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I think there is always a case for choosing a book based purely on the cover. This is another of those times where I’ve done precisely that - and I loved this book.
Fragile is a haunting thriller, where two young people, Nell and Joe, run away to London from their foster home after a tragic event. An event that we’re drip fed the information of as the book progresses.
Joe and Nell become separated, so Nell decides to go and knock on the door of the last place she saw him. When Dr. Robin Wilder opens the door at Starling Villa, Nell manages to talk him into employing her as his housekeeper. But all is not as it seems. Is Nell really safe here? What happened in Wales before she ran away to London with Joe? What does Dr. Wilders wife want with Nell? And where is Joe?
Nell and Joe’s backstories about their lives in care are heartbreaking. From a young age, Nell becomes the house ‘mother’, cleaner and cook. It’s a horrible life for her and so well described. Joe’s life isn’t any better.
Actually, the writing is so descriptive: people and places are described picture perfectly, and some scenes are so emotive, whilst others are really tense. The gripping finale was heartbreaking.
Sarah Hilary is a new author to me, and one that I’ll certainly look out for in future.
Fragile is a haunting thriller, where two young people, Nell and Joe, run away to London from their foster home after a tragic event. An event that we’re drip fed the information of as the book progresses.
Joe and Nell become separated, so Nell decides to go and knock on the door of the last place she saw him. When Dr. Robin Wilder opens the door at Starling Villa, Nell manages to talk him into employing her as his housekeeper. But all is not as it seems. Is Nell really safe here? What happened in Wales before she ran away to London with Joe? What does Dr. Wilders wife want with Nell? And where is Joe?
Nell and Joe’s backstories about their lives in care are heartbreaking. From a young age, Nell becomes the house ‘mother’, cleaner and cook. It’s a horrible life for her and so well described. Joe’s life isn’t any better.
Actually, the writing is so descriptive: people and places are described picture perfectly, and some scenes are so emotive, whilst others are really tense. The gripping finale was heartbreaking.
Sarah Hilary is a new author to me, and one that I’ll certainly look out for in future.
David McK (3728 KP) rated Joker (2019) in Movies
Oct 27, 2019 (Updated Dec 5, 2021)
So, we've had plenty of Batman movies, stretching right back to the Adam West era.
But, prior to this, never one about his most famous nemesis; about the Joker.
And that, I felt, was always part of the appeal: we never really had a clear hold on who the Joker was, why he was the way he was, where he came from.
As the character himself says in one of the movies: "If I have a past, I would prefer it to be multiple choice …"
With that said, this film does just that, giving the Joker a tragic past (and somewhat different than that he had in Tim Burton's 1989 Batman film), with - or so I thought, when I first heard about it - taking inspiration from the seminal comic 'The Killing Joke' ("all it takes is one bad day …").
Joaquin Phoenix puts in a powerhouse performance here as Arthur Fleck, a struggling comedian who suffers from a debilitating illness that causes him to break into uncontrollable laughter at the most inopportune of times, who also suffers from severe mental health issues.
With Bruce Wayne only making a short appearance, I do have to say, however, that (to me) the timeline see's somewhat 'off': I always saw Joker and Batman as being roughly the same age, but by the time this Bruce becomes the Dark Knight (and yes, his parent's murder does happen in the film), this Joker would be near retirement age ...
But, prior to this, never one about his most famous nemesis; about the Joker.
And that, I felt, was always part of the appeal: we never really had a clear hold on who the Joker was, why he was the way he was, where he came from.
As the character himself says in one of the movies: "If I have a past, I would prefer it to be multiple choice …"
With that said, this film does just that, giving the Joker a tragic past (and somewhat different than that he had in Tim Burton's 1989 Batman film), with - or so I thought, when I first heard about it - taking inspiration from the seminal comic 'The Killing Joke' ("all it takes is one bad day …").
Joaquin Phoenix puts in a powerhouse performance here as Arthur Fleck, a struggling comedian who suffers from a debilitating illness that causes him to break into uncontrollable laughter at the most inopportune of times, who also suffers from severe mental health issues.
