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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated I Have Lost My Way in Books
Apr 10, 2018
Lovely novel about three very different individuals
Freya, Harun, and Nathaniel. Three very different individuals whose paths are about to collide in New York City. Freya is an aspiring singer who has just lost her voice. Harun is running away-literally-from his loving, yet overbearing family. And Nathaniel is coming to New York following a misguided plan. Soon Freya will fall off a bridge and fatefully bring the three together. Each feels lost and alone in this giant city. Will accidentally finding each other change that?
I very much love Gayle Forman and am always excited when she has a new novel. This one almost felt like a novella, with my hardcopy clocking in at a little over 250 pages. It was a fast, easy read, as I quickly became immersed in the lives of these three different and diverse characters.. The book is told over the course of one day--the day these three individuals meet, but we get flashbacks into their pasts, as well. Each character gets a chance to tell things from their point of view.
Forman is a lovely storyteller, and it's easy to get lost in this book. If anything, the day--and the book--is over too quickly. I found myself drawn to each character for different reasons. They are each vulnerable in their own way, and it's easy to get lost in their stories. I loved how the characters had diverse backgrounds and ethnic origins, as well. It's a beautiful novel, really, with gorgeous writing. The storylines are often touching and heartbreaking, yet the book felt light and airy--buoyed by the unlikely trio's friendship.
The book seems brief and is over very quickly; it left me wanting to know more about all three individuals. It flies by, especially since you skip from one narrator to the next, limiting what you learn about each, and getting snippets doled out over the course of the story. It all comes together by the end, but at that point, I found myself still wanting to learn more about each of our three characters, or have more time in their lives. It's easy to get invested when the characters are so well-formed.
Overall, this is a very easy-to-read book as it flawlessly draws you in with its diverse characters and excellent writing. It often reminded me of another beautiful tale, The Sun Is Also a Star. It's over all too quickly, but is quite enjoyable while it lasts. Definitely a worthy read.
I very much love Gayle Forman and am always excited when she has a new novel. This one almost felt like a novella, with my hardcopy clocking in at a little over 250 pages. It was a fast, easy read, as I quickly became immersed in the lives of these three different and diverse characters.. The book is told over the course of one day--the day these three individuals meet, but we get flashbacks into their pasts, as well. Each character gets a chance to tell things from their point of view.
Forman is a lovely storyteller, and it's easy to get lost in this book. If anything, the day--and the book--is over too quickly. I found myself drawn to each character for different reasons. They are each vulnerable in their own way, and it's easy to get lost in their stories. I loved how the characters had diverse backgrounds and ethnic origins, as well. It's a beautiful novel, really, with gorgeous writing. The storylines are often touching and heartbreaking, yet the book felt light and airy--buoyed by the unlikely trio's friendship.
The book seems brief and is over very quickly; it left me wanting to know more about all three individuals. It flies by, especially since you skip from one narrator to the next, limiting what you learn about each, and getting snippets doled out over the course of the story. It all comes together by the end, but at that point, I found myself still wanting to learn more about each of our three characters, or have more time in their lives. It's easy to get invested when the characters are so well-formed.
Overall, this is a very easy-to-read book as it flawlessly draws you in with its diverse characters and excellent writing. It often reminded me of another beautiful tale, The Sun Is Also a Star. It's over all too quickly, but is quite enjoyable while it lasts. Definitely a worthy read.
Acanthea Grimscythe (300 KP) rated How I Lost You in Books
May 16, 2018
As seen on <a href="http://theghastlygrimoire.com/"; target="_new">The Ghastly Grimoire.</a>
How I Lost You by Jenny Blackhurst is difficult for me to score with ease, to be completely and totally honest. There are several things I loved about this book and others that felt more like a cliche. Aside from those few moments, I enjoyed reading this novel.
Susan Webster, a.k.a. Emma Cartwright, finds her head still spinning after serving her time in a psychiatric prison for the murder of her son. As a character, she is for the most part fairly well-written. Having suffered a psychotic break, she becomes an unreliable narrator and Blackhurst does an excellent job at describing the sort of incredulity that individuals suffering mental illness find themselves often faced with. Reading Susan’s point of view felt very much like my own after a break I had about two years ago, and for that reason I found her to be relatable – all the way down to the seemingly instant attraction to an otherwise unknown man.
In some reviews, Susan’s interest in Nick has been viewed critically. I, on the other hand, have been that desperate for someone, anyone, to possibly listen to me or give me time of day so I feel Blackhurst’s portrayal of Susan in such a circumstance is certainly realistic. Diminished capacity for judgment is a side effect of mental illness, one that often gets dismissed as a cry for attention.
