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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated About a Girl (Metamorphoses, #3) in Books
Feb 13, 2018
This book tells the story of Tally, who at age 18, seems confident that her life will turn out just as she had planned - summer spent with her best friend, Shane; head to college; become an astronomer... But when Tally starts wondering about her past, she finds herself on a quest to learn more about mother and father, and her neatly ordered life is quickly turned upside down.
This is third book in the Metamorphoses trilogy - Tally, we learn, is the daughter of Aurora, whom Aurora left on her best friend's (now termed "Aunt Beast") doorstep to raise, along with Aunt Beast's best friend, Raoul and his husband, Henri. (All characters easily recognizable if you've read the first two books.)
Needless to say, this is an interesting book. I actually really liked Tally. She's different from Aurora and Maia and even Cass. Tally finds relief in the order of planets and stars. She is a good kid, overall, with a pretty common upbringing, despite the fact it was by her "Aunt" and her friends.
However, when Tally is shown a picture of Jack (and Aurora) and sent off to the West Coast by the shadowy Mr. M - whom she just knows as her friendly neighbor - everything changes. She finds herself sucked into the strangeness of the town where Jack lives, where she can't remember things and time just slips away. As always, the "weirdness" in McCarry's writing comes out, and I'm always not 100% sure I'm following things correctly. I won't spoil the book, but I can point out that Tally meets Maddy there, for whom she falls for deeply.
I probably liked this book the best of the three - I rooted for Tally, and I loved that this book featured a transgender character (Tally's friend Shane) and a lesbian relationship (between Tally and Maddy). Great to see that thrown into a YA book without it truly being the focus of anything. As always, the mystical side of McCarry's novel threw me a bit, but I found it less disconcerting in this one than the previous two, for some reason. While I would have loved more resolution to the story of everyone, this book did seem a fairly fitting bookend to the tales McCarry has woven for these characters.
(Note: I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.)
This is third book in the Metamorphoses trilogy - Tally, we learn, is the daughter of Aurora, whom Aurora left on her best friend's (now termed "Aunt Beast") doorstep to raise, along with Aunt Beast's best friend, Raoul and his husband, Henri. (All characters easily recognizable if you've read the first two books.)
Needless to say, this is an interesting book. I actually really liked Tally. She's different from Aurora and Maia and even Cass. Tally finds relief in the order of planets and stars. She is a good kid, overall, with a pretty common upbringing, despite the fact it was by her "Aunt" and her friends.
However, when Tally is shown a picture of Jack (and Aurora) and sent off to the West Coast by the shadowy Mr. M - whom she just knows as her friendly neighbor - everything changes. She finds herself sucked into the strangeness of the town where Jack lives, where she can't remember things and time just slips away. As always, the "weirdness" in McCarry's writing comes out, and I'm always not 100% sure I'm following things correctly. I won't spoil the book, but I can point out that Tally meets Maddy there, for whom she falls for deeply.
I probably liked this book the best of the three - I rooted for Tally, and I loved that this book featured a transgender character (Tally's friend Shane) and a lesbian relationship (between Tally and Maddy). Great to see that thrown into a YA book without it truly being the focus of anything. As always, the mystical side of McCarry's novel threw me a bit, but I found it less disconcerting in this one than the previous two, for some reason. While I would have loved more resolution to the story of everyone, this book did seem a fairly fitting bookend to the tales McCarry has woven for these characters.
(Note: I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.)
Easy Street (the Hard Way): A Memoir
Book
The engaging, passionate, always-honest, and often-hilarious memoir of actor Ron Perlman--his...
