Ms. McKay is always cheerful and generous with her carrot soufflé. She always wishes everyone a good day and is always ready to help anyone in need.
SaMs. McKay is always cheerful and generous with her carrot soufflé. She always wishes everyone a good day and is always ready to help anyone in need.
Say what you will, or say what you may, There’s nobody else who is like Ms. McKay.
A delightful story about a generous and kind old woman. The story has great rhyming and beautiful and colorful pictures. There was one grammatical error but other than that it is an enjoyable read.
4 stars
Merged review:
Ms. McKay is always cheerful and generous with her carrot soufflé. She always wishes everyone a good day and is always ready to help anyone in need.
Say what you will, or say what you may, There’s nobody else who is like Ms. McKay.
A delightful story about a generous and kind old woman. The story has great rhyming and beautiful and colorful pictures. There was one grammatical error but other than that it is an enjoyable read.
Anna dreamed of becoming the Prima Ballerina since she was young. Her dream of becoming the Prima Ballerina did not come to fruition but she had yet aAnna dreamed of becoming the Prima Ballerina since she was young. Her dream of becoming the Prima Ballerina did not come to fruition but she had yet another dream and that was to have a beautiful wedding with her fiancée, Seb at one of the most prestigious hotels in London. But when that dream also comes crashing down, she has no choice but to move back to her childhood hometown with Seb. Anna does not fancy moving back as it is a small village and she feels that life moves slowly if at all in Nettleton. She also does not fancy facing all the people from her childhood because when she was leaving a decade ago, she said that she won't ever come back to this backwater of a place. Well, life has other plans.
That blurb sounded so amazing that I could not wait to dive into this. And that starting was perfect. I was reeled in by the picturesque setting and Anna's inner turmoil. Anna had a high-paying job with an equally important title. She was on the top when it came to fashion and everything chic. But when things went sideways, she had to move back and had to start a job working in the village's only antique shop. The people around her were really unkind and I wanted to know all the reasons for their hatred toward Anna, but I found none. Anna supposedly had a lot of attitude when she was a teenager and Anna's mum had wanted her to work hard at ballet so she could make it big in the industry as Anna was a natural. That's it. That was the reason for everyone's hatred toward her that she wanted to leave the small town and move to a bigger one with big dreams. All these so-called adults could not let that go even a decade later.
In the beginning, it was all good but then Anna's attitude changed. Some for good, some for bad. Anna's character grew up for sure and I liked that. I also liked that her dreams changed and she found happiness. I am really happy for her but there were so many problems that I found with the writer's opinions.
Pretty much everyone was rooting against Anna in Nettleton but then they also asked her for help. Hypocrites! Anna knew that they are being hypocrites but she never stands up for herself. For example, Jackie (I think that's what her name is) says so many mean things right after asking for Anna's help and Anna did not even once tell Jackie off. This happened a few times in only a span of a few pages. The children she's been helping were equally ungrateful, I can ignore that as they were kids. Then there was her own best friend (I forgot her name) who was always steering Anna the wrong way and again Anna just goes along with that. I mean this was a recurring thing that did not sit well with me. For Anna to be so determined, she sure was a foot mat for these people.
The worst thing for me was how Anna's father was made out to be a hero and her mother was made out to be a monster. Her father cheated on her mother multiple times when Anna was a child and that's why Anna's mother decided to move away with Anna. She taught Anna to dream big. In the end, the writer made fun of Anna's mother dating younger men in her old age and getting Botox and stuff like that when Anna's father was dating Anna's best friend from school in the present even after Anna told them that she isn't happy about that. It was the same best friend who was always steering Anna the wrong way and then she starts to date Anna's father like that's not disgusting. Anna's mum always played the biggest part in her life but when it came to her wedding, Anna did not even bat an eyelash when her mum said that she won't be attending if Anna's father were to attend because Anna's father did humiliate her all those years ago and frankly, that was the start of all these events. Also, Anna's father wasn't even there for her when she found out about her dad's cheating. I mean, seriously? We are still shaming women who stand up for themselves and for getting Botox and dating younger men but rally behind men who date women half their age and in this case, his daughter's best friend even after putting the ex-wife through all that hell.
Also, the book is supposed to be about the wedding but the wedding was barely covered in a few pages right at the end which I skim-read anyway because I had lost all interest in this and did not want to DNF so I read very quickly. The reason was Anna's mum not attending and how she was shamed as I mentioned before.
