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anastaciaknits
I didn't enjoy this one as much as I was expecting.
Margaret Beaufort was just written so unappealing. I don't believe any person is that one dimensional. I get obsession, I get being religious, but she was written in such a way that that was the only two things she cared about - getting her son (who she really didn't even know) on the throne, and God.
Margaret Beaufort was just written so unappealing. I don't believe any person is that one dimensional. I get obsession, I get being religious, but she was written in such a way that that was the only two things she cared about - getting her son (who she really didn't even know) on the throne, and God.
I am a little embarrassed to admit how long ago I started reading this book.
I was almost done with it, and never finished it, but started rereading it again from the beginning when I finally sat down to actually finish it.
It's a great story, told from the point of view of "the White Queen's" younger sister and her husband. It was actually really great to hear the story from the point of view of a major character, but not one much written about.
I did enjoy the book, and I liked how the book covered basically Kate's whole life, from early childhood to death, but I didn't like the back and forth between character's points of views - I find that disrupting.
There were also a LOT of characters to keep track of.
I was almost done with it, and never finished it, but started rereading it again from the beginning when I finally sat down to actually finish it.
It's a great story, told from the point of view of "the White Queen's" younger sister and her husband. It was actually really great to hear the story from the point of view of a major character, but not one much written about.
I did enjoy the book, and I liked how the book covered basically Kate's whole life, from early childhood to death, but I didn't like the back and forth between character's points of views - I find that disrupting.
There were also a LOT of characters to keep track of.
Mastering Fermentation: Recipes for Making and Cooking with Fermented Foods
by Mary Karlin
A beautifully illustrated and authoritative guide to the art and science of fermented foods, featuring 70+ recipes that progress from simple fermented condiments like vinegars and mustards to more advanced techniques for using wild yeast, fermenting meats, and curing fish.
Yup, it's another book that I had to read because of my garden!
A year ago was my first and only attempt at fermentation - an idea I'm fascinated by because I have IBS, and let's face it, fermented foods are my friend, and the idea of making my own fermented food is even nicer. I had a bunch of tomatoes from my garden that needed to be used up, no way to can, no more space in the garden, and I had just bought a bunch of garlic, onions, and various peppers from a farmer's market, so I decided to make salsa. I found a recipe online for making fermented salsa, spent hours dicing up the veggies and doing everything I was supposed to, only to find out our water had gotten infected by e.coli and the water was unsafe to drink without boiling first - which, of course, I hadn't done because I was trying to ferment the salsa. I had 6 pints and an odd quart jar of salsa that I had to toss because it just wasn't safe to try to eat the salsa.
All that to say I haven't forgotten the idea of fermenting foods. I even debating about taking a class on fermenting foods at my local trade school at night, but at $39, did I really need to take a class when I could just get a book from the library? Or heck, just do more googling? I liked the idea off hand holding, but $39 was a lot of money to spend on a night class for something like fermenting foods. and then this book fell into my lap, and I'm in love with this book and the ideas and information contained inside enough to purchase a copy for my own library. Okay, I'll probably wait & get a used copy, but still... I'm going to buy a copy.
Add all of that in, and then add recipes I haven't seen anywhere else - like mushroom ketchup - I mean, come on, mushroom ketchup!
by Mary Karlin
A beautifully illustrated and authoritative guide to the art and science of fermented foods, featuring 70+ recipes that progress from simple fermented condiments like vinegars and mustards to more advanced techniques for using wild yeast, fermenting meats, and curing fish.
Yup, it's another book that I had to read because of my garden!
A year ago was my first and only attempt at fermentation - an idea I'm fascinated by because I have IBS, and let's face it, fermented foods are my friend, and the idea of making my own fermented food is even nicer. I had a bunch of tomatoes from my garden that needed to be used up, no way to can, no more space in the garden, and I had just bought a bunch of garlic, onions, and various peppers from a farmer's market, so I decided to make salsa. I found a recipe online for making fermented salsa, spent hours dicing up the veggies and doing everything I was supposed to, only to find out our water had gotten infected by e.coli and the water was unsafe to drink without boiling first - which, of course, I hadn't done because I was trying to ferment the salsa. I had 6 pints and an odd quart jar of salsa that I had to toss because it just wasn't safe to try to eat the salsa.
