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Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated The Adventures of Winnie #1 in Books
Oct 31, 2021
181 of 250
Kindle
The Adventures of Winnie ( The Adventures of Winnie book 1)
By Kelly A Walker
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
Who knew the six animals I thought I was seeing in my dreams were real?
A bear, rabbit, pig, donkey, owl and tiger land in my backyard…No, this isn’t the beginning of a bad joke. It’s real and it’s my life. Besides the shock over seeing my animal friends I thought I had dreamed up suddenly appear, I have two bigger problems. One: they are no longer animals, well most of them aren’t. Two: they’ve brought trouble to my doorstep.
When the animals *ahem* I mean guys I've been dreaming about show up unexpectedly, I learn about a whole other world I knew nothing about. My parents have been keeping secrets from me and now that the truth is out, it's up to me to help the six guys from Hundred Acre Woods discover their own past.
Well hell I won’t see Winnie the Pooh the same again! This has to be the strangest book I’ve read this year and yet some how I ended up act enjoying it. There were a few cringe moments but I found it an interesting turn on a favourite classic. Definitely need to read the next book.
Kindle
The Adventures of Winnie ( The Adventures of Winnie book 1)
By Kelly A Walker
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
Who knew the six animals I thought I was seeing in my dreams were real?
A bear, rabbit, pig, donkey, owl and tiger land in my backyard…No, this isn’t the beginning of a bad joke. It’s real and it’s my life. Besides the shock over seeing my animal friends I thought I had dreamed up suddenly appear, I have two bigger problems. One: they are no longer animals, well most of them aren’t. Two: they’ve brought trouble to my doorstep.
When the animals *ahem* I mean guys I've been dreaming about show up unexpectedly, I learn about a whole other world I knew nothing about. My parents have been keeping secrets from me and now that the truth is out, it's up to me to help the six guys from Hundred Acre Woods discover their own past.
Well hell I won’t see Winnie the Pooh the same again! This has to be the strangest book I’ve read this year and yet some how I ended up act enjoying it. There were a few cringe moments but I found it an interesting turn on a favourite classic. Definitely need to read the next book.
The Last Odyssey (Sigma Force #15)
6.0
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For eons, the city of Troy—whose legendary fall was detailed in Homer’s Iliad—was believed to...
Rebuilding Year (Reconstruction #2)
10.0
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Publisher Description Can two very different men fake a relationship for the sake of a...
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2379 KP) rated Two Kinds of Truth (Harry Bosch #20) in Books
May 29, 2025
Two Kinds of Cases
When two pharmacists are killed in San Fernando, it’s all hands on deck, including reserve officer Harry Bosch. It quickly looks like the motive might not be robbery but something to do with the drug trade. But Bosch’s attention is being split since an almost 30-year-old case is being questioned thanks to fresh DNA evidence. If these new test results are right, it looks like Bosch sent the wrong man to prison back then. Can he figure out what is happening to keep a killer behind bars?
Bosch having two cases he is juggling has become a staple of the series, and there’s usually one I care about more than the others. This time, I found the modern story just okay. It was too straightforward and felt written to bring in real life topics for 2017. The old case, however, was compelling, and when that was the focus, I had a hard time putting the book down. We see some Lincoln Lawyer characters and a few faces from Bosch’s past, which is great, and all the characters were engaging. As usual, these books incorporate a little more of the real world into the stories, but as long as you know going in, you will be fine. Overall, I did enjoy book twenty in this long running series.
Bosch having two cases he is juggling has become a staple of the series, and there’s usually one I care about more than the others. This time, I found the modern story just okay. It was too straightforward and felt written to bring in real life topics for 2017. The old case, however, was compelling, and when that was the focus, I had a hard time putting the book down. We see some Lincoln Lawyer characters and a few faces from Bosch’s past, which is great, and all the characters were engaging. As usual, these books incorporate a little more of the real world into the stories, but as long as you know going in, you will be fine. Overall, I did enjoy book twenty in this long running series.
