Search
Search results
Rachel King (13 KP) rated Bone Crossed (Mercy Thompson, #4) in Books
Feb 11, 2019
I enjoyed this book just as much as I joined the previous three in the series. Briggs can be depended upon for maintaining an exciting plot and unique characters, and this book was no exception.
This book gave me a more detailed look into the politics of the vampire culture of Mercy's world, as well as more development of the character of Stefan. Stefan does not seem to talk much, but his body language seems to say that he loves Mercy, even if he knows she will never love him back, especially with the scene on the last few pages. The discoveries that Mercy makes regarding her abilities as a Walker are interesting and can hold lots of promise for future books in the series. I also enjoy being introduced to other lesser characters in the books that often help Mercy in some small way, such as the oakman. These characters give a more well-rounded picture of Mercy's world. Mercy's panic attacks, resulting from her rape in the previous book, were very realistic and made her more believeable as a character, since they gave her a weakness and a way to be related to. Superheroes always seem to be better at their "jobs" when they have a weakness that allows them to relate to the "common man." I'm also glad that Mercy was finally inducted into Adam's pack officially, although I found the method somewhat gross and cannibalistic. I still don't understand how Mercy can be "pack" to both Adam and his pack, as well as to Samuel, without any sort of backlash in the "animal kingdom", but hopefully that will be either explained or absolved with future books.
This book gave me a more detailed look into the politics of the vampire culture of Mercy's world, as well as more development of the character of Stefan. Stefan does not seem to talk much, but his body language seems to say that he loves Mercy, even if he knows she will never love him back, especially with the scene on the last few pages. The discoveries that Mercy makes regarding her abilities as a Walker are interesting and can hold lots of promise for future books in the series. I also enjoy being introduced to other lesser characters in the books that often help Mercy in some small way, such as the oakman. These characters give a more well-rounded picture of Mercy's world. Mercy's panic attacks, resulting from her rape in the previous book, were very realistic and made her more believeable as a character, since they gave her a weakness and a way to be related to. Superheroes always seem to be better at their "jobs" when they have a weakness that allows them to relate to the "common man." I'm also glad that Mercy was finally inducted into Adam's pack officially, although I found the method somewhat gross and cannibalistic. I still don't understand how Mercy can be "pack" to both Adam and his pack, as well as to Samuel, without any sort of backlash in the "animal kingdom", but hopefully that will be either explained or absolved with future books.
ClareR (5996 KP) rated The Silver Road in Books
Mar 7, 2019
A wonderful debut
This is a novel of love and loss, guilt and grief, and of family in both the good and bad sense of the word. It has been translated so well from the Swedish by Susan Beard that I didn't actually occur to me that it had been translated at all.
Lille's daughter has been missing for three years, and he spends every night of the summer driving the Silver Road in an effort to find her. This has caused the breakdown of his marriage, and he has a tenuous grasp on his sanity: he drinks too much, he smokes too much, and he sleeps too little in the summer. His wife has left him, and he spends a lot of time alone with the ghost of the daughter he is searching for.
Enter Meja: her mother has mental health problems, and has decided to move in with a man she has only met online. Meja is used to being her mothers carer, and she's used to a series of men moving in and out of their lives. This is such an emotional novel. I became really invested in the characters of Lelle and Meja. There was a real atmosphere of sadness around both of them.
The peripheral characters were really well written as well: from the ex-wife to the local police officer, from the family of 'Preppers' to Meja's mother and her new boyfriend, Torbjorn.
I loved the atmosphere of this book: there was an air of 'something drastic is going to happen very soon', and the melancholy was palpable. Although the subject matter was very sad, it really was a joy to read.
Many thanks to Readers First, The Pigeonhole and the publisher for the chance to read this book.
Lille's daughter has been missing for three years, and he spends every night of the summer driving the Silver Road in an effort to find her. This has caused the breakdown of his marriage, and he has a tenuous grasp on his sanity: he drinks too much, he smokes too much, and he sleeps too little in the summer. His wife has left him, and he spends a lot of time alone with the ghost of the daughter he is searching for.
Enter Meja: her mother has mental health problems, and has decided to move in with a man she has only met online. Meja is used to being her mothers carer, and she's used to a series of men moving in and out of their lives. This is such an emotional novel. I became really invested in the characters of Lelle and Meja. There was a real atmosphere of sadness around both of them.
