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Hotel Scarface
Book
Miami, December 31, 1979. Lock your doors. Watch your backs. Raise your glasses. Miami is about to...
Reader's Digest
Lifestyle and Magazines & Newspapers
8.5
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NEW for 2014: A beautiful redesign for iPad and a new iPhone edition. Designed exclusively for iOS7,...
The Wish-Bringer
Geraldine McCaughrean and Jana Diemberger
Book
The Little Monk Monacello returns, once again beautifully illustrated with Jana Diemberger's...
Last Exit to Brooklyn
Book
Few novels have caused as much debate as Hubert Selby Jr.'s notorious masterpiece, Last Exit to...
Scarcity: The True Cost of Not Having Enough
Sendhil Mullainathan and Eldar Sharif
Book
Sendhil Mullainathan, the 'most interesting young economist in the world', and Eldar Shafir, the...
TravelersWife4Life (31 KP) rated You and Me (Faith to Love, #7) in Books
Feb 23, 2021
You and Me by Cleopatra Margot is just that, a story about you and me. It is the everyday moments, the big life decisions, the family drama, and finding love for the first time. I enjoyed Cleopatra Margot’s writing style as it was down to earth and read like you were part of the family. From the decisions that Sam was faced with, the mysteries surrounding Braeden’s family, to some surprising revelations in Sam’s own family; Cleopatra Margot spun a heartwarmingly real and engaging story that kept me hooked from the very first chapter.
I enjoyed getting to know Sam and felt for her and the decisions that she had to make. Her character was very relatable, strong, and gentle all wrapped up in one complete package. Braeden fits his description to a T, Tall, Dark, and Yummy (first time I have heard it put like that, but it fits his character's sense of humor). He had quite a few obstacles to overcome and I loved how he treated Sam through everything, a true gentleman. With the additional side characters, I thought this book was very well rounded and I loved the layers added by the secondary characters.
“But despite the slight chill air this late in August held, there was a warmth inside her.”
The plot was filled with a good bit of mystery mixed with finding your place in the world and a friends to lovers’ type theme. One of my favorite things about this book was the characters continually pointed out that God must be the center of your life before anything else can really grow. I enjoyed this book, and I am going to be going back and reading the previous books in the series so I can read the other family member's stories. Readers who enjoy family centered books (like Susan May Warren or Dee Henderson’s books) will enjoy this one.
*I volunteered to read this book in return for my honest feedback. The thoughts and opinions expressed within are my own.
I enjoyed getting to know Sam and felt for her and the decisions that she had to make. Her character was very relatable, strong, and gentle all wrapped up in one complete package. Braeden fits his description to a T, Tall, Dark, and Yummy (first time I have heard it put like that, but it fits his character's sense of humor). He had quite a few obstacles to overcome and I loved how he treated Sam through everything, a true gentleman. With the additional side characters, I thought this book was very well rounded and I loved the layers added by the secondary characters.
“But despite the slight chill air this late in August held, there was a warmth inside her.”
The plot was filled with a good bit of mystery mixed with finding your place in the world and a friends to lovers’ type theme. One of my favorite things about this book was the characters continually pointed out that God must be the center of your life before anything else can really grow. I enjoyed this book, and I am going to be going back and reading the previous books in the series so I can read the other family member's stories. Readers who enjoy family centered books (like Susan May Warren or Dee Henderson’s books) will enjoy this one.
*I volunteered to read this book in return for my honest feedback. The thoughts and opinions expressed within are my own.
Laura Doe (1350 KP) rated Before You Knew My Name in Books
Jul 1, 2021
This book was a delight and a surprise to read! One that I couldn’t wait to finish but at the same time didn’t want to finish as it would mean the end of the story.
We follow Alice, who at 18 has run away to New York, following in her mothers footsteps. We know from the start that Alice has been murdered, but we don’t know why and by who, and we are kept guessing for the majority of the book. We also follow Ruby, who has run away from her life in Australia because of an affair she had with a man that is soon to be married. Both of their stories intertwine, and for a while you can’t tell why… until Alice’s body is found my Ruby on a morning jog. After that, Ruby feels the need to ensure that Alice’s murderer comes to justice and ends up making a few friends along the way.
The story is told by Alice (or her spirit as we come to realise) and is so beautifully written that it doesn’t become confusing switching between the parallels of the two women’s lives. Some of the turn of phrases are so beautiful that I could read Jacqueline Bublitz’s writing forever and not get bored. Her descriptions make you feel like you are experiencing the exact moment or looking at the exact same building and the emotions are described so wonderfully that you feel them too.
