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Steve McQueen: Le Mans in the Rearview Mirror
Don Nunley and Marshall Terrill
Book
Le Mans is the most discussed, debated, and beloved auto racing film of all time. The author was the...
graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated Sisi: Empress on Her Own: A Novel in Books
Feb 15, 2019
First of all, I'd definitely recommend reading The Accidental Empress, part one of Empress Elisabeth's life. I found it to be the better book of the two, although Sisi: Empress on Her Own is far from bad.
I commend the author in all the research she did as I think she did an astounding job bringing Sisi to life, showing both her strengths and weaknesses. Most everything was brought to life in a way that was easy to visualize. However, in this book I found there to be more telling than showing as far as politics go, which could be a tad boring, plus I felt there were redundancies here and there. I didn't notice any major anachronism other than one phrase that jolted me out of the book that I dearly hope is not in the final edition (<a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_time_no_see"; targeet="_blank">"Long time no see."</a> if interested). The author provides a thorough section where she notes what was taken from history, leaving me to conclude what must be fiction. I found the fictional parts to be either likely or at least not implausible, excepting a couple incidents in Rudolf's (Sisi's son) youth that felt odd. I won't even touch on Sisi as a person, she's too complex and confounding to decribe in few words, but I felt that Pataki did the best she could at humanizing her while remaining true to her historical record.
Sisi (and the aforementioned The Accidental Empress) are a worthwhile addition to the genre that show a royal family not much touched upon in historical ficiton.
I commend the author in all the research she did as I think she did an astounding job bringing Sisi to life, showing both her strengths and weaknesses. Most everything was brought to life in a way that was easy to visualize. However, in this book I found there to be more telling than showing as far as politics go, which could be a tad boring, plus I felt there were redundancies here and there. I didn't notice any major anachronism other than one phrase that jolted me out of the book that I dearly hope is not in the final edition (<a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_time_no_see"; targeet="_blank">"Long time no see."</a> if interested). The author provides a thorough section where she notes what was taken from history, leaving me to conclude what must be fiction. I found the fictional parts to be either likely or at least not implausible, excepting a couple incidents in Rudolf's (Sisi's son) youth that felt odd. I won't even touch on Sisi as a person, she's too complex and confounding to decribe in few words, but I felt that Pataki did the best she could at humanizing her while remaining true to her historical record.
Sisi (and the aforementioned The Accidental Empress) are a worthwhile addition to the genre that show a royal family not much touched upon in historical ficiton.
Billie Wichkan (118 KP) rated The Greenway (Mike Croft, #1) in Books
May 22, 2019
AUGUST 1975: Cassie Malthams life changes forever one scorching day. She and her twelve-year-old cousin Suzie take a shortcut through the Greenway, an ancient pathway steeped in Norfolk legend. Somewhere along this path Suzie simply vanishes . . .
TWENTY YEARS LATER: Cassie is still tormented by nightmares, parts of her memory completely erased. With her husband Fergus and friends Anna and Simon, she returns to Norfolk, determined to confront her fears and solve a mystery that wont let her rest.
Then another young girl goes missing at the entrance to the Greenway, and Cassie is pushed once more into the darkest recesses of her mind.
John Tynan, the retired detective whod been in charge of Suzies case, is still haunted by her disappearance. He offers his help to Detective Inspector Mike Croft who is leading the increasingly frantic search for the missing child. Has evil returned? And what really happened all those years ago and who can be believed?
First time for me reading this author and it wont be last. The Greenway is a kind of pathway that connects two large empty fields.
This is a gripping mystery story.
A genuinely scary, psychological thriller.
I enjoyed the twists and turns in the plot. I enjoyed the story and the building of the characters.
This book was published originally in 1995, and is now being repackaged and republished now.
Very enjoyable and I am pleased to see there are another three Mike Croft books already published.
Recommend reading!
I would like to thank NetGalley, Joffe Books and the author Jane Adams for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
TWENTY YEARS LATER: Cassie is still tormented by nightmares, parts of her memory completely erased. With her husband Fergus and friends Anna and Simon, she returns to Norfolk, determined to confront her fears and solve a mystery that wont let her rest.
Then another young girl goes missing at the entrance to the Greenway, and Cassie is pushed once more into the darkest recesses of her mind.
