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Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Mother, Mother in Books
Jan 6, 2021
Joint review with Sylvia Crabtree.
Well this isn't our usual book at all, we usually stick to romance, but when mum won it in the Goodreads First Reads/Giveaways we thought we'd give it a try. And surprisingly, we liked it.
We think it was the suspense, wondering what had happened that night at dinner that caused Violet to be sent to the mental hospital. Had she really been that out of it that she couldn't remember hurting her brother? And if so, why couldn't anyone else remember? And what of Rose, the eldest, how did she fit into the story?
Trying to piece together what had happened to lead up to that night by seeing viewpoints of the youngest child, William, and the middle child, Violet: one who doesn't get on with their mum and one who does anything for a bit of motherly affection.
We found ourselves being drawn into the story the more we read and we cant say we were expecting what happened to Rose.
Josephine, the mum, came across as crazy at times and we felt sorry for her children. She could be so cruel to them at timesif they did something she didn't agree with.
Like we mentioned previously this was not our usual read but we have to admit it was a nice change from the norm.
Well this isn't our usual book at all, we usually stick to romance, but when mum won it in the Goodreads First Reads/Giveaways we thought we'd give it a try. And surprisingly, we liked it.
We think it was the suspense, wondering what had happened that night at dinner that caused Violet to be sent to the mental hospital. Had she really been that out of it that she couldn't remember hurting her brother? And if so, why couldn't anyone else remember? And what of Rose, the eldest, how did she fit into the story?
Trying to piece together what had happened to lead up to that night by seeing viewpoints of the youngest child, William, and the middle child, Violet: one who doesn't get on with their mum and one who does anything for a bit of motherly affection.
We found ourselves being drawn into the story the more we read and we cant say we were expecting what happened to Rose.
Josephine, the mum, came across as crazy at times and we felt sorry for her children. She could be so cruel to them at timesif they did something she didn't agree with.
Like we mentioned previously this was not our usual read but we have to admit it was a nice change from the norm.
John Bailey recommended Contempt (1963) in Movies (curated)
BookInspector (124 KP) rated First In The Fight: 20 Women Who Made Manchester in Books
Sep 24, 2020
This book concentrates on Influential women from Manchester, who fought for women rights and tried to make our life more equal to men. We can find many biographies that inspire and left me more determined to fight for my rights. It also shares quite a lot of history of Manchester and how these women changed it. I really loved the illustrations of every single woman who’s biographies were shared, as well as plenty of photographs from statue reveals, rallies, and other important events that happened in this fine city. I really loved the research done for this book, there are tons of facts, and I applaud the dedication.
I liked the writing style, but it was quite suffocating sometimes with all the facts and historical terms, and it wasn’t the easiest of reads for me. The chapters are short, and that helped to cope with the style of this book. To conclude, I think it is a very important book to read, and I am very happy that this book was published and we have a chance to know more about all these icons, that moulded our country and it’s society. If you would like to get inspired and feel low on self-esteem, do read this book, it will weak up the warrior in you!
I liked the writing style, but it was quite suffocating sometimes with all the facts and historical terms, and it wasn’t the easiest of reads for me. The chapters are short, and that helped to cope with the style of this book. To conclude, I think it is a very important book to read, and I am very happy that this book was published and we have a chance to know more about all these icons, that moulded our country and it’s society. If you would like to get inspired and feel low on self-esteem, do read this book, it will weak up the warrior in you!
Joe Goodhart (27 KP) rated Who Fears Death in Books
Nov 30, 2020
I liked Nnedi Okorafor's work on Marvel's SHURI, plus her themes fit in with some of the recent "LeVar Burton Reads" podcasts that I have enjoyed. Needless to say, I thought I would give this a shot, as it comes with numerous positive reviews.
While I enjoyed the world-building and the characters presented, I began to lose some interest about 45% into the book. I felt Onyesonwu's set-up, and subsequent chapters leading to where I stopped, felt like a car ride: I enjoyed the view, I enjoyed the companions on the ride, but I wanted to be at the destination already.
I think Ms. Okorafor is very talented. Her depiction of Africa felt like I was truly there, as if I could feel it. The backstory of the rape and genocide, clearly taken from what was barely a blip on the radar of American news broadcasts, was eye-opening, it helped to illustrate what it must have been like. For these two aspects of the book, I was quite impressed.
Unfortunately, the journey began to feel too long, and I had to "pull the car over". I may revisit it at a later date, but for now, I must take my leave it.
That said, I will give other works by Ms. Okorafor a try for sure.
While I enjoyed the world-building and the characters presented, I began to lose some interest about 45% into the book. I felt Onyesonwu's set-up, and subsequent chapters leading to where I stopped, felt like a car ride: I enjoyed the view, I enjoyed the companions on the ride, but I wanted to be at the destination already.
