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The Bandersnatch (199 KP) rated The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in Books
Nov 7, 2019
The Book was Published by George M. Hill Company with an advanced publication date of September 1900. The public heard of it at a book fair in Chicago around July 5th to 20th with its copyright registered by August 1st. The books sold out quickly and the second editions went just as quickly as the first. When Hills company became bankrupt in 1901, Bobbs-Merrill Company resumed publishing the book. By 1933 there were more than a million copies printed and by 1956 the sales had grown to three million printed. Because The Wizard of Oz was so popular it became the first in a thirteen book series.
I had known about the wizard of oz ever since I was a child but this was due to the 1939 Movie by MGM of the same name starring Judy Garland. As such I didn't read the book until I was nearly an adult. The book is highly different to the movie with Dorothy having to do more to get home and for both the Wizard and Oz as a whole. The major differences between book and movie is the fact that the Ruby slippers from the movie are silver in the book and the flying monkeys are controlled by a magical cap and Dorothy having protection from Glinda the good witch of the north. I have to admit I am a stickler for details and I prefer the book rather than the movie, despite the movie being good. I recommend this book to everyone and give the book a 9/10
Lyman Frank Baum was born May 15th 1856 in Chittenango, New York to a devout Methodist family the seventh of nine children of Cynthia and Benjamin Baum. Only Baum and five of his siblings survived to adulthood. Lyman hated his first name despite being named for an uncle and liked his middle name better, he was known as Frank for most of his life. Baum married his wife Maud Gage on November 9th 1882 and by 1888 had moved to Aberdeen, Dakota Territory where he operated his own store for a while before turning to writing full time which he loved to do since he was a child. By the time of his death on May 6th 1919 Baum had written the thirteen book Oz series, a plethora of other books and several musicals and radio plays. Baum had died of a stroke and passed away in his sleep, he's buried in Glendale's Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery. L. Frank Baum certainly has my respect for both his writing of the Oz series and the craziness that his life had been.
I had known about the wizard of oz ever since I was a child but this was due to the 1939 Movie by MGM of the same name starring Judy Garland. As such I didn't read the book until I was nearly an adult. The book is highly different to the movie with Dorothy having to do more to get home and for both the Wizard and Oz as a whole. The major differences between book and movie is the fact that the Ruby slippers from the movie are silver in the book and the flying monkeys are controlled by a magical cap and Dorothy having protection from Glinda the good witch of the north. I have to admit I am a stickler for details and I prefer the book rather than the movie, despite the movie being good. I recommend this book to everyone and give the book a 9/10
Lyman Frank Baum was born May 15th 1856 in Chittenango, New York to a devout Methodist family the seventh of nine children of Cynthia and Benjamin Baum. Only Baum and five of his siblings survived to adulthood. Lyman hated his first name despite being named for an uncle and liked his middle name better, he was known as Frank for most of his life. Baum married his wife Maud Gage on November 9th 1882 and by 1888 had moved to Aberdeen, Dakota Territory where he operated his own store for a while before turning to writing full time which he loved to do since he was a child. By the time of his death on May 6th 1919 Baum had written the thirteen book Oz series, a plethora of other books and several musicals and radio plays. Baum had died of a stroke and passed away in his sleep, he's buried in Glendale's Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery. L. Frank Baum certainly has my respect for both his writing of the Oz series and the craziness that his life had been.
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Scarlet's Escape (The Sanctum Series #2) in Books
Nov 25, 2019
I really enjoyed reading Jayden and the Mysterious Mountain, the first book in the Sanctum series (see review posted here) so was very much looking forward to reading the sequel. This task was made much harder by my 9 year old son demanding to read it first, then him re-reading Jayden and then Scarlet's Escape again.
When I finally got hold of the book I was not disappointed. It was only when I started to read this that I realised exactly what these books are - they are techno thrillers for younger readers. Tom Clancy for pre teens if you will. You do need to suspend belief - but no more than in any other techno thriller.
After the excitement of the last book, things have settled down in the Sanctum with Jayden and his friends Eva, Robert and Aaron forming a formidable infiltration and hacking team, using 'surrogates' and virtual reality to thwart terrorist activity. However the Santum's super computer Scarlet is behaving a little oddly, and missions have started going badly wrong. Are these linked and what can the friends do?
Meanwhile in Ernest College, Liam and friends stumble upon a secret (with a lot of help from their friend Brendan, who is in reality a surrogate controlled by Aaron in the Sanctum). What does it mean and which side is the College on?
