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Cryptofauna
6.0
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Working as a janitor at an insane asylum in rural Idaho has Jim in the dumps. One night, his...
Black Urban Fiction
Sisters of Castle Leod
Book
**Finalist in the 2022 American Writing Awards** Millions are fans of Diana Gabaldon’s popular...
Historical Biographical Fiction
Vindictive Too
Book
The best revenge never includes forgiveness. To truly punish the guilty, something worse must be...
Thriller LGBTQ+
A Parfait Crime
8.0
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Set in a quaint Chesapeake Bay town, the latest novel in Maya Corrigan’s Five-Ingredient Mysteries...
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Mrs. Fletcher in Books
Jan 23, 2018
As a divorcee in her mid-40s, Eve Fletcher is struggling with the fact that her only son, Brendan, is heading off to college. Suddenly, Eve is truly alone for the first time. Shortly after she takes Brendan to college, Eve receives a strange text message reading, "U r my MILF!" Baffled, the message takes Eve down a strange path that includes an obsession with MILF-related porn. Suddenly, her regular life--work as the Executive Director at the local senior center, taking classes at the community college, and her various friendships--seems somewhat tinged by her porn habit. Meanwhile, Brendan isn't finding college all he thought it would be. His fellow chauvinistic/jock roommate is suddenly shunning him and his partying habits are catching up with him. Before they know it, Eve and Brendan are on a collision course for some crazy and interesting situations.
First of all, don't bother with this novel if you can't handle sexual or porn references in your reading: let's just get that out there. There are all sorts of said references in Perrotta's latest and while you could argue that they are plot driven, it certainly gets to be a bit much at times.
For me, this one was a tad odd. Parts of it I really enjoyed; others, I just found bizarre and strange (and I've read other Perrotta works, so I know somewhat what to expect with him). The early parts of the novel were almost tender and hit a bit close to home, as I'm the only child of a single (also divorced) mother. The relationship between Eve and Brendan is interesting and well-explored, and you certainly have sympathy for Eve. In fact, many of the adults in this novel are so incredibly sad and lonely--and they have some extremely realistic moments and situations.
Alas, Brendan is really just insufferable, and you can't help but like Eve a little less as the result. I rarely enjoyed any of the sections told from his point of view. As the novel progresses, it increases its perspectives--bringing in the secondary characters--and you really do get drawn into their lives. Perrotta is an engaging writer and while not all his characters in this one are likeable, nor do they always act rationally, they are dynamic. Indeed, this is often just a plain old weird and bizarre novel. Some places I found myself thinking Is this really happening?? (Oh it was.)
So, in the end this is an amusing tale--with a surprising depth--that offers a fairly accurate portrayal about society and sexuality/gender. The characters are certainly interesting, even if pieces can be ridiculous and preposterous. The ending left me feeling a little let down, which was a tad disappointing, and kept it from being higher than a 3-star review for me.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley. More at http://justacatandabookatherside.blogspot.com/.
First of all, don't bother with this novel if you can't handle sexual or porn references in your reading: let's just get that out there. There are all sorts of said references in Perrotta's latest and while you could argue that they are plot driven, it certainly gets to be a bit much at times.
For me, this one was a tad odd. Parts of it I really enjoyed; others, I just found bizarre and strange (and I've read other Perrotta works, so I know somewhat what to expect with him). The early parts of the novel were almost tender and hit a bit close to home, as I'm the only child of a single (also divorced) mother. The relationship between Eve and Brendan is interesting and well-explored, and you certainly have sympathy for Eve. In fact, many of the adults in this novel are so incredibly sad and lonely--and they have some extremely realistic moments and situations.
Alas, Brendan is really just insufferable, and you can't help but like Eve a little less as the result. I rarely enjoyed any of the sections told from his point of view. As the novel progresses, it increases its perspectives--bringing in the secondary characters--and you really do get drawn into their lives. Perrotta is an engaging writer and while not all his characters in this one are likeable, nor do they always act rationally, they are dynamic. Indeed, this is often just a plain old weird and bizarre novel. Some places I found myself thinking Is this really happening?? (Oh it was.)
