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Dinner Party: A Tragedy
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A MAJOR 2021 DEBUT FICTION LAUNCH, THIS REMARKABLE IRISH NOVEL ABOUT THE MESSINESS OF MODERN FAMILY...
Buzz Books 2018: Young Adult Fall/Winter: Exclusive Excerpts from Forthcoming Titles by Rebecca Hanover, Julie Kagawa, Kody Keplinger, Natasha Ngan, Courtney Summers and More
6.0
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Our ninth Buzz Books: Young Adult gives readers the special excitement of being among the first to...
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Cloverfield (2008) in Movies
Aug 13, 2019 (Updated Aug 19, 2019)
Cloverfield is a rare beast - it's a genuinely quality movie experience, but another aspect that truly sets it apart is it's infamous marketing, which I'll talk about first.
I remember the trailer for Cloverfield debuting. A first person 'found footage' style camera angle, watching a group of people at a party, when suddenly, a distant explosion rocks the building. As they all head to the roof to see whats going on, flaming debris is hurled towards them. They run to the street just in time the see the Statue of Liberty's fricking torn off head slam to the street as screaming echoes all around and then the trailer ends with a release date. Not title or any further info. It was fantastic.
The internet lit up with rumours, from Godzilla to Pokemon (!?) as fake websites we're set up left and right, providing small clues to what was coming.
I went to see Cloverfield on release day, completely unsure of what I was about to see, and it was pretty awesome.
The film itself lived up to the hype for me, as New York is attacked by an unknown monster. It's tense and all of the then-unknown leads sell the panic and terror very well, in a post 9/11 world.
We are drip fed glimpses of the monster (there's one particular shot where they see it from a collapsing skyscraper that is really quite chilling) in a smart move that keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout.
The concept of 'found footage' isn't anything new in this day and age, but Cloverfield does something with it that feels fresh and thrilling.
The film ends rather abruptly, leaving you feeling like you've just been caught in stampede or something,
And ultimately leaves the audience with more questions than answers to the excellent marketing campaign.
It's different and deserves your attention.
I remember the trailer for Cloverfield debuting. A first person 'found footage' style camera angle, watching a group of people at a party, when suddenly, a distant explosion rocks the building. As they all head to the roof to see whats going on, flaming debris is hurled towards them. They run to the street just in time the see the Statue of Liberty's fricking torn off head slam to the street as screaming echoes all around and then the trailer ends with a release date. Not title or any further info. It was fantastic.
The internet lit up with rumours, from Godzilla to Pokemon (!?) as fake websites we're set up left and right, providing small clues to what was coming.
I went to see Cloverfield on release day, completely unsure of what I was about to see, and it was pretty awesome.
The film itself lived up to the hype for me, as New York is attacked by an unknown monster. It's tense and all of the then-unknown leads sell the panic and terror very well, in a post 9/11 world.
We are drip fed glimpses of the monster (there's one particular shot where they see it from a collapsing skyscraper that is really quite chilling) in a smart move that keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout.
The concept of 'found footage' isn't anything new in this day and age, but Cloverfield does something with it that feels fresh and thrilling.
The film ends rather abruptly, leaving you feeling like you've just been caught in stampede or something,
And ultimately leaves the audience with more questions than answers to the excellent marketing campaign.
It's different and deserves your attention.
Weird But True
Book and Education
8.0
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* Winner of Spring 2012 Parents’ Choice Funstuff Award * New York Times App to Keep Kids Happy *...
Catwoman: Soulstealer - DC Icons Book 3
8.3
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Sizzling with action and suspense, #1 New York Times bestselling author SARAH J. MAAS delivers a...
young adult
Tomorrow, Berlin
Oscar Coop-Phane and George Miller
7.0
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Berlin. A city where nightclubs stay open from Friday night till Monday morning. A city with an...
A really enjoyable coming of age story, Snowflake by Louise Nealon is about Debbie White, and how she navigates life away from her home. When Debbie gets a place at Trinity College, Dublin, it’s decided that she’ll commute every day by train from her farm in the country. This sets her apart from the beginning: most people seem to stay in Dublin. But Debbie struggles with how to behave around other students, and if not for Xanthe, who takes Debbie under her wing, I don’t think she would have made any friends at all.
Debbie’s home life is unconventional. Her mother is obsessed with dreams, and believes that she knows what people’s dreams are - that she can see right into them. She has periods of extreme moods, and Debbie has to look after her during these episodes.
And then there’s Debbie’s Uncle Billy. He runs the farm and lives in a caravan. I rather liked his no-nonsense approach to life, but he’s just as vulnerable as his sister and niece.
