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The Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad
Colson Whitehead | 2016 | Fiction & Poetry
7.7 (10 Ratings)
Book Favorite

"This goes on my short list of gigantical bestsellers that, when I read it way back in galleys, made me think, “This is going to be a gigantical bestseller—and truly deserves to be.” It’s just fantastically imagined and extraordinarily powerful."

Source
  
1E
4
6.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
While this book was a good book, there were way too many people to keep up with. It wasn't until I started the book, that I realized that there were others in the series. I don't know if I would have enjoyed the book more if I would have started with the beginning of the series. Not sure if I will read any more about the Cedar Cove crew,but will keep them in mind. This book was on a reading list I had created of bestsellers and Oprah book club selections and recommendations from other readers.
  
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James Koppert (2698 KP) rated The Last Kingdom in TV

Oct 31, 2019 (Updated Oct 31, 2019)  
The Last Kingdom
The Last Kingdom
2015 | Action, Drama, History
If you love history, here you are (0 more)
The lead actor isn't quite convincing enough. (0 more)
The books are bestsellers, here is the series
If you debating whether to watch this or not, if you haven't seen Vikings yet, ignore this, watch that first. It's one of the best series ever. However when you have watched it you will want more and you can come into this. This is still brilliant. A fascinating bloodthirsty and dangerous part of British history. The noveks have sold bucket loads. The only thing that lets it down is the lead actor should be a little scary as well as the hero and he's mainly just heroic. Still, it doesn't take away from the entertainment factor. I love this.
  
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Milleen (47 KP) rated You in Books

Nov 14, 2018  
You
You
Caroline Kepnes | 2014 | Crime, Mystery
8
8.0 (27 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is not for the feint hearted. Joe Goldberg outwardly seems like an average guy who works in a bookstore but after a visit from a beautiful, aspiring writer, Guinevere Beck, he obsesses about the encounter and starts obsessing over her and trawling through her social media accounts. Written from his point of view, this is a disturbing but totally absorbing insight into the fractured mind of a stalker. The prose is rapid, candid and visceral, so much so that it’s hard to believe it’s a male point of view written by a woman. This was Kepne’s debut novel and released in 2015 but it’s still hovering around the top twenty bestsellers. If you need a reason to cut back on tweets and Facebook updates, this book will make you think twice before you post any updates.
  
Dark Habits (Entre tinieblas) (1983)
Dark Habits (Entre tinieblas) (1983)
1983 | Comedy, International
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Rather uneven comedy melodrama from very early in Pedro Almodovar's career. A cabaret singer hides out in a convent; the Mother Superior has a heroin habit, the nuns have names like Sister Manure and Sister Sewer Rat, one of them writes schlocky bestsellers on the quiet and another keeps a pet tiger in the convent gardens.

Apparently intended as a critique of the anachronism of organised religion in modern Spain, and to begin with the film's various provocations are diverting and amusing, but the jokes dry up after a while and any serious points the film is making get lost in all the silliness. The fact the main character is played by a non-actress does not help. The plot is the kind of mixture of deep emotion and absurd contrivance that Almodovar has built a career on, but at this point he was yet to master making you invest in it and care about the characters. Kind of diverting and interestingly weird in places, but clearly the work of a director still paying his dues.
  
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BTPBookclub (18 KP) rated I Let You Go in Books

May 14, 2019  
I Let You Go
I Let You Go
Clare Mackintosh | 2015 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.3 (11 Ratings)
Book Rating
Cleverly written plot
I had heard so much about this story that I had to see what all the hype was about for myself. Trust me, it did not let me down! This is the new Gone Girl and I would urge you all to read it if you haven’t already. I awarded this story five stars as it is outstanding, well written, easy to read and I was hooked throughout. Yes! I devoured and loved it. This story made me feel many different emotions throughout and is a story I will always remember with a cleverly written plot. Readers will need to prepare themselves for many twists, turns and shocking outcomes ahead! I did not expect the outcome at all until all was revealed and I really was shocked! I cannot wait to read more by Clare Mackintosh if it is going to be as good as this. You will forget the world while reading this, I did. This is the perfect story for you ALL but more specifically for readers who enjoy a brilliant thriller, mystery, crime, suspense, contemporary and bestsellers genre’s. Enjoy, this is a book you will not regret buying!
  
And the Mountains Echoed
And the Mountains Echoed
Khaled Hosseini | 2014 | Fiction & Poetry
10
7.8 (9 Ratings)
Book Rating
A story I will never forget.
This is an unforgettable novel about finding yourself through someone else. This story revolves around the ways in which families nurture, wound, betray, honor and sacrifice for each other at times that matter the most. And The Mountains Echoed expands outwards becoming an emotional and powerful read with each page you turn. This is the perfect read for those who enjoy contemporary, bestsellers, drama and family genre’s and would make an outstanding read to discuss if you are part of a book club.

