tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17122971662692961132024-03-20T12:47:44.701+01:00Ciska's Book ChestCiskahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08879503352825771111noreply@blogger.comBlogger977125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712297166269296113.post-69056145685767854252019-09-01T18:30:00.000+02:002019-09-01T18:30:00.134+02:00There goes August..!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4plqefZjoN7nwTldfGb_FvoX-ilxPQFBy9Lduam86C9SySVMHgER0DxvnxjZ2XMRX3iLUzqZvT9AIjAdYW3EcbGyZSjU2Tuj3oJw5rVxAJod-uBkBFHIUXNjqkEgAEdcG2LOKivlM8cM/s1600/september.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4plqefZjoN7nwTldfGb_FvoX-ilxPQFBy9Lduam86C9SySVMHgER0DxvnxjZ2XMRX3iLUzqZvT9AIjAdYW3EcbGyZSjU2Tuj3oJw5rVxAJod-uBkBFHIUXNjqkEgAEdcG2LOKivlM8cM/s320/september.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Hi there. How has your summer been? Did you go on holiday, spend the summer reading on your own porch or, like me, had to work trough summer. I am looking forward to going on holiday later this year still but all the holiday talk did get me excited for some time off.<br />
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We've had perfect reading weather between to hot to do something or storms. I participated in Dewey's readathon in the first weekend and picked up some great reads during the month.<br />
In total I read 15 books. I really enjoyed City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert, a great atmospheric read with an interesting setting in the theatre world of New York. There are a lot of topics that can provoke a discussion and it would make for a great book club read. I also loved The Dutch House by Ann Patchett which will be released next month. Another thought provoking read and a book to look out for in September.<br />
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I am currently 18 books ahead in my Goodreads challenge so that should not be much of a problem. I read 25 books from my Unread Pile of Books challenge. I am not sure I can make it to the 40 though I am pretty satisfied with the numbers for now.<br />
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September is going to be filled with theater visits (the new season is starting and there are some great show coming by this year), holiday packing and I hope a lot of good books! I always get in more of a book mood with the weather getting worse and the dark setting earlier.<br />
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What is your favourite autumn read?Ciskahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08879503352825771111noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712297166269296113.post-26452339959851458942019-07-31T18:49:00.000+02:002019-07-31T18:49:06.424+02:00There goes July..!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3O4WnYtntNlgWZDwM8dpvW9eNWh6o0mEgO__r-ebs8jqC5Cxn1bHVa6xh4e33ABMMWzoxe45AV6qm-warFILgjQkP8HQveLC3NcihyCmk2M71Ie7-7P7xDBnqJTTf2uR-09ZfgjlLYsc/s1600/july.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="july books" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3O4WnYtntNlgWZDwM8dpvW9eNWh6o0mEgO__r-ebs8jqC5Cxn1bHVa6xh4e33ABMMWzoxe45AV6qm-warFILgjQkP8HQveLC3NcihyCmk2M71Ie7-7P7xDBnqJTTf2uR-09ZfgjlLYsc/s320/july.png" title="july books" width="320" /></a></div>
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July has been a weird month. I notice that I am in a very complicated reading mood. I really want to read, I am craving books but none of the books I have are good enough. I have been able to keep myself from going to the bookstore though as with 130 books still to read in various genres I feel I should give those books a chance. <br />
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I managed to read 9 books. The #24in48 read-a-thon helped a lot with that. I had a few very good reads too. I enjoyed The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai on audio and De verdwijning van Stephanie Mailer by Joël Dicker a lot. <br />
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I am still on track for my Goodreads challenge. I read 21 in my Unread Pile of Books challenge which means I am halfway. <br />
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I joined Bookcrossing this month too. I was at a charity booksale and realized they had been scavenging books from the little library in the station again. I saw them doing it last year and have been making notes and marking all of the books I put in there. I often place a lot in one go and now I found 7 of them in the boxes together. A bit to much of a coincidence. So from now on I will release my books with bookcrossing sticker and who knows where they end up. <br />
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For August I am much looking forward to the Dewey read-a-thon this weekend. As I have to work normally again on Monday I will probably not read the whole 24 hours but I am going to try as much as I can. Still deciding on my pile... either Unread Pile of Books books or a Netgalley where I kind of went on a thriller request frenzy at the beginning of the month.<br />
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<br />Ciskahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08879503352825771111noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712297166269296113.post-23294650892182541152019-07-02T19:54:00.000+02:002019-07-02T19:55:55.521+02:00There goes June..!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hello... yes I am still here. Though with the temperatures out here it would not have been a surprise if I had melted. The weather has been going from one extreme to the other but most of the time it has been very warm.<br />
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The job is starting to take form more and more and I am very much enjoying it. I go there by bike and get most of my 'reading' done during this commute. Yay for audio books! Thanks to the listening I did finish 4 books this month. I have been having very tired eyes and having a hard time to read paper.<br />
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I started the Jack Reacher series by Lee Child. I had some difficulty getting used to the narrator but when I got more of a feeling for who Reacher is the narrator actually fit the books very well. I decided to pick up The Goldfinch by Donna Tart as the movie will be coming out soon and I was curious.<br />
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Despite reading only a few books I am still ahead with my Goodreads challenge. The Goldfinch did count for my Unread Pile of Books challenge. And I did read every day of the year for the #betterreadschallenge.<br />
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July is a bit of a weird month for me. I do hope to join the #24in48 challenge at the end of the month. Bought some new books for that one. I do not have many plans for my spare time but I do hope to be able to read a bit more paper books again without falling asleep.<br />
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I wont have holiday until the end of September but I do hope the weather will keep up with the sunshine.<br />
What are your summer reading plans?<br />
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<br />Ciskahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08879503352825771111noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712297166269296113.post-84148846112049245212019-06-02T14:00:00.000+02:002019-06-02T14:00:10.007+02:00There goes May..!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7FpB0cJCRI-DpyO8FwO-ms08K161MDRqVSeZzjdeZvgJWbzOv_8johE3j11QIC4PBgPyD3naGoiNNO8L-QRiwDhJx3rkyW3ppxGodXw0lHjCjRptxnjSJs3dTuT4_ZpSJrPy0nS6kB5c/s1600/may.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="May Books" border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="560" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7FpB0cJCRI-DpyO8FwO-ms08K161MDRqVSeZzjdeZvgJWbzOv_8johE3j11QIC4PBgPyD3naGoiNNO8L-QRiwDhJx3rkyW3ppxGodXw0lHjCjRptxnjSJs3dTuT4_ZpSJrPy0nS6kB5c/s1600/may.png" title="May Books" /></a></div>
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Oh hi June...I was expecting you to pop up but this was still quite sudden. As expected May has been a busy month. I did have a few free days due to holidays but I still felt a bit overwhelmed. The new job is great. It is really interesting to work in a hospital and find out all the processes there. I had to follow a course and passed the exam! It was really helpful to have the course to get me kick started at the job.<br />
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As expected too my reading has been a bit disturbed. I finished 7 books, mostly thanks to a lot of train time to get to course and audio books. I read a few good books though. Am slowly working my way trough Helen Grace series by M.J. Arlidge on audio and been reading a few books that have movies or series coming out later this year.<br />
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I am still on track for my challenges. Three of the paper books I read were from my Unread Pile of Books so I am 18 into 40 books. I am still 14 books ahead for my Goodreads challenge.<br />
I am working to find a rhythm and am pretty satisfied with how things are going. I am still staring a lot of Netflix, starting the Gilmore Girls for the umpteenth time and loving it.<br />
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I still have a few credits for Audible. What is the best audio book you have listened to lately?Ciskahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08879503352825771111noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712297166269296113.post-11380385952669659002019-05-22T21:51:00.000+02:002019-05-22T21:51:06.241+02:00Famous Father Girl, Jamie Bernstein<span style="font-size: x-small;">*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher *</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnUSPPGjlz6QhIXRY8LgR0MO2eDhOk0cb1J00iMa9aHaR6byVJ-TMCTqVl2bwpek0UOyqRt0Jh-7OS7DFT6SmvmxAbOKSnkt51Hl2ed9II3Wm3GuE9uGnLPnXZjaWU6q6rBBpyhK7PSA8/s1600/famousfathergirl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Famous Father Girl, Jamie Bernstein" border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnUSPPGjlz6QhIXRY8LgR0MO2eDhOk0cb1J00iMa9aHaR6byVJ-TMCTqVl2bwpek0UOyqRt0Jh-7OS7DFT6SmvmxAbOKSnkt51Hl2ed9II3Wm3GuE9uGnLPnXZjaWU6q6rBBpyhK7PSA8/s320/famousfathergirl.jpg" title="Famous Father Girl, Jamie Bernstein" width="211" /></a></div>
Author: Jamie Bernstein<br />
Publisher: Harper<br />
Pages: 400<br />
Format: DRC<br />
ISBN-10: 0062641352<br />
ISBN-13: 9780062641359<br />