I completely forgot about the fiancée Seb and turns out so did the writer. He was barely there and even when he was, he was a generic guy. There's nothing remarkable about him. He had no personality and he definitely had no chemistry with Anna.
I know I am in the minority when I say that I did not mind Anna as other people have called her unlikeable but to me, she was not that unlikeable. I actually understood her position as it couldn't be easy to move from a big job and big town to a small town with basically no job prospects. Other than that, she didn't do anything wrong to have everyone treat her the way they treated her. Once again, the people around her were way too harsh, and immature, and honestly, they were the unlikeable ones to me.
To sum it up, I loved the beginning, I loved Anna's character growth, I liked how her dreams changed, and I loved the picturesque setting but other than that I have listed enough reasons for me not enjoying this as much as I thought I would.
Rose and Dimitri are back and they are travelling to Dimitri's hometown to see his family. This was a bitter-sweet read for me as I love Rose and I liRose and Dimitri are back and they are travelling to Dimitri's hometown to see his family. This was a bitter-sweet read for me as I love Rose and I like Dimitri but I didn't want them to end up together. Oh well!
I do love the Vampire Academy universe that Richelle Mead created and I'll read anything set up in this. This was a good short-story. Not my favorite but still I enjoyed it.
4.5 stars
Merged review:
Rose and Dimitri are back and they are travelling to Dimitri's hometown to see his family. This was a bitter-sweet read for me as I love Rose and I like Dimitri but I didn't want them to end up together. Oh well!
I do love the Vampire Academy universe that Richelle Mead created and I'll read anything set up in this. This was a good short-story. Not my favorite but still I enjoyed it.
Wanting things to stay the way they were, knowing nothing ever did.
Melody can't sleep as her father would be punished in the morning for committing anWanting things to stay the way they were, knowing nothing ever did.
Melody can't sleep as her father would be punished in the morning for committing an unforgivable crime. She can't do anything about it but let the punishment take its course. She is fourteen years old and has a younger brother, Jeremy. As punishment, her father is banished from the village with a corpse tied to his back and her father has to carry the weight of the dead until his last breath unless he survives it as there are rumors that some survive the punishment known as the Rot. Melody frequently visits her father beyond the gates of the village and starts to come up with plans of saving her father as she needs her father to stand between her and the leering men of the village. Would Melody be successful?
This kicked off as a post-apocalyptic, dystopian story where the technology fried out a long time ago in a world known as World Ago, before the Day the Sun Roared and I was hooked. And that premise of being punished with the weight of the dead was stomach-churning and interesting, to say the least. The writing was engaging and I loved the strong female character but towards the end, the story takes a turn that I could not like as much as the rest of the story. I felt that after such an amazing story, the end was not as satisfying as I had expected it to be.
Miquon doesn't remember much besides her name and that her memory was stolen and she has to catch the thief of memory if she has a chance of ever haviMiquon doesn't remember much besides her name and that her memory was stolen and she has to catch the thief of memory if she has a chance of ever having the life she had before.
I can't say much without giving away spoilers but this was an excellent short story that had me confused for the most part. I didn't think I'd like this but that ending was brilliant but heartbreaking. Although I loved the story, the writing had a few errors.
Karyn has a rare form of synesthesia which means that can feel the sound waves on her body. When her teammateThat’s when things started getting weird.
Karyn has a rare form of synesthesia which means that can feel the sound waves on her body. When her teammates don't return from a cave that's rumored to be haunted in the sense that people hear strange noises within and then end up killing themselves and/or others, she decides to walk within and unlock its secrets.
This was truly a horror story along with being claustrophobic and anxiety-inducing too. The writing was engaging but the ending in my opinion wasn't as good as the buildup.
Raina is fourteen years old and she has a younger sister, Amara, and a younger brother, Will. Her mum is planning a road trip to Colorado from CaliforRaina is fourteen years old and she has a younger sister, Amara, and a younger brother, Will. Her mum is planning a road trip to Colorado from California with Raina and Raina's siblings. Both Raina and Amara aren't thrilled to be in the car with each other as they constantly fight. They may be sisters but not much is common between them except for their art and drawing.
This was fun and cute. Although the story was quite predictable, I nonetheless loved Raina and Amara's bickering. I loved that they are quite different yet the same. But most of all, I enjoyed Raina Telgemeier's art. It is cheerful, uplifting with subtle colors and displays stunning backdrop scenery from California to Colorado. A good follow-up to Smile.
