Wulf C. Krueger

Ich sinniere nun schon ein paar Tage über dieses Buch und die Rezension, die es verdient. [a:Helga Bürster 11614100 Helga Bürster https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png], so erfuhr ich aus dem Nachwort, hat die Geschichte ihrer Großeltern erzählt.Das hat selbstverständlich seinen individuellen Wert, aber es sind so viele Bücher und Geschichten über die persönlichen Schicksale von Zwangsarbeitern auf dem Land geschrieben worden. Auch solche, in denen solche verbotenen Beziehungen geschildert werden, habe ich gelesen - obschon selten Kinder entstanden und die meisten dieser Beziehung tragisch endeten...Ist also diese eine Geschichte so besonders, so anders oder so erzählenswert? Ist Bürster eine so große Schriftstellerin, dass mich ihre Geschichte besonders ansprechen oder gar bewegen würde (oder müsste)?Der Verlag schreibt:“Helga Bürster erzählt wunderbar leicht und dabei doch tief bewegend davon, wie ein Schicksal die Jahrzehnte überdauert, wie das Schweigen über die Vergangenheit eine Familie überschattet. Sie erzählt von vier Generationen starker Frauen – und davon, dass es für Versöhnung nie zu spät ist.”Ja, Bürster schreibt leicht, aber leider nicht besonders beeindruckend. Es lassen sich auch keine besonderen Erkenntnisse daraus ableiten:»Johanne hatte nie viel von Urnenbegräbnissen gehalten. Der klägliche Rest, der da in die Erde gesenkt wurde, das hatte nichts mehr mit dem Menschen zu tun. Leo hatte sie mit seinen schlichten Sätzen jedoch zum Umdenken gebracht. Also stellte sie auch für sich fest:»Es ist in Ordnung.«»Ja. Das ist es.««Es liest sich also leicht und schnell weg, dieses Büchlein. Allerdings wird das oft, fast mantra-artig, wiederholte “Mazur'sche Schweigen” hochstilisiert zu etwas ganz eigenem - das ist es aber nicht: In der jungen Bundesrepublik gab es viele, die aus gutem Grund schwiegen, wegsahen und die eigene Verstrickung oder zumindest das Mitläufertum unter den Teppich kehren wollten. Andere wiederum schämten sich und schwiegen deshalb.Es war also durchaus schon ein kollektives Schweigen, gegen das dann u. a. Ende der 60er aufbegehrt wurde - “Unter den Talaren der Muff von tausend Jahren” u. ä. Aber auch das individuelle Schweigen, wie es die Familie Mazur betrieb, ist nichts außergewöhnliches - zumindest meine Generation kennt dieses Schweigen noch, war “Empfänger” dieses Schweigens. Meine Großmutter (geboren 1901 in Bremen) hat auch Zeit ihres Lebens geschwiegen, weil sie sich schämte, nicht mehr getan zu haben (zumindest ist sie, wie Zeitzeugen mir zu berichten wußten, “anständig geblieben”). Im Gegensatz zu Bürster habe ich nie versucht, dieses Schweigen zu durchbrechen und die klaffenden Lücken mit Worten zu füllen. Das bedaure ich.Luzies Erbe ist also relativ dürr und sie selbst trägt in der Gegenwart nicht viel zur Aufklärung bei. In der Vergangenheit, in den letzten Kriegsjahren, begleiten wir sie, Jurek, ihre große Liebe, ihre Eltern und die Dorfgemeinschaft ein Stück weit und auch hier las ich viel, das ich wusste, kannte und schon häufig gelesen hatte.Auch von und über Jurek erfahren wir leider nicht viel - Johanne, Bürsters alter ego kommt zu spät: Jurek versinkt bereits in der Demenz und weiß nichts mehr zu berichten. Ja, als Leser versteht man grob, warum Jurek ging. Viele Fragen - auch, warum Luzie ihn einfach gehen ließ - bleiben offen.Ich verstehe, dass Bürster wohl nah an der “erlebten Wahrheit” bleiben wollte, um dem “Mazur'schen Schweigen” eine Wahrheit entgegenzusetzen. Dennoch meine ich, dass es sehr verdienstvoll gewesen wäre, im Rahmen der Fiktionalisierung ein paar Antworten zumindest aktiv “anzudenken” und zu erzählen. Die Geschichte hätte dies zugelassen.So bleibt es ein kurzes Schlaglicht auf die Familie Bürsters, ein Dorf bei Bremen und - ansatzweise - Schuld und Sühne. “Bewegen”, wie der Verlag es meint, oder gar mitreißen konnte mich die Geschichte leider nicht.Vielleicht muss aber auch jede Generation gegen die Unmenschlichkeit des Nationalsozialismus, gegen das Vergessen und für die Erinnerung - gegen das Schweigen - anschreiben. Vielleicht wird “[b:Luzies Erbe 46144253 Luzies Erbe Helga Bürster https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1559651733l/46144253.SY75.jpg 71092080]” Früchte bei denen tragen, die noch nicht so viele Geschichten dieser Art gelesen haben. Der Geschichte - im mehrfachen Wortsinne -, der Autorin und diesem Buch wäre es zweifellos zu wünschen.Drei von fünf Sternen von mir.Blog Facebook Twitter Mastodon Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

I went into this knowing nothing but the title and was somewhat dismayed by the premise of a pocket of survivors of humanity on a destroyed, toxic, dystopian Earth. Nevertheless, the characters seemed interesting enough - Sheriff Holston, Mayor Jahns, Deputy Marnes...And then Howey goes GRRM and kills them all off and leaves us in an even worse situation:»The silo was rotten to the core; an evil man was acting Mayor; a puppet stood where a good sheriff had been; and all the good men and women were gone.«Enter Jules, a gifted technician - who's sent off to face certain death next; or perhaps death is not so certain after all?The entire beginning was slow-paced and disillusioning: We get introduced to potentially interesting people who are promptly taken away. Most of their backstories are never told, many important facts omitted and only ever alluded to but never properly resolved.Sadly, the pacing is also very uneven: Initially, we accompany the characters at a leisurely pace, then things get rushed, literally, through the door. Immediately after, the pace slows down to a crawl but at least some suspense is building up - only to quickly and easily dissipate.This pattern repeats itself: We're watching the protagonists act, everything is moving quickly, then we “zoom in” on some (usually disastrous) detail and wade through endless descriptions of how those characters feel and how incredibly dark the darkness is.Unfortunately, the characters are neither very interesting, nor do they have depth but mostly appear as sketches of well-known archetypes. Thus, it's hard to root for or even like any of them. I for one only liked Jules for her unbreakable spirit and iron will but that's it. Her love interest is an unlikeable, opportunistic, weak individual. Jules' main adversary is a malicious follower who claims to be just carrying out orders and shirks any personal responsibility.Except for Jules herself, I didn't care about the fate of any of the characters. I also kept wondering where the story would go: Will Jules rescue her silo? Will she establish a better society?? (And how?) Will she choose to remain at the other location? What will happen to the people she encounters on her journey? Will we learn more about the backstory of the silo's origins? What will the future look like? None of these questions are ever answered or even alluded to. The ending also felt very rushed and so many unlikely things happened (particularly with one character who underwent a completely unbelievable transformation).So, characters without depth, a likeable heroine, uneven pacing, suspenseful page-turner parts, plot holes that could fit galaxies, a passionate rebellion and friendship, many stairs and much darkness, and lots of good intentions as can be deduced from the story and the epilogue:»This collected work is dedicated to anyone who dares dream of a better place.«For this uneven “ride” of a read: Three out of five stars.Blog Facebook Twitter Mastodon Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

I must have read a different book from most others... I've read an extraordinarily cheap science fiction thriller that feels very dated, e. g. when NASA officials threaten to fax a secret to the newspapers, when they present evidence on a cassette tape and that caters to admirers of body horror at best.Yes, it's a thrilling page turner but of the 90s variety; think of the old b-movies with body snatchers and smart scientists, a cowboy-infested US government and many more stereotypical characters and story elements. It's mostly disgusting with cheap thrills and the intellectual depth of a puddle.I finished it less than a day ago and, thankfully, the “story” is already fading into oblivion. I'll stick to more modern works of Gerritsen.One out of five stars.Blog Facebook Twitter Mastodon Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

