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9811059187
| 9789811059186
| B075P235W8
| 3.74
| 19
| unknown
| Sep 15, 2017
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really liked it
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After all, Duterte himself began to communicate a more pragmatic strand of leadership as he inched closer to formally occupying the highest office in
After all, Duterte himself began to communicate a more pragmatic strand of leadership as he inched closer to formally occupying the highest office in the land. Weeks before his inauguration, Duterte sought to reassure the media that it will be his 'last time as a rude person.' Duterte promised that, 'when I become president, when I take my oath of office... There will be a metamorphosis,' whereby he will 'steadily evolve from a caterpillar and blossom into a butterfly.' pg. 43. Instead of reading Trump book after Trump book, which I find frustrating, reductive, and frankly a masochistic exercise - not in small part due to unskilled and rambling authors who are trying to make a quick buck - I find it helpful to look at the bigger picture. Duterte is part of this and while reading this book you will be noticing similarity after similarity between the two presidents. If you are interested in a.) a bit of Filipino history and b.) interested in Duterte, either due to his similarities with your national leader (whoever that may be) and/or his slaughter of drug users and drug dealers, or c.) looking for more information about populists, this book might be of interest to you. Not to say it is easy reading. It's not. For one thing, it's dense and to work through it you MUST have an interest in these topics mentioned in the above paragraph. For another thing, I'm sorry to say Heydarian has numerous grammatical mistakes in this book. I mean A LOT of grammatical mistakes. Probably blame belongs with the editor, but the book needs serious touching up. This is a book about Duterte, but it's also a look at populists, and, let's say, leaders of a certain ilk. Heydarian touches on but does not go into depth about such leaders as Trump, Nigel Paul Farage, Marine Le Pen, Shinzo Abe, Park Geun-hy, Narendra Modi, Recep Tayip Erdogan, Najib Razak, and Joko Widodo. People who follow the news should not find these names surprising, I was happy for the inclusions and interested in what Heydarian had to say. I'm interested in examining this sort of social and political phenomenon on a whole, not focusing only on one person. TL;DR Reading this forced me out of the microcosm of the United States of America. Which to Americans often seems like the whole entire world. Many Americans I know do not have a good grasp of world history nor of world politics and seem uninterested in gleaning news and ideas from places outside of the U.S. of A. I had an interest in learning more about Duterte after reading about him in the news many times. It was hard to find a book about this topic. When this title came up I found it a bit hard to get my hands on, but I'm glad I did. NOT an easy read nor a light one, NOT going to be of interest to a majority of readers. Please don't think this book is a must-read for everyone, it's definitely not. Although I encourage people to get out of whatever sphere they are in and take a look at the bigger picture. It can be enlightening. It doesn't have to be through this book, however. Please see my status updates for pertinent excerpts. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Oct 29, 2021
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Nov 27, 2021
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Oct 29, 2021
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Kindle Edition
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0373757573
| 9780373757572
| 0373757573
| 4.05
| 59
| unknown
| May 09, 2017
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liked it
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It had been a lonely two years since her divorce, and she might be in for quite a few more. Meanwhile, fate had delivered to her doorstep a funny, art
It had been a lonely two years since her divorce, and she might be in for quite a few more. Meanwhile, fate had delivered to her doorstep a funny, articulate, dead-sexy cowboy whose abs could have been sculpted from marble. Who was she to ignore that gift? 60% Becca Johnston is someone who has been in this series since book one, and she is a force of nature. Bossy, likes to be in charge, feels comfortable telling everyone what to do, 'terrifyingly efficient,' driven, feels like everything is her business and everything is in her power to change, thinks life would be better if she could just dictate to people what they should do and they would obey. She's also running for mayor. That kind of person. So I was interested in seeing her meet a man. I was interested in how Michaels was going to handle this. I have to hand it to Michaels, in general I would have to say she is not afraid to make her romance heroines 'difficult.' Becca is someone you might actively avoid IRL. She would rope you into serving on some committee and - if she cared about you - would tell you exactly what to do to 'fix' your life, her version of 'helping. Probably her son (age 7) and her younger sister (age 18) get the worst of this steamrolling. I liked Michaels tackling the idea of going to college and it not being a necessity. Becca is leaning hard on her younger sister to go to college and Sawyer has a different perspective on it that is treated as also valid. I think we need to have more discussions like this. In 2017 it was becoming increasingly obvious that college is not the only way a person can go and that there are other routes that might be more fulfilling - and less full of debt. I was interested in Becca's HEA because I like to see hard people softening or prickly people becoming gooey because of love. However, I don't feel like Michaels delivered on this book's full potential. Sawyer is a good foil for Becca. He's relaxed, easygoing. He gently flirts with her, but she is the one in this book who takes sexual initiative and kisses HIM and invites HIM to bed etc. My main complaint about the book is that Michaels doesn't fully explore and exploit the feelings. Sawyer takes a stab at being a mensch and almost reaches it... but just doesn't have the follow-through to make him a true mensch. While Becca's backstory is good (mom who got pregnant six times but hates children, husband who ran a financial scheme and then disappeared, single mom), I didn't feel like she and Sawyer connected in a way that would knock down her walls. I didn't expect her to change, but I did expect a more powerful love story and this love story was sort of tepid. Which it didn't have to be given the great premise. I mean, Michaels had me on the set-up, she just lost me on the follow-through. HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN? Sigh. This is another problem - Michaels does not allow them to have on-page sex. This is disappointing for many reasons. One, I want to see how this guy is in bed. Two, in a romance novel, what the couple is doing in bed and how they interact during sex is a HUGE component of their psychological journey and a big part of the story IMO. Sexual dynamics shape relationships just as much as other aspects do and I want them to be included in my romance novel. If you just fade to black every time they have sex, you are blocking me (the reader) from understanding a huge part of what makes a couple tick. I can't analyze, criticize, and assess a romantic relationship in fiction unless I know how the couple is fucking. So, big loss there. I was disappointed. Especially after I really enjoyed how she handled Megan and Will in The Christmas Triplets. TL;DR While this premise had great promise and I was looking forward to it - a difficult heroine like Becca is very interesting to me - Michaels did not deliver. She kind of half-assed it. It wasn't BAD, but it wasn't living up to its potential and ended up just being another run-of-the-mill Harlequin American Romance. Sad, because it had the potential to break those barriers. It also features a periodic child's POV. This might be a dealbreaker for some people, it usually is for me. No one wants to hear the thoughts of a seven-year-old in a romance novel. TRUST ME. I wish authors would stop doing this. ROMANCE CATEGORIES Contemporary Romance Cowboy/Western Romance Non-Virgin Heroine He's a Rodeo Rider, Does Summer Camp and Family Trail Rides, Writes Articles for a Travel Magazine; She's on the Town Council, Running for Mayor, and Runs the Community Center. Takes Place in Texas, U.S.A. NAMES IN THIS BOOK (view spoiler)[ Hadley f Becca f Rebecca Ruth Sierra f Jarrett m Irene f Anita f Brody m Sawyer m Jasmine f Jazz Leanne f Marc Paul m 7 Jodie f Kenny m Zeke m Colin m Meredith f Kate f Marie f Keesha f D.B. M Callum m 17 Charlie m Gwen f Everett m Odette f Ed m Shirl f Lamar m Cole m Manuel m Manny Joan f Courtney f Sean m Shane m Molly f Lyndsay f Arnie m Dwayne m Will m Coop m Jed m Sammy m Vicki f Kim f Tasha f Kylie Jo f Gayle f Jace m Larry m Daryl m Doug m Cecily f Dylan m Amy f Alejandro m Scottie – dog Trouble – dog Lewis m Kaleb m Gabe m Angie f Slither – snake Roger m June f Olive f Helen f Sissy f Marianne f Charles m (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Oct 13, 2020
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Oct 13, 2020
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Oct 13, 2020
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Mass Market Paperback
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1683960629
| 9781683960621
| 1683960629
| 3.13
| 6,736
| 2017
| Dec 12, 2017
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did not like it
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What a weird book. First I was really digging it, then it just got super-depressing and didn't really go anywhere, to be honest. I hate when I see gre
What a weird book. First I was really digging it, then it just got super-depressing and didn't really go anywhere, to be honest. I hate when I see great potential in something, but feel like the author wasted it. [image] A 15-year-old lesbian girl has the power to inflict pain and even kill with her mind. I thought this was going to be a stunning graphic novel about adolescence and having a dangerous power. Unfortunately, it was just depressing and cruel. And not depressing and cruel with a story arc, like LOGAN. Just depressing and cruel and pointless. [image] Of all the ways to end the book, the fifteen-year-old (view spoiler)[committing suicide because she can't take it anymore (hide spoiler)] is such a copout. Neither she nor Forsman explores her options. Nor does Forsman do anything with all the side characters he includes in here. It's such a fucking waste. I feel like maybe he wanted to be edgy? There was edgy potential in this, but writing a short, pointless novel that ends with your 15-year-old protagonist (view spoiler)[killing herself (hide spoiler)] is not edgy. It's not even clever. It's tired and pointless and has no meaning. TL;DR Fuck this shit. NAMES IN THIS BOOK (view spoiler)[ Sydney f 15 Dina f Brad m Liam m Richard m Tobey m Ricky m Stanley m River f aka Ryan Clint m Earl m Bill m John m Marvin m (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Aug 03, 2020
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Aug 03, 2020
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Aug 03, 2020
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Paperback
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1620104415
| 9781620104415
| 1620104415
| 4.35
| 64,279
| Oct 18, 2017
| Oct 31, 2017
|
really liked it
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Adorable comforting story about little tea dragons that grow tea out of their heads! [image] Everyone who reads this ends this book saying they want a Adorable comforting story about little tea dragons that grow tea out of their heads! [image] Everyone who reads this ends this book saying they want a cute tiny tea dragon of their own! They are like high-maintenance dogs that produce tea that will transfer memories. Since this is an O'Neill fantasy, you know the drill. Non-human creatures live in society and work and dress just like humans. [image] Things are so liberal in these books, so comfy-cozy love, love-can-cure-all attitude that I'm surprised O'Neill also includes bloody fights and killing creatures for money, which two of our lesser heroes, the gay couple Erik and Hesekiel do. For instance, when our heroine Greta runs into some dogs cornering a tea dragon and planning to eat it, she realizes they are starving and gives them meat so they don't eat the tea dragon. She solves the problem without hurting anyone, by showing sympathy for the 'villain' and by 'saving' both the 'villain' and the 'victim.' That's why it's kind of jarring later to see Hesekiel and Erik murdering creatures for cash. I mean, sure, they are "black." "Black creatures" which I guess we are supposed to believe are evil? I'm not really sure, this is a children's book and it's not very fleshed out. As is common with O'Neill novels, there is both a gay male couple and a lesbian female couple. Everyone is different races, and indeed, different species. It's light, sweet, cute, fluffy and very comforting. The illustrations are gorgeous! A good read for tea-lovers (I can see adult tea-drinkers going crazy for this book! Especially with the advent of tea-pets which are very popular right now!), this book will make you crave a pot of tea. Read it while drinking tea, put it on your tea table, keep it in your tea cabinet. Have a tea party with the children and read this aloud during the tea party. It's a great book because it will appeal to very young readers - cute tea dragons! Bright colors! Magical creatures! Snuggles! - but if you have an older child reader there is a lot of meatier stuff going on that an older child will pick up on. Greta training to be a blacksmith, gay love, lesbian love, running away from a family's expectations (this seems to be a very popular theme for O'Neill), taking responsibility for a high-maintenance pet... [image] TL;DR Children of all ages AND adults can enjoy this story. Cute, sweet, fluffy, comforting. This book will make you crave a nice steaming cuppa tea. It's adorable. It will be interesting to see where the sequel goes. This is very light on plot, but as it is a children's book I'm not sure that is really a drawback. The lack of plot might aggravate some people, though. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Sep 11, 2019
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Sep 12, 2019
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Sep 11, 2019
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Hardcover
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unknown
| 4.51
| 452
| Mar 13, 2017
| Mar 13, 2017
|
did not like it
