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Christine A. (965 KP) rated Sex in the Name of God in Books
Dec 9, 2018
Covers very difficult and sometimes volatile topic (1 more)
Humorous yet repectful
Explains sex in the Bible in a humorous way
I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review. Sex and God are not normally two words uttered in the same discussion and rarely in the same sentence. This book, "Sex in the Name of God" by Wilfred Knight discusses both together throughout the 199 page book. The books covers very difficult and sometimes volatile topics. It starts with "Nudity and Incest: Forbidden Fruit" (chapter 1), continues with "Prositution: Whorer Stories" (chapter 7) and "Rape: What a Dick!" (Chaper 9) and ends with "Sex in Heaven" (chapter 17).
The book is not one that I was able to read in one or two sittings. I read a chapter at a time with long breaks in between as I usually read short stories.
Each topic covered is done with humor. Yet, the author is able to do so while being respectful. It is a very thin line and he walks it carefully. I would not recommend this book to anyone who is extremely religious or anyone who does not think religion should be discussed in a humorous way. For all others, this is worth checking out. My favorite idea discussed is "the only upside is the knowledge that family dysfunction is an intended norm." (page 6). Good to know. We're normal!
The book is not one that I was able to read in one or two sittings. I read a chapter at a time with long breaks in between as I usually read short stories.
Each topic covered is done with humor. Yet, the author is able to do so while being respectful. It is a very thin line and he walks it carefully. I would not recommend this book to anyone who is extremely religious or anyone who does not think religion should be discussed in a humorous way. For all others, this is worth checking out. My favorite idea discussed is "the only upside is the knowledge that family dysfunction is an intended norm." (page 6). Good to know. We're normal!
Amy (7 KP) rated Goddess of Troy in Books
Jan 17, 2018 (Updated Jan 17, 2018)
Terrible. Total destruction.
Contains spoilers, click to show
The premise is one that P.C. Cast recycles throughout her work which is of taking modern women and dropping them into the worlds of myth and magic.
A brilliant idea, occasionally well done in her other novels...not unfortunately for this one.
The problem begins with the plot the goddesses send the women back to end the war...okay, but why not do it themselves? The flimsy excuses just don't hold up. The plot is weakly manipulated and transparently executed to make the neccessity of the modern women going back possible.
Problem 2-is the blatant racism of making the indipendant modern black woman into a white slave girl.
Problem 3- problematic sex scenes which read as thinly disguised rape scenes. A male character is hypnotises and the main female character has sex with him....this is made okay by him giving her consent afterwards. Which is not how consent works. This book being intended for young women just becoming sexual is at best concerning and at most incredibly damaging whilst promoting male rape under the guise of female empowerment.
The dialogue when more old fashioned from the warriors is charming and engaging...from the modern women we are forced to deal with censored cringy curse words, way too much teenage level gossip, and not a smidge of maturity in sight...from grown ass women.
For thirty plus successful women the character profiles should have engaged and fascinated, unfortunately those profiles were ignored during in-story application and replaced with twittering, childish teens who giggle over the word penis and lose their minds over the most vacuous and senseless things.
The plot centres around a boring, romance, and changes the original relationship of Achilles and Patroclus from its canonical implied romance to one of cousins...this at best is a misguided deviation from the canonical Iliad relationship they had.
It could easily be read as a blatant attack and hideous misuse of the original content, that could given the sheer overwhelming heteronormaty we are forced to endure be at its worst an erasure of rare LGBT representation from historical content.
The relationships are forced, and their happy endings so saccharine it hurts to read.
The siege of Troy is horrifically rewritten to make the main female lead the deciding factor that ensured victory and removed nearly all canonical battle events.
Throughout the novel not much happens, and by time something does you just want the novel over with.
It doesn't read as mythology inspired, the myths and characters are used as cheap prop and staging whilst removing the deep themes, and messages that ensured their endurance throughout time.
The vocabulary is below pre-teen level, the grammar is sub-par, and the pacing and plotting absolutely abysmal.
How this book ever made it to print in this state is a large and curious mystery for me.
I cannot urge you to skip this book enough, Margaret George's 'Helen of Troy' is a far more valuable use of your time if you are in want of mythology inspired fantasy...and does so without annihilating the entire original stories.
A brilliant idea, occasionally well done in her other novels...not unfortunately for this one.
The problem begins with the plot the goddesses send the women back to end the war...okay, but why not do it themselves? The flimsy excuses just don't hold up. The plot is weakly manipulated and transparently executed to make the neccessity of the modern women going back possible.
