Search
Search results
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated This Is Me: Loving the Person You Are Today in Books
Apr 9, 2019
Chrissy Metz stars on the NBC hit show, This is US as Kate Pearson, one of the triplets. If you have never seen this show, you don't need to have, to read this book, but I think you might afterwards. This book chronicles her life from when she was a young child to her life today after making it on such a great show. It goes through her struggles with her weight and being accepted by family as well as outsiders. And her main focus is being happy with the person she is no matter her size or job.
I would categorize this book as a Self-Help Memoir. Chrissy gives explains how she overcame many obstacles in her life and shares these lessons with her readers. She is a strong independent woman, moving her whole life from Gainsville, Florida to Los Angeles, California to pursue her acting career. This was not something that came easy for her and she spent 9 years as a agent helping others with their acting careers before she was able to really start her own.
I could relate to Chrissy in a lot of aspects in this book, her advice is stuff we've all heard before, but her examples of how she applied it to her own circumstances, made the book more relateable to me.
Chrissy Metz is Kate Pearson. She explains this in her book of how the struggles Kate goes through are exactly the issues she had, as if the role was written specifically for her. Chrissy seems very down to earth and a person who you would want to be friends with. I look forward to following her journey on This is US and any other projects she may be involved in.
I would categorize this book as a Self-Help Memoir. Chrissy gives explains how she overcame many obstacles in her life and shares these lessons with her readers. She is a strong independent woman, moving her whole life from Gainsville, Florida to Los Angeles, California to pursue her acting career. This was not something that came easy for her and she spent 9 years as a agent helping others with their acting careers before she was able to really start her own.
I could relate to Chrissy in a lot of aspects in this book, her advice is stuff we've all heard before, but her examples of how she applied it to her own circumstances, made the book more relateable to me.
Chrissy Metz is Kate Pearson. She explains this in her book of how the struggles Kate goes through are exactly the issues she had, as if the role was written specifically for her. Chrissy seems very down to earth and a person who you would want to be friends with. I look forward to following her journey on This is US and any other projects she may be involved in.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Everything I Never Told You in Books
Feb 8, 2018
I forget where I saw a recommendation for this book (who am I kidding, probably <i>People</i> or <i>Entertainment Weekly</i>, about the extent of my "literary" reading these days), but it wasn't quite what I expected. Less mystery surrounding a disappearance/death and more "human interest" about a-- truth be told-- rather unlikable family.
The novel chronicles the Lee family, who wakes up one day to find their eldest daughter/sister, Lydia, missing. Eventually Lydia's body is found in the local lake, and the family is turned upside down.
It goes without saying, but it's really a rather depressing book. Lydia's parents, Marilyn and James, are just awful, and not just because they are grieving. I found very little to like in them. Lydia's siblings, Nath and Hannah, aren't nearly as bad (Hannah is truly the redeeming one in the family), but still. It's hard to root for a family that you don't much care for. There are also some strange side plots involving the siblings that never really seem resolved.
As a parent, I found aspects of the book interesting -- the way Lydia's mom pushes her so much to attain a dream that really belonged to Marilyn. In addition, the family is still reeling from Marilyn's brief disappearance before Hannah was even born. Ng does do a good job of showing how much this impacts the family, especially the kids. It's a little frightening, really, as the sinking realization of how every little thing you do can follow your children, even 10 years later (though in Marilyn's case, she really does some damaging things).
Still, those redeeming moments couldn't salvage the whole book for me. I liked it well enough, but I was left at the end feeling a little depressed and annoyed and wishing more loose ends were tied up.
The novel chronicles the Lee family, who wakes up one day to find their eldest daughter/sister, Lydia, missing. Eventually Lydia's body is found in the local lake, and the family is turned upside down.
It goes without saying, but it's really a rather depressing book. Lydia's parents, Marilyn and James, are just awful, and not just because they are grieving. I found very little to like in them. Lydia's siblings, Nath and Hannah, aren't nearly as bad (Hannah is truly the redeeming one in the family), but still. It's hard to root for a family that you don't much care for. There are also some strange side plots involving the siblings that never really seem resolved.
As a parent, I found aspects of the book interesting -- the way Lydia's mom pushes her so much to attain a dream that really belonged to Marilyn. In addition, the family is still reeling from Marilyn's brief disappearance before Hannah was even born. Ng does do a good job of showing how much this impacts the family, especially the kids. It's a little frightening, really, as the sinking realization of how every little thing you do can follow your children, even 10 years later (though in Marilyn's case, she really does some damaging things).
Still, those redeeming moments couldn't salvage the whole book for me. I liked it well enough, but I was left at the end feeling a little depressed and annoyed and wishing more loose ends were tied up.
David McK (3562 KP) rated Tribune of Rome in Books
Jan 30, 2019
Ever since (roughly) about a decade ago - when the movie 'Gladiator' first came out - I've been noticing more and more Roman-themed books, from Simon Scarrow's 'Macro and Cato' series to Conn Iggulden's 'Emperor' quartet to Ben Kane's 'Forgotten Legion Chronicles' (and now 'Enemy of Rome' series) to John Stack's 'Masters of the Sea' series to Anthony Riches' 'Empire' series to Harry Sidebottom's 'Warrior of Rome' series to ...
