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I've been a fan of Silverberg ever since reading some of his classic sci-fi like THE BOOK OF SKULLS and DYING INSIDE back in the 70s. However, I found it really difficult trying to get into this one. I think, as others have mentioned, that Silverberg must have been on an LSD trip when he wrote this in 1971. It tells of a man called Clay from the 20th century who wakes up millennia into the future through some kind of time flux. Man has gone through countless evolutions and the beings at the end are rather mild mannered and can shift their sexes at will. (These people kind of reminded me of the Eloi from Wells' Time Machine.) Clay arrives in the future naked and horny and has sex with most anyone or any being that will have him. His exploration of this future world goes on and on and I admit to skimming most of the last half of the book. Thankfully, it does come to an end.
This one was a disappointment to me. I always considered Silverberg one of the best in his field and hopefully the next book I read by him will be an improvement over this one!
This one was a disappointment to me. I always considered Silverberg one of the best in his field and hopefully the next book I read by him will be an improvement over this one!
Paradise Valley (Virgin River, Bk 7)
Author:
Genres: Literature & Fiction, Romance
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
Author:
Genres: Literature & Fiction, Romance
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
Betsy F. reviewed on + 322 more book reviews
great read
Beadwork Creates Beaded Bags : 30 Designs (Beadwork Creates)
Author:
Genre: Crafts, Hobbies & Home
Book Type: Paperback
Author:
Genre: Crafts, Hobbies & Home
Book Type: Paperback
Candace G. (Ogre) reviewed on + 1556 more book reviews
This is a good How-To book on making beaded items. Mainly seed beads for purses and other bags, but also introduces other kinds of beads and stones like opals and abalone
A few pages on Quilling
ITEMS TO MAKE: Sioux Pipe Bag, Dance Bag, Amulet Pouch w Pony Beads, Beads on Fabric, Fringes, Others
DIFFERENT STITCHES: Peyote stitch increase and decrease, Square stitch, Slip needle, loom work, brick stitch, back stitch, couching, lazy stitch, blind stitch, whip stitch, beaded knitting, crocheting with beads, more
A few pages on Quilling
ITEMS TO MAKE: Sioux Pipe Bag, Dance Bag, Amulet Pouch w Pony Beads, Beads on Fabric, Fringes, Others
DIFFERENT STITCHES: Peyote stitch increase and decrease, Square stitch, Slip needle, loom work, brick stitch, back stitch, couching, lazy stitch, blind stitch, whip stitch, beaded knitting, crocheting with beads, more
Airframe
Author:
Genres: Literature & Fiction, Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
Author:
Genres: Literature & Fiction, Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
Charlie H. reviewed on + 87 more book reviews
Great read, could be from news
The Stargazey (Richard Jury, Bk 15)
Author:
Genre: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
Author:
Genre: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
Barbara L. reviewed on + 966 more book reviews
uthor: Martha Grimes
November. in a bleak month, a bleak Richard Jury takes an aimless ride on one of London's icons--the old double-decker bus, a # 14 traveling the Fulham Road. His attention is caught by a woman "with hair so gossamer-pale you could see the moon through it," wearing a fur coat, boarding his bus in front of a pub called the Stargazey.
Her behavior intrigues him, as she leaves, reboards, and leaves the bus again. Jury follows her to the gates of Fulham Palace--but only to the gates. There he stops. Later he wonders if the death in the walled garden of Fulham Palace could have been averted if he had gone in...and if this precipitated still another death in a London club named Boring's, which is Melrose Plant's crusty old men's club.
Before Jury and Plant work out the connection between these killings, they are both helped and hindered by Martha Grimes' usual band of eccentrics: Theo Wrenn Browne, trying to shut down the Long Pidd library; the Cripps family trying to shut down civilization; and Diane Demorney, the new horoscope columnist for the Sidbury Star, trying to shut down the heavens.
November. in a bleak month, a bleak Richard Jury takes an aimless ride on one of London's icons--the old double-decker bus, a # 14 traveling the Fulham Road. His attention is caught by a woman "with hair so gossamer-pale you could see the moon through it," wearing a fur coat, boarding his bus in front of a pub called the Stargazey.
