Search
Search results
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Every Note Played in Books
Mar 28, 2018
Touching, heartfelt novel
Richard is a renowned concert pianist preparing for another concert tour when he starts realizing his body is betraying him. Soon, he is diagnosed with ALS and loses the use of his right arm. He cannot play his beloved piano, and nothing about his life seems okay anymore. Even worse, he knows his left arm will come next. His ex-wife, Karina, hears whispers of Richard's diagnosis, but cannot believe it's true. Surely not her viral, oft-hated ex. Karina, after all, blames Richard for so many choices she didn't make in her own life. But when Richard's disease progresses, it becomes clear that the two may need reconcile, at least temporarily, for the sake of Richard's care and safety.
I really loved Lisa Genova's STILL ALICE and so decided to pick this one up from the library. It has a similar feel, of a successful adult slowly spiraling into disease. However, Genova really excels in taking a sad story of decline and turning it into a tale of discovery and hope, as well. There are definitely some depressing moments in this novel, but it's also lovely and touching, too.
I think most know by now that Genova is Ph.D., so she truly knows what she writes. The novel is filled with so many careful details that really allow you to see Richard's ALS--including its progressions and how it steals so much of what Richard held so dear. It's scary and heartbreaking to read. The realism makes the story so much more stark and also allows you to picture exactly what's happening to him, both physically and emotionally.
Because this is an emotional novel, as well. It is a study in relationships and a look at our two main individuals: Richard, a rather narcissistic pianist, and his ex-wife, Karina, who sacrificed so much in her life for her (now-ex) husband and daughter. Both have so many regrets about their life--and the lives they didn't lead. There is a lifetime of resentments between the two. They also have a daughter, Grace, who struggles with her father's illness. And each parent must deal with how they've treated Grace as she grew up.
In some ways, nothing really happens. In other ways, everything happens--a man slowly loses his body and everything he once held so dear about his life. Relationships change. It's a novel filled with real, beautiful, touching moments. It's not always an easy read, but it's a worthwhile one, for sure.
I really loved Lisa Genova's STILL ALICE and so decided to pick this one up from the library. It has a similar feel, of a successful adult slowly spiraling into disease. However, Genova really excels in taking a sad story of decline and turning it into a tale of discovery and hope, as well. There are definitely some depressing moments in this novel, but it's also lovely and touching, too.
I think most know by now that Genova is Ph.D., so she truly knows what she writes. The novel is filled with so many careful details that really allow you to see Richard's ALS--including its progressions and how it steals so much of what Richard held so dear. It's scary and heartbreaking to read. The realism makes the story so much more stark and also allows you to picture exactly what's happening to him, both physically and emotionally.
Because this is an emotional novel, as well. It is a study in relationships and a look at our two main individuals: Richard, a rather narcissistic pianist, and his ex-wife, Karina, who sacrificed so much in her life for her (now-ex) husband and daughter. Both have so many regrets about their life--and the lives they didn't lead. There is a lifetime of resentments between the two. They also have a daughter, Grace, who struggles with her father's illness. And each parent must deal with how they've treated Grace as she grew up.
In some ways, nothing really happens. In other ways, everything happens--a man slowly loses his body and everything he once held so dear about his life. Relationships change. It's a novel filled with real, beautiful, touching moments. It's not always an easy read, but it's a worthwhile one, for sure.
Road Not Taken
Games
App
"It looks like a cute fairy tale, but this is a turn-based game that's thorny with challenge and...
BobbiesDustyPages (1259 KP) rated Neverwhere in Books
Jul 23, 2017
Setting (4 more)
Plot
Characters
World building
Gaiman's writing.
wonderland-esque and oh so good.
This was my first real venture in to the Urban Fantasy genre and I was so surprised I'd never really read anything from it before.
Neverwhere was an amazing book that had my imagination going on a rampage just trying to visualize London below, Gaiman did a wonderful job with combining a wonderland-esque world with modern London and living up to the old saying "No good deed goes unpunished."
The characters from London Below were all so detailed and took on a life of their own even as well as the magic of London Below it all just came off as being so real. My favorite characters hands down was Marquis De Carabas he was just so crafty and I really did not know if he was to be trusted or not, and Mr. Croup and Mr. Vandemar were some of the best villains I've seen in awhile.
