“It was as if the empty nights were made for thinking of him. And sometimes I found myself so vividly aware of him it was as if he had only just left “It was as if the empty nights were made for thinking of him. And sometimes I found myself so vividly aware of him it was as if he had only just left the room and the ring of his voice were still there. And somehow, there was a disturbing comfort in that, and, despite myself, I’d envision his face.”
Unless you know me personally there’s no way you could know this about me…. BUT. I am probably the biggest Tom Cruise fan out there. SO my introduction to this book was because of the film.
My family consumed Tom Cruise movies like it was going out of style! Like we were OBSESSED!!! Since I was too young to read the book before seeing the film, that is what happened first… And let me tell you…. Whoosh… LIFE ALTERING!
Years later I was able to read this and it only made me enjoy it so much more.
Wow. I can’t believe this is happening… Yes, I’m rating this a five star!
”I can't think of anything lonelier than spending the rest of my life witWow. I can’t believe this is happening… Yes, I’m rating this a five star!
”I can't think of anything lonelier than spending the rest of my life with someone I can't talk to, or worse, someone I can't be silent with.”
I truly didn’t see this coming.
This book is composed completely of things I loathe in books. It’s written completely in letters, has so many POVs, overall a slowburn, and so many other things that would usually turn me off for a book like this. However, it works here.
I won’t lie I almost put it down the first few chapters, but I’m so glad I stuck with it. I thought it would be much like Love, Rosie where it would just drag on forever! Leaving me annoyed by the end. NOPE, this kept me wanting more. I wanted to live on Guernsey with these characters.
Shaffer and Barrows have written this so you feel like you are there with all of them. They successfully make the island its own character. They perfectly put in historical events without overwhelming the reader. You will be cheering, crying, and laughing to the very end.
"…sometimes strength isn’t swords and steel and fire, as we are so often made to believe. Sometimes it’s found in quiet, Oh my GOD!!!!! GUTTED!!!
"…sometimes strength isn’t swords and steel and fire, as we are so often made to believe. Sometimes it’s found in quiet, gentle places. The way you hold someone’s hand as they grieve. The way you listen to others. The way you show up, day after day, even when you are weary or afraid or simply uncertain.”
This book started with such a slow tempered pace, but snowballed to this incredible climax ending…. I’m speechless!
Divine Rivals gave me the same feeling a K Drama does with its perfect stolen looks, hands lightly touching… It’s This Love Taylor’s Version… It’s “I’ll meet you in the meadow.” Shadow and Bone. Just non-stop hits to the chest.
I really have no critics. Which you should know is not like me. Even the moments you know what exactly is about to happen, you won't care. They're so well written. You can see so clearly what Rebecca is doing with the characters, the world building, and the story arc.
Roman and Iris will both pull you in. They both feel so real. The relationship, the rivalry, the romance. It just works! Often in enemies to lovers you don’t 100% get WHY they’re rivals, but here it makes sense. Doesn't hurt that I’m truly a sucker for the -he falls first and harder- trope. It gets me every-time!
Divine Rivals had me blushing, kicking my feets, and then clutching my chest. It was everything I never expected it to be.
I kept seeing this novel and Fourth Wing being compared, and often clumped into the same categories, and now I can see why. However, I wish I would have heard they are more like second cousins then sisters. I was worried since I didn’t fully love Fourth Wing that I might not like this. Divine Rivals gave me the things I was missing and wanting out of Fourth Wing.
Divine Rivals lives up to the hype. Truly hoping with the second and final novel in this duology that Rebecca can stick the landing....more
I was recommended this book by a lovely guest that comes into my job. She told me she thought I woulThis was so much more than I thought it would be.
I was recommended this book by a lovely guest that comes into my job. She told me she thought I would love it and that it was so funny and charming. She was 100% right even down to her description. I could tell from the book's summary and cover that this book would be charming, but I was curious how it was going to be funny, but oh my god was it hilarious!!!
