This was more depressing than I thought. This is the sort of book that makes me think triggerwarnings are a good thing to have. We have grief, loss ofThis was more depressing than I thought. This is the sort of book that makes me think triggerwarnings are a good thing to have. We have grief, loss of a child, dead dogs, suicide, victims of horrible crimes, sicknesses, mental health issues and so on. At one time I cried so deeply, not because of the beauty of the book, but because it reminded me of something from my past I wasn't really in the mood for to digest once again. But I did, and I survived.
It did make me laugh out loud once. I rarely do that, but I would have loved more funny parts (I am not a big fan of sad parts).
I had some other issues, but my biggest one was how much Wallace, Hugo and other characters seemed similar to characters from House of the Cerulean Sea. Wallace is basically just Linus, but an ass. I will say the characters fitted well to the story, so I will let i slide, but the next book better have some more diverse personalities!
It was good however. The story is beautiful about not fearing what comes next and that we can always try to right out wrongs. Even in the afterlife....more
Ha! Did a 14th century-author just critize wokeisme?
It may not suprise anyone that this collection of short stories, which are quite literally medievaHa! Did a 14th century-author just critize wokeisme?
It may not suprise anyone that this collection of short stories, which are quite literally medieval, is full of all types of bigotry. It is hard not to feel offended especially as a woman, which is where the bigotry mostly lies; there is a lot of stories about men tricking women into sleeping with them and everytime the women like it very well. Any incels would love this book. I should not like it!
And yet I do... It was many times quite hilarious and I was never bored. It was so cozy sitting and listening to a couple of stories each night. I have listened to exactly 100 short stories (plus the frame narration) and I didn't hate one!
So yeah, sometimes wokeism goes down the drain and five stars is given to medieval misogyny....more
2023: I don't get it... Why would I want to read a TV-script when I can just see the show? I have seen it. I've especially seen season two many times 2023: I don't get it... Why would I want to read a TV-script when I can just see the show? I have seen it. I've especially seen season two many times � so why do I want to read it? What do I get from it? I don't know... I just know that I really, really enjoyed reading this.
I don't think I have ever read a collection of plays where I actually enjoyed all of them � until now.I don't think I have ever read a collection of plays where I actually enjoyed all of them � until now....more
I can't really tell you, what I didn't like about this book. It started out strong, but as Sally and Gillian became adults and parted ways it went dowI can't really tell you, what I didn't like about this book. It started out strong, but as Sally and Gillian became adults and parted ways it went downhill for me. I just felt disconnected and forgot to pay attention and as an obvious result were left confused. Maybe I'm the problem and read it at a wrong time or maybe the book lacks a strong direction - I really don't know. I didn't hate the writing, but also didn't love it. The same goes for the characters. Generally, I think my issue is how underwhelmed I am. But again, maybe I'm the problem.
I will give Hoffman a second try, because I have heard a lot of good things about Rules of Magic, and it is written much later in her career, so hopefully Hoffman has evolved into a author that is more my cup of witch brew....more
The first half was way too long considering the content and years the second half covers. I wasn't really interested in reading about her teenage yearThe first half was way too long considering the content and years the second half covers. I wasn't really interested in reading about her teenage years as a maid and her first love. Although I recognize the importance for the rest of her life, it would have been fine if it was cut a lot shorter.
A lot of the romance-parts have really not aged well and other than Emma's lifelong friend, Black O'Neill (bless his heart), I didn't find a lot of likeable characters � even those I was supposed to.
Yet it was most of the time an engaging read and Emma is definitely a force to be reckoned with. I think those who are fans of family sagas will enjoy this one....more
This is what I wanted 'Death comes at Pemberley' to be!! A fun, cozy Jane Austen-murder mystery, that was still faithful towards the characters.
What hThis is what I wanted 'Death comes at Pemberley' to be!! A fun, cozy Jane Austen-murder mystery, that was still faithful towards the characters.
What happens after 'ever after'? I loved the timeline Gray had made so some couples had been married for many years and some were recently married. It felt surprisingly organic and it showed the different stages of marriage and thier difficulties. Their struggles and conflicts seemed very believable and in the spirit of each couple's nature.
I admire Gray for not trying to copy Austen's writing style, yet made the dialogue sound right. Overall I think she did a great job working with a beloved author's materiels.
The investigation-part was although a bit slow and a bit bland, but let's face it; we are all here because of the characters!
Unlike other murder mysteries most readers already have a sort of relationship to the characters. I love every single one of them (well perhaps not mr. Bertram, but otherwise!) And the idea that one of them could commit murder was unnerving just as it would have been if I had actually been among them. That aspect gave it all a fresh take to the genre.
All in all I am very happy to finally having found my Jane Austen-murder mystery!...more
My biggest love was of course Scarlett O'Hara. She is just plain awful and always have been, but it is hard not to admire her stGod, I love this book.
My biggest love was of course Scarlett O'Hara. She is just plain awful and always have been, but it is hard not to admire her strength and bravery. She felt alive and real. One of the most interesting characters I've ever read.
It is a long, long book (even as an audiobook), but I am never bored and I just want to delve into the story and forget the world around me.
A fair warning: This is a book written in the 1930s by a Southern woman about the Civil War, meaning... It's racist as hell!...more
Please, let cozy fantasy be the next big thing! I want more!
This is basically a typical stranger-comes-to-town-and-opens-a-little-shop kinda story, buPlease, let cozy fantasy be the next big thing! I want more!
This is basically a typical stranger-comes-to-town-and-opens-a-little-shop kinda story, but the fantasy element is just so endearing that it is hard not to love it. I loved that gnomes were credited for creating coffee and a little mouse-like creature/person invented just like that a croissant and even had chocolate in them to begin with. Just fun little world-building details that made it incredibly relatable and so cute. The real charm is the side characters and their little quirks. They made the story something special.
