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Caffeinated Fae (464 KP) rated The Demon Next Door in Books
Apr 19, 2019
Informative but no depth
When audible originals offered this book up as part of their two free originals a month program, I just had to snag it. One of the weird quirks I have is that I hate mysteries, but I LOVE true crime. This 2 hour and 45-minute novella was right up my alley. When I was looking for something short to listen to, I decided that this something different than the romance books that I'm currently reading.
The information in this novella was interesting and well researched but still lacked depth. Most of the information that was presented in this book felt glossed over. One of the things I thought Bryan Burrough was exceptional at was not being too graphic about the crimes. Unfortunately, it seems that that lack of detail was present throughout the entire book. I would have loved to see more information about the background of the individuals and the town itself.
Something else that felt off in this audiobook was the narration. Steve White is an excellent narrator, but I don't feel that he was the right choice for this book. His intonations seemed to be too upbeat for a true crime novel about rape and murder. I would have preferred a more somber tone & his voice did not do this book justice.
All in all, this was an okay book. The details were interesting, but I wish that there would have been more depth to it.
The information in this novella was interesting and well researched but still lacked depth. Most of the information that was presented in this book felt glossed over. One of the things I thought Bryan Burrough was exceptional at was not being too graphic about the crimes. Unfortunately, it seems that that lack of detail was present throughout the entire book. I would have loved to see more information about the background of the individuals and the town itself.
Something else that felt off in this audiobook was the narration. Steve White is an excellent narrator, but I don't feel that he was the right choice for this book. His intonations seemed to be too upbeat for a true crime novel about rape and murder. I would have preferred a more somber tone & his voice did not do this book justice.
All in all, this was an okay book. The details were interesting, but I wish that there would have been more depth to it.
Saul Sailing Snapper (211 KP) rated Bosch - Season 5 in TV
May 20, 2019
Cast are superb (1 more)
Taut thriller with many plot lines.
A slow burn but worth it.
Bosch season 5 is another slow burning police procedural following several cases being investigated by the LAPD West Hollywood Division.
Harry Bosch was created by Michael Connolly in a series of books and has been adapted very well for the small screen. Titus Welliver (Lost, Deadwood) is perfect in the lead role as the gifted detective who has a troubled past.
This series opens with Bosch having fallen on hard times. With ruffled hair, leg in a brace and a cane, he is ushered off a bus in a make shift camp in the desert. Shuffling in a line of desperate addicts he waits for his reward for a day's work, a dose of opioids. After a run in with another addict he is caught snooping around the camp by one of the guards. He is taken to the head kingpin who thinking he is spying on them puts one bullet in the gun found in Bosch's backpack and points it at his head about to pull the trigger...
This series is possibly one of the best crime/detective shows around at the moment. It's pace is deliberate and slow with detectives taking their time finding vital clues (or missing them) but cleverly working multiple plot lines throughout the entire 10 episodes.
Harry Bosch was created by Michael Connolly in a series of books and has been adapted very well for the small screen. Titus Welliver (Lost, Deadwood) is perfect in the lead role as the gifted detective who has a troubled past.
This series opens with Bosch having fallen on hard times. With ruffled hair, leg in a brace and a cane, he is ushered off a bus in a make shift camp in the desert. Shuffling in a line of desperate addicts he waits for his reward for a day's work, a dose of opioids. After a run in with another addict he is caught snooping around the camp by one of the guards. He is taken to the head kingpin who thinking he is spying on them puts one bullet in the gun found in Bosch's backpack and points it at his head about to pull the trigger...
This series is possibly one of the best crime/detective shows around at the moment. It's pace is deliberate and slow with detectives taking their time finding vital clues (or missing them) but cleverly working multiple plot lines throughout the entire 10 episodes.
Billie Wichkan (118 KP) rated As Long as We Both Shall Live in Books
May 22, 2019
My wife! I think shes dead! Matt frantically calls to park rangers, explaining that he and his wife, Marie, were out hiking when she stumbled on a cliff edge and fell into the raging river below. They start a search but arent hopeful: no one could have survived that fall.
Its a tragic accident.
But when police discover Matts first wife also died in suspicious circumstances a fire in their family home they have a lot more questions for him.
Is Matt a grieving husband, or has he just killed his second wife? Detectives Loren and Spengler dig into the couples lives to see what they can unearth. And they find that loves got teeth, its got claws, and once it hitches you to a person, its tough to rip yourself free.
