Search
Search results
Noel Gallagher - the Biography
Book
Noel Gallagher is as well-known for his singer-songwriter talent as he is for his controversial,...
Midnight At The Bright Ideas Bookstore
8.5
Rate It
Book
Lydia Smith lives her life hiding in plain sight. A clerk at the Bright Ideas bookstore, she keeps a...
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2357 KP) rated Smothered in Books
Feb 24, 2021
This Sequel Was a Little Too Whipped
Alene Baron is finding herself irritated by Stanley Huff, who owns the gym next door to Arlene’s café. Not only is he an inconsiderate neighbor, but Alene questions some of the things he sells. Alene is shocked when she finds him dead one morning. When the police begin to look at one of Arlene’s employees as a suspect, she can’t help but try to learn what really happened. Can she uncover the truth?
This was definitely a mixed book for me. Most of my issues were things that could have been smoothed over with a strong edit – a few dropped plot threads, the dreaded timeline issues, and a few conversations that were summarized for us instead of including us in them. On the other hand, there were things I enjoyed. We have a large cast of characters. Since it had been a while since book one, I had to remember who every was again (the cast of characters at the beginning helped), but once I did that, I appreciate the growth in the characters we saw here. The heart of the mystery was good, and I especially appreciated how Alene figured it out, which lead to an entertaining climax. Alene’s café features vegan recipes, so the recipes we get at the end are vegan as well. If you enjoyed the first, you’ll want to pick this up and see what happens to the characters next.
This was definitely a mixed book for me. Most of my issues were things that could have been smoothed over with a strong edit – a few dropped plot threads, the dreaded timeline issues, and a few conversations that were summarized for us instead of including us in them. On the other hand, there were things I enjoyed. We have a large cast of characters. Since it had been a while since book one, I had to remember who every was again (the cast of characters at the beginning helped), but once I did that, I appreciate the growth in the characters we saw here. The heart of the mystery was good, and I especially appreciated how Alene figured it out, which lead to an entertaining climax. Alene’s café features vegan recipes, so the recipes we get at the end are vegan as well. If you enjoyed the first, you’ll want to pick this up and see what happens to the characters next.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2357 KP) rated Furbidden Fatality in Books
Feb 24, 2021
Glad I Adopted This Debut
Kari Stuart had been working as a waitress in a town in the Catskills until she won the lottery. She’s not quite sure what she is going to do with her winnings until she hears about an animal sanctuary on the edge of town that is for sale. Impulsively she buys it and sets about getting it ready to reopen. Unfortunately, that’s also when she runs across Bill Myers, the local dog warden, who seems to have targeted the sanctuary. After Kari finds Bill dead just outside the sanctuary’s fence in the middle of the night, she becomes the police’s prime suspect. Can she figure out what really happened?
I started to hear some early buzz about this book, so I decided to give it a try. I’m so glad I did. This may be the first in the series, but I already love the characters. Kari leads a great cast, and there are just as many charming four-legged characters as there are humans. The plot is inventive, with plenty to keep us engaged over the course of the story. Yet everything Kari uncovered helps make for a satisfying resolution when we reached the end. While this is Deborah Blake’s first mystery, she has written quite a few other books, and that shows through in the writing. If you are looking for a promising new mystery series, adopt this book right away.
I started to hear some early buzz about this book, so I decided to give it a try. I’m so glad I did. This may be the first in the series, but I already love the characters. Kari leads a great cast, and there are just as many charming four-legged characters as there are humans. The plot is inventive, with plenty to keep us engaged over the course of the story. Yet everything Kari uncovered helps make for a satisfying resolution when we reached the end. While this is Deborah Blake’s first mystery, she has written quite a few other books, and that shows through in the writing. If you are looking for a promising new mystery series, adopt this book right away.
Stuart Braithwaite recommended Richard D. James Album by Aphex Twin in Music (curated)
Sarah (7800 KP) rated Grounded with Louis Theroux in Podcasts
Sep 29, 2020
Entertaining
I love Louis Theroux and his documentaries, and I was excited to see he'd made a podcast that I could listen to while working and out and about, especially as any TV documentaries of his are likely not going to happen for a while!