Her behavior intrigues him, as she leaves, reboards, and leaves the bus again. Jury follows her to the gates of Fulham Palace--but only to the gates. There he stops. Later he wonders if the death in the walled garden of Fulham Palace could have been averted if he had gone in...and if this precipitated still another death in a London club named Boring's, which is Melrose Plant's crusty old men's club.
Before Jury and Plant work out the connection between these killings, they are both helped and hindered by Martha Grimes' usual band of eccentrics: Theo Wrenn Browne, trying to shut down the Long Pidd library; the Cripps family trying to shut down civilization; and Diane Demorney, the new horoscope columnist for the Sidbury Star, trying to shut down the heavens.
I Am the Only Running Footman (Richard Jury, Bk 8)
Author:
Genre: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Book Type: Paperback
Author:
Genre: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Book Type: Paperback
Barbara L. reviewed on + 966 more book reviews
New Scotland Yard superintendent Richard Jury is convinced it's more than coincidence when two beautiful young women are found strangled to death with their own scarves -- one in Devon, the second outside a fashionable Mayfair pub. Both women were as strikingly similar in life as they were in death. Neither had enemies that Jury can find. Now, somewhere in the night, a killer is biding his time, beckoning Jury and Devon's local divisional commander, Brian Macalvie, down an elusive trail of tragic family secrets and even more fatal lies.
The Deer Leap (Richard Jury, Bk 7)
Author:
Genre: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
Author:
Genre: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
Barbara L. reviewed on + 966 more book reviews
All roads don't lead to the village of Ashdown Dean. The one that did led writer Polly Praed right to the police station ... to be questioned about a corpse. Poor Polly admitted to opening the phone booth door, but the dead woman had fallen out quite on her own. Now Polly needed to phone again -- to call Melrose Plant and Scotland Yard
Wild Card (A Stone Barrington Novel)
Author:
Genres: Literature & Fiction, Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Book Type: Audio CD
Author:
Genres: Literature & Fiction, Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Book Type: Audio CD
Once again, Stuart Woods writes a great book.
Shroud for a Nightingale (Adam Dalgliesh, Bk 4)
Author:
Genre: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Book Type: Paperback
Author:
Genre: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Book Type: Paperback
Barbara L. reviewed on + 966 more book reviews
The young women of Nightingale House are there to learn to nurse and comfort the suffering. But when one of the students plays patient in a demonstration of nursing skills, she is horribly, brutally killed. Another student dies equally mysteriously, and it is up to Adam Dalgliesh of Scotland Yard to unmask a killer who has decided to prescribe murder as the cure for all ills. « less
I can't resist reading a book written by Sandra Kring. She is so gifted at creating a pre-adolescent protagonist that captures your heart and your curiosity until the story ends.
The author creates a small town filled with characters whose personalities and personal lives are flawed and genuine.
I enjoyed Lucy's talent, as young as she is, to bring out the best in most of these characters. She eventually gets them to face trauma created in the past, work through the pain, and find peace within themselves and each other.
The author creates a small town filled with characters whose personalities and personal lives are flawed and genuine.
I enjoyed Lucy's talent, as young as she is, to bring out the best in most of these characters. She eventually gets them to face trauma created in the past, work through the pain, and find peace within themselves and each other.
Unfollow: A Journey from Hatred to Hope
Author:
Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Religion & Spirituality, Christian Books & Bibles
Book Type: Paperback
Author:
Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Religion & Spirituality, Christian Books & Bibles
Book Type: Paperback
Paula G. (Paulathegreat) reviewed on + 128 more book reviews
Well written and intelligent.
As a Christian I read it as a cautionary tale against bad theology. It was bad theology that made Meagan leave, but she left God over things that the Bible doesn't teach when looked at objectively.
As a Christian I read it as a cautionary tale against bad theology. It was bad theology that made Meagan leave, but she left God over things that the Bible doesn't teach when looked at objectively.
Undercover Colton (Coltons of Colorado, Bk 5) (Harlequin Romantic Suspense, No 2183)
Author:
Genres: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, Romance
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
Author:
Genres: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, Romance
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
Good book. Dom Colton is an FBI agent assigned to find out what Samantha Evans, daughter of Mike Evans, who is head of the Warlords Motorcycle Club, knows about her father's illegal activities. He's working on a construction site where she does the landscaping, and they met by "happy accident." The book opens with their dinner date and an inside look at their thoughts. Sami is very attracted to Dom and compares him favorably to other men she's dated. She appreciates how he treats her and feels like the center of his attention. On the other hand, Dom feels increasingly guilty about how he is deceiving her. He's just as attracted as she is, but she is part of his assignment and doing anything about it is a bad idea.