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Some flirty pouts and calculated sexiness weren't going to shift the balance of power. He was the m-a-n and hell yeah she was fine with that. 46% So yo Some flirty pouts and calculated sexiness weren't going to shift the balance of power. He was the m-a-n and hell yeah she was fine with that. 46% So you can see from this above quote that this book is dumb. I have a lot of problems with it. Let's start with a quick rundown of the "plot:" Roman is sent to find Kelly Anne in the rural woods of Oklahoma. Because his boss is her half-brother. OK, PLOT OVER. And that's my number one, most glaring problem. There's no plot. I hope you're not expecting anything to happen in this book. Because it doesn't. There is no plot, no conflict, no climax... just a whole bunch of nothing. IMO, this is even worse than other problems like "stupidity" and "horrible fake-BDSM." Who wants to read a book about nothing? This is basically a book about nothing. There's no "Will they fall in love? Will they ever have sex? There is a bad guy they have to face? He has to win her trust?" NO CONFLICT. There's no conflict and therefore no plot. OK, let's tackle some other problems. Ugh, where to start? Kelly Anne is supposed to live this rough, hardscrabble existence. She is SO isolated. She is SO poor. Blah blah blah. Then she gets an inheritance when her mom dies. So she lives like a poor person, except with a satellite dish and a laptop. But the most hilarious thing out of all this is how Halliday is hell-bent on having her a.) ignorant of normal things like Seinfeld and movies, but b.) very well-versed in porn, even hardcore porn. It's... frankly stupid and ridiculous. She wants her heroine, Kelly Anne, to be able to instantly embrace and not have any problems with our hero - this delusional man who thinks he is a dom - because in real life some backwoods woman who has never even so much kissed a man before is not going to be begging some interfering city slicker to gag her with his cock. Which yes, literally happens in this book. o.O She has to make it seem as if Kelly Anne is just totally unphased by Roman's enthusiasm for tying her up, engaging in sex with zero foreplay, etc. etc. This is exactly the kind of thing Halliday loves to pull. Say "Seinfeld" to Kelly Anne, blank look. Say "Jurassic World" and she'll tell you that she won a shitty illegal DVD copy of it at pool (but she has satellite TV? She never watches anything but porn? I'm confused), but say "submit" to her or "gag on my cock" and she's all smiles and giggles and "Let's try that!" It's really... frustrating. Another problem is the fake BDSM, the way Kelly Anne thinks about Roman and the way Roman thinks about himself. He thinks every woman wants him, he is the best dom ever, blah blah blah blah. It was really turning me off. For instance, in the beginning, he's convinced that the flight attendant "wants him." Then he's rude to her because, I don't know, he thinks she's desperate for his penis or something. But not before He spent a fraction of a second considering the difficulty scale he'd face getting into her pants... 1% This is not attractive to me in a romance hero, and it's doubly baffling later when he describes himself as into BDSM and stuff. I was like, well, what were you going to do with the poor flight attendant? Because let me tell you, he thinks 'his brand of fucking' is super-dangerous and talks about his cock as if it is a powerful and scary weapon. It's honestly quite laughable. I'm going to tell you EXACTLY when I checked out of this book: it was at 11% when we got this revelation: When he needed sex, he got it. Uncomplicated hook-ups, nearly always with experienced women who shared or weren't adverse to his particular kink. He liked to fuck. And when he did, he fucked hard and with no apologies. On his way down the brick-walled hallway to his bedroom, he considered getting his freak on before heading out to Oklahoma. Maybe letting off some of the steam powering his control-dominated engine was a smart move. By the time he peeled off his sweats and turned the shower the idea was relegated to the dustbin. Indulging in some pleasantly diverting dungeon play with someone who knew the score did not appeal to him in any way at the moment. I was like HELL, NO. This is not my thing at all, I'm not going to like this. "I fUck HarD and WitHouT ApOlogIes. Oh, my DunGeOn. blah blah blaH" UGH. UGH. Vomit. Why was it just him whacking off in the shower when what he'd really like is a hot-blooded woman with a ballsy attitude who'd enjoy spending a lazy Sunday morning sucking his dick and going for a ride? A guy didn't need a wedding ring or a house in the suburbs for that. Didn't seem fair. 11% Gross. Roman knew a set of surgically purchased tits when he saw them and even from across the room he could tell Miss Backwoods was rocking the Dolly Parton special. Sneering into his drink, he took a short swallow. Fake tits were a weird universal truth. They showed up everywhere. In boardrooms, suburban bedrooms, and out-of-the-way-hamlets in the middle of nowhere. He wondered if the blonde disliked Kelly because her boob to body ratio fell in salivating range and were Grade A Prime and obviously God given. Women. Go figure. 15% SO gross. And of course Kelly Anne has zero female friends and all females hate her because she is 'so pretty' or whatever. But even though she's SO PRETTY and SO PERFECT and SO HOT, we are supposed to believe she's a 23-year-old virgin who has never even kissed a man! Why? How? This town, full of 'ex-military' and etc., and NO ONE ever asked her out? Made advances on her? Come on, bub. I don't believe this for one second. It's stupid. It makes no sense. Meanwhile, she loves watching porn on her satellite TV!!!! She's obviously interested in men and sex... so what gives? I'm running out of review space already. Halliday is very fond of certain words: snigger 8 snide 4 snidely 1 leer 10 sneer 11 snicker 45 Everyone sniggers, sneers, and snidely does stuff CONSTANTLY. I honestly think these words are not sexy nor loving, but ok. I think she was trying to use them to show 'joking,' but it was a fail in my opinion. You'd better love these words. He snaps his fingers at her. Which I find unbelievably rude. It happens twice in the book and it was making me rabid. I was hoping she'd break his fingers, but no luck. He found the way she held fast to her ground humorous. The bluster delighted him. She was trying ridiculously hard to make it seem like she wore the pants in every situation. Oh my god, he thought with a laugh. There was no fucking way she'd ever known a man like him. 21% Oh, yeah, no way she's ever known a man like him. So powerful! So special! He didn't scare her, but she was fairly sure he'd get off on it if he did. 22% Is that supposed to be... a quality I'm looking for in a romantic hero?!!?!? Dude, his conscience scolded. This girl is a babe in the woods. Having a kid as a teenager doesn't make her experienced. Back down. She's too damn young and you? You're one of those shades of fucked up people, only in your case it's more like a thousand shades. And some fresh-faced kid, no matter how hot a piece of ass, wouldn't survive ten minutes in the face of your particular brand of fucking. 26% Do you hear him, Christian Grey!? He's 1,000 shades fucked up! Not a measly FIFTY! He's a REAL MAN!!! LOL LOL LOL Vomit. Also, not true. Grey was much more fucked-up in the head (and this isn't a compliment, as Halliday seems to believe it is). And what's this 'she wouldn't survive ten minutes' shit? Because.... no. HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN? At 33% she does a complete about-face for no reason after knowing this guy about 8 hours and LITERALLY goes from pushing him physically out her front door to asking him to fuck her. Baffling. After that, there is zero conflict left in the book. Anyone hoping for tension or conflict beyond this point is shit out of luck. He's not BDSM, and he's not even very(?) hardcore(?). It's more like he's using fake BDSM to cover up being a shitty lover. Are you selfish and horrible in bed? Just tell the innocent woman you are with that it's because you are in BDSM and stuff. That way, you can teach her not to expect any foreplay or any actually good sex. And he LITERALLY rejoices in 'nobody else has been able to influence her sexuality, only him' so I guess he thinks she's never going to know any better. He's not really a dom, he's just some schlub who can't be bothered to engage in foreplay. But I mean, her sexuality HAS been influenced. By porn. You know what would be hilarious? If she was totally dissatisfied by him and disappointed and either schooled him or found someone better. That would be satisfying, to me. What if she was like, "This doesn't feel good. Can't we do something else?" I would have loved to see that. And am I supposed to believe she never masturbated? Watched lots of porn but never jilled-off to it? Baffling. He makes some kind of quarter-hearted attempt at consent, like asking her "Is this okay, Carina?" when she has no idea what "this" is or what she's agreeing to. He pushes her off his lap at one point and she nearly falls and then he ties her to a bedpost and masturbates while looking at her tied to the bedpost. I'm supposed to think she finds this wildly sexy, but I personally think it's boring. He's really not that into kinky stuff. He never spanks her, despite threatening to. He ties her up once or twice, likes ordering her around, likes participating in absolutely zero foreplay and just shoving his cock inside her. He never whips her or does any long teasing sessions or... frankly any teasing at all. He bites her breasts a lot. She has a lot of bruising on her breasts. She was way too young. He was a lot older. And seriously jaded. His sex drive was not rated for the timid. 34% I mean, plenty of men are shit in bed. *shrug* He at least fingers her to climax when they have first-time sex, but as the book goes on the quality of fucking - such as it is - seems to degrade. By the end he's just like, "I want to fuck you, get on all fours" and then he just jams it in and is done in a few minutes. The first time they have sex, he pulls out a super-old condom from his pocket. They marvel at how super-old it is. Then he proceeds to fuck her using the super-old condom. They seem surprised it breaks. Lampshading it doesn't excuse it, Halliday. He's shocked she's a virgin. His brain was misfiring. Had to be, because unless he was having a waking hallucination, he'd just ripped through her virginity and done it without any finesse. 38% OK, a few things here. One, he made her come prior to this. It's not 'ripping through her virginity with no finesse.' Two, what is it with men not coming to first-time sex with their A-game? Even if she wasn't a virgin - he's having his first time with her. Shouldn't he want to be on-point for that? Bring his best performance? Do well? This is SO COMMON in romance novels it's cliché. "Oh, if only I knew you were a virgin!" romance heroes who are stupid always moan. "I would have made it SO much better for you!!!" Well, why didn't you do your best in the first place, asshole? This stupid, horrible idea that only virgins deserve loving and foreplay-filled sex, and women who are non-virgins deserve NOTHING needs to die. If the heroine is a virgin, you'd better fuck her slow and enjoy foreplay! But, I mean, if she's already had sex even just one time in life just jab it in there. Who gives a fuck. /s It's DISGUSTING. Why is this even still a thing? I want romance heroes who are GOOD IN BED. GOOD IN BED regardless of the sexual experience or lack thereof that the heroine has. Is this such a radical concept?!!? Then there's the lampshading of her mommy issues. It goes like, "I hated my mom. She only loved my father and not her children. She would drop everything for him." "Here is some random guy. I'm instantly obsessed with him and making my life center around him and dropping everything for him. Hmm, does that make me like the mother I've hated all my life? It does? Oh, well. Too bad. Full-speed ahead!" TL;DR Too bad I've run out of room to rant. I have about 80 more complaints. You can read my status updates if you want more information. I actually was okay with this book for about 10%. Even though Halliday struggles with some grammar, her spelling is great and her vocabulary is impressive. She puts a lot of detail into her book, which may annoy some people but I rather enjoy. Too bad the rampant stupidity and the jerkface hero and the heroine who went from semi-competent to idiotic ruined the book. Also, I should avoid books with BDSM, either real or fake, because I don't enjoy reading about it 49 times out of 50. There are always exceptions, but this isn't it. I didn't even touch on the fact that 75% of the ideas in here went absolutely nowhere. The evil, pushy neighbor who wants her land? One scene, then a non-issue. The evil, cock-hungry women catcalling the hero at Applebee's in front of Kelly Anne? Total non-issue. She just glares and the whole thing is over. The evil, manipulative father Kelly Anne never knew? Not on-page for even one word. This is what I'm saying about no-conflict. The book is plot-free and conflict-free. During the first 30% you might be questioning if the conflict / plot was going to be 'Can he seduce her?' but that all flies out the window when she suddenly and out of nowhere decides to fuck him. The girl's muscle control made the Pilates instructor he banged a few months ago fade to amateurish insignificance. 38% This is the kind of thing he thinks during sex while fucking a virgin! Charming, isn't he? So charming. Oh, and the three-year-old in this book is definitely not three. I could maybe buy six, but three-year-olds would not say and do the things this three-year-old is portrayed as saying and doing. It's just ridiculous. ROMANCE CATEGORIES Contemporary Romance Enemies to Lovers Military Romance - He was in the Marines Millionaire/Billionaire Romance - He's pretty rich. Not sure how rich. Widower Hero He is a Bodyguard for a Billionaire and was a Marine. She sells crafts on Etsy. NAMES IN THIS BOOK (view spoiler)[ Matthew – Matty – m Kelly Anne – Kiki f Roman m Sam m Liam m Rhiann f Cameron m Adam m Carolyn f Blue Bandit – truck Debbie f Ginny f Bryanna f Robert m Brynn f Jax m Bryanna Katherine f Charlize f Charlie Caleb m Vanessa f Tammy f Marjorie f Jimmy m Burton m Lil f Drew m Alex m Bobby m John m (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Aug 25, 2019
|
Sep 02, 2019
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Aug 25, 2019
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ebook
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0374302812
| 9780374302818
| 0374302812
| 4.40
| 3,266
| Apr 11, 2017
| Apr 11, 2017
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it was amazing
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Bonjour! I see you are staring at me! I don't mind. My name is Escargot, and I am such a beautiful French snail that everybody stares at me. [image] Right Bonjour! I see you are staring at me! I don't mind. My name is Escargot, and I am such a beautiful French snail that everybody stares at me. [image] Right now, I am traveling to the salad at the end of this book. It is a beautiful salad, with croutons and a light vinaigrette. You should come! I just need a little push to help me start. While we are traveling, we can talk. Tell me, what do you think is my most beautiful part? My shell? My neck? My tentacles? Oh là là! It is so hard to choose! That is because all of Escargot is magnifique! You can kiss me if you want. [image] Let's talk about our favorite animals. Is yours the dog? The cat? The platypus? The wildebeest? The lemur? The hippopotamus? THE SNAIL? Wait! Before you answer, I must tell you something sad. So sad I might cry. Will you stroke my shell, just until I feel better? Okay, now I will tell you the very sad thing: Nobody ever says their favorite animal is the snail. [image] Perhaps you think, "Snails are slimy, Escargot! You are too slimy to be my favorite animal!" Au contraire! The trails I make as I travel to the salad are shimmery trails of... What would you call it? Not slime... More like shimmery trails of... shimmery stuff. This book is SO CUTE. Read it immediately. It's hilarious, has adorable pictures, and encourages the child to interact with the book (stroke the snail, give the snail a push, make a fierce face at the book, etc. etc.) [image] TL;DR You have to read it right now. It is TOO CUTE. AMAZING WORK by Slater. Highly recommended. [image] ...more |
Notes are private!
