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mostlyinpyjamas (13 KP) rated The Roanoke Girls in Books
Nov 29, 2017
A well written book with a dark theme.
This book is one of those that's not going to be for everyone. The subject matter is heavy, and for some may well be triggering.
It features child abuse, incest, suicide and murder. It's deeply unsettling and at times made me feel really uncomfortable. I don't think there's a character in this book who isn't very messed up.
However it is very well written, I'm not sure if enjoyed is the right word to use but I was completely drawn in, I had to stick with it. I liked the way the author interweaves the flashbacks with the current story. Often, I don't enjoy flashbacks in books, they can make a story feel too disjointed for me, but it worked in The Roanoke girls.
I don't feel like it sensationalises the subjects it deals with, it sets them out as the stomach churning matters that they are.
It's definitely a story that will get you thinking.
I don't usually read the reading group questions at the end of a book, but I did with this book because I was curious, and I feel that there's definitely plenty for discussion, so perhaps it would be a good book club book.
An example of the reading group questions.
"Do you think gran is right when she says mothers are judged more harshly than fathers? Why do you think that might be? Is it a fair standard?"
Overall I enjoyed this book.
It features child abuse, incest, suicide and murder. It's deeply unsettling and at times made me feel really uncomfortable. I don't think there's a character in this book who isn't very messed up.
However it is very well written, I'm not sure if enjoyed is the right word to use but I was completely drawn in, I had to stick with it. I liked the way the author interweaves the flashbacks with the current story. Often, I don't enjoy flashbacks in books, they can make a story feel too disjointed for me, but it worked in The Roanoke girls.
I don't feel like it sensationalises the subjects it deals with, it sets them out as the stomach churning matters that they are.
It's definitely a story that will get you thinking.
I don't usually read the reading group questions at the end of a book, but I did with this book because I was curious, and I feel that there's definitely plenty for discussion, so perhaps it would be a good book club book.
An example of the reading group questions.
"Do you think gran is right when she says mothers are judged more harshly than fathers? Why do you think that might be? Is it a fair standard?"
Overall I enjoyed this book.
Dork_knight74 (881 KP) rated Wildling (2018) in Movies
Jun 12, 2019
Contains spoilers, click to show
Wasn't sure what I was expecting from this one but got more than I thought. At first glance I thought it was going to be more of a "psychological' horror flick. Turned out to be more of a "creature feature". There was some killing in it, but nothing too gory. Things literally got hairy in this movie. The actors all did a decent job and the cinematography was good. I'd have liked more of a "back story" on the main character but they filled in some of the gaps about her. Overall this was an entertaining movie. Not really scary at all, but held the interest well enough to watch it all the way through. Interesting take on the werewolf genra. Worth a watch if you're bored some night.
KatieLouCreate (162 KP) rated Nerve (2016) in Movies
Jan 3, 2018
Great Film
I watched this with my friend as a one off. We wasn't sure what to expect from it but we had already sat down to eat and thought why on earth not. At first, I thought it was going to be a cheesy stereotypical film about teenagers online. Especially with all the internet searching screens at the beginning. I restrained from rolling my eyes. But as the film developed I became hooked. It was a light thriller almost. The type where it has you on the edge of your seat because of the suspense and horrors of what is happening. It had just the right amount of love interest for me. It did not entirely dominate the film, nor did it take away from the story line, but it did happen fairly quickly. Another oddity I found was one of the characters, Tommy. I liked this character. He was interesting and funny. But I did not understand his passiveness in the film. It was clear he is interested in Vee (the protagonist) but does nothing to show his interest and stop her falling for Ian. As well as that, he just randomly knows these computer hacker internet websters? There is nothing to indicate why he knows them yet they become crucial towards the end of the film. It would be nice to have a little background on them.
Other than that, I enjoyed watching the film. I believe it raised awareness about the dangers of anonymity on the internet. It also shows that sometimes risks should be taken. We should do things that scare us and push us out of our comfort zones every-now-and-then. But do not go too far. It could be a very dangerous game.
Other than that, I enjoyed watching the film. I believe it raised awareness about the dangers of anonymity on the internet. It also shows that sometimes risks should be taken. We should do things that scare us and push us out of our comfort zones every-now-and-then. But do not go too far. It could be a very dangerous game.
Dork_knight74 (881 KP) rated Bird Box (2018) in Movies
Dec 31, 2018
Cool concept
Contains spoilers, click to show
I really enjoy monster movies. Not getting to actually SEE the monsters makes for an interesting story. Netflix did a good job with this one. Sandra Bullock delivers another great performance(I'm biased-lol). Anyway the acting was really well done and the cinematography was, too. People keep complaining about the ending but I thought it turned out really interesting. No closure to the monsters or any real explanation of what they were, but it showed that there was hope. Sometimes that's all we have to hold onto. Sure, I would've liked to have seen Tom survive with them, but that would have changed the dynamic of the story and Mallory's driving force. All in all I'd say this one is really worth a watch!
