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Charlotte (184 KP) rated imPerfect Curse (The imPerfect Cathar #2) in Books
Jun 23, 2023
Oohh another cracker!
We pick up with Paul just as he's heading home for some much needed and well deserved rest.......but you know th say àat's not straight forward for him.
At C
ImPerfect Curse......it's a fantastic second installment to the series and actually better than the first!
For anyone that hasn't read the first book..do it...do it now!! If you can't wait and are jumping straight in, well, you're going to meet Franc, he's an..... interesting character that speaks the equivalent of English gobbledegook and is pretty rancid......eurgh I have a soft spot for him.
I refuse to tell you anything else as it'll spoil so many great things that happen!
We pick up with Paul just as he's heading home for some much needed and well deserved rest.......but you know th say àat's not straight forward for him.
At C
ImPerfect Curse......it's a fantastic second installment to the series and actually better than the first!
For anyone that hasn't read the first book..do it...do it now!! If you can't wait and are jumping straight in, well, you're going to meet Franc, he's an..... interesting character that speaks the equivalent of English gobbledegook and is pretty rancid......eurgh I have a soft spot for him.
I refuse to tell you anything else as it'll spoil so many great things that happen!
ClareR (5784 KP) rated Q: The Novel in Books
Jul 11, 2021
Q is set in the near future - or even an alternative ‘Now’. To say that this made me feel supremely uncomfortable would be an understatement. I kept picking it up, reading a bit, and then putting it down - until I got to the last half of the book where I basically inhaled it.
As a parent and a teacher, I found this novel really disturbing. The author has taken where we are now in our education system, and ramped it up to its most exaggerated end point. And it still didn’t seem completely over the top.
In Q’s reality, children are divided up in to their academic ability and put into one of three tiered schools - Silver, Green or Yellow. It’s a relatively new system, and for teacher Elena Fairchild, it’s a dream to teach in a top tier school, where the children are all motivated and high achieving. But when Elena’s youngest daughter is demoted from a Green to a Yellow school, Elena’s loyalty to the education system starts to disintegrate. And when her husband, who works in a senior position in the education department, refuses to save his daughter from being sent hundreds of miles away to a Yellow State boarding school, Elena decides to act.
Ooh, how I loved this. Yes, it’s uncomfortable reading. Yes, it has Eugenics written large all over it (And Elena’s grandmother even warns her and tells her about her youth under the Nazi regime). And yes, it’s uncomfortably close to reality.
But it was a gripping read with a satisfying end. I would recommend it!
As a parent and a teacher, I found this novel really disturbing. The author has taken where we are now in our education system, and ramped it up to its most exaggerated end point. And it still didn’t seem completely over the top.
In Q’s reality, children are divided up in to their academic ability and put into one of three tiered schools - Silver, Green or Yellow. It’s a relatively new system, and for teacher Elena Fairchild, it’s a dream to teach in a top tier school, where the children are all motivated and high achieving. But when Elena’s youngest daughter is demoted from a Green to a Yellow school, Elena’s loyalty to the education system starts to disintegrate. And when her husband, who works in a senior position in the education department, refuses to save his daughter from being sent hundreds of miles away to a Yellow State boarding school, Elena decides to act.
Ooh, how I loved this. Yes, it’s uncomfortable reading. Yes, it has Eugenics written large all over it (And Elena’s grandmother even warns her and tells her about her youth under the Nazi regime). And yes, it’s uncomfortably close to reality.
But it was a gripping read with a satisfying end. I would recommend it!
Bubblesreview (110 KP) rated All That Remains: A Life in Death in Books
Apr 7, 2019
Pros:
▪ Descriptive
▪ Very fascinating
▪ Surprisingly life-affirming
Cons:
▪ Could be a possible military/trauma PTSD trigger
What an incredible book. When I first picked this up I was sceptical about reading it right now, I thought this was going to be a dark, depressing read about death. It certainly is about death but surprisingly not in a dark or depressing way.
I've been suffering with a bereavement since November after my best friend was killed in a road accident, hit by a drunk driver. I have been struggling quite a bit with this and there doesn't seem to be any support for people struggling with bereavement, there is one local charity that provides free counselling but I'm currently on a 16+ week waiting list before they can even assess me to see if they can help me.
So you can see why I was hesitant to read this, however, after reading some reviews on it i took the risk and dived in. I'm glad I did.
I found this actually very refreshing and life-affirming, it's made me see life and death in a different way and I feel like it's helped me cope a little better whilst I wait for counselling.
The chapter about the authors personal experience with bereavements was nice to be reminded that everyone deals with grief in their own ways, even if it may seem odd to others.
I really enjoyed reading the scientific parts of this book aswell, as detailed as some of it was it was actually really interesting. It was also nice to learn about all the different options available now days for what happens to our bodies. Donating your body to a medical school is one option I wasn't even aware of.