So what happens when youre done making it work?
Well this is one crazy warped marriage ride!
Seriously I found myself laughing at the antics and thoughts of these two at times; then on the flip side being gripped by the suspense.
I really enjoyed this one.
Read what happens when 20 years of marriage becomes a minefield of love/hate.
If you love psychological twisty thrillers as much as me then you need to read this one!
Recommend reading.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-book ARC to read and review. This is my honest voluntary review.
Its a tragic accident.
But when police discover Matts first wife also died in suspicious circumstances a fire in their family home they have a lot more questions for him.
Is Matt a grieving husband, or has he just killed his second wife? Detectives Loren and Spengler dig into the couples lives to see what they can unearth. And they find that loves got teeth, its got claws, and once it hitches you to a person, its tough to rip yourself free.
So what happens when youre done making it work?
Well this is one crazy warped marriage ride!
Seriously I found myself laughing at the antics and thoughts of these two at times; then on the flip side being gripped by the suspense.
I really enjoyed this one.
Read what happens when 20 years of marriage becomes a minefield of love/hate.
If you love psychological twisty thrillers as much as me then you need to read this one!
Recommend reading.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-book ARC to read and review. This is my honest voluntary review.
Rhubarbio (27 KP) rated Escape From Sunset Island in Tabletop Games
May 26, 2019
Co-operative survival game (3 more)
Hidden traitor mechanic, which plays well against the impetus to work together
Challenging gameplay
Players who are turned into zones can continue to play as zombies, rather than being eliminated
Artwork is basic (1 more)
Longevity of gameplay will depend heavily on your group
A decent enough zombie game
I have very fond memories playing this game, based primarily on the enthusiasm of my gaming group to play this 2/3 times a night, approximately twice a week, for a year! This game places a group of people on an island, with zombies that are about to awaken and chase you down to turn you. Each player has a special action and may pick up a weapon along their travels across the island, whilst on search of fuel and water, both of which are needed to leave the island. The catch? Carrying these items slows you down, so you have to work together to get to one of two points on the island to get away and win...but if the zombies turn players, there are more after the survivors, and there is also the potential for a traitor in your midst, so who can you trust? This is a difficult game to win, but is the more enjoyable for it. That said, it includes basic mechanics and therefore the strength of the game will depend heavily on the enthusiasm of your gaming group.
ArecRain (8 KP) rated After the Hurt in Books
Jan 18, 2018
I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.
This story had two things going for it for me. 1) It was written dual POV which I love. I love being able to be inside the heros head as well as the heroines. 2) It was a second chance love story.
Normally I would love a second chance romance, but I tend to enjoy the ones where the couple is starting with someone new, not someone they have already been and screwed up with. If it were different circumstance, I could understand. However, I felt Pepper was a very selfish person and I was often annoyed by her behavior. Tank wasnt much better but he was far more patient with Pepper than I could have been. I understand that sometimes people need change or to get away, but I felt Pepper went about it completely the wrong way,
I was also annoyed that there didnt seem to be much interaction between the two. Inner monologues are something I like limited in my stories. They tend to tell more than they show so there is little plot progression. If there is too much of it, I tend to find myself skipping over it especially if it doesnt progress the story line (which inner monologues rarely do.)
I felt like this is a story I could have enjoyed had I liked the characters better.
This story had two things going for it for me. 1) It was written dual POV which I love. I love being able to be inside the heros head as well as the heroines. 2) It was a second chance love story.
Normally I would love a second chance romance, but I tend to enjoy the ones where the couple is starting with someone new, not someone they have already been and screwed up with. If it were different circumstance, I could understand. However, I felt Pepper was a very selfish person and I was often annoyed by her behavior. Tank wasnt much better but he was far more patient with Pepper than I could have been. I understand that sometimes people need change or to get away, but I felt Pepper went about it completely the wrong way,
I was also annoyed that there didnt seem to be much interaction between the two. Inner monologues are something I like limited in my stories. They tend to tell more than they show so there is little plot progression. If there is too much of it, I tend to find myself skipping over it especially if it doesnt progress the story line (which inner monologues rarely do.)
I felt like this is a story I could have enjoyed had I liked the characters better.
