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More Than a Woman
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If only she had known: when middle age arrives, a whole new bunch of tough questions need answering....
A Christmas Haunting: The Truth Revealed
Carrie King and Caroline Clark
5.5
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Strange noises, writing in blood, and her father dead in the snow — Olivia swore she would never...
Louise (64 KP) rated The Weight of Water in Books
Jul 2, 2018
After reading One by Sarah Crossan I wanted delve into more of her works. This is Sarah's debut novel and I really enjoyed it. What makes her books unique is that they are written in verse, so you can either read it like poetry or just as a normal book.
The weight of water follows Kasienka and her mother who are Polish migrants travelling to the UK to find her father who upped and left one day never to return, all they know is that he lives in Coventry. They manage to rent a bed sit with one bed that they have to share and with little money Kasienka's mum takes on a hospital job. Kasienka's mum is determined to find her husband and as Kasi's English is better than hers she is forced to walk streets of Coventry looking for her dad. Not only does she have to contend with her mum, she also started a new school where she doesn't fit in and becomes a target to bullies. The only thing that Kasienka was good at was swimming which she loved and was also pretty good at. It was where she could escape, It was there she met William.
I loved this book, it is so realistic, raw and heart - breaking. In the UK we have thousands of Polish people come to live in the UK sometimes for work and sometimes for unknown reasons but what we forget is how hard and challenging it can be for them to arrive in a country they are not familiar with and the language barrier.You also forget how difficult it must be at school for them - due to Kasi's language barrier the teacher was not aware of how intelligent she was and enrolled her in a younger year. Kasi is 12 and a very intelligent girl who just wants to fit in at school or even better to return to Poland with her Mother and Father. You see the struggles that she has to overcome and her developing and hitting puberty. I really liked the fact that Sarah Crossan didn't shy away and told us Kasi's periods starting and her becoming more body conscious it makes it so much more real and relatable.
The bit that I really liked was when Kasienka realised that she had treated a new girl at her school back in Poland just as she was being by the bullies in her school, she wasn't perfect and she knew it.
This is a brilliant coming of age story that could be classed as middle grade though it has more depth to it as deals with Poverty, bullying, immigration and families
I definitely recommend this book for anyone that wants to read YA,Poetry or contemporary
Overall I rated 4.5 out 5 stars.
The weight of water follows Kasienka and her mother who are Polish migrants travelling to the UK to find her father who upped and left one day never to return, all they know is that he lives in Coventry. They manage to rent a bed sit with one bed that they have to share and with little money Kasienka's mum takes on a hospital job. Kasienka's mum is determined to find her husband and as Kasi's English is better than hers she is forced to walk streets of Coventry looking for her dad. Not only does she have to contend with her mum, she also started a new school where she doesn't fit in and becomes a target to bullies. The only thing that Kasienka was good at was swimming which she loved and was also pretty good at. It was where she could escape, It was there she met William.
I loved this book, it is so realistic, raw and heart - breaking. In the UK we have thousands of Polish people come to live in the UK sometimes for work and sometimes for unknown reasons but what we forget is how hard and challenging it can be for them to arrive in a country they are not familiar with and the language barrier.You also forget how difficult it must be at school for them - due to Kasi's language barrier the teacher was not aware of how intelligent she was and enrolled her in a younger year. Kasi is 12 and a very intelligent girl who just wants to fit in at school or even better to return to Poland with her Mother and Father. You see the struggles that she has to overcome and her developing and hitting puberty. I really liked the fact that Sarah Crossan didn't shy away and told us Kasi's periods starting and her becoming more body conscious it makes it so much more real and relatable.
The bit that I really liked was when Kasienka realised that she had treated a new girl at her school back in Poland just as she was being by the bullies in her school, she wasn't perfect and she knew it.
This is a brilliant coming of age story that could be classed as middle grade though it has more depth to it as deals with Poverty, bullying, immigration and families
I definitely recommend this book for anyone that wants to read YA,Poetry or contemporary
Overall I rated 4.5 out 5 stars.
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Mom and Dad (2018) in Movies
Sep 25, 2019
A teenage girl and her little brother must survive a wild 24 hours during which a mass hysteria of unknown origins causes parents to turn violently on their own kids.
This. Was. Hilarious. It's a zombie movie without being a zombie movie.
Surprisingly not listed as a comedy though, horror/action/thriller all the way... did these guys watch their own film? Luckily I was the only one in the screen because I was pissing myself laughing.
As much as I love Nicolas Cage, seeing him rage always makes me laugh. I feel like he would make a good Batman villain... for the TV show. The redeeming bit for me though was hearing him say "anal beads" in a moment where he flips out at his daughter's boyfriend.
I had some sympathy for Selma Blair's mum character, I wanted to kill her kid for most of the film too. Mum was a much more subtle murderous switch, whereas dad looked like he'd been having a meltdown for months. Mum seemed to struggle more with the idea of killing her kids, but when she went, boy was she a force to be reckoned with. Being a woman I can quite happily say that the look on her face, and the slow but meaningful grab of the tenderiser really does sum up how we feel for at least a minute portion of the month. Usually though in real life it would be us getting that look, taking a deep breath, and then smiling politely and going about our day... but in our heads... yep.
If you're not going to see this on your own then I'd advise you to go with friends. Not parents. As much as I love mine I was left wondering if the hysteria would make them want to drive across the country to try and kill me. I'm putting together a battle plan just in case. It is very much like my zombie apocalypse plan but less armour against biting.
The real question is whether the hysteria that was affecting the parents was entirely working on genetics or emotional connection... I'd have been interested to see the odd husband standing there with his kids, not affected while his wife goes full axe murderer and seeing him realise that his kids look more like the milkman/best friend than him. Conversely it would have been an awkward moment to admit that your kids were adopted... or would you attempt to kill them to hide the fact from them longer? Hmm... you know I say these things in jest though... it is only a film, don't get on my case about it.
This. Was. Hilarious. It's a zombie movie without being a zombie movie.
Surprisingly not listed as a comedy though, horror/action/thriller all the way... did these guys watch their own film? Luckily I was the only one in the screen because I was pissing myself laughing.
As much as I love Nicolas Cage, seeing him rage always makes me laugh. I feel like he would make a good Batman villain... for the TV show. The redeeming bit for me though was hearing him say "anal beads" in a moment where he flips out at his daughter's boyfriend.
I had some sympathy for Selma Blair's mum character, I wanted to kill her kid for most of the film too. Mum was a much more subtle murderous switch, whereas dad looked like he'd been having a meltdown for months. Mum seemed to struggle more with the idea of killing her kids, but when she went, boy was she a force to be reckoned with. Being a woman I can quite happily say that the look on her face, and the slow but meaningful grab of the tenderiser really does sum up how we feel for at least a minute portion of the month. Usually though in real life it would be us getting that look, taking a deep breath, and then smiling politely and going about our day... but in our heads... yep.
If you're not going to see this on your own then I'd advise you to go with friends. Not parents. As much as I love mine I was left wondering if the hysteria would make them want to drive across the country to try and kill me. I'm putting together a battle plan just in case. It is very much like my zombie apocalypse plan but less armour against biting.
The real question is whether the hysteria that was affecting the parents was entirely working on genetics or emotional connection... I'd have been interested to see the odd husband standing there with his kids, not affected while his wife goes full axe murderer and seeing him realise that his kids look more like the milkman/best friend than him. Conversely it would have been an awkward moment to admit that your kids were adopted... or would you attempt to kill them to hide the fact from them longer? Hmm... you know I say these things in jest though... it is only a film, don't get on my case about it.
Merissa (12058 KP) rated Farewell to Paris (Legend of the White Snake #2) in Books
Aug 13, 2017
Farewell to Paris (Legend of the White Snake #2) by Martin Chu Shui
This is the story of Caitlin and Charlie's son, as he grows up and becomes a man. You stay with him as he trains with Alice, as he meets and trains with the Grandmaster and how his whole life has revolved around him saving his mum from the ICSC. As this is Sean/Shilin's story, there is not a lot going on with Alice or Charlie and definitely not with Caitlin but even so, this book follows seamlessly. It is full of action with many a twist and turn to keep you attentive. There is romance with a question but it doesn't overpower the story.
I was looking forward to reading this book and haven't been disappointed.
* Verified Purchase ~ February 2013
Reviewed on Goodreads ~ February 2013 *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
I was looking forward to reading this book and haven't been disappointed.
