Tag: Reviews

Finding Chika


Finding Chika: A Little Girl, an Earthquake, and the Making of a Family by Mitch Albom

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Another true story form Mitch Albom. He is involved with many charities and ended up in Haiti to help as a volunteer to rebuild an orphanage nearly demolished by an earthquake. He eventually is asked to run the orphanage and meets Chika Who he can tell is a lovely, strong willed. take charge little girl even though the 3 year old speaks no English. Time passes and Mitch continues to visit Haiti as often as he can his wife Janine going along as well when able. The kids including Chika warm up to Mr. Mitch as he’s called, they especially love his stories. Things continue to go well until one day when Chika is 5 and the Alboms get the phone call that changed their lives forever. This beautiful book examines what it’s like to take care of a very sick child and moving the child to a different country in hopes of finding a cure. It also explores what it’s like for a childless couple in their 60’s to suddenly have to learn how to be parents. Language barriers, time outs, doctor’s appointments and all. Love and family can be found in the most unexpected ways, times and places as long as you stay open to it.

Rating: 5 out of 5.
Finding Chika by Mitch Albom

IT


By: Stephen King

 

The book begins with a murder right off the bat. Yes it’s a hate crime but there’s more to it then people come to believe. The main mystery ends up being what is the entity they come to call IT?
Derry, Maine has many secrets and it’s up to a group of 7 very unique friends to expose them and make the horrible murders stop once and for all, to hopefully make IT stop once and for all. I gave this book 3 stars because even though it is a good story this book has a lot of Racist, Sexist and Homophobic language throughout it. I understand that this book was finished in 1985 and that was still the norm back then but the language is used a lot. I personally don’t believe King to be or condone any of these things I just think that the book hasn’t aged well for those reasons. This is massive book and while some of the description (which this book has a lot of) is very good, some of it is completely unnecessary and makes the book drag on. This book has two time lines and I think had it been split into 2 books the story flow might have been better.

It

Rating: 3 out of 5.

291


Rating: 4 out of 5.

291 by Susan May

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is a novella so forgive me if this review seems short or vague. It’s to avoid spoilers. Michael Chambers is a rookie cop older than most rookies. He’s had multiple jobs over the years which displeases and worries his parents. Nothing has seemed to stick with Michael so he decided to do what his dad did and become a cop. He thought becoming a cop would help or even end his indecisiveness, and he thought it would make his dad proud. So finally his first shift arrives and he is assigned car 291. The car has a reputation as hunted or possessed. It got that reputation because of a tragic event that happened to the officer that used to drive it. Now the car is pretty much used as a loaner . Somehow Michael keeps getting assigned the car and weird things keep happening. if you liked Christine you might like this. I will say that I didn’t see the ending coming.



291 by Susan May

Turtles all the way down


Turtles All the Way Down by John Green
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Imagine this: You are 16 years old, you have a best friend named Daisy, you’re dad died when you were nine now you drive his old car named harold and your main goal is to get into college. now imagine you have O.C.D. and a severe anxiety disorder. Your friend Daisy? She’s pretty much your only friend because of your mental health issues.The others think you’re too different. Aza Holmes doesn’t have to imagine, its her life. She feels like a prisoner in her own mind and gets trapped in her own thoughts constantly, then something happens that changes Aza’s plans at least for a period of time and she goes though challenges read the book to find out how things turn out for Aza.

Turtles All the Way Down

Dean and Me: A love Story


Dean and Me: A Love Story by Jerry Lewis

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Read this if you are or have ever been a fan of martin and lewis or martin or lewis. there are two sides to every story and this is the lewis side take it or leave it. lewis is not gentle with himself much. the stories are amazing and the ending while no surprise is devastating.



 

The First Phone Call from Heaven


The First Phone Call from HeavenThe First Phone Call from Heaven by Mitch Albom

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

wow. Another great book by Mitch Albom. the ending will blow you away. it did me. His books always touch me and make me think even though i’m not religious. I think that’s the mark of a great writer,being able to reach people with different beliefs.

I chose to die


I Chose to Die (Siren Suicides)I Chose to Die by Ksenia Anske

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love this book because it doesn’t sugar coat life. Ailen Bright’s father is a chauvinist pig. He apparently drives his wife to suicide because she can’t deal with him anymore. He’s always asking Ailen what woman are made for and if she doesn’t answer to haul water he hits her partly because she answered wrong and partly to toughen her up. he sees woman as weak. he wants her to fight him back. he thinks most women are whores from a young age that only have one job to lure and deceit men. he takes great pride in his expensive house,car and even his Italian leather shoes. he couldn’t care less about his daughter. another of his favorite punishments is locking her in the bathroom where there’s marble statues of beautiful women called sirens. she’s in there enough that she starts telling them everything they are her only real family besides her best friend Hunter so she calls them her sisters. On the morning of her 16th birthday she decides to commit suicide. she figures its the only way she’ll get away from her father. something happens to her that makes her realize she hadn’t scratched the surface of her father’s evil. she learns that no one not even the sirens or herself are quite what/who they seemed to be.
Posted with permission from the book’s author Ksenia Anske.

Irkadura


IrkaduraIrkadura by Ksenia Anske

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ksenia Anske doesn’t sugar coat anything. if you are looking for brutally honest fiction i highly recommend reading her books. Irina is mute and goes through horrible abuse but she still has an I’ll show you all strength about her. she finds something out that drives her to leave home so she starts working as a janitor at a theater company. she meets some shady people there but she also meets Pavlik who has worries of his own and they form quite a bond. The end is unexpected. I was stunned. Great writing it feels like you are right there as things are happening which is the mark of a good writer. I truly believe that Ksenia will be a very successful famous author one day.

Yes I asked Ksenia Anske’s  permission before blogging this Thank You Ksenia!