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Murder at Mallowan Hall
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As head of household for none other than Agatha Christie, Phyllida Bright finds her position...
graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated Ashton's Bride in Books
Feb 15, 2019
I have mixed feelings about this book. It was well-written, Margaret and Ashton were sympathetic, but I hated the way she time-traveled. It started off well enough until that point and I had a hard time getting past it. (I'll talk more about that in a hidden spoiler) Other than the time-travel, which is a big part of the book obviously, I enjoyed it. The relationship between Margaret and Ashton was pretty realistic and loving. So as far as time-travel romances, it's not one of my favorites, but it is still a good love story. In some ways, I think it might have been better strictly as historical romance.
Be warned! Massive ranting ahead!
<spoiler>
1. Like I said before, I hated her time-travel method. I don't quite get even how she time-traveled and the part I hate the absolute most is that she's in someone else's body. I just recently read a short story that had the same time-travel method, except that it was explained. I just find it disturbing and creepy, not to mention the amount of times it is said in the book how beautiful and perfect her looks are. Pretty nauseating. I just don't know how you could get used to looking in the mirror and not seeing yourself. That'd just be weird to me, even if I did happen to enter into a drop-dead gorgeous body. And Margaret acted like she was some freak of nature when she was in 1993. Boo hoo. Be happy with yourself for goodness sake! It seemed somewhat like the author was saying that you're not good enough if you're not beautiful. At least, that's the impression it gave to me.
2. It seemed to me that Ashton was infatuated with Mag. He couldn't have possibly actually loved her the way she was before Margaret entered her body, but he said he had. He really had to have fallen in love with Margaret, not Mag, and the blurriness there bothered me.
3. They're cousins. Okay so Margaret actually isn't, but the body she's in is. So what about children? Not a major point since cousins marrying isn't all that odd back then, but because of my other problems, it creeped me out more here.
4. Margaret's whole "revelation." She says now her parents and siblings never went to Cape Cod and are alive after all since they only went because of her and now she's back in time, and her parents only had two kids and not three. Umm no. If her parents never had her, then it would be impossible (yes, so is time-travel, but that's beside the point) for her to have gone back in time at all! She would have disappeared; she couldn't just be there now! Am I the only one who can see that?! Remember the photo featuring disappearing McFly's in Back to the Future? What comes around goes around. There's a few instances of that, but this is the one that bothers me most.
5. How did the papers show up? Seemed really unnecessary just to have Ashton believe her.
Had the back cover described how exactly Margaret time-traveled (like a mention of waking up in a strange body, perhaps?), maybe I wouldn't have had such a hard time with the concept and the other stuff wouldn't have bothered me as much. Who's to know?</spoiler> I promise, I'm really not crazy, even if my rants point to the contrary. I really think it could have been a great story, and I'm sure others will enjoy it, I just was left very disappointed.
Be warned! Massive ranting ahead!
<spoiler>
1. Like I said before, I hated her time-travel method. I don't quite get even how she time-traveled and the part I hate the absolute most is that she's in someone else's body. I just recently read a short story that had the same time-travel method, except that it was explained. I just find it disturbing and creepy, not to mention the amount of times it is said in the book how beautiful and perfect her looks are. Pretty nauseating. I just don't know how you could get used to looking in the mirror and not seeing yourself. That'd just be weird to me, even if I did happen to enter into a drop-dead gorgeous body. And Margaret acted like she was some freak of nature when she was in 1993. Boo hoo. Be happy with yourself for goodness sake! It seemed somewhat like the author was saying that you're not good enough if you're not beautiful. At least, that's the impression it gave to me.
2. It seemed to me that Ashton was infatuated with Mag. He couldn't have possibly actually loved her the way she was before Margaret entered her body, but he said he had. He really had to have fallen in love with Margaret, not Mag, and the blurriness there bothered me.
3. They're cousins. Okay so Margaret actually isn't, but the body she's in is. So what about children? Not a major point since cousins marrying isn't all that odd back then, but because of my other problems, it creeped me out more here.
4. Margaret's whole "revelation." She says now her parents and siblings never went to Cape Cod and are alive after all since they only went because of her and now she's back in time, and her parents only had two kids and not three. Umm no. If her parents never had her, then it would be impossible (yes, so is time-travel, but that's beside the point) for her to have gone back in time at all! She would have disappeared; she couldn't just be there now! Am I the only one who can see that?! Remember the photo featuring disappearing McFly's in Back to the Future? What comes around goes around. There's a few instances of that, but this is the one that bothers me most.
5. How did the papers show up? Seemed really unnecessary just to have Ashton believe her.
Had the back cover described how exactly Margaret time-traveled (like a mention of waking up in a strange body, perhaps?), maybe I wouldn't have had such a hard time with the concept and the other stuff wouldn't have bothered me as much. Who's to know?</spoiler> I promise, I'm really not crazy, even if my rants point to the contrary. I really think it could have been a great story, and I'm sure others will enjoy it, I just was left very disappointed.
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I thought this book was really well done. This was this month's choice for book club. My BC has many members who identify as gender fluid and this book really resonated with them. A wakes up in a different body every day. To them, it doesn't really matter if they are male or female, that doesn't matter to them. What does matter, is the person and the different characteristics and traits that can make one individual distinguished from the next.
This book touched on so many different struggles that a person can be facing. It is hard to know what someone is going through unless you are literally walking in their shoes.
This book touched on so many different struggles that a person can be facing. It is hard to know what someone is going through unless you are literally walking in their shoes.
Rose-Marie3071 (67 KP) rated Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood in TV
Feb 23, 2019
Brillance
Contains spoilers, click to show
I love this anime!
It is a brilliant, well thought out, comprehensive series with no end of twists and turns in the plot. In comparison to the original Fullmetal Alchemist, The Brotherhood series follows the Manga and flows a lot better than the original.
The series both follow the tale of Edward and Alphonse Elric as the journey to find a way to recover their bodies, Brotherhood however, in my opinion, covers a more fluid storyline with less plot holes.
I have to admit though that one of my favourite scenes is during the Fifth Laboratory when 66/Barry the Chopper reacts to Alhponse's lack of body despite his own lack of one.
It is a brilliant, well thought out, comprehensive series with no end of twists and turns in the plot. In comparison to the original Fullmetal Alchemist, The Brotherhood series follows the Manga and flows a lot better than the original.
The series both follow the tale of Edward and Alphonse Elric as the journey to find a way to recover their bodies, Brotherhood however, in my opinion, covers a more fluid storyline with less plot holes.
I have to admit though that one of my favourite scenes is during the Fifth Laboratory when 66/Barry the Chopper reacts to Alhponse's lack of body despite his own lack of one.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2346 KP) rated Boiled Over (A Maine Clambake Mystery, #2) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Founder's Day Weekend gets off to a rough start when a body is found in the fire the Snowden Family Clambake was using to prepare a meal. With the police looking at one of their employees, Julia must dig in and find the real killer.
The story started out strongly and never faltered as it led me through several twists and turns. The characters were just as strong as in the debut, and I enjoyed spending time with all of them again.
Note: I was sent a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2014/05/book-review-boiled-over-by-barbara-ross.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
The story started out strongly and never faltered as it led me through several twists and turns. The characters were just as strong as in the debut, and I enjoyed spending time with all of them again.
Note: I was sent a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2014/05/book-review-boiled-over-by-barbara-ross.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.