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Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated The Tattooist of Auschwitz in Books
Mar 2, 2018 (Updated Mar 2, 2018)
Wish it hadn't been written like a screenplay
The Tattooist of Auschwitz reads like a fictional story set during the Holocaust, but what makes it remarkable is the fact that it is anything but formulated.
Lale Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew, was given the task of tattooing identification numbers on others at the notorious concentration camp. There he meets Gita, another Slovakian, and he sets himself on a mission to escape with her to freedom by trading food and jewels, revealing his incredible street smarts. If he had been caught, he would have been killed - many owed him their survival.
There are elements where you do think it has been written for the screen, as the scenes fail to connect to one another fluidly. As a result, I did believe it to be a fictional story because the writing failed to completely flourish and the author struggles with the prose. In this respect, it is rather disappointing, however, the memoir is wonderful and it leaves you with huge respect for the Sokolovs.
Lale Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew, was given the task of tattooing identification numbers on others at the notorious concentration camp. There he meets Gita, another Slovakian, and he sets himself on a mission to escape with her to freedom by trading food and jewels, revealing his incredible street smarts. If he had been caught, he would have been killed - many owed him their survival.
There are elements where you do think it has been written for the screen, as the scenes fail to connect to one another fluidly. As a result, I did believe it to be a fictional story because the writing failed to completely flourish and the author struggles with the prose. In this respect, it is rather disappointing, however, the memoir is wonderful and it leaves you with huge respect for the Sokolovs.
Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated Never Let Me Go in Books
Mar 6, 2018
Grim reading, but completely unexpected
For readers of Kazuo Ishiguro's other books, this will come as another surprise. While Remains of the Day is a period drama, and the Buried Giant is folklore, this novel reads as a dystopian fiction. What this shows is the author's incredible versatility at writing different themes, each as good as the other.
The story follows Kathy H., a carer to dying patients, and her mysterious upbringing alongside her charges at a secluded boarding school. From the beginning, we are introduced to the concept of 'donors', and it only becomes apparent after some time what it truly means. As a child, her and her fellow classmates were urged to be overly health-conscious with a special focus on artwork, which is said to be taken away to a gallery if exceptional. But when the students begin to question about its necessity, they understand that not all is what it seems.
From cloning to transplants, this book is both daring and alarming - and perhaps one of my favourite Ishiguro novels so far.
The story follows Kathy H., a carer to dying patients, and her mysterious upbringing alongside her charges at a secluded boarding school. From the beginning, we are introduced to the concept of 'donors', and it only becomes apparent after some time what it truly means. As a child, her and her fellow classmates were urged to be overly health-conscious with a special focus on artwork, which is said to be taken away to a gallery if exceptional. But when the students begin to question about its necessity, they understand that not all is what it seems.
From cloning to transplants, this book is both daring and alarming - and perhaps one of my favourite Ishiguro novels so far.
Dana (24 KP) rated Magonia (Magonia, #1) in Books
Mar 23, 2018
Oh my goodness! This is a mix of magic, pirates, and sadness. Trust me, you will need some goddamn tissues near you when you are reading this book. It was so good! The characters are very realistic, the relationships are drawn very well, and the plot goes by very smoothly. There were only a few slow parts, but even those were good. The only thing I wished for was a little more world building. I wish we could have known more about the non main character's backgrounds and a little about the magical world and how it all works. I really recommend this book to people who like magical, piratey books. But really, if you haven't picked this book up yet, do it now. I mean, just by looking at the cover you should want to read it!! If you want to know more about the book, go to: <a href=" video</a> to watch a brief explanatory video from Epic Reads!
Aasiyah Sidat (34 KP) rated The Undomestic Goddess in Books
Jul 5, 2018
Would you like some cheese with that?
Hello all you beautiful people!
Let's all rejoice for regular posting on the blog and Youtube!!! I am officially back and all my attention is now on all you followers, readers and commenters! There are going to be a mix of food and book focused content which I am really excited to get out to all of you and content I have had so much fun creating so here's hoping you will have as much fun reading and watching it!
