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Nicole Hadley (380 KP) rated Fish-Boy in Books
Jun 18, 2018
Fish-Boy: An Inuit Folk Tale by Vanita Oelschlager is very cute story with colorful and delightful illustrations. In this story, an old Inuit man tells the story of Fish Boy. The Arctic region of North America is a land of long days, icy cold, hardy people and peculiar creatures. The Inuit people there have made traditional use of remarkable folk tales to find truth and explain the mysteries of an astonishing world.
In Fish-Boy, An Inuit Folk Tale, Vanita Oelschlager retells a tale passed down by a wise old Inuit. It's an origin story involving a little magic and a very odd boy with a large heart for friendship. On a journey with his new father, he must confront misfortune and the malice of cold hearted villagers. But he has a way and a lesson for all in the virtues of kindness and hospitality.
This book as it teaches kindness and a folk tale about a region that covers most of Canada. It can be used as a tool to teach children about folk tells and about different cultures and acceptance.
I received this ARC from Vanita Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I give this book 4/5 stars.
In Fish-Boy, An Inuit Folk Tale, Vanita Oelschlager retells a tale passed down by a wise old Inuit. It's an origin story involving a little magic and a very odd boy with a large heart for friendship. On a journey with his new father, he must confront misfortune and the malice of cold hearted villagers. But he has a way and a lesson for all in the virtues of kindness and hospitality.
This book as it teaches kindness and a folk tale about a region that covers most of Canada. It can be used as a tool to teach children about folk tells and about different cultures and acceptance.
I received this ARC from Vanita Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I give this book 4/5 stars.
Kristin (149 KP) rated To Catch A Creeper: A Crouch End Confidential Mystery in Books
Dec 7, 2018
Disclaimer: I received an e-copy in exchange for an honest review.
Cathy's at it again!
This book picks up right where Looking for La La leaves off: "La La" has been caught, the TTMs have moved on in various ways, and Cathy's joined the workforce once again. However, now there's a Creeper on the loose, and it's becoming a real issue in the community. Worst of all, it seems like the police might be zeroing in on one of Cathy's close friends! Not one to just take these kinds of things lying down, Cathy's out to prove her friend's innocence while also setting her sights on catching the Creeper herself. (With a little help, of course.) Will they be able to stop the burglaries before it escalates into something more?
I loved this one just as much as La La, if not more. The characters are great, the story's captivating, and I found myself investigating right along with Cathy, trying to figure out who it could be. I have to say, the twists in this series are fantastic, and I didn't call this one anymore than I did the last! I hope there's more Crouch End mysteries to come, they're just fantastic!
4 1/2 stars
Cathy's at it again!
This book picks up right where Looking for La La leaves off: "La La" has been caught, the TTMs have moved on in various ways, and Cathy's joined the workforce once again. However, now there's a Creeper on the loose, and it's becoming a real issue in the community. Worst of all, it seems like the police might be zeroing in on one of Cathy's close friends! Not one to just take these kinds of things lying down, Cathy's out to prove her friend's innocence while also setting her sights on catching the Creeper herself. (With a little help, of course.) Will they be able to stop the burglaries before it escalates into something more?
I loved this one just as much as La La, if not more. The characters are great, the story's captivating, and I found myself investigating right along with Cathy, trying to figure out who it could be. I have to say, the twists in this series are fantastic, and I didn't call this one anymore than I did the last! I hope there's more Crouch End mysteries to come, they're just fantastic!
4 1/2 stars
Caffeinated Fae (464 KP) rated The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency in Books
Jul 10, 2018
Okay, I didn't hate this book as much as I thought I would but that doesn't mean much. As anyone that follows my reviews will notice, I do not read mysteries. When I do read a mystery it is for book club and inevitably I find it dull. This book was no different. I would give this book a 2.5 star rating so I rounded up to 3.
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency made me reminiscent of Agatha Christie & Mary Higgins Clark. So if you enjoy those authors, I'm sure that you would enjoy this author. There was mystery but no suspense so it seemed to drag on for me. I borrowed this book from the library but after reading 5 pages into the book, I had to switch to the audiobook so that I could force myself to read the rest of the book.