It is so rare to find a book that focuses on the victim of a crime instead of the perpetrator, and even in every day life the same is true. This book makes you wonder why we can’t focus on the person outside of being a victim and only focus on the perpetrator when it comes to being brought to justice.
I want to thank Jacqueline Bublitz and Pigeonhole for allowing me to read this book and I look forward to reading Jacqueline’s next book!
We follow Alice, who at 18 has run away to New York, following in her mothers footsteps. We know from the start that Alice has been murdered, but we don’t know why and by who, and we are kept guessing for the majority of the book. We also follow Ruby, who has run away from her life in Australia because of an affair she had with a man that is soon to be married. Both of their stories intertwine, and for a while you can’t tell why… until Alice’s body is found my Ruby on a morning jog. After that, Ruby feels the need to ensure that Alice’s murderer comes to justice and ends up making a few friends along the way.
The story is told by Alice (or her spirit as we come to realise) and is so beautifully written that it doesn’t become confusing switching between the parallels of the two women’s lives. Some of the turn of phrases are so beautiful that I could read Jacqueline Bublitz’s writing forever and not get bored. Her descriptions make you feel like you are experiencing the exact moment or looking at the exact same building and the emotions are described so wonderfully that you feel them too.
It is so rare to find a book that focuses on the victim of a crime instead of the perpetrator, and even in every day life the same is true. This book makes you wonder why we can’t focus on the person outside of being a victim and only focus on the perpetrator when it comes to being brought to justice.
I want to thank Jacqueline Bublitz and Pigeonhole for allowing me to read this book and I look forward to reading Jacqueline’s next book!
BookInspector (124 KP) rated The Distant Dead in Books
Jul 1, 2021
The protagonist in this novel is Stella, but there are multiple storylines going on in this book. Stella is a quite complicated character, she has a lot of things going on in her life. It does not help that while running from her past life she stumbles onto a murdered true-crime podcaster. And once again she gets involved with another investigation. The characters of this book are very interesting personalities, and I was very curious to know more about them. And there is a very wide variety of characters, so sometimes it can be a little difficult to remember who is who.
The beginning of the book was quite slow and confusing for me. This book carries two separate investigations, the one going on in 1940 during WWII, and another investigation happening at the present day. I would have liked more suspense in this book, the culprits were quite easy to guess, but I enjoyed the interactions between the characters while solving both of the crimes. I especially liked the investigation that happened in the 1940ies, I loved reading about that era and the description of West London was very intriguing and educational to me. Also, I really liked to see how different police work was compared to the present day, and I did feel annoyed with the police ignoring the obvious. 😀
The writing style of this book was very enjoyable and well researched. I liked the different settings and atmospheres as well. The chapters have medium length, but it did not leave me bored. As I mentioned before, the ending of the book was quite predictable, but I liked how this book was rounded up. Even though this book was part of the series, I was able to read it as a stand-alone.
So, to conclude, it was a cleverly written crime story, filled with a very wide variety of different and intriguing characters as well as the murder stories that were different but very entwined.
The beginning of the book was quite slow and confusing for me. This book carries two separate investigations, the one going on in 1940 during WWII, and another investigation happening at the present day. I would have liked more suspense in this book, the culprits were quite easy to guess, but I enjoyed the interactions between the characters while solving both of the crimes. I especially liked the investigation that happened in the 1940ies, I loved reading about that era and the description of West London was very intriguing and educational to me. Also, I really liked to see how different police work was compared to the present day, and I did feel annoyed with the police ignoring the obvious. 😀
The writing style of this book was very enjoyable and well researched. I liked the different settings and atmospheres as well. The chapters have medium length, but it did not leave me bored. As I mentioned before, the ending of the book was quite predictable, but I liked how this book was rounded up. Even though this book was part of the series, I was able to read it as a stand-alone.
So, to conclude, it was a cleverly written crime story, filled with a very wide variety of different and intriguing characters as well as the murder stories that were different but very entwined.
BookInspector (124 KP) rated The Secret Bridesmaid in Books
Jul 1, 2021
The protagonist in this book is Sophie, and the book is told from her perspective. Sophie is too good to be true 😀 , she is so well organised, likeable, patient, composed, helpful and just so cool that I want to be her. 😀 Why? Because I would have lost my patience after the first difficult bride. 😀 She agrees with all the bizarre request, allows to be treated horribly, her self respect being trampled over and over, and what she does? She smiles and carries on… Girl, how can you be so happy about everything? 😀 I really enjoyed all the characters in this novel, they are funny, enjoyable and interesting personalities.
