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Eleanor (1463 KP) rated The Green Mile in Books
Jun 4, 2019
Atmosphere (1 more)
Characters
A disturbing but beautiful book
I'd seen the film a long time ago so no surprises with the plot but wow was I surprised at how well written and captivating this book was.
Written as the memoir of former Prison Guard Paul Edgecombe we get a look into the life of Block E of the Cold Mountain Penitentiary which Paul is the head guard of in the 1930s. In what we would call death row today they call it the “Green Mile” due to the colour of the floor. We get a snapshot of the period on the block around the time of convicted child killer John Coffey coming onto the “Mile.”
Each part of the book has a bit from the present from as Paul is writing this memoir and these served as lovely little bridge to the next part of his story.
I've read quite a bit of King and enjoy a lot of his work with his well crafted stories, but I've never fallen head over heels for his writing....until now.
Very emotionally engaging King really pulls off a great atmosphere, characters and despite a supernatural element, a story that easily carries you along. Not often I cry reading a book but this one got me.
Written as the memoir of former Prison Guard Paul Edgecombe we get a look into the life of Block E of the Cold Mountain Penitentiary which Paul is the head guard of in the 1930s. In what we would call death row today they call it the “Green Mile” due to the colour of the floor. We get a snapshot of the period on the block around the time of convicted child killer John Coffey coming onto the “Mile.”
Each part of the book has a bit from the present from as Paul is writing this memoir and these served as lovely little bridge to the next part of his story.
I've read quite a bit of King and enjoy a lot of his work with his well crafted stories, but I've never fallen head over heels for his writing....until now.
Very emotionally engaging King really pulls off a great atmosphere, characters and despite a supernatural element, a story that easily carries you along. Not often I cry reading a book but this one got me.
Merissa (12889 KP) rated The Goddess's Curse (Heartmates, #1) in Books
Dec 17, 2018
I received this book from Reading Alley in return for a fair and honest review.
The basic crux of this story is a battle between men and women living apart and only coming together when pheromones and nature mix together.
The Sharona (women) live in luxury and don't have any fears about anything. Anything, that is, apart from when the heat comes on them and their crystal changes colour, which lets them know that they will soon be in the mating season. This isn't a mate at first sight season, it's more like a rutting season with the Sharona mating with various men until the urge leaves her.
The Lahon (men) live in more 'rustic' accommodations and yet seem to be the happier of the two. Or at least they would be if they weren't worried about the lack of water.
The plot line of this story is fairly simple and it is obvious from the start just who the 'bad guy' is. The story lies in the detail of the hows and whys and, of course, getting the innocent party to believe ill of someone else.
Although this story does have a sort of happy ending, it is also left wide open for further stories which I will be happy to read when they come out.
The basic crux of this story is a battle between men and women living apart and only coming together when pheromones and nature mix together.
The Sharona (women) live in luxury and don't have any fears about anything. Anything, that is, apart from when the heat comes on them and their crystal changes colour, which lets them know that they will soon be in the mating season. This isn't a mate at first sight season, it's more like a rutting season with the Sharona mating with various men until the urge leaves her.
The Lahon (men) live in more 'rustic' accommodations and yet seem to be the happier of the two. Or at least they would be if they weren't worried about the lack of water.
The plot line of this story is fairly simple and it is obvious from the start just who the 'bad guy' is. The story lies in the detail of the hows and whys and, of course, getting the innocent party to believe ill of someone else.
Although this story does have a sort of happy ending, it is also left wide open for further stories which I will be happy to read when they come out.
Nicky Wire recommended What's Going On by Marvin Gaye in Music (curated)
Lee Ronaldo recommended Colour Green by Sibylle Baier in Music (curated)
Eleanor Luhar (47 KP) rated Adventure Time: v. 1 in Books
Jun 24, 2019
I love the show and just had to read this. Now I'm possibly in love with it.
The story is simple yet great; The Lich is sucking up the world into his bag and Finn and Jake must save everyone. They are accompanied by some fabulous characters - Princess Bubblegum, Marceline, Lumpy Space Princess, Desert Princess, The Ice King - and there are some hilarious pieces of dialogue. All the characters have funny, well-developed personalities that you can't help but fall in love with.
I also like how the fourth wall is often broken - Marceline moans at the readers, and fake "The End" pages are included for humour. It gives the novel a unique feel that I really enjoyed.
