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The Italian Teacher
Book
Rome, 1955 The artists are gathering together for a photograph. In one of Rome's historic villas,...
The Prisoner of Paradise (The Paradise Series #1)
Book
The world’s largest oil painting. A 400-year-old murder. A disembodied whisper: “Amore mio.”...
Commercial Thriller Historical Fiction Magical Realism
Merissa (13555 KP) rated Songbird (The Tudor Court #1) in Books
Apr 13, 2021 (Updated Jul 27, 2023)
SONGBIRD is the first book in the Tudor Court series, and we are introduced to the world of King Henry VIII, and his love of music. Bess is sold to the King just before her tenth birthday and, with hard study and lots of practice, becomes a favourite of his. We stay with her as she grows from a young child, to a young woman, with friends and lovers along the way.
Reading about Henry, Katherine, Mary, and the Boleyn sisters, from a servant's perspective made it all the more fascinating. Her life at court is comfortable, but she is still a servant. There is romance for Bess, from Tom, who was with her from the start, to Nick, a courtier currently in favour with the King. Bess has her own choices to make, some of which end up being heartbreaking.
If I had one thing to say, it would be I was disappointed we skipped so much of Henry's reign, but then, if we'd had it all, it would have been enough for more books! A fascinating story, with realism and character development a-plenty. This was a book I thoroughly enjoyed and have no hesitation in recommending, and I am so happy to see there is a second book in this series!
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Apr 13, 2021
Reading about Henry, Katherine, Mary, and the Boleyn sisters, from a servant's perspective made it all the more fascinating. Her life at court is comfortable, but she is still a servant. There is romance for Bess, from Tom, who was with her from the start, to Nick, a courtier currently in favour with the King. Bess has her own choices to make, some of which end up being heartbreaking.
If I had one thing to say, it would be I was disappointed we skipped so much of Henry's reign, but then, if we'd had it all, it would have been enough for more books! A fascinating story, with realism and character development a-plenty. This was a book I thoroughly enjoyed and have no hesitation in recommending, and I am so happy to see there is a second book in this series!
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Apr 13, 2021
Merissa (13555 KP) rated Misdemeanor (Responsible Adult #1) in Books
Jul 4, 2017
Misdemeanor (Responsible Adult #1) by C.F. White
Now, first thing I must say is that if you are looking for something light and fluffy, full of sparkles and rainbows, then you have definitely got the wrong book! Misdemeanor is a dark, gritty piece of work, telling how one man is trying to do the right thing after doing so many wrong things. How he doesn't think he deserves help, or anything good in his life, and the reasons why. You find out just how hard he is trying, and Micky will worm his way into your emotions without you even realising it. As for Flynn, well, I dare you to deny him entrance to your heart!
Dan and Micky appear to be complete opposites, but they are just what the other needs. With funny situations to lighten up the darkness at times, this is a hard-hitting book that will stay with you. Trust me, it's not all good. And at times characters act like first-class jerks, but that just gives it that slice of realism.
With two outstanding main characters, plus a host of brilliant supporting characters, this book is exceptionally written and with no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading flow. It does end on one helluva cliffhanger though, so fair warning! An excellent start to the series, and I can't wait to read more. Definitely recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Dan and Micky appear to be complete opposites, but they are just what the other needs. With funny situations to lighten up the darkness at times, this is a hard-hitting book that will stay with you. Trust me, it's not all good. And at times characters act like first-class jerks, but that just gives it that slice of realism.
With two outstanding main characters, plus a host of brilliant supporting characters, this book is exceptionally written and with no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading flow. It does end on one helluva cliffhanger though, so fair warning! An excellent start to the series, and I can't wait to read more. Definitely recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Janeeny (200 KP) rated The Binding in Books
May 8, 2019
Emmett is a boy with a gift, he doesn’t realise it but he is a natural ‘Binder’. Binders are people who can take any memory you wish to forget and bind it in a book. So Emmett is sent as an apprentice to a local Binder, but this story isn’t about Binding, this is about Emmett and something he may have forgotten.