The story unfolds fairly quickly and in ways that are, at some moments, unsettling. Many of these moments take place in the past, where flashbacks take us to the glorious lives of the Durham Elite. It is in these flashbacks that I encountered the one cliche that absolutely annoyed the piss out of me: a cult like gathering that seemed to come out of nowhere. Seriously, cults are beyond overdone.
I really found myself dancing between three and four for this piece, largely because of the typical use of the “cult” as a scapegoat. For the most part, this is the only bit that appeared to stand completely out of place, so I’ve decided to lean toward four. Thus far, I find Emily Bestler’s selections to be wonderfully appropriate to my tastes and I look forward to seeing more of her publications as an imprint of Atria and Simon & Schuster.
I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book for the purpose of review. This review is written without bias and reflects my honest opinion.
How I Lost You by Jenny Blackhurst is difficult for me to score with ease, to be completely and totally honest. There are several things I loved about this book and others that felt more like a cliche. Aside from those few moments, I enjoyed reading this novel.
Susan Webster, a.k.a. Emma Cartwright, finds her head still spinning after serving her time in a psychiatric prison for the murder of her son. As a character, she is for the most part fairly well-written. Having suffered a psychotic break, she becomes an unreliable narrator and Blackhurst does an excellent job at describing the sort of incredulity that individuals suffering mental illness find themselves often faced with. Reading Susan’s point of view felt very much like my own after a break I had about two years ago, and for that reason I found her to be relatable – all the way down to the seemingly instant attraction to an otherwise unknown man.
In some reviews, Susan’s interest in Nick has been viewed critically. I, on the other hand, have been that desperate for someone, anyone, to possibly listen to me or give me time of day so I feel Blackhurst’s portrayal of Susan in such a circumstance is certainly realistic. Diminished capacity for judgment is a side effect of mental illness, one that often gets dismissed as a cry for attention.
The story unfolds fairly quickly and in ways that are, at some moments, unsettling. Many of these moments take place in the past, where flashbacks take us to the glorious lives of the Durham Elite. It is in these flashbacks that I encountered the one cliche that absolutely annoyed the piss out of me: a cult like gathering that seemed to come out of nowhere. Seriously, cults are beyond overdone.
I really found myself dancing between three and four for this piece, largely because of the typical use of the “cult” as a scapegoat. For the most part, this is the only bit that appeared to stand completely out of place, so I’ve decided to lean toward four. Thus far, I find Emily Bestler’s selections to be wonderfully appropriate to my tastes and I look forward to seeing more of her publications as an imprint of Atria and Simon & Schuster.
I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book for the purpose of review. This review is written without bias and reflects my honest opinion.
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Charlie Miller (882 KP) rated Fitbit Charge 3 in Tech
Oct 17, 2020
Fitbit changed my life(style)
First of all thanks to @smashbomb for the great giveaway of a Fitbit Inspire HR
The heading in this review might seem dramatic but it is no exaggeration.
I had a fitbit charge 3 before I won this giveaway. So I am going to repost this review on the charge 3 as well as here. As it is a review on both and I will compare them against each other. I will also post this review for the Fitbit app as both fitness trackers are used in conjunction with the app. I will score them all separately on what they offer.
I was never one to over worry about my appearance so I paid little attention to my weight and in fact have been slightly overweight most of my life. My change started a week or two before I decided to buy a Fitbit. My wife who is one to care about her appearance had recently successfully implemented her own diet and exercise plan using a Fitbit Charge 3 and the Fitbit app to monitor her calorie intake and her daily exercise.
She had recently put on a bit of weight and this had affected her confidence so she decided to change. As I have Lupus an autoimmune disease. I am classed as clinically vulnerable to Covid so we were shielding for 19 weeks. I was advised to go in a little earlier than the rest of the UK nation being locked down. Towards the end of lockdown we started to go for walks on our daily exercise. This was the beginning of the change.
One day I caught site of my reflection in the microwave of all places. It was a side profile of my stomach and my waist and I realised I had let my weight gain go too far.
So I decided to use our daily walks to try and push myself first by slowly increasing the distance walked then to trying to improve the pace and choosing different routes which would push me a bit more. For instance with steep inclines.
I noticed some benefits almost straight away. Being quite goal driven. I set myself a goal of weight loss of 1lb a week. I started using the Fitbit app to monitor my calorie intake alongside my daily exercise.
