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Merissa (11646 KP) rated Changed (Gold Hockey #19) in Books
Aug 28, 2023
CHANGED is part of the Gold Hockey series and we finally get Mads and Lucas' story. Mads is Ben's sister, and we have met her in previous stories, where we found out she was a drug addict, and then a recovering addict. Now, she is fighting hard to make amends to those she has hurt in the past. Most people accept her recovery and help her make amends. Not Lucas though. Oh, no! He's been a hard-ass from the beginning but we find out why. Lucas has been on the receiving end of addicts who say they are quitting but don't. THAT is why his trust in Mads is non-existent. He is constantly doubting her word and waiting for her to mess up. When he makes the realisation that Mads is trying, and he has been a jerk, he will do anything he can to make up for his past behaviour.
This was an emotional story, with plenty here about how the actions of family can have an effect on a child/young adult/whatever, especially when drugs and abuse are in the mix. Lucas is self-aware enough to realise he is letting his own past affect his current views and tries to amend that.
Along with Mads and Lucas, there is a whole side story going on with Brit and Stefan, although they don't overshadow the main story. And then there is a final moment with Rome that I did not see coming! I knew he was being mentioned but simply thought it was because his was the next book in this series.
This was a great addition to the series, full of emotions and feelings, where life doesn't always run smoothly or as expected, but where family can be found to either make up for the one you have or to enhance the one you already have.
A fantastic read that I definitely recommend.
** 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!
Aug 28, 2023
This was an emotional story, with plenty here about how the actions of family can have an effect on a child/young adult/whatever, especially when drugs and abuse are in the mix. Lucas is self-aware enough to realise he is letting his own past affect his current views and tries to amend that.
Along with Mads and Lucas, there is a whole side story going on with Brit and Stefan, although they don't overshadow the main story. And then there is a final moment with Rome that I did not see coming! I knew he was being mentioned but simply thought it was because his was the next book in this series.
This was a great addition to the series, full of emotions and feelings, where life doesn't always run smoothly or as expected, but where family can be found to either make up for the one you have or to enhance the one you already have.
A fantastic read that I definitely recommend.
** 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!
Aug 28, 2023
Britt Smith (36 KP) rated Dredd (2012) in Movies
Mar 12, 2018 (Updated Mar 12, 2018)
Pure action (2 more)
True to the comic
MaMa
Yeah.
What's not to love here? A fan of the comic, I had the chance to see the movie in 3D and it is one of the best cinema experiences ever (and the best action to date). Carl Urban does absolute justice to the character, and the movie itself does Mega-City 1 right. If you haven't seen it, do yourself a favor.
Also, favorite female villain of all time goes to Ma-Ma. Best put by Lena Headey when she said "I think of her like an old great white shark who is just waiting for someone bigger and stronger to show up and kill her. She's ready for it. In fact, she can't wait for it to happen. And yet no one can get the job done. She's an addict, so she's dead in that way, but that last knock just hasn't come. This big, fat, scarred shark moving through the sea and everyone flees and she's like, 'Will someone just have the balls to do it? Please?'"
Also, favorite female villain of all time goes to Ma-Ma. Best put by Lena Headey when she said "I think of her like an old great white shark who is just waiting for someone bigger and stronger to show up and kill her. She's ready for it. In fact, she can't wait for it to happen. And yet no one can get the job done. She's an addict, so she's dead in that way, but that last knock just hasn't come. This big, fat, scarred shark moving through the sea and everyone flees and she's like, 'Will someone just have the balls to do it? Please?'"
Caffeinated Fae (464 KP) rated Lover Enshrined (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #6) in Books
Jul 10, 2018
Review Updated as of 12/21/2017:
J. R. Ward has a way of making you love and hate characters. Lover Enshrined infuriated me and made me cry tears of happiness. This is the story of Phury which is about as messed up as anyone would expect. You see a lot of the addict in him and you get to know him better in this novel.
I liked this book just like all of the others in this series but I will say that it frustrated me to the point of having to change back to reading the book instead of listening. The narrator did a great job but there is just something about reading while frustrated vs. listening while frustrated.
This book brings you new characters to fall in love with and relate to. The characters are well thought out and are still unique and interesting. J.R. Ward definitely knows how to make characters that you will fall in love with and relate to.
All in all, it's a good book.
