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1001 Walks: You Must Experience Before You Die
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1001 Walks You Must Experience Before You Die features wide-ranging, carefully chosen routes varying...
Super Crafty: Over 75 Amazing How-to Projects
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The crafts scene is thriving as people embrace hobbies in order to create something beautiful,...
Acanthea Grimscythe (300 KP) rated The Wife Between Us in Books
May 16, 2018
The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen is most assuredly not my cup of tea. I did not enjoy reading it. So then, why the high rating? Why am I about to rave about it? Because this book is important. It delves into a subject far too easily dismissed and too stigmatized to get the attention it deserves. I’ll put it this way: the book’s synopsis is spot on, and I feel this is a must-read for young adults especially.
I don’t wish to reveal spoilers, but at the same time I feel it is my responsibility to alert my readers when there may be content in a book that could potentially trigger them. The Wife Between Us deals with the dynamics of a relationship: the good, the bad, and the ugly. If you’re currently recovering from a less than savory relationship, you may want to hold off on this: if you’re looking for a reminder that you’re not crazy though, it’s perfect. I had to stop reading a time or two for a bit, and I even caught myself crying as I finished the final pages of this book.
Hendricks and Pekkanen’s characters are remarkably average, and I feel that is important to point out. Too many times we get books with unbelievable roles cast and this allows us, as readers, to dissociate from thee story itself. In this case, as far as the women of the book are concerned, it’s quite realistic and believable.
There are moments in The Wife Between Us where I cried out, swearing in surprise. Hendricks and Pekkanen manage to write things without too much foreshadowing; their twists and turns come as a slap to the face. It keeps the reader on edge and keeps the plot from growing dull.
While I may not have found this book to be enjoyable for myself, I do love the talent that both writers clearly have. I was unable to detect the style changes, which also means that they blend in well together. I’d like to thank St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book, free of charge, for the purpose of an unbiased review.
I don’t wish to reveal spoilers, but at the same time I feel it is my responsibility to alert my readers when there may be content in a book that could potentially trigger them. The Wife Between Us deals with the dynamics of a relationship: the good, the bad, and the ugly. If you’re currently recovering from a less than savory relationship, you may want to hold off on this: if you’re looking for a reminder that you’re not crazy though, it’s perfect. I had to stop reading a time or two for a bit, and I even caught myself crying as I finished the final pages of this book.
Hendricks and Pekkanen’s characters are remarkably average, and I feel that is important to point out. Too many times we get books with unbelievable roles cast and this allows us, as readers, to dissociate from thee story itself. In this case, as far as the women of the book are concerned, it’s quite realistic and believable.
There are moments in The Wife Between Us where I cried out, swearing in surprise. Hendricks and Pekkanen manage to write things without too much foreshadowing; their twists and turns come as a slap to the face. It keeps the reader on edge and keeps the plot from growing dull.
While I may not have found this book to be enjoyable for myself, I do love the talent that both writers clearly have. I was unable to detect the style changes, which also means that they blend in well together. I’d like to thank St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book, free of charge, for the purpose of an unbiased review.
Kaz (232 KP) rated Oh Dear Silvia in Books
May 15, 2019
What the 'blurb' says:
'Silvia Shute lies in a hospital bed. Family and friends are at her side, each thinking they know the real Silvia. But do they? For Silvia hides a secret. And as her visitors gather, so the truth about Silvia is slowly revealed...'
My Thoughts:
I had never read anything by Dawn French (for anyone who doesn't know who she is, she is a famous British comedian, best known as one half of comedy duo French and Saunders) before reading 'Oh Dear Silvia' and to be honest, I had low expectations of it.
It's not that I didn't like Dawn French, I think she is a very funny woman. However with there being a current trend of celebrities writing cheesy, badly written chick-lit and selling copies because of their names alone, I thought this was going to be the same. Thankfully, I was wrong.
