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The Haunting of Hill House
7.5
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The best-known of Shirley Jackson's novels, and the inspiration for writers such as Neil Gaiman and...
The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4
7.3
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Re-issued with the charming original artwork from 1982, The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4...
TT
The Torchwood Archive
Steve Foxon, Scott Handcock, Blair Mowat and Lee Binding
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A Special Feature-Length Anniversary Adventure Celebrating 10 Years For The TORCHWOOD team. The...
Maxwell's Point
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With girlfriend DS Jacquie Carpenter back at work and little baby Nolan rapidly growing into a...
Mysteries of Paris
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The first new translation in over a century of the the brilliant epic novel that inspired Les...
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Bad Habits in Books
Feb 18, 2021
Claire "Mac" Woods is now a well-respected professor in academia--making her the person she's always dreamed of becoming. But ten years ago, she was just Mac. A poor student at university: part of The Project, with her best friend Gwen Whitney. When Gwen moved to Mac's hometown, her life changed. Through the lens of Gwen's wealthy life, Mac saw another future for herself than one with an addict mom; a sick sister; and a deadbeat dad. But while part of The Project, Gwen and Mac are sucked into the power dynamics of a married professor couple, with disastrous consequences. Meeting by accident a decade later, the two are hashing things out--but will uncovering long buried secrets do anyone any good?
This was a well-done and suspenseful book, but it took me a while to get into it for some reason. Mostly by design, the characters are incredibly unlikable and nearly impossible to feel any attachment for. Even Mac, our supposed protagonist, has her irritating and questionable moments. I think of this book as dark and twisted people doing dark and twisted things. But, there's some delight in that, sometimes, right? Because Gentry gives us really twisted people and what happens can be really dark.
If you're someone who came up in academia, this book will really hit home, as most of our characters' motivations center around getting ahead in that world. Mac envies Gwen and her "easy" life more than anything. And the two professors? Well, I'm not sure I can even *explain* them without giving away any spoilers. Let's just say it's a cutthroat world out there.
There are certainly some twists here--more at the end, where things pick up. There's an "event" that we know happened, and we don't really find out what transpired until near the book's conclusions. At times this is suspenseful; at others, frustrating. Is the power grab that's happening really worth it all? Only our characters can truly say, I suppose.
Overall, this a dark and sometimes slow-moving novel, but it has its share of surprises. It will be especially intriguing if you love academia-themed novels and power-grabbing characters. 3 stars.
This was a well-done and suspenseful book, but it took me a while to get into it for some reason. Mostly by design, the characters are incredibly unlikable and nearly impossible to feel any attachment for. Even Mac, our supposed protagonist, has her irritating and questionable moments. I think of this book as dark and twisted people doing dark and twisted things. But, there's some delight in that, sometimes, right? Because Gentry gives us really twisted people and what happens can be really dark.
If you're someone who came up in academia, this book will really hit home, as most of our characters' motivations center around getting ahead in that world. Mac envies Gwen and her "easy" life more than anything. And the two professors? Well, I'm not sure I can even *explain* them without giving away any spoilers. Let's just say it's a cutthroat world out there.
There are certainly some twists here--more at the end, where things pick up. There's an "event" that we know happened, and we don't really find out what transpired until near the book's conclusions. At times this is suspenseful; at others, frustrating. Is the power grab that's happening really worth it all? Only our characters can truly say, I suppose.
Overall, this a dark and sometimes slow-moving novel, but it has its share of surprises. It will be especially intriguing if you love academia-themed novels and power-grabbing characters. 3 stars.
BookInspector (124 KP) rated I Know A Secret (Rizzoli & Isles, #12) in Books
Sep 24, 2020
For more reviews please visit https://bbookinspector.wordpress.com
I embarrassingly admit, that I was “living under the rock” and this is my first book by Gerritsen, but I am an absolute fan from now on, and I simply need to read all the eleven books from this series, it is just too good to be ignored.