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2
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Jan 23, 2019
not set
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Jan 23, 2019
not set
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Jan 19, 2019
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Hardcover
| |||||||||||||||
0373425325
| 9780373425327
| 0373425325
| 4.08
| 51
| unknown
| Jul 04, 2017
|
it was ok
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Leaning close, she placed a kiss near the corner of his mouth. Tex maintained a mildly surprised expression as she eased back, though he really wanted
Leaning close, she placed a kiss near the corner of his mouth. Tex maintained a mildly surprised expression as she eased back, though he really wanted to kiss her back. Only he wanted to kiss her squarely on the lips, not on the cheek, same as he had in the past. Back then he'd taken their sweet kisses for granted, but now, he felt certain he would treasure them always. 168 1892 Tex comes back to his home town in Idaho, and the woman he left behind after jilting her eight years ago. He is gunshot and needs to recover. He is a wanted outlaw: a bank and train robber. Ravena Olive Reid is one of these saintly, perfect Christian heroines that born-agains are so fond of writing. She's unbelievably good. She cared for her elderly grandfather until death, but feels very guilty she thought about marrying Tex and 'abandoning' her grandfather. She didn't DO it, she just THOUGHT about it. But it makes her feel so guilty. She cares for and takes in orphans. She's a saint. I was pronouncing her name Ruh-vee-nuh for the whole book, but on page 214 we learn she was named after a raven. So perhaps it is pronounced Ray-vihn-uh. I don't know what the author's intent was. So. Yeah. Tex stumbles back on to Ravena's farm. She tends to his wounds. He stays to work the farm and help raise the orphans. They fall in love again. Ravena helps Tex find Jesus again. The book is typical Christian fiction in that it's a bit hard to believe. For instance, Tex was away being an outlaw for eight years, but he's still a virgin. I find that unbelievable. In another example, Tex owns a gold coin and a treasure map (key ingredients in this story) which he won gambling. In the only gambling he ever participated in in his life. I know what Henrie is saying - Tex's dad was a horrible gambler and Tex avoids gambling because he doesn't want to be a no-account like his father. But one time for no apparent reason he chooses to gamble and happens to win a treasure map. Stuff like that. I give it a pass because romantic fiction in itself is usually pretty convoluted, but adding in the Christian elements usually end up making it even more so. I enjoy Westerns, although I prefer them to be a little sexier than this. I love both historical and modern Westerns. I enjoyed the Western-ness of this with outlaws, bandits, cattle rustlers, the sheriff, a stranger rides into town, horses, treasure etc. etc. It's fun and entertaining and stirs the imagination. And many Westerns, Christian or not, entertain ideas of redemption and forgiveness. So Henrie's theme of And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.* is pretty apt here. We have Tex, who is unable to forgive himself for his past actions and sees himself as a worthless human being. We see also his anger and judgement towards his father, whom he considers (or has been taught to consider) as a worthless human being. We also have Tex hiding the truth (that he is a criminal) from the sweet, innocent, Christian Ravena. The book focuses on some of the better facets of Christianity. No one is worthless. All human beings have worth. Redemption is possible: it is never to late to change, it is never to late to become a good person and put good into the world. You need to forgive yourself: hating yourself is only going to bring bad things. These are all positive, great messages that come out of Christianity. I am always happier to read Christian fiction that focuses on what (IMO) are the stronger and more powerful points that illustrate a true Christian nature and ideal rather than ones that focus on twisted, hateful, or damaging "Christian" ideas like 'purity,' 'being judgmental' and 'sex is horrible and disgusting.' There are so many beautiful and positive things about Christianity and the Christian message (IMO) that it's a real shame that a lot of "Christian" voices I hear recently preach hatred and intolerance and judgment. Luckily, Henrie focuses on the good here and doesn't get distracted. Robin Jones Gunn's Christy Miller series is an example of a Christian series that made me upset. Just for an example of what I'm talking about. HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN? No sex. This is Christian fiction. A few light kisses. Ravena daringly thinks that it might be fun to be tossed over Tex's shoulder and taken to the house. This is about as sexual as the book gets. I mean... he doesn't do that. She just thinks it might be fun if he did that. So. Yeah. Don't read this to be sexually excited. TL;DR I would recommend this to Christian readers who want a sexless Western romance. There are exciting Western elements in here. Henrie gives some positive examples of Christianity, although the book does tend to be too cheesy for my tastes (like when (view spoiler)[Tex is confessing his crimes to Ravena while she weeps softly on a porch swing (hide spoiler)] but YMMV. And all the praying and Jesus and God stuff can get on your nerves after a while. I mean, you might differ from me on this, maybe you want to be reminded of God constantly while reading a romance, what do I know. MENTIONS OF GOD: 64 *John 8:32 ROMANCE CATEGORIES: Cowboy Western Romance Historical Romance Inspirational Romance Second Chance Romance Virgin Hero Romance He's a Criminal (robber), She's a Farmer/Foster-Mother NAMES IN THIS BOOK: (view spoiler)[ Tex m Kip m Lester m Tate m Ravena f Olive Gretchen f Jacob m Mark m Luke m Ezra m Ginny f Fanny f Olive f Brutus horse Whiskers – cat Ollie m Jedidiah m Felicity f Lucinda – doll Edmund m Felix m Winston m Ralph m (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jan 02, 2019
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Jan 08, 2019
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Nov 27, 2018
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Mass Market Paperback
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1335509224
| 9781335509222
| 1335509224
| 4.26
| 136
| unknown
| Dec 19, 2017
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really liked it
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"Will girls like my scar like Mercy does yours?" Shocked to feel heat rising up his face, Jeremiah kept his head bent so the kind didn't see his reacti "Will girls like my scar like Mercy does yours?" Shocked to feel heat rising up his face, Jeremiah kept his head bent so the kind didn't see his reaction. "I don't think Mercy cares about my scars one way or the other." "Sure she does." Parker climbed onto the chunk of wood, but didn't reach for the knife. "I've seen her touching them. A lot. I think she likes them. A lot." The boy was right, Jeremiah knew. 145 Mercy and her daughter Sunni come to her grandfather's farm. Her grandfather is dead and Mercy plans on turning his farm into a retreat for foster kids (or city kids? Or disadvantaged kids? All three?). Little does she know her grandfather sold Jeremiah the farm. Now who owns the property? They both call their realtors and lawyers, but while waiting, Jeremiah moves into the tenant house and both start fixing up the (badly, badly neglected/damaged) property in their own way. THE GOOD - Multi-racial cast with a pro-adoption bent. Mercy is latina, adopted by Mennonites and now a Mennonite herself. Sunni is her adopted daughter (Mercy has never been married or had sex) from Korea. She has congenital disabilities which involve her having to wear braces on both legs and use crutches. (view spoiler)[Mercy later takes in another abandoned Korean boy, Parker/Park Jae-Eun/Paul. (hide spoiler)] The Amish are typically against outside adoption in my understanding, but Mercy is a Mennonite and an adoptive mother and foster-mom. It's hard to break out of all-white casting in Amish Christian romance, I'm pleased with Brown's efforts and her results here. Brown covers the more tenuous things that come with adoption: feeling like you don't fit in, being in a community where everyone is a different race than you, feeling like your 'real' parents didn't want you, being put in foster families with adults who are fickle and unkind. But Brown also covers the joy and family that can come from adopting and loving a child, and how important that is. - Likable Heroine Mercy is kind, hard-working and good with children. I liked her. She's smart. One thing I REALLY liked about Mercy is her eventually demands for mouth-kissing from Jeremiah. He kisses her on the cheek a few times, and she's eventually like, It was so sweet, but when he moved to kiss her other cheek, she caught his face between her palms. His eyes burned like the heart of a fire, sparks glinting through their shadowed depths. "Kiss me," she whispered softly. "I am kissing you." "Kiss my lips." 184 That's right, girl! Get it! Really, really, really rare to read about a heroine in Amish romance who is bold enough to ask the hero to give her mouth-kissing. Good for her! And good for the author for making her not only brave enough to ask for what she wants, but for making Jeremiah smile and give it to her. I would have been SO UPSET if he told her he couldn't mouth-kiss her because it was sinful. I would have blown a gasket. - Likable Hero I also liked the hero. Making a likable hero and heroine is half the battle. You have no idea how many romance novels fail on this count, making unlikable MCs or only making one of the MCs likable. It's tragic. Ruins the whole book. Jeremiah is a mensch. Hard-working. Doesn't complain. Quick to act. When Mercy calls upon him for help, he's right there immediately to help. Helps. Doesn't complain about it. Takes care of shit. Helps her take care of shit. Handles his shit. You know, like a man. People complain about heroes in romances always being rich. Perhaps that's one reason Amish romance appeals to some people? These heroes still work with their hands in what would be considered in the real world as 'blue-collar' jobs. Too bad it comes with a huge helping of patriarchy and tons of sex-negativity. Jeremiah's scarred, calloused hands are a real turn-on for Mercy, as you can see in the opening quote. Her ex got regular manicures, so you can see the appeal of this opposite for her. As anyone who has read my reviews knows, there's just something about rough, calloused, scarred, capable hands. IDK. Since we can't talk about any other body parts in Christian romance (much to my sadness) we must discuss hands and eyes and, IDK, hair. Anyway. Jeremiah is a turn-on in a lot of ways for Mercy and hopefully for Christian-romance readers who want 'clean' romances. He's great. Kind, hardworking, good with children. Never shies away from hard work, doesn't complain about the work he has to do (both huge turn-ons for me, personally), isn't lazy, is good with children - notably in one scene where (view spoiler)[ Parker/Park Jae-Eun/Paul is acting out and Jeremiah reassures Mercy that he won't take him out behind the woodshed and beat him. Instead he has a patient and gentle approach to the difficult (understatement) child. (hide spoiler)] You can't help but admire how he interacts with children and think about what a great father he would make. Which I'm sure is very appealing to our heroine. He's just like a man, who believes in personal responsibility and taking responsibility for your actions and being a hardworking member of society. He's calm, doesn't have a temper, and takes things in stride - all three which are personal turn-ons for me. - Downplay the patriarchy. Unlike other Amish romances I've read which seem to revel in the 'women are inferior to men' ideals of the Amish community, Brown kind of sidesteps that whole deal here. Much to my relief and pleasure. Jeremiah and Mercy are both strong, hard workers who are capable and do both chores and love/look after children. Sure, Mercy works mainly in the house and Jeremiah works mainly out of it, but they both help each other as needed and there's none of the usual 'women can't do this/men would be ashamed to do "women's work"' shit that usually pervades this kind of fiction. Even though their church probably preaches all sorts of awful things, Jeremiah and Mercy seem on equal footing in their relationship, and Brown never makes it seem like Jeremiah views Mercy as his inferior. I always brace myself for the worst in these Amish romances - some are completely disgusting, to be honest - but Brown did great here in making Jeremiah and Mercy be in a pretty loving, equal partnership which I liked. GOOD CHRISTIANITY Instead of using hurtful, patriarchal Christian messages, Brown instead engages in positive Christianity. For example, Jeremiah tells (view spoiler)[Parker/Park Jae-Eun/Paul (hide spoiler)] not to be abusive to his mother and sister because Jesus teaches us to treat others as we would like to be treated. Usually I don't find such positive Christianity and actually useful and helpful Christianity in these novels. Sounds weird, but authors usually focus on the negative like "The Bible says keep women down in their place" and "The Bible says you have to take abuse from your family members" etc. etc. I actually liked the positive and good-message Christianity presented in this book, working as a force for good instead of as a justification for evil. PROBLEMS Seemingly inescapable abuse in Amish romance. Quite frequently these Amish romance novels feature a (almost always) female who is being verbally and sometimes physically abused by a relative. There's absolutely no recourse. The woman has absolutely nothing she can do. The hero she inevitably gets with also does nothing. Mainly this is due to the overarching idea that 'family is everything' and that if you are being abused by a family member, you should just put up with it because you have an obligation and a duty to family and to your elders. It's fucking sick. I understand the Amish don't believe in revenge or in disobeying your elders, but I'm sickened by how many of these books feature Amish people (usually women) being verbally and/or physically abused by their elders. And then the books (or Amish communities?) message of "just put up with it. Sometimes a family member is like that." It's sad. Unlike in traditional romances, where a heroine might experience some form of abuse but the hero enters her life and 'saves' her from her abuser or makes her safe again or stands up to her abuser (problematic as these storylines sometimes are), in Amish romance the hero often admires or applauds the heroine for being so passive and 'meek.' They see this as a sign that she has 'good Amish values.' This is extra-sick. In some cases the woman is literally being beaten and/or verbally abused frequently, and books often bring children into these environments. With no word or nod to maybe it's a terrible fucking idea to bring children into the house with someone everyone knows is an abusive asshole. Alfred began to list everything he thought Mercy was doing wrong. She seemed to shrink within herself, and Jeremiah respected how she didn't fire protests to defend herself. Just as an Amish woman would do, whispered his own thoughts. 112 - Speaking of abuse, (view spoiler)[ Parker/Park Jae-Eun/Paul is abusive to his disabled younger sister, Sunni. Even though the book doesn't ignore this - Jeremiah gently not only corrects Parker but tries to serve as a good role model for him - it doesn't resolve it, either. "But as much as you and I are alike, there's one way we're different. I try never to say anything hurtful to someone else. Jesus asked us to treat everyone else the way we want to be treated." 160 I think it's very damaging for Sunni to be living with a strongly verbally abusive brother in her home. I understand Brown is saying Parker/Park Jae-Eun/Paul is damaged and lashing out, but the way he talks to Sunni and even gets physical with her sometimes is worrisome. I wish the author had resolved this in some way. I was worried about Sunni's future and well-being. (hide spoiler)] - Author keeps comparing brown eyes to mud. I understand this wasn't intentionally disrespectful, but come on. Surely you can do better than this. Jeremiah, of course, the white person, has blue eyes. Not saying this is a race thing, but there are about fifty things you can compare brown eyes to poetically other than mud. HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN? Plus: Jeremiah and Mercy want to kiss each other. This is good. Oftentimes Amish romances pretend that there is no such thing as sexual attraction. I spent a lot of the book hoping kissing would happen. Then Jeremiah starts occasionally kissing her on the cheek. I was despairing. However, we know from earlier in the review that Mercy eventually takes matters into her own hands and asks Jeremiah to kiss her on the mouth. What a bold, womanly move! Good job! And he complies, also to my relief and joy. KISSING. Of course it's not very described, and needless to say I think the book would have been 10x better with some hot, slow kissing scenes. KISSING! I mean, I understand premarital sex is off the table due to the MCs religious beliefs, but at least we could enjoy a hot makeout session. BUT NO. Oh, well, I should be grateful. It's better than most Amish romances on the kissing-front. Jeremiah also enjoys Mercy's blushing, Tapping her cheek, he said, "This is charming." 188 Which is cute. No sex and nothing beyond some light kissing. MENTIONS OF GOD: 89 TL;DR: A surprisingly fun and positive Amish Christian romance. If you are a reader who enjoys clean Amish romances, this is one I would actually recommend. It has its flaws, but it's surprisingly free of the usual problems that accompany this subgenre. NAMES IN THIS BOOK(view spoiler)[ Jeremiah Rudy Kitty Mercy Graham Sunni – Kim Sun-Hee Darren Caleb Wayne Emmarita Erika Hero – horse Whitney Parker – Park Jae-Eun – Paul Wanda Frieda Kevin Miriam Alfred Paul Gilberto Amada (hide spoiler)] ROMANCE CATEGORIES: Contemporary Romance Inspirational Romance Multicultural/Interracial Romance - Mercy is latina, Jeremiah is white Virgin Hero Amish Romance He's a Carpenter/Farmer; She's a Foster Mom and will run a retreat for disadvantaged kids ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Nov 24, 2018
