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Chris Hooker (419 KP) rated Tides of Possibility in Books
Jan 12, 2018
[Tides of Possibility] is a anthology of science fiction short stories. I really enjoyed most of the stories and a few I would hope to see full length novels expanding on the stories.
A few of note:[The Color of Silence] by [Mandy Broughton] about compassion. [The Woman Who Wanted to Play Havisham] by [Haralambi Markov] which message seems to be, be careful what you wish for. [Imaginary Numbers] by [Corinn Heathers] which I would really love to see expanded to a novel with more a back story.
[Teachable Moments] by [Brandon Crilly] seemed to be my favorite though. Perhaps I am biased as a teacher and the title is a term we are not allowed to have in the classroom anymore thanks to the testing culture. The idea of a former teacher doing what is best for young people and by doing that he teaches them the biggest lesson of life.
I will be looking for more works from some of these authors. I could have done without the poetry though.
A few of note:[The Color of Silence] by [Mandy Broughton] about compassion. [The Woman Who Wanted to Play Havisham] by [Haralambi Markov] which message seems to be, be careful what you wish for. [Imaginary Numbers] by [Corinn Heathers] which I would really love to see expanded to a novel with more a back story.
[Teachable Moments] by [Brandon Crilly] seemed to be my favorite though. Perhaps I am biased as a teacher and the title is a term we are not allowed to have in the classroom anymore thanks to the testing culture. The idea of a former teacher doing what is best for young people and by doing that he teaches them the biggest lesson of life.
I will be looking for more works from some of these authors. I could have done without the poetry though.
ArecRain (8 KP) rated Bedtime Stories: A Collection of Erotic Fairy Tales in Books
Jan 18, 2018
I love erotica. The only thing I love reading more than erotica is fairytale erotica. I had high hopes for this book, and while the book didnt meet the expectations that I had, it pleasantly surprised me. I was expecting something along the lines of what Nancy Madore writes about. Instead, I received a handful of very creative stories that were expertly written.
Not all the stories actually had sex in them, yet did have something that made them erotica. Each story also had its own world, story line, and character to it that made it special. I particularly loved the Beauty and the Beast story which, while being exceedingly different from the original (and Disney) story, it still held true to the beauty is not only skin deep theme of the tale.
That is how all the short stories of this novel are. Some of them, I wish had become full on novels of their own because of their great plotline. As an erotica novel, it fizzled. But what it lacked in eroticism, it definitely made up for with creativity.
Not all the stories actually had sex in them, yet did have something that made them erotica. Each story also had its own world, story line, and character to it that made it special. I particularly loved the Beauty and the Beast story which, while being exceedingly different from the original (and Disney) story, it still held true to the beauty is not only skin deep theme of the tale.
That is how all the short stories of this novel are. Some of them, I wish had become full on novels of their own because of their great plotline. As an erotica novel, it fizzled. But what it lacked in eroticism, it definitely made up for with creativity.
Kyera (8 KP) rated The Extraordinary Cases of Sherlock Holmes in Books
Feb 1, 2018
I may be good, but Sherlock Holmes is better. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle weaves unusual and fantastical tales about the globally beloved detective in this collection of stories. Each is short and can be devoured in less than an hour. They are some of his more famous short works and highly enjoyable.
Doyle paints a narrative through the eyes of Holmes' companion, Dr. Watson and makes the tale more accessible to the average reader. Holmes' sharp mannerisms and lofty thoughts would not be as intriguing if Watson's nobler sentiments and smoothing words did not soften him. Each mystery slowly unfolds before the reader's eyes and if their powers of deduction are keen, they may even discover some clues or Holmes' motives before they're expressly detailed.
The adventures of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson were beloved in their time and are now classics for a reason. This is a wonderful collection of stories and highly recommended to fans of detective stories, classic novels, or have never read a story about Sherlock Holmes before and wish to give them a shot. (You won't be disappointed.)
Doyle paints a narrative through the eyes of Holmes' companion, Dr. Watson and makes the tale more accessible to the average reader. Holmes' sharp mannerisms and lofty thoughts would not be as intriguing if Watson's nobler sentiments and smoothing words did not soften him. Each mystery slowly unfolds before the reader's eyes and if their powers of deduction are keen, they may even discover some clues or Holmes' motives before they're expressly detailed.
The adventures of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson were beloved in their time and are now classics for a reason. This is a wonderful collection of stories and highly recommended to fans of detective stories, classic novels, or have never read a story about Sherlock Holmes before and wish to give them a shot. (You won't be disappointed.)
Dana (24 KP) rated The Romance of Tristan and Iseult in Books
Mar 23, 2018
This was an interesting classic Romantic story. The Romance of Tristan and Iseult is incredibly sad but also telling of how the ideas of courtly love were perceived in that time period.
I really enjoyed getting a glimpse into the stories of that period and how people acted about the different ways to love people. There is the adulterous courtly love, the romantic marital love, and the brotherly and loyal love. Each of these loves are explored in this story, which makes it that much more interesting to read.
