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The Passionate Witch
Book
Mr. T. Wallace Wooly, a self-important tycoon, but at heart a shy brown rabbit of a man, meets his...
HARVEST MOON: Seeds Of Memories
Entertainment and Games
App
**Please note HARVEST MOON: Seeds of Memories is compatible with iPhone 5S or later, iPad Air 1 or...
Harvest Moon farming simulation mining cooking fishing
The Intermission
7.0
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Book
Have you ever had a secret so gut-wrenching you couldn't share it with anyone, not even the person...
Malice Domestic 14: Mystery Most Edible
Parnell Hall, Shawn Reilly Simmons, Verena Rose and Rita Owen
8.0
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Book
The Malice Domestic anthology series returns with a new take on mysteries in the Agatha Christie...
ClareR (5674 KP) rated The Winners in Books
Mar 8, 2023
I finished this book in absolute bits. Awkward on a dog walk. But how does Fredrik Backman do this?!
Over the course of this trilogy I have become involved in the lives of everyone in Beartown and Hed. I don’t watch Ice Hockey (my son plays field hockey, and I imagine that’s slightly less dangerous - although he’s had his share of black eyes and sprained ankles!).
This book is about the lives of the people of the two towns. How, despite their animosity towards one another, there is more that joins them together than drives them apart. They just have to learn that.
The novel starts with the storm of a generation: trees are blown over, houses and businesses damaged. In fact, this is something of a sign of things to come for these people.
Life isn’t necessarily easy for any of the characters in this. We read of the trials and tribulations of their lives, their successes and failures. The observations made by Backman are so full of insight , like he has really taken the time to understand these people.
Emotions run high between the towns, especially when it’s discovered that the council want to shut one of the rinks down. They’ve clearly not thought this one through and have no understanding of their constituents!
This novel contains all of the struggles of so many small towns today: addiction, violence, families in trouble, people in need, corruption, criminality, love and loss.
It’s a long book, but it flies by - and that’s all Backman’s writing (and the translator Neil Smith’s translating!). I’m so sorry to see this trilogy come to an end. It’s been quite the ride.
Over the course of this trilogy I have become involved in the lives of everyone in Beartown and Hed. I don’t watch Ice Hockey (my son plays field hockey, and I imagine that’s slightly less dangerous - although he’s had his share of black eyes and sprained ankles!).
This book is about the lives of the people of the two towns. How, despite their animosity towards one another, there is more that joins them together than drives them apart. They just have to learn that.
The novel starts with the storm of a generation: trees are blown over, houses and businesses damaged. In fact, this is something of a sign of things to come for these people.
Life isn’t necessarily easy for any of the characters in this. We read of the trials and tribulations of their lives, their successes and failures. The observations made by Backman are so full of insight , like he has really taken the time to understand these people.
Emotions run high between the towns, especially when it’s discovered that the council want to shut one of the rinks down. They’ve clearly not thought this one through and have no understanding of their constituents!
This novel contains all of the struggles of so many small towns today: addiction, violence, families in trouble, people in need, corruption, criminality, love and loss.
It’s a long book, but it flies by - and that’s all Backman’s writing (and the translator Neil Smith’s translating!). I’m so sorry to see this trilogy come to an end. It’s been quite the ride.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2165 KP) rated Buttercream Betrayal in Books
Sep 16, 2022
Murder Goes to the Dogs
In an attempt to train her woefully misbehaving dogs, Emory Martinez has signed them up for a dog obedience class run by Shawn Parker. The class has gotten rave reviews online, but Emory finds that it has done little for her two dogs, as evidenced by their misbehavior at the graduation potluck. It’s also at this potluck that Emory begins to hear gripes and grumblings not only about Shawn but his mother, Eloise, who is President of the condo association where most of Emory’s fellow students live. A few hours later, Emory stumbles over the dead body of Eloise in the condo’s community center. With the rumors that Emory has heard, can she sort out who killed Eloise?
I enjoy this series, so it was wonderful to see what Emory and the rest of the cast is up to. Once again, they were a delight to spend time with. The suspects could have been a little stronger, but they worked for their role in the story. The pacing of the plot could have been a little better as well, but it did keep me engaged as I was reading. I also enjoy the Southern California setting of the stories. The book uses its September setting to introduce lots of apple themed treats, and the recipes at the end made me drool. By necessity, this book spoils some past events, so if you want to read them unspoiled, I recommend you go back to the beginning. As a fan of the series, that would be my recommendation anyway. Fans will be anxious to dive into this book, and they’ll be well rewarded.
I enjoy this series, so it was wonderful to see what Emory and the rest of the cast is up to. Once again, they were a delight to spend time with. The suspects could have been a little stronger, but they worked for their role in the story. The pacing of the plot could have been a little better as well, but it did keep me engaged as I was reading. I also enjoy the Southern California setting of the stories. The book uses its September setting to introduce lots of apple themed treats, and the recipes at the end made me drool. By necessity, this book spoils some past events, so if you want to read them unspoiled, I recommend you go back to the beginning. As a fan of the series, that would be my recommendation anyway. Fans will be anxious to dive into this book, and they’ll be well rewarded.