Publisher: <a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062641373/famous-father-girl/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">eBook </a>| <a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062641359/famous-father-girl/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Hardcover </a>| <a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062641366/famous-father-girl/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Paperback</a> | <a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062848413/famous-father-girl/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Audiobook</a><br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/isbn/0062641352" style="border: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="Famous Father Girl" src="https://www.goodreads.com/images/atmb_add_book-70x25.png" /></a><br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The oldest daughter of revered composer/conductor Leonard Bernstein offers a rare look at her father on the centennial of his birth in a deeply intimate and broadly evocative memoir.<br />The composer of On the Town and West Side Story, chief conductor of the New York Philharmonic, television star, humanitarian, friend of the powerful and influential, and the life of every party, Leonard Bernstein was an enormous celebrity during one of the headiest periods of American cultural life, as well as the most protean musician in twentieth century America.<br /> But to his eldest daughter, Jamie, he was above all the man in the scratchy brown bathrobe who smelled of cigarettes; the jokester and compulsive teacher who enthused about Beethoven and the Beatles; the insomniac whose 4 a.m. composing breaks involved spooning baby food out of the jar. He taught his daughter to love the world in all its beauty and complexity. In public and private, Lenny was larger than life.</blockquote>
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Bernstein wrote my favourite musical and has some other interesting music pieces. It is always interesting to get a inside information in a biography about a person you only know as a name.<br />
It took me a long time to read this book though. The beginning was promising. Obviously the childhood and how Jamie is experiencing the whole thing is one of the most interesting parts of the story if you want to know more about her life with. But when she grows up and tries to build up her own life the story slows down significantly. I even considered not finishing the book but there was still some pull. <br />
The most interesting in the second half of the book is the influence Bernstein is still having on the lives of his children. In the choices they make about their futures, how they keep returning to take care of him and his legacy. <br />
<br />Ciskahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08879503352825771111noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712297166269296113.post-32093915635990285612019-05-01T12:46:00.002+02:002019-05-01T12:46:48.277+02:00There goes April..!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY20el-h_o3DSjG-zb05cXHjZjPAHN7uIWjTtqAasmrKXrUSJbA1hfdcwQyz_s3U7ZRwMPR-9hTN9vOp3zK6pxnXCcWW7YuavIRzfNdOMJomhzbwpYPJ8CwgsVeLtqpk8EE95eP4uAKf0/s1600/april.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="April reads" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY20el-h_o3DSjG-zb05cXHjZjPAHN7uIWjTtqAasmrKXrUSJbA1hfdcwQyz_s3U7ZRwMPR-9hTN9vOp3zK6pxnXCcWW7YuavIRzfNdOMJomhzbwpYPJ8CwgsVeLtqpk8EE95eP4uAKf0/s320/april.png" title="April reads" width="320" /></a></div>
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Well that was April. I said goodbye to my old job and had some time off before I start my new job on May 6th. It is crazy and I am a bit nervous about it. April has been busy. There was the readathon, Flowerparade, a trip to the least romantic hotel in the country and some theatre visits.<br />
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I read a LOT of books this month and am way ahead on my Goodreads challenge. I am probably going to read less though the upcoming months so that is perfectly fine. My commute is going to be a bit longer and I usually listen to an audiobook during the commute so it might not be to bad.<br />
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I continued with the Jasper Fforde books and they are hilarious. I also read The Summer Guest by Justin Cronin which I really enjoyed but there were some 1 star reads too. I guess that is the pitfall when you look for short reads for a readathon. The good things is that I read 6 books from my Unread Pile of Books. So with 15 of those I am pretty nice on track to get to 40 too.<br />
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I am currently being very overwhelmed with the idea of May being there and all this new things starting and having this feeling that my agenda is simply full and getting a bit tired in advance already. Do you ever get such a mood? Please send some tips that work for you to deal with 'new life' stress!Ciskahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08879503352825771111noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712297166269296113.post-20557453578324388212019-04-08T20:30:00.000+02:002019-04-08T20:30:20.965+02:00There goes March..!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRSmRElIZclX6PaTnRT3Cvuq-6GBOMYE5IAdaNWoysvNhfZSOW8Qw57nUuZEybkqQ8aJ8IhLwk6Z7rQt6o2q21qUzczbZaOMdMqfijG9MvxW8K268h7DokHzHcz41Nzg_RTIqkEk2NnMU/s1600/march.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="March books" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRSmRElIZclX6PaTnRT3Cvuq-6GBOMYE5IAdaNWoysvNhfZSOW8Qw57nUuZEybkqQ8aJ8IhLwk6Z7rQt6o2q21qUzczbZaOMdMqfijG9MvxW8K268h7DokHzHcz41Nzg_RTIqkEk2NnMU/s320/march.png" title="March books" width="320" /></a></div>
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In all honestly March has been gone for more than a week but it was a rough one. March has all been about finding a new job. It was crazy busy with writing letters and thinking about my strong points and why I was the best person for that one job and that company. It is stressful. BUT... I did manage to get a new job and I will start May 1th and I am really excited about it.<br />
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My arm has been recovering and I am slowly returning to my sports. I started swimming again and hope to get back to my nunchaku training soon.<br />
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And I was totally excited about the Dewey Readathon which was last weekend but you will have to wait for my April post to get an update on that one.<br />
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I started listening to The Seven Sisters books by Lucinda Riley and I am enjoying them. They are very adventurous and filled with a lot of cultural references. I also read Thirteen by Steve Cavanagh which I loved. The other books this month were a bit hit and miss but I am not sure how much of that was on the book or me being exhausted.<br />
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I am still easily on track for my Goodreads challenge. I do think this is going to help me coming May when I start my new job and will need my brains for other things. And I finished 2 books from my Pile of Unread Books of which I read 9 books now. Not as much as I had hoped but have been listening more than actually holding up a book. I will catch up on that one in April though.<br />
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What has been the most stressful thing you have done so far this year?Ciskahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08879503352825771111noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712297166269296113.post-69167323966626077172019-03-21T12:29:00.000+01:002019-03-21T12:29:03.853+01:00The Conviction of Cora Burns, Carolyn Kirby<span style="font-size: x-small;">*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher *</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgjt58RKfIXdCZwwqv2_G-IrOwM9PfLyAo4vHcWhdslzEM0gNCsj96mQR4cK33sdNsxnzSgYuB4ljWgZoNgT-CFWxMh3g2DpOH3ZDo1R7iPnlaV7X7lANslbvozKldadwYs6-g6yiv07w/s1600/convictionofcoraburns.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The Conviction of Cora Burns, Carolyn Kirby" border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="309" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgjt58RKfIXdCZwwqv2_G-IrOwM9PfLyAo4vHcWhdslzEM0gNCsj96mQR4cK33sdNsxnzSgYuB4ljWgZoNgT-CFWxMh3g2DpOH3ZDo1R7iPnlaV7X7lANslbvozKldadwYs6-g6yiv07w/s320/convictionofcoraburns.jpg" title="The Conviction of Cora Burns, Carolyn Kirby" width="208" /></a>Author: Carolyn Kirby<br />
Publisher: No Exit Press<br />
Pages: 320<br />
Format: DRC<br />
ISBN-10: 0857302949<br />
ISBN-13: 9780857302946<br />
Publisher: <a href="http://noexit.co.uk/index1.php?imprint=1&isbn=9780857303271" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">various formats</a><br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/isbn/0857302949" style="border: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="The Conviction of Cora Burns" src="https://www.goodreads.com/images/atmb_add_book-70x25.png" /></a><br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Birmingham, 1885.<br />
Born in a gaol and raised in a workhouse, Cora Burns has always struggled to control the violence inside her.<br />
Haunted by memories of a terrible crime, she seeks a new life working as a servant in the house of scientist Thomas Jerwood.<br />
Here, Cora befriends a young girl, Violet, who seems to be the subject of a living experiment. But is Jerwood also secretly studying Cora…?</blockquote>
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There are some interesting topics going on in this book. Though it is historical and we know now how things happened back then it still gives some food for thought. Pregnant inmates and how to deal with their kids? The heredity of criminal behaviour and if facial characteristics stand for a type of criminal. It is something that sounds scary with the current knowledge on these topics but it did make me think about things. <br />
It is difficult to get a hold on Cora. It is clear there are a lot of things going on that she is trying to get a grip on but her train of thought is not always easy to follow. Partly understandable due to her past but there are some things lingering too that are never revealed which left me a bit unsatisfied. <br />
The build up of the story does not work help with this either. There is Cora her story, told in current time and flashbacks but if you do not read the chapter headings carefully it is not always clear if it is a now or than part. The journal entries by some other players in the story do not always seem to fit in the timeline that Cora her story seems to be in. In the end the different story lines do come together.Ciskahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08879503352825771111noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712297166269296113.post-81976629833301893312019-03-20T11:52:00.000+01:002019-03-20T11:52:01.117+01:00The 71/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, Stuart Turton<span style="font-size: x-small;">*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher *</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge0AcxC_NvuI6LbHN-kOlVP4zqybC-uDuKEKNIdMuG33fcSgG_kBAp5tYmS3-fRBO3y3zyOmQt77CfohcS-sOIMiAUNEAJ252GXecQcS3xw1Yng3Y70rVsZ0J3d-D03ujdfHQTTla9AVQ/s1600/the7deathsofevelynhardcastle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The 71/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, Stuart Turton" border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge0AcxC_NvuI6LbHN-kOlVP4zqybC-uDuKEKNIdMuG33fcSgG_kBAp5tYmS3-fRBO3y3zyOmQt77CfohcS-sOIMiAUNEAJ252GXecQcS3xw1Yng3Y70rVsZ0J3d-D03ujdfHQTTla9AVQ/s320/the7deathsofevelynhardcastle.jpg" title="The 71/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, Stuart Turton" width="213" /></a></div>