I do appreciate a good-looking book, and this is one good looking book. The cover art just draws the eye and the marbling effect on the inside cover is just beautiful. Then you have this little blurb
“Imagine you could erase grief.
Imagine you could remove pain.
Imagine you could hide the darkest, most horrifying secret.
Forever”
Captures the imagination, right?
The Binding is categorized as 'Magical Realism', although it doesn’t totally deliver on it’s promise.
The story starts out around Emmett, and you know there is a deep secret there which will eventually unravel. He is sent to an old Binder as an apprentice to learn the trade, which basically involves laying your hand on the person who wishes to forget as they tell you their memory. That is essentially it for the Binding aspect of the book. This story is predominantly about Emmett and his past, and ‘Binding’ plays a very small part in that. Don’t get me wrong I did really enjoy the direction that the book took, but as somebody in my book club pointed out, we would have liked to know more about The actual Binding and the books. Maybe if Bridget Collins releases more books based around this I may get my wish!
I do appreciate a good-looking book, and this is one good looking book. The cover art just draws the eye and the marbling effect on the inside cover is just beautiful. Then you have this little blurb
“Imagine you could erase grief.
Imagine you could remove pain.
Imagine you could hide the darkest, most horrifying secret.
Forever”
Captures the imagination, right?
The Binding is categorized as 'Magical Realism', although it doesn’t totally deliver on it’s promise.
The story starts out around Emmett, and you know there is a deep secret there which will eventually unravel. He is sent to an old Binder as an apprentice to learn the trade, which basically involves laying your hand on the person who wishes to forget as they tell you their memory. That is essentially it for the Binding aspect of the book. This story is predominantly about Emmett and his past, and ‘Binding’ plays a very small part in that. Don’t get me wrong I did really enjoy the direction that the book took, but as somebody in my book club pointed out, we would have liked to know more about The actual Binding and the books. Maybe if Bridget Collins releases more books based around this I may get my wish!
Sassy Brit (97 KP) rated Anatomy of a Scandal in Books
Jun 5, 2019
Anatomy of a Scandal is based around three central characters. First there’s James, the suave, charismatic family man and politician who is also good friends with the Prime Minister. He’s wealthy and over-privileged. Then we meet Kate, the young, ruthlessly ambitious prosecutor, who’s determined to see James get the guilty verdict he deserves. She’s also good at her job and made her name prosecuting the very worst sexual assault cases. Finally we meet Sophie, James’ wife who has been dating James since college and knows him better than anyone else. All have a vital part to play in this psychological, legal drama, which starts with a shocking scandal being revealed, which is then dissected in court.
James is accused of rape one of his assistants, but did he do it? While his wife Sophie is seemingly supportive on the outside, on the inside her mind is going crazy thinking about his alleged crimes and what he could in fact be capable of. Just how long can she remain loyal as the story unfolds?
We travel from the court case, back in time to Oxford in the 90s and into the current murky goings on within the privileged political world, where money, corruption and power rule the day.
This is an extremely well written and cleverly plotted, insightful story, which I can easily see adapted into a BBC drama, very much like Louise Doughty’s Apple Tree Yard.
Sarah Vaughan has mastered a treat for us with Anatomy of a Scandal, a sharp, engrossing and poignant political drama, which highlights some shocking hard-hitting facts with sensitivity and realism. Terrific!
James is accused of rape one of his assistants, but did he do it? While his wife Sophie is seemingly supportive on the outside, on the inside her mind is going crazy thinking about his alleged crimes and what he could in fact be capable of. Just how long can she remain loyal as the story unfolds?
We travel from the court case, back in time to Oxford in the 90s and into the current murky goings on within the privileged political world, where money, corruption and power rule the day.
This is an extremely well written and cleverly plotted, insightful story, which I can easily see adapted into a BBC drama, very much like Louise Doughty’s Apple Tree Yard.
Sarah Vaughan has mastered a treat for us with Anatomy of a Scandal, a sharp, engrossing and poignant political drama, which highlights some shocking hard-hitting facts with sensitivity and realism. Terrific!