The artwork is amazing. Like, absolutely awesome. So much colour! And it's all so clear and beautiful. The only problem with the appearance in this novel is that the text at the bottom of some pages is a strange, pale green that is pretty hard to read against the white background of the pages.
Toward the back of the book, there are also tons of different cover images, all in different art styles. I loved them all! They were a great touch to the novel.
I was very tempted to give this 5 stars, but I don't think it's quite there. But 4.5 stars for sure!
The story is simple yet great; The Lich is sucking up the world into his bag and Finn and Jake must save everyone. They are accompanied by some fabulous characters - Princess Bubblegum, Marceline, Lumpy Space Princess, Desert Princess, The Ice King - and there are some hilarious pieces of dialogue. All the characters have funny, well-developed personalities that you can't help but fall in love with.
I also like how the fourth wall is often broken - Marceline moans at the readers, and fake "The End" pages are included for humour. It gives the novel a unique feel that I really enjoyed.
The artwork is amazing. Like, absolutely awesome. So much colour! And it's all so clear and beautiful. The only problem with the appearance in this novel is that the text at the bottom of some pages is a strange, pale green that is pretty hard to read against the white background of the pages.
Toward the back of the book, there are also tons of different cover images, all in different art styles. I loved them all! They were a great touch to the novel.
I was very tempted to give this 5 stars, but I don't think it's quite there. But 4.5 stars for sure!
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Blood Machines (2019) in Movies
Aug 15, 2020
Blood Machines is essentially a glorified music video for French synthwave outfit Carpenter Brut. That's not something that automatically de-credits the project of course, and sci-fi fans will undoubtedly get a kick out of it.
Aesthetically, Blood Machines looks pretty stunning. The entire 50 minute runtime is bursting with colour, and is visually impressive. The settings are truly otherworldly.
The screenplay and to a certain extent the plot, take a backseat. The dialogue is frequently silly (possibly intentional) and doesn't really offer much - I actually think it could have benefited from no dialogue at all - but the makers hope to distract from this with naked women adorning upside down crucifixes across their torsos. Nothing like a bit of nudity mixed with anti-religious symbolism to fill up the "edgy" quota after all.
I actually saw Carpenter Brut at Arctangent in 2019, completely unaware of who they were, and honestly had a great time. Their music is heavily inspired by 80s movies, and the visuals they use in their live performances reflect that. Here, their music adds to the experience of Blood Machines in spades, and a big part of why I enjoyed it.
If you have an hour to kill and like Sci-Fi, then I would encourage you to check out Blood Machines. It's not revolutionary but it's entertaining enough for what it's is.
Aesthetically, Blood Machines looks pretty stunning. The entire 50 minute runtime is bursting with colour, and is visually impressive. The settings are truly otherworldly.
The screenplay and to a certain extent the plot, take a backseat. The dialogue is frequently silly (possibly intentional) and doesn't really offer much - I actually think it could have benefited from no dialogue at all - but the makers hope to distract from this with naked women adorning upside down crucifixes across their torsos. Nothing like a bit of nudity mixed with anti-religious symbolism to fill up the "edgy" quota after all.
I actually saw Carpenter Brut at Arctangent in 2019, completely unaware of who they were, and honestly had a great time. Their music is heavily inspired by 80s movies, and the visuals they use in their live performances reflect that. Here, their music adds to the experience of Blood Machines in spades, and a big part of why I enjoyed it.
If you have an hour to kill and like Sci-Fi, then I would encourage you to check out Blood Machines. It's not revolutionary but it's entertaining enough for what it's is.
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Moana (2016) in Movies
May 12, 2020
Ive said it before and I'll say it again - I'm not a fan of musicals, and Moana isn't a film that's going to change my mind on that. However, as it's goes with Disney more often or not, there's plenty of good stuff here that make it an enjoyable adventure.
It has a decent and easy to follow plot, and a strong female lead for a start. The titular character is easy to like and root for, as are all the characters come to think of it. Dwayne Johnson's character Maui starts off as a douche but he's not so bad by the end.
The whole film looks incredible. The animation is bursting with colour, the water in particular looks great. There are some great set pieces that take full advantage of this - especially the neon drenched scene with Tamatoa, and the films climax looks fantastic as well.
The musical numbers just didn't do anything for me. I didn't hate any of the songs (the 'I AM MOANAAA' bit was pretty badass), but it's mostly just little too cheesy for my taste, much like Frozen was.