Author: Stuart Turton<br />
Publisher: Sourcebook Landmark<br />
Pages: 438<br />
Format: DRC<br />
ISBN-10: 1492657964<br />
ISBN-13: 9781492657965<br />
Publisher: <a href="https://books.sourcebooks.com/evelyn-hardcastle/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">various formats</a><br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/isbn/1492657964" style="border: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="The 71/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle" src="https://www.goodreads.com/images/atmb_add_book-70x25.png" /></a><br />
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<img alt="3 stars" border="0" data-original-height="45" data-original-width="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN3oPbuc9SWbi2zWBou31JGu1IgCubEHOATC_UxWkJL_yvqtox7LmWIs-AN-vfPNSvHha3KvRAPrkN6BOiJmpSGXKo186slc-IPhmr1SDIpUeRXK0u5RAwYnrCTDnny8T4fw9syJQXcFs/s1600/3_ster.png" title="3 stars" /><br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The Rules of Blackheath:<br />
Evelyn Hardcastle will be murdered at 11:00 p.m.<br />
There are eight days, and eight witnesses for you to inhabit.<br />
We will only let you escape once you tell us the name of the killer.<br />
Understood? Then let's begin...<br />
Evelyn Hardcastle will die. Every day until Aiden Bishop can identify her killer and break the cycle. But every time the day begins again, Aiden wakes up in the body of a different guest. And some of his hosts are more helpful than others...</blockquote>
<br />
This is a very confusing story. I felt more overwhelmed than Aiden I think most of the time. <br />
There are a lot of characters. They do return in other chapters in other roles and other meanings. I had a very difficult time keeping them straight which is really my problem.<br />
This story is actually very inventive. It is like an advanced murder mystery novel. As reader you can puzzle along but keep a pen and paper on the side and make notes. Characters might give clues about their position that are important in chapters where they do not seem to be important. I did not manage to guess the outcome but when it was revealed I could actually point out a few of the hints given. Ciskahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08879503352825771111noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712297166269296113.post-3989980923994580542019-03-07T16:58:00.000+01:002019-03-07T16:58:01.060+01:00An American Marriage, Tayari Jones<span style="font-size: x-small;">*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher *</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibYR0cSw80v-mBnjqqUVGUB9GaEzy-Xqj9cX2oavHGDHrSTP3PSqNcV2WofdPLrF8SehPTZGLp50Dc3SArDCHBMZieWEGUv08xug16-SlNCwUXBPTIhSkeIVZVqLmZRiMMtUzYJy90kJ4/s1600/anamericanmarriage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="An American Marriage, Tayari Jones" border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="309" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibYR0cSw80v-mBnjqqUVGUB9GaEzy-Xqj9cX2oavHGDHrSTP3PSqNcV2WofdPLrF8SehPTZGLp50Dc3SArDCHBMZieWEGUv08xug16-SlNCwUXBPTIhSkeIVZVqLmZRiMMtUzYJy90kJ4/s320/anamericanmarriage.jpg" title="An American Marriage, Tayari Jones" width="208" /></a></div>Author: Tayari Jones<br />
Publisher: Oneworld Publications<br />
Pages: 320<br />
Format: DRC<br />
ISBN-10: 1786075199<br />
ISBN-13: 9781786075192<br />
Publisher: <a href="https://oneworld-publications.com/an-american-marriage.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Paperback</a><br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/isbn/1786075199" style="border: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="An American Marriage" src="https://www.goodreads.com/images/atmb_add_book-70x25.png" /></a><br />
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<img border="0" data-original-height="45" data-original-width="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN3oPbuc9SWbi2zWBou31JGu1IgCubEHOATC_UxWkJL_yvqtox7LmWIs-AN-vfPNSvHha3KvRAPrkN6BOiJmpSGXKo186slc-IPhmr1SDIpUeRXK0u5RAwYnrCTDnny8T4fw9syJQXcFs/s1600/3_ster.png" /><br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">Newlyweds Celestial and Roy are the embodiment of both the American Dream and the New South. He is a young executive and she is an artist on the brink of an exciting career. But as they settle into the routine of their life together, they are ripped apart by circumstances neither could have imagined. </blockquote><br />
This book has been crowding my feed the last months. Though it did not really fit in my general reading pattern I got curious about this one. <br />
Told from different points of view we get the story about Celestial and Roy. How they meet, their marriage and the struggle they run into after just a year of marriage. Roy gets incarcerated for a crime he did not commit and is sentenced to serve 12 years in prison. This could happen because he had the wrong colour in the wrong state. Promises are made but things get harder as the years pass by. <br />
There are a lot of topics in this book. One of the subjects is the racism. How could Roy get punished for a crime he did not commit? You always hope the people that still suffer from prejudice like that read the book and realize how horrible their train of thought is but I am afraid they wont pick up this read. It was even more bitter as both Roy and Celestial had the feeling they were living in a new world where being black mattered less.<br />
The second thing I totally loved about this book was the love and marriage subject. It is not only the marriage between Celestial and Roy. The marriages of their parents are part of the story too. It is interesting to read they many different stories and how everybody is dealing with their struggles in their own way. <br />
I enjoyed the writing. It was serene and witty. Despite the hard subjects it was an accessible story. Ciskahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08879503352825771111noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712297166269296113.post-45632679522981534992019-03-05T15:20:00.000+01:002019-03-05T15:20:06.860+01:00One False Move, Robert Goddard<span style="font-size: x-small;">*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher *</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHawIq7B1s0s5Mby76b8uUvX7JFJV84KP0bIpbPqlHfENRxXfRCgPevR3RFPEJadBVxJluiuM_LziFFbZstYhzTOHY7TLm_V_kbSmchE9aekA_r7TbxuMMlQtHHSnvXKZCaLOIqDooYr8/s1600/onefalsemove.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="One False Move, Robert Goddard" border="0" data-original-height="293" data-original-width="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHawIq7B1s0s5Mby76b8uUvX7JFJV84KP0bIpbPqlHfENRxXfRCgPevR3RFPEJadBVxJluiuM_LziFFbZstYhzTOHY7TLm_V_kbSmchE9aekA_r7TbxuMMlQtHHSnvXKZCaLOIqDooYr8/s1600/onefalsemove.jpg" title="One False Move, Robert Goddard" /></a>Author: Robert Goddard<br />
Publisher: Bantam Press<br />
Pages: 352<br />
Format: DRC<br />
ISBN-10: 0593076389<br />
ISBN-13: 9780593076385<br />
Publisher: <a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/1110349/one-false-move/9781473527058.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">eBook </a>| <a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/111/1110349/one-false-move/9780593076385.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Hardcover </a>| <a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/1110349/one-false-move/9780552172615.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Paperback</a> | <a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/1110349/one-false-move/9781473568853.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Audiobook</a><br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/isbn/0593076389" style="border: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="TITELBOEK" src="https://www.goodreads.com/images/atmb_add_book-70x25.png" /></a><br />
<br />
<img alt="3 stars" border="0" data-original-height="45" data-original-width="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN3oPbuc9SWbi2zWBou31JGu1IgCubEHOATC_UxWkJL_yvqtox7LmWIs-AN-vfPNSvHha3KvRAPrkN6BOiJmpSGXKo186slc-IPhmr1SDIpUeRXK0u5RAwYnrCTDnny8T4fw9syJQXcFs/s1600/3_ster.png" title="3 stars" /><br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<br />
What value can be put on a human mind? How Joe Roberts does what he does is a mystery. He has a brain that seems able to outperform a computer. To a games company like Venstrom that promises big profits if his abilities can be properly exploited. So they send Nicole Nevinson to track him down and make him an offer too good to refuse.<br />
But Venstrom aren't the only people interested in Joe. His current boss, a shady businessman, is already making serious money out of Joe's talents and isn' going to let him go without a fight. And then there are other forces, with still darker intentions, who have their own plans for him.<br />
Almost before she knows it, Nicole's crossed an invisible line into a world where the game being played has rules she doesn't understand and where no-one can help her win.<br />
But win she must. Because the battle now isn't just for Joe's mind, it's for Nicole's life. </blockquote>
<br />
There are a lot of interesting things happening in this action packed book. A guy outsmarting a supercomputer, it is no wonder there are several groups of people looking for him. It starts out pretty innocent with Nicole showing up but soon the story turns into a chase.<br />
I enjoyed the fact that there was no romance or hint of between Joe and Nicole. No matter how much they had to depend on one another. The story is well paced, and it is clear Goddard knows what he is doing.. the story seems flawless despite the many storylines.<br />
What I enjoyed less is the fact that at some point there seems to be no good guy left. I got tired of Nicole running around without being able to catch her breath. I had hoped too that Joe would have been more involved in the story with his wits. It would have been interesting to see him outsmart everyone. <br />
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<br />Ciskahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08879503352825771111noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712297166269296113.post-10393181184351489582019-03-01T19:08:00.000+01:002019-03-01T19:08:08.737+01:00There Goes February..!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv6-Ixprr7LnH_D7qCfpKxSluGpVCMDkjzK-K4ifE2iH5xmLqlHo0RUBA3SUEq_SQ6-qrnzxcKUo-JXLHVvYsLryotkxfdPPv82fjUQEPOLl-hH53m1DaZnIG8lGPzuN63Edzg27tkPCA/s1600/february.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="February books" border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="945" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv6-Ixprr7LnH_D7qCfpKxSluGpVCMDkjzK-K4ifE2iH5xmLqlHo0RUBA3SUEq_SQ6-qrnzxcKUo-JXLHVvYsLryotkxfdPPv82fjUQEPOLl-hH53m1DaZnIG8lGPzuN63Edzg27tkPCA/s400/february.png" title="February books" width="400" /></a></div>