The peripheral characters were really well written as well: from the ex-wife to the local police officer, from the family of 'Preppers' to Meja's mother and her new boyfriend, Torbjorn.
I loved the atmosphere of this book: there was an air of 'something drastic is going to happen very soon', and the melancholy was palpable. Although the subject matter was very sad, it really was a joy to read.
Many thanks to Readers First, The Pigeonhole and the publisher for the chance to read this book.
Dana (24 KP) rated A Torch Against the Night (An Ember in the Ashes #2) in Books
Mar 23, 2018
After reading this book for forever, I have finally finished it.
I loved the character development of all of our favorites and the introduction of some new ones. The Soul Catcher is a favorite of mine, to be completely honest. She is amazing and I aspire to be as badass as she is one day.
Helene was more bearable in this book than the first one. I liked how she was independent and strong and didn't take shit from anyone. Plus, she wasn't as moony over Elias in this book which I adored.
Laia was a bad ass in her own right. I loved her strength as well. She is a persistent little one, isn't she? The only thing I didn't like about her story line was Keenan. He bugs the hell out of me and has from the beginning. (BTW, I knew there was something shady about him from the beginning.)
Elias is a cinnamon roll too precious for this world. Yes, he can kill people with basically just a look, but damn, he does it well. And he's always looking out for other people before himself. To be honest, he is my second favorite behind the Soul Catcher.
Tas and Bee were adorable and I hated them being hurt.
Darin, holy shit, man. I just feel bad for all of the shit he has gone through. Let's give the guy a break, maybe a cup of tea and some soup and a big warm blanket so he can curl up and sleep for a while.
The story line was well paced, and I really enjoyed it while I was reading it. Not like you could tell with my four month reading spell...but I honestly really enjoyed this book. I am glad we are getting two more after this one!!
I loved the character development of all of our favorites and the introduction of some new ones. The Soul Catcher is a favorite of mine, to be completely honest. She is amazing and I aspire to be as badass as she is one day.
Helene was more bearable in this book than the first one. I liked how she was independent and strong and didn't take shit from anyone. Plus, she wasn't as moony over Elias in this book which I adored.
Laia was a bad ass in her own right. I loved her strength as well. She is a persistent little one, isn't she? The only thing I didn't like about her story line was Keenan. He bugs the hell out of me and has from the beginning. (BTW, I knew there was something shady about him from the beginning.)
Elias is a cinnamon roll too precious for this world. Yes, he can kill people with basically just a look, but damn, he does it well. And he's always looking out for other people before himself. To be honest, he is my second favorite behind the Soul Catcher.
Tas and Bee were adorable and I hated them being hurt.
Darin, holy shit, man. I just feel bad for all of the shit he has gone through. Let's give the guy a break, maybe a cup of tea and some soup and a big warm blanket so he can curl up and sleep for a while.
The story line was well paced, and I really enjoyed it while I was reading it. Not like you could tell with my four month reading spell...but I honestly really enjoyed this book. I am glad we are getting two more after this one!!
Ross (3284 KP) rated The Ninth Rain in Books
Aug 27, 2018
The Ninth Rain takes place in a world with two main dominant races: humans and eborans. The latter used to derive strength from the sap of Ygserin, the life-giving god-tree. This tree also used to dispatch war-beasts when needed, following invasion from the "worm-people", an alien race who seem determined to destroy the land and its people. The story follows the adventures of Vintage and Tormalin (a human and her Eboran companion) as they try to research the worm people's motives and weaknesses, and Noon, a Fell-witch who can take someone's life force and turn it into a weapon of fire.
The plot is very well planned out and interwoven, with the history of the land and its people, and the main characters, being revealed over the course of the book as needed to fit in with the current timeline.
The characters are well crafted and develop in different ways over the course of the book.
For me, the middle third dragged a little as a fairly humdrum adventure across country unfolded and numerous incidents and conflicts occurred. There just didn't seem to be a great deal of direction and it was more that "things that need to happen will happen here" but it didn't really serve much purpose. The story before and after that was very strong, but this section was a chore.
I am always nervous when a character suddenly has a voice in their head telling them what to do, afraid of irritating deus ex machina. Here however that was not the case as the voice was a very important, and (eventually) well-grounded plot point.
Overall a very good story, set up nicely for the follow-up in the series.