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Nov 24, 2018
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Nov 24, 2018
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Mass Market Paperback
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037362316X
| 9780373623167
| 037362316X
| 4.20
| 165
| unknown
| Nov 21, 2017
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liked it
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Was she being pessimistic about the prospect of marriage? Or was she merely accepting God's provision for her life? After all, she'd scarcely had any
Was she being pessimistic about the prospect of marriage? Or was she merely accepting God's provision for her life? After all, she'd scarcely had any suitors when she was a teenager; her grandfather had seen to that. So what was the likelihood she'd find love in their diminishing district now, at this age? Even if she did meet someone she wished to marry, her grandfather was incapable of living alone and too stubborn to move out of his house. She couldn't leave him, nor could she imagine any man being willing to live as her husband under her grandfather's roof and rule. To her, it seemed only realistic to accept that no matter how much she may have yearned for it, her life wasn't meant to include the love of a husband. And she had come to believe God wanted her to be content with teaching other people's children rather than to be bitter about not having children of her own. 8 SUMMARY Hannah (29) is living in poverty with her abusive grandfather. She teaches school, but will be fired soon because the school is shrinking. Sawyer is a widower with triplet children. He moves to Pennsylvania (temporarily) to help his Uncle John with the harvest. ANALYSIS 1.) SAD HANNAH I feel sorry for Hannah for a lot of reasons. One, she lives with her abusive grandfather. He doesn't beat her, but he is verbally and emotionally abusive. He controls her life, insults her all the time, doesn't value her on the vast, vast amounts of work she puts into caring for him. Her younger sister was able to escape through marrying someone, but Hannah is trapped. No matter what her grandfather does, Hannah forgives him and is very understanding. It's sad. She needs to start standing up for herself, but I guess standing up for yourself is 'not Christian' and accepting lifelong abuse at the hands of a relative is. Two, Hannah seems resigned to a life of serving her grandfather and never being happy or experiencing happiness herself. Her only joy is her work as a schoolteacher (she's been teaching 11 years) but even that is being taken away as the school is downsizing. She's never had a man because her grandfather has scared away all suitors from the time she was a teenager. She wants children but knows she'll never have them. She's very lonely, living with her deaf, abusive grandfather. Three, Hannah is living in poverty. She's not starving, but she saves every scrap of food and has to budget every penny. She and her grandfather don't even have a cow, but the local milkman delivers them one bottle of milk and a hunk of cheese out of Christian charity. Hannah worries about food and money a lot. Her situation is extra dire because a.) she's a woman and the Amish don't reward 'women's work' with money, and b.) her grandfather only earns money through making wooden children's toys, not a very lucrative market or profession, c.) her grandfather has a very bad temper and often turns down opportunities to earn money in fits of spite. SAWYER Sawyer suffers from... patriarchal brainwashing. He doesn't seem to grasp that women might have hopes and dreams like men do. He knows that what Hannah's grandfather is doing to her is wrong, but he is unable to do anything about it. When he eventually falls in love with Hannah and wants to marry her and her grandfather cruelly refuses, he is stuck. He can't 'take' Hannah away from her current master and be her new master due to the Amish's ownership of women laws. (It's not stated like that, but that's the crux of it.) Hannah never scrubbed the floors as thoroughly as she did when she was angry, and on Saturday afternoon she was so mad, the wood gleamed. Why did her grandfather have to behave that way? It seemed as if he'd intentionally been trying to snuff out any flicker of happiness she experienced - especially in the company of young men - since she was a teenager, and he showed no signs of stopping now that she was an adult. 125 Women are the unpaid help. If you have no women in your household, you are without servants. We see this time and time again. If a man's wife dies (as Sawyer's did), he and the children LITERALLY STARVE. And are completely dependent on neighboring women providing them with food. Men are unable to cook - it's a biological impossibility - and moreover, men are UNABLE to learn how to cook. ONLY women can cook and clean. This would be ridiculous and funny to me if it weren't so incredibly sad and damaging. As the boys pulled their shirts over their heads, he noticed how prominent their ribs and shoulder blades were becoming. How had this happened in the few weeks Gertrude was away? It emphasized the need for them to return home and establish their normal routine as soon as possible. 40 Even though women aren't valued in the Amish community - they are never paid money and are not allowed to work for pay if they are married (or even if they are unmarried if their master/father doesn't allow it), they are actually extremely valuable because if you don't have a woman/slave in your house you will LITERALLY STARVE. Of course Albert (Grandfather) doesn't want to give up his live-in slave who caters to his every whim to a new master!!!! He won't allow this. He jealously guards her while also constantly berating her, stomping out any happiness she has, and verbally and emotionally abusing her. She knew from a lifetime of experience that this was his peace offering - a kind word in exchange for a rash of harsh ones. She didn't harbor any bitterness toward him because, as he stood before her, his hands behind his back, she saw him for who he was: a man too stubborn to change, but in need of love just as he was. 104 Right now, Sawyer is PAYING Hannah to care for his children after school. But why PAY a woman to care for your children and cook meals when you can MARRY her and she'll do everything (plus have sex with you, bear you more children, and clean the house diligently every single day) FOR FREE?!!? "You need a full-time wife, not a part-time cook," John ribbed him. "Someone who will keep you company, not just keep your house." 16 Sawyer also is terminally clueless when we learn about what he's doing to his younger sister, Gertrude. Since Sawyer's wife has died, Gertrude has stepped up to care for the children, cook, and clean for Sawyer. Wife-slave dies, sister-slave steps in. Sawyer is angry when he learns a young man has romantic interest in Gertrude. Doesn't Gertrude KNOW it is her Christian and womanly duty to dedicate the rest of her life to serving her brother and his children!?!?!?!? How DARE she want to marry and have a family of her own. That's selfish. Hannah points out to Sawyer how unfair he's being to Gertrude. He's very surprised. This kind of conversation does NOT make me think Sawyer will be a good husband. He seems naturally very selfish, although part of that is no doubt do to his patriarchal upbringing. But this lack of compassion and inability to see other people's wants and needs makes me a bit nervous about him being a husband. However, compared to her asshole grandfather, he is a definite step or three up. So. Another bad part is when Hannah teaches the children on the first day. They drop their bag of ham sandwiches in the dirt. She sees how thin and hungry they are and so she gives them her lunch - bread with strawberry preserves. She only has the strawberry preserves because a student had gifted them to her. This makes Sawyer upset. He's upset that Hannah is giving his children 'sweets.' Now, I have to say I found this very baffling. One of a parent's worst fears is seeing their children go hungry. He gets so bent out of shape about her giving the kids bread with strawberry jam. The kids are fucking hungry. She fed them her own lunch. She's poor, this food is very valuable to her. I'm just baffled. He apologizes later, but the fact that he's not catching on to this stuff from the get-go really has me scratching my head. Would you want to marry a guy who is this removed from reality?! I guess you'd want to marry almost anyone if it means escaping life with your grandfather. I guess that's the point of this book. It's not a billionaire romance, which I've never found appealing, but I guess it illustrates the appeal of those books to me. Hannah goes from living in abject poverty with her abusive grandfather to being married to a (relatively) "wealthy" Amish man who is not verbally or emotionally abusive. She doesn't have to worry about food anymore, food will always be available to her. She won't have to stretch every penny. She will be the mother of three wonderful children. She will no longer be her grandfather's slave. Her grandfather will live with her and her husband, but in a separate little place on the property the Amish use to house their elderly while still keeping them part of the family/household. Sure, she'll still be cleaning, cooking, and caring for children every single day, but she will be with a man she romantically "loves," have an opportunity to have children of her own, and get some freedom from her oppressive grandfather. GOOD THINGS I CAN SAY ABOUT THIS BOOK - It's longer than a normal romance by Harlequin. This means a better, more intricate story and better character development. - Lighte is a good author. If you like emotional romances (and I do), this one will tug at your heartstrings. It might even make you teary at parts. If you enjoy Christian romances and also want an emotional read, I'd recommend this one. - The kids are cute and fun and Hannah is good with them. They are not too annoying or cutesy. Nor are they used as devices to force the hero and heroine together. TL;DR - Happy Ending? I guess. I wasn't crazy about Sawyer. He was loads better than her grandfather, though. And the children were cute, and Hannah is very good with them. She doesn't have to live in poverty anymore. Hmmmmmm, you be the judge. ...but standing over the gas stove cooking supper in the tiny kitchen caused her to sweat almost as much as if she'd walked home. "It's dry," her grandfather said disgustedly about the chicken she'd prepared. "Bring me a different piece." Since she had served the only meat they had, Hannah took both of their plates to the stove and covertly switched her piece with his, slicing off the ends so he wouldn't notice. 46 MENTIONS OF GOD: 123 - They think and talk about God ALL THE TIME. It's very annoying. ROMANCE CATEGORIES Contemporary Romance Holiday/Christmas Romance Inspirational Romance Widower Hero Amish Romance He's a Carpenter, She's a Schoolteacher - but only until she gets married! Married women aren't allowed to work for pay. NAMES IN THIS BOOK (view spoiler)[ Hannah Doris Amos John Eli Caleb Abigail Jacob Miriam Sawyer Sarah Samuel Simon Gertrude Kathryn Eliza Lydia Phillip Eve Jeremiah Jonas Joseph Daniel Albert Amelia James Menno Vernon Leroy Seth Gloria Grace Turner (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Oct 24, 2018
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Oct 24, 2018
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Oct 24, 2018
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Mass Market Paperback
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0373623151
| 9780373623150
| 0373623151
| 4.09
| 99
| unknown
| Nov 21, 2017
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it was ok
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Peter had understood what she needed and taken care of it for her. She felt something soften inside her. 87 OK. I have a few major issues with this boo Peter had understood what she needed and taken care of it for her. She felt something soften inside her. 87 OK. I have a few major issues with this book. We need to discuss it. First, a basic brief plot summary: Peter and Meg had a minor thing. This is Amish Christian romance, so we are just talking about like-liking each other. They didn't even buggy-ride together or whatever the fuck the Amish do instead of dating. But that all ended when Meg heard Peter say a particularly damning thing about her being spoiled and in need of discipline. Now Peter is half-heartedly courting Agnes, and Meg is half-heartedly allowing Reuben to court her. But both of them really want each other. ANALYSIS PROBLEM ONE: MISUNDERSTANDINGS. It is not a good sign when a romance book has to rely heavily on misunderstandings that could easily be cleared up. Unfortunately, this is relatively common. Here, you spend the whole book thinking about what an unimaginable dick Peter must be to talk about a woman being spoiled and in need of discipline. His every interaction with Meg is colored by this. You're thinking, "Surely she can find a man better than THIS." (view spoiler)[Then Kertz punches you in the face by revealing on page 151 that even though she THOUGHT he was talking about her, he was really talking about his dog. (hide spoiler)] *Carmen bashes her head against the table* Listen, this is lazy, sloppy writing. Don't do this shit. It's very aggravating. Are you telling me they have been pining for each other for four years, and she's been nursing an emotional wound, and he's been woundedly confused FOR ALL THIS TIME?!?!!? (view spoiler)[When everything could have been cleared up with a simple conversation?!?!?!? (hide spoiler)] JFC. And don't you think, given the intensity and persistence of their feelings for each other, that one or the other would have approached the other and questioned this?!?!?!? Really bad and stupid thing to put in a book, especially if you are using it as a main pillar of these two's relationship. The misunderstanding hijinks don't stop there. Later in the book, Meg sees Peter talking to a young woman at a party. She gets intensely bent out of shape, since she thinks it is a young woman he promised her he wouldn't invite. (view spoiler)[It's really the twin sister of the woman he'd promised not to invite. (hide spoiler)] Meg runs off to cry in the barn. She's always doing stuff like this. She never talks about anything, just reacts, often overreacts, and often for no reason or the wrong reason. Peter suffers from the same complaint. For example, not simply (view spoiler)[ fucking telling Meg he broke up with Agnes when Meg is in tears about it. (hide spoiler)] Again, it's a simple and easy thing to solve this 'problem,' but instead, Peter runs the other way and does absolutely nothing constructive to deal with the situation. Which brings me to point number two. PROBLEM TWO: BOTH CHARACTERS ARE MILD ASSHOLES. In case you think only Meg is a mild asshole in this, not so. Peter is no prize, either. Both are stubborn, uncommunicative, judgmental, quick to draw conclusions. When Peter or Meg think they've been slighted, they run away and vow never to see the other again. It's ridiculous. And both of them are courting people they are not interested in. Which is another form of assholery. Peter is courting Agnes, a 'perfectly nice girl' whom he uses kind of as an anti-depressant. Whenever Meg makes him angry or sad he runs over to Agnes's place because she's like a 'piece of sunshine' and brightens up his day. She is friendly, kind, talkative, open. He uses her as a salve. Meg is allowing Reuben to court her, even though she is practically shuddering at his touch. He's a kind man, but she has no romantic or sexual interest in him. He annoys her. I can sympathize with her about Reuben. What woman hasn't felt awkward about being the target of a kind man's attentions? Reuben is kind and thoughtful. But she doesn't want him. And he's besotted with her. It's hard, because she knows she 'should' like him. (And she isn't allowed to remain single in the Amish community. She's expected to marry, and soon.) But she doesn't want him touching her and his affection makes her squeamish. I relate to this and have sympathy for her, but the normal and healthy thing is to tell him you're not interested in him. But she puts this off and puts this off. And goes out with him and goes out with him. And the situation