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What She Knew
8.1
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***Previously published as BURNT PAPER SKY*** THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER In her enthralling...
Zoe Nock (13 KP) rated The Confessions of Frannie Langton in Books
Jun 26, 2019
“My trial starts the way my life did: a squall of elbows and shoving and spit.”
Sometimes a book just grabs you from the beginning, something tells you that treasure lies here. I felt that within a few paragraphs of The Confessions of Frannie Langton. Sara Collins prefaced the novel with an explanation of her enjoyment of stories from Georgian/Victorian era but also her disappoint that she didn’t feel represented in the literature from that time. Her love of literature and that lack of inclusion drove her to write a novel that filled a gap, filled a need for women like Frances Langton to have a voice.
And what a voice! The author embodies Frannie so well. The first thing that struck me was that Frannie’s voice shone through immediately. She sounds so authentic, within a few lines you are engaged and intrigued. So much of the prose is beautiful and evocative, truly poetic. Sara Collins describes the people and places so deftly, you sense the weight of a sultry Jamaican plantation and the drabness of a grey London suburb. You can almost taste the boiling sugar cane and fall under the sway of the delicious, devilish ‘Black Drop’. It’s difficult to read this book without imagining a BBC period drama, it really would make a good screen adaptation. There is no doubt that Collins is a gifted and accomplished writer, a weaver of words both seductive and threatening. I really enjoyed this novel and would like to read anything new from Sara Collins.
Sometimes a book just grabs you from the beginning, something tells you that treasure lies here. I felt that within a few paragraphs of The Confessions of Frannie Langton. Sara Collins prefaced the novel with an explanation of her enjoyment of stories from Georgian/Victorian era but also her disappoint that she didn’t feel represented in the literature from that time. Her love of literature and that lack of inclusion drove her to write a novel that filled a gap, filled a need for women like Frances Langton to have a voice.
And what a voice! The author embodies Frannie so well. The first thing that struck me was that Frannie’s voice shone through immediately. She sounds so authentic, within a few lines you are engaged and intrigued. So much of the prose is beautiful and evocative, truly poetic. Sara Collins describes the people and places so deftly, you sense the weight of a sultry Jamaican plantation and the drabness of a grey London suburb. You can almost taste the boiling sugar cane and fall under the sway of the delicious, devilish ‘Black Drop’. It’s difficult to read this book without imagining a BBC period drama, it really would make a good screen adaptation. There is no doubt that Collins is a gifted and accomplished writer, a weaver of words both seductive and threatening. I really enjoyed this novel and would like to read anything new from Sara Collins.
The Bug Butcher
Games
5.0
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*** WARNING: DUE TO HEAVY GRAPHIC AND PROCESSING REQUIREMENTS, THE BUG BUTCHER IS ONLY COMPATIBLE...
Journey to Territory U (Extinction of All Children #3)
Book
Emma Whisperer’s journey continues in the third and final book in the Extinction series. Emma...
The Rest of The Story
7.7
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Emma Saylor doesn’t remember a lot about her mother, who died when Emma was twelve. But she does...
Merissa (13592 KP) rated Confined Desires (Rehoboth Pact #1) in Books
Feb 1, 2021 (Updated Aug 7, 2023)
CONFINED DESIRES is the first book in the Rehoboth Pact series. Sky had a crush on her best friend but was hurt when she left without much of a warning. Then Mia was with a guy, so Sky definitely thought her ship had sailed. Mia returns into her life though, at a time when quarantine gives them no option but to be in close contact. The question is whether both Sky and Mia are able to work through the baggage of their past, to make a future together.
This is the first FF romance by Katherine McIntyre I have read, and it's a contemporary! I make no bones about preferring MM and Paranormal, but it's Katherine McIntyre!!! I had no choice, honest! And speaking of honesty, that's what I got. An honest and thoughtful, sweet and sexy, story that also proves women are just as bad at communicating as men are.
I enjoyed the parallels between their story and the current state of affairs in my world, with it enhancing the story without shoving the similarities down my throat.
The world- and character-building are just what I would expect from a KM book. I am left with the warm and fuzzies from this book, and also left wanting the next in the series. A great read I have no hesitation in recommending.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Feb 1, 2021
This is the first FF romance by Katherine McIntyre I have read, and it's a contemporary! I make no bones about preferring MM and Paranormal, but it's Katherine McIntyre!!! I had no choice, honest! And speaking of honesty, that's what I got. An honest and thoughtful, sweet and sexy, story that also proves women are just as bad at communicating as men are.
