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ClareR (6001 KP) rated Those Who Are Loved in Books
May 30, 2019
An emotional look at modern Greek history.
This book is about the lives of the Koralis family, and particularly Themis, from 1930 to 2016. We follow them through some of the most disruptive times in Greek history - I hadn’t actually realised how deeply traumatic recent Greek history was.
Themis is a partisan fighter during WW2, trying to get the Germans out of Greece, and then fighting the right-wing government who had supported the invading Germans. She ends up a prisoner and endures terrible living conditions and violence at the hands of her prison guards. She returns home, marries and has a family, but her past is always with her. Greece doesn’t allow her to forget, as it continues to be led by a military government under martial law.
I loved following Themis and her siblings lives in the earlier chapters of the book, the history I’d never known about before (that Victoria Hislop describes so well), and her children and their lives in the latter half of the book.
Themis is a quietly formidable woman, who always stands by her beliefs and her family, and there are some really very emotional parts to this book.
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole for serialising this wonderful book - I’ll definitely be buying some copies as birthday presents this year, that’s for sure.
Themis is a partisan fighter during WW2, trying to get the Germans out of Greece, and then fighting the right-wing government who had supported the invading Germans. She ends up a prisoner and endures terrible living conditions and violence at the hands of her prison guards. She returns home, marries and has a family, but her past is always with her. Greece doesn’t allow her to forget, as it continues to be led by a military government under martial law.
I loved following Themis and her siblings lives in the earlier chapters of the book, the history I’d never known about before (that Victoria Hislop describes so well), and her children and their lives in the latter half of the book.
Themis is a quietly formidable woman, who always stands by her beliefs and her family, and there are some really very emotional parts to this book.
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole for serialising this wonderful book - I’ll definitely be buying some copies as birthday presents this year, that’s for sure.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Everything, Everything in Books
Feb 1, 2018
Madeline Whittier (Maddy) has SCID, an immunity disorder (think "bubble boy") that confines her to her home. Even stepping outside could kill her. Therefore, she lives alone with her Mom, limited to contact with her and her nurse, Carla. For most of her seventeen years, Maddy has been fine with this, until Olly and his family move next door. Suddenly, Maddy finds herself questioning everything about her life.
For me, this was a lovely and touching book. I fell head over heels for Maddy and Olly and their angsty, teen love. The book is fun, with the writing interspersed with Maddy's drawings and sketches (done by Yoon's husband). A scene with a bundt cake is priceless (trust me). Maddy's voice is fresh and it's interesting to "see" the world through her eyes -- as someone who hasn't been outside since she was a baby. The supporting characters are spare, due to Maddy's limited life, but I loved her nurse, Carla, and Olly. Maddy's mom is a formidable character, as well.
The book takes on a lot - Maddy's illness, domestic violence, teen love, mental illness - I think a lesser author could have easily stumbled. It's not perfect, of course, but I still found myself swept up in Maddy's life and story. It's beautiful, touching, and fun. Definitely a worthy read - one of my favorites that I read this year.
For me, this was a lovely and touching book. I fell head over heels for Maddy and Olly and their angsty, teen love. The book is fun, with the writing interspersed with Maddy's drawings and sketches (done by Yoon's husband). A scene with a bundt cake is priceless (trust me). Maddy's voice is fresh and it's interesting to "see" the world through her eyes -- as someone who hasn't been outside since she was a baby. The supporting characters are spare, due to Maddy's limited life, but I loved her nurse, Carla, and Olly. Maddy's mom is a formidable character, as well.
The book takes on a lot - Maddy's illness, domestic violence, teen love, mental illness - I think a lesser author could have easily stumbled. It's not perfect, of course, but I still found myself swept up in Maddy's life and story. It's beautiful, touching, and fun. Definitely a worthy read - one of my favorites that I read this year.
Sean Farrell (9 KP) rated Ararat in Books
Mar 15, 2018
"Popcorn" books can be a lot of fun no matter what time of year it is, but they seem especially appropriate in the Summer time, and this latest horror offering from Christopher Golden is a pretty perfect Summer book. Engaged, moutain-climbing authors / documentary filmmakers Adam and Meryam are in a race to be first up Mt. Ararat into a cavern that has opened up as the result of an earthquake, possibly revealing Noah's Ark. Unsurprisingly they make it and discover that the cavern appears to actually be the ark itself, and it contains a rather disturbing discovery inside. Nevertheless, they assemble a team of international archaeologists, religious experts, mountain guides, and government representatives and get to work studying their findings. As a blizzard approaches, effectively trapping them inside the Ark, things begin to take a turn for the worse at the site as the body count begins piling up, and the tone of the book switches from adventure mixed with some mystery to a straight-up frightfest. This is one of the scarier books I've read in a while, using some pretty shocking violence to really up the fear factor. As a result, while not likely to win any literary rewards, Mr. Golden has created one of the year's most entertaining books, and written a story that would make a great Summer blockbuster.