gets worse and worse. It's the opposite of mercy, it's a form of cruelty - to both Reuben and herself. Peter has the same problem. He's courting Agnes, but his heart isn't in it. Poor Agnes. I felt bad that this schlub was wasting her time. She wants to get married and have children and she deserves suitors that are more than lukewarmly interested in her. She's a kind, energetic woman and she's sadly being monopolized by a man who doesn't even really have an interest in her. So. PLUSES Good things about the book. - Kertz is a competent writer. I'm angry that she chose to rely on tired tropes, but as far as the actual writing goes (word after word) she isn't bad or boring. - Having Meg, the heroine, be a prickly, stubborn, and quick-tempered. This was (although annoying at times) refreshing. Usually heroines are kind paragons of virtue (especially in Christian romance) and it was interesting having one that was generally deemed by the people around her to be 'difficult and touchy.' HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN? No sex. I don't think these two even kiss. They sit next to each other at one point. Kertz acts like them sitting next to each other is like... some huge sexual deal. I guess you really have to reach when you are trying to write Christian romance. They SAT next to each other. She could FEEL his BODY HEAT! I'm like o.O but that's the way it is in these things. On page 212 he kisses her on the forehead. Ick. On page 215 he kisses her on the mouth, but of course it is the last page in the book and (view spoiler)[they are married. (hide spoiler)] So. Big disappointment on the sexual front. MENTIONS OF GOD: 23. Extremely light. And I am thankful to Kertz for it. Thank you, Kertz! TL;DR Should these two end up in a relationship together?! I was really having serious doubts. To me, a match of two stubborn, uncommunicative, drama king/queens is a very, very bad idea. Marriage from hell. Who is going to be the patient one? The communicative one? The thoughtful, contemplative one? No one. I just see endless fights and misunderstandings and vows to never talk to each other again. Jeez. As far as the book went, I would have liked it a whole lot more if Kertz had resisted the urge to rely on tired, far-fetched, lazy writing such as romance tropes of The Big Misunderstanding. And it happens more than once. Very frustrating. ROMANCE CATEGORIES: Contemporary Romance Holiday/Christmas Romance Inspirational Romance Second-Chance Romance - Kind of? They were crushing on each other before and it probably would have led to 'courting' if they didn't have their big fight. I'm going to say 'yes,' second-chance romance fits. Virgin Hero Romance Cheating - OK. I have to include this as a cheating book. Both are 'involved' with other people (I want to stress these are not physical relationships) but seeing each other on the sly and being in love with each other on the down-low. I count that as cheating, even though absolutely nothing physical goes on while they are 'with' other people. Of course, nothing physical goes on even when they AREN'T with other people... LOL Amish Romance He's a Farmer/Something With Horses; She's Not Allowed to Work for Pay NAMES IN THIS BOOK: (view spoiler)[ Meg Ellie Reuben Eli Peter Josiah Barbara Agnes Alice Annie Joshua Arlin Nell James Rick Nancy Charlotte May – nn Charlie Katie Horseshoe Joe Miraim Leah Samuel Martha Elijah Jedidiah Jacob Noah Isaac Daniel Joseph John Rachel Susanna Amos EJ Missy Catherine Nathaniel nn Nate Mary Adam Ethan Katherine Luke Sally Alta Nicholas Lydia Levi Josie William Ellen Abram Jonas – dog Naomi - dog Drew Honey – dog Aaron (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Oct 18, 2018
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Oct 22, 2018
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Oct 18, 2018
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Mass Market Paperback
| |||||||||||||||
0373899637
| 9780373899630
| 0373899637
| 4.18
| 120
| unknown
| Oct 17, 2017
|
did not like it
|
...Katie Kay did the breakfast dishes and cleaned the house. She was surprised how much she enjoyed taking care of a home when she wasn't being critic
...Katie Kay did the breakfast dishes and cleaned the house. She was surprised how much she enjoyed taking care of a home when she wasn't being criticized for missing a cobweb or leaving dust on a table. For the first time, she began to imagine what it would be like to have a house and family of her own like Gemma did. And a husband, too, to complete the happy picture? A sigh drifted from her as she stopped the vacuum and began to reel up the cord. Who would want to marry her when she carried another man's kind? Micah had offered, and she'd turned him down. He'd told her he wouldn't ask her again. What a mess she'd made of her life! All her hopes of experiencing things she couldn't while among the Leit taunted her. She'd gotten her wish but in ways she'd never reckoned. 216 This opening quote is a prime example of everything I hate about this book and the rampant misogyny in it. Katie Kay leaves her Amish family for four months. During the course of this four months, she works as a waitress and ends up pregnant by a scumbag, who abandons her at the side of the road in the rain as soon as he learns she's carrying his child. The main thrust of this book is that Katie Kay fucked up her life by leaving the patriarchal cult she belonged to. If only she knew how WONDERFUL her life of constant cleaning and caring for children really was! The real world offers nothing but heartache - it's full of men who smoke, do drugs, get you pregnant but then abandon you, and women who gossip behind each other's backs and have premarital sex. THE HORROR. Why did Katie Kay ever think she could have a happy life outside of the reach of her loving masters? Cleaning, having children, and caring for children from as young of an age as possible is a woman's purpose in life. And it naturally makes women very happy and fulfilled. How could she possibly think something like working for pay or having a boyfriend could make her happy?! But don't worry. Katie Kay has been "brought low," as this book likes to put it, punished for daring to stray away from the Amish lifestyle. She's now aware of how horrible, selfish, and proud she was for doing things like a.) flirting, b.) enjoying male attention, c.) not accepting a marriage proposal from kind Micah, and d.) thinking she could have a life outside of the Amish. Luckily, through the grace of God, she has been shown the error of her ways. Of course if she acts like a loose woman she will be tossed out of a car in the rain like an unwanted kitten! Luckily, God sends her Micah to pick her up in his buggy. Thankfully, she can atone for her wicked ways and beg her family and Micah's forgiveness, then humbly take her place working for the Amish for no pay until she dies. She is (and should be!) super-grateful that Micah can still find it in his heart to love her and be attracted to her when she's *gasp* carrying another man's child!!!!!! ... In case you're not picking up on my sarcasm here, the book is fucking disgusting. It's this kind of subtle misogyny that really fucks people up. While I'm sure Brown and her readers consider this book as one that has a happy ending, I was not on board. Sure, Katie Kay finds a husband and a father for her baby. But at what price, Gloria? Any dreams of her own she had are smashed. Her only fate as an Amish woman is as a servant and helpmeet to her husband and children. That's it. Full-stop. She's not allowed to be or do anything else. I know what you're saying. She was homeless, and she's lucky she had family who would take her in. I hear you. It is hard for unwed mothers below the poverty line. However, it just saddened me that her only recourse was groveling and then getting reabsorbed into a strict patriarchy. HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN? No sex. Some light kissing. TL;DR Disgusting book. ...she'd grown up. Six months ago, she wouldn't have been willing to take care of someone else's kinder. She wouldn't have felt satisfaction in putting a gut meal on the table or cleaning up after the family. 224 MENTIONS OF GOD 89 ROMANCE CATEGORIES Contemporary Romance Inspirational Romance Second Chance Romance Virgin Hero Non-Virgin Heroine Pregnant Heroine Amish Romance He's a Construction Worker; She's Not Allowed to Work for Pay NAMES IN THIS BOOK (view spoiler)[ Katie Kay Reuben Austin Vinnie Juan Priscilla Micah Wanda Sean Gemma Rascal – horse Olivia Jayden Dylan Sarann Ezra Leah Daniel Isaiah Tillie Beth Ann Jeremiah Marnita Ina Sue Ella Hannah Cinda Atlee Fannie Cherokee Lester Clara Joshua Rebekah Lloyd (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Oct 16, 2018
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Oct 17, 2018
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Oct 16, 2018
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Mass Market Paperback
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0373899564
| 9780373899562
| 0373899564
| 4.35
| 280
| unknown
| Sep 19, 2017
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liked it
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He placed a hand beneath her chin and lifted her face to his. Slowly, he bent low and kissed her. Willa had time to move away, but her feet wouldn't li He placed a hand beneath her chin and lifted her face to his. Slowly, he bent low and kissed her. Willa had time to move away, but her feet wouldn't listen to her brain. The tenderness of his lips against hers made her respond in kind. Her mind stopped shouting that it was a mistake and her heart took over. She cupped his face with her hands and lost herself in the sensations his touch brought to life. 177 This was a pretty entertaining Amish romance. Willa is homeless after her husband's death. She is on the run because her in-laws are trying to get custody of her children (two 3-year-old twin girls). She is also pregnant. She used to be Amish before she was 15 and her parents left the Amish community. So she goes back. But her grandfather rejects her and refuses to take her in. Enter our hero, John. He's a grumpy, reclusive widower who is in seemingly never-ending mourning for his wife who died four years ago. But he's also kind. He and his mother, Vera, take Willa and her girls in. ANALYSIS 1.) The Evil Patriarchy It always hurts my heart a little bit to read these Amish books because it's such a woman-hating culture you are plunged into. Men make the decisions. A man makes the decisions for his mother, for example. Women do all the cooking and all the cleaning. Men eat first. Men run the church. It's very disgusting. And it makes me very sad. It's even more sad because the born-again Christians who are writing these book see this as the ideal that should be aspired to. Really gross IMO. 2.) A Kind Hero and Gentle Teasing. Despite his stern and gruff exterior, John turns out to be a kind and gentle man. He even develops a sense of humor. This starts off early when Willa and John meet on the road and she tries to tease him. "You'll be safe with me, frau, if that is what worries you." "That's exactly what a serial killer would say." He scowled at her but noticed the twinkle in her eyes as she tried to hide a smile. "Are you teasing me?" She grinned. "I was trying to, but I fear I have offended you." The Englisch were a strange lot. 12 He initially doesn't get it, but as he spends more and more time with her and the children, he develops his own brand of humor. "I don't see how you have any room left for food after the way you ate last night. I've never seen a woman eat so many biscuits. You had six after eating half a chicken." Her mouth dropped open. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm eating for two!" "Are you sure there aren't more? Like five or six?" "That's an awful thing to say." "What are you two quarreling about at this hour of the morning?" Vera asked as she came into the room. John gestured toward Willa. "She's determined to eat us out of house and home. Lock the cellar and hide the key so she can't get to the canned produce." Willa finished her eggs and pushed back from the table. "Do you have canned peaches? Oh, that sounds so good." Vera chuckled. "I do, and John will fetch them for you." He headed for the cellar door. "Shall I bring up a dozen jars, or do you think you'll need more?" "A dozen will do for a start," she said with a chuckle. 86 Now, first I was upset. I think, basically, that you shouldn't bring up eating or eating habits with a person, I think it's very hurtful. But after close consideration and also finishing the book, I was able to determine that John was a good and loving man and that he was genuinely teasing her in what he thought was a gentle manner. She could have taken offense at this and been completely justified IMO, but she rolls with it, and we can all see by the end that he loves her and doesn't intend for his teasing to have any negative effects on her. I'm glad they start to tease each other, it's not the kind of teasing I'd engage in but they seem to enjoy it, and it's funny when Willa starts calling him Johnjohn as an imitation of what her daughters call him. John is kind and gently persistent, I liked him. 3.) Postpartum Psychosis. This is the rare, rare, rare romance novel that features a heroine who has suffered from postpartum psychosis. One of the reasons Willa's in-laws are trying to get custody of the girls is because after they were born, Willa tried walking them into a river. Now she's pregnant again, being chased by her in-laws, and of course terrified that she is going to possibly hurt her new baby after it is born. You just don't SEE issues like this being dealt with by romance novels, and I enjoyed Davids bringing this up. Willa thinks no one will love her once they learn the 'unspeakable' thing she did after the twins were born, and she suffers hiding it from John, whom she is falling in love with. HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN? No sex. Four kisses. TL;DR - Overall an enjoyable novel in the Amish Christian sub-genre. If you like that sort of thing, I think this is one of the better ones. I liked both the hero and heroine, although it's hard for me to tolerate the 'patriarchal cult' atmosphere presented here. Good to read around Christmas, since it is Christmas-y and winter-y. MENTIONS OF GOD: 124 ROMANCE CATEGORIES Contemporary Romance Holiday/Christmas Romance Inspirational Romance Non-Virgin Heroine Widower Hero Widow Heroine Pregnant Heroine He is a Blacksmith, She Works Retail - Until they get married, then she's not allowed to work for pay NAMES IN THIS BOOK (view spoiler)[ Melvin Jake – horse Pete – horse John Katie May Ezekiel Willa Lucy Megan Glen Ada Miriam Mark Vera Joshua Mary Maybell – cow Rebecca Clover – horse Ana Nick Luke Noah Hank Henry Janice Connie Zoe Belinda Gary Nora Benjamin Fannie Lillian Hannah Isaac Samuel Debra Ellie Anna (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Oct 15, 2018
|
Oct 15, 2018
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Oct 15, 2018
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Mass Market Paperback
| |||||||||||||||
0373622961
| 9780373622962
| 0373622961
| 4.25
| 260
| unknown
| Aug 22, 2017
|
did not like it
|
