KJK Reads

Rating: 3 Stars Themes: Poetry, Humanity Thoughts: I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This is one of the first complete poetry books I’ve read since I was in school (usually reading them separately in other forms). I enjoyed this work, being able to speak to the sense of melancholy and stagnation that I personally have felt the past few months which really resonated with me while reading. Engelsson also manages to balance this while not slipping into the stereotyipcal edgy teen vibe which is often seen in poetry of this nature.  Favourite Quote: "The world will turn as it has always done Humans will repeat history ad nauseam"

Rating: 3 Stars Themes: Holocaust, Historical Fiction Thoughts: I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This is the first truly fictional Holocaust story I have read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. This story is full of tension, spanning across only one day. From the beginning David is in one high risk situation being a prisoner on work detail to another, but still has hope for an escape. He is surrounded by other motivated characters, but less positive such as Petra’s manipulative behaviours to Leibig’s determination to social climbing. Favourite Quote: "Survival took precedence over marital or national ties. Such was the trouble with a social order that stirred panic whenever the charge of "Jew" was heard. It distorted all relationships."

Rating: 4 Stars Themes: Non-Fiction, Psychology, Self-Help Thoughts: This is a completely novel topic to me and was very interesting. I liked the exercises I could use to better understand the new concepts and hopefully it can be somewhat useful in the future if needed. 

Rating: 4 Stars Themes: Non-Fiction, Psychology, Self-Help, Personal Development Thoughts: I had a few friends in university who took a positive psychology module so I recognised a few elements mentioned but the more in depth explanation helped introduce me to the topics I had no prior knowledge of and will be extremely beneficial in the future. The exercises and putting the theories into applicable areas for us is extremely helpful to understanding as well. 

Rating: 2 Stars  Themes: Romance, Novella, Contemporary Romance, Young Adult Thoughts: Okay so the second book in a row by CoHo i’ve read and not liked, I’m not sure if I’ve just read too many other amazing authors by now that I can’t read her anymore or whether this series is just not for me (I haven’t had this problem with any other books the past few months). I just cousin’t like Warren at all, he’s misogynistic and more often than not just a general arsehole. Bridgette seems like a cold bitch but it is really understandable with what she went through before but it took us so long to find out I wasn’t a fan of her for a while (especially with her behaviour in Maybe Someday as well) and it couldn’t fully redeem her in my eyes.  Favourite Quote: "I've dealt with life the only way I know how. It works for me, and I don't need you or anyone else to try and figure me out or fix me. I am who I am and I've accepted that."

Rating: 3 Stars  Themes: Non-Fiction, History, Short Story Thoughts: This is a quick but in depth guide to the sinking of the Titanic including explanations for some of the issues that have been subject to debate in the past like the missing binoculars and whether that would help and the speed of the ship.  Favourite Quote: "It is in human nature to look for blame when such tragedies as the sinking of the Titanic occur, but the fact of the matter remains that the collision with the iceberg was likely not the fault of high speed, the captain not being on deck, ignoring warnings about ice, or the lookouts not having the equipment they needed or not paying attention. More than anything, it was probably due to profoundly bad luck. "

Rating: 4 Stars Themes: Romance, Contemporary, Young Adult, New Adult Thoughts: So i don’t hate CoHo (although she’s nowhere near my favourite author either), I wanted to give this one a try after a family member loved it despite me disliking the past two I’ve read and it seems to be back to her blending of complex characters with traumatising elements and strong relationships. Although at first revelation I struggled with finding out the truth behind the fire, after more in depth details about the causes it makes a lot of sense and made me feel even more for the main characters.  Favourite Quote: "Whether or not the couple ends up together at the end of a book doesn’t determine whether that book has a happy ending or not. As long as the two people end up happy, it doesn’t really matter if they end up happy together."

Rating: 4 Stars Themes: Historical Fiction, Romance, Regency Thoughts: I was looking forward to seeing how Quinn worked this one as Francesca was married very early on in the other stories without us seeing  anything about it (unlike the others) and there had been no indication of what was left in store for her in the epilogues of the other books. I did find Michael pining away so intensely after his cousins wife creepy at the start and then for him to turn so cruelly on her for no reason but his own inability to control his feelings after she had already lost so much just made him come across as so callus. However, the slow burning of their gradual acceptance, especially having a second chance at love from Francesca’s side were well written and heartwarming.  Favourite Quote: "In every life there is a turning point. A moment so tremendous, so sharp and clear that one feels as if one's been hit in the chest, all the breath knocked out, and one knows, absolutely knows without t...

Rating: 4 Stars Themes: Non-Fiction, Psychology, Self-Help Thoughts: This is a concise but very basic guide to managing short term stress. It could be very useful to help introduce children and younger adults how to handle stress, especially around uncontrollable stressors like SATs/GCSEs.