But good intentions fall by the wayside with a kiss that goes from sweet to scorching in a heartbeat. The resulting encounter was explosive and left both of them reeling from the depth of emotion it stirred up. Then, to complicate matters, Sami found his FBI badge and credentials. (I'm sorry - why the heck did Dom have his badge on an UNDERCOVER assignment? A stupid mistake from a supposedly experienced agent.) So, he confesses all, and Sami decides she wants to help Dom take her father down. She blames her dad for her mother's death and knows he's involved in some nasty stuff. She hadn't spoken to her dad in years, but coincidentally he had just called her, looking to reconnect. They decide that she'd drag Dom along as her boyfriend, which they then change to fiancé, as a way in for Dom.
You know that a fake engagement between two people that are so attracted to each other can only end one way. Still, I enjoyed watching the relationship between Dom and Sami develop. Dom felt protective toward Sami from the start, but those feelings are even stronger when she insists on getting involved. I liked seeing them get to know each other and discover that they had much in common, especially their criminal fathers. I ached for Sami, torn between her love for her father and her desire to help Dom stop him. I liked how he helped her deal with her feelings over that. Dom has spent years keeping a distance between himself and everyone else, including his family. His father's betrayal of the family hit him hard, and he does it to protect himself from feeling that way with anyone else. But the more time he spends with Sami, the more he finds her breaking down those walls. The feelings she stirs in him go against everything he believes about his future. When everything is over, both have emotional baggage to deal with before they can have a future together. I liked the epilogue and seeing that they take some additional time to get to know each other better.
The suspense is very good. Dom's FBI unit suspects that Mike Evans has reorganized his Warlords after his multi-year disappearance. Unfortunately, they haven't been able to get the proof they need. There is also some question about whether someone else is pulling the strings. The tension starts early as we see Dom dealing with Evans both as Sami's fiancé and a potential recruit to the Warlords. I liked his ability to show just the right mix of deference and strength. The intensity ramps up as he is initiated into the group and participates in one of their operations. We get a look at another player, a familiar face from earlier books, and his part in the goings-on. The final confrontation kept me glued to the pages until it was over.
This works well as a stand-alone, as Dom and Sami's romance gets its HEA, and Dom's FBI assignment is successfully completed. It works best as part of the series if the books are read in order. Some things happen in the early books that affect the events in this one. Plus, the end of this one leaves at least one dangling thread to lead into the next book.
#netgalley
But good intentions fall by the wayside with a kiss that goes from sweet to scorching in a heartbeat. The resulting encounter was explosive and left both of them reeling from the depth of emotion it stirred up. Then, to complicate matters, Sami found his FBI badge and credentials. (I'm sorry - why the heck did Dom have his badge on an UNDERCOVER assignment? A stupid mistake from a supposedly experienced agent.) So, he confesses all, and Sami decides she wants to help Dom take her father down. She blames her dad for her mother's death and knows he's involved in some nasty stuff. She hadn't spoken to her dad in years, but coincidentally he had just called her, looking to reconnect. They decide that she'd drag Dom along as her boyfriend, which they then change to fiancé, as a way in for Dom.
You know that a fake engagement between two people that are so attracted to each other can only end one way. Still, I enjoyed watching the relationship between Dom and Sami develop. Dom felt protective toward Sami from the start, but those feelings are even stronger when she insists on getting involved. I liked seeing them get to know each other and discover that they had much in common, especially their criminal fathers. I ached for Sami, torn between her love for her father and her desire to help Dom stop him. I liked how he helped her deal with her feelings over that. Dom has spent years keeping a distance between himself and everyone else, including his family. His father's betrayal of the family hit him hard, and he does it to protect himself from feeling that way with anyone else. But the more time he spends with Sami, the more he finds her breaking down those walls. The feelings she stirs in him go against everything he believes about his future. When everything is over, both have emotional baggage to deal with before they can have a future together. I liked the epilogue and seeing that they take some additional time to get to know each other better.