Overall this is a rather entertaining and informative podcast. The majority of the people featured at least know about (except for KSI and Troy Deeney), but they wouldn't necessarily be my first choices to feature in something like this. However when listening I actually found i was hugely interested in what they had to say and what they'd been through in their lives. Miriam Margolyes especially is an absolutely hoot, I was cracking up listening to her.
Throughout each episode Louis keeps up his usual interview style that always does him well. I have to be honest I think his style doesn't quite work as well as a podcast rather than on TV. He often uses long pauses to prompt his guests to keep talking which on TV is fine as you have a visual to look at whats going on, but on a podcast it's just silence which gets a bit awkward. Louis technically recorded this audio via Zoom so I guess he had video to work with initially but this did frustrate me a little.
Overall though this is a very interesting, entertaining and often funny podcast that's worth listening to if you're a fan of Louis.
Overall this is a rather entertaining and informative podcast. The majority of the people featured at least know about (except for KSI and Troy Deeney), but they wouldn't necessarily be my first choices to feature in something like this. However when listening I actually found i was hugely interested in what they had to say and what they'd been through in their lives. Miriam Margolyes especially is an absolutely hoot, I was cracking up listening to her.
Throughout each episode Louis keeps up his usual interview style that always does him well. I have to be honest I think his style doesn't quite work as well as a podcast rather than on TV. He often uses long pauses to prompt his guests to keep talking which on TV is fine as you have a visual to look at whats going on, but on a podcast it's just silence which gets a bit awkward. Louis technically recorded this audio via Zoom so I guess he had video to work with initially but this did frustrate me a little.
Overall though this is a very interesting, entertaining and often funny podcast that's worth listening to if you're a fan of Louis.
The Germ who would be King is a silly cartoon of what was going on in 2020. With all the talk about Covid 19. This book helps explain to children what was going on with a virus. We were all talking about during the 2020 year. However, we are still dealing with it today.
This book shows how a virus was taking over everything and how it dominated our society. In a fun and funny way. Though this is funny, would you please take the virus seriously and prevent it from getting it?
It takes place with a germ that wants to dominate the world for its evil plans. Will it work? Or will humans learn to take the precious and separate and do things differently to draft a nasty germ? The first time I read it, It was not funny for me. But when I was reading it a little as my mom read it. I got a little chuckle out of it. We all need a few books like that. Especially the way 2020 was and how everything flipped upside down. We still are dealing with it. But a little humor and taking the things to stop the virus is a good thing.
I do love the pictures. I did enjoy the virus cartoon image; It's charming. The way the plot exists is fun. Children will enjoy this as well as parents, I am sure.
This book shows how a virus was taking over everything and how it dominated our society. In a fun and funny way. Though this is funny, would you please take the virus seriously and prevent it from getting it?
It takes place with a germ that wants to dominate the world for its evil plans. Will it work? Or will humans learn to take the precious and separate and do things differently to draft a nasty germ? The first time I read it, It was not funny for me. But when I was reading it a little as my mom read it. I got a little chuckle out of it. We all need a few books like that. Especially the way 2020 was and how everything flipped upside down. We still are dealing with it. But a little humor and taking the things to stop the virus is a good thing.
I do love the pictures. I did enjoy the virus cartoon image; It's charming. The way the plot exists is fun. Children will enjoy this as well as parents, I am sure.
Lindsay (1760 KP) rated Ava and Aaron's Easter Story in Rhyme (Mariana Books Rhyming #9) in Books
May 9, 2022
Another sweet Easter story I found. This one is about Ava and Aaron Easter. The Easter story is something I haven't seen in a children's book yet. Children will learn some teachable moments and learn about teamwork. There is rhyming throughout the book, and this is book nine in the series. Suppose you remember Ava and Aaron's, Christmas Story. Well, this is the third book about them. Only this one is about their Easter.
Will Ava and Aaron learn to take turns and help find each other out to find all five Easter eggs for their team? Children will love reading and learning to read as well. Throughout the book, there is strong teamwork, with Aaron and Ava working to solve the clues.
