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Trust No One
10
8.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
***NOTE: I was provided a free copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review***

Jerry Grey is a best-selling crime writer who writes under the pen name of Henry Cutter. He is 49 years old, and has been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s. Jerry can’t always remember what is reality and what is fiction. Sometimes he believes that he is Henry. Sometimes he talks to Henry. And sometimes he confuses his real life with the lives of his characters. He confesses to crimes that never happened except within the confines of his books. At least that what everyone keeps telling him…

Several women have been killed recently at times when Jerry has gone wandering away from the nursing home where he now resides. He may know what has happened to them, but he can’t trust his memory of events. Can he trust what he’s written in his “madness journal”? And how can he be sure people are telling him the truth about what has happened during times that he has no memory of?

Trust No One is a very fast-paced, suspenseful novel. This book kept me guessing right up to the end. Just when I thought I knew who did what, something would happen to make me think that I must be wrong.

I would recommend Trust No One to any thriller or suspense fan, but if you like stories told by unreliable narrators, such as Before I Sleep or Girl on the Train, then you really must read this one!

Warnings: occasional explicit language, violence, and those who have a loved one suffering from Alzheimer’s may be uncomfortable reading about the disease’s devastating effects on Jerry and his ability to function
  
This is a story about an Italian prisoner that tells us how the prison system works, all the unfairness in it, and this is also a story that tells us how a person can still turn up good into a bad environment, and I was very happy that I witnessed that change from one chapter into another.

The way it was written was quite good, even though at times it felt a bit blunt and boring. Shakespeare was used in the book a lot, and sometimes he was overused and was in places where he shouldn’t have been. I believe that Shakespeare had influence over Sasa, but not as much as the theatre itself. I believe it was the theatre that made Sasa free, and not Shakespeare in particular. At the end of the day, I actually think that Sasa made himself free… Sometimes you only need a little push and nothing else.

I loved Sasa’s character, and I loved the way he sees life. I love how he sees the positive in all the negative, and besides all, he still wants to be a better person. We are all human, and we all make mistakes, and sometimes people know they made mistakes, regret them and want to become better. That is exactly what Sasa did, in an unfair environment.

I thought the prison was presented a bit unrealistic, as we all know what happens inside, and as much as Sasa wouldn’t hurt anyone if not necessary, almost 90% of the other inmates would – on regular basis. This was a little fact that annoyed me a bit. Other than that, I really enjoyed the book and can’t wait to read another book from Salvatore Striano.
  
Mary and the Witch's Flower (2017)
Mary and the Witch's Flower (2017)
2017 | Adventure, Animation, Fantasy
A Familiar Tale
If you were a newly-formed Japanese animation studio and somebody said that your first film was good, but not quite up to the standard of Studio Ghibli, you would probably still be quite pleased. Unless you were Studio Ponoc, a newly-formed Japanese animation studio making use of the talents of many Studio Ghibli veterans, with the expressed intention of continuing the Studio Ghibli tradition.

Yet here we are. This is a very good-looking film, with many classic virtues, and a doubtlessly intentional resemblance to the Wizarding World money-making machine - lonely child finds herself transported off to a school for witches, where various adventures awaits. But the animation is sometimes simply very good rather than Ghibli-standard immaculate, the story is rather simplistic, and the characterisation thin. Where Ghibli films are charming, this one is sometimes just a bit twee. It's by no means a bad film, but by positioning itself as 'the Ghibli successor', and copying the Ghibli house style so closely, Studio Ponoc has basically created a set of expectations which - in this film at least - they struggle to meet.
  
Blown Away
Blown Away
Tate Clover | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Emmy Adler is living her dream, opening a kite shop called Strings Attached in Rock Point, Oregon, and living with her best friend Avery right on the beach. However, the morning her shop is due to open, Emmy discovers a dead body, that of Avery’s ex on the beach. With the police certain that Avery is the killer and the evidence mounting against her, Emmy jumps in to find the real killer. Can she do it?

I fell in love with the setting in the first chapter even with the discovery of the dead body by the end of it. The pace was off a couple of times, but everything did come together for the climax, and we got some good twists along the way. Emmy seemed to get angry easily, sometimes I understood and sometimes it seemed over the top. The other characters were a varied bunch and I enjoyed them. Overall, this was a good debut, and I look forward to visiting again soon.

NOTE: I received a copy of this book.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/04/book-review-blown-away-by-clover-tate.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
  
Wish - Shopping Made Fun
Wish - Shopping Made Fun
Lifestyle, Shopping
7
6.4 (56 Ratings)
App Rating
Tons of cheap jewelry, tech, shoes, toys--you name, they probably have it! Stocking stuffers!! (0 more)
As my folks used to say--you get what you pay for. It may not be US or European quality. But a lot is in pretty good shape. The shipping cost varies--if you pay for faster shipping it could get a lityle painful . (0 more)
It is not bad
They have so many little neat things, my nephews and nieces love getting presents and Christmas stockings from us. We have about 30 kids we buy for, so this little jem makes showering them with gifts affordable. It has great stuff for grownups too, just remember--this is an Asian based country-- smaller bodies all the way around, including feet. The clothes are sometimes not the best quality and judging sizes(especially for curvy or plus)is rough. And as I said--sometimes you get exactly what you pay for -- a 3 dollar dress is probably not going to look like red carpet fashion. So buyer beware. They have electronics, tech, kitchen ware, craft supplies, curtains, rugs, bedding etc. Just remember to use your best judgement.