It isn’t all doom and gloom though. Debbie is funny, quirky and a highly likeable person - the book had moments that really made me laugh. It was these moments of light and dark that really made the book work for me. Louise Nealon is going to be a name to watch for in the future. I loved this. You should all go and read this now!
Many thanks to Manila Press for the copy provided to me through NetGalley.
Debbie’s home life is unconventional. Her mother is obsessed with dreams, and believes that she knows what people’s dreams are - that she can see right into them. She has periods of extreme moods, and Debbie has to look after her during these episodes.
And then there’s Debbie’s Uncle Billy. He runs the farm and lives in a caravan. I rather liked his no-nonsense approach to life, but he’s just as vulnerable as his sister and niece.
It isn’t all doom and gloom though. Debbie is funny, quirky and a highly likeable person - the book had moments that really made me laugh. It was these moments of light and dark that really made the book work for me. Louise Nealon is going to be a name to watch for in the future. I loved this. You should all go and read this now!
Many thanks to Manila Press for the copy provided to me through NetGalley.
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated The Kingmaker (All the King's Men Duet, #1) in Books
Jan 29, 2020
This one starts on the last day of Lennix's four day coming of age ceremony when she's thirteen. Her mum kisses her goodbye as she goes off to protest in one of America's big cities against something the government has planned, only she never comes home again. Fast forward four years and Lennix is loudly protesting the demolition of the sacred Native American ground where she had her ceremony and where elders are buried, so they can build an oil pipe that will also pollute the local water.
Maxim Cade is the son of the millionaire/billionaire laying the pipeline but is against the use of fossil fuels and his fathers companies use of violence against those protesting the pipelines build. He puts himself between a dog's jaw and Lennix and as they are carted off to jail they bond with each other and a connection is formed that lasts years, though they don't see each other again for another four.
This book spans a lot of years. 14 from that meeting when Lennix is 17. They are now both successful in their own right. Maxim with his green energy business and Lennix with her, erm...I don't know the title for what she does. She helps political figures get into office, fighting for those who are helping the minorities.
I get that both are going after important issues that are happening in America, and the world, but I did feel like at times it was a bit repetitive and very in-depth with the information we're told - which I'll admit, I found a bit boring. Also, politics is not for me and it began to take up a fair part of this book towards the end.
Some of the secondary characters were cool. The guy - can't remember his name, some sort of surname - who was with Maxim on the Antarctic boat? I liked him. He talked sense a lot and ended up really close with Maxim. I also liked Wallace. That bit at the party around the 70% mark when he's being - in Lennix's words - her beard, trying to keep Maxim at arms length after not seeing each other for ten years, was fun.
The connection between Lennix and Maxim was great when they were together but in the end it wasn't that much of the book. They seemed to be apart more than they were together.
I don't think I'll be reading its counterpart.
Maxim Cade is the son of the millionaire/billionaire laying the pipeline but is against the use of fossil fuels and his fathers companies use of violence against those protesting the pipelines build. He puts himself between a dog's jaw and Lennix and as they are carted off to jail they bond with each other and a connection is formed that lasts years, though they don't see each other again for another four.
This book spans a lot of years. 14 from that meeting when Lennix is 17. They are now both successful in their own right. Maxim with his green energy business and Lennix with her, erm...I don't know the title for what she does. She helps political figures get into office, fighting for those who are helping the minorities.
I get that both are going after important issues that are happening in America, and the world, but I did feel like at times it was a bit repetitive and very in-depth with the information we're told - which I'll admit, I found a bit boring. Also, politics is not for me and it began to take up a fair part of this book towards the end.
Some of the secondary characters were cool. The guy - can't remember his name, some sort of surname - who was with Maxim on the Antarctic boat? I liked him. He talked sense a lot and ended up really close with Maxim. I also liked Wallace. That bit at the party around the 70% mark when he's being - in Lennix's words - her beard, trying to keep Maxim at arms length after not seeing each other for ten years, was fun.
The connection between Lennix and Maxim was great when they were together but in the end it wasn't that much of the book. They seemed to be apart more than they were together.
I don't think I'll be reading its counterpart.
Ivana A. | Diary of Difference (1171 KP) rated Strange Weather in Tokyo in Books
Oct 5, 2020
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Being born in Macedonia, I grew up reading books that were mostly translated. Because of that, I always appreciate the amazing job that translators do and have always cherished translated copies of my books. Strange Weather in Tokyo is no different, and Allison Markin Powell did an amazing job translating this book.
I read this book in August as part of the Tandem and Granta Books Instagram readalong - to celebrate #Kawakamimonth as well as Women in Translation month - and I am so glad I was able to join.
