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Jewels of Truth: The Journey of the Soul Continues, Vol. 3
6.0
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Your spiritual journey of self-improvement continues in volume three of the Jewels of Truth series...
religion self-help spirituality
All Boy
10.0
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Seventeen-year-old Callie Canter knows all about screwing up—and being screwed over. After her...
Contemporary Romance Young Adult LGBTQ+
Edge of The Grave
8.0
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Winner of The Bloody Scotland Crime Debut of the Year Shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for...
Historical fiction Suspense Scotland
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2287 KP) rated Rockin’ Around the Chickadee in Books
Dec 20, 2024 (Updated Dec 20, 2024)
Who Should Be Presumed Guilty?
It’s the weekend before Christmas, but Meg isn’t basking in the season. Instead, she’s helping her grandmother, who is putting on a conference in town. The theme is about helping the wrongfully convicted, and many of Meg’s friends and family are presenting. Not everyone is on board with the topic, however. In fact, one of the attendees is known to be extremely vocal that all those convicted are guilty. So it’s not too surprising when he turns up dead. Can Meg help figure out what happened?
Yes, this is a Christmas entry in the series. And we get plenty of Christmas spirit as we read the book, even if the plot doesn’t tie into the season. But, at this point, I’m not sure what else the author could do with the season plot wise. I do wish the choir had sung some religious carols in one of the scenes, but that’s a minor complaint. The plot itself was well done with plenty of suspects to keep us guessing. And Meg and the rest were great to be around as always. In fact, I was impressed by just how many of the regulars got to play a part in what was happening. We also got some laughs along the way. Meg’s many fans will be happy to sit down with this book.
Yes, this is a Christmas entry in the series. And we get plenty of Christmas spirit as we read the book, even if the plot doesn’t tie into the season. But, at this point, I’m not sure what else the author could do with the season plot wise. I do wish the choir had sung some religious carols in one of the scenes, but that’s a minor complaint. The plot itself was well done with plenty of suspects to keep us guessing. And Meg and the rest were great to be around as always. In fact, I was impressed by just how many of the regulars got to play a part in what was happening. We also got some laughs along the way. Meg’s many fans will be happy to sit down with this book.
Ali A (82 KP) rated How It All Blew Up in Books
Sep 8, 2020
How it All Blew Up is about Amir, a closeted, eighteen-year-old. He always knew it would be hard to come out to his Muslim family, so he hasn't. When some bullies find out and blackmail him, Amir gets scared, skips graduation, and fleas to Rome. He gets taken in by a group of new friends and he spends his summer having late nights where he can feel like himself. Until his old life comes back knocking. Now, Amir is telling the whole story, with the entire truth, to a U.S. Customs officer as his family has just been detained. Can Amir get his hard-won freedom back?
I went into this book thinking it would be a storyline I don't really see: representation of a queer Muslim in YA... I didn't really get that. Islam plays no part in this story - Amir openly admits his family isn't that religious. When asked if his parents would disapprove of him being gay, he replied:
"Yes and no. Our culture is pretty conservative, even if you're not religious."
It also went into this huge countdown leading up to what happened on the airplane and why the family is detained and when we get there... it just felt like it fell short of what it could have been. I also just didn't care much for the main character, he never really clicked with me and I honestly don't know why but I found myself rolling my eyes at a lot of his choices and reasonings.
The whole story also felt very unrealistic to me. How on Earth does an eighteen-year-old make enough money editing Wikipedia pages to get to Rome, get his own apartment, and live there a whole month? There were so many side characters that would be mentioned in passing for only a page and then never heard from again? Amir's high school boyfriend we get built up to be this whole thing, for him to just toss him aside. We had all these supposed close relationships (Amir and his sister were supposedly super close??) but everything felt surface level and not flushed out. There's an entire scene in the novel, that I won't get into because of spoilers, but it just felt wrong and had no real build up to the entire scenario besides small side remarks.
