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Rachel King (13 KP) rated Carpe Corpus (The Morganville Vampires, #6) in Books

Feb 11, 2019  
Carpe Corpus (The Morganville Vampires, #6)
Carpe Corpus (The Morganville Vampires, #6)
Rachel Caine | 2009 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.5 (10 Ratings)
Book Rating
These book just keep getting better and better. With book six, the series ventures into the world of steampunk with a special Morganville twist. With the very little I have actually read in the genre of Steampunk, I had a hard time visualizing what Ada looks like, but I am hoping these eventually become movies and someone creates this fascinating machine for the movies! Ada's quirkiness and creepiness fit right in with the rest of the Morganville residents, though, so I know that she/it will grow on me, too.
With this book, it is also a relief that Claire has finally turned seventeen. The build-up between her and Shane was driving me crazy. I also like how the author was much more realistic about her first time with Shane than many romance novelists, with much awkwardness and naivety. Her parents' response to the knowledge of this was quite humorous and charming and lent some much-needed humor to the extent of fear with which Morganville is saturated.
Even though these books have much fantasy, they still move along with a certain believability. The one major exception that I found in this book - that I simply had a hard time believing possible - was when Claire almost dies at the end. With the amount of blood loss she suffered from, there is simply no way she could stay conscious for the amount of that she did or stay alive as she did. When books are as entertaining as these are though, I don't mind a little "writer's license" to keep the main character alive and resolve the loose thread of who is responsible for the random murders of girls in the previous books. I am surprised, though, that Claire never made the connection to who Dean is, since I saw it coming quite easily.
Mynin gets more and more entertaining and fascinating from book to book - he is probably one of my favorite characters for his unpredictability. I am thrilled that the disease can no longer get the best of him - it means he could play a more central role in future books. Many of the characters are easy to like, even if their morals often verge into gray area, such as Amelie.
Even though the "book" has suffered its final demise, the bookworm in me still wonders what else was in that book, so I hope future books can tell me more about it.
  
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Shaun Collins (3 KP) rated Fight Club 2 in Books

Jan 11, 2018  
Fight Club 2
Fight Club 2
David Mack, Chuck Palahniuk, Cameron Stewart | 2016 | Fiction & Poetry
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I am Jack's emerging sense of Nerd Rage...

Firstly, WHY? Why on earth would you even think about writing a sequel to one of the best books ever written that spawned one of the best cult classic movies ever made?

Secondly, WHAT? I mean, I read it and all, but...

Thirdly, OH WOW.

This book will be polarizing for fans. You will either love it or hate it. Period. I doubt there will be any middle ground here. Some fans will argue that Palahniuk is spent creatively, or that this was a giant FU to the Tyler Durden fan club, or that it was just ill conceived all they way around.

Others will think it's the most beautiful messed up thing they've ever read.

At the moment, I fall very much into the later category, but I just finished this set, and the resonance of the final pages have left me a little shell shocked. I need to discuss this with friends, like NOW.

More to come as it unravels for me...
  
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Eleanor (1463 KP) rated The Woman in the Window in Books

Jun 13, 2019 (Updated Jun 13, 2019)  
The Woman in the Window
The Woman in the Window
A.J. Finn | 2018 | Thriller
8
8.0 (41 Ratings)
Book Rating
Gripping unreliable narrator thriller
Housebound Anna Fox loves watching old movies and drinking a lot of wine, that is when she isn’t spying on her neighbours from out of the window. Not long after a new family move in Anna sees someone murdered but no one is willing to believe the drunk and that includes even Anna doubting what she saw.

There are a lot of unreliable narrator books around at the moment in the thriller genre and I think this is a solid addition, it’s a well written fast paced read. The plot doesn't seem to be anything groundbreaking and lacks in any real surprises in the plot but it’s very engagingly narrated. Maybe my love for staying in at home and drinking wine made this book speak to me but I found it engrossing and enjoyable. If your into old films you'll probably get a kick out of all the references to those as well.