The writing is this book is very good. The descriptions are, at times, beautiful and each of the characters are believable and diverse. Even though the main character doesn't utter a single word throughout the book, I still felt that I knew her because of the other characters and their complex relationships with each other. One of the characters, Silvia's sister Jo, for me felt like a bit of cartoon character at the beginning. There is a scene involving her in the book, which I felt didn't fit in with the tone of the story, but I still laughed at it though. As the book progressed though, I did warm to her.
The pace of the book was slow, but I felt that this was effective, because it allowed the story to unfold at a natural pace. Towards the end, however, one of the more sinister elements of the plot, was concluded slightly quicker and in more lighthearted way, than it should have been. In my opinion, this could have been dealt with better and with more impact.
Overall, I'm glad that I read this book because on the whole, it's written with sensitivity and subtle wit. I look forward to reading more of Dawn French's novels in the future.
My Rating ****
'Silvia Shute lies in a hospital bed. Family and friends are at her side, each thinking they know the real Silvia. But do they? For Silvia hides a secret. And as her visitors gather, so the truth about Silvia is slowly revealed...'
My Thoughts:
I had never read anything by Dawn French (for anyone who doesn't know who she is, she is a famous British comedian, best known as one half of comedy duo French and Saunders) before reading 'Oh Dear Silvia' and to be honest, I had low expectations of it.
It's not that I didn't like Dawn French, I think she is a very funny woman. However with there being a current trend of celebrities writing cheesy, badly written chick-lit and selling copies because of their names alone, I thought this was going to be the same. Thankfully, I was wrong.
The writing is this book is very good. The descriptions are, at times, beautiful and each of the characters are believable and diverse. Even though the main character doesn't utter a single word throughout the book, I still felt that I knew her because of the other characters and their complex relationships with each other. One of the characters, Silvia's sister Jo, for me felt like a bit of cartoon character at the beginning. There is a scene involving her in the book, which I felt didn't fit in with the tone of the story, but I still laughed at it though. As the book progressed though, I did warm to her.
The pace of the book was slow, but I felt that this was effective, because it allowed the story to unfold at a natural pace. Towards the end, however, one of the more sinister elements of the plot, was concluded slightly quicker and in more lighthearted way, than it should have been. In my opinion, this could have been dealt with better and with more impact.
Overall, I'm glad that I read this book because on the whole, it's written with sensitivity and subtle wit. I look forward to reading more of Dawn French's novels in the future.
My Rating ****
Night Reader Reviews (683 KP) rated Beginners Cookbook in Books
Jan 9, 2020
Beginners Cookbook by K. Mortimer is a book full of fairly quick and easy recipes. While the cooking time on some of these can be a bit long, none of the recipes. in this book take very long to put together. Some readers that are not from the United Kingdom may not recognize some of the names of some ingredients but a quick google search should fix that.
This cookbook walks beginner cooks through common breakfast foods, main meal dishes, and even snacks. It has recipes. for common foods such as macaroni and cheese to things a little more uncommon (yet still simple) like prawn cocktails. The dessert selection offers some delicious recipes such as rice pudding or an apple and blackberry crumble. The cookbook also ends on a sweet note with the cakes and pastries section containing items such as fruit scones and jam jars.
One of the best things about this book is how simple all the recipes are. The chocolate brownies probably have one of the largest ingredient lists in the entire book. Also, many of the meat-based recipes gives a vegetarian option in the instructions as well. What I did not really care for was that some of the recipes seem to be in the wrong chapter. Flapjacks, for example, are labeled as a cake and not a breakfast food (this may be a UK vs. US thing I am not sure). There were also ingredients such as sultanas and salad cream that I have never heard of, along with a few unknown !!br0ken!!
This book was created directly for those who have never cooked before or who have just started cooking. It is perfect for (supervised) children who are gaining confidence in the kitchen. Adults and teens who find themselves suddenly on their own for food will also benefit from this book. It would make a good gift for a new college student as well. I give this book a rating of 3 out of 4. The recipes themselves are very beginner-friendly although there are a few things that would make it even more so. It would have been nice to see examples of less common items such as flan pans in an index-like area. Also, a list of common substitutions for things like eggs and butter would have been nice along with a conversions chart.
https://nightreaderreviews.blogspot.com
This cookbook walks beginner cooks through common breakfast foods, main meal dishes, and even snacks. It has recipes. for common foods such as macaroni and cheese to things a little more uncommon (yet still simple) like prawn cocktails. The dessert selection offers some delicious recipes such as rice pudding or an apple and blackberry crumble. The cookbook also ends on a sweet note with the cakes and pastries section containing items such as fruit scones and jam jars.
