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BookblogbyCari (345 KP) rated Too Close: A new kind of thriller that will leave you breathless in Books
May 7, 2019
I love thrillers. I chose this one because I thought it would start out all light-hearted, heart-warming and fluffy. And it was a tale that included friendship, but the friendship the book is really about is not the one you’d expect.
After the prologue, Connie wakes up in a mental illness institution, and her dissociative amnesia means she has no idea why she has such deep cuts in her wrists, or why she has clumps of hair missing from her head. She is visited by only one family member and the reader is left wondering why.
As the book progresses, you learn about Connie’s friend Vanessa, and how she gently edged her way in to the life of Connie and her family. A friendship and closeness that led to Connie’s ruin.
Throughout the book, Connie is completely disinhibited. Connie’s therapist is Dr Emma Robinson, and Connie meets her with wise-cracking wit and banter. The press is against Connie, but Dr Robinson is quite taken with her, seeing her strength and her despair. A friendship forms.
There is an unexpected twist in the tale about the halfway mark, and another twist at about the three-quarter (no spoilers!)
By the end of the book, Dr Robinson uses hypnotherapy and Connie has a break-through. Dr Robinson succeeds in her work, and the events of that fateful night are unabashedly told.
Connie does not recover though, and in her letters to Dr Robinson, Connie reveals that the crux of the matter was never friendship after all, but something else entirely (no spoilers!)
I was very entertained by this book and found the ending thought provoking.
After the prologue, Connie wakes up in a mental illness institution, and her dissociative amnesia means she has no idea why she has such deep cuts in her wrists, or why she has clumps of hair missing from her head. She is visited by only one family member and the reader is left wondering why.
As the book progresses, you learn about Connie’s friend Vanessa, and how she gently edged her way in to the life of Connie and her family. A friendship and closeness that led to Connie’s ruin.
Throughout the book, Connie is completely disinhibited. Connie’s therapist is Dr Emma Robinson, and Connie meets her with wise-cracking wit and banter. The press is against Connie, but Dr Robinson is quite taken with her, seeing her strength and her despair. A friendship forms.
There is an unexpected twist in the tale about the halfway mark, and another twist at about the three-quarter (no spoilers!)
By the end of the book, Dr Robinson uses hypnotherapy and Connie has a break-through. Dr Robinson succeeds in her work, and the events of that fateful night are unabashedly told.
Connie does not recover though, and in her letters to Dr Robinson, Connie reveals that the crux of the matter was never friendship after all, but something else entirely (no spoilers!)
I was very entertained by this book and found the ending thought provoking.
Ivana A. | Diary of Difference (1171 KP) rated Day Of The Accident in Books
Dec 6, 2018
Full review can be found on my blog: www.diaryofdifference.com
When Maggie wakes up from a coma, her whole life has changed. The nurse tells her that she has been in an accident, her little daughter is dead, and her husband sold the house and left her.
Maggie doesn’t remember a thing.
With no home, no family, and no memory, she has to find a way and discover what happened that day.
A thriller that will uncover the greatest of secrets everyone could have. A nail-biter, this one, I tell you.
The character of Maggie was so well formed, that love between a mother and her little daughter is expressed in such a lovely and caring way. A book that will be definitely hard to read for all the parents out there, but a very good one.
I especially loved the part with the letters – it was such a unique way to present …
… present what?
I am not telling you. Go and read it, duhh!
The scenes are so vivid and realistic and the little Virginia Woolf Easter eggs thrown across the pages of this book were so precious. Thrilling story and plot that keeps you on your toes. I haven’t read anything this good in a while!
If you are looking for a book to keep you up at night – this is the one.
If you are looking for the great plot twist – there isn’t only one plot twist…
I highly recommend it to all of the mystery lovers that are reading my review.
A masterpiece.
Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Books UK, for providing me with an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.
When Maggie wakes up from a coma, her whole life has changed. The nurse tells her that she has been in an accident, her little daughter is dead, and her husband sold the house and left her.
Maggie doesn’t remember a thing.
With no home, no family, and no memory, she has to find a way and discover what happened that day.
A thriller that will uncover the greatest of secrets everyone could have. A nail-biter, this one, I tell you.
The character of Maggie was so well formed, that love between a mother and her little daughter is expressed in such a lovely and caring way. A book that will be definitely hard to read for all the parents out there, but a very good one.
I especially loved the part with the letters – it was such a unique way to present …
… present what?
I am not telling you. Go and read it, duhh!
The scenes are so vivid and realistic and the little Virginia Woolf Easter eggs thrown across the pages of this book were so precious. Thrilling story and plot that keeps you on your toes. I haven’t read anything this good in a while!
If you are looking for a book to keep you up at night – this is the one.
If you are looking for the great plot twist – there isn’t only one plot twist…
I highly recommend it to all of the mystery lovers that are reading my review.
A masterpiece.
Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Books UK, for providing me with an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.
Andy K (10821 KP) rated Green Book (2018) in Movies
Jun 22, 2019
This generation's Driving Miss Daisy
The 2018 Academy Awards were interesting. On one hand, I was very happy boring, pointless Roma did not win Best Picture; however i was really pulling for The Favourite to win. Neither happened and Green Book snuck in and captured the top prize instead.
The modern Oscars are free of epics like Ben-Hur, The Sound of Music or West Side Story. Instead, character-driven stories seem to be in favor recently.
In this true story, recently unemployed Italian bouncer Tony "Lip" gets hired to drive an African American genius concert pianist throughout his fall tour of the deep southern United States in 1962.
As the two men get to know each other, they are exposed to the very different worlds and set of values the each possesses. Initial hesitation is replaced by eventual respect as the men grow a bond throughout their southern adventure as they confront racism in various threatening or nonchalant forms as is happens.
Tony comes to the aide of his client, Dr. Donald Shirley, several times revealing his bigotry and denial for his race has begun to wane. Dr. Shirley as well begins to understand Tony's rough exterior and even delights Tony's wife Cyrano de Bergerac style assistance in writing verbose and eloquent letters to her.
The acting is thorough and top notch by both Viggo Mortensen (one of the great working actors today) and Mahershala Ali (hot off of Moonlight) with a screenplay to match. The characters are flawed, vivid, well-rounded and interesting. I thoroughly enjoyed this memorable film and well deserved of the big prize.
The modern Oscars are free of epics like Ben-Hur, The Sound of Music or West Side Story. Instead, character-driven stories seem to be in favor recently.
In this true story, recently unemployed Italian bouncer Tony "Lip" gets hired to drive an African American genius concert pianist throughout his fall tour of the deep southern United States in 1962.
As the two men get to know each other, they are exposed to the very different worlds and set of values the each possesses. Initial hesitation is replaced by eventual respect as the men grow a bond throughout their southern adventure as they confront racism in various threatening or nonchalant forms as is happens.
Tony comes to the aide of his client, Dr. Donald Shirley, several times revealing his bigotry and denial for his race has begun to wane. Dr. Shirley as well begins to understand Tony's rough exterior and even delights Tony's wife Cyrano de Bergerac style assistance in writing verbose and eloquent letters to her.
The acting is thorough and top notch by both Viggo Mortensen (one of the great working actors today) and Mahershala Ali (hot off of Moonlight) with a screenplay to match. The characters are flawed, vivid, well-rounded and interesting. I thoroughly enjoyed this memorable film and well deserved of the big prize.
The premise to this book is fairly simple but disturbing and frightening and every parents worst nightmare. I am of an age where I remember the chain letters (of the pen and paper variety!) doing the rounds when I was a youngster, I never took any notice and no harm ever came to me (yet!) but "The Chain" is in a different league all together and is not something that can be ignored ... ever!
The Chain is a gripping, psychological thriller that starts with a bang, levels off in the middle and rises again at the end. The characters, although interesting, didn't really ingrain themselves into my psyche for some reason and I struggled to connect with them to the point where I wasn't particularly bothered what happened to them however, I liked the writing style which was easy to read and loved the unique story. There is also the underlying warning regarding social media and the ease at which seemingly innocent information can be collated and used against you and your family - people really need to be taking this more seriously.
I would happily recommend this book as its something different and overall enjoyable despite the middle being a bit "meh" and the characters being a bit flat; it kept me reading to the very end.
