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MaryAnn (14 KP) rated Argosy Junction in Books

Mar 5, 2019

I want nothing to do with Jesus or God.” After over twenty years of abuses from the cult-like church she grew up in, Lane Argosy has had it with God and His people. Though the Brethren try to make Lane and her family’s lives unbearable, freedom from their warped brand of Christianity is sweet. She’ll never go back… never. He just wanted to visit the country he’d explored through books. So, when Matt Rushby arrives in Argosy Junction, Montana, he expects idyllic meadows and craggy rocks towering above, old-fashioned friendliness and at least one or two cowboys. Instead, he finds familiar hatred and factions very much like the ones back home in Rockland’s inner-city gangs. The Argosy family is disillusioned, broken, and floundering. Matt knows the answer is Jesus—just Him and not the trappings of a faith He never designed. But how can Matt help them turn their hearts back to the Lord when he suspects Lane has stolen his?
My Thoughts: Lane Argosy isn't like every other girl you would meet,; and that's just what Matt Rushby found out when he stuck in a field of "ferocious" sheep. This was an interesting book to read. Not only was it a romance novel, set in Montana, but it's also a story about how some churches can become toxic to its members. It deals with how pride can come into our lives and not only hurt us but other people as well. It's a good reminder to always go to the Bible when in doubt about teachings in the church.

It's also a reminder that God is always there waiting for us no matter how far we stray from Him, that He is a forgiving father. It's also about forgiving others. Prayer is a great tool, and we should always turn to God in prayer over everything in our lives, big or small.

The characters are enjoyable and entertaining in this novel, the author really brings them to life for the reader and the added humor is something I enjoyed. This is a novel that all ages can and will enjoy!

Kudos

Hazel (1853 KP) rated All That is Solid Melts into Air in Books

Dec 14, 2018

My rating: 3.5

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

All That is Solid Melts into Air (the title taken from a Karl Marx quote) is the debut novel from Irish author Darragh McKeon. Set mostly in 1986, it follows the lives of several people in the aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster.

On reading the blurb I thought that the plot would be solely focused on the Chernobyl disaster however this was not the case. In fact it is difficult to pick out what the actual plot line was. Each character has individual storylines, some of which connect up, but the disaster is not completely the entire focus of the novel.

Beginning in April 1986 we read about Yevgeni, a nine-year-old piano prodigy and his life in Soviet Russia. We also discover his aunt, Maria, who, although through third person narrative, describes her life, thoughts and difficulties at this period of time. The person who appeared to be the main character for the majority of the narrative was Grigory Ivanovich Brovkin, a surgeon who so happens to be Maria’s ex-husband that gets sent out to Ukraine to assist with the clean up after the Chernobyl incident. In Ukraine lives Artyom, a thirteen-year-old boy who is forced to evacuate his home to get away from the radiation. Here, while not until November 1986, Grigory and Artyom’s storylines merge together.

The novel ends in April 2011, but by this point Artyom’s story has fizzled out, his sole purpose being to show the reader what life was like for the evacuees: shockingly terrible.

As I have said, there was not really a main plotline, however the book gives a good account of what happened and how things were dealt with after. That is, of course, if it is historically accurate. Despite studying the Soviet Union at school, my knowledge of the Chernobyl disaster was virtually non-existent. There is also a hint of romance regarding Grigory and Maria.

Overall it was incredibly well written, full of description and very interesting.

Kudos

Eleanor Luhar (47 KP) rated Anything That Isn't This in Books

Jun 24, 2019

Well this was a surprising read. Not just a typical YA dystopian novel, but a peculiar, artistic novel complete with illustrations throughout.

For some reason, I wasn't expecting the strange world that Priestley created in this book. The Grey is suffocating Frank, the Ministry controlling his every decision. Most people are okay with it, comfortable in the routine provided. But Frank wants more.

First, Frank is obsessed with a girl from his school. Even after they graduate, he is desperate to be with her - he believes they're 'fated'. But after a while, he realises that maybe she's not quite right for him.

This combines two typical YA romance plots - the "unpopular boy gets the cool girl" and also the "childhood friends become lovers" plot. I think it's a bit unusual to mix the two, but I didn't find anything spectacular about this aspect of the novel.

The whole book has a very strange abstract sort of feel to it; I was unsure at times whether to actually take what he was saying at face value or take it as a metaphor. There are loads of weird myths that are thrown around, many of which play a big role later in the book.

The friendship with Scape was interesting; it kind of just happened out of the blue and ended in a similar way. And Mr Vertex was a weird character - it was obvious there was something strange about him, and I felt he really added to the abstract feel created.

The book kind of felt grey, but not in a bad way - as in, I felt how Frank felt about his life. I was pretty shocked by how dark it got at the end, quite suddenly. The ending was a bit of a whirlwind, followed by a moment of calm. The calmness was nice, an interesting ending that left your imagination running wild.

I didn't really enjoy this book at first but I did eventually get into it, and quite liked it. I definitely liked the unique feel it had, almost like Coraline. 3.5 stars.

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The Endless Summer

Madame Nielsen and Gaye Kynoch

(0 Ratings) Rate It

Book

"The Endless Summer by Madame Nielsen is my literary discovery of the year." ―Sjón "Once in a...

Fiction romance

The Astonishing Color of After

Emily X.R. Pan

8.3 (3 Ratings) Rate It

Book

Life, loss, love and art explode in a kaleidoscope of emotions as one girl must learn the truth...

young adult

Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post

Jul 2, 2020

Love, love, love this great excerpt from the science fiction novel GATES OF MARS by Kathleen McFall and Clark Hays. Come read it on my blog (https://alltheupsandowns.blogspot.com/2020/07/book-blog-tour-and-giveaway-gates-of.html) and enter the #GIVEAWAY to #win a first edition copy of A Very Unusual Romance or all four books in the Cowboy and the Vampire Collection by McFall and Hays. (Seriously, they are super talented writers, so whomever wins will be in for a treat!)

**BOOK SYNOPSIS**
IN THE AGE OF SURVEILLANCE, HOW CAN A PERSON GO MISSING?

The year is 2187. Crucial Larsen, a veteran of the brutal Consolidation Wars, is working as a labor cop on Earth. The planet is a toxic dump and billions of people are miserable, but so what? It’s none of his business. He’s finally living a good life, or good enough. But then Essential, his beloved kid sister, disappears on Mars. When Halo—the all-powerful artificial-intelligence overseeing Earth and Mars on behalf of the ruling Five Families—can’t (or won’t) locate his sister, Crucial races up-universe to find her.

In the Choke, the frigid, airless expanse outside the luxury domes, Crucial uncovers a deadly secret from Essential’s past that threatens to shatter his apathetic existence … and both planets. Blending science fiction with the classic, hard-boiled detective story, Gates of Mars is a page-turning, futuristic thrill-ride featuring a gritty, irreverent anti-hero, Crucial Larsen. The first book of the Halo Trilogy, Gates of Mars is the eighth novel by award-winning authors, Clark Hays and Kathleen McFall.