This was an all-around bad book. Most of the story elements were pilfered from the abundance of old films mentioned here, e. g. “Rear Window”, “Witness To Murder”, and large parts from more recent films like “Copycat”.It also reminded me a lot of an old song by Tom Lehrer: Lobachevsky.It has basically no redeeming qualities. If you want more details, read on, but be warned: Spoilers ahead!The protagonist, Anna Fox, is an ex-psychologist who suffers from agoraphobia after both her husband and her child died after an accident. She drove the car and was the sole survivor. She still talks to both of them and pretends they're alive but live separately. Anna is on strong medication but takes those with lots and lots of wine which she's getting delivered in bulk. She doesn't quite see dead people yet but suffers from lots of side effects.One day Anna witnesses a murder and nobody believes her. As a reader, I didn't give a rat's ass: Anna is almost criminally stupid and very unlikeable. Just like I didn't care about any other member of the cast - the father who is supposed to be protective but acts like a violent lunatic; the wife who's just plain hostile; the “good cop” who tries to understand Anna but doesn't really do anything to help; his “bad cop” partner whose character seems to solely consist of being annoyed... They're all shallowly depicted caricatures.All the characters, especially our drunken heroine, make the worst possible choices all the time. Anna herself is also weirdly written in that she's supposed to be 38 but reads like she's beyond 60. I saw every single twist coming and was solely surprised by how cheap and primitive Finn resolves them. Apparently, he lacks any sense of subtlety and suspense building.One star out of five.Blog Facebook Twitter Mastodon Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

I vividly remember a rainy, cold, ugly day on holidays with my parents when I was probably around six years old. The only upside was: They were playing games with me and I was allowed to eat as many sweets as I wanted. This was outrageous, unheard of, and I could neither believe nor really trust in my luck - so I revelled in sweets till I was on a sugar high (and beyond...).This is what reading this novel felt like: Sugary bliss. Just like all those years ago, I finished it all in one sitting, and suffered for it. I came across this novella on my Goodreads feed because the reviewer DNFed during the epilogue citing the “nauseating sweetness” - and, yes, it can't be denied: There's hardly any drama, the plot is negligible - it's a sugary fairy tale, completely over the top; a happily-ever-after wasn't good enough for the author and so her epilogue...Oh, well, if you're in the mood for a sugary, spicy romance that's going to allow you to shut off large parts of your brain, look no further - but be sure to come prepared for too much sweetness in too short a novella...Still, three stars out of five.Blog Facebook Twitter Mastodon Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

There seem to be two [a:Emily Henrys 13905555 Emily Henry https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1573928938p2/13905555.jpg]: The first one writes straightforward, somewhat simple rom-com novels like “[b:Beach Read 52867387 Beach Read Emily Henry https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1589881197l/52867387.SX50.jpg 67832247]” or “[b:Book Lovers 58690308 Book Lovers Emily Henry https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1638867089l/58690308.SY75.jpg 92341790]” which aren't outright bad but decidedly average in many ways. I read both, wrote a review and awarded three stars each and promptly forgot about them.The second Emily Henry writes much more nuanced and complex. With “[b:People We Meet on Vacation 54985743 People We Meet on Vacation Emily Henry https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1618913179l/54985743.SX50.jpg 67832306]” she created a novel about a decade of vacations that's, ultimately, about the concept of home. Now this Emily Henry, the one that I vastly prefer, wrote a novel about long-time friends and keeping up traditions that's in fact about change and personal growth.»Everything is changing. It has to. You can't stop time.«Harriet and Wyn were engaged, broke up months ago but never told anyone and now have to spend a week on holidays with their friends. Since this trip is the end of an era, everyone pretends nothing has ever changed and relies on their friends to play along. Which works astoundingly well, even though there are some tensions - until it all breaks apart.»A dangerous quiet, like one tiny peep might make the cracks spread, the house collapse.«I really enjoyed all the characters in this one: Especially Harriet and Wyn who are so obviously still in love with each other and yet so hurt they can hardly be in the same room without hurting each other as if by little pinpricks.For a long time, it seems like they can't be with each other, but also can't be without each other. This is also reflected in the short interlude chapters, which mostly revolve around Harriet's “Happy Places”. While I usually find such interludes distracting, here they felt perfectly fitting into the narrative of the “real life” that contrasts them.»My best friends taught me a new kind of quiet, the peaceful stillness of knowing one another so well you don't need to fill the space. And a new kind of loud: noise as a celebration, as the overflow of joy at being alive, here, now.«The way Henry shows how both Harriet and Wyn personally developed, changed, and grew while apart from each other was also very well done and allowed for both of them to carefully and cautiously come closer to each other and reacquaint with each other individually.»“Is there one that looks like us?” [Wyn] asks.They all do, I think. You are in all of my happiest places.You are where my mind goes when it needs to be soothed.«Thankfully, the other characters were similarly interesting and well-developed: Cleo who always seems to tread lightly and carefully - until she decidedly rejects strong suggestions and, thus, sets in motion a series of events both fracturing relationships while simultaneously revitalising them with greater resilience. Sabrina, who seems to be orchestrating, steering and, at times, manipulating people into doing what she deems best, is much less of a schemer at a closer look and much more of a good friend who is extremely afraid of losing her friends.»“I'm with Sabrina on this one,” Parth says.She holds the bottle up as she tries to cup a hand around her ear. “What's that? Is that just global warming I'm feeling, or has hell frozen over and Parth is actually agreeing with me on something?”“I'm agreeing with you,” Parth says, “because this time, you're right. It was bound to happen eventually.”«Every single person here is - in their own way - a mess. Complex, difficult, at times annoying, kind and brilliant, insecure and yet confident. In “Happy Place” Henry does more than just create a funny romance; she explores the complexities of love, friendship, and identity. She writes with humour, heart, and insight, creating characters that are relatable, flawed, and lovable.»“There doesn't need to be a winner and a loser. You just have to care how the other person feels. You have to care more about them than you do about being right.”«The setting of the Maine cottage is another highlight of the book. Henry does a great job of describing the beauty and tranquillity of the coastal scenery, as well as the cosy and nostalgic atmosphere of the cottage. You can almost smell the salty air, taste the cheese and wine, and feel the warmth of the sun. The cottage is more than just a place, it's a symbol of their friendship and their happy place.Finally, add the excellent pacing and good writing and you get a book that is hard to put down and easy to enjoy.And, of course, I loved how in the end “Happy Place” and “Real Life” converged.Five out of five stars.Blog Facebook Twitter Mastodon Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

This is the new low point of a once-great series. Once a series about Bruno investigating mysteries in rural France, and his friends, this has moved to international spy/tech fiction. This novel doesn't even have any real mystery anymore... The technological stuff isn't anything new or interesting, and the spy stuff is just completely over the top. As for the international setting, it involves France, the USA, Russia, China, India, the United Kingdom, Germany, and others... I won't hold back any spoilers (marked on platforms supporting that), so proceed with caution.The story is extremely simplistic: A top-ranking intelligence official, Kerquelin, is attacked and Bruno is investigating. Sadly, it is obvious early on that the attack was staged. The reason for staging it is never revealed, though, and it hardly makes any sense anyway...Kerquelin had invited friends to the eponymous chateau (which is never under siege, though...) and Bruno is baby-sitting them on orders of the ever-present General Lannes with the help of a squad of soldiers. These friends are supposed to be ultra-rich and ultra-smart Silicon Valley pioneers and, indeed, they're techno-babbling initially and are made to look like a secret society but even they're seriously under-used.Towards the end, they're even entirely forgotten about and there's no closure on many loose threads.Not so present, in contrast to Lannes, are all our old “acquaintances” from the earlier novels - yes, they're all mentioned in passing but they play absolutely no role in this novel. At one point, some of them chastise Bruno for having thoroughly friend-zoned his potential love interest Florence but that's it.Also weird: Bruno, who rarely resists female advances, rejects both Marie-Do and Claire for reasons unknown and neglects to tell Florence about the absence of any romantic feelings on his part. This is all very unsatisfying (sic). Since it's clear that there's no (attempted) murder, Bruno is supposed to find out who is out to get those tech people but even that is mostly done by and, ultimately, achieved by the soldiers under his command.Lastly, and worst of all, there's a rushed, lacklustre, cheap ending that leaves a proper Bruno novel to be desired. The ending feels like Walker finally ran out of patience with his own uninspired writing and the (lack of a) story and gave up.»This feels more like mobile warfare, with snipers and drones and grenades. I'm still trying to adjust.«I shared that feeling but refused and failed to adjust. This is not what I read these novels for.The entire novel reads like Martin Walker had absolutely no interest in writing another Bruno novel but wanted to show off his oh-so-brilliant insight into global politics and technology. At the very least, he didn't manage to write a proper mystery.One sad star out of five.Blog Facebook Twitter Mastodon Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

