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A Thousand Splendid Suns
A Thousand Splendid Suns
Khaled Hosseini | 2008 | Fiction & Poetry
10
9.3 (23 Ratings)
Book Rating
The ability to immerse you fully in each scene. (0 more)
Loved it!
Absolute literacy gem! The ability to consider the thoughts and feelings from the point of view of the main character is exceptional and allows the reader to really get inside the mind to consider how she would have felt. I haven't really read this type of book before, however my friend really encouraged me to read it which I'm glad she did! It had me hooked from the start, and I needed to turn over the page to see what came next!
  
The Railway Children
The Railway Children
E. Nesbit | 2017 | Children
10
8.9 (9 Ratings)
Book Rating
I love this book. I love trains just as much as books. I enjoyed the charthers in the book. It about a family that has to make adjustment on the fly. I quite enjoyable. I love how this is a Classic. I did not know this book was out there to read while I was growing up. The Children name are Bobby, Phil and Paul.

If you want to know mare about it what happens I would suggest picking it up. Something happens that causes their father to go away.
  
This book is very interesting as it's not what you would think of as horror. Most of this book deals with real life horrors, things that can happen to any of us in our lifetime.

I am so glad I read this book. Some stories did make me a tad uncomfortable, but not because they were poorly written. I was uncomfortable because I could kind of relate some times.

There are a few typos and grammar mistakes, but there aren't too many as to take away from the book.

I'd definitely recommend this book.
  
Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams
Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams
Matthew Walker | 2017 | Science & Mathematics
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Favorite

"I read a couple of great books this year about human behavior, and this was one of the most interesting and profound. Both Jenn and John Doerr urged me to read it, and I’m glad I did. Everyone knows that a good night’s sleep is important—but what exactly counts as a good night’s sleep? And how do you make one happen? Walker has persuaded me to change my bedtime habits to up my chances. If your New Year’s resolution is to be healthier in 2020, his advice is a good place to start"

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Shakespeare Songs by Deller Consort
Shakespeare Songs by Deller Consort
1967 | Vocal
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"Probably the most famous countertenor of the 20th century – unless you count Frankie Valli – was the wonderful Alfred Deller, a major figure in the revival of original performance techniques for early and Baroque music. When I was a child we had this album,so I grew up thinking everyone knew and loved 'Where The Bee Sucks' and 'We Be Soldiers Three'. The liner notes, at least on the CD version, are woefully inadequate (who wrote what? when? for which play? Did Henry VIII really write 'Greensleeves'?) but the music is lovely. "

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Eve Of Man
Eve Of Man
Giovanna Fletcher, Tom Fletcher | 2018 | Dystopia, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
10
8.5 (10 Ratings)
Book Rating
Well written (1 more)
Good narrative
Sometimes the character swapping is a tad confusing (0 more)
Having read all of Giovanna's books I thought this was worth giving a go. I was really pleased I did. Although not targeted for my age range, it was still a really solid book and I would recommend it to anyone. The fact that they both wrote the book is wonderful and you can tell who wrote what, which I like because it gives the book more character. The story is interesting and I cant wait for the next one.
  
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Bruce Dern recommended Amadeus (1984) in Movies (curated)

 
Amadeus (1984)
Amadeus (1984)
1984 | Drama, History, Musical

"""The second movie that stuck with me more than any others was Amadeus. Because that guy did that. You know what I mean? I remember when Prince died a few years ago, I had a Twitter at that time (I don’t have it anymore). But all I put out on my little Twitter was, “We lost our Mozart today.” And I think that’s true. I look at Bohemian Rhapsody and they did a very nice job with it — the kid is very good, this Rami Malek. It was a good movie, but [Freddie Mercury’s] not Mozart. I think [with Amadeus] they did as good a job [as they could] without doing a documentary in the era of 400 years ago or, actually, however many years ago it was. I go back to when Lawrence climbed on a motorcycle at the end of Lawrence of Arabia. And that’s the same thing [with Amadeus]: When Mozart is writing the piece at the end of the movie and Salieri cannot even keep up with him. He’s that quick and he’s that ahead and Salieri says, “No, no, you go too fast, you go too fast, you have to slow down, slow down.” But there’s no slowing down. “Are you with me, are you with me?” And he says, “Yes, yes, I think I get it.” And Mozart says, “And now … 400 voices,” and Salieri just drops the pen and says, “Well that can’t be done. We can’t do that.” And then within five minutes, we see him lying in a potter’s field grave at 26 years old."""

