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Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated The Star-Touched Queen (The Star-Touched Queen, #1) in Books
Mar 22, 2019
I've had this on my TBR shelf for quite a while, but only got around to reading it because the library finally really wants it back. Oops! And now I'm regretting not reading it sooner because it is OH MY GOD FANTASTIC. This is one of those books that's going to be hard to talk about without giving things away about the plot, but I'm going to try. Maya is the main character, a princess with a horoscope full of doom for whoever marries her.
She's in for a surprise when she does marry, though, as she is whisked away from her father's kingdom to a palace full of hidden doors and a husband who is more than he seems. She's quickly embroiled in a mystery to find out not only the secrets her husband's kingdom is hiding, but the secrets behind her own history.
I absolutely love reading non-western fantasy because there are NEW fantasy elements to discover. This book makes heavy use of reincarnation, which is not a common trope in western fantasy. Not reincarnation as karma, anyway. There is fate, and horoscopes, and choosing your own destiny despite those things, and spirit worlds, and OH IT'S JUST SO GOOD.
The second book, about Maya's sister, came out last March, so I need to read that too. The same author has written another book set in Paris, The Gilded Wolves, which came out in January and immediately hit the bestseller list. I'm glad, this author is fantastic. I'm not sure I'll read it though, as the description doesn't really intrigue me. But The Star-Touched Queen and its sequel, A Crown of Wishes - these are just my cup of tea!
You can read all my book reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.com
She's in for a surprise when she does marry, though, as she is whisked away from her father's kingdom to a palace full of hidden doors and a husband who is more than he seems. She's quickly embroiled in a mystery to find out not only the secrets her husband's kingdom is hiding, but the secrets behind her own history.
I absolutely love reading non-western fantasy because there are NEW fantasy elements to discover. This book makes heavy use of reincarnation, which is not a common trope in western fantasy. Not reincarnation as karma, anyway. There is fate, and horoscopes, and choosing your own destiny despite those things, and spirit worlds, and OH IT'S JUST SO GOOD.
The second book, about Maya's sister, came out last March, so I need to read that too. The same author has written another book set in Paris, The Gilded Wolves, which came out in January and immediately hit the bestseller list. I'm glad, this author is fantastic. I'm not sure I'll read it though, as the description doesn't really intrigue me. But The Star-Touched Queen and its sequel, A Crown of Wishes - these are just my cup of tea!
You can read all my book reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.com
Sam (74 KP) rated All That She Can See in Books
Mar 27, 2019
Cherry has a bakery. She knows exactly what people need and serves them something to cheer them up. What her customers don’t understand is that she bakes magic into everything to defeat their problems.
Cherry sees Meddlums – creatures that personify people’s problems. They are everywhere, following people around and never leaving them alone. That is until people go into her bakery, and Meddlums are stuck outside, slowly disappearing as Cherry solves everyone’s problems through food.
All That She Can See reminded me a lot of a Disney story, which isn’t surprising coming from Carrie. Lots of the reviews over on Goodreads slate this for being too Disney and pink and fluffy but I loved it. It makes a great change from the books I’ve been reading lately and it’s nice to read something that’s soft and an easy read.
It does have an abstract focus on mental health, showing how everyone has their own problems. It also raises the question of whether you can ever fully fix someone’s emotions. Cherry does everything to make people where she is happy, but in Plymouth, where this book is set, the happiness becomes too much and raises its own issues. It just goes to show that no matter what you do and how hard you work, people will always have their own issues.
I loved the way that Cherry sees bad feelings as monsters and Chase sees good ones as monsters. It shows their different personalities and how a generally happy person will easily see the bad things and a generally sad person will always see the good things happening to other people.
This is an absolutely brilliant read and I need a sequel!
Cherry sees Meddlums – creatures that personify people’s problems. They are everywhere, following people around and never leaving them alone. That is until people go into her bakery, and Meddlums are stuck outside, slowly disappearing as Cherry solves everyone’s problems through food.