»Books are life, they are brain food, they bring joy, and relief, and connection.«(From the ackowledgements)Finally, a good one again! This novel was much more fun than I had expected and it had two brilliant protagonists.Olive and Ethan hate each other - until they don't. (Or maybe they never hated each other but who wants to be a spoil-sport?). On the tropical island of Maui they try hard not to fall for each other but fail miserably. The good thing is: They do so by actually communicating (mostly) intelligently and honestly with each other. They start to trust each other. They support and encourage each other. They grow with each other. Before that happens, though, I really enjoyed their banter:»“I am totally out of my depth here.”“That's been my general impression so far. Be more specific.”«(Is that great art? No, but it's highly entertaining.)Trust needs a deeper level, though, than just amusing, silly banter. Don't get me wrong: The “tropical island”, “holiday”, “summer beach read” vibes are strong in this one and that's wonderful and hilarious. That Christina Lauren is able to deliver on more serious aspects, surprised and delighted me:»Soon, Ethan and I are swimming completely in sync, our feet kicking lazily behind us. He points to things he sees; I do the same. There are no words, no verbal jabs. There is no desire to smack him or poke his eyes out—there is only the confusing truth that holding his hand down here isn't just tolerable, it's nice.«There's an amazing and refreshing balance between the humour and the emotion in the book. There were moments of laughter and fun, but also moments of vulnerability and honesty. The tropical island setting was also a nice backdrop for Olive and Ethan romance, as it gave them a chance to relax and explore.It's nice and, yes, romantic; wholesome even. Maybe I've become soft but I like that and I like it when our heroine simply decides to go for honesty “under duress”... »Honesty has always seemed to work best for us: “I'm freaking out a little that you suggested we spend the day together, just us, and it doesn't make me want to rappel down the balcony.”«There are still a few scenes during which I would have liked to grab them and force them to talk straight but mostly they simply do just that and it's so satisfying! I think they both showed a lot of maturity and respect for each other, which made me root for them even more.When at home, Olive and Ethan even get their priorities right:»“Garlic chicken first, sex second.”«(Speaking of that second “course”: It could have been a bit more spicy and detailed. The sex scenes were a bit too vague and fade-to-black for my taste. I would have liked to see more of their passion and intimacy, especially after all the build-up and tension. It's a funny, clever, warm, nice novel with a brilliant Olive and Ethan so I'd argue we deserve better!)As mentioned, Olive and Ethan are wisely using their time to build trust... Until they don't; in the third-act breakup - but even that feels plausible: Thomas believes his brother and not his partner. Olive is understandably extremely annoyed and disappointed by that and pretty much walks out on Ethan whereas he formally ends their relationship. And, at the time, it made a whole lot of sense. »I know now that it's a waste of my time looking for reasons, or fate, or luck. But I've definitely come to embrace choices in the past month or so, and I'm going to have to figure out which one I'll make where Ethan is concerned—do I forgive him, or do I walk away?«It even helps Olive along because she fully recognises her feelings for Ethan - and for herself:»I feel more myself with him than without, and that happened so fast, it's dizzying.«Even while pining for Ethan, Olive remains strong and self-reliant:»“I don't have to do anything where Ethan Thomas is concerned.”«And, ultimately, Olive's final conflict - trust him again or leave him for good? - also plays out plausibly: She knows very well her trust might be misplaced and that it might be a good idea to leave him - but she doesn't want to leave and trusts herself (and partly him). She prioritises love while seeing its risks and it is entirely her clear-headed decision. That is courageous and, in my book, admirable.I liked how Olive didn't let Ethan or anyone else define her or make decisions for her. She had her own goals and dreams, and she pursued them with determination and confidence. She also had a lot of self-awareness and self-respect, and she didn't settle for less than she deserved. I applaud that.For this much mutual honesty and fun, courage and thoughtfulness; for this fresh breeze of self-reliance and respect - how could I award anything less than five out of five stars?»“Ethan,” I whisper, and dart my eyes around, feeling the pressure of everyone's attention on us, still. This moment is starting to feel like a reconciliation, and as much as my heart and lungs and lady parts are on board for that, I don't want to roll over the deeper issue here, which is that what he did by ignoring my truth wasn't okay. “You really hurt me. We had this rare, awesome honesty, and so when you thought I was lying, it was really hard.”«Blog Facebook Twitter Mastodon Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

The Stationmaster's Cottage (Rivers End #1), by Phillipa Nefri ClarkA literary letdown of epic proportions: a painfully banal narrative filled with annoying characters, questionable dialogue, unending melodrama and a failed attempt at blending mystery and romance in the most abysmal way imaginable.This was a thoroughly, abysmally and disgustingly bad book. The worst book I've read in a very long time. I picked it up because it was shelved as Romance and Mystery, two genres that I usually enjoy and I was intrigued how this would play out.Little was I prepared for the almost unbearable banality of the “mystery” that turned out to be a silly family drama and the extreme levels of melodrama.»“How could you have done it?” Christie cried. “I will never forgive you. Never!”«(On a graveyard, towards a dead person, during a thunderstorm.)Basically, in the past Martha and Thomas were engaged but due to meddling by family and friends were never married. In the present, film and TV makeup artist Christie Ryan, Martha's great-niece, is also engaged. In her case to cliché “evil land developer” Derek who bullies her and becomes violent if he deems it necessary.The problem is: The past engagement drama is supposed to play out in 1967/1968. Martha and Thomas, each in their early twenties at the time, seem to be stuck in an earlier era:»“You need someone to curb your wild nature. Someone with a firm hand,” he whispered.Martha opened her eyes. “You can't tame the wind. Or the ocean, except in your paintings.” Her expression dared him to disagree.«Taming of the shrew? Yikes. Thomas behaves like that and Martha doesn't run...Christie is not much better in her interactions with her fiancé Derek.»Christie went numb. “Why don't you understand?”“I do understand. That's the problem, Chris. From the day we first met, I knew you needed a man who would guide you through life. You're too trusting and generous. I mean, those are admirable qualities, but it doesn't get you anywhere, and you'll end up being badly hurt.”But you're hurting me now! What did he want her to say? Apparently, nothing, as he was happy to continue.«That's pretty much the same Thomas said and Christie hardly ever ceases to find excuses for this kind of behaviour. Excuse me while I vomit.When Christie's grandmother, Dorothy the meddler, dies, Christie travels to River's End to attend the funeral alone because Derek prefers to visit a luxury resort alone instead of supporting Christie. Once there and somewhat settling in her newly-inherited cottage, the eponymous “Stationmaster's Cottage”, Christie finds and reads a lot of unopened letters from Thomas to Martha, her grandmother's diary and finds some revealing items and, like that, discovers what's behind the “mystery”. Those letters which we get to read in full as well, also read like they've fallen out of time. They're also just plain annoying and page-fillers.After half of the book I strongly considered DNF'ing but just couldn't bring myself to do it. That's when Martin, Thomas' grandson and Christie's new-found love-interest comes fully into play - and things go further downhill. Martin behaves arrogantly, patronisingly and is extremely and excessively dominant towards Christie whom he's interested in but collectively tries to punish for her major original sin:»If only she were not Dorothy's grandchild.«Christie feels that but nevertheless falls in love pretty much immediately and, just like that, picks up the next abusive guy:»Martin stopped. He half-smiled at his dog and Christie, still cuddling on the sand. “We need to talk. Walk with me.”It was a command, not an invitation. It took all of two seconds for Christie to get back to her feet and jog after him, Randall in tow.«(Randall being the real dog here...)I guess Christie likes him for his generosity towards her, though...»You only ever need to tell me what you want to, Christie. Just because I ask a question, doesn't mean you have to answer.”«The moment that broke the proverbial camel's back, though, came a bit later. Read carefully now and maybe, like me thrice, till you understand what the author of a novel published in 2017 (!) seems to find ok, if not condone:»“I'm not coming to your rescue anymore today. What are you going to do when I leave?”- “Lock the door.”“Lock the door. Didn't I ask you to do that last time I left?”Wide-eyed, Christie nodded. Martin slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her close against his body, forcing her to look up at him.- “The day for a discussion about respect, and now, about putting yourself at risk, is getting close. Before you leave this door unlocked again, think about how much you value sitting down to eat dinner.”«I get the author probably thinks Martin is just being protective and internationally-travelled Christie, successful in her career, is a damsel in distress who needs rescuing. Excuse me, though: Threatening, even as a “joke”, physical violence? That's just a total deal breaker and completely unacceptable. At that point, Christie should have kicked Martin's pompous and overbearing arse out and locked him out forever.(To boot, that happens immediately after Christie had already been threatened and physically hurt by Derek...)Of course, everything gets resolved as if by magic and, within a few weeks, Christie moves from one abuser, Derek, to a new one, Martin, but at that point, the novel is so far beyond redemption that none of that really matters anymore.I'm just glad to get rid of this novel. One out of five stars.Blog Facebook Twitter Mastodon Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

