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ClareR (5950 KP) rated So Lucky in Books

Sep 25, 2019  
So Lucky
So Lucky
Dawn O'Porter | 2019 | Fiction & Poetry
10
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
I’ll be going back to read more of Dawn’s books after this!
So Lucky by Dawn O’Porter starts off with the main characters, Beth and Ruby, feeling anything BUT lucky. In fact, Ruby in particular starts off as a pretty insular, unapproachable character. She has shut other people out, including her daughter and ex-husband, because of a medical condition that affects her appearance (and only bothers her).

Beth has a husband who is struggling with Beth’s roles as a mother and a wife and consequently won’t have sex with her. The final main character, Lauren, is a model and seems to have it all. At least that’s what her Instagram posts tell us (and by the way, some of the comments on her Instagram posts are so funny. Not very nice, but very funny!).

These are all very relatable women, we may not have ‘been there’ but we can understand and relate to where they’re coming from. Beth’s employee, Risky (and what an appropriate name that is!) was such a good character - she seemed to be there to remind the reader that everything is normal, and we should support and empower one another as women. And she was hilarious. Because I both laughed out loud and I cried at this book. Parts were just heartbreaking, saved by a healthy dose of black humour.

This is the first Dawn O’Porter book I’ve read, and it’s thanks to The Pigeonhole that I got the opportunity to do so. She’s not an author that I’d immediately think of reading, but I’m so glad that I did. This is an excellent book, and I’d highly recommend it.
  
Dark Tales
Dark Tales
Shirley Jackson | 2016 | Fiction & Poetry
8
7.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is a really generous collection of short stories. There are 17 in this book in total, with the longest being only 24 pages (which feels like loads after reading 10 page stories practically all the way through)!

<b><i>The Possibility of Evil - 3 stars</i></b>
I wasn’t all that interested in this short until right at the very end. The last line was fantastically horrible.

<b><i>Louisa, Please Come Home - 3 stars</i></b>
Hm. This one was good but not great. It was sad, more than anything.

<b><i>Paranoia - 5 stars</i></b>
This story was great! It gripped me right from the start and had my heart pounding as Mr Beresford was rushing to get home and away from “light hat”. Fantastically creepy ending too.

<b><i>The Honeymoon of Mrs Smith - 2 stars</i></b>
I liked the prose and everything but I didn’t get it? Probably me just being stupid but… yeah.

<b><i>The Story We Used to Tell - 3 stars</i></b>
There was certainly an eeriness about this story but I didn’t like how it took on a sort of paranormal turn, when the rest of the stories have been based on human nature.

<b><i>The Sorcerer's Apprentice - 2 stars </i></b>
This one was just really dull in comparison to the other ones.

<b><i>Jack the Ripper - 4 stars </i></b>
I liked this one because it was creepy and kind of left you to your own imagination. I love any kind of story that focuses on the Ripper because everyone makes him their own.

<b><i>The Beautiful Stranger - 3 stars </i></b>
If you can’t already tell from my previous mini reviews, I prefer the creepy stories, and this wasn’t that, but it was still an interesting story, just not my favourite.


<b><i>All She Said Was Yes - 4 stars</i></b>
I liked this story because it was a little bit different and the ending has you going “No! No! Don’t do it!”. I like it when a book conjures up that emotion from you.

<b><i>What a Thought - 4 stars</i></b>
Hasn’t just about everyone had a murderous thoughts before? This was a good story because I could relate to some of it. (That all sounds so bad, don’t worry, I’m not planning on ever killing anyone).

<b><i>The Bus - 4 stars</i></b>
I really liked this one! It got super creepy when she arrived at the old house and I loved the twist ending!

<b><i>Family Treasures - 3 stars</i></b>
I enjoyed this one all the way up to then end. Girls are so terribly bitchy, Jackson got the atmosphere in the house perfectly right!

<b><i>A Visit - 3 stars</i></b>
I liked how the mystery built in this story but I didn’t particularly like how to story ended. I also felt that the timings were a little all over the place, which confused me at some parts.

<b><i>The Good Wife - 3 stars</i></b>
I didn’t mind this story but it was very predictable. I was hoping the end wouldn’t be what I was expecting it to be, but alas.

<b><i>The Man in the Woods - 4 stars</i></b>
This story had a bit of a fairy tale feel to it, which made it a lot more enjoyable for me.

<b><i>Home - 4 stars</i></b>
OK, so I know I said earlier in this review that I didn’t like one of the stories taking on a paranormal element, but I liked it in this one! I kind of reminded me of Beetlejuice because of the bridge lol.

<b><i>The Summer People - 4 stars</i></b>
Eep, this one was creepy! I liked the whole creepy local community vibe it had to it and how the Allison’s were no longer welcome… Very good end to this collection of shorts.

<i>Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Books UK for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.</i>
  
Do Not Become Alarmed
Do Not Become Alarmed
Maile Meloy | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
10
8.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Liv and Nora are cousins and practically sisters. They decide to take their families on a two week cruise down the coast of Central America. Both women cautious, they spend the first several days aboard the ship. When they finally decide to take an excursion, the men head for golf and the women take the kids on a zip line tour. This is when all hell breaks loose! From the bus breaking down, to six children going missing in a foreign country, this family vacation is definitely not going to plan. Told from the perspective of the children and the parents, as well other key characters that are introduced throughout, you dive deep into the story and it's hard to get drawn out!

This is the first book I've read by Maile Meloy, and I can't wait to read more! I think this is one of the very few times I have read a book with so many characters taking their turn to tell the story and not gotten confused by what is going on. The story flowed perfectly with the unbelievable around every turn.
 
I will say, not any of the characters in this story are likable, except for Nora's son, Marcus, but I don't think they need to be. You are still intrigued by what is going on and what is going to happen next. This does make you want to hug your kids a little tighter, if you have them. Tell them you love them no matter what and make you want to protect them even more than you already do. To me, this book was amazing and I highly recommend it!

Imagine, all your plans for the day going down the tube. Your tour bus breaks down, so you decide to wait at the beach while a new bus arrives. Then maybe you drift off to sleep while the kids are playing in the water near by. The kids are old enough to look after themselves and those who aren't, have the older kids to look after them. Now imagine waking up from what felt like just a moments rest, to find the children that were just there playing in front of you, have vanished. No where to be found no idea where they could have gone. What do you do, who do you call? You're in a foreign country and you opted not to get the international plan for you phone. Where are your children, and what is being done to them?
  
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Louise (64 KP) rated The Raven Boys in Books

Jul 2, 2018  
The Raven Boys
The Raven Boys
Maggie Stiefvater | 2012 | Paranormal, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
6
7.7 (35 Ratings)
Book Rating
This book is quite a big deal in the book community at the moment, it appears everyone is reading it and loving it!.... apart from ME! So I don't hate this book and I don't love it..... it was just MEH! Here's why:

Blue was annoying, she has been told by her mother, aunts and other psychics that her first true love will die when she kisses him, to me the idea of this was like ummmm the mum is just saying this so she doesn't kiss any boys at all.

Throughout the whole book she is sort of starting a relationship with Adam the less privileged of the Raven boys although she has seen Gansey's future which is bleak you can tell she doesn't know who decide to fall in love with and it's just annoying, because she know's they will die if she does, it just gets a bit tedious.

Adam is the less privileged of the Raven boys, he is a local boy studying hard and paying his own way through private school and has a pretty rough time with an abusive father (I am starting to see a trend *rolls eyes*). He appears very genuine, not wanting hand outs and to make something of himself.

Ronan is a boy who has some issues, his father was killed on the doorstep of their house. Since then he is a very angry young man, who wants to vent his anger on his brother and not complete his studies, Ronan definitely grew on me by the end of it and has a softer side to him.

Gansey is the leader of the gang, with money, sophistication and an insatiable desire to find they Ley lines and wake the Raven king. He appears to act much older than his years, but a very mysterious character I don't know why but I can't explain him, his moods seem to change all the time.

The book was very slow to start with it was only the last third that it started getting interesting for me, the twist in the book did have my jaw on the floor......WTF!! that was the best bit.

There are fantasy elements to the book but not heavy. The world building in the book was well done and the character development was very strong. Stiefvater did a good job and her writing is very easy to read.

Do I continue with the series? Does it get better? Please tell me I am not the only one that had these thoughts.

Overall I rated this 3.5 stars out of 5
  
What Lexie Did
What Lexie Did
Emma Shevah | 2018 | Children
9
7.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Funny, thought provoking and full of Greek food references! (0 more)
This book was a Christmas book from a friend and I thought it looked quite cute. The first couple of pages were really easy to fall in to and after that, the pace is just perfect.
I know little bits about Greek culture but this book really sucked me in to that way of life and made me a bit jealous! To have such a strong sense of family and heritage must be a truly amazing thing. I like that the relationship between Lexie and Eleni goes one step further and there is even deeper bond that seems both unbreakable and yet incredibly fragile at times. I'm not giving any spoilers but the beginning and ending tie together beautifully and though the ending isn't completely happy, it was satisfying.
Shevah infuses humour throughout the novel, leaning on a truly authentic 9 year old voice and Lexie's perceptions of her family, God and halloumi. The pages were so sweet as well, with doodles around the outside as if it was Lexie's diary we are reading.
On the face of it, this novel is funny and sweet and full of friendship and family yet it digs deeper. The story centres around honesty. Lexie 'snitches' on a new friend and is reprimanded by the adults, who preach telling the truth, and upsets her friends and siblings. When she doesn't tell on a different friend for something else, she is also punished. She is expected to tell the truth by the adults and told to lie by Eleni but when she does lie, it upsets Eleni and has huge consequences. I thought Shevah exploited the notions of deception and truth cleverly through Lexie, who reflects on adults preaching the importance of honesty while lying about things to, if we are quite truthful, manipulate children. It highlighted that the answer is not as black and white as we want it to be and I enjoyed having my perceptions challenged.
All in all, I found this to be a vibrant, contemporary and culturally novel that shows Shevah has researched and engaged with Greek-Cypriot family life to an extremely high standard. Novels such as this are the reason I love Chicken House and the books they publish; their novels and authors are original, cutting edge and excite and engage children. I can't wait to read more of Shevah's work in future and get my year 6's fired up about this.
  
Interludes Box Set
Interludes Box Set
Aliyah Burke | 2019 | Contemporary, Erotica, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I LOVED THESE!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this box set of three books.

Because I read these books back to back, as a set, I’m writing one review for the whole bundle, rather than three separate reviews.

And let me tell ya, I loved these books!

Well, I LOVED books one and three, two didn’t quite hit that spot, but still!

These books landed right in my queue when I needed them the most. I read a lot, A LOT, a lot and a huge chunk of those books are male/male romance of some description or other. Now, I’m not picky, I like to think I’m an equal opportunities reader, I will read most pairings so long as the blurb grabs. But it’s been a while since I had such great male/female pairings that were so bloody sexy!

There is instant and powerful attraction between Roxi and Sam in book one. Tuck and Ariel pussy foot around each other for the better part of two years before they act on their feelings in book two. Maya and Brent, in book three, had a one night stand some time (but I was never really clear on how long ago that was!) in Hawaii and when Brent finds himself face to face with Maya again, he wants to pick up where they left off.

Each book is well written, with both male and female lead having a say. All the characters have very different voices, and tell their stories in the third person. Each book has a Marine or two as the lead, and there are a whole host of other Marines that pop up in each book.

There is a huge supporting cast, spread over the three books, with some very interesting people who I want to have a story of their own. Some massive hints? Clues? Teasers, I think is probably the best word, to their stories and I need to know will there be more in this series??

I read tow of these books in one day, and had I not had to up at stoopid o’clock the next morning, I would probably have read all three! First I’ve read of this author, and now I want to read more. Her back list is massive though, and it may take some time to choose!

