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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2440 KP) rated Mother-Daughter Murder Night in Books
Jul 5, 2024
I Enjoyed the Book, but I Wanted to Like It More
When Los Angeles based real estate mogul Lana Rubicon is diagnosed with cancer, she moves to the central California coast so her daughter, Beth, and granddaughter, Jacqueline (aka Jack) can take care of her, a scary prospect since Lana doesn’t necessarily get along with them. But when a kayak group that Jack is leading discover a dead body, Lana jumps into the case to help her granddaughter. Will this prove to be the distraction and bonding agent that three of them need?
I really wanted to like this book, and there were things I did. While a bit slow, especially at the beginning, the mystery did drawn me in. On the other hand, I figured out the killer pretty early. Lana has some rough edges, and it took quite a while to warm up to her. Since most (but not all) of the book is told from her third person point-of-view, that was an issue. It helped that I liked Beth and Jack and their relationship. I was also pretty discouraged by how most of the men in the story were portrayed. The setting came to life, and I enjoyed spending time there. Overall, the book has a serious tone and is more a traditional mystery than a cozy. It’s definitely not a thriller. As I said, this was a mixed bag. I’m glad I read it, but I will hesitate before I pick up anything else from this author.
I really wanted to like this book, and there were things I did. While a bit slow, especially at the beginning, the mystery did drawn me in. On the other hand, I figured out the killer pretty early. Lana has some rough edges, and it took quite a while to warm up to her. Since most (but not all) of the book is told from her third person point-of-view, that was an issue. It helped that I liked Beth and Jack and their relationship. I was also pretty discouraged by how most of the men in the story were portrayed. The setting came to life, and I enjoyed spending time there. Overall, the book has a serious tone and is more a traditional mystery than a cozy. It’s definitely not a thriller. As I said, this was a mixed bag. I’m glad I read it, but I will hesitate before I pick up anything else from this author.
Memory is Our Home: Loss and Remembering: Three Generations in Poland and Russia 1917-1960s
Book
"Memory is Our Home" is a powerful biographical memoir based on the diaries of Roma...
Anxiety and Panic: How to Reshape Your Anxious Mind and Brain
Book
A practical guide to understanding, managing and overcoming anxiety and panic attacks by bestselling...
Athan Pro – Prayer Timings and Tracking
Utilities and Education
App
Get accurate prayer timings and log your prayers! Athan app will help you achieve prayer discipline...
UB
Understanding Breastfeeding and How to Succeed
Elisabet Helsing and Anna-Pia Haggkvist
Book
Understanding Breastfeeding is a highly readable and encouraging introduction to the topic. It is...
Louise (64 KP) rated Wolf by Wolf (Wolf by Wolf, #1) in Books
Jul 2, 2018
Yael is 5 years old and finds herself a prisoner in a Nazi Concentration camp, she has been specifically selected by a doctor for an experiment. The experiment entails a series of injections every few days - their aim.... to make her blonde haired and blue-eyed (an Aryan). These injections are severe and the weak show signs of fever and for most of them death but not for Yael.
1956 Yael is a member of the resistance, her aim in life is to kill Hitler to make the world a better place. With so many assassination attempts Hitler hardly attends social functions, so it's quite difficult to get near him. The resistance have a plan which involves Yael - she must enter the Axis Motorbike race disguised as another young girl who has once had the pleasure of meeting the Führer - if Yael can win, her life's mission will be complete, However she didn't plan for all the backstabbing and love involved in the race or the hidden secrets which are not on file. For this no training would help her, she has to win.
This is one of those books that explores the topic of Hitler winning the war and how the rest of the world would be effected and what other bizarre theories he comes up with. This also covers another serious topic that I myself did not know about was that people were experimented on in the concentration camps which caused death and disfigurements. Which is absolutely brutal and very hard to read about.
I was umming and ahhing over this book for a while,I heard many great things about it but I still wasn't totally convinced. Was it the fact that this book is based on Hitler winning and carrying on with his reign of terror or was it the motorcycle race? I have never read anything about racing before and it doesn't really appeal to me.However my lesson has been learnt...... I think! Always try to read something out of your comfort zone because you never know you might just end up loving it, which is exactly what happened to me with this book.
