A gripping retelling of the Oedipus myth in all its twisted-ness!
Two POVs. Jocasta - married off to the King of Thebes as a young girl, alone and friA gripping retelling of the Oedipus myth in all its twisted-ness!
Two POVs. Jocasta - married off to the King of Thebes as a young girl, alone and frightened. The second POV is a young girl Isi living in the palace with her siblings and uncle as her parents died when she was young.
Considering the jumping, I didn’t find the POVs confusing at all, it was done very well and I enjoyed coming to terms with how the two characters were linked.
I loved seeing the inevitable spiral of Jocasta - when her husband dies and she becomes Queen. Marrying a man from a foreign land who is half her age.
I was gripped from start to finish, Natalie Hayes’ characters are always so fully formed and exciting to read. I’m a big fan. ...more
A moving story of a man’s struggle with grief after the death of his wife.
Isaac is standing on a bridge, contemplating taking his own life when he scA moving story of a man’s struggle with grief after the death of his wife.
Isaac is standing on a bridge, contemplating taking his own life when he screams into the void. What screams back will change his live forever.
I won’t say any more as I do think it is best to go in blind and take it as it comes. But I found it to be a refreshing and devastating look at grief and guilt.
I’ll be looking out for what this author does next. ...more
I didn’t enjoy this one as much as Razorblade Tears, but I still read until the end.
Beauregard has left behind his previous ‘life’. That of driving gI didn’t enjoy this one as much as Razorblade Tears, but I still read until the end.
Beauregard has left behind his previous ‘life’. That of driving getaway cars and aiding in illegal activities. He has a mechanic shop, and his wife and children.
However when a competitor opens up and Bug loses a lot of business, he becomes desperate for cash. So desperate that he agrees to work with someone he vowed never to work with again.
With all the violence and action you’d expect from Cosby. I found I didn’t root for Bug as I did with his other characters/books. If didn’t like a lot of his decisions (but I did understand some of them). And finally the ending left me unsatisfied (view spoiler)[ he doesn’t decide whether to leave the life behind and go the straight and narrow. Or if he is unable to and therefore has to leave his family for their own safety. (hide spoiler)]
I have loved Holly Gibney’s character ever since the Mr Mercedes trilogy. I am so glad that SK loved her just as much to give Holly her own book.
I’veI have loved Holly Gibney’s character ever since the Mr Mercedes trilogy. I am so glad that SK loved her just as much to give Holly her own book.
I’ve seen a few comments complaining about the Covid element in this book. I think it’s really important to talk about topics relevant to the time the book is set. This has always been the case in Mr Mercedes too. Stephen King writes about the unemployment crisis in America, he has never shied away from the hard topics.
When people read this book in later years it will provide information about the years covid was rife. I also believe it strongly fits Holly’s personality - she was always quite extreme when it came to germs etc.
When a young woman’s bike is found but with her nowhere to be seen, her mother asks Holly to investigate. What she unravels is terrifying and dangerous.
Another thrill ride from Stephen King, I throughly enjoyed it.
A real slice of life read! Sam and Sadie meet in the hospital as children and become fast friends. We then follow them through college and into3.5 ⭐️
A real slice of life read! Sam and Sadie meet in the hospital as children and become fast friends. We then follow them through college and into adulthood with all the pettiness and misunderstandings that this brings.
The main focus is on gaming. This is Sam and Sadie’s favourite pastime and what they ultimately build their business doing. Considering I’m not a gamer, it is a testament to the author that I remained invested in the characters and their story.
I wouldn’t necessarily read it again, neither would I say it blew my mind but there were some wonderful passages that I found touching and I’m glad to have been immersed in their lives for a short while.
“Always remember…life is very long, unless it is not.”
I enjoyed this first instalment of the series. Strike is a great protagonist and I liked cheering him on and watching him make connections in t3.5 ⭐️
I enjoyed this first instalment of the series. Strike is a great protagonist and I liked cheering him on and watching him make connections in the case.
I haven’t quite warmed up to Robin yet but I’m sure it will come with time. She seemed a bit keen for approval and even sulky at times.
A man whose sister fell from her balcony believes it wasn’t suicide, but that she was pushed. He asks for Strike’s help to prove it.
There were a lot of characters but I managed to keep up as it went through. The reveal was ok, I didn’t love it but all the explanations made sense.
(view spoiler)[ so it turns out it was the brother all along because she was not leaving him any money in her will. Thought it seemed silly for him to ask a PI to look into it when it had already been ruled a suicide so he’d gotten away with it…but there we are. (hide spoiler)]
I think I will continue with the series.