I enjoyed the narrative thoroughly. The plot is filled with not only the weddings and crazy demands, but also with Sophie’s past life and relationships. I really liked these different parts of Sophie’s life, presented to the reader. I liked all the little twists and turns that this book had to offer as well. The topics discussed in this book were romance, breakups, friendships, the life of the rich and many more.
The writing style of this book was superb! I really enjoyed the added messages, bizarre emails and crazy stuff that Sophie has to deal with on a daily basis. The atmosphere of the book constantly changes, depending on the situations. The chapters have a medium length, but the pages just flew by for me, I was absorbed with Sophie’s life and her stories. Even though the ending of this book was quite predictable, I really liked how this book was rounded up.
So, to conclude, this book is a great mood booster, filled with characters that are full of personality and charisma, as well as the plot that shows different sides of Sophie’s life, it is laugh out loud funny and very enjoyable. I was very hooked from the first page, and I would strongly recommend it to anyone who needs something easy, fun but at the same time very well written and playful.
I enjoyed the narrative thoroughly. The plot is filled with not only the weddings and crazy demands, but also with Sophie’s past life and relationships. I really liked these different parts of Sophie’s life, presented to the reader. I liked all the little twists and turns that this book had to offer as well. The topics discussed in this book were romance, breakups, friendships, the life of the rich and many more.
The writing style of this book was superb! I really enjoyed the added messages, bizarre emails and crazy stuff that Sophie has to deal with on a daily basis. The atmosphere of the book constantly changes, depending on the situations. The chapters have a medium length, but the pages just flew by for me, I was absorbed with Sophie’s life and her stories. Even though the ending of this book was quite predictable, I really liked how this book was rounded up.
So, to conclude, this book is a great mood booster, filled with characters that are full of personality and charisma, as well as the plot that shows different sides of Sophie’s life, it is laugh out loud funny and very enjoyable. I was very hooked from the first page, and I would strongly recommend it to anyone who needs something easy, fun but at the same time very well written and playful.
What scares you the most? Ghouls, vampires, slime-fanged aliens ...or something terrible that truly could happen? For me it's definitely the latter.
Our narrator, Jon, is a historian witnessing the most monumental event of humanity but at a great distance. He feels compelled to keep a record of the people isolated with him in a vast hotel. He collects their stories and feelings in the faint hope that some sort of civilisation will survive long enough to rediscover them. Through his journal we experience what it would be like to be aware that the world was ending, billions dying, but be totally disconnected from the horrific events.
Most books set during an apocalypse are fraught with traumatic dashes, violent brushes with death, horror and misery. There are elements of that here but this book mostly poses the question of what you would do if there was little drama but lots of time to dwell on things. The people in the hotel are comparatively safe in an old hotel surrounded by forest. They wait for something to happen, for someone to rescue them, or perhaps just for their food to run out. Jon embarks on a quest to solve one cruel murder, taking him down a path of mistrust and near hysteria.
I enjoyed the blend of dystopia and murder mystery; the first half of the book reads like a modern day progeny of George Orwell and Agatha Christie. Asking your audience to imagine bombs wiping out entire countries but then drastically limiting their focus to one death amongst multitudes is startling. I also liked the references to real people and places, there were definite shades of the Cecil Hotel here for a true-crime/horror podcast junkie like me to appreciate. However, I do feel that the novel lost it's way towards the end - trying to be all things to all people perhaps. It's definitely worth reading and I'm keen to see more from this author.
Our narrator, Jon, is a historian witnessing the most monumental event of humanity but at a great distance. He feels compelled to keep a record of the people isolated with him in a vast hotel. He collects their stories and feelings in the faint hope that some sort of civilisation will survive long enough to rediscover them. Through his journal we experience what it would be like to be aware that the world was ending, billions dying, but be totally disconnected from the horrific events.
Most books set during an apocalypse are fraught with traumatic dashes, violent brushes with death, horror and misery. There are elements of that here but this book mostly poses the question of what you would do if there was little drama but lots of time to dwell on things. The people in the hotel are comparatively safe in an old hotel surrounded by forest. They wait for something to happen, for someone to rescue them, or perhaps just for their food to run out. Jon embarks on a quest to solve one cruel murder, taking him down a path of mistrust and near hysteria.
I enjoyed the blend of dystopia and murder mystery; the first half of the book reads like a modern day progeny of George Orwell and Agatha Christie. Asking your audience to imagine bombs wiping out entire countries but then drastically limiting their focus to one death amongst multitudes is startling. I also liked the references to real people and places, there were definite shades of the Cecil Hotel here for a true-crime/horror podcast junkie like me to appreciate. However, I do feel that the novel lost it's way towards the end - trying to be all things to all people perhaps. It's definitely worth reading and I'm keen to see more from this author.