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Hazel (2934 KP) rated The Midwife of Auschwitz in Books
Jun 21, 2022
This is one of those books that hits you and stays with you for a long time and although it is a work of fiction, the author has clearly done her research and there is a lot of this book that is based on fact.
As you can imagine, this is a hard book to read; it's a story filled with despair, death and unimaginable suffering but it's also a story filled with hope, the power of friendship and love.
Ana and Ester are the two main characters and oh what characters they are; strong and with a will to continue to do good whilst all around them descends into chaos and madness.
This book had my emotions in a constant state of flux; angry, sad, tearful, horrified but also hopeful and in awe and wonder of the people who went through such despicable crimes but continued to keep their humanity unlike the Nazis!
Like I said, this is a difficult read but, I think, an essential one and I must thank Bookouture and NetGalley for enabling me to read it and share my thoughts.
As you can imagine, this is a hard book to read; it's a story filled with despair, death and unimaginable suffering but it's also a story filled with hope, the power of friendship and love.
Ana and Ester are the two main characters and oh what characters they are; strong and with a will to continue to do good whilst all around them descends into chaos and madness.
This book had my emotions in a constant state of flux; angry, sad, tearful, horrified but also hopeful and in awe and wonder of the people who went through such despicable crimes but continued to keep their humanity unlike the Nazis!
Like I said, this is a difficult read but, I think, an essential one and I must thank Bookouture and NetGalley for enabling me to read it and share my thoughts.
Merissa (13298 KP) rated Gifts for the Season: Winter & Christmas MM Charity Anthology in Books
Nov 6, 2020 (Updated Aug 14, 2023)
Gifts for the Season is a warm-hearted collection of seasonal madness, from new love to old, it's all here. Each one gives you a short story, some with new couples, some with old, but all full of Christmas spirit.
I will admit, I preferred the ones that were new stories but that is because I really don't like reading stories where I think I may have missed out on something!
For me, my favourites were The First Snow of Winter by Joanna Chambers and Driving Home for Christmas by Annabelle Jacobs. The first because it's a historical romance which stands out from the contemporary/paranormal rest and the second because junction 10 on the M42 is well known to me so it gave me a feeling of familiarity.
As with all anthologies, some I enjoyed more than others, but every story is a winner in my book. Absolutely recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Nov 6, 2020
I will admit, I preferred the ones that were new stories but that is because I really don't like reading stories where I think I may have missed out on something!
For me, my favourites were The First Snow of Winter by Joanna Chambers and Driving Home for Christmas by Annabelle Jacobs. The first because it's a historical romance which stands out from the contemporary/paranormal rest and the second because junction 10 on the M42 is well known to me so it gave me a feeling of familiarity.
As with all anthologies, some I enjoyed more than others, but every story is a winner in my book. Absolutely recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Nov 6, 2020
AM
A Multitude of Dreams
9.0
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Book
The bloody plague is finally past, but what fresh horror lies in its wake? Princess Imogen of...
Egg Drop Dead
9.0
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Book
In the fifth in Vivien Chien's Noodle Shop delectable mystery series, Egg Drop Dead, the Ho-Lee...
Jamie (131 KP) rated The Haunting of Hill House in Books
Jul 30, 2017
Extremely clever (2 more)
Slow-burn terror
Ambiguous and open to interpretation
Indirect and slow plot (1 more)
Dense with metaphor
Is Hill House haunted or is it madness?
Hill House is suffocating in its isolation–the house is buried in hills far away from the nearest town. The house’s architecture is imperfect, the crookedness throwing one’s balance just a little bit off. The urban legends of the house’s tragic history are dark and ripe for a haunted house story. But is the house actually haunted? Is there some supernatural force that drives the inhabitants to madness? Or perhaps the hauntings are the product of a disturbed mind?
This book is absolutely brilliant in its ambiguity. I loved that things aren’t very direct, leaving the reader to decide how to interpret the story for themselves. A reader’s imagination is a writer’s best tool.
One of the first things that struck me was the unusual dialogue between characters, particularly Eleanor. At times it felt like characters were talking at the other person rather than with them. This behavior is a sign of a person that is unable to relate or empathize with other people.
It becomes clear not long after this that there’s something not quite right about Eleanor. She’s lonely and depressed, she lies constantly about her life and desperately seeks approval. She reassures herself constantly that she belongs at Hill House with the other people there and struggles with her attempts to make connections with the other guests. As the story goes on Eleanor perceives everyone else as being both loving and cruel. She sneers at Theo for trying to steal attention away from her out of some conceived notion of jealousy. Eleanor can only view relationships as being built on dependency, she is a textbook definition of an unreliable narrator.
