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Chris Hooker (419 KP) rated Dead Chest Island (The Secrets Begin #1) in Books
Jan 12, 2018
I had the pleasure of meeting [J.J. Parsons] at the Savannah Children's Book Festival. I told her I had picked up her book [Dead Chest Island] at a local book seller. She kindly gave me the second book. That said, this is an unsolicited and honest review.
[Dead Chest Island] is a throw back to the mysteries of the 1950's. It made me think of The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew. Young children getting into adventure after hearing a story about an island that leads to solving a international crime, or foiling it, rather.
[Parson's] writing has a good flow and is well thought out. The characters are well developed. I am looking forward to reading the second book and hearing more of Edison'd adventures and see if his sister is still a pest. Highly recommend this book to school libraries.
[Dead Chest Island] is a throw back to the mysteries of the 1950's. It made me think of The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew. Young children getting into adventure after hearing a story about an island that leads to solving a international crime, or foiling it, rather.
[Parson's] writing has a good flow and is well thought out. The characters are well developed. I am looking forward to reading the second book and hearing more of Edison'd adventures and see if his sister is still a pest. Highly recommend this book to school libraries.
The Marinated Meeple (1848 KP) created a post in Kickstarter Games
Apr 9, 2018
Bohan Reviews (215 KP) rated Guava Island (2019) in Movies
May 7, 2019
It has a message and story to tell, but the story feels like an oversimplification, lacking the nuance and complexity that made "This is America" such a sensation.
Full Review:
https://www.bohanreviews.com/post/guava-island
Full Review:
https://www.bohanreviews.com/post/guava-island
Allory Auflick (55 KP) rated A Map For Wrecked Girls in Books
Jul 13, 2018
Niki Caro recommended Anne of Green Gables in Books (curated)
Rachel Kushner recommended Innocents and Others in Books (curated)
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) created a poll
Oct 19, 2020 (Updated Oct 23, 2020)
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2099 KP) rated Murphy's Law (Molly Murphy Mysteries, #1) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Molly Murphy flees for her life from her native Ireland and winds up on Ellis Island for the opening day in 1901. The luck of the Irish evades her, however, when someone dies while they are on the island and Molly stands accused of the crime. The set up, while necessary, slows the beginning down. However this is still a good series opener to a character I now love.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/02/book-review-murphys-law-by-rhys-bowen.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/02/book-review-murphys-law-by-rhys-bowen.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
David McK (3248 KP) rated Cast Away (2000) in Movies
Jul 29, 2020
Modern day Robinson Crusoe tale (from the year 2000, and without a Man Friday) in which Tom Hanks time obsessed FedEx courier Chuck Nolan is the sole survivor of a plane crash somewhere in the Pacific, and finds himself washed ashore on the island of Lian Yu...
(sorry, sorry, that's the name of the island that Oliver Queen spent 5 years on in TVs 'Arrow')
Slightly slow getting started, maybe, and also perhaps a bit on the overlong side. I have to say, however, that Wilson steals all the scenes he's in!
(sorry, sorry, that's the name of the island that Oliver Queen spent 5 years on in TVs 'Arrow')
Slightly slow getting started, maybe, and also perhaps a bit on the overlong side. I have to say, however, that Wilson steals all the scenes he's in!
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated One Night on the Island in Books
Feb 14, 2022
Cleo is heading to the remote Irish island of Salvation for work, but it's personal too. She's about to turn thirty, an age her father never reached, and she's trying to reconcile where she is in life. A columnist who writes about finding love, she's yet to discover it herself. On Salvation, she plans to "self-couple"--a concept brought up by her boss, but Cleo can't help but feel there's something to finding herself. As for Mack Sullivan, he's heading to Salvation to research his ancestry and photograph the island he's heard so much about from his mother and grandmother. Escaping his estranged wife and crumbling life is a bonus, though he'll miss his two sons terribly. It's only when they arrive on the island that Mack and Cleo realize they've booked the same one room cottage--a terrible mix-up on a tiny island with no other accommodations. Forced to live together until the next ferry arrives, the two can barely stand being in the same space. But as time passes on the lovely island, their attitudes change.
This is a very slow moving, slow burn romance that focuses on being thoughtful and deliberate in its descriptions. There's less action and a lot of focus on the island and tons and tons of focus on Cleo and Mack's emotions and thoughts. So many thoughts, so much angst!
As for my thoughts... seriously, even on a small island, no one had a spare room? Not even a little one? Enjoying this book means buying into the premise that two complete strangers were truly willing to share a ONE ROOM cottage--sleeping across from another in a bed and a sofa. Thanks but no thanks. Also odd was Cleo's self-coupling (aka marrying herself) concept, which both she and her boss seemed quite into and even Mack accepted. Hmm...
Far more delightful was Salvation Island and its inhabitants. I could have read an entire book just focused on the enjoyable folks Cleo and Mack ran across, particularly the women Cleo joined at knitting circle and the lively group who gathered at the local pub. And while there were plenty of descriptions of this island, some were quite fun (otters!).
The book is told in a back and forth point of view from Cleo and Mack. They grow on you. It's not their fault they were trapped in the same lodge. This one was a little too slow and emotional for me in the beginning, but I still got a bit tearful at the ending.
I received a copy of this book from Random House / Ballantine and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.
This is a very slow moving, slow burn romance that focuses on being thoughtful and deliberate in its descriptions. There's less action and a lot of focus on the island and tons and tons of focus on Cleo and Mack's emotions and thoughts. So many thoughts, so much angst!
As for my thoughts... seriously, even on a small island, no one had a spare room? Not even a little one? Enjoying this book means buying into the premise that two complete strangers were truly willing to share a ONE ROOM cottage--sleeping across from another in a bed and a sofa. Thanks but no thanks. Also odd was Cleo's self-coupling (aka marrying herself) concept, which both she and her boss seemed quite into and even Mack accepted. Hmm...
Far more delightful was Salvation Island and its inhabitants. I could have read an entire book just focused on the enjoyable folks Cleo and Mack ran across, particularly the women Cleo joined at knitting circle and the lively group who gathered at the local pub. And while there were plenty of descriptions of this island, some were quite fun (otters!).
The book is told in a back and forth point of view from Cleo and Mack. They grow on you. It's not their fault they were trapped in the same lodge. This one was a little too slow and emotional for me in the beginning, but I still got a bit tearful at the ending.
I received a copy of this book from Random House / Ballantine and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.