I think Ms. Okorafor is very talented. Her depiction of Africa felt like I was truly there, as if I could feel it. The backstory of the rape and genocide, clearly taken from what was barely a blip on the radar of American news broadcasts, was eye-opening, it helped to illustrate what it must have been like. For these two aspects of the book, I was quite impressed.
Unfortunately, the journey began to feel too long, and I had to "pull the car over". I may revisit it at a later date, but for now, I must take my leave it.
That said, I will give other works by Ms. Okorafor a try for sure.
Sarah (7798 KP) rated Wakenhyrst in Books
Oct 10, 2020
Well done gothic horror
Gothic horrors can be hugely enthralling reads when done right, and I've read quite a few of these over the past few years. And Wakenhyrst is definitely one I'd add to the list.
This is a very intriguing and entertaining read. It's well written with a powerful female lead, which you wouldn't expect considering it's early 1900s setting. Maud is a very imperfect yet endearing character that you can't help but root for. The writing really helps build the the atmospheric setting and helps you visualise everything, which definitely helps with the horror and tension. I wouldn't say this is packed full of horror or scares, but rather an underlying tension and unease that builds for the entirety of the novel and rather gives you the creeps.
The problem is that this build up is spoilt a little by the ending, which isn't entirely unpredictable (considering how the book starts) and feels like a bit of a letdown. It's not a bad ending, but it just plays out exactly the way you'd expect and some of the twists or reveals that were likely intended to shock and surprise don't quite hit the mark.
Overall though this is a great example of a gothic horror and despite being quite lengthy, kept me hooked an entertained throughout.
This is a very intriguing and entertaining read. It's well written with a powerful female lead, which you wouldn't expect considering it's early 1900s setting. Maud is a very imperfect yet endearing character that you can't help but root for. The writing really helps build the the atmospheric setting and helps you visualise everything, which definitely helps with the horror and tension. I wouldn't say this is packed full of horror or scares, but rather an underlying tension and unease that builds for the entirety of the novel and rather gives you the creeps.
The problem is that this build up is spoilt a little by the ending, which isn't entirely unpredictable (considering how the book starts) and feels like a bit of a letdown. It's not a bad ending, but it just plays out exactly the way you'd expect and some of the twists or reveals that were likely intended to shock and surprise don't quite hit the mark.
Overall though this is a great example of a gothic horror and despite being quite lengthy, kept me hooked an entertained throughout.
Bar-o-Meter - Altimeter & Barometer
Weather and Utilities
App
Bar-o-Meter reads the pressure from the barometer sensor and it uses it to calculate your altitude....
Erika (17788 KP) rated True Blood - Season 1 in TV
Aug 18, 2020
Awful Southern/Louisiana accents (1 more)
Not enough Alexander Skarsgård
So, since I have all the time in the world now, I decided to re-watch True Blood, but, I had to go old school because I am not subscribing to another services. Luckily, I own the first four seasons.
The first season sets up the world of True Blood, the vamps had come out of the closet and some drink the artificial True Blood. Apparently, this Bon Temps town is a hot bed for magical creatures, as the series progresses.
Sookie is the main character, and has a silly name. She can reads minds, and discovers that it doesn't apply to vamps when Bill comes strolling in.
Then someone's going around, killing chicks that associate with vamps in various ways. This is essentially a mystery, and from what I can recall, it does an ok job of following the book. The killer begins to become more obvious as the season goes on, and it's resolved in a super dramatic way.
As mentioned, the Southern/Louisiana accents are pretty bad and annoying to someone from the South, NOT ALL SOUTHERN STATES HAVE THE SAME ACCENTS. Out of all of the actors, Ryan Kwanten is the best.
Of course, there's gratuitous sex, this is an HBO show, but I just fast forward through all of that crap. It really makes the episodes much shorter.
The first season sets up the world of True Blood, the vamps had come out of the closet and some drink the artificial True Blood. Apparently, this Bon Temps town is a hot bed for magical creatures, as the series progresses.
Sookie is the main character, and has a silly name. She can reads minds, and discovers that it doesn't apply to vamps when Bill comes strolling in.
Then someone's going around, killing chicks that associate with vamps in various ways. This is essentially a mystery, and from what I can recall, it does an ok job of following the book. The killer begins to become more obvious as the season goes on, and it's resolved in a super dramatic way.
As mentioned, the Southern/Louisiana accents are pretty bad and annoying to someone from the South, NOT ALL SOUTHERN STATES HAVE THE SAME ACCENTS. Out of all of the actors, Ryan Kwanten is the best.
Of course, there's gratuitous sex, this is an HBO show, but I just fast forward through all of that crap. It really makes the episodes much shorter.
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