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elouisedouglas's Reviews (721)
I was so impressed with how quickly this book was released when Coronavirus first hit and we all went into lockdown. I’m not so impressed with how long it’s taken me to read it, but that’s entirely my fault and not a reflection of the book!
As you would guess from the title, the book talks us through how to correlate our faith with the coronavirus pandemic in a healthy way, when the atmosphere around is is the complete opposite, and we might be tempted to draw away from God.
Split into 20 chapters, each is written by a different contributor and brings a different specialism and knowledge to the situation. Chapters like work, marriage, singleness, grief and loneliness.
And although it’s written by 20 different people, it flows really well and reads as a cohesive book rather than just separate articles, which was really nice. I think the reason it took so long for me to read is because a lot of the topics felt really close to home and I wasn’t ready to read it.
As you would imagine, each chapter is filled with biblical knowledge, pointing us towards the God who is with us in these unprecedented times:
It also challenges us to draw closer to God rather than pulling away, choosing prayer rather than anger to get us through the crisis.
I’m not going to individually review each chapter, because I think if you’ve got this far into the review, you should probably pick up a copy of the book and check it out – the kindle version was pretty cheap last time I looked.
I think while obviously written and focused on the coronavirus times, the book will be a useful reference when we hopefully get through this to the other side. Chapters like the one on the Psalms are a good guide for all times, not just in a pandemic, so I see myself returning to this book again in the future, hopefully when my head (and the world) is in a better place.
As you would guess from the title, the book talks us through how to correlate our faith with the coronavirus pandemic in a healthy way, when the atmosphere around is is the complete opposite, and we might be tempted to draw away from God.
Split into 20 chapters, each is written by a different contributor and brings a different specialism and knowledge to the situation. Chapters like work, marriage, singleness, grief and loneliness.
And although it’s written by 20 different people, it flows really well and reads as a cohesive book rather than just separate articles, which was really nice. I think the reason it took so long for me to read is because a lot of the topics felt really close to home and I wasn’t ready to read it.
We come to appreciate more than ever the wonder inherent in simple things like friendship, walks in the park, holidays, hugging or even just going to the pub.
As you would imagine, each chapter is filled with biblical knowledge, pointing us towards the God who is with us in these unprecedented times:
Because Christ came to remove from us the tyranny of the fear of death (Heb. 2:14–15), we can live in confident hope, carry out our daily tasks and selflessly serve others even in the most trying times.
It also challenges us to draw closer to God rather than pulling away, choosing prayer rather than anger to get us through the crisis.
As we seek to love others through this time, perhaps the most useful weapon in our arsenal is one of the simplest. We have a clear and direct line to God. He always hears our prayers, so let us be a praying people.
I’m not going to individually review each chapter, because I think if you’ve got this far into the review, you should probably pick up a copy of the book and check it out – the kindle version was pretty cheap last time I looked.
I think while obviously written and focused on the coronavirus times, the book will be a useful reference when we hopefully get through this to the other side. Chapters like the one on the Psalms are a good guide for all times, not just in a pandemic, so I see myself returning to this book again in the future, hopefully when my head (and the world) is in a better place.
I downloaded this as an audio book as something to keep me entertained for the many hours of decorating I’ve done over the last few weeks.
What I didn’t expect was for the book to leave me feeling as irritated as it did. I completely understand that it was the point of the book, but the constant irritation really detracted from being able to enjoy the book and the (mostly) lovely characters inside.
We start off with our main character Amy. She’s being surprised to a romantic holiday by her pig of a boyfriend, who rather ironically calls her piglet because she’s a little curvy. You immediately get the feeling that he’s completely destroyed her self-esteem, and I just wanted to punch his (imaginably) weasely little face.
Only it turns out that the romantic holiday she thinks she’s going on is actual more of a nightmare. You see, he has signed her up for a new reality show called ‘The Shelf’. She’s apparently not a good enough girlfriend, so this reality show will show her how to be better, how to be ‘The Keeper’.
Disgusting, right?!
Turns out he’s not the only obnoxious pig though, as there are 5 other contestants who have been ‘nominated’ for the show, and we follow these six women as they compete in ‘challenges’ to be able to stay in the house and prove themselves the winner.
The fact that they were such complicated, flawed and real characters was the only thing that made me continue listening to this audiobook, because the challenges and the people the contestants had to interact with were pretty vile and I found myself continually getting a bit angry.
The book highlighted perfectly how all women are different and want different things from their lives, and we shouldn’t all be pigeon-holed into the same mold, the picture perfect housewife. Because that picture perfect housewife doesn’t exist. The female empowerment angle was great.