Maralinda is a novice in the sisterhood of Saint Nicola. She's been training for years and wants nothing more than to be a full sister in the sisterhoMaralinda is a novice in the sisterhood of Saint Nicola. She's been training for years and wants nothing more than to be a full sister in the sisterhood. When the vicious Invaders from Mars attack, she has an opportunity to prove herself and she gets battle ready.
I loved the blurb. It sounds fascinating and kickass so I hate to say that I did not enjoy this. It took me a while to get into the story if I can call it that because there isn't exactly a story and by the time I started to enjoy it, it came to an end. The action fell short of my expectations. The setting is interesting and it is decently detailed but other than that I didn't like anything else.
Dog man gets hurt in the line of duty and the chief is worried. Petey is gearing up for an interview where he would explain why he became bad and thenDog man gets hurt in the line of duty and the chief is worried. Petey is gearing up for an interview where he would explain why he became bad and then good. As usual, Grampa is up to no good, and Li'l Petey and Molly are getting on Petey's last nerve.
This was all over the place even more than usual. The humor is getting worse and unfunny. I did like the ending though.
Klara loves fairytales and she works at the Baron's household as a kitchen maid. When a mysterious butStories are everywhere, and everyone tells them.
Klara loves fairytales and she works at the Baron's household as a kitchen maid. When a mysterious but beautiful woman with long black hair and skin as white as porcelain comes knocking on the kitchen door, Klara opens it to let her in. Klara believes that the mysterious woman is a lost princess and she has come to attend the ball that is to be held in a few days' time. Now, Klara has to make sure that the lost princess does attend the ball and dances with the prince as it happens in all the fairytales and finds her happily ever after.
This was a dark and mysterious tale that reads like a fairytale but it also reads like a spy thriller as it is set in the time of WWII. I loved the world-building and the writing is utterly captivating. Klara's child-like fairytale-obsessed POV works really well in narrating the story. The second half was rushed a little but other than that this was a lovely read.
Telnan of Ranler goes in search of The Desecrator as instructed by Sethra Lavode. He enjoys some parts of his journey whilst others he hates but he maTelnan of Ranler goes in search of The Desecrator as instructed by Sethra Lavode. He enjoys some parts of his journey whilst others he hates but he makes it to the cave where he thinks that he'd find The Desecrator. But when he gets there, another surprise is in store for him.
This was a lovely short story and I particularly enjoyed the narration style. Even though I am not familiar with this world, things made just enough sense (not initially though) for me to end up enjoying this and I liked it as a teaser into this world.
There’s nothing like the magic of reading to ease the most damaged heart.
Aria Summers runs a travelling book shop from her little camper-van. She loveThere’s nothing like the magic of reading to ease the most damaged heart.
Aria Summers runs a travelling book shop from her little camper-van. She loves life as a nomad as no two days are the same and she gets to do what she loves which is selling books whilst travelling. Aria generally goes from place to place and meets new people but her best friend is Rosie whom she's known for over a year and has been travelling with her since then and also Max, who is with Rosie but has his own separate travelling business. They decide to leave London and head over to the French Riviera for the summer. Rosie plans everything as she's a planner and Aria and Max and a few others are along for the ride.
Aria lost her husband to cancer three years ago and since then she's shut herself from love mainly because she thinks that she can't feel for anyone else what she felt for her late husband, TJ but when she feels a spark between herself and Jonathan, she's conflicted further because she thinks that she's betraying her late husband's memory. She's relieved a little when she's leaving Jonathan back in London as she's going to travel to French Riviera but when Jonathan pops up in France, she's not sure what to make of it. Aria struggles with her feelings. Would she be able to find her peace?
Besides, you can’t really plan when you’re a nomad.
First of all, I didn't know that this was the second book in the series when I started reading it but that's all right as the first book was not about Aria even though she did appear in that and this kinda works as a stand-alone for the most part. Secondly, the laid-back book cover caught my eye and the blurb sounds nice too.
It started out good at least the first couple of chapters but I have to say that this was quite cring-y right from the beginning. Aria is a thirty-something woman but the way she acted won't tell you that. And there is no story here. Aria, Rosie, and Max travel to French Riviera with some others and meet new Van Lifers there. They attend some fairs and cash-in. They meet Jonathan who turns out to be a famous French writer but Aria didn't know that and she can't understand (I wondered that too) why a famous, rich, and handsome French writer would be interested in her and at the same time, she doesn't want to think about love. I mean this is it. We keep circling about this pretty much the entire book right until the end with a couple of other things thrown in there.
