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ClareR (5879 KP) rated Katastrophe in Books
Dec 6, 2022
I can’t even begin to describe the storyline of this gripping novel set in the final stages of the Second World War. There is so much going on at what must have been a very chaotic point in the war. Stalingrad has been lost to the Russians, Germany is in retreat, and Werner Nehman has been taken captive. The Russians have decided that he is to take a message to Goebbels.
Katastrophe has a dark, menacing atmosphere - logical, really. This is war.
There are a number of overlapping stories, but I never confused them or the characters - that’s a mark of a good book, I always think.
It’s an excellent blend of fact and fiction, and the huge amounts of research that must have gone into this, results in a book that is both fascinating and hard to read (the torture scenes are pretty gruesome).
Despite the horrors of war, I thoroughly enjoyed this - and it was only after reading it that I discovered it was the seventh in a series. I’d better add them to the teetering tbr, then!
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole for serialising this. Another book I would have otherwise missed out on!
Katastrophe has a dark, menacing atmosphere - logical, really. This is war.
There are a number of overlapping stories, but I never confused them or the characters - that’s a mark of a good book, I always think.
It’s an excellent blend of fact and fiction, and the huge amounts of research that must have gone into this, results in a book that is both fascinating and hard to read (the torture scenes are pretty gruesome).
Despite the horrors of war, I thoroughly enjoyed this - and it was only after reading it that I discovered it was the seventh in a series. I’d better add them to the teetering tbr, then!
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole for serialising this. Another book I would have otherwise missed out on!
David McK (3562 KP) rated The Last of us in TV
Mar 14, 2023
Stellar adaptation of a very good game
Some adaptations stick too closely to their source material for their own good.
Some are barely recognisable.
This is neither. Based in the video game of the same name by Naughty Dog (as an aside, I actually always preferred their Uncharted games over TLOU), this sticks incredibly closely to the source game, although there are some noticeable differences (particularly in the third episode, which Joel and Elly are barely in).
For this unfamiliar with the game, it is set in the USA after an apocalyptic event that sees those bit turn into zombie-like creatures (note: they're not technically zombies), with Joel (here, played by The Mandalorian's Pedro Pascal) hired to accompany Elly on a dangerous cross-country trek, as she is immune to the disease.
Initially distant, along the way he grows closer and closer to Elly, leading to a finale where you're not sure he has done the right thing or not ..
Superbly cast and directed, this is definitely one of the better adaptations I have ever seen. Of course, it helps that the original is also held up as one of the best narrative games ever created ...
Some are barely recognisable.
This is neither. Based in the video game of the same name by Naughty Dog (as an aside, I actually always preferred their Uncharted games over TLOU), this sticks incredibly closely to the source game, although there are some noticeable differences (particularly in the third episode, which Joel and Elly are barely in).
For this unfamiliar with the game, it is set in the USA after an apocalyptic event that sees those bit turn into zombie-like creatures (note: they're not technically zombies), with Joel (here, played by The Mandalorian's Pedro Pascal) hired to accompany Elly on a dangerous cross-country trek, as she is immune to the disease.
Initially distant, along the way he grows closer and closer to Elly, leading to a finale where you're not sure he has done the right thing or not ..
Superbly cast and directed, this is definitely one of the better adaptations I have ever seen. Of course, it helps that the original is also held up as one of the best narrative games ever created ...
Merissa (12919 KP) rated Fire Witch (Witches of Westwood Academy #3) in Books
May 29, 2023
FIRE WITCH is the third book in the Witches of Westwood Academy and this time, it is Tana's turn. She has always been the snarky one and now we find out why. We also find out just why this group of witches was placed together, instead of in the separate Elemental-based dorms.
This is a quick read so don't expect a multi-layered story. What you get is quick and hot (it is Fire, after all!) Personally, I would have preferred it a little longer to see more build-up to the connection between Brandon and Tana. However, saying that, the story does move along, giving answers to questions you may not have even realised you had.
A great addition to the series and it will definitely leave you wanting more. I would recommend you read these as a series, but each book can be read as a standalone if you wanted.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
May 29, 2023
This is a quick read so don't expect a multi-layered story. What you get is quick and hot (it is Fire, after all!) Personally, I would have preferred it a little longer to see more build-up to the connection between Brandon and Tana. However, saying that, the story does move along, giving answers to questions you may not have even realised you had.
A great addition to the series and it will definitely leave you wanting more. I would recommend you read these as a series, but each book can be read as a standalone if you wanted.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
May 29, 2023
The Shadow Network (WW2 Secret Agent #2)
Book
One woman must sacrifice everything to uncover the truth in this enthralling historical novel,...
Historical Fiction Thriller WWII
Yet again, Kristin Hannah has ripped my heart out of my chest and jumped all over it. And yet again, I’m just fine with that.
Frankie McGrath volunteers to go to Vietnam as a nurse, in the hope that she’ll be put up on her fathers “Hero’s Wall”. She arrives a naive idealist, and leaves emotionally scarred with no hope of support when she gets home.
In Vietnam, Frankie meets her best friends, who will always be there for her - two equally amazing women. They help her through PTSD, the end of relationships and substance abuse. The three women join the fight for recognition of Vietnam vets - where they are repeatedly told that they couldn’t have been there.
This book is in two parts: Vietnam and its aftermath, and honestly, both halves are equally harrowing.
This is such a powerful story. A story wanting recognition for the female nurses in Vietnam. It certainly puts their experiences out there for everyone to see.
