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ClareR (6253 KP) rated Beneath the Surface in Books
Jul 9, 2019
A family’s destructive secrets
All families have secrets, but it’s highly likely that not all families have secrets that are quite as huge as those that the Vermuydens are keeping from one another.
Grace had grown up in a very chaotic household and she doesn’t want that for her daughters. But when 17 year old Lilly collapses at school, it triggers a chain of events where the family members realise that there are consequences to keeping their secrets.
I actually liked the Vermuyden family. Grace is a mother trying her utmost to give her daughters all the things she never had. She can come across as a pushy ‘helicopter’ mother, but as the story progresses, we realise that there’s no wonder that she tries so hard. However, it can’t be easy for Lilly, who all of her efforts are directed at. She has a great responsibility: mainly to achieve all of the academic things that her mother didn’t have the chance to achieve.
Mia, who is 10/11, has a much easier time of it with regards to her mother. I don’t actually think that her parents expect much of her at all. She’s quirky, really not the same as her peers - something which we seem to value as an adult, but dread when we’re children.
Patrick, the father, is the hardest character for me to warm to. He’s having huge financial problems which are impacting on his family, yet he is keeping the extent of these difficulties from his wife. If it were me, I’d be livid!
This is a great book. I read it within two days because I just couldn’t put it down. I really enjoy these kinds of books - books about families and their issues. The style in which it was written really worked well for me too - I felt as though I was there in person, watching the story unfold (I suppose as a reader, I was!). They were all very human, relatable characters. The teenagers were well written as well. All too often teenagers are written as unpleasant, selfish and calculating, but here we could see their more sensitive, caring sides. They were all just trying to fit in, deal with growing up and their impending adulthood.
I’d recommend this book, there’s just so much to think about - and there’s such a good ending!
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers Michael Joseph for sending me a copy of this . It’s not a book that I would have immediately chosen to read, but I’m so glad that I did!
Grace had grown up in a very chaotic household and she doesn’t want that for her daughters. But when 17 year old Lilly collapses at school, it triggers a chain of events where the family members realise that there are consequences to keeping their secrets.
I actually liked the Vermuyden family. Grace is a mother trying her utmost to give her daughters all the things she never had. She can come across as a pushy ‘helicopter’ mother, but as the story progresses, we realise that there’s no wonder that she tries so hard. However, it can’t be easy for Lilly, who all of her efforts are directed at. She has a great responsibility: mainly to achieve all of the academic things that her mother didn’t have the chance to achieve.
Mia, who is 10/11, has a much easier time of it with regards to her mother. I don’t actually think that her parents expect much of her at all. She’s quirky, really not the same as her peers - something which we seem to value as an adult, but dread when we’re children.
Patrick, the father, is the hardest character for me to warm to. He’s having huge financial problems which are impacting on his family, yet he is keeping the extent of these difficulties from his wife. If it were me, I’d be livid!
This is a great book. I read it within two days because I just couldn’t put it down. I really enjoy these kinds of books - books about families and their issues. The style in which it was written really worked well for me too - I felt as though I was there in person, watching the story unfold (I suppose as a reader, I was!). They were all very human, relatable characters. The teenagers were well written as well. All too often teenagers are written as unpleasant, selfish and calculating, but here we could see their more sensitive, caring sides. They were all just trying to fit in, deal with growing up and their impending adulthood.
I’d recommend this book, there’s just so much to think about - and there’s such a good ending!
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers Michael Joseph for sending me a copy of this . It’s not a book that I would have immediately chosen to read, but I’m so glad that I did!
Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated The Rampart Guards (The Adventures of Jason Lex, #1) in Books
Jan 23, 2020
<b><i>I received this book for free from Roger Charlie in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i></b>
<p style="text-align: left;"><i>The Rampart Guards</i> basically made me realize that I'm definitely growing out of middle grade books and I should move on. This is an extremely scary thought, because what if I get tired of young adult books next?! That probably won't happen for a good while, and I've yet to actually read an adult novel that isn't from the cause of required reading.
<p style="text-align: left;">The first book in the <i>Chronicles of Jason Lex</i> starts out extremely slow, but picks up pace as the story progresses. Jason's mom suddenly goes missing, and Jason (along with his family) suddenly gets forced to move to a small town with their grandmother to get away from the painful memories of their mom. And to top it off, Jason sees weird blue electricity-like wisps coming out from his hands and eels in the sky later revealed as Skyfish. He's also a little whiny at the beginning of the novel, but eventually drops it as he realizes, "Oh, hey. Cryptids are real. Someone is hoping to expose these creatures and kill millions in the process, and if I don't get my act together, I might lose everything as well."
Wendy Terrien's debut novel is right up my alley in regards to concept <i>The Rampart Guards</i> is about cryptozoology, the study of creatures that may or may not exist. It's not everyday Big Foot, Loch Ness, and other creatures play a critical role in the plot of a novel, and it's the primary reason why <i>The Rampart Guards</i> caught my eye the moment the book was pitched to me.