The plot is very well planned out and interwoven, with the history of the land and its people, and the main characters, being revealed over the course of the book as needed to fit in with the current timeline.
The characters are well crafted and develop in different ways over the course of the book.
For me, the middle third dragged a little as a fairly humdrum adventure across country unfolded and numerous incidents and conflicts occurred. There just didn't seem to be a great deal of direction and it was more that "things that need to happen will happen here" but it didn't really serve much purpose. The story before and after that was very strong, but this section was a chore.
I am always nervous when a character suddenly has a voice in their head telling them what to do, afraid of irritating deus ex machina. Here however that was not the case as the voice was a very important, and (eventually) well-grounded plot point.
Overall a very good story, set up nicely for the follow-up in the series.
Merissa (13398 KP) rated The Eagle and the Fox (A Snowy Range Mystery #1) in Books
Oct 19, 2018
The Eagle and the Fox (A Snowy Range Mystery #1) by Nya Rawlyns
The Eagle and the Fox is the first book in the Snowy Range Mystery series.
The story is about two adult males, a young girl, and her secret boyfriend. The two adult men, Josiah and Marcus, have known each other for years, but only to 'grunt' to each other as they pass by in the store that Marcus owns. Pet is the young girl that Marcus keeps an eye on, like an adopted uncle. He took her on to save her, but you'll need to read the book to find out what he was saving her from! And Kit is her secret boyfriend, a mysterious figure that we don't actually learn much about.
Once Josiah and Marcus start talking, things move at a pretty pace for them. Not only do they have their feelings for each other to contend with, but they also have the problems with Pet, plus the trouble in town that is happening.
I found this book to be very well written, with no editing or grammatical errors to disrupt my reading flow. The characters are well rounded and well suited to the story. This story is a definite mix of romance and mystery. It defies being in just one genre. It is finished off for this story, but the ending is definitely left open for it to continue. Looking forward to book two to see where it will go next.
If you like a bit of mystery with your romance, then I can definitely recommend this book/series.
* 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!
The story is about two adult males, a young girl, and her secret boyfriend. The two adult men, Josiah and Marcus, have known each other for years, but only to 'grunt' to each other as they pass by in the store that Marcus owns. Pet is the young girl that Marcus keeps an eye on, like an adopted uncle. He took her on to save her, but you'll need to read the book to find out what he was saving her from! And Kit is her secret boyfriend, a mysterious figure that we don't actually learn much about.
Once Josiah and Marcus start talking, things move at a pretty pace for them. Not only do they have their feelings for each other to contend with, but they also have the problems with Pet, plus the trouble in town that is happening.
I found this book to be very well written, with no editing or grammatical errors to disrupt my reading flow. The characters are well rounded and well suited to the story. This story is a definite mix of romance and mystery. It defies being in just one genre. It is finished off for this story, but the ending is definitely left open for it to continue. Looking forward to book two to see where it will go next.
If you like a bit of mystery with your romance, then I can definitely recommend this book/series.
* 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!
ClareR (5996 KP) rated Valkyrie (2008) in Movies
Jun 23, 2019
Surprisingly good!
I will hold my hands up and admit that I can be very critical of films set in Germany and particularly during the Second World War. I’m a bit of a germanophile - I studied German language, literature and history at university. I read into the furore that surrounded the making of this film: the Germans didn’t want Tom Cruise to play the main part because of his affiliation with Scientology (Germans believe it’s a cult, and therefore want nothing to do with it), and Claus von Stauffenberg’s eldest son even asked Cruise to stand down from the role. They all had a rethink though, and decided that it was more important that this story was actually told. And I have to agree with them. There’s a belief that all Germans were complicit in the actions of Hitler and his National Socialists, but this isn’t true. What might be true, is that people were terrified that they would be killed for any opposing thoughts or actions - and they were right.
I was really surprised (pleasantly!) by Cruises acting in this. After my initial horror at the opening sequence where he was talking in German (my children asked if he would be speaking German throughout, and were fully prepared to go to bed early - they didn’t want to read subtitles for a whole movie, I didn’t want to hear the shocking pronunciation!😆), it really picked up! The British actors really made it for me (I could well be accused of bias, but well, I don’t care 🤷🏼♀️), and Eddie Izzard was the most surprising - I really need to stop being surprised that he can act well!
