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Laura Doe (1350 KP) rated Snowflake in Books

Jul 1, 2021  
Snowflake
Snowflake
Louise Nealon | 2021 | Fiction & Poetry, Philosophy, Psychology & Social Sciences, Travel
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
What a lovely book!

We follow Debbie as she embarks on her first taste of adulthood. She’s eighteen and starting university. She lives in a little village on a dairy farm that her family owns and has no idea how it works being in the city most of the time. From the start of this book she is quite naive and you can tell that she’s not really had to step foot out of the comfort of the village she grew up in.

When she finally makes it into Dublin and to her new university she bumps into a girl named Xanthe who she makes friends with and spends most of her time with when she’s not at home or in class.

The book explores the mental health of many of the characters and does it very delicately, without judgement.

I couldn’t put it down and read it in a couple of hours. It was such a pleasant book. And I loved how the chapters were so short and the characters were just so loveable!

Thank you to Louise Nealon and Readers First for allowing me to read this wonderful book for free!
  
Profoundly Disturbing: Shocking Movies That Changed History!
Profoundly Disturbing: Shocking Movies That Changed History!
Joe Bob Briggs | 2003 | Film & TV, Horror
7
6.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Profoundly Interesting
Joe Bob Brigg certainly knows his stuff. He delivers an intelligent and fascinating view on the films covered here. Especially interesting was the chapter concerning Kroger Babb, a name I wasn't familiar with until now. Joe covers the films Cabinet of Dr Caligari (1919), Mom And Dad (1947), Creature Front The Black Lagoon (1954), And God Created Woman (1956), Curse of Frankenstein (1957), Blood Feast (1963), The Wild Bunch (1969), Shaft (1971), Deep Throat (1972), The Exorcist (1973), Isla, She-Wolf of the SS (1974), Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), Drunken Master (1978), Reservoir Dogs (1992) and Crash (1996). Although it is a very good read my only gripes are that the essays on some films are way too short and the summary pages after each chapter "For Further Disturbance" are basically an edited rehash of the previous pages. Also no matter how I try to look at it, Shaft (as good a film as it is) really doesn't fall under the 'profoundly disturbing' category. Nevertheless it's a good read and has some nice double page poster art for each film. A nice book to have but nonetheless not that essential
  
Different Seasons
Different Seasons
Stephen King | 1982 | Fiction & Poetry, Thriller
4
8.7 (17 Ratings)
Book Rating
Very different from Stephen Kings usual work. (0 more)
Just Becasue
Not on my top ten list of Stephen King books that I have read, that is for sure. Different Seasons was completely different from his usual work and I do understand that was kind of the whole point. Sadly as a big Stephen King fan the difference was not really appreciated all that much. Shawshank Redemption is my father's favorite movie so it was past time that I finally read the story it was biased off of and sadly to say I can not understand what all the hype was about. The same goes for The Body as Stand By Me is considered a popular move (again one that I have not seen) yet the book was unimpressive. Apt Pupil was disturbing yes, but it was the one story out of the four that was hardest for me to get through, it just drug on and felt like it got no where. Finally I come to The Breathing Method which I was much happier with. Yet even that final story felt like it could have offered so much more if it wasn't cut short.
  
Shadows & Starstone (The Immortals #1)
Shadows & Starstone (The Immortals #1)
Cheryl S. Mackey | 2014 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
8
6.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
To start off a new fantasy world within a novella is a very brave thing to do. So often, you need an epic novel due to the amount of world-building that you need to do. Somehow, Cheryl Mackey has managed to build a world, complete with history, within a very short space that is not lacking in any way!

Our four heroes battle against evil and their memories. You get glimpses of their pasts which will intrigue you and leave you wanting more. A lot is answered in this novella but it is Part One so you are left with teasers for the next book, none of which I will mention so as not to spoil it for anyone.

If you are dipping your toe into the genre of Fantasy, or want an atypical fast Fantasy read, then I can definitely recommend this book. In fact, I would recommend it to all Fantasy fans.

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jul 5, 2015
  
Never Be Alone
Never Be Alone
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Joon is eight years old when her parents are killed and she is put into the foster care system. For 4 years, she is with the same family, but the way they treat her is worse than you would an enemy. When Joon has her chance, she runs away an tried to make a life for herself on the streets. She sees more in her short life than many people experience in an entire lifetime. Will Joon be able to survive on the streets or will she succumb to the pressures of drugs and prostitution?

