![]() ![]() Let's start out with the basics: the five 'Basic Laws of Human Stupidity,' as written in the front cover of my copy of the book, are:ġ: 'Always and inevitably everyone underestimates the number of stupid individuals in circulation.'Ģ: 'The probability that a certain person be stupid is independent of any other characteristic of that person.'ģ: 'A stupid person is a person who causes losses to another person or to a group of persons while himself deriving no gain and even possibly incurring losses.'Ĥ: 'Non-stupid people always underestimate the damaging power of stupid individuals. So let me just pound a metaphorical belt of Scotch and deconstruct this bitch. Well, I REALLY wanted to like this one, and I'm still not exactly sure that I didn't: it's complicated. ![]()
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![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Also, there’ve been a lot of challenges for her and her dad and it’s been nice to write him in a bit of a softer way than he gets written, because it’s his origin story, too. And then too, taking a relationship that has not been in real life yet, into real life, which is something that a lot of people experience these days. But even so, it is the challenge of growing into this new place that she found. I had on the first page of the outline for the first book that SmallvilleGuy is the only person she’s comfortable being vulnerable with. Her biggest challenge is being vulnerable in front of other people. And she is one of those characters who is always challenging herself and she doesn’t let herself off the hook either. We always meet her as an already established Pulitzer Prize-winner. Lois never really had a teenage backstory in comics. In your books, Lois is a teenager and not yet the person we’ve become familiar with. ![]() ![]() ![]() Gaining a love for what she is writing about, she takes her experiences and feeds them all back into her books, as they provide a great deal of material. These included such things as sky-diving, rock-climbing and hiking, all of which are a source of inspiration for both her and her work. Living an active life, she would take to the outdoors, undertaking extensive active pursuits and various activities. ![]() Taking in a lot of inspiration from her surrounding environment, she would manage to create a style that was all of her very own. This would then lead to her undertaking an interest in writing herself, something which she would work at building upon throughout the following years. Growing up in Los Angeles where she was born and raised, she would always be a voracious reader, always looking to immerse herself deep within a book. Showing her large and expansive universes in many rich colors and tones, she has a sense of vibrancy unlike any other in her field to date. This has lead to many finding a great deal of solace and escapism through her stories, as they bring to life her vast and ever impressive imagination. ![]() ![]() The American writer and author S Jae-Jones is an author of fantasy novels of an almost whimsical nature and tone. ![]() ![]() ![]() And Jason is not an ordinary college physics professor, but a celebrated genius who has achieved something remarkable. In this world he’s woken up to, Jason’s life is not the one he knows. Those are the last words Jason Dessen hears before the masked abductor knocks him unconscious.īefore he awakens to find himself strapped to a gurney, surrounded by strangers in hazmat suits.īefore a man Jason’s never met smiles down at him and says, “Welcome back, my friend.” A mindbending, relentlessly surprising thriller from the author of the bestselling Wayward Pines trilogy. ![]() ![]() Hands down these are the best characters Blue has ever written. We are all the walking wounded yet Blue shows us our frailties can be turned into our strengths. ![]() There is a maturity to this novel which thoroughly engaged my sensibilities. ![]() Not for a Moment is for readers looking for some heft with their romance. She simply wouldn’t know how to be good at it.Ĭheyenne Blue takes the fake girlfriend trope and turns it into a gut wrenching custody battle with a slow burn romance simmering on the side. The idea of having a long term girlfriend with a daughter was never something in her world of possibilities, be it real or fake. Andi never considered that she would have to repeat her performance every time the mother-in-law visited. Stepping in to say that her and Sarah were a couple felt like the right thing to do to protect her friend. ![]() Andi Barrons thought she was just helping out in the moment when Sarah’s ex mother-in-law berated her for being a single parent. ![]() ![]() Instead, Cal gets caught up in the disappearance of a local boy. Into this wilderness comes an American ex-cop looking to settle down for a peaceful life. Hands get dirty, animals get killed, skinned, and eaten, not necessarily in that order. ![]() The Searcher takes place out in rural Ireland, an isolated place of farms and local folk who've known each other's nasty business for decades. The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley is one that comes to mind.įrench returns to what I feel she does best with this book: grit and grime. I also really liked the dynamic between the two main characters in The Searcher - Cal and Trey - and would liken it to a couple of other book relationships I've enjoyed, but it would be a bit of a spoiler to do so. Cal was far more interesting to me than Toby from her previous book. That being said, once I did make it past those first hundred pages and finally settled into the rhythm of this story, I began to really enjoy it. Neither this book nor The Witch Elm have grabbed me as fully as her Dublin Murder Squad books always did. ![]() The Searcher was another slow-starter from French, in my opinion. Goodreads tells me I was reading this latest Tana French book for twelve days, though I'd say a good ten of those days was getting through just the first hundred pages. Cal feels like he ought to stand on a street corner handing out warnings, little pieces of paper that just say: Anyone could do anything. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() When he does not return, she develops pneumonia, and is saved by Jewish medical intern Israel Katz, who selflessly helps her get back on her feet. She escapes to Paris, where she is enchanted by American pilot Lawrence "Larry" Douglas, who promises to marry her when he returns from London. She comes to an epiphany that if she can control men, she can be powerful. She is initially devoted to her father, who capitalizes on her beauty when she comes of age and forces her to be the mistress of Auguste Lanchon, a well-off boutique owner. Set in between the two World Wars, Noelle Page is born to a poor family in Marseille, France, though she is led to believe she is better than everyone else. It was made into a 1977 film, and followed by a sequel written by Sheldon titled Memories of Midnight. 1 on the New York Times Best Seller list. ![]() The Other Side of Midnight is a novel by American writer Sidney Sheldon published in 1973. ![]() ![]() ![]() I have given The Speech at least a hundred times. It is not a piece without hope but the horror ultimately outweighed the ending, for me. It is also one I don't feel I could ever deliver, for how deeply its words have wounded it, despite the five stars I have awarded it. It has an important story to tell and a powerful message to deliver. ![]() This emotion is what made this an unforgettable piece. There is a brutality evident in every scene this delivers. In places it was almost too sorrowful to continue reading and I spent much of my reading straining to make sense of the words, through tear-filled and red-rimmed eyes. As protagonist, Paula, takes us through her life in a series of flashbacks, we are invited to bear witness to the utter sorrow that has chronicled it. Each character was given a voice truly of their own and the nuances in tone and expression made them immediately recognisable, to the reader. His characters felt authentic and their flaws exuded life and vitality often missing from other contemporary literature, I have read. Doyle provides a startling and insightful vision of suburban Irish dialogue and society. I admit I was fearful that his writing might not have aged well, when I read the synopsis and reviews that spoke of this cultural focus. I acquired a collection of his best known works and then did nothing else with them for a few years. ![]() This author has been on my radar since a creative course in university, when my lecturer provided us with her self-curated list of 100 books/authors to read in our lifetime. ![]() ![]() Living with the regret of making it himself, Ishan decides to train the 12-year old. Moving on, Ishan takes a great liking to one of the local Muslim boys, Ali with a magical ability to smash the ball for a six each time. Chetan's biggest strength as a writer is his ability to create interesting settings and situations. ![]() Omi's family helps them to get a rented place outside a temple, and soon enough the place is a hit with the locals. Given Govind's business acumen and Ishaan's love for cricket, the youngsters decide to open a shop that sells cricket goods. The story recounts the life of three youths, Omi, Ishaan and Govind trying to make a life staying in small-town Gujarat. The former especially works as an excellent satire on the education system I thought.Ĭhetan's third book, the just-launched Three Mistakes Of My Life starts off in the same effective manner as his earlier two books, but unlike the other two, this one starts to appear too far-fetched towards the middle and then just irrevocably falls apart in the end. That was evident with both Five Point Someone and One Night At A Call Centre. ![]() Also, when he isn't getting too filmy and over-the-top, Chetan actually manages to hold a story well enough. In a world where one is constantly striving to find time, it truly matters when you can actually finish reading a book within a couple of hours. ![]() The best selling feature of a Chetan Bhagat book is its readability. ![]() ![]() ![]() Listen to a Preview of the Brilliance Audiobook here The book’s fast pace and frequent dramatic moments will hold the attention of even reluctant readers.” – Publishers Weekly “An action-packed adventure featuring snowmobile chases, violent encounters, and Nate’s courageous attempt to provide aid, the book is also a poignant coming-of-age story. Wynne-Jones doesn’t strike a single false note in this beautifully written, compulsively readable adventure.– Booklist (starred review) “Wynne-Jones has done a superb job of verisimilitude and ratcheting up suspense in this page-turning mash-up of mystery and survival story. A fast-paced adventure that takes place in northern Ontario, The Starlight Claim is already receiving rave reviews! The Starlight Claim revisits the site and some of the characters from Tim’s Governor-General Award winning novel The Maestro. There’s no one to reach out to, no bars on his phone. ![]() There’s unfinished business and unexpected guests. That, unfortunately, is not the only problem awaiting Nate. In the Boreal Forest, it’s still winter and there’s a massive snow front moving in. It’s March Break and Nate Crow travels up to the family cabin on Ghost Lake with a weight on his heart far heavier than the one on his back. THE STARLIGHT CLAIM LAUNCHES ON SEPTEMBER 10!Ĭheck “Upcoming Appearances” to catch Tim at one of several launches ![]() |