Friday 27 December 2013

#406 ~ Midwyf: Liza

Midwyf: LizaMidwyf: Liza by Valerie Levy

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



(Book #1 in the Midwife Series)




On the plus side, this was a gruesome subject handled well, with a nice underlying story to it.  It appeared well researched and authoritative.

However, as a negative there were a whole host of oddly "hyphe-nated" words .... see, who annoying that is?  The hyphenation seemed to make little sense, being mid-line etc.,and I am wondering if this was some kind of formatting error - I will add a list of them in the Bug Bear/Errors section of the blog. From my own personal point of view I found it distracting, and therefore it lost a star, with an overall score of 3 stars.

I'm not sure that it grabbed me enough to invest in the whole series, but never say never.


Product Details:

This was one of my Daily Selection of Amazon picks back in April 2013, and as you can see from the date of this Review I am really behind on my To Read List.  You can get a copy HERE - Kindle file only listed a £2.62.

240 pages
Indie publisher
Historical Fiction genre
Adult - no overt sexual content


Errors/Bug Bears:

The bizarre hyphenation, that seemed to make no sense, below is a list of examples:

Page 12 - disap-peared
Page 20 - Occasion-ally
Page 26 - embroid-ery and noble-man
Page 28 - experien-ced
Page 39 - suffer-ing
Page 56 - glist-ened
Page 59 - enq-uired
Page 61 - dist-urbing
Page 102 - conseq-uences
Page 116 - con-sidered
Page 142 - accom-plish and com-manded
Page 159 - ab-domen
Page 176 - hap-pening
Page 177 - sup-pressed

As they were quite often at the beginning or mid-sentence, I could so no point to them, and can only assume that it's a formatting errors - it needs resolving in any event, as it lost this book 1 star from the rating.

Happy reading.

Hugs

Kay

Thursday 26 December 2013

#405 ~ Macbeth: York Notes

Macbeth York Notes for GCSEMacbeth York Notes for GCSE by York Notes

My rating: 5 of 5 stars






Excellent to purchase when you are preparing for a Controlled Assessment in GCSE English on Shakespeare's Macbeth.

Take note of all it offers, and it will help you boost your possible marks - perfect for secondary school students, or mature ones like me.

Highly recommended.


Product Details:

I know with the previous Review for Macbeth Text I mentioned that it was probably to get a paperback copy, but with the York Notes I managed really well with a Kindle Version.  You can get them HERE  Listed price is £4.49 for paperback and £4.29 for Kindle file.


Errors/Bug Bears:

None, this is a good quality product.


Happy reading.

Hugs

Kay

#404 ~ Macbeth

Macbeth (Cambridge School Shakespeare)Macbeth by William Shakespeare

My rating: 4 of 5 stars







Oh come on, it's never going to score higher than a 4 Stars from me ... it's a reference book! Although, as they go it was extremely useful.

I've not had the mark back for my Macbeth Controlled Assessment (AQA English GCSE) yet, but this was the reference book I used. Handy notes regarding the text on the facing page for each piece of the Act and Scene.

Without a doubt Mr Shakespeare wasn't just put on this earth to think up torture for future generations of children, he was an expert wordsmith.


Product Details:

I have a paperback version, which is now covered in pencil notes and highlighting as well, but you can get a copy of this HERE.  The paperback version is listed for £6.18 and the Kindle file £3.79.  On balance, if you are studying, then the paperback version would be a better bet.


Errors/Bug Bears:

Not one .... obviously! 

Happy reading and/or studying.

Hugs

Kay

Daily Selection (more sporadic now though) on Amazon for Free Kindle Download



Yeah, I know, they've not exactly been coming thick and fast .... in my defence I've been so busy handling the whole family meltdown; my mother's a a bitch; book reviews; college/exams; wife; mother and domestic goddess thing that something had to give .... and that something was my daily selection.

So, as a little Christmas treat I thought I would pass on a recommendation from one of my GoodReads pals for this book - it's a fantasy meets sizzling sex contemporary read.  Book 1 is currently free as a Kindle Download HERE.

I will update the details for the Mad World Series in the "Review by Series" Page at the top of the blog.

Hugs

Kay


Wednesday 25 December 2013

#403 ~ 27 (Twenty Seven): Six Friends, One Year

27 (Twenty-Seven): Six Friends, One Year27 (Twenty-Seven): Six Friends, One Year by R.J. Heald

My rating: 3 of 5 stars





I was very kindly sent a copy of this via the GoodReads First Read Scheme, in return for an honest review.

It seems strange to say this about a book, but I found it well written mediocrity .... by that I mean that the whole work was well written, and to some extent enjoyable, but the subject matter was about the mediocrity of lives.

I understand the author wanted to document what could happen when somebody reaches 27, but could it not just have been a tad more interesting in most cases - if all life had to offer was that level of boring, then the big guy above should help us all!

By no means to I mean any disrespect to the author's ability, just her subject choice, and I would love to see her really get her teeth into an exciting storyline.

So for me, just 3 stars I'm afraid.


Product Details:

I was very kindly sent a signed paperback copy by the GoodReads First Read Scheme in return for an honest review, but you can get a copy HERE.  Listed price for paperback is £7.66 and £2.99 for a Kindle file.

Published by Dancing Parrot Press in July 2012
328 pages
Adult Contemporary Fiction


Errors/Bug Bears:

None.


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Hope that you are all having a very Merry Christmas.

Happy reading.

Hugs

Kay

Sunday 22 December 2013

#402 ~ Script Kiddie

Script Kiddie (Assured Destruction #2)Script Kiddie by Michael F. Stewart

My rating: 5 of 5 stars





Book #2 in Assured Destruction Series



I was very kindly sent a copy of the second book in Michael's Assured Destruction Series in return for an honest Review.

I was pleased to see that this second book kept up the same high quality of writing, in particular the characterisation and plot pace were done really well. Jan's character has more added depth and texture, which is pleasing - girl power is always a good read!

I am still worried about Peter, and fear that he will prove to be a down and dirty villain, but am clinging to some hope that all will be well, as Jan and her Mother clearly deserve a break within the story line ... see that's what I mean about characterisation, they seem real, which is always the sign of decent literary ability.

Very few errors found (I will as usual add a list of them in the full Blog Post), kudos to Michael for a good quality product.

From me 5 Stars, and I am eagerly looking forward to finding out how this all pans out.


Product Details:

As mentioned above, I was very kindly sent a copy by Michael, the Author, but you can pick a copy HERE.  At the time of writing this post the Kindle version was listed at £1.91 and the paperback at £5.72.


Errors/Bug Bears:

Loc 60: ... Haines peerss at each of us.....

Should be:  peers

Loc 293: Bank machines laugh at me when I near them.

Should be corrected to:  Bank machines laugh at me when I am near them.

Loc 1113: The drab brick and corrugate siding makes ....

Bug bear for me, I think it should be: corrugated


* * * * *

I am so behind with my Reviews' at the moment, but will try to at least get the outstanding "Read" books written up before the New Year.

Happy reading.

Hugs

Kay






Friday 13 December 2013

#401 ~ Assured Destruction

Assured DestructionAssured Destruction by Michael F. Stewart

My rating: 5 of 5 stars




#Book 1 in the Assured Destruction Series



This book was recommended by me on my Blog as a Daily Selection of a free Kindle file on Amazon. 

I wasn't totally sure when I started reading this novella that it would be of interest, but happily I'm pleased to report that quality of writing and an interesting story line do wonders to engage a reader - which is exactly what this book provides.

The main protagonist, teenage computer wizz kid, Jan Rose proved to be an all action, dive right on in and blow the consequences kind of girl with layers of depth and texture that create a fantastic character.

The plot moved along nicely and delight of delights no errors or bug bears were picked up. I'd like to commend the Author, Michael Stewart for providing such a good read of nice quality. One particular sentence, even though short, stood out as an example of what writers should be aiming for: 'Without lights, the dreariness shrouds me like a cold blanket'.

There was a certain sub-character that had my teeth on edge, and that was the boyfriend of Jan's mother ... even at the end of the book I still hadn't made up my mind about him.

I am happy to say that this was the first book in a series, and I am eagerly looking forward to reading the next book "Script Kiddie", but for the time being for this book it's a big 5 stars from me.


Product Details

You can obtain a copy of the Kindle download HERE, and at the time of writing I'm delighted to advise that it's still available free (the usual listed price is £6.01).

Genre:            Fiction, Contemporary, Crime, Suspense
Reading age:   Young Adult and above
Published by:   Non Sequitur Press
Pages:            188


Errors/Bug Bears

None, good quality product which I highly recommend.

Happy reading.

Hugs

Kay