Search

Search only in certain items:

    Lingokids Chinese for Kids

    Lingokids Chinese for Kids

    Education and Entertainment

    (0 Ratings) Rate It

    App

    Lingokids is the most effective Chinese learning course for children. Interactive Chinese Learning...

The Burning Girls
The Burning Girls
C. J. Tudor | 2021 | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
10
9.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
The protagonist in this book is Jack, a female vicar, that has been sent to a little village to take over the church that has been vacant. Her daughter Flo is a teenager that had to change her life from Nottingham to Chapel Croft. I really loved the brilliant selection of characters. They are all mysterious, intriguing and different. I thoroughly enjoyed Jacks thoughts about being a priest, the church’s role and religion in general. It was very modern and stigma defining. I really liked Flo as well, she seems like a very smart young lady, full of curiosity and teenage rebellion. 🙂

Like always, the narrative is creepy, mysterious and very well planned out. There are multiple stories running through this book. This book is told from multiple perspectives, and I absolutely adored that. Jack’s perspective investigates a story of two young ladies that disappeared thirty years ago and a mysterious suicide of the previous vicar. And Flo’s perspective shares very creepy encounters with local youth. The whole book is covered in a mysterious shroud, suspense is seeping through the pages, and the story simply had me absorbed. The topics discussed in this book are religion, evil youth, parenting issues, over the top religiousness, church work, vicar’s life, tight community nuances, murder and many more.

The writing style of this book is impeccable. C.J. Tudor’s writing is evolving with every single book. The setting and the mood of this book is perfect for horror, and the mystery just drives suspense through this novel. The chapters are pretty short, so it is a fast and gripping book. The culmination and the ending are brilliant, and I loved how the book was rounded up. I have to warn the reader, that this book has murders, pretty gross stories, burning people and psychopaths.

So, to conclude, this was my first book of 2021 and is going straight to my top 10 of this year. I loved everything about this novel, it has very unique and complex characters as well as an amazingly delivered plot full of twists, intriguing stories and mystery. I strongly recommend to anyone who loves Stephen King or a good mystery.
  
    Peekaboo Babybook

    Peekaboo Babybook

    Lifestyle and Photo & Video

    (0 Ratings) Rate It

    App

    Used by millions of parents around the world, Peekaboo Babybook has always been devoted to being the...

Jay and Silent Bob Reboot (2019)
Jay and Silent Bob Reboot (2019)
2019 | Comedy
To put it simply, if you're not too keen on anything related to Jay & Silent Bob or Kevin Smith, then this entry is not going to change your mind!

The first film from way back in 2001 was already loveably dumb enough. It's collision of immature humour, social commentary, slapstick silliness and plentiful references to past Kevin Smith projects leant it an awkward charm, and things are no different this time around, with exception of everyone involved looking older.

The plot revolves around the titular duo traveling to Hollywood to stop the reboot of a comic book film featuring characters based on their likenesses (literally the same plot as the first). Cue plenty of remarks about the state of cinema and the unstoppable geyser of reboots/remakes/re-imaginings, followed by an absurd road trip, and everything feels familiar and homely.

Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith are just as likable as they every have been as Jay & SB, and the supporting characters, lead by Smith's daughter Harley Quinn, are much the same (although they took a bit longer to grow on me).
There is a veritable plethora of cameos and Clerks call backs peppered throughout, including the likes of Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Chris Hemsworth, Joey Lauren Adams, Melissa Benoist, Val Kilmer, Jason Biggs, Robert Kirkman....the list goes on and on. None of these inclusions feel particularly forced, and everyone seems pretty willing to be a part of the silliness.

The script is a mixed bag of decent gags, meta lines (sometimes a bit too over the top, to the point of almost insulting the audience!), Kevin Smith talking a whole bunch of shit about himself and some genuinely touching moments. Seriously - towards the films climax, I genuinely fretted that i might let out a little sob...
The truth is, I grew up watching films like Clerks, Dogma, Mallrats etc, and whenever a new entry is put out, I remember just how much these niche comedies mean to me. Jay & Silent Bob Reboot fits right in there with the rest of them.

