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Machine Learning: New and Collected Stories
Book
A new collection of stories, including some that have never before been seen, from the New York...
Science fiction
Iron Tower Trilogy (Mithgar #9,10,11)
7.0
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Book
Dennis L. McKiernan's Mithgar books are among the most beloved in all fantasy fiction. The Iron...
Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers
Book
The latest groundbreaking tome from Tim Ferriss, the #1 New York Times best-selling author of The...
Self-help
Midge (525 KP) rated The Colour of Murder in Books
Feb 11, 2019
Clever And Enjoyable
THE COLOUR OF MURDER is the first book by Julian Symons that I've read and I really enjoyed it. Though it is naturally a book of its time, I found it endearing and charming. The characters were fantastic and the book, for me, is reminiscent of a Patricia Highsmith or a Ruth Rendell mystery.
I thought that the story was captivating and engaging and extremely well structured, both leading up to the murder, as told by the accused, as he relates his account of events to a psychologist and in court, with the cases for the defence and prosecution. I loved that the style of writing was slightly different to the usual types of murder mysteries, although there was still a whodunit theme, as well as a look at the nature of justice. It held my interest from start to finish and the way in which Julian Symons brought everything to a conclusion was just fabulous. I loved it and it has left me eager to read more from this author.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for a free ARC of this book in exchange for a voluntary, honest review.
I thought that the story was captivating and engaging and extremely well structured, both leading up to the murder, as told by the accused, as he relates his account of events to a psychologist and in court, with the cases for the defence and prosecution. I loved that the style of writing was slightly different to the usual types of murder mysteries, although there was still a whodunit theme, as well as a look at the nature of justice. It held my interest from start to finish and the way in which Julian Symons brought everything to a conclusion was just fabulous. I loved it and it has left me eager to read more from this author.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for a free ARC of this book in exchange for a voluntary, honest review.
Montpelier Parade
4.0
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Book
Read our exclusive author interview "Luminous and moving. A story that asks who you can love...
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2200 KP) rated Once Upon a Wardrobe in Books
Nov 13, 2024 (Updated Nov 13, 2024)
Mixed Journey of Self-Discovery
Megs’s younger brother George has a heart defect that keeps him in bed reading. It’s 1950, and he’s just discovered The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and he wants to know where Narnia came from. Since Megs is at Oxford, she goes to ask the author himself. But will C.S. Lewis’s answer help Megs and George?
I’ve been a Narnia fan since I first read the books in 3rd grade, so the premise of this book intrigued. However, it didn’t work for me. It felt too scattered, with too many storylines. It’s part biography of C.S. Lewis with vignettes about his life. It’s part coming of age story for Megs. I see where the author was trying to combine them thematically, but it didn’t quite work for me. I needed a bit more focus on something. Plus, some events in the story really strained what I could believe. But I did enjoy the characters, and I found myself tearing up a time or two. If the premise really intrigues you, check it out. Otherwise, give this one a pass.
I’ve been a Narnia fan since I first read the books in 3rd grade, so the premise of this book intrigued. However, it didn’t work for me. It felt too scattered, with too many storylines. It’s part biography of C.S. Lewis with vignettes about his life. It’s part coming of age story for Megs. I see where the author was trying to combine them thematically, but it didn’t quite work for me. I needed a bit more focus on something. Plus, some events in the story really strained what I could believe. But I did enjoy the characters, and I found myself tearing up a time or two. If the premise really intrigues you, check it out. Otherwise, give this one a pass.
Night Reader Reviews (683 KP) rated Freiyon Fables: Hooked on Power in Books
Jan 9, 2020
Honest Review for Free Copy of Book
WARNING: PLEASE NOTE THE CONTENTS IN THIS REVIEW MY NOT BE COMPLETELY ACCURATE. THIS REVIEW WAS DONE ON THE BOOK BEFORE IT WAS COMPLEATED FOR RELEASE AND THE AUTHOR MAY CHANGE THINGS BETWEEN NOW AND THEN. KEEP THIS IN MIND AS YOU READ ON.
Freiyon Fables: Hooked on Power by Justin Hunt is the third and I believe the final book in the Freiyon Fables series. Right from the start, the book promises to answer some questions that I had from the start of the series. I have noticed some inconsistencies in formatting or writing style, such as the first book being broken into three separate parts, the first book being one whole book, and now the third being broken apart again. However, I did not notice any problems with the timeline between the three books.
The story starts out with a letter to the reader from an unnamed author (that is until the very end). This author claims that the reader would not recognize him or her from previous stories about Freiyon but intends to “explain the many different mysteries of the World of Freiyon”. It then starts with the story of some pirates who find themselves in Freiyon by mistake. These pirates then capture and torture poor Quasapoor (who you may remember was evil in a previous book) until he goes insane. They then run into Sybil and Helen Rochester and the creation of the Rochester Runes is explained as well.
Adam, a young boy who heard of Freiyon from his mother then and his battle with Captain Liberty (an evil power-hungry pirate) becomes the main focus of the story. He soon finds that time runs differently in Freiyon from the human world and the events his mother told him about are yet to happen. Adam is even present for the creation of Lord Libertas, but I am not going to ruin how that happened for the curious reader. As Adam travels Freiyon and the surrounding lands the reader also learns about how Freiyon itself came to be along with the Wise One and Lightning Tail Island. Will Adam with the help of some new friends and some well-known favorites be able to protect Freiyon from Captain Liberty or will Freiyon be destroyed once and for all?