I learned in one of my classes that this story was the bedrock to a lot of the stories we know and love today. Romeo and Juliet can even trace its lineage to this story. Shakespeare and a lot of the other writers during his era drew a lot of inspiration from this story, so it was very cool to be able to see where they all came from.
I would recommend reading this if you are interested in reading Romantic/Medieval stories. It is one that is obviously well known.
I really enjoyed getting a glimpse into the stories of that period and how people acted about the different ways to love people. There is the adulterous courtly love, the romantic marital love, and the brotherly and loyal love. Each of these loves are explored in this story, which makes it that much more interesting to read.
I learned in one of my classes that this story was the bedrock to a lot of the stories we know and love today. Romeo and Juliet can even trace its lineage to this story. Shakespeare and a lot of the other writers during his era drew a lot of inspiration from this story, so it was very cool to be able to see where they all came from.
I would recommend reading this if you are interested in reading Romantic/Medieval stories. It is one that is obviously well known.
Contains spoilers, click to show
The Shakespeare Stories: Henry V, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Merchant of Venice, Hamlet by Andrew Matthews presents four of William Shakespeare’s famous plays in an easy-to-digest format for kids. Accompanied by Tony Ross’ illustrations, Matthews re-imagines these Shakespearean plays as short stories more akin to classic fairy tales.
Matthews manages to take some of the most plot-heavy and confusing Shakespeare plays and break them down to their most basic elements. The language is easy to follow without lacking intellect or wit, and he stays true to Shakespeare’s concepts and characters. Illustrated short stories for kids are a no-brainer for getting children interested in William Shakespeare, and Matthews was smart to dive into the genre. He isn’t reinventing the wheel, but he is making the wheel accessible to a wide range of audiences.
I like how it has pictures, gives the cast and a quote from the original play. Then it tells the story and finishes up with an explanation of what just happened and some history of Shakespeare and the play.
Matthews manages to take some of the most plot-heavy and confusing Shakespeare plays and break them down to their most basic elements. The language is easy to follow without lacking intellect or wit, and he stays true to Shakespeare’s concepts and characters. Illustrated short stories for kids are a no-brainer for getting children interested in William Shakespeare, and Matthews was smart to dive into the genre. He isn’t reinventing the wheel, but he is making the wheel accessible to a wide range of audiences.
I like how it has pictures, gives the cast and a quote from the original play. Then it tells the story and finishes up with an explanation of what just happened and some history of Shakespeare and the play.
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Dorrington Deed Box in Books
Jul 30, 2019 (Updated Jul 30, 2019)
A handful of stories rather reminiscent in some ways of the Sherlock Holmes shorts, though with a rather different protagonist. Horace Dorrington is a very effective investigator when he chooses to be, and a charming fellow, but he is also totally corrupt and self-serving, with a repertoire that extends to blackmail, fraud, and murder, even of his own supposed clients.
He is, obviously, an anti-hero, and Morrison makes him work as the lead of a series of stories through a few different tricks - firstly, he is outrageously charming, and you generally are waiting for the moment when Dorrington is going to revert to type and pull a fast one on his latest victim. Secondly, he is generally pitted against people even worse than he is.
Still, you can start to detect Morrison struggling to find new things to do with the character after only a few stories, which may be why he only appears in the half-dozen or so collected here. They remain highly entertaining if Victorian crime fiction is your cup of tea.
He is, obviously, an anti-hero, and Morrison makes him work as the lead of a series of stories through a few different tricks - firstly, he is outrageously charming, and you generally are waiting for the moment when Dorrington is going to revert to type and pull a fast one on his latest victim. Secondly, he is generally pitted against people even worse than he is.
Still, you can start to detect Morrison struggling to find new things to do with the character after only a few stories, which may be why he only appears in the half-dozen or so collected here. They remain highly entertaining if Victorian crime fiction is your cup of tea.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Break of Dark in Books
Aug 2, 2019
I must have been 12 or 13 when I first read this, and back then part of the fun came from the sense that these actually felt like adult stories, for all the book is advertised as being basically YA fiction: quite apart from the substantial quantities of profanity and sex, many the characters aren't typical YA identification figures: middle-aged seaside policemen, earnest young vicars, suburban couples, and so on. These are still hugely readable and satisfying stories even now many decades later.
But what are they about? Well, there are two stories of ghosts (a haunted Wellington bomber during the second world war, and a rather stranger tale of an unwitting medium), two of very atypical alien visitations (a cautionary tale of a young hitch-hiker, and a blackly comic one concerning a spate of peculiar crimes in a small resort town), and one of an inner-city vicar who stumbles onto something very creepy in the crypt of his church. All of them are engagingly and skilfully written, and immaculately paced. Good reads for all ages.
But what are they about? Well, there are two stories of ghosts (a haunted Wellington bomber during the second world war, and a rather stranger tale of an unwitting medium), two of very atypical alien visitations (a cautionary tale of a young hitch-hiker, and a blackly comic one concerning a spate of peculiar crimes in a small resort town), and one of an inner-city vicar who stumbles onto something very creepy in the crypt of his church. All of them are engagingly and skilfully written, and immaculately paced. Good reads for all ages.
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