I adored learning about all kinds of different creatures I've never heard of until I read this book, and if I do decide to continue on with the series, learning more about the cryptids and how this entire world works is going to be one thing I'll be extremely excited for.
Even though I didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped I would, <i>The Rampart Guards</i> will be a fantastic read for younger audiences.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/review-the-rampart-guards-by-wendy-terrien/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
<p style="text-align: left;"><i>The Rampart Guards</i> basically made me realize that I'm definitely growing out of middle grade books and I should move on. This is an extremely scary thought, because what if I get tired of young adult books next?! That probably won't happen for a good while, and I've yet to actually read an adult novel that isn't from the cause of required reading.
<p style="text-align: left;">The first book in the <i>Chronicles of Jason Lex</i> starts out extremely slow, but picks up pace as the story progresses. Jason's mom suddenly goes missing, and Jason (along with his family) suddenly gets forced to move to a small town with their grandmother to get away from the painful memories of their mom. And to top it off, Jason sees weird blue electricity-like wisps coming out from his hands and eels in the sky later revealed as Skyfish. He's also a little whiny at the beginning of the novel, but eventually drops it as he realizes, "Oh, hey. Cryptids are real. Someone is hoping to expose these creatures and kill millions in the process, and if I don't get my act together, I might lose everything as well."
Wendy Terrien's debut novel is right up my alley in regards to concept <i>The Rampart Guards</i> is about cryptozoology, the study of creatures that may or may not exist. It's not everyday Big Foot, Loch Ness, and other creatures play a critical role in the plot of a novel, and it's the primary reason why <i>The Rampart Guards</i> caught my eye the moment the book was pitched to me.
I adored learning about all kinds of different creatures I've never heard of until I read this book, and if I do decide to continue on with the series, learning more about the cryptids and how this entire world works is going to be one thing I'll be extremely excited for.
Even though I didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped I would, <i>The Rampart Guards</i> will be a fantastic read for younger audiences.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/review-the-rampart-guards-by-wendy-terrien/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Jobs (2013) in Movies
Aug 6, 2019
Whatever you may think of the Apple line of products, Apple as a company, or Steve Jobs himself; one cannot deny that Apple is an innovator and one of those companies that shape economies as well as how we see ourselves.
JOBS is the story of Steve Jobs who, after dropping out of college, created the billion-dollar company so many people buy phones from now. Ashton Kutcher portrays Jobs right down to his many behavioral quirks, and does a very good job; there were even times I forgot I was watching Kutcher. He even mimicked the set of Jobs’ mouth perfectly. I found myself wondering if the people who knew Jobs would feel like they were seeing a ghost.
The movie follows Jobs as he drops acid in the 60s, finds computers in the 70s, “grows up”, while growing his business, in the 80s, and then actually grows up in the early 90s (kind of). It is well known that Jobs was hard to with, but this film shows that he was a gigantic jerk at times. He cut people out of things others would think they deserved; he treated his friends and coworkers alike, and never batted an eyelash at the hurtful things he said to those people. That being said; he truly had a vision and knew what it would take to make that vision come to life. Most driven people tend to be selfish and Jobs was no exception to this; he actually took it to a whole new level at times. The movie doesn’t shy away from this side of his personality, but it does try to explain some of the ticks. This was an area that I thought could have been done a bit better; it would have been nice to see what about his childhood left such an impression that he felt it was ok to be so mean to people. At times I found the movie difficult to watch simply due to his treatment of others, and total lack of understanding how what he said and did affected them. “Oh, that’s just Steve” was an actual line said in the film.
Other than this I found JOBS to be a very interesting look into a modern day legend. One that doesn’t pull as many punches as I thought it would, but that also doesn’t make a villain of a man who, while having extraordinary vision, was nothing more than a man.
If you are a fan of Apple, Jobs, or are just looking for a break from the summer block buster movies, check out JOBS.
JOBS is the story of Steve Jobs who, after dropping out of college, created the billion-dollar company so many people buy phones from now. Ashton Kutcher portrays Jobs right down to his many behavioral quirks, and does a very good job; there were even times I forgot I was watching Kutcher. He even mimicked the set of Jobs’ mouth perfectly. I found myself wondering if the people who knew Jobs would feel like they were seeing a ghost.
The movie follows Jobs as he drops acid in the 60s, finds computers in the 70s, “grows up”, while growing his business, in the 80s, and then actually grows up in the early 90s (kind of). It is well known that Jobs was hard to with, but this film shows that he was a gigantic jerk at times. He cut people out of things others would think they deserved; he treated his friends and coworkers alike, and never batted an eyelash at the hurtful things he said to those people. That being said; he truly had a vision and knew what it would take to make that vision come to life. Most driven people tend to be selfish and Jobs was no exception to this; he actually took it to a whole new level at times. The movie doesn’t shy away from this side of his personality, but it does try to explain some of the ticks. This was an area that I thought could have been done a bit better; it would have been nice to see what about his childhood left such an impression that he felt it was ok to be so mean to people. At times I found the movie difficult to watch simply due to his treatment of others, and total lack of understanding how what he said and did affected them. “Oh, that’s just Steve” was an actual line said in the film.
