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How To Save a Life

Eva Carter

8.0 (1 Ratings) Rate It

Book

Sometimes saving a life is only the start of the story . . . It’s nearly midnight on the eve of...

Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated Sideways Stories from Wayside School (Wayside School #1) in Books

Mar 23, 2020

When I heard that another book in the Wayside School series was coming out, I had to reread the book that started it all. These books were my childhood! I found out that I still love this series even as an adult.

Each chapter tells a tale about each individual student, and there are three chapter dedicated to each teacher of the class on the thirtieth story of the school. Some of the time, the stories of each child/teacher don't make much sense, but that's the beauty of this book. It leaves you to ponder on what that chapter was about and come to your own conclusions. There are a couple of chapters that teach some good lessons too.

One thing I also loved were the illustrations of each character before their chapter started. They are drawn very well. It was a nice touch, and it made it easier to picture that person in the story. I think it's a great idea for kids who feel like they are too old for picture books, yet they still like some illustrations in their book.

This is such an easy and fun novel to read. It's not very long which is perfect for the intended age group. I believe kids ages 8 - 13 will definitely love these stories the most although it's a fun book for any age.

I would definitely recommend Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar!

Kudos

Things We Have in Common

Tasha Kavanagh

6.0 (1 Ratings) Rate It

Book

Reader beware: You'll think you know what's happening, and you'll think you see what's coming...

Things We Have in Common Tasha Kavanagh YA young adult mystery contemporary

Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Good Girls Lie in Books

Mar 19, 2020

Good Girls Lie

J.T. Ellison | 2019 | Fiction & Poetry, Mystery, Thriller

7.4

(5 Ratings)

Book Rating

The Goode School is an elite prep school in Marchburg, Virginia. Each class contains only fifty girls, hand-picked by Dean Westhaven herself. The school has been in the Dean's family for generations. The girls all go on to college--mostly the Ivies--and are the daughters of the rich and elite. Goode is filled with traditions, rumors, haunted tunnels and arboretums, and secret societies. Coming to Goode from England this year is Ash Carr, now Ash Carlisle. Ash's wealthy parents are dead and Goode gives her a chance to start over without the notoriety that follows in her home country. But soon, a student is dead at Goode. She apparently had a secret--and she isn't the only one.

I am a total sucker for a good boarding school mystery. Add in the fact that this one is set basically in my backyard, the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia, and it's written by one of my favorite authors, J.T. Ellison: I'm all in. GOOD GIRLS LIE didn't disappoint. This was a captivating thriller that kept me frantically flipping the pages of my Kindle. I didn't know who to believe, what to believe, or what on earth was going on. And I loved it.

The book opens up with a death--a body is found hanging on the school's gates. From there, the story backs up, and you are left guessing, wondering if Ash is a reliable narrator or not. For a story that features teenage girls, it's surprisingly adult and dark.

"Of course, there are a few people who know exactly who is hanging from the school's gates. Know who, and know why. But they will never tell."

This is a mystery filled with juicy backstories and gossip. The town of Marchburg has a storied past, and I found myself caught up in all of it. The Dean and her mother--twisted past. An old incident at the school--twisted past. Ash and her family--twisted past. Do you see a pattern emerging? Around every corner, a new dramatic turn emerges. If you like your thrillers with lots of drama and surprises, you'll enjoy this book. It's different, dark and twisty, and quite good. 4.5 stars.

Kudos

The Marinated Meeple (1848 KP) rated Circus Maximus in Tabletop Games

Mar 29, 2018

Circus Maximus

1979 | Ancient, Fighting, Racing

8.5

(2 Ratings)

Tabletop Game Rating

The idea of the game (1 more)

The Theme "Chariot Racing"

old crappy components (0 more)

A really retro game, but still a good game.

I used to pay this when I was a kid in the 80's, watch Ben Hur and I want to play again immediately. The choice to play to win the race or to play to kill everyone else is a very real one and you find a way to balance the two is probably best. You can do damage to the chariots and the horses, and run them into the walls. Flip them over, Use he whip on them, etc. It's a race game at heart but the interaction between the racers is where the fun comes in. plus there are lots of people who find awesome mini's and create coliseums instead of the board it comes with, and they play at conventions. See some of the pictures I've added. This game is a old school treasure ahead of its time, but could use updating. I'd love to see a modern publisher get a hold of this and re-make it.

Kudos

Merissa (11950 KP) rated Old Acquaintance in Books

Nov 30, 2018

Old Acquaintance

Annabelle Jacobs | 2018 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance

7.5

(2 Ratings)

Book Rating

Old Acquaintance by Annabelle Jacobs

Old Acquaintance is a semi-seasonal story about two men who reunite after many years apart. Their separation was caused by life, and jobs, and the fact they never got on when they were at school, for reasons only known to one of them.

The story takes place on the build up to Christmas (hence the semi-seasonal), but it doesn't focus on the season! Instead, quite rightly, it focuses on Sam and Charlie. You stay with them as they work through their attraction, and communication issues, and even bring up history from the past.

There were no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading. This is a lovely book, with a real feel-good vibe to it. Funny in places, and low-angst in others, this was the getaway-from-everything book I needed. Most definitely recommended by me.

* A copy of this book was received by 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!