Matt Martin (12 KP) rated Google Home in Apps
Sep 18, 2020
Unbeatable
This is my first review here and I chose this because it's my most used and most raved about product. I tell everyone to get this. Philips hue smart lights all over my house RUN THROUGH GOOGLE. Three nest thermostats for my 3 zones in my house RUN THROUGH GOOGLE. The 2 nest hub maxes, 4 nest mini's, 3 nest wifi points, 6 chromecasts all RUN THROUGH GOOGLE. My nest yale locks for my 2 doors, nest home security system with points in every window and door, my nest video doorbell & 4 outdoor cameras all RUN THROUGH GOOGLE. The dozen tp link casa smart plugs I have for everything around the house, the multiple govee light strips behind tvs and furniture all RUN THROUGH GOOGLE. You get the point. When comparing Google to Amazon Alexa I think it's a no brainer. Google is far more user friendly. Google works with everything a lot easier. The routines are amazing. At night instead of walking around my whole house turning everything off, the lights, the tvs, the fan, remembering to lock the door... None of that, just say "shut it down" (or whatever you choose to say) and it does it all for you. In the morning the routines can wake up by a phrase, by sunrise or by time and can play music, then read you the news, then turn on the lights, then make you coffee. Nothing to remember to do everyday. It really does make life so much easier. Hot day and you forgot to turn the Ac's on before you left for work? Don't even trip dawg, just tell Google it's time to go home and it'll turn all that on and give you the estimated time of your commute and then start playing your favorite podcast from where you left off. You can create groups of speakers, so if I tell Google to play Colter Wall downstairs it plays on all 6 downstairs speakers. The things this can do are literally endless. I can't say enough good things about it. If you know your tech especially this is the way to go. Google has become a part of our families everyday life.
Southern Today (21 KP) rated Gray Wolf Island in Books
Nov 6, 2017
Written by Tracey Neithercott, this book follows Ruby as she ventures out of her comfort zone to full fill her sisters dying wish – that she goes on a treasure hunt.
I really liked this book, and I didn’t think that I would. If you have ever read A Prayer for Owen Meany, this writing style reminds me of that. And I wonder if one character wasn’t inspired by that book.
This book isn’t a realism book, this is a bit whimsical in the background of the characters. One girl doesn’t sleep. Literally. Ever.
Kids, don’t try to do that. But it works for this book.
There is also death that is dealt with, and it’s done in a such a way that I think this would be a great book to analysis as a high school or college novel, but it might be a little tough for the young kids. Middle schoolers could enjoy this, but parents I would recommend reading this with your kids. Scroll to the bottom section underneath the spoilers to see why.
The writing is just beautiful, and the characters have such depth and reflect real life so much. This is a book that shows both the typical teenager, and what makes each person unique. And, I enjoy that all of the girls were a little odd. And I enjoyed the two character story telling. I guess part of the ending, but the other part did startle me. Completely.
Fans of mystery, adventure, growth, and just a good book will enjoy this novel.
I really liked this book, and I didn’t think that I would. If you have ever read A Prayer for Owen Meany, this writing style reminds me of that. And I wonder if one character wasn’t inspired by that book.
This book isn’t a realism book, this is a bit whimsical in the background of the characters. One girl doesn’t sleep. Literally. Ever.
Kids, don’t try to do that. But it works for this book.
There is also death that is dealt with, and it’s done in a such a way that I think this would be a great book to analysis as a high school or college novel, but it might be a little tough for the young kids. Middle schoolers could enjoy this, but parents I would recommend reading this with your kids. Scroll to the bottom section underneath the spoilers to see why.
The writing is just beautiful, and the characters have such depth and reflect real life so much. This is a book that shows both the typical teenager, and what makes each person unique. And, I enjoy that all of the girls were a little odd. And I enjoyed the two character story telling. I guess part of the ending, but the other part did startle me. Completely.
Fans of mystery, adventure, growth, and just a good book will enjoy this novel.
Autumn (430 KP) rated Ready Player One in Books
Jan 2, 2018 (Updated Jan 2, 2018)
80s references (2 more)
Immersive world building
Not just for gamers
A bit too much referencing (1 more)
Would have liked to know what the winner did with the money after the game was over
I wasn’t alive in the 80s and am not a gamer, but I still got sucked into this book. I have seen a lot of 80s movies and heard of a lot of the consoles and games mentioned, so I was able to catch/understand most of the references. A lot of world building went into this, both inside and outside the OASIS simulation, and I think it was done well. I wish it had gone into what happened after the game was over. Did the winner try to help fix this dystopian society or just buy a big mansion, live like a king and watch the rest of the world burn? I’m glad the main character was from Oklahoma, my home state, and from a city only about 2 to 3 hrs from where I live. Oklahoma isn’t usually a popular place for movies or books to take place so it was nice to see something that partly took place in my state. It was also nice that this character wasn’t portrayed as a country bumpkin being from Oklahoma. Although, his living conditions and home life are pretty standard for characters from my state. I’m excited to see how this story translates from book to movie because, if done right, I think it could be good.
