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Caffeinated Fae (464 KP) rated Into the Wild in Books
Jul 10, 2018
I read this as part of my 2014 reading challenge. This book was recommended to me by one of my close friends. This was definitely a book that I would expect a hiker, climber, and all around outdoorsy person to read.
I have to admit, I had a hard time reading this book. The writing was outstanding but I found the book itself a little dull and honestly, a little frustrating.
As many of my friends know, I grew up with my parents working in insurance. I also grew up working in insurance. This means that I have a (as my dad calls it) risk manager's mindset. That means that I had a hard time idealizing a man that took such a high risk with his life and refused most of the help that was offered.
I have to say that I admire this man's ideals and his bravery but I also feel that he was fairly foolish. I don't think that he was foolish for going out into the wilderness alone but I feel that he was foolish for not being able to swallow his pride and accept help. I think that he was foolish for pushing his family and his friends away.
This is the second Jon Krakauer book that I have read and I have to say that I his writing is spectacular but a little dull. I felt that I was reading a text book and not a novel. I think this is simply because I like my books to invoke emotions in me and all I felt in this book was frustration and deep sadness for anyone that knew and loved McCandless.
All in all, this wasn't my typical read but I'm glad that I took time to read it.
I have to admit, I had a hard time reading this book. The writing was outstanding but I found the book itself a little dull and honestly, a little frustrating.
As many of my friends know, I grew up with my parents working in insurance. I also grew up working in insurance. This means that I have a (as my dad calls it) risk manager's mindset. That means that I had a hard time idealizing a man that took such a high risk with his life and refused most of the help that was offered.
I have to say that I admire this man's ideals and his bravery but I also feel that he was fairly foolish. I don't think that he was foolish for going out into the wilderness alone but I feel that he was foolish for not being able to swallow his pride and accept help. I think that he was foolish for pushing his family and his friends away.
This is the second Jon Krakauer book that I have read and I have to say that I his writing is spectacular but a little dull. I felt that I was reading a text book and not a novel. I think this is simply because I like my books to invoke emotions in me and all I felt in this book was frustration and deep sadness for anyone that knew and loved McCandless.
All in all, this wasn't my typical read but I'm glad that I took time to read it.
ashezbookz (32 KP) rated Illuminae: The Illuminae Files: Book 1 in Books
Jul 5, 2018
First after reading this I gave it 5 stars - I still truly enjoyed this book and reading it in paper format this time was a definite plus - but for some reason it didn't hit the 5* for me, perhaps it was reading it so close together, but I wanted to complete gemina and obsidio this month so I decided to re-read ... ah well, live and learn right? I still highly love this book
I loved it I loved it I loved it - this is a must read book. However, my only complaint was that I read this in ebook format and I felt like it lost a lot of its luster. Reading it on my ipad I got half of the effect of reading it on the webpage version of the ebook. How is that possible? the blacked out words were not blacked out, the blacked pages were not black, a lot of it was messed up with formatting there, but webpage seemed a lot better. If anything, I say pick up a hard copy of the book, which I will be doing very soon!
How can you feel for an AI like this - for some reason I was on a rollercoaster of emotions with this book, I both wanted to hug it and punch it at the same time - or throw it across the room - but I'd break my precious ipad.
This book was laugh out loud funny - for real, there were parts where I could not stop laughing - and there were parts where you just wanted to cry.
Such a well written book, such a great book - I cannot wait to read book 2!!!!!!! In book format this time........get the full effect.
I loved it I loved it I loved it - this is a must read book. However, my only complaint was that I read this in ebook format and I felt like it lost a lot of its luster. Reading it on my ipad I got half of the effect of reading it on the webpage version of the ebook. How is that possible? the blacked out words were not blacked out, the blacked pages were not black, a lot of it was messed up with formatting there, but webpage seemed a lot better. If anything, I say pick up a hard copy of the book, which I will be doing very soon!
How can you feel for an AI like this - for some reason I was on a rollercoaster of emotions with this book, I both wanted to hug it and punch it at the same time - or throw it across the room - but I'd break my precious ipad.
This book was laugh out loud funny - for real, there were parts where I could not stop laughing - and there were parts where you just wanted to cry.
Such a well written book, such a great book - I cannot wait to read book 2!!!!!!! In book format this time........get the full effect.
