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Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Local Girls in Books
May 10, 2018
Three friends walk into their favorite dive bar, The Shamrock, and are shocked to see their favorite actor, Sam Decker there. When he joins their table and starts buying drinks, the conversation turns to each others pasts and how their lives got to be at the point they are. This night will change everyone's lives forever.
From the beginning of the book, we know that someone is going to die. And now I am just trying to figure out the when and how. The book flips between present day and the past when the group of three girls used to be a foursome.
Something about this book that I liked is that you get to see how the girl get to this point in their life. I liked the flashbacks and it transported me back to my high school days. I could see me and my friends in this same situation although my friends and I were not quite as wild as these girls.
One part that really struck me was a reference to Virginia Woolf and her suicide note. In the note she says, "I don't think any two people could have been happier than we have been." The character reading this mentions that this phrase is said twice in her short suicide note. I find it ironic that the author mentions a phrase twice in this book, "Only boring people get bored." I think deep down these girls were bored, but used the antics they pulled help to add some excitement to their lives. Another interesting thing about this book, is that we are never really introduced to the narrator. I can only recall her name being mentioned twice in the book.
**I received an uncorrected proof of this book through Goodreads Giveaways and this review is based on that copy.**
From the beginning of the book, we know that someone is going to die. And now I am just trying to figure out the when and how. The book flips between present day and the past when the group of three girls used to be a foursome.
Something about this book that I liked is that you get to see how the girl get to this point in their life. I liked the flashbacks and it transported me back to my high school days. I could see me and my friends in this same situation although my friends and I were not quite as wild as these girls.
One part that really struck me was a reference to Virginia Woolf and her suicide note. In the note she says, "I don't think any two people could have been happier than we have been." The character reading this mentions that this phrase is said twice in her short suicide note. I find it ironic that the author mentions a phrase twice in this book, "Only boring people get bored." I think deep down these girls were bored, but used the antics they pulled help to add some excitement to their lives. Another interesting thing about this book, is that we are never really introduced to the narrator. I can only recall her name being mentioned twice in the book.
**I received an uncorrected proof of this book through Goodreads Giveaways and this review is based on that copy.**
The Time of Our Lives: Dirty Dancing and Popular Culture
Yannis Tzioumakis and Sian Lincoln
Book
A low-budget independent film made by a now defunct video company in the late 1980s, Dirty Dancing...
VO
Visions of Loveliness: Great Flower Breeders of the Past
Book
Gardeners of today take for granted the many varieties of geraniums, narcissi, marigolds, roses, and...
The Bitch is Back: Older, Wiser, and (Getting) Happier
Book
More than a decade after the New York Times bestselling anthology The Bitch in the House spoke up...
MaryAnn (14 KP) rated Pelican Point (Hope Harbor #4) in Books
Mar 5, 2019
Pelican Point is the fourth novel in the Hope Harbor series. In this intriguing novel, we are introduced to Army doctor Ben Garrison who has arrived back to Hope Harbor for his grandfather's funeral.
Ben, being sole heir is left everything, including the run-down lighthouse at Pelican Point. Ben wants to settle his grandfather's affairs and move on to his new practice in Ohio and that means selling an old lighthouse no one wants to buy; until a developer puts in a bid to buy it and the whole town comes together thanks to Marci, the local newspaper editor to save the landmark.
Can Ben who wants nothing more to settle the estate can't push past the feelings he has for Marci, the strong-willed red headed newspaper editor. Both Ben and Marci are dealing with past issues that have made them skittish about forming relationships. Will they be able to move past these issues and yield to their feelings?
The writer has done a great job of bringing you into the small town of Hope Harbor and into the lives of the characters she has created. I especially appreciated the way all the characters in Hope Harbor revolved around the lighthouse and Charly the taco king.
I like the way she artfully interweaves the characters in this story and creates a subplot.
Although this novel is the fourth in a series, it can stand alone without reading the first three, but once you've read this one you will want to read the rest.
I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Ben, being sole heir is left everything, including the run-down lighthouse at Pelican Point. Ben wants to settle his grandfather's affairs and move on to his new practice in Ohio and that means selling an old lighthouse no one wants to buy; until a developer puts in a bid to buy it and the whole town comes together thanks to Marci, the local newspaper editor to save the landmark.