The blurb above, describes this book quite accurately, Rizzoli and Isles got new, very unusual cases, and trying to find the connection between all those murders. The whole narrative is told from Jane’s, Maura’s, and Holly’s perspectives, and that helped me a lot to have a feel of the characters and their complex personalities. I really enjoyed being the one, who knew, what Rizzoli was missing. There are plenty of diverse and very interesting characters in this book, and I think every reader can choose their favourite. My favourite was Jane Rizzoli; I loved her strong personality, and she is very believable and realistic, with husband and little daughter, which showed her softer, down to earth side. There were plenty of clues, that this book is continuation of previous novels, but it can easily be a standalone thriller, even without reading previous books, I was able to enjoy it.
The plot of this book was incredibly well thought through and very addictive, which made this book very hard to put down. Tess puts clues and suspense in every chapter of this book, followed with constant twists and turns. I loved that Tess used different theories to solve the murders, and her personal experience with human bodies was absolutely fantastic.
Even thought author used quite a bit of medical terms in this book; I still found this book quite easy, understandable and pleasurable to read. The chapters are decent length, and did not leave me bored. The culmination was interesting and unexpected, which concluded this novel greatly. So, to conclude, Tess Gerritsen has a new fan, and this book is an absolute must read which is very addictive, incredibly plotted, and filled with unexpected turns and twists. Enjoy ! :)
Was given this book by publisher for honest review.
I embarrassingly admit, that I was “living under the rock” and this is my first book by Gerritsen, but I am an absolute fan from now on, and I simply need to read all the eleven books from this series, it is just too good to be ignored.
The blurb above, describes this book quite accurately, Rizzoli and Isles got new, very unusual cases, and trying to find the connection between all those murders. The whole narrative is told from Jane’s, Maura’s, and Holly’s perspectives, and that helped me a lot to have a feel of the characters and their complex personalities. I really enjoyed being the one, who knew, what Rizzoli was missing. There are plenty of diverse and very interesting characters in this book, and I think every reader can choose their favourite. My favourite was Jane Rizzoli; I loved her strong personality, and she is very believable and realistic, with husband and little daughter, which showed her softer, down to earth side. There were plenty of clues, that this book is continuation of previous novels, but it can easily be a standalone thriller, even without reading previous books, I was able to enjoy it.
The plot of this book was incredibly well thought through and very addictive, which made this book very hard to put down. Tess puts clues and suspense in every chapter of this book, followed with constant twists and turns. I loved that Tess used different theories to solve the murders, and her personal experience with human bodies was absolutely fantastic.
Even thought author used quite a bit of medical terms in this book; I still found this book quite easy, understandable and pleasurable to read. The chapters are decent length, and did not leave me bored. The culmination was interesting and unexpected, which concluded this novel greatly. So, to conclude, Tess Gerritsen has a new fan, and this book is an absolute must read which is very addictive, incredibly plotted, and filled with unexpected turns and twists. Enjoy ! :)
Was given this book by publisher for honest review.
Eleanor Luhar (47 KP) rated City of Heavenly Fire in Books
Jun 24, 2019
Wow. I cannot believe the series is over.
I started this series thinking it was just another paranormal YA series, which it was in some ways, but I ended up falling in love with it as the series progressed. Now I'm gonna have to go and buy the gorgeous box set and read them a dozen times over.
If you're not familiar with these books, you can check out my reviews of the first five books (starting with number one). I may actually be re-reviewing these in a while though, as I've come to appreciate them a whole lot more now.
So, where to start... The plot? Complicated but great. Action, tons of heartache, and a sprinkle of love. The ending is super sweet, too. Maybe a bit too neat and happy, but I'm a cynic. Honestly, it was nice to see them all find happiness at last.
The characters. Oh, the characters! I love them all. The use of the relationships in the plot is fantastic (and super sad), and the character development is pretty strong, too. The relationship between Clary and Jace becomes more *ahem* intimate, while Magnus and Alec finally get to talk about what happened between them. As for Isabelle and Simon... you'll have to read it yourself to see what happens to them.