Dana (24 KP) rated Sense and Sensibility in Books
Mar 23, 2018
I absolutely love Jane Austen's books! Though I did find more enjoyment in Pride and Prejudice, I really liked this one too. The characters were all very strong personalities and there were many instances that I found myself feeling almost overly attached to them (even thought this is nothing new for me). I especially enjoyed the familial bonds throughout the book. They were really profound and strong, something that isn't always touched upon in the more modern novels. If you like novels about women during this time trying to find a way to survive in the world, pick up this book. If you liked Pride and Prejudice, pick up this book. If you are not sure how you feel about classic literature, maybe pick this one up. Basically, if you like a good book, pick this one up. I am very happy that I had to read this book for one of my classes. It gave me a lot of enjoyment, plus a little break from doing all of my other work. I highly recommend this book!
graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated To Die For (Blair Mallory, #1) in Books
Feb 15, 2019
Hmm, I'm having a hard time describing how I feel about this book. I liked it enough, Blair was a decent character, but there was something (or things) missing. I'm not one of those who hate first person narratives (I really have no preference - both first and third person narratives are fine with me, as long as they work for the book), but for some reason it felt weird in this book and didn't quite work for me. Also, I don't know how I feel about Wyatt. His reason for leaving Blair two years ago was lame and I can't believe she let him off the hook so easily; not to mention he was rather one-dimensional. The mystery was hardly that and it seemed as if the author forgot all about someone trying to kill Blair until the end, deadline was near, and just added some cockamamie, loony-tune ending that was a total let down and came from left field. Not to mention, the whole someone-wants-to-kill-Blair thing was pushed aside for all the petty arguing and sex. Now I liked Blair giving Wyatt a hard time and all, but some of the stuff she said or did was overkill and the editor needed to trim a good fifty or so pages of it out of the book. It didn't help that going into the book, I thought it was a more serious romantic suspense, which is what I really wanted to read at the time.
Some of my petty annoyances with the book came fairly early on: I don't get why Blair (and/or the author) thought Jason Carson or Jenni Mallory rhymed. Now if his name was Jason Cayson, I'd understand, or Jenni Menni, but just because Jason and Carson both end with 'son,' it doesn't rhyme because it's the same thing. I don't know if I'm saying that right but oh well. My other thing was that Blair couldn't wear some underwear because the bra got ruined. Uh, okay. Now I like my undies to match but that wouldn't mean I'd never wear the underwear again because the bra that matched got ruined. That's just snobby and stupid. Yeah, I know, ridiculous things to find annoying in the book, but we all have something. LoL
After I finished the book and went to Amazon I saw that there's a sequel. I'm not sure if I'm up for another trip into Blair's mind or not, but if I come across it real cheap or someone gives it to me, I might read it. That's not to say I didn't enjoy the book, I did, but I liked Blair up to a point, but when it got to around page 250, she was just a bit too much for a 378 page book. Maybe if we weren't in her head the whole time, or the book was shorter, I would have liked the book better.
Here's part of an Amazon review I liked:
'Wyatt had stayed away from his soulmate for two years and only came running with an engagement ring when he thought she had been murdered. How long would he have stayed away if nothing had happened to Blair? Also, Blair was supposedly only a 'dumb blonde' when it suited her. But I question the intelligence of anyone who thinks someone who cuts her brake line is just stupid and someone who shoots her with intent to kill is just a nitwit. I wonder if these things bothered anyone else. Still, these problems did not take too much away from my enjoyment of the book.'
Some of my petty annoyances with the book came fairly early on: I don't get why Blair (and/or the author) thought Jason Carson or Jenni Mallory rhymed. Now if his name was Jason Cayson, I'd understand, or Jenni Menni, but just because Jason and Carson both end with 'son,' it doesn't rhyme because it's the same thing. I don't know if I'm saying that right but oh well. My other thing was that Blair couldn't wear some underwear because the bra got ruined. Uh, okay. Now I like my undies to match but that wouldn't mean I'd never wear the underwear again because the bra that matched got ruined. That's just snobby and stupid. Yeah, I know, ridiculous things to find annoying in the book, but we all have something. LoL
After I finished the book and went to Amazon I saw that there's a sequel. I'm not sure if I'm up for another trip into Blair's mind or not, but if I come across it real cheap or someone gives it to me, I might read it. That's not to say I didn't enjoy the book, I did, but I liked Blair up to a point, but when it got to around page 250, she was just a bit too much for a 378 page book. Maybe if we weren't in her head the whole time, or the book was shorter, I would have liked the book better.