But I think for me, because the female characters were all so varied, I would have liked to have more variation in the male characters too. I know what the book was trying to do, but not all men are completely arrogant and self-obsessed like the men portrayed in this book, and I would have liked to see this a bit more.
I can definitely see how some people may really take to this book, but for me the irritation was just too much for me to properly settle into the plot, no matter how much I liked Amy and the other ladies.
What I didn’t expect was for the book to leave me feeling as irritated as it did. I completely understand that it was the point of the book, but the constant irritation really detracted from being able to enjoy the book and the (mostly) lovely characters inside.
We start off with our main character Amy. She’s being surprised to a romantic holiday by her pig of a boyfriend, who rather ironically calls her piglet because she’s a little curvy. You immediately get the feeling that he’s completely destroyed her self-esteem, and I just wanted to punch his (imaginably) weasely little face.
Only it turns out that the romantic holiday she thinks she’s going on is actual more of a nightmare. You see, he has signed her up for a new reality show called ‘The Shelf’. She’s apparently not a good enough girlfriend, so this reality show will show her how to be better, how to be ‘The Keeper’.
Disgusting, right?!
Turns out he’s not the only obnoxious pig though, as there are 5 other contestants who have been ‘nominated’ for the show, and we follow these six women as they compete in ‘challenges’ to be able to stay in the house and prove themselves the winner.
The fact that they were such complicated, flawed and real characters was the only thing that made me continue listening to this audiobook, because the challenges and the people the contestants had to interact with were pretty vile and I found myself continually getting a bit angry.
The book highlighted perfectly how all women are different and want different things from their lives, and we shouldn’t all be pigeon-holed into the same mold, the picture perfect housewife. Because that picture perfect housewife doesn’t exist. The female empowerment angle was great.
But I think for me, because the female characters were all so varied, I would have liked to have more variation in the male characters too. I know what the book was trying to do, but not all men are completely arrogant and self-obsessed like the men portrayed in this book, and I would have liked to see this a bit more.
I can definitely see how some people may really take to this book, but for me the irritation was just too much for me to properly settle into the plot, no matter how much I liked Amy and the other ladies.
The final audiobook I listened to while decorating my spare room (yes…it took a long time). I think this book like the previous one may have been better to read rather than listen to as it seems like I missed out on extras like photographs again, but even so, it was a fabulous book.
Julie is a normal year six kid, but life changes for her when two new people start in her class – Chingis and Negrui. They’re immigrants from Mongolia, and from the moment they start, Julie imagines what it would be like to be invited to tea at their house. Chingis and Nergui decide that Julie is their ‘good guide’, and she helps them to settle in at school in an unfamiliar country.
When Julie finally manages to get to their house, she’s very confused by the reaction that their mum has to the arrival of someone new. But this is all explained towards the end when Chingis and Nergui are suddenly gone.
During the book, we find out that Chingis and Nergui are convinced that a demon is following them, and they end up on a fantastical journey with Julie. But it turns out the demon is more real than Julie ever thought.
Dealing sensitively and imaginatively with complex issues of refugees and immigration, this book was heart-rending but beautifully written. Although clearly aimed at a younger audience, I was gripped the whole way through.
And after reading the afterword where we find out that the book was based on a real Mongolian girl who settled into a school and then was deported, I was so sad. Definitely a great book to recommend to younger readers to open up the topic of refugees and hopefully start a conversation and some learning.
Julie is a normal year six kid, but life changes for her when two new people start in her class – Chingis and Negrui. They’re immigrants from Mongolia, and from the moment they start, Julie imagines what it would be like to be invited to tea at their house. Chingis and Nergui decide that Julie is their ‘good guide’, and she helps them to settle in at school in an unfamiliar country.
When Julie finally manages to get to their house, she’s very confused by the reaction that their mum has to the arrival of someone new. But this is all explained towards the end when Chingis and Nergui are suddenly gone.
During the book, we find out that Chingis and Nergui are convinced that a demon is following them, and they end up on a fantastical journey with Julie. But it turns out the demon is more real than Julie ever thought.
Dealing sensitively and imaginatively with complex issues of refugees and immigration, this book was heart-rending but beautifully written. Although clearly aimed at a younger audience, I was gripped the whole way through.
And after reading the afterword where we find out that the book was based on a real Mongolian girl who settled into a school and then was deported, I was so sad. Definitely a great book to recommend to younger readers to open up the topic of refugees and hopefully start a conversation and some learning.
I picked up this book as something to listen to when I was decorating the spare room, and while this wasn’t an easy listen, I definitely learnt a lot.
