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The Rithmatist
9.0
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From #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson: his debut novel for the young adult...
fantasy middle grade
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2526 KP) rated Bad News Travels Fast in Books
Aug 19, 2020
Capital Crimes
When Joe and Dottie Loudermilk sold everything to enjoy their retirement on the road, one advantage was that it would make it hard for their kids to drag them into difficult situations. However, when they arrive in Washington DC, Dottie arranges for them to have dinner with their son Eddie. The next morning, Eddie is arrested for killing his former roommate. The murder weapon is Eddie’s knife, and the victim was killed after Eddie had a very public fight with him. Despite all of this, Joe and Dottie believe Eddie when he claims to be innocent. But can they prove it?
I’m glad I got to revisit these characters this year because this was a delightful mystery. It was a fast read, but there wasn’t a wasted word as Joe and Dottie track down one lead after another. The twists and turns kept me engaged the entire way through. Joe’s temper is toned down a bit from the first book, and Dottie is a strong narrator of the events. The rest of the cast is just as sharp. While travel is a theme of the series, the little bit of sightseeing that Joe and Dottie do always also serves the plot. I could have done without the smattering of foul language scattered throughout the book, but that is worth nothing mainly in passing. Everything is mixed together with a dash of humor that I enjoyed. If you’ve missed this book, I’ve got great news – you’ll enjoy it.
I’m glad I got to revisit these characters this year because this was a delightful mystery. It was a fast read, but there wasn’t a wasted word as Joe and Dottie track down one lead after another. The twists and turns kept me engaged the entire way through. Joe’s temper is toned down a bit from the first book, and Dottie is a strong narrator of the events. The rest of the cast is just as sharp. While travel is a theme of the series, the little bit of sightseeing that Joe and Dottie do always also serves the plot. I could have done without the smattering of foul language scattered throughout the book, but that is worth nothing mainly in passing. Everything is mixed together with a dash of humor that I enjoyed. If you’ve missed this book, I’ve got great news – you’ll enjoy it.
ClareR (6129 KP) rated The City of Tears (The Burning Chambers #2) in Books
Feb 6, 2021
The story of Minou and Piet continues, starting with their idyllic lives in Puivert: Minou is the chatelaine, and Piet has returned from fighting for the Huguenot cause. They have two children: Marta, a precocious little girl, and their baby son Jean-Jacques. As a family they decide to travel to Paris for the wedding of the Catholic Marguerite de Valois (the King’s sister) and the Protestant Henri of Navarre (the first Bourbon King of France - and I never know whether to think of the biscuit or the drink whenever I hear the word ‘Bourbon’ 🤷🏼♀️). Their union is hoped to end the religious wars in France.
But of course nothing goes to plan. Cardinal Valentin is there in his role as the Duke of Guise’s confessor, and he’s out for revenge. The St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre tears Minou and Piet’s family apart so that it is forever changed.
I don’t want to give too much away, but I will say that Minou and Piet end up in Amsterdam. In Amsterdam their is a peaceful change in power from Catholic to Protestant. It’s interesting to see how their lives change, and how they are able to live in relative peace and cooperation with their Catholic friends and neighbours. It’s no less exciting than The Burning Chambers though. The family’s adventures take them back to France and in to more danger.
I loved all of the historical detail, and the thoughts and beliefs around religion at this time - and I cannot wait to read the next TWO books in this series! I’m hooked!
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole for this serialisation - it was outstanding!
But of course nothing goes to plan. Cardinal Valentin is there in his role as the Duke of Guise’s confessor, and he’s out for revenge. The St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre tears Minou and Piet’s family apart so that it is forever changed.
I don’t want to give too much away, but I will say that Minou and Piet end up in Amsterdam. In Amsterdam their is a peaceful change in power from Catholic to Protestant. It’s interesting to see how their lives change, and how they are able to live in relative peace and cooperation with their Catholic friends and neighbours. It’s no less exciting than The Burning Chambers though. The family’s adventures take them back to France and in to more danger.
I loved all of the historical detail, and the thoughts and beliefs around religion at this time - and I cannot wait to read the next TWO books in this series! I’m hooked!
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole for this serialisation - it was outstanding!
Tales from a Bondi Vet
Book
Currently starring in CBS'S hit series DR CHRIS: PET VET in the US and delighting audiences in...
WI
Wilde in Love
Book
'Eloisa James is extraordinary.' People Magazine 'Nothing gets me to a bookstore faster than Eloisa...
Paradise Lost by John Milton
Podcast
Magnificent in its scale and scope, this monumental poem by the blind poet John Milton was the first...
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated The Walking Dead - Season 1 in TV
Jul 22, 2019 (Updated Jul 22, 2019)
The first season of The Walking Dead hits the ground (not) running
The first ever episode of The Walking Dead is one of the best hours of television I've ever seen.
After Rick Grimes falls into a coma following an shooting, he wakes up months later, abandoned in a hospital bed, and the whole world has gone to hell.
We have no idea how, we are not shown the outbreak. Instead, The Walking Dead jumps head first into the aftermath of a zombie virus outbreak.
He has no idea where his wife and young son are, but has reason to believe they're alive, and he sets out to find them in a strange new world.
It's a deliciously simple concept that sets the ball rolling, as we're introduced to the heart and would of the show - the wide spectrum of characters.
Stand out characters in season 1 include Darryl and Mearle Dixon, the latter who's casual racism and bad attitude cause issues withing the group. Shane is another character with many layers. The group mostly consists of characters that are looking to help fellow survivors, and as such, you will quickly find yourself caring about most of them.
The world of the Walking Dead can be harsh, and very violent at times, and the practical effects are a really nice touch The zombies look horrible for the most part, shuffling around (not running) causing big groups of them to be hugely dangerous, and there are some really tense moments as the series progresses.
It's a season at only 6 episodes but it ensures that there is no room for filler.
The Walking Dead hasbeen a hugely up and down and wildly inconsistent show throughout it's 10 years on air, so it's nice to look back on the early days, when it was pretty solid.
A must for any horror fan.
After Rick Grimes falls into a coma following an shooting, he wakes up months later, abandoned in a hospital bed, and the whole world has gone to hell.
We have no idea how, we are not shown the outbreak. Instead, The Walking Dead jumps head first into the aftermath of a zombie virus outbreak.
He has no idea where his wife and young son are, but has reason to believe they're alive, and he sets out to find them in a strange new world.
It's a deliciously simple concept that sets the ball rolling, as we're introduced to the heart and would of the show - the wide spectrum of characters.
Stand out characters in season 1 include Darryl and Mearle Dixon, the latter who's casual racism and bad attitude cause issues withing the group. Shane is another character with many layers. The group mostly consists of characters that are looking to help fellow survivors, and as such, you will quickly find yourself caring about most of them.
The world of the Walking Dead can be harsh, and very violent at times, and the practical effects are a really nice touch The zombies look horrible for the most part, shuffling around (not running) causing big groups of them to be hugely dangerous, and there are some really tense moments as the series progresses.
It's a season at only 6 episodes but it ensures that there is no room for filler.
The Walking Dead hasbeen a hugely up and down and wildly inconsistent show throughout it's 10 years on air, so it's nice to look back on the early days, when it was pretty solid.
A must for any horror fan.
The Jungle
Upton Sinclair and Ronald Gottesman
6.3
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One of the most powerful, provocative and enduring novels to expose social injustice ever published...
Merissa (13931 KP) rated Princes and Kings (A Rose in a Thorn Bush #1) in Books
Dec 7, 2021 (Updated Jul 9, 2023)
PRINCES AND KINGS is the first book in A Rose in a Thorn Bush series, and we start with Llywelyn the Great's funeral and his two sons, Dafydd and Gruffudd. Gruffudd's son, Owain, doesn't think his uncle will make a good king and has no hesitation in confronting him. This means that when King Henry of England gives him a choice, Dafydd makes Owain part of the bargain to get him out of his hair. Gruffudd and Owain are sent to the Tower of London as hostages of war, the treaty dependent upon their safekeeping. All is well until Gruffudd can't cope with being a prisoner any longer and tries to escape, dying in the process. The treaty is broken and war is inevitable.
As a long-term lover of Wales and all things Welsh, I couldn't wait to read this story. Told as third-person and with a multitude of perspectives, it gives a rounded view of the events leading up to and including, the defeat of the English by the younger Llywelyn. You also get the see the bond between brothers, even with their vastly different experiences.
Whilst I enjoyed this story, I found it slightly disconcerting when the character's emotions changed so quickly. One of them went from being distraught at the thought of the loss of her husband to thinking that she'd lost him years ago anyway. And another went from intensely disliking a wife, to having a normal conversation with her in the blink of an eye. And then there is having a funny feeling about someone where nothing else is mentioned or happens.
