Roddenberry felt the show should entertain as well as provide social commentary on the issues of the time and DS9 was no exception. Throughout the show's 7 year run they dealt with issues such as racism, homelessness, same sex relationships and even genetic engineering.
One of the most fun subplots of the film was gathering the show's original writers in a room to formulate the first episode for the fictitious "Season 8" which will never actually happen (although I wish it would). The ideas, plot points and arcs they went through and came up with were extremely interesting, keep with the high level of writing the show originally produced, but also through us a few curveballs with some fun surprises.
Through the cast interviews we got to hear how the crew got along, some of their favorite and least favorite episodes and even the friendships they have maintained with one another.
The DVD set I received also had included a vast assortment of additional footage featuring even more nuggets and stories of what made the show great.
Overall, this film was one of the best documentaries I have ever seen about one of my favorite television programs in my lifetime. I might have to start binge watching the show again very soon.
Did I mention my name appears in the end credits?!? 😊
Leighann Twist (26 KP) rated Pet Sematary (2019) in Movies
May 15, 2019
Meh....
Contains spoilers, click to show
I am so on the fence about this film. I liked some of the changes they made to this film. The kids in the masks made me uneasy which I like in a horror film but I feel like they could have done more with the orgin of the masks but other than the kids wearing the masks in the beginning of the film, the only other time you see them is when Ellie starts her killing spree. So the scene at her birthday party....I find it ridiculous that there were all those adults there and while Louis is blindfolded no one is watching the kids to make sure they dont run out into the street. Now one could argue who was watching Guage when he dies in the original but there are A LOT more parents around in this one. And who plays hide and seek in the front yard of a house on a busy highway anyway? Dont they have a backyard too? But despite all that I really enjoyed the scene leading up to Ellies death. They did a good job with Louis going after Guage and then Ellie getting hit instead. It was intense and sucked me right in. Let's talk Zelda for a second. Quite possibly the best and most terrifying part of the movie. Wasnt sure how Zelda could be anymore creepy than she was in the original but OMG they so nailed it. My favorite parts of this remake were the Rachel and Zelda storyline and it had me on the edge of my seat for sure. The ending however lost it for me and left me so angry that I paid to see this movie in the theater. The ending is where everything fell apart for me. It seemed very rushed and sloppily done. Such cheese. Realistically would everyone turn 3 seconds after they were buried? Do zombies have superhuman strength? Cuz Ellie taking her dad to the burial ground and making it over that hill with the weight of his body seemed so cheesy. Then the father killing the mother and them going to get Guage
...I dunno it fell apart for me and was so cheesy. It felt rushed
But hey Zelda... am I right?
...I dunno it fell apart for me and was so cheesy. It felt rushed
But hey Zelda... am I right?
Merissa (13051 KP) rated The Outsider (A Broken World #5) in Books
Jan 21, 2019
The Outsider (A Broken World #5) by Dean Murray
The Outsider sees Skye reunite with Brennan, Jax, and the rest. However, things have changed - not just between Skye and Brennan, but the whole situation. There is a lot that needs to be said before the air can be cleared between them all. Skye still has her own secrets, and now it looks like she is carrying one inside her that no one knew about! Brennan has changed in the time that Skye hasn't been there, he's made decisions that are not easy, and has had to live with the consequences that he has hidden from others, so they don't have to have it on their conscience. Jax has been carrying a lot of the weight and it is starting to wear him down. Add in the fact that Skye is his daughter, and there is a whole minefield between them.
I have to say that the flow of this story was better for me. Although I thoroughly enjoyed The Founder, this one I could disappear in. Whether or not it's the relationship that Skye and Brennan have, or that Jax and Brennan have, or Jax and the soldiers, or what, I honestly couldn't say. All I can say is that once I started this book, I was hard-pressed to put it down. The time flew and I was lost once again in this dystopian world, wanting and hoping for Skye to get her HEA.
This is a long book that will draw you in, although I would recommend that you read this as a series, otherwise you just won't understand all the nuances that have occurred up to this point. That being said, it doesn't read like a long book. I did not realise how long I'd been reading until I had to put it down! There were no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading flow, and the characters continue to grow. With their own problems and circumstances, this is an intricate story full of characters to enjoy or despise. Either way, you'll never be bored. Highly recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
I have to say that the flow of this story was better for me. Although I thoroughly enjoyed The Founder, this one I could disappear in. Whether or not it's the relationship that Skye and Brennan have, or that Jax and Brennan have, or Jax and the soldiers, or what, I honestly couldn't say. All I can say is that once I started this book, I was hard-pressed to put it down. The time flew and I was lost once again in this dystopian world, wanting and hoping for Skye to get her HEA.
This is a long book that will draw you in, although I would recommend that you read this as a series, otherwise you just won't understand all the nuances that have occurred up to this point. That being said, it doesn't read like a long book. I did not realise how long I'd been reading until I had to put it down! There were no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading flow, and the characters continue to grow. With their own problems and circumstances, this is an intricate story full of characters to enjoy or despise. Either way, you'll never be bored. Highly recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated The Long Call in Books
Sep 13, 2019
Well, this was an excellent police procedural; one of those mysteries that you get caught up in from the start. I'll be honest that I've never heard of Ann Cleeves or any of her previous series. That's clearly my loss, and I'm definitely interested in her other works now.