Serena Marie (7 KP) rated Turtles All The Way Down in Books
Jan 23, 2018
Mental Health Issues (3 more)
Plot
Characters
Quoteable
John Green Does It Again
I will start off by saying that I love John Green. His books have always been a favorite of mine. Looking For Alaska is a book I will gravitate towards over and over again. He has such a great writing style with the most beautiful quotes. I can't get over it if we're being honest.
Mental health is a big and important topic. With something so big comes a lot of responsibility when writing about it. John Green nails it. The way he talks about Aza's OCD and how he describes her thought processes is amazing. You really start to bond with the character and feel for her. BUT, not only do you feel for her, you get frustrated with her because you start to get invested. The way that she navigates her life, her thoughts, her relationships, her everything is so well thought out by John.
I think this book has started a lot of really important conversations. People are talking about OCD. How to cope with someone who has OCD. How to cope with having it yourself. How to seek help and know that there ARE great resources out there that people don't know about. Best of all, it's helping to take away the awful stigma that seems to be attached to mental illness and mental health.
Thank you, John Green. Your books bring me peace.
Mental health is a big and important topic. With something so big comes a lot of responsibility when writing about it. John Green nails it. The way he talks about Aza's OCD and how he describes her thought processes is amazing. You really start to bond with the character and feel for her. BUT, not only do you feel for her, you get frustrated with her because you start to get invested. The way that she navigates her life, her thoughts, her relationships, her everything is so well thought out by John.
I think this book has started a lot of really important conversations. People are talking about OCD. How to cope with someone who has OCD. How to cope with having it yourself. How to seek help and know that there ARE great resources out there that people don't know about. Best of all, it's helping to take away the awful stigma that seems to be attached to mental illness and mental health.
Thank you, John Green. Your books bring me peace.
Kyera (8 KP) rated Otherworld (Otherworld, #1) in Books
Feb 1, 2018
Really 3.5 Stars, but I feel badly rating it a 3.
I struggled to decide how I feel about this book because though it was enjoyable (eventually) it wasn't particularly well written. I actually didn't enjoy the book at first and was afraid that it was going to end up being a much lower rating. The story took a while to get going and it wasn't until we were really immersed in Otherworld that the plot became interesting.
I liked some of the characters, but I wasn't a huge fan of any of them. For me, personally, I usually need to relate to one of the characters in some way to form more of a connection to the book. Otherwise, it's just a book. It's the stories that hit you hard and you feel like you're living them with your favourite characters that make a mark. This book is not one of those stories.
In the end, I was more intrigued (and horrified) by the world of Otherworld that the authors built than the characters or the mission that they were on. I wish the various "lands" were more vividly described because I felt like there was something missing. I wanted to see more of the world than we were exposed to. I hope that there is more development of the world in the second book.
Overall, it was an interesting book but not a favourite.
I struggled to decide how I feel about this book because though it was enjoyable (eventually) it wasn't particularly well written. I actually didn't enjoy the book at first and was afraid that it was going to end up being a much lower rating. The story took a while to get going and it wasn't until we were really immersed in Otherworld that the plot became interesting.
I liked some of the characters, but I wasn't a huge fan of any of them. For me, personally, I usually need to relate to one of the characters in some way to form more of a connection to the book. Otherwise, it's just a book. It's the stories that hit you hard and you feel like you're living them with your favourite characters that make a mark. This book is not one of those stories.
In the end, I was more intrigued (and horrified) by the world of Otherworld that the authors built than the characters or the mission that they were on. I wish the various "lands" were more vividly described because I felt like there was something missing. I wanted to see more of the world than we were exposed to. I hope that there is more development of the world in the second book.
Overall, it was an interesting book but not a favourite.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2498 KP) rated When the Grits Hit the Fan in Books
Mar 9, 2018
To help make money in the cold February winter, Robbie Jordan has opened up her restaurant for dinner two Friday’s a month to the Sociology department of a nearby college. Any thoughts she had about this being a calm exchange of ideas goes out the window when one of the professors, Charles, picks fights with two different people. The next afternoon, Robbie is out with her friend Lou when they find Charles under the ice in the nearby lake. Since Lou had fought with Charles the night before, the police are looking at her as a suspect. But with Charles as universally hated as he was, surely Robbie can find a better suspect, right?