»Der Wind bläst, wohin er will,bei Regen wird alles nass.Bretonisches Sprichwort«So eröffnet dieser zwölfte Band in Bannalecs Dupin-Reihe und schon in diesem Moment dachte ich, “Okay... Was will mir der Autor wohl damit sagen?”. Leider ging es auch weitgehend genau so weiter.Diesmal geht es um den Mord am Ex-Mann einer Freundin von Dupins frisch angetrauter Ehefrau Claire, einem Winzer. Dupin und Claire sind gerade in ihren Flitterwochen an der Loire, als sie in den Fall hineingezogen werden. Wobei “hineingezogen” in Dupins Fall fast wörtlich zu nehmen ist, denn Claire ist wild-entschlossen, den Mord gemeinsam mit Dupin und ihrer Freundin Cecile aufzuklären und zerrt den sich diesmal beinahe wehrenden Dupin mit hinein.Was sich entspinnt, ist eine wilde Hatz zwischen - im Wesentlichen - zwei Handlungsorten, die Dupin und Claire, manchmal mit der sehr blass bleibenden Cecile im Schlepptau, immer wieder aufsuchen. Dabei schleichen sie sich an der örtlichen Polizei vorbei, verstecken sich auch schon mal in Schränken oder Kellern und tun ansonsten kaum etwas.»Dupin war unzufrieden, weit würden sie so nicht kommen. Er fühlte sich, als müsste er mit einem wackeligen kleinen Flugzeug eine Mission zum Mond unternehmen. Aber war das nicht immer so zu Beginn eines Falls?«(Leider ist an diesem Punkt aber bereits die Hälfte des Buches vorbei.)Eine echte Ermittlung kann Dupin mangels Zuständigkeit nicht aufnehmen und hatte er sich in früheren ähnlich gelagerten Fällen meist mit der örtlichen Polizei verständigt, trifft er hier auf einen klischeehaften “bösen Bullen”, der ihn abblitzen lässt.Da Cecile und Claire auch schon einmal auf eigene Faust ermitteln, gibt es auch immer wieder Momente, in denen Dupin fragen muss “Worüber habt ihr noch gesprochen?” und durch diese indirekte Ermittlung geht viel verloren.Nolwenn und die anderen kommen zwar vor, aber nur am Rande und selbst die sich ergebenden Möglichkeiten, sie einzubeziehen, lässt Bannalec weitgehend ungenutzt verstreichen. Cecile, die Ex-Frau des ersten Opfers, kann ebenfalls nicht überzeugen - zumeist ist sie am Boden zerstört, aber in den richtigen Momenten erwacht plötzlich und unerwartet die knallharte Geschäftsfrau?Claire bleibt ebenfalls schemenhaft und wartet ungeduldig auf ein Wunder, das Dupin den Fall aufklären lässt. Zwischendurch verbreitet sie Hektik und versucht sich selbst an Verhören.Viele falsche Fährten und lose Enden (Was sollte das Portemonnaie? Warum die Bedrohung? Was sollte der nächtliche Besuch?) und eine lieblose Auflösung, die Dupin einfach so - Deus ex Machina - in den Schoß fällt, es bleibt leider nicht viel vom bisherigen Reiz der Reihe.Ja, die Beschreibungen der Landschaft sind immer noch schön und schaffen ein Urlaubsgefühl, aber was hilft mir all das, wenn die Geschichte dünner ist als ein Blatt Papier? Zumal Bannalec es auch etwas übertreibt und sehr pittoresk und blumig wird:»Die heiligen Produktionsstätten, vermutete Dupin. Wo der überaus köstliche Muscadet kreiert wurde, den sie bereits probiert hatten. Beinahe alle Fassaden waren mit wildem Wein bewachsen. Die Trauben schienen reif, prall prangten sie in solchen Mengen, dass man sich fragte, wie die grazilen Reben sie tragen konnten.«Alles in allem konnte mich dieser neueste Dupin leider nicht wirklich überzeugen. Buchstäblich schön erzählt, reichen die positiven Aspekte bei weitem nicht aus, um die Schwächen der Geschichte, das uninspirierte Ende und die völlig banale Nebenhandlung um zwei Spechte zu kompensieren.Wohlmeinende drei von fünf Sternen.Blog Facebook Twitter Mastodon Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

Once more, a novel that wasn't bad - but not really good either. The simplistic plot, the huge cast, jumping around in time, many different points of views and the many clichés don't help either.Let's start with a plot: A rich guy, Rhys, whose career was on a downward spiral was murdered. Since he created a rich-people settlement in rural Wales, pretty much everyone from the nearby village hated him and two police detectives, Ffion and Leo, investigate the murder. That's something we've read countless times. Nothing about the plot is new. Not a single aspect.As for the cast: We have the afore-mentioned village and every single villager has a reason to hate and kill our victim. From the postwoman up to and including Ffion herself. Then there are the other rich people who also all have pretty good reasons for offing the victim.Many of these people are also rather superficially presented: There's the sexy social media influencer, the laid-back boxer-gone-actor, the teenage mother, the juvenile offender, the tough-grim nature-loving hermit/witch-doctor, the husband left behind who wants his wife back and many others. Almost all of them weren't well-developed and distinctive enough to make me care much about them or their stories. (Ffion being an exception here...)All in all, we get to know at least 20 people and most of them get a chapter or two to present how Rhys wronged them and after about ten of these chapters I was starting to think this was going to be an “Orient Express” scenario. Rhys has pretty much no redeeming qualities and why someone didn't kill him much earlier mystified me more than the actual mystery...All these points of view are also mostly told going backwards in time. (Unless we jump forward but have to figure that out on our own...). The murder occurred during New Year's Eve and we're going backwards to June (maybe in the same year? Not sure...) and then again forwards to June (the following year)...Among all this jumping around in time and space, about every other chapter is actually about our detectives trying to figure things out but their actual work gets mostly lost in between all the other points of view and the resulting tons of red herrings. I had a hard time following the investigation amidst all the other elements.Since pretty much none of those people are very interesting and things move along so slowly, there's only one point in the novel at which things actually get dramatic and interesting and that's a certain scene at night, during a storm on the lake - that (and what ensued) was the one moment in the novel that things actually became a bit suspenseful at least. That we don't even get to know in the end what becomes of the culprit doesn't even really matter anymore at that point...All in all, this was seriously average but at least I now know another series I won't pursue any further.Three stars out of five.Blog Facebook Twitter Mastodon Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

First and foremost, “[b:The Travelling Cat Chronicles 40961230 The Travelling Cat Chronicles Hiro Arikawa https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1532711745l/40961230.SX50.jpg 50618763]” by [a:Hiro Arikawa 4823030 Hiro Arikawa https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1553387795p2/4823030.jpg] is a tranquil novel that narrates the tale of Satoru and his feline companion, Nana. While the main plot revolves around Satoru searching among his friends for someone who can care for Nana, we are enlightened through flashbacks about the origins of these friendships.»Yoshimine changed the subject.“What's your name?”“Satoru Miyawaki. Nice to meet you.”He didn't have to say anything like Let's hang out, for by this time they were already friends.«From primary school to university and beyond, the amiable and empathetic Satoru effortlessly forges friendships wherever he ventures. However, it is beyond doubt that the most profound and significant bond in his life is with Nana. They share a mutual trust and affection that transcends words and species. They also support each other through difficult times and enjoy each other's company.»Whenever he stayed overnight at Satoru's, sleeping on the futon beside his bed, he'd often be woken in the early hours by four feet clomping over him. Feeling the weight of a cat's paws pressing into your shoulders in the middle of the night—not much beats that.«As is often the case, in this splendidly serene yet vibrantly colourful narrative, the journey, the quest for Nana's new owner, and the unique experiences shared by Nana and Satoru take precedence. I also liked how the novel gradually reveals the reason for their road trip, and how it connects to Satoru's past and present. It is a bittersweet and moving twist that makes the reader appreciate their journey even more.Through five episodic chapters, we organically acquaint ourselves with Satoru as we witness his warm-hearted and understanding interactions with his friends. Each character is granted ample time and space to unfold, wherein every friend, every companion possesses a well-rounded nature, and the diverse and distinctive relationships with Satoru take centre stage.Intelligently and occasionally laced with sarcasm and irony, the present is commented upon by Nana, who comprehends every word, yet can only respond to a limited extent.»“Oh, look—it's eating. How sweet!”“So sweet!”Hey, you idiotic couple. How would you like it if somebody pointed at you while you were eating? And today happens to be a chicken-breast-and-gourmet-seafood blend.How come cat lovers spot me every time? Whenever we take a break, they swarm around me. Pretty amazing, if you think about it.If you guys were the ones who fed me, then I'd be as sweet to you as the quality of the food merited, but Satoru's the one who feeds me. So let me focus on my food. Okay?«However, Nana exhibits exceptional ability in communicating with the animals belonging to his potential new owners...Arikawa delivers a beautiful, poignant, and utterly cohesive narrative. However, I must confess that my freshwater pool now contains a substantial saline component. Despite occasionally tugging at the heartstrings, the “Chronicles” never become overly sentimental.I also enjoyed the illustrations at the beginning of each chapter that fit the narration stylistically perfectly. Together, they create a magnificent piece of art. I think the book is a beautiful tribute to the power of friendship and love, and how they can overcome any obstacle or hardship.Five stars out of five!Blog Facebook Twitter Mastodon Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

