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BeRad89 (48 KP) rated The War Nurses in Books

Apr 5, 2018  
The War Nurses
The War Nurses
Lizzie Page | 2018 | Fiction & Poetry, Gender Studies, History & Politics
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
“... a flying ambulance corps made up of a naturist, a pianist, a journalist, a lady and a widowed mother...and a non smoking schoolgirl.” This is the description of the ambulance corp of Elsie Knockers and Mairi Chisholm during World War I. Will these brave ladies' friendship and sisterhood survive the war as they live in close quarters and dodge bullets as front line nurses in a cellar?

I started this book without much hope. To me, the cover is cheap-looking, and I admit this colored my judgement. How wrong I was!!! The War Nurses ended up being a very good read. Mairi is shown in such a real light. I was amazed at what both women did during the war. To see the human side of such a brave woman was interesting. I didn't personally like Elsie, but her character was amusing and kept surprising me.

While it didn't particularly bother me, some people will not like the amount of gore and yucky stuff in this book. While I know you can't judge a book by its cover, the cover to this book is very cheap looking.

The War Nurses by Lizzie Page is a work of historical fiction. It will be published April 17, 2018 by Bookouture.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. It ending up being a very pleasant surprise, as I judged this book by the cover and wasn't expecting much from it. It is an inspiring and eye-opening book. I recommend to anyone who loves powerful women, coming of age stories, WWI, medical stories, and/or historical fiction.

I was given a free copy from Net Galley and Bookouture in exchange for my honest review.
  
The Victory Garden
The Victory Garden
Rhys Bowen | 2019 | Fiction & Poetry
5
5.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I Was the Wrong Audience for this Book
Emily Bryce is about to turn twenty-one, and she is ready to start doing something to help with the war effort. Her parents have kept her at home with her mom hoping to find someone from the aristocracy to marry her off to, but Emily is determined to find her own path. Then Emily meets Robbie, an Australian pilot recovering from an injury at a hospital in the area. Even though her parents forbid it, she keeps seeing him behind their back. She also soon joins up with the Women’s Land Army, helping to keep the farms in England running to provide food for everyone. Will her parents ever accept her choices?

I’ve been a fan of Rhys’s mysteries for years, so I decided to give this book a try. As I suspected going in, this is not a mystery, but more of a coming of age story set in the England of 100 years ago. Unfortunately, I don’t think I was the target audience since I had trouble getting into it. There is a lot happening, and that was part of the problem. The story takes place over a year, and to get the entire time frame and the all Emily goes through into the story, at times I think we were cheated out of watching Emily deal with everything happening. That resulted in some things we were told about and not shown. On the other hand, Emily is a wonderful main character, and I was definitely rooting for her to succeed. I did tear up a time or two. And I felt we got a clear picture of what life was like in 1918 England for those who didn’t fight during the war – something that is often overlooked when we think about the cost of a war.
  
See the Stars - Single by Adrian Jean
See the Stars - Single by Adrian Jean
2019
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Album Rating
Adrian Jean is an up-and-coming LA-based singer-songwriter from Philadelphia. Not too long ago, he released an inspiring R&B tune, entitled, “See the Stars (Radio Edit)”.

Adrian Jean was homeless for two and a half years unbeknownst to his friends and colleagues. He lived in his automobile underneath the famed Hollywood sign and showered at a nearby gym.

His grandmother sensed that something was wrong and begged her grandson to come home to the East Coast. But Adrian was determined to stay in L.A. to fulfill his musical dream.

Therefore, he continued writing songs while sleeping in the backseat, staring down at the lights of Los Angeles. One of the songs that he wrote, entitled, “See The Stars”, found Adrian negotiating leaving home despite his grandmother’s disapproval.

‘See the Stars (Radio Edit)’ contains a relatable storyline, ear-welcoming vocals, and vibey instrumentation flavored with contemporary R&B and urban-soul elements.

Adrian Jean has led a tumultuous life which has taken him from the poorest neighborhoods in Philadelphia to glamorous nightclubs, to homelessness, and redemption.

With an absent father and a mother who was more interested in drugs than raising her children, Adrian was forced to grow up very quickly.

By the age of 15, he was living on his own and working for a drug dealer. Later, he struggled with the pressures of being a bisexual man in a culture that didn’t accept such differences.

https://www.bongminesentertainment.com/adrian-jean-see-the-stars/
  
Earth Wolf & Fire (Eliza Falls #2)
Earth Wolf & Fire (Eliza Falls #2)
Maggie Francis | 2022 | Paranormal, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
EARTH WOLF AND FIRE is the second book in the Eliza Falls series, although it can be read as a standalone. The couple from the first book, Seb and Cora, are in here but you don't need their story for this one to work.

Ulla is someone who has connected with Nature at a very young age. Unfortunately, children can be cruel and she paid the price. The only people she really sees as friends are Cora and Desi. She returns home to Eliza Falls and runs into Desi, sparking their friendship again. However, Cora and Desi are now part of a Pack. Through one thing and another, Ulla meets Tate and BOOM. There you go. Insta-lust in spades.