Erika Kehlet (21 KP) rated Eeny Meeny (Helen Grace, #1) in Books
Feb 21, 2018
***NOTE: I was provided a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review***
Detective Helen Grace is lead investigator in what at first seems to be a single unusual murder case, but turns out to be only the first strike by an deranged serial killer. Two victims at a time are kidnapped and locked up with no food or water. They are left with a gun and a message. When one of them is dead, the other will be set free.
Eeny Meeny is a very fast-paced police procedural / thriller story. The characters are not very likable, even the good guys, and that usually would have made me dislike the book. I found it to be very well-written and suspenseful though, and couldn't put it down. The chapters are very short, sometimes as little as two pages, and move between points of view. In another story this might have felt jarring or confusing, but in this case it only added to the tension. I was a little too disturbed by some of the details regarding what the captives went through, as well as with some of the characters personal lives, or I would have rated this higher.
If you enjoy edgy, suspenseful thrillers and don't mind some gruesome details, give this one a read.
Warnings: some descriptions of sex, torture and violence, abuse
Detective Helen Grace is lead investigator in what at first seems to be a single unusual murder case, but turns out to be only the first strike by an deranged serial killer. Two victims at a time are kidnapped and locked up with no food or water. They are left with a gun and a message. When one of them is dead, the other will be set free.
Eeny Meeny is a very fast-paced police procedural / thriller story. The characters are not very likable, even the good guys, and that usually would have made me dislike the book. I found it to be very well-written and suspenseful though, and couldn't put it down. The chapters are very short, sometimes as little as two pages, and move between points of view. In another story this might have felt jarring or confusing, but in this case it only added to the tension. I was a little too disturbed by some of the details regarding what the captives went through, as well as with some of the characters personal lives, or I would have rated this higher.
If you enjoy edgy, suspenseful thrillers and don't mind some gruesome details, give this one a read.
Warnings: some descriptions of sex, torture and violence, abuse
Lou Grande (148 KP) rated Upgrade (2018) in Movies
Jun 15, 2018
The best William Gibson movie not written by William Gibson
My boyfriend and I saw this the other day, and I can't believe how poorly it's doing at the box office! This was a great movie. The feel of it was very cyberpunky, but not so in-your-face as the very awful Ghost in the Shell adaptation. Leigh Whannell directed and produced, so it has some of the same Saw graphic violence, which I think sits well with the cyberpunk genre. The entire concept is based around human and machine adaptation, and where the line should be drawn--or rather, the dangers of letting it go too far.
The atmosphere is really well developed: we see the poor parts of the city being grungy and dangerous, while the upper crust benefits from the best technology. Almost all humans have been modified in some way, except for our protagonist. In the beginning, anyway. Anyone who has watched the trailers knows that he becomes paralyzed, and then his spinal cord is "reattached" using Stem, a "widget" that allows his brain to communicate with his limbs. It also makes him a ninja.
But that's not really the core of the story. At its heart, Upgrade is a mystery wrapped in a cautionary tale. I'll take this over Johnny Mnemonic any day.
The atmosphere is really well developed: we see the poor parts of the city being grungy and dangerous, while the upper crust benefits from the best technology. Almost all humans have been modified in some way, except for our protagonist. In the beginning, anyway. Anyone who has watched the trailers knows that he becomes paralyzed, and then his spinal cord is "reattached" using Stem, a "widget" that allows his brain to communicate with his limbs. It also makes him a ninja.
But that's not really the core of the story. At its heart, Upgrade is a mystery wrapped in a cautionary tale. I'll take this over Johnny Mnemonic any day.
Nicole Hadley (380 KP) rated Rose of Sarajevo in Books
Jun 18, 2018
<a href="https://awindowintobooks.wordpress.com">Full Review</a>
I received, Rose of Sarajevo by Ayse Kulin, for free in exchange for a review from goodreads. I knew very little about the Balkans crisis prior to reading this book but now I feel that I understand some of what the people experienced and how families were torn apart for a crisis that is deep within the roots of the people. For the first part of the book the story appeared to creep along the pages as the author explained the reason for the war and give the backstory. Once the necessary explanation was completed the story took off and captivated me as the reader. Violence occurs. A town is destroyed. Heartbreak. Death. And finally, family members leaving to fight a war that so many see as senseless.