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Ok, so two things
1. I want to understand the anger people are feeling, and in order to do that I need to read this series.
2. I borrowed this book. Therefore in reading it I haven’t given any money to JKR....more
A school shooting, but in the UK, not America. We flip between numerous characters, from the students and teachers to the What a hard hitter this was!
A school shooting, but in the UK, not America. We flip between numerous characters, from the students and teachers to the police officers and detectives hired to deal with the situation.
An explosion is heard from the woods behind the school, from there unravel a series of events including gunshots and further explosions.
But who are these shooters? What do they want? How did they get to this point?
So much ground is covered for a book that takes place only over 3 hours. So many shocks and terrifying moments, a powerful and frightening read. ...more
Now, it’s been quite a few years since I read ‘They Both Die at the End’ and I gave that one 4.5 stars. But, if I reread it now, that might be d3.5 ⭐️
Now, it’s been quite a few years since I read ‘They Both Die at the End’ and I gave that one 4.5 stars. But, if I reread it now, that might be different.
I can only go on what I could remember when I opened this prequel.
We begin on Death Cast eve. The evening death cast is first introduced to America, and the first Decker will receive a phone call to say that they will die in the next 24 hours.
There are several POVs but the main two are Orion, a New Yorker living with a severe heart condition, wondering everyday if it will be his last. The second is Valentino - who has recently moved to New York to start his new life as a model.
Their paths collide on death cast eve and the calls are made. One of them will die in 24 hours. They spend the next 24 hours together, and it changes their lives.
I know I am bitter and cynical now. I wasn’t when I was younger, but ya know - life. So the whole insta-love wasn’t great, even though one of them thinks they are going to die.
It was still very readable and I liked the other POVs such as an old man who receives a death cast call and numerous others with relevance to the overall story.
It was ok, just not like the previous book as I remember it. ...more
As a millennial, I was the perfect age to watch iCarly, so I recognised Jeannette as soon as I saw her picture on this book.
And what an eye opening eAs a millennial, I was the perfect age to watch iCarly, so I recognised Jeannette as soon as I saw her picture on this book.
And what an eye opening experience it was! You truly have no idea what goes on behind closed doors for the stars you see on the tv.
Jennette’s mother was abusive. She endorsed her anorexia and fuelled it, she both emotionally and physically harmed her and it took years of therapy after her mothers death for Jeannette to come to terms with this. The person she loved the most was also the most toxic.
So happy for Jeannette to have found the strength to write this novel and let the general public into this really private area of her life.
I too am glad Jeannette McCurdy’s mother is dead and I have no problem saying so.
I don’t think I am the target audience for this book. I gave it a go anyway and there were definitely parts I liked.
Grace Adams has hit rock bo3.5 ⭐️
I don’t think I am the target audience for this book. I gave it a go anyway and there were definitely parts I liked.
Grace Adams has hit rock bottom. Jobless, divorced and now her 16 year old daughter doesn’t want her at her birthday party. So while sitting in gridlock she gets up, leaves her car and walks away.
Meanwhile we get flashback episodes from 4 months earlier and 8 years earlier. I found the flashbacks confusing at times.
The main thing that annoyed me was Grace’s daughter. I know later on we find out what has been going on with her but for me she was a brat and it wasn’t enjoyable to read about the way she spoke to her mother.
Ultimately a powerful story about resilience, and the struggles women face every day. Grace was a wonderful heroine and I enjoyed her telling the world she was done with its shit.
Take back the power Grace!
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Early proof copy won through Facebook reading group ...more
I was however expecting weird when I went in, after reading ‘All’s Well’ by this same author.
At a prestigious writing collegeThis was fucking weird.
I was however expecting weird when I went in, after reading ‘All’s Well’ by this same author.
At a prestigious writing college, with only 5 girls on the course, Samantha feels left out.
The 4 other girls are a close as can be, constantly touching each other, always together and going so far as to refer to each other as ‘Bunny’ instead of their real names.
When Samantha receives an invitation to one of their parties, she thinks it must be a trick. But what if it isn’t? What if she is finally being included in their elite group?
I loved the mix of supernatural and mental hallucinations. You’re never quite sure what is real and what is imagined.
The behaviour of the girls was reminiscent of Mean Girls and the like. Very relatable. I liked the main character and understood her conflicting emotions between being herself and being part of something.
The reveals were interesting (view spoiler)[ her best friend had been a figment of her imagination the whole time. But the parts about using rabbits and turning them into boys was pretty out there. (hide spoiler)]
Overall pretty gripping and I will be picking up her next book....more
So this is set up as a memoir, written by Art Barbara (not his real name) about his experiences as a t2.5 ⭐️
Too much weird, not enough clarification.