The only thing I had a problem with and the reason even though I loved this book couldn't give it a full five star rating was I just didn't care for Richard Mayhew at all through out the whole book I made no attachment to him in the least bit, I know he was supposed to be this average every man type of person that got thrown into this crazy world but he either really annoyed me or was just kind of forgettable and fell into the background...I honestly forgot he was suppose to be the Protagonist.
Neverwhere was an amazing book that had my imagination going on a rampage just trying to visualize London below, Gaiman did a wonderful job with combining a wonderland-esque world with modern London and living up to the old saying "No good deed goes unpunished."
The characters from London Below were all so detailed and took on a life of their own even as well as the magic of London Below it all just came off as being so real. My favorite characters hands down was Marquis De Carabas he was just so crafty and I really did not know if he was to be trusted or not, and Mr. Croup and Mr. Vandemar were some of the best villains I've seen in awhile.
The only thing I had a problem with and the reason even though I loved this book couldn't give it a full five star rating was I just didn't care for Richard Mayhew at all through out the whole book I made no attachment to him in the least bit, I know he was supposed to be this average every man type of person that got thrown into this crazy world but he either really annoyed me or was just kind of forgettable and fell into the background...I honestly forgot he was suppose to be the Protagonist.
A thoroughly enjoyable and informative book which brings the history of Highclere to life in energetic and engaging story telling.
Initially, the author shows their 'upper class' voice a little too often but as the story progresses and you begin to engage more with the people involved, it becomes less obvious, therefore making the book much more easy to read and enjoyable.
As an avid Downton Abbey fan from day one, I was engrossed with learning the true history of the actual house, and can honestly say that the connections between Downton and Highclere are not limited to merely the house. The Carnavons are a wonderful and very energetic family with fingers in so many pies and so rich a history that they truly deserve the accolade this book should give them. They do not come across as typical aristocrats at all, rather 'real' human beings who are committed to the improvement in lifestyle of all they are connected with, true philanthropists and dedicated historians.
I can honestly say that this book reads like a fiction story, and you have to pinch yourself at times to realise that these were real people who lived and breathed and carried out all of these wonderful acts. Truly, it is a fantastic read which is fully deserving of more than 5 stars and something that anyone interested in either Downton, late Victorian/early Edwardian society, the First World War and it's aftermath, or even the tomb of Tutankhamen should most definitely add to their 'to read' list.
Initially, the author shows their 'upper class' voice a little too often but as the story progresses and you begin to engage more with the people involved, it becomes less obvious, therefore making the book much more easy to read and enjoyable.
As an avid Downton Abbey fan from day one, I was engrossed with learning the true history of the actual house, and can honestly say that the connections between Downton and Highclere are not limited to merely the house. The Carnavons are a wonderful and very energetic family with fingers in so many pies and so rich a history that they truly deserve the accolade this book should give them. They do not come across as typical aristocrats at all, rather 'real' human beings who are committed to the improvement in lifestyle of all they are connected with, true philanthropists and dedicated historians.
I can honestly say that this book reads like a fiction story, and you have to pinch yourself at times to realise that these were real people who lived and breathed and carried out all of these wonderful acts. Truly, it is a fantastic read which is fully deserving of more than 5 stars and something that anyone interested in either Downton, late Victorian/early Edwardian society, the First World War and it's aftermath, or even the tomb of Tutankhamen should most definitely add to their 'to read' list.
Christine A. (965 KP) rated The House of One Thousand Eyes in Books
Nov 28, 2018
Realistic, historical fiction YA about living in East Berlin in the early 1980s
I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.
Lena Altmann is a 17 year old girl who lives in East Berlin. After her parents were killed in an explosion, Lena was forced to move in with her aunt. Lena's only respite comes when she spends her Sundays with her uncle, her aunt's brother. One day he is erased. He along with all of his possessions,and his birth records are gone. His published books have disappeared from bookstore shelves. He is just gone, disappearing without a trace.
Lena frantically searches for him but knows government spies are everywhere and she feels alone. Her aunt is a hardcore member of the Communist party. Can she trust her? Can she trust her friends? Can she trust anyone?
Through her story, Michelle Barker shows what it was like to live in the "Better Berlin" in the 1980s. She shows the rigidness, fearfulness, suspicion, and oppression of life in East Berlin.
The House of One Thousand Eyes did not feel like fiction. You could feel and hear Berlin. You could believe Lena, her uncle, and her aunt were real people and this book just captured a portion of their lives.
Although the story wraps up nicely at the end, it ends abruptly.
Lena Altmann is a 17 year old girl who lives in East Berlin. After her parents were killed in an explosion, Lena was forced to move in with her aunt. Lena's only respite comes when she spends her Sundays with her uncle, her aunt's brother. One day he is erased. He along with all of his possessions,and his birth records are gone. His published books have disappeared from bookstore shelves. He is just gone, disappearing without a trace.
Lena frantically searches for him but knows government spies are everywhere and she feels alone. Her aunt is a hardcore member of the Communist party. Can she trust her? Can she trust her friends? Can she trust anyone?
Through her story, Michelle Barker shows what it was like to live in the "Better Berlin" in the 1980s. She shows the rigidness, fearfulness, suspicion, and oppression of life in East Berlin.
The House of One Thousand Eyes did not feel like fiction. You could feel and hear Berlin. You could believe Lena, her uncle, and her aunt were real people and this book just captured a portion of their lives.
Although the story wraps up nicely at the end, it ends abruptly.
JT (287 KP) rated The Oxford Murders (2010) in Movies
Mar 10, 2020
From the first couple of scenes you’d half expect to see Inspector Morse and Lewis step out from behind one of the great pillars that surround Oxford University – sadly that is not going to be the case here. The story itself could have been taken right out of an Agatha Christie novel but the subsequent plot gets mixed up like the mathematical equation it is trying to lay out.
John Hurt plays Arthur Seldom a university professor whose life revolves around mathematical equations and whether or not we can prove truth and probability. Martin (Elijah Wood) is a graduate over from America looking at using Seldom to help him with his thesis.
The pair get mixed up in an altogether different set of circumstances when they must work together to solve a series of murders based around mathematical symbols. The Oxford Murders falls some way short of delivering on any tension or drama, which is a real shame. The script is over complicated and there is no real time to develop the characters before we are thrown head first into the first murder.
All in all it seemed rushed together. More strangely was the choice of director; Spanish born Álex de la Iglesia who also wrote the screenplay. A background largely based around foreign film I find it odd that he should have any idea about the true reflections of historic Oxford. Maybe that is where amongst other things The Oxford Murders falls down. In the hands of a more traditional English director we may have had a better outcome.
John Hurt plays Arthur Seldom a university professor whose life revolves around mathematical equations and whether or not we can prove truth and probability. Martin (Elijah Wood) is a graduate over from America looking at using Seldom to help him with his thesis.
The pair get mixed up in an altogether different set of circumstances when they must work together to solve a series of murders based around mathematical symbols. The Oxford Murders falls some way short of delivering on any tension or drama, which is a real shame. The script is over complicated and there is no real time to develop the characters before we are thrown head first into the first murder.
All in all it seemed rushed together. More strangely was the choice of director; Spanish born Álex de la Iglesia who also wrote the screenplay. A background largely based around foreign film I find it odd that he should have any idea about the true reflections of historic Oxford. Maybe that is where amongst other things The Oxford Murders falls down. In the hands of a more traditional English director we may have had a better outcome.
Lady Catherine and the Real Downton Abbey
Book
Sometimes the facts are even more extraordinary than the fiction...This book tells the story of Lady...
Introduction to Structural Equation Modeling Using IBM SPSS Statistics and EQS
Book
This student orientated guide to structural equation modeling promotes theoretical understanding and...
Explorations of Mathematical Models in Biology with Maple
Book
Explore and analyze the solutions of mathematical models from diverse disciplines As biology...
Real Crime City Sim 3D
Games and Entertainment
App
Are you a fan of Russian crime, Miami crime simulators and shooting games? San Andreas Crime City...