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Hazel (2934 KP) rated The Kill (Maeve Kerrigan, #5) in Books
Jan 12, 2018
I received a copy of this book from the Dead Good Crime Book Group on Goodreads and I want to thank them, once again, for introducing me to another new author that I may never have found.
I haven't read any of the preceding books in this series so started reading with no background or information on any of the characters at all. In hindsight, I think it would have been better to have that knowledge as I did find myself wondering where some of the characters were coming from. Having said that though, I thought it was well written with engaging and complex characters. The storyline was great, delivered with good pace and with interesting twists. I like the relationships between the various characters and despite Derwent being a chauvinistic pig, he was the cause of an internal battle I had with myself - one minute I liked him, the next he was a total [insert appropriate swear word]. Derwent was also the one who made me laugh out loud by his ludicrous statements and the situation he found himself in towards the end of the book.
Overall, a good read but one that would probably have been much better had I read previous books in the series.
I haven't read any of the preceding books in this series so started reading with no background or information on any of the characters at all. In hindsight, I think it would have been better to have that knowledge as I did find myself wondering where some of the characters were coming from. Having said that though, I thought it was well written with engaging and complex characters. The storyline was great, delivered with good pace and with interesting twists. I like the relationships between the various characters and despite Derwent being a chauvinistic pig, he was the cause of an internal battle I had with myself - one minute I liked him, the next he was a total [insert appropriate swear word]. Derwent was also the one who made me laugh out loud by his ludicrous statements and the situation he found himself in towards the end of the book.
Overall, a good read but one that would probably have been much better had I read previous books in the series.
QuietlyBookish (65 KP) rated Truthwitch in Books
Jul 20, 2017
Relationships (4 more)
Magic System
Plot
Characters
Dialogue
Friendships Done Right!
I really enjoyed this book! I think the magic system, especially is very unique and refreshing!
I also loved the relationship between Safiya and Iseult (although I have absolutely no idea how to correctly pronounce their names), it was nice to see a strong female friendship in a YA story, I don't see it very often! Plus I loved how they balanced each other out and brought out the best in each other.
Unfortunately, I felt at times that I couldn't keep up with the plot and all the history etc. I did find myself confused about which characters were which and how they all connected. I was also unsure about whether we had already learnt about things regarding the history of the world when they were referenced, but it didn't stop me from enjoying the story.
The actual plot was very fast-paced and full of action, there was never a dull moment!
This book is definitely character driven, at least in my opinion, and you really got to know these characters; their strengths and their weaknesses, their faults and their flaws. I can't wait to pick up the sequel!
I also loved the relationship between Safiya and Iseult (although I have absolutely no idea how to correctly pronounce their names), it was nice to see a strong female friendship in a YA story, I don't see it very often! Plus I loved how they balanced each other out and brought out the best in each other.
Unfortunately, I felt at times that I couldn't keep up with the plot and all the history etc. I did find myself confused about which characters were which and how they all connected. I was also unsure about whether we had already learnt about things regarding the history of the world when they were referenced, but it didn't stop me from enjoying the story.
The actual plot was very fast-paced and full of action, there was never a dull moment!
This book is definitely character driven, at least in my opinion, and you really got to know these characters; their strengths and their weaknesses, their faults and their flaws. I can't wait to pick up the sequel!
Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated Couples Who Pray: The Most Intimate Act Between a Man and a Woman in Books
Apr 27, 2018
This book was very engaging. Most of it I'd already been told by my parents (I've explained before how they have a great marriage) but Couples Who Pray had the data and research to back it up. I was surprised to learn that many Christian couples don't pray together. I was also surprised at the changes in their relationships when couples started praying.
It was really neat to read all the stories and see how God works in His people's lives. There are lots of great tips for married couples, couples who are dating or engaged, and there is even a short section on praying with the opposite sex who you are not married to. Couples Who Pray was encouraging and educational, and every couple needs to know the information in here.
I felt like the majority of the book was trying to convince couples that it was a good idea to pray with each other. There were a lot of stories and basic instruction, but it felt almost as if they drew it out a little too long and kept going over the same thing in every chapter. Basically it could have been more concise.
Recommendation: Couples in need of a spiritual revival, or singles thinking about marriage in their future.
It was really neat to read all the stories and see how God works in His people's lives. There are lots of great tips for married couples, couples who are dating or engaged, and there is even a short section on praying with the opposite sex who you are not married to. Couples Who Pray was encouraging and educational, and every couple needs to know the information in here.
I felt like the majority of the book was trying to convince couples that it was a good idea to pray with each other. There were a lot of stories and basic instruction, but it felt almost as if they drew it out a little too long and kept going over the same thing in every chapter. Basically it could have been more concise.
Recommendation: Couples in need of a spiritual revival, or singles thinking about marriage in their future.
