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Ivana A. | Diary of Difference (1171 KP) rated Dear Edward in Books
Feb 3, 2020
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<b><i>Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano is one of the few books that instantly captures your heart, then shatters it into hundred pieces and teaches you many life lessons at the same time.</i></b>
"A reporter holds up a copy of The New York Times to a camera, to show a huge block headline, the kind normally reserved for presidential elections and moonwalks. It reads:
191 DIE IN PLANE CRASH; 1 SURVIVOR
The relatives have only one question when the press briefing comes to close; they all lean toward it like a window in a dark room:
"How is the boy?"</i>
Dear Edward features a boy called Edward, who is flying with his family to move across states. This is their chance of a new life, a brand new start. When the plane crashes, he is the only survivor.
The author tells the story through two different timelines; during the flight and after the plane crash. We follow Edward's life and how he is coping with the loss of everything he knew. We also see how he is struggling to cope with the unwanted celebrity title he has now.
I have always been intrigued by planes and plane crashes. I used to watch every single episode of the documentary on Discovery Channel back in the days. And today, I like to listen to the Plane Crash Podcast by Michael Bauer. I have had some bad experiences while flying, and have always wanted to understand what exactly happens when a plane crashes, and what aviation does to prevent this from happening in the future. This book contains amazing details about the crash, and my hidden mystery person inside me was deeply satisfied by all those pilot dialogues and explanations.
Edward's grief and growing up journey is so painful. He survived, but everyone he loved and cared about in his life died. He is lucky to have survived, but why does he then feel guilty? Why did he swap places with his brother on the flight? If they didn't - his brother would still be alive now. The brother relationship was written so perfectly. The love and the bond they shared for each other was so strong.
Despite the fact that Edward is the main character in this story, we also get to meet so many other characters, the people who lost their lives in the crash. Through flashbacks and "during flight" scenes, as well as encounters from their families, we get to see all the wishes that will never come through, all the hopes and dreams buried under the plane ash.
And that is why Edward's journey is so difficult. He doesn't have to only carry to guilt for his own family, but all those other lives as well. Edward receives letters from the families asking him to do all these things that these people would do. He is asked to become a musician, a doctor, a teacher, to travel around the world, learn knitting, etc, and Edward feels obligated to do all of these things, to give peace to the families.
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B5QrV56gmZi/">View this post on Instagram</a>
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<b><i>I knew this book would stay with me forever from the moment I started reading the first few pages. It is so harshly real and painful, but what it does it remind us how every day is special and we should be thankful for it! We may not get a tomorrow, but that's why we have today. Let's make the best of it!</i></b>
Thank you to the team at Penguin Random House for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Also thank you to the team at LoveReading UK, for allowing me to be their Super Ambassador of this book for the month of November.
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<img src="https://diaryofdifference.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Book-Review-Banner-28.png"/>
<b><i>Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano is one of the few books that instantly captures your heart, then shatters it into hundred pieces and teaches you many life lessons at the same time.</i></b>
"A reporter holds up a copy of The New York Times to a camera, to show a huge block headline, the kind normally reserved for presidential elections and moonwalks. It reads:
191 DIE IN PLANE CRASH; 1 SURVIVOR
The relatives have only one question when the press briefing comes to close; they all lean toward it like a window in a dark room:
"How is the boy?"</i>
Dear Edward features a boy called Edward, who is flying with his family to move across states. This is their chance of a new life, a brand new start. When the plane crashes, he is the only survivor.
The author tells the story through two different timelines; during the flight and after the plane crash. We follow Edward's life and how he is coping with the loss of everything he knew. We also see how he is struggling to cope with the unwanted celebrity title he has now.
I have always been intrigued by planes and plane crashes. I used to watch every single episode of the documentary on Discovery Channel back in the days. And today, I like to listen to the Plane Crash Podcast by Michael Bauer. I have had some bad experiences while flying, and have always wanted to understand what exactly happens when a plane crashes, and what aviation does to prevent this from happening in the future. This book contains amazing details about the crash, and my hidden mystery person inside me was deeply satisfied by all those pilot dialogues and explanations.
Edward's grief and growing up journey is so painful. He survived, but everyone he loved and cared about in his life died. He is lucky to have survived, but why does he then feel guilty? Why did he swap places with his brother on the flight? If they didn't - his brother would still be alive now. The brother relationship was written so perfectly. The love and the bond they shared for each other was so strong.
Despite the fact that Edward is the main character in this story, we also get to meet so many other characters, the people who lost their lives in the crash. Through flashbacks and "during flight" scenes, as well as encounters from their families, we get to see all the wishes that will never come through, all the hopes and dreams buried under the plane ash.
And that is why Edward's journey is so difficult. He doesn't have to only carry to guilt for his own family, but all those other lives as well. Edward receives letters from the families asking him to do all these things that these people would do. He is asked to become a musician, a doctor, a teacher, to travel around the world, learn knitting, etc, and Edward feels obligated to do all of these things, to give peace to the families.
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B5QrV56gmZi/">View this post on Instagram</a>
<img src="https://scontent.flhr4-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/78070730_2837573906254210_1110262175731023872_o.jpg?_nc_cat=107&_nc_ohc=i_DJ97h122QAQkKa2ZjxLPKo29PJKCSylYSTgWVXCvjS6YCTQzZ35Wt8g&_nc_ht=scontent.flhr4-1.fna&oh=baa75c6360fd9a085bce261040b8a027&oe=5E836DB6"/>
<b><i>I knew this book would stay with me forever from the moment I started reading the first few pages. It is so harshly real and painful, but what it does it remind us how every day is special and we should be thankful for it! We may not get a tomorrow, but that's why we have today. Let's make the best of it!</i></b>
Thank you to the team at Penguin Random House for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Also thank you to the team at LoveReading UK, for allowing me to be their Super Ambassador of this book for the month of November.
<a href="https://amzn.to/2Wi7amb">Wishlist</a> | <a
<a href="https://diaryofdifference.com/">Blog</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/diaryofdifference/">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/DiaryDifference">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/diaryofdifference/">Instagram</a> | <a href="https://www.pinterest.co.uk/diaryofdifference/pins/">Pinterest</a>