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Are we sure this month is only 28 days? I read 9 books and I do not even know when. It has been a weird month. Last week I was told they wont renew my contract so I have to find a new job. I am not sure yet how I feel about it. In a way it is a relieve as I have been walking on my toes for weeks but I loved the challenge of the work.<br />
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I have been to a few concerts and loved it. I saw Jake Etheridge, Hanson and Barry Beijer. It were very different evenings but it was all great fun.<br />
<br />
I read and listened to some great books this month. I loved The Toymakers by Robert Dinsdale. I think I want to read the paper book at some point as I listened to it this time but it was so lovely. I also loved Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak. Will try to review them trough March.<br />
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Obviously my Goodreads challenge is going great. I finished 3 books from my unread pile of books. I had hoped to read a bit more but I have been having trouble holding paper books due to <a href="https://mybookchest.blogspot.com/2019/02/monthbooks2019.html" target="_blank">my injuries</a>. Hope I can catch up on that challenge a bit in March.<br />
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What was your best read of February? <br />
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<br />Ciskahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08879503352825771111noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712297166269296113.post-4272064826277647772019-02-26T10:18:00.000+01:002019-02-26T10:18:01.429+01:00Between the Lies, Michelle Adams<span style="font-size: x-small;">*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher *</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcDFmUIclQJYHVavFurVZXimCYSW_l6U4yctx9pc7Xtem5mpHA2ml7qRAARg-kRMfV4dXRzAqaeeRBJDxIQg2prZ9E7QBdmoabRjf5P5DuGbvVlWJR06BorVcUaFi36wXKNs7KO_hD47c/s1600/betweenthelies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Between the Lies, Michelle Adams" border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="261" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcDFmUIclQJYHVavFurVZXimCYSW_l6U4yctx9pc7Xtem5mpHA2ml7qRAARg-kRMfV4dXRzAqaeeRBJDxIQg2prZ9E7QBdmoabRjf5P5DuGbvVlWJR06BorVcUaFi36wXKNs7KO_hD47c/s320/betweenthelies.jpg" title="Between the Lies, Michelle Adams" width="208" /></a></div>
Author: Michelle Adams<br />
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin<br />
Pages: 336<br />
Format:<br />
ISBN-10: 1250308941<br />
ISBN-13: 9781250308948<br />
Publisher: <a href="https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250109507" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">eBook </a>| <a href="https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250308948" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Paperback</a> | <a href="https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250318428" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">AudioBook</a><br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/isbn/1250308941" style="border: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="Believe the Lies" src="https://www.goodreads.com/images/atmb_add_book-70x25.png" /></a><br />
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<img alt="3 stars" border="0" data-original-height="45" data-original-width="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN3oPbuc9SWbi2zWBou31JGu1IgCubEHOATC_UxWkJL_yvqtox7LmWIs-AN-vfPNSvHha3KvRAPrkN6BOiJmpSGXKo186slc-IPhmr1SDIpUeRXK0u5RAwYnrCTDnny8T4fw9syJQXcFs/s1600/3_ster.png" title="3 stars" /><br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Chloe Daniels regains consciousness in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.<br />
She doesn't recognise the strangers who call themselves family. She can't even remember her own name.<br />
As she slowly recovers, her parents and sister begin to share details of her life.<br />
The successful career. The seaside home. The near-fatal car crash.<br />
But Chloe senses they're keeping dark secrets--and her determination to uncover the truth will have devastating consequences.</blockquote>
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This book should be packed in your holiday bag or you should just get it for a rainy day. It is everything you hope from a book with a story like this. There are multiple suspects, people that are supposed to be helping but from whom you are not sure they are and hope and happiness that come from strange places.<br />
Chloe wakes up and while talking to the people in her surrounding you know immediately that something is not right. Her confusion, her struggle to get her memory back is obvious and it is easy to feel for her.<br />
I did focus on the right suspect early on in the story but this did not ruin the developments. It did make me more focussed I think on some parts of the story that I picked up that might be overseen if you are on the wrong track. Be prepared to get angry at people you think are the allies. <br />
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<br />Ciskahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08879503352825771111noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712297166269296113.post-68826231210595729852019-02-19T12:23:00.000+01:002019-02-19T12:23:05.965+01:00The Secretary, Renée Knight<span style="font-size: x-small;">*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher *</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicc_d4dwg9XG1e76wRQ2B-v4sJfS0y7K4Je0UX4oakRwG5Fgo2kQ6o4YahrBS4dNgLo70AP6L9Y10ubx_mTTDIS8ec4lGC4PoE2jE68NWDDiEh2NZ0auJECXZuutE3f8jUF-49Fkm_pa8/s1600/thesecretary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The Secretary, Renée Knight" border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="302" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicc_d4dwg9XG1e76wRQ2B-v4sJfS0y7K4Je0UX4oakRwG5Fgo2kQ6o4YahrBS4dNgLo70AP6L9Y10ubx_mTTDIS8ec4lGC4PoE2jE68NWDDiEh2NZ0auJECXZuutE3f8jUF-49Fkm_pa8/s320/thesecretary.jpg" title="The Secretary, Renée Knight" width="203" /></a>Author: Renée Knight<br />
Publisher: Doubleday<br />
Pages: 304<br />
Format: DRC<br />
ISBN-10: 0857522841<br />
ISBN-13: 9780857522849<br />
Publisher: <a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/1102379/the-secretary/9781473509993.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">eBook </a>| <a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/110/1102379/the-secretary/9780857522849.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Hardcover </a>| <a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/1102379/the-secretary/9781473525764.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">AudioBook</a><br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/isbn/0857522841" style="border: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="The Secretary" src="https://www.goodreads.com/images/atmb_add_book-70x25.png" /></a><br />
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<img alt="3 stars" border="0" data-original-height="45" data-original-width="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN3oPbuc9SWbi2zWBou31JGu1IgCubEHOATC_UxWkJL_yvqtox7LmWIs-AN-vfPNSvHha3KvRAPrkN6BOiJmpSGXKo186slc-IPhmr1SDIpUeRXK0u5RAwYnrCTDnny8T4fw9syJQXcFs/s1600/3_ster.png" title="3 stars" /><br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Look around you. Who holds the most power in the room? Is it the one who speaks loudest, who looks the part, who has the most money, who commands the most respect?<br />
Or perhaps it’s someone like Christine Butcher: a meek, overlooked figure, who silently bears witness as information is shared and secrets are whispered. Someone who quietly, perhaps even unwittingly, gathers together knowledge of the people she’s there to serve – the ones who don’t notice her, the ones who consider themselves to be important.<br />
There’s a fine line between loyalty and obsession. And when someone like Christine Butcher is pushed to her limit, she might just become the most dangerous person in the room...</blockquote>
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Christine is a difficult character to connect too. She is efficient in her work, in the way she takes care of Mina and in her private life too. It is difficult to understand her decisions, especially as the chemistry between Mina and Christine does not always justify them.<br />
The story is switching between now and the past. In the now chapters it is clear something has happened and Christine is trying to get a grip on it. This did not really work for me. I think I would have enjoyed it more if the story would have been chronological building up to that point. The writing is done with a great speed though and it was difficult to put the book down. It just shows again never to trust those silent observing people in a room.<br />
<br />Ciskahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08879503352825771111noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712297166269296113.post-1571188247548973282019-02-12T13:05:00.000+01:002019-02-12T13:05:04.784+01:00Birdman, Mo Hayder<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwuQu6fVlQLlklRU8YodKrnfqcLC1_AUcOkfrNes5XDa5Gf0jFXw2BdOgjZfyXV5hWhxR6iABFLabLMiE6n85miQTYNYAzTmeg1xGUIJS6HkQ7SC1ugtYBRn8Z1XgxHl6bbfNw5HijKac/s1600/birdman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Birdman, Mo Hayder" border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="295" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwuQu6fVlQLlklRU8YodKrnfqcLC1_AUcOkfrNes5XDa5Gf0jFXw2BdOgjZfyXV5hWhxR6iABFLabLMiE6n85miQTYNYAzTmeg1xGUIJS6HkQ7SC1ugtYBRn8Z1XgxHl6bbfNw5HijKac/s320/birdman.jpg" title="Birdman, Mo Hayder" width="198" /></a></div>
Author: Mo Hayder<br />
Publisher: Dell Publishing Company <br />
Pages: 448<br />
Format: Paperback<br />
ISBN-10: 0440236169<br />
ISBN-13: 9780440236160<br />
Series: Jack Caffery<br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/isbn/0440236169" style="border: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="Birdman" src="https://www.goodreads.com/images/atmb_add_book-70x25.png" /></a><br />
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<img alt="4 stars" border="0" data-original-height="45" data-original-width="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfE-_Z8sJFvJNXFmsHJhL4CyZ8CoupZ1GZxSqL1GInCtAer_JpMjjKepDT_xnsxHC_kMEZ-a1b0EUv0MdM9BB_M7PZsRh_rs10cqSSkw8OhwM2l9eBaUezuZCA9hLd8H2WO59qmwGgkmY/s1600/4_ster.png" title="4 stars" /><br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Greenwich, south-east London. The Met's crack murder squad, AMIP, is called out by nervous CID detectives to a grim discovery. Five bodies, all young women, all ritualistically murdered and dumped on wasteland near the Dome. As each post-mortem reveals a singular, horrific signature linking the victims, officers realize that they are on the trail of that most dangerous offender: a sexual serial killer.<br />