Here's part of an Amazon review I liked:
'Wyatt had stayed away from his soulmate for two years and only came running with an engagement ring when he thought she had been murdered. How long would he have stayed away if nothing had happened to Blair? Also, Blair was supposedly only a 'dumb blonde' when it suited her. But I question the intelligence of anyone who thinks someone who cuts her brake line is just stupid and someone who shoots her with intent to kill is just a nitwit. I wonder if these things bothered anyone else. Still, these problems did not take too much away from my enjoyment of the book.'
Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated High Strung (2016) in Movies
Jan 27, 2020
Great dancing and violin playing (1 more)
Decent storyline - I particularly liked Ruby's character arc
Everything seems rushed into the last 30-40 minutes (2 more)
Most of the movie is dancing - it kind of overshadowed the storyline?
Some things don't feel wrapped up or were vague - intentional?
High Strung has a really good concept, but it kind of fell short in the execution.
Ruby's story seemed to be the only one I felt had a full arc - or maybe this is because I enjoyed her story more. Either way, it was 1am when I was watching and the others didn't seem to have a lot of background other than vague details. Ruby just stuck out to me. They weren't wrapped up either, and I'm not sure if it was intentional (especially Johnnie, the male lead - we know he's from England and he plays the violin but I don't recall the why in some details that I feel are important).
Everything also seems rushed into the last 30-40 minutes; much of the beginning features a lot of dancing. While yes, the movie IS focused on dancing and playing the violin as there is a String and Dance competition, it feels... a little too much? Personally I enjoyed it (I can't dance for the life of me and my violin skills sure aren't competition worthy, so it was fascinating), but it kind of overshadowed the story.
Ruby's story seemed to be the only one I felt had a full arc - or maybe this is because I enjoyed her story more. Either way, it was 1am when I was watching and the others didn't seem to have a lot of background other than vague details. Ruby just stuck out to me. They weren't wrapped up either, and I'm not sure if it was intentional (especially Johnnie, the male lead - we know he's from England and he plays the violin but I don't recall the why in some details that I feel are important).
Everything also seems rushed into the last 30-40 minutes; much of the beginning features a lot of dancing. While yes, the movie IS focused on dancing and playing the violin as there is a String and Dance competition, it feels... a little too much? Personally I enjoyed it (I can't dance for the life of me and my violin skills sure aren't competition worthy, so it was fascinating), but it kind of overshadowed the story.
BookInspector (124 KP) rated A Spark Of Light in Books
Sep 24, 2020
Wow, this book does have a good punch to throw, and I absolutely loved it. The main topic discussed in this book – abortions. This book tells multiple stories from multiple perspectives. One of few abortion clinics in Mississippi has a man entering the clinic, who starts shooting, remaining alive are being kept as hostages. Jodi tells the stories of everybody inside, plus few extra characters, who are very related to the story itself.
This book has a very wide and diverse variety of characters, and they all have an amazing story to tell. I really liked all the characters, I think they were very well developed and incredibly gripping. I thoroughly enjoyed their stories and all the emotions which they brought to this book. I really liked, that the characters kept travelling back to when they were little, that allowed me to connect with the characters even more, and I loved to see what were their values in life, or how life shaped them to be the people they were now.
The narrative was incredibly indulging, and I always wanted to find out, what is going to happen next. The book is written backwards, and even though it was a unique experience and it made perfect sense while reading, I am not sure I really liked this type of writing. I did find it confusing sometimes because there were quite a lot of characters, and their stories kind of mixed up for me sometimes. There were plenty of important topics discussed in this novel, such as single parenthood, father’s love for their daughters, abortions, religion, teenage pregnancies, rapes and many more. One thing for sure, the research was done for this book was impeccable. You can feel the real stories breathing through the experiences of the characters, and it really got me thinking. I wasn’t expecting any twists in this story to be honest, but I can promise you, this book brings some very unexpected turns and surprises. 🙂
Jodi’s writing style is absolutely incredible, she delivered such a sensitive topic while stating facts and points of view but not being judgmental. She states pro-choice point of view as well as pro-life and allows the reader to make a decision. The chapters were quite long, but they were divided into small parts, so it did not drag for me at all, and it was quite a page-turner. I really liked how the book ended, I think it rounded up the story very nicely. So, to conclude, this book is very powerful and deep, but at the same time and incredibly interesting read. It does require an open mind and ability to look at the things from different angles. I do think this book is a brilliant read, with amazingly crafted characters and very absorbing plot, and I do strongly recommend to read it.
