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ClareR (6106 KP) rated The Testaments (The Handmaid's Tale #2) in Books
Sep 22, 2019 (Updated Sep 23, 2019)
This was well worth the wait!
The Testaments is the book that many people have been waiting for since the TV series first aired (me!). It seems that everyone likes a sequel. Well, most people anyway, because for every person that I’ve seen rave about how good this book is, I’ve seen as many say that it doesn’t live up to the original. Personally, I’m glad that it’s not written in the same style as the first book. The Handmaid’s Tale was written at a different time. 1985 is a lifetime away. We were entering a time then, where women felt hope for the future - equality seemed achievable. I’m really not so sure that we feel the same way in 2019. Certain developed countries are making it more difficult for women to have abortions, more US states are making it illegal, female children are still being married to adult males in many developing countries; climate change is having a huge impact on the poorest countries and as Margaret Atwood has said, with any disasters, natural or otherwise, it’s always the women and children who suffer the worst deprivation. So Margaret Atwood had all of these things at her disposal when she wrote The Testaments. Everything that happens to the women in Gilead has happened, or is happening, somewhere in the world.
The Testaments is written from three different perspectives. I was delighted to see the return of Aunt Lydia - and she seems to have hit her stride. She’s much more sure of herself here, even though she is still having to watch her back. Gilead may be ultra-religious, but that doesn’t stop the literal back-stabbing. Aunt Lydia shows just how high the poison has spread. We see more than the subservient Aunt that she seems to be in front of The Eyes, and her backstory is fascinating.
Then there is Agnes, a child brought up in Gilead in a high profile family. We see how girls are ‘educated’ in a world where women and girls aren’t allowed to read and write. Agnes is contrasted with Daisy, a teenaged girl living in Canada, who was smuggled out of Gilead by her mother as a baby. There are obviously some pretty big differences. I don’t actually want to say too much, because I hate having my own reading experience ruined.
I loved this book. I really liked that by the end we couldn’t actually be sure whether Aunt Lydia’s records were genuine or fabricated. The symposium at the end (just as there was at the end of The Handmaid’s Tale) casts doubt on the authenticity of the papers that were found. Just like any written records found in this situation, historians have to be open minded about who could have written them. So we’re left wondering at the end whether what we’ve just read is actually what happened.
So does this deserve to be on the Booker Prize 2019 shortlist? Yes, I think it does. I believe it’s well written, I finished feeling thoroughly entertained and emotionally exhausted! I liked the open end too. Whether Atwood does anything with this open ending is up to her really, isn’t it. But I won’t be disappointed if she decides to leave the world of Gilead here. This book is a great way to end the story.
The Testaments is written from three different perspectives. I was delighted to see the return of Aunt Lydia - and she seems to have hit her stride. She’s much more sure of herself here, even though she is still having to watch her back. Gilead may be ultra-religious, but that doesn’t stop the literal back-stabbing. Aunt Lydia shows just how high the poison has spread. We see more than the subservient Aunt that she seems to be in front of The Eyes, and her backstory is fascinating.
Then there is Agnes, a child brought up in Gilead in a high profile family. We see how girls are ‘educated’ in a world where women and girls aren’t allowed to read and write. Agnes is contrasted with Daisy, a teenaged girl living in Canada, who was smuggled out of Gilead by her mother as a baby. There are obviously some pretty big differences. I don’t actually want to say too much, because I hate having my own reading experience ruined.
I loved this book. I really liked that by the end we couldn’t actually be sure whether Aunt Lydia’s records were genuine or fabricated. The symposium at the end (just as there was at the end of The Handmaid’s Tale) casts doubt on the authenticity of the papers that were found. Just like any written records found in this situation, historians have to be open minded about who could have written them. So we’re left wondering at the end whether what we’ve just read is actually what happened.
So does this deserve to be on the Booker Prize 2019 shortlist? Yes, I think it does. I believe it’s well written, I finished feeling thoroughly entertained and emotionally exhausted! I liked the open end too. Whether Atwood does anything with this open ending is up to her really, isn’t it. But I won’t be disappointed if she decides to leave the world of Gilead here. This book is a great way to end the story.
Acanthea Grimscythe (300 KP) rated While You Sleep in Books
May 20, 2019
If you’re looking for something in the flavor of gothic horror with a little bit of romance and an unreliable narrator to thrown in, While You Sleep by Stephanie Merritt is the perfect choice. Reading it during a thunderstorm (which takes place quite often in the book) is even better. While I don’t tend to like romance, this book plays it off in a manner that even I can enjoy.