This book looks like it a story about a young boy. This young boy goes on a journey of his life. We see how deals with his growing up. We also see how he deals with all kinds of emotions from death, to finding his love of this life.
We get in an depth of how you can destroy your own spirit. We get to learn and get try and get understanding. We also see his success and many crashes. He learn even what love is like or is and though friendships. You could be looking and end up emptying your spirit of that love.
You really can not say it based on one thing. It goes about this with giving you different way as it could be about yourself. The rating I would give this is a 4.5 moons. The reason for this is that I really did not get what most of it was about except that it might be a romance. I do know it a little more about trying to understand himself and what love is about. Well that's want I think if about. You can destroy yourself be giving all the time and not know if it really love that doing the drive or if it sex driven drive.
This book I would suggest only be for Adults that are 18 and up. There a few words in here that are not for young adults. These words are a bit sexual. I have parents be advised and I will let you decide for your Teenagers if this book is appropriate. To me I advise for this to be for Adults ages from 17 and up.
We get in an depth of how you can destroy your own spirit. We get to learn and get try and get understanding. We also see his success and many crashes. He learn even what love is like or is and though friendships. You could be looking and end up emptying your spirit of that love.
You really can not say it based on one thing. It goes about this with giving you different way as it could be about yourself. The rating I would give this is a 4.5 moons. The reason for this is that I really did not get what most of it was about except that it might be a romance. I do know it a little more about trying to understand himself and what love is about. Well that's want I think if about. You can destroy yourself be giving all the time and not know if it really love that doing the drive or if it sex driven drive.
This book I would suggest only be for Adults that are 18 and up. There a few words in here that are not for young adults. These words are a bit sexual. I have parents be advised and I will let you decide for your Teenagers if this book is appropriate. To me I advise for this to be for Adults ages from 17 and up.
Steve Fearon (84 KP) rated L.A. Noire in Video Games
Sep 5, 2018
Groundbreaking facial animation (2 more)
A fascinating world
Genuinely difficult to 100%
Action gets a bit repetitive (1 more)
Ran its studio into financial trouble :(
Still the best game of its kind
This game...its one of my favourites.
Its not an action masterpiece, in fact its a little clunky at times, with a similar but inferior combat style to GTA, but it has a legitimately great atmosphere, beautifully capturing the period and the stylings.
The detective work actually requires a little thinking (Which is rare) and asks the player to make choices without too much handholding (Which is even rarer), and as the game progresses, the challenge to interrogate the more devious individuals can prove rather vexing!
The animations, and the emotions they are able to portray in a game this old, puts to shame big budget thrillers from recent years (Mass Effec Andromeda, I am looking at you!), the city design is beautiful, and the characters are played by a number of recognisable actors which add to the big budget feel that runs all through this game.
Is the remaster an improvement on the 360 game? A little, higher resolution, parred up for Xbox one, but essentially its the same as it ever was, and that is fine.
There is still not a single game I have come across which has done the detective game as well as this, and it is a crying shame that the technology and effort used to create LA Noire has essentially been lost, since even now, manakin faced characters are still the norm.
This game still has a lot to offer, if you can look past the action sequences, and instead enjoy the characters, peformances, and genuine puzzle solving aspects of this classic title.
Its not an action masterpiece, in fact its a little clunky at times, with a similar but inferior combat style to GTA, but it has a legitimately great atmosphere, beautifully capturing the period and the stylings.
The detective work actually requires a little thinking (Which is rare) and asks the player to make choices without too much handholding (Which is even rarer), and as the game progresses, the challenge to interrogate the more devious individuals can prove rather vexing!
The animations, and the emotions they are able to portray in a game this old, puts to shame big budget thrillers from recent years (Mass Effec Andromeda, I am looking at you!), the city design is beautiful, and the characters are played by a number of recognisable actors which add to the big budget feel that runs all through this game.
Is the remaster an improvement on the 360 game? A little, higher resolution, parred up for Xbox one, but essentially its the same as it ever was, and that is fine.
There is still not a single game I have come across which has done the detective game as well as this, and it is a crying shame that the technology and effort used to create LA Noire has essentially been lost, since even now, manakin faced characters are still the norm.
This game still has a lot to offer, if you can look past the action sequences, and instead enjoy the characters, peformances, and genuine puzzle solving aspects of this classic title.
Sarah (7800 KP) rated A Simple Favor in Books
Oct 9, 2018
Ridiculous, irritating and quite dull
This is one of the few books I’ve read after watching the film, and one where I think the film is actually better (if not by much!).