The epilogue was a tear jerker, I admit I struggled to read through those last pages. It was very personal to Blacks family and very detailed about her wishes when her time comes.
I highly respect Black for making such a personal memoir published.
This was an emotional, uplifting, scientific memoir that I highly recommend.
▪ Descriptive
▪ Very fascinating
▪ Surprisingly life-affirming
Cons:
▪ Could be a possible military/trauma PTSD trigger
What an incredible book. When I first picked this up I was sceptical about reading it right now, I thought this was going to be a dark, depressing read about death. It certainly is about death but surprisingly not in a dark or depressing way.
I've been suffering with a bereavement since November after my best friend was killed in a road accident, hit by a drunk driver. I have been struggling quite a bit with this and there doesn't seem to be any support for people struggling with bereavement, there is one local charity that provides free counselling but I'm currently on a 16+ week waiting list before they can even assess me to see if they can help me.
So you can see why I was hesitant to read this, however, after reading some reviews on it i took the risk and dived in. I'm glad I did.
I found this actually very refreshing and life-affirming, it's made me see life and death in a different way and I feel like it's helped me cope a little better whilst I wait for counselling.
The chapter about the authors personal experience with bereavements was nice to be reminded that everyone deals with grief in their own ways, even if it may seem odd to others.
I really enjoyed reading the scientific parts of this book aswell, as detailed as some of it was it was actually really interesting. It was also nice to learn about all the different options available now days for what happens to our bodies. Donating your body to a medical school is one option I wasn't even aware of.
The epilogue was a tear jerker, I admit I struggled to read through those last pages. It was very personal to Blacks family and very detailed about her wishes when her time comes.
I highly respect Black for making such a personal memoir published.
This was an emotional, uplifting, scientific memoir that I highly recommend.
Merissa (12346 KP) rated A Hint of Frost (Araneae Nation #1) in Books
Aug 3, 2017
A Hint of Frost (Araneae Nation #1) by Hailey Edwards
It's not often that someone can do something different with a well known genre but Hailey Edwards has managed it. There are a lot of different clans in this world, all with confusing (to me!) names but the life and spark that Hailey has created is wonderful. There are aspects of this story that I was cringing at to begin with - as you are supposed to! It's written in a way that makes it horribly good. But then as you read more and understand more, you see how something has been abused and debased. It becomes less horrible as an act and more horrible towards the person doing it. Confused? Then give this book a try and see for yourself.
The world is well written and you can tell a lot of thought has been put into this world, the clans in it and the relationships between people, both those of inside and outside the clan. The characters are all very well written and even though it is written from the first person POV, nothing is lost.
This world is too good to read just one book and then leave. The others are now firmly on my T-B-R list.
* Verified Purchase ~ January 2013 *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
The world is well written and you can tell a lot of thought has been put into this world, the clans in it and the relationships between people, both those of inside and outside the clan. The characters are all very well written and even though it is written from the first person POV, nothing is lost.
This world is too good to read just one book and then leave. The others are now firmly on my T-B-R list.
* Verified Purchase ~ January 2013 *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Suswatibasu (1702 KP) rated On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons From The Twentieth Century in Books
Jan 3, 2018
READ THIS NOW!
Apologies for such a forthright command, but this pithy and punchy short book is an absolute must-read. In less than 200 pages, Timothy Snyder, a Yale chair and renowned historian, describes why our actions today matter.
Along with Burleigh and Kershaw he has exposed the monstrosities of the evil regimes ruled by Hitler, Mussolini, Lenin, Stalin, Pol Pot and other tyrants who have murdered at home and abroad. Having extensively studied both right-wing and left-wing tyrannical regimes, Snyder goes onto look at the 2016 presidential campaign and Donald Trump. "Post-truth is pre-fascism," he writes, in one of many passages that seem to cast the US as a society in a pre-fascist stage.
Snyder succinctly suggests that 20 lessons from history are invaluable if we are to avoid democracy collapsing as it did after 1918. History he agrees does not repeat but it does instruct.
In a world where truth, reality and fantasy are thrown into a huge melting pot - having a book that researched facts, presents political history and encourages the reader to make their own decisions is a liberating read.
Along with Burleigh and Kershaw he has exposed the monstrosities of the evil regimes ruled by Hitler, Mussolini, Lenin, Stalin, Pol Pot and other tyrants who have murdered at home and abroad. Having extensively studied both right-wing and left-wing tyrannical regimes, Snyder goes onto look at the 2016 presidential campaign and Donald Trump. "Post-truth is pre-fascism," he writes, in one of many passages that seem to cast the US as a society in a pre-fascist stage.
Snyder succinctly suggests that 20 lessons from history are invaluable if we are to avoid democracy collapsing as it did after 1918. History he agrees does not repeat but it does instruct.
