Search
Search results
Winter in the Blood
Book
A contemporary classic from a major writer of the Native American renaissance -- Brilliant, brutal...
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2514 KP) rated A Killing in Costumes in Books
May 9, 2025
Memorabilia to Die For
Jay and Cindy were on their way to a successful career in Hollywood until their marriage ended when they both realized they were gay. Now, a couple of decades later, they are opening a Hollywood memorabilia shop in Palm Springs. Things are off to a slow start until aging actress Yana Tosh contacts them about selling her collection of Hollywood costumes. She’s talking to a larger auction house as well, and when Cindy and Jay’s competition dies, they quickly find themselves suspects. Can they clear their names?
This book has been on my radar for a while, and I’m glad I finally picked it up. The writing did make it hard to get into the story originally, but soon I was hooked on the mystery. There were several good twists and surprises on the way to the logical climax. Jay and Cindy share lead character duties, and they lead a cast of characters I enjoyed getting to know. And I smiled at the many references to classic movies, tv shows, and stars of the screen. We also get talk about classic musicians. At this point, this is looking like a standalone novel, but if a sequel does pop up, I’d be happy to visit Cindy and Jay again.
This book has been on my radar for a while, and I’m glad I finally picked it up. The writing did make it hard to get into the story originally, but soon I was hooked on the mystery. There were several good twists and surprises on the way to the logical climax. Jay and Cindy share lead character duties, and they lead a cast of characters I enjoyed getting to know. And I smiled at the many references to classic movies, tv shows, and stars of the screen. We also get talk about classic musicians. At this point, this is looking like a standalone novel, but if a sequel does pop up, I’d be happy to visit Cindy and Jay again.
Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated Paradise Lost in Books
Oct 10, 2017 (Updated Oct 10, 2017)
Better to read carefully otherwise hard to concentrate
Listened on Audible.co.uk.
While Milton's classic fails to live up to Dante's Inferno, it's still an interesting listen. Admittedly I completely switched off listening, it requires careful reading to understand some of the old dialect - similar to accessing Shakespeare without any context. I can vouch for reading as a fan of Shakespeare, Dante and Chaucer.
The in-between explanations barely scratched the surface. The obvious irritating misogynistic aspect was also a big turn-off although understandably rehashing some fundamental themes of the Bible. Overall, sinfully boring to listen to.
While Milton's classic fails to live up to Dante's Inferno, it's still an interesting listen. Admittedly I completely switched off listening, it requires careful reading to understand some of the old dialect - similar to accessing Shakespeare without any context. I can vouch for reading as a fan of Shakespeare, Dante and Chaucer.
The in-between explanations barely scratched the surface. The obvious irritating misogynistic aspect was also a big turn-off although understandably rehashing some fundamental themes of the Bible. Overall, sinfully boring to listen to.
Rachel P (2 KP) rated A Court of Thorns and Roses in Books
Jan 4, 2018
I loved this book. It is a re-telling of Beauty and the Beast which started a little slow, but if you think about the classic BATB story, it's somewhat slow in the beginning as well. Feyre is human and is taken to a faerie world where she meets Tamlin and works throughout the last half of the book to free him and his "village" from a curse. At the end of the book, the author tied in many elements from the beginning of the book that seemed boring and unimportant at the time, which left me amazed and wanting more.
Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated DOOM in Video Games
Jul 24, 2017
Big Guns (2 more)
Awesome enemies
Violent executions
An blend of old fashioned fun and the modern FPS
This is definitely one of the best shooters that I’ve played in a long time. The pace is swift and the action is intense, the classic gore and horror elements are present but not too in your face like Doom 3 and the whole thing just drips with badassery. Don’t go in deserving a masterclass in storytelling or you will be disappointed, but if all you want is responsive, fun FPS gameplay and a quick fix of adrenaline then this was made for you.
Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated Magpie Murders in Books
Jul 25, 2017
Absolutely innovative and intriguing listening
Listened to on Audible.co.uk.
Listening to a murder mystery about a murder mystery was as intriguing as listening to a book about a book. A total reinvention of classic Agatha Christie type tale revamped for the modern reader. Is it guessable? One of the mysteries is, but the other solved by fictional PI Atticus Pund was definitely more of a mind bender. It leaves you analysing clues in the same way the narrator tries to do. As an Agatha Christie fan, I was hooked.
Well read and written by the literary genius that is Anthony Horowitz.
Listening to a murder mystery about a murder mystery was as intriguing as listening to a book about a book. A total reinvention of classic Agatha Christie type tale revamped for the modern reader. Is it guessable? One of the mysteries is, but the other solved by fictional PI Atticus Pund was definitely more of a mind bender. It leaves you analysing clues in the same way the narrator tries to do. As an Agatha Christie fan, I was hooked.
Well read and written by the literary genius that is Anthony Horowitz.
Chris Hooker (419 KP) rated The Cuckoo's Calling in Books
Jan 12, 2018
[The Cuckoo's Calling] by [Robert Galbraith aka J.K Rowling] was a mystery in the classic sense. The character of Cormoran Strike is one that a series can be built around and I could not really tell who the culprit was until it was revealed at the end. I was very pleased with this book and will be reading more of this series.
I did notice though that the author seems to like protagonists that are from broken families and have not had the best childhoods. Also the author seems to like to make the privileged the antagonists.
I did notice though that the author seems to like protagonists that are from broken families and have not had the best childhoods. Also the author seems to like to make the privileged the antagonists.
Jenny Houle (24 KP) rated Beauty and the Beast (2017) in Movies
Jan 13, 2018
I went into this excited and yet terrified. What if they destroyed a classic in this attempt to retell one of my favorite stories? I walked out of it thrilled. The special effects were completely on point (was definitely worried about some of those scenes), and the inclusion of a touch more background into Belle's life and even the Beast's life added so much to the film.
And Emma Watson...thank God she actually enjoys reading so much in real life or it'd be sort of tragic to think of how many rolls she gets where she's an avid book nerd. :-)
And Emma Watson...thank God she actually enjoys reading so much in real life or it'd be sort of tragic to think of how many rolls she gets where she's an avid book nerd. :-)
Alison Pink (7 KP) rated The Wishing Spell in Books
Jan 15, 2018
Okay so first of all I'm a nut for good quotations & I feel the need to say this book is FULL of them!! This is going to sound mean but I was pleasantly surprised with what a great author Chris Colfer is. He did a wonderful job putting a new spin on many of the classic fairy tales we all grew up with, without changing them completely. Alex & Conner are fascinating may layered characters. I can't wait to get this book into the hands of a few of the kids in my classroom, they are going to love it!