I find that Clare's writing in these novels has a really distinct, iconic feel. From the first page, I was immersed in the Shadowhunting world, despite it having been a while since I read the previous novel. And although the book is long - over 600 pages - it didn't feel tedious or boring. It took me a while to read it due to school work, but I did find myself having to force myself to put the book down and go to sleep.
Like I said, I have grown fonder of this series with each passing book. I'm going to start the series over again soon to see if I still feel the same way as before, but for now I'm going to give this finale a 4.5-star rating. Not quite in my favourites, but after a re-read it may be!
I started this series thinking it was just another paranormal YA series, which it was in some ways, but I ended up falling in love with it as the series progressed. Now I'm gonna have to go and buy the gorgeous box set and read them a dozen times over.
If you're not familiar with these books, you can check out my reviews of the first five books (starting with number one). I may actually be re-reviewing these in a while though, as I've come to appreciate them a whole lot more now.
So, where to start... The plot? Complicated but great. Action, tons of heartache, and a sprinkle of love. The ending is super sweet, too. Maybe a bit too neat and happy, but I'm a cynic. Honestly, it was nice to see them all find happiness at last.
The characters. Oh, the characters! I love them all. The use of the relationships in the plot is fantastic (and super sad), and the character development is pretty strong, too. The relationship between Clary and Jace becomes more *ahem* intimate, while Magnus and Alec finally get to talk about what happened between them. As for Isabelle and Simon... you'll have to read it yourself to see what happens to them.
I find that Clare's writing in these novels has a really distinct, iconic feel. From the first page, I was immersed in the Shadowhunting world, despite it having been a while since I read the previous novel. And although the book is long - over 600 pages - it didn't feel tedious or boring. It took me a while to read it due to school work, but I did find myself having to force myself to put the book down and go to sleep.
Like I said, I have grown fonder of this series with each passing book. I'm going to start the series over again soon to see if I still feel the same way as before, but for now I'm going to give this finale a 4.5-star rating. Not quite in my favourites, but after a re-read it may be!
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated The Dark Tower (2017) in Movies
Sep 25, 2019
The last Gunslinger, Roland Deschain, has been locked in an eternal battle with Walter Padick, also known as the Man in Black, determined to prevent him from toppling the Dark Tower, which holds the universe together. With the fate of the worlds at stake, good and evil will collide in the ultimate battle as only Roland can defend the Tower from the Man in Black.
Jack Chambers is labelled as a troubled child, the visions he sees are just his way of coping with his father's death. But when he's confronted with the monsters that he's drawn he knows he needs to find the truth. Even if that truth lands him in the middle of the battle.
Yet another book that I haven't read. I know, I know. I'll sort myself out at some point. But if I'm truly honest, I've never really enjoyed Stephen King stuff. I think I mentioned before when I listened to Under The Dome, everything I've come across feels like it ends rather abruptly, and fairly often with a "Boom! Aliens!"
Knowing this was a series of books I wanted to know exactly what this film entailed... I'm not sure I'm any closer to understanding. Evidently this films has elements of several novels in the series. According to Wikipedia it "also serves as a canonical sequel to the novel series..." Honestly, the only way I'm going to understand it is to read all eight books, but with roughly 100 books in my TBR pile that's a fairly remote happening. I'll just have to convince my mum to see it so she can explain it all to me.
For something that crosses into multiple genres I was pleasantly surprised that it was easy to follow. It was an enjoyable watch. And although there were no aliens thrown in at the end, the film did feel like it ended too abruptly.
I'm not sure what the buzz is about this at the moment, but for a while there were certainly talks of another film, and/or a TV series. I really with all my heart don't want a series. Not after Under The Dome. But another film wouldn't be objectionable.
Jack Chambers is labelled as a troubled child, the visions he sees are just his way of coping with his father's death. But when he's confronted with the monsters that he's drawn he knows he needs to find the truth. Even if that truth lands him in the middle of the battle.