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Not That I Could Tell
Not That I Could Tell
Jessica Strawser | 2018 | Fiction & Poetry
6
6.8 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
Six women from the small town of Yellow Springs, Ohio decide to get together for a few glasses of wine and some conversation on a Sunday night. This is the first time they have all been gathered together like this. Surprised that their baby monitors are able to reach to Clara's backyard, they enjoy the childless night. The next morning, one of them is missing. Is foul play a part of the disappearance or did Kristin simply walk away from her life? Admittedly, even though they have been neighbors for a while, no one really knew each other all that well. Will the police be able to find Kristin? Did her husband have something to do with it?

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I'm not sure why, but I had a hard time connecting with this book. While I was intrigued by the story, I didn't find myself drawn to find out what was going to happen next. It took me 10 days to read this book which is very rare for me.

What would you do if you woke up from a girls night out to find out one of the girls and her twins had disappeared in the middle of the night? Gone without a trace. Most of the women felt guilty because they couldn't remember what had happened the night before and if Kristin had said something that would help to locate her now. Everyone looks to Clara who lived right next door and who's son was in class with Kristin's twins, but she knows as much as the others, which is not much at all. How well to we really know our neighbors? We're on the outside looking in, but do we really know what goes on behind closed doors? Kristin's husband, Paul, the local OB/GYN seems like the kind of guy everyone would like, but what secrets of his own is he hiding. Did he do something to make his family disappear? After almost a month, the police have all but given up the search, but incidents in the neighborhood, cause them them to question whether they should or not.
  
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Necole (36 KP) rated We Were Liars in Books

Oct 25, 2018  
We Were Liars
We Were Liars
Emily Jenkins, Emily Lockhart | 2014 | Children, Thriller, Young Adult (YA)
7
7.6 (12 Ratings)
Book Rating
Plot twist (0 more)
Slow at times (0 more)
Every summer, the Sinclair family visits the family island to spend the months there.
Gat, Mirren, Johnny and Cady were close and loved their summers they had together. Then an accident happened when Cady was 15 on the island that left her with no memory of events. For two years she didn't hear from Gat, Mirren or Johnny nor did she go to the family island during the summer. The summer of her 17th year, she finally returned ...
How did her family react to her to her return? Did Gat, Mirren and Johnny open up their arms to her? What happened to Cady that fateful summer of the accident? Will she remember?
Not only is this a crucial part of the story, but how does greed, money, power and family all play out in this well thought out novel of mystery?
I loved the writing style and how this book was broken into 4 parts, but I won't tell you the parts names because it might give something away!!!!
A brilliantly written mystery with an intriguing plot and a twisted ending you will not foresee!!!!
A must read that will have you flying through the pages and making you ask yourself a few questions. I also loved the retelling of fairy tales that make all the sense in the world once all the pieces are put together.
  
Again Again
Again Again
E. Lockhart | 2020 | Young Adult (YA)
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
‏I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.‏

In Again Again, E. Lockhart is inventive in the way she tells the story of Adelaide Buchwald and her life. Lockhart asks if you could redo some events or moments in your life, would you? Again Again shows for every opportunity you did not take; there is a different one that you did. It reminded me of the old saying, "When one door closes, another opens."

I found the synopsis misleading in that it did not match the energy of the book. The story is a nicely paced story about a teenage girl with ups and downs. The synopsis sounded as if it was describing an adventure movie.

I had difficulty getting into the story, but once I realized Lockhart's intent, I found it flowed well. Again Again is a charming story that is not a new one. However, how Lockart reveals the story is what makes this a good read.

Again Again is marketed as a romance. While there is some teenage angst, it is more of a book of Adelaide trying to live an as-happy/normal-as-a-teenager-can-be life and deal with complex emotions, happy, grief, fear, anger, love, etc.

Also, be sure to read Emily Lockhart's We Were Liars.

This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com on 6/12/20.