The suspense is very good. Dom's FBI unit suspects that Mike Evans has reorganized his Warlords after his multi-year disappearance. Unfortunately, they haven't been able to get the proof they need. There is also some question about whether someone else is pulling the strings. The tension starts early as we see Dom dealing with Evans both as Sami's fiancé and a potential recruit to the Warlords. I liked his ability to show just the right mix of deference and strength. The intensity ramps up as he is initiated into the group and participates in one of their operations. We get a look at another player, a familiar face from earlier books, and his part in the goings-on. The final confrontation kept me glued to the pages until it was over.
This works well as a stand-alone, as Dom and Sami's romance gets its HEA, and Dom's FBI assignment is successfully completed. It works best as part of the series if the books are read in order. Some things happen in the early books that affect the events in this one. Plus, the end of this one leaves at least one dangling thread to lead into the next book.
#netgalley
What do the Donner Party, Sand Point Idaho and Richard Burton all have in common? This book. A plethora of titillating characters, and a profusion of problematic events to discourage even the most tired of readers from putting this book down until late in the evening. Italy, Scotland, Idaho, Hollywood and more all play a part in this story of love and trust gone astray.
When The Summer Place by Jennifer Wiener came up in my reading schedule, I was ready to sink into a character-driven novel featuring a multi-generational family. The timing was perfect for this 430-page story of the Weinberg-Danhauser family, who in the second year of Covid lockdown, are preparing for a wedding at Cape Cod.
Ms. Weiner takes readers deep into the history of Veronica, the family matriarch, her twins Sam and Sarah, Sarah's husband Eli, and his daughter Ruby. All have secrets that risk being exposed when everyone gathers at Veronica's beach house for Ruby's wedding to Gabe.
Overall, I enjoyed this book, especially watching events unfold through the perspectives of three generations of a family and the autobiographical elements woven into the plot including the 'lock down' experience of the pandemic. However, coincidences key to the plot that require major suspension of disbelief and anthropomorphisizing the beach house, which was used too little to be effective and felt like a distraction, took away from the reading experience.
Many thanks to Atria for the review copy of this novel
Ms. Weiner takes readers deep into the history of Veronica, the family matriarch, her twins Sam and Sarah, Sarah's husband Eli, and his daughter Ruby. All have secrets that risk being exposed when everyone gathers at Veronica's beach house for Ruby's wedding to Gabe.
Overall, I enjoyed this book, especially watching events unfold through the perspectives of three generations of a family and the autobiographical elements woven into the plot including the 'lock down' experience of the pandemic. However, coincidences key to the plot that require major suspension of disbelief and anthropomorphisizing the beach house, which was used too little to be effective and felt like a distraction, took away from the reading experience.
Many thanks to Atria for the review copy of this novel
Seeing Voices: A Journey into the World of the Deaf
Author:
Genre: Health, Fitness & Dieting
Book Type: Paperback
Author:
Genre: Health, Fitness & Dieting
Book Type: Paperback
Letitia H. -
Highly recommend for anyone concerned with the totally deaf.
Gifts of the Crow: How Perception, Emotion, and Thought Allow Smart Birds to Behave Like Humans
Author:
Genres: Sports & Outdoors, Science & Math
Book Type: Paperback
Author:
Genres: Sports & Outdoors, Science & Math
Book Type: Paperback
An absolute must-read for anyone who enjoys birds. Marzluff does a great job of telling very entertaining stories of corvid behavior while also explaining the anatomy, physiology, and biochemistry behind the behavior. I've always loved crows and known they were smart, but some of the behavior detailed in this book blew me away. I need a crow friend. Immediately.
Cis H. (californiadreamin) reviewed on + 250 more book reviews
I am the star of screaming headlines and campfire ghost stories.
I am one of the four Black-Eyed Susans.
The lucky one.
Tess was 16 years old when she was found in a shallow grave surrounded by a bed of back-eyed Susans. She was one of four bodies, only she was alive. She has no idea how she got into the field or why.
Story is told in two time frames; when crime happened and now two decades later when alleged attacked is about to be executed. The alternating chapters help keep timeline moving.
Lots of twits and turns, like Lydia who is Tessa's best friend, since they were 8 years old --- is gone. She's been missing since she testified in court. Her entire family is gone... ( house sold and no contact with Tessa)...Lydia comes back into story 17 years later.
