New book to review – “Meeting Boudicca” by C. A. Powell

December 16, 2019 JulieGLeave a comment

Now that I’ve received the review copy from the author, I can talk about another book to add to my review list from Book Tasters. I’m taking a little bit of a step away from cybercrime and cybersecurity and throwing myself into historical fiction (which I love!) The book is by author C. A. Powell. It’s called “Meeting Boudicca” about a fictional meeting between two British queens during the Roman invasion of Britain.

Here’s the animated cover I just made for it:

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Here is the synopsis from Goodreads:

Queen Boudicca is defeated. Her Iceni and other British allies are dead or fleeing from the vengeance of unmerciful Rome. The British rebellion is over. The beaten Iceni Warrior queen has gone into hiding and awaits her poison elixir which will aid her departure from life while the waiting druids wish to bury her in a secret place.
However, before Boudicca can complete her final and drastic act; a messenger arrives with news of a potential alliance. The Brigantes Queen Cartimandua may be able to offer a new pact against Rome. This is confusing because Cartimandua is loyal to Rome and has betrayed other Britons who fought Rome in the past.

Cartimandua is equally perplexed. She has no desire to aid Boudicca and fears the Iceni queen. Could both sovereigns be pawns in another participants’ ploy? To find the culprits of the conspiracy, Cartimandua chooses to indulge the inappropriate consultation of two very different British queens.

I have to say that I’ve been fairly blessed with really good books to review lately and I’m so looking forward to reading them and sharing them all over social media😁 (and here, of course!)

Book Review Update – December 2019

December 6, 2019 JulieGLeave a comment

Hi everyone. Here’s another quick update just to keep any of my followers who care about books and writing in the know. I have added a few books to my “reviewing” list – the first is this book which I am now currently reading:

48804263._SY475_.jpg — IMAGE VIA GOODREADS

GOSSIP, RUMOUR, REVENGE…

Second Sister by author Chan Ho-Kei. I am quite excited to read this because this book deals with a few topics I am very passionate about and interested in – cyberbullying and cybersecurity. The story begins with a young woman named Nga-Yee who has her world turned upside down with the sudden and very unexpected suicide of her younger sister, Siu-Man. Nga-Yee is adamant that her sister would never commit suicide and begins her own investigation into the events that led up to her sister’s untimely death. What she discovers leads her to a hacker she knows only by his first initial, N. And you’ll just have to either read the book yourself or wait for my review for the rest!

I also discovered that this book has another title and different cover art as well. This version of the book is called “In the Net”with a pretty blue and white cover:

The second book on my review list is “Lurking – How a Person Became a User”by author Joanne McNeil. Here is part of the synopsis from Goodreads:

In Lurking, Joanne McNeil digs deep and identifies the primary (if sometimes contradictory) concerns of people online: searching, safety, privacy, identity, community, anonymity, and visibility. She charts what it is that brought people online and what keeps us here even as the social equations of digital life—what we’re made to trade, knowingly or otherwise, for the benefits of the internet—have shifted radically beneath us. It is a story we are accustomed to hearing as tales of entrepreneurs and visionaries and dynamic and powerful corporations, but there is a more profound, intimate story that hasn’t yet been told.

Doesn’t that sound amazingly interesting? I can’t wait to review/read it and share it here with you all.

Book Review – Under Lying by Janelle Harris

December 2, 2019 JulieGLeave a comment

This book can be found here on Goodreads and here on Amazon

This book covers the following topics and/or genres – Fiction / Thriller / Suspense

Under Lying is a suspense-thriller that focuses on the sudden disappearance of a couple’s little girl. Susan and Paul’s daughter Amelia goes missing during a house-warming party. After Amelia’s disappearance, the relationship between Susan and her husband slowly begins to disintegrate. Paul appears as if he is pointing the finger of blame at Susan and others. There are a lot of moving “parts” at this point in the book, a lot of characters and actions to consider with nothing looking too obvious. Other minor characters are introduced during the party such as Helen, a neighbour that seems friendly and supportive of Susan during the ordeal.

The book is split into two timelines, the past and the present. I wasn’t too keen on the flicking back and forth between the two. I would have preferred that the author didn’t separate the timelines and rather integrated the past into the present without having to define it in separate chapters. I think this segregates the flow of the story way too much and is almost distracting.

In the past timeline, Susan is a student with a twin brother, also a student. Susan’s brother, Adam, goes out to get champagne for their 21st party, and a terrible accident kills him. Susan goes through the various phases of grief, even attending a bereavement group at her old primary school to try and cope with the loss. This is where we meet Jenny, also coping with loss in her life and the two become friends.

I found it hard to feel sympathy for Susan. Early on in the book, I felt nothing but an annoyance for her. I understand this character has endured a lot, but for some reason, she reads like she is just overly-needy and I find that aspect of her difficult to like. Losing a child is a severe topic to tackle, and I commend the writer for choosing this as a foundation for the book. It’s abundantly clear early on in the current timeline that Susan is either very good at acting like she’s grieving for her daughter or entirely truthful about it. I think this aspect of Susan’s personality is both the best and the worst part about her. I also would have thought that after losing a brother as a teenager and a twin at that, Susan would be slightly more experienced in dealing with this level of grief.

Turning to the husband, Paul, he isn’t as engaging as Susan, but there is an air of “what the hell is going on” with him throughout the first half of the book that keeps you wondering about his motivation. Lots of questions arise, which is mirrored in the actions of the detectives assigned to solve the case.

The first major twist in the story comes about half-way through the book, and it’s not very subtle either. I did feel that there was a bit of a “jump” in the plot development, almost like the author was trying to rush through the rest of the story to get to the end. That said, this particular plot twist does what it was intended to do, which is to catch you completely off-guard. It seemed a little “out of nowhere”, but I think the author fully intended for this to happen and for the most part, it works well.

There are several twists throughout this book, but I didn’t feel the others were as impactful as the first. Susan doesn’t escape my original thoughts about her which makes it a lot easier to get behind the person she became as the plot progresses. By the end of the book, I expected to feel a little more relieved than I did, relieved that the story was over and that I didn’t have to continue reading about a character I didn’t enjoy.

I was a tad disappointed at the end as the book had so much promise, which kind of dwindled right after the first twist is revealed. I found myself more invested in the main character than the character deserved. And the ending felt like something was missing or unfinished – perhaps unfinished business or justice unserved.

Book Review – F*ck No by Sarah Knight

November 24, 2019November 24, 2019 JulieGLeave a comment

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This book can be found here on Goodreads and here on Amazon

This e-book was provided for review via Netgalley for an honest review

This book covers the following topics – Non-Fiction / Self-Help

Publisher’s release date: 31 Dec 2019

How does someone get better at saying “No?” Why would you want to be better at saying no? According to Sarah Knight and her successful series of books that tackle everything from not giving a f*ck to putting oneself first, there is a myriad of tricks and practices everyone who has problems with saying no can learn out of the safety of their lounge.

How is this book written for the audience?

Sarah Knight has made a successful career out of helping people face their fears and shortcomings, and she continues this stride with her latest book, F*ck No!: How to Stop Saying Yes When You Can’t, You Shouldn’t, or You Just Don’t Want To. Sarah is a TED speaker and a New York Times bestselling author. So what makes it so easy for some of us to say no, and why is it so hard for others? Sarah speaks from personal experience as a full-time corporate book editor who got tired of giving authors lousy news daily. Ask yourself if you have ever been the person that always has to please everyone? Or the push-over that always caves when they should stand their ground? Or even the overachiever that takes on way too much work for minimal reward or none at all? If you can relate to any of these scenarios, you will benefit greatly from reading this book.

Some of the highlights of this book included the following advice that Sarah offers unapologetically to the reader:

– Building real, applicable boundaries for yourself and those people in your life you find it hard to say no to. These people can be family members, friends, bosses or colleagues. It doesn’t matter because Sarah’s advice can be moulded around to fit with any relationship that you have.
– Having personal policies that help you to apply the boundaries you’ve created to real-world situations.
– Dealing with those people that won’t take “no” for an answer and how to continue being in control when you don’t feel in control
– Dealing with the guilt of saying “no” in a responsible way that can come in many shapes and forms
– Approaching the “fall out” or consequences of saying “no” and working to move beyond these limitations

The language used – is it simple enough to understand for the everyday reader?

One of the essential concepts in Sarah’s book is that not all situations and examples will be something you can relate to. This book is structured in such a way that you can skip and re-read sections that are relevant to you and your life. After all, this book is all about improving yourself, and only you know where that improvement needs to be applied.

As an example, I’ll use my own experience here – I don’t have a single problem with telling telemarketers “no” or telling door-to-door sellers “no, but thank you!” But some people might. Sarah has thought about her material extensively, and I do mean that this book is extremely comprehensive and covers just about every situation you could imagine and then some. So again, you can pick up this book and apply what you’ve learned to Sarah’s material – look at the chapters you want to look at and ignore the rest. Or, if you’re a completionist (like I tend to be), read the entire book and apply only what you know to be relevant when required. It is that simple.

