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Jamie (131 KP) rated The Grave Tender in Books
Jul 30, 2017
A haunting southern gothic
The Grave Tender is a haunting and beautifully woven southern gothic about a broken family and the love that binds them together. The story starts slow as the story introduces Hadley, her friends, family, and their small town which on the surface seems idyllic. It’s the sort of town where everyone knows each other over generations, but the smiling town hides many secrets.
What I loved most about this book was how it dealt with matters of appearance. It’s easy to point fingers and blame those that look the most guilty, who are the most eccentric. It’s the folly of letting appearances dictate our perception of the people around us. Evil is committed every day by seemingly normal people, and true monsters masquerade under the guise of banality.
The book deals with some of the most horrible situations a person can go through with extreme delicacy. Not everyone has a happy ending, sometimes there are crimes that go unpunished, sometimes victims never receive justice, some wounds heal but many more never do. I cried so much while reading this book because of how close to home it hit for me, I was honestly touched.
I can’t say much more about the book because it’s really the sort of story that needs to be experienced without spoilers. I will however note that the content in this book is difficult to stomach. For a survivor of abuse it can be either cathartic or utterly horrifying, which is why I’ve added a trigger warning in the list of warnings below. I cautiously recommend this book for those ready for a poignant and unflinchingly honest exploration of domestic abuse.
What I loved most about this book was how it dealt with matters of appearance. It’s easy to point fingers and blame those that look the most guilty, who are the most eccentric. It’s the folly of letting appearances dictate our perception of the people around us. Evil is committed every day by seemingly normal people, and true monsters masquerade under the guise of banality.
The book deals with some of the most horrible situations a person can go through with extreme delicacy. Not everyone has a happy ending, sometimes there are crimes that go unpunished, sometimes victims never receive justice, some wounds heal but many more never do. I cried so much while reading this book because of how close to home it hit for me, I was honestly touched.
I can’t say much more about the book because it’s really the sort of story that needs to be experienced without spoilers. I will however note that the content in this book is difficult to stomach. For a survivor of abuse it can be either cathartic or utterly horrifying, which is why I’ve added a trigger warning in the list of warnings below. I cautiously recommend this book for those ready for a poignant and unflinchingly honest exploration of domestic abuse.
As a mom of two teenaged boys, I find it hard, sometimes, to find time to do anything. It's a hectic, crazy time being a mom! It's hard to make sure they are taken care of, go to work, come home, cook dinner, spend time with them and my husband, and still find God time. It really is hard sometimes. But, my mom said something once, and this book kind of reminds of it. She told me "Jesus came to you, why can't you go to Him?" That's so true. Why can't I make the time to seek Him out no matter what whirlwind parenthood throws at me?
Ms. Synder takes the hustle, bustle hectic life of being a working mom, wife, and child of God, and tells us how she found the strength to deal with it all. She creates this book in a way that is never boring, always leaving me with a chuckle. Learning to put God in the center of all and realizing that this crazy thing we parents call life is not that hard if we put Him at the front of all we do.
I definitely enjoyed this fast, interesting read. Ms. Synder did an incredible job and has really given me lots to ponder on as a mom. My life as a parent is a blessing not a burden no matter how crazy wild it can get. This is worth 4 stars for sure and I highly recommend this to all parents, new and seasoned! You'll find grace and peace in the middle of what may be an overwhelming experience and it will really help! <a href="http://cafinatedreads.com/?p=13613"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Cafinated Reads</a>
Ms. Synder takes the hustle, bustle hectic life of being a working mom, wife, and child of God, and tells us how she found the strength to deal with it all. She creates this book in a way that is never boring, always leaving me with a chuckle. Learning to put God in the center of all and realizing that this crazy thing we parents call life is not that hard if we put Him at the front of all we do.
I definitely enjoyed this fast, interesting read. Ms. Synder did an incredible job and has really given me lots to ponder on as a mom. My life as a parent is a blessing not a burden no matter how crazy wild it can get. This is worth 4 stars for sure and I highly recommend this to all parents, new and seasoned! You'll find grace and peace in the middle of what may be an overwhelming experience and it will really help! <a href="http://cafinatedreads.com/?p=13613"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Cafinated Reads</a>
Kyera (8 KP) rated The Star-Touched Queen (The Star-Touched Queen, #1) in Books
Feb 1, 2018
The Star-Touched Queen is a little slow to start, but once it finds a groove the story will draw you in and you won't want to put it down. The writing style is very poetic and descriptive, which is absolutely gorgeous but can sometimes slow down the story. Those pacing issues continue throughout the story. Sometimes the book flows well and you find yourself reading through chapters in no time, while other times the writing or plot trips you up and slows down the story.