And Tess wakes one winter morning to see a patch of Black-eyed Susans planted in her yard. These are summer flowers....is the killer back? Should she be worried about her 14 yo daughter?
A fast-moving story, with surprise ending.
I am one of the four Black-Eyed Susans.
The lucky one.
Tess was 16 years old when she was found in a shallow grave surrounded by a bed of back-eyed Susans. She was one of four bodies, only she was alive. She has no idea how she got into the field or why.
Story is told in two time frames; when crime happened and now two decades later when alleged attacked is about to be executed. The alternating chapters help keep timeline moving.
Lots of twits and turns, like Lydia who is Tessa's best friend, since they were 8 years old --- is gone. She's been missing since she testified in court. Her entire family is gone... ( house sold and no contact with Tessa)...Lydia comes back into story 17 years later.
And Tess wakes one winter morning to see a patch of Black-eyed Susans planted in her yard. These are summer flowers....is the killer back? Should she be worried about her 14 yo daughter?
A fast-moving story, with surprise ending.
Everybody Thought We Were Crazy: Dennis Hopper, Brooke Hayward, and 1960s Los Angeles
Author:
Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, History, Humor & Entertainment
Book Type: Hardcover
Author:
Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, History, Humor & Entertainment
Book Type: Hardcover
Everybody Was Wrong, Everybody Was Right
Dennis Hopper projected the aura of a crazed madman and often played up on that reputation in his film roles. There was the frenzied photojournalist in âApocalypse Nowâ, the deranged bomb builder in âSpeedâ, the totally bizarre psycho in âBlue Velvetâ... just to name a few. That was really all I knew about him, other than he had bonded as a young actor with James Dean. "Everybody Thought We Were Crazy" concentrates on his life in the '60's and the relationship he had with his wife, Brooke Hayward.
The book shows that, yes, Dennis Hopper was out of control at times. It also reveals a surprisingly talented photographer and art aficionado. Often you will hear about a celebrity who paints or dabbles in some art and you wonder if this is exaggerating anything more than a hobby. Dennis created some remarkable photography and had a number of showings. He and Brooke were also early supporters of Andy Warhol and were instrumental in promoting the burgeoning Los Angeles art scene of the '60's. The private art collection presented at their house was considered an avant-garde revelation.
âEverybody Thought We Were Crazyâ is about the two of them. Brooke is the daughter of Hollywood celebrity-- her mother was superstar actress Margaret Sullavan-- and we get an account of her growing up in privileged society, hanging out with the Fondas, and her acting career, a career cut short to accommodate Dennis. Writer and friend Jill Schary referred to the couple as "the bohemian version of Liz Taylor and Richard Burton." Brooke led an interesting life and has documented it herself in her autobiography "Haywire," but her story is necessarily overshadowed here by the wild and unpredictable nature of her husband.
Dennis shared a kindred spirit in Peter Fonda until the craziness hit a peak during the production of "Easy Rider." Dennis directed what would become a symbol of counter-culture spirit and while the success of the project was a major triumph, it also found a way to tear him apart as he fought Fonda and Hollywood writer Terry Southern over whose contributions should have been recognized. The marriage to Brooke had dissolved during the filming of "Easy Rider" and Dennis tumbled into a deep void of substance abuse and psychological trauma. It took years for him to reorder his life and revitalize his career.
Dennis Hopper and Brooke Hayward led fascinating fast lane Hollywood lives. There are some great TMZ style stories throughout the book. The major take-away from Mark Rozzo's book is there is much more to these two than what we would expect. They were much more than merely art voyeurs splashing money around to earn some culture cred.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The man is clear in his mind, but his soul is mad. â Hopper's character in âApocalypse Nowâ
Dennis Hopper projected the aura of a crazed madman and often played up on that reputation in his film roles. There was the frenzied photojournalist in âApocalypse Nowâ, the deranged bomb builder in âSpeedâ, the totally bizarre psycho in âBlue Velvetâ... just to name a few. That was really all I knew about him, other than he had bonded as a young actor with James Dean. "Everybody Thought We Were Crazy" concentrates on his life in the '60's and the relationship he had with his wife, Brooke Hayward.