This book has a very wide and diverse variety of characters, and they all have an amazing story to tell. I really liked all the characters, I think they were very well developed and incredibly gripping. I thoroughly enjoyed their stories and all the emotions which they brought to this book. I really liked, that the characters kept travelling back to when they were little, that allowed me to connect with the characters even more, and I loved to see what were their values in life, or how life shaped them to be the people they were now.
The narrative was incredibly indulging, and I always wanted to find out, what is going to happen next. The book is written backwards, and even though it was a unique experience and it made perfect sense while reading, I am not sure I really liked this type of writing. I did find it confusing sometimes because there were quite a lot of characters, and their stories kind of mixed up for me sometimes. There were plenty of important topics discussed in this novel, such as single parenthood, father’s love for their daughters, abortions, religion, teenage pregnancies, rapes and many more. One thing for sure, the research was done for this book was impeccable. You can feel the real stories breathing through the experiences of the characters, and it really got me thinking. I wasn’t expecting any twists in this story to be honest, but I can promise you, this book brings some very unexpected turns and surprises. 🙂
Jodi’s writing style is absolutely incredible, she delivered such a sensitive topic while stating facts and points of view but not being judgmental. She states pro-choice point of view as well as pro-life and allows the reader to make a decision. The chapters were quite long, but they were divided into small parts, so it did not drag for me at all, and it was quite a page-turner. I really liked how the book ended, I think it rounded up the story very nicely. So, to conclude, this book is very powerful and deep, but at the same time and incredibly interesting read. It does require an open mind and ability to look at the things from different angles. I do think this book is a brilliant read, with amazingly crafted characters and very absorbing plot, and I do strongly recommend to read it.
Eleanor Luhar (47 KP) rated Everybody Hurts in Books
Jun 24, 2019
I don't usually read cheesy YA romance novels, and very rarely do I enjoy them much. This was kind of an impulse read, and I probably wouldn't have read it usually. But I'm glad I did.
It is pretty cheesy, and the voices of the characters are maybe over-exaggerated and trging-too-hard. But something about the writing was just really good, and I often found myself not wanting to put it down. Even though it was about love and sex and brain tumours.
Jango is an interesting character, who seems like a plain old bully/idiot at first but actually turns out to be pretty good. His home life is complicated, and his friendship with Matt is more valuable than he lets on. But near-death experiences bring out the truth - and Jango's affectionate, kind side.
Like I said before, it does all feel a bit too artificial - the "teenage" lingo is just not right, and the events are maybe played out to be more dramatic than they needed to be. I'm not actually sure how much I liked either of the main characters, but the telling of the story was great and made up for any dislikes I had.
It is a bit of a feel-good, cheesy romance in the end, which is nice to read sometimes. It's got a lot of twists - bad luck, bad tempers - that make it a bit more unique than similar YA romances. 4 stars.
It is pretty cheesy, and the voices of the characters are maybe over-exaggerated and trging-too-hard. But something about the writing was just really good, and I often found myself not wanting to put it down. Even though it was about love and sex and brain tumours.
Jango is an interesting character, who seems like a plain old bully/idiot at first but actually turns out to be pretty good. His home life is complicated, and his friendship with Matt is more valuable than he lets on. But near-death experiences bring out the truth - and Jango's affectionate, kind side.
Like I said before, it does all feel a bit too artificial - the "teenage" lingo is just not right, and the events are maybe played out to be more dramatic than they needed to be. I'm not actually sure how much I liked either of the main characters, but the telling of the story was great and made up for any dislikes I had.
It is a bit of a feel-good, cheesy romance in the end, which is nice to read sometimes. It's got a lot of twists - bad luck, bad tempers - that make it a bit more unique than similar YA romances. 4 stars.
graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated One Night for Love (Bedwyn Prequels, #1) in Books
Feb 15, 2019
<i>One Night for Love</i> was a lovely book, with a touching love story. Yes, I'll admit the story is a little heavy-handed, but Ms. Balogh did a nice job of anchoring it with believable, and likable, characters. I especially liked how she let the heroine be her own person, had her find herself, and had the hero accept her the way she was before any of it! That in itself is unique in the romance genre, in particular in historical (Regency) romances. I felt for everyone - Lily and Lauren, mostly. I'm not sure how I feel going into <i>A Summer to Remember</i> right after this, but hope Mary Balogh can work her magic and I'll grow to love Lauren as I do Lily...just in a different way. :) I know how Lily felt, never feeling like she was home, so I'm glad she was able to become a whole person with a new and extended family.