And then he leaned across the barrier of the wheelchair arm and kissed her. It was a long, slow kiss, gentle at first but deepening as he felt her resp And then he leaned across the barrier of the wheelchair arm and kissed her. It was a long, slow kiss, gentle at first but deepening as he felt her response. He inhaled the sweet, feminine scent of her, heard her breathing quicken and felt her lips warm. Her hand touched his nape tentatively, then more surely as she leaned into his kiss. The world seemed to narrow until it encompassed only the two of them. Jessie comes over to help her cousin's widower, Caleb. He is in a wheelchair with a broken leg. He has two children - Becky, 6 and Timothy, 4. She met Caleb 10 years ago when he came to visit her farm. They really hit it off. They got along very well, and Jessie was romantically interested in him. But as soon as he saw her beautiful blonde cousin, Alice, he was entranced. He pursues Alice and marries her quickly. However, Alice is not good wife material. She is unhappy and possibly suffering from Postpartum Depression (and possibly not, who knows) when she abandons her husband and her two children when Timothy is 10 months old. She lives in the English world. But she comes back (two years ago) to die. She finds out she has cancer and lives out her last months on the farm with the husband and children she abandoned and scarred deeply. So. Caleb is fucked up in the head about women (his mom abandoned him and his brothers, now he and his children were abandoned by Alice). He is also fucking his children up in the head by refusing to mention Alice in his house, never discussing Alice with the children, and acting like Alice was a horrible, garbage woman. I mean, that may have basis in truth - Alice did act wrongly and hurt him and the children - but she was the children's mother, for gosh sake. He's not doing his kids any favors by harboring such festering hatred for his dead wife. So this is the viper's nest Jessie is plunged into when she arrives at the farm. Caleb is very resentful and hostile to her. Let's break this down. 1.) Perry is a good author. Let's get that out of the way first. I had a lot of problems with this book, but the writing wasn't something I was complaining about. Perry is creating a poignant story here. She is great at tugging on your heart. She really gets your emotions going. She pays attention to detail. Her skill as an author of Christian romance is not under attack here. 2.) Caleb is an asshole. That's really my main problem with this book. It's a problem the book can't recover from. Being grumpy is one thing, but Caleb is not grumpy. He's an asshole. I don't like the way he treats Jessie. And in case you think he can redeem himself, he can't. Even until the end of the book, even after they decide to be together, he still keeps treating her like trash. He has a bad temper. He lashes out all the time. Jessie is constantly weighing her words and treading carefully around him because he gets angry easily. That's such a huge turn-off to me. You can't expect me to root for her ending up with this man. Do you want to be married to a guy whom you have to walk on eggshells around for the rest of your life?!!? No, you don't. Caleb really doesn't have any excuse. Jessie is a wonderful and kind person. She is very patient with him and she is very kind to him and the children. The way he treats her is atrocious, and it doesn't change even after he realizes he is romantically and sexually attracted to her. It's not okay. It's not excusable, I don't care what his dead wife did in the past. 3.) Another idea I want to address is the idea that Jessie is ugly. It's really... sick. Caleb is fucked up IMO. At least she's nothing at all like Alice was. She's plain, not pretty and flirty. 28 ... She was flushed and smiling, and with her eyes sparkling, she didn't look as plain as he'd thought. 51 ... Pretty. Not beautiful, the way Alice had been when they'd met, but appealing in her own way. 55 ... She had no plans to be married, so the day she'd joined them had been a silent announcement, if any were needed, that she considered herself a spinster. Not a pretty term, but it was true. She'd given up the idea of marriage a long time ago. 72 A lot of this doesn't make any sense. For one thing: okay, so Jessie isn't as pretty as her cousin Alice. A lot of good that did Caleb. His beautiful wife whom he was so entranced by was a terrible partner and a terrible mother. Why is he still looking for and judging women on their outward appearance? You'd think he would have learned better. Two, it's begrudging. It's as if Caleb is saying, "Oh, fine. I guess I'll reluctantly take this woman as my wife, even though she's not pretty." Don't do Jessie any favors, fucker. She's too good for you. You don't deserve her. You're fucking trash. Even though you lash out at her, have a terrible temper, hurt her feelings... SHE should be grateful YOU are taking an interest in her?!!?!? Get the fuck out of here with that shit. Jessie knows she's Caleb's second choice and that he doesn't think she's pretty. That's very hurtful. Seeing a man you were interested in lose all interest in you as soon as he sees your prettier sister/cousin is very damaging. I can't believe she'd think about taking that man back. He's not even apologetic. He's STILL critical of her appearance and compares her looks unfavorably to his dead wife's. WTF? If I'm reading a romance and I am very sad the woman gets saddled with the 'hero' for life, then you have failed as a romance author. I'm sorry, even though Perry writes a good and poignant story, I can't cheer for these two to end up together. I think it's awful. Poor Jessie. I can't believe this is who she is going to have to deal with for the rest of her life. Three, what is all this shit about her being a spinster?!?! From what I've read in Amish Christian Fiction, you have no choice to remain single in the Amish community. Everyone is forced to get married and have children. She'd have to have A LOT more 'wrong' with her than having 'plain looks' in order to be considered unmarriagable. EVERYONE is marriageable in the Amish community. Especially someone who is an amazing cleaner, a wonderful cook, and who is skilled with children. She would be a catch. I can't imagine a 'plain face' would make her some sort of reject. It's literally not believable. 4.) She teaches a four-year-old boy how to cook and sew. I honestly thought she was going to get a lot worse blowback from this. Gender roles are strictly enforced in this community. I was surprised she didn't get laid into for this. TL;DR I just do not understand how authors expect me to root for a woman to end up with an asshole. And Caleb proves he is going to be this way for life. He does not redeem himself or show that he can change and be better. She's hitched to this jerk FOR LIFE. She's going to have to carefully watch what she says and does FOR LIFE because he has a bad temper and a tendency to lash out. This makes me very sad. Jessie is a kind, hard-working, loving, patient woman and she deserves a lot better than this asshole. I resent the implication that because of her 'plain looks' this is the best she can expect from life. That's total bullshit, especially in this community where marriage is so important, required, and necessary. I'd think she'd have a lot of better options than picking up her dead cousin's bad-tempered husband. MENTIONS OF GOD: 40. Quite light. HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN? No sex, Christian romance. Some light kissing. ROMANCE CATEGORIES Contemporary Romance Inspirational Romance Widower Hero Amish Romance He's a Farmer, She's a... Amish Women Aren't Allowed to Work for Pay ...more |
Notes are private!
|
1
|
Aug 06, 2018
|
Aug 06, 2018
|
Aug 06, 2018
|
Mass Market Paperback
| |||||||||||||||
0373622902
| 9780373622900
| 0373622902
| 4.10
| 126
| unknown
| Jul 18, 2017
|
really liked it
|
He started to speak her name and then realized he didn't want to. Not yet. Because for the first time in his life, he felt as if he had something that
He started to speak her name and then realized he didn't want to. Not yet. Because for the first time in his life, he felt as if he had something that was his and his alone. And he wasn't ready to share it. He wasn't ready to share Ruby with his mother. Okay, I have a lot to say about this book. Joseph is in his twenties and looking for a wife. He lives with his widowed mother. He is shy and quiet. Ruby comes in from another state. She is looking for a husband. She is clumsy, talks a lot, and is considered 'ugly' by a lot of people. Even though Joseph and Ruby suit each other perfectly, Joseph's mean, nosy, and controlling mother throws a wrench in things. Let's break it down. THE GOOD: It's generally a sweet book. Although Ruby and Joseph "meet cute" with her landing on top of him and him getting a bloody head injury - which had me like o.O - the book ended up being pretty sweet. Ruby and Joseph are very complementary to each other. They fit each other like puzzle pieces. Joseph stutters, stammers, has a lot of nervous energy that makes him fidget. He is shy and quiet and has trouble speaking in public and to women. Ruby talks a lot, is very clumsy, and is not good at sewing or cooking (considered huge flaws in the Amish community). The thing I really like about Ruby and Joseph is how they accept and love each other. Their 'flaws' don't matter to the other person. They can talk and laugh together for hours, indeed, they get on like a house on fire. One of the biggest standouts is Ruby's 'ugliness.' Everyone seems to find Ruby ugly, and she's obviously been raised with this idea from a very young age. Ruby's daddi had always told her that the right man would come along and love her despite her clumsiness and plain face. Her mommi said that she was beautiful; it simply took a man with a pure heart to open his eyes and see. 119 She's described as 'plain,' 'stout,' and 'chubby' in the book. Throw the cover model out, this woman is supposed to be extremely 'plain' to the point that obviously people think she'd have a hard time finding a man, and leaning towards the fat side. Although her looks and weight are never detailed in the book, I find it hard to get a fix on exactly what she looks like or what 'chubby' - a very subjective descriptor - is supposed to mean. Anyway. How terrible to think yourself so unattractive, and even have your own parents validating your fears that you are ugly. Ruby's brave about it, though. She faces people's judgments about her looks head on. She certainly doesn't value herself less for being 'ugly.' I know a lot of heroines who are created to be 'plain' and 'heavy' are shown to suffer from low self-esteem and think they are worthless. Not so with Ruby. Although she accepts everyone's assessment that she is unattractive, she still demands respect from people and knows she has worth as a human being and a hard-working Amish woman. I have to applaud Miller for giving Ruby such backbone, bravery, and determination. It's especially difficult when dealing with Joseph's mother. Lifting her chin, she said, "If he said that, I can see how it would be a honest mistake to think Arlene was Joseph's bride-to-be." She cleared her throat and forced a chuckle. "I know what I am, Magdalena. I am as plain as a turnip. But Joseph doesn't seem to mind. And so neither do I." She met his mother's gaze with one she hoped was just as strong and just as determined. 83 She doesn't allow people to trample on her or treat her as lesser, even if she does accept the 'truth' that she is 'ugly.' This is very brave and also admirable. Being told you're ugly all your life really takes a toll on a person, and I think it would be very easy for Ruby to have become cowed, beaten-down, and accepting. But she is a fighter. I like it. Emotion made her throat tickle and brought tears to her eyes. No one but Joseph and her parents had ever called her beautiful. She knew it wasn't true. She was ordinary, not gorgeous like Leah or cute like Ellie. But it was so sweet to have Joseph say she was beautiful, and it made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside. 151 Another good thing I can say about the book is that Joseph thinks Ruby is beautiful from the start. This is actually a master stroke on the part of Miller. He genuinely thinks Ruby is a beautiful woman. Miller could have easily EASILY made Joseph love, be attracted to, and marry Ruby DESPITE her appearance. This is common. Like, "Yeah, I know she's not traditionally attractive, but she's beautiful TO ME and you'd better shut up about her. She's beautiful on the inside." This is a very well-known romance trope. However, Miller plays this completely differently. Joseph actually and honestly finds Ruby (physically) beautiful and he is baffled when others don't see this. I like that. It's a bit silly to assume - as media and society do ALL THE TIME - that there is a mold for beauty, and that if you don't fit into the mold you are ugly and will die unhappy and alone unless someone "sees through your ugliness." This is bullshit. I think it would be common sense to understand that different people are going to find different bodies, faces, and looks attractive. Certainly I find a lot of men to be hot whom my friends think I'm fucking crazy for lusting after. And vice versa. Despite the media and society telling you, "You should be attracted to men/women who look like this: image" people are actually varied creatures who like a variety of things. I enjoyed how this played out. There's no annoying scene where Joseph has to convince Ruby she's beautiful, or forces her to look at herself in a mirror while he praises her or some shit. I liked how Miller decided to handle this, it avoided the usual 'ugly' heroine tropes. Both Joseph and Ruby are super-aware of their 'flaws,' both feel like they have struck gold by finding the other. It's extremely sweet. I was also worried about Joseph's cruel mother. I mean, Miller doesn't half-ass it - his mom is truly terrible. She's very rude to Ruby to her face, and even worse behind her back. She does everything in her power to sabotage Ruby and Joseph's relationship. Sometimes it could get downright shocking. "I've found the most wonderful girl, the sweetest - " "Ugly," she whispered. "What?" He drew back. "What did you say?" He couldn't believe what he'd just heard. "She's - she's not even pretty. You'll have thick, unlovely children." He blinked, still in disbelief. "Mother. How can you say that? Ruby's beautiful." 113 One thing that truly surprised me about the book was that Joseph was generally good about standing up to his mother. He puts his foot down right from the beginning. Usually, in romances that employ this trope, the hero is afraid to stand up to his mother or feels too guilty about standing up to his mother and therefore lets her shit all over his woman. Not so in this case. Joseph stands up for Ruby from the very beginning. Of course, things are complicated. Because Magdalena is a widow, and this is the patriarchy, Joseph is in charge of his mother's well-being and responsible for her. She will be living with him for the rest of her life, in a horrifying prospect for poor Ruby. Women are not allowed to support themselves, they are completely dependent on men, so - unless Magdalena gets remarried, she will live with Joseph until she dies. I always tell my friends, "You are not only marrying the man, you are marrying his family" and in some cultures this is even more literal than others. Many cultures have the parents/in-laws living in the house with the married couple and children, so if a MIL or FIL hates the spouse, life can be made a living hell for decades. I was really worried about Ruby's future, honestly. Love is great, Joseph is great, but living with this woman for another forty years would make anyone think about running for the hills. Miller throws in a twist with Ruby hiding a secret for most of the book. I was insanely curious as to what the secret was, and was imagining a whole range of things. But - in true Christian romance fashion - when the secret is revealed it is (IMO) not a big deal and I couldn't understand all the fuss around it. I could think of 80 worse things off the top of my head. (view spoiler)[I'll give you a hint: Thoroughly Modern Millie. (hide spoiler)] Even though I've read about 20 Amish romances, this is the first one that addresses men cooking. In every single other book, people act as if men can't - physically CANNOT - learn how to cook. If a man's wife dies, he and the children are wholly reliant on food being delivered by local women or fast food. It's considered a physical impossibility for someone with a penis to prepare food. However, in this book, when Joseph and his mother go to visit Ruby's parents, they are SHOCKED - shocked, I tell you!!! - to find that some of the food they are being served was cooked by Ruby's father. !!!!!! OMGosh, the world is ending. Miller pushes this even more by the end of the book - as I've told you, Ruby is a horrible cook. After (view spoiler)[ Ruby and Joseph are married for two years (hide spoiler)] they have discovered that he's actually quite a good baker and his bread and biscuits are delicious. This is almost akin to bra-burning or feminist revolutions in this made-up universe. I can't stress to you how surprising this is to a reader in this genre. Kudos to Miller for subverting the patriarchy, even if it is the tiniest bit. TL;DR Both Ruby and Joseph are assertive. I am proud of them. They stand up for themselves, which is hard for both of them since they've been informed of their 'flaws' from a young age. Miller writes a sweet book. I liked how well Ruby and Joseph complement each other. I like how Joseph seemingly is never even aware that others might consider his woman 'ugly.' Cute story. Of course, it isn't perfect, but it was very enjoyable for the Christian Romance sub-genre. I would recommend it to anyone who likes reading sexless romance with a Christian bent. MENTIONS OF GOD: 47. Remarkably light. HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN? No sex, this is Christian romance. One kiss. ROMANCE CATEGORIES: BBW Romance Contemporary Romance Inspirational Romance Virgin Hero Romance Amish Romance He's a Mason, She's a... Amish Women Aren't Allowed to Work for Pay ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Aug 05, 2018
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Aug 05, 2018
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Aug 05, 2018
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Mass Market Paperback
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0373622848
| 9780373622849
| 0373622848
| 4.10
| 108
| unknown
| Jun 20, 2017
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did not like it