I won't go into too many details here and spoil the plot, but I'll say that this is a great read, filled with all the little details and nuances that you get from a strong writer. I was heartened from the beginning to find our protagonist, DI Venn, to be gay. You don't get a lot of that in the mystery world. His sexuality is a part of the book, but not the focus, and it was just really nice to read about a gay detective. Matthew is a fascinating character, who is grappling with facing members of the Barum Brethren, a religious sect that he grew up in, but of whom he is no longer a member. He is also a straight-laced policeman, and a strong leader who can admit his faults. It will be nice to follow him in a new series.
His team is interesting as well--quirky Jen and annoying Ross are the main two--and I hope they come along in the second book. Cleeves is quite adept at creating her characters, and all are easy to imagine. There's a wide cast of characters in this one, and plenty of suspects, but not so many as to get confused or lost. There's a main plotline (murdered man) and a secondary one--that may be related--and both are intriguing and keep you guessing. We learn things along with the team, as they investigate, which is always a favorite of mine. It's a small-town setting, and many folks are complicated, many have secrets, and it's difficult to work out which secret may have led to murder! (Though I'm proud that I had an inkling about some things!)
In the end, this was a really strong mystery. It quietly keeps you guessing and invested in the story. The characters are excellent, and I'm just so heartened to find a gay lead! It's thoughtful and smart, without any gimmicks. Definitely recommend. 4+ stars.
I won't go into too many details here and spoil the plot, but I'll say that this is a great read, filled with all the little details and nuances that you get from a strong writer. I was heartened from the beginning to find our protagonist, DI Venn, to be gay. You don't get a lot of that in the mystery world. His sexuality is a part of the book, but not the focus, and it was just really nice to read about a gay detective. Matthew is a fascinating character, who is grappling with facing members of the Barum Brethren, a religious sect that he grew up in, but of whom he is no longer a member. He is also a straight-laced policeman, and a strong leader who can admit his faults. It will be nice to follow him in a new series.
His team is interesting as well--quirky Jen and annoying Ross are the main two--and I hope they come along in the second book. Cleeves is quite adept at creating her characters, and all are easy to imagine. There's a wide cast of characters in this one, and plenty of suspects, but not so many as to get confused or lost. There's a main plotline (murdered man) and a secondary one--that may be related--and both are intriguing and keep you guessing. We learn things along with the team, as they investigate, which is always a favorite of mine. It's a small-town setting, and many folks are complicated, many have secrets, and it's difficult to work out which secret may have led to murder! (Though I'm proud that I had an inkling about some things!)
In the end, this was a really strong mystery. It quietly keeps you guessing and invested in the story. The characters are excellent, and I'm just so heartened to find a gay lead! It's thoughtful and smart, without any gimmicks. Definitely recommend. 4+ stars.
Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated Fire and Heist in Books
Apr 2, 2019
I picked this up off the library shelf for the title; I took it home for the description. Were-dragon thieves? Awesome. It turns out it's not that simple. For one, the were-dragons have lost the ability to transform over the years - the last dragon to transform was Sir Francis Drake, and the book is set in modern times, so, at least a couple hundred years have passed. And humans know the were-dragons exist! I suppose without the ability to transform, they're little more than rich celebrities with parlor tricks. (Immune to fire to certain temperatures, ability to breathe fire.) What humans don't know is how much the wyverns tend to steal to enrich their hoards. And that some of them can do limited magic.
We open on Sky, sixteen, rattling around her mansion, dealing with her now dysfunctional family of three brothers and their father. Her mother went missing not very long ago, during a heist. The kids have been told she's gone, she's alive, she's not coming back, and to drop the matter. Were-dragon society almost exiled all of them for whatever their mother got into, so they're all on thin ice. Sky, of course, is having none of this. When she stumbles on a lead for where her mother went, she pursues it, and learns all kinds of secrets.
The book was okay, I suppose. I was a little appalled at were-dragon society, and that the dragons just - bow to the authority of the Council. Dragons should have more spine. The heist part was pretty cool, with Sky and her friends figuring out how to take apart every layer of security piece by piece.
I don't know. It was a fluffy book, but not a feel-good book, and I just wasn't that enthused.
You can read all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.com
We open on Sky, sixteen, rattling around her mansion, dealing with her now dysfunctional family of three brothers and their father. Her mother went missing not very long ago, during a heist. The kids have been told she's gone, she's alive, she's not coming back, and to drop the matter. Were-dragon society almost exiled all of them for whatever their mother got into, so they're all on thin ice. Sky, of course, is having none of this. When she stumbles on a lead for where her mother went, she pursues it, and learns all kinds of secrets.
The book was okay, I suppose. I was a little appalled at were-dragon society, and that the dragons just - bow to the authority of the Council. Dragons should have more spine. The heist part was pretty cool, with Sky and her friends figuring out how to take apart every layer of security piece by piece.