All that to say I haven't forgotten the idea of fermenting foods. I even debating about taking a class on fermenting foods at my local trade school at night, but at $39, did I really need to take a class when I could just get a book from the library? Or heck, just do more googling? I liked the idea off hand holding, but $39 was a lot of money to spend on a night class for something like fermenting foods. and then this book fell into my lap, and I'm in love with this book and the ideas and information contained inside enough to purchase a copy for my own library. Okay, I'll probably wait & get a used copy, but still... I'm going to buy a copy.
Add all of that in, and then add recipes I haven't seen anywhere else - like mushroom ketchup - I mean, come on, mushroom ketchup!
I tried - repeatedly - to finish this book. I so wanted to like it - and it wasn't half bad for the first 20% or so (though the main character obsessing over wanting a shower in the middle of a crisis was extremely stupid). I plowed through another 10%, but started having major issues with Mike's hatred of women, mentally handicapped, the elderly, and gays. The way the author talks about women in the book makes you wonder what Tufo is like in real life. The random jokes and constant side comments were old, but I get what Tufo was trying to do, and I could deal with it (at one point Mike mentions that if you aren't from New England you aren't going to get his humor, and first of all, as an author you should be able to write so anyone will get your book, and two, I was born, raised, and currently live in Massachusetts).
I kept plowing, however, because this series has lots of fans and I do enjoy zombie books and would love to have a new series to read.
About halfway through the book I just had to give up, however - the author randomly switches the point of view from first person to third person, and then goes off on a huge tangent about Mike and his best friend which has NOTHING to do with the plot, and then spends page after page discussing bathroom smells in great detail.
As much as I wanted to give this book one star, I still have to give it two stars (even with the lack of finishing the book) because the story line clearly has a lot of premise to it. I do wish he had fleshed out the backstory more (I always want this) and Tufo definitely has to learn how to write women characters (well, he needs to learn how to write any non-prime-of-his-life male characters), but I did like the plot when Tufo was actually writing about the plot.
I kept plowing, however, because this series has lots of fans and I do enjoy zombie books and would love to have a new series to read.
About halfway through the book I just had to give up, however - the author randomly switches the point of view from first person to third person, and then goes off on a huge tangent about Mike and his best friend which has NOTHING to do with the plot, and then spends page after page discussing bathroom smells in great detail.
As much as I wanted to give this book one star, I still have to give it two stars (even with the lack of finishing the book) because the story line clearly has a lot of premise to it. I do wish he had fleshed out the backstory more (I always want this) and Tufo definitely has to learn how to write women characters (well, he needs to learn how to write any non-prime-of-his-life male characters), but I did like the plot when Tufo was actually writing about the plot.
eBully is a very quick read; I read this book in one day. It's a great book, that I very quickly got sucked into. I felt for the main character & her pain, and often relived my own, painful, tormented childhood, and wondered what anguish I might have gone through if I was a teenager today, instead of in the late 80's/early 90's, before anyone had heard of this thing called an internet. I admit, I didn't know who the eBully was until 3/4ths of the way through the book, which was wonderful because usually I figure out the "mystery" way too quickly (both in books & movies, which is why I don't often read mysteries). The heartbreak that everyone feels when the ebully is discovered & they realize that the person won't be punished felt very believable & real to me. And then there's a wonderful twist at the end that I absolutely HATED, but it's that you-love-to-hate-it vibe. And I hated how the book ended, but it worked so incredibly well, and was very well written.
The only reason why I gave this book four stars, instead of five, was I felt a few things were a little bit of a stretch of the imagination. I can't really see teenage boys acting quite as mature as they are portrayed in the book, not to mention what are the odds that all of these seeming coincidences that happen, all would really happen in such a manner? (I know, I'm very vague, but I'm trying not to give spoilers because the book is really excellent, but if I explained what I meant, I would completely ruin the book).
Great book, one definitely worth reading & discussing.
The only reason why I gave this book four stars, instead of five, was I felt a few things were a little bit of a stretch of the imagination. I can't really see teenage boys acting quite as mature as they are portrayed in the book, not to mention what are the odds that all of these seeming coincidences that happen, all would really happen in such a manner? (I know, I'm very vague, but I'm trying not to give spoilers because the book is really excellent, but if I explained what I meant, I would completely ruin the book).
Great book, one definitely worth reading & discussing.
This is a great book about Leigh & her wonderful dog named Slugger.