I loved this book with a passion, I loved the back stories to the wolves and how they become. The authors writing style was beautiful to read, utterly compelling but also hard due to the content and how realistic it was. This is a book that explores identity and reasons that drive Yael on through her mission. The book does go back and forth from the past and present, which I really enjoyed, I think if the book wasn't written this way it could have dragged a bit. The premise of this book is definitely unique and like nothing I have read before. Ryan Graudin has a novella which is called Iron to Iron which I desperately need to read as I just want more.
I recommend this book to anyone with an interest in historical fiction and young adult.
Overall I rated this book 5 out of 5 stars
1956 Yael is a member of the resistance, her aim in life is to kill Hitler to make the world a better place. With so many assassination attempts Hitler hardly attends social functions, so it's quite difficult to get near him. The resistance have a plan which involves Yael - she must enter the Axis Motorbike race disguised as another young girl who has once had the pleasure of meeting the Führer - if Yael can win, her life's mission will be complete, However she didn't plan for all the backstabbing and love involved in the race or the hidden secrets which are not on file. For this no training would help her, she has to win.
This is one of those books that explores the topic of Hitler winning the war and how the rest of the world would be effected and what other bizarre theories he comes up with. This also covers another serious topic that I myself did not know about was that people were experimented on in the concentration camps which caused death and disfigurements. Which is absolutely brutal and very hard to read about.
I was umming and ahhing over this book for a while,I heard many great things about it but I still wasn't totally convinced. Was it the fact that this book is based on Hitler winning and carrying on with his reign of terror or was it the motorcycle race? I have never read anything about racing before and it doesn't really appeal to me.However my lesson has been learnt...... I think! Always try to read something out of your comfort zone because you never know you might just end up loving it, which is exactly what happened to me with this book.
I loved this book with a passion, I loved the back stories to the wolves and how they become. The authors writing style was beautiful to read, utterly compelling but also hard due to the content and how realistic it was. This is a book that explores identity and reasons that drive Yael on through her mission. The book does go back and forth from the past and present, which I really enjoyed, I think if the book wasn't written this way it could have dragged a bit. The premise of this book is definitely unique and like nothing I have read before. Ryan Graudin has a novella which is called Iron to Iron which I desperately need to read as I just want more.
I recommend this book to anyone with an interest in historical fiction and young adult.
Overall I rated this book 5 out of 5 stars
Debbiereadsbook (1570 KP) rated Unbar the Barred (Darling Ranch #1) in Books
Aug 24, 2025
Cassidy and Trey are perfect for each other!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
This book was originally called Ranch Down and was published in an anthology, it hasn't had any revisions, bar some minor editing. It's based in the Divergent Omegavesre world, but can totally be read as a stand alone novel to that series. It's a jumping off point, the start of a new series, set on Darling Ranch.
Cassidy and Trey have a friends with benefits thing going on. Neither will admit to the other, but they both want more. The arrival at the Darling Ranch of the Starling brothers presses ALL of Trey's buttons and he claims what really has been his for a long time. But can a city wolf and a farm chick really be happy?
This was, and I defy anyone to tell me otherwise, the most too stinkin cute, warm and fuzzies, low angst book I've read in a long time!
Cassidy and Trey really are perfect for each other. They know it. We know it but they refuse to admit to the other about it. It takes a Starling to flirt with Cassidy for Trey to broadcast his feelings across the bar and go all cave man on Cassidy and I loved that!
It's steamy, with Cassidy and Trey already in a relationship, of sorts. They already know what they like, what the other likes, so the first time is straight in, so to speak.
Once they admit to the other what they really want, they go all in and are out to make this work, they just need to find a compromise in the location of them being together.
Loved Cassidy's girls and their outfits!
Some overlap in the timeline with Silas's Sweetheart, which is the Divergent Omegaverse book 4. We do meet Cass and Trey there.
Thoroughly enjoyable hour's read!
4 very good stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
This book was originally called Ranch Down and was published in an anthology, it hasn't had any revisions, bar some minor editing. It's based in the Divergent Omegavesre world, but can totally be read as a stand alone novel to that series. It's a jumping off point, the start of a new series, set on Darling Ranch.