The writing in the second book is tauter and crisper, helped by not having to explain every detail of the Sanctum, and also that although Jayden is still the primary narrative focus his friends get to do more than just follow his lead. Swapping between the Sanctum and the college, progressing each story a little from the very start also keeps the tension high as one or other group is always facing some sort of dilemma or decision. Cope has also been freed from the constraint of making this a stand alone book - there are plenty of loose ends to tie up at the end promising more great adventures to come. There are also plenty of red herrings and false trails to keep the reader guessing about who - or what - is responsible.
As in the first book there are plenty of positive role models and life lessons for the young reader. The episode with the chillies is an absolute hoot but there are serious issues dealt with too - bullying and guilt from a failed mission in particular.
Very much a recommended book for those still a little too young for 'young adult' fiction but who have grown out of books such as the Famous Five but still have a taste for adventure with a technological twist and a strong moral center. Overall another excellent book from Katrina Cope, very much looking forward to the next one (as is my son)
When I finally got hold of the book I was not disappointed. It was only when I started to read this that I realised exactly what these books are - they are techno thrillers for younger readers. Tom Clancy for pre teens if you will. You do need to suspend belief - but no more than in any other techno thriller.
After the excitement of the last book, things have settled down in the Sanctum with Jayden and his friends Eva, Robert and Aaron forming a formidable infiltration and hacking team, using 'surrogates' and virtual reality to thwart terrorist activity. However the Santum's super computer Scarlet is behaving a little oddly, and missions have started going badly wrong. Are these linked and what can the friends do?
Meanwhile in Ernest College, Liam and friends stumble upon a secret (with a lot of help from their friend Brendan, who is in reality a surrogate controlled by Aaron in the Sanctum). What does it mean and which side is the College on?
The writing in the second book is tauter and crisper, helped by not having to explain every detail of the Sanctum, and also that although Jayden is still the primary narrative focus his friends get to do more than just follow his lead. Swapping between the Sanctum and the college, progressing each story a little from the very start also keeps the tension high as one or other group is always facing some sort of dilemma or decision. Cope has also been freed from the constraint of making this a stand alone book - there are plenty of loose ends to tie up at the end promising more great adventures to come. There are also plenty of red herrings and false trails to keep the reader guessing about who - or what - is responsible.
As in the first book there are plenty of positive role models and life lessons for the young reader. The episode with the chillies is an absolute hoot but there are serious issues dealt with too - bullying and guilt from a failed mission in particular.
Very much a recommended book for those still a little too young for 'young adult' fiction but who have grown out of books such as the Famous Five but still have a taste for adventure with a technological twist and a strong moral center. Overall another excellent book from Katrina Cope, very much looking forward to the next one (as is my son)
Darren (1599 KP) rated Without a Paddle (2004) in Movies
Dec 21, 2019
Verdict: Enjoyable
Story: Without a Paddle starts as three best friends Tom (Shepard), Jerry (Lillard) and Dan (Green) return home after the sudden death of their fourth member Billy, spending time together they remember a promise they once made when they were children about searching for D.B. Cooper Bounty.
The three head off into the wilderness following a map that Billy left them, on an adventure they couldn’t imagine, search for a treasure and learning the importance of life.
Thoughts on Without a Paddle
Characters – Jerry has become a businessman, he isn’t enjoying this career choice, he likes to surf and isn’t the most committed in remember important dates in his relationship, he must bring the guys back together for the funeral, he is on the edge of a mid-life crisis, which will get the focus of his decision making process on this adventure. Tom is the lose cannon of the friends, he has always got a story from what he has been doing in his life, while most seem to be tall tales, which often get them in trouble. Dan has become a doctor that is nervous in life, he keeps everything safe and this adventure is completely against his lifestyle, where he spends most of his time worried about what happens.
Performances – Matthew Lillard, Seth Green and Dax Shepard are the three friends, they do have great chemistry, they play into their comedy strengths and make this movie more enjoyable with their performances.
Story – The story follows three friends that go on an adventure in the woods in search for D.B. Cooper’s treasure in memory of their friend who passed away. This is a story that is about finding themselves, learning to overcome their fears in life, learn their place in life and making the most of the life they are given. While some of what happens is silly and plays into parodies of many films, it is an enjoyable story that shows the strength of friendship through the good times and the bad.
Adventure/Comedy – The adventure shows us how friends will need that moment in life where the can be together even through the adult struggles in life. The comedy can be silly at times, which does take away from the serious time of the story.
Settings – The film is set in the wilderness, which sees how the different locations from the river rapids to the cannabis farm they stumble along, it plays into the fears of going into the wild.
Scene of the Movie – The treehouse of memories.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Some of the comedy.
Final Thoughts – This is a fun adventure about finding yourself in life, the cast has a great chemistry only for the comedy to come off slightly short at times.
Overall: Fun Adventure.
