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Sassy Brit (97 KP) rated In the Mouth of the Wolf in Books
Jun 5, 2019
In this short book, “In the Mouth of the Wolf” , we’re privy to fascinating insights into the life of children’s fiction author Michael Morpurgo’s Uncle Francis who narrates in the first person at the age of ninety years, reminiscing about his life. It is a heartfelt TRUE story (hence the reason why this has made into my non-fiction category over at Goodreads) and one that is aimed at kids and young adults, but adults will get plenty from this, too.
The artwork within is tremendously well-done by award-winning artist Barroux, and set against a backdrop of World War Two. You’ll find it packs an emotion punch, whilst being a fast-paced read filled with outstanding wartime courage and love. Brotherly love, too.
What a treat this was to discover, since it reads like an fictional story, yet has some intriguing, real people pictures at the back of the book, so you can meet the real characters of these true events. It’s no wonder Morpurgo is such a talented storyteller if he’s heard family stories like this.
In fact, this is such a lovely story, it brought tears to my eyes on more than on occasion. Damn you, Micheal Morpurgo and your wonderfully tear-inducing story-telling skills!
The artwork within is tremendously well-done by award-winning artist Barroux, and set against a backdrop of World War Two. You’ll find it packs an emotion punch, whilst being a fast-paced read filled with outstanding wartime courage and love. Brotherly love, too.
What a treat this was to discover, since it reads like an fictional story, yet has some intriguing, real people pictures at the back of the book, so you can meet the real characters of these true events. It’s no wonder Morpurgo is such a talented storyteller if he’s heard family stories like this.
In fact, this is such a lovely story, it brought tears to my eyes on more than on occasion. Damn you, Micheal Morpurgo and your wonderfully tear-inducing story-telling skills!
Autumn (3 KP) rated The Wise Man's Fear in Books
Jan 19, 2018
does anyone else find it annoying when people rate books they haven't actually read yet?
update: now that I'VE read this i can review it properly. (see how that works, people? read a book THEN rate it. i know, complicated.)
i loved this book. i would have given it 5 stars but i honestly thought it was too short. there were places that Kvothe skipped over his story that, as an outsider looking in as opposed to a character in the novel (like Chronicler) we haven't heard the rumors or stories or gossip about the events. i would have LOVED to have heard the story about the shipwreck, especially the mysterious man. it was quite frustrating to have something with so much potential tossed aside. also, i would have appreciated a bit more of the trial in Imre. at least a third or fourth hand account of it, the version of the story Chronicler heard.
alternatively, the time spent with Felurian was beaten to death, in my opinion, and Kvothe's time in Ademre was a bit drawn out. probably something to do with the publisher's wanting more sex, i expect. sigh.
still, i puffy heart love this series and will probably buy it once it's all in paperback.
update: now that I'VE read this i can review it properly. (see how that works, people? read a book THEN rate it. i know, complicated.)
i loved this book. i would have given it 5 stars but i honestly thought it was too short. there were places that Kvothe skipped over his story that, as an outsider looking in as opposed to a character in the novel (like Chronicler) we haven't heard the rumors or stories or gossip about the events. i would have LOVED to have heard the story about the shipwreck, especially the mysterious man. it was quite frustrating to have something with so much potential tossed aside. also, i would have appreciated a bit more of the trial in Imre. at least a third or fourth hand account of it, the version of the story Chronicler heard.
alternatively, the time spent with Felurian was beaten to death, in my opinion, and Kvothe's time in Ademre was a bit drawn out. probably something to do with the publisher's wanting more sex, i expect. sigh.
still, i puffy heart love this series and will probably buy it once it's all in paperback.
Nicole Hadley (380 KP) rated 10 Routes That Crossed the World in Books
Jun 18, 2018
10 Routs that Crossed the World by Gillian Richardson is a book that discusses the history behind 10 important routes in the world. Each chapter begins with a short story based on the specific route and then proceeds to facts about the place. Extremely interesting for kids who enjoy history.
Pretty much every important road and trail in history are described and discussed. From Route 66 back to the Bering Strait. The Camino de Santiago trail in Spain and its importance to pilgrims for centuries as well as the Appalachian Trail and why people hike it. I had never even heard of the war-torn Khyber Pass connecting Afghanistan and Pakistan. I'm already scheming how we can add this to our World History study next year. This one does not read like a textbook at all. We especially enjoyed reading about the Serengeti and the migration of millions of animals. There is an extended bibliography and a list of further reading if you'd like to explore any of these topics more in depth.
This book is written for middle grade students. They will enjoy the historical background to the trails and the stories.
I received this book from Annick press via NetGalley in response for an honest review.
Pretty much every important road and trail in history are described and discussed. From Route 66 back to the Bering Strait. The Camino de Santiago trail in Spain and its importance to pilgrims for centuries as well as the Appalachian Trail and why people hike it. I had never even heard of the war-torn Khyber Pass connecting Afghanistan and Pakistan. I'm already scheming how we can add this to our World History study next year. This one does not read like a textbook at all. We especially enjoyed reading about the Serengeti and the migration of millions of animals. There is an extended bibliography and a list of further reading if you'd like to explore any of these topics more in depth.