Problem 2-is the blatant racism of making the indipendant modern black woman into a white slave girl.
Problem 3- problematic sex scenes which read as thinly disguised rape scenes. A male character is hypnotises and the main female character has sex with him....this is made okay by him giving her consent afterwards. Which is not how consent works. This book being intended for young women just becoming sexual is at best concerning and at most incredibly damaging whilst promoting male rape under the guise of female empowerment.
The dialogue when more old fashioned from the warriors is charming and engaging...from the modern women we are forced to deal with censored cringy curse words, way too much teenage level gossip, and not a smidge of maturity in sight...from grown ass women.
For thirty plus successful women the character profiles should have engaged and fascinated, unfortunately those profiles were ignored during in-story application and replaced with twittering, childish teens who giggle over the word penis and lose their minds over the most vacuous and senseless things.
The plot centres around a boring, romance, and changes the original relationship of Achilles and Patroclus from its canonical implied romance to one of cousins...this at best is a misguided deviation from the canonical Iliad relationship they had.
It could easily be read as a blatant attack and hideous misuse of the original content, that could given the sheer overwhelming heteronormaty we are forced to endure be at its worst an erasure of rare LGBT representation from historical content.
The relationships are forced, and their happy endings so saccharine it hurts to read.
The siege of Troy is horrifically rewritten to make the main female lead the deciding factor that ensured victory and removed nearly all canonical battle events.
Throughout the novel not much happens, and by time something does you just want the novel over with.
It doesn't read as mythology inspired, the myths and characters are used as cheap prop and staging whilst removing the deep themes, and messages that ensured their endurance throughout time.
The vocabulary is below pre-teen level, the grammar is sub-par, and the pacing and plotting absolutely abysmal.
How this book ever made it to print in this state is a large and curious mystery for me.
I cannot urge you to skip this book enough, Margaret George's 'Helen of Troy' is a far more valuable use of your time if you are in want of mythology inspired fantasy...and does so without annihilating the entire original stories.
LucyB (47 KP) rated Three Daughters of Eve in Books
Jul 23, 2017
Powerful, thought-provoking story
I was really happy to receive Three Daughters of Eve on Netgalley, as I'd recently read an interview with the author and thought the book sounded fascinating.
It certainly lived up to expectations. The book is set both in the past and the present, focusing on Peri as a student in Oxford, and as a wealthy wife (14 years later) in Istanbul. It starts with something of a red herring, focusing on Peri's attack (and almost rape) by a beggar, then develops into an exploration of her past, as a Turkish Muslim at Oxford University.
She's flanked by Shirin, a non-believer, and Mona, a devout Muslim - making them 'the sinner, the believer and the confused'. They're united by a man called Professor Azur, who has a major influence in their lives, both positive and negative.
The book is an intriguing exploration into religion, belief and culture-clash - and in particular, the scenes detailing Peri's past, with a non-believing father and a devout mother, worked particularly well. A few moments jarred slightly - for example, the sudden revelation about the twin brother towards the end, and the abrupt shift in perspective from Peri to Professor Azur (again, towards the end), but for the most part, this book was masterfully executed and beautifully sustained throughout.
I think Shafak has a strong, resonant style, combined with a philosophical approach - which works really well. I'd definitely like to read more of her books
It certainly lived up to expectations. The book is set both in the past and the present, focusing on Peri as a student in Oxford, and as a wealthy wife (14 years later) in Istanbul. It starts with something of a red herring, focusing on Peri's attack (and almost rape) by a beggar, then develops into an exploration of her past, as a Turkish Muslim at Oxford University.
She's flanked by Shirin, a non-believer, and Mona, a devout Muslim - making them 'the sinner, the believer and the confused'. They're united by a man called Professor Azur, who has a major influence in their lives, both positive and negative.
The book is an intriguing exploration into religion, belief and culture-clash - and in particular, the scenes detailing Peri's past, with a non-believing father and a devout mother, worked particularly well. A few moments jarred slightly - for example, the sudden revelation about the twin brother towards the end, and the abrupt shift in perspective from Peri to Professor Azur (again, towards the end), but for the most part, this book was masterfully executed and beautifully sustained throughout.
I think Shafak has a strong, resonant style, combined with a philosophical approach - which works really well. I'd definitely like to read more of her books
Rachel King (13 KP) rated Storm Born (Dark Swan #1) in Books
Feb 11, 2019
I'm a huge fan of Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy series, so I had to see what her adult books were like, and she did not disappoint. Eugenie Markham is a shaman, but unlike another shaman series I've read, she knows what she is doing and has been trained at it since she was a child by her step-father. What she never bothered to do in all that time, though, was question who her real dad was or how she could do the things she did - which I found a little unrealistic.
