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Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated A Man Called Ove in Books
Apr 10, 2019
Ove is a cranky old man who has recently lost his wife. He would like nothing more than to join her in the afterlife. He has made all of the arrangements, paid all of the bills, now he just has to find the best way to off himself. But when the neighbors seem to take a new interest in Ove, his plans keep getting thwarted. Will he be able to go through with his plans or will the neighbors have other plans?
I listened to this book and at first I wasn't sure if I was going to like it. But slowly Ove started to grow on me. He's the kind of guy who you know is stuck in his ways and there is nothing that you can say or do that will change that. But eventually you see a change, not one that is at first noticeable, but a slight softening.
Even though Ove is ready to leave this world, his neighbors, have a different idea. It starts with Parvana and her family. When they move into the neighborhood, they need help backing their trailer up on the street in order to move in. Then Parvana needs a ride to the hospital when her husband, Patrick has fallen off a ladder. Then another resident has to go to the hospital, then another neighbor needs help with their radiator and so on and so on. My favorite part of the book is toward the end **SPOILER ALERT** when Ove himself ends up going to the hospital and when Parvana goes to see him, the doctor tells her that one of Ove's problems is that his heart is too big. That makes Parvana bust out laughing.
At the end of this book, I cried like a baby and I highly recommend this book.
I listened to this book and at first I wasn't sure if I was going to like it. But slowly Ove started to grow on me. He's the kind of guy who you know is stuck in his ways and there is nothing that you can say or do that will change that. But eventually you see a change, not one that is at first noticeable, but a slight softening.
Even though Ove is ready to leave this world, his neighbors, have a different idea. It starts with Parvana and her family. When they move into the neighborhood, they need help backing their trailer up on the street in order to move in. Then Parvana needs a ride to the hospital when her husband, Patrick has fallen off a ladder. Then another resident has to go to the hospital, then another neighbor needs help with their radiator and so on and so on. My favorite part of the book is toward the end **SPOILER ALERT** when Ove himself ends up going to the hospital and when Parvana goes to see him, the doctor tells her that one of Ove's problems is that his heart is too big. That makes Parvana bust out laughing.
At the end of this book, I cried like a baby and I highly recommend this book.
Kyera (8 KP) rated This Adventure Ends in Books
Feb 1, 2018
This Adventure Ends started off by speaking to my little sarcastic, witty heart and introducing us to a funny, female character. Its crazy, but yes girls can be funny. The humorous person in your novel does not have to be a guy. It is your classic high school story where a new girl moves to town and makes friends but of course, the friends all have drama and secrets.
Sloane is also a singer and loves to read, so basically, this is starting to sound like my life. I joke, sort of, but she is a relatively normal, relatable high school girl. It really made me miss taking voice lessons even though theyre not expressly featured in the book. A lot of the events are more just telling the reader that it happened, than showing them what happened.
Im sure most readers can relate to this line in the book:
He looks at me for a moment and then says, Maybe Ill just watch the movie.
Those are fighting words, I say.
It just speaks to how relatable the author makes the book, from fanfics and fandom to high school sports and friends. This book gives you feels and might even cause a tear of joy. All of the effort that Sloane goes through, the love that Vera and Gabe have for their mother, just comes together in one poignant moment and its beautiful.
The friendships are authentic, from their ups and downs to the simple fun they have together. The characters are likable and relatable and although theres some typical, adorable teen romantic cuteness, it fits in the story and I approve.
Recommended to teen/young adult readers who enjoy cheery contemporary novels about family, friendship and high school.
Sloane is also a singer and loves to read, so basically, this is starting to sound like my life. I joke, sort of, but she is a relatively normal, relatable high school girl. It really made me miss taking voice lessons even though theyre not expressly featured in the book. A lot of the events are more just telling the reader that it happened, than showing them what happened.
Im sure most readers can relate to this line in the book:
He looks at me for a moment and then says, Maybe Ill just watch the movie.
Those are fighting words, I say.
It just speaks to how relatable the author makes the book, from fanfics and fandom to high school sports and friends. This book gives you feels and might even cause a tear of joy. All of the effort that Sloane goes through, the love that Vera and Gabe have for their mother, just comes together in one poignant moment and its beautiful.
The friendships are authentic, from their ups and downs to the simple fun they have together. The characters are likable and relatable and although theres some typical, adorable teen romantic cuteness, it fits in the story and I approve.
Recommended to teen/young adult readers who enjoy cheery contemporary novels about family, friendship and high school.