Steve Fearon (84 KP) rated REC (2007) in Movies
Sep 5, 2018
28 Days Later in a stairwell
Possibly one of my favourite films, REC has everything that makes 28 days later such a monster of a movie, but it doubles down on claustrophobia and adds in the found footage aspect too, which makes the action just seem all the more immediate and in-your-face.
They do a great job of putting the viewer right there in the film, the performances feel genuine, and before long you are just along for the ride, the cameraman being your eyes and ears into a world when the infected become aggressive, murderous and frenetic, and the survivors are trapped inside an apartment building with no means of escape and no way to adequately defend themselves.
The film is paced marvelously, establishing its rules quickly, and without the need for huge amounts of clumsy exposition, and then begins an ebb and flow between periods of character recovery, followed by frantic action as the infected threaten to overwhelm the survivors.
There is just such a genuine and earnest feel to this film, reminiscent of Texas Chainsaw Massacre in the way that the glossy sheen common to well made movies is not present, and in its place is something which feels visceral, full of flawed but realistic characters.
If you like 28 days later or train to Busan, this is a must see.
They do a great job of putting the viewer right there in the film, the performances feel genuine, and before long you are just along for the ride, the cameraman being your eyes and ears into a world when the infected become aggressive, murderous and frenetic, and the survivors are trapped inside an apartment building with no means of escape and no way to adequately defend themselves.
The film is paced marvelously, establishing its rules quickly, and without the need for huge amounts of clumsy exposition, and then begins an ebb and flow between periods of character recovery, followed by frantic action as the infected threaten to overwhelm the survivors.
There is just such a genuine and earnest feel to this film, reminiscent of Texas Chainsaw Massacre in the way that the glossy sheen common to well made movies is not present, and in its place is something which feels visceral, full of flawed but realistic characters.
If you like 28 days later or train to Busan, this is a must see.
ClareR (6037 KP) rated Roar: A Story for Every Woman in Books
Nov 13, 2019
On the whole, I enjoyed this book of short stories. They’re all stories about women who are unhappy about some aspect of their lives, have lost their way and are working out how to get back. They’re all a bit magical realism, and just plain fantasy sometimes (this is not a bad thing for me, by the way!), and ‘Feminist Aesop’s Fables’ kept popping in to my head. It’s definitely a book to dip in to, and I did so whilst reading other books - I could see that reading all of these in one go could be overwhelming.
I think that these stories have a bit of something for everyone. I didn’t enjoy all of them, but I did have my favourites: The Woman Who Grew Wings is about a woman who flees her country with her family to live in the West, and the negative attitudes of the other mothers at the school gates (they’re not nice people) - this brought me to tears actually. The Woman Who Was Swallowed Up by the Floor and Who Met Lots of Other Women Down There Too - because who HASN’T had this happen to them at least once in their lives?! The Woman Who Ate Photographs was another tear jerker about how visual prompts (the photos) can bring back feelings connected to smell, touch, and the memories of our children before they grew into hairy teenagers (this one did for me, I’m afraid!).
I think all of these stories will resonate with someone.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book to read and review.
I think that these stories have a bit of something for everyone. I didn’t enjoy all of them, but I did have my favourites: The Woman Who Grew Wings is about a woman who flees her country with her family to live in the West, and the negative attitudes of the other mothers at the school gates (they’re not nice people) - this brought me to tears actually. The Woman Who Was Swallowed Up by the Floor and Who Met Lots of Other Women Down There Too - because who HASN’T had this happen to them at least once in their lives?! The Woman Who Ate Photographs was another tear jerker about how visual prompts (the photos) can bring back feelings connected to smell, touch, and the memories of our children before they grew into hairy teenagers (this one did for me, I’m afraid!).
I think all of these stories will resonate with someone.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book to read and review.
Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done
Larry Bossidy, Ram Charan and Charles Burck
Book
When Execution was first published in 2002, it changed the way we did our jobs. By analysing the...
DT
Desiring the Good: Ancient Proposals and Contemporary Theory
Book
Desiring the Good defends a novel and distinctive approach in ethics that is inspired by ancient...