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Alison Pink (7 KP) rated Deadly in Books
Jan 15, 2018
This book tells a fictional account of real life events that center around Typhoid Mary. It is based on the actual life of Mary Mallon, an Irish immigrant living in New York City in the early 1900s. Mary worked as a cook for a number of wealthy families in the area while she was a healthy carrier of the typhoid bacteria. She would spread the disease to the families she worked for, even killing some of them. The thing is Mary didn't know she carried the disease...she had never even had symptoms.
The main character, Pruedence, is a 17 year old girl who leaves school to accept a job with the Dept of Health & Sanitation. It is written as a series of journal writings she makes & tells the story through her musings. She gets swept into the case & it ignites in her a passion for medicine & figuring out how the body works. Prudence makes the story. Without her character struggles this book would be forgettable. It's redeeming quality is the fact that you want to see her reach her dream.
The main character, Pruedence, is a 17 year old girl who leaves school to accept a job with the Dept of Health & Sanitation. It is written as a series of journal writings she makes & tells the story through her musings. She gets swept into the case & it ignites in her a passion for medicine & figuring out how the body works. Prudence makes the story. Without her character struggles this book would be forgettable. It's redeeming quality is the fact that you want to see her reach her dream.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Raw (2017) in Movies
Feb 10, 2018 (Updated Feb 10, 2018)
A Rare Treat
French language horror-drama with a you've-got-to-be-kidding-me premise that turned out to be one of the smartest and subtlest films of the year. It's the same old story we've seen a thousand times before - lifelong vegetarian goes off to vet school, is force-fed rabbit kidney, discovers an insatiable hunger for human flesh.
Ah yes, but as well as a degree of gore (weirdly, the most disturbing part of the film for me was watching someone receive a rather inept bikini wax), the film also has interesting and thoughtful things to say about peer pressure and the social demands placed on young women by the modern world - whether they don't even try to fit in or just try too hard, the results are often harsh.
The ending almost seems to be trying to reposition the film as a black comedy, but most of the way through this is ferociously intelligent and self-assured film helped a lot by Garance Marillier's remarkable performance. If you only watch one feminist cannibal allegory this year...
Ah yes, but as well as a degree of gore (weirdly, the most disturbing part of the film for me was watching someone receive a rather inept bikini wax), the film also has interesting and thoughtful things to say about peer pressure and the social demands placed on young women by the modern world - whether they don't even try to fit in or just try too hard, the results are often harsh.
The ending almost seems to be trying to reposition the film as a black comedy, but most of the way through this is ferociously intelligent and self-assured film helped a lot by Garance Marillier's remarkable performance. If you only watch one feminist cannibal allegory this year...
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2340 KP) rated License to Dill (Pickled & Preserved Mystery, #2) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Piper’s ex-fiancee arrives in town hoping to get back together even though she has told him repeated they are over. However, the attention soon turns to the soccer team visiting from Italy and the mini-tournament against a team of locals. The Italian team’s manager was an exchange student when he was in high school, and his reappearance has opened old wounds from back then. When he is murdered, it becomes a question of which of those deeds from the past came back to haunt him in the present?
I really enjoyed this book. The characters were just as fun and charming as they were in the first in the series. The plot was wonderful with so many suspects and twists to the story I had a hard time putting it down. Yet things came together for a logical climax.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2015/02/book-review-license-to-dill-by-mary.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
I really enjoyed this book. The characters were just as fun and charming as they were in the first in the series. The plot was wonderful with so many suspects and twists to the story I had a hard time putting it down. Yet things came together for a logical climax.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2015/02/book-review-license-to-dill-by-mary.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
This book was definitely unique in it’s plot line and characters. It gave you a little bit of everything. From biblical stories to fairytale magic you wont be disappointed with this read.
Sophia thought she was a normal 20 year old. What she wasn’t expecting was to be attacked by weird creatures. To have her family and friends threatened and hurt. I loved her hair. If I could I would rock that style.
This book was pure magic with the plot. The way the author weaved her own world around things we learn in bible school. The growth of her characters was perfect. Sophia went from following everyone’s word to standing her ground and voicing her opinions.
The plot twist at the end had me like WTF!!! I dislike cliffhangers but I am excited that the story isn’t over. I just hope this is just two books and not four. I don’t think I can take the wait. One thing I dislike was the long winded paragraphs and scenes that could've been shortened or cut out.
Sophia thought she was a normal 20 year old. What she wasn’t expecting was to be attacked by weird creatures. To have her family and friends threatened and hurt. I loved her hair. If I could I would rock that style.
This book was pure magic with the plot. The way the author weaved her own world around things we learn in bible school. The growth of her characters was perfect. Sophia went from following everyone’s word to standing her ground and voicing her opinions.
The plot twist at the end had me like WTF!!! I dislike cliffhangers but I am excited that the story isn’t over. I just hope this is just two books and not four. I don’t think I can take the wait. One thing I dislike was the long winded paragraphs and scenes that could've been shortened or cut out.
Caitlin Ann Cherniak (85 KP) rated Like Vanessa in Books
Nov 28, 2018
From Goodreads: 13-year-old girl from the '80s sees the first black woman win Miss America, which inspires her middle school to throw a pageant to boost moral. What could possibly go wrong?
Normally, I would say everything.
This book, nothing went wrong. In fact, Tami Charles did everything right.
You get an interesting main character. You have her going through real problems. You have this story take a look at a real problem with young black girls when it comes to what level of black skin is beautiful. You have major plot twists at every turn (And I don't take that sentence lightly.) And I actually don't hate the parental character this time (Because seriously, a lot of them try to make these characters awful for no reason at all). And you have the main character drop their walls to tell their vulnerable story to the audience.
In short, I love this book. One of the best middle grade and young adult novels I have ever read.
