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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated How Hard Can It Be? in Books
Mar 10, 2019 (Updated Mar 10, 2019)
Things have taken a bit of a turn for Kate Reddy--she's nearing 50, her husband has lost his job and spends most of his time cycling, and her kids are busy teenagers. With Richard out of work, Kate has to return to work. However, she finds that the financial community isn't welcoming to a woman on the cusp of fifty. When Kate decides to pretend she's seven years younger to enter the working world, she winds up working at the hedge fund she originally started. Once back at work, though, she finds herself overwhelmed dealing with everything: the unhelpful husband, the ungrateful kids, the demanding colleagues, and an unexpected appearance from an old flame.
This was a tough one for me. It was a slow read, although in its defense, I read it during a very busy time at work. I empathized with Kate's return to working motherhood--especially juggling kids and work and dealing with a male-driven workplace. I didn't enjoy the intense focus on how old Kate was, making her seem nearly decrepit at fifty. It's one thing to deal with turning the big 5-0 and its ramifications, but its another to make it seem like it's the end of the world. Even worse, while Kate could seem so strong in the workplace, she was such a pushover with her children. She was supposedly clueless with technology, unable to keep up with their exploits, and a complete doormat. (I also couldn't handle the endless endearments she used with her kids--there's only so many "sweeties" and "darlings" I can take.)
There are certainly humorous moments in the novel. This is a sequel to Pearson's first novel featuring Reddy and the parts I enjoyed here were the parts I liked about the first one: Kate's wit, her ability to take on the "big boys" at her fund, and the snippets of emails between her and her friend, Candy. There were definitely pieces of the novel that I found myself nodding along with--her moments of anxiety; her rants about how working moms are treated; some insights into kids and the social media era, etc. And Kate certainly doesn't have an easy go of it, with her clueless husband, helpless kids, crumbling house, aging parents, and stressful job.
That being said, I could see most of the plot twists coming a mile away, and you couldn't help but get frustrated that Kate couldn't see them too. Overall, while I found parts of this novel funny, refreshing, and quite apropos, I couldn't really get over Kate's obsession with her looks or her one-sided relationship with her children. In the end my rating is probably bumped up a bit for a little Kate Reddy nostalgia.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review (thank you!).
This was a tough one for me. It was a slow read, although in its defense, I read it during a very busy time at work. I empathized with Kate's return to working motherhood--especially juggling kids and work and dealing with a male-driven workplace. I didn't enjoy the intense focus on how old Kate was, making her seem nearly decrepit at fifty. It's one thing to deal with turning the big 5-0 and its ramifications, but its another to make it seem like it's the end of the world. Even worse, while Kate could seem so strong in the workplace, she was such a pushover with her children. She was supposedly clueless with technology, unable to keep up with their exploits, and a complete doormat. (I also couldn't handle the endless endearments she used with her kids--there's only so many "sweeties" and "darlings" I can take.)
There are certainly humorous moments in the novel. This is a sequel to Pearson's first novel featuring Reddy and the parts I enjoyed here were the parts I liked about the first one: Kate's wit, her ability to take on the "big boys" at her fund, and the snippets of emails between her and her friend, Candy. There were definitely pieces of the novel that I found myself nodding along with--her moments of anxiety; her rants about how working moms are treated; some insights into kids and the social media era, etc. And Kate certainly doesn't have an easy go of it, with her clueless husband, helpless kids, crumbling house, aging parents, and stressful job.
That being said, I could see most of the plot twists coming a mile away, and you couldn't help but get frustrated that Kate couldn't see them too. Overall, while I found parts of this novel funny, refreshing, and quite apropos, I couldn't really get over Kate's obsession with her looks or her one-sided relationship with her children. In the end my rating is probably bumped up a bit for a little Kate Reddy nostalgia.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review (thank you!).