Story: Without a Paddle starts as three best friends Tom (Shepard), Jerry (Lillard) and Dan (Green) return home after the sudden death of their fourth member Billy, spending time together they remember a promise they once made when they were children about searching for D.B. Cooper Bounty.
The three head off into the wilderness following a map that Billy left them, on an adventure they couldn’t imagine, search for a treasure and learning the importance of life.
Thoughts on Without a Paddle
Characters – Jerry has become a businessman, he isn’t enjoying this career choice, he likes to surf and isn’t the most committed in remember important dates in his relationship, he must bring the guys back together for the funeral, he is on the edge of a mid-life crisis, which will get the focus of his decision making process on this adventure. Tom is the lose cannon of the friends, he has always got a story from what he has been doing in his life, while most seem to be tall tales, which often get them in trouble. Dan has become a doctor that is nervous in life, he keeps everything safe and this adventure is completely against his lifestyle, where he spends most of his time worried about what happens.
Performances – Matthew Lillard, Seth Green and Dax Shepard are the three friends, they do have great chemistry, they play into their comedy strengths and make this movie more enjoyable with their performances.
Story – The story follows three friends that go on an adventure in the woods in search for D.B. Cooper’s treasure in memory of their friend who passed away. This is a story that is about finding themselves, learning to overcome their fears in life, learn their place in life and making the most of the life they are given. While some of what happens is silly and plays into parodies of many films, it is an enjoyable story that shows the strength of friendship through the good times and the bad.
Adventure/Comedy – The adventure shows us how friends will need that moment in life where the can be together even through the adult struggles in life. The comedy can be silly at times, which does take away from the serious time of the story.
Settings – The film is set in the wilderness, which sees how the different locations from the river rapids to the cannabis farm they stumble along, it plays into the fears of going into the wild.
Scene of the Movie – The treehouse of memories.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Some of the comedy.
Final Thoughts – This is a fun adventure about finding yourself in life, the cast has a great chemistry only for the comedy to come off slightly short at times.
Overall: Fun Adventure.
Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated Imperfectly Criminal (Imperfect, #2) in Books
Jan 23, 2020
I am a <em>huge </em>fan of Mary Frames <i><a href="http://www.bookwyrmingthoughts.com/review-imperfect-chemistry-by-mary-frame"; target=" rel=">Imperfect Chemistry</a></i>. I love the book to pieces and praise/recommend it while running left and right and kindly shoving it down everyones throats while humbly reminding them that this is indeed New Adult.
<i>Imperfectly Criminal</i> is the sequel to <i>Imperfect Chemistry</i> and the second book in Mary Frames <i>Imperfect </i>series. The best part is? Its a stand alone! With the kicker being ending spoilers from <i>Imperfect Chemistry</i> (of course, my English teachers are cringing because saying imperfect a million times in a paragraph is very... repetitve). This book features Freya, who Frame first introduces us back in the first novel as one of Lucys newest friends.
In terms of favorite character in the series Lucy still takes the crown, but Freya is a close second now that Ive gotten the chance to know her as a character. (Shes not as cute as Lucy! Plus the family dynamic in the first novel is like the Weasleys...) She adores food, Lucys quirks, and shes hilarious. Have a quote about how unstereotypical cliches get in this adorable series.
<blockquote class="tr_bq">...hes got me all flabbergasted with the skin and the muscle and the a mini George Takei is oh mying in my head.</blockquote>
Or two.
<blockquote class="tr_bq">This is where I should probably wax on and on about how sweet and handsome he looks while hes sleeping, but really he looks like a slack-jawed yokel.</blockquote>
Hilarious character aside though, <i>Imperfectly Criminal</i> deals with a much more serious problem its predecessor. For those whove read <i>Imperfect Chemistry </i>and met Freya in the first book, Frame mentions a bad relationship Freya gets out of but doesnt go into much detail (after all, Lucy is the main character). We get more intel on what happened to Freya in book two as she helps the guy she originally hired to beat up her ex prove he was innocent when two of the boys he beat up end up dead. While shes doing all of that, shes also struggling with her attraction to Dean and the after effects of her relationship with her ex.
<i>
</i> <i>Imperfectly Criminal</i> has laugh out loud moments for a light read while also dealing with serious, darker issues, and I cant wait to see how Frame will take the rest of the series.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/review-imperfectly-criminal-by-mary-frame/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
<i>Imperfectly Criminal</i> is the sequel to <i>Imperfect Chemistry</i> and the second book in Mary Frames <i>Imperfect </i>series. The best part is? Its a stand alone! With the kicker being ending spoilers from <i>Imperfect Chemistry</i> (of course, my English teachers are cringing because saying imperfect a million times in a paragraph is very... repetitve). This book features Freya, who Frame first introduces us back in the first novel as one of Lucys newest friends.
