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The Opposite of Loneliness: Essays and Stories
The Opposite of Loneliness: Essays and Stories
Marina Keegan | 2015 | Biography
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Marina Keegan could definitely write! I loved loved loved this book, whatsmore it is a non-fiction. Marina was obviously a well loved member of the Yale community and always took pride and wanted to be the best at everything she did. Her writing is truly amazing and this book contains a few short stories that Marina wrote and they're excellent. My favourite story from the fiction part of the book has to be 'reading out loud'. The stories were all very different and realistic. The non-fiction part was equally as good and I think this is the part in which she excelled. My favourite was 'why we care about whales' I am a sucker for animals, however this story was very thought provoking and makes you think of things that you probably wouldn't have thought about before.

I definitely recommend this book if you want to start out with a non-fiction book.

It's so sad, this young girl had such a promising career and life ahead of her and then taken so quickly.
  
The Limehouse Golem (2016)
The Limehouse Golem (2016)
2016 | Horror, International, Mystery
The whole plot, acting, plot twists (0 more)
Excess gore distracts from the plot (0 more)
I was watching the Limehouse Golem the other day with my aunt, and we both absolutely loved it. I thought Douglas Booth stood out incredibly throughout the whole film, but Olivia Cooke really stole the show as Lizzie. The last few scenes with her in she was magnificent and both my aunt and I thought they did a fantastic job. The only criticism was that we both thought there was too much gore, in that it distracted from the plot as a whole. Now, I love gory shows like Game of Thrones, Peaky Blinders etc. but when it fits the plot and adds something extra, like in Sweeney Todd, we know the gore is there because it's showing the story. It felt like the gore in this film was overkill and didn't add anything to the stories of the murders or underlying plots. However, I would 100% recommend this film. All the cast did an amazing job and the cinematography and soundtrack are excellent.
  
Infinity: Volume 1
Infinity: Volume 1
Jonathan Hickman, Jim Cheung | 2014 | Fiction & Poetry
6
4.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Warning - not a Thanos-heavy book as described
The builders, a race of beings who created the universe, have decided they want a change and have begun to destroy it and start again. And there are numerous species that decide to try and stop them for obvious reasons. And there are other things with pointy things on their heads and no clothes on and there is Thanos being Thanos and there is sexual tension between Namor and Black Panther and .... just so much going on.
The scope of this story is epic, as you might expect given the recent Infinity Wars part 1. However, it really is not very accessible - there is a lot of gobbledigook and pseudoscience trotted out. And most of the action takes place in space, or inter-planetary politics.
Some parts of this neverending book were excellent, but they were few and far between.
To cut a long story short, I never truly felt like I had much of an idea of what was happening, and only enjoyed the final few issues to any great extent. Some decent artwork.
  
It's Not Summer Without You (Summer, #2)
It's Not Summer Without You (Summer, #2)
Jenny Han | 2010 | Romance, Young Adult (YA)
9
8.6 (5 Ratings)
Book Rating
An Excellent Second Book
This book does a great job of showing the characters emotions as they go through hard times. All of them are suffering from the loss of Susannah, and all of the characters express themselves in very different ways.
Belly made a lot of good and bad decisions in this book, but overall she has grown a lot as a character. The first book was mainly about her love life, and while that still plays an important role; In this book she is more concerned with helping the people she cares about.
A great addition to this book were the chapters in Jeremiah's point of view. Jeremiah sees Belly differently than she sees herself, and it's nice to get his perspective on things.
Ive finished the first two books, and I still can't decide if I like Conrad. I don't think he's a very honest character; however I did enjoy seeing Belly learn more about him and herself. This is a great series, and I can't wait to read the next book.
  
The Shock of the Fall
The Shock of the Fall
Nathan Filer | 2014 | Fiction & Poetry
10
8.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Engaging and emotional. Insightful and personable. Excellent use of formatting and notes/ letters/ images (0 more)
The book I read in one evening
This book sat on my shelf for six months before I picked it up. I must admit, I am guilty of judging a book by its cover occasionally and although it engaged me enough to pick it up in a charity shop haul, there always seemed to be something more appealing for me to pick up ahead of it.

I scanned the front cover and gave it a go and honestly I didn't put it down that evening until I had finished it. I couldn't. I had to continue hearing his story and it broke my heart in the most poignant and beautiful way.

The format is engaging and the letters, images and use of font and type really lend it a verisimilitude like no other, you are sucked into a life you never knew you cared about and he becomes close to your heart almost instantly.

Read this and be changed, be given an insight into mental health like no other.
  