The Women will be a book that I’ll be forcing into friends hands with the promise that they’ll love it, but they’ll be traumatised (I believe I made similar warnings to friends after I read The Nightingale).
Frankie McGrath volunteers to go to Vietnam as a nurse, in the hope that she’ll be put up on her fathers “Hero’s Wall”. She arrives a naive idealist, and leaves emotionally scarred with no hope of support when she gets home.
In Vietnam, Frankie meets her best friends, who will always be there for her - two equally amazing women. They help her through PTSD, the end of relationships and substance abuse. The three women join the fight for recognition of Vietnam vets - where they are repeatedly told that they couldn’t have been there.
This book is in two parts: Vietnam and its aftermath, and honestly, both halves are equally harrowing.
This is such a powerful story. A story wanting recognition for the female nurses in Vietnam. It certainly puts their experiences out there for everyone to see.
The Women will be a book that I’ll be forcing into friends hands with the promise that they’ll love it, but they’ll be traumatised (I believe I made similar warnings to friends after I read The Nightingale).
The Gardener’s Plot
5.0
Rate It
Book
A woman helps set up a community garden in the Berkshires, only to find a body in one of the plots...
Shirley Manson recommended Wave by Patti Smith Group / Patti Smith in Music (curated)
ColorButler
Lifestyle and Education
App
ColorButler, the digital color swatch for color consulting: 35 colors that suit your color type...
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Welcome to Marwen (2018) in Movies
Jul 2, 2019
Cap’t Hogie (Steve Carell) is saved from of Nazi’s, after his plane crashed in a swamp in Belgium, by a squad women. They are able to take the beaten and battered Hogie back to their town of Marwen. Or at least that the story Mark Hogancamp (also Steve Carell) has conjured in his art installation outside his trailer home. Mark himself was found by a bartender, Wendy (Stefanie von Pfetten), after he was beaten with an inch of his life by a group of white supremacist. Hogancamp was a successful sketch artist and now can hardly write his own name. He also has little to no memory of the life before the beating. But he is still and artist and now his art lives in the dolls he uses to create a fantasy story that mirrors his real life.
The group of women dolls that seem to always save his Hogie character are all based on the women his life. There is G.I. Julie, aka Julie (Janelle Monae), his rehab partner after his accident and Roberta (Merritt Wever), the friendly neighborhood hobby story clerk. Plus there is Anna (Gwendoline Christie) nurse who brings Hogie his mail and supplies in real life and Carlala (Eiza Gonzalez) his coworker in real life. These make up the majority of his bad ass Nazi killing crew in Marwen. The newest addition is his neighbor Nicole (Leslie Mann) who he think might help him defeat the Nazi’s in Marwen for good and be a special new friend in real life. He will need both his Marwen crew and his real life friends as the sentencing for his real life attackers gets closer and his fragile mental health is pushed to a stressful breaking point.
This unique story is based on the real life of world famous photographic artist Mark Hogancamp. Mark was brutally beaten because he made a smart comment about liking to wear women’s shoes. It’s also a story of overcoming addiction and mental health issues. He turned the disaster into a passion for creating art and using fantasy to cope with tragedy.
This was a really interesting way of telling a one of a kind true story. I thought that director, Robert Zemeckis (Forest Gump, Flight) used both real life and the fantasy world of Marwen to create one story. There were times when the story really didn’t flow great between the two worlds but overall was really original filmmaking. The pace and flow were a little off with the transitions. I thought the animation was exceptionally done. The story also had a bunch of topics it tackled, from mental health and memory loss to addiction but also had a good mix of humor. Carell dual performances were really well done and the supporting cast was also good. Films that are original and try new and interesting things are always worth a view in my opinion. I could see the content not really being for everyone but I thought the overall story left me feeling good.
The group of women dolls that seem to always save his Hogie character are all based on the women his life. There is G.I. Julie, aka Julie (Janelle Monae), his rehab partner after his accident and Roberta (Merritt Wever), the friendly neighborhood hobby story clerk. Plus there is Anna (Gwendoline Christie) nurse who brings Hogie his mail and supplies in real life and Carlala (Eiza Gonzalez) his coworker in real life. These make up the majority of his bad ass Nazi killing crew in Marwen. The newest addition is his neighbor Nicole (Leslie Mann) who he think might help him defeat the Nazi’s in Marwen for good and be a special new friend in real life. He will need both his Marwen crew and his real life friends as the sentencing for his real life attackers gets closer and his fragile mental health is pushed to a stressful breaking point.
This unique story is based on the real life of world famous photographic artist Mark Hogancamp. Mark was brutally beaten because he made a smart comment about liking to wear women’s shoes. It’s also a story of overcoming addiction and mental health issues. He turned the disaster into a passion for creating art and using fantasy to cope with tragedy.
This was a really interesting way of telling a one of a kind true story. I thought that director, Robert Zemeckis (Forest Gump, Flight) used both real life and the fantasy world of Marwen to create one story. There were times when the story really didn’t flow great between the two worlds but overall was really original filmmaking. The pace and flow were a little off with the transitions. I thought the animation was exceptionally done. The story also had a bunch of topics it tackled, from mental health and memory loss to addiction but also had a good mix of humor. Carell dual performances were really well done and the supporting cast was also good. Films that are original and try new and interesting things are always worth a view in my opinion. I could see the content not really being for everyone but I thought the overall story left me feeling good.