It has worked wonders. I was 15st 8lb (clinically obese) when I started. I am now 13st 10lb(still overweight) and counting. I walk at least 2 miles, 5 out of 7 days. Most weeks I walk 6 days and some weeks I walk every day.
My wife and I have also allowed ourselves cheat days. This is so we don't feel deprived so that if we really fancy a treat we can say we will have that on Friday or Saturday and it works. Although we have cheat days we always monitor our calorie intake. This is so we can see over a week or month we still have a healthy deficit.
Having the fitness tracker alongside the app has inspired my wife and I to make additional changes. We have implemented new habits due to the tips popping up on the app now and again. I used to drink tea all day. I have changed this to no added sugar dilute juice and now drink my daily recommended amount of water every day.
Another tip that popped up is to eat a high protein breakfast early in the day this gets your metabolism going early and stages of cravings for carbs and sweet things. Of the options recommended my wife and started making overnight fruit and oat jars. This has also worked. I eat much more salad and a lot less carbs and sugar.
The next habit I am going to try and implement is to not eat at least 2 hours before going to bed.
Overall these are great buys. I love the step counter/goal, distance counter/goal, the exercise tracker, the water intake monitor and the calorie intake/outgoing monitor.
It's not often that you can say a purchase actually has a positive effect on your lifestyle.
One gripe about all the products is you have to pay extra for premium content once you have forked out for the trackers.
The scores I have given are: Inspire HR 7
Fitbit app 9
Charge 3 9
After raving about them you might wonder why not 10's all round. I knocked 1 off the charge 3 and the app for the fact that there is additional content that doesn't come with the purchase of the tech.
The additional knock of a further 2 points is because the HR doesn't offer an altimeter and it doesn't have the advertised battery life of 5 days. It lasts just under that amount of time.
So either one of these would be a good investment for a fitness tracker on a budget. Personally I would fork out the extra £30 for the Charge 3. The altimeter and the extra battery is worth the little bit extra.
The heading in this review might seem dramatic but it is no exaggeration.
I had a fitbit charge 3 before I won this giveaway. So I am going to repost this review on the charge 3 as well as here. As it is a review on both and I will compare them against each other. I will also post this review for the Fitbit app as both fitness trackers are used in conjunction with the app. I will score them all separately on what they offer.
I was never one to over worry about my appearance so I paid little attention to my weight and in fact have been slightly overweight most of my life. My change started a week or two before I decided to buy a Fitbit. My wife who is one to care about her appearance had recently successfully implemented her own diet and exercise plan using a Fitbit Charge 3 and the Fitbit app to monitor her calorie intake and her daily exercise.
She had recently put on a bit of weight and this had affected her confidence so she decided to change. As I have Lupus an autoimmune disease. I am classed as clinically vulnerable to Covid so we were shielding for 19 weeks. I was advised to go in a little earlier than the rest of the UK nation being locked down. Towards the end of lockdown we started to go for walks on our daily exercise. This was the beginning of the change.
One day I caught site of my reflection in the microwave of all places. It was a side profile of my stomach and my waist and I realised I had let my weight gain go too far.
So I decided to use our daily walks to try and push myself first by slowly increasing the distance walked then to trying to improve the pace and choosing different routes which would push me a bit more. For instance with steep inclines.
I noticed some benefits almost straight away. Being quite goal driven. I set myself a goal of weight loss of 1lb a week. I started using the Fitbit app to monitor my calorie intake alongside my daily exercise.
It has worked wonders. I was 15st 8lb (clinically obese) when I started. I am now 13st 10lb(still overweight) and counting. I walk at least 2 miles, 5 out of 7 days. Most weeks I walk 6 days and some weeks I walk every day.
My wife and I have also allowed ourselves cheat days. This is so we don't feel deprived so that if we really fancy a treat we can say we will have that on Friday or Saturday and it works. Although we have cheat days we always monitor our calorie intake. This is so we can see over a week or month we still have a healthy deficit.
Having the fitness tracker alongside the app has inspired my wife and I to make additional changes. We have implemented new habits due to the tips popping up on the app now and again. I used to drink tea all day. I have changed this to no added sugar dilute juice and now drink my daily recommended amount of water every day.
Another tip that popped up is to eat a high protein breakfast early in the day this gets your metabolism going early and stages of cravings for carbs and sweet things. Of the options recommended my wife and started making overnight fruit and oat jars. This has also worked. I eat much more salad and a lot less carbs and sugar.