Set on a small island off the coast of Scotland, Merritt immediately creates an atmospherically gloomy environment. The main character, Zoe Adams, is an introverted artist who’s taking some much needed time away from her family in a lovely Victorian Era house in a town where she knows no one. Unbeknownst to her, the house has a reputation. Soon, things start to get a little rough, and the vacation turns into a nightmare. The question is, is there a phantom lending truth to the house’s status, or is there more than meets the eye?
When it comes to characters, Merritt’s ability to write dynamic and three-dimensional characters is spot on. I found myself becoming attached to a few while loathing others. The small town feel is replicated in the behaviors and actions of several characters, which tends to be something I’m wary of, being from a small town myself.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It’s one I’d like to own, and one I’ll definitely recommend to fellow horror fiends. I’d like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
http://theghastlygrimoire.com/2019/05/10/book-review-while-you-sleep-by-stephanie-merritt/
Set on a small island off the coast of Scotland, Merritt immediately creates an atmospherically gloomy environment. The main character, Zoe Adams, is an introverted artist who’s taking some much needed time away from her family in a lovely Victorian Era house in a town where she knows no one. Unbeknownst to her, the house has a reputation. Soon, things start to get a little rough, and the vacation turns into a nightmare. The question is, is there a phantom lending truth to the house’s status, or is there more than meets the eye?
When it comes to characters, Merritt’s ability to write dynamic and three-dimensional characters is spot on. I found myself becoming attached to a few while loathing others. The small town feel is replicated in the behaviors and actions of several characters, which tends to be something I’m wary of, being from a small town myself.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It’s one I’d like to own, and one I’ll definitely recommend to fellow horror fiends. I’d like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
http://theghastlygrimoire.com/2019/05/10/book-review-while-you-sleep-by-stephanie-merritt/
ClareR (6106 KP) rated Remembered in Books
Jul 8, 2019
This is set in two time periods: the ‘present’ of February 1910, and 1843-1867. This second time period is during slavery in the USA, and follows the story of Spring and her sister Tempe. This was a time when black people were property, treated no better than cattle (their white owner even talks about ‘breeding’ them), and goes up to the emancipation and what happens afterwards.
In the ‘present’ timeline, we see Spring sitting by her sons deathbed in hospital, with the ghost of Tempe.
There are several newspaper articles that start chapters, and they go some way to explaining what is happening in the story - at least from a white mans perspective. Spring’s son, Edward, is accused of driving a Philadelphia streetcar into a department store and endangering the lives of white people. It’s not explicitly said (that I can remember), but Edwards injuries aren’t just from the crash. Spring arrives at the hospital knowing that he’s unlikely to survive. Mainly because the ghost of her sister is telling her so, and encouraging her to tell him the true story of his birth, in order that he can ‘go home’ and not become an earth bound ghost.
So we get to see for ourselves what motherhood really is - it’s not about who gives birth to a baby, but about who loves and brings that child up.
It’s a difficult story to read, as it should be. This was a difficult and terrible time in history, but I did enjoy reading it. I can see why it was nominated for the 2019 Women’s Prize. It’s well worth reading.
In the ‘present’ timeline, we see Spring sitting by her sons deathbed in hospital, with the ghost of Tempe.
There are several newspaper articles that start chapters, and they go some way to explaining what is happening in the story - at least from a white mans perspective. Spring’s son, Edward, is accused of driving a Philadelphia streetcar into a department store and endangering the lives of white people. It’s not explicitly said (that I can remember), but Edwards injuries aren’t just from the crash. Spring arrives at the hospital knowing that he’s unlikely to survive. Mainly because the ghost of her sister is telling her so, and encouraging her to tell him the true story of his birth, in order that he can ‘go home’ and not become an earth bound ghost.
So we get to see for ourselves what motherhood really is - it’s not about who gives birth to a baby, but about who loves and brings that child up.
It’s a difficult story to read, as it should be. This was a difficult and terrible time in history, but I did enjoy reading it. I can see why it was nominated for the 2019 Women’s Prize. It’s well worth reading.
Ivana A. | Diary of Difference (1171 KP) rated Mooncakes in Books
Feb 3, 2020
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Graphic novels are not usually my first choice of books. But after seeing the book cover, I couldn't resist the urge. I just had to read Mooncakes.
Mooncakes is a cute paranormal story, filled with magic, love, family... In a paranormal city, Nova, a teen witch goes to the woods and follows a white wolf. It turns out that the wolf is her high-school crush, Tam. It would all be lovely, but Tam is in life danger and needs help. The two girls help each other and their connection grows throughout the book.
The scenery of the cosy home of Nova's grandmothers and the lovely bookshelves gave me a wonderful feeling of comfort. I loved their warm house, the lovely relationship they had and the love you could feel through the pages.
I enjoyed Mooncakes - it was adorable. If you like graphic novels, cute art and a little sparkle of magic - this book will not disappoint you.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Lion Forge, for sending me an E-Arc copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
<a href="https://diaryofdifference.com/">Blog</a>; | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/diaryofdifference/">Facebook</a>; | <a href="https://twitter.com/DiaryDifference">Twitter</a>; | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/diaryofdifference/">Instagram</a>; | <a href="https://www.pinterest.co.uk/diaryofdifference/pins/">Pinterest</a>;
<img src="https://diaryofdifference.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Book-Review-Banner-6.png"/>;
Graphic novels are not usually my first choice of books. But after seeing the book cover, I couldn't resist the urge. I just had to read Mooncakes.
Mooncakes is a cute paranormal story, filled with magic, love, family... In a paranormal city, Nova, a teen witch goes to the woods and follows a white wolf. It turns out that the wolf is her high-school crush, Tam. It would all be lovely, but Tam is in life danger and needs help. The two girls help each other and their connection grows throughout the book.
The scenery of the cosy home of Nova's grandmothers and the lovely bookshelves gave me a wonderful feeling of comfort. I loved their warm house, the lovely relationship they had and the love you could feel through the pages.
I enjoyed Mooncakes - it was adorable. If you like graphic novels, cute art and a little sparkle of magic - this book will not disappoint you.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Lion Forge, for sending me an E-Arc copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
<a href="https://diaryofdifference.com/">Blog</a>; | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/diaryofdifference/">Facebook</a>; | <a href="https://twitter.com/DiaryDifference">Twitter</a>; | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/diaryofdifference/">Instagram</a>; | <a href="https://www.pinterest.co.uk/diaryofdifference/pins/">Pinterest</a>;
Charlie Cobra Reviews (1840 KP) rated Jump Force in Video Games
Jul 4, 2020
Nothing To Jump Up And Down About After All - 6/10
Jump Force is a 2019 fighting game developed by Spike Chunsoft and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. It features a variety of characters from Shueisha's Shõnen Jump and was released on February 15th.
After our world crashes into the Shõnen Jump multi-verse, it's invaded by an army of mind-controlled villains, called "Venoms". Under the leadership of Director Glover heroes are recruited to fight back by joining the "Jump Force".
This game is pretty fun to play. That being said, it is pretty horrible in it's own way too. To me the 40 person roster wasn't as bad as the story mode being such a bland experience. Although a couple more characters couldn't of hurt. The create a character mode was "ok" at best even though I had fun with it. But the whole upgrade system never really interested me. Biggest disappointment was learning that all characters are unlocked pretty much by just going through the tutorials and starting story mode. Still got to give this game a 6/10. Below is a link to a video I edited and posted on YouTube showcasing some of the gameplay if you want to see for yourself how the game plays.
After our world crashes into the Shõnen Jump multi-verse, it's invaded by an army of mind-controlled villains, called "Venoms". Under the leadership of Director Glover heroes are recruited to fight back by joining the "Jump Force".
This game is pretty fun to play. That being said, it is pretty horrible in it's own way too. To me the 40 person roster wasn't as bad as the story mode being such a bland experience. Although a couple more characters couldn't of hurt. The create a character mode was "ok" at best even though I had fun with it. But the whole upgrade system never really interested me. Biggest disappointment was learning that all characters are unlocked pretty much by just going through the tutorials and starting story mode. Still got to give this game a 6/10. Below is a link to a video I edited and posted on YouTube showcasing some of the gameplay if you want to see for yourself how the game plays.
Isiah Zane Hodge (13 KP) rated Halloween (2018) in Movies
Jun 28, 2019
The best horror sequel ever?
How could anything truly top the great Halloween? Though the franchise has been riddled with cheese and just insane plot holes. This sequel of the original 1978 horror classic maybe one of the best horror sequels of all time let alone probably the best Halloween sequel ever? The film has a freaky atmosphere that seems to be directly copied from the original. Is that a bad thing? No not necessarily. The original sequels to the Halloween franchise have little to no atmosphere. Feels like more of the focus is promantly towards the "not so" mysterious Micheal Myers and less about setting the scene up for a good erie feeling. Which isn't to say that its easy to do. Much of a sequels scares come from the shocking and overrated "jump scare" aspect. Once you're shown the big bad on camera, it's hard to gain that same fear and mystery back. However in the 2019 film, it ramps it to 11. Maybe it's because we haven't seen Myers on the big screen for quite some time? There is something about seeing an older Myers that is so freaky to me. The cat and mouse plot twist is a wonderful change that makes this film a 9/10 for me. As a horror buff, I was so excited for this film so much that I didn't watch anything else for 2 months. I loved the film that much. Definitely a great watch.
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