Detective Inspector Jack Caffery - young, driven, unshockable - finds himself facing both hostility within the force and echoes of his past in this, his first case with AMIP. Haunted by the memory of a death long ago, he employs every weapon forensic science can offer for he knows it is only a matter of time before this chaotic, sadistic killer strikes again.</blockquote>
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If you read a lot of police procedurals and mystery/thrillers the name Mo Hayder will come up at some point. Either on sites you visit to find new titles or recommendations from other readers. I have had Birdman on my shelves for a while now and it was one of the first books I picked up for my 'The Unread Pile of Books'challenge.<br />
First warning, this book is not for the faint hearted. There are a lot of descriptions that do not leave much for imagining. Scenes with sex, mutilation and situations you hope no one in your surrounding will ever consider putting you in.<br />
I enjoyed Caffery though he is not the easiest character. As a reader you still feel sympathy and cheer for him to solve things. There is obviously a lot of things in his past that can be developed in further books which I now want get my hands on. I totally hated Veronica though and I am glad she is gone.<br />
Hayder is not afraid to kill the favourite characters either which makes it a tense read.<br />
It is difficult to puzzle along with the mystery. At some point the killer is getting chapters too and giving more body to the story and giving more of a feeling if the cops are on the right track. <br />
<br />Ciskahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08879503352825771111noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712297166269296113.post-63933398425630606302019-02-01T02:00:00.000+01:002019-02-01T09:46:45.998+01:00There goes January..!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz9FoLzYSIGeDnP-VkSvmyYGaQLVvKcPKNenH3rJfoPOZQrkWw4NN6_aO1X1TTEuCgApMf691JH4ZtDnzAplT0ox4LmJYXznUZ3PqE5-p6O7h3lMT6mOotj8rbE_L1gjQTrf9JyKlY68E/s1600/january.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="januarywrapup" border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="945" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz9FoLzYSIGeDnP-VkSvmyYGaQLVvKcPKNenH3rJfoPOZQrkWw4NN6_aO1X1TTEuCgApMf691JH4ZtDnzAplT0ox4LmJYXznUZ3PqE5-p6O7h3lMT6mOotj8rbE_L1gjQTrf9JyKlY68E/s400/january.png" title="januarywrapup" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />
How is it that January is already gone!! I have some mixed feelings about this first month of 2019.<br />
<br />
My reading was on point. I finished 14<b> </b>books. I can hardly believe it myself and though I did not like them all that much there were some really good reads there too.<br />
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I finally got around to read Birdman by Mo Hayder and The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe. I saw both on various blogs over the year as great reads and I am happy to say I loved them and gave them both 4 stars. Will review them both in February.<br />
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As you have been able to read earlier this month on my blog I am working on my big <a href="https://mybookchest.blogspot.com/2019/01/UnreadBooks201901.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">unread pile of books</a>.
It is a bit of a surprise what I find there and it can be hit and miss.
I read 5 books from that pile this month so I am well on my way to make
it up to 40 this year. <br />
<br />
On the 17th of January it was freezing and when I went home in the evening from sports I fell with my bike. I badly bruised my arm and have not been able to properly hold a paperback. I fell down the rabbit hole and looked up some books on Netgalley to spoil myself.<br />
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I joined the #24in48 readathon for 12 hours. It was what I had expected as I was taking my nephew out to see the Lion King on Sunday afternoon too which took up a lot of time but was great fun.<br />
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I hope my arm will recover soon though so I can pick up more books from my unread pile of books this month.<br />
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How was your January, are you still keeping track with your resolutions or did you give up on them already? <br />
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<br />Ciskahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08879503352825771111noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712297166269296113.post-34664445041999817492019-01-22T13:13:00.000+01:002019-01-22T13:13:07.474+01:00Once Upon a River, Diane Setterfield<span style="font-size: x-small;">*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher *</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg107g0Xf6nhwEcJczu7iqA5PCJ6WtN2xJPqfz6vRpAKXcT6DC196NbPhuNK2x_oHFeIAQDK_5q71gzfY8v1MJW9tmlDYwmOfV6vDjnlVLQEpcXJi7kcd8jNmnlltvmxQtUUy-n0o55Vl0/s1600/onceuponariver.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Once Upon a River, Diane Setterfield" border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="309" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg107g0Xf6nhwEcJczu7iqA5PCJ6WtN2xJPqfz6vRpAKXcT6DC196NbPhuNK2x_oHFeIAQDK_5q71gzfY8v1MJW9tmlDYwmOfV6vDjnlVLQEpcXJi7kcd8jNmnlltvmxQtUUy-n0o55Vl0/s320/onceuponariver.jpg" title="Once Upon a River, Diane Setterfield" width="208" /></a></div>
Author: Diane Setterfield<br />
Publisher: Doubleday<br />
Pages: 380<br />
Format: DRC<br />
ISBN-10: 0857525654<br />
ISBN-13: 9780857525659<br />
Publisher: <a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/1115796/once-upon-a-river/9781473555815.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">eBook </a>| <a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/111/1115796/once-upon-a-river/9780857525659.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Hardcover </a>| <a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/1115796/once-upon-a-river/9781784163631.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Paperback </a>| <a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/1115796/once-upon-a-river/9781473561557.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Audio</a><br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/isbn/0857525654" style="border: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="Once Upon a River" src="https://www.goodreads.com/images/atmb_add_book-70x25.png" /></a><br />
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<img alt="2 stars" border="0" data-original-height="45" data-original-width="90" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUJC_27kzzzOghLSRG5V9NygRC5nt6R548yACvF2gdfq4Gymut2DkVDev-d5UP2A4Zfr6lKrPOBYsqAzP8gAanlvBHqgih-rOlkUrswee3TwIt2N4vs-qlYd9RkE_fNXutE3XYS8KmEbc/s1600/2_ster.png" title="2 stars" /><br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
A dark midwinter’s night in an ancient inn on the Thames. The regulars are entertaining themselves by telling stories when the door bursts open on an injured stranger. In his arms is the drowned corpse of a little child.<br />
Hours later the dead girl stirs, takes a breath and returns to life.<br />
Is it a miracle?<br />
Is it magic?<br />
Or can it be explained by science?</blockquote>
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I had hoped to love this book more than I did. I failed to connect to the story which I think is sad when the book is about stories. How stories can help people coop with things they can't or don't want to face. How stories can help to explain things that cannot be explained. But I got lost in this story.<br />
I got lost in the amount of characters. I was unable to put them in the right spot, with the right people. Did that one character just appeared in that other characters story or.. and are we before or after the happening. Things I was asking myself for about 65% of the book. Only after that things started to make sense a bit as all characters are moving towards the same point in time. <br />
What I did enjoy was the place of the river in all the stories. It shows how important the river was in that time still to get all the news. The story play in 1887 but sometimes it felt older. I remember I got a bit confused when someone took a train at some point wondering if they did exist around that time. <br />
I did however finish this book. Diane Setterfield has a beautiful way of writing things. Creating an atmosphere. Using beautiful words to make beautiful sentences. I am notoriously horrible when there is a big character pool with a changing point of view and I am sure this book can be a pure joy to read if you do not have that problem.Ciskahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08879503352825771111noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712297166269296113.post-69984285628707151202019-01-15T10:22:00.000+01:002019-01-15T10:22:01.768+01:00The Suspect, Fiona Barton<span style="font-size: x-small;">*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher *</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJEsFHPqf4_bSIl4swj88m376apy26NWUmhCizFrF550mbMOY-VUWuQLiYpgPcJJp826vqv7Z_VLC9BavMcrC9ix-A7wDpFb54CUpypnHJMdd-zlP4eW3H8rlkqOpNqqps0T2BjB-lGNg/s1600/thesuspect.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The Suspect, Fiona Barton" border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="309" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJEsFHPqf4_bSIl4swj88m376apy26NWUmhCizFrF550mbMOY-VUWuQLiYpgPcJJp826vqv7Z_VLC9BavMcrC9ix-A7wDpFb54CUpypnHJMdd-zlP4eW3H8rlkqOpNqqps0T2BjB-lGNg/s320/thesuspect.jpg" title="The Suspect, Fiona Barton" width="208" /></a></div>Author: Fiona Barton<br />
Publisher: Bantam Press<br />
Pages: 384<br />
Format: DRC<br />
ISBN-10: 1787630226<br />
ISBN-13: 9781787630222<br />
Series: Kate Waters #3<br />
Publisher: <a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/111/1110141/the-suspect/9781787630222.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Various formats</a> <br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/isbn/1787630226" style="border: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="The Suspect" src="https://www.goodreads.com/images/atmb_add_book-70x25.png" /></a><br />
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<img alt="4 stars" border="0" data-original-height="45" data-original-width="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfE-_Z8sJFvJNXFmsHJhL4CyZ8CoupZ1GZxSqL1GInCtAer_JpMjjKepDT_xnsxHC_kMEZ-a1b0EUv0MdM9BB_M7PZsRh_rs10cqSSkw8OhwM2l9eBaUezuZCA9hLd8H2WO59qmwGgkmY/s1600/4_ster.png" title="4 stars" /><br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">When two eighteen-year-old girls go missing in Thailand, their families are thrust into the international spotlight: desperate, bereft, and frantic with worry. What were the girls up to before they disappeared?<br />
