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Sammeh Lowry (15 KP) rated Paper Towns in Books

Jul 13, 2019  
Paper Towns
Paper Towns
John Green | 2013 | Children
8
7.8 (36 Ratings)
Book Rating
Who is Margo Roth Spiegelman? That is exactly what Quentin Jacobson would like to know,or more importantly where is she. He's loved her for as long as he can remember,she on the other hand hasn't paid attention to him for many years until one night she climbs through his window and asks him to help her with some things she needs to do. The next day shes gone,but not before leaving some clues behind for him to follow. I found that this book drew me in and kept me wanting to know more and had me trying to piece together the clues myself.When I first began reading it I feared I was too old (being 24) for the kind of audience this book was aimed at,I didn't let that put me off and I am so pleased it didn't as the more I read the more I forgot about my thoughts during the first few chapters. This is the second book I have read by John Green and it impressed me as always :)
  
TG
The Grace of Silence: A Family Memoir
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I won this book on Goodreads First Reads.
This book caught my eye because I'd taken a Civil Rights course one summer while in college at CMU. The class facinated me. I learned what I thought was a great deal about the civil rights movement...from freedom marches, to sit ins we talked about it all. Or so I thought!
Michelle Norris's book told me otherwise. The day to day struggles of real families from this era of American history goes largly unnoticed. This book looked at one family & how things that were considered taboo, & therefore never talked about, effected generations of her family. It took an in-depth look at how "normal" people were the cornerstone of the movement & to this day go largly unhearlded for their efforts.
The memoir was well written & read more like a novel than a true account of someone's family. This was an unexpectedly great book!
  
Forever This Time (Heartbreaker #1)
Forever This Time (Heartbreaker #1)
Ana Jolene | 2023 | Contemporary, Romance
8
7.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Sweet one day read

Forever This Time is a sweet, fun and emotional one day read. There are some serious topics that are touched on enough to get you thinking but not enough to overwhelm the emotions.
    The main characters are loveable and endearing and are well written. I liked them straight away, there's no having to let them grow on you which is great.

This is the beginning of a series and I can't wait for the next! It's easy to read this as a standalone but there are characters that intrigued me and had me hoping to find out more........Ana Jolene doesn't disappoint either as the next in the series looks to be just as good as this and picks up with a character that we meet in Forever This Time.
  
For One More Day
For One More Day
Mitch Albom | 2006 | Fiction & Poetry
9
9.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Told from a fantastic point of view (1 more)
Very easy to understand, yet very deep and meaningful
Beautiful, sad story that will make you hug your loved ones a little longer
"I adored this book. In typical Mitch Albom fashion, it was short and to the point (only around 200 pages), but it still brought on countless emotions about desire, regret, longing, and wasting time. For One More Day will make you hug your loved ones a little longer." -from my Bookstagram account, rorythereader .
  
Behaving Badly (2014)
Behaving Badly (2014)
2014 | Comedy, Drama
Good cast (0 more)
Not funny (1 more)
Very loose idea for a plot
Very poor 80's style teen comedy
This definitely tries to capture the vibe of films like Ferris Bueller's day off and Risky Business to name a couple. It fails badly though. Despite quite an ensemble cast most only have a few scenes or cameo roles. It's just not that funny and goes from one odd scene to the next. There are better more recent teen comedies than this around.
  
Ender's Game
Ender's Game
Orson Scott Card | 1985 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.4 (37 Ratings)
Book Rating
I have never really been into science fiction novels, steering more toward fantasy. Enders game was probably the first science fiction book I've read and I was so impressed. The idea of video gamers being chosen for war is brilliant and the development of all the characters is very intriguing. The psychology used on the kids is fascinating, brutal and so effective its scary. Loved delving into this novel and hope one day theres a film that is actual worth it.
  
Disclaimer: I received an e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

"Groundhog's Day" meets "Supernatural" in this exciting tale of Death and his minions!

Stan can see monsters. He's been able to do it since he was a toddler, and he saw one kill his father right in front of him. His mom doesn't believe him, of course, and he's been seeing a shrink ever since. That hasn't stopped him from seeing them, though; he's just learned how to ignore them and act "normal" over the years. That is, until this one day where he just snaps after seeing one at the end of the road. He screams at it, and it vanishes; Stan feels like he's accomplished something, after all this time. However, he wakes up the next day to find it's not ACTUALLY the next day; he's stuck in a time loop, and nobody else seems to realize it. How did this happen? And better yet, how does he fix it?