That said, however, the language used in this book may be a little “blunt” for some readers. Not all readers will appreciate the way Sarah uses certain words (mostly slang and swear words) in her writing. So this book won’t appeal to everyone. But I enjoyed the stripped-down nature of the book, and its rawness made it easier for me to feel comfortable reading about difficult situations. I prefer the no-nonsense approach.

What can be gained from the book – does it educate the reader?

I didn’t choose to review this book because of any particular need that I had other than I wanted to read it because I thought the subject matter would be interesting. And I also appreciate the way that Sarah approaches her material. But the further into this book I progressed the more I began to realise that this book is addressing experiences I have had. I remember feeling like I couldn’t breathe or like I was choking because of the pressure other people in my life were putting onto me. I remember the horrible feeling that crept over me whenever I said “yes” to a person I didn’t like. I remember how annoyed and disgusted with myself I felt because I had given into the guilt, yet again. I am one of the people that Sarah has spent a considerable chunk of her career trying to reach out to. Perhaps something subconsciously was telling me I needed to read this book. Maybe the experience can be the same for you too. This book could be a revelation or could provide clarity into your shortcomings or even deeper than that.

Writing Update – November 2019

November 20, 2019November 20, 2019 JulieGLeave a comment

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

If you’re not actually visiting my website, then you won’t see my “Currently Reviewing” Widget so I thought it would be a good idea to blog regular updates about what I’m reviewing and writing for the month. I anticipate that I may have a lot more to review and write about as the months progress because I am already reading and reviewing two books this week, which is this title courtesy of Net Galley:

F*ck No! By Sarah Knight — IMAGE VIA AMAZON

I actually really enjoyed reviewing Cybersecurity is Everybody’s Business in the non-fiction genre, so I’m gonna ride the non-fiction wave a tad longer with F*ck No! By Sarah Knight. It’s technically a self-help book, but I was intrigued enough by the title to read the blurb, and I was kinda sold.

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I started reading Under Lying by Janelle Harris purely out of the blue one day when I was looking on Amazon and I’ve just kept going from there so that’s book number two for this week.

And lastly, I wanted to revisit The King in a second viewing and finally write a review. So that’s a lot to do.

I’m also still writing my short story that I can’t talk about but it’s slowly coming along. I’ve written around eight chapters so far. I gave up on flash fiction because I really didn’t feel and you know what they say about not feeling something … don’t do it 😀

And lastly, I am looking at other blogging platforms to spread my writing around and I found Bloglovin which I actually liked so I’ll be reposting my work there.

Book Review – Cybersecurity is Everybody’s Business by Scott N. Schober

November 17, 2019 JulieG2 Comments

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This book can be found here on Goodreads and here on Amazon

This e-book was provided for review by the author Scott N. Shober via BookTasters.

This book covers the following topics – Non-Fiction / Cybersecurity / Hacking / Cyber-crime / Cyber-awareness / Cyber-safety

As the title of the book suggests, Cybersecurity really is everybody’s business. Being aware of cyber-crime is something that I’ve become more and more interested in over the years as a digital citizen, and it’s something that everyone needs to be exposed to in a relatable way.

Onto the review:

Is this book written for the right audience – would this book make sense to someone that knows nothing about tech or cyber-crime?

Scott’s book is an ideal place to start if you’re curious about cybersecurity for small businesses. If you’ve already made yourself familiar with Scott’s previous book, Hacked Again, this book is a solid next step in advancement and understanding of the world of cybercrime and how it can impact you as an individual and your business.

If you’re a novice when it comes to cybersecurity as a topic, you’re probably better off reading Scott’s previous book first, which is about Scott’s personal experience of being hacked called “Hacked Again.” You can view a sample and purchase that book here on Amazon.

For any small business owner with a basic understanding of what cyber-crime is, this book should be next to your bed and on your reading table. Scott is extremely good at taking a step back from the complexity of cyber-crime and hacking and applying an expert’s opinion in such a way that makes it extremely easy to digest. While the world of hackers can be a scary place, Scott tackles this fear, breaking it apart bit by bit by discussing real-world scenarios and offering valuable advice on how to best avoid these situations.