What I liked best was how the book answered major questions that arose during the first two books, even if some of the explanations seem a bit far fetched. I really enjoyed the appearance of Adam as I had been looking forward to finding out his identity for quite some time. My main problem was with the time difference between Freiyon and the human world because it made things really confusing. I don’t really understand how Adam could even be in Freiyon before his mother and the events she tells him about, even if it was because of a spell gone wrong. Time travel always gets me confused. Also Adam frequently reminds himself that he is in Freiyon’s past and if every time he dose that is mixed with all the times the story backtracks over what a character just did or what happened in a previous book about a third of this book could be completely removed.
The target readers for this book changed a bit from the previous two books in this series. This third edition to the Freiyon Fables is directed more towards middle school readers. While previous Freiyon Fable books may have been appropriate for even some elementary students I feel as if they would get bored after the first one hundred pages or so of this one. Staying consistent with the first two books I rate this one as a 2 out of 4. Originally this final book was going to be given a three for explaining some of the strange things that happened in the first two. However, because of all the repetition (entire paragraphs and pages seemed directly taken from one of the first two books) and how it felt like it was dragging for the final third of the book, I felt like a two was better deserved once again.
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Freiyon Fables: Hooked on Power by Justin Hunt is the third and I believe the final book in the Freiyon Fables series. Right from the start, the book promises to answer some questions that I had from the start of the series. I have noticed some inconsistencies in formatting or writing style, such as the first book being broken into three separate parts, the first book being one whole book, and now the third being broken apart again. However, I did not notice any problems with the timeline between the three books.
The story starts out with a letter to the reader from an unnamed author (that is until the very end). This author claims that the reader would not recognize him or her from previous stories about Freiyon but intends to “explain the many different mysteries of the World of Freiyon”. It then starts with the story of some pirates who find themselves in Freiyon by mistake. These pirates then capture and torture poor Quasapoor (who you may remember was evil in a previous book) until he goes insane. They then run into Sybil and Helen Rochester and the creation of the Rochester Runes is explained as well.
Adam, a young boy who heard of Freiyon from his mother then and his battle with Captain Liberty (an evil power-hungry pirate) becomes the main focus of the story. He soon finds that time runs differently in Freiyon from the human world and the events his mother told him about are yet to happen. Adam is even present for the creation of Lord Libertas, but I am not going to ruin how that happened for the curious reader. As Adam travels Freiyon and the surrounding lands the reader also learns about how Freiyon itself came to be along with the Wise One and Lightning Tail Island. Will Adam with the help of some new friends and some well-known favorites be able to protect Freiyon from Captain Liberty or will Freiyon be destroyed once and for all?
What I liked best was how the book answered major questions that arose during the first two books, even if some of the explanations seem a bit far fetched. I really enjoyed the appearance of Adam as I had been looking forward to finding out his identity for quite some time. My main problem was with the time difference between Freiyon and the human world because it made things really confusing. I don’t really understand how Adam could even be in Freiyon before his mother and the events she tells him about, even if it was because of a spell gone wrong. Time travel always gets me confused. Also Adam frequently reminds himself that he is in Freiyon’s past and if every time he dose that is mixed with all the times the story backtracks over what a character just did or what happened in a previous book about a third of this book could be completely removed.
The target readers for this book changed a bit from the previous two books in this series. This third edition to the Freiyon Fables is directed more towards middle school readers. While previous Freiyon Fable books may have been appropriate for even some elementary students I feel as if they would get bored after the first one hundred pages or so of this one. Staying consistent with the first two books I rate this one as a 2 out of 4. Originally this final book was going to be given a three for explaining some of the strange things that happened in the first two. However, because of all the repetition (entire paragraphs and pages seemed directly taken from one of the first two books) and how it felt like it was dragging for the final third of the book, I felt like a two was better deserved once again.
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The Boys in the Boat
7.3
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Book
Cast aside by his family at an early age, abandoned and left to fend for himself in the woods of...
Mary in America
Gwynedd Rae and Clara Vulliamy
Book
Mary Plain is off on another adventure with her friend, Owl Man - this time to America! Join her as...
Christine Allard (22 KP) rated Queen of Spades in Books
Jan 26, 2018
Small story, small setting, gambling and some mystical realism in a down-to-earth story.
Very few characters. Set in a small town in the Pacific Northwest. It's about gambling and math and cheating, and winning and losing at life and relationships. The writing is simple and stunning. The characters are few and very well-developed, quickly and slowly at the same time, without a lot of fanfare. There's a touch of mystery.
It's a "small" book, as I like to call them. Kind of like Nicholson Baker's writing. Focused.
Read it in two sittings--started one evening and finished over breakfast. Wish I had savored it more. Have already sent copies to at least seven people. Don't bother with the blurb on the back--doesn't do it much justice for what's really between the covers. Also, the paperback is a joy to hold. Even if you're a fan of eReaders, I recommend buying the real deal for this one.
It's a "small" book, as I like to call them. Kind of like Nicholson Baker's writing. Focused.
Read it in two sittings--started one evening and finished over breakfast. Wish I had savored it more. Have already sent copies to at least seven people. Don't bother with the blurb on the back--doesn't do it much justice for what's really between the covers. Also, the paperback is a joy to hold. Even if you're a fan of eReaders, I recommend buying the real deal for this one.
Kimmic (814 KP) Feb 11, 2019