This was such a great story that I read it all in one sitting! I couldn't put it down; I had to know what was going to happen next. It's such an interesting take on the idea of the Grim Reaper, and it had all sorts of wonderful aspects: humor, love, loss, a little horror, members of the kinda-dead, and more. I really hope to read more from this author very soon, and I will be sure to pass along this title to all my friends.

5 stars =)
  
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ClareR (5879 KP) rated The Chalet in Books

Nov 8, 2020  
The Chalet
The Chalet
Catherine Cooper | 2020 | Crime, Mystery
8
7.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Chalet was a twisty, turny thriller that had me guessing all the way through. I couldn’t for the life of me work out who had been responsible for the death (and at one point I wasn’t even convinced that he was dead!), and I had a list of pretty much everyone in the chalet. My main reason for their guilt was that they just weren’t very nice (I know, I’ll never make a great detective!).

This story is split between two timelines to begin with - the present day and twenty years before. In the present day, two couples are sharing a chalet for a holiday mixed with business. I’ll say this again: these are not particularly nice people. They’re rich, entitled and generally insensitive.

Interspersed with this timeline is that of two couples twenty years earlier. Two brothers and their girlfriends are on a skiing holiday. They’re all Oxford University students: three come from affluent upper class families, and one, Louisa, comes from a working class, single parent family. She is made to feel different at all times - whether this is her own insecurities is never quite clear. Her boyfriends brother certainly doesn’t do much to make her feel welcome. At some point during this holiday, there’s a terrible accident that has an equally terrible effect on characters in the present day timeline.

I won’t say any more about the storyline - I don’t want to be the one to spoil someone’s reading enjoyment! What I WILL say, is that I thoroughly enjoyed this and looked forward to reading it every morning on the Pigeonhole app. It’s a tense, exciting, addictive read - and I loved it!

Many thanks to The Pigeonhole for serialising this and helping me once more, to read my NetGalley books! And also thanks to the author, Catherine Cooper for reading along with us.
  
This book is similar to the first book. We meet a few more new characters. One is Sheriff Mults, I believe. We are also introduced to Allen Halfgallon. This book gets more fun. It is funny and loveable. I just loved the characters and their personalities. I also like the wordplay. It is like reading the words in a song.

I like how they try to help and come up with an idea together to save the day. Vanilli Nice calls for help and then tells them about the war emergency at the ice cream store. Will they be able to save the day? Or will the Sundae Storm win out?

We are then introduced to Rocky Road. Will he be able to save the day? Will the frozen treats be able to save the day, and or will the shop be closed on a perfect summer day?

The story can be told by just looking at the pictures. The pictures are colorful and enjoyable to look at. I enjoy the way the story plays out. Will they rally together to save the historical day, or will they not? I like the Newman telling the story through his eyes as if on the news in weather report style. We also see it through the ice cream flavor point of view.
  
The Lighthouse Witches
The Lighthouse Witches
CJ Cooke | 2021 | Fiction & Poetry, Horror, Mystery, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Thriller
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Liv Stay rents a Scottish lighthouse on the island Lion Haven, despite the fact that it carries a decidedly spooky reputation involving witch hunts and islanders who have disappeared. She doesn’t believe in these things, and only wants a home for herself and her three daughters. But soon, only one daughter will remain: Luna’s mother and two sisters will have disappeared without a trace.
And then one day, twenty years later, someone resembling Luna’s sister turns up - and she hasn’t aged a day.

This is an eerie, unsettling story, packed with history, ancient beliefs and paranoia.

There are three timelines: the 17th century explains the origins of the witches and their slaughter; 1998 where Liv comes to live on the island with her daughters; and the present day, when Luna returns to the island as an adult. These timelines are expertly woven together, and they explain what has happened in the past to form the opinions of the future.

I couldn’t put this down! The more ominous and creepy it became, the more I wanted to listen to it. You certainly won’t want to be visiting caves or lighthouses anytime soon after reading this!