I enjoyed the parallels between their story and the current state of affairs in my world, with it enhancing the story without shoving the similarities down my throat.
The world- and character-building are just what I would expect from a KM book. I am left with the warm and fuzzies from this book, and also left wanting the next in the series. A great read I have no hesitation in recommending.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Feb 1, 2021
Merissa (13592 KP) rated The Krampus's First Christmas Gift (An MM Monster Christmas #6) in Books
Dec 19, 2025
THE KRAMPUS'S FIRST CHRISTMAS GIFT is the sixth novel in the MM Monster Christmas series, and finishes off the series (I think!).
This is also the one where we find out just what happened to Jasper, and what his mysterious illness is all about. If you've read the prior books, you know Jasper had a fall in the forest and never fully recovered. You find out snippets in both Leo's and Trent's stories, but now you actually get all of it.
You might think, because of the title, that this might be scary or frightening, but what you get is a touch-starved black sheep of the family with a heart of gold. I loved Kraghol from the very beginning, but hearing about his family life and upbringing about broke my heart. I loved how Jasper made no judgments and fought for what-or rather, who-he wanted, right up until he didn't. That was the right thing in my opinion, and I loved how the story continued after that.
Trent's story will always be my favourite out of the bunch, but this one comes a close second. A brilliant story that I read in one sitting, that held my attention from beginning to end. A great series that I definitely recommend.
** Same worded review will appear elsewhere. **
* 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!
Dec 19, 2025
This is also the one where we find out just what happened to Jasper, and what his mysterious illness is all about. If you've read the prior books, you know Jasper had a fall in the forest and never fully recovered. You find out snippets in both Leo's and Trent's stories, but now you actually get all of it.
You might think, because of the title, that this might be scary or frightening, but what you get is a touch-starved black sheep of the family with a heart of gold. I loved Kraghol from the very beginning, but hearing about his family life and upbringing about broke my heart. I loved how Jasper made no judgments and fought for what-or rather, who-he wanted, right up until he didn't. That was the right thing in my opinion, and I loved how the story continued after that.
Trent's story will always be my favourite out of the bunch, but this one comes a close second. A brilliant story that I read in one sitting, that held my attention from beginning to end. A great series that I definitely recommend.
** Same worded review will appear elsewhere. **
* 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!
Dec 19, 2025
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2460 KP) rated Murder at Marble House in Books
Nov 6, 2024
Unfortunate Fortune Teller Murdered
We are once again in August 1895 in Newport, Rhode Island. Emma Cross, society reporter for the local paper, has her morning interrupted when her distance cousin, Consuelo Vanderbilt calls begging for Emma to come over to Marble House. While Emma finds herself caught up in some family drama, the last thing she expects is that her visit will end in murder. But that’s just what happens when the fortune teller that Alva Vanderbilt has hired is found dead behind the estate. When a family member vanishes, Emma starts to investigate. Can she find out what happened?
This book picks up right after the last one ends. While it doesn’t spoil the murder itself, it does give away some ongoing storylines. The story presents an interesting mystery, but the pacing does get off at times. We get some developments in Emma’s personal life, and I’m not sure I’m on her side as much after some of what happened here. If I’m this opinionated, clearly, I’m finding the characters real, and that includes real people and fictional characters. Speaking of which, the author includes a bit about what is true and what she twisted to make her plot work, which I always appreciate. I read this book right after getting to visit Newport, which made it easier to picture some of the locations. I’m already wishing I’d had time to really explore the locations more when I was there. Overall, this is a good second entry, and I’m looking forward to the next in the series.
This book picks up right after the last one ends. While it doesn’t spoil the murder itself, it does give away some ongoing storylines. The story presents an interesting mystery, but the pacing does get off at times. We get some developments in Emma’s personal life, and I’m not sure I’m on her side as much after some of what happened here. If I’m this opinionated, clearly, I’m finding the characters real, and that includes real people and fictional characters. Speaking of which, the author includes a bit about what is true and what she twisted to make her plot work, which I always appreciate. I read this book right after getting to visit Newport, which made it easier to picture some of the locations. I’m already wishing I’d had time to really explore the locations more when I was there. Overall, this is a good second entry, and I’m looking forward to the next in the series.
Bob Mann (459 KP) rated Booksmart (2019) in Movies
Sep 28, 2021
A raunchy but extremely funny teen-sex comedy.
A panda’s eye view of teenage life.
I tend to struggle to find a really good comedy to add to my top 10 of the year. Last year it was “Game Night” that made my list. One that is definitely heading there this year is “Booksmart”.