One of the best things about this book is how simple all the recipes are. The chocolate brownies probably have one of the largest ingredient lists in the entire book. Also, many of the meat-based recipes gives a vegetarian option in the instructions as well. What I did not really care for was that some of the recipes seem to be in the wrong chapter. Flapjacks, for example, are labeled as a cake and not a breakfast food (this may be a UK vs. US thing I am not sure). There were also ingredients such as sultanas and salad cream that I have never heard of, along with a few unknown !!br0ken!!
This book was created directly for those who have never cooked before or who have just started cooking. It is perfect for (supervised) children who are gaining confidence in the kitchen. Adults and teens who find themselves suddenly on their own for food will also benefit from this book. It would make a good gift for a new college student as well. I give this book a rating of 3 out of 4. The recipes themselves are very beginner-friendly although there are a few things that would make it even more so. It would have been nice to see examples of less common items such as flan pans in an index-like area. Also, a list of common substitutions for things like eggs and butter would have been nice along with a conversions chart.
https://nightreaderreviews.blogspot.com
Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated Dreamland in Books
Jan 23, 2020
Original Review posted on <a href="http://bookwyrming-thoughts.blogspot.com/2013/03/review-dreamland-by-sarah-dessen.html">Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
Original Rating: 1.5
<b>Note: </b>Formatting may be lost due to copy and pasting.
I was told that Sarah Dessen's works were awesome. So I basically went into the frame of mind that it would be a good book when I actually started reading it.
I don't really hate saying this, but as a first time peep (read: I'm reading her works for the first time) on reading a work of Sarah Dessen's, I left with a pretty "eh..." view. I did try to keep the fact in mind that Sarah Dessen is a good writer, which was why I didn't go all <s>mini stomping off with a hmph</s> frowny faced at the wall.
I don't exactly hate the book - not really - but I found it very boring from page 1 to the end. I'm pretty surprised I didn't fall asleep. Yet. There was just something missing. While I don't really mind reading gushy romances (YA speaking), I'm not one who prefers reading a book that's pretty much completely - as in 90% or more - lack of action.
Dreamland is basically your typical realistic fiction in the terms of romance. It was also pretty predictable (but then... I tend to predict things near the bull's eye usually...). And every time a character in a book is getting suspicious of events, it would go down the drain a little more.
If it wasn't required reading, I probably would've ended up just setting it down, walk away, read another book, and then return it. But, if you're one who likes realistic fiction and romances rolled into one "bookrito," then you probably just got another recommendation. However, if you're one for romance and action rolled into one, then I don't exactly recommend it.... but feel free to read it if you want to try it out, as everyone's reading preference is different....
Original Rating: 1.5
<b>Note: </b>Formatting may be lost due to copy and pasting.
I was told that Sarah Dessen's works were awesome. So I basically went into the frame of mind that it would be a good book when I actually started reading it.
I don't really hate saying this, but as a first time peep (read: I'm reading her works for the first time) on reading a work of Sarah Dessen's, I left with a pretty "eh..." view. I did try to keep the fact in mind that Sarah Dessen is a good writer, which was why I didn't go all <s>mini stomping off with a hmph</s> frowny faced at the wall.
I don't exactly hate the book - not really - but I found it very boring from page 1 to the end. I'm pretty surprised I didn't fall asleep. Yet. There was just something missing. While I don't really mind reading gushy romances (YA speaking), I'm not one who prefers reading a book that's pretty much completely - as in 90% or more - lack of action.
Dreamland is basically your typical realistic fiction in the terms of romance. It was also pretty predictable (but then... I tend to predict things near the bull's eye usually...). And every time a character in a book is getting suspicious of events, it would go down the drain a little more.