Sweat Connection (Hot Under the Collar #1)
10.0
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One disaster bi single dad. One sexy plumber on a house call. One hot-as-hell romance…. Rhys ...
Contemporary MM Romance
ClareR (5674 KP) rated The Dog of the North in Books
Mar 3, 2024
I can remember reading Elizabeth Mckenzie’s The Portable Veblen when it came out, and thinking “What on earth am I reading? This is marvellous!!”. I felt exactly the same way when I read The Dog of the North.
Penny’s life is a mess - she will be the first to admit it. Her marriage is over, she has walked out on her job and her house, and now has nowhere to live. However, she finds herself rushing to her grandmother’s rescue when it looks as though Adult Protective Services are going to get involved in her life unless her house is cleaned. Along the way, she meets her grandmother’s accountant whose living conditions also leave a lot to be desired, her biological father makes an appearance, her grandfather needs her help because of his frankly awful second wife, and we get to see Penny’s sister in Australia as Penny and her grandfather make a last ditch attempt to find her mother and stepfather. They had gone missing in the outback five years before, and Penny is finding it difficult to accept that they’re really dead.
This is a really funny book, but boy is it dark. Whilst I was laughing at the predicaments that Penny found herself in, I realised that she seemed to be helping everyone else, and none of these people seemed to be helping or caring for her. She is a quiet voice amidst the shouting and misadventures of her family (her grandmother is really VERY entertaining!), and she just needs someone to take her side and give her a hug (if she’ll let them!).
It’s an uplifting story all in all, and well worth reading.
Penny’s life is a mess - she will be the first to admit it. Her marriage is over, she has walked out on her job and her house, and now has nowhere to live. However, she finds herself rushing to her grandmother’s rescue when it looks as though Adult Protective Services are going to get involved in her life unless her house is cleaned. Along the way, she meets her grandmother’s accountant whose living conditions also leave a lot to be desired, her biological father makes an appearance, her grandfather needs her help because of his frankly awful second wife, and we get to see Penny’s sister in Australia as Penny and her grandfather make a last ditch attempt to find her mother and stepfather. They had gone missing in the outback five years before, and Penny is finding it difficult to accept that they’re really dead.
This is a really funny book, but boy is it dark. Whilst I was laughing at the predicaments that Penny found herself in, I realised that she seemed to be helping everyone else, and none of these people seemed to be helping or caring for her. She is a quiet voice amidst the shouting and misadventures of her family (her grandmother is really VERY entertaining!), and she just needs someone to take her side and give her a hug (if she’ll let them!).
It’s an uplifting story all in all, and well worth reading.
graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated Spooky Little Girl in Books
Feb 15, 2019
Poor Lucy Fisher. Just when she thinks she can go home and relax from a crummy vacation, she finds all her belongings tossed out onto the lawn of the house she shares with her fiance, and to top that off, she then loses her job. The last thing she needs is to be hit by a bus and left to be scraped up by an over-sized spatula (I don't envy whoever has to do that!).
After a slow build-up, the book finally came alive (so to speak) for me at the half-way point, along with the help of her grandmother, Naunie. Told in third-person, Lucy is a slightly flaky, but completely sympathetic character who goes through many moods as she deals with her death and how to become a proper ghost. Along with other clever touches, the idea of having untimely deaths go to a ghost school before arriving in "The State" is utterly fantastic. I wouldn't mind seeing that more fleshed out for another book, although I don't know how that would work. Lucy is helped in her haunting assignment by Naunie, whose exploits in "The State" are hilarious and she really livens up the book and provides many laughs. All the other characters add to the book without either being unnecessary or overused. Also, I would be remiss if I didn't mention Tulip, Lucy's dog before her death, who is the most adorable and sweetest thing ever. No, there aren't really any surprises plot-wise, but it's the journey that matters, and I enjoyed it.
So, even though it started slow, SPOOKY LITTLE GIRL picked up pace and ended up being a cute, funny, charming, thoughtful, and heartwarming little book. I'm glad I got a chance to read this and learn about how this book came to be in the author's note at the end.
After a slow build-up, the book finally came alive (so to speak) for me at the half-way point, along with the help of her grandmother, Naunie. Told in third-person, Lucy is a slightly flaky, but completely sympathetic character who goes through many moods as she deals with her death and how to become a proper ghost. Along with other clever touches, the idea of having untimely deaths go to a ghost school before arriving in "The State" is utterly fantastic. I wouldn't mind seeing that more fleshed out for another book, although I don't know how that would work. Lucy is helped in her haunting assignment by Naunie, whose exploits in "The State" are hilarious and she really livens up the book and provides many laughs. All the other characters add to the book without either being unnecessary or overused. Also, I would be remiss if I didn't mention Tulip, Lucy's dog before her death, who is the most adorable and sweetest thing ever. No, there aren't really any surprises plot-wise, but it's the journey that matters, and I enjoyed it.
So, even though it started slow, SPOOKY LITTLE GIRL picked up pace and ended up being a cute, funny, charming, thoughtful, and heartwarming little book. I'm glad I got a chance to read this and learn about how this book came to be in the author's note at the end.