Let's make cozy fantasy the next big thing!...more
I have read a few retellings of Pride and Prejudice and each time I was disappointed and wondered why I even tried. This is why. We are not looking foI have read a few retellings of Pride and Prejudice and each time I was disappointed and wondered why I even tried. This is why. We are not looking for someone to replace Jane Austen, but rather we are looking for someone who can remind us how we felt during our first read of her books. I can never read a Jane Austen book for the first time ever again! But reading this reminded me what it felt like. Janice Hadlow balance perfectly in being faithful to Austens unique writing style and making it her own style. I think that is the way to go, because you cannot copy her writing style. It was a pleasure to see Mary Bennet come alive in The Other Bennet Sister and see her blossoming out of the shadows of her pretty sisters. It was this character study that truly made it worthwhile. From being an object of ridicule in Pride and Prejudice, she suddenly became a relatable and likeable human being. It made me question if Austen hadn't been a bit unfair towards her. The romance plot was very Austenesqe and I think Hadlow picked a little something from all of her books. It certainly reminded me of plots like Persuasion and Northanger Abbey and others. She also managed, I think to be very faithful of many of the characters, such as Mrs Bennet, Charlotte Lucas and Miss Bingley. Others felt a bit off, such as Mr Collins who had too much insight of himself and his appearance and Lizzy didn't show much of her teasingly nature. But it wasn't too off to ruin the book for me as other retellings have. Other than a few minor inconsistencies from the original story and such I only had one major problem with the book. Like many other retellings Hadlow fell for the trap of repeating passages of Pride and Prejudice. She didn't do as much as I have seen others do, and she did often try to create something different with the help of Mary's POV, but I really hated those passages where conversations from the original book was repeated and for a while I was truly afraid this would disappoint. But I persevered and was rewarded. It is only a short part of the book and it was not enough to change my rating to a rare five stars. The audiobook was btw superb....more
I have now read 3 novels and one short story by Silvia Moreno-Garcia and not giving her anything less than four stars. It 4.5 stars, but upgraded to 5
I have now read 3 novels and one short story by Silvia Moreno-Garcia and not giving her anything less than four stars. It is offical; she has become a favourite author of mine!
I just love how she creates characters, especially female characters, that feels so complex. She is a master in showing that you don't have to be a warrior/hunter-kinda-gal to be strong. Even if you are naïve, sweet and innocent, you can still find the strength to fight for yourself and your beliefs.
I love her writing style, the atmospheres and settings she create - to put it simply, she just knows how to craft a book that is going to make me feel very strong emotions.
If this book was about 100 pages longer it would have gotten five stars and perhaps been a favourite. When you compare the last 33% of the book the beginning might feel slow and not much is happening. I for one would have enjoyed it had dragged the middle part and added some more episodes of (small/big) action or something. Reaching about 120 pages I realized I felt we were still only being introduced to the plot rather than be right in the middle of it (and I was almost at the halfway point). It did however catch up very fast and oh boy, I had not expected this much action in the end. And that ending!....
This is represented as a sci-fi and it is certainly present in the book, but it is still on a very low scale and it is mostly the romantic and historical aspect that dominates this book. Just a fair warning if you wanted a typical sci-fi. I for one have no complaints!
Okay, first things first, let me recommend you to read this book while you listen to the audiobook simultaneously. You get the whole experience. ThereOkay, first things first, let me recommend you to read this book while you listen to the audiobook simultaneously. You get the whole experience. There are visuel effects that can't be presented in the audiobook and you will miss the awesome sound effects if you only read it plain and simple. It was absolutely awesome.
I said last year I didn't think I would continue, because I didn't need a follow-up. Apparently, I lied.
Now comes the question; did I like Gemina more than Illuminae?
It is tricky. Last year I would have rated Illuminae five stars if I had been basing it solely on the plot, but didn't because I had issues with feeling anything towards the characters and only considering them as chess pieces. I didn't have the same issue with Gemina, thankfully. I liked the characters and I was actually rooting for them and almost literary biting my nails when things bleaked. The plot however is not five stars. It was still very thrilling and I very much enjoyed it, but it was not nearly as gripping as Illuminae's. One of the things I really loved about the first book was that it presented many moral conundrums and we were dealing with a lot of gray areas. This time it was a straight-forward good vs evil-kind of plot. It did have some very nice twist and turns and I did have one moment where I felt mindblown, but I missed my gray areas and have something to reflect on.
So even though I perhaps enjoyed Illuminae a bit more than Gemina, I would still rate this a bit higher, because unlike the first book, there wasn't any major issues in this one.
A bit of a left down finale. It reminded me of Stephenie Meyer and the Twilight-books; Promising a great confrontation with a good battle and then givA bit of a left down finale. It reminded me of Stephenie Meyer and the Twilight-books; Promising a great confrontation with a good battle and then giving us some wishy-washy version of a battle. ...more
A good start on a new adventure. It explored subjects as grief and problems with teamwork caused by the aftermath of where we let off, which I really A good start on a new adventure. It explored subjects as grief and problems with teamwork caused by the aftermath of where we let off, which I really appreciated. A very nice transition. I'm getting into the territory where I no longer really remember anything, so it will almost be like reading it for the first time!...more
3.5 Can highly recommend you to reread these! Such a fun time. Can't wait to purchase Part II and read about the W.I.T.C.H.'s next adventure!3.5 Can highly recommend you to reread these! Such a fun time. Can't wait to purchase Part II and read about the W.I.T.C.H.'s next adventure!...more
Loading...