This was my Schrödinger's reading experience: At the same time, this novel was what I expected - and it wasn't at all. And by simply reading, I influenced the outcome of the experiment! Thankfully, it all went down in a very good way.I smiled, grinned, and giggled my way through [a:Ali Hazelwood's 21098177 Ali Hazelwood https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1611084228p2/21098177.jpg] “[b:The Love Hypothesis 56732449 The Love Hypothesis Ali Hazelwood https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1611937942l/56732449.SX50.jpg 88674377]” and even a bit more so with her “[b:Love on the Brain 59571699 Love on the Brain Ali Hazelwood https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1657897729l/59571699.SY75.jpg 93021199]”. I almost feverishly waited for “[b:Love, Theoretically 61326735 Love, Theoretically Ali Hazelwood https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1681476644l/61326735.SY75.jpg 96703712]” and while I found myself smiling at the very first sentence, for quite a bit of the novel, I didn't really get the same “vibes”.Elsie seemed so naïve (a Goodreads friend of mine put it less favourably as “dumb af”!) and I wasn't entirely sure about Jack either. And then I started to understand that Hazelwood didn't seem to aim for the nerdy, uplifting, carefree romance/romcom I was expecting. She actually seemed to take time to build up both protagonists. »Professionally, my life sucks a bit. Psychologically, I'm not, as some would say, “healthy.” Musically, I should hire a tuba to follow me around. But on the upside, I've been killing it in the lunch invite department.«Elsie has been manipulated, psychologically abused, and gaslighted from childhood on by pretty much everyone - starting with her mother, her brothers, her (fake-) boyfriend, her mentor - everyone but her best friend and the latter's hedgehog. (Who she's deeply suspicious of anyway, though!)Elsie is so injured and so insecure, that she hides her personality and instead applies a strategy she calls “APE” - “Assess” what the person she's interacting with expects from her, which “version” of her said person wants to interact with. Next comes the “Plan” phase during which Elsie quickly calculates success chances, tactics, etc. to best please her counterpart and then she “Enacts” the plan most likely to succeed.Elsie can “read” anyone and hide from anyone - but Jack. And Jack has a razor sharp bullshit detector when it comes to Elsie.No wonder she's constantly tired. Elsie is a chameleon, or a shapeshifter, or changeling, if you will. She bends till breaking point and even with her best friend she's not entirely honest.Just like Jack I found myself wondering: »What happened to you, Elsie?«Speaking of Jack: Jack lost his mother at such a young age, he doesn't even have memories of her. What he got was a stepmother who ordered him to stop calling her “Mom” in a difficult situation. His father was pretty much absent. Greg, Jack's brother, with his own issues is much of a confidant but not entirely either.So we have two seriously “damaged” people meeting each other - and Elsie has been “trained” to despise or even hate Jack.So, how do two people like that get together? Like hedgehogs, very carefully. (I am a dad so I'm allowed that joke!) In fact, they both hesitatingly agree on basic honesty and, like that, they grow together. Don't get me wrong: It isn't all mental health and hide-and-seek between those two. Elsie, when alone in her own head, is a brilliant theoretical physicist and has very clear (and amusing) ideas...»Experimentalists . . . well, they like to fuck around and find out. Build things and get their hands dirty. Like engineers. Or three-year-olds at the sandbox.«(As an engineer I obviously find that comparison ludicrous and despicable but that's theorists for you...)I also cannot help but root for any person who believably says:»I think I might be happy.Though due to a lack of hands-on experience, I cannot be sure.«As so often, there's also lots to relate to:»I love this. Just as much as I thought I hated him. And Jack's right: this is going fast—too fast, maybe. But I wonder if certain relationships are living proof of Heisenberg's uncertainty principle: their position and their velocity simply cannot both be measured at the same time, not even in theory.«How often have I battled “Heisenbugs”? And didn't my wife propose after a few weeks and didn't we get married less than three months after our first meeting? For once even the final “hiccup” between Elsie and Jack felt believable and, actually, right. It made sense on many levels and I felt a kind of pride in Elsie standing up for herself - at potentially huge cost to herself. Elsie felt like the most honest character Hazelwood has written so far. (And she's right about the star of 2001 being HAL; about Lars von Trier; just not about Bing!)»I'm a mess. A work in progress. I'm two steps forward and one step back. I hoard my cheese, and I can't efficiently load the dishwasher, and I'm going to struggle with the truth until the day I croak.«Also: An Adam and Olive cameo (and so nice!) and Bee is mentioned? I'm melting! I remain convinced we're pretty much all messes. Unique messes, messy messes, ugly messes, wonderful and horrible messes. First and foremost, though: Irresistibly human messes. I like that the novel celebrates that and shows how two messes can find love and happiness together.This is certainly no perfect romance novel but it was nuanced, intelligent, empathic and, ultimately, something Ali Hazelwood is hopefully very damn proud of. I can hardly wait to see where Hazelwood takes us next. However else could I honour that but with full five stars out of five?»I treasure my newfound feelings. Hoard them. Every once in a while I study them, turn them around, squint at them like they're a ripe piece of fruit, plucked from a mysterious tree that shouldn't even be growing in my yard. When I pop them in my mouth to swallow them whole, they taste at once bitter and delicious.«Blog Facebook Twitter Mastodon Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

In modern mysteries, there seems to be a tendency to switch perspectives, to have two timelines and sometimes there are jumps in time. Now imagine an author who tries to be so modern that they make their book feature several a) timelines, sometimes colliding with each other, b) chapters from alternating points of view (some unexplained for a long time), c) jumps in time, d) features a non-linear narrative, and, what annoys me the most, e) an unreliable narrator.In the beginning, I was determined to immerse myself in all of it and thought about how fascinating it is that Loreth Anne White commands a broad spectrum of narrative styles. With more time spent “in” the novel, it became too much, though: The constant switching between both narrated time and perspectives became annoying. The jumps in time became increasingly confusing and don't get me started on the colliding timelines that occur near the end.There were also a lot of red herrings and wilful obfuscation by the narrator who we have good reason to suspect is actually reliable for most of the book - until the whole perspective shifts. Even those twists, though, weren't very well executed and, in many cases, not very surprising. I guessed the most important twist long before it occurred and, thus, read what happened with great detachment. The entire mystery is also very complicated and the lengths to which a certain character goes to achieve their goals is both implausible and highly unrealistic. It's a slightly more subtle and less violent revenge fantasy than a Charles Bronson film. It didn't help either that I didn't like any single character at all. I rooted for none, despised most and was able to tolerate three characters.Three stars out of five.Blog Facebook Twitter Mastodon Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

Here we go again... “[b:Frozen Minds 54997395 Frozen Minds (DI Winter Meadows, #2) Cheryl Rees-Price https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1597684747l/54997395.SY75.jpg 85620735]” is not bad; but, sadly, it's not good either. It's a convoluted story in which Rees-Price ventures onto thin ice; to write parts of the story from the explicit point of view, in some cases directly from the mind of a person with mental disabilities is problematic at least. I'm not sure I would call that attempt successful either.But the story itself is already too much: Complicated to the point of implausibility. While the motivations of the perpetrator(s) might hold at least some water, the execution of their plans amounts to trying to hold water with a sieve...Rees-Price undoubtedly means well in all she writes: From DI Winter Meadows who starts to become a team player...»Having transferred from London eighteen months earlier, he'd found it a little too quiet at first. Now he was used to taking cases usually dealt with by uniform, and when his department needed assistance, he was never short of help. There was no “them and us” in the valleys.«... to Blackwell who's gaining at least a rough sketch of a character, things do evolve somewhat, compared with the first instalment. Sadly, the same cannot be said of Rees-Price's talent as an author: Her characters are still very rough at the edges and lack nuances, subtlety, motivation and, in most cases, an actual perceptible character. Edris, for example, who was a young and hopeful newbie on the job, is now the caricature of a “young stud”. He is mostly busy ogling and flirting with same-age women and kissing Meadow's behind.»‘You've been right about everything else.' Edris grinned.«Poor Edris tends to tell everyone they put someone in their place. Repeatedly. With the exact same words, in the exact same context. Why am I mentioning such a detail? Because pretty much everything about Rees-Price's writing feels strained, effortful and cumbersome, almost clunky.I think most of her characters are shallow and stereotypical.Not just her choice of words, repetitions, but also Meadows' thoughts that are added verbatim to the narration in italics. That's either a serious lack of talent or laziness. Either way, I didn't like it.»‘Fine,' Jane snapped. ‘Do what you want, but please be aware that there are a number of confidential files on site containing sensitive information. I don't want you or your officers nosing in those files.'What was she hiding in them?«There are also lots of loose ends and plot holes - why is a certain person anxious during a police search when nothing ever comes of it? Unexplained.Why, ultimately, were certain choices made? Unexplained and not deductible either. Also: There were several points in the story during which it was absolutely clear to the reader what needed to be done and a hard-boiled ex-London cop doesn't? Excuse me...(Especially when what “needed to be done” would have amounted to just keep doing what they were doing instead of needlessly going elsewhere...) The mystery itself, albeit badly told and needlessly complicated, was rather simply structured. The exact same plot devices have been used over and over and over. There's absolutely nothing new. You feel like you've known the story and settings for a long time - just the character names have changed and the composition. It's sad because I liked the empathy that Rees-Price projects into Meadows (and even Blackwell, even though she's not good enough to write him well either) for the challenged residents of the home. I especially really liked how Meadows interacts with Kevin.And, yet, all in all, this felt like a waste of precious reading time. Bland literary fast food.Three stars out of five and, to finish with Kevin's words:»‘Bye bye, Winter Man.' Kevin grinned and climbed on the bus.«I will not continue reading this series.Blog Facebook Twitter Mastodon Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

»“Will you play a game with me, Mia?”«

And that's exactly what they're doing. Extensively and intensively.