Isabel Smith (34 KP) rated Jar of Hearts in Books
Jun 26, 2018
You can run, but you can't hide!
What if you got involved with the wrong guy when you were sixteen years old? What if your best friends tied to warn you and you didn’t listen? What if someone ended up dead and no matter how hard you tried, you couldn’t help but feel guilty because you were inexplicably involved in their demise? This is exactly what happens to Georgina Shaw (Geo for short), the main character in Jennifer Hillier’s latest crime thriller, Jar of Hearts.
One fateful night, Geo’s bad decisions alter the course of the rest of her life. As the years go by, she finds out just how painful and far-reaching the ramifications of those decisions will become. Even though she tries and tries to forget what happened and move on, the past refuses to stay buried. How far can she run before what she did catches up to her? And by the way, what exactly did she do?
Just when we think we’ve got Geo’s story figured out, Hillier throws us a curveball and we’re right back where we started: clueless and furiously trying to piece together what has transpired. I am quite a fan of this writing technique because it keeps you on your toes while you’re reading the story. Jar of Hearts is not for everyone; it is haunting and disturbing, it paints a picture of a seriously flawed and dysfunctional family, and it features grotesque crimes. On the other hand, it is a fast-paced and addictive read, a nontraditional love story, and it shows how something good can come out of even the worst of situations. Give it a try if you’re looking for a modern crime thriller that holds nothing back.
One fateful night, Geo’s bad decisions alter the course of the rest of her life. As the years go by, she finds out just how painful and far-reaching the ramifications of those decisions will become. Even though she tries and tries to forget what happened and move on, the past refuses to stay buried. How far can she run before what she did catches up to her? And by the way, what exactly did she do?
Just when we think we’ve got Geo’s story figured out, Hillier throws us a curveball and we’re right back where we started: clueless and furiously trying to piece together what has transpired. I am quite a fan of this writing technique because it keeps you on your toes while you’re reading the story. Jar of Hearts is not for everyone; it is haunting and disturbing, it paints a picture of a seriously flawed and dysfunctional family, and it features grotesque crimes. On the other hand, it is a fast-paced and addictive read, a nontraditional love story, and it shows how something good can come out of even the worst of situations. Give it a try if you’re looking for a modern crime thriller that holds nothing back.
Chris Sawin (602 KP) rated Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984) in Movies
Jun 20, 2019 (Updated Jun 21, 2019)
An axe to the head was surely enough to stop Jason Voorhees in the last film, right? Wrong. After taking care of a few orderlies at the hospital his "corpse" was taken to, Jason sets his sights on Tommy Jarvis, his family, and the group of teenagers who came to party at the house next door. Tommy loves to make monster masks and loves video games. He could be the key ingredient to Jason's downfall.
This is actually another one of my favorite films of the franchise. The main reason being that the kills in this film are arguably the best so far and quite possibly the best of the franchise. Jason must have a thing against Crispin Glover though or maybe he just saw him having a spasm and seizure fit in the living room earlier on in the film. Nevertheless, I've never seen any one victim in the franchise get as much punishment as he did. First, a corkscrew in the hand and followed by a meat cleaver to the face. As if that wasn't enough, Jason nails up his corpse over one of the doorways by his hands and feet to block anyone from escaping. Then later on, rips him down the hard way.
Another interesting kill is the shower scene. What makes it a bit more unique is that it's a guy who bites it this time around. Face-palmed to death by Jason's massive hand. Jason's "death" is also quite grotesque and spectacular. Tommy Jarvis swings a machete into the side of Jason's head and Jason falls to the ground landing face first onto the handle of the machete causing it to slide through his skull. The weirdest part of the film has to be when the dog jumps through the glass window. I mean...what the heck?
This is actually another one of my favorite films of the franchise. The main reason being that the kills in this film are arguably the best so far and quite possibly the best of the franchise. Jason must have a thing against Crispin Glover though or maybe he just saw him having a spasm and seizure fit in the living room earlier on in the film. Nevertheless, I've never seen any one victim in the franchise get as much punishment as he did. First, a corkscrew in the hand and followed by a meat cleaver to the face. As if that wasn't enough, Jason nails up his corpse over one of the doorways by his hands and feet to block anyone from escaping. Then later on, rips him down the hard way.