It’s a good film! We had a good family film night anyway, and I think it’s worth watching.
I was really surprised (pleasantly!) by Cruises acting in this. After my initial horror at the opening sequence where he was talking in German (my children asked if he would be speaking German throughout, and were fully prepared to go to bed early - they didn’t want to read subtitles for a whole movie, I didn’t want to hear the shocking pronunciation!😆), it really picked up! The British actors really made it for me (I could well be accused of bias, but well, I don’t care 🤷🏼♀️), and Eddie Izzard was the most surprising - I really need to stop being surprised that he can act well!
It’s a good film! We had a good family film night anyway, and I think it’s worth watching.
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated The Shining (1980) in Movies
Nov 4, 2019 (Updated Jan 8, 2021)
A slow burning horror masterclass
Stanley Kubrick's adaption of The Shining is certainly a rare gem - A tense thriller that might have aged, but still feels different and fresh in today's world.
Kubrick doesn't rely on cheap jump scares, but rather long and slow burning shots that are regularly unnerving, spliced with sudden and silent images of violence, all whilst a unsettling string score plays underneath each scene, even when nothing abnormal is happening.
The narrative of this adaption of The Shining is pretty straightforward (on the surface at least) as we watch Jack Torrance - a menacing and excellent Jack Nicholson in arguably his greatest performance - descend into madness as he looks after a deserted hotel for the winter months.
Jack is not particularly painted as a well hinged individual as it is, acting out against his wife Wendy (Shelly Duvall) and son Danny (Danny Lloyd) on a regular basis, whilst being slowly pushed over the edge by the isolated hotel, and it's ghostly occupants.
It's a well scripted film, never giving us too much back story, allowing us as an audience to interpret a lot of what is going on, and this loose ended-ness of The Shining is big part of it's charm.
Pretty much every shot is gorgeous, from the overhead sweeping landscapes of the opening, to the infamous tracking shots of Danny on his toy trike. The whole aesthetic is striking and disorientating in equal measure.
Not only is Nicholson an absolutely terrifying treat, but Shelly Duvall's performance is fantastic as well. Her frantic portrayal of a woman at her wits end is chilling, even if the methods to achieve this were questionable.
The Shining is truly iconic. It's influences can be seen everywhere from Twin Peaks to American Horror Story, and it's a testament to the overall quality of this horror heavyweight. A true masterpiece.
Kubrick doesn't rely on cheap jump scares, but rather long and slow burning shots that are regularly unnerving, spliced with sudden and silent images of violence, all whilst a unsettling string score plays underneath each scene, even when nothing abnormal is happening.
The narrative of this adaption of The Shining is pretty straightforward (on the surface at least) as we watch Jack Torrance - a menacing and excellent Jack Nicholson in arguably his greatest performance - descend into madness as he looks after a deserted hotel for the winter months.
Jack is not particularly painted as a well hinged individual as it is, acting out against his wife Wendy (Shelly Duvall) and son Danny (Danny Lloyd) on a regular basis, whilst being slowly pushed over the edge by the isolated hotel, and it's ghostly occupants.
It's a well scripted film, never giving us too much back story, allowing us as an audience to interpret a lot of what is going on, and this loose ended-ness of The Shining is big part of it's charm.
Pretty much every shot is gorgeous, from the overhead sweeping landscapes of the opening, to the infamous tracking shots of Danny on his toy trike. The whole aesthetic is striking and disorientating in equal measure.
Not only is Nicholson an absolutely terrifying treat, but Shelly Duvall's performance is fantastic as well. Her frantic portrayal of a woman at her wits end is chilling, even if the methods to achieve this were questionable.
The Shining is truly iconic. It's influences can be seen everywhere from Twin Peaks to American Horror Story, and it's a testament to the overall quality of this horror heavyweight. A true masterpiece.
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Deathwatch (Broslin Creek #1) in Books
Nov 12, 2019
Kat Bridges is the only person able to identify the FBI's most wanted assassin, but despite their protection there is a nearly successful attempt on her life. Now on the run from both the FBI and the assassin she takes refuge in the small town of Broslin Creek. When Murphy Dolan returns injured from active duty and finds her in his house he is at first annoyed but then realises that she needs help. With certain knowledge that she is being tracked by a killer, they both become closer than either of them is prepared for.