These two men walking the trailer were as messy as you would think! The quirky little jabs they throw at each other, down to the terrible choice in food they bring, really made this book something special. ...more
“We always see it too late. Why do they never tell us that you are poor devils like us, that your mothers are just as anxious as ours, and that we “We always see it too late. Why do they never tell us that you are poor devils like us, that your mothers are just as anxious as ours, and that we have the same fear of death.”...more
Crying in H Mart is a memoir I didn't think I'd be able to relate to, but was still excited to pick up.
I went in rather blind. I mainly wanted to picCrying in H Mart is a memoir I didn't think I'd be able to relate to, but was still excited to pick up.
I went in rather blind. I mainly wanted to pick it up because everyone has been talking about it since its release.
I didn't expect it to hit so close to home on so many topics. Michelle beautifully weaves her story from childhood to adulthood so seamlessly. A story of food, tough love, growing up bi-racial and not knowing how special that can be, to loss. Michelle writes as if she is writing to no one but herself, and that makes the story feel so much more personal.
Michelle and I might come from such culturally different backgrounds, but yet had so much in common.
I found myself laughing, crying, and then craving more of her writing and talks of Korean food. It was very easy giving Crying in H Mart a 5 star rating....more
"When you spend so long trapped in darkness, you find that the darkness begins to stare back."
Yall... this book... this book and its hype... this"When you spend so long trapped in darkness, you find that the darkness begins to stare back."
Yall... this book... this book and its hype... this book and its hype and all it's spoilers; had me worried. On top of all that I feared that this book, all 600 plus pages, would suffer a massive case of second book syndrome. I'm so freaking happy to finally say that this book was AMAZING!
As I do with most my on-going series reviews I'm going to keep this review spoiler free. Since this book was broken up in several sections I'm going to basically break my review down by that.
A Court of Mist and Fury is the second book in the A Court of Throns and Roses series. This book starts off right where ACOTAR ended. Feyre, however, isn't recovering well from what happened to her under the mountain. It doesn't help that Tamlin basically avoids talking about it at all cost and he insist that she never leaves the estate. Being trapped in the house just wedding planning, with no friends, no family, and waiting for the moment when Rhys comes to claim her for their deal. Feyre is a broken girl the first part of this book. Not knowing where she stands or where she wants to be. So many things happen in the first half of this book, all leading up to Rhys finally coming to get her. That's all I'm really going to say about the first section of this book.
The next part of this book we finally get a lot of the answers we've been dying for! Answers about Rhys and why he is the way he is, we finally get to see the Night Court, we get to find out so much history on all the other courts, and oh so much more. We are also introduced to so many new side characters... Which easily became some of my all time favorites. Mor, Amren, Cassian, and Azriel brought everything to this story! I loved that Rhys decides to surround himself with the best of the best, say F the people who don't see females as badass, and puts two fierce girls as part of his inner circle. Cassian and Azriel, be still my beating heart. I loved these two. What interesting characters. Each with such a unique back story. This part of the book was all about build up and setting the stage for the ending. This is why it took me awhile to get through this book... but trust me get through it, its so wroth it.
The last part of this book... God give me strength! I don't know how I'm even going to get through the rest of this review. This section of the book was everything I ever wanted! There is action, suspense, romance, history, and twist. Everything that was building up from the first parts were perfect set up for this to be a big bang. There were also so many things that I thought were minor details in the first book that turned out to be huge reveals in this one. I was also so worried that the "love triangle" aspect still hanging in the air that it would end up ruining things for me. I can't not address it, and I swear it's not a spoiler, but all the romance in this is PERFECT. It's also why this book is so much bigger than the first, because it's so full of sexy fun times. This book is hot, HOT! I really don't get how this book is still categorized as Ya, I think this jumped right into NA. Seriously, so yummy! I have for sure gotten on the same ship as everyone else.
The ending. So much happens. It was so amazing. Shit hits the fan! I did not see it coming. I knew one thing that was going to happen, because you can't not see it, but the rest of it had me on the edge of my seat. I kept screaming "WTF" The whole time. Like really, what just happened?!?! Those last two chapters though. Those last two chapters were.... Lord! Oh and that last paragraph! That last sentence!!!! Lets just say it was the most epic!!!
I wish my review was a little more detailed, and sorry if it's all over the place, but that's how this book made me feel. A messy, disorganized, and a hot mess. I can't wait till book three.
