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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated You Were There Too in Books
Mar 19, 2020
Mia and Harrison move to tiny Hope Springs from Philadelphia, each hoping to escape their own problems. Here they have a picture-perfect house and a supposedly matching perfect life. But Mia is struggling with infertility and her husband has his own hidden demons. Plus Mia has a secret: at night, she has recurring dreams about another man. So imagine her surprise when she runs into him--in the flesh--in Hope Springs. Even more surprising? He tells her he dreams of her, too.
This was an odd and intense read--nothing like what I expected, though I'm not sure what I was expecting, really. In fact, it was so serious at times, I had to read it in chunks. It was too much to take in, Mia's miscarriages and her emotions, the dreams and what they could mean. I don't really mean this in a bad way, either. The feelings in this book are just strong and extremely well-done.
I really liked the idea of dreams in the novel and how they are presented. I mean, what would you do if you were suddenly face to face with your fantasy, with someone who had been in your dreams for over a decade? What a particular situation.
"It's only that--at times--he feels so real. And has for the ten or more years that he's been starring in my nighttime reveries."
For me, where this book went off the rails, is when it started to meander. Oliver--Mia's dream guy in real life--and Mia join forces to try to figure out what their dreams mean. Mia laments about the men in her life. And then the book takes a turn and is just so damn sad. I felt betrayed, honestly, by its outcome. While I feel that it was very well-written--the way infertility is portrayed is well-done in a lot of ways--I felt as if I read an entire book for nothing. Why, I wondered, did we go through all that?
So, while I found the book to be quite captivating and emotional, what was going to be a 4-star read fell down to 3. Alas.
This was an odd and intense read--nothing like what I expected, though I'm not sure what I was expecting, really. In fact, it was so serious at times, I had to read it in chunks. It was too much to take in, Mia's miscarriages and her emotions, the dreams and what they could mean. I don't really mean this in a bad way, either. The feelings in this book are just strong and extremely well-done.
I really liked the idea of dreams in the novel and how they are presented. I mean, what would you do if you were suddenly face to face with your fantasy, with someone who had been in your dreams for over a decade? What a particular situation.
"It's only that--at times--he feels so real. And has for the ten or more years that he's been starring in my nighttime reveries."
For me, where this book went off the rails, is when it started to meander. Oliver--Mia's dream guy in real life--and Mia join forces to try to figure out what their dreams mean. Mia laments about the men in her life. And then the book takes a turn and is just so damn sad. I felt betrayed, honestly, by its outcome. While I feel that it was very well-written--the way infertility is portrayed is well-done in a lot of ways--I felt as if I read an entire book for nothing. Why, I wondered, did we go through all that?
So, while I found the book to be quite captivating and emotional, what was going to be a 4-star read fell down to 3. Alas.
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated the Xbox One version of DOOM in Video Games
Mar 20, 2020
Kick Some Ass 2016 Style
Doom 2016- yes i called it this because when you talk about it to people, sometimes their like "which one". So i call this one "Doom 2016". So lets talk about it.
The Gameplay:
According to the game's executive producer Marty Stratton, the key principles of Doom's single-player mode are "badass demons, big effing guns, and moving really fast".
"Glory Kills" is a newly-introduced melee execution system; when enough damage has been dealt to an enemy, the game will highlight it and allow the player to perform a quick and violent melee takedown, rewarding the player with small health recovery.
The game features a large arsenal of weapons which can be collected and freely switched by players throughout the game and require no reloading.
Many enemies also return from the original game, such as the Revenant, Pinky, Mancubus, and Cyberdemon, with many also redesigned. Doom's campaign was made to be at least 13 hours long, and the "Ultra-Nightmare" difficulty level features permadeath, which causes the savegame to be lost once the player dies. The campaign also features 13 levels.
Many of the levels have multiple pathways and open areas, which allow players to explore and find collectibles and secrets throughout the levels. Other pickups include small Doomguy figurines that allow the player to view 3D models of different characters, and data files that expand on the characters and story. Additionally, each of the game's levels contains a hidden lever which opens an area extracted from a classic level in the original Doom or Doom II. Finding each of these areas unlocks them, making them accessible from the game's main menu in a section called Classic Maps.
The Plot:
Players take the role of an unnamed space marine as he battles demonic forces from Hell that have been unleashed by the Union Aerospace Corporation on a future-set colonized planet Mars.