With Bruce Wayne only making a short appearance, I do have to say, however, that (to me) the timeline see's somewhat 'off': I always saw Joker and Batman as being roughly the same age, but by the time this Bruce becomes the Dark Knight (and yes, his parent's murder does happen in the film), this Joker would be near retirement age ...
David McK (3728 KP) rated Murder on the Orient Express in Books
Dec 27, 2021
As a general rule, I'm not really big into murder mystery whodunnits, generally finding them boring, (sometimes) obvious and just, well, generally a little bit stale.
That may be why I'd never read perhaps Agatha Christie's most famous murder story before, or even had any interest in which any of the (numerous) films, TV series or plays based around the same.
Which is a long way of saying that I came into this 'cold', as it were, knowing little beyond the fact that it was a Hercule Poirot mystery (thanks to the 2017 Kenneth Branagh movie, which I hadn't seen), and that the murder was on a train (d'uh!) just as it ran into snow whilst on a journey.
Now that I've read it, I have to say: I found little to cause me to revise my opinion of murder mysteries in general.
That's not to say that it is bad, per se, just that it never really hooked me all that much: indeed, at times it felt more like a chore to read than something enjoyable. Indeed, I'm sorry to say, the reveal of just who carried out the crime also completely failed to elicit any form of surprise or emotion at all from me: not that I saw it coming but just that, well, it almost felt like a relief when it did.
All I can say is: sorry, any Poirot fans!
That may be why I'd never read perhaps Agatha Christie's most famous murder story before, or even had any interest in which any of the (numerous) films, TV series or plays based around the same.
Which is a long way of saying that I came into this 'cold', as it were, knowing little beyond the fact that it was a Hercule Poirot mystery (thanks to the 2017 Kenneth Branagh movie, which I hadn't seen), and that the murder was on a train (d'uh!) just as it ran into snow whilst on a journey.
Now that I've read it, I have to say: I found little to cause me to revise my opinion of murder mysteries in general.
That's not to say that it is bad, per se, just that it never really hooked me all that much: indeed, at times it felt more like a chore to read than something enjoyable. Indeed, I'm sorry to say, the reveal of just who carried out the crime also completely failed to elicit any form of surprise or emotion at all from me: not that I saw it coming but just that, well, it almost felt like a relief when it did.
All I can say is: sorry, any Poirot fans!
Kim Pook (101 KP) rated Run (2020) in Movies
Nov 1, 2022
Contains spoilers, click to show
The movie starts with a baby being resuscitated and cuts to the baby's mother going to visit her, the baby appears to be premature and we are shown a list of ailments, presumably things the baby will have.
Cut to 17 years later and a young girl called chloe is seen as having the ailments listed as she starts her daily routine.
One day whilst looking for chocolates in the grocery bags, chloe comes across some medication with her mother's name on, but when her mum gives her those pills with her own medication she questions it, to which her mum replies that it was the receipt she saw. Chloe soon realises her mum was lying and had actually been giving chloe medication prescribed to her, she sets out to find out what is going on without her mother knowing. Of course her mother soon finds out and chloe needs to escape her mothers clutches, as a paraplegic this isn't an easy task.
I think it's refreshing to see someone in a wheelchair as a main character in a thriller. She does a very good job as her acting is incredible, and Sarah Paulson plays a fab crazy woman too. The movie is one of those films which is easy to follow, nothing complicated at all. Many thrillers leave you wondering what just happened, but this is as straight forward as they come, and I like that in a movie.
Cut to 17 years later and a young girl called chloe is seen as having the ailments listed as she starts her daily routine.
One day whilst looking for chocolates in the grocery bags, chloe comes across some medication with her mother's name on, but when her mum gives her those pills with her own medication she questions it, to which her mum replies that it was the receipt she saw. Chloe soon realises her mum was lying and had actually been giving chloe medication prescribed to her, she sets out to find out what is going on without her mother knowing. Of course her mother soon finds out and chloe needs to escape her mothers clutches, as a paraplegic this isn't an easy task.