I have to admit this is another one of those books that I did not think was my kind of story, how wrong was I? Very. This has to be another of my all time favourite books! This is the first book I have read by Khaled Hosseini and it will not be the last, I cannot wait to dive into more of his outstanding stories. I chose to read this book as I had heard so many good reviews and recommendations and it did not disappoint me, so it would not disappoint you. I promise! I wouldn’t say i found this story an easy read but well worth the effort! And The Mountains Echoed is a beautifully written story that will leave you wanting more! This is a must read, page turner for you all to enjoy. You are welcome.
  
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mostlyinpyjamas (13 KP) rated Still Me in Books

Nov 25, 2017  
Still Me
Still Me
Jojo Moyes | 2018 | Fiction & Poetry, Romance
9
8.7 (31 Ratings)
Book Rating
First chapter has me hooked.
I was lucky enough to receive a sample of the new Jojo Moyes book, Still Me, via Netgalley.

The blurb; Lou Clark is back in the ALL NEW Jojo Moyes novel Still Me, follow-up to the Number One international bestsellers Me Before You and After You. Read the first chapter here! Lou Clark knows too many things . . . She knows how many miles lie between her new home in New York and her new boyfriend Sam in London. She knows her employer is a good man and she knows his wife is keeping a secret from him. What Lou doesn’t know is she’s about to meet someone who’s going to turn her whole life upside down. Because Josh will remind her so much of a man she used to know that it’ll hurt. Lou won’t know what to do next, but she knows that whatever she chooses is going to change everything.

                          ~

I absolutely love Jojo Moyes’ books, she writes in a way that gently pulls you in without you even realising, then by the end of the first chapter you know you’re completely hooked.

I’ve only read the first chapter of Still Me but already I feel as if I’ve met up with an old friend – Lou Clark – and can’t wait to see what’s next for her.

The story begins with Lou arriving in New York, about to start a new job as a companion to ‘a rich mans wife who gets depressed’.

I’m looking forward to reading about life with the Gopnik family and the adventures Lou will have on Fifth Avenue New York.

The only trouble with reading the first chapter of Still Me is that now I have to wait until 25th January 2018 to read the rest of the book.
  
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Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post

Aug 20, 2022  
Author Margie Seaman shares a lovely scrapbook page for her clean romance/women's fiction novel SOMEDAY BELONGS TO US on my blog. Check it out, and enter the giveaway for a chance to win an autographed limited edition hardback of the book - three winners!

https://alltheupsandowns.blogspot.com/2022/08/book-blog-tour-and-giveaway-someday.html

**BOOK SYNOPSIS**
It’s never too late to find love on the high seas.

Kate Caldwell is a 72-year-old romance novelist writing under the nom de plume, Desiree Desire. With more than thirty bestsellers to her credit, Kate is considered an authority on romance. Her personal life, however, has been lacking in the love department for a long time, and she has all but given up hope of finding a true, romantic connection. Her latest series, about a rakish eighteenth-century pirate, has been a struggle. Her struggle with her own creative processes boils over on a stormy night, when Captain Edward Peregrine, a pirate of the Caribbean during the year 1721, begins appearing to her as she sleeps. Convinced that Edward is a figment of her imagination, Kate happily accepts his return visits, and the two collaborate on the first two books of the series. Then, Edward suddenly stops appearing, and Kate is frustrated with her publisher’s demands for the next book.

In desperation, she decides to take a two-week cruise with her granddaughter, Ellie, hoping the chance to relax and watch the waves breaking in the beautiful waters of the Caribbean will reset her creative process. Little did Kate know that troubled waters lay ahead or that she’s in for the adventure of her life, and possibly, true love at long last.
     
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Joe Goodhart (27 KP) rated 11.22.63 in Books

Nov 30, 2020  
11.22.63
11.22.63
Stephen King | 2012 | Horror, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Thriller
8
8.8 (47 Ratings)
Book Rating
When this book first came in, back in 2011, I blew it off, despite a marked interest in all things JFK/Lee Harvey Oswald conspiracy related. However, when I saw who had written it, that interest was dashed bits. Jumping ahead to yesterday, when I completed the book, I find myself having to rough myself up mentally for not reading this sooner!

The novel is unlike anything I've read by King. The prose was just right, not too much. Even the use of profanity was toned down = not sure if this was because of the era it was set (unlikely, I apt to believe, as life was not "The Donna Reed Show", contrary to what we would like to believe) or attributable to the fact that Mr. King has, in fact, grown up as a writer. In any case, I liked a whole heckuva lot!

The book had so many good plot elements: time-travel, romance, epic dilemmas, and characters that you genuinely cared about! All of the aforementioned elements added up to a novel worthy of praise and adulatation - many times over!

The story within was so engaging that I finished it within a week after starting it - something I haven't been able to do with a Stephen King novel in a loooong time! Throughout the tale, I found myself smiling, laughing, gripped with tension and suspense, and the hardest emotion to pull: tears of sadness and delight!

Look, I will not mislead or try to "lure" you into reading this. What I do is tell it like this: there more books on the NY Times bestseller list that are just filler for writers' contractual obligations, lacking the real substance or feeling needed for a proper tale.! '11/21/63' has plenty of feeling and substance, enough to offer to some of the other bestsellers on the list now, and then.

And conclusion, I will leave like this: Seriously? You do a lot worse that giving this book the shot it deserves.