In a world where truth, reality and fantasy are thrown into a huge melting pot - having a book that researched facts, presents political history and encourages the reader to make their own decisions is a liberating read.
graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated Slightly Married (Bedwyn Saga, #1) in Books
Feb 15, 2019
I don't have too much to say about this first (actual) entry into the Bedwyn/Slightly series. The pacing was good, the hero and heroine were nice and likable characters, and their romance was sweet and charming. The only thing I had a problem with were the loves scenes, they just felt 'off' and didn't quite fit into or with the flow of the storyline. Especially the second one, which struck me as odd. Otherwise it was a nice and easy story to read.
I don't dislike Freyja as much in this book, but for setting a series on a whole family of six, why did Ms. Balogh write them so unlikable? Or at least, they don't make me want to read the next book immediately, as I feel it should be. I am interested in Wulfric's intended and how she is able to break through to him. <i>That</i> ought to be something! :P
Now that I've read three in a row in the series (this and the two 'prequels'), I think I'll take a break. I've heard that there is a bit of repetition and it's better to break them up. :)
I don't dislike Freyja as much in this book, but for setting a series on a whole family of six, why did Ms. Balogh write them so unlikable? Or at least, they don't make me want to read the next book immediately, as I feel it should be. I am interested in Wulfric's intended and how she is able to break through to him. <i>That</i> ought to be something! :P
Now that I've read three in a row in the series (this and the two 'prequels'), I think I'll take a break. I've heard that there is a bit of repetition and it's better to break them up. :)
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Merissa (12346 KP) rated Dad Next Door (Crimson Club #5) in Books
May 2, 2024
DAD NEXT DOOR is a slow-burn story in the Crimson Club series, featuring Tristan (the man of the title) and Quinn. Tristan is a vet, and Quinn is a dancer/cam-boy/businessman. They take things slowly due to their histories and IT WORKS! It unfolds in a completely natural way that is the right way for Quinn and Tristan.
I love how these two communicated without judging, and their issues were completely relatable and realistic. For these two, friendship came first, although the attraction was there on Tristan's part, at least. Quinn was a little slower as he hadn't put a label on himself but thought he was 'straight'.
This was the first book in the Crimson Club I have read, and now I definitely want to read the others. This was a cinnamon roll of a book that was just what I needed. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED by me.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
May 1, 2024
I love how these two communicated without judging, and their issues were completely relatable and realistic. For these two, friendship came first, although the attraction was there on Tristan's part, at least. Quinn was a little slower as he hadn't put a label on himself but thought he was 'straight'.
This was the first book in the Crimson Club I have read, and now I definitely want to read the others. This was a cinnamon roll of a book that was just what I needed. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED by me.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
May 1, 2024
BookwormMama14 (18 KP) rated The Butterfly and the Violin (Hidden Masterpiece, #1) in Books
Jan 2, 2019
Set during one of the most horrific times in human history, be prepared for an emotional and heart wrenching journey to Auschwitz.
Kristy Cambron has long been a favorite of mine. However, I have only now had the opportunity to read her debut novel. And I was blown away! The depth of emotion, the spiritual journey that all of the characters undergo, the style of writing is all so beautiful. Kristy's voice is unique and stands out among the masses of WWII novels. She brings to life the love, hope, despair, and passion of history on every page.
It is always hard for me to read stories set in WWII. Especially inside the concentration camps. But while the characters in thus book may not have "actuall" lived, they are birthed from true events. I believe these stories are important for us to read. So that we never forget those who lost their lives and so we can see the HOPE and the LOVE that carried the world through one of its darkest times.
The split timeline is an aspect of this book that gives it a unique and completed feel. We get to see the story come full circle and that is incredible. This is very well done and very easy to follow.
If you read WWII fiction, you will fall in love with this book. I highly recommend and am off to start A Sparrow in Terezin now.
I have purchased this book, won a print copy, and for this specific review, I borrowed the audio book from my library. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.
Kristy Cambron has long been a favorite of mine. However, I have only now had the opportunity to read her debut novel. And I was blown away! The depth of emotion, the spiritual journey that all of the characters undergo, the style of writing is all so beautiful. Kristy's voice is unique and stands out among the masses of WWII novels. She brings to life the love, hope, despair, and passion of history on every page.
It is always hard for me to read stories set in WWII. Especially inside the concentration camps. But while the characters in thus book may not have "actuall" lived, they are birthed from true events. I believe these stories are important for us to read. So that we never forget those who lost their lives and so we can see the HOPE and the LOVE that carried the world through one of its darkest times.
The split timeline is an aspect of this book that gives it a unique and completed feel. We get to see the story come full circle and that is incredible. This is very well done and very easy to follow.
If you read WWII fiction, you will fall in love with this book. I highly recommend and am off to start A Sparrow in Terezin now.
I have purchased this book, won a print copy, and for this specific review, I borrowed the audio book from my library. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.