loudem
Ottawa Public Library
loudem's Completed Shelf
Filter your results by...
ElevationElevation, Book
by King, StephenBook - 2018 | First Scribner hardcover edition.Book, 2018. First Scribner hardcover edition.
loudem's rating:
Added Apr 22, 2019
Le livre des BaltimoreLe livre des Baltimore, Bookroman
by Dicker, JoëlBook - 2015 | FrenchBook, 2015. Language: French
loudem's rating:
Added Apr 19, 2019
Comment:
Disappointing book. The beginning is quite appealing and funny, but as the book drags on and on, we are confronting with a pack of lies and half lies. Then, we have an unbelievable event where all hell breaks loose. The end is a farce and leaves us only with flat cutout characters. The author seems to offer some kind of half baked morality: love, be loved and forgive, whatever that means.Disappointing book. The beginning is quite appealing and funny, but as the book drags on and on, we are confronting with a pack of lies and half lies. Then, we have an unbelievable event where all hell breaks loose. The end is a farce and leaves us…
loudem's rating:
Added Mar 31, 2019
Comment:
OMG. A book about nothing plagiating Stephen King's 'the Strand' in the style of 'On the Road' by Jack Kerouac. The premise is simple: following Mr. Shivers (known as Death) and kill him. Wow! Hard to follow. Indeed the book is one big snoozefest, leading nowhere. The conclusion, if we can it that, is nothing more than bar elucubrations. Very bad.OMG. A book about nothing plagiating Stephen King's 'the Strand' in the style of 'On the Road' by Jack Kerouac. The premise is simple: following Mr. Shivers (known as Death) and kill him. Wow! Hard to follow. Indeed the book is one big snoozefest,…
Bloody ScotlandBloody Scotland, Book
Book - 2018 | First Pegasus Books hardcover edition.Book, 2018. First Pegasus Books hardcover edition.
loudem's rating:
Added Mar 12, 2019
Comment:
Series of short stories, some better than others, some quite bad, some quite good. Overall above average book, but not top notched.
loudem's rating:
Added Mar 06, 2019
Comment:
3 starts out of 5. Story is middle of the road. Main character is a little too perfect. Above all, there's too much scientific details and too much pages explaining everything. It bogs the narration and the story.
In the Galway SilenceIn the Galway Silence, Book
by Bruen, KenBook - 2018 | First edition.Book, 2018. First edition.
loudem's rating:
Added Feb 24, 2019
Comment:
Bruen at his usual fucked up. Taylor at his usual craziest. The story is like a map given to a man who is told to reach point B from point A. The problem is that this man is totally blind. Welcome to the world of Ken Bruen. As always a fast read, done with in one sitting, unfortunately. I'm waiting for the next...Bruen at his usual fucked up. Taylor at his usual craziest. The story is like a map given to a man who is told to reach point B from point A. The problem is that this man is totally blind. Welcome to the world of Ken Bruen. As always a fast read,…
Mind's EyeMind's Eye, BookAn Inspector Van Veeteren Mystery
by Nesser, HåkanBook - 2008 | 1st U.S. ed.Book, 2008. 1st U.S. ed.
loudem's rating:
Added Feb 20, 2019
Comment:
Very good book. Well balance. The end is a bit a head scratcher, but otherwise an enjoyable and fast read. Van Veeteren is a character you cannot like or dislike. He's a tough cookie you wouldn't want to piss in a dark alley...
Babylon BerlinBabylon Berlin, Book
by Kutscher, VolkerBook - 2018 | First Picador paperback edition.Book, 2018. First Picador paperback edition.
loudem's rating:
Added Feb 14, 2019
loudem's rating:
Added Jan 31, 2019
Comment:
If you like horses, if you like gambling, if you like races...you should like these short stories. Unfortunately, I'm not a big fan of all of the above. So for me, the book is just so-so. Not badly written. It's just that I just don't care for horses...If you like horses, if you like gambling, if you like races...you should like these short stories. Unfortunately, I'm not a big fan of all of the above. So for me, the book is just so-so. Not badly written. It's just that I just don't care for…
loudem's rating:
Added Jan 12, 2019
Comment:
This is surely no Nordic Noir novel, more of a Nordic Blues one. Odd story where a not so old man thinks he's a the end of the rope when his house burns down. He tries to find some excitement with a young journalist (how old is she, really?). But the best he can do is a so-so friendship with the girl. A very platonic relationship, indeed. To spice things up, he has to go to Paris to save his estranged daughter. But he's still very much insecure about the whole thing. To tie things up he uncovers, who set fire to his house. Who else? The crazy postman, that's who. The book has to end somewhere, right? All in all a very disappointing book from the author of the Wallander seriesThis is surely no Nordic Noir novel, more of a Nordic Blues one. Odd story where a not so old man thinks he's a the end of the rope when his house burns down. He tries to find some excitement with a young journalist (how old is she, really?). But…
I Thought You Were DeadI Thought You Were Dead, BookA Love Story : A Novel
by Nelson, PeterBook - 2010 | 1st ed.Book, 2010. 1st ed.