Yet another book that I haven't read. I know, I know. I'll sort myself out at some point. But if I'm truly honest, I've never really enjoyed Stephen King stuff. I think I mentioned before when I listened to Under The Dome, everything I've come across feels like it ends rather abruptly, and fairly often with a "Boom! Aliens!"
Knowing this was a series of books I wanted to know exactly what this film entailed... I'm not sure I'm any closer to understanding. Evidently this films has elements of several novels in the series. According to Wikipedia it "also serves as a canonical sequel to the novel series..." Honestly, the only way I'm going to understand it is to read all eight books, but with roughly 100 books in my TBR pile that's a fairly remote happening. I'll just have to convince my mum to see it so she can explain it all to me.
For something that crosses into multiple genres I was pleasantly surprised that it was easy to follow. It was an enjoyable watch. And although there were no aliens thrown in at the end, the film did feel like it ended too abruptly.
I'm not sure what the buzz is about this at the moment, but for a while there were certainly talks of another film, and/or a TV series. I really with all my heart don't want a series. Not after Under The Dome. But another film wouldn't be objectionable.
Becs (244 KP) rated 1984 Nineteen Eighty-Four in Books
Oct 2, 2019
1984 by George Orwell, one of my favorite literary classic novels to this date! This was a monster to get through but once I finished, I was able to take the novel as a whole and learn from it. And man, what a loaded punch it throws at you. George Orwell is a favorite of mine and his writing style is just exactly what I expect from an author from his era.
1984 is about a government that controls everything a citizen of Oceania does, says, etc. If you rebel, you get kidnapped, tortured and then broken down to the point where they are able to rebuild you into the ideal citizen. That’s pretty much exactly what happens in this 328-page novel. But trust me when I say, this is worth a read through!
Genre: Sci-Fi, Dystopian, Literary Classic
Reading Level: High School +
Interests: Dystopian worlds, politics, science fiction, totalitarian systems.
Difficulty Reading: Like putting butter on a soft piece of bread. Not kidding, 1984 was difficult to read but the meaning behind it is what counts.
Promise: Dystopian, Sci-Fi world with a totalitarian system that runs your life until you are no longer a rebellious individual and instead under their complete control. A bit like being a slave.
Favorite Quotes: “Perhaps one did not want to be loved so much as to be understood.”
“Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.”
“If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face—for ever.”
What Will You Gain: Knowledge on what the world could turn into when the government decides to rule over all a certain way. Where everything you do is controlled and if you do anything differently or that goes against what the government says, you end up dead.
Aesthetics: The entirety of the novel. The cover. How Orwell pretty much has the real world mixed in with a fantasy world. I mean, you just have to read it to know.
“The best books… are those that tell you what you know already.”
1984 is about a government that controls everything a citizen of Oceania does, says, etc. If you rebel, you get kidnapped, tortured and then broken down to the point where they are able to rebuild you into the ideal citizen. That’s pretty much exactly what happens in this 328-page novel. But trust me when I say, this is worth a read through!
Genre: Sci-Fi, Dystopian, Literary Classic
Reading Level: High School +
Interests: Dystopian worlds, politics, science fiction, totalitarian systems.
Difficulty Reading: Like putting butter on a soft piece of bread. Not kidding, 1984 was difficult to read but the meaning behind it is what counts.
Promise: Dystopian, Sci-Fi world with a totalitarian system that runs your life until you are no longer a rebellious individual and instead under their complete control. A bit like being a slave.
Favorite Quotes: “Perhaps one did not want to be loved so much as to be understood.”
“Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.”
“If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face—for ever.”
What Will You Gain: Knowledge on what the world could turn into when the government decides to rule over all a certain way. Where everything you do is controlled and if you do anything differently or that goes against what the government says, you end up dead.
Aesthetics: The entirety of the novel. The cover. How Orwell pretty much has the real world mixed in with a fantasy world. I mean, you just have to read it to know.
“The best books… are those that tell you what you know already.”