Search

Search only in certain items:

40x40

Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Dear Mr. M in Books

Feb 13, 2018  
DM
Dear Mr. M
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
"M" is a famous writer whose best days are probably, if truth be told, behind him. He's best known for his novel, Payback, which tells the story of a high school history teacher, Mr. Landzaat, who went missing one winter after having an affair with one of his female students. That student, Laura, had moved on to a relationship with a boy her own age, Herman. The two were staying at a vacation cottage and were the last ones to see their teacher. Did they have something to do with his disappearance? Now, M lives with his beautiful (much younger) wife and little daughter in an apartment. They have a neighbor who seems to have a odd fascination with the couple, but why? The novel weaves together the tales of these disparate characters.

I had heard a lot about Koch's novels and was excited to win this one via a Goodreads Giveaway. It was certainly interesting and definitely different than many novels I read. I have to admit that it was a rather slow read, especially the first three quarters or so. There was actually a point where I was considering giving up for a bit, but I soldiered on. Some characters in the novels never have names (just initials), and we don't really get insight into who our varying narrators are. While I understand why (and it adds to the drama of the novel), I'll confess that it gets a little confusing at times. You really have to stay on your toes as you read.

Still, the novel is definitely more compelling toward the end, and I found myself staying up late to finish it. The twist at the end was certainly not what I expected. The varying viewpoints wind up working out well, as you really see the story unfold from everyone's perspective. Still, I found the story a bit diluted by a bit of a "meta" storyline about writers, as well as an odd insertion about M's father and his role in the resistance, as well as M's own views, which never really seemed to have a full role or point in the tale. I enjoyed the novel, but I didn't love it, and it (frankly) exhausted me a bit.

I received a copy of this novel via a Goodreads Giveaway (thank you!) in return for an unbiased review.
  
Shadow Healer (Blood Shadows #3)
Shadow Healer (Blood Shadows #3)
Jennie Lynn Roberts | 2023 | Paranormal, Romance
10
10.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
I don't want it to end!
Independent reviewer for Book Sirens, I was gifted my copy of this book.

This is third book in the Blood Shadows trilogy and it CANNOT be read as a stand alone. You need to know what happened before, what James has done, and how he came to be in the mess of his making. And you know, cos I SAID SO!! Both books one and 2 were 5 star reads, and this one did not disappoint!

James knows what has happened before is entirely his fault. He trusted Gordon and look what happened. He lost the woman he loved, his friends, and his Shadows. Riley loved James, but she never actually voiced the words. Finding him again was bittersweet, though, given what he did and what has to happen now. They need to trust each other, but can they forgive?

Quoting from my review for book one, Shadow Guardian: James would be good, as the third in the Triad but that would mean he comes out of this​ mess. And if he does, he will be deeply damaged in many ways. Oh, he's gonna break my heart, I know he is! (Assuming he gets a book! *looks pleadingly at Ms Roberts!

And he did! James broke my heart, big time! But Riley as well. They had so much before, but neither had actually said what they felt, or where they wanted it to go, then Gordon came along and wrecked everything. Both of them suffered, deeply, in very different ways. It takes time for them to even speak to each other, but they need to reconnect to actually get one over on Gordon.

Gordon, the power tripping head of the council, makes his plans far more clearer here and it's not just the Norms of this world that will suffer if he gets his way. The Shadow Weavers will suffer, badly, if he gets his feet under the table and gets his way. One suffers here, and it wasn't easy to read, being Shadow stripped.

I think it does have a higher level of violence than the other books, but it really was needed. What Gordon did to James, and the others meant Gordon needed to be stopped at all costs. And it DOES cost, deeply, but it really was needed.

While heavy on the emotional side for James and Riley, I found it a little less explicit than the other books. The emotions are rife for Elizabeth and David too.

AND! The bad guy gets a say! Oh I love it when we hear from the bad guy! Now, I can't actually recall if we did before, cos I don't mention it, and ya;ll know how much I love getting the bad guy so I will always mention it, and we get Gordon in all his world dominating glory and I freaking loved it!

Writing this, even though it was an amazing third instalment, is making me sad. because it is the FINAL part of the trilogy and don't wanna leave them!

I can't wait to see what Roberts comes up with next. I'm really loving her mind and how she gets things across.

5 full and shiny stars, casting wonderfulyl coloured Shadows around!

*same worded review will appear elsewhere
  
New Moon (Twilight, #2)
New Moon (Twilight, #2)
Stephenie Meyer | 2006 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
6
6.9 (85 Ratings)
Book Rating
I remember this book being a lot worse. I was actually pleasantly surprised when, on reading it again, I felt some empathy for Bella.

Here's the story:

Bella and Edward are happy, lalala. Jasper freaks out at her birthday and Edward decides this would be a great time to desert Bella and tell her he doesn't love her anymore. The thing here, is...I understand the motivation, and it kinda makes sense, but it was executed so bady, you have to wonder if Edward actually <i>loves</i> Bella or is just toying with her emotions.