I don't understand why Aria was so against love whilst thinking about love even though her late husband had told her to live her life happily and find love. As I said, this got repetitive. I do have to say that I felt no chemistry between Aria and Jonathan. It is revealed that Aria and Jonathan spent a day reading together some time ago but not much else so the whole thing felt forced to me. It could be because I didn't read the first book but I wasn't a fan of their romance.
Then there's Jonathan's past where his marriage failed with his ex-wife and they were childhood sweethearts. It is made out to be that it was all his ex-wife's fault even though he was equally responsible for that but he took no responsibility. And this infuriated me. He says that his wife didn't understand what he was going through but he didn't even try to tell her and just left her to go live in seclusion and didn't contact her much, he says this. After all this, he expected a better outcome for his marriage. Seriously? Now, I am totally against infidelity but again he was equally responsible for that outcome.
Aria loves books. She lives and breaths books. She sells books. She buys books. I get it. I never thought that I'd say this but the words bookworm, book nerd, book lover, etc. were thrown in there so many times that those felt overkill. And honestly, the use of those words in every paragraph didn't feel organic.
I liked that Aria found her peace and I liked her friendship with Rosie.
This was my first read from Rebecca Raisin and I don't know if I'll give her other books a chance as I was so bored with this one. I tried, I really tried but I couldn't really care for any of the characters. I think this could have benefitted from editing too as I found so many errors in my copy. Even the lazy, idyllic, summer-laden, and beautiful backdrop of the French Riviera wasn't enough for me to love this. And that ending felt abrupt too or maybe it was just me but I was hoping for an epilogue to see how they'd manage the relationship. Overall, a disappointing read.
Mary learned to read and write at Sunday school, but she wanted to learn more. She had so many questions about the bones and fossils she found, and shMary learned to read and write at Sunday school, but she wanted to learn more. She had so many questions about the bones and fossils she found, and she needed answers! She borrowed books and copied scientific papers. She sketched intricate drawings of her discoveries, and she made notes.
This picture book is about Mary Anning also known as Princess of Paleontology and the Dinosaur Lady. It serves as a biographical read with eye-catching colorful pictures. This talks about the highlights of her life and how she overcame the sexist and discriminatory society two hundred years ago and became the first person to discover the remains of dinosaurs.
There are also some bone bits and fossil facts mentioned at the back with more details of Mary Anning's life. A great way to teach kids the basics of Paleontology. I highly recommend this.
Eugenie knew better. Her dream was as big as a whale shark. So again, Eugenie dove.
This is a picture book about Eugenie Clark who was known as the shaEugenie knew better. Her dream was as big as a whale shark. So again, Eugenie dove.
This is a picture book about Eugenie Clark who was known as the shark lady. Eugenie loved the ocean from a very young age and she wanted to explore more about the sea including sharks. She discovered three new species of fish - Red Sea sand diver: Trichonotus nikii, Barred xenia pipefish: Siokunichthys bentuviai, and Volcano triplefin: Helcogramma vulcana.
I loved this. This picture book not only tells Eugenie Clark's love for sharks and the sea but also encourages young children to follow their dreams. It has an author's note at the back and it also gives some basic information about sharks at the back. I love the colorful illustrations too. Very educative and a must-read for all.
Jenna and Victor get engaged on Victor's last day in the town. When Jenna stops hearing from Victor, she seBut don’t think about the bad things, girl.
Jenna and Victor get engaged on Victor's last day in the town. When Jenna stops hearing from Victor, she sells the ring for a petty amount of cash and moves on. But now two years later, Victor is back in town and so is a haunted Camaro. Jenna comes up with an idea for Victor to pay back.
I liked the compelling start, and I liked the end but it does die down somewhere in the middle. Overall, a bit predictable but decent horror story.
“Beta, opportunity does not come looking for you,” his father said, squinting again. “You must create it. There is always a way to make things better.“Beta, opportunity does not come looking for you,” his father said, squinting again. “You must create it. There is always a way to make things better.”
Rohit is a third-generation American-Indian. When he gets an opportunity to go back to India and work in an organisation called India World, he is beyond ecstatic. He thinks that India World is a theme park but only to realize that is not the case as it happens India World is much more than that but I couldn't tell you what it was because I didn't understand it myself.