Not going to lie, this reminded me a lot of Winnie the Pooh. If you think about it, Winnie the Pooh was always looking to solve a mystery and each chapter or episode/15 minute segment was a new mystery. This is very similar to this book.
All in all, I will not continue on in this series.
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency made me reminiscent of Agatha Christie & Mary Higgins Clark. So if you enjoy those authors, I'm sure that you would enjoy this author. There was mystery but no suspense so it seemed to drag on for me. I borrowed this book from the library but after reading 5 pages into the book, I had to switch to the audiobook so that I could force myself to read the rest of the book.
Not going to lie, this reminded me a lot of Winnie the Pooh. If you think about it, Winnie the Pooh was always looking to solve a mystery and each chapter or episode/15 minute segment was a new mystery. This is very similar to this book.
All in all, I will not continue on in this series.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2516 KP) rated The Death of an Ambitious Woman in Books
Jul 17, 2018
It Definitely Wasn’t an Accident
The car crash that killed Tracey Kendall was looking suspicious from the start. She was driving way too fast and didn’t break at all for example. Then the mechanic who serviced her car vanishes, which definitely makes acting police chief Ruth Murphy suspect there is more going on than a simple accident. Unfortunately, this comes at the worst possible time with her permanent promotion to police chief about to go through. Can she navigate internal politics and still uncover the truth?
I was thrilled to finally make it back to Barbara Ross’s debut mystery. The mystery is strong, and the internal politics adds a nice layer to an already complex mystery. Ruth and her fellow police officers are strong characters, and I also felt the main suspects were well developed. Some of the supporting players got a little lost, but that is my only complaint about the book. This is a step away from the author’s normal cozy mysteries, with a few four letter words and a touch more description of the aftermath of violence. Still, most of her readers will do just fine with this soft-boiled or traditional tale. Anyone who enjoys a good mystery should pick up this book.
I was thrilled to finally make it back to Barbara Ross’s debut mystery. The mystery is strong, and the internal politics adds a nice layer to an already complex mystery. Ruth and her fellow police officers are strong characters, and I also felt the main suspects were well developed. Some of the supporting players got a little lost, but that is my only complaint about the book. This is a step away from the author’s normal cozy mysteries, with a few four letter words and a touch more description of the aftermath of violence. Still, most of her readers will do just fine with this soft-boiled or traditional tale. Anyone who enjoys a good mystery should pick up this book.
Moke J Dupman (12 KP) rated Humanarium (Book One in the Humanarium Series) in Books
Sep 9, 2018 (Updated Sep 9, 2018)
One of the best books I read this summer
Best book I’ve read in months! Humanarium by C. W. Tickner is an imaginative, well told story. I love the characters and the plot shows depth on many levels. The book is complete with heroes, bad guys, unfamiliar worlds, excitement, and just a dollop of romance. I also appreciate very much how Mr. Tickner incorporates unity among humans who are sometimes quite different from one another into the story. Some scenes were especially good, such as the return journey thru Drew’s tank. Movie worthy, indeed!
Parts of the story remind me of how humans often keep wild animals as pets for their personal enjoyment when they would be much better off left in their own environment. You’ll see why when you read it...no spoilers from me!
I’m left just intrigued enough to get me to want to read the next book. Going into more detail would give away too much, but there are some mysteries that I hope will be answered in books to follow. I highly recommend this book and am looking forward to Mr. Tickner’s next release! All in all, I found Humanarium to be thoroughly fascinating and enjoyable and give it a rating of 4.7/5 ⭐️
Parts of the story remind me of how humans often keep wild animals as pets for their personal enjoyment when they would be much better off left in their own environment. You’ll see why when you read it...no spoilers from me!
I’m left just intrigued enough to get me to want to read the next book. Going into more detail would give away too much, but there are some mysteries that I hope will be answered in books to follow. I highly recommend this book and am looking forward to Mr. Tickner’s next release! All in all, I found Humanarium to be thoroughly fascinating and enjoyable and give it a rating of 4.7/5 ⭐️
Deborah (162 KP) rated Sidney Chambers and the Shadow of Death in Books
Dec 19, 2018
First off, I expected this to be a novel, so when I got about 70 pages in and it seemed to be winding up the mystery, I was a bit confused. It's actually a series of 6 stories which are different mysteries that Cannon Sidney Chambers finds himself getting involved in. Also, except for the division into stories, there are no chapter breaks.