This one started out so well: Briana and Jacob, two ER doctors start off on the wrong foot but end up falling in love through letters and lunch dates in a closet. And, yes, in the beginning, it's fun, heart-warming and a very nice read.»I don't have any tattoos. I've always been too afraid to commit to something so permanent. But Jewel is amazing at what she does, so I thought she'd give me something profoundly beautiful, an everlasting imprint that I'd cherish. Something I never knew I needed to carry with me through life.She gave me a tiny lawn mower on my chest next to a small patch of shaved chest hair.«I was congratulating myself on choosing such a great light read and was thinking how nice it is to read about plausible adults (both are in their thirties and “feel” like that) and how easily Jimenez seems to pull that off. »When I knocked at almost eight o'clock, my anxiety was at a low hum. But when she opened the door, it quieted down and then disappeared with a blip.«Ok, the ever-present topics of (fasten your seatbelt!) divorce, organ failure and donation, anxiety, loss of an unborn child, infidelity, depression, suicide, and even more, could have been a bit of a red flag (hey, this is a light romcom!) but for the most part, I was reading enthusiastically.For about two thirds of the book, it would have earned five stars from me. Potentially even an un-manly squeal on top.I liked the chemistry and banter between Briana and Jacob, and I appreciated how they supported each other through their personal challenges. I also liked the secondary characters, especially Jacob's sister and the parrot. They added some humour and warmth to the story.After many pages of fake-dating, though, I was starting to get impatient. Both Briana and Jacob had completely and undeniably fallen in love and the happily-ever-after was easily within reach - if only they had talked to each other. Miscommunication is one thing but not talking about the elephant in the room at all can only work for some time. Especially when it's a bright red, heart-shaped elephant that has “I love you!” written all over it.Even the “one bed only” scene doesn't move the story forward...Down we were to four stars.Jimenez doesn't find a good breaking point for making things real, though. When she finally does, drama immediately follows. Our protagonists barely get a minute to enjoy themselves. I was hoping for a short, relatively harmless drama, though, even though I should have known better because there were still about 20% of the book left...I was about to DNF and at three stars.When the first drama was resolved, I turned the page to the next chapter and the most idiotic thing happened that caused yet another - and much more severe - drama. The two “ingredients” to said drama were also so much over-the-top that my remaining satisfaction turned into annoyance and I was seriously considering to DNF once again. Especially so since Jimenez made Briana pull out the most cliché “argument” ever:»Jacob was a man. And men do what men do.«That left me with two remaining stars. Thankfully, there was not enough book left for Jimenez to disappoint me any more and the ending was passable.All in all, this started out great, embarked on a long dry (sic) spell and died from drama.Two out of five stars.Blog Facebook Twitter Mastodon Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

“People who believe in soulmates commonly accept that one will feel ‘complete' once they have found their soulmate, as it is partially in the perceived definition that two souls are meant to unite.”(Wikipedia contributors. (2023, May 17). Soulmate. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 09:12, June 8, 2023, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Soulmate&oldid=1155215827)I don't believe in soulmates. I believe in compatibility; in growing together, in growing in parallel and, yes, in growing apart. In fact, I feel that looking for someone else to “complete” oneself is, in many ways, highly problematic: Is such an expectation of a soulmate even realistic? Is anyone “incomplete” until such a soulmate has somehow materialised?It is important to cultivate a sense of self-worth and fulfilment outside of a romantic relationship, and to recognize that a partner should complement, rather than complete, one's life.So, what even brought me to read a book that would, obviously, be about soulmates? The promise of a nerdy romance! Sadly, even that didn't really work out: Jess, our heroine, is a statistician but apart from earning her livelihood and at one important point in the novel, that hardly plays any role. River, her potential “soulmate”, is a geneticist - or so he says because that, too, is “established” by a lame Gregor Mendel pun... Thus, this is more of a romance novel with some light nods to the characters' professions rather than a ‘nerdy romance'. »He was most comfortable when facing the fume hood with his back to the room, just him and some tubes and billions and billions of paired-up nucleotides.«(Give me a computer any old day and I'll be out of your hair for any length of time!)The humour fluctuates between that of adolescents...»Listen to this tagline: ‘Your future is already inside you.' Wow.” She set the card down and leaned back, grinning. “‘Inside you'? Did anyone read that out loud first?”«(Keep in mind: Jess turns 30 during the narrated time, her best friend, Fizzy, is slightly older...)... and more subtle and witty, with a touch of irony...»She was flanked by an empty seat on each side, a little buffer zone to protect the other parents from the infection of singlehood.«What also annoyed me was the intense level of Jess insecurity, overthinking and the mental drama she creates at times...»If she could only make herself believe this result, learning to tolerate his face for the sake of science wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, would it?«Enough of the negative, though, and let's move to the positive aspects that made me finish this. First and foremost: I liked the realistic portrayal of Jess as a parent: She tries to do her best, fails, tries again, and does it better. Shockingly much of parenthood is trial and error and the results often aren't less than ideal and even much less than what one tried to achieve. You can read books, you can try to prepare, you can make plans - you might not make the same mistakes your parents made but you will mess up. You can only take responsibility for said messes and keep trying your best with all the love you can give. And a little help sometimes...»Pink? Purple? Polka dot? Knock yourself out, kid. Jess had never had the luxury of being frivolous before; it felt strange but also wonderful. She watched Juno finish her dinner and pull out the iPad again, humming as she added art supplies to her cart.Whoever said money couldn't buy happiness had never seen this.«That said, I really liked how River interacted with Juno: treating her as an equal, never condescending, always empathetic - his behaviour in this regard is a real highlight. (Although it's always easier when it's not your own child that you spend 24 hours a day with.)I also very much enjoyed the friendship between Jess and Fizzy. The chemistry those two had eclipsed that of Jess and River at times. I have a feeling that this might not be a coincidence...»And, finally, to each other we say: You are my best, and here you are my only. And look ... we just wrote a book about soulmates. Funny thing, that.«(From the acknowledgements.)The communication between Jess and River was both enjoyable and frustrating: Jess recognizes a lot of good in River - and doesn't tell him. Even after situations that would have caused other relationships to fail, but not theirs, Jess still can't express her growing feelings. On the other hand, River shows his feelings and communicates non-verbally quite successfully. However, he makes significant mistakes towards the end, which Jess is able to compensate for.All in all, this would have been a three-star reading experience for me, if it weren't for this one thing...»“I haven't been home in years, but I feel that way with you.”«I too have found my home in a person. Unexpected, atypical, and head over heels. That was almost a quarter of a century ago. It wasn't always easy. We have grown, and grown together, raised three children. I don't believe in soulmates. I believe in you, C., and I love you.Four stars out of five!Blog Facebook Twitter Mastodon Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