Skype for iPhone
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Matching Bloodlines (The Princeton Allegiant #3)
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Paranormal Romance
I loved this book because of the subject it deals with. Very rarely are we given a good girl willing to do bad things to make their situation. Usually, the heroine is a hard-working woman with strict morals. While Emily is a hard-working young woman, she is tired of working so hard and not getting anywhere. She is tired of being poor. Enter Eric, an equally hard-working American man who wants to be able to live his dream of being a photographer while still debtors prisoner.
In each other, they see a way to achieve their dreams and embark on a journey that doesnt exactly turn out how they imagine. They didnt dream of falling for each other.
The novel doesnt show their lives in a glamorous way. In fact, it shows them how they really are as they struggle with their situations. What I loved the most was the development of their relationship. Romance novels where the couple is suddenly in love is annoying on so many levels. In </i>Mistress</i>, the reader watches them want each other and eventually fall for each other. Of course, there are many bumps along the way.
In each other, they see a way to achieve their dreams and embark on a journey that doesnt exactly turn out how they imagine. They didnt dream of falling for each other.
The novel doesnt show their lives in a glamorous way. In fact, it shows them how they really are as they struggle with their situations. What I loved the most was the development of their relationship. Romance novels where the couple is suddenly in love is annoying on so many levels. In </i>Mistress</i>, the reader watches them want each other and eventually fall for each other. Of course, there are many bumps along the way.

LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated Onward (2020) in Movies
Sep 20, 2020
This could have been the whole game, instead just feels like a fetch quest. Gotta say, (sarcasm incoming) really love the idea here to get two once-charming actors who have since had most of their personality sucked dry by the Marvel beast to lend their hardly descript vocal talents to a hardly descript movie of hardly descript characters. Did we just collectively decide against actual voice acting anymore over dry celebrities practically voicing themselves? Ends with a complete cop-out and its breathtaking animation is clouded by either murk or oversaturation seemingly deliberately. Not to mention the character design is ass-ugly. Can't entirely hate it though, not without some charm and handful of okay moments - but whose idea was it to set up this gold mine premise of magic being systematically pushed out of the world by technology for nothing more than simple convenience... and then do fucking nothing with it while setting it in this bland suburbia of normalcy? Potential brilliance in storytelling through an epic, gorgeous video game-esque Disney film is squandered for another antiseptic, indifferent retread of the most basic themes from the company. Not even funny, either. Had more fun with it than I'm probably letting on but I simultaneously loathe what this represents.

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2346 KP) rated Knot of This World in Books
Jan 13, 2024
Is Martha’s Friend Joining a Cult?
Martha Rose’s friend Birdie Watson is back in town with news. She and her new husband are selling everything to join a spiritualist commune in nearby Ojai. Martha is concerned for her friend’s safety, especially when she learns that several people have gone missing. When Martha goes with Birdie and some other mutual friends to check it out, they wind up finding the leader dead. What had Birdie gotten them into?
While spiritualism isn’t new to the series, this is the strongest it’s ever been as an element. That didn’t make me happy, although Martha is as skeptical as I am, which helped. It also helped that the plot is driven by Martha’s investigation, and we got several good twists along the way. While the ending does explain everything for us, I did feel like it was weaker than it could have been. Also weak are some of the supporting players we’ve met along the way who could really use some development. Still, I do like them and love Martha and her fiancé. I enjoyed the Southern California setting as always. Plus there are some quilting tips at the end. I have one more book in the series, and I’m looking forward to reading about Martha’s final case soon.
While spiritualism isn’t new to the series, this is the strongest it’s ever been as an element. That didn’t make me happy, although Martha is as skeptical as I am, which helped. It also helped that the plot is driven by Martha’s investigation, and we got several good twists along the way. While the ending does explain everything for us, I did feel like it was weaker than it could have been. Also weak are some of the supporting players we’ve met along the way who could really use some development. Still, I do like them and love Martha and her fiancé. I enjoyed the Southern California setting as always. Plus there are some quilting tips at the end. I have one more book in the series, and I’m looking forward to reading about Martha’s final case soon.

Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated So This is Christmas (The Adrien English Mysteries, #5.5) in Books
Jan 7, 2021
This has been borrowed from the Kindle Unlimited Library.
It has been 8 years - possibly more since I joined Goodreads in 2012 - since I read books five and six in this series - and I should point out, they were the only two books I DID read in this series after getting them free one Christmas from AllRomanceeBooks before the website shut down
did fall in love with Adrien and Jake despite not knowing all the stuff they had been through in the previous books so when I saw this, I had to read it. They do rehash a lot of what happened in the past and god, I was getting emotional reading it - so in a way I'm glad I didn't - but they are such a good couple.
Well this wouldn't be an Adrien English mystery without a mystery and this one involves an old acquaintance whose boyfriend has gone missing after visiting his family for the holidays. His old fashioned, well off family. Both sides are saying the other had something to do with his disappearance and Adrien is tasked with helping to track him down, while Jake is hired by the family to do the same.
There's some other drama going on at Cloak & Dagger, the bookshop Adrien owns and we see some sweet moments and sometimes some hot moments between Jake and Adrien. It had me laughing at times with Adrien's humour.
I do like this series and quite a few of this authors other series like Holmes and Moriarity - of which Moriarity got a mention in this as an ex cop turned author and I will be reading more of his books at a later date.
It has been 8 years - possibly more since I joined Goodreads in 2012 - since I read books five and six in this series - and I should point out, they were the only two books I DID read in this series after getting them free one Christmas from AllRomanceeBooks before the website shut down
did fall in love with Adrien and Jake despite not knowing all the stuff they had been through in the previous books so when I saw this, I had to read it. They do rehash a lot of what happened in the past and god, I was getting emotional reading it - so in a way I'm glad I didn't - but they are such a good couple.
Well this wouldn't be an Adrien English mystery without a mystery and this one involves an old acquaintance whose boyfriend has gone missing after visiting his family for the holidays. His old fashioned, well off family. Both sides are saying the other had something to do with his disappearance and Adrien is tasked with helping to track him down, while Jake is hired by the family to do the same.
There's some other drama going on at Cloak & Dagger, the bookshop Adrien owns and we see some sweet moments and sometimes some hot moments between Jake and Adrien. It had me laughing at times with Adrien's humour.
I do like this series and quite a few of this authors other series like Holmes and Moriarity - of which Moriarity got a mention in this as an ex cop turned author and I will be reading more of his books at a later date.

Neon's Nerd Nexus (360 KP) rated Cargo (2017) in Movies
May 14, 2019
Dead good
#netflix #cargo is in my opinion is the first great #netflixfilm ive seen yet. Cargo is an #Australian film about a family struggling to survive in a #zombie infected world & has been adapted from a short film of the same name. From the get go a #creepy unnerving yet strangely calm & peaceful atmosphere is established (this is done brilliantly with gorgeous establishing shots & slow camera movements accompanied by a beautifully depressing score). It looks fantastic too & its set locations not only add to the tension but are a treat to explore visually. Slow paced but never boring the #film never treats the viewer like an idiot with subtle information about whats happened & how people #survive in this world littered everywhere. Theres an overall theme about #family & protection ie planning for their future safety & how people in this horrific situation cope/stay strong & if what we do to survive sometimes borderlines on being inhumane. Tension is very well done throughout & keeping things mostly off camera was a smart move as it gives the film an more #anxious sense of dread. Acting is top notch & watching as characters constantly think about the #future, worry for each others safety & try to stay strong is genuinely heartbreaking at times. Effects are great especially the practical ones making the film far more believable. All in all cargo is well worth your time, its a great interesting character study & a refreshing/intelligent change of pace in a genre thats become so over done & cliche. Thought provoking, powerful & #bleak this film left me wondering how i would react & what i would do if someone i loved or if myself even were about to fall victim to the #virus. #martinfreeman #horror #scary #postapocalyptic #apocalypse #walkingdead #sunday #cinifile #moviecritic #netflixoriginal #SimoneLanders #love #dead

Is the Witch in Love?
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“Is the Witch in Love?” is a subtle blend of story, games and cartoons. Discover --- or...