Leigh has CP, though as a child/teen she denied her illness. Through Slugger, she learns how to better deal with her disease, learns she is more than her disease, and learns how to love not only herself & Slugger, but others as well(OK, I realize this sentence sounds way too corny, but it's all true). Slugger not only improves her own life, but the others that Leigh works with in her career.
The book is written for young adults, so I admit I did not "learn" anything from the book. It was definitely interesting learning about how dogs are trained to become "work dogs" and how humans learn to work equally with the dogs, but nothing new was presented to me. This was not enough to really detract from the book at all.
The ending of course, is a tear jerker, and is the reason why I don't normally review books like this.
Leigh has CP, though as a child/teen she denied her illness. Through Slugger, she learns how to better deal with her disease, learns she is more than her disease, and learns how to love not only herself & Slugger, but others as well(OK, I realize this sentence sounds way too corny, but it's all true). Slugger not only improves her own life, but the others that Leigh works with in her career.
The book is written for young adults, so I admit I did not "learn" anything from the book. It was definitely interesting learning about how dogs are trained to become "work dogs" and how humans learn to work equally with the dogs, but nothing new was presented to me. This was not enough to really detract from the book at all.
The ending of course, is a tear jerker, and is the reason why I don't normally review books like this.
I very kindly received a review copy of this book, & unfortunately it sat until I had a chance to read it. Once I did, I quickly read & finished it. The book starts you off immediately into the main character's life, and as you can tell from summaries of the book, she quickly turns into a vampire. It's tough for her to adjust to her new reality, but she starts learning & training about how to become a vampire.
All in all, I enjoyed the book & will probably read the next book in the series.
I give the book 4 stars instead of 5 for two reasons:
1) I did not fall in love with any of the characters - I did enjoy reading about them, but I did not fall in love with them & I only give 5 star reviews to books when I both love the book & love the characters
2) Without spoiling you, I felt that the final climax of the story was too much of a stretch. If throughout the book, the main character doesn't like another character, doesn't trust her, feels something is "off" about her, then why would you put yourself into a situation when you are alone with her? And then wonder why you got yourself into this mess?
All in all, I enjoyed the book & will probably read the next book in the series.
I give the book 4 stars instead of 5 for two reasons:
1) I did not fall in love with any of the characters - I did enjoy reading about them, but I did not fall in love with them & I only give 5 star reviews to books when I both love the book & love the characters
2) Without spoiling you, I felt that the final climax of the story was too much of a stretch. If throughout the book, the main character doesn't like another character, doesn't trust her, feels something is "off" about her, then why would you put yourself into a situation when you are alone with her? And then wonder why you got yourself into this mess?
I love Sanna!
Sanna has all of my favorite things - knitting, magic, witches, young adult, fantasy, & in a vaguely historical setting. Author Roxie is a knitter, and you can tell this in the book, from how Sanna fixes injuries by "knitting" the bones (love the pun), to knitting magical self-heating socks & mittens to keep a friend warm. Sanna & her classmates are a bunch of girls, just out to have a good time, who are just happening to attend a magical school.
There's a bit of a mystery, there's a bit of romance, but all in all it's just a good fast read.
I only have one negative about the book, which isn't really a negative at all. I felt a couple of parts - especially the ending - were written a little abrumptly for my tastes, but I think it's more written for young adults, which of course, this book is. As an adult reader, I would love liked to have seen those parts a little more fleshed out, but I completely understand why Roxie wrote those parts the way she did.
I was thrilled to pieces to find out that there is another book in the series, too!
Sanna has all of my favorite things - knitting, magic, witches, young adult, fantasy, & in a vaguely historical setting. Author Roxie is a knitter, and you can tell this in the book, from how Sanna fixes injuries by "knitting" the bones (love the pun), to knitting magical self-heating socks & mittens to keep a friend warm. Sanna & her classmates are a bunch of girls, just out to have a good time, who are just happening to attend a magical school.
There's a bit of a mystery, there's a bit of romance, but all in all it's just a good fast read.
I only have one negative about the book, which isn't really a negative at all. I felt a couple of parts - especially the ending - were written a little abrumptly for my tastes, but I think it's more written for young adults, which of course, this book is. As an adult reader, I would love liked to have seen those parts a little more fleshed out, but I completely understand why Roxie wrote those parts the way she did.
I was thrilled to pieces to find out that there is another book in the series, too!
it was OK, nothing overlywhelming good or bad, just an average light romp
couldn't get into it, I didn't particularly find it funny, & just wasn't my type of book. I did receive a review copy of this book for free