ClareR (5686 KP) rated In at the Deep End in Books
Mar 2, 2019
A funny, honest book
The first quote in the blurb on the cover of this book says:'Every woman should own a copy of this book' (Erin Kelly). Well. Perhaps not if you're easily shocked.
Julia lives with her best friend Alice and her boyfriend, Dave, and after yet another night of listening to their enthusiastic sex life through the wafer thin walls of their flat, Julia decides it's time to end her three year sex-drought. Except I don't think that she expects to learn that her drought might be because she has been looking in the wrong places.
After a disastrous experience with a one night stand where she's accused of 'breaking' the man's penis (!!), she meets a female artist - and learns that she's much happier and more fulfilled with a woman.
This book is sexually graphic, and definitely not for the faint-hearted. Julia is rediscovering her life, and is on a mission to make radical changes - she wants to be happy.
It's a great story. I laughed, I felt sad and sorry for Julia in some places. It illustrated complicated relationships really well.
It's a great debut, and I'll be interested to see where the author goes next.
Thanks to The Pigeonhole for choosing another great book to read along to.
Julia lives with her best friend Alice and her boyfriend, Dave, and after yet another night of listening to their enthusiastic sex life through the wafer thin walls of their flat, Julia decides it's time to end her three year sex-drought. Except I don't think that she expects to learn that her drought might be because she has been looking in the wrong places.
After a disastrous experience with a one night stand where she's accused of 'breaking' the man's penis (!!), she meets a female artist - and learns that she's much happier and more fulfilled with a woman.
This book is sexually graphic, and definitely not for the faint-hearted. Julia is rediscovering her life, and is on a mission to make radical changes - she wants to be happy.
It's a great story. I laughed, I felt sad and sorry for Julia in some places. It illustrated complicated relationships really well.
It's a great debut, and I'll be interested to see where the author goes next.
Thanks to The Pigeonhole for choosing another great book to read along to.
Sam (74 KP) rated The Woman Who Stole My Life in Books
Mar 27, 2019
She gets a publishing contract for One Blink At A Time and moves to America for a book tour and to write her second book.
The Woman Who Stole My Life opens with Stella’s return to Ireland, and the whole book focuses on her past and what happened when she was ill and then when she went to America. From breaking up with her husband to new friendships and relationships, Stella’s story is followed throughout the novel and left me wishing for her to get a happy ending.
I had wanted to start reading Marian Keyes for a while, especially since I’m so into Cecelia Ahern lately. And The Woman Who Stole My Life came up on the 3 for £10 offer on Amazon so I was more than happy to order it.
I’m not sure that if it hadn’t have been on that offer I would have bought it, but I was pleasantly surprised in the end. It’s a generally good book, with only a few parts that took me a while to get into. I’ve already bought another one of Marian Keyes’s books from a charity shop because I just find her writing style so interesting and easy to read.
The Woman Who Stole My Life opens with Stella’s return to Ireland, and the whole book focuses on her past and what happened when she was ill and then when she went to America. From breaking up with her husband to new friendships and relationships, Stella’s story is followed throughout the novel and left me wishing for her to get a happy ending.
I had wanted to start reading Marian Keyes for a while, especially since I’m so into Cecelia Ahern lately. And The Woman Who Stole My Life came up on the 3 for £10 offer on Amazon so I was more than happy to order it.
I’m not sure that if it hadn’t have been on that offer I would have bought it, but I was pleasantly surprised in the end. It’s a generally good book, with only a few parts that took me a while to get into. I’ve already bought another one of Marian Keyes’s books from a charity shop because I just find her writing style so interesting and easy to read.
Janeeny (200 KP) rated The Awakening in Books
May 9, 2019 (Updated Jun 10, 2019)
The Awakening Is a groundbreaking story about female infidelity in the Victorian Era.
I’ve come to the conclusion that some reviews are best for me to write ‘on reflection’ as my first thought after reading ‘The Awakening’ was ‘meh’, then I put some thought into it.
I can see how when this book was first released it did cause a bit of a furore, and I can even see that possibly even in this day and age if this had been one of the first books I had read on relationships how it would have affected me. However at the tender age of 40, with all that I have read and seen it just doesn’t have the intended impact on me, and that is a shame.
A similar thing happens with music, songs that were released in the sixties and considered ‘groundbreaking’ don’t move me as much as they did people back then because I’ve heard so much music that was ‘inspired by it’ that it doesn’t have the same wow factor as it did when it was first released.
Anyway, back to ‘The Awakening’ I think it really did have a strong ending though, and for that alone it will stick with me for a while.
I’ve come to the conclusion that some reviews are best for me to write ‘on reflection’ as my first thought after reading ‘The Awakening’ was ‘meh’, then I put some thought into it.
