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Who Will Cry When You Die? (Hindi)
Who Will Cry When You Die? (Hindi)
Robin S. Sharma | 1999 | Mind, Body & Spiritual, Philosophy, Psychology & Social Sciences
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This book has 101 suggestions for the reader, of how to improve yourself and your life. Even though there are some great, thought-provoking suggestions, there some with which I don’t particularly agree. I find philosophy rather boring, and no, I am not going to read Seneka. I really enjoyed the quotes which the author used in this book, I think they are quite inspiring. This book is the one, which you have to reread from time to time or read it slowly, rethinking every chapter, and comparing it to your own life and experiences.

I really liked, that the author shared examples from his personal life or from conferences he attended. It made it more realistic and less school book like. Even though I do believe, that this book should be read at least once in a lifetime and kept in people’s personal libraries, I was struggling with it. I couldn’t concentrate properly on it, and my mind kept wondering. The chapters are very short, that is why I was able to finish it, I don’t think I would’ve done it otherwise.

So, to conclude, even though I was struggling with this book, I learned a lot from it. If you enjoy self-help books, this one is a must-have, I believe. I know I will forget most of the things I read, but for now, I might even do a list or two which Robin Sharma recommended. Maybe I will be more successful by doing them. 😀 But for now, do get this book and I hope it will bring improvement to your life 😀
  
An Inspector Calls
An Inspector Calls
J.B. Priestley | 1993 | Children
10
8.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
My GCSEs are coming up soon, and I was told that this play may be included. I remember a few people saying how much they loved this book and my school had a spare copy so I thought I may as well give it a read.

Wow. I didn't really look into the synopsis of this before I read it, and I'm kind of glad I didn't. The story unfolded so beautifully, and the Inspector's questions kept me gripped throughout the whole play. I was just desperate to know what had happened!

This is a pretty unique book in the way that they all talk about what happened in the past. Basically, a police inspector arrives and begins asking the group about a girl who has apparently committed suicide. None of them know her at first, until the inspector reminds them of the nasty things that they had each done to her. Slowly, we learn of the girl's life and put together all the pieces from each person's story.

This really is a great book! Honestly, I'm not much interested in plays and scripts, but this was just such a great read. It really makes you think about how your actions and words may affect someone in the long-run, and how much of an impact you can have on a stranger's life.

I sped through most of this in one evening. It is a short book, but the main reason I read it so fast is just because it was so very gripping and interesting. This is definitely a new favourite of mine; 5 stars!

BookMarked
  
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Hazel (2934 KP) rated Seven Days in Books

Oct 12, 2019  
Seven Days
Seven Days
Alex Lake | 2019 | Crime, Thriller
9
8.7 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Oh my goodness ... you have got to read this book!!!

Harrowing, hopeful, heart wrenching, gripping, thrilling and full of tension, this is one of those books that you won't forget in a hurry. It's absolutely gripping from the very first paragraphs and takes you through all manner of emotions from anger, disgust and hatred to love, sympathy and hopefulness. Although a very difficult subject-matter, it is dealt with carefully and without sensationalism; it felt authentic and believable and, unfortunately, is only too real.

You quickly become invested in the plight of Maggie and her son, Max; the strength of her human spirit and the will she has to keep her son safe whatever the cost oozes from the pages. It doesn't stop there though, oh no, her family are as big a part in this book as Maggie and Max and they embark on their own roller coaster ride in which you are a but a passenger.

Written from different perspectives and covering different timelines, you might think that this would be confusing ... it is anything but. With short chapters, great pace and easy writing, this book is a gem of a read and, cliché I know, hard to put down. I couldn't read it fast enough and thank goodness I was coming towards the end on a Saturday evening so it didn't matter if I slept in the next day!

This is most definitely a 5 star read for me and highly recommended.

Eternal thanks go to HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction via NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest and unbiased review.
  
Nothing to Hide (DC Constance Fairchild #2)
Nothing to Hide (DC Constance Fairchild #2)
James Oswald | 2019 | Crime, Fiction & Poetry, Thriller
9
9.3 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is the second book in the Constance Fairchild Series and a follow on from "No Time To Cry" which I absolutely loved and enjoyed so much that I was a little apprehensive to read this just in case it didn't live up my expectations ... I needn't have worried, this one was just as good and, yes, you've guessed it, I loved it!