Journalist Kate Waters always does everything she can to be first to the story, first with the exclusive, first to discover the truth--and this time is no exception. But she can't help but think of her own son, whom she hasn't seen in two years, since he left home to go travelling.<br />
As the case of the missing girls unfolds, they will all find that even this far away, danger can lie closer to home than you might think...</blockquote><br />
If you plan to pick up this book you have to be ready to call in sick at work or have a day off as you will not be able to put it down.<br />
The book opens when Alex her parents are wondering if they should call the police as they have not heard from their daughter for over a week. With her A-level results arriving the day before and Alex being anxious about them they had expected her to contact them. The story quickly jumps between the narrative of Lesley (Alex her mum), Alex herself, Kate Waters and Bob Sparkes the DI involved in the case. All their chapters end with little hints about what is to come and there is no way you can put the book down until you read that too.<br />
The book is about every parents nightmare. The first time the kid goes on a trip to a foreign country be itself and they fail to contact home. As the bodies of Alex and her friend Rosie are found in a fire it is at least clear why they did not contact them but as the story unfolds the question arises if the fire was the real cause of death. Lesley her chapters are those of a mother fighting to find out what happened to her daughter. The story the Thai police tell her is not how she knows her daughter and she is not stopping until the truth is found.<br />
Alex her chapters give us information about what really was happening in Thailand and why she did not contact her parents that last week. The build up with details is done really great here.<br />
Kate her chapters are a struggle between her job as a journalist and wanting to write the news and the her being a mum of a son who could be in the same situation in Thailand. I enjoyed it a lot when her chapters were starting to reflect those of Lesley. It shows that (most) mothers have the same feral instinct.<br />
I had a bit of a difficult time with Sparkes his chapters. His wife is in the late stages of cancer in the book and that hit a bit close to home as I lost my mum to cancer only a year ago. It was difficult to read at some points but real.<br />
The story is predictable but the writing has such a great speed and with the little cliffhangers after every chapter you simply fly trough the book.<br />
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Ciskahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08879503352825771111noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712297166269296113.post-54985040440496362712019-01-08T10:51:00.000+01:002019-01-08T10:51:03.817+01:00The Only Woman in the Room, Marie Benedict<span style="font-size: x-small;">*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher *</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI-wqtxlu-y8FoDwwQo6DBM2y23TwLBE7inK9qO2Eegdvnuh-1R_TEyDwKsvt-LHc-FiKOV2Orm_eLyWXeMKooRQK4t9x5irUnzhvkCFwmP9ZVq48en7g41e4U8qYEt8tqzgEFH5HEGaY/s1600/theonlywomanintheroom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The Only Woman in the Room, Marie Benedict" border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI-wqtxlu-y8FoDwwQo6DBM2y23TwLBE7inK9qO2Eegdvnuh-1R_TEyDwKsvt-LHc-FiKOV2Orm_eLyWXeMKooRQK4t9x5irUnzhvkCFwmP9ZVq48en7g41e4U8qYEt8tqzgEFH5HEGaY/s320/theonlywomanintheroom.jpg" title="The Only Woman in the Room, Marie Benedict" width="213" /></a></div>Author: Marie Benedict<br />
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark<br />
Pages: 272<br />
Format: DRC<br />
ISBN-10: 1492666866<br />
ISBN-13: 9781492666868<br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/isbn/1492666866" style="border: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="The Only Woman in the Room" src="https://www.goodreads.com/images/atmb_add_book-70x25.png" /></a><br />
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<img alt="3 stars" border="0" data-original-height="45" data-original-width="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN3oPbuc9SWbi2zWBou31JGu1IgCubEHOATC_UxWkJL_yvqtox7LmWIs-AN-vfPNSvHha3KvRAPrkN6BOiJmpSGXKo186slc-IPhmr1SDIpUeRXK0u5RAwYnrCTDnny8T4fw9syJQXcFs/s1600/3_ster.png" title="3 stars" /><br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">Hedy Kiesler is lucky. Her beauty leads to a starring role in a controversial film and marriage to a powerful Austrian arms dealer, allowing her to evade Nazi persecution despite her Jewish heritage. But Hedy is also intelligent. At lavish Vienna dinner parties, she overhears the Third Reich's plans. One night in 1937, desperate to escape her controlling husband and the rise of the Nazis, she disguises herself and flees her husband's castle.<br />
She lands in Hollywood, where she becomes Hedy Lamarr, screen star. But Hedy is keeping a secret even more shocking than her Jewish heritage: she is a scientist. She has an idea that might help the country and that might ease her guilt for escaping alone -- if anyone will listen to her.</blockquote><br />
There are a lot of interesting women in history. Often we do not even know the role they played in important situations as their parts were obfuscated and men were put in as key player. Marie Benedict has made it her goal to put these women in front and she is doing that very well.<br />
If you love old movies you have probably seen Hedy Lamarr at some point (and with old movies I mean those of the 1940's and early 1950's). What I was not aware of was that she also came up with the base for an invention we still use today.<br />
We enter her life when she is about to meet Fritz Mandl in 1933 in Vienna. Though this part has interesting storylines it felt the story was focussing on how Hedy was one day going to move away from Fritz and how she would be able to do it with as much information as possible that could hurt him. The few things that showed her actual intelligence was the mention that she was able to keep up with the technical discussions at the table and was reading technical books in her free time (or time she spend imprisoned at the house). I made a note at page 190 that I missed the science part as it was specifically mentioned in the book summary.<br />
When she arrives in Hollywood we get to read about the movies from that period and a lot of guys she was dating. Eventually we get introduced to George Antheil and the development of her invention is beginning. There is only a small chapter, when the 'Eureka' moment happens that we get a bit more on how the invention is supposed to work and how she came to that. <br />
What we do see is a headstrong woman, a smart woman and a woman who has been fighting to be recognized. I did enjoy that part of the story a lot. Ciskahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08879503352825771111noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712297166269296113.post-68264689399214129612019-01-04T11:06:00.001+01:002019-01-04T11:13:15.189+01:00The Unread Pile of BooksConfession time!!<br />
<br />
I am Ciska and I am a book hoarder.<br />
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This is probably no surprise to you as you are visiting my book blog and I do think it comes with the territory. Thing is that I do not just buy a book, read it and put it on a shelf. I buy a book, realize I still have 20 more books on my shelves I did not read, find a book I feel like reading more and put the new book on the pile, unread. That is if I buy a book, but I have been given a lot of books too and have been switching out a few books in little libraries and the book switch shelves at the train station.<br />
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Last year we had someone visiting our house and as my other half was showing this person around they walked into my piles of books. On the one side there is an Ikea Billy, double stacked and clearly full. On the other side there is a cabinet with big piles of books in no particular order. I was following the conversation about my reading habits and heard my other half explain that I read a lot with this waving around hand gesture. Naturally the visitor asked if I read ALL the books there so my other half answered I think most.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF7O2qiac7LA_pJ87yrzCHaMwA8JaL3icYYA4iOmIklfRxGgF1JGE_rlNSjNOr9sCqt6LYmEF1fQmEphjebuQgQvM96A7Tm0fZ9iuQNRtHLiKrwpUl7pGlUS7_LRyvs0pbwCyARH8UX44/s1600/wrong.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="wrong stamp" border="0" data-original-height="477" data-original-width="800" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF7O2qiac7LA_pJ87yrzCHaMwA8JaL3icYYA4iOmIklfRxGgF1JGE_rlNSjNOr9sCqt6LYmEF1fQmEphjebuQgQvM96A7Tm0fZ9iuQNRtHLiKrwpUl7pGlUS7_LRyvs0pbwCyARH8UX44/s320/wrong.jpg" title="wrong stamp" width="320" /></a></div>
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I had to explain to him that all those piles of books on the cabinet were not read at all and just there because I got my hands on them. You can imagine the incredulous look I got. Which made me realize (again) it was time to take care of that pile. A game plan was needed. This sounds very spectacular but a good bookworm knows what is needed first. We need to add the books to Goodreads (or a likewise site) so we have a big shelf there with books we will never rea..... NO with books we own and can read when we wa.... NO with books we have to read because they have been laying around the house for years now!!<br />
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So I started, taking the books from the shelves, removing spiderwebs, adding them to Goodreads. And this is what I found.<br />
There were 147 books total. I realized I read 5 of them in a different edition and for 2 of them I could not remember why they were there as they were totally not my thing. Those 7 are on a pile to put in little libraries.<br />
This means I have 140 books on my <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/6672547-ciska?shelf=mount-tbr-2019" target="_blank">Goodreads Mount TBR 2019 shelf</a>. Last year I read 62 paper books. If I take into consideration I will read some new books I get or borrow something in the upcoming year I think it should be reasonable to say I can read<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>40 books</b></div>
<br />
from this big pile of books.<br />
I will prioritize this pile though as my main reading source this year. So there may be more gone when I have to make my Mount TBR 2020 pile but 40 is the minimum. I am curious what my cabinet will look like at the end of the year.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj087Vs9VBm7tbEZF0AFg95lHkPBOOyeQ8y8D71f_aBXROhLNKPFsx49KWcaGF-QgEfewmkFxwCcUIU41rNy9oyKi-OHohmpkqrOaE4UocBZnWhb96qsP5zoMppfLQn_iKRjY2ZMk5qgHU/s1600/PSX_20190104_094501.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img alt="Cabinet full of books" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj087Vs9VBm7tbEZF0AFg95lHkPBOOyeQ8y8D71f_aBXROhLNKPFsx49KWcaGF-QgEfewmkFxwCcUIU41rNy9oyKi-OHohmpkqrOaE4UocBZnWhb96qsP5zoMppfLQn_iKRjY2ZMk5qgHU/s320/PSX_20190104_094501.jpg" title="Cabinet full of books" width="180" /></a></div>