ArecRain (8 KP) rated The Thirteenth Earl in Books
Jan 18, 2018
What a delightful read. After being stuck in contemporary romance limbo, it was refreshing to return to a good historical romance especially since there are so many historical romances pumped out. This one had me from page one, especially since it dealt with a lot of topics not typically seen in this genre. The first is the mental deterioration of people as they age and the other two are spiritualism and ghosts. All of these very much existed during this time, but are generally misunderstood or considered taboo. It was interesting to read the authors take on them in her story.
Overall, the plot is very simple. I felt that the twist or surprise wasnt surprising at all and could be seen from the moment the villain was introduced. Despite that, it was still a delight to read. Thax is among my favorite historical heroes for multiple reasons. He could be dense and rash but his love for the heroine felt genuine and could be seen in his actions towards her. The female characters in this story were equally as enjoyable. They were strong and intelligent without losing a shred of their femininity. I appreciated their resourcefulness.
The Thirteenth Earl is an uncomplicated love story about two people trying to muddle through the drama in their life and end up finding happiness in each other. If you are searching for a heartwarming romance, filled with realistic and likable characters, this novel may be your next rainy day read.
Overall, the plot is very simple. I felt that the twist or surprise wasnt surprising at all and could be seen from the moment the villain was introduced. Despite that, it was still a delight to read. Thax is among my favorite historical heroes for multiple reasons. He could be dense and rash but his love for the heroine felt genuine and could be seen in his actions towards her. The female characters in this story were equally as enjoyable. They were strong and intelligent without losing a shred of their femininity. I appreciated their resourcefulness.
The Thirteenth Earl is an uncomplicated love story about two people trying to muddle through the drama in their life and end up finding happiness in each other. If you are searching for a heartwarming romance, filled with realistic and likable characters, this novel may be your next rainy day read.
Alex Trybus (79 KP) rated Pokémon GO in Apps
Jan 26, 2018
It is very organized (page for Pokemon, page for items, map, etc.) (2 more)
LOVE the idea of traveling and walking around in real life and having that change what happens in the app
The new feature that makes the weather of where you live change your pokemon is amazing
I won't be fully satisfied with the app until you can start "friending" people (1 more)
There are still a lot of glitches that need to be worked out
Good app with a lot of potential
I have been using this gaming app since it first came out almost two years ago. I spent the entire summer running around the neighborhood gathering up an army of Pokemon just like everyone else was doing at the time. I adored it- it was so much fun! Eventually the glitter wore off, just like any new game, and I stopped opening it every single day like I used to. But then, upon hearing of all the new changes to it this year (like raids, battles, etc.) I decided to download it again. I love the new weather feature, and how you can create a little "group" of your favorite Pokemon. I like the app now, and I think it's very enjoyable, but I think it still has MUCH more potential. I won't be fully satisfied with it until you're able to friend people, see their stats, talk to them, and maybe even begin trading Pokemon and items. That being said, should you ever see me in a gym or in a raid battle, my user tag is @alexthegloom !!!
Debbiereadsbook (1633 KP) rated Lies & Deception(Soldiers of Fury MC #1) in Books
Jul 2, 2018
Not really one for me :-(
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
*insert sigh*
Gonna jump straight in here, and this review may well be on the short side!
For the most part, I DID enjoy this. Mostly.
And for the life of me, I cannot, I simply CAN'T figure out what didn't work, or why! And you KNOW how much that frustrates me!!
It's well told, from both Fin and Mitch's POV, in the third person. Perfect for me. It's a very well delivered tale.
I did see who was feeding the police their insider information very early on, I did NOT see who was helping him. I would have love to have been told how Mitch and Finn dealt with finding out each other's secrets, because we don't get that here and I wanted to know how that went down!
It's not overly explicit for a male/male book, but it does come with a contemporary tag. Just the right amount for this book. It does get rather detailed in the description of the violence dished out by Finn's older brother, Rocky. But then again, Rocky isn't the best example of big brother material!
It is, as far as I can see, the first I've read of this author. I'd like to read more. Maybe I just picked the wrong book to jump into Nic Starr's world!
A GOOD 3.5 stars, rounded down to 3 for the blog.
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
*insert sigh*
Gonna jump straight in here, and this review may well be on the short side!
For the most part, I DID enjoy this. Mostly.
And for the life of me, I cannot, I simply CAN'T figure out what didn't work, or why! And you KNOW how much that frustrates me!!