Sarah (7800 KP) rated Sonic the Hedgehog (2020) in Movies
Dec 22, 2020
Not as bad as expected
Sonic the Hedgehog is a legend, a gaming institution, and adapting him for the big screen was always going to be a tall order. This was proved when the trailer for this 2020 release first dropped in 2019 - the original appearance of Sonic faced such outcry and derision that studio Paramount did the unexpected and completely overhauled Sonic's looks. The result in the final film released in February of this year is a character that looks very much like the Sonic we know and love, but in a storyline and film that is sadly rather lacking.
Sonic the Hedgehog was directed by Jeff Fowler and stars James Marsden and Jim Carrey as the humans, with Ben Schwartz voicing the animated Sonic. The plot unfortunately is the entirely predictable buddy story you'd expect when a CGI character gets thrown into the real world - Sonic befriends a human, experiences all the fun earth has to offer before being hunted by an evil villain, and at the end everyone learns the value of friendship. So far, so generic and for me this was the biggest disappointment about this entire film. The script, the plot, the animation, it was all just so average.
Having seen the surprisingly good Detective Pikachu the previous year, which managed to seamlessly blend the real world with animated characters in a better than average story, I'd hoped Sonic would follow in the same vein but I'm sad to say it didn't. Yes Sonic looks a million times better than he did initially (the teeth in the original version are the stuff of nightmares), but he still looks too animated and cartoonish for the real world. The Pokémon in Warner Bros' film looked real, but Sonic just looks out of place. He isn't helped with Ben Schwartz's rather unconvincing voice which feels ill-fitting too, personally I think they should've done a Pikachu and Ryan Reynolds and gone with a completely outlandish OTT voice. It's a shame as the rest of the scenery and action based CGI are actually quite good, although the slow motion scenes have been done before and so much better (X-Men: Days of Future Past).
To be fair, despite a sometimes dodgy script, the human cast do at least do their best. James Marsden has surprisingly good chemistry with an animated hedgehog, although it's Jim Carrey as Dr Robotnik that steals the show. Whilst his Robotnik isn't quite the rounded Eggman of the games, Carrey's performance is wonderfully wacky, sinister and completely over the top, and is responsible for virtually all of the laughs here. He's having an absolute whale of a time and this really draws us in as viewers and makes us have fun too. He's the Carrey we know from the 90s, his performance so akin to those of Ace Ventura and The Mask that you can't help but love the exaggerated show he gives here.
Paramount has also done a good job of including some nostalgic nods to the games, from the gold rings in the opening Paramount logo to Sonic's red sneakers. Even the final battle between Sonic and Robotnik had me squealing with joy at how much it reminded me of the actions you undertake to defeat the boss battles. There are some aspects of the games that are missing, most noticeably the Badniks (Robotnik's creature like robots) and Sonic's friends, who have sadly been left for a blatant sequel baiting end credits scene for a sequel we may never see. I also found Robotnik's machines and vehicles to be a little too technologically advanced and was disappointed not to see some that were more reminiscent of the wacky contraptions from the games.
This adaptation of Sonic the Hedgehog isn't the best, and to be frank it could have been done so much better. That said, it still held my attention for its 100min run time and could never be called dull, even if it was a little too puerile to be anything better than average.
Sonic the Hedgehog was directed by Jeff Fowler and stars James Marsden and Jim Carrey as the humans, with Ben Schwartz voicing the animated Sonic. The plot unfortunately is the entirely predictable buddy story you'd expect when a CGI character gets thrown into the real world - Sonic befriends a human, experiences all the fun earth has to offer before being hunted by an evil villain, and at the end everyone learns the value of friendship. So far, so generic and for me this was the biggest disappointment about this entire film. The script, the plot, the animation, it was all just so average.