We never really learned about American history at school, so although this book was aimed at a younger age range, it was the perfect level for me. Starting with the civil war, the book takes you through the history of black America leading to the founding of the NAACP.
Despite the intended audience, the history is presented factually and without hiding some of the worst parts. I genuinely found myself getting upset at points listening to this book and realising how recent a lot of it was, and then obviously thinking of what’s currently going on in America right now.
I see from the other reviews that the book includes lots of photos etc and obviously this wasn’t included with it being an audiobook. I think I would benefit from reading this as an actual book rather than just listening to it, because with there being so many facts in there it was a lot to take in without being able to re-read paragraphs.
I’d love to read more non-fiction books like this, it’s only be learning about world history that we can be aware enough to avoid repeating it.
And I’d just like to say that the narrator was fantastic, really clear and easy to understand and a voice that made me want to keep listening, which was very important given the difficult subject matter.
We never really learned about American history at school, so although this book was aimed at a younger age range, it was the perfect level for me. Starting with the civil war, the book takes you through the history of black America leading to the founding of the NAACP.
Despite the intended audience, the history is presented factually and without hiding some of the worst parts. I genuinely found myself getting upset at points listening to this book and realising how recent a lot of it was, and then obviously thinking of what’s currently going on in America right now.
I see from the other reviews that the book includes lots of photos etc and obviously this wasn’t included with it being an audiobook. I think I would benefit from reading this as an actual book rather than just listening to it, because with there being so many facts in there it was a lot to take in without being able to re-read paragraphs.
I’d love to read more non-fiction books like this, it’s only be learning about world history that we can be aware enough to avoid repeating it.
And I’d just like to say that the narrator was fantastic, really clear and easy to understand and a voice that made me want to keep listening, which was very important given the difficult subject matter.
This was the perfect antidote to The Shelf, leaving me feeling warm and fuzzy with a big smile on my face.
Our main character, Ros, has just come back from America. She won’t tell anyone why she’s back when she supposedly had her dream job out there, but we know that something must have gone wrong because no-one comes back from America to live in a (literal) shed at the bottom of their parents garden unless something bad has happened.
What she wanted was to come back to her old life, but it seems like nothing is the same. Apart from her newly randy parents, her friends are all having babies and moving on with their lives and she feels like she’s going backwards.
So now she’s back, she gets a new phone and sends out a mass text message to all the contacts that were restored from her backup. What she doesn’t expect is to get a reply from her ex-boyfriend who thinks she has got in contact with him specifically. But she’s craving her old life so much that she gives him another chance, and although we can see him treating her like absolute dirt, she thinks he’s good for her. Or maybe she just can’t see the better option staring her right in the face.
I love how the story gradually develops and we see Ros starting to try move forward with her life instead of trying to go back to the past.
My favourite thing about this book (especially in comparison to the last one) was that the cast of characters surrounding Ros were so fully fleshed out and supportive of Ros rather than making me mad. And the ending of course, I love a happy ending and I’m so glad that Ros got the ending she deserved.
I’ve not read many books by Lindsey Kelk before, but I’ll definitely be looking for more.
Our main character, Ros, has just come back from America. She won’t tell anyone why she’s back when she supposedly had her dream job out there, but we know that something must have gone wrong because no-one comes back from America to live in a (literal) shed at the bottom of their parents garden unless something bad has happened.
What she wanted was to come back to her old life, but it seems like nothing is the same. Apart from her newly randy parents, her friends are all having babies and moving on with their lives and she feels like she’s going backwards.
So now she’s back, she gets a new phone and sends out a mass text message to all the contacts that were restored from her backup. What she doesn’t expect is to get a reply from her ex-boyfriend who thinks she has got in contact with him specifically. But she’s craving her old life so much that she gives him another chance, and although we can see him treating her like absolute dirt, she thinks he’s good for her. Or maybe she just can’t see the better option staring her right in the face.
I love how the story gradually develops and we see Ros starting to try move forward with her life instead of trying to go back to the past.
My favourite thing about this book (especially in comparison to the last one) was that the cast of characters surrounding Ros were so fully fleshed out and supportive of Ros rather than making me mad. And the ending of course, I love a happy ending and I’m so glad that Ros got the ending she deserved.
I’ve not read many books by Lindsey Kelk before, but I’ll definitely be looking for more.
http://louiser89.com/2013/12/28/review-j-k-rowling-harry-potter-philosophers-stone/
When I pre-ordered this book earlier this year, I didn’t know how much I’d be in need of a good laugh when it finally was released in September. 6 months into lockdown/weird corona times and this book arrived in a week where I was feeling a bit down in the dumps. It proved to be just what I thought it would be, the perfect tonic.