I can totally relate to Rohit's feelings to do more for one's country and I am sure this story was supposed to be Rohit's bigger purpose or something but honestly, it didn't make much sense to me. I am sure there were one or several hidden messages but I failed to understand any of them. The story was all over the place, the writing was boring. I don't know if it takes place in the future or alternative timeline or what because again not much was clear. No one is more upset than I for not liking this.
Kerry's touch is lethal. She can turn living things into granite and when accidentally she turns her parents into granite, Flint from the Silver HelixKerry's touch is lethal. She can turn living things into granite and when accidentally she turns her parents into granite, Flint from the Silver Helix, an organization that helps people with special powers and abilities takes Kerry under his wing. After living solitary for some time, Kerry embarks on her first mission but that mission turns out to be something that she was not ready for in any way.
I have been enjoying all these short stories written in this Wild Cards universe and this was no exception. It started out great and there was a lot of tension but the ending dragged a little and that's what has affected my rating. An excellent addition nonetheless.
Elliott is the Director of Animal Affairs at a University that deals in emotional support animals for the students there. Today, he finds out that TatElliott is the Director of Animal Affairs at a University that deals in emotional support animals for the students there. Today, he finds out that Tatiana Prentiss is bringing a new support animal who is supposed to be a dragon. They don't know what to expect until they actually find out that it is in fact a dragon. So, turns out that Tatiana actually managed to summon a dragon and they feel that the dragon is in pain and Tatiana doesn't realize that. Tatiana has ADHD, PTSD, and BPD.
The cover is beautiful and the blurb is vague which definitely made me read this story. I think this was supposed to be about people with mental health issues and diagnoses and working with young people along with a bit of fantasy thrown in there. I don't know what I was expecting from this story but it was not what I actually got. I understand there is a profound hidden meaning in here but nothing works here for me, unfortunately.
Sometimes you can only do your best and nothing more.
Cayhun is a young man who lives in a village near the forbidden forest. They are all told by the Sometimes you can only do your best and nothing more.
Cayhun is a young man who lives in a village near the forbidden forest. They are all told by the village priest not to enter the forest as it contains a demon who is trapped in the King's sword. The forbidden forest line contained different types of fruits and plants, some edible some not. One day Cayhun goes way past the forbidden line and he hears a voice calling out beware, beware. Cayhun quickly makes his way out of the forest unharmed. On his return, he finds out that his little sister who was suffering from a mysterious illness has passed away. He blames his father as his father didn't treat his sister. Now, he doesn't want to join his father in raiding another village for food and grain so he flees deep into the forest and sees the very same King's sword. There were many myths about the King's sword. One myth held that the King’s Sword was cursed. Another myth held that whoever could touch the sword without dying would become the new king. Would Cayhun be cursed or would he become the King?
Nothing is apart from anything else in this forest. Our roots intertwine.
This story is told in nine parts and it has a very interesting premise. The story contains so much information about the plants and spore (given the title is Sword & Spore) that I don't recall another story talking about this. This has a wonderful amalgamation of both magic and science but not enough of either. Parts of it also read like a fairytale. The world-building could have been better but the writing flowed. I think for a short story this felt rather long, especially the last three parts but overall, I really enjoyed this.
We were losing ourselves and we were losing one another, falling away through the unnumbered days.
An eleven-year-old boy lives in a small town with hiWe were losing ourselves and we were losing one another, falling away through the unnumbered days.
An eleven-year-old boy lives in a small town with his father and day in, day out they go through the motions. He finds life boring and wants to leave it behind but no one has ever left the town before. When a Chronologist comes to their town to check on their tower clock, the boy realizes that the Chronologist has successfully left this town many times so he decides to follow the Chronologist to find his own escape too. Would the boy be successful?
Yet the place wasn’t entirely strange to me, which was somehow the strangest thing of all.
I loved the main character. He has no name which is really weird but works rather well for this bizarre but engaging story. The unnamed boy wants to escape the drudgery of life in his small town and ends up messing with time travel. And the way time travel works in this story is also messy.
Lost as I was, it was like greeting an old friend.
A fascinating tale. The prose was mesmerizing and the story even though it was predictable, I enjoyed it. The world is eerie and kept me on an edge. I think the world-building could have been better but other than that I loved it.
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