I was very intrigued by the premise of the story, as not only does it include elements of Indian folklore but it is a re-telling of the Hades and Persephone myth. As a huge fan of Greek mythology, that was the aspect of the story that I was most excited to experience. Amar and Maya are our Hades and Persephone, although it is a unique story and you don't feel like you're reading a re-telling.
As strange as it seems, my favourite character was actually the demon horse Kamala. Although she could be really creepy when she salivated over eating people, she could be funny and made some of the scenes for me. Although I liked Amar, Maya and the other supporting characters I didn't relate strongly to any of them so it made me less invested in the book. I wish I did like them more because I would have loved to have stronger feelings about this gorgeous book.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it - but it didn't make any strong or lasting impact on me. Readers who are fans of flowery prose and very descriptive writing will enjoy Roshani Chokshi's writing style, but if you are a fan of more simple sentences you might have difficultly getting through this book.
I was very intrigued by the premise of the story, as not only does it include elements of Indian folklore but it is a re-telling of the Hades and Persephone myth. As a huge fan of Greek mythology, that was the aspect of the story that I was most excited to experience. Amar and Maya are our Hades and Persephone, although it is a unique story and you don't feel like you're reading a re-telling.
As strange as it seems, my favourite character was actually the demon horse Kamala. Although she could be really creepy when she salivated over eating people, she could be funny and made some of the scenes for me. Although I liked Amar, Maya and the other supporting characters I didn't relate strongly to any of them so it made me less invested in the book. I wish I did like them more because I would have loved to have stronger feelings about this gorgeous book.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it - but it didn't make any strong or lasting impact on me. Readers who are fans of flowery prose and very descriptive writing will enjoy Roshani Chokshi's writing style, but if you are a fan of more simple sentences you might have difficultly getting through this book.
Easy to use (3 more)
Has spoken activities
Gets creative when making sentences
Has a competitive scoreboard
I have been using Duolingo for years, and I find the app to be both fun and informative. I love the way it is set up, though sometimes I have a hard time switching back and forth between languages.
I appreciate the ability to skip sections of content via taking a test--this allowed me to save tremendous time when refreshing my Spanish. I was able to skip a series of lessons quickly and movw on to more challenging content, and even content I have never had the opportunity to learn!
I also appreciate that there is a spoken component with this app. Not only do you need to be able to type what you hear, you need to be able to speak what you see with a reasonable accent. I can't roll my tongue, but I can still pass any of the tests and hear corrections.
I also enjoy the opportunity to "compete" with my friends. We regularly check in with each other and it's a lot of fun to try and stay at the top of the heap. I would love to see the inclusion of challenges, where you could compete directly instead of just in overall points.
One thing I don't care for much is that the sentences, while creative, certainly don't always make sense. A cat eating an elephant or my aunt being faster than a dog doeisn't make much sense to me. Additionally, I sometimes see the same sentence 6 times in a lesson, which means there isn't enough content.
All in all, though, I appreciate Duolingo and plan to keep using it for some time to come!
I appreciate the ability to skip sections of content via taking a test--this allowed me to save tremendous time when refreshing my Spanish. I was able to skip a series of lessons quickly and movw on to more challenging content, and even content I have never had the opportunity to learn!
I also appreciate that there is a spoken component with this app. Not only do you need to be able to type what you hear, you need to be able to speak what you see with a reasonable accent. I can't roll my tongue, but I can still pass any of the tests and hear corrections.
I also enjoy the opportunity to "compete" with my friends. We regularly check in with each other and it's a lot of fun to try and stay at the top of the heap. I would love to see the inclusion of challenges, where you could compete directly instead of just in overall points.
One thing I don't care for much is that the sentences, while creative, certainly don't always make sense. A cat eating an elephant or my aunt being faster than a dog doeisn't make much sense to me. Additionally, I sometimes see the same sentence 6 times in a lesson, which means there isn't enough content.
All in all, though, I appreciate Duolingo and plan to keep using it for some time to come!
Debbiereadsbook (1449 KP) rated Altered (The Made Ones Saga #1) in Books
Aug 14, 2019
wonderful read!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
The Eleutians are a dying race, their female number has dropped so low, there are few children born anymore. So the Alchemic Clan devise a scheme to take women from the alternate universes they have discovered. Kit is one such woman. After falling down, she wakes up in a place she doesn't know, in a body she doesn't remember having. Rafe, of the Wolf Clan, finds Kit and makes her his. But there are bigger forces at work here, and Kit makes the difficult decision to walk away from Race, even though the thought kills her inside.