"Nothing to Hide" can be read as a standalone but I would strongly recommend you read the first one otherwise I think you could potentially be lost as to why DC Fairchild is in the place she is, i.e. suspended and a pariah amongst a lot of her fellow officers and a magnet for the media and paparazzi. "No Time To Cry" also provides a lot of back story and history that this book can only touch upon otherwise it would be a tome!

DC Constance Fairchild, or Con for short, is a fantastic, strong, female character whose strength, bravery and steely determination is highlighted within the pages of this book. Con is not however the only fantastic character in this story ... it's full of them and all of them have a part to play, big and small, in what is a totally engrossing and enthralling read from start to finish.

At the end of "No Time To Cry", I said I couldn't wait for the next one in the series and as I have said, I wasn't disappointed ... so .... when's the next one out???

Many thanks to the Publisher and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest and unbiased review.
  
Four: A Divergent Collection
Four: A Divergent Collection
Veronica Roth | 2015 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
7.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
The follow-on we all needed
The novel contains 5 short stories set in Tobias Eaton’s (Four’s) perspective. Some of the stories are events that you have seen from Tris’ point of view during the Divergent series. Throughout the series, he is quite a mysterious character and the only thing you really know is the small bits of information that he decides to reveal to Tris.

Free Four: Tobias Tells the Divergent Knife-Throwing Scene is the first story of the book and it recaps events that have already been told to those that have already read the trilogy. The second story, The Transfer, begins to give you a bit of a backstory into Four’s past who has always been somewhat of an enigma to readers. It shows you how he became a part of Dauntless and explains more about his character.

The third short story is one of my personal favourites as you are introduced to Eric and you begin to see the vendetta that he held against Four and why. Just like Tris, Four is a Divergent and contains traits of more than one faction. When Four begins his Dauntless training he is able to recognise reality from fictions during the tests and has to be careful that it is not discovered as a Divergent.

The last two stories are titled The Son and The Traitor describing more recent events of how Tobias knew that his mother was alive and recaps how he becomes closer to Tris. It is a heart-warming collection that makes you feel like the Divergent series lives on. I was absolutely heart-broken when I finished the trilogy so once Roth brought out a follow-on for it, I couldn’t read it quick enough.

Roth does well to switch from character’s perspectives particularly when she has already told some of the story in a different person’s point of view. This was the series that I wasn’t ready to put down and I can’t wait to read it again.
  
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Midge (525 KP) rated Shattered in Books

Dec 19, 2018 (Updated Dec 19, 2018)  
Shattered
Shattered
Jason Richards | 2018 | Crime
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Nicely written (2 more)
Adorable lead character
Lots of wit and humour
A little short (0 more)
A Delight To Read!
Wow, what a fantastic beginning to a new series! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book from the very first page.

Shattered is the first novel of the "Drew Patrick Private Investigator" series, with PI Drew Patrick as the lead character.

Shattered begins with Cynthia and Jeffrey Holland, who are concerned for their daughter, Ashley, who is missing. Ashley, although prone to jetting off for long weekends and extended shopping trips, is very much a free spirit and has never been incommunicado for more than four days. When Ashley and another young woman, Hannah Parks, are found murdered, Drew realises he is facing two murder investigations. He is now on the trail of a contract killer and looking for the person who hired the assassin to carry out the murders.

When a third woman, Victoria Clark, vanishes from a luxury yacht and her body is washed up on shore, Drew needs to look deeper into the links between the victims. However, he finds himself in deep water with a renowned Boston crime boss.

I loved the portrayal of the relationship between Drew and his significant other, girlfriend Jessica Casey. They are "romantically involved" and have a relaxed, easy-going attitude towards one another. Drew is very thoughtful and caring of all of the important things and people in his life. He also has a good rapport with his working acquaintances. Jessica has beauty and brains, works for a Detective Agency and is very helpful to Drew as a PI.

Drew has some hilarious moments that make him adorable. I thought Shattered, though short, was very nicely written and I found it a delight to read. Though the ending was not a surprise, I loved the way the book was concluded.

Reading Shattered has inspired me to read other books by Jason Richards and I can't wait for the next one in this series!

Thank you to LibraryThing and the author for an ARC of this book.
  
The Coffinmaker's Garden (Ash Henderson #3)
The Coffinmaker's Garden (Ash Henderson #3)
Stuart MacBride | 2021 | Crime, Thriller
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Coffinmakers Garden is a gritty thriller with a healthy dash of black humour. There is clearly a good reason why Ash Henderson is an ex-Detective Inspector, and it’s not just his severe arthritis. This is a man who will pretty much stop at nothing to bring the criminals to justice - unless he’s using criminals to help him get what he wants. Ash is a teeny bit corrupt, I think (for the record, I don’t think you can be a teeny bit anything: you’re either doing it, or you aren’t).