Thank you to NetGalley and Fiction With Meaning for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is a book that every person should read. We have all seen a homeless person and I'm sure many of us judge them without knowing their situation and how they got to where they are. For some, maybe living on the street is better than their other choices.

In this story, I could see myself as Joon, going through life trying to survive, but I don't think I could have done all she did. This book will make you cry, it is absolutely heart wrenching. You want to jump in and try to save Joon. According to the Author's Notes(yes I read those), this book was taken from her own experience with homelessness.

Again, this is a book everyone should read. It will make you look at the world and the people in it very differently. We are all human and we all are just trying to make it through life with the cards we were dealt. Some of us were given a great hand, and others the worse, but it's what we do with it that makes all the difference.
  
Interesting idea first off, I always like novels where God(s)/Godesss(es) walk around regular people and fall in love. Not that familiar with Roman lore but I digress Norse lore are even worse to follow. Have not read the books before this so I may be a little jaded in that I have no backstory of characters & events. I have read each summary of the books before this. I will do another short review add-on when I finish #1-5. Did not realize this is set in England during the time of Earls, if you are not familiar with historical times in England this may go over your head. Many times I had to stop and Google when they talk about names that sound Roman or historical items, little off-putting but for names they give simple terms to explain it. The blood fever thing is interesting. You could tell there was something going on with the silent partner. Loved how the Roman crew all rallied behind Mercury/Hermes. Loved the humor at the end over the key. Definitely can read this without really knowing past stories which is always a plus! I liked it just thought everything built up too quickly near the end and the wind up to that point very slow. I give it a 4 for the fact jumping into this 6 books in did not confuse me but the build up was slow and ended too quickly at the end.

EDIT: I have since caught up with the series, you really DO NOT need to read the ones before this. There's small nuances/events but it does not distract you.

<i>This is a free review via netgalley, I do not get paid for this!</i>
  
TS
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
While I had heard (read) this described as 'the new Richard Sharpe', this is a novel that, if I'm honest, I was unsure of whether to purchase or not - those are some big boots to fill, after all, and I'd both read and later been disappointed in other books that made the same claim.

However, when I read the short prequel novella [b: Jack Lark: Rogue|23646134|Jack Lark Rogue|Paul Fraser Collard|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1424476493s/23646134.jpg|43253728], that was enough to convince me to start in on the series proper.

having now read this, it is very obvious where the template comes from, even down to the evil Sergeant Slater who is really Hakeswill in all but name. As the first in the series, however (even before said prequels), I am prepared to make allowances.

The novel actually starts with Jack Lark leading his troops to cross the Alma river (in the Crimea), before moving back to six months before to show the events that led up to this: events that see Lark (who is from the East End slums) deciding to impersonate his officer when said officer dies on the way to his new posting.

As for the battle of Alma itself: while it is one that I had heard of, it's not one that I am overly familiar with; not one as famous as (say) Waterloo or even the Battle of Balaclava that would later occur during the same war (the Crimean). As such, and interwoven in the latter part of the novel - I actually find the history just as interesting as the fiction.

I think I will be picking more of these up :)
  
Trick or Murder? (Sophie Sayers Village Mystery #2)
Trick or Murder? (Sophie Sayers Village Mystery #2)
Debbie Young | 2020 | Mystery
4
4.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The protagonist in this story was Sophie, and the whole book is told from her perspective. The blurb above describes this story quite accurately, but it is a little bit deceiving as well. I really wanted to connect with Sophie or any other character, but unfortunately, I couldn’t. I liked the village setting and tight community sense of this book, however, I think that the characters were not fully developed and some of them were pretty dull. I really enjoyed that Sophie worked in the bookshop, I liked reading about its daily operation and how it survives in a little community.

I would describe the narrative of this book as cute. There are some events happening, but I am used to “heavier” books. I missed the twists, turns, and unexpected surprises, 70% of the book kind of plodded along, until something interesting happened, and the mysterious part had no investigation at all. Before reading this book, I knew little about Bonfire night, and I am happy that I was able to learn more about how it was celebrated back in the day.

The writing style was very simple, and this book can be read as stand alone. I haven’t read the first part, but I was able to understand what is going on. The chapters were pretty short and it was easy to read this novel. The ending rounded up this book pretty well, and I liked that the author gave a snippet of what is to come in the next book. So, to conclude, this is a light and easy read, filled with village spirit, romantic discoveries and a hint of mystery, and if you are into any of it, do give this book a try, and I hope you will enjoy it.