Another interesting kill is the shower scene. What makes it a bit more unique is that it's a guy who bites it this time around. Face-palmed to death by Jason's massive hand. Jason's "death" is also quite grotesque and spectacular. Tommy Jarvis swings a machete into the side of Jason's head and Jason falls to the ground landing face first onto the handle of the machete causing it to slide through his skull. The weirdest part of the film has to be when the dog jumps through the glass window. I mean...what the heck?
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.
James Koppert (2698 KP) rated Arctic Zoo in Books
Oct 28, 2019
Challenging the world
Even with a good book, 456 pages can start to drag. With Arctic Zoo however, I wanted to continue on Julius and Georgia's story. This is brilliantly paced read with a "one more chapter before bed" level of intrigue on every page to keep you up far too late every night. The story follows Georgia, and relatively unextrordinary English schoolgirl who has lost her sister who becomes the face of the protest counter culture community, and celebrity, completely by accident, who with no choice, is drawn further into that world, and Julius, the son of very rich Nigerian political elite, who is guy and ousted from the family. Both these teenagers stories interweave intermittently and both are engaging on their own. The thing is I really liked Julius and I really liked Georgia and I wanted so much for each of them to succeed despite all the things thrown against them. Whats also brilliant s this book has a lot to say without it ever forcing anything down your throat and doesn't shy away from throwing up hypocrisies either. Muchamore is an absolute master writer who has managed to create an engaging novel that any adult or teenager will enjoy without ever feeling like the pages have been dumbed down to reach a general audience. Yes it was 456 pages long at at the end I said, "ohh, its finished" feeling disappointed rather than the sense of achievement I normally get when completing a book, just because I wanted to stay with these characters in this book and be with them for more of their journeys. But that is what a great artist does, leaves them wanting more, Muchamore.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2332 KP) rated The Silent Second in Books
Jan 16, 2020
Good, but Not the Tone I Was Expecting
Chuck Restic has spent twenty years in HR, and he’s good at his job – making sure employees get along so they don’t sue each other or, more importantly, the company. That’s how he first meets Ed, who has had a complaint filed against him. Ed seems like a nice guy, and their meeting goes well, but then Ed disappears a couple of days later. A plea from Ed’s family to figure out what happened to him intrigues Chuck. He’s recently separated from his wife, and he wants to do something to fill his time away from work, so he uses his boredom as an excuse to start poking around. The trail quickly leads to real estate around Los Angeles, but how could that have led to Ed’s disappearance?
I’d seen the author speak at a library event a while ago, and I thought this book sounded like fun. While I certainly enjoyed it, I found the book to be darker in tone than I was expecting. There were a few laughs when Chuck was in HR mode, but for the most part, this felt more like a hard-boiled book. But that’s my only complaint with the book. I really did like Chuck – in fact, I could identify with him a bit too much. (Maybe that was part of my problem.) The rest of the cast are just as strong and become well-rounded people as we learn most about them. The plot was great with plenty of twists and an ending I didn’t see coming. The book was light on foul language and didn’t get too graphic with the violence or sex, which I most definitely appreciated. This is a solid debut, but pick it up when you are in the mood for something on the darker side.
I’d seen the author speak at a library event a while ago, and I thought this book sounded like fun. While I certainly enjoyed it, I found the book to be darker in tone than I was expecting. There were a few laughs when Chuck was in HR mode, but for the most part, this felt more like a hard-boiled book. But that’s my only complaint with the book. I really did like Chuck – in fact, I could identify with him a bit too much. (Maybe that was part of my problem.) The rest of the cast are just as strong and become well-rounded people as we learn most about them. The plot was great with plenty of twists and an ending I didn’t see coming. The book was light on foul language and didn’t get too graphic with the violence or sex, which I most definitely appreciated. This is a solid debut, but pick it up when you are in the mood for something on the darker side.
Kim Pook (101 KP) rated Bates Motel in TV
Aug 6, 2019
Acting (1 more)
Storylines
Hated psycho but enjoyed this
Contains spoilers, click to show
I never saw the original psycho but i did watch the 90s remake which i found very boring, so i went into this not expecting much at all. However, after the first episode i was hooked and bingewatched all 5 seasons in about 3 weeks.
Incase you have never seen or heard of psycho, it's about the teenage life of a boy called Norman Bates, who suffers with blackouts where he becomes violent. Norman helps run a motel with his mother Norma (yes, that's right - Norman and Norma haha!!) Who is very protective of her son. Seasons 1-3 we get to know about the bates and why they are unlike any normal family, there's a few murders but we wonder was it Norman or not? Season 4 and 5 is where it gets very good and Normans shy side of his personality starts to completely diminish and his 'mother' personality takes over more frequently.
Throughout the seasons there wasn't really any main character i disliked, each one had a gripping story attached to them and I even started to like chick - the strange trailer guy who had beef with Dylans dad (and normas brother). The only part of the show i wasn't interested in was Dylans job in the weed selling business but that didn't last long thankfully.
Funny enough I even felt sorry for Norman but at the same time i wanted to smack some sense into Norma for protecting him right up until he killed her.
The final episode was very sad but at the same time you feel happy because Norman got his wish and no longer had to fight 'Mother'. I know many people think a season 6 was needed but i think season 5 ended perfectly. I feel lost now I'm finished though.
Incase you have never seen or heard of psycho, it's about the teenage life of a boy called Norman Bates, who suffers with blackouts where he becomes violent. Norman helps run a motel with his mother Norma (yes, that's right - Norman and Norma haha!!) Who is very protective of her son. Seasons 1-3 we get to know about the bates and why they are unlike any normal family, there's a few murders but we wonder was it Norman or not? Season 4 and 5 is where it gets very good and Normans shy side of his personality starts to completely diminish and his 'mother' personality takes over more frequently.
Throughout the seasons there wasn't really any main character i disliked, each one had a gripping story attached to them and I even started to like chick - the strange trailer guy who had beef with Dylans dad (and normas brother). The only part of the show i wasn't interested in was Dylans job in the weed selling business but that didn't last long thankfully.
Funny enough I even felt sorry for Norman but at the same time i wanted to smack some sense into Norma for protecting him right up until he killed her.
The final episode was very sad but at the same time you feel happy because Norman got his wish and no longer had to fight 'Mother'. I know many people think a season 6 was needed but i think season 5 ended perfectly. I feel lost now I'm finished though.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Jeff, Who Lives at Home (2012) in Movies
Aug 7, 2019
Everyone knows a guy like Jeff (Jason Segel). Someone who never really left home, opting instead to sit around waiting for a sign. Jeff’s family is not much better. His daft, unaware brother, Pat (Ed Helms), has his life centered on a marriage that is devoid of connection or even much conversation. Jeff’s mother, Sharon (Susan Sarandon), spends her days de-stressing by staring at a waterfall picture in a drab office environment. But today a change is going to come in a big way to the people in Jeff’s life.
In “Jeff, Who Lives at Home” both Segel and Helms have taken on roles that are slightly more serious than the comedic standards that these actors are known for. Still the film is not so far removed as to alienate the fans who diligently follow these two actors to the theater time and time again.
The film’s plot is full of unexpected yet mildly realistic twists and turns. There are no big explosions or giant leaps of faith. This serpentine story is much more subtle. Many of the standout moments are realistically bizarre yet prove relevant, sweeping the audience into lives that have hit the final dregs of acceptability.
Visually the film is lack-luster. More than once viewers experience uncomfortable close-up shots of the less than attractively decorated characters. Still the script is well composed and crafted with such care that every word seems to naturally flow from the actors’ mouths. The story delves into so many facets of the human experience, from marriage to the building of a brotherly bond, that the tale itself is engrossing.
The characters are nervous, inexperienced, and closed off but the tale that defines “Jeff, Who Lives at Home” is entirely relatable. The film is not exactly enchanting but it was significantly better than I had originally anticipated.
In “Jeff, Who Lives at Home” both Segel and Helms have taken on roles that are slightly more serious than the comedic standards that these actors are known for. Still the film is not so far removed as to alienate the fans who diligently follow these two actors to the theater time and time again.
The film’s plot is full of unexpected yet mildly realistic twists and turns. There are no big explosions or giant leaps of faith. This serpentine story is much more subtle. Many of the standout moments are realistically bizarre yet prove relevant, sweeping the audience into lives that have hit the final dregs of acceptability.
Visually the film is lack-luster. More than once viewers experience uncomfortable close-up shots of the less than attractively decorated characters. Still the script is well composed and crafted with such care that every word seems to naturally flow from the actors’ mouths. The story delves into so many facets of the human experience, from marriage to the building of a brotherly bond, that the tale itself is engrossing.
The characters are nervous, inexperienced, and closed off but the tale that defines “Jeff, Who Lives at Home” is entirely relatable. The film is not exactly enchanting but it was significantly better than I had originally anticipated.
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Welcome to Santa Text Yes you can now Text Santa. aka. Father Christmas or Saint Nick Have a good...
Caffeinated Fae (464 KP) Apr 10, 2019