Overall though, Moana is a pretty good time, with a nice Disney approved moral heart, and I'm sure it will stand up alongside the many other Disney classics for years to come.
It has a decent and easy to follow plot, and a strong female lead for a start. The titular character is easy to like and root for, as are all the characters come to think of it. Dwayne Johnson's character Maui starts off as a douche but he's not so bad by the end.
The whole film looks incredible. The animation is bursting with colour, the water in particular looks great. There are some great set pieces that take full advantage of this - especially the neon drenched scene with Tamatoa, and the films climax looks fantastic as well.
The musical numbers just didn't do anything for me. I didn't hate any of the songs (the 'I AM MOANAAA' bit was pretty badass), but it's mostly just little too cheesy for my taste, much like Frozen was.
Overall though, Moana is a pretty good time, with a nice Disney approved moral heart, and I'm sure it will stand up alongside the many other Disney classics for years to come.
ClareR (5879 KP) rated We Are Not Like Them in Books
Mar 28, 2022
We Are Not Like Them is a really timely novel about racism in America.
Jen (white) and Riley (black) have grown up together, and are like sisters. Colour has never been an issue between the two of them. But when Jen’s Police Officer husband is involved in the shooting of a black teenaged boy, and Riley is given the job of covering the story as a TV reporter, things become difficult and strained between them. Is their past enough to keep the friendship going? I did wonder on many occasions throughout the book.
Themes include racism, prejudice, white privilege and police brutality. It’s a pretty hard-hitting book, and could be set anywhere in the US at the moment. We have our own issues and institutional racism to deal with in the UK, and it was interesting to see how this panned out. I did think that Riley worried more about Jen. Jen was completely wrapped up in her own problems, using Riley as someone to lean on, whilst not being at all curious about Riley’s feelings on what had happened to the boy. But then, Jen has some pretty huge things going on in her life, too.
I can see this being an ideal book for a book club - so much is going on, there’s so much to unpick.
It’s a powerful novel. Recommended.
Jen (white) and Riley (black) have grown up together, and are like sisters. Colour has never been an issue between the two of them. But when Jen’s Police Officer husband is involved in the shooting of a black teenaged boy, and Riley is given the job of covering the story as a TV reporter, things become difficult and strained between them. Is their past enough to keep the friendship going? I did wonder on many occasions throughout the book.
Themes include racism, prejudice, white privilege and police brutality. It’s a pretty hard-hitting book, and could be set anywhere in the US at the moment. We have our own issues and institutional racism to deal with in the UK, and it was interesting to see how this panned out. I did think that Riley worried more about Jen. Jen was completely wrapped up in her own problems, using Riley as someone to lean on, whilst not being at all curious about Riley’s feelings on what had happened to the boy. But then, Jen has some pretty huge things going on in her life, too.
I can see this being an ideal book for a book club - so much is going on, there’s so much to unpick.
It’s a powerful novel. Recommended.
Merissa (12889 KP) rated As The Secrets Turn (My Darkest Secret #3) in Books
Mar 1, 2023
AS THE SECRETS TURN is the third and final book in this trilogy although there are spin-offs in the making. We start with Madi and Justin on their way to be married. One thing after another makes Madi doubt if it is the right time.
The story is woven nicely from beginning to end, although I did find certain phrases repeated throughout - for example, the colour of her skin against his. Some of the events also seemed a little hard to swallow but they fitted in with the rest of the book. Other happenings were very true to life and made me smile.
I found this book to be a fitting conclusion to Madi and Justin's story, showcasing the hardships and trials Madi has been through and showing her strength and durability, her willingness to fight for those who can't, and how, above all, she is a survivor.
Although you don't have to have read books 1 and 2, I do think it worthwhile to do so, just so you get the full benefit of the complete story arc. Recommended by me.
** 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, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
The story is woven nicely from beginning to end, although I did find certain phrases repeated throughout - for example, the colour of her skin against his. Some of the events also seemed a little hard to swallow but they fitted in with the rest of the book. Other happenings were very true to life and made me smile.
I found this book to be a fitting conclusion to Madi and Justin's story, showcasing the hardships and trials Madi has been through and showing her strength and durability, her willingness to fight for those who can't, and how, above all, she is a survivor.
Although you don't have to have read books 1 and 2, I do think it worthwhile to do so, just so you get the full benefit of the complete story arc. Recommended by me.