In terms of favorite character in the series Lucy still takes the crown, but Freya is a close second now that Ive gotten the chance to know her as a character. (Shes not as cute as Lucy! Plus the family dynamic in the first novel is like the Weasleys...) She adores food, Lucys quirks, and shes hilarious. Have a quote about how unstereotypical cliches get in this adorable series.
<blockquote class="tr_bq">...hes got me all flabbergasted with the skin and the muscle and the a mini George Takei is oh mying in my head.</blockquote>
Or two.
<blockquote class="tr_bq">This is where I should probably wax on and on about how sweet and handsome he looks while hes sleeping, but really he looks like a slack-jawed yokel.</blockquote>
Hilarious character aside though, <i>Imperfectly Criminal</i> deals with a much more serious problem its predecessor. For those whove read <i>Imperfect Chemistry </i>and met Freya in the first book, Frame mentions a bad relationship Freya gets out of but doesnt go into much detail (after all, Lucy is the main character). We get more intel on what happened to Freya in book two as she helps the guy she originally hired to beat up her ex prove he was innocent when two of the boys he beat up end up dead. While shes doing all of that, shes also struggling with her attraction to Dean and the after effects of her relationship with her ex.
<i>
</i> <i>Imperfectly Criminal</i> has laugh out loud moments for a light read while also dealing with serious, darker issues, and I cant wait to see how Frame will take the rest of the series.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/review-imperfectly-criminal-by-mary-frame/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated Don't Turn Around (PERSEF0NE, #1) in Books
Jan 23, 2020
Where there's walking, there's bound to be running. Ironically enough, it wasn't too long ago that I read a <a title="View Sophia's review of The Queen's Choice" href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/review-the-queens-choice-by-cayla-kluver/"; target="_blank" rel="noopener">book mainly focused on walking</a>.
Michelle Gagnon's first young adult thriller goes straight into the action as soon as the book starts Noa wakes up to find herself on a table in a warehouse with an IV in her arm and no clue of how she got to that table in the first place. Noa manages to get away from the warehouse and eventually teams up with fellow hacker Peter to find out more about a company called AMRF (who starts threatening Peter's life randomly for reasons of the unknown and attacks the hacktivist group he founded called ALLIANCE).
<i>Don't Turn Around</i> is basically about two hackers on the run not necessarily together and being chased by or threatened by an armed group of men. Running and being chased isn't typically my favorite book to read, but walking around and not being chased is much more boring to go through. In this particular case, an exception might have to be made Gagnon reveals more information about the two hackers as they're on the run and trying to find out the reasons why they're being attacked or got swooped up from somewhere and experimented on in an abandoned area.
Noa is also an interesting character and has officially landed in as my favorite characters of 2015 even though she didn't have a great childhood, it's amazingly admirable how she manages to remain a cucumber as everything around her falls apart. Noa actually reminds of <a title="View Sophia's ARC review of Tabula Rasa" href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/arc-review-tabula-rasa-by-kristen-lippert-martin/"; target="_blank" rel="noopener">that one character (Sarah?) from <i>Tabula Rasa</i></a> a fearless female character. What's different between Noa and Sarah, however, is how Noa admits she's scared but doesn't appear to be scared even after she is eventually caught by the bad guys originally going after her and Peter from the beginning of the story.
Similar to the likes of Alex Rider and James Bond, <i>Don't Turn Around</i> is a slow (though fast-paced) yet sure beginning to a series Gagnon seems to be setting us up for better things to come in the future of the series, and I'm hoping it won't fail when the end finally comes.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/review-dont-turn-around-by-michelle-gagnon/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
Michelle Gagnon's first young adult thriller goes straight into the action as soon as the book starts Noa wakes up to find herself on a table in a warehouse with an IV in her arm and no clue of how she got to that table in the first place. Noa manages to get away from the warehouse and eventually teams up with fellow hacker Peter to find out more about a company called AMRF (who starts threatening Peter's life randomly for reasons of the unknown and attacks the hacktivist group he founded called ALLIANCE).
<i>Don't Turn Around</i> is basically about two hackers on the run not necessarily together and being chased by or threatened by an armed group of men. Running and being chased isn't typically my favorite book to read, but walking around and not being chased is much more boring to go through. In this particular case, an exception might have to be made Gagnon reveals more information about the two hackers as they're on the run and trying to find out the reasons why they're being attacked or got swooped up from somewhere and experimented on in an abandoned area.
