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Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated The Sun is Also a Star in Books
Sep 22, 2017
Surprisingly bittersweet, well crafted
I was initially apprehensive with this book as I assumed it was for young adults, however I was surprised to find how well written and intricately constructed it was.
The narrative shifts between a young undocumented woman, originally from Jamaica but brought up in the U.S., and an American-born Korean, who find each other on her last day before she is deported. In between are segways of an unknown voice who delves into the different characters and their backgrounds. The book explores fate and free will and whether there is an overarching hand that shapes this.
Their romance resembles that of 'Before Sunset', which was enjoyable but obviously the dialogue in this novel is not as intelligent. It's bittersweet, coming-of-age, and takes you back to young love.
The narrative shifts between a young undocumented woman, originally from Jamaica but brought up in the U.S., and an American-born Korean, who find each other on her last day before she is deported. In between are segways of an unknown voice who delves into the different characters and their backgrounds. The book explores fate and free will and whether there is an overarching hand that shapes this.
Their romance resembles that of 'Before Sunset', which was enjoyable but obviously the dialogue in this novel is not as intelligent. It's bittersweet, coming-of-age, and takes you back to young love.
Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows in Books
Sep 13, 2017
Interesting, a little repetitive
I wasn't sure what to expect with this bizarrely named novel, and I was slightly worried it would be some Karma Sutra style book but it was nothing of the kind.
A group of old Punjabi women attend an English language class run by a British Asian young woman who mistakenly brings in an erotic book one day. It opens up a world of sensuous pleasure for the women, who are normally quite conservative about such topics.
While it's quite a novelty and funny at the beginning, the stories become repetitive and it becomes a little boring. The honour crime story was far more interesting and I wish there was more focus on that side instead of turning it in to a Gurinder Chadha type of novel. The stories are meant to open up other aspects of the community such as arranged marriages and the impact of honour - but it just doesn't seem to connect that well.
The protagonist Nicky is great though who reflects many British Asians growing up with dual cultures. Good but not great.
A group of old Punjabi women attend an English language class run by a British Asian young woman who mistakenly brings in an erotic book one day. It opens up a world of sensuous pleasure for the women, who are normally quite conservative about such topics.
While it's quite a novelty and funny at the beginning, the stories become repetitive and it becomes a little boring. The honour crime story was far more interesting and I wish there was more focus on that side instead of turning it in to a Gurinder Chadha type of novel. The stories are meant to open up other aspects of the community such as arranged marriages and the impact of honour - but it just doesn't seem to connect that well.
The protagonist Nicky is great though who reflects many British Asians growing up with dual cultures. Good but not great.
Where is My Mask of an Honest Man?
Book
Where is my Mask of an Honest Man? is a powerful collection of short stories set in and around...
Billie Wichkan (118 KP) rated The Secretary in Books
Mar 15, 2019
Day after day, year after year, Christine has been there, invisiblewatching, listening, absorbing all the secrets floating around her. Keeping them safe.
Christine is trusted. But those years of loyalty and discretion come with a high price. And eventually Christina will pay.
Yet, it would be a mistake to underestimate such a steadfast woman. Because as everyone is about to discover, theres a dangerous line between obedience and obsession...
"The Secretary" is Renee Knight's second novel. This story has an explosive plot and a very surprising twist at the end.
This story revolves and explores the relationship between the employer and the employee. The author has done a fabulous job of exploring the loyalty of an employee to her employer. The story is completely gripping and I was glued to it.
The characters are completely and utterly convincing and I developed a love/hate relationship with them.
The underlying tension is apparent from the start and it just adds to the suspense going forward.
Some may call this a slow burn but I felt the pace of the story is just perfect. This is an intelligent, twisted, psychological thriller.
Very believable characters and brilliant plot! Perfect story in my opinion.
Highly Recommend!
My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House UK for a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review.
Christine is trusted. But those years of loyalty and discretion come with a high price. And eventually Christina will pay.
Yet, it would be a mistake to underestimate such a steadfast woman. Because as everyone is about to discover, theres a dangerous line between obedience and obsession...
"The Secretary" is Renee Knight's second novel. This story has an explosive plot and a very surprising twist at the end.
This story revolves and explores the relationship between the employer and the employee. The author has done a fabulous job of exploring the loyalty of an employee to her employer. The story is completely gripping and I was glued to it.
The characters are completely and utterly convincing and I developed a love/hate relationship with them.
The underlying tension is apparent from the start and it just adds to the suspense going forward.
Some may call this a slow burn but I felt the pace of the story is just perfect. This is an intelligent, twisted, psychological thriller.
Very believable characters and brilliant plot! Perfect story in my opinion.
Highly Recommend!
My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House UK for a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review.
Under a Pole Star
Book
RICHARD & JUDY BOOK CLUB 2017. SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2017 COSTA NOVEL AWARD. 'A dazzling tale of...
travel
Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend
Book
Imaginary friend Budo narrates this heartwarming story of love, loyalty, and the power of the...
While the Gods Were Sleeping
Erwin Mortier, Paul Vincent and David Pearson
Book
'It sounds dreadful,' I said to him one day. 'But actually the war is the best thing that ever...