Now back to business. Today I am going to be reviewing a book by a very famous author that I picked up while doing my weekly shop in Tesco (2 for £7, can't go wrong!). Honestly, I have never read any Sophie Kinsella before but I mostly associate her works with chick lit, contemporary feel-good reads so I was looking forward to getting back into reading with a nice easy read.
Continue reading my review at: https://www.readsandrecipes.co.uk/2018/06/would-you-like-some-cheese-with-that.html
Let's all rejoice for regular posting on the blog and Youtube!!! I am officially back and all my attention is now on all you followers, readers and commenters! There are going to be a mix of food and book focused content which I am really excited to get out to all of you and content I have had so much fun creating so here's hoping you will have as much fun reading and watching it!
Now back to business. Today I am going to be reviewing a book by a very famous author that I picked up while doing my weekly shop in Tesco (2 for £7, can't go wrong!). Honestly, I have never read any Sophie Kinsella before but I mostly associate her works with chick lit, contemporary feel-good reads so I was looking forward to getting back into reading with a nice easy read.
Continue reading my review at: https://www.readsandrecipes.co.uk/2018/06/would-you-like-some-cheese-with-that.html
Kristy S. (3 KP) rated Kindle E-Reader in Tech
Aug 10, 2018
Perfect for an avid reader who can't carry all their books with them
I purchased a Kindle Paperwhite E-Reader a few years ago. I had previous thought that "I could never give up holding a book." However, the Kindle has been a lifesaver on trips. It is small, light, and easy to take with me wherever I go. I purchased a case, so I could have the feeling of holding a book and to protect the tech. The Paperwhite looks like paper, but has a back light for when I am in darker spaces. I am able to download books from Amazon instantly as well as get books from my library delivered. In the end, it has saved me a ton of money as I am on several discount e-book newsletters and I can check out many books from the library no matter where I am. My only complaint is that the touch screen has a bit of lag time, but otherwise it is fantastic.
Sarah (7800 KP) rated Love...and Sleepless Nights in Books
Aug 13, 2018
Fun and lighthearted
Whilst Nick Spalding will never win any literary prizes for this series of books, he really does well to sum up real life situations and emotions. The writing is good but what really makes this story entertaining is the characters. Laura and Jamie are a very relatable couple and their diary/blog entries are so down to earth and realistic. I doubt anyone could read this book (or any others in the series) and not find a handful of comments, thoughts or situations that they’ve experienced in their own life. This story is also pretty funny and I found myself laughing out loud on many occasions.
It may not be the most thought provoking or insightful of reads, but this is a great fun and lighthearted story that is refreshingly short - I finished it in less than 2 hours so it’s one you can easily get through. One I’d recommend trying if you’re stuck with a fairly long commute - I may leave books 3 and 4 for my next long distance train journey for work!
It may not be the most thought provoking or insightful of reads, but this is a great fun and lighthearted story that is refreshingly short - I finished it in less than 2 hours so it’s one you can easily get through. One I’d recommend trying if you’re stuck with a fairly long commute - I may leave books 3 and 4 for my next long distance train journey for work!
Katarzyna Krasuska (81 KP) rated Find Her in Books
Aug 15, 2018 (Updated Aug 16, 2018)
Very strong female character (2 more)
Very gripping
Female Charles Bronson
Make this into a movie!
This is definitely a book that should be made into a film.
I saw this interview with Reese Witherspoon, where she talks about books, that she has made into films, because they're female driven. Yet the books she focuses her attention on are not strong or interesting enough, like "Gone girl " or "Husband's secret" . Here we have a female author, a female kick ass character, that is not just strong, but smart, brave and I would happily say dangerous. Not just that, I genuinely believe men would like to watch this too.
The main character of this book was abducted by a psycho and kept in a box for 472 days. When she gets rescued, instead of just trying to move on with her life, she goes into avenger mode. She learns how to fight, reads awful lot about self defense and decides to get the justice herself.
Amazing story, that I think all women should read.
I saw this interview with Reese Witherspoon, where she talks about books, that she has made into films, because they're female driven. Yet the books she focuses her attention on are not strong or interesting enough, like "Gone girl " or "Husband's secret" . Here we have a female author, a female kick ass character, that is not just strong, but smart, brave and I would happily say dangerous. Not just that, I genuinely believe men would like to watch this too.