The book shows that, yes, Dennis Hopper was out of control at times. It also reveals a surprisingly talented photographer and art aficionado. Often you will hear about a celebrity who paints or dabbles in some art and you wonder if this is exaggerating anything more than a hobby. Dennis created some remarkable photography and had a number of showings. He and Brooke were also early supporters of Andy Warhol and were instrumental in promoting the burgeoning Los Angeles art scene of the '60's. The private art collection presented at their house was considered an avant-garde revelation.
âEverybody Thought We Were Crazyâ is about the two of them. Brooke is the daughter of Hollywood celebrity-- her mother was superstar actress Margaret Sullavan-- and we get an account of her growing up in privileged society, hanging out with the Fondas, and her acting career, a career cut short to accommodate Dennis. Writer and friend Jill Schary referred to the couple as "the bohemian version of Liz Taylor and Richard Burton." Brooke led an interesting life and has documented it herself in her autobiography "Haywire," but her story is necessarily overshadowed here by the wild and unpredictable nature of her husband.
Dennis shared a kindred spirit in Peter Fonda until the craziness hit a peak during the production of "Easy Rider." Dennis directed what would become a symbol of counter-culture spirit and while the success of the project was a major triumph, it also found a way to tear him apart as he fought Fonda and Hollywood writer Terry Southern over whose contributions should have been recognized. The marriage to Brooke had dissolved during the filming of "Easy Rider" and Dennis tumbled into a deep void of substance abuse and psychological trauma. It took years for him to reorder his life and revitalize his career.
Dennis Hopper and Brooke Hayward led fascinating fast lane Hollywood lives. There are some great TMZ style stories throughout the book. The major take-away from Mark Rozzo's book is there is much more to these two than what we would expect. They were much more than merely art voyeurs splashing money around to earn some culture cred.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The man is clear in his mind, but his soul is mad. â Hopper's character in âApocalypse Nowâ
Audrey A. (Arosea) reviewed on + 211 more book reviews
âThe Night Prowlerâ is something of a fetish killer. He relives a powerful incident fifteen years earlier. He stalks his preyâseemingly happily married couplesâfocusing his attention on the wife. He leaves anonymous gifts: expensive jackets, candy, gourmet jam, roses. He does all this as a twisted foreplay to his end game, which is the violent death of both partners.
Frank Quinn is a disgraced former NYPD detective who was chased from the force with nothing except his pension. He molders in a decrepit Manhattan apartment. His ex-wife and daughter are gone. His reputation is broke, and his only comfort is from the bottle. Everything changes when he is approached by the upwardly mobile and very ambitious Harley Renz. Renz has an offerâfind The Night Prowler and get his job back, and maybe his reputation, too. Good Story.
Frank Quinn is a disgraced former NYPD detective who was chased from the force with nothing except his pension. He molders in a decrepit Manhattan apartment. His ex-wife and daughter are gone. His reputation is broke, and his only comfort is from the bottle. Everything changes when he is approached by the upwardly mobile and very ambitious Harley Renz. Renz has an offerâfind The Night Prowler and get his job back, and maybe his reputation, too. Good Story.
Splendid Isolation
Samuel lives alone on an island off the coast of Africa, charged with maintaining a lighthouse. He is an old man, worn down by the pain dealt by the civilized world. He just wants to be left alone on his land, his island. His function is to oversee the place, keep the lighthouse going, and to bury the dead bodies who wash up on the shore. These are refugees who desperately crammed themselves onto makeshift boats and did not make it. The bodies were no longer of interest to the government and were even ridiculed by the men who drop off the island's supplies⦠âThere were bodies floating everywhere⦠those sharks of yours won't be starving anymore!" and "They deserve it, don't they?... Anyone stupid enough to pack themselves in a rotting boat like that and try to enter another country illegally is asking to die.â
Samuel's world is turned upside down when one of the bodies washes up still alive. Samuel's initial instinct is to help, to be friendly, to do the right thing. This stranger, a much younger and physically imposing man, does not speak Samuel's language and that adds to an estrangement and lack of understanding between the two. His mere presence threatens Samuel and triggers a series of memories pouring out: all his regrets and hardships, all the mistakes he feels he has made, all the trauma associated with his life outside the island. The sense of joy over some companionship is struggling with a paranoia to protect what is his.
Refugees. There are few social issues which test the conscience like the refugee one. Love thy neighborâ hard to argue with that concept. How does this change when a stranger enters the picture and seems a real threat? Samuel has worked hard, has built his walls to seal his world.