J. R. Ward has a way of making you love and hate characters. Lover Enshrined infuriated me and made me cry tears of happiness. This is the story of Phury which is about as messed up as anyone would expect. You see a lot of the addict in him and you get to know him better in this novel.
I liked this book just like all of the others in this series but I will say that it frustrated me to the point of having to change back to reading the book instead of listening. The narrator did a great job but there is just something about reading while frustrated vs. listening while frustrated.
This book brings you new characters to fall in love with and relate to. The characters are well thought out and are still unique and interesting. J.R. Ward definitely knows how to make characters that you will fall in love with and relate to.
All in all, it's a good book.
Sam (74 KP) rated It Started With A Tweet in Books
Mar 27, 2019
Phone addict Daisy will do anything for a like on social media. She shares almost everything from her life and exaggerates about all of it too. It’s a good skill to have when your job is to run the social media of a company, not so good when you accidentally send an explicit tweet through your company’s account rather than your own.
Daisy’s life is turned upside-down. She is sacked from her job after her tweet goes viral, and hopeless that she will find another place willing to take her. A digital detox is just what she needs. She goes to stay at a farm her sister Rosie has bought and helps her renovate it, meeting some interesting people along the way.
It Started With A Tweet reminded me of Cecelia Ahern and Sophie Kinsella, so it was right up my street. It’s lighthearted and laugh-out-loud funny and overall a really entertaining read. Daisy’s constant comments made me giggle and she was such a lifelike character.
It was also interesting to read someone going through a digital detox because I know for sure that I wouldn’t be able to just stop using my phone and my laptop. My life is social media, so I have a real understanding of Daisy’s character.
Daisy’s life is turned upside-down. She is sacked from her job after her tweet goes viral, and hopeless that she will find another place willing to take her. A digital detox is just what she needs. She goes to stay at a farm her sister Rosie has bought and helps her renovate it, meeting some interesting people along the way.
It Started With A Tweet reminded me of Cecelia Ahern and Sophie Kinsella, so it was right up my street. It’s lighthearted and laugh-out-loud funny and overall a really entertaining read. Daisy’s constant comments made me giggle and she was such a lifelike character.
It was also interesting to read someone going through a digital detox because I know for sure that I wouldn’t be able to just stop using my phone and my laptop. My life is social media, so I have a real understanding of Daisy’s character.
Suswatibasu (1701 KP) rated Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis in Books
Oct 22, 2017
An untold story of white working-class poverty in the US
J. D. Vance's homage to his poverty-stricken, working class roots in America is essential reading for those attempting to understand how a person like Trump can end up in power.
Without attributing the 2016 election results to Vance and his family himself, the author paints a picture of a total disconnect between establishments and white working class voters. From education, to opportunities in climbing the social ladder, Vance can be seen as an exception due to the lack of outreach from these institutions.
His story can appear both depressing and uplifting at the same time. From experiencing trauma through a broken home, poverty, and an abusive addict mother, to having supportive grandparents who are able to push him into believing in himself. Vance breaks the mould eventually studying at Yale and becoming a venture capitalist. But his doubts in himself are ever present.
Vance, however, also blames 'hillbilly' culture and it's encouragement of social rot. Likewise, he recounts stories about lack of work ethic, and the notion of blaming others for their own misfortune. It highlights the need for stability in families in order for upward mobility.
It is a raw, emotional portrait of growing up in and eventually out of a poor rural community riddled by drug addiction and volatility.
Without attributing the 2016 election results to Vance and his family himself, the author paints a picture of a total disconnect between establishments and white working class voters. From education, to opportunities in climbing the social ladder, Vance can be seen as an exception due to the lack of outreach from these institutions.
His story can appear both depressing and uplifting at the same time. From experiencing trauma through a broken home, poverty, and an abusive addict mother, to having supportive grandparents who are able to push him into believing in himself. Vance breaks the mould eventually studying at Yale and becoming a venture capitalist. But his doubts in himself are ever present.
Vance, however, also blames 'hillbilly' culture and it's encouragement of social rot. Likewise, he recounts stories about lack of work ethic, and the notion of blaming others for their own misfortune. It highlights the need for stability in families in order for upward mobility.
It is a raw, emotional portrait of growing up in and eventually out of a poor rural community riddled by drug addiction and volatility.
Hauntingly moving.