Oh and net curtains when you are in a home that is overlooked why isn't that a thing....
(6)   
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Veronica Pena (690 KP) rated Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) in Movies

Apr 30, 2020  
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
2018 | Action, Animation, Sci-Fi
10
9.0 (113 Ratings)
Movie Rating Watch
I honestly think this is one of the best films ever made. Not only is the animation super cool but the story, the characters, the actors in the film, all of it. Magnificent. My favorite thing about this film is the clashing of the worlds, you could say. What I love so much about Marvel is not only the movies but the shows too. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Agent Carter, they're all great - but in reality, they live in their own bubbles. Obviously the Netflix shows interact, and S.H.I.E.L.D is somewhat important when talking about the MCU. Into the Spider-Verse merges bits that you see in the comic books, not only in the animation but the characters. We have seen Green Goblin over and over again in the live-action films - both Toby McGuire's and Andrew Garfield's. But we don't see Kingpin. Plus, if you've watched Daredevil, you get a good idea of who Kingpin is and what his backstory is so you know why he's doing what he does in Into the Spider-Verse.

There are just layers to this film that are missing from some of the other films that have been done. The only ones to compare it to are those in the MCU, but even still, those are planned and minute if you don't pay attention. I just really love this film and I'm super pumped for the second one.
(1)   
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Mothergamer (1562 KP) rated Birth of the Dragon (2016) in Movies

Apr 3, 2019  
Birth of the Dragon (2016)
Birth of the Dragon (2016)
2016 | Drama
5
4.7 (3 Ratings)
Movie Rating
At first I was curious about the movie that was meant to be about Bruce Lee titled Birth of the Dragon. I love Bruce Lee. I grew up watching his movies, I watched episodes of The Green Hornet, and I voraciously read everything I could about him. One of my titos (that's Tagalog for uncle) told me about how he met Bruce Lee before and how kind he was. I am Filipino and white so I grew up with both these cultures and I'm grateful for it. My family has all kinds of people from all over and all walks of life and I love them dearly. When I would visit my Filipino family I loved that we would often gather round together on the couch with popcorn and snacks and watch Bruce Lee movies. This was special and it's one of my favorite memories from my childhood. I would watch Kung Fu Saturday when I was a kid and I would be excited when they would feature a Bruce Lee movie. My grandparents weren't really into it, but they would watch with me and my brother Rob sometimes.
I will always love Bruce Lee and his movies. He was an incredible person and so talented. Watching his movies was a huge part of my childhood and when I see that there's a Bruce Lee movie on, I always watch it.

I didn't know anything about Birth of the Dragon. There was a trailer that looked interesting. Then I kept hearing negative things about the film such as it's racist towards Asians and they made Bruce Lee the secondary character yet claimed it was a biopic about him. Then I read this: http://www.asamnews.com/2016/09/29/birth-of-the-dragon-biopic-enrages-bruce-lee-fans-buries-asians-in-favor-of-a-white-guy/




Birth of the Dragon is disappointing to me for this. It IS insulting to Asians and if we're really being brutally honest, it IS insulting not only to Bruce Lee, but to his family and friends who loved him. I don't understand making the white guy the main character when this was shopped as a Bruce Lee biopic. On top of this, it seems they made Bruce Lee appear to be this very one sided character who was just arrogant and stupid and it's simply not true. While Lee himself owned up to being foolish when he was younger, he was never stupid. Bruce Lee thought about each and every thing he did and in his movies there was always a political theme and the ideas expressed were intricate and well thought out. They provoked ideas and discussions as well as entertained. Read any of his books on martial arts and you see a deep philosophy and calm practicality to his teachings that show someone who was an incredibly thoughtful person.