So this is set up as a memoir, written by Art Barbara (not his real name) about his experiences as a teen and then into his later adult life. The book is being read by his old friend Mercy Brown (also not her real name) so had loads of notes and opinions on each chapter.
There is an undercurrent of unease throughout the book which I liked, but by the end it just wasn’t clear enough for me.
(view spoiler)[ they give the idea that Mercy was a vampire and that she caused Art to become one too. But this is never specifically verified and the whole thing may have just been in his head. And then at the end he just dies. Bizarre. (hide spoiler)]
Not for me sadly, there were parts I liked but overall not my cup of tea. ...more
“Somewhere between an asylum and a prison, the Salpetriere took in those that Paris did not know how to cope with: invalids and women.”
Thoroughly en “Somewhere between an asylum and a prison, the Salpetriere took in those that Paris did not know how to cope with: invalids and women.”
Thoroughly enjoyed this short novel that covers some big topics about mental health and asylums in history.
Eugenie has been signed over to the institution by her family after telling her grandmother she can see and communicate with spirits. Meanwhile Genevieve’s job is her whole life, since her sister died she never lets herself feel anything. Particularly not for her patients. She has cut herself off, and is a great fan of Doctor Charat’s new theories and experiments.
But when the two women meet, they both change one another. Eugenie is desperate to find people who will accept her and her abilities. Genevieve is starting to wonder if the Doctor everyone has idolised is actually as great as everyone thinks.
The actual ball is only a very small portion of this story, so bear that in mind if you were expecting differently.
But overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this and would recommend.
“The Salpetriere is a dumping ground for women who disturb the peace. A prison for women guilty of possessing an opinion.”
************************ Library copy available for pick up
I’ve been waiting for this one ages! So exciting ...more
Another unfulfilling read. Is it me? I haven’t found a book enthralling in like 2 months.
Molly and Katie are twins, and have been inseparable all theiAnother unfulfilling read. Is it me? I haven’t found a book enthralling in like 2 months.
Molly and Katie are twins, and have been inseparable all their lives. That is until Katie moves to New York and leaves Molly behind.
Molly has severe anxiety, she sees danger everywhere and in everything. I found it a bit annoying at times. When she receives a call saying that Katie has been killed she goes to New York to discover what happened to her sister.
I was pretty invested up until this point. Once we start finding out more of Katie’s secrets (view spoiler)[ she was sleeping with her university professor, her boyfriend was cheating on her. It’s a whole drama (hide spoiler)]
It was actually the ending that really decided it for me. (view spoiler)[ first we are told Molly killed her own sister. Which was insane enough in itself. But then it switched to telling us that Katie actually woke up before Molly could act, and then killed her and took her place. (Still with me?) so Katie is now pretending to be Molly. (hide spoiler)]
The whole thing just became stupidly far fetched and I wasn’t able to follow all the changes. ...more
I probably wasn’t the target audience for this and the comparison to Eleanor Oliphant was a huge stretch.
Veronica McCreedy is in her 80s, when she deI probably wasn’t the target audience for this and the comparison to Eleanor Oliphant was a huge stretch.
Veronica McCreedy is in her 80s, when she decides to look into her relatives. She had a son at a very young age, and she wants to get back in touch.
Meanwhile, we get POVs from Veronica’s estranged grandson. I didn’t really want to either of the characters which was unfortunately. Patrick the grandson really wasn’t my cup of tea at all.
I gradually got used to Veronica, and the story itself was sweet enough. She travels to Antarctica out of the blue, to spend some time with the penguins.
An ok enough book, but I won’t bother with the sequel I don’t think. ...more
“Payback is a bitch, he thought, and I am that bitch.”
Really enjoyed this trilogy and loved this final instalment.
Bill and Holly find themselves d “Payback is a bitch, he thought, and I am that bitch.”
Really enjoyed this trilogy and loved this final instalment.
Bill and Holly find themselves drawn into another mystery when two women supposedly commit suicide. One of whom was a victim of the Mercedes killer - permanently disabled.
As more and more links between Brady’s victims start to appear, Bill worries that there may be more to the suicides than meets the eye.
And when we find out what is causing these deaths - it is both shocking and twisted. (view spoiler)[ Brady Hartsfield, despite being a vegetable - has found a way to jump into peoples minds and hypnotise them. Using the body of a doctor he manages to create mass suicides through the provision of Zappits. (Game Boys). (hide spoiler)]
Such a terrifying concept, I was gripped and so pleased that (view spoiler)[ Brady gets his just deserts by getting mowed down by Jerome in a snowmobile (hide spoiler)]...more
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