Can Ben who wants nothing more to settle the estate can't push past the feelings he has for Marci, the strong-willed red headed newspaper editor. Both Ben and Marci are dealing with past issues that have made them skittish about forming relationships. Will they be able to move past these issues and yield to their feelings?
The writer has done a great job of bringing you into the small town of Hope Harbor and into the lives of the characters she has created. I especially appreciated the way all the characters in Hope Harbor revolved around the lighthouse and Charly the taco king.
I like the way she artfully interweaves the characters in this story and creates a subplot.
Although this novel is the fourth in a series, it can stand alone without reading the first three, but once you've read this one you will want to read the rest.
I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Sam (74 KP) rated The Keeper Of Lost Things in Books
Mar 27, 2019
So to begin with I struggled with this one. Even though it only had 300 pages, it seemed to be taking a while for anything to happen with the plot. But I’m glad I didn’t give in. It did take until around page 150 for me to get into it, but after that point it was brilliant.
Laura is a brilliant protagonist. She’s got all of her own problems and is then left with the complicated mystery of Anthony’s life. But she never dwells on the past too much. She moves on from everything that has happened and lives in the moment.
I loved Sunshine. She’s such an enthusiastic character and she seemed to be the only one who could see the truth in everything that was going off. Sunshine had Down’s Syndrome and she saw a friend in Laura. She made the perfect friend and was such a lovely person with some of the best ideas. It was so refreshing to find a character like her.
I would happily just read a book of all the short stories that came with every lost item. I found most of them gripping, and quite a lot of them dealt with quite serious subjects. They were like little windows into people’s lives and I found them really compelling.
The Keeper of Lost Things is a brilliant little book and worth picking up.
Laura is a brilliant protagonist. She’s got all of her own problems and is then left with the complicated mystery of Anthony’s life. But she never dwells on the past too much. She moves on from everything that has happened and lives in the moment.
I loved Sunshine. She’s such an enthusiastic character and she seemed to be the only one who could see the truth in everything that was going off. Sunshine had Down’s Syndrome and she saw a friend in Laura. She made the perfect friend and was such a lovely person with some of the best ideas. It was so refreshing to find a character like her.
I would happily just read a book of all the short stories that came with every lost item. I found most of them gripping, and quite a lot of them dealt with quite serious subjects. They were like little windows into people’s lives and I found them really compelling.
The Keeper of Lost Things is a brilliant little book and worth picking up.
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated The Year We Turned Forty in Books
Apr 9, 2019
Claire, Jessie, and Gabriella have been friends for many years. They all have birthdays around the same time and they always celebrate together. On their 50th birthday, they decide to spend it in Vegas. The first night is Claire's birthday and they visit a magician who gives them an offer they can't refuse, or can they? They can go back to this same night 10 years prior to Claire's 40th birthday and make changes in their lives. But the changes they make won't affect just them. Will they take the offer, or leave it and continue to live their lives?
Seeing as this is the year that I turn 40, I was intrigued by this book. If I had the opportunity to go back in time and relive a year of my life, would I do it? I think that I would. I don't think that I would think twice about it. There are a lot of things I would like to change about the past, and having the ability to do so, sounds great.
For Claire, Jessie and Gabriella, they have some serious issues to get through and see if they can't fix the second time around. From the death of a parent, to an award winning career and an affair, will going back in time make things different in this new life? Will things be better or worse?
Seeing as this is the year that I turn 40, I was intrigued by this book. If I had the opportunity to go back in time and relive a year of my life, would I do it? I think that I would. I don't think that I would think twice about it. There are a lot of things I would like to change about the past, and having the ability to do so, sounds great.
For Claire, Jessie and Gabriella, they have some serious issues to get through and see if they can't fix the second time around. From the death of a parent, to an award winning career and an affair, will going back in time make things different in this new life? Will things be better or worse?
Second Hand Stories
Book
Every second-hand book tells two stories: one within its pages and another of the life it lived...
CO
Call of Empire: Call of Empire
Book
From 1730 to 1869, five generations of one middle-class family from the Scottish Highlands sought...