So, in the end this is an amusing tale--with a surprising depth--that offers a fairly accurate portrayal about society and sexuality/gender. The characters are certainly interesting, even if pieces can be ridiculous and preposterous. The ending left me feeling a little let down, which was a tad disappointing, and kept it from being higher than a 3-star review for me.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley. More at http://justacatandabookatherside.blogspot.com/.
Icycle: On Thin Ice
Games and Entertainment
App
Ever kissed a fish? Cult of Mac's Best Damn iOS Games of 2013! Games and art become one in the...
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Those Girls in Books
Feb 13, 2018
Jess, Dani, and Courtney live in a neglected house with their abusive and drunken father. One night, after a particularly bad fight, the girls have to flee town quickly -- only to see things go from bad to worse as their truck breaks down during their journey. Eventually, the story picks up 18 years later (with the girls living under new names), when a turn of events threatens to tear down the lives they've managed to somewhat re-build.
This book was rather bizarre, I have to say. First of all, do not read this if you are triggered by scenes of brutal abuse or rape. Just don't. Terrible things happen in this book. It was almost mind-numbing to read - almost too much.
I'm still not sure how I feel about this one. The sisters drove me a bit crazy. It seemed like one bad decision after another with them. I know they are young when they initially leave home, and abused, but seriously? Then it just seems like the book was a series of misfortunes after another. I feel like Stevens could have limited it at some point. However, it was all oddly compelling, and I found myself reading the whole thing rather compulsively, even if I was constantly disappointed and disheartened by each turn of events.
(Note: I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.)
This book was rather bizarre, I have to say. First of all, do not read this if you are triggered by scenes of brutal abuse or rape. Just don't. Terrible things happen in this book. It was almost mind-numbing to read - almost too much.
I'm still not sure how I feel about this one. The sisters drove me a bit crazy. It seemed like one bad decision after another with them. I know they are young when they initially leave home, and abused, but seriously? Then it just seems like the book was a series of misfortunes after another. I feel like Stevens could have limited it at some point. However, it was all oddly compelling, and I found myself reading the whole thing rather compulsively, even if I was constantly disappointed and disheartened by each turn of events.
(Note: I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.)
Sarah (7798 KP) rated Fortitude - Season 1 in TV
Dec 9, 2018
A genre-spanning atmospheric thriller
I watched Fortitude when it first aired a few years ago, and have decided to give it another watch now to refresh my memory now the final series has aired.
Fortitude is set in a beautiful location in the arctic, and the show really makes the most of showing off this location as often as possible. The plot itself is intriguing and bonkers, but yet doesn't quite go too far. It spans a verify of genres, from murder mystery and crime to drama and gory horror, and it does this really well. Some of the gory horror parts are actually quite disturbing (in an good). This is also a very character driven story, and most of the characters in this are well rounded and developed. It has a fantastic cast including some very well known faces like Stanley Tucci and Michael Gambon. However for me it's Richard Dormer that truly shines in this. He gives Dan a lot of depth and despite his errant and sometime psychotic ways, you do still feel sorry for him. I find it difficult to accept that this is the same person who plays Beric Dondarrion in GoT, he's that good an actor.
If you're looking for something that's well acted, doesn't stick to a specific genre and is honestly a little bizarre and unusual, then this is definitely worth a watch.
Fortitude is set in a beautiful location in the arctic, and the show really makes the most of showing off this location as often as possible. The plot itself is intriguing and bonkers, but yet doesn't quite go too far. It spans a verify of genres, from murder mystery and crime to drama and gory horror, and it does this really well. Some of the gory horror parts are actually quite disturbing (in an good). This is also a very character driven story, and most of the characters in this are well rounded and developed. It has a fantastic cast including some very well known faces like Stanley Tucci and Michael Gambon. However for me it's Richard Dormer that truly shines in this. He gives Dan a lot of depth and despite his errant and sometime psychotic ways, you do still feel sorry for him. I find it difficult to accept that this is the same person who plays Beric Dondarrion in GoT, he's that good an actor.
If you're looking for something that's well acted, doesn't stick to a specific genre and is honestly a little bizarre and unusual, then this is definitely worth a watch.