Unlike a lot of TV I’ve watched lately this is non stop gripping from beginning to end. I was constantly on full alert to what was happening and didn’t even glance at my phone while watching (high praise from a phone addict!) This dramatisation of the 1986 nuclear accident is one of the most disturbing things I’ve ever watched.
The terrifying detail shown of the effects of a high dose of radiation had was hard to watch, even for my horror hardened eyes. Seeing dogs being killed almost broke me but it was the little personal narratives (on the whole very well acted) throughout that brought home what a huge tragedy this event was. The whole thing is depicted with perfectly haunting cinematography.
The timing of this seems to also have a poignant feel to it with a close look at the consequences of the secretive nature of the Soviet government and the spin they wanted to put on the accident in the news for the rest of the world to see. Fake news is no new phenomenon….
This is one of those important real life stories that has a lot for us to learn from it and also happens to be an incredibly well done piece of TV. Everyone should watch (age appropriately, of course.)
The terrifying detail shown of the effects of a high dose of radiation had was hard to watch, even for my horror hardened eyes. Seeing dogs being killed almost broke me but it was the little personal narratives (on the whole very well acted) throughout that brought home what a huge tragedy this event was. The whole thing is depicted with perfectly haunting cinematography.
The timing of this seems to also have a poignant feel to it with a close look at the consequences of the secretive nature of the Soviet government and the spin they wanted to put on the accident in the news for the rest of the world to see. Fake news is no new phenomenon….
This is one of those important real life stories that has a lot for us to learn from it and also happens to be an incredibly well done piece of TV. Everyone should watch (age appropriately, of course.)
A heartbreaking and ultimately uplifting story of two sisters.
Sal is the main character in this book : a story of abuse, survival and the love of two sisters.
Sal and Peppa's mum is an alcoholic with a knack of finding unsuitable boyfriends, Robert is a drunk, a drug addict and a child abuser. He abuses 13 year old Sal, and when he threatens to do the same to do the same to 10 year old Peppa, Sal decides to act and save them. She learns all she can of wild camping, survival techniques from the SAS and anything else she can pick up from the internet. She finds a remote place where they can set up camp and live away from Social Services and the 'Polis'
There is a lot of description of their surroundings in the mountains and the Loch that they live near, which I really liked. The elderly East German doctor that they meet is also a nice touch.
It hadn't actually occurred to me that this was a Young Adult book: I enjoyed it and I'm certainly not a young adult (in body, anyway!).
The novel didn't have the ending that I would have expected, but it was a good ending and very appropriate.
All in all, a very good story.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of the book.
Sal and Peppa's mum is an alcoholic with a knack of finding unsuitable boyfriends, Robert is a drunk, a drug addict and a child abuser. He abuses 13 year old Sal, and when he threatens to do the same to do the same to 10 year old Peppa, Sal decides to act and save them. She learns all she can of wild camping, survival techniques from the SAS and anything else she can pick up from the internet. She finds a remote place where they can set up camp and live away from Social Services and the 'Polis'
There is a lot of description of their surroundings in the mountains and the Loch that they live near, which I really liked. The elderly East German doctor that they meet is also a nice touch.
It hadn't actually occurred to me that this was a Young Adult book: I enjoyed it and I'm certainly not a young adult (in body, anyway!).
The novel didn't have the ending that I would have expected, but it was a good ending and very appropriate.
All in all, a very good story.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of the book.
Merissa (11646 KP) rated Cherokee Summer in Books
Feb 12, 2020
Cherokee Summer tells the story of two eighteen-year-old's who both have challenging family lives, although in different ways. Ace has a dad who is cheating, a mum who is a drunk, and also has to take the major responsibility of looking after her brother. John wants to leave the reservation and go to college whilst still dealing with the rest of his family and his addict mum.
In this story you get to see where each character comes from, with their own trials and tribulations, as well as seeing them grow closer together - mainly through adversity!
There are many characters in here, some of whom play a big role, some of whom don't. There are good characters and bad. What this means is you get rich, well-rounded story with plenty to keep you turning the pages. There is action and adventure, young love, suspense, and even some moments that had me shaking my head in gob-smacked wonder.
Full of drama, this is told from the first perspective from the viewpoints of both Ace and John. If you are on the lookout for an intriguing story then I can definitely recommend this one.
* 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!