I think it's refreshing to see someone in a wheelchair as a main character in a thriller. She does a very good job as her acting is incredible, and Sarah Paulson plays a fab crazy woman too. The movie is one of those films which is easy to follow, nothing complicated at all. Many thrillers leave you wondering what just happened, but this is as straight forward as they come, and I like that in a movie.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2504 KP) rated What the Cluck? It’s Murder in Books
Feb 11, 2023
Meeting the Family Turned into a Clustercluck
Frankie and her boyfriend are getting away for a long weekend so that Frankie can meet a few of Martin’s older sisters, the women who raised him. However, trying to make a good impression isn’t the only thing that Frankie has to worry about when she and Martin find a dead farm hand near the chicken coop. With the evidence pointing to one of Martin’s sisters, Frankie and Martin have to team up to figure out what is going on. Can they do it?
Yes, this is one of the few paranormal series I read, and I find the premise very fun. I was happy with how quickly I was able to keep the sisters and their families straight. I’m sure it helped that we weren’t meeting all of them. Since Frankie and Martin are the only returning characters, they got plenty of time to grow, and I love what we saw, especially from Martin. We get plenty of fun, especially with Frankie trying to read animals, although they did give us one scene I found tasteless. There are a few timeline glitches, but they were more annoying than anything else. The plot fights with family dynamics a time or two for dominance, but there are some fun surprises on the way to a suspenseful ending. All told, this is another fun book if you are looking for something different.
Yes, this is one of the few paranormal series I read, and I find the premise very fun. I was happy with how quickly I was able to keep the sisters and their families straight. I’m sure it helped that we weren’t meeting all of them. Since Frankie and Martin are the only returning characters, they got plenty of time to grow, and I love what we saw, especially from Martin. We get plenty of fun, especially with Frankie trying to read animals, although they did give us one scene I found tasteless. There are a few timeline glitches, but they were more annoying than anything else. The plot fights with family dynamics a time or two for dominance, but there are some fun surprises on the way to a suspenseful ending. All told, this is another fun book if you are looking for something different.
ClareR (6106 KP) rated Think of Me in Books
May 8, 2022
I got very excited when I saw that this book was coming up. I’d read and loved We Must Be Brave, and I knew that I’d enjoy this too - I wasn’t disappointed.
It’s the story of James Acton and Yvette Haddad who meet during WW2 in Alexandria where Yvette lives. James is the best man for Yvette’s sisters husband-to-be, and they both fly Hurricanes in North Africa.
James is captured by the Germans when he is shot down, and spends the latter part of the war in a prison camp, and keeps in touch with Yvette throughout. After the war they marry, return to England, and James returns to his ministry as an Anglican priest.
They have a wonderful marriage, it seems to me, whilst James struggles with his memories of war, they both experience a personal loss - and their marriage changes.
This has a dual timeline, set during the war in Alexandria and in 1974. James lives as a widower whilst their son goes to University. It’s a big change for James, and so he decides to go one step further as he puts in for a transfer of parish. But this transfer brings a lot of memories back.
Frances Liardet writes a slow burning novel really well. She makes the ordinary extraordinary, and has written a novel that I became totally immersed in. I really didn’t want to put it down.
It’s the story of James Acton and Yvette Haddad who meet during WW2 in Alexandria where Yvette lives. James is the best man for Yvette’s sisters husband-to-be, and they both fly Hurricanes in North Africa.
James is captured by the Germans when he is shot down, and spends the latter part of the war in a prison camp, and keeps in touch with Yvette throughout. After the war they marry, return to England, and James returns to his ministry as an Anglican priest.
They have a wonderful marriage, it seems to me, whilst James struggles with his memories of war, they both experience a personal loss - and their marriage changes.
This has a dual timeline, set during the war in Alexandria and in 1974. James lives as a widower whilst their son goes to University. It’s a big change for James, and so he decides to go one step further as he puts in for a transfer of parish. But this transfer brings a lot of memories back.
Frances Liardet writes a slow burning novel really well. She makes the ordinary extraordinary, and has written a novel that I became totally immersed in. I really didn’t want to put it down.