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<br />Ciskahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08879503352825771111noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712297166269296113.post-23463522634161282612019-01-01T08:30:00.000+01:002019-01-01T11:56:35.469+01:00Well hello 2019!<div style="text-align: center;"><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BsFr_edHrV3/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_medium=loading" data-instgrm-version="12" style="background: #fff; border-radius: 3px; border: 0; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0 , 0 , 0 , 0.5) , 0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0 , 0 , 0 , 0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: 99.375%;"><div style="padding: 16px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BsFr_edHrV3/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_medium=loading" style="background: #FFFFFF; line-height: 0; padding: 0 0; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; width: 100%;" target="_blank"> </a><br />
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<div style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BsFr_edHrV3/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_medium=loading" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Ciska (@_ciska_)</a> on <time datetime="2019-01-01T10:38:12+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jan 1, 2019 at 2:38am PST</time></div></div></blockquote><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><br />
</div><br />
I just read my post for 2018 and my goals for last year. I was going to a trough time and I am glad to say that I have been getting better. The last year did make me realize a lot of stuff and I will share those that you will notice most in the upcoming year here on the blog.<br />
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I like my blog. I like having it as an outlet for my reading. I like being a part of the community and though I realize a lot of the community has been moving more to social media and stuff I like my little corner of the internet. I do not like the idea I have to post all the time but noticed in the last year that it does not matter much. People will come when I post and if I don't post that seems to be fine too. I am going to try and keep up with monthly posts in 2019 (though I did miss some in 2018) it will make me more aware of what I have been reading that month and what I enjoyed most.<br />
<br />
I love reading. Now there is a surprise. I have been mood reading most of 2018 and I loved it. I had not expected to read much but managed to read 105 books. A lot due to the fact that I am now used to reading 2 books at a time. Well... listen to one and read one. Meaning I regularly finish 2 books a week and I am very happy with that. Though it did start a discussion whether an audiobook counts as a 'real' book. I say yes, the other half does not think so. Feel free to weigh in!<br />
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What I liked less was the ARC pressure. We all know the big black holes that are called Edelweiss and Netgalley and how they can suck us in on the idea we have to read them all! The long lists of review books waiting for some attention. The wondering why you requested that one book when you do not feel like reading historical fiction (for like the last 4 months) but it is due to be released and now you have to read it anyway. And it did look good when you requested it so now you will read it and you do not like it because you feel forced into reading it (recognizable... someone?). I managed to finish most of the requested books I had open. The few still left have been there for over a year and I am not going to worry much about them though I do plan on reading them.<br />
I am going to try and be strong and I will visit both sites and request a book when I want to read it. But just one at a time. Request when the whole package is good or because it is written by a favourite author. I know I am going to miss out on some great reads but I have other reading plans for the year.<br />
<br />
The BIG DANGEROUS PILE OF UNREAD BOOKS. I have one and I will write a post about this pile. Because I am going to use this blog for accountability. To show that I am working on it. That it is getting smaller and not bigger. I am not saying no new books will enter my house but I am going to try and make it just a big pile. Not one of those high stacks of books that make you wonder when they will fall on top of your head.<br />
<br />
This means I will put my Goodreads goal for 2019 on 95 books. A little space for those big ones or when things are not going as planned.<br />
I am going to start a Read Around The World Challenge. Just for me and there is no end date but 2019 is my starting point.<br />
I am going to check in on the PopSugar Challenge and the Hebban challenges again. I do not force myself to read books to fit those challenges but I like that they make me think more about the books I read. Same with my excel sheet I have been using for the past years that made me realize in 2018 that I was heavy on the male authors for the first time in years.<br />
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But my biggest plan is to continue enjoying my reading and my little corner of the internet!<br />
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What did you discover in 2018 and is it going to help you make 2019 a better year?<br />
<br />
Ciskahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08879503352825771111noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712297166269296113.post-63332739607178041752018-11-20T16:50:00.000+01:002018-11-20T16:50:04.950+01:00The Dying of The Light, Robert Goolrick<span style="font-size: x-small;">*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher *</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7RZIfl6i6ZvKTEMbAquVccnCTmnpXtVL20vDl9qBKWUzoPIQP3ivbM0zDVrV_k-5WKDF3SMVIS4WgNzhXvE9DnBsDWmpk3iea7R24TZHm-LDfC2pchcZ5976gt9Yh_Nhu5g1ESgCSQrM/s1600/thedyingoflight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The Dying of Light, Robert Goolrick" border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7RZIfl6i6ZvKTEMbAquVccnCTmnpXtVL20vDl9qBKWUzoPIQP3ivbM0zDVrV_k-5WKDF3SMVIS4WgNzhXvE9DnBsDWmpk3iea7R24TZHm-LDfC2pchcZ5976gt9Yh_Nhu5g1ESgCSQrM/s320/thedyingoflight.jpg" title="The Dying of Light, Robert Goolrick" width="211" /></a></div>
Author: Robert Goolrick<br />
Publisher: Harper<br />
Pages: 279<br />
Format: DRC<br />
ISBN-10: 0062678221<br />
ISBN-13: 9780062678225<br />
Publisher: <a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062678249/the-dying-of-the-light/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">eBook </a>| <a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062678225/the-dying-of-the-light/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Hardcover </a>| <a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062678232/the-dying-of-the-light/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Paperback </a>| <a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062848352/the-dying-of-the-light/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Audiobook</a><br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/isbn/0062678221" style="border: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="The Dying of Light" src="https://www.goodreads.com/images/atmb_add_book-70x25.png" /></a><br />
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<img alt="3 stars" border="0" data-original-height="45" data-original-width="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN3oPbuc9SWbi2zWBou31JGu1IgCubEHOATC_UxWkJL_yvqtox7LmWIs-AN-vfPNSvHha3KvRAPrkN6BOiJmpSGXKo186slc-IPhmr1SDIpUeRXK0u5RAwYnrCTDnny8T4fw9syJQXcFs/s1600/3_ster.png" title="3 stars" /><br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
It begins with a house and ends in ashes . . .<br />
Diana Cooke was "born with the century" and came of age just after World War I. The daughter of Virginia gentry, she knew early that her parents had only one asset, besides her famous beauty: their stately house, Saratoga, the largest in the commonwealth, which has hosted the crème of society and Hollywood royalty. Though they are land-rich, the Cookes do not have the means to sustain the estate. Without a wealthy husband, Diana will lose the mansion that has been the heart and soul of her family for five generations.<br />
The mysterious Captain Copperton is an outsider with no bloodline but plenty of cash. Seeing the ravishing nineteen-year-old Diana for the first time, he’s determined to have her. Diana knows that marrying him would make the Cookes solvent and ensure that Saratoga will always be theirs. Yet Copperton is cruel as well as vulgar; while she admires his money, she cannot abide him. Carrying the weight of Saratoga and generations of Cookes on her shoulders, she ultimately succumbs to duty, sacrificing everything, including love.<br />
Luckily for Diana, fate intervenes. Her union with Copperton is brief and gives her a son she adores. But when her handsome, charming Ashton, now grown, returns to Saratoga with his college roommate, the real scandal and tragedy begins.</blockquote>
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There are some very gruesome scenes and descriptions in this book, maybe fitting for the time but in most readers time it would be abuse.<br />
The book begins in the now with a journalist trying to uncover the secrets of the last people who loved on the Saratoga Estate. Quickly we jump back in time being pulled in the story of Diana.<br />
It was really interesting and believable to read how they lived their life. I enjoyed the developments and pace of the story a lot until the return of her son.<br />
After the story looses focus. I lost my connection with Diana, she becomes more shallow and the story slows down significantly. I think I would have enjoyed it more if that part of the story was told by Ashton. Still the whole book is filled with beautiful sentences and some great life lessons. Ciskahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08879503352825771111noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712297166269296113.post-74128545055169797562018-11-15T16:35:00.000+01:002018-11-15T16:35:00.372+01:00City Of Sinners, A.A. Dhand<span style="font-size: x-small;">*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher *</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhBWUu0FjfJjPRpbsbn6LOTiavRM4YufrnOuZCdG7QPlaNjuSQ4imzYPS5lYinNHmb-ZHdGxk6Ry4M9jXer9yzEk7EhNSE48QEAC6X0Rh6YpDmVptXHafs9S4oHMXlYIYCYy66SNlqqH4/s1600/cityofsinners.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="City Of Sinners, A.A. Dhand" border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="309" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhBWUu0FjfJjPRpbsbn6LOTiavRM4YufrnOuZCdG7QPlaNjuSQ4imzYPS5lYinNHmb-ZHdGxk6Ry4M9jXer9yzEk7EhNSE48QEAC6X0Rh6YpDmVptXHafs9S4oHMXlYIYCYy66SNlqqH4/s320/cityofsinners.jpg" title="City Of Sinners, A.A. Dhand" width="208" /></a></div>