The Thankz:
Thank you id software and Bethesda software for rebooting this game.
Doom 2016- is a epic game and return to the Doom format that once was and adds more new.
The Gameplay:
According to the game's executive producer Marty Stratton, the key principles of Doom's single-player mode are "badass demons, big effing guns, and moving really fast".
"Glory Kills" is a newly-introduced melee execution system; when enough damage has been dealt to an enemy, the game will highlight it and allow the player to perform a quick and violent melee takedown, rewarding the player with small health recovery.
The game features a large arsenal of weapons which can be collected and freely switched by players throughout the game and require no reloading.
Many enemies also return from the original game, such as the Revenant, Pinky, Mancubus, and Cyberdemon, with many also redesigned. Doom's campaign was made to be at least 13 hours long, and the "Ultra-Nightmare" difficulty level features permadeath, which causes the savegame to be lost once the player dies. The campaign also features 13 levels.
Many of the levels have multiple pathways and open areas, which allow players to explore and find collectibles and secrets throughout the levels. Other pickups include small Doomguy figurines that allow the player to view 3D models of different characters, and data files that expand on the characters and story. Additionally, each of the game's levels contains a hidden lever which opens an area extracted from a classic level in the original Doom or Doom II. Finding each of these areas unlocks them, making them accessible from the game's main menu in a section called Classic Maps.
The Plot:
Players take the role of an unnamed space marine as he battles demonic forces from Hell that have been unleashed by the Union Aerospace Corporation on a future-set colonized planet Mars.
The Thankz:
Thank you id software and Bethesda software for rebooting this game.
Doom 2016- is a epic game and return to the Doom format that once was and adds more new.
SF
Surfacing: From the Depths of Self-Doubt to Winning Big and Living Fearlessly
Siri Lindley and Julia Beeson Polloreno
Book
Surfacing is the inspiring story of Siri Lindley, one of the world's best triathlon coaches and a...
Endings and Beginnings: A Story of Healing
Book
Redi Tlhabi, warm-hearted, charismatic and loved throughout South Africa is as well known for her...
Fast Girl: A Life Spent Running from Madness
Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The former middle distance Olympic runner and high-end escort speaks out...
Helmand to the Himalayas: One Soldier's Inspirational Journey
David Wiseman and Nick Harding
10.0
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Book
"From the war torn valleys of Afghanistan to the frozen peaks of the Himalayas, David Wiseman's...
Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis
8.2
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'THE POLITICAL BOOK OF THE YEAR' Sunday Times SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE by director Ron...
BookInspector (124 KP) rated The Twisted Tree in Books
Sep 24, 2020
Martha is our protagonist in this novel, and this book is told from her perspective. I really liked Martha, she is different, she is blind in one eye and marked with a scar that makes her doubt herself. There is no very wide selection of characters, but all of them are very intriguing. I really liked Stig (the boy who ran away from his home) in this book as well. He is strange but at the same time very sweet and likeable. One thing that I really don’t understand is the need for kids to consume alcohol in books. Why? In this case, it did not bring anything to the story, so I think it could’ve been left out. :/
I really liked the way the author combined different themes in this book. We have modern day youth entwined with ancient mythology, magic, demons and souls, and topped up with a little bit of romance. It was a dark and spooky read, the whole setting of this novel feels isolated and gloomy, set in a little island in Norway during winter, where snowstorms rattle the whole house. It is a tiny book, so the story is really fast-paced and filled with interesting turns and twists. I really enjoyed how the author analysed the family relationships through our main characters. It was heartbreaking but very amusing at the same time.
I really liked the writing style of this novel, it is easy to understand, but it delivers a lot of new things to me. There is plenty of Norwegian mythology in this novel, and I think the author has done a great job with the research. The chapters were a decent length and didn’t feel draggy, and I absolutely loved the artwork used in this novel, it made the reading experience more enjoyable. The ending was nicely written, but it left me with many unanswered questions. What happened to Martha and Stig? Who is going to water the tree? Etc.
So, to conclude, it was a really good read, filled with unique and different characters, as well as action-filled and entertaining plot, where magic and scary ghosts are only a few steps away, hidden in the Twisted Tree.
