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Hazel (2934 KP) rated You Can stay in Books
Sep 11, 2022
This is one of those books that you will either enjoy or not ... I thought it was quite good, not fantastic but not bad either.
There is a nod to Stephen King's Misery to this story, which is acknowledged by the author, as it's got some similar themes and has that creepy and growing sense of tension feel to it.
I didn't find any of the characters particularly likeable but they are well developed and although I don't think it mattered too much whether Eilidh was 'nice' or not, I did feel it was important for Connor to have some redeemable qualities alas I didn't think he did and therefore wasn't bothered what befell him which resulted in me not investing as much into the story as I could have.
The pace started off a little slow but grew as things moved on; the ending was quite satisfying if a little quick and although you have to suspend belief as to how Connor came to be in his position in the first place, it's a pretty good read.
Many thanks to Headline, Wildfire and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of You Can Stay.
There is a nod to Stephen King's Misery to this story, which is acknowledged by the author, as it's got some similar themes and has that creepy and growing sense of tension feel to it.
I didn't find any of the characters particularly likeable but they are well developed and although I don't think it mattered too much whether Eilidh was 'nice' or not, I did feel it was important for Connor to have some redeemable qualities alas I didn't think he did and therefore wasn't bothered what befell him which resulted in me not investing as much into the story as I could have.
The pace started off a little slow but grew as things moved on; the ending was quite satisfying if a little quick and although you have to suspend belief as to how Connor came to be in his position in the first place, it's a pretty good read.
Many thanks to Headline, Wildfire and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of You Can Stay.

Awix (3310 KP) rated Thor: The Dark World (2013) in Movies
Jun 9, 2018 (Updated Jun 9, 2018)
Marvel's second Thor movie is a not especially well-judged mixture of somewhat leaden epic fantasy and cutesy, kooky rom-com. Looks spiffy throughout, but it doesn't half drag in places: you can see why they decided to shake things up so thoroughly in the third one.
The thing about the Marvel Studios films is that they are routinely so good that when one is merely a fairly competent blockbuster, as is the case here, it does feel unreasonably disappointing. Apart from the sluggish pace and mishandled humour, the main problem here is that the script doesn't feel particularly well-focused or engaging, with the new villains eclipsed by Tom Hiddleston as Loki, and a reliance on lavish spectacle over characters you actually care about. Still not much worse than many a successful blockbuster, but one of the more dispensable Marvel movies nevertheless.
The thing about the Marvel Studios films is that they are routinely so good that when one is merely a fairly competent blockbuster, as is the case here, it does feel unreasonably disappointing. Apart from the sluggish pace and mishandled humour, the main problem here is that the script doesn't feel particularly well-focused or engaging, with the new villains eclipsed by Tom Hiddleston as Loki, and a reliance on lavish spectacle over characters you actually care about. Still not much worse than many a successful blockbuster, but one of the more dispensable Marvel movies nevertheless.

May I Have Your Attention Please?
Book
So...the story of my life. I've often thought about this moment, about what it would be like to...

Kevin Morby recommended track Ene Alantchi Alnorem (I Can't Live Without You) by Mulatu Astatke in New York–Addis–London: The Story of Ethio Jazz 1965–1975 by Mulatu Astatke in Music (curated)

Blake Jenner recommended Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986) in Movies (curated)

Awix (3310 KP) rated Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader in Books
Oct 10, 2019
Fair to middling Star Wars tie-in novel, dealing with the aftermath of Episode III. For a novel named after Vader with his mush all over the cover, much of the novel deals with Palpatine (which was fine by me) and much with a band of rather bland fugitive Jedi (which unfortunately wasn't). Vader himself doesn't turn up until well into the book, giving it a slightly lopsided feel; the new characters aren't as interesting as the ones from the movies.
Luceno writes quite capably and the book does have a certain Star Warsy feel to it; some of the cameos from well-known characters do feel a bit laboriously contrived, though, and it almost feels as though it's pandering to that desire to have every last detail of the galaxy far, far away's history explained in detail. More seriously, it never feels like it gets a grip on Anakin/Vader as a character in the middle of a psychological transformation - at least not to the point that you really care about it. Easy to read, some good bits, but nowhere near the standard of (say) Matthew Stover's Episode III novelisation.
Luceno writes quite capably and the book does have a certain Star Warsy feel to it; some of the cameos from well-known characters do feel a bit laboriously contrived, though, and it almost feels as though it's pandering to that desire to have every last detail of the galaxy far, far away's history explained in detail. More seriously, it never feels like it gets a grip on Anakin/Vader as a character in the middle of a psychological transformation - at least not to the point that you really care about it. Easy to read, some good bits, but nowhere near the standard of (say) Matthew Stover's Episode III novelisation.

DMcQ (4 KP) rated The Martian in Books
Nov 7, 2017
This was a hilariously fantastic read! The only part I don't care for is the profanity. The science is believable, and he explains it so that those who may not be familiar with the concepts can understand it. It kept me enthralled to the end. This book became one of my favorites!

Mark Halpern (153 KP) rated The Princess Bride (1987) in Movies
Dec 31, 2017
As You Wish
One of the most iconic lines in any movie "as you wish" is said. Anytime I hear it I always think of that movie. The acting is so good, the story is fun, the cast is serious and funny. Also if you watched it as a kid how can you not watch it when your home sick with a bowl of soup and as your seeing it not feel like that young kid all over again. one of my top 25 favorite movies of all time

Chris Hooker (419 KP) rated Dystopia (Dystopia, #1) in Books
Jan 12, 2018
[Dystopia] by [Janet McNulty] is a modern version of [1984] and example of when good intentions get caught up in greed and people are too lazy to care. The characters were very well developed as well as their relationships. The whole idea struck me as what people in the old Soviet Union must have felt like. (I am a history nerd.) I feel the message is that no matter what if people are apathetic they will lose what means the most to them and sometimes standing up for what is right can be really hard.