Bella ends up transferring her codependence on Jacob and trying dangerous things so she can hear Edward's voice in her head. Now, in my opinion, this book would have been much better if Edward and Bella were presented as mentally unstable and emotionally damaged, because that's how they come across.

As much as I have been unimpressed with Meyer's writing in the past, the scenes depicting Bella's depression were pretty much on target, and in a way almost painful to read.

I still don't get the swooning over Edward thing. I'm just not that impressed with him. He spent the first book alternately growling, sneering, and laughing at Bella. It makes me want to lock him in a room with Stefan Salvatore and see who whines the most.

To recap: this book would be amazing if it had different characters who acted competely differently. As it stands, it's just "okay".
  
Thief of Hearts (Hearts, #5)
Thief of Hearts (Hearts, #5)
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This has been borrowed from the Kindle Unlimited library.

I read the previous books in this series a while ago now and gave all of them 4.5 stars but one, which is a rare thing for me to do.

This is Stu's story, Lee's brother from the previous book. He's just been released from prison and has enrolled in an adult class where Andrea is teaching at the local college. There's an instant attraction between them but Andrea fights it as Stu is her student. Stu flirts with her continuously and before long feelings begin to emerge. It turns out all is not as it seems.

I won't go into too much detail as it will ruin the story but I did enjoy this. I grew to really like Stu but he did deceive Andrea a bit. He made up for it big time and, through Andreas teaching and her just being a really supportive, caring person, he started to believe in himself and that he could do better than being a thief.

That epilogue had me smiling like a lunatic. Alfie is a bit of a genius!

This hasn't been my favourite of the series but I have enjoyed seeing more of the Cross clan, and I'm looking forward to reading Trevor's story next. I have One Epic Night as a freebie from the author which is a prequel to the sixth book in this series and I will be reading it next.
  
American Made (2017)
American Made (2017)
2017 | Mystery
Barry Seal is officially a pilot for TWA. Unofficially he also smuggles a few cigars around. Until the CIA catch him in the act. Now he's unofficially smuggling more than cigars, and not just for the CIA.



The adverts for this made it look like quite a good film, and I honestly couldn't believe that this actually happened. Well, I sort of can, but still.

I'm not a massive fan of Tom Cruise, I think possibly because all of his films I've seen don't give him much variation from who he is, but this one was different. It kind of made me feel he was the Del Boy of America. Always looking for a quick buck and a little bit bumbling. Even if it was on a much bigger scale. I don't quite think that Del Boy would have done well with cartels.

As is the way in Hollywood the story has been tweaked to suit the cinematic needs. Since writing the paragraph above I have read a bit more about Barry Seal and it seems the films as made him a bit more shiny for the purposes of marketing. And by that I mean that it sounds as if he wasn't quite as innocent at the beginning as the film makes it appear. But, that just from reading a few articles, I'll let you come to your own conclusions.

An enjoyable films though, that kind of made you root for the "bad guy".
  
Anointed
Anointed
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The cover grabbed my attention straight away when I saw&nbsp;this in the Netgalley catalogue. You should know by now that I like a good cover.
&nbsp;
Then comes the story... Well. I read books for the romance aspect and it took a little too long,&nbsp;in&nbsp;my opinion, for anything even slightly romantic to happen. Yeah, I get she&#039;s on a mission to save the world and everything but surely she&#039;s allowed a little fun? Nevertheless, when it did happen. Phew! It was scorching. The attraction between Alana and&nbsp;Gaelen was hot from the very first meeting...and his eyes! The only problem with their attraction is that they don&#039;t particularly like or trust each other so they fight it, which results in some hot scenes.
&nbsp;
There was a lot of description, which I will honestly say bores me to death sometimes and I skip over large areas. In this I scanned it, looking for important stuff that I might need to know.
&nbsp;
It had a fair share of location changes; going from London to Wales to Italy to Ireland, as Alana hunted for the items and the information&nbsp;she needed to stop the demons from coming through the rift.
&nbsp;
Not really for me, but if you like Urban Fantasy, lots of description, or some steamy sex scenes and attraction then this is probably for you.
  
The Murder List
The Murder List
Hank Phillippi Ryan | 2020 | Mystery, Thriller
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Rachel North is a non-traditional law student at 36, but she plans to join her husband, Jack Kirkland, in his practice as of one Boston’s premier defense lawyers once she graduates. But first she has to survive a summer internship with ADA Martha Gardiner. To say that Jack and Martha hate each other is putting it mildly, but Rachel thinks it will a good opportunity for opposition research. When Martha takes a personal interest in Rachel, Rachel is flattered. But can she navigate the two lawyers now in her life? Or is she being played?