Her latest case forces her into entering the Otherworld for a longer-than-usual stay, which results in a few discoveries about herself, as well as some rather interesting situations with the fey, or gentry. She acquires a sort-of boyfriend in Kiyo, but I prefer her with Dorian, as he challenges her defenses and can match her in strength and abilities.
The prophecy means that just about everything male in the fey world wants to jump her bones, which gets old pretty fast. Rape is a traumatic experience for anyone, but the few close calls that Mead writes with Eugenie seemed to fall short of the mark. Eugenie's fear and defeat were there, but were understated.
On the flip side, I loved how Dorian was able to teach Eugenie about her powers, as well as play a very convenient trick on her at the end - Eugenie may not have liked it, but it was certainly better than the alternative. Now on to Thorn Queen!
Her latest case forces her into entering the Otherworld for a longer-than-usual stay, which results in a few discoveries about herself, as well as some rather interesting situations with the fey, or gentry. She acquires a sort-of boyfriend in Kiyo, but I prefer her with Dorian, as he challenges her defenses and can match her in strength and abilities.
The prophecy means that just about everything male in the fey world wants to jump her bones, which gets old pretty fast. Rape is a traumatic experience for anyone, but the few close calls that Mead writes with Eugenie seemed to fall short of the mark. Eugenie's fear and defeat were there, but were understated.
On the flip side, I loved how Dorian was able to teach Eugenie about her powers, as well as play a very convenient trick on her at the end - Eugenie may not have liked it, but it was certainly better than the alternative. Now on to Thorn Queen!
Bethy (8 KP) rated To Kill a Mockingbird in Books
May 13, 2019
Set in 1930's America, yet timeless and relatable
If I told you this book is written from the viewpoint of a child you might think it to be immature and frivolous.
If you skimmed the surface a suppose you could see it that way - you're guided through the everyday life of Jean Louise and her family, playing with her brother, petty school issues and fights.
It's an easy read because we can all relate to this little tom boy, from getting annoyed at being told what to wear, getting muddy in the yard, being excited about cake baked by the neighbours.
You find yourself rolling along with the kids, enjoying some nostalgia, only to realise an abundance of adult issues have been cleverly addressed throughout, racism, segregation, nazis, rape, death, drug abuse, isolation and loss.
The more you consider this concept, the more you realise how well written this book is! You feel safe, you are with the innocent and constantly told "it's not time to worry yet", all the while you are facing some of the worst human kind has to offer.
When you realise this you are left with a longing for the naivety of the young, an admiration for their ability to have everything made better with curling up on your father's lap and actually believing someone when they say "it's not time to worry yet".
Despite the adult content and melancholy, this book leaves you feeling warm and hopeful for the human condition.
If you skimmed the surface a suppose you could see it that way - you're guided through the everyday life of Jean Louise and her family, playing with her brother, petty school issues and fights.
It's an easy read because we can all relate to this little tom boy, from getting annoyed at being told what to wear, getting muddy in the yard, being excited about cake baked by the neighbours.
You find yourself rolling along with the kids, enjoying some nostalgia, only to realise an abundance of adult issues have been cleverly addressed throughout, racism, segregation, nazis, rape, death, drug abuse, isolation and loss.
The more you consider this concept, the more you realise how well written this book is! You feel safe, you are with the innocent and constantly told "it's not time to worry yet", all the while you are facing some of the worst human kind has to offer.
When you realise this you are left with a longing for the naivety of the young, an admiration for their ability to have everything made better with curling up on your father's lap and actually believing someone when they say "it's not time to worry yet".
Despite the adult content and melancholy, this book leaves you feeling warm and hopeful for the human condition.
Lou Grande (148 KP) rated The Perfect Whore in Books
Jun 12, 2018
Fanfiction is usually free. You can find better stuff there
Once upon a time, I read Star Wars slash fanfiction. That was a lot better than this. I don't quite know what the author was going for here, as the story leans too far into plot and exposition to be a "romance" novel (not a bad thing, if the plot wasn't just a vehicle for the romance), and the erotica was less than erotic. I've read female authors who could write believable gay characters, but this isn't one of them. These characters interact more like men in Japanese yaoi, which is to say, you could sub one of the men with a woman and have the same story. I would be more generous (considering one character is a shapeshifting alien with no true gender) but her author's bio specifically states she writes gay erotica. So let's be clear: this is gay erotica for women. So if you're a lady who fetishizes gay men, this is in your wheelhouse. If you're a gay man, probably avoid this one, unless you really have a thing for sci-fi and lizardmen.