One of the most important things I’ve found as someone acutely aware of how easy it is for hackers to commit such crimes is that there isn’t enough information out there for the little person. There is very little information available for people who don’t own businesses or have large bank accounts with thousands of clients. What I like about this book is that Scott knows that there is a considerable lack of understanding that exists among the general public, and he is actively trying to share what he knows to combat and bridge that gap.

Scott’s message is that you don’t have to be technically savvy to understand how critical cybersecurity is. If you don’t think you have something a hacker may want, think again. If you have money or data to exploit, you’re a target, and that’s pretty much everyone.

How is the language used in this book – is it simple enough to understand?

There are certain parts of this book, such as the reference notes, and real-world examples of cyber breaches and attacks that maybe just a little too technical for the average reader. These details are more suited for someone who may have a technical background and understanding of significant data breaches such as the Mirai Botnet DDoS attack in chapter 15. Unless you’re interested in the in’s and out’s of how a DDoS attack is carried out and why, you won’t need to understand what a DDoS is. But Scott is adept at recognizing that some people may zone out as soon as the words “data breach” are mentioned, and that’s important because it means he understands his audience and caters to that very well. By separating the reference notes at the end of each chapter, you can easily skip the more technical details if it’s not your thing.

What can be gained from reading this book – does it educate the reader?

Cybersecurity is Everybody’s Business is easily one of the most educational books out there about the real-world implications of cyber-crime. Awareness is key to opening the door and that’s really all that Scott is trying to do, to make people, everyday people, more aware of the threats they face. We are beyond becoming digital citizens, we are digital citizens. We live our lives online. If you think of how much time you spend connected to the internet every day, you will begin to understand that all of that time online has to amount to something – and that something is data. Data is a very valuable commodity. If you’re buying goods online, that means you’ve given up your credit card details (your data), your name, your address and that’s really all that’s needed for a hacker to impact your life in the worst possible way. Identity theft is real and it can happen to anyone. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Scott does a great job of chipping away at that “iceberg” until it’s bite-sized and much easier to navigate. For small business owners, this book is a must-have. And if you’re interested in the topic of cyber-crime and more importantly, cyber-crime prevention, protection and safety, this book is definitely for you.

Movies in Theatres – A Discussion about Doctor Sleep

November 16, 2019 JulieG2 Comments

Doctor Sleep (2019)

R | 2h 31min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror | 8 November 2019 (USA)

Director:

Mike Flanagan

Writers:

Stephen King (based on the novel by), Mike Flanagan (screenplay)

Stars:

Ewan McGregor, Rebecca Ferguson, Kyliegh Curran | See full cast & crew »

MILD SPOILERS

Who knew that Danny, the little kid from The Shining had some sort of super power?

I certainly didn’t and I’ve seen The Shining multiple times. So fast-forward a good 20 odd years and our boy Danny has grown into a maladjusted human being who only likes two things in life; alcohol and running from his “demons” who just happen to be real. No, really and it’s not just Danny who sees them which I’ll get to in a bit.

You might be thinking, what could possibly be connecting this film to The Shining other than Danny? And that’s a fair question. Well, without spoiling it, there are more distinct tie-ins further on in the film to The Shining which I’m sure some fans will enjoy. I wasn’t very moved myself. Kubrick’s The Shining was a lot more psychologically scary, disorientating and a little disturbing which is why I enjoyed it. While Mike Flanagan did an alright job of integrating some of the “what the hell just happened” mood into Doctor Sleep, it really didn’t grip me half as much as similar scenes in The Shining did.

The fantastical aspect of the film is very much fantastical with lovely shots of the night sky, floating people and birds-eye views of the pretty city lights. But there was something that didn’t fit with the villains of this little story. Rebecca Ferguson as the villain Rose, The Hat, was cool and ethereal-like – I definitely see the likeness to Stevie Nicks in her character. She was everything you’d expect a generally good villain to be; a little creepy, a little aggressive all the while hiding a very dangerous secret under her cool but very big hat. The link between our hipster looking villain and her gang and Danny is explained which is essentially why this film is a sequel to The Shining, but it certainly doesn’t feel like it is.

Danny accidentally stumbles upon this very special friend named Abra who is linked to him through The Shining (the super hero power mentioned earlier). That is what Danny calls it so we’ll call it that too. The Shining then becomes this “thing” but I think I liked it more when it was obscure and unexplained.

To classify this film as a “horror” is a pretty big stretch, even with the nasty bad guys who reminded me more of the vampire family in Twilight. And you can take that any way you like.

The Broken Quill

Entertainment Writer and Reviewer

Tag: blogging

New book to review – “Meeting Boudicca” by C. A. Powell