Normally, I would say everything.
This book, nothing went wrong. In fact, Tami Charles did everything right.
You get an interesting main character. You have her going through real problems. You have this story take a look at a real problem with young black girls when it comes to what level of black skin is beautiful. You have major plot twists at every turn (And I don't take that sentence lightly.) And I actually don't hate the parental character this time (Because seriously, a lot of them try to make these characters awful for no reason at all). And you have the main character drop their walls to tell their vulnerable story to the audience.
In short, I love this book. One of the best middle grade and young adult novels I have ever read.
Eilidh G Clark (177 KP) rated Bitter Almonds in Books
Jul 2, 2019
Great wee book
I only wanted to read half of this book as the second half is recipes. After the first thirteen pages I put it down and sighed. I like to give a book at least a chapter so I persisted and I am glad I did. The book is written by Simeti about the life of Maria, a Sicilian woman who owns a bakery. The first chapter is all about the art of baking (old school) and I was worried that the whole novel would read along the same lines - after all it is memoir that I want to read. Things turn around after chapter one when Maria discusses her childhood in a nunnery, her feelings of neglect, her hunger but also of what she learned and how she was able to apply this to her later in life career. I found Maria's attitude to religion and family refreshing and enjoyed the conversational tone in which she delivers her own recollections.
This is a book worth persisting with.
This is a book worth persisting with.
Jake (52 KP) rated Clash (The Arinthian Line, #4) in Books
Jul 25, 2019
Probably my favorite book in the series so far.
I read a bunch of reviews where others disliked this book a lot. I don't understand. This one was GREAT.
We get more arcanery (magic), we get new friends, magic TOURNAMENTS, an old magic school with history and lore, understanding of the past, hope for the future. We get more action, more excitement, and more AWESOMENESS.
People mention things like "pacing" or "teenage angst" or "there were some grammatical errors". COME ON PPL Get over yourselves, I don't see you writing incredible stories in awesome worlds with legit magic-systems, etc! I'll take your reviews seriously when you write something this good. Really, I didn't even notice ANY of that junk because of how good the book was.
Really I was able to read all of the books in a series in a row, didn't have to wait for book 5 to come out. But if I had finished this and had to wait for book 5, I don't know what would have happened...
I read a bunch of reviews where others disliked this book a lot. I don't understand. This one was GREAT.
We get more arcanery (magic), we get new friends, magic TOURNAMENTS, an old magic school with history and lore, understanding of the past, hope for the future. We get more action, more excitement, and more AWESOMENESS.
People mention things like "pacing" or "teenage angst" or "there were some grammatical errors". COME ON PPL Get over yourselves, I don't see you writing incredible stories in awesome worlds with legit magic-systems, etc! I'll take your reviews seriously when you write something this good. Really, I didn't even notice ANY of that junk because of how good the book was.
Really I was able to read all of the books in a series in a row, didn't have to wait for book 5 to come out. But if I had finished this and had to wait for book 5, I don't know what would have happened...
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Let Me In (2010) in Movies
Jul 3, 2019
Let Her in
Contains spoilers, click to show
Let me in- is a remake of the 2008 swedish film called - let the right one in.
The story is about- Bullied at school, neglected at home and incredibly lonely, 12-year-old Owen spends his days plotting revenge on his tormentors and spends his nights spying on other residents of the apartment complex. His sole friend is Abby, a strange girl who comes out only at nighttime. Both outcasts, the two form a strong bond. When Abby's caretaker disappears amid a series of gruesome murders, Owen begins to suspect that she is hiding a terrible secret.
The cast was really good, chloe grace mortz, kodi smit-mcphee, richard jenkins and dylan minnette were all really great.
Matt reeves who directed "cloverfield", 2 years before directed this film. He went on to direct "dawn and war of the planet of the apes" and hes going to direct the upcoming "the batman" film in 2021.
Overall "let me in", is scary, haunted, sad, romantic and overall very good.
The story is about- Bullied at school, neglected at home and incredibly lonely, 12-year-old Owen spends his days plotting revenge on his tormentors and spends his nights spying on other residents of the apartment complex. His sole friend is Abby, a strange girl who comes out only at nighttime. Both outcasts, the two form a strong bond. When Abby's caretaker disappears amid a series of gruesome murders, Owen begins to suspect that she is hiding a terrible secret.
The cast was really good, chloe grace mortz, kodi smit-mcphee, richard jenkins and dylan minnette were all really great.
Matt reeves who directed "cloverfield", 2 years before directed this film. He went on to direct "dawn and war of the planet of the apes" and hes going to direct the upcoming "the batman" film in 2021.
Overall "let me in", is scary, haunted, sad, romantic and overall very good.
BobbiesDustyPages (1259 KP) rated How to Hang a Witch (How to Hang a Witch, #1) in Books
Jan 24, 2019
Great mix of history and fiction.
I kept saying this around Halloween and I finally got around to reading it. I got to be honest I wasn't expecting much sounded a little trophie but I got to be honest I really did enjoy it from start to finish. The author is apparently related to the actual guy in the book which was a really cool take I really love the setting of Salem the author really got the detail down great and made for really interesting story. I got to be honest the plot was probably my favorite part it was a great mix of historical fiction and YA high school drama with the perfect amount of a good old myster novel.
Really my only complaint was the really tired love triangle storyline I really didn't feel like it was needed she could have easily have just been friends with one of them but that's just my personal opinion because I honestly I absolutely hate love triangles.
I'm definitely going to be chexking out book 2.
Really my only complaint was the really tired love triangle storyline I really didn't feel like it was needed she could have easily have just been friends with one of them but that's just my personal opinion because I honestly I absolutely hate love triangles.
I'm definitely going to be chexking out book 2.