âThis land is mine. I am the land.â âSamuel
âAn Islandâ surprised many when it was on the 2021 Booker Prize Longlist. It is a relatively short novel and one that had a hard time getting noticed by publishers in the first place. Karen Jennings has written a beautifully concise and insightful portrait of a man both consumed by and trapped by his island. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Samuel lives alone on an island off the coast of Africa, charged with maintaining a lighthouse. He is an old man, worn down by the pain dealt by the civilized world. He just wants to be left alone on his land, his island. His function is to oversee the place, keep the lighthouse going, and to bury the dead bodies who wash up on the shore. These are refugees who desperately crammed themselves onto makeshift boats and did not make it. The bodies were no longer of interest to the government and were even ridiculed by the men who drop off the island's supplies⦠âThere were bodies floating everywhere⦠those sharks of yours won't be starving anymore!" and "They deserve it, don't they?... Anyone stupid enough to pack themselves in a rotting boat like that and try to enter another country illegally is asking to die.â
Samuel's world is turned upside down when one of the bodies washes up still alive. Samuel's initial instinct is to help, to be friendly, to do the right thing. This stranger, a much younger and physically imposing man, does not speak Samuel's language and that adds to an estrangement and lack of understanding between the two. His mere presence threatens Samuel and triggers a series of memories pouring out: all his regrets and hardships, all the mistakes he feels he has made, all the trauma associated with his life outside the island. The sense of joy over some companionship is struggling with a paranoia to protect what is his.
Refugees. There are few social issues which test the conscience like the refugee one. Love thy neighborâ hard to argue with that concept. How does this change when a stranger enters the picture and seems a real threat? Samuel has worked hard, has built his walls to seal his world.
âThis land is mine. I am the land.â âSamuel
âAn Islandâ surprised many when it was on the 2021 Booker Prize Longlist. It is a relatively short novel and one that had a hard time getting noticed by publishers in the first place. Karen Jennings has written a beautifully concise and insightful portrait of a man both consumed by and trapped by his island. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The Devil's Breath (A Sydney Rye Mystery) (Volume 5)
Author:
Genre: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Book Type: Paperback
Author:
Genre: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Book Type: Paperback
Exciting read; I think it may be helpful if the series is read in order.
I enjoyed the book. The hero was a doctor and not a rough tough gun slinger. Made good readilng.
What was the author thinking? This book uses a strange font and tiny print. It isn't very good. To read on an iPad, I had to enlarge and shrink each page. The author also posted the ingredients (for each recipe) in a light-brown tint. This made the ingredients virtually unreadable for my older eyes.
Another issue was the large number of unique ingredients needed for these protein bars. To make them, the reader must buy a new selection of ingredients. Does your home already have -- almond butter, almond milk, liquid stevia, almond flour, coconut flour, oat flour, peanut flour, organic brown rice protein powder (a must), organic grass-fed whey protein powder, psyllium husk powder, etc.? This is only a partial list of the ingredients needed. In other words, these treats require a hefty investment in products the reader may not like after making the protein bars.
On the plus side, the author offers dairy-free, gluten-free, soy-free, and vegan substitutions. That is amazing. The author also proves that her protein bars are significantly less expensive than purchased bars. There are lots of photos to show the construction of the treats. There are also nutritional facts for each recipe.
I don't eat protein bars often. Because of the long list of ingredients needed, I decided these were not worth my time to make.
Another issue was the large number of unique ingredients needed for these protein bars. To make them, the reader must buy a new selection of ingredients. Does your home already have -- almond butter, almond milk, liquid stevia, almond flour, coconut flour, oat flour, peanut flour, organic brown rice protein powder (a must), organic grass-fed whey protein powder, psyllium husk powder, etc.? This is only a partial list of the ingredients needed. In other words, these treats require a hefty investment in products the reader may not like after making the protein bars.
On the plus side, the author offers dairy-free, gluten-free, soy-free, and vegan substitutions. That is amazing. The author also proves that her protein bars are significantly less expensive than purchased bars. There are lots of photos to show the construction of the treats. There are also nutritional facts for each recipe.
I don't eat protein bars often. Because of the long list of ingredients needed, I decided these were not worth my time to make.
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