Awix (3310 KP) rated Wonder Woman 1984 (2020) in Movies
Dec 17, 2020
The first big superhero movie of the summer arrives - if you're in Australia, anyway. (Cheers, 2020.) The setting has been updated to the mid 1980s, which in no way resembles the present day, of course: Wonder Woman must enter the White House and do battle with a failed businessman, TV personality and con man who has stolen the power of the US presidency. Of course there's a bit more going on to dress this up and stop the cute-little-red-cap crowd from getting pouty and boycotting it, but that's the most striking element of the plot - interesting to see a blockbuster with a political edge to it, even if that edge is somewhat disguised.
Apart from that, this is a good, slick, lively blockbuster, very colourful and with a nicely positive outlook to it. Some of the characterisation perhaps undercuts the film's feminist agenda - Wonder Woman's chief character point is that she's sad because she's got no boyfriend, while assistant villain Cheetah's big issue is basically being jealous of women who can walk in heels - and Chris Pine is an absence of hiatus, as usual, but in every respect this is a decent blockbuster.
Apart from that, this is a good, slick, lively blockbuster, very colourful and with a nicely positive outlook to it. Some of the characterisation perhaps undercuts the film's feminist agenda - Wonder Woman's chief character point is that she's sad because she's got no boyfriend, while assistant villain Cheetah's big issue is basically being jealous of women who can walk in heels - and Chris Pine is an absence of hiatus, as usual, but in every respect this is a decent blockbuster.
Lenard (726 KP) rated Shazam! (2019) in Movies
May 8, 2019 (Updated Jun 15, 2019)
Did you ever dream of becoming a superhero? Thaddeus Sivana does. Bullied by his father and older brother because they think he is weak, Thaddeus dreams of becoming the most powerful being in the world. However, Wizard, the last remaining guardian of the secrets of the universe, doesn't think he is pure of heart and worthy of being a superhero. Thaddeus decides to become a supervillain and waits for a champion of the downtrodden, Captain Marvel (I refuse to call him Shazam since he IS Captain Marvel unlike Carol Danvers who got a promotion to Captain after being Ms Marvel for decades). A couple decades later, Billy Batson who was abandoned by his mother at a state fair spends his day researching and looking for the woman who abandoned him while running away from various foster homes. That is, until he is placed in a foster home full of damaged children. He learns the value of family while learning how to be a hero. I watched the TV series every Saturday growing up and while the movie is good, the show remains a pivotal time in my life.
b.Young (97 KP) rated Apocalypticon in Books
Jun 1, 2018
Witty dialog (1 more)
Humorous take on apocalypse genre
The most humorous apocalypse book I've ever read
I found this book offered for Kindle and decided to read it based on the fact that it was humorous instead of serious.
Apocalypticon is a story of two friends in Chicago that somehow survived M-Day, the day the monkey shaped missiles were launched from Jamaica to destroy most of the inhabitants of Earth, only to pack up 3 years later and make a whirlwind trip to visit Disney World, of all places.
Along the way, Patrick and Ben come across some very colorful survivors like Violet, a woman who runs the only bridge out of town like a restaurant: hostess stand, bus boys, wine and all; an Amtrak Captain who happens to be the only one left in the country, that is obsessed with keeping a schedule he never can seem to keep; a futune teller that warns Patrick of his fate; a couple of religious cults, each morbidly twisted in their own way; zombie-like creatures called Runners that snorted their way into the realm of the semi-undead; a gun-toting chick that thinks that the Runners can be cured; and journalist who is trying to make sense of why certain people survived the decimation of 98% of the world's population.
Now, don't get me wrong, there were plenty of action scenes where people and things got effed up, but not so much of the blood and gore that typically goes along with genre.
I surprised myself by actually laughing out loud while reading this...several times, I might add.
I recommend Apocalypticon to anyone who enjoys a good apocalypse story and can accept the hilarity of the situation at hand.
Apocalypticon is a story of two friends in Chicago that somehow survived M-Day, the day the monkey shaped missiles were launched from Jamaica to destroy most of the inhabitants of Earth, only to pack up 3 years later and make a whirlwind trip to visit Disney World, of all places.
Along the way, Patrick and Ben come across some very colorful survivors like Violet, a woman who runs the only bridge out of town like a restaurant: hostess stand, bus boys, wine and all; an Amtrak Captain who happens to be the only one left in the country, that is obsessed with keeping a schedule he never can seem to keep; a futune teller that warns Patrick of his fate; a couple of religious cults, each morbidly twisted in their own way; zombie-like creatures called Runners that snorted their way into the realm of the semi-undead; a gun-toting chick that thinks that the Runners can be cured; and journalist who is trying to make sense of why certain people survived the decimation of 98% of the world's population.
Now, don't get me wrong, there were plenty of action scenes where people and things got effed up, but not so much of the blood and gore that typically goes along with genre.
I surprised myself by actually laughing out loud while reading this...several times, I might add.
I recommend Apocalypticon to anyone who enjoys a good apocalypse story and can accept the hilarity of the situation at hand.