Author: A.A. Dhand<br />
Publisher: Bantam Press<br />
Pages: 384<br />
Format: DRC<br />
ISBN-10: 0593080491<br />
ISBN-13: 9780593080498<br />
Series: Harry Virdee #3<br />
Publisher: <a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/1116239/city-of-sinners/9781473559516.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">eBook </a>| <a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/111/1116239/city-of-sinners/9780593080498.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Hardcover </a>| <a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/1116239/city-of-sinners/9780552175555.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Paperback </a>| <a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/1116239/city-of-sinners/9781473563957.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Audiobook</a><br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/isbn/0593080491" style="border: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="City Of Sinners" src="https://www.goodreads.com/images/atmb_add_book-70x25.png" /></a><br />
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<img border="0" data-original-height="45" data-original-width="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN3oPbuc9SWbi2zWBou31JGu1IgCubEHOATC_UxWkJL_yvqtox7LmWIs-AN-vfPNSvHha3KvRAPrkN6BOiJmpSGXKo186slc-IPhmr1SDIpUeRXK0u5RAwYnrCTDnny8T4fw9syJQXcFs/s1600/3_ster.png" /><br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
It is an ordinary Yorkshire morning, cold and miserable.<br />
The streets are not yet busy. Police cars hurriedly pull up in the centre of town, but none of their lights are flashing and the sirens are silent.<br />
A body has been found, elaborately and painstakingly positioned to send a message. But what message? And to who?<br />
It’s DI Harry Virdee’s job to find out. But Harry doesn’t know that the killer is watching him, that the killer is coming for him.<br />
Because this is personal.</blockquote>
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This is the third instalment of the series but can be read as a stand alone. I have not been following this series and did not get the feeling I missed important things that would be of influence on this book.<br />
I enjoyed the political and religious aspects in this book. There are a lot of interesting details about the habits of the Indian Sikh and Paki Muslim's. The tension between these two groups were very obvious on paper.<br />
What I had a harder time believing was the things Harry got away with in his job. I cannot imagine that a detective can still work the case when he is so obviously a target. It did cause a lot of excitement for the story.<br />
It is possible to puzzle along with this book and there are a lot of possibilities. I did come up with the endgame but it was surely not the only option until the true outcome was revealed. Do keep in mind that this book is not really for the faint hearted. Some of the crime scenes are very visual in description.Ciskahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08879503352825771111noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712297166269296113.post-81413429137743547022018-11-10T16:21:00.000+01:002018-11-10T16:21:00.323+01:00The House Swap, Rebecca Fleet<span style="font-size: x-small;">*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher *</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh76n-8B-NLsRe5cxogau1gRz2393VpQti3jJ0qZisQsUEB11FDtCjuPGyqvtHVDQ6zDNRKR0gxnLpn4gHo487n7qCIFR5jAomnLBBcLyg4_SKPfUnxMOrq4x5A-_FlmA6xaFWMg9RGbjg/s1600/thehouseswao.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The House Swap, Rebecca Fleet" border="0" data-original-height="348" data-original-width="223" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh76n-8B-NLsRe5cxogau1gRz2393VpQti3jJ0qZisQsUEB11FDtCjuPGyqvtHVDQ6zDNRKR0gxnLpn4gHo487n7qCIFR5jAomnLBBcLyg4_SKPfUnxMOrq4x5A-_FlmA6xaFWMg9RGbjg/s320/thehouseswao.jpg" title="The House Swap, Rebecca Fleet" width="205" /></a></div>
Author: Rebecca Fleet<br />
Publisher: Doubleday<br />
Pages: 320<br />
Format: DRC<br />
ISBN-10: 0857525476<br />
ISBN-13: 9780857525475<br />
Publisher: <a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/1115602/the-house-swap/9781473555228.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">eBook </a>| <a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/1115602/the-house-swap/9780857525475.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Hardcover </a>| <a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/1115602/the-house-swap/9781784163440.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Paperback</a> | <a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/1115602/the-house-swap/9781473556454.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Audiobook</a><br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/isbn/0857525476" style="border: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="The House Swap" src="https://www.goodreads.com/images/atmb_add_book-70x25.png" /></a><br />
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<img border="0" data-original-height="45" data-original-width="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN3oPbuc9SWbi2zWBou31JGu1IgCubEHOATC_UxWkJL_yvqtox7LmWIs-AN-vfPNSvHha3KvRAPrkN6BOiJmpSGXKo186slc-IPhmr1SDIpUeRXK0u5RAwYnrCTDnny8T4fw9syJQXcFs/s1600/3_ster.png" /><br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
When Caroline and Francis receive an offer to house swap, they jump at the chance for a week away from home. After the difficulties of the past few years, they’ve worked hard to rebuild their marriage for their son’s sake; now they want to reconnect as a couple.<br />
On arrival, they find a house that is stark and sinister in its emptiness – it’s hard to imagine what kind of person lives here. Then, gradually, Caroline begins to uncover some signs of life – signs of her life. The flowers in the bathroom or the music in the CD player might seem innocent to her husband but to her they are anything but. It seems the person they have swapped with is someone she used to know; someone she’s desperate to leave in her past.<br />
But that person is now in her home – and they want to make sure she’ll never forget . . .</blockquote>
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This book is going back and forth slowly filling in details and that does not always work. I often find current time or flashbacks give away something you know will influence the other side of the story but not in this book. <br />
I am not sure if I liked Caroline or not. The way she was dealing with everything that was happening did make sense but I did not understand why she kept so many secrets. It made me doubt her motivation to keep it secret. <br />
Despite her actions I did feel sorry for Francis often. I would have loved to know what Carl made of the whole situation but it totally fit with his character that we never get his side of things.<br />
The book is a quick read. I could have been more psychotic but it is a slippery slope between keeping it exciting and making it bat crazy so I think it has been a good choice to keep it on the safe side. Ciskahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08879503352825771111noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712297166269296113.post-59523824228160581942018-11-05T16:14:00.000+01:002018-11-05T16:14:06.469+01:00Now You See Her, Heidi Perks<span style="font-size: x-small;">*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher *</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxr4iHJW8lQcERmIkVau85R1272xm6-AIw8DXu4teKmiyHNsZKC7YTdCzAxy5-XRTu9YbSDTvicTjx4wetqz08Gv9omcBsJO83FV6BeTb0RPxa4k1-bAxl7R-TvTkSSnDGXK9gDnsM5og/s1600/nowyouseeher.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Now You See Her, Heidi Perks" border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="307" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxr4iHJW8lQcERmIkVau85R1272xm6-AIw8DXu4teKmiyHNsZKC7YTdCzAxy5-XRTu9YbSDTvicTjx4wetqz08Gv9omcBsJO83FV6BeTb0RPxa4k1-bAxl7R-TvTkSSnDGXK9gDnsM5og/s320/nowyouseeher.jpg" title="Now You See Her, Heidi Perks" width="206" /></a></div>Author: Heidi Perks<br />
Publisher: Century<br />
Pages: 416<br />
Format: DRC<br />
ISBN-10: 1780898835<br />
ISBN-13: 9781780898834<br />
Publisher: <a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/1115948/now-you-see-her/9781473556782.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">eBook </a>| <a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/111/1115948/now-you-see-her/9781780898834.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Hardcover </a>| <a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/1115948/now-you-see-her/9781787460775.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Paperback</a> | <a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/1115948/now-you-see-her/9781473562448.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Audiobook</a><br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/isbn/1780898835" style="border: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="Now You See Her" src="https://www.goodreads.com/images/atmb_add_book-70x25.png" /></a><br />
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<img alt="3 stars" border="0" data-original-height="45" data-original-width="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN3oPbuc9SWbi2zWBou31JGu1IgCubEHOATC_UxWkJL_yvqtox7LmWIs-AN-vfPNSvHha3KvRAPrkN6BOiJmpSGXKo186slc-IPhmr1SDIpUeRXK0u5RAwYnrCTDnny8T4fw9syJQXcFs/s1600/3_ster.png" title="3 stars" /><br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">Charlotte is looking after her best friend’s daughter the day she disappears. She thought the little girl was playing with her own children. She swears she only took her eyes off them for a second.<br />
Now, Charlotte must do the unthinkable, tell her best friend Harriet that her only child is missing. The child she was meant to be watching.<br />
Devastated, Harriet can no longer bear to see Charlotte. No one could expect her to trust her friend again.<br />
Only now she needs to. Because two weeks later Harriet and Charlotte are both being questioned separately by the police. And secrets are about to surface.</blockquote><br />
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It is easy to feel for Charlotte, I think it is every persons nightmare who has ever been responsible for a child. I enjoyed how the author used the public anger, the 'I am way better than you and that would not happen to me' behaviour by everyone in their surrounding. Specially with the internet these days those discussions are happening all the time and it was recognizable.<br />
The developments in the story are interesting and there was not much to giveaway the end despite the fact that the book followed a certain predictable thriller development line. Fast paced and gripping.Ciskahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08879503352825771111noreply@blogger.com0