John Tynan, the retired detective whod been in charge of Suzies case, is still haunted by her disappearance. He offers his help to Detective Inspector Mike Croft who is leading the increasingly frantic search for the missing child. Has evil returned? And what really happened all those years ago and who can be believed?
First time for me reading this author and it wont be last. The Greenway is a kind of pathway that connects two large empty fields.
This is a gripping mystery story.
A genuinely scary, psychological thriller.
I enjoyed the twists and turns in the plot. I enjoyed the story and the building of the characters.
This book was published originally in 1995, and is now being repackaged and republished now.
Very enjoyable and I am pleased to see there are another three Mike Croft books already published.
Recommend reading!
I would like to thank NetGalley, Joffe Books and the author Jane Adams for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thinking Security: Stopping Next Year's Hackers
Book
If you're a security or network professional, you already know the "do's and don'ts": run AV...
Local Girl Missing
Book
FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE SISTERS - ONE OF THE BEST SELLING DEBUTS OF 2015 - COMES A TENSE...
Vitally Vegetarian
Tina Scheftelowitz and Christine Bille Nielsen
Book
Increasing numbers of people are cutting down on meat; possibly going meat-free one or two days a...
Merissa (13329 KP) rated A Little Christmas: Jacob in Books
Dec 14, 2022
A LITTLE CHRISTMAS: JACOB tells the sad story of Jacob being passed from pillar to post from birth. Sent off to Boarding School at a young age, he never saw his father again. Things went as well as can be expected for him at school until his father got arrested. Then the Headmistress really comes into her own and Jacob ends up being kicked to the curb on Christmas Day when he turns eighteen. Luckily for him, after a rocky time, Richard finds him and saves his life. Under Richard's care and guidance, Jacob realises just who and what he is.
I did enjoy this story and found it to be a great addition to the Little Christmas series but it just didn't work as well for me as some of the others. Jacob was definitely broken and Richard was the one to mend him, with plenty of loving care. There was something about Jacob that didn't sit right with me whereas I found Richard to be a sweetie.
The pacing is smooth with some tender and hot scenes. I think this is the first book by this author I have read and I will definitely read some more. I don't know what it was about Jacob that didn't work, but it certainly hasn't put me off this author or Daddy/littles. Recommended by me.
** 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!
I did enjoy this story and found it to be a great addition to the Little Christmas series but it just didn't work as well for me as some of the others. Jacob was definitely broken and Richard was the one to mend him, with plenty of loving care. There was something about Jacob that didn't sit right with me whereas I found Richard to be a sweetie.
The pacing is smooth with some tender and hot scenes. I think this is the first book by this author I have read and I will definitely read some more. I don't know what it was about Jacob that didn't work, but it certainly hasn't put me off this author or Daddy/littles. Recommended by me.
** 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!
Debbiereadsbook (1541 KP) rated Town Bronze Box Set in Books
Sep 1, 2024
it was a wonderful read!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
3 stories, about three young men, finding themselves in 1812 London.
I found these easy reads, not too taxing on the emotional or angst side, and they were a welcome change after a couple of books that were high on both scales.
I loved watching each man fall, in a way they did not expect. Given the time, these men could have been hanged if they were caught, but what I liked about these was THAT particular fact wasn't too stressed. In some historical books, those things are shoved down your throat on almost every page, but not so here. Oh it's mentioned, don't get me wrong, but it's mostly in passing, what might happen if they get caught.
The three shorts aren't particularly explicit, but they are really rather sweet in the steaminess level. I liked that, a lot. And they were all a bit different, so that was good.
Two things stopped me giving it 5 stars.
This is the first I've read of this author. I'm not sure if it's her general style, or just these books, but it was very WORDY. Lots of words used to describe things. I found it a bit off putting in places, to be honest.
And I found the three shorts kinda ended, totally out the blue! Very abrupt endings, that threw me!
The short bonus chapters made up for some of it, but still.
WIll I read more by this author? Possibly.
4 good stars
*same worded review will appear elsewheree
3 stories, about three young men, finding themselves in 1812 London.
I found these easy reads, not too taxing on the emotional or angst side, and they were a welcome change after a couple of books that were high on both scales.