Having seen the surprisingly good Detective Pikachu the previous year, which managed to seamlessly blend the real world with animated characters in a better than average story, I'd hoped Sonic would follow in the same vein but I'm sad to say it didn't. Yes Sonic looks a million times better than he did initially (the teeth in the original version are the stuff of nightmares), but he still looks too animated and cartoonish for the real world. The Pokémon in Warner Bros' film looked real, but Sonic just looks out of place. He isn't helped with Ben Schwartz's rather unconvincing voice which feels ill-fitting too, personally I think they should've done a Pikachu and Ryan Reynolds and gone with a completely outlandish OTT voice. It's a shame as the rest of the scenery and action based CGI are actually quite good, although the slow motion scenes have been done before and so much better (X-Men: Days of Future Past).
To be fair, despite a sometimes dodgy script, the human cast do at least do their best. James Marsden has surprisingly good chemistry with an animated hedgehog, although it's Jim Carrey as Dr Robotnik that steals the show. Whilst his Robotnik isn't quite the rounded Eggman of the games, Carrey's performance is wonderfully wacky, sinister and completely over the top, and is responsible for virtually all of the laughs here. He's having an absolute whale of a time and this really draws us in as viewers and makes us have fun too. He's the Carrey we know from the 90s, his performance so akin to those of Ace Ventura and The Mask that you can't help but love the exaggerated show he gives here.
Paramount has also done a good job of including some nostalgic nods to the games, from the gold rings in the opening Paramount logo to Sonic's red sneakers. Even the final battle between Sonic and Robotnik had me squealing with joy at how much it reminded me of the actions you undertake to defeat the boss battles. There are some aspects of the games that are missing, most noticeably the Badniks (Robotnik's creature like robots) and Sonic's friends, who have sadly been left for a blatant sequel baiting end credits scene for a sequel we may never see. I also found Robotnik's machines and vehicles to be a little too technologically advanced and was disappointed not to see some that were more reminiscent of the wacky contraptions from the games.
This adaptation of Sonic the Hedgehog isn't the best, and to be frank it could have been done so much better. That said, it still held my attention for its 100min run time and could never be called dull, even if it was a little too puerile to be anything better than average.
Ships Monthly Magazine- Cruising, Freight & Naval
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Britain’s best selling monthly magazine for ship lovers. Britain’s best selling monthly...
Cori June (3033 KP) rated The Bone Witch (The Bone Witch, #1) in Books
Dec 3, 2018
This book is written in two parts, the before and after. We are introduced during the after. It is in italics told from first person p.o.v. by an exiled bard. It is usually one to two pages sometimes more, it is at the beginning or end of each chapter usually letting people know what the next chapter is about. The before is told in first person p.o.v. by Tea (the main character) as a story to the bard. It is about how she became a bone witch and what a bone witch is also hints to why she was exiled.
Now there is a lot of description in the book about who dresses in which hua and what people look like and how they act and what they do.
If you want an action pacted fast paced book: This is not that book.
This book is what I would call a builder book. Its whole purpose is to build the story for the next book. it builds the world it is set in and helps you understand the characters motivations. A beautiful book, however, it can get draggy in the narrative. something that Tea does comment on in the after part of the book.
Now there is a lot of description in the book about who dresses in which hua and what people look like and how they act and what they do.
If you want an action pacted fast paced book: This is not that book.
This book is what I would call a builder book. Its whole purpose is to build the story for the next book. it builds the world it is set in and helps you understand the characters motivations. A beautiful book, however, it can get draggy in the narrative. something that Tea does comment on in the after part of the book.
Cyn Armistead (14 KP) rated The Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance (Otherworld Stories) in Books
Mar 1, 2018
I'm extremely surprised by how much I enjoyed this anthology! I picked it up intending to just read the stories by authors I know I like—Kelley Armstrong, Ilona Andrews, Carrie Vaughn, Holly Lisle, Jeaniene Frost, Maria V. Snyder. I had never heard of some of the other authors. A few names I remembered seeing in other anthologies and not enjoying their work.