This is a great paranormal romance series, one that I am thoroughly enjoying. It is funny in places, spicy in others, and even the occasional hint of mystery. Ulla and Tate are just so goddamned cute together! AND you get it from both of their perspectives which makes it nicely rounded out.

All in all, this was a great addition to the series. I'm really hoping Desi is next, and with someone she doesn't see coming. Thoroughly enjoyed it and I have no hesitation in recommending it.

** same worded review will appear elsewhere **

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
  
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Merissa (12061 KP) rated Escape the Choice (The Choice Series #1) in Books

Mar 2, 2022 (Updated Jul 3, 2023)  
Escape the Choice (The Choice Series #1)
Escape the Choice (The Choice Series #1)
Ellie Yarde | 2022 | Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult (YA)
8
8.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
ESCAPE THE CHOICE is the first book in The Choice series and we meet Ali, Oliver, Noah, and friends in this coming-of-age short story.

Ali is friends with bad boy Oliver and sees a side of him no one else seems to. He doesn't like it when she speaks with her other male friend, Noah. The feeling is mutual, and Ali feels stuck in the middle. When her other friends give her food for thought, it helps bring matters to a head.

This was a well-written story that I thoroughly enjoyed but wanted more from. When I say I wanted more, I simply mean I would have been happy to sit reading a full-length novel. I was invested to see whether Oliver was misunderstood or playing with Ali, and I won't say which it is! Regardless, his behaviour, Noah's, Ali's, feelings all around - it's all here.

Thoroughly enjoyable and absolutely recommended by me, this is a fantastic debut by this author, and I look forward to reading more.

** same worded review will appear elsewhere **

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Mar 2, 2022
  
Sixteen Candles (1984)
Sixteen Candles (1984)
1984 | Comedy
Fun 80's Comedy
Samantha's (Molly Ringwald) family is busy, so busy in fact that they forgot her sixteenth birthday. Samantha has to cope with this while dealing with various misadventures surrounding her life. It's an innocent 80's comedy that takes you on a fun ride from beginning to end.

Acting: 10


Beginning: 10

Characters: 10

Cinematography/Visuals: 8
There are a number of memorable shots that stick out, including the opening scene where you're first introduced to Samantha's family in her Chicago home. Everything is pure chaos causing for a hilarious beginning. A number of other scenes stick out from Samantha's grandma feeling her up to Samantha's convo with The Geek (Anthony Michael Hall) inside the hollowed-out car in the school's garage. A lot of different set pieces kept the film interesting.

Conflict: 6
One of the weaker portions of the film for me. So people forgot her birthday, boo hoo. Don't get me wrong, Samantha is a very likable character and there was a large part of me that felt sorry for her. I'm just not sure her situation warranted an entire film. Perhaps a different angle would have created more conflict for me.

Genre: 8
Very solid 80's comedy. You can't name films within the decade that stand out without mentioning this one. Coming of age films? This ranks right up there although not quite as strong as some of the ones I've seen in recent years, masterpieces like Boyhood and Lady Bird.

Memorability: 10

Pace: 10

Plot: 7
The story itself is fine. It's believable even as comedies go. Again, the lack of conflict made things a little bland for me. I will say that the number of memorable moments helped pick up the slack from what the film lacked in conflict.

Resolution: 3

Overall: 82
Another 80's classic I can check off the list. A fun film that still stands the test of time.
  
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Rat Scabies recommended Innervisions by Stevie Wonder in Music (curated)

 
Innervisions by Stevie Wonder
Innervisions by Stevie Wonder
1973 | Rock
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"It's one of the classic records of all time, but I remember when this came out I wasn't particularly a Stevie Wonder fan. He'd done the singles and he was a Tamla pop artist really, wearing a suit, and I thought I'd got him labelled. But then this record came out and it was like his coming of age almost. It's like a small journey, listening to this album. It has a very positive beginning and ending, from side one right through to the last track. And that whole thing of here I am in New York, that wonderful idea of bringing in sound effects of street sounds that gave a different atmosphere and set the scene for what you're about to hear. I think most bands wanted to do that kind of thing but it was very easy for it to take over, so it was mostly left to the Pink Floyds of this world. But for somebody to do it just on the one track worked really well. And he played drums on this album, too. That was the weird thing, because when you listen to the drums it doesn't sound like a drummer. The things he plays aren't instinctive, so there's a different kind of musicality to what he's doing, and where it goes and where he puts things and where he hits the toms and where he does crashes and stuff like that. In some ways it was very brave of him, because let's face it he could've got any drummer to do it. But it gives it what I suppose these days you'd call an artisan quality, but I think of it as an earthy feel. Otherwise everything would be too perfect on this record. You have to have imperfection to give it character and personality. I think there's something about imperfection that puts you more in touch with what you're listening to, because you're not alienated by something that's unachievable. This record has that by the sack full"

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