Re-read August 2022. As always I will keep my original rating of 5 stars. I will say though the second time around I feel like it felt more like a 4/4.5.
Brian K. Vaughan is one of my favorite comic writers. Y is one of my favorite series. Had a roommate introduce me to the series by saying "Angela, I tBrian K. Vaughan is one of my favorite comic writers. Y is one of my favorite series. Had a roommate introduce me to the series by saying "Angela, I think you're really going to love this one. Every man on earth dies from a mysterious plague except one man who is a magician and his male companion pet monkey.”
And that’s why he was one of my all time favorite roommates… he clearly got me.
I absolutely devoured this series. It’s one I could easily recommend to anyone, even if they might not be into comics or graphic novels....more
”It is impossible to live in the past, difficult to live in the present and a waste to live in the future.”
When I was updating my Goodreads recently ”It is impossible to live in the past, difficult to live in the present and a waste to live in the future.”
When I was updating my Goodreads recently I was surprised to see I've never left a review for this... I have no idea how!
I kid you not I have read this twice a year, every year for roughly the last 15 years. Maybe even longer.
This is one of the first fantasy series I ever read. It was definitely the most "advanced" one I had ever read my first go around, but being so in love with Star Wars and having my dad tell me it was based on this series I just knew I was going to be obsessed.
I know this won't be for everyone. It's a lot to take in, especially if you're not a fantasy girlie, but if you can get over the fact that everything except the characters have weird names and fully immerse yourself in this world, I really think you'll love it.
Movie review: okay so I saw the movie right after reading this (sorry it took me so long to upMoving and beautiful.
Can’t wait to see the film tonight
Movie review: okay so I saw the movie right after reading this (sorry it took me so long to update this). And.... OMG!!!! The movie was perfect! So moving and heart breaking. I think the reason it took me to long to write this is because I’m still pissed Timothée didn’t win an Oscar for his role. I’ll never get over it. If you loved the book please see the movie. Also the soundtrack is to die for. ...more
Update: It's been four months since I finished this, and I have thought about it every single day since.
When I die on the list of things I regret, one of them will be not reading this book sooner.
I’m so emotionally drained after the last 20% of this book.
Immediately after finishing it I had to go outside, sit in the sun, stare at the trees, and touch some grass.
At a certain point towards the mid-end of this book I was wondering how Yanagihara was going to end this. Where was all this headed toward? I’d seen so many talk about how they cried throughout this novel. This wasn’t my experience until that last 10%. It WRECKED me.
My fears not only that this book wouldn’t make me cry or that it wouldn’t live up to the hype faded fast. I knew it would all come down to how this would all end… And I couldn’t be happier (more like sadder lol) with how this ended.
And so I try to be kind to everything I see, and in everything I see, I see him.”
I can’t remember the last time I truly felt so utterly connected to a character before. Spending what felt like a lifetime with one. Wanting the best for them. Wanting to know all these hidden things about their life. I Want them to be happy. Having to remind myself (thankfully) that this person wasn’t real.
Maybe in 7 to 10 business days once I’m done grieving over this book I’ll be able to say more, but for now….
Yanagihara really wrote one hell of a story....more
“It was a lesson the world had already taught me and was teaching me still. You don’t know what’s possible until you actually see it.”
Amanda Lindhout“It was a lesson the world had already taught me and was teaching me still. You don’t know what’s possible until you actually see it.”
Amanda Lindhout, a freelance journalist, was kidnapped while traveling alongside Nigel Brennan, a freelance photojournalist, in Somalia. The two were held captive for 460 days. Where they were starved, tortured, beaten, and Amanda even raped repeatedly. A House in the Sky is Amanda Lindhouts recount of the events that took place over her year in captivity. A House in the Sky starts off with Amanda's childhood. Going into the details of her struggles of being a child of poverty. Amanda's only escape from an abusive childhood was by flipping through the pages of National Geographic and pretending to be anywhere but where she is. Vowing that when she was old enough she would save the money and nothing would stop her from traveling. In her 20s Amanda started waitresses and saving all of her funds. After saving enough she started her travels and her career as a journalist. On one of her trips she met Nigel. The two continued to keep in touch and eventually started a relationship. With a long distance relationship proving to be too much the two ended up separating. Amanda continued to travel, doing her reporting work, and continued to keep contact with Nigel. Years and many countries later Amanda found herself wanting to go to Somalia and country named as the most dangerous place on earth. Knowing there was a war going on and about the terrible danger she could face she still decided to go anyways convincing Nigel to join her. This is roughly the first 150 pages of the book. These pages at first seem unimportant and are a bit sluggish. I was having trouble connecting with Amanda and found myself seeing her as being rather naïve. I decided to push through and was very thankful I did. These pages though trivial at first end up being very important in the long run.