All That She Can See reminded me a lot of a Disney story, which isn’t surprising coming from Carrie. Lots of the reviews over on Goodreads slate this for being too Disney and pink and fluffy but I loved it. It makes a great change from the books I’ve been reading lately and it’s nice to read something that’s soft and an easy read.
It does have an abstract focus on mental health, showing how everyone has their own problems. It also raises the question of whether you can ever fully fix someone’s emotions. Cherry does everything to make people where she is happy, but in Plymouth, where this book is set, the happiness becomes too much and raises its own issues. It just goes to show that no matter what you do and how hard you work, people will always have their own issues.
I loved the way that Cherry sees bad feelings as monsters and Chase sees good ones as monsters. It shows their different personalities and how a generally happy person will easily see the bad things and a generally sad person will always see the good things happening to other people.
This is an absolutely brilliant read and I need a sequel!
Sam (74 KP) rated Notes on a Nervous Planet in Books
Mar 27, 2019
Let’s just start off with the compulsory statement: I would read absolutely anything written by Matt Haig. I’ll link my reviews of his other books at the end of this post.
Notes is a follow-on book to Reasons to Stay Alive, and focuses on her the world is effecting your mental health. It’s in quite small chapters so it’s really easy to get along with and read in short bursts rather than being a book you need a large amount of free time to read.
I really loved Haig’s commentary on the roles of social media towards your mental health. He points out how social media can both help and hinder people’s mental health, and how social media is full of the best parts of people, not every part.
The thing I love about his writing is that he’s straight-talking. He says it as it is throughout the book, and definitely puts a strong point forward about exactly what can make a large difference to your mental health.
I’m happy that in Notes, Haig points out that there is no difference between mental and physical health in their effects, making a brilliant argument on why mental health should be taken more seriously by everyone.
When this book came in the post I told myself I was going to savour it, because I was so excited to get a new book by Matt Haig that I didn’t want to rush it. So in the end I read it in two days instead of one!
Notes on a Nervous Planet is definitely necessary reading for everyone, whether you have mental health struggles or not. It gives many ways to stop letting the world into your head and not wasting your energy worrying. It’s made me glad I read it.
Notes is a follow-on book to Reasons to Stay Alive, and focuses on her the world is effecting your mental health. It’s in quite small chapters so it’s really easy to get along with and read in short bursts rather than being a book you need a large amount of free time to read.
I really loved Haig’s commentary on the roles of social media towards your mental health. He points out how social media can both help and hinder people’s mental health, and how social media is full of the best parts of people, not every part.
The thing I love about his writing is that he’s straight-talking. He says it as it is throughout the book, and definitely puts a strong point forward about exactly what can make a large difference to your mental health.
I’m happy that in Notes, Haig points out that there is no difference between mental and physical health in their effects, making a brilliant argument on why mental health should be taken more seriously by everyone.
When this book came in the post I told myself I was going to savour it, because I was so excited to get a new book by Matt Haig that I didn’t want to rush it. So in the end I read it in two days instead of one!
Notes on a Nervous Planet is definitely necessary reading for everyone, whether you have mental health struggles or not. It gives many ways to stop letting the world into your head and not wasting your energy worrying. It’s made me glad I read it.
Sam (74 KP) rated The Hate u Give in Books
Mar 27, 2019
It’s got five-star reviews everywhere, has won so many awards, and literally, everyone is talking about it. So, of course, it’s worth a try.
Only I didn’t enjoy it to the point where I got halfway through and couldn’t finish it. I wasn’t even sure whether to post the review because I know that lots of people will disagree with me over this.
I was so excited for a book to be out that’s about police brutality in America towards black teenagers, and was surprised, to begin with, that something as serious as this was in a YA book, but also happy that it was being told to teenagers. It sounded like my ideal book.
But I just couldn’t get along with it at all. The whole idea with the book is to show what casual racism is doing to America, but at the same time on every few pages, there’s another part talking about how horrible and funny and evil white people are. If a book wants to make a stand against racism, make a stand against it from both sides, not just one. You cannot end racism by calling the other race.
I just found it really one-sided in its battle against racism. I am definitely not saying that the police shooting was right, let me just say that, and Starr has every right to hate the police for shooting her best friend. However, this does not mean that every few pages there needs to be a comment about how awful white people are.
A much healthier focus for the book would have been equality, not switching the racism to the other side in a ‘how-do-you-like-it-now’ move.
Only I didn’t enjoy it to the point where I got halfway through and couldn’t finish it. I wasn’t even sure whether to post the review because I know that lots of people will disagree with me over this.
I was so excited for a book to be out that’s about police brutality in America towards black teenagers, and was surprised, to begin with, that something as serious as this was in a YA book, but also happy that it was being told to teenagers. It sounded like my ideal book.
But I just couldn’t get along with it at all. The whole idea with the book is to show what casual racism is doing to America, but at the same time on every few pages, there’s another part talking about how horrible and funny and evil white people are. If a book wants to make a stand against racism, make a stand against it from both sides, not just one. You cannot end racism by calling the other race.
I just found it really one-sided in its battle against racism. I am definitely not saying that the police shooting was right, let me just say that, and Starr has every right to hate the police for shooting her best friend. However, this does not mean that every few pages there needs to be a comment about how awful white people are.
A much healthier focus for the book would have been equality, not switching the racism to the other side in a ‘how-do-you-like-it-now’ move.
Great formatting (3 more)
Packed with information
Bright, glossy pictures
Easy to find what you're looking for
This is an amazing reference book. It begins with some general chapters on why you should save seeds, the anatomy of seeds, and some basic techniques for harvesting seeds, hand-pollinating, basic general principles of seed storage and the like. Then it dives into the real meat of the book, the chapters on the specific plants. They're divided into the six broad categories listed in the subtitle: vegetables, herbs, flowers, fruits, trees, and shrubs. Within those chapters, each species is listed separately, with notes on the scientific name, the species family, the plant type (annual, biennial, perennial), seed viability, how many plants to save seed from, spacing for seed saving, and then a few paragraphs on flowering and pollination, any isolation requirements, and specifics on how to harvest, clean, and store the seeds for that species. It also has germination and transplanting notes for each species.
This would be an invaluable reference manual if you intend to save seeds from your plants and become self-sufficient, but it's still useful if not, for its notes on the pollination of each species. The isolation requirements are especially interesting; there are some plants that will cross-pollinate with plants 10 miles away! The sidebar on pumpkins and squash was also fascinating - I didn't know so many squash were technically the same species as pumpkins, just different cultivars. And that means they'll cross-breed if you're not careful! Even more fascinating, giant pumpkins aren't the same species as jack o'lantern pumpkins, so they won't cross breed.
I will absolutely be adding this book to my collection as a reference manual.You can find all my book reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.com
This would be an invaluable reference manual if you intend to save seeds from your plants and become self-sufficient, but it's still useful if not, for its notes on the pollination of each species. The isolation requirements are especially interesting; there are some plants that will cross-pollinate with plants 10 miles away! The sidebar on pumpkins and squash was also fascinating - I didn't know so many squash were technically the same species as pumpkins, just different cultivars. And that means they'll cross-breed if you're not careful! Even more fascinating, giant pumpkins aren't the same species as jack o'lantern pumpkins, so they won't cross breed.
I will absolutely be adding this book to my collection as a reference manual.You can find all my book reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.com
Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated The Geek's Guide to Unrequited Love in Books
Jun 4, 2019
The title of this book had me wary from the start, but I'd heard good things about it, and the author is a woman, so I hoped it wouldn't be what it sounded like. Because seriously. We don't need more books about angsty white guys complaining about the girl they love not liking them back.
Unfortunately that's exactly what I got in this book.
First, the good points. The author has a very immersive writing style, and she captured the feeling of a Comic Con VERY impressively. I haven't been to NYCC, but I've been to other nerdy cons, and the hectic pace of panels, and getting tickets, and standing in lines, but nerding out over ALL THE GEEKY STUFF - yeah, that was perfectly written. I really enjoyed that. The other characters - Casey and Felicia, specifically, and Samira, and the rest of Roxy and Graham's families - those were also well done. The brief scene with Roxy's Iranian family was especially nice, which is to be expected from an Iranian-American author!
But Graham irritated me. Roxy wasn't well explored because we only saw things from Graham's point of view, and her love interest Devin's appeal wasn't shown very well at ALL.
I spent most of the book wanting to yell at Graham to just TALK TO HER ALREADY. He's all miffed that his plans aren't going right and the obnoxious Brit is stealing his girl but he won't. Just. TALK. To her.
I think the only reason I actually finished the book was because it was short. And for the description of Comic Con, that was actually really good. But the main character was just frustrating. I should have spent this time on another book.You can find all my reviews and more at http://goddessinthestacks.com
Unfortunately that's exactly what I got in this book.
First, the good points. The author has a very immersive writing style, and she captured the feeling of a Comic Con VERY impressively. I haven't been to NYCC, but I've been to other nerdy cons, and the hectic pace of panels, and getting tickets, and standing in lines, but nerding out over ALL THE GEEKY STUFF - yeah, that was perfectly written. I really enjoyed that. The other characters - Casey and Felicia, specifically, and Samira, and the rest of Roxy and Graham's families - those were also well done. The brief scene with Roxy's Iranian family was especially nice, which is to be expected from an Iranian-American author!
But Graham irritated me. Roxy wasn't well explored because we only saw things from Graham's point of view, and her love interest Devin's appeal wasn't shown very well at ALL.
I spent most of the book wanting to yell at Graham to just TALK TO HER ALREADY. He's all miffed that his plans aren't going right and the obnoxious Brit is stealing his girl but he won't. Just. TALK. To her.
I think the only reason I actually finished the book was because it was short. And for the description of Comic Con, that was actually really good. But the main character was just frustrating. I should have spent this time on another book.You can find all my reviews and more at http://goddessinthestacks.com
Sassy Brit (97 KP) rated Bring Me Back in Books
Jun 5, 2019
Bring Me Back – hailed as “The gripping Sunday Times bestseller with a killer twist you won’t see coming” – is B.A. Paris’ third novel, but did it live up to its hype?
I have to admit as much as I tried to avoid reading other reviews of this book, I soon discovered that to my horror, many people were in shock that this was not as good as her previous two books, and that kind of put me off reading it at first. However, I finally got around to reading it only to discover it’s not that bad! Now I kick myself for not picking it up before. haha!
There is, however, quite a contrast to B.A. Paris’ previous two books. I think the shocking end was a little unbelievable, although it was deliciously evil of the author to spring on us!
I also thought the ending then went on to ‘wrap up’ with a confessional letter revealing all, which went on for far too long and made the earlier shock ending fall a little flat afterwards.
The premise of the story is that Finn and Layla went on holiday to France but only Finn came back. The boyfriend Finn was a suspect for a while, but since Layla just went missing and no body was found the case was eventually closed due to lack of evidence.
But if Layla went missing in France, then who is sending Finn emails and leaving little Russian dolls all over the place – seemingly from her – twelve years later?
Not my favourite book by B.A. Paris, but I am pleased I read it. The mystery of who is messing with Finn is definitely worth finding out!
I have to admit as much as I tried to avoid reading other reviews of this book, I soon discovered that to my horror, many people were in shock that this was not as good as her previous two books, and that kind of put me off reading it at first. However, I finally got around to reading it only to discover it’s not that bad! Now I kick myself for not picking it up before. haha!
There is, however, quite a contrast to B.A. Paris’ previous two books. I think the shocking end was a little unbelievable, although it was deliciously evil of the author to spring on us!
I also thought the ending then went on to ‘wrap up’ with a confessional letter revealing all, which went on for far too long and made the earlier shock ending fall a little flat afterwards.
The premise of the story is that Finn and Layla went on holiday to France but only Finn came back. The boyfriend Finn was a suspect for a while, but since Layla just went missing and no body was found the case was eventually closed due to lack of evidence.
But if Layla went missing in France, then who is sending Finn emails and leaving little Russian dolls all over the place – seemingly from her – twelve years later?
Not my favourite book by B.A. Paris, but I am pleased I read it. The mystery of who is messing with Finn is definitely worth finding out!
Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated Smashed (2012) in Movies
Feb 9, 2018
Awesome
After a horrible lie goes wrong for Kate Hannah (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), she finally decides she needs to do something about her alcoholism which is causing her life to spin out of control. Throughout this Movie-a-Day experience, I have already watched a number of classics (see previous reviews). I randomly sprinkled in some films I had never heard of, Smashed being one of them. This is one hidden gem of a film that I'm so thankful it found its way on to my list.
The messages in the film aren't preached, but still manage to resonate strongly due to a powerful delivery. Kate's character shows us that it doesn't matter how you start (or the cards you're dealt in life), rather it's about how you decide--and only YOU get to decide--to finish. Kate wants to change but she has no support system as her husband is just as bad as her. In spite of the incredible adversity she's battling, she decides to go for it anyway, refusing to make excuses.
What makes this so important is the fact that Kate is a complete wreck and you recognize it almost instantly. Her life is a downwards tailspin, kind of like watching a car crash in slow motion. Her story is layered seamlessly into the film and you slowly start to understand that she never really had much of a chance to be anything other than what she became. Winstead captures the role in phenomenal fashion, aided by yet another strong performance from Octavia Spencer as Jenny. Through the two of them, we experience a powerful meaning that says doing the hard thing will always come with a sacrifice.
Recommended. I give Smashed an 86.
The messages in the film aren't preached, but still manage to resonate strongly due to a powerful delivery. Kate's character shows us that it doesn't matter how you start (or the cards you're dealt in life), rather it's about how you decide--and only YOU get to decide--to finish. Kate wants to change but she has no support system as her husband is just as bad as her. In spite of the incredible adversity she's battling, she decides to go for it anyway, refusing to make excuses.
What makes this so important is the fact that Kate is a complete wreck and you recognize it almost instantly. Her life is a downwards tailspin, kind of like watching a car crash in slow motion. Her story is layered seamlessly into the film and you slowly start to understand that she never really had much of a chance to be anything other than what she became. Winstead captures the role in phenomenal fashion, aided by yet another strong performance from Octavia Spencer as Jenny. Through the two of them, we experience a powerful meaning that says doing the hard thing will always come with a sacrifice.
Recommended. I give Smashed an 86.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Genuine Fraud in Books
Jan 23, 2018
Predictable (1 more)
Fizzles out at the end
Had high hopes but this one didn't deliver
Imogen is a wealthy, spoiled heiress escaping life on Martha's Vineyard. Jule is a scrappy individual looking out for only herself. When their paths intersect on the Vineyard, they form an interesting sort of friendship. Jule admires Imogen's wealth and inscrutability. Imogen takes Jule under her wing, lending her clothes and giving her a place to stay. Jule quickly finds herself caught up in Imogen's life, meeting her friends and boyfriend. But is anything as it seems?
This is one of those where I don't want to say too much as to ruin the plot, although honestly, you'll figure out the entire thing within the first few chapters, so I wouldn't be doing you much of a disservice. I had high hopes for this one, having read some great reviews, but this novel wasn't for me. The shtick here is that the story unfurls backward, with the chapters counting down, but there's no great twist or surprise, and I was left completely disappointed, as things just... fizzle out at the end. There's supposedly a little surprise at the end, but it can't save this predictable novel.
For me, this was violent and full of inevitable plot points that you'll see coming from a mile away. Neither Jule nor Imogen are sympathetic in any way--I couldn't find any reason to root for or engage with them in any fashion. The backward chapters didn't add any real excitement to the tale, at all. I read this one at the same time as my wife--she was listening to the audiobook version--and we were both waiting for some exciting twist or turn--but it never came. I had high hopes, but alas, GENUINE FRAUD didn't deliver on them.
More at http://justacatandabookatherside.blogspot.com/.
This is one of those where I don't want to say too much as to ruin the plot, although honestly, you'll figure out the entire thing within the first few chapters, so I wouldn't be doing you much of a disservice. I had high hopes for this one, having read some great reviews, but this novel wasn't for me. The shtick here is that the story unfurls backward, with the chapters counting down, but there's no great twist or surprise, and I was left completely disappointed, as things just... fizzle out at the end. There's supposedly a little surprise at the end, but it can't save this predictable novel.
For me, this was violent and full of inevitable plot points that you'll see coming from a mile away. Neither Jule nor Imogen are sympathetic in any way--I couldn't find any reason to root for or engage with them in any fashion. The backward chapters didn't add any real excitement to the tale, at all. I read this one at the same time as my wife--she was listening to the audiobook version--and we were both waiting for some exciting twist or turn--but it never came. I had high hopes, but alas, GENUINE FRAUD didn't deliver on them.
More at http://justacatandabookatherside.blogspot.com/.
Debbiereadsbook (1536 KP) rated Hawk's Spell (The Swamp Witch #3) in Books
Feb 6, 2018
so frustrated!
ARGH!!!! Did you ever want to pull your hair out?? Scream and shout so bad at an author??
I was ENJOYING this one far more than the other two. I WAS enjoying it. I thought, okay, this is just going to be Hawk in the first and everyone else in the third.
And then!! We get Hawk's children having a say, in the first, with no warning who was speaking, we get the vampire having a say, in the first with no warning, and even the dead wife has a say, in the first WITH NO BLOODY WARNING!!
This book was shaping up to be the best of the three, but really, it's going to bear the brunt of my frustration! I fail to see how this issue wasn't picked up by other reviewers.
I've read some reviews, AFTER I finished, and it has some amazing 5 star ratings. But when an author drives me NUTS because they can't type a single name at the head of a chapter to let us know who is speaking?? I can't rate a book so highly. I actually read a couple of chapters, without realizing WHO was speaking, til the very end!
The children, The Balance fulfill their destiny here, going their separate ways and one becoming good, and the other evil. I fail to see how the all seeing Swamp Witch didn't know about Lynne cavern under her house. Because, you know, she is ALL SEEING, ALL KNOWING, it says so in the book!
I'm sorry, I really am, I just could not enjoy this as much as I wanted to. BUT I did finish it, and for THAT reason, and that reason ALONE....
3 stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
I was ENJOYING this one far more than the other two. I WAS enjoying it. I thought, okay, this is just going to be Hawk in the first and everyone else in the third.
And then!! We get Hawk's children having a say, in the first, with no warning who was speaking, we get the vampire having a say, in the first with no warning, and even the dead wife has a say, in the first WITH NO BLOODY WARNING!!
This book was shaping up to be the best of the three, but really, it's going to bear the brunt of my frustration! I fail to see how this issue wasn't picked up by other reviewers.
I've read some reviews, AFTER I finished, and it has some amazing 5 star ratings. But when an author drives me NUTS because they can't type a single name at the head of a chapter to let us know who is speaking?? I can't rate a book so highly. I actually read a couple of chapters, without realizing WHO was speaking, til the very end!
The children, The Balance fulfill their destiny here, going their separate ways and one becoming good, and the other evil. I fail to see how the all seeing Swamp Witch didn't know about Lynne cavern under her house. Because, you know, she is ALL SEEING, ALL KNOWING, it says so in the book!
I'm sorry, I really am, I just could not enjoy this as much as I wanted to. BUT I did finish it, and for THAT reason, and that reason ALONE....
3 stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**