I did, however, deliberately put myself in a tolerant mindset: this is a book of romance stories. It wouldn't be fair to judge them as anything else.
That worked rather better than it has in the past. I still got a little annoyed at having so much of each story dedicated to couples (and all het/mono couples, at that!) rather than some intriguing world ideas, but managed to stay on track.
In the end, I only skipped one story—I just don't like the Weather Wardens stuff at all. I found a couple of others substandard, but all in all, Telep chose very well. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys paranormal romance (maybe even those who usually stick to just romance), and most urban fantasy fans.
I did, however, deliberately put myself in a tolerant mindset: this is a book of romance stories. It wouldn't be fair to judge them as anything else.
That worked rather better than it has in the past. I still got a little annoyed at having so much of each story dedicated to couples (and all het/mono couples, at that!) rather than some intriguing world ideas, but managed to stay on track.
In the end, I only skipped one story—I just don't like the Weather Wardens stuff at all. I found a couple of others substandard, but all in all, Telep chose very well. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys paranormal romance (maybe even those who usually stick to just romance), and most urban fantasy fans.
Luciferian Towers by Godspeed You Black Emperor
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Luciferian Towers is a heavyweight 180gram audiophile pressing from Optimal (Germany) and comes in a...
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Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth
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Buckminster Fuller (1895-1983) was an architect, engineer, geometrician, cartographer, philosopher,...
Merissa (12894 KP) rated Divine Challenges (Rise of the Stria #2) in Books
Jan 20, 2020
DIVINE CHALLENGES is the second book in the Rise of Stria trilogy, and we return to Evainne and Kahl as they try to figure out... well, everything, really. Their relationship is still early days but it's amazing how fast something moves when your life is being threatened every which way! I love Evainne's sass and Kahlym's protectiveness; even when he does the wrong thing, his heart is in the right place.
Lots of different players in this one and the action is non-stop once again. The best bit for me is although there are new players, the old ones remain and become even more loved than they were in book one. So easy to see their different personalities now!
This was an amazing read that kept me glued to the page. I will admit a guilty pleasure of re-reading book one, just so I could continue without any gaps. It is exceedingly well-written, with fantastic world- and character-building, and the pacing is perfect, with plenty of action and tender moments. It does end on one helluva cliffhanger, so fair warning. As for me, I can't wait to get the last book and finish off this outstanding story. Highly recommended!
Lots of different players in this one and the action is non-stop once again. The best bit for me is although there are new players, the old ones remain and become even more loved than they were in book one. So easy to see their different personalities now!
This was an amazing read that kept me glued to the page. I will admit a guilty pleasure of re-reading book one, just so I could continue without any gaps. It is exceedingly well-written, with fantastic world- and character-building, and the pacing is perfect, with plenty of action and tender moments. It does end on one helluva cliffhanger, so fair warning. As for me, I can't wait to get the last book and finish off this outstanding story. Highly recommended!
Rodney Barnes (472 KP) rated The Walking Dead - A TellTale Games Series: Season 1 in Video Games
Feb 1, 2020 (Updated Feb 1, 2020)
Very Good Prequel
Contains spoilers, click to show
Whether this game is "canon" or not, they did a good job telling this story. I am not a hard core Walking Dead fan, but I watched enough to know what was going on in the game. This story covers the adventures of Lee and Clementine. The two go through many good times and through some bad times. As with the Telltale series, your decisions and actions decide the outcome of the game to an extent. Lee and Clementine find different friends along the way that help them get through the apocalyptic world. They also run across some not so friendly people. For instance a family that turned to cannibalism to survive...yikes! Lee protects Clem and Clem protects Lee. Of course you heart is ripped out when Lee is attacked by a walker and bitten only to get infected. In his dying breath he tells Clem to stay strong and be smart. You can also have a negative effect on Clem and your friends. It's all up to you. You even run into Glenn at one point. In the end...I recommend this game, especially if you are a fan of the Walking Dead series