Firstly, the film and the book follow vaguely similar plots although with a few minor differences but a massively different ending. For me, the differences don’t really have much effect on my feelings towards the book, although I do think the book ending is terrible and whilst not as far fetched as the film ending, it is still completely implausible. The whole plot really is just a bit silly and doesn’t make much sense. The other major issue with this book is that all characters are completely unlikeable. Stephanie was irritating in the film but is even more so in the book, mainly because the writing style used in her blog posts is so basic, childish and annoying. Emily however was fairly charismatic in the film and likeable to a point, but in this none of her charm comes through. And Sean is entirely forgettable in the book and you don’t feel any emotions towards him whatsoever.
The biggest issue I had with this book is the use of the word “moms”. I apologise profusely to my fellow Smashbombers hailing from the USA, but I cannot stand the word “moms” - both in spelling and pronunciation. And not only is this word used a lot in this book, it is vastly overused to the point where it was making me cringe. I know that Stephanie as a character is meant to make you cringe, but for me this was just far too much to the point where I almost stopped reading. A book that makes you grind your teeth in frustration is not one I’d recommend reading.
Firstly, the film and the book follow vaguely similar plots although with a few minor differences but a massively different ending. For me, the differences don’t really have much effect on my feelings towards the book, although I do think the book ending is terrible and whilst not as far fetched as the film ending, it is still completely implausible. The whole plot really is just a bit silly and doesn’t make much sense. The other major issue with this book is that all characters are completely unlikeable. Stephanie was irritating in the film but is even more so in the book, mainly because the writing style used in her blog posts is so basic, childish and annoying. Emily however was fairly charismatic in the film and likeable to a point, but in this none of her charm comes through. And Sean is entirely forgettable in the book and you don’t feel any emotions towards him whatsoever.
The biggest issue I had with this book is the use of the word “moms”. I apologise profusely to my fellow Smashbombers hailing from the USA, but I cannot stand the word “moms” - both in spelling and pronunciation. And not only is this word used a lot in this book, it is vastly overused to the point where it was making me cringe. I know that Stephanie as a character is meant to make you cringe, but for me this was just far too much to the point where I almost stopped reading. A book that makes you grind your teeth in frustration is not one I’d recommend reading.
BookwormMama14 (18 KP) rated In the Shadow of Denali (The Heart of Alaska #1) in Books
Jan 2, 2019
Excuse me while I find a train headed to Alaska...THIS book makes me want to visit Alaska even more than I did before. The beauty and the majestic land is captured in a way that speaks to the adventurous corners of my heart. Denali in all its wonder, is a sight that I want to see with my own eyes. Tracie and Kimberley have brought us an incredible story of faith and forgiveness set in the heart of the frontier of Alaska. The dangers, beauty, and awe of the land are expressed in detail on every page.
There are multiple viewpoints in this book which I love, but can be maddening at times. As the reader we can see ALMOST the whole picture, there are a few details that must work themselves out as we read. But in other situations, I just wanted to slap the characters and tell them what was REALLY going on. That being said, I really do enjoy the specific viewpoints that the authors highlighted.
In the Shadow of Denali is filled with so many emotions. Heartbreak, unforgiveness, hatred towards God, jealousy, greed, and yet we also see tender love, strong family bond, sweet surrender to Christ, forgiveness, and inner beauty. This is a journey that I am excited to continue! Travel back to 1923 and experience the mountain for yourself. The book ends with a tender, romantic scene that simply took my breath away. I am eagerly looking forward to the next installment of Heart of Alaska.
I received a complimentary copy of In the Shadow of Denali from NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.
There are multiple viewpoints in this book which I love, but can be maddening at times. As the reader we can see ALMOST the whole picture, there are a few details that must work themselves out as we read. But in other situations, I just wanted to slap the characters and tell them what was REALLY going on. That being said, I really do enjoy the specific viewpoints that the authors highlighted.
In the Shadow of Denali is filled with so many emotions. Heartbreak, unforgiveness, hatred towards God, jealousy, greed, and yet we also see tender love, strong family bond, sweet surrender to Christ, forgiveness, and inner beauty. This is a journey that I am excited to continue! Travel back to 1923 and experience the mountain for yourself. The book ends with a tender, romantic scene that simply took my breath away. I am eagerly looking forward to the next installment of Heart of Alaska.
I received a complimentary copy of In the Shadow of Denali from NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.
BookwormMama14 (18 KP) rated Love, Lace, and Minor Alterations in Books
Jan 2, 2019
This book was so much fun to read! Quirky and full of romance. I found myself grinning throughout most of the book, as well as giggling quite frequently. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of ups and downs to keep your eyes glued to the page. Alongside the light wit and humour you will find truth and Godly wisdom. Joy has infused this story with so many real emotions that hit pretty close to home. Trust is one of the main themes of this book. Trust in God and not in man. Trust that He will guide our paths and that He has the best plan laid out for us, even if we can't see the end result. Forgiveness is another thread that you can find throughout the book. Forgiving those that have hurt us deeply can be hard. But, if we forgive and let go, place our trust in God to heal us, the result is more beautiful than we could imagine. Written in first and third person with the two main characters, I found it easy to follow along and to feel like I was inside Izze's mind. I love the dynamics between Izze and Miles. Personally, I feel like I am a pretty good mash up of their characters! A bookish person who is a bit (ok a lot) of a nerd with a healthy dose of sarcasm. I can't wait for you to meet them for yourself. I am relatively new to contemporary fiction, but I would highly recommend Love, Lace, and Minor Alterations.
I received a free copy of Love, Lace, and Minor Alterations from the author in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.
I received a free copy of Love, Lace, and Minor Alterations from the author in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.
Micky Barnard (542 KP) rated Vox in Books
Dec 13, 2018
Thought provoking
There are many words that come to mind at the close of this book alongside a host of emotions. For one, I feel both unsettled and angry. This is a profound and scary read with a potential realism that should make any woman or man, for that matter, look over their political shoulder. I am a political animal so this book took my worries about misogyny and ran them to worse-case scenario.
Imagine a world where a misogynistic man is voted into power in the US (hold on, that sounds familiar) and over a relatively short period of time women are silenced. That is all I am going to say to the context of the story because it makes great, chilling reading.
The heroine, Dr Jean McClellan, a neurolinguist finds herself at home, running the house and so damn angry. Angry at her husband, her son and most of all at the powers that be. It is an utterly fascinating tale, somewhat imperfect at wrap-up but nonetheless absorbing. The parallel story of Jean's son, Steven was one of the most powerful elements of this story for me about how impressionable children/young people could potentially be brainwashed. I really liked where this particular element ended up.
There are some strong male characters in the book, some good, some bad and some weak but trying to be better. I appreciated the mixture and it felt real.
So, if you want to be challenged, if you like a story that mirrors contemporary times and moves it on fantastically, then this might be a read for you. In the meantime, I'll be creating a new genre over here called dystopian-realism.
I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.
Imagine a world where a misogynistic man is voted into power in the US (hold on, that sounds familiar) and over a relatively short period of time women are silenced. That is all I am going to say to the context of the story because it makes great, chilling reading.
The heroine, Dr Jean McClellan, a neurolinguist finds herself at home, running the house and so damn angry. Angry at her husband, her son and most of all at the powers that be. It is an utterly fascinating tale, somewhat imperfect at wrap-up but nonetheless absorbing. The parallel story of Jean's son, Steven was one of the most powerful elements of this story for me about how impressionable children/young people could potentially be brainwashed. I really liked where this particular element ended up.
There are some strong male characters in the book, some good, some bad and some weak but trying to be better. I appreciated the mixture and it felt real.
So, if you want to be challenged, if you like a story that mirrors contemporary times and moves it on fantastically, then this might be a read for you. In the meantime, I'll be creating a new genre over here called dystopian-realism.
I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.
Jessica - Where the Book Ends (15 KP) rated Fruits Basket Another Vol. 1 in Books
Jan 30, 2019
Fruits Basket was my first Manga I read and I decided to try it because of Hannah over at The Rainy Reader. The Fruits Basket story is super fun and cute. I read the first volume of the Collectors Edition and although it took me a bit to get used to the way you read a manga. Read right to left and you flip the pages from back to front.
The story was what initially intrigued me to try reading it. The story is based around a young girl name Tohru Honda. Her mother has recently died and as a result she ends up living in a tent on the private land of the Sohma clan. The owners of the land discover her and Tohru quickly realizes the most popular guy in her school, Yuki Sohma, lives in a house on this land. The family decides to take Tohru in and she discovers their secret… Anytime a member of the Sohma clan is hugged by someone of the opposite gender they turn into the animals of the Chinese Zodiac.
I love all the characters Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo are my favorites so far. Toward the end of this volume you start to meet other members of the clan, and I’m super excited for that! The characters are easy to relate to and I find myself so engrossed in the story that I’m often turning pages without enjoying the art work so I often must go back and check it out. The art work in this story is stunning, the way the emotions jump off the page is brilliant.
My goal this year was to start reading different types of books and break out of my comfort zone a bit. Fruits Basket allowed me to do that! I hope you’ll give it a try.
The story was what initially intrigued me to try reading it. The story is based around a young girl name Tohru Honda. Her mother has recently died and as a result she ends up living in a tent on the private land of the Sohma clan. The owners of the land discover her and Tohru quickly realizes the most popular guy in her school, Yuki Sohma, lives in a house on this land. The family decides to take Tohru in and she discovers their secret… Anytime a member of the Sohma clan is hugged by someone of the opposite gender they turn into the animals of the Chinese Zodiac.
I love all the characters Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo are my favorites so far. Toward the end of this volume you start to meet other members of the clan, and I’m super excited for that! The characters are easy to relate to and I find myself so engrossed in the story that I’m often turning pages without enjoying the art work so I often must go back and check it out. The art work in this story is stunning, the way the emotions jump off the page is brilliant.
My goal this year was to start reading different types of books and break out of my comfort zone a bit. Fruits Basket allowed me to do that! I hope you’ll give it a try.
Bong Mines Entertainment (15 KP) rated Sauvignon and a Kimono by DYLYN in Music
Jun 21, 2019
DYLYN is a talented singer-songwriter based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Not too long ago, she released a music video for her emo-pop tune, entitled, “Secret”.
“My life was turned upside down and, as a result, this song emerged. ‘Secret’ became therapeutic. It gave me a chance to connect with people, with my fans whose parents also split up due to infidelity. It became a way of reaffirming for myself and others—‘You are not the only one going through this.’” – DYLYN
‘Secret’ tells a bitter tale of a young woman who finds out that her father has been cheating on her mother.
Since then, she hasn’t slept in days and wonders if her mother knows about the other woman in her father’s life.
Later, after everything is out in the open, she painfully admits that her mother won’t love her father ever again, but she will still love him, even though he hurt them.
“At first, I was hesitant to write about such a personal story. But as the lyrics started to unfold, everything fell into place. I recorded ‘Secret’ in a dimly lit vocal booth. I wanted to be in a headspace where I could feel alone with myself, and deliver the lyrics from the most honest place that I possibly could.” – DYLYN
‘Secret’ contains a gripping storyline, ear-welcoming vocals, and lush instrumentation flavored with a dark commercial pop aroma.
The likable tune is featured on DYLYN’s debut EP, entitled, “Sauvignon and a Kimono”.
“I’m very excited to get this music out and tour again. This record is going to be much more raw, and I want to put all my emotions on the table. ‘Secret’ gave me the courage to do that.” – DYLYN
“My life was turned upside down and, as a result, this song emerged. ‘Secret’ became therapeutic. It gave me a chance to connect with people, with my fans whose parents also split up due to infidelity. It became a way of reaffirming for myself and others—‘You are not the only one going through this.’” – DYLYN
‘Secret’ tells a bitter tale of a young woman who finds out that her father has been cheating on her mother.
Since then, she hasn’t slept in days and wonders if her mother knows about the other woman in her father’s life.
Later, after everything is out in the open, she painfully admits that her mother won’t love her father ever again, but she will still love him, even though he hurt them.
“At first, I was hesitant to write about such a personal story. But as the lyrics started to unfold, everything fell into place. I recorded ‘Secret’ in a dimly lit vocal booth. I wanted to be in a headspace where I could feel alone with myself, and deliver the lyrics from the most honest place that I possibly could.” – DYLYN
‘Secret’ contains a gripping storyline, ear-welcoming vocals, and lush instrumentation flavored with a dark commercial pop aroma.
The likable tune is featured on DYLYN’s debut EP, entitled, “Sauvignon and a Kimono”.
“I’m very excited to get this music out and tour again. This record is going to be much more raw, and I want to put all my emotions on the table. ‘Secret’ gave me the courage to do that.” – DYLYN