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Jenny Saville recommended Vincent Van Gogh: The Letters in Books (curated)
The Chocolate Lady (94 KP) rated Resident Aliens: Stories of NYC in the 1960s in Books
Oct 5, 2020
Beth Porter's "Resident Aliens," gives us a novella, four poems and three short stories all focusing on the darker sides of post-war/post-depression era of New York through characters whose lives reflect it's less glamorous neighborhoods. Read my review of this unique collection here https://tcl-bookreviews.com/2015/10/09/gritty-new-york-stories-and-poems/<br/><br/>NOTE: THIS Beth Porter is the author of ONLY "The Net Effect" and no other books attributed to her on this site.
Terri Wiltshire (21 KP) rated American Gods in Books
Sep 1, 2019
A fun frolic with the Gods of our time
Not my favourite Gaiman book but still a fantastic read. I love how he brings the idea of God's to life and explores the worshipping we partake in in todays consumer driven society.
As always the worlds he creates come alive in often painful detail. The characters are twisted and relatable and the darkness is punctured with laugh out loud humour.
Quick, easy and enjoyable trek through modern mythology.
As always the worlds he creates come alive in often painful detail. The characters are twisted and relatable and the darkness is punctured with laugh out loud humour.
Quick, easy and enjoyable trek through modern mythology.
Jewels (684 KP) rated The One and Only Bob in Books
Aug 12, 2020
Bob (1 more)
Continuation of The One and Only Ivan
The One and Only Bob follows Bob, the dog who is friends with the gorilla Ivan from The One and Only Ivan. While it is must read if you loved Ivan, I found this one falling a little short of Ivan. That being said, the writing style is fantastic with an easy flow that will keep you turning pages. Just like Ivan, Bob teaches valuable life lessons that are good for anyone, at any age.
Sarah (7798 KP) rated Sleeping Beauties in Books
Nov 7, 2017
Gripping read
This is a very lengthy epic read, but at least it's a very good one.
The plot itself is an intriguing one, and very similar to stories Stephen has written in the past (The Stand, Under the Dome etc). I always love these stories and the fact that they're told from the perspective of multiple characters, and Sleeping Beauties really works like this. I could barely put the book and couldn't wait to get it finished. There are a lot of themes running through this that are very similar to King's other stories and as a King fan, I loved it.
The ending itself was maybe slightly disappointing, it seems to have been wrapped up very quickly despite having spent 600+ pages leading up to it. In short, it's a very enthralling read, even if it isn't quite up the standards of King's usual epic novels.
The plot itself is an intriguing one, and very similar to stories Stephen has written in the past (The Stand, Under the Dome etc). I always love these stories and the fact that they're told from the perspective of multiple characters, and Sleeping Beauties really works like this. I could barely put the book and couldn't wait to get it finished. There are a lot of themes running through this that are very similar to King's other stories and as a King fan, I loved it.
The ending itself was maybe slightly disappointing, it seems to have been wrapped up very quickly despite having spent 600+ pages leading up to it. In short, it's a very enthralling read, even if it isn't quite up the standards of King's usual epic novels.
Sarah (7798 KP) rated Heart of Darkness in Books
Oct 24, 2018
Not a deserving classic
Literary classics always appear to be very divisive, and Heart of Darkness is definitely one of these. There are some that are very deserving of the word “classic”, however this isn’t one of them.
The writing style is very poor and messy, and it’s very difficult to read a story that is made up of unbroken long winded paragraphs. Even the dialogue between characters isn’t broken apart and it’s very tiresome to read. There’s little character development and the plot is very convoluted, jumping about with little reason or explanation, and it’s very difficult to figure out what’s actually going on. I don’t deny that this could have been a very good read, had it not been for the ridiculous rambling narrative. The only good thing about it was that it was fairly short, otherwise I never would’ve got to the end of it.
The writing style is very poor and messy, and it’s very difficult to read a story that is made up of unbroken long winded paragraphs. Even the dialogue between characters isn’t broken apart and it’s very tiresome to read. There’s little character development and the plot is very convoluted, jumping about with little reason or explanation, and it’s very difficult to figure out what’s actually going on. I don’t deny that this could have been a very good read, had it not been for the ridiculous rambling narrative. The only good thing about it was that it was fairly short, otherwise I never would’ve got to the end of it.
BookInspector (124 KP) rated Alive (The Craftsman #0.5) in Books
Sep 24, 2020
I know that this short story was a teaser for Sharon Bolton’s book “Craftsman”, but I listened to it after I read the book itself, and I actually recommend doing it that way, for me, it gave different perspective towards the characters and quite a bit of confusion, to be honest.
It tells you the stories of three teenagers, Susan, Steve and Patsy, and how they vanished. And I think they were awesome. Their stories are absolutely engrossing, making “Craftsman” even more dark and sinister. I loved the way Sharon Bolton poetically describes the moon, and I loved the way she made those three stories so twisty and intriguing. It is told from multiple perspectives and really opens up these characters to the reader.
So, without spoiling it for you, if you read Craftsman by Sharon Bolton, you have to listen/ read this little story as well.
It tells you the stories of three teenagers, Susan, Steve and Patsy, and how they vanished. And I think they were awesome. Their stories are absolutely engrossing, making “Craftsman” even more dark and sinister. I loved the way Sharon Bolton poetically describes the moon, and I loved the way she made those three stories so twisty and intriguing. It is told from multiple perspectives and really opens up these characters to the reader.
So, without spoiling it for you, if you read Craftsman by Sharon Bolton, you have to listen/ read this little story as well.
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Fangirl in Books
Jan 11, 2021
So I've pretty much devoured this book over the weekend, having very short breaks because I was a little bit hooked on the story. I fell in love with Levi, and Cath annoyed me at times, the secondary characters were great, or some of them were better than others, i.e Reagan, I loved her. As for the rest of the book, I didn't read half of the inserts from Simon Snow and Cath's fanfaction stuff because that wasn't the story I was interested in. I was interested in Cath and Levi. That being said, I was a little disappointed in the ending. I wasn't bothered about the eighth Simon Snow book being released, I wanted to read about what happened after break with Cath and Levi. Sigh...
Nevertheless, I was very gripped by this story and enjoyed it more than the other Rainbow Rowell book I've read Eleanor and Park
Nevertheless, I was very gripped by this story and enjoyed it more than the other Rainbow Rowell book I've read Eleanor and Park
Vegas (725 KP) rated The Husband in Books
Jul 12, 2019
Easy reading (2 more)
The action
The characters
A thrill a minute
I have only read one Koontz book before and that was a very early one, so didn't know what I was going to get. The blurb on the cover grabbed me which is why I had to try it and I am glad I did... I found the story well written and composed and the short paragraph blocks made it an easy read, if an unusual style... It reminded me of Richard Laymons style of writing which I really enjoy...
The plot although far fetched is enjoyable and makes you think what you would do if you were put in the same position. It is suspenseful, action packed and violent in places but you do find yourself drawn in to the situation and feel for the characters involved.
For a quick and easy read it is worth giving a go.
The plot although far fetched is enjoyable and makes you think what you would do if you were put in the same position. It is suspenseful, action packed and violent in places but you do find yourself drawn in to the situation and feel for the characters involved.
For a quick and easy read it is worth giving a go.
TM
Toni Morrison: Life, Liberty, and Literature
Book
Toni Morrison is one of the most celebrated living authors. Her work, for which she received the...