... you get the picture.
To that list, we can now also add Robert Fabbri with his planned 'Vespasian' series of books, of which this is the first. In the interest of full disclosure, I'm also going to state that (from the above list of authors) I've read at least one book in their respective series. Of those all - and, including, now, this book - I have to say, I've found Scarrow's novels to be the most entertaining.
As a novel, I found this one could be split into three distinct sections: the beginning was set during Vespasians early years in the Roman country-side and mainly concerning the relationship between him and his brother, before the setting moves to Rome proper when the two brothers get embroiled in Roman politics, and then (in the latter half of the book), following Vespasians early military career. It was probably this latter aspect of the book that is the most enjoyable, even if it does still suffer from seemingly stilted conversations that are used to move the plot along - that, and some 'Oh, come on! As if ...' moments (one in particular!).
While I read some more of this series? Possibly, but also I'm not going to be going out of my way to look for them.
... you get the picture.
To that list, we can now also add Robert Fabbri with his planned 'Vespasian' series of books, of which this is the first. In the interest of full disclosure, I'm also going to state that (from the above list of authors) I've read at least one book in their respective series. Of those all - and, including, now, this book - I have to say, I've found Scarrow's novels to be the most entertaining.
As a novel, I found this one could be split into three distinct sections: the beginning was set during Vespasians early years in the Roman country-side and mainly concerning the relationship between him and his brother, before the setting moves to Rome proper when the two brothers get embroiled in Roman politics, and then (in the latter half of the book), following Vespasians early military career. It was probably this latter aspect of the book that is the most enjoyable, even if it does still suffer from seemingly stilted conversations that are used to move the plot along - that, and some 'Oh, come on! As if ...' moments (one in particular!).
While I read some more of this series? Possibly, but also I'm not going to be going out of my way to look for them.
Anne (15117 KP) rated Tiger Queen in Books
Nov 4, 2019
Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read and review this ARC.
This book was amazing and well written. I loved it. It was a fabulous 5 star read that you don't want to miss out on. It reminded me of The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson and of The Remnant Chronicles by Mary Pearson.
It is also a retelling of a short story called "The Lady, or the Tiger?" by Frank Stockton, which I didn't know until after I read it, but regardless, I really enjoyed this story and am now curious about the original short story as well.
In this story, Princess Kateri is the heir to the kingdom of Achra, but she has to fight in the arena to prove herself to her father the King and to be able to take over and rule the kingdom and also to keep her promises to her late mother about taking care of the people who are suffering in the drought. She always is trying to figure out how to prove herself to her father and feeling like she's failing and unworthy of love, wanting him to love her.
When it comes down to her last fight and she finds out who she's supposed to defeat, she knows she needs help to win and seeks it out in the desert where the Desert Boys are hiding for refuge with the drought. After things seem dark, Princess Kateri finds the strength she needs to face her last opponent, also finds hope and love that she didn't think existed or she would ever find or be deserving of in the desert.
I highly recommend this. Everyone should make sure to read this, it's a wonderful story that no one should miss out on.
This book was amazing and well written. I loved it. It was a fabulous 5 star read that you don't want to miss out on. It reminded me of The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson and of The Remnant Chronicles by Mary Pearson.
It is also a retelling of a short story called "The Lady, or the Tiger?" by Frank Stockton, which I didn't know until after I read it, but regardless, I really enjoyed this story and am now curious about the original short story as well.
In this story, Princess Kateri is the heir to the kingdom of Achra, but she has to fight in the arena to prove herself to her father the King and to be able to take over and rule the kingdom and also to keep her promises to her late mother about taking care of the people who are suffering in the drought. She always is trying to figure out how to prove herself to her father and feeling like she's failing and unworthy of love, wanting him to love her.
When it comes down to her last fight and she finds out who she's supposed to defeat, she knows she needs help to win and seeks it out in the desert where the Desert Boys are hiding for refuge with the drought. After things seem dark, Princess Kateri finds the strength she needs to face her last opponent, also finds hope and love that she didn't think existed or she would ever find or be deserving of in the desert.
I highly recommend this. Everyone should make sure to read this, it's a wonderful story that no one should miss out on.
The Only Woman in the Room: A Memoir of Japan, Human Rights, and the Arts
Beate Sirota Gordon, John W. Dower and Nicole A. Gordon
Book
In 1946, at age twenty-two, Beate Sirota Gordon helped to draft the new postwar Japanese...
TT
There to be Shot at: The Autobiography of Tony Coton
Book
Tony Coton is a natural-born fighter - both on and off the pitch. Rejected by Wolverhampton...
We are Afghan Women: Voices of Hope
Laura Bush and George W. Bush Institute
Book
Afghanistan has been described as "the worst nation in the world to be a woman." More than fifty...
Young Orson: The Years of Luck and Genius on the Path to Citizen Kane
Book
On the centennial of his birth, the defining wunderkind of modern entertainment gets his due in a...
Porter, Steward, Citizen: An African American's Memoir of World War I
Book
In 1919, Royal Christian privately published a memoir based on his experiences in World War I....
Delta Lady: A Memoir
Rita Coolidge and Michael Walker
Book
The two-time Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter bares her heart and soul in this intimate...