It's not perfect by any means, but this is a film that can pull off Chris Jericho playing a KKK leader, Redman and Method Man giving parenting, whilst still including a lip wobbling tribute to the late Stan Lee (a we'll know fan of Kevin Smith and his work). How can anyone not appreciate that!?
  
Before This is Over
Before This is Over
Amanda Hickie | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The blurb of this book, sounds a little bit like the one for the dystopian book, where everybody dies and you survive, but it was far away from it. This was really dark and emotional journey, where wrong decisions could kill your family.

The main character in this book was Hannah, a wife and mother of two boys. Normally I really enjoy reading books, told from different perspectives, but in this case, the whole story was told from Hannah’s perspective only, and it didn’t leave me disappointed. I really liked the relationship which this family was sharing: the support and understanding between Hannah and her husband were very strong, and I also enjoyed reading about their parenting techniques, there is something new to learn. 🙂 The characters who really annoyed me were the children. I am not a very big fan of kids, and they got on my nerves really bad in this book (children will remain, children, I get it…) I really liked Hannah as a character, she was doing everything she could to survive those horrible weeks in isolation, and I really respected her decisions, even though sometimes they used to be really harsh.

The plot of this book was concentrated around Hannah’s house, sometimes including some news about next door neighbours. This book was quite long, and sometimes the chapters used to drag a little, but one thing I liked, that when you think everything is going to be ok, Hickie throws in a challenge for the family to face. That’s what kept me going and interested in this book. I was curious whats next, how and when this all epidemic is going to finish.

The writing style was very creative and pleasant to read. The chapters were too long for my liking and it really dragged sometimes. I really liked the idea of using a calendar symbol to mark the new chapters, I think it was creative and something new. The ending of this book rounded the whole story quite good. However, it left me wondering, what happened to the other characters, who came along the way. So, to conclude, this is a really emotionally challenging novel about survival and choosing whats best for your family. I do strongly recommend to give it a try, I really enjoyed this adventure.
  
The Mother-in-Law
The Mother-in-Law
7
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Lucy was so excited to meet Diana, the mother of her boyfriend, Ollie. Lucy's mother died when she was a teen and she hoped for a good relationship with her hopeful mother-in-law. But Lucy and Diana don't get off to an easy start--Diana has a rigid set of views formed by her own life experiences. From simply co-existing to arguing about parenting to eventual fisticuffs, their relationship is volatile. Then, one night, Lucy and Ollie hear a knock on their door. The police arrive and tell them that Diana is dead in an apparent suicide. But as the investigation progresses, it looks as if there is more to the story. Everyone in the family has history with Diana; but did someone actually kill her?

"'Then I'm very sorry to inform you,' the policewoman starts, and I close my eyes because I already know what she is going to say. My mother-in-law is dead."

This was my first Sally Hepworth novel, and I have heard good things, so I was excited to read some of her work. I found it to be a fast read, with a set of engaging characters. The book alternates between Lucy and Diana's point of view, with much of the story being told in the past. I found the format to be very effective; it worked very well at drawing you into the story and keeping you guessing at what was going on. Many parts of the story were told twice, in some ways, as both women told their side of the story, yet it never felt repetitive.

The main characters in this one are Lucy and Diana, but we have strong appearances from Ollie, his sister Antoinette "Nettie, " and Tom, Diana's husband. I can see why people enjoy Hepworth's novels--I felt very much a part of the story, and I was certainly stumped along the way. Sometimes there was a little too much rumination about mother-in-laws and the meaning of families for my taste, but oh well. I was too eager to find out what had happened to Diana.

"More importantly, you don't choose your mother-in-law. The cackling mercenaries of fate determine it all."

Overall, I really enjoyed my first Hepworth book. It was a quick, engaging, and interesting read that kept my interest.

I received a copy of this novel from St. Martin's Press and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review (thank you!).