A retread on a well-travelled tyre.
The coming of age school comedy has been rehashed multiple times. These include films as varied as “Napoleon Dynamite”, “Superbad”, “Easy A”, “Mean Girls”, “Never Been Kissed” and “10 Things I Hate About You”. In tone, “Booksmart” is probably closest to “Superbad”, but it manages – under the direction of actress Olivia Wilde, in her debut feature – to establish a quirky likeability all of its own. An instant classic in the making.
Not for the prudish.
The story concerns two BFF’s – Molly (Beanie Feldstein, sister of Jonah Hill) and Amy (Kaitlyn Dever). They have both spent their young lives trying to score A’s at school in lieu of all other distractions. On the eve of their graduation, Molly realises that this was not a binary option. Her school companions have managed to get all of the success without any of the self-sacrifice! She calls “Malala”! And the duo proceed on a drink and drug-fuelled night to catch up on all the school social life they have missed out on!
Part of this catching up includes sex, and with Amy as a naive wannabe lesbian, in awe of tom-boy skateboarder Ryan (Victoria Ruesga), coming out has never seemed so painful.
I first saw this on a plane and guffawed so much that I went out to buy the DVD for a family viewing. Watching it again though, it is really very, very rude. If you were to categorize it, I think “sex comedy” would be a primary tag. A clumsy but realistic scene between Amy and the “hot girl” Hope (Diana Silvers… who really is) is excruciatingly hard to watch. This can therefore prove an uncomfortable co-watch for ‘young folks’ who – despite all the obvious evidence! – assume their parents / in-laws have done nothing in the past other than hold hands!! 🙂
In a great ensemble cast, Kaitlyn Dever is a revelation.
Kaitlyn Dever has cut her teeth with supporting roles on a few B-grade movies this year including “Beautiful Boy” and “The Front Runner“. But here she takes centre stage and is an absolute revelation as the sexually bemused teen. While Beanie Feldstein has the more obvious comic lead role, it is Dever who continually grabbed my attention with her acting skills. This young lady is added to my “one to watch” list.
This is not to decry the rest of the cast. For this is a great ensemble performance from a pretty unknown cast. The only familiar faces are Lisa Kudrow and Jason Sudeikis, but they only have bit parts.
The only role that didn’t quite work for me was that of the kooky drugged out hippie Gigi (Billie Lourd). It was all a bit too over-the-top for me in a movie that didn’t really need that sort of manic angle. (However, this did set up a Marwen-style drug scene that made me snort… with laughter).
As a comedy, will this by the whole you think it is?
I think this will prove to be a firm young person’s favourite for many years to come. Whether you will find it funny or not will probably depend on the setting of your ‘crudometer’ and your resilience to bad language on screen.
For me, personally, I am clearly still 17 on the inside! I loved it. Not only do I think it a good comedy. It is also a feel-good movie about best friends; a coming of age lesbian adventure; and a film that treats the multi-coloured spectrum of modern sexual variety as something entirely normal and to be celebrated.
I tend to struggle to find a really good comedy to add to my top 10 of the year. Last year it was “Game Night” that made my list. One that is definitely heading there this year is “Booksmart”.
A retread on a well-travelled tyre.
The coming of age school comedy has been rehashed multiple times. These include films as varied as “Napoleon Dynamite”, “Superbad”, “Easy A”, “Mean Girls”, “Never Been Kissed” and “10 Things I Hate About You”. In tone, “Booksmart” is probably closest to “Superbad”, but it manages – under the direction of actress Olivia Wilde, in her debut feature – to establish a quirky likeability all of its own. An instant classic in the making.
Not for the prudish.
The story concerns two BFF’s – Molly (Beanie Feldstein, sister of Jonah Hill) and Amy (Kaitlyn Dever). They have both spent their young lives trying to score A’s at school in lieu of all other distractions. On the eve of their graduation, Molly realises that this was not a binary option. Her school companions have managed to get all of the success without any of the self-sacrifice! She calls “Malala”! And the duo proceed on a drink and drug-fuelled night to catch up on all the school social life they have missed out on!
Part of this catching up includes sex, and with Amy as a naive wannabe lesbian, in awe of tom-boy skateboarder Ryan (Victoria Ruesga), coming out has never seemed so painful.
