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I think this has probably made it to the top of my favourite books of the year. How can this possibly be topped by anything else?
Hamnet is an imagining of what could have happened to Shakespeare’s son - even in the parish records it doesn’t say what his cause of death was. Maggie O’Farrell makes this version completely plausible though: plague should have been a real threat at this time. It killed indiscriminately: young and old, rich and poor, weak and strong. They were all vulnerable to illnesses with no cures. I’m something of an emotional reader at the best of times, but as Agnes, Hamnet’s mother, was preparing her son for burial, I was crying in to my breakfast. My 16 year old son looked at me over the top of his bacon butty and said:”Another sad bookthen, Mum?”, and shook his head. To read of a mother and her dead son, and see my 13 and 16 year old sons merrily tucking in to their bacon sandwiches, may not have been the ideal time to be reading this.
This is the kind of book that makes you really look at how precarious life was in those times, and how lucky we are today to have so few worries on this scale (Covid-19 aside!).
The writing is so beautiful, so descriptive and emotive: it picks you up and sets you down squarely in Elizabethan Stratford, making you feel exactly how Agnes must have felt. Honestly, it broke my heart to read of her pain.
If you haven’t read this yet, you’re in for a treat. This deserves ALL the awards.
Hamnet is an imagining of what could have happened to Shakespeare’s son - even in the parish records it doesn’t say what his cause of death was. Maggie O’Farrell makes this version completely plausible though: plague should have been a real threat at this time. It killed indiscriminately: young and old, rich and poor, weak and strong. They were all vulnerable to illnesses with no cures. I’m something of an emotional reader at the best of times, but as Agnes, Hamnet’s mother, was preparing her son for burial, I was crying in to my breakfast. My 16 year old son looked at me over the top of his bacon butty and said:”Another sad bookthen, Mum?”, and shook his head. To read of a mother and her dead son, and see my 13 and 16 year old sons merrily tucking in to their bacon sandwiches, may not have been the ideal time to be reading this.
This is the kind of book that makes you really look at how precarious life was in those times, and how lucky we are today to have so few worries on this scale (Covid-19 aside!).
The writing is so beautiful, so descriptive and emotive: it picks you up and sets you down squarely in Elizabethan Stratford, making you feel exactly how Agnes must have felt. Honestly, it broke my heart to read of her pain.
If you haven’t read this yet, you’re in for a treat. This deserves ALL the awards.
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.
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Kim Pook (101 KP) rated Look Away (2018) in Movies
Sep 1, 2020
Maria appears to be a bit of a loner and very quiet with low self confidence and no friends. Fairly soon into the movie, whilst pleasuring herself (which I thought made no sense to have in the movie) she notices her reflection is seemingly alive. This freaks her out but she brushes it off and goes about her life. Eventually her reflection Airam calls out to her and they engage in conversation, nothing overly interesting and Maria goes about her life again, by this time I was ready to give up on the movie as nothing interesting was happening. There are a few more exchanges between Maria and Airam, and we soon discover just how controlling Maria's dad is when he offers her plastic surgery! Seriously, who does that to their child!? Eventually Airam makes Maria realise what the people in her life are really like and offers to take away her pain. Finally after almost an hour into the movie, the main plot of the story happens. Maria and Airam switch places, and Airam seeks revenge on all who hurt Maria.
It wasn't a terrible film, it just took way too long to start properly. you kind of route for Airam and understand why she does the things she does, to be honest I did feel sorry for her. At the same time though there's not much to go on. We know Airam was left to die because of her deformity, but I was hoping for an explanation from their dad, or for mum to realise it wasn't Maria anymore, but again nothing whatsoever and the ending gave more questions than answers.
It wasn't a terrible film, it just took way too long to start properly. you kind of route for Airam and understand why she does the things she does, to be honest I did feel sorry for her. At the same time though there's not much to go on. We know Airam was left to die because of her deformity, but I was hoping for an explanation from their dad, or for mum to realise it wasn't Maria anymore, but again nothing whatsoever and the ending gave more questions than answers.
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Merissa (13810 KP) rated Forsaken (Reflections, #7) in Books
Apr 4, 2023 (Updated Apr 10, 2023)
By Jove, he's only gone and done it. Dean Murray has managed to get me shouting out at the book... again! I was unable to put this down and actually had to go and see the synopsis for the review of the next book to ensure that Alec and Adri had some sort of future together. That's how worried he got me with the scenes with Tasha in them.
So, backtracking then, this book is still following Alec and Adri as they try to come to terms with the decisions and choices they have made. Alec's pack is still small and unhealthy but rapidly becoming more unhealthy due to some mysterious illness that is affecting both shapeshifter and human alike. Adri has moved to New York where her mum is making a name for herself which means that Adri is still pretty much left on her own.
We meet new and old characters in this and learn that strength isn't always physical. What some might see as a weakness can actually be the greatest strength you can possess. It's not what it is, it's how you deal with it.
This series continues to grip and deliver on the promise of a fantastic story. Once I start one of these books, I usually tend to stop eating, drinking and sleeping until I've finished it. I really can't recommend these books highly enough to every reader out there.
* 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!
August 26, 2016
So, backtracking then, this book is still following Alec and Adri as they try to come to terms with the decisions and choices they have made. Alec's pack is still small and unhealthy but rapidly becoming more unhealthy due to some mysterious illness that is affecting both shapeshifter and human alike. Adri has moved to New York where her mum is making a name for herself which means that Adri is still pretty much left on her own.
We meet new and old characters in this and learn that strength isn't always physical. What some might see as a weakness can actually be the greatest strength you can possess. It's not what it is, it's how you deal with it.
This series continues to grip and deliver on the promise of a fantastic story. Once I start one of these books, I usually tend to stop eating, drinking and sleeping until I've finished it. I really can't recommend these books highly enough to every reader out there.
* 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!
August 26, 2016