I loved watching each man fall, in a way they did not expect. Given the time, these men could have been hanged if they were caught, but what I liked about these was THAT particular fact wasn't too stressed. In some historical books, those things are shoved down your throat on almost every page, but not so here. Oh it's mentioned, don't get me wrong, but it's mostly in passing, what might happen if they get caught.
The three shorts aren't particularly explicit, but they are really rather sweet in the steaminess level. I liked that, a lot. And they were all a bit different, so that was good.
Two things stopped me giving it 5 stars.
This is the first I've read of this author. I'm not sure if it's her general style, or just these books, but it was very WORDY. Lots of words used to describe things. I found it a bit off putting in places, to be honest.
And I found the three shorts kinda ended, totally out the blue! Very abrupt endings, that threw me!
The short bonus chapters made up for some of it, but still.
WIll I read more by this author? Possibly.
4 good stars
*same worded review will appear elsewheree
Sassy Brit (97 KP) rated The Light We Lost in Books
Jun 6, 2019
^ This is totally not what I was expecting. Maybe I thought it would a love story based around how a couple met at the time 9/11 happened. Yes. It is. But staying together and having a happy ever after? Hmm. Nope. You don’t get that, and this becomes very clear from the onset. In fact, the very way this has been written in a past tense, makes that awfully clear the protagonist is telling us something that has already happened. This in itself made for a tantalising read. The story could have gone anywhere. Not knowing what would happen between them, when at times their lives were so different and far apart, is probably why I enjoyed this more than I thought I would.
^^ This story revolves around two lost souls, Lucy and Gabriel (Gabe) Samson who first meet during the Twin Towers terror attacks, and watch the horror unfold right in front of their eyes. Did fate bring these two together for a reason?
^^ Throughout the book we follow their relationship and learn how that first meeting on that fateful day effected them for the rest of their lives. Imagine being witness to something so horrifying. Surely it would affect you. Perhaps you’d want to live your life as if every day is your last, or you’ll go the other way and blame yourself for not being able to do anything to help. Even when you couldn’t have at the time. Survivors guilt, I think they call it.
^ These are the sort of issues, this couple face. You know they should be together, but they both need different things, so their lives are never as simple as you think they’re going to be.
^ I enjoyed how the author allowed this couple to search for what they wanted out of life, but they never truly forgot, or even stopped loving each other. Whenever they did meet, well, it was never the right time. Yet something in the universe, a powerful source, kept drawing them back into each other’s paths. Even when they’d both long gone their separate ways. Is it destiny? Or chance?
Overall: Well, who’d of thought the first book of the year would reduce me to tears? I kind of saw the ending coming, but when I reached those last few pages I found it much more emotional than expected. Jill Santopolo poses an elegant narrative around two people looking in very different places for that one elusive answer: What if?
^^ This story revolves around two lost souls, Lucy and Gabriel (Gabe) Samson who first meet during the Twin Towers terror attacks, and watch the horror unfold right in front of their eyes. Did fate bring these two together for a reason?
^^ Throughout the book we follow their relationship and learn how that first meeting on that fateful day effected them for the rest of their lives. Imagine being witness to something so horrifying. Surely it would affect you. Perhaps you’d want to live your life as if every day is your last, or you’ll go the other way and blame yourself for not being able to do anything to help. Even when you couldn’t have at the time. Survivors guilt, I think they call it.
^ These are the sort of issues, this couple face. You know they should be together, but they both need different things, so their lives are never as simple as you think they’re going to be.
^ I enjoyed how the author allowed this couple to search for what they wanted out of life, but they never truly forgot, or even stopped loving each other. Whenever they did meet, well, it was never the right time. Yet something in the universe, a powerful source, kept drawing them back into each other’s paths. Even when they’d both long gone their separate ways. Is it destiny? Or chance?
Overall: Well, who’d of thought the first book of the year would reduce me to tears? I kind of saw the ending coming, but when I reached those last few pages I found it much more emotional than expected. Jill Santopolo poses an elegant narrative around two people looking in very different places for that one elusive answer: What if?
Faces from the Front: Harold Gillies, the Queen's Hospital, Sidcup and the Origins of Modern Plastic Surgery
Book
Faces from the Front examines the British response to the huge number of soldiers who incurred...