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Tragic, fucked-up story about the patriarchy. Don't have an opening quote for this. Nell, an Amish woman, had a secret English love five years ago. No Tragic, fucked-up story about the patriarchy. Don't have an opening quote for this. Nell, an Amish woman, had a secret English love five years ago. No one knew about him, not even her family. She was going to marry him. But he was killed when he was hit by a drunk driver. In her despair, she was baptized into the Amish faith. Even though she would have happily left the Amish community to marry her love, Michael. Now she has met another Englischer she's secretly falling in love with. He is a gentle veterinarian named James. My biggest hope was that Nell would leave her Amish community to marry the veterinarian (James) and live happily ever after. Unfortunately, that's not what happens. James gives up everything to become Amish, in a tragic, horrifying turn of events. There's a lot to complain about here. Nell is 24, so her father wants her to get married and start popping out babies. You are not able to be single in the Amish community. You must marry and have children. There's no choice not to do this. No one in her family knows about her secret love affair with Michael when she was 19. And if they did, they still wouldn't give a fuck. She has to marry. Doesn't matter if she loves the man or not. Her father has gotten impatient with her. He orders her to get married or he will choose a husband for her. He's got an eye on a man in his sixties. I know what you are thinking. What kind of person plots to marry off their daughter (24) to a man in his sixties?!?!!? He must be an asshole, right? Well, Kertz seems to believe that Nell's father is a kind, lenient, caring father. Yeah, it's like she honestly believes that shit. Which brings me to my next point: animals. So, the Amish believe animals are soulless and put on Earth to serve man. They don't love animals or cherish them. I mean, we all know about Amish puppy mills, am I right? Because Nell loves and cares for animals, she is seen as soft in the head. Her father warns her that the man who marries her might not feel the same about animals, and he might demand she give up all pets and she may not be happy with how he treats animals on his property. Of course, she has no say because she will become her husband's property and obedient slave upon marriage. And she HAS to get married. It's probably at least part of the reason she's sexually and romantically attracted to the veterinarian. He cares for animals and doesn't see her as weak for caring about animals. In case you think the patriarchy might be horrible for women, but completely wonderful to men, let me give you this example: Nell is ordered to marry a man whose wife died LAST NIGHT. Literally she is not even buried yet and they are being ordered to wed. He has a two-year-old son who needs a mother - because men cannot cook or clean in this society, so when their wife dies they are helpless and unable to do basic things like prepare food. Even though (hopefully) he loved his wife and is grieving her, he is ordered to marry a stranger the next day. For his own good and the good of his child. FUCK loving someone or having time to get over your wife's death, am I right? Horrible for Nell and horrible for this poor widower. MENTIONS OF GOD: 53, relatively light for this sub-sub-genre. HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN? No sex, this is Christian romance fiction. A few kisses. I have to say, though, to Kertz's credit - Nell and James are sexually attracted to each other. Kertz does not pretend that being a Christian stops you from being turned-on. Many Christian authors do pretend this. But you know that James and Nell want each other sexually. Very rare in this sub-sub-genre, even though there is no sex in here. TL;DR Even though most will interpret this as a romantic story with a happy ending, I see it as a tragedy with a horrifying ending. What a perfect reason to leave the Amish community and be happy and work. She would gain a husband, a job, and freedom from at least the Amish form of patriarchy all in one fell swoop. Unfortunately, Kertz goes in the opposite direction and horrifyingly has James join the Amish community. WHY. FOR FUCK'S SAKE. WHY. :( ROMANCE CATEGORIES: Animal Lovers' Romance Contemporary Romance Inspirational Romance Virgin Hero Romance - I'm guessing, I have no way of truly knowing Amish Romance He's a Veterinarian, She's a... Amish Women Aren't Allowed To Work for Pay ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Aug 05, 2018
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Aug 05, 2018
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Aug 05, 2018
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Mass Market Paperback
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0373456948
| 9780373456949
| 0373456948
| 4.18
| 104
| unknown
| Mar 07, 2017
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it was ok
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God had not provided, but Heather refused to allow that to shatter her faith. She owed that much to her father. There's not much to say about this book God had not provided, but Heather refused to allow that to shatter her faith. She owed that much to her father. There's not much to say about this book. It's a romantic suspense novel about a woman being stalked by her murderer ex-husband who has escaped from prison. The Deputy U.S. Marshal assigned to her is her love interest. Heather Miller and Zachary Walker. NO CHEMISTRY The first thing I'd like to address is that these two have no chemistry. I don't believe they are sexually attracted to each other. Nor do I believe that they are in love with each other. Stone's not selling this one effectively. They are bland, uninterested in each other and tepid. THE MYSTERY I have to say that Stone surprised me once or twice. As per usual in romantic suspense, the romance (if one can even call it that) takes a backseat to the mystery story. The book wasn't as predictable as I had thought. MENTIONS OF GOD: 33 HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN? No sex, this is Christian romance. Some light kissing. Four light kisses, one kiss on the cheek, and one kiss on the fingers. Honestly, these characters did not seem sexually or romantically interested in each other at all. I couldn't buy this 'romance.' TL;DR This book wasn't terrible, but it certainly failed as a romance IMO. ROMANCE CATEGORIES: Contemporary Romance Inspirational Romance Romantic Suspense Non-Virgin Heroine Rape/Abuse Survivor Police Romance He's a Deputy U.S. Marshal, She Runs a B&B ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jul 24, 2018
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Jul 30, 2018
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Jul 24, 2018
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Mass Market Paperback
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0373622554
| 9780373622559
| 0373622554
| 4.06
| 169
| unknown
| Jan 17, 2017
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it was ok
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She looked away, her cheeks warm, but she didn't protest when Thomas took her hand and kissed the back of it. "I'll take care of you, you know," he sa
She looked away, her cheeks warm, but she didn't protest when Thomas took her hand and kissed the back of it. "I'll take care of you, you know," he said quietly. He raised her hand to his face and pressed it against his chin. Leah comes back to Delaware from Brazil. She was serving in Brazil as a missionary with her husband. Her husband and baby died of a fever in Brazil. Now that she has mourned for a year, she is looking for a new husband. And she knows EXACTLY what she's looking for. "First, he must be Amish, of strong faith and respected in the community. I would prefer a mature man, a middle-aged widower, someone who may already have children. How old doesn't matter, so long as he isn't too old to father children. ... I've been the wife of a young man. I married for love. I'll never have that again, and I know that. ... "I only ask for a husband who isn't lazy and will be a good example for our children. He must know how much I want more children. ... I could not bear it if I never rocked another baby in my arms or woke to see my precious child's shining face becoming in wonder at the new day ... So you see, it might be best if my husband-to-be already has children. I can adapt to any personality, but he must be someone who will welcome children and not treat them harshly." "Or treat you harshly," Sara suggested. Leah shrugged. "I can accept whatever the Lord sends me. I'll be a good and dutiful wife, so long as he knows that my children must come first. ... What I want is a marriage of convenience, a union entered into for the purpose of forming a solid family. I'm not afraid of hard work, and I'll be the best wife and helpmate I can. But I need a sensible man, a practical man who doesn't expect more than I can give. ... Because part of me died in Brazil, Sara. All I can do is go on with what I have left. ... Offer me no lighthearted, carefree noodleheads. I'm seeking a sober and steady husband, one with gray in his hair, who knows what it is to suffer loss. Can you find me such a man?" Of course, the matchmaker completely disregards Leah's wishes and sets her up with Thomas. The book opens with Thomas proposing marriage to Ellie and getting turned down. He is considered 'fast' in the Amish community. This means he's enjoyed some light, chaste kissing. Ummmmm... he's dated a lot of 'girls.' He's never married. I don't feel like this is because he is rakish or wild at all, just fun-loving and not very serious. There's not any mean-spiritedness in him or badness. Both he and Leah balk at getting paired up, but agree to 'date' for six weeks. Let's break this down. Hmmmm, I'm not sure where to start. ONE: THE EVIL PATRIARCHY It's fucking disgusting. I would go crazy. The main, most egregious offense is that Leah - a grown woman, a widow, a world-traveler, and a mother - is treated by the Amish society as a child. She can't see Thomas without a chaperone. She can't travel anywhere alone with him. She must be monitored at all times. Her riding a horse is 'unseemly.' Thomas even says this about her: As much as he enjoyed being with Leah - and she was always fun - she had a way of making him uneasy. She was so outspoken... so experienced. Not like other Amish girls he knew. He wondered if she'd ever be able to return to the quiet life in Seven Poplars or any other Old Order community after her life in the English world. Pity the man who did marry her. It wasn't natural, a woman knowing more than her husband. Uh, no. Any man would be fucking lucky to get such a smart, knowledgeable wife who had experiences outside of the Amish (and even the American) community. Because of the patriarchy, Leah's experiences don't make her more valued and sought after as a wife - they damage her and make her less worthy. Because the man has to be in charge, has to be smarter, has to be more knowledgeable and experienced than the woman or he has an identity crisis. Pathetic. Truly pathetic. I was really wondering how Leah got through this novel without stabbing anyone. And the Amish community is SO nosy, SO busybody, SO judgmental, and SO interfering in this book it is ridiculous. They could drive a saint to murder. Everywhere Leah goes, people offer her an opinion on what she should do, what she should wear, whom she should marry, when she should marry, why she should marry, what types of men she is specifically allowed and not allowed to marry... JFC. I can't see why she'd want to stay in this community. She keeps waxing poetic about it, talking about how kind and caring the community is, but I would be running out of there at high speed. She's scolded and reprimanded and berated ALL THE TIME and it's 'for her own good' and everyone has an opinion on what her life should be and what she should be doing. It's sick. As a side note, one of the side plots in this book is Jakob pursing Ellie. I have to say it is really gross. Ellie is almost violently opposed to 'dating' Jakob. She avoids him whenever possible, she shrinks away from him, she makes it as clear as possible she wants nothing to do with him. Miller acts like this is funny and that all it will take is 'patient pursuit' on Jakob's part to 'win Ellie over.' Um, no the fuck it won't. If a woman LITERALLY turns around and walks away every time she sees you coming, shrinks away from you if you are in a closed space with her, loudly and vocally refuses your advances... Yeah, I think she's not interested. Please leave her alone. "I'm not giving up on the pretty little schoolteacher," Jakob replied, still watching Ellie retreat. "She had me from the first time I laid eyes on her. She's going to be my wife. She just doesn't know it yet." I know Jakob is Amish and has never seen Beauty and the Beast, but this is almost quoting Gaston verbatim. Not a good look. Not the attitude you're going for. Please stop. Thomas, even though he has a complex about Leah being smarter and more worldly than him, doesn't hesitate to step in a do stuff that needs doing. Some Amish men were uncomfortable with women's work, but not Thomas. She liked that about him; he reminded her of her father, who had not been above grabbing a dishcloth and helping wash dishes after supper. He washes dishes, opens jars for her. I mean, the problem is that you have no idea if any of this is going to continue happening after the wedding day. 2.) Good writing. This isn't a badly written romance novels. Some romance novels just seem churned out - the author doesn't bother putting any personality or real psychology into the characters. That's not the case here. Miller is aware of herself and of reality. Often she will make the characters engage in bullshit and then call them on their own bullshit. Even though I don't enjoy the book - I think it's filled with disgusting patriarchy, and the fact that it is taking place in modern times with this attitude sickens me - I have to say Miller is a competent author and the book is easy to read and get into. If I were someone who jonesed on Amish Christian romance, I would find this very pleasing. I would recommend this to people to enjoy Amish Christian Romance, along with A Groom for Greta. 3.) Heroine. I like that Leah is a smart, competent, experienced woman. Usually heroines in Amish Christian Romance are extremely sheltered 'virgins' who have never left their small village. Not so here. Not only is Leah smarter than Thomas, she's lived abroad - in Brazil, raised a child (she died), been married... It's rare to find a heroine who is smarter, more experienced, and more worldly than the hero. Not just in Amish Christian romance, unfortunately. In any romance. It's automatically assumed that the man will have the upperhand - have more life experience, more sexual experience, be smarter and tougher than the woman. ANY romance. Even modern, contemporary ones. The more you examine it, the sicker it gets. So I was shocked at Miller taking a chance here, especially in this subgenre. It doesn't always play out well - Leah has internalized misogyny and actively wishes for a husband who is distant, cold, possibly abusive, and controlling... and she allows the Amish community to boss her around, cow her, and treat her like a child - but kudos to Miller for at least nodding to the idea that a heroine knows what she's doing and a hero doesn't. 4.) HERO Thomas is a kind, rather goofy guy who isn't very serious and likes 'partying' (his idea of partying: fast food, bowling). He likes dating women. I don't feel like he is a cad at all, Amish 'girls' have fun dating him but don't seem interested in marrying him. He's unmotivated and rather at loose ends. Leah helps him firm up what he wants to do in life and gives him the impetus to move on it. I feel like he is a kind guy if not the brightest or the most ambitious. I actually don't like ambitious men, and I enjoyed his laid-back, easygoing personality and his joie de vivre. His mellowness contrasts nicely with how tightly Leah is wound and how many issues she has involving the death of her husband and daughter. 5.) Inclusion One thing I can say for books is that the Amish characters display tolerance for people who may not receive such tolerance in the outside world. Characters with Down syndrome are thought of as 'God's chosen' and are never seen as a burden or taunted. There are two characters with dwarfism in here, they are regular members of the community and treated just like everyone else. Fat characters are described in glowing terms, not demonized or made to feel shame and inferiority because they are fat. And marriage is a requirement by the community (in these books), and everyone is on the marriage market. Being fat or being a dwarf or being ____ is not a huge issue like it is in other books, and it certainly doesn't mean someone is 'doomed to be single' or is 'sad and alone' due to their physical traits. As for ANTI-inclusion, of course Amish Christian fiction is a bastion of whiteness. There is rarely RARELY a POC character in Amish Christian fiction. However, there is a black woman in this book - she's a side side side character, but she IS there. Thought I'd note it since I think it's the first time I've seen a POC character in an Amish Christian fiction. I mean, of course Leah was living with POC in Brazil, but they were painted as basically 'jungle-living savages' who 'needed Jesus' and definitely weren't seen as equal with the Amish MCs. MENTIONS OF GOD: ~71 HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN? No sex, this is Christian fiction. One hand-hold, one hand-kiss, four light kisses, one bundling scene! you don't see that everyday, one foot massage (he massages her feet). That's about it. Actually quite sexual compared to some Amish Christian Romances I've read. TL;DR - Even though this book is not to my taste - the patriarchy in here is so disgusting - I think a fan of Amish Christian Romance would enjoy this. Like A Groom for Greta, this book adds flavor and personality to its characters, and Miller doesn't just cobble something together with no spark. I also think Leah and Thomas are complementary to each other. ROMANCE CATEGORIES: Contemporary Romance Inspirational Romance Virgin Hero Romance - Paired with a non-virgin heroine! I feel like this is worth noting, it's so rare Non-Virgin Heroine Widow Heroine Amish Romance He's a Blacksmith (he hates it), Carpenter, Organic Farmer. She's a... Nothing, her whole identity as a woman in the patriarchy is so-and-so's wife, so-and-so's mother. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jul 20, 2018