loudem's rating:
Added Jan 05, 2019
Comment:
I was warned. Another love story. It was tight there on the cover. The dog threw me off. Well written, a bit kitsch, a tad moralistic, pushing all the right buttons, the guy getting the girl in the end. Fantastic fairy tale.
loudem's rating:
Added Dec 12, 2018
Comment:
This is the worse I've read by this author. This incredible search where A leads to B, B leads to C, C leads to D... is so such filler making the story drag on and on. And...again this going back to the story of his brother lost in a super storm. It keeps common back book after book after book. What is this all about? I force myself to finish the damn book. It's like deja-vue again and again. And why is he sleeping out in the cold? Who are the ghosts in the house? What's the meaning of the last chapter? From a cold country: a real slow burner.This is the worse I've read by this author. This incredible search where A leads to B, B leads to C, C leads to D... is so such filler making the story drag on and on. And...again this going back to the story of his brother lost in a super storm. It…
La disparition de Stéphanie MailerLa disparition de Stéphanie Mailer, Bookroman
by Dicker, JoëlBook - 2018 | FrenchBook, 2018. Language: French
loudem's rating:
Added Nov 16, 2018
Comment:
My second book from this author. Both are excellent and reads like eating apple pie. You just cannot stop turning the pages. These are mesmerizing books. Definitively must reads. Not only because they're good. You read them because they're a delight to read. Pure enjoyment.My second book from this author. Both are excellent and reads like eating apple pie. You just cannot stop turning the pages. These are mesmerizing books. Definitively must reads. Not only because they're good. You read them because they're a delight…
Hitchhiking With Larry DavidHitchhiking With Larry David, BookAn Accidental Tourist's Summer of Self-discovery in Martha's Vineyard
by Dolman, Paul SamuelBook - 2013Book, 2013
loudem's rating:
Added Nov 05, 2018
Comment:
The title threw me off. I thought it would be a funny book. Well, was I wrong. On top of not being funny, it only tries to philosophy on what life is all about, and how to patch a relationship when it bombed. The answer? Get on with your life. The future is in front of your, NOT behind. This book is a dud, and not worth the read. One thing the book got right... Biking is good for you... donuts... not so good. Again, THIS IS NOT A FUNNY BOOK. Forget the title, it means nothing.The title threw me off. I thought it would be a funny book. Well, was I wrong. On top of not being funny, it only tries to philosophy on what life is all about, and how to patch a relationship when it bombed. The answer? Get on with your life. The…
loudem's rating:
Added Oct 30, 2018
Comment:
This book likes to shake things around. Two cases resolved at once. Both are a bit inconceivable. One about porn selling, one about under age love. Both seem not very worth to investigate. Kind of dull after reaching the middle of the book. This book has no punch and the interest is lost pretty quickly.This book likes to shake things around. Two cases resolved at once. Both are a bit inconceivable. One about porn selling, one about under age love. Both seem not very worth to investigate. Kind of dull after reaching the middle of the book. This…
loudem's rating:
Added Oct 11, 2018
Comment:
The whole book prepares us for some earth shattering information that should shatter everything that we know about where we come from and where we are heading. What a crock. In the end, after much zigzagging, we learn that... well, we learn that nothing has really change, or will change, if not that we will become... more robots than human. Well, I could have figure that out. Just look around, and all you see is people with I-Phones, I-Pads, and have you. We could say that we're already there. I know, I know, in the end the book backs down and affirms that we are still human... Forgetting all the action, we could believe that we were reading a travel guide, and maybe THAT was the best thing about this book.The whole book prepares us for some earth shattering information that should shatter everything that we know about where we come from and where we are heading. What a crock. In the end, after much zigzagging, we learn that... well, we learn that…
loudem's rating:
Added Sep 18, 2018
Comment:
Very, very conventional novel. Nothing spectacular happens. Lots of filler. The case is solved, but we are left unconvinced. The investigators in this book are more or less incompetents, more interested in private matters and not very focused on their jobs. The whole murder case is focused on very few suspects was if only these three were acceptable to the cops... disappointing.Very, very conventional novel. Nothing spectacular happens. Lots of filler. The case is solved, but we are left unconvinced. The investigators in this book are more or less incompetents, more interested in private matters and not very focused on…