<b><i>Synopsis:</i></b>
One night when she is drinking alone in a local bar, Tsukiko finds herself sitting next to her former high school teacher. Over the coming months they share food and drink sake, and as seasons pass - from spring cherry blossom to autumnal mushrooms - Tsukiko and her teacher develop a hesitant intimacy that tilts awkwardly and poignantly towards love.
<b><i>My Thoughts:</i></b>
From the very first chapter, we travel to Japan and the whole mood changes. I could grasp the culture, taste the food and feel the weather changing through the seasons. The writing is brief and concise, yet full of emotion and wisdom. Both the characters and the scene had something very special about their description - they appeared so close, so real, as if you could just reach out your hand and touch them, feel them, taste them. This feeling stayed with me and I will cling on to it, because it happens so rarely these days.
Even though I am not a fan of student-teacher relationships, this relationship in particular kept me intrigued, simply because it was so much different than anything I have encountered before.
Tsukiko is young and tries to live in the modern world, while Sensei is much older and very traditional. They meet in the bar and talk. There are no dates, nor arranged meetings. They may see each other, and they may not. Sometimes it could be months before they bump into each other again. And that’s the beauty of their relationship. They live their own lives independently, and having each other as company is an added bonus.
A few plot twists lingered in the way of their love. Tsukiko’s potential boyfriend, who is the same age as her, Sensei’s old age and what that might mean, and the numerous arguments that seem bizarre, but test their relationship on deeper levels. It was very refreshing to see the brutally honest issue that is age between couples. Sensei knows he doesn’t have too long to live, and he is honest with Tsukiko, as he wants her to truly understand what this means, and once she understands it, he wants to ensure she is okay to proceed the relationship, given those circumstances.
<b><i>I have mixed feelings about the ending of Strange Weather in Tokyo.</i></b>
I was surprised at how it ended, but then I understood why. Perhaps I wanted a complete closure, but I learned that life doesn’t do closures. There is no perfect or right time to do something. We only have the “now” and we should enjoy every moment while we can.
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<img src="https://diaryofdifference.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Book-Review-Banner-33.png"/>;
Being born in Macedonia, I grew up reading books that were mostly translated. Because of that, I always appreciate the amazing job that translators do and have always cherished translated copies of my books. Strange Weather in Tokyo is no different, and Allison Markin Powell did an amazing job translating this book.
I read this book in August as part of the Tandem and Granta Books Instagram readalong - to celebrate #Kawakamimonth as well as Women in Translation month - and I am so glad I was able to join.
<b><i>Synopsis:</i></b>
One night when she is drinking alone in a local bar, Tsukiko finds herself sitting next to her former high school teacher. Over the coming months they share food and drink sake, and as seasons pass - from spring cherry blossom to autumnal mushrooms - Tsukiko and her teacher develop a hesitant intimacy that tilts awkwardly and poignantly towards love.
<b><i>My Thoughts:</i></b>
From the very first chapter, we travel to Japan and the whole mood changes. I could grasp the culture, taste the food and feel the weather changing through the seasons. The writing is brief and concise, yet full of emotion and wisdom. Both the characters and the scene had something very special about their description - they appeared so close, so real, as if you could just reach out your hand and touch them, feel them, taste them. This feeling stayed with me and I will cling on to it, because it happens so rarely these days.
Even though I am not a fan of student-teacher relationships, this relationship in particular kept me intrigued, simply because it was so much different than anything I have encountered before.
Tsukiko is young and tries to live in the modern world, while Sensei is much older and very traditional. They meet in the bar and talk. There are no dates, nor arranged meetings. They may see each other, and they may not. Sometimes it could be months before they bump into each other again. And that’s the beauty of their relationship. They live their own lives independently, and having each other as company is an added bonus.
A few plot twists lingered in the way of their love. Tsukiko’s potential boyfriend, who is the same age as her, Sensei’s old age and what that might mean, and the numerous arguments that seem bizarre, but test their relationship on deeper levels. It was very refreshing to see the brutally honest issue that is age between couples. Sensei knows he doesn’t have too long to live, and he is honest with Tsukiko, as he wants her to truly understand what this means, and once she understands it, he wants to ensure she is okay to proceed the relationship, given those circumstances.
<b><i>I have mixed feelings about the ending of Strange Weather in Tokyo.</i></b>
I was surprised at how it ended, but then I understood why. Perhaps I wanted a complete closure, but I learned that life doesn’t do closures. There is no perfect or right time to do something. We only have the “now” and we should enjoy every moment while we can.