This is the first book I have read by this author but it won't be my last so thank you to the publisher, Orion Publishing Group, via NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest and unbiased review and once again, for introducing me to another new author to look out for.
The Chain is a gripping, psychological thriller that starts with a bang, levels off in the middle and rises again at the end. The characters, although interesting, didn't really ingrain themselves into my psyche for some reason and I struggled to connect with them to the point where I wasn't particularly bothered what happened to them however, I liked the writing style which was easy to read and loved the unique story. There is also the underlying warning regarding social media and the ease at which seemingly innocent information can be collated and used against you and your family - people really need to be taking this more seriously.
I would happily recommend this book as its something different and overall enjoyable despite the middle being a bit "meh" and the characters being a bit flat; it kept me reading to the very end.
This is the first book I have read by this author but it won't be my last so thank you to the publisher, Orion Publishing Group, via NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest and unbiased review and once again, for introducing me to another new author to look out for.
Juliette Jackson recommended track No Aloha (with Breeders) by The Breeders in Last Splash by The Breeders in Music (curated)
10.0
Album
Favorite
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Kane (Coven's End, #1) in Books
Jan 11, 2021
I picked this up as a freebie a few weeks ago now as a book for my PR/UF A-Z Challenge on Goodreads after struggling to find books with certain letters (I'm still struggling to find J, N, Q, X, Y and Z. Any suggestions much appreciated).
So this one starts with a group of merc's taking down a houseful of wolf shifters and then going to take down a houseful of vampires at the orders of a mystery someone. Then we meet Kane who's in a meeting with the Blood - the ruling council - and his mum, Lilith, as they try and get him to pick a mate so he can take the vampire throne. He doesn't want to mate with just anyone, especially when he's already found his true mate, werewolf princess, Jillian. He goes to investigate the site of the murders and bumps into Jillian, who finds out he is her fated mate and the fun begins.
I wasn't sure with how short this was that the story would progress enough for me but I was pleasantly surprised. We learn quite a lot about the werewolves and the vampires and I grew to like the main four characters though we only see things from Kane and Jillian's POV.
It is a serial with each book named after a different person in their harem and the story continuing throughout so be warned - we don't find out who was behind the killings in this one. I have to admit I am intrigued to find out what happens next with these four and to see who was behind the killings.
So this one starts with a group of merc's taking down a houseful of wolf shifters and then going to take down a houseful of vampires at the orders of a mystery someone. Then we meet Kane who's in a meeting with the Blood - the ruling council - and his mum, Lilith, as they try and get him to pick a mate so he can take the vampire throne. He doesn't want to mate with just anyone, especially when he's already found his true mate, werewolf princess, Jillian. He goes to investigate the site of the murders and bumps into Jillian, who finds out he is her fated mate and the fun begins.
I wasn't sure with how short this was that the story would progress enough for me but I was pleasantly surprised. We learn quite a lot about the werewolves and the vampires and I grew to like the main four characters though we only see things from Kane and Jillian's POV.
It is a serial with each book named after a different person in their harem and the story continuing throughout so be warned - we don't find out who was behind the killings in this one. I have to admit I am intrigued to find out what happens next with these four and to see who was behind the killings.
ClareR (5603 KP) rated Send For Me in Books
Sep 7, 2021
Send For Me is an emotionally charged look at the lives of three generations of women: Klara, Annalise and Clare. Annalise is German, a Jew living in Feldenheim at a time when it was dangerous to be Jewish - whether you were a practicing Jew or not. After years of persecution, Annalise, her husband and her toddler daughter, manage to get permission to leave for the USA. But she has to leave her parents behind.
This was a different take on other books set at this time, and I liked that about it very much. I haven’t read many books about those who managed to escape the Nazi regime and immigrate to safe countries before the Holocaust really began. But it’s no less saddening for that. Annalise desperately misses her parents, and life is so utterly different in the US.
The story swaps between Annalise and her granddaughter, Clare, whose life couldn’t have been any more different. Clare has the much more liberated life of an American woman - whether that’s what she really wants, remains to be seen.