Of the six stories here, I thought that some worked better than others. The first ones were a little more genteel whereas the later ones, particularly perhaps the penultimate story, were a little more dark and disturbing.
I'm too young to remember this period, so I can't comment on how accurate it is, but I didn't feel that I got a really strong sense of the period. The geographical setting is mainly around Cambridge, with several jaunts up to London. Perhaps the author thought this was just the sort of thing to appeal to those readers of Agatha Christie, because the solutions to no less than three of her books are revealed here - good job I'd read them already....
Altogether, there's enough going on to sustain the interest and I see that the author is proposing a total of six volumes, taking us right up to the early 1980s.
Of the six stories here, I thought that some worked better than others. The first ones were a little more genteel whereas the later ones, particularly perhaps the penultimate story, were a little more dark and disturbing.
I'm too young to remember this period, so I can't comment on how accurate it is, but I didn't feel that I got a really strong sense of the period. The geographical setting is mainly around Cambridge, with several jaunts up to London. Perhaps the author thought this was just the sort of thing to appeal to those readers of Agatha Christie, because the solutions to no less than three of her books are revealed here - good job I'd read them already....
Altogether, there's enough going on to sustain the interest and I see that the author is proposing a total of six volumes, taking us right up to the early 1980s.
Deborah (162 KP) rated The Perfect Murder (Inspector Ghote, #1) in Books
Dec 21, 2018
This is the first in a series of mysteries featuring Inpector Ghote of the Bombay CID recently rereleased as a Penguin Modern Classic. I don't know how many titles there are in the series, but as in the introduction we are told the author didn't set foot in India until the first nine were written I'd hazard a guess there are at least ten!
Now, I do love a good mystery, or what my mother calls 'a nice murder' and although I was entertained enough by this I don't think it will finding a permanent home on my bookshevles. It's not that there is anything particularly wrong with it, perhaps it just wasn't my cup of tea? I found most of the characters in the book to be completely frustrating and unhelpful so I felt frustrated too! Lala Varde I could have quite cheerfully strangled myself with his obstructiveness and childish rhyming language!
One thing I do usually enjoy in mystery novels is trying to work out the solution and then feeling particularly pleased with myself if I get anywhere near the truth. I think that was difficult to do here, so maybe another reason why I wasn't taken with it?
Now, I do love a good mystery, or what my mother calls 'a nice murder' and although I was entertained enough by this I don't think it will finding a permanent home on my bookshevles. It's not that there is anything particularly wrong with it, perhaps it just wasn't my cup of tea? I found most of the characters in the book to be completely frustrating and unhelpful so I felt frustrated too! Lala Varde I could have quite cheerfully strangled myself with his obstructiveness and childish rhyming language!
One thing I do usually enjoy in mystery novels is trying to work out the solution and then feeling particularly pleased with myself if I get anywhere near the truth. I think that was difficult to do here, so maybe another reason why I wasn't taken with it?
Mothergamer (1625 KP) rated Nancy Drew in TV
Feb 5, 2020
I read the Nancy Drew books when I was a kid and loved them, so I was pretty interested in checking out the show. I am really enjoying it so far. The characters are interesting each with their own strengths and skills that they bring to the group. Nancy herself is very smart, but I like that she's also not perfect. She makes mistakes and her friends aren't afraid to call her out on it and eventually she does own up to it and tries to make it right. It makes her feel like a fully developed character. The main mystery is great with a few extra side mysteries thrown in. I am enjoying the spooky ghost story elements to it too and there have been a couple episodes where the show scared me with it. Sometimes the pacing feels a little slow with the writing and it can feel very drawn out at times, but it doesn't detract too much from how good the show is. The cast is really good and they bring the characters to life. I'm enjoying it and always looking forward to the next episode to see where the story goes.
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