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BookwormMama14 (18 KP) rated The 12 Brides of Christmas Collection in Books
Jan 2, 2019
In this collection you will find 12 short stories that are set during the 1800s in the frontier of our expanding country. As the name of the collection proclaims each story highlights a bride's journey to love and romance. This collection has a wide variety of stories and characters. While I thoroughly enjoyed each story, a couple of my favorites were: The Festive Bride by Diana Lesire Brandmeyer, The Nutcracker Bride by Margaret Brownley and The Christmas Tree Bride by Susan Page Davis.
What better way to get into the Christmas spirit than 12 novellas written by some of my favorite authors? Each author did a wonderful job of capturing the Spirit of Christmas in just 50 short pages. Every story drew me into the heart of the season. The blessing that God gave us in Jesus' birth is demonstrated beautifully. Love, forgiveness and redemption are the main focus of this collection. If you are looking for a good Christmas read, I recommend this collection. You can read one here and there or burn through the whole collection in a week like I did. Either way, you are sure to enjoy the festivity between the pages.
I received a free digital copy of The 12 Brides of Christmas from Barbour Publishing Inc. through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
What better way to get into the Christmas spirit than 12 novellas written by some of my favorite authors? Each author did a wonderful job of capturing the Spirit of Christmas in just 50 short pages. Every story drew me into the heart of the season. The blessing that God gave us in Jesus' birth is demonstrated beautifully. Love, forgiveness and redemption are the main focus of this collection. If you are looking for a good Christmas read, I recommend this collection. You can read one here and there or burn through the whole collection in a week like I did. Either way, you are sure to enjoy the festivity between the pages.
I received a free digital copy of The 12 Brides of Christmas from Barbour Publishing Inc. through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Christine A. (965 KP) rated Lies We Tell Our Kids in Books
Dec 10, 2018
short, entertaining book is that more appropriate for adults than children
I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.
Lies We Tell Our Kids by Brett Wagner is a short, entertaining book is that more appropriate for adults than children. This book is an example of some of the lies parents tell their children, mostly to keep them in line and behave well. It is funny as a "look back" to the lies we were told as children and, in return, told younger children. I remember my grandmother telling me that thunder was caused by angels bowling. That lightning occurs when angels take a picture was new to me.
This book is less than 100 pages and each page states a "lie" that is one sentence so it is a very fast read. For every lie, there is a corresponding, colorful illustration which are imaginative and allow for eye rolling and shaking of my head. I have heard of a few of the lies mentioned but most of them were new to me and gave me a good chuckle.
I read reviews of this which were posted on Goodreads. Many reviews rated it low. I think they should have taken into consideration that this book is not intended to be taken seriously. Just enjoy its quirkiness and have fun!
Lies We Tell Our Kids by Brett Wagner is a short, entertaining book is that more appropriate for adults than children. This book is an example of some of the lies parents tell their children, mostly to keep them in line and behave well. It is funny as a "look back" to the lies we were told as children and, in return, told younger children. I remember my grandmother telling me that thunder was caused by angels bowling. That lightning occurs when angels take a picture was new to me.
This book is less than 100 pages and each page states a "lie" that is one sentence so it is a very fast read. For every lie, there is a corresponding, colorful illustration which are imaginative and allow for eye rolling and shaking of my head. I have heard of a few of the lies mentioned but most of them were new to me and gave me a good chuckle.
I read reviews of this which were posted on Goodreads. Many reviews rated it low. I think they should have taken into consideration that this book is not intended to be taken seriously. Just enjoy its quirkiness and have fun!

Tiffany Reuter (2 KP) rated Cells at Work Vol. 1 in Books
Jan 30, 2020
Informative (2 more)
Interesting Storytelling
Creative Personification
Ever wanted to learn about the human body in a fun and interesting way? Ever thought about personifying blood cells?
Probably not but Akane Shimizu did and wrote a cute, wholesome manga while doing it too!
Cells at Work Vol. 1 is the beginning of a short series that follows a new Red Blood Cell (RBC) as she tries to figure out how to do her job within a human body. While doing so, she meets other blood cells like a White Blood Cell and cute little Platelets while the human body get attacked by everyday things like the flu or a scrape on the knee.
This manga takes the human body and makes it very interesting. Each character, which represent a different cell within the body, comes with unique characteristics and traits that match what that cell does beautifully. You can tell that the writer took the time to look up what each cell did within the body and how to personify it and make it relatable without tarnishing the job that the cwll does.
I highly suggest this manga to anyone who is new to manga as it's a nice introduction into the genre especially since the series is so short. It's also light hearted (thus far, I only read the first volume!) And enjoyable to read.
Probably not but Akane Shimizu did and wrote a cute, wholesome manga while doing it too!
Cells at Work Vol. 1 is the beginning of a short series that follows a new Red Blood Cell (RBC) as she tries to figure out how to do her job within a human body. While doing so, she meets other blood cells like a White Blood Cell and cute little Platelets while the human body get attacked by everyday things like the flu or a scrape on the knee.
This manga takes the human body and makes it very interesting. Each character, which represent a different cell within the body, comes with unique characteristics and traits that match what that cell does beautifully. You can tell that the writer took the time to look up what each cell did within the body and how to personify it and make it relatable without tarnishing the job that the cwll does.
I highly suggest this manga to anyone who is new to manga as it's a nice introduction into the genre especially since the series is so short. It's also light hearted (thus far, I only read the first volume!) And enjoyable to read.