At the beginning Nimeta (the main characters) appears to be a woman is strong, dedicated, journalist whose a mother, a daughter, and a wife. She has done everything correct just as is expected of her until she meets Stefan who she unexpectedly fall in love with. She has to make the decision of doing what is right and doing what her heart says.
As a person who loves historical novels, this book was perfect. I recommend this book to anyone who likes to read about history, especially a part of history that is not discussed much.
I received, Rose of Sarajevo by Ayse Kulin, for free in exchange for a review from goodreads. I knew very little about the Balkans crisis prior to reading this book but now I feel that I understand some of what the people experienced and how families were torn apart for a crisis that is deep within the roots of the people. For the first part of the book the story appeared to creep along the pages as the author explained the reason for the war and give the backstory. Once the necessary explanation was completed the story took off and captivated me as the reader. Violence occurs. A town is destroyed. Heartbreak. Death. And finally, family members leaving to fight a war that so many see as senseless.
At the beginning Nimeta (the main characters) appears to be a woman is strong, dedicated, journalist whose a mother, a daughter, and a wife. She has done everything correct just as is expected of her until she meets Stefan who she unexpectedly fall in love with. She has to make the decision of doing what is right and doing what her heart says.
As a person who loves historical novels, this book was perfect. I recommend this book to anyone who likes to read about history, especially a part of history that is not discussed much.
Debbiereadsbook (1570 KP) rated Beloved Lives in Books
May 28, 2018
doesn't quite work for me
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
And I gotta be honest here, it was very touch and go whether I would actually finish this!
The story tells of April, and Mitch and Weston. April only has her say here, and I would probably have enjoyed in more if the guys had had a say.
April and Winston have history, ancient history. And through time, they have, according to Weston, found each other and lived long and happy lives. But something doesn't ring true for April and she uses Mitch skill at hypnotherapy and past life regression to finally get some answers.
Like I said, touch and go for a while. I got way past half way, and I still wasn't able to figure out what was going on, and where this was going. But I kept at it, hoping it would make sense at some point. It did, but only once it was all revealed in the book.
It's not overly explicit, but there is some violence when they talk about how it all began. It's well written and I saw no editing or spelling errors.
It just didn't work for me.
But for a first time author, well done.
3 solid stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
And I gotta be honest here, it was very touch and go whether I would actually finish this!
The story tells of April, and Mitch and Weston. April only has her say here, and I would probably have enjoyed in more if the guys had had a say.
April and Winston have history, ancient history. And through time, they have, according to Weston, found each other and lived long and happy lives. But something doesn't ring true for April and she uses Mitch skill at hypnotherapy and past life regression to finally get some answers.
Like I said, touch and go for a while. I got way past half way, and I still wasn't able to figure out what was going on, and where this was going. But I kept at it, hoping it would make sense at some point. It did, but only once it was all revealed in the book.
It's not overly explicit, but there is some violence when they talk about how it all began. It's well written and I saw no editing or spelling errors.
It just didn't work for me.
But for a first time author, well done.
3 solid stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Awix (3310 KP) rated At the Earth's Core (1976) in Movies
Nov 10, 2018 (Updated Nov 10, 2018)
Second in Amicus's series of Burroughs-inspired pulp adventures with Doug McClure. Adventurers seeking to drill through the mountains from England to Wales take a wrong turn and end up in a terrifying wasteland dominated by sub-human beasts; it takes them a while to figure out their mistake. It turns out the Earth's core is ruled by evil giant pterodactyls with hypnotic powers - having taken a fancy to the local princess (Munro), the beefier of the visitors (McClure) resolves to sort the situation out.
One of the final examples of the kind of cheap and cheerful genre movie that the success of Star Wars the following year was to transform utterly. This one is notable for some of the worst man-in-a-suit monster effects ever seen outside Japan, the closest thing to a bad performance ever given by Peter Cushing, and an oddly inconsistent tone - much of it is rather juvenile, but some of the violence is a bit heavy for what often feels like a knockabout kid's film (the Earth's core is a wholly abstinent place - there isn't even the suggestion of funny business between McClure and Munro). The Iron Mole model is actually not bad, and the prog rock soundtrack certainly makes it distinctive. Kind of fun, in the end. Contains the line 'You can't mesmerise me, I'm British!'