Charles’s habit of making enemies serves us plenty of suspects. The lack of clues to point the finger at any single person makes for lots of fun. I was never bored watching the plot unfold. A couple of the series regulars weren’t around for this book, but those who were around were certainly delightful. The suspects were all strong and viable, and the climax was creative and page turning. Can I just say how much I would love to visit Robbie’s restaurant? Seriously, it sounds delightful. (Well, when a murder isn’t taking place, of course.)
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/03/book-review-when-grits-hit-fan-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Charles’s habit of making enemies serves us plenty of suspects. The lack of clues to point the finger at any single person makes for lots of fun. I was never bored watching the plot unfold. A couple of the series regulars weren’t around for this book, but those who were around were certainly delightful. The suspects were all strong and viable, and the climax was creative and page turning. Can I just say how much I would love to visit Robbie’s restaurant? Seriously, it sounds delightful. (Well, when a murder isn’t taking place, of course.)
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/03/book-review-when-grits-hit-fan-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
I was pleasantly surprised by "After We Fall." I requested it on a whim from Netgalley and it had the dubious distinction of being the novel that followed the latest Michael Connelly Bosch book (and in my eyes, Connelly and Bosch can do no wrong).
The novel is told from the viewpoint from four characters - Tom, a police officer; Celia, a flight attendant and Tom's wife; Jim, a father and former police officer; and Freya, a young student. Their lives entertwine over the course of the book, all centered around a plane that goes down one snowy night. Their stories are superbly told and each character extremely well-drawn-- albeit not always likeable. There are several mysteries that build within the book-- why did the plane go down, of course--along with a murder that's central to the story.
You would think with so few characters that the plot would seem trite and the outcome apparent, but Kavanaugh does a great job of creating suspense and keeping you on your toes. Just when you think you've figured something out, there's another small surprise. I found myself completely immersed in the character's lives (I was immediately drawn to Tom, liked Jim and Freya, and had issues with Celia, but that's all just from my own perspective).
Definitely a worthwhile read.
(Note, I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.)
The novel is told from the viewpoint from four characters - Tom, a police officer; Celia, a flight attendant and Tom's wife; Jim, a father and former police officer; and Freya, a young student. Their lives entertwine over the course of the book, all centered around a plane that goes down one snowy night. Their stories are superbly told and each character extremely well-drawn-- albeit not always likeable. There are several mysteries that build within the book-- why did the plane go down, of course--along with a murder that's central to the story.
You would think with so few characters that the plot would seem trite and the outcome apparent, but Kavanaugh does a great job of creating suspense and keeping you on your toes. Just when you think you've figured something out, there's another small surprise. I found myself completely immersed in the character's lives (I was immediately drawn to Tom, liked Jim and Freya, and had issues with Celia, but that's all just from my own perspective).
Definitely a worthwhile read.
(Note, I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.)
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Mystic Summer in Books
Feb 13, 2018
Maggie Griffin seems to have the perfect life - she has a good teaching job at a private school in Boston, even if some of the parents can be a little trying sometimes. She has a loving boyfriend who wants to move in with her. Her best friend is getting married and Maggie is co-maid of honor. She even has a supportive family back in her hometown of Mystic, Connecticut. But when things start to unravel in Boston, Maggie finds herself back in Mystic. She tells herself it's just because her best friend, Erika, is getting married there, but once Maggie arrives back home, she isn't sure she wants to leave.
This book started out a bit slowly, but it quickly grew on me. Maggie is a slightly frustrating character at times, but she's also endearing and sweet. She's still finding herself, so you have to cut her a little slack. It happens to us all as we near thirty, right? The novel is certainly a bit predictable, but Maggie's character, as well as some of the supporting characters -- mainly her high school boyfriend Cameron -- keep it from being too silly and saccharine. It's not a literary masterpiece, but it's a fun, quick read: perfect to toss into a beach bag for the summer.
I received a copy of this novel from Netgalley (thank you!); it is available everywhere on 6/7/2016.
This book started out a bit slowly, but it quickly grew on me. Maggie is a slightly frustrating character at times, but she's also endearing and sweet. She's still finding herself, so you have to cut her a little slack. It happens to us all as we near thirty, right? The novel is certainly a bit predictable, but Maggie's character, as well as some of the supporting characters -- mainly her high school boyfriend Cameron -- keep it from being too silly and saccharine. It's not a literary masterpiece, but it's a fun, quick read: perfect to toss into a beach bag for the summer.
I received a copy of this novel from Netgalley (thank you!); it is available everywhere on 6/7/2016.