Other than this I found JOBS to be a very interesting look into a modern day legend. One that doesn’t pull as many punches as I thought it would, but that also doesn’t make a villain of a man who, while having extraordinary vision, was nothing more than a man.
If you are a fan of Apple, Jobs, or are just looking for a break from the summer block buster movies, check out JOBS.
Flower Girl: Big Wedding Day
Games and Entertainment
9.0
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Becs (244 KP) rated Foundations Of Faith in Books
Oct 2, 2019
Style: Light
Point of view: Third person
Difficulty reading: It was as easy as singing the ABC’s!
Promise: Foundations of Faith promises a compelling religious read that will have you answering questions about your own faith.
Quality: All around good read, wasn’t what I was expecting but would definitely reread again.
Insights: Usually when it comes to Fantasy style of books, I always think powers (spells), mythical creatures, places that don’t exist, etc. etc. Foundations of Faith didn’t really have the typical Fantasy aspect to it. Theresa and Thomas have ‘powers’ but they aren’t magical powers like a witch or wizard would have. But it was still a great read that will end up being reread a couple more times.
Ah-Ha Moment: There wasn’t really a moment where I went ‘Ah yea, that’s the turning point’. One scene did come pretty darn close though. This scene: Thomas returns back from the retreat and finds out his mother is in the hospital and his father is in jail for putting his mother in the hospital. It’s never revealed how Thomas’s mother was hurt, and I would have definitely loved if that was explained better but then again this isn’t a Thriller so it’s also okay.
Favorite quote: “She shared how she had finally found God, not in the back of a church with hands held in prayer, but in the back of a police car with hands held in cuffs.” – I feel like this is a huge reason why most end up finding religion/ God. Something terrible or even life-threatening happens to them and they just start praying, see some signs and boom they now believe.
“As he walked, he felt the darkness behind him, following him. He swore he heard it whisper, “Run!” – Hello darkness, my old friend. I’ve come to talk with you again. Because a vision softly creeping, left its seeds while I was sleeping. And the vision that was planted in my brain still remains, within the sound of silence. Sorry, I couldn’t help myself 🙂
Aesthetics: I reallyyyyy dig the cover! It gives it that mystery horror feel even though there isn’t really any horror in Foundations of Faith. The chapter headings, awesome font. Great read. But that cover is just so aesthetically pleasing. 🙂
“The deeper the feelings of unworthiness dug into his heart, the darker the room became. It spread from the outside in, growing darker and more ominous with each new thought. He feared it would swallow him whole.”
Point of view: Third person
Difficulty reading: It was as easy as singing the ABC’s!
Promise: Foundations of Faith promises a compelling religious read that will have you answering questions about your own faith.
Quality: All around good read, wasn’t what I was expecting but would definitely reread again.
Insights: Usually when it comes to Fantasy style of books, I always think powers (spells), mythical creatures, places that don’t exist, etc. etc. Foundations of Faith didn’t really have the typical Fantasy aspect to it. Theresa and Thomas have ‘powers’ but they aren’t magical powers like a witch or wizard would have. But it was still a great read that will end up being reread a couple more times.
Ah-Ha Moment: There wasn’t really a moment where I went ‘Ah yea, that’s the turning point’. One scene did come pretty darn close though. This scene: Thomas returns back from the retreat and finds out his mother is in the hospital and his father is in jail for putting his mother in the hospital. It’s never revealed how Thomas’s mother was hurt, and I would have definitely loved if that was explained better but then again this isn’t a Thriller so it’s also okay.
Favorite quote: “She shared how she had finally found God, not in the back of a church with hands held in prayer, but in the back of a police car with hands held in cuffs.” – I feel like this is a huge reason why most end up finding religion/ God. Something terrible or even life-threatening happens to them and they just start praying, see some signs and boom they now believe.
“As he walked, he felt the darkness behind him, following him. He swore he heard it whisper, “Run!” – Hello darkness, my old friend. I’ve come to talk with you again. Because a vision softly creeping, left its seeds while I was sleeping. And the vision that was planted in my brain still remains, within the sound of silence. Sorry, I couldn’t help myself 🙂
Aesthetics: I reallyyyyy dig the cover! It gives it that mystery horror feel even though there isn’t really any horror in Foundations of Faith. The chapter headings, awesome font. Great read. But that cover is just so aesthetically pleasing. 🙂
“The deeper the feelings of unworthiness dug into his heart, the darker the room became. It spread from the outside in, growing darker and more ominous with each new thought. He feared it would swallow him whole.”