One of the final examples of the kind of cheap and cheerful genre movie that the success of Star Wars the following year was to transform utterly. This one is notable for some of the worst man-in-a-suit monster effects ever seen outside Japan, the closest thing to a bad performance ever given by Peter Cushing, and an oddly inconsistent tone - much of it is rather juvenile, but some of the violence is a bit heavy for what often feels like a knockabout kid's film (the Earth's core is a wholly abstinent place - there isn't even the suggestion of funny business between McClure and Munro). The Iron Mole model is actually not bad, and the prog rock soundtrack certainly makes it distinctive. Kind of fun, in the end. Contains the line 'You can't mesmerise me, I'm British!'
As with most comics/graphic novels-into-movies I've read, I'll admit that I saw the movie (quite a few years back) before reading this.
Essentially a comic-book-brought-to-screen, the movie iteself was incredibly violent (but enjoyable), with ridiculous amoutns of blood and body parts splattered across the screen, and with more nudity than I was expecting alongside the whole sub-plot of King Leonidas wife getting the Spartans to march.
An entire sub-plot that is not in the source material at all.
I also have to say that the violence in this - while still there - is actually toned down quite a bit from what I was expecting, with several of the panels virtually lifted from the pages and put on to the screen.
The story, for anyone who doesn't already know, is centred around King Leonidas' view of Thermopylae - or 'The Hot Gates' - , a narrow pass defended by the 300 Spartans of the title (plus miscellaneous other Greeks, although you'd be forgive for thinking they weren't there the way this, and the legend, is told!) to the death, and which was immortalised by the poet Simodides as follows on an epigram placed on theri burial mound:
"Go tell the Spartans, you who passeth by,
That here, obedient to their laws, we lie."
(see: http://www.poetryatlas.com/poetry/poem/1458/go-tell-the-spartans.html)
Essentially a comic-book-brought-to-screen, the movie iteself was incredibly violent (but enjoyable), with ridiculous amoutns of blood and body parts splattered across the screen, and with more nudity than I was expecting alongside the whole sub-plot of King Leonidas wife getting the Spartans to march.
An entire sub-plot that is not in the source material at all.
I also have to say that the violence in this - while still there - is actually toned down quite a bit from what I was expecting, with several of the panels virtually lifted from the pages and put on to the screen.
The story, for anyone who doesn't already know, is centred around King Leonidas' view of Thermopylae - or 'The Hot Gates' - , a narrow pass defended by the 300 Spartans of the title (plus miscellaneous other Greeks, although you'd be forgive for thinking they weren't there the way this, and the legend, is told!) to the death, and which was immortalised by the poet Simodides as follows on an epigram placed on theri burial mound:
"Go tell the Spartans, you who passeth by,
That here, obedient to their laws, we lie."
(see: http://www.poetryatlas.com/poetry/poem/1458/go-tell-the-spartans.html)
Eilidh G Clark (177 KP) rated (Un)arranged Marriage in Books
Jul 2, 2019
This is a funny book
Contains spoilers, click to show
This is the first book I've read for pleasure since I completed my 3rd year at university. This is the type of book I enjoy and I wasn't disappointed.
The story is written in first person from the point of view of a young English Indian boy. It begins on his wedding day and his nervousness and anger at being forced into an arranged marriage. The author then writes the book in retrospect, and takes the reader back three years. The story explores the difficulty of the protagonist who struggles to adhere to his family's traditional views and religion. He endures years of beatings from his alcoholic father and emotional blackmail from his mother. He is beaten and ridiculed by his older brothers and his intimate narration allows the reader to discover his feelings of 'otherness'amongst his family whilst he attempts to live a normal life as an ordinary English boy. The author explores racism, poverty, domestic violence, neglect and love through the use of bildungsroman which concludes with the protagonist choosing his own path in life. It is by no means a happy ending, but it demonstrates determination and an understanding of a culture that the character is unable to comprehend.
Interesting and easy novel to read.
The story is written in first person from the point of view of a young English Indian boy. It begins on his wedding day and his nervousness and anger at being forced into an arranged marriage. The author then writes the book in retrospect, and takes the reader back three years. The story explores the difficulty of the protagonist who struggles to adhere to his family's traditional views and religion. He endures years of beatings from his alcoholic father and emotional blackmail from his mother. He is beaten and ridiculed by his older brothers and his intimate narration allows the reader to discover his feelings of 'otherness'amongst his family whilst he attempts to live a normal life as an ordinary English boy. The author explores racism, poverty, domestic violence, neglect and love through the use of bildungsroman which concludes with the protagonist choosing his own path in life. It is by no means a happy ending, but it demonstrates determination and an understanding of a culture that the character is unable to comprehend.
Interesting and easy novel to read.