I really enjoyed seeing the juxtaposition between a 1930s immigrant and a modern young woman. Annalise’s fear of being in a big city with no English is palpable - I panicked along with her. It must be so scary to move somewhere that’s completely different to your own life experience, and not even have a common language - something that people have always had to endure for their own safety throughout the ages.
This is a really moving novel, made more so when I learnt that the letters between Annalise and her mother Klara were real - just that the names were changed.
This was a different take on other books set at this time, and I liked that about it very much. I haven’t read many books about those who managed to escape the Nazi regime and immigrate to safe countries before the Holocaust really began. But it’s no less saddening for that. Annalise desperately misses her parents, and life is so utterly different in the US.
The story swaps between Annalise and her granddaughter, Clare, whose life couldn’t have been any more different. Clare has the much more liberated life of an American woman - whether that’s what she really wants, remains to be seen.
I really enjoyed seeing the juxtaposition between a 1930s immigrant and a modern young woman. Annalise’s fear of being in a big city with no English is palpable - I panicked along with her. It must be so scary to move somewhere that’s completely different to your own life experience, and not even have a common language - something that people have always had to endure for their own safety throughout the ages.
This is a really moving novel, made more so when I learnt that the letters between Annalise and her mother Klara were real - just that the names were changed.
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated The Girl from Widow Hills in Books
May 7, 2023
55 of 235
Book
The Girl from Widow Hills
By Megan Miranda
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Everyone knows the story of “the girl from Widow Hills.”
Arden Maynor was just a child when she was swept away while sleepwalking during a terrifying rainstorm and went missing for days. Strangers and friends, neighbors and rescue workers, set up search parties and help vigils, praying for her safe return. Against all odds, she was found, alive, clinging to a storm drain. The girl from Widow Hills was a living miracle. Arden’s mother wrote a book. Fame followed. Fans and fan letters, creeps, and stalkers. And every year, the anniversary. It all became too much. As soon as she was old enough, Arden changed her name and disappeared from the public eye.
Now a young woman living hundreds of miles away, Arden goes by Olivia. She’s managed to stay off the radar for the last few years. But with the twentieth anniversary of her rescue approaching, the media will inevitably renew its interest in Arden. Where is she now? Soon Olivia feels like she’s being watched and begins sleepwalking again, like she did long ago, even waking up outside her home. Until late one night, she jolts awake in her yard. At her feet is the corpse of a man she knows—from her previous life, as Arden Maynor.
I actually wasn’t expecting to like this as much as I did! The story was really good and was written really well. I wasn’t expecting the end either. It was nice to have not worked out the culprit before the end for a change.
Book
The Girl from Widow Hills
By Megan Miranda
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Everyone knows the story of “the girl from Widow Hills.”
Arden Maynor was just a child when she was swept away while sleepwalking during a terrifying rainstorm and went missing for days. Strangers and friends, neighbors and rescue workers, set up search parties and help vigils, praying for her safe return. Against all odds, she was found, alive, clinging to a storm drain. The girl from Widow Hills was a living miracle. Arden’s mother wrote a book. Fame followed. Fans and fan letters, creeps, and stalkers. And every year, the anniversary. It all became too much. As soon as she was old enough, Arden changed her name and disappeared from the public eye.
Now a young woman living hundreds of miles away, Arden goes by Olivia. She’s managed to stay off the radar for the last few years. But with the twentieth anniversary of her rescue approaching, the media will inevitably renew its interest in Arden. Where is she now? Soon Olivia feels like she’s being watched and begins sleepwalking again, like she did long ago, even waking up outside her home. Until late one night, she jolts awake in her yard. At her feet is the corpse of a man she knows—from her previous life, as Arden Maynor.
I actually wasn’t expecting to like this as much as I did! The story was really good and was written really well. I wasn’t expecting the end either. It was nice to have not worked out the culprit before the end for a change.
Laura Doe (1350 KP) rated To Sir Phillip, With Love (Bridgertons, #5) in Books
Jan 8, 2022
The Bridgerton stories just get better and better. This one has definitely been my favourite so far, but I think that might be because Eloise was my favourite female Bridgerton anyway.