Noa is also an interesting character and has officially landed in as my favorite characters of 2015 even though she didn't have a great childhood, it's amazingly admirable how she manages to remain a cucumber as everything around her falls apart. Noa actually reminds of <a title="View Sophia's ARC review of Tabula Rasa" href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/arc-review-tabula-rasa-by-kristen-lippert-martin/"; target="_blank" rel="noopener">that one character (Sarah?) from <i>Tabula Rasa</i></a> a fearless female character. What's different between Noa and Sarah, however, is how Noa admits she's scared but doesn't appear to be scared even after she is eventually caught by the bad guys originally going after her and Peter from the beginning of the story.
Similar to the likes of Alex Rider and James Bond, <i>Don't Turn Around</i> is a slow (though fast-paced) yet sure beginning to a series Gagnon seems to be setting us up for better things to come in the future of the series, and I'm hoping it won't fail when the end finally comes.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/review-dont-turn-around-by-michelle-gagnon/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated The Polaris Uprising (Polaris, #1) in Books
Jan 23, 2020
Another bystander review yet again. T_T But throughout the story, I was making connections – yet again – to movies and books:
Corsets – Incarceron. Mercifully no prisons.
Probe Bots – *that seriously cute voice from that one movie* Wall-E! Of course, those robots had inflection and it's not Wall-E's voice I'm calling cute.
Arranged Marriages – At the time I started The Polaris Uprising, I completed Delirium not too long ago and it turned out to be a TERRIBLE experience. Fortunately, this book fared better off and it's not similar to Delirium. *phew* In fact... this quote got me quite worried:
<blockquote>When you’re president, this will all be a distant memory.</blockquote>
Is this similar to "When you're cured, this will all be a distant memory" or what? I could have sworn I saw that exact same sentence in Delirium a million times maybe. O_O (Obviously I didn't let that stop me from continuing).
Truth Serum – Welcome to the Candor faction. Need I say more?
That one sentence before this: And then all hell broke loose – Similar to The Hunger Games, but different. And no, that's no spoiler. Close, but no.
<blockquote>Alanna! Alanna!</blockquote>
e_e 1984's B! B! B! That book was quite dreadful, so I'm surprised I still remember the letter B! (that was not me in exclamation).
Now that I've gone through my dreadful (and some positive) experiences with some dystopians, let's get on with some positive notes and why I gave The Polaris Uprising a high rating:
~ The message comes across clearly throughout the book. Maybe confusing at first (switching views from the prologue and first chapter), but everything fits in nicely later.
~ Here's the big plus: it's different from other dystopians. As in really different. How? It's like many years later, a dystopian AFTER another dystopian failed. At least, that's what I assume. The signs were there, which brings me to my next point.
~ Dare to be different. I would've had to choose a faction back in September if I were in Divergent (Movie's out in 28 DAYS). Here, you're an adult at 25. That gives me what? 7-8 years to be a semi-kid? Yippee.
~ This might actually take a different end from other dystopians. Of course, there's no guarantee, so don't take that word for granted.
But overall, an impressive debut novel for Jennifer Ibarra.
-----------------------
Review copy provided by the author for review on the blog tour
Formatting is lost due to copy and paste
This review and more can be found at <a href="http://bookwyrming-thoughts.blogspot.com/2014/02/blog-tour-the-polaris-uprising-by-jennifer-ibarra-review-and-giveaway.html">Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
<a href="http://bookwyrming-thoughts.blogspot.com/"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Gi5Rk5yLloA/UtliaUbdL3I/AAAAAAAACbE/J27z92_qrYU/s1600/Official+Banner.png"; /></a>
Corsets – Incarceron. Mercifully no prisons.
Probe Bots – *that seriously cute voice from that one movie* Wall-E! Of course, those robots had inflection and it's not Wall-E's voice I'm calling cute.
Arranged Marriages – At the time I started The Polaris Uprising, I completed Delirium not too long ago and it turned out to be a TERRIBLE experience. Fortunately, this book fared better off and it's not similar to Delirium. *phew* In fact... this quote got me quite worried:
<blockquote>When you’re president, this will all be a distant memory.</blockquote>
Is this similar to "When you're cured, this will all be a distant memory" or what? I could have sworn I saw that exact same sentence in Delirium a million times maybe. O_O (Obviously I didn't let that stop me from continuing).
Truth Serum – Welcome to the Candor faction. Need I say more?
That one sentence before this: And then all hell broke loose – Similar to The Hunger Games, but different. And no, that's no spoiler. Close, but no.
<blockquote>Alanna! Alanna!</blockquote>
e_e 1984's B! B! B! That book was quite dreadful, so I'm surprised I still remember the letter B! (that was not me in exclamation).