I really liked the way the author combined different themes in this book. We have modern day youth entwined with ancient mythology, magic, demons and souls, and topped up with a little bit of romance. It was a dark and spooky read, the whole setting of this novel feels isolated and gloomy, set in a little island in Norway during winter, where snowstorms rattle the whole house. It is a tiny book, so the story is really fast-paced and filled with interesting turns and twists. I really enjoyed how the author analysed the family relationships through our main characters. It was heartbreaking but very amusing at the same time.
I really liked the writing style of this novel, it is easy to understand, but it delivers a lot of new things to me. There is plenty of Norwegian mythology in this novel, and I think the author has done a great job with the research. The chapters were a decent length and didn’t feel draggy, and I absolutely loved the artwork used in this novel, it made the reading experience more enjoyable. The ending was nicely written, but it left me with many unanswered questions. What happened to Martha and Stig? Who is going to water the tree? Etc.
So, to conclude, it was a really good read, filled with unique and different characters, as well as action-filled and entertaining plot, where magic and scary ghosts are only a few steps away, hidden in the Twisted Tree.
Debbiereadsbook (1174 KP) rated Blue Fire in Books
Aug 26, 2019
it hit THAT spot, good and proper!
This was a freebie in August 2019.
Jared loses his home to a wildfire, and Adam rescues him. Adam doesn’t usually follow up his rescues, but Jared calls to his soul, deeply. When Jared isn’t recovering from his depression, Adam takes a chance and takes Jared to the place Adam calls home. Just when things start looking up, Jared runs. Years later, when Jared finds out Adam has been injured, Jared has moment of clarity, and realises he might have run away from the only person who made him truly whole. Will Adam see him, let alone listen to him?
I really rather enjoyed this!
It’s not very long, some 80 odd pages, only took me an hour to read, but it was a very enjoyable hour on a wet and miserable Wednesday morning!
Jared is still grieving the loss of his husband to cancer, and now the house he built has been destroyed and Jared feels destroyed too. Adam, with his ice blue eyes, rescues Jared from the blaze and visits him in rehab. Adam feels a powerful need to look in on Jared, to look AFTER Jared, and taking him to the cabin in the hills seems just the thing. And it was, till one of them says something, that sends them both into a tailspin and Adam has to return to work. After Jared runs, three years pass, and Jared’s glass work centres around his search for that perfect blue, the one that touches his soul. But it isn’t until Adam is injured, that Jared knows he’ll never find that perfect blue in a glass bauble.
I felt for both these guys. Adam, fighting his growing feelings for Jared, and Jared who is still recovering, and fighting all kinds of inner demons of his own.
They both have a say, in the third person. It’s hot and steamy in places, and deeply emotional in others.
It just hit THAT spot, you know? The warm and fuzzies one.
First I’ve read of this author, I’d love to read more!
4 solid stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Jared loses his home to a wildfire, and Adam rescues him. Adam doesn’t usually follow up his rescues, but Jared calls to his soul, deeply. When Jared isn’t recovering from his depression, Adam takes a chance and takes Jared to the place Adam calls home. Just when things start looking up, Jared runs. Years later, when Jared finds out Adam has been injured, Jared has moment of clarity, and realises he might have run away from the only person who made him truly whole. Will Adam see him, let alone listen to him?
I really rather enjoyed this!
It’s not very long, some 80 odd pages, only took me an hour to read, but it was a very enjoyable hour on a wet and miserable Wednesday morning!
Jared is still grieving the loss of his husband to cancer, and now the house he built has been destroyed and Jared feels destroyed too. Adam, with his ice blue eyes, rescues Jared from the blaze and visits him in rehab. Adam feels a powerful need to look in on Jared, to look AFTER Jared, and taking him to the cabin in the hills seems just the thing. And it was, till one of them says something, that sends them both into a tailspin and Adam has to return to work. After Jared runs, three years pass, and Jared’s glass work centres around his search for that perfect blue, the one that touches his soul. But it isn’t until Adam is injured, that Jared knows he’ll never find that perfect blue in a glass bauble.
I felt for both these guys. Adam, fighting his growing feelings for Jared, and Jared who is still recovering, and fighting all kinds of inner demons of his own.
They both have a say, in the third person. It’s hot and steamy in places, and deeply emotional in others.
It just hit THAT spot, you know? The warm and fuzzies one.
First I’ve read of this author, I’d love to read more!
4 solid stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Meddling Kids: A Novel
8.1
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Book
With raucous humor and brilliantly orchestrated mayhem, Meddling Kids subverts teen detective...
Fiction Horror Humor Dark Fiction Mystery Paranormal