Love Tools (Bluestone Series, #1)
9.0
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What happens when the king of casual meets the queen of picking the wrong men? Lily is running....
Contemporary Romance
Blood (The McLeod Brothers Trilogy #3)
6.0
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He's a notorious playboy. Finn McLeod has always enjoyed the fun things in life, and he's never...
Paranormal Romance Shifters Vampires Fated Mates
Merissa (13840 KP) rated Second Match (Perfect Match Agency #5) in Books
Aug 3, 2023
SECOND MATCH is Morgan Dor's story. I first met him in Chance Match when the omega he'd been paired with fell for his assistant instead. So when I saw Morgan in this story, I knew I had to read it.
It did help me, having read about Morgan before, as there isn't much background to him in this book. Riley is the omega he gets matched with, who suffers from an extreme UV allergy. This means he gets called a demon and shunned by everyone, including most of his family, by the religious cult he grew up with.
This book moves at a breakneck pace which, unfortunately, means most parts are not fleshed out or given the attention they deserve. At best, points are skimmed over and the reader is told what has happened, rather than being shown, ie. Riley's UV treatments, the year of their marriage, and the crazy cult leader. I was left with many questions after reading this, which was a shame as I had loved the other story.
A good addition to the Perfect Match Agency series that I did enjoy, but I would recommend you read Chance Match first, just so you get a little more background.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Aug 3, 2023
It did help me, having read about Morgan before, as there isn't much background to him in this book. Riley is the omega he gets matched with, who suffers from an extreme UV allergy. This means he gets called a demon and shunned by everyone, including most of his family, by the religious cult he grew up with.
This book moves at a breakneck pace which, unfortunately, means most parts are not fleshed out or given the attention they deserve. At best, points are skimmed over and the reader is told what has happened, rather than being shown, ie. Riley's UV treatments, the year of their marriage, and the crazy cult leader. I was left with many questions after reading this, which was a shame as I had loved the other story.
A good addition to the Perfect Match Agency series that I did enjoy, but I would recommend you read Chance Match first, just so you get a little more background.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Aug 3, 2023
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2504 KP) rated A Peculiar Combination in Books
Aug 24, 2023 (Updated Aug 24, 2023)
A Winning Combination
Electra “Ellie” McDonnell and her uncle supplement their income as locksmiths with the occasional burglary. London in 1940 is ripe with opportunities, but after one late night robbery, they are caught and given a choice – jail or helping Major Ramsey. Ramsey needs someone to break into a safe to retrieve some sensitive documents. Ellie reluctantly agrees, but when she and Ramsey arrives, they are surprised by what they find. As things spiral out of control, can Ellie still help?
When I first heard about this series, I knew I had to give it a try. I’m so glad I did. Obviously, there is a lot of set up needed, but the book moves through it quickly, creating characters along the way. The characters are all sharp from the beginning but become more interesting as the book progresses. We also get Ellie’s history is small doses, which sets up some storylines I can’t wait to read more about. I saw a couple twists coming a few pages early, but every time something happened, I was more drawn into the story. I was expecting a strong romantic sub-plot, but I wasn’t expecting the beginning of a love triangle. The period came to life, and I appreciated that this really couldn’t have taken place at any other point in history. I’ll definitely be back for more, and if you enjoy historical mysteries, you’ll be glad you picked this one up as well.
When I first heard about this series, I knew I had to give it a try. I’m so glad I did. Obviously, there is a lot of set up needed, but the book moves through it quickly, creating characters along the way. The characters are all sharp from the beginning but become more interesting as the book progresses. We also get Ellie’s history is small doses, which sets up some storylines I can’t wait to read more about. I saw a couple twists coming a few pages early, but every time something happened, I was more drawn into the story. I was expecting a strong romantic sub-plot, but I wasn’t expecting the beginning of a love triangle. The period came to life, and I appreciated that this really couldn’t have taken place at any other point in history. I’ll definitely be back for more, and if you enjoy historical mysteries, you’ll be glad you picked this one up as well.