I won’t go into too much more of my thoughts because I don’t want to spoil the plot. It’s definitely not an average ghost story and those looking for more visceral horror will probably be disappointed. The plot is thick with metaphor and the slow-burn while it worked for me may be too slow for others. Regardless, I loved this book and completely understand why it is held in such high regard and the more I think about it, the more my love for it grows. There were points where my gut was in knots with anxiety and anticipation and I just have to admire Jackson’s master craft with her prose.
This book is absolutely brilliant in its ambiguity. I loved that things aren’t very direct, leaving the reader to decide how to interpret the story for themselves. A reader’s imagination is a writer’s best tool.
One of the first things that struck me was the unusual dialogue between characters, particularly Eleanor. At times it felt like characters were talking at the other person rather than with them. This behavior is a sign of a person that is unable to relate or empathize with other people.
It becomes clear not long after this that there’s something not quite right about Eleanor. She’s lonely and depressed, she lies constantly about her life and desperately seeks approval. She reassures herself constantly that she belongs at Hill House with the other people there and struggles with her attempts to make connections with the other guests. As the story goes on Eleanor perceives everyone else as being both loving and cruel. She sneers at Theo for trying to steal attention away from her out of some conceived notion of jealousy. Eleanor can only view relationships as being built on dependency, she is a textbook definition of an unreliable narrator.
I won’t go into too much more of my thoughts because I don’t want to spoil the plot. It’s definitely not an average ghost story and those looking for more visceral horror will probably be disappointed. The plot is thick with metaphor and the slow-burn while it worked for me may be too slow for others. Regardless, I loved this book and completely understand why it is held in such high regard and the more I think about it, the more my love for it grows. There were points where my gut was in knots with anxiety and anticipation and I just have to admire Jackson’s master craft with her prose.
The Legacy of R. D. Laing: An Appraisal of His Contemporary Relevance
Book
The name R. D. Laing continues to be widely recognized by those in the psychotherapy community in...
tapestry100 (306 KP) rated The Great Divide in Books
Jul 26, 2017
A dark and gritty near future dystopia where a mysterious plague has fallen on mankind, where the slightest contact of bare flesh will cause immediate death for one of those being touched, but there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason as to who lives or dies. On top of that, the survivor also then carries around in their head the persona of the person they killed. This can sometimes cause madness in the survivor, but some can coexist with their new passenger. Of course, with no physical skin-to-skin contact possible, sex is off-limits but brothels survive, with watching, no touching, rules in place. Isolation becomes the means of survival, but with that isolation also comes the end of the human race. That is, until two unlikely allies possibly discover the cause of the plague, and possibly a means to undo it.
The Great Divide is definitely not for the lighthearted. This is a very grim look at humanity and what happens when all means of physical contact is stripped away. It is a violent, sexualized dystopia that Ben Fisher and Adam Markiewicz give us, but it is still a story about the resilience of the human spirit.
The Great Divide is definitely not for the lighthearted. This is a very grim look at humanity and what happens when all means of physical contact is stripped away. It is a violent, sexualized dystopia that Ben Fisher and Adam Markiewicz give us, but it is still a story about the resilience of the human spirit.
ClareR (5991 KP) rated Ascension (Phobos #1) in Books
Jul 6, 2018
A great concept
Six boys and six girls are chosen to be the first people to colonise Mars in a speed-dating show like no other. We follow Leonor mainly, as she navigates her life and 'dates' on board the Cupido. It's a bit 'cheesy' in places, and you do get a sense of the fact that it has been translated from French: it gives the language a more lyrical feel (in my opinion). The story though, is great!
I'm not a fan at all of reality TV. I'll turn the channel over every time. This novel shows the whole ridiculousness of the concept: a few 6 minute dates before you choose your life partner?! Madness!
This novel also shows how corrupt big business and government can be in the race to make more and more money. Lots to think about whilst you're reading - the ideas have to come from somewhere!
I liked where the story cut away from the space ship to the organisers of the TV show and two other characters, Andrew and Harmony. I think they may be quite important in the following books in this trilogy. And yes, I have preordered book 2, which incidentally, releases in October!
Thanks to Readers First for my copy of this book.
I'm not a fan at all of reality TV. I'll turn the channel over every time. This novel shows the whole ridiculousness of the concept: a few 6 minute dates before you choose your life partner?! Madness!
This novel also shows how corrupt big business and government can be in the race to make more and more money. Lots to think about whilst you're reading - the ideas have to come from somewhere!
I liked where the story cut away from the space ship to the organisers of the TV show and two other characters, Andrew and Harmony. I think they may be quite important in the following books in this trilogy. And yes, I have preordered book 2, which incidentally, releases in October!
Thanks to Readers First for my copy of this book.
Prince Harry: Brother, Soldier, Son
Book
This is the Prince Harry you've never read about before. This is the story behind the tabloid...
Rula: My Colourful Life
Book
Rula Lenska's is an extraordinary life. Born in Britain to Polish aristocrats, refugees from the...