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Europe by Rail: The Definitive Guide for Independent Travellers
Nicky Gardner and Susanne Kries
Book
This is a totally new edition of a very popular guide. Europe by Rail shows just how easy it is to...
Suswatibasu (1702 KP) rated Autumn in Books
Jan 10, 2018
Unusual story yet beautiful prose
Ali Smith has a wonderful way with words, describing a relationship between a young girl and her eccentric older neighbour, which seems to mirror the title of this book. Autumn shows the blossoming and withering of a man, Daniel Gluck, describing his younger years as a respected art critic of sorts, and the beauty he was constantly surrounded by. When he meets the younger Elisabeth Demand, he is already in the process of change, but she continues to help him feel alive, while he has a mentor-like relationship with her.
In between, Smith describes all of the major events plaguing Britain. From protesting the Iraq war, to Brexit doom, the perpetual markers that appear in the background of this constant, unwaning friendship. Can love and art really triumph over war? Smith believes it can.
The main issue with this novel is the fact that it is completely disjointed, and ends on a quite anti-climactic note. Read for the tone and not the story.
In between, Smith describes all of the major events plaguing Britain. From protesting the Iraq war, to Brexit doom, the perpetual markers that appear in the background of this constant, unwaning friendship. Can love and art really triumph over war? Smith believes it can.
The main issue with this novel is the fact that it is completely disjointed, and ends on a quite anti-climactic note. Read for the tone and not the story.
Coffee! (3 more)
Beautiful prose
Character portrayal
The whole book!
I could not put this book down!
I was immediately drawn into this wonderfully written tale of rituals, mystery, and fate.
In a world full of so many, five total strangers cross paths and coincidentally affect the others' lives.
Ziva has inherited the ability to read coffee grinds, a power passed down from her grandmother. The ritual of preparing, drinking, and then placing the cup upside down in order to read the grinds, is one Ziva performs with utmost tradition and care. She reads the grinds to help the drinker discover their future.
But what if Ziva uses the ritual to read her own future? How would her discovery change her life?
Told in multiple voices, each one a stranger to the next, but all are familiar to Ziva, and each affects the other by pure coincidence.
Edward Vukovic's writing is beautiful, haunting and draws you into vividly detailed scenes and doesn't let go until you, too, are wishing for Ziva to read your grinds.
In a world full of so many, five total strangers cross paths and coincidentally affect the others' lives.
Ziva has inherited the ability to read coffee grinds, a power passed down from her grandmother. The ritual of preparing, drinking, and then placing the cup upside down in order to read the grinds, is one Ziva performs with utmost tradition and care. She reads the grinds to help the drinker discover their future.
But what if Ziva uses the ritual to read her own future? How would her discovery change her life?
Told in multiple voices, each one a stranger to the next, but all are familiar to Ziva, and each affects the other by pure coincidence.
Edward Vukovic's writing is beautiful, haunting and draws you into vividly detailed scenes and doesn't let go until you, too, are wishing for Ziva to read your grinds.
Suswatibasu (1702 KP) rated The Tattooist of Auschwitz in Books
Mar 2, 2018 (Updated Mar 2, 2018)
Wish it hadn't been written like a screenplay
The Tattooist of Auschwitz reads like a fictional story set during the Holocaust, but what makes it remarkable is the fact that it is anything but formulated.
Lale Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew, was given the task of tattooing identification numbers on others at the notorious concentration camp. There he meets Gita, another Slovakian, and he sets himself on a mission to escape with her to freedom by trading food and jewels, revealing his incredible street smarts. If he had been caught, he would have been killed - many owed him their survival.
There are elements where you do think it has been written for the screen, as the scenes fail to connect to one another fluidly. As a result, I did believe it to be a fictional story because the writing failed to completely flourish and the author struggles with the prose. In this respect, it is rather disappointing, however, the memoir is wonderful and it leaves you with huge respect for the Sokolovs.
Lale Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew, was given the task of tattooing identification numbers on others at the notorious concentration camp. There he meets Gita, another Slovakian, and he sets himself on a mission to escape with her to freedom by trading food and jewels, revealing his incredible street smarts. If he had been caught, he would have been killed - many owed him their survival.
There are elements where you do think it has been written for the screen, as the scenes fail to connect to one another fluidly. As a result, I did believe it to be a fictional story because the writing failed to completely flourish and the author struggles with the prose. In this respect, it is rather disappointing, however, the memoir is wonderful and it leaves you with huge respect for the Sokolovs.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2267 KP) rated Prose and Cons (Magical Bookshop, #2) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
It’s time for the annual Food and Wine festival in town, and this year Violet Waverly is adding a Poe-try reading at Charming Books to the week’s line up. However, when one of the readers is found dead at the bottom of the shop’s steep stairs during the event, things take a tragic turn. The police quickly decide it was murder and start looking at Violet’s friend Sadie. An Violet prove her friend is innocent?
I absolutely love the bookstore in this series, a shop where the perfect book finds you. That’s really the only bit of magic in the series, and Violet is left to use old fashion methods to sift through clues and motives to find the killer. I did feel some of the characters could be stronger, but the mystery is strong with plenty of red herrings before things fall into place at the end.
NOTE: I received a copy of this book.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/12/book-review-prose-and-cons-by-amanda.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
I absolutely love the bookstore in this series, a shop where the perfect book finds you. That’s really the only bit of magic in the series, and Violet is left to use old fashion methods to sift through clues and motives to find the killer. I did feel some of the characters could be stronger, but the mystery is strong with plenty of red herrings before things fall into place at the end.
NOTE: I received a copy of this book.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/12/book-review-prose-and-cons-by-amanda.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Dana (24 KP) rated The Fellowship of the Ring in Books
Mar 23, 2018
So I listened to the audio book for this because I don't actually have the physical book and my library has it online that way. This was a dramatization of the book, more like a radio play than anything, and I really enjoyed it! It was like watching a full production while I was painting!
I have obvivously seen the movies quite a few times and I feel that they tie in very well together. There were a few things I did not recognize. I think a lot was left out, at least in the prose sections, not the dialogue, so I will go back and hopefully read this when I actually have the book. It has been something I have been wanting to do for a while. I did think that the audio book would be more like a traditional one, but this was the only one the library had, so there we go.
I am going to read the other two as soon as they become available!
I have obvivously seen the movies quite a few times and I feel that they tie in very well together. There were a few things I did not recognize. I think a lot was left out, at least in the prose sections, not the dialogue, so I will go back and hopefully read this when I actually have the book. It has been something I have been wanting to do for a while. I did think that the audio book would be more like a traditional one, but this was the only one the library had, so there we go.
I am going to read the other two as soon as they become available!
Sean Farrell (9 KP) rated The Goldfinch in Books
Mar 15, 2018
Thanks to the holiday season and all the activity that comes along with it, it took me a bit longer to finish this one than I would have liked, but now that I have I can only say that it deserves all of the accolades it's been receiving. The author's prose is always engaging and often quite poetically beautiful. The characters are memorable and endearing, even with their many, many flaws. While I didn't find Theo's life to be especially relatable, I did relate to much of what he was thinking and feeling growing up over the course of this book, and despite the somewhat extreme circumstances in it, I think many of us will be able to empathize with his thoughts and motivations. Without giving anything away, I can say that while it is ostensibly about an unintentional art heist in the aftermath of a terrorist attack, it is really about so much more. Essentially a meditation on the meanings of love, art, and even life itself; this book should not be missed. A new masterpiece.
Sean Farrell (9 KP) rated The Scarlet Gospels in Books
Mar 15, 2018
It has been a long time since Clive Barker published a book of the sort that made him famous, and it's nice to see him return with this one. Following 2 of his most well-known characters, investigator Harry D'Amour and Cenobite "Pinhead", in a tale in which the very fate of Hell itself will be determined, this really is a return to form for the author. It is filled with fantastic prose, well drawn-out personalities, and many memorably nightmarish set-pieces and scenarios. As per usual, Barker doesn't shy away from gore and sexuality, so the easily-offended should stay away. For fans of his previous work however, this will be a treat, even if it seems like it is missing a certain something that made some of his earlier books so special. The scenes of Hell are especially interesting, and make this come off somewhat like his answer to "Dante's Inferno"; and the ending is very satisfying and suitably epic. Not his best book, but it's nice to have him back.
Sarah (7799 KP) rated The Seven Deaths Of Evelyn Hardcastle in Books
Sep 4, 2018
A mindbending mystery thriller
I'll be honest this books is completely bonkers, but bonkers in a good way. The central murder mystery time travelling plot is a tad convoluted, but it's still ridiculously enjoyable and I really struggled to put this down. It is a little difficult to keep up with at some parts and you do have to pause to collect your thoughts, however the writing style does help as it's fairly straight forward and doesn't try and overcomplicate things with over the top prose.
All of the 8 hosts are well rounded and well developed, and you care about the main character inhabiting them. The ending was truly a surprise, I hadn't been able to figure out the main murderer (plus all of the other sub plots too), and was pleasantly surprised with the explanation behind why the main character was in Blackheath in the first place.
This is a great entertaining read and one I'd love to see made into a 8-10 part tv series.
All of the 8 hosts are well rounded and well developed, and you care about the main character inhabiting them. The ending was truly a surprise, I hadn't been able to figure out the main murderer (plus all of the other sub plots too), and was pleasantly surprised with the explanation behind why the main character was in Blackheath in the first place.
This is a great entertaining read and one I'd love to see made into a 8-10 part tv series.
FilmIntuition (33 KP) rated Virgil Wander in Books
Nov 21, 2018
Like a warm quilt on a cold day, in "Virgil Wander," Leif Enger wraps up his reader in evocative language that makes them want to pull the book closer and hold tight for this imaginative tale.
Narrated by the well-liked eponymous film projectionist who finds himself still getting his bearings and memory back after his car soars into Lake Superior during a snowfall, as Virgil navigates his small town with new perspective, we get acquainted with the equally affable, unique characters who inhabit the “cursed” town of Greenstone, Minnesota.
A seemingly straightforward journey made all the more enchanting by the author's magnetic prose, “Virgil Wander” is stunning not only in its simplicity but by how masterfully Enger builds a strong foundation of characters you can relate to before seasoning his story with elements of Norwegian myth and fisherman's tall tales, which in his hands become Minnesota magic.
A highly recommended chronicle of small town life with much more on its mind, this gorgeously penned sleeper is one of my favorite novels of 2018.
Narrated by the well-liked eponymous film projectionist who finds himself still getting his bearings and memory back after his car soars into Lake Superior during a snowfall, as Virgil navigates his small town with new perspective, we get acquainted with the equally affable, unique characters who inhabit the “cursed” town of Greenstone, Minnesota.
A seemingly straightforward journey made all the more enchanting by the author's magnetic prose, “Virgil Wander” is stunning not only in its simplicity but by how masterfully Enger builds a strong foundation of characters you can relate to before seasoning his story with elements of Norwegian myth and fisherman's tall tales, which in his hands become Minnesota magic.
A highly recommended chronicle of small town life with much more on its mind, this gorgeously penned sleeper is one of my favorite novels of 2018.