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Yep, I finished this book already. I was only going to read a littler bit, but then couldn't stop. Until I had to when I suddenly realized someone had put anchors on my eyelids when I hadn't noticed. I only had two or three chapters left, so that was a total buzzkill. Even though the first chapter had me giggling like a loon (do loons giggle?), it's not all laughs in Hyperbole and a Half, but has some truths about depression and self. I never caught Allie Brosh's blog when she was updating it, but I'll definitely be checking it out now.
Dana (24 KP) rated Throne of Glass in Books
Mar 23, 2018
Oh my god!! If you have not picked this up and you like fantasy novels, do it right now. Stop what you are doing and read this book!!! It is full of badassery, not too much romantic stuff, and magic. In the battle to find out which person will be crowned the King's Champion, lots of mystery and intrigue happens to our main heroine, Celaena Sandorthien. What is even cooler about this, there are pronunciation guides in the back of the book (at least in the paperback edition). I can't wait to start on the next one!!
Kristin (149 KP) rated Stage Business in Books
Dec 7, 2018
This book was unlike anything I've read before in that the characters are stage actors playing detectives in order to solve a case on their own without involving police (due to specific reasons that are laid out over the course of the story). It makes total sense now, but I never would've thought that undercover police work is basically just acting, so who better than actual actors to do the work? It's such an interesting story, and I would recommend it to anyone who likes a little mystery and detective stories with a bit of a twist on the usual.
4.5 stars
4.5 stars
Emily Mortimer recommended Edie: American Girl in Books (curated)
Chloe (778 KP) rated Heir of Fire in Books
Apr 18, 2021
Epic (3 more)
Growing world
Fantastic
Fast paced
Stepped up game
Contains spoilers, click to show
This series has really stepped up now, I am so excited to read the next one it seems like it will be epic.
I loved this installment, the characters were great as was the coming of age angst and final battle. The valgs and continued mystery to the whole plot were really great and pretty scary.
My only criticism is the relationship between Celeana and Rowan, who is suddenly forgiven without much of a lash back from Celeana, which to me goes against her character. I also found the blood oath bit repetitive.
I loved this installment, the characters were great as was the coming of age angst and final battle. The valgs and continued mystery to the whole plot were really great and pretty scary.
My only criticism is the relationship between Celeana and Rowan, who is suddenly forgiven without much of a lash back from Celeana, which to me goes against her character. I also found the blood oath bit repetitive.
Lore Segal recommended Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales in Books (curated)
Zuky the BookBum (15 KP) rated My Sister's Bones in Books
Mar 15, 2018
Also read my review here: http://bookbum.weebly.com/book-reviews/my-sisters-bones-by-nuala-ellwood
NOW AVAILABLE IN THE UK!
<b>Trigger warnings are noted in the first paragraph.</b>
<b><i>Were all of us, every day, just a hairbreadth away from evil. If Ive learnt anything from fifteen years of reporting, its that. But I couldnt expect these people to understand.</b></i>
This is a really heavy read as it deals with some really dark and depressing subjects, <b>such as the war and refugees in Syria, domestic & child abuse, rape, death, mental illness, alcoholism and miscarriages.</b> Dont read this if youre having a low period in your life because this is not going to make you feel any better, throughout its a rather distressing and upsetting story.
Each character in this novel was well developed, no matter how small a part they played in the plot. Ellwood has done a fantastic job with her research into PTSD as Kates fears and anxieties seem so real to the reader. Though Ive never experienced anything even close to PTSD, I can really imagine how terrifying and disturbing it would be, from reading this book. Its definitely the best and most harrowing description of the condition Ive ever read in a fiction novel.
This was a really well presented novel and Im amazed that its a debut! It was excellently written and thought out. My only issue being that sometimes, the timings in this book felt a little off. When Kate and Paul were together, one minute they'd be serving dinner and the next, after a small 5 lined conversation, it would be midnight and time for Paul to leave and Kate to get into bed. It seemed like large chunks of the day would just disappear.
Maybe I shouldnt have read some other peoples reviews on this beforehand, but because I was expecting all these super duper amazing twists, I kind of didnt feel that they were super duper amazing. I also found some of them to be a little far fetched and silly, rather than surprising.
I can definitely see why this has gained so many 5 star ratings, but its all down to personal preference at the end of the day, and this one was just a little too dark for my liking. That's not to say I didn't like this...I enjoyed this a lot, hence the 4 stars. I found myself not wanting to put it down, even when my eyes were telling me it was definitely time for sleep. It was certainly a thrilling and page turning read, but I dont know if I could recommend this to anyone because of all the dark subject matters. It seems like the sort of book some people are going to love for its dark realism and others are going to hate that and find it too distressing to read.
Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Books UK for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.
NOW AVAILABLE IN THE UK!
<b>Trigger warnings are noted in the first paragraph.</b>
<b><i>Were all of us, every day, just a hairbreadth away from evil. If Ive learnt anything from fifteen years of reporting, its that. But I couldnt expect these people to understand.</b></i>
This is a really heavy read as it deals with some really dark and depressing subjects, <b>such as the war and refugees in Syria, domestic & child abuse, rape, death, mental illness, alcoholism and miscarriages.</b> Dont read this if youre having a low period in your life because this is not going to make you feel any better, throughout its a rather distressing and upsetting story.