* Verified Purchase ~ February 2013
Reviewed on Goodreads ~ February 2013 *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Ross (3284 KP) rated Malevolent (2018) in Movies
Apr 17, 2019
A Netflix unoriginal
Horror-by-numbers from Netflix. A young American man looks to make some money by tricking Glaswegians into believing their house is haunted and banishing the spirits. He makes his sister pretend to have the gift of communication with the spirits, and the use of some technology to baffle the mid-80s victims. Just before their last such scam, his sister discovers she may have some real sixth sense after all.
The acting is mediocre (Celia Imrie totally hamming it up from the off), with the rest of the (non-Scottish) cast adequately carrying their roles.
James Cosmo is something of a standout as their grandfather in his one scene, telling of how their mum became more and more odd and reclusive until her death.
The plot is far from original with some half-decent jump scares along the way, though quite spaced apart in the short runtime.
The acting is mediocre (Celia Imrie totally hamming it up from the off), with the rest of the (non-Scottish) cast adequately carrying their roles.
James Cosmo is something of a standout as their grandfather in his one scene, telling of how their mum became more and more odd and reclusive until her death.
The plot is far from original with some half-decent jump scares along the way, though quite spaced apart in the short runtime.
Aasiyah Sidat (34 KP) rated If you look for me, I am not here in Books
Jul 6, 2018
micro-presses are small publishing houses with usually with a very small number of people. They don't have all the bells and whistles of the giant publishing houses but, these smaller publishing houses have an eye for finding the diamonds in the rough.
This book was more of a cubic zirconia than a diamond but still very shiny.
Let me explain.
This book tells the story of Siva, a small boy growing up in southern India who craves for the love and attention of his mother. Alas, she is unable to because she is mourning the loss of Siva's twin, Tara who dies at birth. Throughout the book, Siva struggles with his identity, to try and find a place where he fits in but also who he can be so that his mum loves him.
Continue reading my review at: https://www.readsandrecipes.co.uk/2017/09/read-harder-micropress.html
This book was more of a cubic zirconia than a diamond but still very shiny.
Let me explain.
This book tells the story of Siva, a small boy growing up in southern India who craves for the love and attention of his mother. Alas, she is unable to because she is mourning the loss of Siva's twin, Tara who dies at birth. Throughout the book, Siva struggles with his identity, to try and find a place where he fits in but also who he can be so that his mum loves him.
Continue reading my review at: https://www.readsandrecipes.co.uk/2017/09/read-harder-micropress.html
James Koppert (2698 KP) rated The Reason I Jump: One Boy's Voice from the Silence of Autism in Books
Nov 3, 2019
It's the real deal
There are a lot of books on autism. A lot written by experts but non are as big an expert as this little boy. Naomi Higashida struggles with communication and his mum made him a letters graph where he could point and he started writing a book. This is the book. It i simple and affective and explains what it is like being an autistic child from the inside. This will give you insight we rarely ever have have where Higashida explains not only the traits and behaviours and why he does them but at the same time how doing them and then people's reactions to them make him feel. It has opened my eyes to think about things very differently and makes this one of the most important books ever written.
Vegas (725 KP) rated Ten Days in the Valley in TV
Feb 5, 2020
Kyra Sedgwick (1 more)
Twists to the plot
Better than the critics would have you believe
Kyra Sedgwick plays a workaholic mum who is working the night her daughter goes missing. Her performance is one of the high spots as her life unravels around her and she doesn't know who to trust reminds me a bit of Claire Danes performance in the first season of Homeland.
There are some plot holes but not enough to ruin the series and the twists and turns in the story keep you wanting to watch the next episode.
Who can she trust, who is helping her and who is against her are all things that crop up in this series where every episode is a different day with some parts told in flashback.
Recommended, even if the critics didn't particularly like it
There are some plot holes but not enough to ruin the series and the twists and turns in the story keep you wanting to watch the next episode.
Who can she trust, who is helping her and who is against her are all things that crop up in this series where every episode is a different day with some parts told in flashback.
Recommended, even if the critics didn't particularly like it
The Ladybird Book of Dating
5.5
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From bestselling authors Jason Hazeley and Joel Morris - a nugget of wisdom in the phenomenal...