The Filipino kid in me is extremely disappointed by this and a little angry too because Bruce Lee is one of my heroes and I'm disgusted by what appears to be blatantly anti-Asian propaganda in a film that was being sold as a biopic about him. This is irresponsible and Asian people have every right to be angry about this because once again Hollywood is shoving us into the background and telling us we're not as important because we're not white. I loved Bruce Lee because he was amazing and I loved that there was an Asian person who was the main character in his movies; someone like me and my brothers and my sister. That meant something to me and it still does. The people who made this movie should apologize for the horrible lie they told about this being a biopic about Bruce Lee and at least be honest about what it really is a film stating that white people are better than us. We'll never get that apology of course because these are the kinds of people who run Hollywood and have for years. I do know that I for one will not see this film and I will watch Bruce Lee's movies and celebrate the amazing person he was.
  
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mostlyinpyjamas (13 KP) rated It Only Happens in the Movies in Books

Nov 25, 2017  
It Only Happens in the Movies
It Only Happens in the Movies
Holly Bourne | 2017 | Young Adult (YA)
10
9.0 (5 Ratings)
Book Rating
Positive feminist message. (0 more)
Another cracker by Holly Bourne
The blurb; Audrey is over romance. Since her parents relationship imploded her mother’s been catatonic, so she takes a cinema job to get out of the house. But there she meets wannabe film-maker Harry.

Nobody expects Audrey and Harry to fall in love as hard and fast as they do. But that doesn’t mean things are easy.

Because real love isn’t like the movies…The greatest love story ever told doesn’t feature kissing in the snow, or racing to airports. It features pain and confusion and hope and wonder, and a ban on cheesy clichés. Oh, and Zombies.

                         ~

I’m a huge fan of Holly Bourne, and with It only happens in the movies she has written another cracker!

It only happens in the movies challenges all those cliches from romantic movies, and the message they give about what love and relationships are like.

Audrey is instantly likeable, positive feminist characters are exactly what’s needed and Holly Bourne writes them so well. Audrey is getting over being dumped after having sex for the first time, trying to cope with her mum having a breakdown, and she’s been distant from her friends since her break up, her life is messy – and then she meets Harry.

Harry, with a reputation for being a player! He doesn’t always understand Audrey’s point of view, and he says the wrong things …

‘You’re not like other girls, are you?
but I like Harry. He tries!

In chapter 25, Audrey and her friend Alice talk about first time sex in a refreshingly honest way and this is, in my opinion, such an important thing to see in young adult books. Some girls, for whatever reason, don’t have someone they can talk about these things with, and I feel that it’s such a good thing that authors such as Holly Bourne are putting it out there.

I’ve read a number of feminist YA books this week, and I’m so pleased that they are being written. Conversations about consent, sexism, misogyny and rape culture are so important and these books help to get the message out there.

Excerpt from the book ; Men in films regularly kiss women who don’t want to be kissed. And those are supposed to be the good kisses. Either the woman is taken by surprise, or storming off in a mood, or having a huge go at them, or is engaged to somebody else, or claims she’s just plain Not Interested. And,how do men in movies respond to this clear instruction of “no”? They grab the woman’s face, and kiss her anyway. Roughly. Using their masculine force. And rather than being slapped or even arrested, these movie men are rewarded for their… well… sexual violence. The women “give into” the kiss after a brief moment of fighting it. You see, according to Hollywood, these women wanted to be kissed all along. It was just the male lead’s job to break through the barriers. Barriers like WILFUL CONSENT. Outside Hollywood movies, there is a term for being kissed against your will. This term isn’t “spontaneous” or “romantic” or “passionate”. No, it’s called sexual assault. It’s a crime punishable in the UK by up to ten years in prison.


                          ~
Holly Bourne writes about feminist issues without being patronising and without telling her readers that we should hate all men.

If I’ve made it sound at all like It only happens in the movies is all feminist messages and no story then I must add that it’s entirely not that at all.

I enjoyed the story so much that I read it over a weekend, staying up far too late because I just couldn’t put it down. There’s plenty of drama, humour, and some lovely, touching moments! The ending – although it was perfect – exactly the way this story was meant to end – broke me. I cried actual tears.

Love isn’t just a feeling. Love is a choice too. And you may not be able to help your feelings, but you are responsible for the choices you make about what to do with them. (From It only happens in the movies).