The only character I really even cared for was Amir's sister, Soraya. She was only thirteen, but she was a firecracker just waiting to be messed with. She cared for her brother, regardless of anything.
I did enjoy the back and forth of the interrogation rooms and what happened as it made it a super fast read. Apart from that though, I think the story fell short of what it could have been.
*Thank you Bookish First and Penguin Teen for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I went into this book thinking it would be a storyline I don't really see: representation of a queer Muslim in YA... I didn't really get that. Islam plays no part in this story - Amir openly admits his family isn't that religious. When asked if his parents would disapprove of him being gay, he replied:
"Yes and no. Our culture is pretty conservative, even if you're not religious."
It also went into this huge countdown leading up to what happened on the airplane and why the family is detained and when we get there... it just felt like it fell short of what it could have been. I also just didn't care much for the main character, he never really clicked with me and I honestly don't know why but I found myself rolling my eyes at a lot of his choices and reasonings.
The whole story also felt very unrealistic to me. How on Earth does an eighteen-year-old make enough money editing Wikipedia pages to get to Rome, get his own apartment, and live there a whole month? There were so many side characters that would be mentioned in passing for only a page and then never heard from again? Amir's high school boyfriend we get built up to be this whole thing, for him to just toss him aside. We had all these supposed close relationships (Amir and his sister were supposedly super close??) but everything felt surface level and not flushed out. There's an entire scene in the novel, that I won't get into because of spoilers, but it just felt wrong and had no real build up to the entire scenario besides small side remarks.
The only character I really even cared for was Amir's sister, Soraya. She was only thirteen, but she was a firecracker just waiting to be messed with. She cared for her brother, regardless of anything.
I did enjoy the back and forth of the interrogation rooms and what happened as it made it a super fast read. Apart from that though, I think the story fell short of what it could have been.
*Thank you Bookish First and Penguin Teen for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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Jesters_folly (230 KP) rated Embodiment of Evil (2008) in Movies
May 31, 2020
Embodiment of Evil
Embodiment of Evil is the third film of the Brazilian ‘Coffin Joe’ trilogy, following after ‘At Midnight I’ll take your soul’ and ‘This night I’ll Posses your corpse’. Set and filmed 40 years after ‘This night I’ll possess your corpse’ Embodiment of Evil follows the same basic plot as the previous two films, Josefel Zanatas aka Coffin Joe returns after seeming to die at the end of the previous film to continue his search for the perfect woman to help him continue his blood line.
Embodiment of Evil is probably best described as a ‘Slasher’, Coffin Joe is a man on a mission and he’s not afraid to make enemy’s and then kill them if they get in his way. There are also elements of torture in the film as Joe tests his followers, and the women he chooses to make sure they are strong enough for him.
Like the first two films, Embodiment of evil starts off slow, using the time to explain how Coffin Joe survived his death, this is done with a flashback which uses footage from the end of the 'This night I'll possess your corpse' and adding footage that looks like it was shot at the same time but never use at the time.
Once Joe's survival has been explained the film falls back into the narrative of the trilogy, aided by his hunchbacked sidekick, Bruno, Joe returns to his old job as a gravedigger and is soon making waves in the community with his (anti) religious views. Joe is also being hunted by victims and relatives of victims from the previous films but, this time Coffin Joe also has help, not only from Bruno but from four cult like followers.
As in the previous films it doesn't take long before Joe is cursed by witches and seeing ghosts blurring the line between what Coffin Joe sees as reality and fantasy.
Coffin Joe himself is an interesting character, he is arrogant, self-assured and superior. He is constantly fighting against authority and most of the normal people, all of whom he sees as weak, mainly due to their religious belief. He is driven by his own belief that 'blood' is the only purpose in life and his need to find the perfect, strongest woman to have his child is the only driving force in his life.
