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ClareR (6253 KP) rated Us Against You (Beartown #2) in Books

Aug 25, 2018

Us Against You (Beartown #2)

Fredrik Backman | 2018 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, Sport & Leisure

10.0

(3 Ratings)

Book Rating

An outstanding sequel.

If I could give this more than 5 stars, I really would. I feel as though someone has sucker-punched me. I’m not usually someone who cries over a book: I get emotional, yes, but actual crying is something I seldom do. This book, though. I couldn’t tell you how many times it brought me to tears. The characters are so vulnerable - even those who you wouldn’t expect to be.
There’s a lot of ice hockey: not a sport we see much of here in the U.K., but it’s done in a particular way that I didn’t feel it was a story about sport.
“Have you ever seen a town fall? Ours did. We’ll end up saying that violence came to Beartown this summer, but that will be a lie; the violence was already here. Because sometimes hating one another is so easy that it seems incomprehensible that we ever do anything else.”
This is a story about human nature: all the good, bad and messy bits. And I loved it. Five stars for me means I would read it again, and I probably will.
Many, many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this wonderful book.

Kudos

Jessica - Where the Book Ends (15 KP) rated What's Left of Us (Us, #1) in Books

Jan 30, 2019

This book is wonderful! The characters are easy to relate to and the story keeps you guessing. I was lucky enough to read this before it went to the editor and I absolutely loved it!

The characters of Asher and Beck are great. They are best friends and they both go through some pretty epic changes (which I won't share because I don't want to give away any of the story).

Enter Calla or Cal for short. She is the new girl in the neighborhood and she quickly befriends Ash and Beck. The three of them are inseparable. Of course being friend with two boys is going to lead to some drama, but that's just the tip of the ice berg.

Honestly, I wasn't prepared for this book. The story took me by surprise and the emotion involved just blew me away.

What's Left of Us is a Christian novel; however, be advised that religion and religious beliefs are NOT shoved down your throat. This is a great book about a group of friends that endure a tragedy and through the help of their religious beliefs manage to come out whole on the other side.

Give this debut novel by this talented new author a shot. You won't be disappointed.

Kudos

Heather M (8 KP) rated Bear's Magic Moon in Books

Dec 31, 2018 (Updated Dec 31, 2018)

The message for children is very positive. (0 more)

A story about bravery.

Little Bear loves his life on the ice, and has great fun all day long. However, there is one thing that Little Bear doesn't love: the DARK. He is afraid of the dark. So afraid is he, in fact, that when Daddy invites him to the new moon celebration, he cannot go, even to hear Wise Old Bear tell stories of his adventures.

Little Bear huddles in his home until a scary, shadowy figure appears in the entrance. This turns out to be Wise Old Bear, bringing a kind lesson to help Little Bear.

I love this lesson, and it's one that I always try to tell myself, my sons and the children I teach. Bravery is being afraid but going ahead and doing the thing you're afraid of anyway. Bravery isn't not being afraid. I believe that myself and it's great to see this being taught in a lovely picture book.

The illustrations are lovely, with lots of colour and interest added to the snowy landscape and Arctic skies.

This is a story that you will love to read with your children and would work well in the classroom too.

I posted this review on my blog:
https://wp.me/p9SEjW-76

Kudos

Awix (3310 KP) rated The War of the Worlds in TV

Dec 2, 2019

The War of the Worlds

2019 | Drama, Sci-Fi

7.2

(36 Ratings)

TV Show Rating

Grisly non-adaptation of the immortal H.G. Wells story retains the same basic premise and the very occasional moment, but essentially scoops out the innards of the actual novel and replaces them with indescribably turgid attempts to (I would guess) update the story and make it relevant to the modern world.

Part of a grim tradition where BBC attempts to adapt SF, fantasy and horror classics operate to different standards than when they are tackling Austen or Dickens. If the team who perpetrated War of the Worlds got their hands on Pride and Prejudice, it would end up being a lesbian romance between the Bennets' maid and one of the minor daughters, performed on ice, with a frame story concerning the Boer war. It's not just that it does the book badly, it genuinely doesn't seem interested in it at all. Someone gets a leaden, clumsy speech articulating the subtext of the novel (how to adapt a great book for the hard-of-thinking) but as to what this version of the story is supposed to be about or why we should care at all... It takes real skill and determination to screw up a classic piece of literature quite this badly.