Now that I've gone through my dreadful (and some positive) experiences with some dystopians, let's get on with some positive notes and why I gave The Polaris Uprising a high rating:
~ The message comes across clearly throughout the book. Maybe confusing at first (switching views from the prologue and first chapter), but everything fits in nicely later.
~ Here's the big plus: it's different from other dystopians. As in really different. How? It's like many years later, a dystopian AFTER another dystopian failed. At least, that's what I assume. The signs were there, which brings me to my next point.
~ Dare to be different. I would've had to choose a faction back in September if I were in Divergent (Movie's out in 28 DAYS). Here, you're an adult at 25. That gives me what? 7-8 years to be a semi-kid? Yippee.
~ This might actually take a different end from other dystopians. Of course, there's no guarantee, so don't take that word for granted.
But overall, an impressive debut novel for Jennifer Ibarra.
-----------------------
Review copy provided by the author for review on the blog tour
Formatting is lost due to copy and paste
This review and more can be found at <a href="http://bookwyrming-thoughts.blogspot.com/2014/02/blog-tour-the-polaris-uprising-by-jennifer-ibarra-review-and-giveaway.html">Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
<a href="http://bookwyrming-thoughts.blogspot.com/"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Gi5Rk5yLloA/UtliaUbdL3I/AAAAAAAACbE/J27z92_qrYU/s1600/Official+Banner.png"; /></a>
Ivana A. | Diary of Difference (1171 KP) rated I Know Who You Are in Books
Feb 3, 2020
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<b>I Know Who You Are by Alice Feeney is a book that stays with you after you read it. Dark, twisted and unpredictable until the very last chapter.</b>
In the very beginning, we are met with the unknown. Aimee Sinclair is an actress and when she comes home, she realizes her husband is missing. The police suspect she is hiding something. They are right, she does have a secret…
The book switches between two timelines; the first being Aimee today and the second being Aimee’s childhood. We get to enjoy these parallel stories and understand how Aimee’s childhood directly influences her decisions as a grown up.
<b><i>‘’Sometimes it only takes one person to believe in you, to change your life forever. Sometimes it only takes one person not believing in you to destroy it. Humans are a highly sensitive species.’’</i></b>
Alice’s writing is brilliant, and when reading the two timelines, you feel the child and you feel the adult. A skill not many writers can perfect.
Aimee’s whole life has been about being a different person. That is why she choose to become an actress. She can change into different people as she wants, and keep her true self hidden somewhere safe. But she didn’t learn this all by herself.
The book will leave things unpredictable until the very end. I had my theories and they kept changing all the time. The moment you feel you are close to the truth, something happens and you are back at the start. I loved it!
I wasn’t disappointed with the ending, but I did feel grossed out and disgusted by a certain someone. At times, some scenes felt like too much, but they were crucial to the story.
<b><i>If you love dark and twisted psychological thrillers, you will most probably enjoy reading I Know Who You Are by Alice Feeney.</i></b>
<b>Trigger warnings for abuse in all shapes and forms, animal cruelty and childhood trauma.</b>
Thank you to the team at HQ, for the opportunity to be part of this blog tour, and for sending me a paperback copy in exchange for an honest review.
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<b>I Know Who You Are by Alice Feeney is a book that stays with you after you read it. Dark, twisted and unpredictable until the very last chapter.</b>
In the very beginning, we are met with the unknown. Aimee Sinclair is an actress and when she comes home, she realizes her husband is missing. The police suspect she is hiding something. They are right, she does have a secret…
The book switches between two timelines; the first being Aimee today and the second being Aimee’s childhood. We get to enjoy these parallel stories and understand how Aimee’s childhood directly influences her decisions as a grown up.
<b><i>‘’Sometimes it only takes one person to believe in you, to change your life forever. Sometimes it only takes one person not believing in you to destroy it. Humans are a highly sensitive species.’’</i></b>
Alice’s writing is brilliant, and when reading the two timelines, you feel the child and you feel the adult. A skill not many writers can perfect.
Aimee’s whole life has been about being a different person. That is why she choose to become an actress. She can change into different people as she wants, and keep her true self hidden somewhere safe. But she didn’t learn this all by herself.
The book will leave things unpredictable until the very end. I had my theories and they kept changing all the time. The moment you feel you are close to the truth, something happens and you are back at the start. I loved it!
I wasn’t disappointed with the ending, but I did feel grossed out and disgusted by a certain someone. At times, some scenes felt like too much, but they were crucial to the story.
<b><i>If you love dark and twisted psychological thrillers, you will most probably enjoy reading I Know Who You Are by Alice Feeney.</i></b>
<b>Trigger warnings for abuse in all shapes and forms, animal cruelty and childhood trauma.</b>
Thank you to the team at HQ, for the opportunity to be part of this blog tour, and for sending me a paperback copy in exchange for an honest review.