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) in Movies
Dec 22, 2019
A timeless classic
I can safely say that there is truly nothing I dislike about The Nightmare Before Christmas.
It's straight to the point, fantastically animated, full of unique characters, and still holds up all these years later.
Director Henry Selick obviously has a keen eye for stop-animation (he would go on to direct James & The Giant Peach, and Coraline, both great animated films in their own right), and his work with the combined animation, visual effects, and art departments create a visually striking adventure that quickly and understandably became iconic.
Tim Burton's story is easy to grasp (great for children as well as adults), and the characters he has created for this story are equal parts creepy and fun.
Jack Skellington and Sally are both tragic and sympathetic characters that are easy to care about. Oogie Boogie is suitably evil (scared the sh*t out of me when I was little), and the rest of the town of Halloween are filled but bizarre and quirky characters that create a weird but warm back drop to the leads.
Danny Elfman is at his very best here. All of the songs contained within are memorable, and pretty epic at points. The lyrics are quick and clever, and do a lot to advance our understanding of the characters.
I can't praise The Nightmare Before Christmas enough. It's simply wonderful and a film I will happily watch time and time again.
It's straight to the point, fantastically animated, full of unique characters, and still holds up all these years later.
Director Henry Selick obviously has a keen eye for stop-animation (he would go on to direct James & The Giant Peach, and Coraline, both great animated films in their own right), and his work with the combined animation, visual effects, and art departments create a visually striking adventure that quickly and understandably became iconic.
Tim Burton's story is easy to grasp (great for children as well as adults), and the characters he has created for this story are equal parts creepy and fun.
Jack Skellington and Sally are both tragic and sympathetic characters that are easy to care about. Oogie Boogie is suitably evil (scared the sh*t out of me when I was little), and the rest of the town of Halloween are filled but bizarre and quirky characters that create a weird but warm back drop to the leads.
Danny Elfman is at his very best here. All of the songs contained within are memorable, and pretty epic at points. The lyrics are quick and clever, and do a lot to advance our understanding of the characters.
I can't praise The Nightmare Before Christmas enough. It's simply wonderful and a film I will happily watch time and time again.
Sarah (7798 KP) rated Anna and the Apocalypse (2018) in Movies
Nov 2, 2019
Too many genres!
I’m a massive fan of zombie films, musicals and Christmas films, but I’m really not too sure what to make of them all thrown into one film. I feel like they’ve just picked a handful of popular genres of films that people love and decided to mash them all together. And not very successfully either.
This film isn’t bad. The songs are quite good, they just seem ridiculously out of place in a zombie film and there are some dodgy vocals at times. A Christmas zombie film is a pretty decent idea though, especially as there’s nothing more anti-festive than a load of flesh eating zombies. It has a decent cast, with Mark Benton and Paul Kaye the old hands in a younger cast. However i think Paul Kaye may have taken overacting a little too far in this. He’s beyond fun and hammy and just sheer ridiculous. It’s a shame as he’s a great actor but it feels like he’s hamming it up in a kids pantomime. In fact, a lot of the humour in this seems to be made for kids or very young teenagers. Which is strange seen as it has a 15 rating! I just found it all a little bit juvenile, which is a shame as I had little expectations about this film.
It’s not bad, but it’s not great either. Watchable, and only memorable because of how truly bizarre it is!
This film isn’t bad. The songs are quite good, they just seem ridiculously out of place in a zombie film and there are some dodgy vocals at times. A Christmas zombie film is a pretty decent idea though, especially as there’s nothing more anti-festive than a load of flesh eating zombies. It has a decent cast, with Mark Benton and Paul Kaye the old hands in a younger cast. However i think Paul Kaye may have taken overacting a little too far in this. He’s beyond fun and hammy and just sheer ridiculous. It’s a shame as he’s a great actor but it feels like he’s hamming it up in a kids pantomime. In fact, a lot of the humour in this seems to be made for kids or very young teenagers. Which is strange seen as it has a 15 rating! I just found it all a little bit juvenile, which is a shame as I had little expectations about this film.
It’s not bad, but it’s not great either. Watchable, and only memorable because of how truly bizarre it is!