I first saw this on a plane and guffawed so much that I went out to buy the DVD for a family viewing. Watching it again though, it is really very, very rude. If you were to categorize it, I think “sex comedy” would be a primary tag. A clumsy but realistic scene between Amy and the “hot girl” Hope (Diana Silvers… who really is) is excruciatingly hard to watch. This can therefore prove an uncomfortable co-watch for ‘young folks’ who – despite all the obvious evidence! – assume their parents / in-laws have done nothing in the past other than hold hands!! 🙂
In a great ensemble cast, Kaitlyn Dever is a revelation.
Kaitlyn Dever has cut her teeth with supporting roles on a few B-grade movies this year including “Beautiful Boy” and “The Front Runner“. But here she takes centre stage and is an absolute revelation as the sexually bemused teen. While Beanie Feldstein has the more obvious comic lead role, it is Dever who continually grabbed my attention with her acting skills. This young lady is added to my “one to watch” list.
This is not to decry the rest of the cast. For this is a great ensemble performance from a pretty unknown cast. The only familiar faces are Lisa Kudrow and Jason Sudeikis, but they only have bit parts.
The only role that didn’t quite work for me was that of the kooky drugged out hippie Gigi (Billie Lourd). It was all a bit too over-the-top for me in a movie that didn’t really need that sort of manic angle. (However, this did set up a Marwen-style drug scene that made me snort… with laughter).
As a comedy, will this by the whole you think it is?
I think this will prove to be a firm young person’s favourite for many years to come. Whether you will find it funny or not will probably depend on the setting of your ‘crudometer’ and your resilience to bad language on screen.
For me, personally, I am clearly still 17 on the inside! I loved it. Not only do I think it a good comedy. It is also a feel-good movie about best friends; a coming of age lesbian adventure; and a film that treats the multi-coloured spectrum of modern sexual variety as something entirely normal and to be celebrated.
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated If I Stay (If I Stay, #1) in Books
May 10, 2018
Mia is a typical 17 year old girl. She has a great family, plays the cello, has good friends and an incredible boyfriend. On a very non-typical day in her home of Oregon, a dusting of snow keeps the whole family home from work and school. Her family decides to take a drive and visit some family and friends. Unfortunately, on this journey, tragedy strikes. Mia's family is involved in a car accident. As Mia's life hangs in the balance, she reflects on all that has happened in her short time on earth and what would or could happen if she decided to stay.
I thought this was going to be a tear-jerker, but it wasn't so much. The events that took place are sad for sure, but I didn't find myself crying like I thought I would. Imagine if everyone in your immediate family is killed in a car accident and you are the only survivor. What do you do? You watch your whole family laying in pools of blood and then you watch yourself being operated on and see the looks in the eyes of your friends and family as they try to make sense of it all as well. In the book, the movie Ghost is referenced, and this book does remind me a bit of that movie. Patrick Swayze is dead though, and Mia is just trying to figure out if she should stay with the living, or go and be with her parents and her brother. It's a hard decision to make and I'm not sure if it is one that I could make. For me or for any other member of my family. How can you make the decision to let someone live or die? How do you make that decision yourself? Are we really able to make that decision?
My favorite part of this book, is looking back into Mia's life. Getting an understanding of who she is and who her family was. I love the fact that her family was so close and most of her life treated her like a little adult instead of a child. They were encouraging and always there for her. Her boyfriend and her best friend were the same way. They may not have always agreed on everything, but they were always understanding and willing to give a listening ear. I'm not sure if the series follows Mia along the rest of her journey, but I would like to know what her decision was.
I thought this was going to be a tear-jerker, but it wasn't so much. The events that took place are sad for sure, but I didn't find myself crying like I thought I would. Imagine if everyone in your immediate family is killed in a car accident and you are the only survivor. What do you do? You watch your whole family laying in pools of blood and then you watch yourself being operated on and see the looks in the eyes of your friends and family as they try to make sense of it all as well. In the book, the movie Ghost is referenced, and this book does remind me a bit of that movie. Patrick Swayze is dead though, and Mia is just trying to figure out if she should stay with the living, or go and be with her parents and her brother. It's a hard decision to make and I'm not sure if it is one that I could make. For me or for any other member of my family. How can you make the decision to let someone live or die? How do you make that decision yourself? Are we really able to make that decision?
My favorite part of this book, is looking back into Mia's life. Getting an understanding of who she is and who her family was. I love the fact that her family was so close and most of her life treated her like a little adult instead of a child. They were encouraging and always there for her. Her boyfriend and her best friend were the same way. They may not have always agreed on everything, but they were always understanding and willing to give a listening ear. I'm not sure if the series follows Mia along the rest of her journey, but I would like to know what her decision was.