»Another book, another JuneAnother sunny afternoonAnother season, another reasonFor breakin' with classics!«(Based on “Makin' Whoopee”, by Gus Kahn)So, 1969 is still too old for me or maybe it's just that this rambling, repetitive, dated-feeling, non-linear novel is a true classic in the worst sense of the word!Supposedly, it focuses on the firebombing of Dresden during World War II but in fact, it's more of an episodic play on war. The protagonist, Billy Pilgrim, is a prisoner of war, an optometrist and a time-traveller (since he suffered a brain trauma and had a major surgery done...) who experiences his life in a non-linear way and tells us about it. Actually, I'm tempted to say he threatens us, because he's become convinced he'll live forever, thus troubling us with his terrible anecdotes.Let's get the most minor annoyance out of the way first: »So it goes.« - that phrase comes up exactly 106 times in a novel of barely 200 pages (yes, every time some kind of death occurs, I know, doesn't make it any better). And it actually felt like a billion times.Several times I fantasised about shooting a bullet at Vonnegut while screaming “So it goes” at the top of my lungs!Also annoying: Billy Pilgrim's brain-surgery induced belief he had been abducted by aliens from the planet »Tralfamadore«. There they put him under a glass dome, abduct a beautiful young actress for him whom he proceeds to impregnate and he lives the life...Yes, I get he tries to rationalise his sense of powerlessness and isolation in a hostile world but I still hated it.»There could be babies without men over sixty-five. There couldn't be babies without other babies who had lived an hour or less after birth. And so on.It was gibberish to Billy.«(As was the novel to me!)Moreover, the novel is also factually wrong in many aspects: Dresden has a long military history dating back to the 16th century, when it became the capital of Saxony and a major political and cultural centre. It was also a fortress city with strong fortifications and a large garrison. During World War 2, Dresden was a military centre for the Nazi regime, hosting several military factories, barracks, headquarters and transportation hubs.For a novel that's supposed to centre on Dresden, arriving at it after almost 75% of the novel has gone is also somewhat strange.Also wrong: »It was the next night that about one hundred and thirty thousand people in Dresden would die. So it goes.«Actually, there were 22.700 to 25.000 victims who died due to those bombings. Why does this matter? Because it's still part of the narrative of the neo-Nazi plague that still infests (primarily) the eastern parts of Germany: While only about 20% of Germany's population lives there, almost half the rightwing-extremist crimes were committed there...»They were literary critics, and they thought Billy was one, too. They were going to discuss whether the novel was dead or not. So it goes.«So, no, the novel itself isn't dead. Just this kind of novel thankfully is. So it goes.One out of five stars.Blog Facebook Twitter Mastodon Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

»After twenty-two years of adventuring, Viv had reached her limit of blood and mud and bullshit. An orc's life was strength and violence and a sudden, sharp end—but she'd be damned if she'd let hers finish that way.It was time for something new.«Thus begins the story of Viv, a former orc swordswoman who retires from adventuring and opens a coffee shop, the eponymous “Legends & Lattes”, in the town of Thune. She makes friends with various fantasy creatures and faces challenges from a local crime boss and a former colleague who wants to steal her magical treasure. Rarely was a moniker, “High fantasy, low stakes” in this case, more apt because we're not off on a conventional fantasy adventure.Much more important in this entertaining and heartwarming novel are the relationships Viv and her friends build: In Thune, Viv is part of a small minority and doesn't care about outward appearances and societal expectations. She follows her passion and doesn't care about what others think of her. She also respects and appreciates the skills and talents of her friends and employees, such as Cal(amity) the Hob carpenter, Thimble the Rattkin baker, and Pendry the stonemason-gone-bard. Viv is a great example of a strong and independent person who can also be kind and compassionate.Not only Viv shines brightly, but every major character is unique, well fleshed-out in a vivid and colourful world that beckons to anyone who has ever played (A)D&D or similar - you'll feel right at home. Those characters are also immensely relatable...»The rattkin shifted from foot to foot and stared longingly at the coffee machine.“Coffee first?” he pleaded.«Most importantly, though, is the slow, sensible way Viv, the orc, and Tandri, the succubus, grow together: They have a very sweet and natural relationship that develops gradually and organically. They start as friends and co-workers who support each other and share their dreams and fears. They also have a lot of chemistry and compatibility, as they both love coffee, art, and adventure. They are not afraid to show their feelings and affection, but they also respect each other's boundaries and pace. I only would have wished to read a bit more about them.»It was easy to see how one might mistake her nature for something purely sensual, how one might glean only what they most desired from that densely-twined rush of feeling.Hers was a potent dialect of emotion, rich with meaning, comprehensible only to those intimately aware of its subtleties.«In addition, this is a charming and uplifting read: The novel has a light-hearted but not shallow tone and a humorous style that makes it enjoyable and fun to read. While there is little action, there are many peaceful and relaxing moments...»She leaned on the counter over a fresh chapbook, sipped her coffee, gazed at the blurs passing in the street, and gloried in a suspended moment of contentment.«It may sound like the beginning of a lame joke (“An orc, a succubus, a hob, and a rattkin go into a cafe...”), this novel is much more than that and, to me, highly enjoyable and I certainly hope to return to this world.Five out of five stars.Blog Facebook Twitter Mastodon Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

I became aware of “[b:The Silent Quarry 54625389 The Silent Quarry (DI Winter Meadows, #1) Cheryl Rees-Price https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1595342259l/54625389.SY75.jpg 47840651]” by [a:Cheryl Rees-Price 11551642 Cheryl Rees-Price https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1470078988p2/11551642.jpg] through the review of my Goodreads friend Barry. If Barry rates a mystery, police procedural or thriller highly, chances are high I'm also going to enjoy it.I was intrigued by the novel's premise of a woman, Gwen Thomas, who survived a brutal attack as a teenager that killed her friend, but lost her memory of the event. When she starts to remember what happened, she becomes a target again. Tempted by Barry and having been looking for the next good read, I basically pounced upon it and finished it in a few hours as it's a bit on the short side of novels.I immediately related to DI Winter Meadows, a perceptive but reclusive detective (my wife calls me a hermit...), who tries to find the identity of the attacker before it's too late. Beyond Meadows' professional interest he's further motivated by his teenage-crush on Gwen and the mutual metaphorical sparks are still flying between the two of them...I really liked Meadows because he's empathic and kind. He's an interesting character with a lot of (as of yet mostly hidden) depth. I also liked his interactions with his colleagues and the locals. He has a good sense of humour and a sharp mind. His casual weed consumption put a big (and, of course, entirely innocent!) grin on my face.»He plucked a book from the shelf and opened it. The inside was hollow and held a small bag of cannabis, a grinder, tobacco, and extra-long rolling papers. He rolled a joint, plonked himself down in the armchair, and lit up.«I also enjoyed how compassionately, fairly and understandingly Meadows treated Edris. He saw Edris' potential and gave him a chance to prove himself which the latter immediately proved worthy of.Gwen Thomas was also a very interesting character: Rees-Price's depiction of Gwen felt very authentic and disarmingly honest. Gwen is disgusted with her marriage, her jerk of a cheating husband and yet she does all she can to help. Even if it puts her in danger and potentially comes at great cost to herself. I admired her courage and determination to face the truth.There were quite a few twists that, I have to admit, I saw coming but still enjoyed - except for one that left me feeling sad...Speaking of sad: There were a few rough edges; the interesting setting of Wales doesn't really play a role at all. Apart from the names of the villages, this could have played anywhere rural. Apart from Edris, all of Meadows' colleagues remain underdeveloped, indistinct and flat.There also are a few loose ends: What is Carl Perkins going to do? What is Ariana going to do about Edris? Nevertheless, this was an engaging, suspenseful, intelligent police procedural and certainly a good entrance into this series.Four out of five stars.Blog Facebook Twitter Mastodon Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

I was looking for a quick, easy, purely entertaining read and that's what I got with “[b:The Bodyguard 58724801 The Bodyguard Katherine Center https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1637059607l/58724801.SY75.jpg 92420729]” by [a:Katherine Center 409113 Katherine Center https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1507831194p2/409113.jpg] - mostly.Pretty much for the entire first quarter of the novel, Hannah is supposed to be a tough, no-nonsense, bristly and business-like woman who is used to being in control. In fact, I read her more as a wooden, cliched character who seemed to have few redeeming qualities: She's not tough but basically always on the run from herself and her emotions. She's not bristly and business-like but acts rashly and impulsively...»And that's when, despite everything I had just decided about how getting myself to London would be the answer to all my problems, I said, “You know what? I quit.”«... while at the same time allows her boss to just walk over her...»I'm not sure anybody even heard me—except for Glenn, who brushed that declaration off with a glance, like I was an annoying insect. “You're never quitting. Like I already said.”«Even when meeting Jack, she's behaving like a bodyguard from kindergarten:»And that was before he shocked the hell out of me by opening the door.Shirtless.Just opened up the front door. To a total stranger. Utterly naked from the waist up. What kind of a power move was that?“Jesus Christ!” I said, spinning around and covering my eyes. “Put some clothes on!”«At this point, I pretty much expected to DNF this book and move on. I couldn't help but like Jack, though, and the way he carefully and sensitively disarmed Hannah with kindness and charm - and the slow, hesitant way she started to respond to it.Hannah starts off as a closed-off and guarded person, but she slowly starts to open up to Jack and his family. She becomes more vulnerable and more trusting, and she eventually learns to let herself love and be loved. To me, Hannah's character development is one of the strengths of the book.Hannah's journey to self-discovery, the beginning of Jack's healing process and the ways they helped each other basically is what made me finish this novel in one long evening. Despite its decidedly mediocre beginning, “The Bodyguard” turned into a funny, emotional, heartwarming, and ultimately uplifting story about love, loss, and finding your way back to yourself. Four out of five stars.Blog Facebook Twitter Mastodon Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