The Scent of AlmondsThe Scent of Almonds, Book& Other Stories
by Läckberg, CamillaBook - 2015Book, 2015
loudem's rating:
Added Sep 05, 2018
Comment:
Odd book. The novella (Scent of the Almonds) is deja vu Agatha Christie 'Ten Little Indians' , later retitled 'And then there were none'. A mix with passé Sherlock Holmes. This is not very original. The best is the last gem. 'The Widows' Café' is fresh, somewhat comic, and a delight to read. She could have turn this idea into a real novel...Odd book. The novella (Scent of the Almonds) is deja vu Agatha Christie 'Ten Little Indians' , later retitled 'And then there were none'. A mix with passé Sherlock Holmes. This is not very original. The best is the last gem. 'The Widows' Café' is…
loudem's rating:
Added Aug 20, 2018
Comment:
A real slow burner, where things get bog down with unnecessary filler. The worse is when Erlendur brings back, again, the story we all heard in a former novel. The one about his brother. I mean, get over it. And his daughter, why is she always going the the hotel? Otherwise, we all knew that the little Ösp had something to do with the murder. Very disappointing novel. A bit of a mess and I think not really his best. It felt like a 'write by numbers' book.A real slow burner, where things get bog down with unnecessary filler. The worse is when Erlendur brings back, again, the story we all heard in a former novel. The one about his brother. I mean, get over it. And his daughter, why is she always going…
loudem's rating:
Added Jun 28, 2018
Comment:
A good book, but:
1) Doesn't it seemed like something close to the 'Shining'?
2) The premise is farfetched, if not just plain incredible.
3) All the murders (suicides), [how did that happen anyway], is just unbelievable.
4) The author tried to get us involved in a CIA-FBI-NSA plot that does ring true in Trump Country. But I think the Truth is Stranger than Fiction.
5) The book wouldn’t have reached page 10 that everyone against the CIA-FBI-NSA would have been either dead, or would have disappeared without a trace. This is how they’re ruthless.
6) I know. I know… It’s only a book.
7) Still…A good book, but:
1) Doesn't it seemed like something close to the 'Shining'?
2) The premise is farfetched, if not just plain incredible.
3) All the murders (suicides), [how did that happen anyway], is just unbelievable.
4) The author tried to…
The Living and the Dead in WinsfordThe Living and the Dead in Winsford, Book
by Nesser, HåkanBook - 2015Book, 2015
loudem's rating:
Added Jun 05, 2018
Comment:
The premise of the book is pretty foggy at best.
A woman gets rid of her husband, in a World War Two beach bunker, no less. Locks him in, because the lock is OUTSIDE the door (?).
Why? We don’t really know.
Then for more than 300 pages, nothing happen. The woman hides in some bogs in England somewhere. Walks her dog every day, tell us the temperature, slides in the mud, sees her husband spying on her (?), go eat at different pubs, finds a boyfriend, then isn’t sure if that’s a good idea. On a whim, she decides to return home, making a story on the way: her husband has drown when ‘they’ were returning to Sweden. Eventually the gig is up. Police as found his body. Husband as written his name on the bunker’s wall with his car’s key. Police shows up at her home, tries the key in her car. Bingo. CAUGHT.
Pretty flimsy. This story could have been said under 200 pages, maybe 150. The problem is that the heart of the book is pure filler. Nothing gets it going and the end is quite anticlimactic.
Disappointing .The premise of the book is pretty foggy at best.
A woman gets rid of her husband, in a World War Two beach bunker, no less. Locks him in, because the lock is OUTSIDE the door (?).
Why? We don’t really know.
Then for more than 300 pages, nothing…
The Ghosts of GalwayThe Ghosts of Galway, Book
by Bruen, KenBook - 2017 | First Grove Atlantic hardcover edition: November 2017.Book, 2017. First Grove Atlantic hardcover edition: November 2017.
loudem's rating:
Added May 19, 2018
loudem's rating:
Added Apr 19, 2018
MiseryMisery, BookA Novel
by King, StephenBook - 2016 | First Scribner trade paperback edition.Book, 2016. First Scribner trade paperback edition.
loudem's rating:
Added Apr 12, 2018
Comment:
King is the master's master. Nobody comes close to write like he does. He's the quinessence storyteller. Very impressive. He must never sleep.
The Woman in Cabin 10The Woman in Cabin 10, Book
by Ware, RuthBook - 2017 | Simon & Schuster Canada edition.Book, 2017. Simon & Schuster Canada edition.
loudem's rating:
Added Mar 29, 2018
Comment: