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Dog Days
9.0
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George is very angry. His wife has upped and died on him, and all he wants to do is sit in his...
Trigger Warning: domestic abuse Trigger warning: self harm Trigger warning: suicide Trigger warning: homophobia Brighton UK Grief
Chris Hooker (419 KP) rated Tale of a Tooth in Books
Apr 1, 2018
This book was a little difficult to read for a few reasons. It should come with a trigger warning since it deals with domestic abuse in a realistic manner. That said it was still a well written book. One of the things that made it hard to read was a that the voice of the story is 4 yr old Danny. Everything is told from his point of view and in the way his brain sees it. To me it also seemed Danny was on the autism spectrum so that added a different twist. It is a hard hitting book but definately worth a read.
The Saint of Lost Things
9.0
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Lindy Morris is stuck. She lives in rural Ireland, banished to a lonely bungalow by her Granda...
Literary Fiction Rural Life Ireland Trigger warning: domestic abuse
Love After Love
10.0
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ONE OF STYLIST'S BEST NEW BOOKS FOR 2020 'Unforgettable' MARLON JAMES 'It made me ugly cry'...
Literary Fiction Trinidad Trigger warning: Domestic Abuse Family
Briannabrown1019 (799 KP) rated Love Letters to the Dead in Books
Nov 9, 2020
Great for fans of Perks of Being a Wallflower!
Contains spoilers, click to show
Trigger warning. This book deals with some deep stuff.
This was a super interesting idea. The story was deep, and it was the first book I've ever come across that told its story through letters to dead celebrities. So bonus points there for sure!
The overall story reminded me a lot of Perks of Being a Wallflower, which is one of my all time favorites.
I did not LOVE the POV/writing of the book but that wasn't because the author didn't do well. In fact I'd say that means she did amazing given the book is told from the POV of a teenage girl. She's young, and the writing reflects that. So while it wasn't my personal cup of tea, it made sense for the book. Bear that in mind when going into this one.
We follow Laurel venting to dead celebrities about her life and the loss of her sister. How did she die? Why does Laurel feel guilty? Why isn't her mom around anymore? Through letters to her idols she reminisces and vents, and we get to see her navigate life and relationships without her big sister.
*Potential trigger warnings for domestic abuse, rape, molestation, drug/alcohol use, and suicide.
This was a super interesting idea. The story was deep, and it was the first book I've ever come across that told its story through letters to dead celebrities. So bonus points there for sure!
The overall story reminded me a lot of Perks of Being a Wallflower, which is one of my all time favorites.
I did not LOVE the POV/writing of the book but that wasn't because the author didn't do well. In fact I'd say that means she did amazing given the book is told from the POV of a teenage girl. She's young, and the writing reflects that. So while it wasn't my personal cup of tea, it made sense for the book. Bear that in mind when going into this one.
We follow Laurel venting to dead celebrities about her life and the loss of her sister. How did she die? Why does Laurel feel guilty? Why isn't her mom around anymore? Through letters to her idols she reminisces and vents, and we get to see her navigate life and relationships without her big sister.
*Potential trigger warnings for domestic abuse, rape, molestation, drug/alcohol use, and suicide.
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.
ClareR (5542 KP) rated Nasty Little Cuts in Books
Feb 24, 2022
I learnt a new phrase today: Domestic Noir. My ignorance is probably down to the fact that I would never normally read a book in this category. I’d avoid it. I’m glad that I didn’t let it put me off this time though, and after reading Tina’s previous book ‘Call Me Mummy’, I knew that I was going to be in for one hell of a good read.
This book is phenomenal. It’s read-it-thorough-your-fingers-with-your-eyes-shut kind of phenomenal.
Reading it on The Pigeonhole, one stave a day for 10 days was a feat of endurance - the wait between staves was tortuous. This is NOT an easy read, and should probably come with some sort of trigger warning. It’s dark, emotional, visceral. It’s violent and frankly traumatic.
Debs and Marc should probably have never got together, never mind got married and had children. They’re both emotionally scarred from terrible childhoods and have never confronted, or been treated for, these psychological and physical injuries. And now they just seem to vent their feelings on one another with physical violence.
There’s loads of backstory that explains why they are in their current predicament, and honestly, I did feel some sympathy for them. But then, and Tina Baker does this so well, she gives with one hand, and snatches away with the other. Every past revelation of abuse or trauma, is bookended by domestic violence.
Honestly, it sounds horrendous, doesn’t it? But I couldn’t stop reading. As I said on The Pigeonhole: What a reading experience this has been. I’ll leave a review, but what can I say that will do this book justice?
Well, I can say this: Read It.
This book is phenomenal. It’s read-it-thorough-your-fingers-with-your-eyes-shut kind of phenomenal.
Reading it on The Pigeonhole, one stave a day for 10 days was a feat of endurance - the wait between staves was tortuous. This is NOT an easy read, and should probably come with some sort of trigger warning. It’s dark, emotional, visceral. It’s violent and frankly traumatic.
Debs and Marc should probably have never got together, never mind got married and had children. They’re both emotionally scarred from terrible childhoods and have never confronted, or been treated for, these psychological and physical injuries. And now they just seem to vent their feelings on one another with physical violence.
There’s loads of backstory that explains why they are in their current predicament, and honestly, I did feel some sympathy for them. But then, and Tina Baker does this so well, she gives with one hand, and snatches away with the other. Every past revelation of abuse or trauma, is bookended by domestic violence.
Honestly, it sounds horrendous, doesn’t it? But I couldn’t stop reading. As I said on The Pigeonhole: What a reading experience this has been. I’ll leave a review, but what can I say that will do this book justice?
Well, I can say this: Read It.
No Shame (No Shame #4)
10.0
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(This is NOT a stand alone novel. See end of this description for details) Brad feels nothing but...
M_M Contemporary Romance
The Right One
10.0
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"Wrong never felt so right." Morgan Cantrell is a survivor. After running away from an abusive...
Contemporary MM Romance Trigger Warning
Zuky the BookBum (15 KP) rated Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith in Books
Mar 15, 2018
Also read my review here: http://bookbum.weebly.com/book-reviews/under-the-banner-of-heaven-a-story-of-violent-faith-by-jon-krakauer
<b>TRIGGER WARNING: rape, incest, domestic abuse, child abuse, animal abuse, child murder</b>
I’m speechless. (OK, maybe not). What the <i>heck</i> did I just read? You’re telling me this is <b><i>non-fiction?</b></i> ...How? <b>HOW?</b> This isn’t just some freak incident either, people live like what’s described in this book, I’m baffled by it. I mean I’m a little baffled by strict religious following anyway (no offence meant) but Mormonism is just on another level.
The story of Mormonism is so strange because Joseph Smith was a fucking control freak and swindler but also the way society got away with treating him and his followers was awful. You really can’t pick a right and wrong side, they’re both pretty terrible.
This book's main focus is on how people's strong faith in Mormonism makes them believe they're above the laws of the land, so they go and commit crimes they think are justified and right. For example, Dan and Ron Lafferty, who <i>truly</i> believe God has spoken to them and told them they need to kill their brothers wife and young baby. A deed done by them so brutally, the poor baby was basically beheaded. <b>Clearly this book isn’t for the faint hearted.</b>
One of the saddest moments in this book is when Krakauer meets a Mormon family and their young daughter (I think she was between 8 to 12) comes into the room with floor plans of her dream house, where she's drawn out several different rooms for the other wives of the husband she is going to share. How <i>awful</i> is that, to believe that you must share your husband with other women, because for men of the Mormon faith, women are just child bearers, nothing more. <b>Joseph Smith actually declared God said "women shall be man's handmaid".</b> For this young girl to be planning her life with a shared husband and feeling that's <i>normal</i>, even feeling <i>happy</i> about it, is a terrible, terrible thing to think about.
This took me around 3 months to finish, not only because I accidentally left this in my dad’s suitcase when I came back from Spain, but also because this was such heavy non-fiction reading. Not only did it describe, in gruesome detail, the crimes committed by those under the Mormon faith, it was also a long historical timeline of how Mormonism was created and has grown to where it currently sits today. (<i>Did you know,</i> there are currently more Mormons on this planet than Jewish people?) Not to mention the confusion it causes when trying to remind you who everyone is and how everyone is related, because they’re pretty much <i>all</i> related through marriage.
This is certainly an interesting read. I'm sure you’ve heard about Mormon’s and the Book of Mormon and polygamy, etc, but never really looked further into it. Well, for those of you that would like to look further into it, then this is the book for you! It's incredible to read all about how Joseph Smith magicked up Mormon faith and how gruesome and evil polygamy really is.
I really recommend this book for all of you who love learning about religions or just love to have some random shocking facts to dish out around the dinner table. A seriously interesting, if not disturbing read.
<b>TRIGGER WARNING: rape, incest, domestic abuse, child abuse, animal abuse, child murder</b>
I’m speechless. (OK, maybe not). What the <i>heck</i> did I just read? You’re telling me this is <b><i>non-fiction?</b></i> ...How? <b>HOW?</b> This isn’t just some freak incident either, people live like what’s described in this book, I’m baffled by it. I mean I’m a little baffled by strict religious following anyway (no offence meant) but Mormonism is just on another level.
The story of Mormonism is so strange because Joseph Smith was a fucking control freak and swindler but also the way society got away with treating him and his followers was awful. You really can’t pick a right and wrong side, they’re both pretty terrible.
This book's main focus is on how people's strong faith in Mormonism makes them believe they're above the laws of the land, so they go and commit crimes they think are justified and right. For example, Dan and Ron Lafferty, who <i>truly</i> believe God has spoken to them and told them they need to kill their brothers wife and young baby. A deed done by them so brutally, the poor baby was basically beheaded. <b>Clearly this book isn’t for the faint hearted.</b>
One of the saddest moments in this book is when Krakauer meets a Mormon family and their young daughter (I think she was between 8 to 12) comes into the room with floor plans of her dream house, where she's drawn out several different rooms for the other wives of the husband she is going to share. How <i>awful</i> is that, to believe that you must share your husband with other women, because for men of the Mormon faith, women are just child bearers, nothing more. <b>Joseph Smith actually declared God said "women shall be man's handmaid".</b> For this young girl to be planning her life with a shared husband and feeling that's <i>normal</i>, even feeling <i>happy</i> about it, is a terrible, terrible thing to think about.
This took me around 3 months to finish, not only because I accidentally left this in my dad’s suitcase when I came back from Spain, but also because this was such heavy non-fiction reading. Not only did it describe, in gruesome detail, the crimes committed by those under the Mormon faith, it was also a long historical timeline of how Mormonism was created and has grown to where it currently sits today. (<i>Did you know,</i> there are currently more Mormons on this planet than Jewish people?) Not to mention the confusion it causes when trying to remind you who everyone is and how everyone is related, because they’re pretty much <i>all</i> related through marriage.
This is certainly an interesting read. I'm sure you’ve heard about Mormon’s and the Book of Mormon and polygamy, etc, but never really looked further into it. Well, for those of you that would like to look further into it, then this is the book for you! It's incredible to read all about how Joseph Smith magicked up Mormon faith and how gruesome and evil polygamy really is.
I really recommend this book for all of you who love learning about religions or just love to have some random shocking facts to dish out around the dinner table. A seriously interesting, if not disturbing read.