This book is written for middle grade students. They will enjoy the historical background to the trails and the stories.
I received this book from Annick press via NetGalley in response for an honest review.
Sarah (126 KP) rated Safe - Season 1 in TV
Jul 30, 2018
Good, with a but...
I binged watched this in one day - the series comprises (I think) of 8 episodes of about 45 minutes each (I'm pet sitting and it was Sunday, so I had very little else to do!).
I had reservations about an American being cast in the lead role of an English drama, as I often find that the accents can be quite jarring, however, for the most part it was actually very convincing. I was worried, in the first episode, that it was going to be full of misplaced Americanisms when the middle class English doctor proclaimed "My bad", but again, I was pleasantly surprised to find that this wasn't the case.
The story was definitely compelling and well-acted, but I did find that there were a few too many close-ups of people being moody for no particular reason, apparently in order to 'set the scene'.
Sadly, the characters are rather cliched, and there are too many sub-plots/side stories which are not really necessary to the plot and which detract from the overall story, in my opinion.
In short, I would say it's worth a watch and is certainly not bad, but is let down by maybe trying too hard.
I had reservations about an American being cast in the lead role of an English drama, as I often find that the accents can be quite jarring, however, for the most part it was actually very convincing. I was worried, in the first episode, that it was going to be full of misplaced Americanisms when the middle class English doctor proclaimed "My bad", but again, I was pleasantly surprised to find that this wasn't the case.
The story was definitely compelling and well-acted, but I did find that there were a few too many close-ups of people being moody for no particular reason, apparently in order to 'set the scene'.
Sadly, the characters are rather cliched, and there are too many sub-plots/side stories which are not really necessary to the plot and which detract from the overall story, in my opinion.
In short, I would say it's worth a watch and is certainly not bad, but is let down by maybe trying too hard.
David McK (3425 KP) rated Ender's Game in Books
Jan 28, 2019
Originally starting life as a short story that was later expanded into a full-length novel, this was one of those 'classic' sci-fi stories that I was marginally aware of, but never really had any inclination to read.
When I started seeing the trailers for the movie adaptation to be released this week (on 25/10/13), I decided I actually would read it before going to see the movie (which is sometimes a good idea, other times not).
Having done so, it's interesting to see how Card predicted many of today's technology (remember, this was written mid-80s), in particular the kids portable tables (today's tablet computers), and the proliferation of blogging (although it was never actually called such) on the internet (again, never called such).
The plot? Very briefly (and roughly): Earth is at war with an alien insectoid race, so the best and brightest kids are taken to a 'battle school' in space at a young age in order to be trained in how to become leaders. Andrew 'Ender' (so called because he is the youngest child of 3) Wiggins is one such kid, who proves to be the brightest and best of the bunch ...
How will the movie compare? I'll just have to wait and see!
When I started seeing the trailers for the movie adaptation to be released this week (on 25/10/13), I decided I actually would read it before going to see the movie (which is sometimes a good idea, other times not).
Having done so, it's interesting to see how Card predicted many of today's technology (remember, this was written mid-80s), in particular the kids portable tables (today's tablet computers), and the proliferation of blogging (although it was never actually called such) on the internet (again, never called such).
The plot? Very briefly (and roughly): Earth is at war with an alien insectoid race, so the best and brightest kids are taken to a 'battle school' in space at a young age in order to be trained in how to become leaders. Andrew 'Ender' (so called because he is the youngest child of 3) Wiggins is one such kid, who proves to be the brightest and best of the bunch ...
How will the movie compare? I'll just have to wait and see!
Acanthea Grimscythe (300 KP) rated The Moor in Books
Jan 31, 2019
The Moor is Sam Haysom’s debut novel and though it seems to have pretty high ratings, I found it to fall short of my expectations. The book encompasses the story of a handful of thirteen-year-old boys on a hiking trip through the moors. During this trip, things go wrong and… well, that’s where it tries to be two stories at once: a ghost story and a creature feature.
The ghost story side of this book is fantastic. It’s written in a way that captures the reader’s imagination and honestly, I could picture the details quite well. What I didn’t like was the creature feature side of the book. The monster that makes up this horror tale should be terrifying, but instead I found it to be one dimensional–in fact, every single time the creature shows up, it’s described the same way which really put me off.
I felt no emotions or connections to the boys in the book, and this greatly diminished the emotional/fright factor of the novel for me. I really wanted to taste the fear that these teenaged boys were going through.
I’d like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The ghost story side of this book is fantastic. It’s written in a way that captures the reader’s imagination and honestly, I could picture the details quite well. What I didn’t like was the creature feature side of the book. The monster that makes up this horror tale should be terrifying, but instead I found it to be one dimensional–in fact, every single time the creature shows up, it’s described the same way which really put me off.
I felt no emotions or connections to the boys in the book, and this greatly diminished the emotional/fright factor of the novel for me. I really wanted to taste the fear that these teenaged boys were going through.
I’d like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
TQ
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