Hazel (1853 KP) rated Nirvana (Nirvana #1) in Books
Dec 7, 2018
<i>This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review </i>
Imagine a world without any bees. That is the world that J. R. Stewart conjures up in this new dystopian series, <i>Nirvana</i>. Twenty years from now, the bees have become extinct. There are no more trees, flowers, fruits or vegetables; and more animals have become extinct as a result. Young adult, Larissa, is living in a world that seems unimaginable, but not only is she dealing with this new way of life, she is also grieving the loss of her husband, Andrew.
Andrew was a scientist, an occupation that earned himself and Larissa a place in the Barracks where he could continue with his important research. They both believed they were lucky to receive this opportunity, but then Andrew went out on a mission and never came back. No matter how hard people try to convince her, Larissa cannot accept that her husband is dead, especially as she has seen him in <i>Nirvana</i> – a virtual reality world. As she struggles to piece together what is real and what is not, secrets are being uncovered that blur the lines between reality and the cybernetic domain.
<i>Nirvana </i>is an interesting concept. Firstly, the issue with the extinction of the bees is a very real concern for scientists at the moment. If bees were to die out there would be no pollination of the vital plants that humans use daily. Humanity would be faced with a future not unlike Larissa’s. Secondly, with the advance in computer technology, virtual reality has become a popular phenomenon in contemporary society, and with more expansion it is likely that something similar to Nirvana will be produced.
As a story, however, nothing exciting really happened. There was no major build up to the ending. Characters were suspected of hiding the truth from the very beginning and therefore it was no surprise when certain facts came to light later in the novel. <i>Nirvana</i> is also a very short first installment of the series, which does not give the story much chance to develop at an adequate pace, thus it is difficult to get our heads around the virtual reality concept that Stewart writes about.
Despite these misgivings there is the chance that the following novels in this series will become more thrilling as the truth begins to unravel about Andrew’s disappearance or death.
Imagine a world without any bees. That is the world that J. R. Stewart conjures up in this new dystopian series, <i>Nirvana</i>. Twenty years from now, the bees have become extinct. There are no more trees, flowers, fruits or vegetables; and more animals have become extinct as a result. Young adult, Larissa, is living in a world that seems unimaginable, but not only is she dealing with this new way of life, she is also grieving the loss of her husband, Andrew.
Andrew was a scientist, an occupation that earned himself and Larissa a place in the Barracks where he could continue with his important research. They both believed they were lucky to receive this opportunity, but then Andrew went out on a mission and never came back. No matter how hard people try to convince her, Larissa cannot accept that her husband is dead, especially as she has seen him in <i>Nirvana</i> – a virtual reality world. As she struggles to piece together what is real and what is not, secrets are being uncovered that blur the lines between reality and the cybernetic domain.
<i>Nirvana </i>is an interesting concept. Firstly, the issue with the extinction of the bees is a very real concern for scientists at the moment. If bees were to die out there would be no pollination of the vital plants that humans use daily. Humanity would be faced with a future not unlike Larissa’s. Secondly, with the advance in computer technology, virtual reality has become a popular phenomenon in contemporary society, and with more expansion it is likely that something similar to Nirvana will be produced.
As a story, however, nothing exciting really happened. There was no major build up to the ending. Characters were suspected of hiding the truth from the very beginning and therefore it was no surprise when certain facts came to light later in the novel. <i>Nirvana</i> is also a very short first installment of the series, which does not give the story much chance to develop at an adequate pace, thus it is difficult to get our heads around the virtual reality concept that Stewart writes about.
Despite these misgivings there is the chance that the following novels in this series will become more thrilling as the truth begins to unravel about Andrew’s disappearance or death.
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Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated Made You Up in Books
Jun 22, 2021
I'm big into books that deal with mental illnesses. When I heard about Made You Up by Francesca Zappia, I knew it was a book that was right up my alley. I was not left feeling disappointed.
The plot and world building felt very realistic although I'm not Schizophrenic nor do I know anyone who is. I could not tell what was real and what was a delusion by Alex. Kudos to Zappia for giving us a brief glimpse into how a Schizophrenic would feel. I kept second guessing myself throughout Made You Up. Sometimes it would be obvious that Alex was hallucinating, but there were many times everything felt too real to be a hallucination. I would be wrong, and something realistic would be a hallucination. As you can imagine, there were many plot twists throughout this book. There was one major plot twist which I had predicted towards the beginning which turned out to be true thanks to subtle hints the author would throw in, so be sure to be attention to every word on the page to try to grasp what is Alex's reality and what is not. I did feel like the main storyline of Made You Up was whether or not Miles, the boy Alex met briefly when she was a young child, was actually real or not since she meets him again her senior year of high school. It was fun trying to guess if Miles was real or not and if he was the same boy Alex met as a child.
All of the characters in Made You Up had a lot of depth to them. They were all easy for me to imagine as real people instead of characters in a book. I enjoyed reading about Alex and her thought process and what all she had to go through all the time due to her Schizophrenia. Alex, like all the characters in this book, was a very likable character. Miles was interesting. I didn't really know what to make of him throughout the book (mainly because I was trying to figure out if he was real or imaginary). I did enjoy him, and I was definitely intrigued by his back story. It was great learning about him. I loved little Charlie and how much she seemed to love her big sister, Alex. Alex loved Charlie so much as well, and I loved reading about the tight sisterly bond between them.
Trigger warnings for Made You Up include some profanity, some violence, death, minor gore, some child abuse, mental illness, a minor sexual situation, bullying, references to Nazis, attempted murder, and death.
All in all, Made You Up is a very interesting read with a fantastic plot and well developed characters. It's obvious the author did her homework before writing this novel. I would definitely recommend Made You Up by Francesca Zappia to those aged 16+ who are seeking a book full of twists and turns. Just be warned that this book will have you second guessing almost everything (which isn't a bad thing).
The plot and world building felt very realistic although I'm not Schizophrenic nor do I know anyone who is. I could not tell what was real and what was a delusion by Alex. Kudos to Zappia for giving us a brief glimpse into how a Schizophrenic would feel. I kept second guessing myself throughout Made You Up. Sometimes it would be obvious that Alex was hallucinating, but there were many times everything felt too real to be a hallucination. I would be wrong, and something realistic would be a hallucination. As you can imagine, there were many plot twists throughout this book. There was one major plot twist which I had predicted towards the beginning which turned out to be true thanks to subtle hints the author would throw in, so be sure to be attention to every word on the page to try to grasp what is Alex's reality and what is not. I did feel like the main storyline of Made You Up was whether or not Miles, the boy Alex met briefly when she was a young child, was actually real or not since she meets him again her senior year of high school. It was fun trying to guess if Miles was real or not and if he was the same boy Alex met as a child.
All of the characters in Made You Up had a lot of depth to them. They were all easy for me to imagine as real people instead of characters in a book. I enjoyed reading about Alex and her thought process and what all she had to go through all the time due to her Schizophrenia. Alex, like all the characters in this book, was a very likable character. Miles was interesting. I didn't really know what to make of him throughout the book (mainly because I was trying to figure out if he was real or imaginary). I did enjoy him, and I was definitely intrigued by his back story. It was great learning about him. I loved little Charlie and how much she seemed to love her big sister, Alex. Alex loved Charlie so much as well, and I loved reading about the tight sisterly bond between them.
Trigger warnings for Made You Up include some profanity, some violence, death, minor gore, some child abuse, mental illness, a minor sexual situation, bullying, references to Nazis, attempted murder, and death.
All in all, Made You Up is a very interesting read with a fantastic plot and well developed characters. It's obvious the author did her homework before writing this novel. I would definitely recommend Made You Up by Francesca Zappia to those aged 16+ who are seeking a book full of twists and turns. Just be warned that this book will have you second guessing almost everything (which isn't a bad thing).
EmersonRose (320 KP) rated Dodger's Doorrway in Books
Nov 20, 2019
Dodger’s Doorway, by Alessandro Reale, is a fantasy adventure story that explores retelling classic fairy tales and fables in unique and fun ways. The book follows main character Mark ‘Dodger’ Bishop, a teenager from our world who is tired of his life. While struggling with divorcing parents, and school bullies, and getting through his senior year of high school, Dodger finds a doorway to another world. This world is inhabited by the fairytale characters of our childhoods. Dodger meets Humpty Dumpty and Rumpelstiltskin and many more classic characters. Dodger is taken on an exciting journey which has its dangers and challenges. Along the way, Dodger must work to not only save Storyworld but work through his own fears and struggles.
Dodger’s Doorway is a fantastical adventure that makes for a super fun read. The melded fairytale worlds is a theme we have seen more and more of, which I love, and I think that Reale did a masterful job of combining the magical nostalgia of the characters we know and love as well as bringing in a unique twist and creating new life in this classic characters. I particularly liked the portrayal of Humpty Dumpty. I think that Humpty is a character that is often veered away from as being too hard or not interesting enough to expand upon, but Reale takes him and makes him into an exciting warrior, which I thought was very clever. Reale’s Storyworld combines the magical innocence and dark origins of the stories and characters he chooses which gives the story a real sense of danger and epic adventure that makes the book a quick and thrilling read. Reale took inspirational from a wide range of stories; from Hansel and Gretel, Jack and the Beanstalk, Pinocchio, Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, and many more. I loved the variety and enjoyed seeing Reale’s spin on the characters.
The book itself is well-written, and the arc works well to make for a book that is hard to put down. Dodger is a great character in that he has a lot of growth throughout the book and creates real feeling relationships with the fairytale characters he meets. I liked that Reale brought the book to a young adult read instead of a children’s book by playing with the dark sides of fairytales, as well as making Dodger a teenager dealing with very real young adult issues.
Dodger’s Doorway is an enchanting story with a lot of heart. I very much enjoyed reading it. If you are a fan of fantasy stories, particularly tales where characters find magical worlds, a personal childhood dream of mine and many others I am sure, then I would highly recommend giving this book a read!
Dodger’s Doorway is a fantastical adventure that makes for a super fun read. The melded fairytale worlds is a theme we have seen more and more of, which I love, and I think that Reale did a masterful job of combining the magical nostalgia of the characters we know and love as well as bringing in a unique twist and creating new life in this classic characters. I particularly liked the portrayal of Humpty Dumpty. I think that Humpty is a character that is often veered away from as being too hard or not interesting enough to expand upon, but Reale takes him and makes him into an exciting warrior, which I thought was very clever. Reale’s Storyworld combines the magical innocence and dark origins of the stories and characters he chooses which gives the story a real sense of danger and epic adventure that makes the book a quick and thrilling read. Reale took inspirational from a wide range of stories; from Hansel and Gretel, Jack and the Beanstalk, Pinocchio, Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, and many more. I loved the variety and enjoyed seeing Reale’s spin on the characters.
The book itself is well-written, and the arc works well to make for a book that is hard to put down. Dodger is a great character in that he has a lot of growth throughout the book and creates real feeling relationships with the fairytale characters he meets. I liked that Reale brought the book to a young adult read instead of a children’s book by playing with the dark sides of fairytales, as well as making Dodger a teenager dealing with very real young adult issues.
Dodger’s Doorway is an enchanting story with a lot of heart. I very much enjoyed reading it. If you are a fan of fantasy stories, particularly tales where characters find magical worlds, a personal childhood dream of mine and many others I am sure, then I would highly recommend giving this book a read!
Hazel (1853 KP) rated Alice Takes Back Wonderland in Books
Dec 14, 2018
<i>This eBook was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review </i>
When a book starts with “‘Do you know fairy tales are real’ asked the cat,” you know you are in for a magical ride. Nearly everyone knows the tale of the seven-year-old girl from nineteenth century London who falls down a rabbit hole and spends a day of madness in the magical world of Wonderland. In David D. Hammons version, however, Alice was a young girl from twenty-first century Missouri. On her return to the real world she was diagnosed with ADHD and Schizophrenia and forced to believe that the Cheshire Cat and the Mad Hatter were figments of her imagination. But ten years later a white rabbit appears and leads Alice back to the world where nothing makes sense.
All is not well in Wonderland. The Cheshire Cat is dead and the Ace of Spades is in charge. Barely anything is the way Alice remembers. Everything looks far too “normal” and similar to the world she comes from. Ace is determined to remove the wonder from Wonderland and create a place where madness is forbidden. Alice has a big fight on her hands as she tries to end this former playing card’s tyrannous reign and restore Wonderland back to its original insanity.
<i>Alice Takes Back Wonderland</i> is not purely a retelling of Lewis Carrols famous story. Although many of the well known and loved characters appear in this book, so do others from a variety of different fairytales: <i>Peter Pan, Pinocchio</i>, and various tales from the <i>Brothers Grimm</i>. As readers will discover, all is not exactly as it should be for these characters either. Despite them being contrasting, magical stories, Hammons has successfully merged them all together in an imaginative manner resulting in a humorous young adult novel.
Although mostly focused on the goings on in Wonderland and the other fictional locations, it is also a subtle metaphor to describe what Alice’s life had been like back in present day America. For a decade Alice was forced to take medication to help her understand the difference between reality and fantasy. It got rid of most of the nonsense thoughts she picked up during her first visit to Wonderland. In a way, that is what the Ace of Spades is doing to characters he believes are mad. He is taking the wonder out of them, just like the pills to the wonder out of Alice.
Lovers of fairytales will definitely love this book, especially those who grew up loving <i>Alice in Wonderland</i> and <i>Peter Pan</i>. In some ways it is a continuation of the original tale, yet in other ways it could be viewed as an alternative way the story could have gone. Primarily targeted at young adults, <i>Alice Takes Back Wonderland</i> is much darker than Carrols version and combines a mix of real life with fantasy. It also goes to show that no one is too old for fairytales!
When a book starts with “‘Do you know fairy tales are real’ asked the cat,” you know you are in for a magical ride. Nearly everyone knows the tale of the seven-year-old girl from nineteenth century London who falls down a rabbit hole and spends a day of madness in the magical world of Wonderland. In David D. Hammons version, however, Alice was a young girl from twenty-first century Missouri. On her return to the real world she was diagnosed with ADHD and Schizophrenia and forced to believe that the Cheshire Cat and the Mad Hatter were figments of her imagination. But ten years later a white rabbit appears and leads Alice back to the world where nothing makes sense.
All is not well in Wonderland. The Cheshire Cat is dead and the Ace of Spades is in charge. Barely anything is the way Alice remembers. Everything looks far too “normal” and similar to the world she comes from. Ace is determined to remove the wonder from Wonderland and create a place where madness is forbidden. Alice has a big fight on her hands as she tries to end this former playing card’s tyrannous reign and restore Wonderland back to its original insanity.
<i>Alice Takes Back Wonderland</i> is not purely a retelling of Lewis Carrols famous story. Although many of the well known and loved characters appear in this book, so do others from a variety of different fairytales: <i>Peter Pan, Pinocchio</i>, and various tales from the <i>Brothers Grimm</i>. As readers will discover, all is not exactly as it should be for these characters either. Despite them being contrasting, magical stories, Hammons has successfully merged them all together in an imaginative manner resulting in a humorous young adult novel.
Although mostly focused on the goings on in Wonderland and the other fictional locations, it is also a subtle metaphor to describe what Alice’s life had been like back in present day America. For a decade Alice was forced to take medication to help her understand the difference between reality and fantasy. It got rid of most of the nonsense thoughts she picked up during her first visit to Wonderland. In a way, that is what the Ace of Spades is doing to characters he believes are mad. He is taking the wonder out of them, just like the pills to the wonder out of Alice.
Lovers of fairytales will definitely love this book, especially those who grew up loving <i>Alice in Wonderland</i> and <i>Peter Pan</i>. In some ways it is a continuation of the original tale, yet in other ways it could be viewed as an alternative way the story could have gone. Primarily targeted at young adults, <i>Alice Takes Back Wonderland</i> is much darker than Carrols version and combines a mix of real life with fantasy. It also goes to show that no one is too old for fairytales!