With a meagre 95 ratings and 16 reviews on Goodreads, “[b:Visible Amazement 775511 Visible Amazement Gale Zoe Garnett https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1178245107l/775511.SY75.jpg 761549]” by [a:Gale Zoe Garnett 588519 Gale Zoe Garnett https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] can probably safely be called an “insider tip” or “Geheimtipp” in my native German. It might also be due to the somewhat problematic subject matter... So, to get it out of the way immediately: Roanne tells everyone she's just turning 16 whereas, in fact, she is 14 and Pascal with whom she proceeds to have a sexual relationship is 42. This is in many ways, a significant and, yes, troubling aspect of the novel that raises important questions about consent, power dynamics, and the sexualisation of young girls.The portrayal of the relationship between Roanne and Pascal is done carefully and in a complex and nuanced way, exploring the emotional and psychological dynamics at play.At this point, you should choose: You can follow me and choose not to render judgement. I will neither condemn nor condone this relationship which would be illegal in my and most other Western jurisdictions and for good reasons as well. I simply refuse to judge ethically.The reason for that is that Roanne in many instances acts beyond her age: Growing up with her single mother Delores (whom she calls “Del”) and Del's partners, moving often, she has made many experiences that separate her from her peers. »I think when you move around a lot and don't relate really well with kids your own age, books can be an important alternative to suicide.«Her journey, which is triggered by her mother sleeping with a man whom Roanne has a crush on (he's also older and she also slept with him). Thus, the novel after a short introduction quickly becomes an unforgettable roadtrip, a journey of self-discovery, and a coming-of-age story. It's told in Roanne's own dialect (»superamazingbrillianterrific«) and words (because it's told somewhat episodically as diary entries), which is a mix of Canadian vernacular and big words. It's a funny, sad, and surprising story that explores themes of sexuality, identity, and family.From the very beginning, my heart went out to Roanne who feels misunderstood, lonely and isolated in pretty much every aspect of her life. Her adventures are wild, highly entertaining and emotionally immensely touching.She meets various eccentric characters along the way, such as a gay dwarf cartoonist, his brother Pascal, a son of evangelist celebrities, and a rich heiress. Roanne immediately captures pretty much everyone's hearts - including the readers' - because while she presents stories that will often raise more questions than answers, in her dealings with her newfound friends, she's direct, honest and authentic. The gay French dwarf with a humpback, smelling like strawberries? She loves his work, he's kind to her and that's all that matters to her. She accepts people's “weirdness” at first sight and treats people with respect and kindness herself. And get this: We're in the early 80s where such kind of acceptance was the rare exception...The novel drew me in irresistibly; I just couldn't get enough of the strange, outlandish and yet believable adventures of Roanne. Especially the authentic, sometimes rough and raw tone of the narration prompted me to research Garnett's life, as the novel read like a memoir in parts.»Thank you, sir,” I said. “I hope a whole family of starving scorpions nests in your fat ass,” I thought.«Some parts were very relatable for this German potato...»When I was seven, and Del was seeing Brian, who was Irish, he said, “When all else is out of the question, a person needs to eat a potato,” that potatoes would “soothe you, whether you were sick at heart or sick in body.” I don't know if it was just the power of suggestion, but ever since he said it, baked potatoes have been one of my major comfort foods.«(Try it for yourself!)There were a few points during which a potato would have been very, very welcome...»It is called GRID, “Gay RelatedImmune Deficiency.” Can you imagine, my very own influenza!« If you can suspend judgement, or are a Del (if you are, I salute you), and you want to go on an amazing, brilliantly told, wonderful, laugh-out-loud and cry, and sometimes both at the same time, trip; if you like roadtrips and coming-of-age stories, I challenge you, I implore you, read this novel. I've never read something alike before. One might say, I was visibly amazed!Five out of five stars.Blog Facebook Twitter Mastodon Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

In this latest instalment in [a:Lisa Regan's 6443334 Lisa Regan https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1589563239p2/6443334.jpg] Detective-Josie-Quinn series, Josie is called to the body of a young woman. She soon starts to discover links to past crimes, a wealthy family in a small town not far from her native Denton and even to Anya Feist, the local pathologist with whom Josie had already formed a fledgling friendship.As in most of Regan's books in this series, one of the team plays a big part in the mystery and in this novel it's the afore-mentioned pathologist who has a complicated past...Also in line with most of these police procedurals, the plot is very engaging: I found myself reading at pretty much every opportunity and it was with a heavy heart that I had to return to my other responsibilities. At many times, this book was a total page turner, exciting, thrilling and suspenseful.Whereas in a few previous novels in this series, there were problems with pacing or keeping things interesting, this was never the case in this one. After the unnecessarily brutal prologue, this book captured my interest and never let go. Beyond the interesting mystery and its satisfying conclusion, the new insights into Anya were well done and the developments between Josie and Noah were... promising!Also along on the ride - albeit in very minor capacities - are Trinity, Josie's twin sister, and her husband, Drake. There is also one very unfortunate event, but it does not detract from the book in any way. »No regrets.«All in all, this was a very entertaining and highly welcome return to Josie Quinn. If you enjoyed previous novels in this series, you'll feel right at home in this one and if you didn't, this might be a good second attempt!Five out of five stars!Blog Facebook Twitter Mastodon Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

I never learn... Classics and I are incompatible and yet I still hope to come to terms with at least some of them. “[b:Rebecca 17899948 Rebecca Daphne du Maurier https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1386605169l/17899948.SX50.jpg 46663]” by [a:Daphne du Maurier 2001717 Daphne du Maurier https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1422444467p2/2001717.jpg] was another attempt at just that - and one that failed.The unnamed heroine and narrator meets Maxim de Winter, a widower, agrees to his marriage proposal after a few weeks, and moves with him into his ancestral home Manderley where nothing much happens for a long time. The shadow of Maxim's first wife, the eponymous Rebecca, looms large over their marriage, and the new Mrs. de Winter finds herself constantly compared to her predecessor and struggling to fit in with the household staff and society.Maxim is also very thoughtless and inconsiderate towards the protagonist, especially in the early stages of their marriage. He doesn't fully open up to the new Mrs. de Winter about his feelings and emotions which leads to misunderstandings and a lack of communication between them. A lot of that stems from what our heroine calls her “shyness” which is more of a question of her being young, inexperienced, and lacking in self-confidence. She has grown up in a very different social milieu from the aristocratic world of Maxim de Winter.However, her lack of self-assurance and her fear of making mistakes often lead her to second-guess herself and defer to others, which initially gave me the impression that she was not very smart and I did not find her very likeable.Returning to Maxim, who is also often preoccupied with his own concerns and doesn't always consider how his actions and words might affect his new wife. For example, he takes her to Manderley, his family estate, without preparing her for the expectations and traditions of the household staff and the local society. He also doesn't defend her when she is criticised or belittled by others which in turn puts him into a rather unsympathetic light to me.Adding to that is the fact that Maxim treats his wife like a child (and actually calls her that...) or pet which she perceives pretty well:»That's what I do to Jasper,' I thought. ‘I'm being like Jasper now, leaning against him. He pats me now and again, when he remembers, and I'm pleased, I get closer to him for a moment. He likes me in the way I like Jasper.'«(Jasper being one of their dogs.)A lot of what made me feel rather coolly for the new Mrs. de Winter was based on her constant melodramatic and annoying self-pity (in contrast to self-compassion!):»As I sipped my cold tea I thought with a tired bitter feeling of despair that I would be content to live in one corner of Manderley and Maxim in the other so long as the outside world should never know. If he had no more tenderness for me, never kissed me again, did not speak to me except on matters of necessity, I believed I could bear it if I were certain that nobody knew of this but our two selves. If we could bribe servants not to tell, play our part before relations, before Beatrice, and then when we were alone sit apart in our separate rooms, leading our separate lives.”«What I really did like was the prose - its elegance, beauty, and artistry. Daphne du Maurier's writing style is characterised by richly descriptive language, vivid imagery, and a keen attention to detail that creates a sense of atmosphere and mood. Her prose almost flows like music, like a symphony, with a rhythm and flow that can be both soothing and haunting, creating a powerful atmosphere.The novel's language and style also reflect the time period in which it was written, with a focus on formality, decorum, and the conventions of English society. This adds to the novel's sense of historical authenticity and contributes to its enduring appeal as a classic of English literature. It really felt like being there, witnessing it all oneself.»She would tear off sheet after sheet of that smooth white paper, using it extravagantly, because of the long strokes she made when she wrote, and at the end of each of her personal letters she put her signature, ‘Rebecca', that tall sloping R dwarfing its fellows.«And, yet, that pretty much nothing continued to happen for more than two thirds of the novel frustrated me. Especially since after a certain discovery things started to happen very quickly. Pretty much at breakneck speed we're rushed through the final third of the novel with hardly any time to get “acclimated” to the new tempo. Things started to feel rushed until we came to the sudden and unexpected ending.Two out of five stars! The End.Well, not quite, actually: If you're into mostly character-driven Gothic novels and always wished you lived in early-twentieth century England as an aristocrat, this novel might be for you. For me, it's back to more modern endeavours. Blog Facebook Twitter Mastodon Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam