Review: The Girl Who Beat ISIS: Farida's Story

The Girl Who Beat ISIS: Farida's Story

My Rating:


I would like to thank Square Peg for providing me with an advanced reading copy of this book.

"This is the story of what happened to Farida after she was captured: the beatings, the rapes, the markets where ISIS sold women like cattle, and Farida's realisation that the more resistant she became, the harder it was for her captors to continue their atrocities against her. So she struggled, she bit, she kicked, she accused her captors of going against their religion, until, one day, the door to her room was left unlocked. She took her chance and, with five younger girls in her charge, fled into the Syrian desert..."

I honestly don't know what to say about this book, or even where to start with reviewing it. It feels wrong to try and break it down and comment on writing style, star rating, etc.

This book really brings home how easily your life can change. One day you're enjoying the long hot summer days and the next you and your family are fleeing for your lives. Farada could be your daughter, your sister, your niece, she deserves to be safe, to live without fear just like everyone else. The suffering she endured was atrocious, yet she never gave up. Her story is a remarkable story of hope, faith, courage, and strength. It's not an easy read, but it is important that experiences like Farada's are told. It is important that the world is made aware of the atrocities that are occurring in order to better understand the horrors that refugees are running from.

The Girl Who Beat ISIS is a book that everyone should read.

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Review: Beyond The Pale by Emily Urquhart

Beyond The Pale: Folklore, Family, and the Mystery of Our Hidden Genes by Emily Urquhart


My Rating:


I would like to thank Jacaranda Books for providing me with an advanced reading copy of this book.

I'm not a big reader of non-fiction, but this one caught my attention and I had to pick it up. I found the authors voice engaging, she held my attention and interest and kept me reading. The love for her daughter really shines through, and her struggle to come to terms with her daughter's albinism and the resulting work that she now does is both inspiring, and important.

It's shocking to read how people with albinism are treated throughout the world. I was certainly unaware that these things were going on before reading this book, but since finishing the book I have seen a BBC documentary and only just tonight read about related events in the news. It's good to see that it's being talked about and awareness is spreading. It's important that people are educated and made aware of what's happening and for the victims' stories be told in order to prevent it from happening in future.




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Review: 1,342 QI Facts to Leave You Flabbergasted

 
1,342 QI Facts to Leave You Flabbergasted


My Rating:

I would like to thank Faber and Faber for providing me with an advanced reading copy of this book. 

There's not a lot I can say about this one. It is what it says it is; a book full of weird, funny and interesting facts that will have you either chuckling, WTF'ing, or scratching your head.

Here are a few examples:

- The Very Hungry Caterpillar was originally called A Week with Willie Worm.

- In China, it's illegal to reincarnate without filling in a government Reincarnation Application form.

- Men who watch a lot of porn have smaller than average brains.

- In the 18th century, chickens were known as "cacklers" and eggs were "cackling farts".

- "The Copper-Penis Owl" is the monster used in Hungary to scare children into behaving.

I now find myself throwing out random useless facts during conversations, lol. As an added bonus, my point score has gone up when watching QI on TV!



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Review: Confrontation with Evil by Steven LaChance

Confrontation with Evil by Steven LaChance

My Rating:

I would like to thank Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd. for providing me with an advanced reading copy of Confrontation with Evil.

This wasn't what I was expecting. The author is giving his own interpretation of what happened from evidence found in diaries and through research. For the most part, it was an interesting to read, but I started to lose interest later on in the book.

I didn't find the author's voice engaging and even though I was interested in reading about the real story his voice didn't inspire me or make me want to keep reading. I'm not sure that he managed to convincingly suggest an alternative interpretation because much of what he writes is just pure speculation and it was rather drawn out and repetitive.

I started to lose interest in the last third of the book. I felt that a lot of what was being said was repetitive, preachy, drawn out, and bordering on unbelievable fiction in order to fill pages and make the book longer.

All in all, there was some interesting facts and interpretations in the book but the author's voice came across as a little too judgemental, flat, and repetitive at times and he just didn't hold my interest.




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Review: Bread or Death by Milton Mendel Kleinberg

Bread or Death: Memories of My Childhood During and After the Holocaust by Milton Mendel Kleinberg

My Rating:


I received a free copy of Bread or Death from the publisher in return for an honest review.

Bread or Death was not what I was expecting it to be. I think I had prepared myself for something more along the lines of the horrors of the concentration camps so I was expecting something completely different.

There are some awful events that took place during this time and although the author's experience was something that you wouldn't wish anyone to have to go through, his experience was a lot different than that of many others. His family took a chance and were among those fortunate enough to escape and thus avoided the worst of the Nazi horrors that took place but it doesn't make their story any less important.

The hardship and loss experienced by his family is heartbreaking and at times hard to read. I can't imagine having lived through such awful conditions and treatment. His is an important story, one that more should be aware of and one that we should learn from in order to avoid such atrocities occurring in the future.




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Review: Trash: An Innocent Girl. A Shocking Story of Squalor and Neglect.

Trash: An Innocent Girl. A Shocking Story of Squalor and Neglect. by Britney Fuller

My rating: 4 of 5 stars




I received a copy of Trash from the publisher in return for an honest review.

Trash tells the heartbreaking and graphic tale of how life with a hoarder effects a family. The cramped, disgusting, unhealthy conditions and the emotional and physical repercussions it has on a child both within and without the home.

This is the shocking reality for some. Children and families forced to live in conditions that are awful and out-with their own control. Conditions that they've grow up in, all the while not understanding that it's not normal. Conditions that when they are old enough to realise not everyone lives this way, they find themselves ashamed to admit what's going on. They have no power or stability of their own to improve the situation. Too ashamed to reach out to others and ask for help, like it's somehow their fault.

I can't say I enjoyed reading this, who would? It's shocking. It's heartbreaking and yet I read on. While many of us live happily in our nice houses, with warm clean clothes, and food on our table, the reality is that many don't have what we take for granted each day. It is a fascinating read however, it's well written and allows you to see into a situation that although you know it's reality for some, you truly don't understand how it really affects someone or how they could end up living this way. It gives insight into the thoughts and emotions of those who find themselves living with hoarding and shows how it's not simple or easy to get out or to ask for help.

It's a very personal story to share with the world. The author's voice pulls you into her world and has you immediately caring and sympathising with her, wanting to reach out and help in some way. It's not an easy read, it will have you cringing, angry, sad and probably give you the urge to clean your house, but it will also make you appreciate and be more grateful for what you have in life.


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Review: On Dragonfly Wings: A Skeptic's Journey to Mediumship

On Dragonfly Wings: A Skeptic's Journey to Mediumship by Daniela Norris

My rating: 5 of 5 stars




First reads giveaway win (May 15, 2014 )

I received this book as part of a FirstReads giveaway.

Reading this book reminded me very much of my own journey and experiences. I lost my mum to cancer many years ago and before she died she was looking for something, something not just to comfort her but to help her fight the cancer. Reading On Dragonfly Wings almost echoes the experiences we had together when we started down the new path of what was to eventually become a huge part of our lives.

My mum lost her battle with cancer but because of all the similar experiences we had to those in this book, she touched many more lives and shone so much brighter as a result. Together we went on shaman journeys, learned to use dowsing rods and crystals, we both studied Reiki and became Reiki Masters, learned magnified healing, met our spirit guides and many more different things. We met lots of wonderful people who touched our lives in a way that I will remember forever.

This book has brought back so many memories that I hadn't thought about for a long time, it's made me both smile and shed a tear. Thank you Daniela for sharing your journey, I will be reading this book many times over in the future as it will help in a way to keep those memories closer for me.


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Review: Robert the Bruce: King of the Scots

Robert the Bruce: King of the Scots by Michael Penman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I received a copy of Robert the Bruce: King of the Scots from the publishers in return for an honest review.

I was given this book in e-book format and I found that it wasn't ideal to read on my paperwhite. I couldn't see the images in the book which were referred to while reading. I was able to see them however on my tablet but again it wasn't ideal, it was rather annoying having to scroll back and forth. I would definitely have preferred a hard copy, it would have been a much easier read.

Being a Scot I am proud of my heritage and love to study and learn more of my history, the era of Bruce being one of my favourites. If you are looking for a story, this is not the book for you. If on the other hand you like reading Scottish history, and you want to know how Robert the Bruce helped make Scotland what it is today and not the Hollywood pumped media version that everyone seem to think is truth, then this is the book for you.

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Review: Goodbye Pink Room: Rose's Story

Goodbye Pink Room: Rose's Story by Jane Grayshon

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I received a copy of Goodbye Pink Room from the publishers via Netgalley in return for an honest review.

I'm at a loss for words, I honestly don't know where to begin reviewing this one.
I make a point of picking a book every so often that I know is going to be heartwrenching or have subject material like this one that I will find hard to read. I know many people avoid reading topics such as this, but I believe that if a person is brave enough to share their experience then I should at least be brave enough to read it and listen to their story. It also reminds me how lucky I am and to never take things for granted. It's too easy to shut out the fact that bad things happen in the world that we should keep an eye out for, especially when it comes to children.

This is a heartwrenching tale, child abuse is never a nice subject to read about,let alone live through. To openly talk about an experience like this takes a lot of courage, to then share it with the world in a book, that takes a whole new level of bravery and courage that many of us can't even begin to imagine.

That being said, I found this book very hard to read and not surprisingly because of the subject matter. The book is very much the scattered thoughts of a young, confused and scared child. I found it hard to follow and very confusing and repetative in a lot of parts, I didn't feel like what I was reading was actually being taken in. It just didn't flow in a way that made it possible for me to follow it at all, it was very jumbled and all over the place. Whether that was on purpose to put us in the confused mind of the child in the story, I don't know.

I honestly don't know what else to say, I don't want to be negative, I don't feel like I have a right to judge how this story was told, it's more important that it was told and that it has helped someone somewhere, in some way, to heal a little.

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