Circling back around, of course the title is attention grabbing. And the story is short enough to be fun. Both characters are obnoxious, but not so much that you can't sit two or three hours with them. The story employs standard tropes, including using rape as a dramatic crutch. If that's your thing, you'll probably enjoy this and also what's wrong with you?
Circling back around, of course the title is attention grabbing. And the story is short enough to be fun. Both characters are obnoxious, but not so much that you can't sit two or three hours with them. The story employs standard tropes, including using rape as a dramatic crutch. If that's your thing, you'll probably enjoy this and also what's wrong with you?
Eleanor (1463 KP) rated Unbelievable in TV
Oct 16, 2019
A hard to watch but a must watch mini series
This is a true-crime story done so right. It focuses on a series of rapes so if that’s a trigger for you; stay well away; there is detail about the rapes.
I came across the story from a podcast episode on This American Life which had based an episode on the Pulitzer Prize-winning article “An Unbelievable Story of Rape” and was rerunning the story because of this series coming out. It’s a hard-hitting story that strongly shines a light on the issues between differences of how victims can be treated. This adaptation does the story justice and is an engrossing watch.
We start off meeting Marie a young woman fresh out of the foster system who is raped by an intruder; her story and in particular how she is treated are hard to watch but important for people to understand the full horror of having to come forward as a victim.
As the series progresses we still see Marie’s journey but more of the action is on investigations into other rapes in different jurisdictions. We meet Det. Karen Duvall and Det. Grace Rasmussen who are both great and the story gets easier to watch as we see them get down to some hard-hitting police work.
What sets this apart in the current influx of true-crime TV is the real focus on the victims rather than the all too common focus on the perpetrator. It works so well; making a strong emotional watching experience.
I came across the story from a podcast episode on This American Life which had based an episode on the Pulitzer Prize-winning article “An Unbelievable Story of Rape” and was rerunning the story because of this series coming out. It’s a hard-hitting story that strongly shines a light on the issues between differences of how victims can be treated. This adaptation does the story justice and is an engrossing watch.
We start off meeting Marie a young woman fresh out of the foster system who is raped by an intruder; her story and in particular how she is treated are hard to watch but important for people to understand the full horror of having to come forward as a victim.
As the series progresses we still see Marie’s journey but more of the action is on investigations into other rapes in different jurisdictions. We meet Det. Karen Duvall and Det. Grace Rasmussen who are both great and the story gets easier to watch as we see them get down to some hard-hitting police work.
What sets this apart in the current influx of true-crime TV is the real focus on the victims rather than the all too common focus on the perpetrator. It works so well; making a strong emotional watching experience.
Veronica Pena (690 KP) rated The Night Stalker: The Life and Crimes of Richard Ramirez in Books
Mar 1, 2020
Listen. This book is all sorts of fricken wild. It is intense, grueling, disturbing, intriguing, page-turning, heart-wrenching, want to put down but can't, all of the things. For the longest time, I read the first 23 pages where 3 people were killed, and I didn't want to read it anymore. It was so in detail, it felt like I was watching it happen in my brain and it made me so uncomfortable. And I'm not a squeamish person. I stopped being scared of murder and rape and brutal crimes such as Richard Ramirez's so many years ago, and this book shook me like nothing else has. It was everything I said it was and more. Shocking. Inconceivable. Jaw-dropping.
There is so much to comprehend when reading this book and still you end up with so many questions. Unfortunately, the author, Philip Carlo, died in 2010 from ALS. While Richard Ramirez died in 2013 from lymphoma. I wish Carlo was still alive so answer questions, I wish he would've been alive to see Richard to the end of his days. I wonder what the 20th-anniversary edition would've looked like. I am definitely going to pick up some of his other works, but I definitely need a good fiction, rom-com, comedy, something else, to get my head out of Richard Ramirez and back to the world of not so terrifying.
I would recommend this book if you think you can stomach it. It is not for the weak-hearted, that's for sure.
There is so much to comprehend when reading this book and still you end up with so many questions. Unfortunately, the author, Philip Carlo, died in 2010 from ALS. While Richard Ramirez died in 2013 from lymphoma. I wish Carlo was still alive so answer questions, I wish he would've been alive to see Richard to the end of his days. I wonder what the 20th-anniversary edition would've looked like. I am definitely going to pick up some of his other works, but I definitely need a good fiction, rom-com, comedy, something else, to get my head out of Richard Ramirez and back to the world of not so terrifying.
I would recommend this book if you think you can stomach it. It is not for the weak-hearted, that's for sure.
Eleanor (1463 KP) rated Kiss the Girls (Alex Cross, #2) in Books
Aug 7, 2019
Cliche Heavy Crime Drama
I listened to the audio version narrated by Michael Kramer and it was an OK narration some accents in particular Southern American were pretty laughable but some of the dialogue in this book really didn’t help.
It all starts off strongly (if very grimly - lots of nasty murder / rape descriptions I’d certainly avoid if your triggered by that sort of thing.) The tension builds nicely with Detective Alex Cross being drawn into the investigation of the disappearance and murder of women from East Cast college campuses. However about halfway it all seems to go off the boil and become very dragged out only to be topped off with a terrible and drawn out ending.
We are constantly told how smart the bad guys are but there's very little evidence of this. As evidenced when they take on Alex Cross on their own patch and somehow don’t seem to have a very good plan at all. This book is so very dated in terms of attitudes and descriptions of women and although I give a lot of lee-way to books from a different time I don’t think this was ever very well written in terms of the female characters. As an audio book I didn't mind it but I can imagine getting wound up reading some of the cliches throughout this book.
It suffers in terms of constantly telling us what to think of characters while not supporting this very well with the poor dialogue.
It all starts off strongly (if very grimly - lots of nasty murder / rape descriptions I’d certainly avoid if your triggered by that sort of thing.) The tension builds nicely with Detective Alex Cross being drawn into the investigation of the disappearance and murder of women from East Cast college campuses. However about halfway it all seems to go off the boil and become very dragged out only to be topped off with a terrible and drawn out ending.
We are constantly told how smart the bad guys are but there's very little evidence of this. As evidenced when they take on Alex Cross on their own patch and somehow don’t seem to have a very good plan at all. This book is so very dated in terms of attitudes and descriptions of women and although I give a lot of lee-way to books from a different time I don’t think this was ever very well written in terms of the female characters. As an audio book I didn't mind it but I can imagine getting wound up reading some of the cliches throughout this book.
It suffers in terms of constantly telling us what to think of characters while not supporting this very well with the poor dialogue.
Eleanor Luhar (47 KP) rated Finding Grace in Books
Jun 24, 2019
Yesterday I finished Finding Grace, a short historical fiction book I was given the chance to read thanks to NetGalley. It follows Grace, a thirteen-year-old girl living in a Belgian convent in 1975. She was left on the steps as a baby, along with her disabled sister, Dotty. But Dotty recently died, and everything is changing.
Grace is moved to the girls' boarding school dorm. She soon becomes close with Fran, but also has a few run-ins with the stuck up Deirdra. While helping Fran with a history project Grace discovers an old journal kept by one of the nuns at the convent during the war. It tells her horrific story of abandonment, rape and loss.
All the while, the girls are trying to find out more about Grace's past, and avoid the wrath of the horrible Sister Francis. Eventually Grace does get some anwswers, but they were certainly not the ones she was looking for.
I'm not usually very interested in historical fiction but I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Even though it was short, the characters were well developed and the plot was exciting and intriguing. I felt immersed in the setting, and felt empathetic for Grace. I actually felt quite invested in her and her search for knowledge.
There were a few typos and such, but as this is only a review copy I can't be sure whether the final publication will include them. It was a quick, interesting read, a good introduction to historical fiction. 4 stars!
Grace is moved to the girls' boarding school dorm. She soon becomes close with Fran, but also has a few run-ins with the stuck up Deirdra. While helping Fran with a history project Grace discovers an old journal kept by one of the nuns at the convent during the war. It tells her horrific story of abandonment, rape and loss.
All the while, the girls are trying to find out more about Grace's past, and avoid the wrath of the horrible Sister Francis. Eventually Grace does get some anwswers, but they were certainly not the ones she was looking for.
I'm not usually very interested in historical fiction but I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Even though it was short, the characters were well developed and the plot was exciting and intriguing. I felt immersed in the setting, and felt empathetic for Grace. I actually felt quite invested in her and her search for knowledge.
There were a few typos and such, but as this is only a review copy I can't be sure whether the final publication will include them. It was a quick, interesting read, a good introduction to historical fiction. 4 stars!