** 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, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Kirk Bage (1775 KP) rated Alita: Battle Angel (2019) in Movies
Jan 22, 2021
Robert Rodriguez is not a good director. He isn’t an especially good writer or producer either. This is the guy responsible for four Spy Kids films, that start below average and downgrade exponentially into excruciatingly awful. What he is pretty good at is ideas, and seeing the potential of something visually arresting and exciting. That is what led to the success of Sin City, arguably his best effort to date, because he saw how the comic book creations of Frank Miller could become live action and he made it happen.
Alita: Battle Angel is a similar deal. This time Yukito Kishiro’s early 90s manga creation is the inspiration. With James Cameron as producer, and the considerable talents of Christoph Waltz, Jennifer Connelly and Mahershala Ali onboard, it would have been pretty hard for even Rodriguez to mess this up entirely. Although at times he does seem to try, mostly by doing too much and making certain sections too busy and too confusingly cross-genre, like he is frantically trying to colour within the lines whilst using every felt-tip in the pack. A habit that means every now and again something great happens, but you may have missed it in all the background noise.
Compare this film, that just falls short of qualifying for my Bad Movie Triple Bill list, to Spielberg’s superior yet similarly busy Ready Player One. Both involve high concept future realities that are very tech and AI driven. Both make extensive use of CGI and vivid colour palettes. Both are frenetic and demand an audience pays attention in order to fully appreciate the storyline. The difference is that one zig-zags back and forth in tone and momentum, and one is razor sharp in moving us from one idea to the next on a perfect learning curve towards a satisfying climax and conclusion. Guess which one is which? This is why Spielberg is Spielberg and Rodriguez is… a hack.
That said, Alita as a character and concept is charming, and you do therefore find yourself at least wanting to discover her story. The action scenes are also quite electric, and the visuals are often breath-taking. But the whole is less than the sum of the parts here, and we are left with something that can only really exist in the same box as dozens of admirable sci-fi B-movies aimed at teenagers, such as The Maze Runner, Mortal Engines and The City of Ember. It also continues to prove the point alongside Ghost in the Shell and Speed Racer that Anime / Manga into live action is a very tricky business.
There is definitely an audience out there for this movie, and I dare say at some point I will be tempted to give it another watch. What is definitely worth watching however, is how James Cameron uses this as a stepping stone to perfecting virtual humans on the big screen. I am sure everyone involved learned a lot in that respect, so all is far from lost.
Alita: Battle Angel is a similar deal. This time Yukito Kishiro’s early 90s manga creation is the inspiration. With James Cameron as producer, and the considerable talents of Christoph Waltz, Jennifer Connelly and Mahershala Ali onboard, it would have been pretty hard for even Rodriguez to mess this up entirely. Although at times he does seem to try, mostly by doing too much and making certain sections too busy and too confusingly cross-genre, like he is frantically trying to colour within the lines whilst using every felt-tip in the pack. A habit that means every now and again something great happens, but you may have missed it in all the background noise.
Compare this film, that just falls short of qualifying for my Bad Movie Triple Bill list, to Spielberg’s superior yet similarly busy Ready Player One. Both involve high concept future realities that are very tech and AI driven. Both make extensive use of CGI and vivid colour palettes. Both are frenetic and demand an audience pays attention in order to fully appreciate the storyline. The difference is that one zig-zags back and forth in tone and momentum, and one is razor sharp in moving us from one idea to the next on a perfect learning curve towards a satisfying climax and conclusion. Guess which one is which? This is why Spielberg is Spielberg and Rodriguez is… a hack.
That said, Alita as a character and concept is charming, and you do therefore find yourself at least wanting to discover her story. The action scenes are also quite electric, and the visuals are often breath-taking. But the whole is less than the sum of the parts here, and we are left with something that can only really exist in the same box as dozens of admirable sci-fi B-movies aimed at teenagers, such as The Maze Runner, Mortal Engines and The City of Ember. It also continues to prove the point alongside Ghost in the Shell and Speed Racer that Anime / Manga into live action is a very tricky business.
There is definitely an audience out there for this movie, and I dare say at some point I will be tempted to give it another watch. What is definitely worth watching however, is how James Cameron uses this as a stepping stone to perfecting virtual humans on the big screen. I am sure everyone involved learned a lot in that respect, so all is far from lost.