Four days into their trip a group of masked men ambushed their car and kidnapped Amanda, Nigel, and the three men traveling with them. At the time Amanda assumes they are just being robbed, and held for a few days, but once the kidnappers force them to call their families and demand a ransom (3 million dollars for both of them) she realizes that this isn’t going to be over with quickly. After the first 150 pages the stories starts getting into the heavy issues and reveals what happened to the two while being held. For the first five months Amanda and Nigel were able to be kept together. The two though starving and miserable, were for the most part treated “okay”. Once their captures realized that their ransom wouldn’t be paid right away things started to increasingly get worse. The two ultimately decided to convert to Islam as a play to make their captures treat them better. Though this decision was probably in their best interest, it ultimately didn’t make things much better, and the two were eventually separated and kept in separate rooms. The two come up with secret way to communicate and after they are told that the men that were taken with them are killed, they know they have to escape. The two over the next several days use nail clippers to chip away at a window in a shared bathroom. Once the two get out they run for what they hope will be freedom ultimately only having one person even attempt to help them. The two end up recaptured. The teenage kidnappers decide that Amanda, because she is a woman, is to blame for the failed escape attempt. Nigel instead of backing her up and helping her decides that since they are blaming her anyways that she should “just go ahead and take this one”.
Amanda is then locked in a windowless room with nothing more than a few useless items, and a thin mat. She is kept in the dark for weeks where she is starved, not allowed to speak, has her feet chained together, is beaten, tortured, falls ill to a bacterial fungus, and then is ultimately gang raped for her acts. She is forced to lay on her sides at all times because her captures think otherwise she might become too strong and will try to escape again. The only time she is allowed to move is when she is praying, which she eventually becomes too weak to do. Nigel is kept in a separate room with windows, books, and allowed time to go outside because he is a man. Over the next few weeks and months Amanda is continued to be tortured, raped, and one of her captures even tells her he plans on marriage her once the money has been paid. This is all happening while their capture’s continue to call their families and demand ransom, sometimes up to ten times a day. With the government refusing to help pay ransom the families eventually seek outside help hiring a specialist to help get their kids back. After 460 days and 600,000 dollars being paid the two are released back to their families.
A House in the Sky goes deep into what it is like being left alone with nothing but your own thoughts. It’s about struggling, overcoming, suffering, forgiveness, and ultimately Amanda convincing herself that if she can just push through one more day she can make it.
“See? You are okay, Amanda, It’s only your body that is suffering, and you are not your body. The rest of you is fine.”
At times this novel was hard to read and painful, but at the same time managed to take a tragic situation and make it beautiful. This story shows that the mind is a very powerful thing. A House in the Sky is one of those stories that will forever stay with me....more
I was so creeped out and disturbed by the book that I called out of work so I could finish reading it. This man lived on the same street as I did, wenI was so creeped out and disturbed by the book that I called out of work so I could finish reading it. This man lived on the same street as I did, went to places I see everyday, and talks about going different locations I've gone to without even knowing their connection to him....more
“I could recognize him by touch alone, by smell; I would know him blind, by the way his breaths came and his feet struck the earth. I would know h “I could recognize him by touch alone, by smell; I would know him blind, by the way his breaths came and his feet struck the earth. I would know him in death, at the end of the world.”
I put this book off for YEARS! because I was so worried the hype surrounding it wasn’t true.
Now I hate that I did. I loved this book so much. To be such a slow build it still manages to have this way of keeping you invested.
The characters, the romance, the mythology all of it, so beautiful!...more
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