If it wasn't required reading, I probably would've ended up just setting it down, walk away, read another book, and then return it. But, if you're one who likes realistic fiction and romances rolled into one "bookrito," then you probably just got another recommendation. However, if you're one for romance and action rolled into one, then I don't exactly recommend it.... but feel free to read it if you want to try it out, as everyone's reading preference is different....
Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated The Summer I Turned Pretty (Summer, #1) in Books
Apr 27, 2018
Date Started: September 1st
Date finished: September 3rd
Rating: 4.5/5
**minor spoiler that DOESN'T REALLY COUNT (because it's obvious within the first four chapters anyway)**
For such a simple story line, this book drew me in right way. Girl meets boy, girl falls in love with boy, and boy pretends she’s nothing until he gets to his last nerve and it breaks and he needs her. Although I was pretty sure where it was going, and there wasn’t much of a plot, I was addicted to reading it. It took me about three days (the pages took a long time to load, or I would have read it in one sitting.) and it killed me to stop.
The characters were like real people—because they weren’t perfect. Conrad was bitter and selfish, Jeremiah was immature, and Belly (cool name) lied to herself and made some poor choices. The adults, too, had their “fatal flaws.” But when you put real people into real situations (divorce, cancer, jealousy) you get a real story—and one worth reading.
I adored this book. I will probably buy it when it comes out so I can read it over again. It belongs on my bookshelf.
Date finished: September 3rd
Rating: 4.5/5
**minor spoiler that DOESN'T REALLY COUNT (because it's obvious within the first four chapters anyway)**
For such a simple story line, this book drew me in right way. Girl meets boy, girl falls in love with boy, and boy pretends she’s nothing until he gets to his last nerve and it breaks and he needs her. Although I was pretty sure where it was going, and there wasn’t much of a plot, I was addicted to reading it. It took me about three days (the pages took a long time to load, or I would have read it in one sitting.) and it killed me to stop.
The characters were like real people—because they weren’t perfect. Conrad was bitter and selfish, Jeremiah was immature, and Belly (cool name) lied to herself and made some poor choices. The adults, too, had their “fatal flaws.” But when you put real people into real situations (divorce, cancer, jealousy) you get a real story—and one worth reading.
I adored this book. I will probably buy it when it comes out so I can read it over again. It belongs on my bookshelf.
Charley (64 KP) rated A Secret History of Witches in Books
Feb 2, 2019
A whirlwind through time
If you are a lover of historical books and fantasy novels then you might like this. Set in a wide range of time periods, ending just after the second world war, this story follows the life of generations of Romani witches in their struggles to survive.
Even though it took me a while to get into the book (hence the 6 rating) it was really interesting following the lives and struggles of each orchire woman from when they first discover their gift until they have their own daughter to carry on the line. it is amazing to see the development of so many generations of women and you end up feeling part of their story as you watch, sometimes with horror, the trials that they go through just for having the gift of magic.
It is a perfect story that shows how actions have consiquences and how much they were willing to fight for what they love.
I will not go into too much detail but surfice to say it gets more interesting the further you read and the last section of the book was by far the best.
It took me a long time to get into it however i persisted and it was totally worth it.
Even though it took me a while to get into the book (hence the 6 rating) it was really interesting following the lives and struggles of each orchire woman from when they first discover their gift until they have their own daughter to carry on the line. it is amazing to see the development of so many generations of women and you end up feeling part of their story as you watch, sometimes with horror, the trials that they go through just for having the gift of magic.
It is a perfect story that shows how actions have consiquences and how much they were willing to fight for what they love.
I will not go into too much detail but surfice to say it gets more interesting the further you read and the last section of the book was by far the best.
It took me a long time to get into it however i persisted and it was totally worth it.
Mind Over Mood: Change How You Feel by Changing the Way You Think
Dennis Greenberger and Christine A. Padesky
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Discover simple yet powerful steps you can take to overcome emotional distress--and feel happier,...
Upgrading Your Boat's Interior
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In this series of highly practical, step-by-step photographic manuals, Upgrading Your Boat's...