In this story you get to see where each character comes from, with their own trials and tribulations, as well as seeing them grow closer together - mainly through adversity!
There are many characters in here, some of whom play a big role, some of whom don't. There are good characters and bad. What this means is you get rich, well-rounded story with plenty to keep you turning the pages. There is action and adventure, young love, suspense, and even some moments that had me shaking my head in gob-smacked wonder.
Full of drama, this is told from the first perspective from the viewpoints of both Ace and John. If you are on the lookout for an intriguing story then I can definitely recommend this one.
* 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!
An uncomfortable, yet compelling, novel
On the face of it, you would think that Adèle has it all: a good job as a reporter, a handsome surgeon husband, a young son, she’s slim and she’s beautiful. But this all masks another side to Adèle. She’s dissatisfied with her life: she controls what and how much she eats, and she engages in risky sexual behaviour with strangers. The sex is an addiction. When she’s not doing it, she’s thinking about it, and she wants a lot of it. There’s no eroticism in the telling of these encounters - it’s function, pure and simple, and quite violent sometimes. It’s like the drug addict getting their hit. You can feel the self-loathing emanating from the pages.
This is a dark, uncomfortable to read book, but it’s also compelling. There’s nothing voyeuristic about this book, no titillation, it’s just sad. And if you’re into books with a final resolution, then this is not the book for you.
It sounds as though no one could possibly enjoy this book, but strangely enough, I really did. I thought that the atmosphere of the book was really well written (and kudos to the excellent translator, Sam Taylor), and the main characters feelings of being trapped made for a really claustrophobic read. I think it’s definitely worth a read, if you’re in the mood for something as, dare I say, depressing, as this. I use the word ‘depressing’, but honestly, it was a good read!
This is a dark, uncomfortable to read book, but it’s also compelling. There’s nothing voyeuristic about this book, no titillation, it’s just sad. And if you’re into books with a final resolution, then this is not the book for you.
It sounds as though no one could possibly enjoy this book, but strangely enough, I really did. I thought that the atmosphere of the book was really well written (and kudos to the excellent translator, Sam Taylor), and the main characters feelings of being trapped made for a really claustrophobic read. I think it’s definitely worth a read, if you’re in the mood for something as, dare I say, depressing, as this. I use the word ‘depressing’, but honestly, it was a good read!
Saul Sailing Snapper (211 KP) rated Bosch - Season 5 in TV
May 20, 2019
Cast are superb (1 more)
Taut thriller with many plot lines.
A slow burn but worth it.
Bosch season 5 is another slow burning police procedural following several cases being investigated by the LAPD West Hollywood Division.
Harry Bosch was created by Michael Connolly in a series of books and has been adapted very well for the small screen. Titus Welliver (Lost, Deadwood) is perfect in the lead role as the gifted detective who has a troubled past.
This series opens with Bosch having fallen on hard times. With ruffled hair, leg in a brace and a cane, he is ushered off a bus in a make shift camp in the desert. Shuffling in a line of desperate addicts he waits for his reward for a day's work, a dose of opioids. After a run in with another addict he is caught snooping around the camp by one of the guards. He is taken to the head kingpin who thinking he is spying on them puts one bullet in the gun found in Bosch's backpack and points it at his head about to pull the trigger...
This series is possibly one of the best crime/detective shows around at the moment. It's pace is deliberate and slow with detectives taking their time finding vital clues (or missing them) but cleverly working multiple plot lines throughout the entire 10 episodes.
Harry Bosch was created by Michael Connolly in a series of books and has been adapted very well for the small screen. Titus Welliver (Lost, Deadwood) is perfect in the lead role as the gifted detective who has a troubled past.
This series opens with Bosch having fallen on hard times. With ruffled hair, leg in a brace and a cane, he is ushered off a bus in a make shift camp in the desert. Shuffling in a line of desperate addicts he waits for his reward for a day's work, a dose of opioids. After a run in with another addict he is caught snooping around the camp by one of the guards. He is taken to the head kingpin who thinking he is spying on them puts one bullet in the gun found in Bosch's backpack and points it at his head about to pull the trigger...
This series is possibly one of the best crime/detective shows around at the moment. It's pace is deliberate and slow with detectives taking their time finding vital clues (or missing them) but cleverly working multiple plot lines throughout the entire 10 episodes.