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Jul 24, 2018
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Jul 20, 2018
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Mass Market Paperback
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1780238339
| 9781780238333
| 1780238339
| 3.91
| 34
| unknown
| Oct 15, 2017
|
really liked it
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I don't know what to tell you. It's a book about cats in art. [image] 5,000 B.C. Libya [image] Tomb of May 1500 B.C. [image] 1400 B.C. [image] Pompeii 2nd ce I don't know what to tell you. It's a book about cats in art. [image] 5,000 B.C. Libya [image] Tomb of May 1500 B.C. [image] 1400 B.C. [image] Pompeii 2nd century B.C. [image] 1503 I am here, do not forget me. [image] 13th Century [image] 13th Century [image] 1470-1480 [image] 1865 Freya [image] Woman with a Cat Francesco d'Ubertino 1525 [image] Woman with a Kitten early 16th century Ambrosius Benson [image] Cleophea Holzhalb Hans Asper 1538 [image] Two Children Teasing a Cat 1590 Annibale Carracci [image] Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton 1603 John de Critz the Elder Cat: Trixie [image] Youths Playing With The Cat Abraham Bloemaert 1620-1625 [image] Courtesan or Young Woman Playing with a Cat 1630-1635 Jan van Bijlert [image] Two Children with a Cat Judith Leyster 1629 [image] An Old Man with Cat 1740 Giacomo Ceruti [image] Dangerous Strokes Francois Boucher 1730 [image] White Angora Cat Stalking a Bird 1761 Jean-Jacques Bachelier [image] The Angora Cat Jean-Honore Fragonard 1783 - 1785 [image] The Cat's Lunch Marguerite Gerard 1800 [image] A Cat with Her Three Kittens Henriette Ronner-Knip 1893 [image] Playing with Jewels Horatio Henry Couldery 1832-1893 [image] Charles Burton Barber Coaxing is Better Than Teasing 1883 [image] Woman with a Cat, Portrait of Madame Manet 1882-1883 Edouard Manet [image] Claude Monet Sleeping Cat 1896 [image] Auguste Renoir Mademoiselle Julie Manet with Cat 1887 [image] Mimi and Her Cat Paul Gauguin 1890 [image] Marguerite with a Black Cat 1910 Henri Matisse [image] Cats on a Red Cloth Franz Marc 1909-1910 [image] Franz Marc Two Cats, Blue and Yellow 1912 [image] Paul Klee Cat and Bird 1928 [image] Pablo Picasso 1939 [image] Balthus The King of Cats 1935 [image] Balthus Therese Dreaming 1938 [image] Psyche Leonor Fini 1975 [image] Leonor Fini Sunday Afternoon 1980 ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jan 21, 2018
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Jan 21, 2018
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Jan 21, 2018
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Hardcover
| |||||||||||||||
0545619432
| 9780545619431
| 0545619432
| 3.68
| 427
| unknown
| Oct 10, 2017
|
liked it
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Bizzy Mizz Lizzie was just about the busiest, buzziest bee anyone had ever seen. Like most little bees her age, Lizzie went to school. She always got
Bizzy Mizz Lizzie was just about the busiest, buzziest bee anyone had ever seen. Like most little bees her age, Lizzie went to school. She always got straight B's on her report card. (That's better than straight A's if you're in Bee School.) Besides school, Lizzie is in a lot of activities including: dance, acting, art, and music. She plays in "Because someday I want to meet the Queen... and when she asks me if I'm the best bee I can be, I'll say, 'Yes, ma'am, I am!'" Lizzie has a lot of friends. Some do activities with her, except for Lazy Mizz Daizy. Lazy Mizz Daizy likes to lie down on a big flower and read books and sometimes talks to an old lady. She always invites Lizzie, but Lizzie is too busy. One day, it is announced that there is going to be a huge spelling contest. The winner gets to meet the Queen. Lizzie studies so hard, she barely gets any sleep. Her mom and Daizy are worried about her. Lizzie is (view spoiler)[ about to win the spelling bee when she falls asleep on stage from sheer exhaustion. She wakes up in bed three days later, very sad. She finally accepts Daizy's invitation to go lay about in the garden. There she meets the Queen - the old lady foreshadowed earlier in the book - I saw that coming. "But aren't you too busy to be here?" Lizzie asked. "I'm busy doing NOTHING," answered the Queen. "It helps me be the best bee I can be." The Queen indicates that it's okay Lizzie lost the spelling bee, because she is here now and she is happy right now. And that's how Bizzy Miz Lizzie learned to stop and smell the flowers, which, when you think about it, is exactly what bees are supposed to do. (hide spoiler)] EL FIN Okay, let's break this down. ONE: The illustrations. They are ungodly ugly. [image] TWO: The book is longer than normal picture books. It actually has a plot and foreshadowing and some kind of structure. Impressive. THREE: What exactly is this book saying? American children are overscheduled and don't have time for fun or relaxation. Taking time for yourself, relaxing - what people call nowadays 'self-care' - is important and makes you a better and healthier person. But I'm a little on the fence with what the Queen is saying at the end. Here is the exchange: (view spoiler)[ "Who thinks about spelling in the middle of a garden?!" said a strange voice. Lizzie looked up and saw an old bee smiling at her. Daizy shouted, "That's my friend I told you about!" Lizzie thought the old bee looked familiar. Then she realized.... "Y-you're the Queen!" she exclaimed. "You are?" mumbled Daizy. "What happened to your big hair?" The Queen laughed. "Oh, I wear my wig so they have something to put that silly crown on!" "But aren't you too busy to be here?" Lizzie asked. "I'm busy doing NOTHING," answered the Queen. "It helps me be the best bee I can be." Lizzie knew exactly what the Queen meant. "If I wasn't so tired, I would have won the Spelling Contest..." She sighed. "Yup," said the Queen. "But then you probably wouldn't be here. And aren't you happy right now?" Lizzie thought for a second. There she was in the beautiful Garden with her best friend... AND THE QUEEN! "Yes, ma'am, I am!" she replied. Okay. Here's my problem. It bothers me sometimes when people say, "It's okay that [traumatic event] happened to you. You're here in [good place] now and isn't that wonderful! You wouldn't be in this [good place] at this exact moment if [traumatic event] didn't happen to you! See this as good! Even traumatic events happen for a reason!" Not on board with this. Not on board with telling people their traumatic event ended up just fine and for the better. I mean, this is a kid book, they are not talking about rape or a family member dying or divorce or whatever the fuck, but still the concept is grating on me. It's true that sometimes traumatic events spur personal growth, but I feel like someone pointing this out to one who has suffered is hurtful and cruel. And I'm not for telling children that the suffering is some sort of lesson. I mean... what if Lizzie HAD won the spelling bee? Then what? Where would she be? What would she be feeling? She'd probably be ecstatic. Would she have learned that relaxing is important? I don't know, it's likely she would have collapsed after the event. I don't know. Talk through this with your children. Should Lizzie's mom have put a cap on her studying? Would Lizzie have learned a lesson about the importance of sleep and self-care any other way? Could Lizzie draw her own conclusions about the importance of relaxing without the Queen spelling things out for her? Discuss things in depth with your children. (hide spoiler)] TL;DR - Surprisingly long and nuanced for a children's picture book. The illustrations are ugly. Great nods to bees throughout the book - it's actually very clever how many bee and zzzz references Shannon manages to slip in here. Morally and ethically, I think you must discuss things and this book's message with your children. I might be accused of reading too much into a kid book, or analyzing a picture book to death, but I do think the messages picture books give children is important and right and your duty as an adult is - not to censor them - but to discuss issues as they come up. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jan 14, 2018
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Jan 14, 2018
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Jan 14, 2018
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Hardcover
| |||||||||||||||
1588344541
| 9781588344540
| 1588344541
| 3.94
| 34
| 2017
| Oct 17, 2017
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really liked it
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Alas, your proximity to venomous creatures is virtually guaranteed in practically every inhabitable place on Earth, unless you've retreated to an Anta
Alas, your proximity to venomous creatures is virtually guaranteed in practically every inhabitable place on Earth, unless you've retreated to an Antarctic research station far away from the ocean's edge. Even if you are just pottering about in your kitchen or garden, venomous animals will be within only a few metres of you. This is a book about venomous animals. I wouldn't recommend it to everyone. DRAWBACKS: - Pages and pages of chemistry and biology which is extremely technical and not watered down for the average person to digest. Jenner and Undheim don't simplify this enough for the layperson to enjoy and understand. - Really disgusting full-color pictures of both disgusting creatures and the disgusting effects they can have on humans. If you don't think centipedes and marine bloodworms are fun to look at, this may not be for you. If you have problems seeing people's legs rotting off and faces swollen up painfully, this may not be for you. - Some of the things (creatures and venom-effects) described in here are pretty bone-chilling and not for the faint of heart. - Extensive talk about animals painfully killed for science. If you don't want to read about monkeys, cats, mice, rats and guinea pigs being subjected to the most horrendous and painful tortures, skip this. BENEFITS: - You will learn a lot. - It is fascinating. - Jenner and Undheim explore some things you'd never think of. They discuss the use of venoms in beauty products and cures (diabetes; trying to harness scorpion venom to give men erections; etc.). They berate and sneer at traditional methods of trying to deal with killers (for example, snakebite) while promoting science and medicine. They discuss evolution a lot and the biology of how different venomous species came to be and why. They discuss the use of painful venomous animals by tribes to initiate girls and boys into adulthood - very hard to read. They discuss Michael Smith, who had bees sting him all over his body and then rated the pain. After receiving hundreds of stings that covered the remotest corners of his anatomy - including the back of his knee, behind his ear, as well as his nipple, scrotum and armpit - Smith concluded that the worst locations to be stung are your nostril, upper lip and penis shaft. Smith scored the pain at these sting sites as 9.0, 8.7 and 7.3, respectively... - Very scientific and fact-oriented if you are in to that sort of thing. I know I put that in the drawback section, as I think it is not easily digestible, but this kind of not-watered-down scientific detail might appeal to a lot of readers, as well. - Jenner and Undheim, or at least one of them... LOL, has a good sense of humor. The book isn't a laugh-fest, but some little bits of humor are slipped in here and there. For example, Instead, they regurgitate digestive enzymes to dissolve their immobilized prey, which they wrap tightly in a silken burrito of death, before ingesting it through their straw-like mouths. Silken burrito of death! LOL TL;DR - I can't recommend this to everyone, but it is enjoyable and informative. You might not want to read this while eating or if you are squeamish. Not for the fainthearted. ...more |
Notes are private!
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Jan 14, 2018
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Jan 14, 2018
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Jan 14, 2018
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my rating |
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3.74
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really liked it
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Nov 27, 2021
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Oct 29, 2021
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4.05
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liked it
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Oct 13, 2020
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Oct 13, 2020
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3.13
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did not like it
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Aug 03, 2020
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Aug 03, 2020
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4.35
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really liked it
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Sep 12, 2019
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Sep 11, 2019
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4.51
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did not like it
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Sep 02, 2019
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Aug 25, 2019
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4.40
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it was amazing
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Jan 23, 2019
not set
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Jan 19, 2019
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4.08
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it was ok
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Jan 08, 2019
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Nov 27, 2018
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4.26
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really liked it
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Nov 24, 2018
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Nov 24, 2018
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4.20
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liked it
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Oct 24, 2018
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Oct 24, 2018
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4.09
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it was ok
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Oct 22, 2018
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Oct 18, 2018
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4.18
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did not like it
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Oct 17, 2018
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Oct 16, 2018
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4.35
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liked it
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Oct 15, 2018
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Oct 15, 2018
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4.25
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did not like it
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Aug 06, 2018
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Aug 06, 2018
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4.10
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really liked it
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Aug 05, 2018
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Aug 05, 2018
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4.10
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did not like it
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Aug 05, 2018
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Aug 05, 2018
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4.18
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it was ok
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Jul 30, 2018
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Jul 24, 2018
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4.06
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it was ok
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Jul 24, 2018
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Jul 20, 2018
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3.91
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really liked it
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Jan 21, 2018
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Jan 21, 2018
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3.68
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liked it
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Jan 14, 2018
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Jan 14, 2018
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3.94
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really liked it
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Jan 14, 2018
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Jan 14, 2018
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