That being said, I did enjoy this book and think it is a really good interesting start to a series that involves a bloody and brilliant time in Welsh history.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Dec 7, 2021
As a long-term lover of Wales and all things Welsh, I couldn't wait to read this story. Told as third-person and with a multitude of perspectives, it gives a rounded view of the events leading up to and including, the defeat of the English by the younger Llywelyn. You also get the see the bond between brothers, even with their vastly different experiences.
Whilst I enjoyed this story, I found it slightly disconcerting when the character's emotions changed so quickly. One of them went from being distraught at the thought of the loss of her husband to thinking that she'd lost him years ago anyway. And another went from intensely disliking a wife, to having a normal conversation with her in the blink of an eye. And then there is having a funny feeling about someone where nothing else is mentioned or happens.
That being said, I did enjoy this book and think it is a really good interesting start to a series that involves a bloody and brilliant time in Welsh history.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Dec 7, 2021
Marylegs (44 KP) rated The Traitor Queen (Traitor Spy Trilogy, #3) in Books
Aug 14, 2019
The Traitor Queen gripped me straight away, I did have a couple of pages where I was slightly confused but that was more to do with it having been a very long time between me reading this book and the previous books. However it didnt take long for it all to come back, and for me to remember what was happening, who was who and what I thought was going to happen. Throughout the book I felt so connected to all the characters, even those I hadnt previously liked.
As this is the last part of a sequel trilogy there were a number of characters to follow. Obviously Black Magician Sonea, who was the main character in the previous trilogy still has an important role and is travelling to Sachaka for diplomatic purposes, accompanied by Lord Regin. Lord Regin and Soneas relationship had developed greatly over the six books and I have to say I liked where his story lead to, from being a horrible, manipulative, spoilt character to a dignified, understanding and very likeable character. There is also Lord Lorkin, Sonea son, who has returned to the Sachakan capital after living a number of months with the Traitors, the outlaw band of black magicians that live in the mountains of Sachaka. He has had to leave Tyvara, the woman he has fallen in love with and doesnt know if he will see her again. He knows at some point he will have to choose between her and the traitors and his home in the allied lands. Also back home is Lilia, Anyi, Cery and Gol who are undertaking in a completed different story line that is equally dramatic and important to the development of allied lands. All the characters storylines climax in devastating amazing ways.
As this was the end of long series if you include both trilogies I have been able to see full character developments, share their losses, see how that has changed them. This has been a brilliant series and one I have enjoyed immensely. I will say I think over all I preferred the first trilogy more, but only because I felt it was more raw and emotional. This trilogy, using the same character base, I found that I connected most with the characters I already knew and never truly warmed to new additions. However it was nice to be able to see these characters I knew grow up and change. Would highly recommend, if you enjoyed other YA books like Harry Potter, Hunger Games, Tales of the Otori etc; I would imagine you would love the original series and this one.
As this is the last part of a sequel trilogy there were a number of characters to follow. Obviously Black Magician Sonea, who was the main character in the previous trilogy still has an important role and is travelling to Sachaka for diplomatic purposes, accompanied by Lord Regin. Lord Regin and Soneas relationship had developed greatly over the six books and I have to say I liked where his story lead to, from being a horrible, manipulative, spoilt character to a dignified, understanding and very likeable character. There is also Lord Lorkin, Sonea son, who has returned to the Sachakan capital after living a number of months with the Traitors, the outlaw band of black magicians that live in the mountains of Sachaka. He has had to leave Tyvara, the woman he has fallen in love with and doesnt know if he will see her again. He knows at some point he will have to choose between her and the traitors and his home in the allied lands. Also back home is Lilia, Anyi, Cery and Gol who are undertaking in a completed different story line that is equally dramatic and important to the development of allied lands. All the characters storylines climax in devastating amazing ways.
As this was the end of long series if you include both trilogies I have been able to see full character developments, share their losses, see how that has changed them. This has been a brilliant series and one I have enjoyed immensely. I will say I think over all I preferred the first trilogy more, but only because I felt it was more raw and emotional. This trilogy, using the same character base, I found that I connected most with the characters I already knew and never truly warmed to new additions. However it was nice to be able to see these characters I knew grow up and change. Would highly recommend, if you enjoyed other YA books like Harry Potter, Hunger Games, Tales of the Otori etc; I would imagine you would love the original series and this one.