Sanyare: The Heir Apparent is the second book in the Sanyare Chronicles, and follows Rie as she tries to control her magic, and realises that her position of Sanyaro Heir is very different to being a Messenger. Control is hard to attain, although she is working hard, and Greg just doesn't seem to be able to help. Hopefully, a ball will take her mind off things!

Once again, full of action and adventure, this book will delight and enthral as the words jump off the page at you. With a multitude of lovable characters, dangerous situations, baddies to dislike, and heroes to swoon over (including a bad-boy come good), then there is something here for everyone.

Exceptionally well written, with no editing or grammatical errors to disrupt the reading flow, this book continues the story with a smooth pace, whilst leaving you wanting more. An excellent addition to the Chronicles, and I look forward to reading more.

* I received this book from the author in return for a fair and honest review. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
  
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Hazel (2934 KP) rated Sleep in Books

Jan 27, 2019  
Sleep
Sleep
C.L. Taylor | 2019 | Thriller
8
8.7 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
A little gem
What a little gem this is - totally gripping, full of atmosphere, tension and general creepiness all set in the stunning but isolated Scottish island of Rum which creates a sense of trepidation all on its own.

This book can be likened to a classic who-dunnit story - a group of people trapped together in an isolated location with a possible murderer amongst them - it's your job to try and work out who it is from the drips of clues amongst the red herrings provided by the author and I have to give Ms Taylor a round of applause because I didn't figure it out until it was right in my face! and, to be honest, that doesn't happen too often.

Excellent characters - some nice, some not so nice - absolutely perfect setting, great story line and ideal pace makes this a great read and one I have little hesitation in recommending to all psychological thriller lovers out there.

A very big thank you to Avon Books UK via NetGalley for my copy in return for an unbiased review.
  
Game Night (2018)
Game Night (2018)
2018 | Comedy, Mystery
Better than expected
I need to start by saying that I’ve never been a fan of mainstream comedies, however this one is actually quite good - mainly because of the excellent cast.

I’ve always liked Rachel McAdams and Jason Bateman, and they have great chemistry together in this. Billy Magnussen is really funny as the dumb blonde, and there’s some great support from Kyle Chandler and Sharon Horgan. However it’s Jesse Plemons that steals the show as the bonkers creepy neighbour. He’s so deadpan that you can’t help but laugh whenever he’s on screen.

The plot itself is simple and straightforward although fairly entertaining. It’s funny in parts although I didn’t find it particularly hilarious (probably my sense of humour). I did think some of the twists at the end were fairly fun. I love games though, so can really relate to the competitiveness and wish I could persuade my friends to have weekly game nights! I do think it gets a bit cringey in parts and a bit ridiculous, but it’s still an enjoyable fun film.
  
Grace After Henry
Grace After Henry
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This was a lovely and often heartbreaking book about love and loss. Grace and Henry have just bought a house together when he dies, leaving Grace bereft. She moves into their new home and one day Henry shows up to fix the faulty boiler. Only it isn’t Henry, of course; the look-alike man’s name is Andy, and suddenly Grace’s life is turned upside down.

This is a different sort of story—sometimes predictable but often not. It’s touching and sad and captures grief and love quite wonderfully. Grace is an excellent, real character, and her ache for Henry is so true and honest. There are plenty of funny moments, too; her parents’ battles with the moths in their home was my favorite. The supporting cast is simply wonderful, particularly Grace’s friends from the cemetery (you read that right) and her elderly neighbor, Betty.

This isn’t always the easiest book to read, as it so well portrays grief and heartache, but it’s very well-done, and I appreciated reading such a heartfelt and loving story. Definitely worth picking up.
  
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KalJ95 (25 KP) rated the Nintendo Switch version of Hollow Knight in Video Games

Dec 30, 2019  
Hollow Knight
Hollow Knight
2017 | Action/Adventure
Masterful platformer. (2 more)
Gorgeous visuals.
Superb story.
Difficulty spikes are random. (0 more)
Hollow Knight is one of those rare games that will be remembered as a classic Metroidvania. A true gem amongst AAA videogames that year, that outshines them on almost every level.

A simple platformer, expertly crafted to perfect, with a gloomy black and white palette to boot, Hollow Knight tells the story of a small, sword wielding knight, who must discover the various secrets in the underground cities of Hallownest.

It's hard to sum up just how brilliant, often brutal and pulsating Hollow Knight can be. With so much to explore, so many quests to complete, and many, many boss battles that will make you want to jump out of tall building. Yet, once you do defeat that one frustrating creature, the game rewards you further with excellent progression with new abilities and items that help you along your journey.

From a game that was crowdfunded on a budget of $57,000, its astounding just how meticulously crafted Hollow Knight is. Support Team Cherry, you will love this amazing piece of art and entertainment.