If you’ve not listened to Chris and Rosie’s podcast, first of all, you’re missing out – go start from the beginning and don’t stop until you’ve caught up.
This book takes a very familiar format to the podcast, with Chris and Rosie’s writing in different fonts (genius!) so that you can tell who is talking, and the back and forth banter that we’re so used to.
As I was reading, I was reading it in their voices, and it genuinely felt like sitting down and having a chat with friends.
A very honest talk about dating, relationships and marriage, I thought it was brill – with both of them (as on the podcast) not afraid to open up.
If I had to pick one minor thing as a negative, the book seemed to end very abruptly. I was really enjoying the chapter and then I turned the page and it was finished. I had kind of expected a closing chapter to wrap it up or at least an acknowledgements page or something, but perhaps I was just being greedy and wanted more!!
I really hope Chris and Rosie write a follow up, I could listen to them/read them all day long.
Posted on: https://emmaloui.se/2020/09/05/chris-rosie-ramsey-shged-married-annoyed/
If you’ve not listened to Chris and Rosie’s podcast, first of all, you’re missing out – go start from the beginning and don’t stop until you’ve caught up.
This book takes a very familiar format to the podcast, with Chris and Rosie’s writing in different fonts (genius!) so that you can tell who is talking, and the back and forth banter that we’re so used to.
As I was reading, I was reading it in their voices, and it genuinely felt like sitting down and having a chat with friends.
A very honest talk about dating, relationships and marriage, I thought it was brill – with both of them (as on the podcast) not afraid to open up.
If I had to pick one minor thing as a negative, the book seemed to end very abruptly. I was really enjoying the chapter and then I turned the page and it was finished. I had kind of expected a closing chapter to wrap it up or at least an acknowledgements page or something, but perhaps I was just being greedy and wanted more!!
I really hope Chris and Rosie write a follow up, I could listen to them/read them all day long.
Posted on: https://emmaloui.se/2020/09/05/chris-rosie-ramsey-shged-married-annoyed/
This was the last of the audio books that I listened to while decorating the spare room – a random choice from the library app on my phone. I love Neil Patrick Harris and I was so glad that he narrated this book himself.
Obviously you can probably tell that this is a kids book, and he’s such a good narrator for kids, very engaging and dramatic in all the right places.
The book itself was not fully my cup of tea if I’m honest. It was really well written and an engaging story, but just not really for me – maybe I’ve lost my inner child!
Carter is a street magician used to performing magic tricks with his uncle. And tricks is just what they are – used for stealing and scamming. Carter doesn’t believe in magic because of what he’s seen of these tricks, and when he runs away from his uncle, the last thing he expects to find is real magic, and real friends.
Full of adventure and the newly forming friendships, it was a lovely story. Interspersed within the chapters were introductions to magic tricks, which for me didn’t really translate very well to the audio format so I skipped through most of them, but I bet kids would really love this!
Posted on: https://emmaloui.se/2020/08/23/neil-patrick-harris-the-magic-misfits-1/
Obviously you can probably tell that this is a kids book, and he’s such a good narrator for kids, very engaging and dramatic in all the right places.
The book itself was not fully my cup of tea if I’m honest. It was really well written and an engaging story, but just not really for me – maybe I’ve lost my inner child!
Carter is a street magician used to performing magic tricks with his uncle. And tricks is just what they are – used for stealing and scamming. Carter doesn’t believe in magic because of what he’s seen of these tricks, and when he runs away from his uncle, the last thing he expects to find is real magic, and real friends.
Full of adventure and the newly forming friendships, it was a lovely story. Interspersed within the chapters were introductions to magic tricks, which for me didn’t really translate very well to the audio format so I skipped through most of them, but I bet kids would really love this!
Posted on: https://emmaloui.se/2020/08/23/neil-patrick-harris-the-magic-misfits-1/
I’ve had this book on my shelf for ages, and having read it, I really wish I’d picked it up so much earlier (at the start of lockdown, but ideally way before that), as it has taught me so much about myself.
Just a heads up (I finished writing and had to come back to add this), this review feels a bit more like therapy than an actual review, but I just had to write about how much I personally connected to this book, so feel free to move on if you’re just wanting a straight up review
Just a heads up (I finished writing and had to come back to add this), this review feels a bit more like therapy than an actual review, but I just had to write about how much I personally connected to this book, so feel free to move on if you’re just wanting a straight up review
http://louiseradcliffe.com/2011/07/28/now-reading-david-nicholls-one-day/