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Night Reader Reviews (683 KP) rated Bitter Memory in Books
Feb 4, 2020
Honest Review for Free Copy of Book
Bitter Memory by Sion Nicholas is an interesting book focused on a distant planet where scientist are trying to save the Earth. This read is interesting as much as it is a warning to us about what could happen if we don’t take care of the Earth.
Scarlett Robins meets her husband while in college studying ways to help end the hunger riots taking place all across the globe. Caleb, her husband, was a guest lecturer for Scarlett’s class and her professor introduced them thinking they would find each other's ideas interesting. During one of their first conversations, the couple talk about grouping crops for research on a distant planet where they wouldn’t affect the Earth’s ecosystem.
Fast forward a few years later to find Scarlett and Caleb as part of a five-person team on Pygmalion 6, a distant planet, to work on solving the food shortage. Upon arrival Scarlett boots up the computer systems and initializes all security programs, not realizing that she just made a deadly mistake. It takes years before Scarlett and the rest of the team discover just what actions she set in place that fateful first day. Too bad it may already be too late to save anyone from the greedy company they all work for.
I really enjoyed the twist towards the end of the book. The book was only mildly predictable compared to others of a similar genera, which was nice. Overall the plot was well thought out and well written. There was a fair amount of technical talk especially about the bees and their relationship to the plants. While I understand its importance to the background of the story I felt like it went into unnecessary detail.
Young adults and adults alike will enjoy this book. There was very little to no inappropriate scenes in this book, plus it only hints at any kind of adult content. That being said high school and older should be alright to read this and most middle school students should be able to handle it with no problem. I rate this book a 3 out of 4. The over detailed technical stuff seemed to take something away from the overall story. Almost as if the book was supposed to be much more in-depth and bigger than what it was. It is because of this that I decided not to give the book a perfect score. Other than that one flaw the book was amazing.
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Scarlett Robins meets her husband while in college studying ways to help end the hunger riots taking place all across the globe. Caleb, her husband, was a guest lecturer for Scarlett’s class and her professor introduced them thinking they would find each other's ideas interesting. During one of their first conversations, the couple talk about grouping crops for research on a distant planet where they wouldn’t affect the Earth’s ecosystem.
Fast forward a few years later to find Scarlett and Caleb as part of a five-person team on Pygmalion 6, a distant planet, to work on solving the food shortage. Upon arrival Scarlett boots up the computer systems and initializes all security programs, not realizing that she just made a deadly mistake. It takes years before Scarlett and the rest of the team discover just what actions she set in place that fateful first day. Too bad it may already be too late to save anyone from the greedy company they all work for.
I really enjoyed the twist towards the end of the book. The book was only mildly predictable compared to others of a similar genera, which was nice. Overall the plot was well thought out and well written. There was a fair amount of technical talk especially about the bees and their relationship to the plants. While I understand its importance to the background of the story I felt like it went into unnecessary detail.
Young adults and adults alike will enjoy this book. There was very little to no inappropriate scenes in this book, plus it only hints at any kind of adult content. That being said high school and older should be alright to read this and most middle school students should be able to handle it with no problem. I rate this book a 3 out of 4. The over detailed technical stuff seemed to take something away from the overall story. Almost as if the book was supposed to be much more in-depth and bigger than what it was. It is because of this that I decided not to give the book a perfect score. Other than that one flaw the book was amazing.
https://nightreaderreviews.blogspot.com
https://facebook.com/nightreaderreviews
https://www.austinmacauley.com/book/bitter-memory
Neon's Nerd Nexus (360 KP) rated Bad Boys for Life (2020) in Movies
Jan 18, 2020 (Updated Jan 18, 2020)
Fly Together Die Together
Bad Boys For Life doesnt suck. That sentence alone could be the review many of you were hoping for right there but its actually true and as a matter of fact I think this is also my favourite out of the 3 movies. A decision was made to pass this movie over to a diffrent director (watch out for a brilliant cameo almost giving blessing this) and while personally I love Micheal Bays explosive syle of directing every now and then for the franchise this was a great move. For Life is not only a tighter more mature outing but it also shows the franchise has evolved, learnt and adapted with the times something most sequels fail to acomplish. Ill start with the action this time it certainly feels tighter, better shot and grittier going for more of a John Wick approach which without a doubt leads to some very impressive visual flare, lovely cinematography, great choreograph and some fabulously unique and stylish camera angles too. Theres no quick cuts either (thank god) but there is however one scene that had green screen so bad I wondered why its inclusion was necessary at all. Its uber violent too with some scenes being shockingly grizzly to watch but these combine with villians which feel so evil/methodical really adds a lot of urgency, fear, threat and tension to the story making the film feel way more adult the previous outings. Story wise things are layed out nicely too however it does take a strange turn in the third act which I feel doesnt quite work or fit a character we know and love. Chemistry between Will Smith and Martin Lawrence is as flawless as ever and while the jokes may not be laugh out loud funny watching them bicker/fight is still so entertaining and Infact theres actually some really great acting too from both the Bad Boys too. As we are introduced to new members of the team we also see how times have changed, how roles have been reversed and how a gung-ho approach to situations just isnt viable anymore as it causes to much collateral damage and ends in to many casualties. Seeing Marcus and Mike forced to change thier approach, grow up and realise they are getting old works really well and helps keep the film feeling unpredictable too. While not groundbreaking I had a bloody good time with Bad Boys 3 and feel with this new aproach Id be happy to see the franchise continue on for a bit longer. Its a fast, violent, stylish, thrilling, funny and above all a highly enjoyable 'one last ride'.
JT (287 KP) rated American Reunion (2012) in Movies
Mar 10, 2020
Alot of time has passed since 1999, and in that time there have been a long line of spin off American Pie films, if you don’t count the sequel and American Pie: The Wedding. Of those films only Jim’s Dad (Eugene Levy) has starred in every single one, so it was brilliant to see all the old gang back together again, and how we have missed them all.
The gang is back together – but was it worth it?
Grown up and with adult lives, they head back to where it all began for a high school reunion which of course involves a whole heap of laughter, and there is plenty of that.
Jim and Michelle are now married with a small child and stuck in a rut of a no sex marriage, Oz now a hot shot sports reporter has trouble controlling his high maintenance girlfriend. Kevin is seemingly happy as a house husband and Finch is still very much the enigma of the group, and then of course there’s Stifler, probably the only character not to have changed at all.
There are some outrageous moments, right from the opening scene, even giving a hint of what is going to happen would suck any laughter out of you so for that I am not going to reveal too much. Let’s just say it is once again Jim who pretty much steals the show.
The group start to look at themselves and realise that they are very much all grown up with things never able to be the same again, as Jim harshly points out to Stifler in one scene.
There is through all the hilarity some touching moments, in particularly featuring Jim’s Dad who is getting over the passing of his wife and takes some advice from Jim himself to get back onto the dating horse. This of course results in some more outlandish behaviour at another Stifler party.
The American Pie franchise is very much an icon of teenage angst, at least for those films that matter to us. I doubt anyone would have sat through any of the American Pie Presents films.
American Reunion manages to get the whole cast back together, even if they are only on screen for a brief few minutes its like seeing an old friend once again. It’s almost as if we can resonate with every character and are pleased that their lives have turned out or are going to turn out for the better.
The film climaxes with a killer piece of revenge courtesy of Stifler, one which in the back of our minds we knew was coming and involves a well cast cameo.
It might not be everyone’s chosen comedy of 2012, but its sure as hell going to be up there!
The gang is back together – but was it worth it?
Grown up and with adult lives, they head back to where it all began for a high school reunion which of course involves a whole heap of laughter, and there is plenty of that.
Jim and Michelle are now married with a small child and stuck in a rut of a no sex marriage, Oz now a hot shot sports reporter has trouble controlling his high maintenance girlfriend. Kevin is seemingly happy as a house husband and Finch is still very much the enigma of the group, and then of course there’s Stifler, probably the only character not to have changed at all.
There are some outrageous moments, right from the opening scene, even giving a hint of what is going to happen would suck any laughter out of you so for that I am not going to reveal too much. Let’s just say it is once again Jim who pretty much steals the show.
The group start to look at themselves and realise that they are very much all grown up with things never able to be the same again, as Jim harshly points out to Stifler in one scene.
There is through all the hilarity some touching moments, in particularly featuring Jim’s Dad who is getting over the passing of his wife and takes some advice from Jim himself to get back onto the dating horse. This of course results in some more outlandish behaviour at another Stifler party.
The American Pie franchise is very much an icon of teenage angst, at least for those films that matter to us. I doubt anyone would have sat through any of the American Pie Presents films.
American Reunion manages to get the whole cast back together, even if they are only on screen for a brief few minutes its like seeing an old friend once again. It’s almost as if we can resonate with every character and are pleased that their lives have turned out or are going to turn out for the better.
The film climaxes with a killer piece of revenge courtesy of Stifler, one which in the back of our minds we knew was coming and involves a well cast cameo.
It might not be everyone’s chosen comedy of 2012, but its sure as hell going to be up there!