Each character in this novel was well developed, no matter how small a part they played in the plot. Ellwood has done a fantastic job with her research into PTSD as Kates fears and anxieties seem so real to the reader. Though Ive never experienced anything even close to PTSD, I can really imagine how terrifying and disturbing it would be, from reading this book. Its definitely the best and most harrowing description of the condition Ive ever read in a fiction novel.
This was a really well presented novel and Im amazed that its a debut! It was excellently written and thought out. My only issue being that sometimes, the timings in this book felt a little off. When Kate and Paul were together, one minute they'd be serving dinner and the next, after a small 5 lined conversation, it would be midnight and time for Paul to leave and Kate to get into bed. It seemed like large chunks of the day would just disappear.
Maybe I shouldnt have read some other peoples reviews on this beforehand, but because I was expecting all these super duper amazing twists, I kind of didnt feel that they were super duper amazing. I also found some of them to be a little far fetched and silly, rather than surprising.
I can definitely see why this has gained so many 5 star ratings, but its all down to personal preference at the end of the day, and this one was just a little too dark for my liking. That's not to say I didn't like this...I enjoyed this a lot, hence the 4 stars. I found myself not wanting to put it down, even when my eyes were telling me it was definitely time for sleep. It was certainly a thrilling and page turning read, but I dont know if I could recommend this to anyone because of all the dark subject matters. It seems like the sort of book some people are going to love for its dark realism and others are going to hate that and find it too distressing to read.
Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Books UK for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.
Domonique (0 KP) rated Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood in Books
May 12, 2018
This was really good. I have been a Trevor Noah fan since my sister told me about him a few years ago and I watched one of his specials on Netflix. Then for my 1 year anniversary with my now husband, we saw him live and he was even better than on TV. When I found out he had written a book, I couldn't wait to read it and I am so glad that I did. It was enlightening, insightful, funny and very honest. I loved hearing about his relationship with his mother, how he came to know his father, learning more about apartheid and how that affected him as a mixed child growing up in South Africa and how he came to be where he is today. I actually listened to it as an audiobook, which I really enjoyed because he has such a soothing voice and he is great at doing variations and inflections on his voice to make it sound younger, older or pretty much anything. Bottom line, it was a great read and it makes me respect and love Trevor Noah even more.
TravelersWife4Life (31 KP) rated I Can Handle It! (Mindful Mantra #1) in Books
Feb 23, 2021
I Love Hedgehogs! (Okay now that I have that out of my system…)
Sebastien is a typical kid dreaming up some funny ideas of how he could accomplish things. It brought to mind the adage “if at first you don’t succeed, try, try, again." I really enjoyed Laurie Wrights’s style of writing and I can see my classroom of kids loving how it speaks their language. The illustrations also added another element of cuteness and engagement geared towards kids. From Sebastien’s best friend (who is a Hedgehog) to all the creative ways he thinks of ways to handle situations Laurie Wright emphasizes that kids can do things and she leads them to some really helpful ways to process how to do them.
I think that this book is one every kid needs to read and grasp the concepts of. It helps take “I Can’t” out of their dictionaries and replaces it with “I Can Handle It." I HIGHLY recommend this book and give it 5 out of 5 stars.
*I volunteered to read this book in return for my honest feedback. The thoughts and opinions expressed within are my own.
Sebastien is a typical kid dreaming up some funny ideas of how he could accomplish things. It brought to mind the adage “if at first you don’t succeed, try, try, again." I really enjoyed Laurie Wrights’s style of writing and I can see my classroom of kids loving how it speaks their language. The illustrations also added another element of cuteness and engagement geared towards kids. From Sebastien’s best friend (who is a Hedgehog) to all the creative ways he thinks of ways to handle situations Laurie Wright emphasizes that kids can do things and she leads them to some really helpful ways to process how to do them.
I think that this book is one every kid needs to read and grasp the concepts of. It helps take “I Can’t” out of their dictionaries and replaces it with “I Can Handle It." I HIGHLY recommend this book and give it 5 out of 5 stars.
*I volunteered to read this book in return for my honest feedback. The thoughts and opinions expressed within are my own.
Merissa (13818 KP) rated Forget Me Not (Ceruleans #2) in Books
Jun 8, 2023
This is book two of the Cerulean series, and it lets you submerge a bit further into Scarlett's life, how she reacts to situations, and how she will react. You find out more about Sienna's 'death' and the build-up to it. Jude is a contrary character who wants to do the right thing but doesn't appear to know the right way of achieving it.
I warn you now, this book will have you ugly-crying for the whole latter part!!! It tore me apart and I had to re-read parts because I didn't want to miss any of it. It ends on a literal cliff, with a bit of a cliffhanger too, but nothing major. Just enough to tempt you into wanting the next book IMMEDIATELY.
Extremely well written, with no editing or grammatical errors that I found, this book was simply amazing and highly recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to 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!
May 1, 2016
I warn you now, this book will have you ugly-crying for the whole latter part!!! It tore me apart and I had to re-read parts because I didn't want to miss any of it. It ends on a literal cliff, with a bit of a cliffhanger too, but nothing major. Just enough to tempt you into wanting the next book IMMEDIATELY.
Extremely well written, with no editing or grammatical errors that I found, this book was simply amazing and highly recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to 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!
May 1, 2016