The main character of this book was abducted by a psycho and kept in a box for 472 days. When she gets rescued, instead of just trying to move on with her life, she goes into avenger mode. She learns how to fight, reads awful lot about self defense and decides to get the justice herself.
Amazing story, that I think all women should read.
Rachel Maria Berney (114 KP) rated Think: A Compelling Introduction to Philosophy in Books
Dec 5, 2018
A good introduction to philosophy
If, like me, you suddenly found yourself interested in philsophy, this book is a good place to start. It covers the basic topics in philsophy and mostly explains them in an easy to understand way for a novice. There is a chapter, about zombies and robots, that takes a couple of reads, that is the hardest part of the book. You have to think differently in philosophy and this books help you guide your mind into thinking a different way, looking at things in a different way.
Everyone should read a little philosophy, expand their minds and question their beliefs. It's how people grow and move forward.
I know people think philosophy is not 'worth it', Lawrence Krauss for one (I like his books too), but all the sciences started as philosophy. They were thought experiments, until they were practical and got their own subject heading.
Want to know what philosophy is all about? This is a good place to start.
Everyone should read a little philosophy, expand their minds and question their beliefs. It's how people grow and move forward.
I know people think philosophy is not 'worth it', Lawrence Krauss for one (I like his books too), but all the sciences started as philosophy. They were thought experiments, until they were practical and got their own subject heading.
Want to know what philosophy is all about? This is a good place to start.
Graham and Morgyn are wandering souls who meet at a weekend long concert in the hills. They quickly realize they also have a circle of friends who know each other pulling their worlds a little closer.
Trails of Love is a fall quick story with no real angst in the storyline. Both come from big families and have their own agendas in life to forward their successes. They fit together pretty well and have little rearranging of life and/or goals to make a relationship work.
Story reads well and pretty seamlessly, but one issue and had me grating my teeth was Morgyn's nickname of "Cracker" for Graham. It just didn't work for me at all and I groaned everytime I read it. That being said, the rest of the story was well written, not a knock me off my seat story but sweet and romantic. I received an advance copy without expectation for review, any and all opinions expressed are my own. This continuation of the Bradens and Mongomerys series is well worth the read.
Trails of Love is a fall quick story with no real angst in the storyline. Both come from big families and have their own agendas in life to forward their successes. They fit together pretty well and have little rearranging of life and/or goals to make a relationship work.
Story reads well and pretty seamlessly, but one issue and had me grating my teeth was Morgyn's nickname of "Cracker" for Graham. It just didn't work for me at all and I groaned everytime I read it. That being said, the rest of the story was well written, not a knock me off my seat story but sweet and romantic. I received an advance copy without expectation for review, any and all opinions expressed are my own. This continuation of the Bradens and Mongomerys series is well worth the read.
James Koppert (2698 KP) rated From the Shadows in Books
Oct 25, 2019
From The Shadows
I'm not an avid reader of crime thrillers as I often find them unbelievable, predictable or rediculous. This is neither. I was gripped from the beginning and found it hard to put down. Just one more chapter was my continuous mantra. Like Jane Harper's brilliant novels, as well as the character, the setting itself shines like the main character. Here the cold Highlands of Scotland paint the bleak setting for the dark crimes unfolding.
Bravely, Halliday doesn't feel the need to add romance or standard go to characters to make it work. He relies on his storytelling and strong individuals and how refreshing to see a book featuring a social worker that isn't female or a do gooder.
I'm gobsmacked this is a debut, it reads like a hardened crime writer who is a master at their trade. I can imagine this becoming an ITV drama in the future and look forward to the next installment. An absolutely cracking read for any crime or thriller fan.
Bravely, Halliday doesn't feel the need to add romance or standard go to characters to make it work. He relies on his storytelling and strong individuals and how refreshing to see a book featuring a social worker that isn't female or a do gooder.
I'm gobsmacked this is a debut, it reads like a hardened crime writer who is a master at their trade. I can imagine this becoming an ITV drama in the future and look forward to the next installment. An absolutely cracking read for any crime or thriller fan.