Different!! Very good different too.
A bit paranormal, a bit magic, a bit sci fi too. Quite a tricky one to tag outright.
There is, quite clearly, a much MUCH bigger picture to this story, and sometimes, it's so bloody hard to see it! Everyone has a say, Rafe and Kit mostly, but some others who really do need that voice to give you a bit of that bigger picture, for things to mostly make sense.
I did get a bit lost sometimes, though, in the world as a whole, and the people in it.
BUT!!!
A very well written, well delivered tale that I would love to follow up on, since the book is labelled as a saga, there will be more to come. How many?? I don't know, but I suspect at least 2 more, to include Kit's sisters. Couple of hints to other pairings, that may or may not be wishful thinking on my part, but we can only wait and see!
A good solid 4 star read
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
The Eleutians are a dying race, their female number has dropped so low, there are few children born anymore. So the Alchemic Clan devise a scheme to take women from the alternate universes they have discovered. Kit is one such woman. After falling down, she wakes up in a place she doesn't know, in a body she doesn't remember having. Rafe, of the Wolf Clan, finds Kit and makes her his. But there are bigger forces at work here, and Kit makes the difficult decision to walk away from Race, even though the thought kills her inside.
Different!! Very good different too.
A bit paranormal, a bit magic, a bit sci fi too. Quite a tricky one to tag outright.
There is, quite clearly, a much MUCH bigger picture to this story, and sometimes, it's so bloody hard to see it! Everyone has a say, Rafe and Kit mostly, but some others who really do need that voice to give you a bit of that bigger picture, for things to mostly make sense.
I did get a bit lost sometimes, though, in the world as a whole, and the people in it.
BUT!!!
A very well written, well delivered tale that I would love to follow up on, since the book is labelled as a saga, there will be more to come. How many?? I don't know, but I suspect at least 2 more, to include Kit's sisters. Couple of hints to other pairings, that may or may not be wishful thinking on my part, but we can only wait and see!
A good solid 4 star read
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated The Blake Mistake in Books
Nov 8, 2019
Ben Blake has a talent that can occasionaly help in his job as an intelligence operative. When he forsees a terrorist attack he asks his friend, brother in law and former bad boy Jake Snell to help him prevent it. However Jake is starting to behave oddly, including having periods where he is not aware of what he has done. Could the suppressed memories of his traumatic upbringing be the cause? Meanwhile his wife (and Ben's sister) Emma is delving into Jake's family history. Maybe the secrets of the past are best left alone.
Camilleri aims high with this book - and delivers. It is a complex mix of whodunnit, psychological thriller, paranormal thriller and romance. The plot moves forward dragging the reader with it, the threads and lives of the characters spiralling around the central theme of Jake's past and how it is impacting on the present. There are a number of twists and turns, some as surprising to the reader as to the characters.
The characters themselves are well drawn, benefitting from having developed over previous books (which don't need to have been read to enjoy this). The way the relationships between them change and develop as suspicions arise and certain events occur is excellent, although sometimes frustrating as the reader sees the story from all their viewpoints so can see that sometimes there has just been a misunderstanding or that if something was said everything would be different.
The first third of the book is a little slow as the characters are described and the situation is set up but this allows the rest to move under it's own terrible momentum towards the climax.
Overall a book worth reading and it certainly holds the attention once it gets going.
Caution: Some sex scenes
Camilleri aims high with this book - and delivers. It is a complex mix of whodunnit, psychological thriller, paranormal thriller and romance. The plot moves forward dragging the reader with it, the threads and lives of the characters spiralling around the central theme of Jake's past and how it is impacting on the present. There are a number of twists and turns, some as surprising to the reader as to the characters.
The characters themselves are well drawn, benefitting from having developed over previous books (which don't need to have been read to enjoy this). The way the relationships between them change and develop as suspicions arise and certain events occur is excellent, although sometimes frustrating as the reader sees the story from all their viewpoints so can see that sometimes there has just been a misunderstanding or that if something was said everything would be different.
The first third of the book is a little slow as the characters are described and the situation is set up but this allows the rest to move under it's own terrible momentum towards the climax.
Overall a book worth reading and it certainly holds the attention once it gets going.
Caution: Some sex scenes
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