![]() ![]() ![]() “These septuagenarian sleuths of the Thursday Murder Club don’t miss a beat…” Richard Osman is back with everyone’s favorite mystery-solving quartet, and the second installment of the Thursday Murder Club series is just as clever and warm as the first-an unputdownable, laugh-out-loud pleasure of a read. Can our four friends catch the killer before the killer catches them? And if they find the diamonds, too? Well, wouldn’t that be a bonus? You should never put anything beyond the Thursday Murder Club. ![]() Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim are up against a ruthless murderer who wouldn’t bat an eyelid at knocking off four septuagenarians. Then, as night follows day, the first body is found. ![]() He has been accused of stealing diamonds worth millions from the wrong men and he’s seriously on the lam. dives right into joyous fun."Įlizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim-the Thursday Murder Club-are still riding high off their recent real-life murder case and are looking forward to a bit of peace and quiet at Cooper’s Chase, their posh retirement village.Īn unexpected visitor-an old pal of Elizabeth’s (or perhaps more than just a pal?)-arrives, desperate for her help. “It’s taken a mere two books for Richard Osman to vault into the upper leagues of crime writers. The second gripping novel in the New York Times bestselling Thursday Murder Club series, soon to be a major motion picture from Steven Spielberg at Amblin Entertainment ![]()
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![]() ![]() The trope of competing clubs at school is a tried and true source of drama for everything from chapter books to feature films. Like Lori said, pressure comes from both sides, and Chmakova dealt with both angles well. Bullies are also a fact of life in middle school, and I liked how Chmakova’s portrayals weren’t the typical two-dimensional baddies.Įva: One of the things I really responded to is that the kids’ home life isn’t ignored. Pressures can come from school and home, one affecting the other. It captures the feeling of middle school very well, with the search for a place to belong and feel safe. ![]() ![]() The school environment Chmakova painted was very different from the urban school I work in, but many of the dynamics between the students and those feelings of angst felt very real. So, fellow Good Comics for Kids contributors, what did you think of this slice of life look at middle school life?Įsther: I’ve been in middle school for the last 13 years, and I can honestly say that overall the mood and characterizations were pretty good. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() The buzz: Cummings joins the parade of funny women penning their stories (Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Amy Schumer…).ĥ. ![]() What it’s about: In this memoir, the comedian/writer ( 2 Broke Girls) tells some wild tales from her life, including her too-close encounter with a Guatemalan prison. I’m Fine…and Other Lies by Whitney Cummings (Putnam, non-fiction, on sale Oct. The buzz: The novel has been long-listed for the National Book Award fiction prize.Ĥ. What it’s about: During World War II, a woman goes to work at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, and her search for her missing father leads her into the world of gangsters, showgirls and graft. Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan (Scribner, fiction, on sale Oct. 1 on USA TODAY’s Best-Selling Books list in 2013.ģ. The buzz: Brown’s series featuring Langdon has sold millions of copies. What it’s about: Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon ( The Da Vinci Code) returns in this thriller set in Spain, on the hunt (and run) again as he searches for a cryptic password. Origin by Dan Brown (Doubleday, fiction, on sale Oct. ![]() ![]() ![]() I can see how they fit within the story, but I still found them really confronting and almost too much to read through on one occasion. The sections of the book that I didn’t really enjoy, and which prevented me from giving this a 5 star rating were the really violent or gruesome scenes. “All these millions of stars looking down on me, and I’ve never given them more than a passing thought before” p145 Throughout the story characters dwell on what it is to live a fulfilling life, to regret, and to forgive, and I enjoyed exploring those possibilities along with them. ![]() I found myself pausing to reflect on certain passages, or sections of the novel. There were many really thought-provoking aspects of this book. The setting is modern-day Japan, overlaid with the strange blend of fantasy that Murakami weaves into so many of his stories. All sorts of strange things happen to them both, from a gruesome murder, to fish and leeches falling from the sky, ghosts appearing, and stones opening portals to different worlds. ![]() Kafka on the Shore follows the parallel paths of a 15 year-old runaway named Kafka, and an old man named Nakata who can talk to cats. It is the 6th novel I have read by the heavy-weight of modern Japanese literature, and I am yet to be disappointed. ![]() Blending magical realism, alternate history, parallel worlds, and coming-of-age, this novel covers a lot of ground in 500 odd pages. Kafka on the Shore is strange, thought-provoking, and confusing, as only a Murakami novel can be. ![]() ![]() The young Shawnee boy who visited her home with his own father is now a man. Returning home to Kentucky at age eighteen, she finds her father in failing health. Morrow struggles with her deeply felt fear and grief, and later she is sent to live with an aunt in Philadelphia. Morrow and her father survive, and her father, who is a man of God, later accepts friendship with a Shawnee Chief and his son. Morrow Little and her family live in the Kentucky frontier, and her childhood becomes a nightmare when attacking Shawnee kill her mother and sister and steal away her brother. "Courting Morrow Little" is set in the raw, wild beauty of 18th century Kentucky, and it does not shy away from depicting the shades of good and evil to be found in all human beings. ![]() Her unsurpassed wordsmithery excels in the three levels of her storytelling: the vivid historical detail, the characterizations and the love story, and the true acceptance of deep and abiding faith. Laura Frantz is my favorite "artist with words". ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() While certain clues are provided throughout the story hinting at yet another narrative level, they in themselves are not sufficient to allow a deduction what precisely that level might coonsist of.) His final twists may come out of left field not only for his characters but also for the reader and this, too, is certainly true for this particular novel. (Be warned, however: Woolrich doesn’t always play fair. Many of his stories have a downright evil twist at the end, and as far as such endings go, The Bride Wore Black certainly shows Woolrich at the top of his game. Woolrich was one of the classic noir era’s masters of psychological suspense few of his contemporaries were capable of making nightmare scenarios come alive within a few short pages the way that Cornell Woolrich could. ![]() ![]() ![]() Rather than writing any more about this 222 page book that holds your attention to the very last page, let me simply share with you a great summary I found online by a reviewer named of Annie Kate. However, if the Lord called me, I’m confident He would give me the grace, for He is the One “who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.” What this young woman endured, and the strength God gave her as a POW during WWII is more than I can imagine! Could I do what she did? No, not in my strength. The author, Darlene Deibler Rose, was in her early twenties when she and her husband Russell went as missionaries to the South Pacific. ![]() Honestly, it’s been a long time since I’ve read a book as powerful as EVIDENCE NOT SEEN: A Woman’s Miraculous Faith in the Jungles of World War II. San Francisco: Harper San Francisco, 1988įrom time to time I like to read true stories that genuinely challenge my faith. ![]() ![]() * Makes a great gift for millennial parents who want to encourage imagination, creativity, and play * A mystical, fun, and empowering book of spells that will have any child enthralled by the magical world ![]() * Perfect for young readers interested in magic, fans of Harry Potter, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and fantasy series featuring witches Spells and activities include Best Friends Forever Spell, Jump Rope Protection Spell, Get Well Soon Elixir, Blanket Fort Magical Fortress Spell, How to Make a Magical Fairy Garden, and Mermaid Bath Spell. ![]() The Little Witch's Book of Spells harnesses magic and the imagination to help little witches feel powerful, tap into creative energy, and practice self-love. * Filled with simple activities using easily found ingredients * A playful and immersive guidebook to all things magical This spellbinding book guides readers on how to craft a magic wand, befriend a fairy, and read tea leaves, as well as glossaries of magical terms and symbols. ![]() Young witches-in-training will discover spells to resolve problems, foster friendship, and engage with the natural world. The Little Witch's Book of Spells is an enchanting compendium of spells, potions, and activities for kids 8 to 12 years old. ![]() ![]() ![]() Schwarzenegger also served as the film's executive producer and plays himself as the actor portraying Jack Slater. Benedict, a ruthless assassin from the Slater universe who escapes to the real world. The film stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as Jack Slater, a Los Angeles police detective within the Jack Slater action film franchise, while Austin O'Brien co-stars as Danny Madigan, a boy magically transported into the Slater universe, and Charles Dance as Mr. It is a satire of the action genre and associated clichés, containing several parodies of action films in the form of films within the film. Last Action Hero is a 1993 American fantasy action comedy film directed and produced by John McTiernan and co-written by Shane Black and David Arnott. ![]() ![]() ![]() Proust’s Paperbacks is a seller of vintage books, found in cities all over the world. This is a collaboration between The Vintage Jeweller and Proust’s Paperbacks. There is also damage to the back cover, an inscription on the first page, and page discolouration. Title: One Day in the Life of Ivan DenisovichĬomments: As this is a vintage book, there is some damage to the spine, and to the front cover. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich is arguably his best work. This short novel is courageous writing about survival in the most inhumane conditions, the nature of tyrannical oppression and the erosion of personal identity. Writing from personal experience as a captive of Stalin’s, Solzhenitsyn depicts life in the Siberian labour camp as brutal and unyielding – as may be expected, food and privation play a central role in the disturbing narrative. Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s fictionalised account of a prisoner’s day in a Soviet gulag. ![]() |