Embodiment of Evil is UK rated 18 and there is a good reason for this, there is blood, nudity, cannibalism, torture, (off screen) child murder and implied rape so it will be safe to say that this film is not for everybody. It is also worth noting that, even though some of of these subjects are also in the first two films, Embodiment of evil was made 40 years later so the effects and content is a lot more graphic.
Embodiment of Evil is the third film of the Brazilian ‘Coffin Joe’ trilogy, following after ‘At Midnight I’ll take your soul’ and ‘This night I’ll Posses your corpse’. Set and filmed 40 years after ‘This night I’ll possess your corpse’ Embodiment of Evil follows the same basic plot as the previous two films, Josefel Zanatas aka Coffin Joe returns after seeming to die at the end of the previous film to continue his search for the perfect woman to help him continue his blood line.
Embodiment of Evil is probably best described as a ‘Slasher’, Coffin Joe is a man on a mission and he’s not afraid to make enemy’s and then kill them if they get in his way. There are also elements of torture in the film as Joe tests his followers, and the women he chooses to make sure they are strong enough for him.
Like the first two films, Embodiment of evil starts off slow, using the time to explain how Coffin Joe survived his death, this is done with a flashback which uses footage from the end of the 'This night I'll possess your corpse' and adding footage that looks like it was shot at the same time but never use at the time.
Once Joe's survival has been explained the film falls back into the narrative of the trilogy, aided by his hunchbacked sidekick, Bruno, Joe returns to his old job as a gravedigger and is soon making waves in the community with his (anti) religious views. Joe is also being hunted by victims and relatives of victims from the previous films but, this time Coffin Joe also has help, not only from Bruno but from four cult like followers.
As in the previous films it doesn't take long before Joe is cursed by witches and seeing ghosts blurring the line between what Coffin Joe sees as reality and fantasy.
Coffin Joe himself is an interesting character, he is arrogant, self-assured and superior. He is constantly fighting against authority and most of the normal people, all of whom he sees as weak, mainly due to their religious belief. He is driven by his own belief that 'blood' is the only purpose in life and his need to find the perfect, strongest woman to have his child is the only driving force in his life.
Embodiment of Evil is UK rated 18 and there is a good reason for this, there is blood, nudity, cannibalism, torture, (off screen) child murder and implied rape so it will be safe to say that this film is not for everybody. It is also worth noting that, even though some of of these subjects are also in the first two films, Embodiment of evil was made 40 years later so the effects and content is a lot more graphic.
ClareR (5812 KP) rated Jane Seymour: The Haunted Queen in Books
May 3, 2018
Tudor England at it's best!
Everyone knows the stories of Henry VIII and his six wives, don't they? Jane Seymour always seems to be the quietest, almost childlike, always doing as she's told. This novel paints a very different picture of her. She is a young woman of her time: obedient to her parents and the males in her family, religious, and ready to do her part as a woman (and that means bearing children!).
This novel looks at how she probably wasn't as innocent as we have always been led to believe. In all honesty, she lived at court - a place where family loyalties and wealth were above all else in importance: she couldn't afford to be an innocent.
I like the Jane that Weir portrays. She's resilient and cares deeply about her family and HER Queen (Katherine of Aragon). I really liked this book and all of the courtly intrigues: Tudor England has always fascinated me. It was such a sad end for Jane, and the authors extended notes at the end really explained well what she and some experts thought had really happened to her and why she died (heres a clue: it wasn't childbirth). I will be going back to the first two books in this series to read about Katherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn in preparation for Katherine Howard (wife #4 - and that should be a good one!!).
This novel looks at how she probably wasn't as innocent as we have always been led to believe. In all honesty, she lived at court - a place where family loyalties and wealth were above all else in importance: she couldn't afford to be an innocent.
I like the Jane that Weir portrays. She's resilient and cares deeply about her family and HER Queen (Katherine of Aragon). I really liked this book and all of the courtly intrigues: Tudor England has always fascinated me. It was such a sad end for Jane, and the authors extended notes at the end really explained well what she and some experts thought had really happened to her and why she died (heres a clue: it wasn't childbirth). I will be going back to the first two books in this series to read about Katherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn in preparation for Katherine Howard (wife #4 - and that should be a good one!!).
Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated The Poet X in Books
May 30, 2019
This is another much-hyped book - and oh man, did it stand up to the hype. Told entirely through poetry, this novel was extraordinarily powerful, and had me sobbing near the end. Xiomara is an amazing character, and her poetry shows us her emotions more than prose ever could.
I've always loved poetry for that reason; especially poetry that plays with formatting - spacing and line breaks and size of stanzas. It's so much more evocative than simple paragraphs of prose. (My favorite poet is probably e.e. cummings, who is rather infamous for unusual formatting.)
Acavedo does similar things, making Xiomara's poetry explode across the page when necessary, and ordering it into simpler stanzas in calmer moments. It's not rhyming, even poetry; this is written slam poetry. And I love it.
Xiomara is Dominican, living in Harlem, with a very strict, religious mother. Her twin brother is gay but not out to their parents; Xiomara is fine with this but knows their mother won't be. Her poems cover her need to protect her brother and herself, both from their parents and from the outside world. She writes about street harassment and questioning God and falling in love with a boy, which is also against her mother's rules. Her poems are at turns heartbreaking and joyous, but always beautiful.
This is an amazing book, and is the second book on my Best of the Year list. I am blown away.You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.com
I've always loved poetry for that reason; especially poetry that plays with formatting - spacing and line breaks and size of stanzas. It's so much more evocative than simple paragraphs of prose. (My favorite poet is probably e.e. cummings, who is rather infamous for unusual formatting.)
Acavedo does similar things, making Xiomara's poetry explode across the page when necessary, and ordering it into simpler stanzas in calmer moments. It's not rhyming, even poetry; this is written slam poetry. And I love it.
Xiomara is Dominican, living in Harlem, with a very strict, religious mother. Her twin brother is gay but not out to their parents; Xiomara is fine with this but knows their mother won't be. Her poems cover her need to protect her brother and herself, both from their parents and from the outside world. She writes about street harassment and questioning God and falling in love with a boy, which is also against her mother's rules. Her poems are at turns heartbreaking and joyous, but always beautiful.
This is an amazing book, and is the second book on my Best of the Year list. I am blown away.You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.com
Elli H Burton (1288 KP) rated My Daughter, My Mother in Books
Jun 16, 2019 (Updated Jun 16, 2019)
Hard to get into but easy to finish
I usually go for books set a lot earlier that 1984 so when I picked this up I was full of anticipating I would immediately hate it and stop reading. Luckily that wasn't the case!
It jumps back and forth from past to present and includes real life issues going on in the world at that time. I personally love to see a story include real life problems as it feels like it actually happened and makes it so much more interesting to read. Don't worry, I know these people don't actually exist!!
It took me a few chapters to get into it but once I did I began to love it. Although the actual plot on both sides if good, it feels rushed to get the story out and some bits are quite difficult to grasp.
There is a family in the book that are sikh which despite my religious education at school I don't know much about so to an extent this book taught me something about sikhs. This is also hard because there are certain aspects to the writing i found hard to understand.
I like to see the good in every story so I'd say have a read of it yourself and see what you think.
It jumps back and forth from past to present and includes real life issues going on in the world at that time. I personally love to see a story include real life problems as it feels like it actually happened and makes it so much more interesting to read. Don't worry, I know these people don't actually exist!!
It took me a few chapters to get into it but once I did I began to love it. Although the actual plot on both sides if good, it feels rushed to get the story out and some bits are quite difficult to grasp.
There is a family in the book that are sikh which despite my religious education at school I don't know much about so to an extent this book taught me something about sikhs. This is also hard because there are certain aspects to the writing i found hard to understand.
I like to see the good in every story so I'd say have a read of it yourself and see what you think.