Cassidy and Trey have a friends with benefits thing going on. Neither will admit to the other, but they both want more. The arrival at the Darling Ranch of the Starling brothers presses ALL of Trey's buttons and he claims what really has been his for a long time. But can a city wolf and a farm chick really be happy?
This was, and I defy anyone to tell me otherwise, the most too stinkin cute, warm and fuzzies, low angst book I've read in a long time!
Cassidy and Trey really are perfect for each other. They know it. We know it but they refuse to admit to the other about it. It takes a Starling to flirt with Cassidy for Trey to broadcast his feelings across the bar and go all cave man on Cassidy and I loved that!
It's steamy, with Cassidy and Trey already in a relationship, of sorts. They already know what they like, what the other likes, so the first time is straight in, so to speak.
Once they admit to the other what they really want, they go all in and are out to make this work, they just need to find a compromise in the location of them being together.
Loved Cassidy's girls and their outfits!
Some overlap in the timeline with Silas's Sweetheart, which is the Divergent Omegaverse book 4. We do meet Cass and Trey there.
Thoroughly enjoyable hour's read!
4 very good stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
Tech Tally: Approaches to Assessing Technological Literacy
Elsa Gamire, Greg Pearson, Committee on Assessing Technological Literacy and National Academy of Engi
Book
In a broad sense, technology is any modification of the natural world made to fulfill human needs or...
Mothergamer (1604 KP) rated the PlayStation 3 version of Dragon's Dogma in Video Games
Apr 3, 2019
I have been having a blast with Dragon's Dogma. The story is excellent and gives you a great sense of high adventure. Strategy matters here because if you don't plan accordingly you will die fighting that chimera or a mob of bandits even on the easy setting. The battle system and menu options are great and quite user friendly. The scenery is simply breathtaking with views of seaside cliffs and spooky forests.
What a view!
The star of the show for me is the incredible Pawn system. When you go adventuring in Dragon's Dogma, you get to create your own pawn, how it looks, job class, etc. and you can recruit two support pawns for your party. Other players can hire your pawn and you can hire theirs from an in town hub called The Rift. Pawns can be rated based on their skills, helpfulness, intelligence, and appearance. You can also give gifts to the pawn for their owner as a thank you for their service. If you're online, you will see pawns roaming the world on the road or in towns and you can hire them. Your main pawn's interaction depends on you and it will evolve based on your battle moves and what you tell it in the training chair at every town's inn, making it the helpful ally that a high adventurer needs. The pawns are quite vocal and will even yell out helpful tips about defeating a boss or that pesky golem giving you trouble. Pawns can be fighters, warriors, striders, rangers, mages, and sorcerers. This gives you quite a variety of choices in picking out a party that is suited to your battle style and tastes.
Great support pawns are wonderful to have.
Overall the game is a big win in my book for having not only great gameplay, but also for having a truly interesting story and side quests rife with epic mythical monster battles. Dragon's Dogma is game that you will enjoy playing again and again.
What a view!
The star of the show for me is the incredible Pawn system. When you go adventuring in Dragon's Dogma, you get to create your own pawn, how it looks, job class, etc. and you can recruit two support pawns for your party. Other players can hire your pawn and you can hire theirs from an in town hub called The Rift. Pawns can be rated based on their skills, helpfulness, intelligence, and appearance. You can also give gifts to the pawn for their owner as a thank you for their service. If you're online, you will see pawns roaming the world on the road or in towns and you can hire them. Your main pawn's interaction depends on you and it will evolve based on your battle moves and what you tell it in the training chair at every town's inn, making it the helpful ally that a high adventurer needs. The pawns are quite vocal and will even yell out helpful tips about defeating a boss or that pesky golem giving you trouble. Pawns can be fighters, warriors, striders, rangers, mages, and sorcerers. This gives you quite a variety of choices in picking out a party that is suited to your battle style and tastes.
Great support pawns are wonderful to have.
Overall the game is a big win in my book for having not only great gameplay, but also for having a truly interesting story and side quests rife with epic mythical monster battles. Dragon's Dogma is game that you will enjoy playing again and again.