The first thing to say about this novel is that the cover does it a disservice in my opinion. It isn't some slushy romance - certainly there are romantic parts but the main part of the story is the gradual unfolding of both Kat and Dolan, their interactions in the small town and the realisation that one of the other people in the town is trying to kill Kat.
All this makes for something of a breathtaking read. The characters - even the minor ones - are realised well, especially as any of them could be gunning for Kat. The main characters work very well and as the story is told from both of their points of view it gives a good insight into what makes them tick - and also how they each need the other in lots of ways.
The assassin plot works well and keeps both the reader and Kat and Dolan on their toes. The action scenes are handled with relish, told in a fast moving but simple style so that they don't get too confusing. All the character interactions are good and realistic.
Definitely a good read if you are looking for a thriller with an undercurrent of romance
The first thing to say about this novel is that the cover does it a disservice in my opinion. It isn't some slushy romance - certainly there are romantic parts but the main part of the story is the gradual unfolding of both Kat and Dolan, their interactions in the small town and the realisation that one of the other people in the town is trying to kill Kat.
All this makes for something of a breathtaking read. The characters - even the minor ones - are realised well, especially as any of them could be gunning for Kat. The main characters work very well and as the story is told from both of their points of view it gives a good insight into what makes them tick - and also how they each need the other in lots of ways.
The assassin plot works well and keeps both the reader and Kat and Dolan on their toes. The action scenes are handled with relish, told in a fast moving but simple style so that they don't get too confusing. All the character interactions are good and realistic.
Definitely a good read if you are looking for a thriller with an undercurrent of romance
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated The Long Cosmos in Books
Nov 20, 2019
The Long Earth saga - and Terry Pratchett's prolific output - come to an end with this fifth volume of the series.
From the intelligent beginning I found the series to gradually slip downhill to the extent that The Long Utopia garnered a mere two star review from me. So it was with mixed feelings that I started to read this. However this was very much a suitable and capable ending of the series, providing some answers but allowing enough freedom at the end for the characters to keep living on in the mind of the reader.
It is not perfect; I found the start rather drawn out with some of the characters showing up seemingly just to provide a valedictory cameo. Some of the writing joining the plot sections together - obviously done by Baxter following Pratchett's death - feels quite forced as well, but really under the circumstances this is to be expected. This must have been such a hard book for Baxter to complete on his own.
However it gets far more right; we get some good new ideas in the Long Earth (the big trees, for example, providing a desperate chase while also being fun and also a neat extension of biological evolution) and even The Next have something to do that justifies their rather 'stuck-on' plot strand that previously wasn't going anywhere.
Great characters abound as well; Joshua is front and centre as would be expected but the supporting cast works well. The adventure through the Long Cosmos is humbling and awe-inspiring, although I could have done without the 'search for grandson' excuse for doing it - surely Joshua and Lobsang would have done this anyway simply because it is there?
Overall a good ending to the series and even if you lost faith with the series as it went on, I would definitely give it a go.
From the intelligent beginning I found the series to gradually slip downhill to the extent that The Long Utopia garnered a mere two star review from me. So it was with mixed feelings that I started to read this. However this was very much a suitable and capable ending of the series, providing some answers but allowing enough freedom at the end for the characters to keep living on in the mind of the reader.
It is not perfect; I found the start rather drawn out with some of the characters showing up seemingly just to provide a valedictory cameo. Some of the writing joining the plot sections together - obviously done by Baxter following Pratchett's death - feels quite forced as well, but really under the circumstances this is to be expected. This must have been such a hard book for Baxter to complete on his own.
However it gets far more right; we get some good new ideas in the Long Earth (the big trees, for example, providing a desperate chase while also being fun and also a neat extension of biological evolution) and even The Next have something to do that justifies their rather 'stuck-on' plot strand that previously wasn't going anywhere.
Great characters abound as well; Joshua is front and centre as would be expected but the supporting cast works well. The adventure through the Long Cosmos is humbling and awe-inspiring, although I could have done without the 'search for grandson' excuse for doing it - surely Joshua and Lobsang would have done this anyway simply because it is there?
Overall a good ending to the series and even if you lost faith with the series as it went on, I would definitely give it a go.
Focus and Leverage: The Critical Methodology for Theory of Constraints, Lean, and Six Sigma (TLS)
Book
Most books about continuous and process improvement are written in a textbook format with...