It's well told, from both Fin and Mitch's POV, in the third person. Perfect for me. It's a very well delivered tale.
I did see who was feeding the police their insider information very early on, I did NOT see who was helping him. I would have love to have been told how Mitch and Finn dealt with finding out each other's secrets, because we don't get that here and I wanted to know how that went down!
It's not overly explicit for a male/male book, but it does come with a contemporary tag. Just the right amount for this book. It does get rather detailed in the description of the violence dished out by Finn's older brother, Rocky. But then again, Rocky isn't the best example of big brother material!
It is, as far as I can see, the first I've read of this author. I'd like to read more. Maybe I just picked the wrong book to jump into Nic Starr's world!
A GOOD 3.5 stars, rounded down to 3 for the blog.
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Merissa (13668 KP) rated Queen Wolf (Triad Mates #1) in Books
Oct 15, 2018
Queen Wolf (Triad Mates #1) by Erin M. Leaf
Queen Wolf is the first book in the Triad Mates series, and we start off with a boom! Quite specifically, the boom that follows something being set alight. Avery has decided to burn her ex's old porn magazines, and takes great delight in doing so. Although part of a pack, Avery doesn't feel like she belongs, for a number of reasons. However, times are a-changing for the pack, and that has a major impact on Avery and her life too.
I love Erin M. Leaf's books, and always look forward to reading them. This book was no different. We have wolves, we have a triad, and we have sneaky stuff going on that is causing trouble for them all. What could be better?
First books in a new series can always be tricky. It's hard getting the world building just right without info-dumping on the poor reader. However, this is set in 'our' world, which means the author has been able to concentrate on the pack and how it works, including the problems it now finds itself with.
I loved the world building in this book, and that, coupled with strong characters and no editing or grammatical errors, means I thoroughly enjoyed this story and can't wait for the next book in the series. Absolutely recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
I love Erin M. Leaf's books, and always look forward to reading them. This book was no different. We have wolves, we have a triad, and we have sneaky stuff going on that is causing trouble for them all. What could be better?
First books in a new series can always be tricky. It's hard getting the world building just right without info-dumping on the poor reader. However, this is set in 'our' world, which means the author has been able to concentrate on the pack and how it works, including the problems it now finds itself with.
I loved the world building in this book, and that, coupled with strong characters and no editing or grammatical errors, means I thoroughly enjoyed this story and can't wait for the next book in the series. Absolutely recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
3 STAR RATING
I have been very interested in reading as many anxiety/depression self help books as I possibly can as I believe it's something that I need to overcome. Depression is a really awful thing to suffer from and so I am willing to do whatever it takes to cure it, improve it or even to just learn to live with it.
After reading the back of the book when I came across it at the library I thought it sounded like a fantastic idea and perhaps something that could really improve my outlook on life. I was, however, a bit disappointed with this one as in my opinion it is a very good idea which has been very poorly executed. The sections within the book became very very repetitive, I couldn't stay interested and once I had finished it it left me with a 'meh' feeling...I was definitely hoping for more.
The language in some places was a bit technical and therefore cold and uncaring, however, I did enjoy the illustrations even though they were very child-like. There are definitely better self help books out there, on the other hand, I still recommend reading this one as the idea is very interesting and the way the 'conditions' are approached is somewhat unique yet not very broad. Read this if you are willing to try anything in order to understand depression and anxiety more but I must say this one isn't at the top of my list.
I have been very interested in reading as many anxiety/depression self help books as I possibly can as I believe it's something that I need to overcome. Depression is a really awful thing to suffer from and so I am willing to do whatever it takes to cure it, improve it or even to just learn to live with it.
After reading the back of the book when I came across it at the library I thought it sounded like a fantastic idea and perhaps something that could really improve my outlook on life. I was, however, a bit disappointed with this one as in my opinion it is a very good idea which has been very poorly executed. The sections within the book became very very repetitive, I couldn't stay interested and once I had finished it it left me with a 'meh' feeling...I was definitely hoping for more.
The language in some places was a bit technical and therefore cold and uncaring, however, I did enjoy the illustrations even though they were very child-like. There are definitely better self help books out there, on the other hand, I still recommend reading this one as the idea is very interesting and the way the 'conditions' are approached is somewhat unique yet not very broad. Read this if you are willing to try anything in order to understand depression and anxiety more but I must say this one isn't at the top of my list.