I really enjoyed the dark humour, and I’m not particularly squeamish, so the murdery bits didn’t bother me - in fact I really enjoyed the whole book. Yes, Ash’s actions were a bit OTT sometimes, but in my opinion, this is a piece of fiction, not a documentary on police procedure 🤷🏼‍♀️ It did read a bit like a cop film set in a big US city, except with a much smaller budget and Scottish accents. And let’s face it - Ash Henderson has a dog that he clearly adores, so he can’t be all bad!

I liked that there were actually two investigations running at the same time - one of which Ash is kicked off because of his poor behaviour. He still seems to manage to be involved with them both though, which must have been frankly exhausting for him!

The fact that I haven’t read the first two books in this series didn’t lessen my enjoyment, it merely made me curious as to what happened in the previous books. I wasn’t left not understanding what was going on. Short, appropriate explanations saw to that. The characters were richly described and fascinating to read about - they were all very different people.

So, another great book chosen by The Pigeonhole, and I really appreciated the short videos that Stuart McBride prepared for us to watch throughout the book.
  
    iReadArabic

    iReadArabic

    Education and Entertainment

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    *** Learning to read Arabic was never so playful *** "IReadArabic" and the reading of Arabic...

Tyler's Alphas
Tyler's Alphas
Drew Hunt, Chad White (Narrator) | 2024 | LGBTQ+, Paranormal, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I loved that the main event was faded to black!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted the AUDIO version of this book.

I have to say, for such a short book, 2hours and 5 minutes(73 pages), it packs quite a punch!

Tyler knows about werewolves, his fav soap is based around them, but he also knows that there is more to them than the soap portrays. When not one, but TWO alphas start to pay him some attention, he gets all flustered but one touch and his busy mind stills. That Tyler is a human is not what the alphas think, either!

I really only have one niggle, and it really is my being greedy, but I know short books come with some restrictions. Only Tyler has a say, in the third person. I would have loved to hear from Blaze and Rocky, I really would.

But the best bit?? The best bit for me was, that although this has steamy and smexy times between all three of them, the main event is absolutely faded to black! Yes, I know I like my books on the smexy side, but I loved that we don't get down and dirty with the guys, just the assuming aftermath!

Chad White narrates. I've not listened to him before, and I really enjoyed the voices he does for all three men. Blaze is super Alpha male, and Rocky, is kinda simple sounding but really isn't and Tyler fits right between the two. I loved all the voices, really and White's reading voice is deep and even and I had no trouble keeping up.

I'd like to listen to more read by White, but also, I'd like to read more of Hunt. My first of his, and I'd like to read something a bit longer, with a more indepth story.

4 stars for the book
4 stars for the narration
4 stars overall.

*same worded review will appear elsewhere
  
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Hazel (1853 KP) rated Delta in Books

Apr 4, 2019  
Delta
Delta
Jordan Elizabeth Mierek | 2019 | History & Politics, Mystery, Paranormal
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Suitable for anyone who wants to enjoy a short story, Delta is the latest novella by the versatile Jordan Elizabeth. Based on an historical event but with purely fictional characters, the author weaves real life and paranormal/fantasy together to create a gripping tale.

Set in the years leading up to the time a small village was flooded to create Lake Delta in 1917, the short story focuses on the Madison family who believe the plans will never come to fruition. As the years pass, neighbours begin receiving eviction letters but the family remain steadfast in their belief that their land won't be affected.

Meanwhile, the protagonist Lottie is given the task to deliver daily baskets of food to her Aunt Flora, a lady housebound in a cottage in the woods, however, Lottie is forbidden to ever enter the house.

As Lottie grows up with the threat of the flood becoming more of a reality, she begins to question why her parents are so convinced that all will be okay. In the months leading to her 17th birthday, she overhears her parents speaking of magic, but surely magic isn't real? She is soon to discover the painful truth and learn that she is not who she thinks she is.

Delta was quick to read and the ten year storyline sped by. The fast pace makes readers eager to reach the conclusion, a conclusion that is in no way predictable.

Whilst short, Delta is definitely worth reading. It is perfect for those moments when you need something to do but can't commit to reading a longer novel.