ClareR (5859 KP) rated Fourteen Days in Books
Sep 22, 2024
I enjoyed Fourteen Days, and it was a very handy book to read at the time. I was hanging around a hospital (my mum was ill, but recovered now), and the short story style was just what I needed to distract myself when I couldn’t really concentrate.
This is set in New York, and is based around an apartment block during the Covid 19 lockdown at the beginning of the pandemic. The inhabitants meet on the roof, keeping the required distance from one another, and tell stories of their lives pre-Covid.
A constant background is the noise from the ambulances delivering sick people to the nearby hospital.
Fourteen Days was written by several authors, each telling the story of a different inhabitant of the apartment block. The reader isn’t aware of who has written which story until the end. I liked this, because it didn’t give me any preconceived ideas of what the stories would be like - and there are some very different writing styles. The janitor runs throughout the novel, collecting all of the stories, telling her own story and trying to solve an ever-present mystery within the walls of the apartment block.
An enjoyable book, and I can definitely say that its a great book to dip in and out of when you’re short on time (or read all one one go if you can!).
This is set in New York, and is based around an apartment block during the Covid 19 lockdown at the beginning of the pandemic. The inhabitants meet on the roof, keeping the required distance from one another, and tell stories of their lives pre-Covid.
A constant background is the noise from the ambulances delivering sick people to the nearby hospital.
Fourteen Days was written by several authors, each telling the story of a different inhabitant of the apartment block. The reader isn’t aware of who has written which story until the end. I liked this, because it didn’t give me any preconceived ideas of what the stories would be like - and there are some very different writing styles. The janitor runs throughout the novel, collecting all of the stories, telling her own story and trying to solve an ever-present mystery within the walls of the apartment block.
An enjoyable book, and I can definitely say that its a great book to dip in and out of when you’re short on time (or read all one one go if you can!).

Suswatibasu (1703 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.

Sarah (7800 KP) rated Grey: Fifty Shades of Grey as Told by Christian in Books
Jan 17, 2018 (Updated Jan 17, 2018)
As bad as the original trilogy
I actually feel embarrassed that I’ve read this book. I read the original trilogy (skim reading by the time I got to the third one) and was vaguely interested in seeing if it being told from Christian’s perspective made for a better read. Short answer is no.
This has obviously been written for the money and I don’t doubt that it’s done very well. However Christian’s perspective is not a good one. In the original books he’s very aloof, cold and confident but in this he just comes across as a petulant clingy teenager. I’m sure it was intended to show his softer side, but it’s just made him out as weak and ridiculously irritating. His internal monologue too is atrocious, his constant use of “baby” made me want to cringe and it makes him sound so childish.
And the “erotic” parts.... they’re just repetitive, laughable and about as erotic as dirty dish water. This book (and the rest of the trilogy) are just a nonsense fairytale for people who don’t know any better. Avoid at all costs!
This has obviously been written for the money and I don’t doubt that it’s done very well. However Christian’s perspective is not a good one. In the original books he’s very aloof, cold and confident but in this he just comes across as a petulant clingy teenager. I’m sure it was intended to show his softer side, but it’s just made him out as weak and ridiculously irritating. His internal monologue too is atrocious, his constant use of “baby” made me want to cringe and it makes him sound so childish.
And the “erotic” parts.... they’re just repetitive, laughable and about as erotic as dirty dish water. This book (and the rest of the trilogy) are just a nonsense fairytale for people who don’t know any better. Avoid at all costs!

Alice (117 KP) rated One of us is Lying in Books
Mar 3, 2021
You know those books that you don't only read, the ones that you inhale and absorb, this is one if those books.
It's been a little while since I read a young adult book so he fact that the language was so simple and there wasn't any imagery and metaphors really put me off at the start but as soon as the story got going I was HOOKED.
I'm a sucker for character development and getting to delve into the innermost thoughts of the four main characters and learning how they think and how they react, and slowly unravelling the secrets that they keep was such a thrill.
The plot could have been weak and if stop be praising how much I relate to all the characters even in a small way but that's not just it. The story flowed so well, even with the jumps of perspective they just left you hanging and wanting to read more, I never wanted this book to end.
This little world has become so special to me in such a short amount of time that this story and these characters will stay with me long into the future.
It's been a little while since I read a young adult book so he fact that the language was so simple and there wasn't any imagery and metaphors really put me off at the start but as soon as the story got going I was HOOKED.
I'm a sucker for character development and getting to delve into the innermost thoughts of the four main characters and learning how they think and how they react, and slowly unravelling the secrets that they keep was such a thrill.
The plot could have been weak and if stop be praising how much I relate to all the characters even in a small way but that's not just it. The story flowed so well, even with the jumps of perspective they just left you hanging and wanting to read more, I never wanted this book to end.
This little world has become so special to me in such a short amount of time that this story and these characters will stay with me long into the future.

Debbiereadsbook (1416 KP) rated Reap This (Oh So Happy Holidays #1) in Books
Nov 21, 2020
It did not go down the way I thought it would and I loved that it didn't.