I can see how when this book was first released it did cause a bit of a furore, and I can even see that possibly even in this day and age if this had been one of the first books I had read on relationships how it would have affected me. However at the tender age of 40, with all that I have read and seen it just doesn’t have the intended impact on me, and that is a shame.
A similar thing happens with music, songs that were released in the sixties and considered ‘groundbreaking’ don’t move me as much as they did people back then because I’ve heard so much music that was ‘inspired by it’ that it doesn’t have the same wow factor as it did when it was first released.
Anyway, back to ‘The Awakening’ I think it really did have a strong ending though, and for that alone it will stick with me for a while.
Tamsin Clark (15 KP) rated La Belle Sauvage: The Book of Dust in Books
Jan 19, 2018
Storyline (5 more)
Characters
Setting
Writing standard
Depth of character relationships
Tie in with His Dark Materials
Worth the wait since His Dark Materials
I could honestly not put this book down at all. Of course we needed another His Dark Materials book! We need many, many more! There's still so much to understand about their world and The Book of Dust thrusts us right in at the crux of it.
We meet Malcolm (who, if anyone wants to check, is indeed in the Dark Materials trilogy) as a young boy, living life in his parent's inn and being generally as curious as a young child naturally is about his world. A world which, with the arrival of a baby at the local convent, will become entirely ripped apart at the seams.
I don't do spoilers but from the very first page, I was hooked. I bought this in hardback and even the cover is a pure delight to touch and hold (something important to my reading experience). Pullman is his usual, exceptional self with his writing, forcing us face first into some uncomfortable realities and even more uncomfortable impossibilities. This series will certainly be much darker than the last but I cannot wait for the second to come out!
We meet Malcolm (who, if anyone wants to check, is indeed in the Dark Materials trilogy) as a young boy, living life in his parent's inn and being generally as curious as a young child naturally is about his world. A world which, with the arrival of a baby at the local convent, will become entirely ripped apart at the seams.
I don't do spoilers but from the very first page, I was hooked. I bought this in hardback and even the cover is a pure delight to touch and hold (something important to my reading experience). Pullman is his usual, exceptional self with his writing, forcing us face first into some uncomfortable realities and even more uncomfortable impossibilities. This series will certainly be much darker than the last but I cannot wait for the second to come out!
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2173 KP) rated Custom Baked Murder in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Stan’s mother is engaged to Frog Ledge’s new mayor, and the pair are throwing a big engagement party. However, the groom to be isn’t there. Instead, Stan is running into several people she is less than happy to see again from her days in the corporate world, including her ex-boyfriend. The night gets worse when a body is found upstairs. The police quickly make an arrest, but something seems off. Are they trying to cover something up?
Since the last book took place out of town, it was wonderful to be back in Frog Ledge and spending time with our favorite characters. The author has really built a sense of community, and I love how she is growing Stan, the others characters, and their relationships. The downside of that is the murder moves slowly in the beginning as the sub-plots that help with the community building are front and center. But the mystery takes center stage in the second half, offering us several viable suspects and some great twists and surprises.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/12/book-review-custom-baked-murder-by-liz.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Since the last book took place out of town, it was wonderful to be back in Frog Ledge and spending time with our favorite characters. The author has really built a sense of community, and I love how she is growing Stan, the others characters, and their relationships. The downside of that is the murder moves slowly in the beginning as the sub-plots that help with the community building are front and center. But the mystery takes center stage in the second half, offering us several viable suspects and some great twists and surprises.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/12/book-review-custom-baked-murder-by-liz.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2173 KP) rated Snow Way Out (Snow Globe Shop Mystery, #1) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Cami Brooks is enjoying running her family’s curio shop and reconnecting with her friends. One night, after hosting a snow globe making class, she is walking how through the park when she finds a man asleep on the park bench. Only, he’s not sleeping, as she discovers when he falls over, revealing the knife in his back. The scene looks just like a strange snow globe she’d seen in her shop before she left, but when she goes back with the police, it’s gone. What is happening?
The characters in this book were wonderful. I could feel the basis for their friendships and the loving relationships with Cami’s family. They could have used a bit more development, but I would have been willing to revisit them if the plot were better. Sadly, the book is filled with events happening to Cami; she doesn’t do much to drive the plot at all. Worse yet, the climax is weak and the explanation for some of the events is adequate at best. And let’s not discuss a scene that would never happen involving Cami and the police.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2015/09/book-review-snow-way-out-by-christine.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
The characters in this book were wonderful. I could feel the basis for their friendships and the loving relationships with Cami’s family. They could have used a bit more development, but I would have been willing to revisit them if the plot were better. Sadly, the book is filled with events happening to Cami; she doesn’t do much to drive the plot at all. Worse yet, the climax is weak and the explanation for some of the events is adequate at best. And let’s not discuss a scene that would never happen involving Cami and the police.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2015/09/book-review-snow-way-out-by-christine.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.