This book not only switches between the present and when Rachel first met Jack and Martha six years ago, but it also incorporates all three character’s viewpoints. Don’t worry, it all flows smoothly, and you can always tell who and when you are currently learning about. I will admit I had a bit of a different idea what a book called The Murder List might be about, but I quickly got hooked on the story being told here. This is a suspense novel, with plenty of twists and surprises along the way. My biggest struggle was the characters. This really is Rachel, Jack, and Martha’s story, and all three are deeply flawed. I found it hard to root for them at various points in the story; I usually like to have at least one character I can root for. Overall, I did enjoy this book and I’m glad I read it.
  
If you are looking for a refreshing Young-Adult read, with college unlike any other - this is the perfect book for you. I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You is the first book from the Gallagher Girl series, where we meet girls that go to a school for spies, and nobody except them, knows it.

The Gallagher Academy is a typical all-girls-school, except, instead of normal subjects, they learn advanced martial arts and chemical warfare studies, they have exams where they need to spy, or go unnoticed, or steal.

We meet Cammie Morgan, who happens to be the headmistress's daughter, and when she goes on a mission and gets noticed by a boy - everything changes and her life is suddenly everything but normal. She knows how to kill a man in seven different ways, and she can speak fourteen languages, but when a cute boy comes and says hi - she is definitely not trained for that. What's worst - he thinks she's just an ordinary girl, and she is falling in love with him.

Sure, she can tap his phone, hack into his computer, and track him through town without his ever being the wiser - but can she have a relationship with a regular boy who can never know the truth about her? Cammie may be an elite spy-in-training, but in her sophomore year, she's beginning her most dangerous mission - falling in love.

I loved the writing style, and I loved something new and refreshing - it is a plot that I haven't read before, and I really enjoyed it. Sometimes when it felt a bit childish, I would remember I am not thirteen anymore, but even now at twenty-one, I got lost into this silly world of spy girls and the drama and love life of Cammie.

I liked Cammie - she is the type of girl that you would love to have as a friend, because she always makes you giggle with her silly comments. I also liked how brave and honest she was - not always honest though… Sometimes, she was too whiney for her own good, and making little things out of nothing, but then again, all teens kind of do that all the time, so it's acceptable.

I loved her friends - they were such a team, and always covering their backs. I loved how, even despite all their differences, they manages to fit right in and have their own impact to the group friendship.

Overall, quite an enjoyable read and I would definitely recommend it to you guys, if you love anything YA, or fantasy, or spy girls, or college related. I enjoyed this book, and I wish I read it way sooner. I can't wait to read the rest of the series as well.

Thank you to my friend and author, Michael Kott, that send me this book after recommending it to me, as Ally Carter is one of his favourite authors, and he enjoyed this book as well. Check out his book Piasa - it is amazing!
  
The Klaus and Violet Baudelaire are running out of time. They’re rolling down a slope, soon to crash, while Olaf and his troupe take Sunny somewhere unknown. Using Klaus’s bookishness and Violets inventiveness, they save themselves from disaster yet again, but now must save their sister and find out more about the mysterious VFD.

This one was really suspenseful. There was always something fast-paced happening, meaning that yet again within a couple of hours it had been read!

Finally, some of the mysteries surrounding the Baudelaires are being unravelled in this one, which I’m grateful has finally happened. Since there’s thirteen books in the whole series, I expected it to be soon but was still glad that some of my questions were answered.

This one isn’t as comedic as a lot of the ones that came before it. I feel like as the mysteries unfold, the novels are going to get less comedic and more serious. It’s a nice change from the usual plot and structure, and it still left enough little bits of comedy in it to keep it entertaining.

I love some of the characters who are revealed in this one (not saying who because spoilers), and found them much needed.

Olaf is becoming more and more sinister and less comedic which makes the plot brilliant. To be able to see the shift in his behaviour and see his desperation build up as I make it to the finale is making me run for the next book.
  
The Walking Dead
The Walking Dead
2010 | Drama, Horror
On Halloween Ron and I sat down to watch the premiere of The Walking Dead on AMC. I was quite hopeful when I saw that Frank Darabont the director of Shawshank Redemption was directing The Walking Dead. I was not disappointed. It stayed true to the first volume, Days Gone Bye right down to the scene with Rick Grimes showing mercy to a zombie with no lower torso dragging itself along and the scene with the tank in the city. I was delighted to see that Frank Darabont not only read Robert Kirkman's comic, but that he loved it and wanted to do it right the first time when it was presented on television.
 Kirkman's brilliant writing and character development shined through in this first episode especially with Andrew Lincoln playing the role of Rick Grimes, the father (Lennie James) and son (Adrian Kali Turner) that Rick meets who are in emotional torment due to the father's now zombie wife roams the street in front of the house they're hiding in. You come to care about these characters so much and your heart goes out to them when you see their emotional struggle with a family member, a friend, or a loved one becoming a zombie.
 Two things are certain. Frank Darabont got it exactly right and Ron and I will definitely be watching it and loving every minute of it.
 The Walking Dead is on AMC Sunday nights at 10:00 p.m. and you can watch full episodes on the AMC website.