There may be some fun and enjoyable idea for parents to come up with for the Easter hunt or another way to celebrate Easter with the children and learn about teamwork. What Easter ideas or fun things can your child or children come up to do with others and learn about teamwork?
Children can learn to read with this rhyming story. What adventure did Ava and Aaron go on? Will they win their contest? I hope they enjoy and see that having fun is better than winning. This book does focus on teamwork and solving the clues. Can your child or children solve the clue to find the hidden easter eggs?
Will Ava and Aaron learn to take turns and help find each other out to find all five Easter eggs for their team? Children will love reading and learning to read as well. Throughout the book, there is strong teamwork, with Aaron and Ava working to solve the clues.
There may be some fun and enjoyable idea for parents to come up with for the Easter hunt or another way to celebrate Easter with the children and learn about teamwork. What Easter ideas or fun things can your child or children come up to do with others and learn about teamwork?
Children can learn to read with this rhyming story. What adventure did Ava and Aaron go on? Will they win their contest? I hope they enjoy and see that having fun is better than winning. This book does focus on teamwork and solving the clues. Can your child or children solve the clue to find the hidden easter eggs?
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2357 KP) rated What the Cluck? It’s Murder in Books
Feb 11, 2023
Meeting the Family Turned into a Clustercluck
Frankie and her boyfriend are getting away for a long weekend so that Frankie can meet a few of Martin’s older sisters, the women who raised him. However, trying to make a good impression isn’t the only thing that Frankie has to worry about when she and Martin find a dead farm hand near the chicken coop. With the evidence pointing to one of Martin’s sisters, Frankie and Martin have to team up to figure out what is going on. Can they do it?
Yes, this is one of the few paranormal series I read, and I find the premise very fun. I was happy with how quickly I was able to keep the sisters and their families straight. I’m sure it helped that we weren’t meeting all of them. Since Frankie and Martin are the only returning characters, they got plenty of time to grow, and I love what we saw, especially from Martin. We get plenty of fun, especially with Frankie trying to read animals, although they did give us one scene I found tasteless. There are a few timeline glitches, but they were more annoying than anything else. The plot fights with family dynamics a time or two for dominance, but there are some fun surprises on the way to a suspenseful ending. All told, this is another fun book if you are looking for something different.
Yes, this is one of the few paranormal series I read, and I find the premise very fun. I was happy with how quickly I was able to keep the sisters and their families straight. I’m sure it helped that we weren’t meeting all of them. Since Frankie and Martin are the only returning characters, they got plenty of time to grow, and I love what we saw, especially from Martin. We get plenty of fun, especially with Frankie trying to read animals, although they did give us one scene I found tasteless. There are a few timeline glitches, but they were more annoying than anything else. The plot fights with family dynamics a time or two for dominance, but there are some fun surprises on the way to a suspenseful ending. All told, this is another fun book if you are looking for something different.
Merissa (12934 KP) rated The Becalmer in Books
Sep 25, 2023
THE BECALMER is what I think is the first in a new series. Harica is still at school and is called upon to help stop a war! How, you might ask. Well, she has the ability to use her mind to see both sides and to come to a compromise. When she is approached by a dodgy government agency, she initially doesn't want to help but changes her mind. Her parents are set against it though, for reasons Harica doesn't understand. So she does what any teenager does, and does it anyway. There is more to it than she thought, and she is in danger in more ways than she realises.
This was a gripping read, taking the reader along for the ride. There are enough twists and turns to keep the story interesting, together with typical ideals of the good guys vs. the big bad. The world-building was nicely done, being 'normal' enough but with added Sci-Fi elements. I did find the end a little abrupt even if everything was wrapped up for this part of the story.
A great YA read that I have no hesitation in recommending.
** 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; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Sep 20, 2023
This was a gripping read, taking the reader along for the ride. There are enough twists and turns to keep the story interesting, together with typical ideals of the good guys vs. the big bad. The world-building was nicely done, being 'normal' enough but with added Sci-Fi elements. I did find the end a little abrupt even if everything was wrapped up for this part of the story.
A great YA read that I have no hesitation in recommending.
** 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; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Sep 20, 2023