The next habit I am going to try and implement is to not eat at least 2 hours before going to bed.
Overall these are great buys. I love the step counter/goal, distance counter/goal, the exercise tracker, the water intake monitor and the calorie intake/outgoing monitor.
It's not often that you can say a purchase actually has a positive effect on your lifestyle.
One gripe about all the products is you have to pay extra for premium content once you have forked out for the trackers.
The scores I have given are: Inspire HR 7
Fitbit app 9
Charge 3 9
After raving about them you might wonder why not 10's all round. I knocked 1 off the charge 3 and the app for the fact that there is additional content that doesn't come with the purchase of the tech.
The additional knock of a further 2 points is because the HR doesn't offer an altimeter and it doesn't have the advertised battery life of 5 days. It lasts just under that amount of time.
So either one of these would be a good investment for a fitness tracker on a budget. Personally I would fork out the extra £30 for the Charge 3. The altimeter and the extra battery is worth the little bit extra.
ClareR (6256 KP) rated Ordinary People in Books
Apr 6, 2018
This isn't necessarily a book about race, even though it's set just as Obama becomes US President, and the main protagonists of the book are black. It's primarily, in my opinion, a story of relationships, and specifically the relationships of two couples: Melissa and Michael, and Stephanie and Damien. I was really looking forward to a book set in London (my home town) in the relative present day, but i have to admit that i felt very little joy when reading this book. I get that it's not necessarily a happy story; but it made life in a relationship and life with children seem so utterly depressing. No one seemed to be happy, and they all seemed to be completely incapable of speaking to one another. Small things become big things, big things become insurmountable. I felt like shaking them, to try and knock some sense into them - on many occasions!
Don't get me wrong - I liked it (a Goodreads 3 stars, which is a 'like'), but I didn't LOVE it. And I felt it could have been so much more.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book.
Don't get me wrong - I liked it (a Goodreads 3 stars, which is a 'like'), but I didn't LOVE it. And I felt it could have been so much more.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book.
ClareR (6256 KP) rated Love Will Tear Us Apart in Books
Jun 8, 2018 (Updated Aug 14, 2018)
More communication needed!!
This book seems to be based around a couples inability to communicate with one another and the problems that goes on to cause. The couple are Kate and Paul, and they have been best friends since they were seven years old. This continues through their teenaged years and into adulthood. They have a pact at 15, that if they aren't married by 30, they'll marry each other. Kate is brought up pretty much by Paul's parents. Hers are too busy initially, and then Kate's mother dies. Her father is too busy and too detached from her by this point. She seems to live a lonely life and the only relief is Paul and his family. We meet them on holiday with their children in the lead up to their 10th wedding anniversary. They seem very distant from one another.
The story follows their childhood, teens, twenties and present day, all in the form of flashback chapters.
I really enjoyed this book: it's melancholy and just plain sad at times, but a well-written, thoughtful novel.
Many thanks to the author and The Pigeonhole (a social reading platform) for my copy of this book.
The story follows their childhood, teens, twenties and present day, all in the form of flashback chapters.
I really enjoyed this book: it's melancholy and just plain sad at times, but a well-written, thoughtful novel.
Many thanks to the author and The Pigeonhole (a social reading platform) for my copy of this book.
Sarah (7800 KP) rated Love Actually (2003) in Movies
Dec 22, 2018
Heartwarmingly brilliant
Love Actually is one of those films where i never understand how people couldn’t like it. It’s so heartwarming and sweet and romantic, with such a variety of different stories centring around love and relationships. Not only that but it’s also pretty hilarious at times and very witty too, and has a phenomenal cast. The amount of acting talent in this is second to none, and how can you really go wrong with a film that has Bill Nighy, Emma Thompson and Alan Rickman and many many others in the cast? The only real negative to the cast is sadly Keira Knightley, who I’ve never rated and she isn’t very good in this, although fortunately she isn’t in it that much.
This is a Christmas film that doesn’t go too over the top with the Christmas feels (mainly thanks to Billy Mack) and for me I see it more of a rom-com first rather than a Christmas film. But it’s still a brilliant film, although it does get me hoping that an Andrew Lincoln or Colin Firth lookalike will turn up at my door one day...
This is a Christmas film that doesn’t go too over the top with the Christmas feels (mainly thanks to Billy Mack) and for me I see it more of a rom-com first rather than a Christmas film. But it’s still a brilliant film, although it does get me hoping that an Andrew Lincoln or Colin Firth lookalike will turn up at my door one day...