I don't know. It was a fluffy book, but not a feel-good book, and I just wasn't that enthused.
You can read all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.com
Sarah (7800 KP) rated Westworld - Season 2 in TV
Jun 18, 2019
Very confused
The first series of Westworld was a bit of a head scratcher, but a good one. Admittedly I had to read up a bit afterwards to make sure I'd understood it correctly but i still really enjoyed it. It was a great new take on AI and consciousness. The second series however was a bit of a let down.
Firstly the cinematography and production values of this show are fantastic. It looks amazing, and has a truly stellar cast to boot. The problem for me is entirely down to the plot. This second series has gone completely off the rails in my eyes and become so confused and convoluted. Admittedly it isn't helped by the multiple timelines on offer, which feature different time periods straight after the events of the series 1 finale. To begin with I thought this was a great idea, but after a few episodes I started to get very confused. I think they've taken a very good base plot and tried to do too much to it (Lost anyone?). I'm all for plot twists but this takes it way too far. And what started off as a fun reveal of guess who is/isnt a host, has become very tired and old. By the end of this series I was getting a little sick of yet more people being revealed as hosts. And without revealing any spoilers, i think a reveal right at the end about a major character potentially being a host really made me annoyed.
I would say to take my review with a pinch of salt. I think a show like this needs a large amount of brainpower and attention, and this just isn't something I have right now. I think this may have pushed my already fried brain off the edge, but if I ever get chance to watch this when I'm a little less overloaded, I may have a different opinion!
Firstly the cinematography and production values of this show are fantastic. It looks amazing, and has a truly stellar cast to boot. The problem for me is entirely down to the plot. This second series has gone completely off the rails in my eyes and become so confused and convoluted. Admittedly it isn't helped by the multiple timelines on offer, which feature different time periods straight after the events of the series 1 finale. To begin with I thought this was a great idea, but after a few episodes I started to get very confused. I think they've taken a very good base plot and tried to do too much to it (Lost anyone?). I'm all for plot twists but this takes it way too far. And what started off as a fun reveal of guess who is/isnt a host, has become very tired and old. By the end of this series I was getting a little sick of yet more people being revealed as hosts. And without revealing any spoilers, i think a reveal right at the end about a major character potentially being a host really made me annoyed.
I would say to take my review with a pinch of salt. I think a show like this needs a large amount of brainpower and attention, and this just isn't something I have right now. I think this may have pushed my already fried brain off the edge, but if I ever get chance to watch this when I'm a little less overloaded, I may have a different opinion!
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated You Are Not Alone in Books
Mar 19, 2020
A few seconds change Shay Miller's life forever. It's almost ironic, as Shay, 31, and a market researcher, is obsessed with data. She's been keeping data books since age eleven, listing statistics and facts the way other girls write in diaries. Shay's recently lost her job, and her roommate and best friend, Sean, spends more time with his girlfriend than her. She feels hopeless and isolated. Then everything changes, and Shay finds herself swept up in the glamorous world of the Moore sisters, Cassandra and Jane. They have a way of making Shay feel different. They also seem to be everywhere, shaping Shay's life in strange ways.
I've learned by now when I pick up a book by the Hendricks-Pekkanen duo that I need to just suspend disbelief for a bit and go with it. If I can do that and enjoy the ride, then the book is a fun little escape mechanism. When looked at via this prism, You Are Not Alone was very successful.
The book is told from different points of view that often stray into various time periods, and it took me a while to keep all the characters straight. Cassandra and Jane have a host of friends, and I had to bookmark the page that introduced them all so I could remember who was who for a while. There seem to be unreliable narrators galore for a while--can we trust Shay? The sisters? Their friends?
I don't want to get too much into the plot and give anything away. It's a crazy story and again, not really probable (I hope). However, it's highly addictive, and I found the book to be compulsively readable. I also really grew to like Shay, even if I was suspicious about her.
There are some great twists and turns in this thriller, which I really enjoyed. I liked how this one kept me guessing, even if there was an eye roll or two in there too. It was definitely wild! 4 stars.
I've learned by now when I pick up a book by the Hendricks-Pekkanen duo that I need to just suspend disbelief for a bit and go with it. If I can do that and enjoy the ride, then the book is a fun little escape mechanism. When looked at via this prism, You Are Not Alone was very successful.
The book is told from different points of view that often stray into various time periods, and it took me a while to keep all the characters straight. Cassandra and Jane have a host of friends, and I had to bookmark the page that introduced them all so I could remember who was who for a while. There seem to be unreliable narrators galore for a while--can we trust Shay? The sisters? Their friends?
I don't want to get too much into the plot and give anything away. It's a crazy story and again, not really probable (I hope). However, it's highly addictive, and I found the book to be compulsively readable. I also really grew to like Shay, even if I was suspicious about her.
There are some great twists and turns in this thriller, which I really enjoyed. I liked how this one kept me guessing, even if there was an eye roll or two in there too. It was definitely wild! 4 stars.
The Lieutenant Don't Know: One Marine's Story of Warfare and Combat Logistics in Afghanistan
Book
In our wars since 2001 the term "front line" has long since lost its meaning, and the true combats...