I wondered how Julia Quinn was planning on replacing the Lady Whistledown’s Society Paper excerpts at the start of the chapters after she retired, but having excerpts from Eloise’s letters seemed like the perfect replacement throughout this book. It really gave an insight into Eloise’s thoughts at each of the important points in her life when she was writing to someone she loved.
As much as it was difficult to read about Phillip and his struggles to control his temper, it was very well done and knowing the background behind his temper helped to understand his character too. I was glad that from the moment Eloise entered his life he tried to be a better father to his children and also appeared a lot calmer than he was at first. This is the opposite to the previous books where most of the men seems to become angry quite quickly at their future wives as they’re “infuriating” before it quickly turns into love. So it was quite nice to have it a different way where he didn’t frequently fly into a rage over something that his wife had said.
I think the Bridgerton books are very clever, as they don’t give too much away about each sibling, making you want to read the next book to learn more about them and not just the snippets that you see of them in each book. I will be starting the next book asap!
I wondered how Julia Quinn was planning on replacing the Lady Whistledown’s Society Paper excerpts at the start of the chapters after she retired, but having excerpts from Eloise’s letters seemed like the perfect replacement throughout this book. It really gave an insight into Eloise’s thoughts at each of the important points in her life when she was writing to someone she loved.
As much as it was difficult to read about Phillip and his struggles to control his temper, it was very well done and knowing the background behind his temper helped to understand his character too. I was glad that from the moment Eloise entered his life he tried to be a better father to his children and also appeared a lot calmer than he was at first. This is the opposite to the previous books where most of the men seems to become angry quite quickly at their future wives as they’re “infuriating” before it quickly turns into love. So it was quite nice to have it a different way where he didn’t frequently fly into a rage over something that his wife had said.
I think the Bridgerton books are very clever, as they don’t give too much away about each sibling, making you want to read the next book to learn more about them and not just the snippets that you see of them in each book. I will be starting the next book asap!
ClareR (5603 KP) rated The Memory of Animals in Books
Jun 8, 2023
I’m completely braised. I love Claire Fullers writing, I’ve loved everything I’ve read by her and The Memory of Animals is no exception. And the fact that this could be described as a dystopian or even an apocalyptic novel made it even more fascinating. I love this genre - even though it usually enters my dreams and makes for an interesting nights sleep!
This is a pandemic novel - but not our pandemic, not Covid. This is a dropsy-type disease, where those infected swell up, their brains swell up too, they forget - and more often than not, they die.
Neffy (Nefeli) and a group of young people volunteer to be vaccinated against, and then infected by, the virus. Something goes wrong, and it looks as though Neffy and four other test volunteers are the only ones who are alive and well. But they can’t leave the building they’re in and the food is running out.
Neffy is a Marine Biologist, an Aquarist, and my favourite parts were her letters to ‘H’ as well as her flashbacks to childhood and pre-pandemic.
This isn’t *just* a speculative, science fiction book, it’s a story about the human condition, about the human drive to survive against the odds, regret, loss, grief, memory, love and above all, hope.
I could go on and on about this. I would never have expected a novel like this from Claire Fuller after reading her previous novels, but that’s what makes it even better. I actually read this twice (unheard of for me, actually). I finished it and immediately started reading again.
So yes, I would most definitely strongly recommend this book!
This is a pandemic novel - but not our pandemic, not Covid. This is a dropsy-type disease, where those infected swell up, their brains swell up too, they forget - and more often than not, they die.
Neffy (Nefeli) and a group of young people volunteer to be vaccinated against, and then infected by, the virus. Something goes wrong, and it looks as though Neffy and four other test volunteers are the only ones who are alive and well. But they can’t leave the building they’re in and the food is running out.
Neffy is a Marine Biologist, an Aquarist, and my favourite parts were her letters to ‘H’ as well as her flashbacks to childhood and pre-pandemic.
This isn’t *just* a speculative, science fiction book, it’s a story about the human condition, about the human drive to survive against the odds, regret, loss, grief, memory, love and above all, hope.
I could go on and on about this. I would never have expected a novel like this from Claire Fuller after reading her previous novels, but that’s what makes it even better. I actually read this twice (unheard of for me, actually). I finished it and immediately started reading again.
So yes, I would most definitely strongly recommend this book!