Like I said, book two did not quite hit *that* spot, but I’m still giving the whole set. . .

5 full stars

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
  
The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (2019)
The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (2019)
2019 | Adventure, Animation, Comedy
It's close to call... I absolutely love the first LEGO movie and this one might be better. Ugh, I just don't know.

With Emmet's same cheery disposition and Lucy's same never-ending scepticism you might say that it's just the first movie with more cameos and in-jokes for the adults. You're probably right, but it's still good.

The song and dance routines have been knocked up a notch, everything is still so upbeat... I love it. I am a little sad though that "This Song's Gonna Get Stuck Inside Your Head" didn't get stuck in my head (even after listening to some of the ten-hour video on LEGO's YouTube account). I actually still came out singing "Everything Is Awesome".

Queen of the songs and actual queen, Watevra Wa'Nabi, demolishes the competition. She maybe doesn't understand the subtleties of getting people to trust you but her heart is in the right place. Tiffany Haddish was fantastic, the only way she could have been better in this was if they'd Barbie dolled her for it, Welcome To Marwen style. The animation of the Duplo royal was really quite expressive, it was an ingenious way to do it.

It was great that they didn't try to fiddle around with anything animation-wise from the first film. Not that there would have been much they could have done but when you think things like that they go and surprise you with something awful. It was all just as fun, but I have never seen anything as cute as those damned hearts and stars! Oooooooh the cuteness!

Most of the cameo parts are the same as last time too, although we get a fun little addition of Bruce Willis chillin' in some air ducts.

When I sum it up like this I realise how little it really has changed but the underlying family story is sweet, it also makes for a casting addition of Maya Rudolph. She's barely in it but my god her acting is on point, I can't really tell you the scene without spoiling it but you'll see it and think the same thing.

What you should do

Well, it's half term so it's a no brainer to go and see it at some point but even at any other time of the year I'd tell you to go along and have some fun.

Movie thing you wish you could take home

I would like to take home something for use in all films... dinosaurs with subtitles.
  
<b><i>I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i></b>

Three Mages and a Margarita </em>is entertaining, funny and mythical (ha. ha. pun intended)</strong></h2>
There are books you can tell you'll love or hate right away from the synopsis right away, and ones you can't tell until you actually read the book. I LOVED <em>Three Mages and a Margarita</em> and can't wait for the sequel to come out so I can go back to the Mythic world.
<img class="aligncenter wp-image-10327 size-medium" src="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/317/2018/10/come-to-me-300x169.gif"; alt="come to me gif" width="300" height="169" />

<h3>Tori is funny and sassy</h3>
<blockquote>
<p style="text-align: center;">Tori Dawson, the Server of Doom and Despair.
</blockquote>
Our main character Tori takes no bullshit - literally! She gets fired from all her jobs because she doesn't take crap from her guests. While Tori's actions in <em>Three Mages and a Margarita</em> are an exaggeration, it was funny and entertaining to read. I think the last time I laughed was <a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/american-panda-by-gloria-chao/"><em>American Panda</em> by Gloria Chao</a>.

<h3>The friendship is genuine, golden and #goals.</h3>
<blockquote>
<p style="text-align: left;">"If you want pizza with pineapple on it, we'll have throw you out."
<p style="text-align: left;">I blinked, not entirely sure if he was joking, but Aaron laughed. "If she wants pineable, she can have it. You don't have to eat it."
"Its existence alone is an insult to all pizza."</blockquote>
The friendship between the three mages Tori meets is genuine, and I loved seeing the interactions between Aaron, Kai and Ezra. They're a close group but are also welcoming to Tori despite the rough beginning.

<h3>Fast-paced and full of action</h3>
I got through <em>Three Mages and a Margarita</em> in less than two days. Annette Marie's latest novel is full of humor, but it is also fast-paced and full of action. Whether the book will make you laugh out loud or worry over the characters, there is never a dull moment.

<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/three-mages-and-a-margarita-by-annette-marie/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>