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Felicia (44 KP) rated People Kill People in Books
Sep 23, 2018
Contains spoilers, click to show
This book first interested me when I read it was a book written about guns and gun control by a person who grew up in a household that supported guns. This is a voice that I had not really heard from in YA literature. Sadly what was given to me was a book that lacked depth for the characters and was quite predictable.
The story follows a group of teen to early adults. 2 of them are white supremacists, 2 are married with a young child, 1 is a homeless teen, 1 is a victim of gun violence who has epilepsy and is also homosexual, and 1 is the greatest person ever. The group itself is so entwined by siblings, marriage, relationships, friendships it isn't weird to wonder just how big of a town it could be they are living in.
The book is full of poor choices, dealing drugs with a toddler present, constant fantasizing about killing a certain person, a lot of time spent in the minds of white supremacists.
The whole book we know someone is going to die. Most of the book is framed to make you think it will be the homeless youth at the hands of the white supremacists. But it is actually the great girl that is anti gun and everyone loves because a toddler got a hold of a gun his parents couldn't be bothered to properly store. The end murder affects the lives of everyone else so they mostly die or want to, to demonstrate that guns aren't the problem. Too bad the gun and people's selfish nature was an unaddressed problem in the whole book full of problems.
The plot was too weighed down for anything to stick and the characters fell very flat despite Hopkins best efforts.
The story follows a group of teen to early adults. 2 of them are white supremacists, 2 are married with a young child, 1 is a homeless teen, 1 is a victim of gun violence who has epilepsy and is also homosexual, and 1 is the greatest person ever. The group itself is so entwined by siblings, marriage, relationships, friendships it isn't weird to wonder just how big of a town it could be they are living in.
The book is full of poor choices, dealing drugs with a toddler present, constant fantasizing about killing a certain person, a lot of time spent in the minds of white supremacists.
The whole book we know someone is going to die. Most of the book is framed to make you think it will be the homeless youth at the hands of the white supremacists. But it is actually the great girl that is anti gun and everyone loves because a toddler got a hold of a gun his parents couldn't be bothered to properly store. The end murder affects the lives of everyone else so they mostly die or want to, to demonstrate that guns aren't the problem. Too bad the gun and people's selfish nature was an unaddressed problem in the whole book full of problems.
The plot was too weighed down for anything to stick and the characters fell very flat despite Hopkins best efforts.
Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated Little Bee in Books
Jun 20, 2018
Today, June 20, is World Refugee Day. First observed in 2001, it is dedicated to raising awareness of the plight of refugees all across the world. African Refugee Day had been observed in some countries prior to the UN declaring it World Refugee Day, but the Organization of African Unity agreed to have the two days coincide.
To honor World Refugee Day, today I'm going to talk about Little Bee. Little Bee is a Nigerian refugee in the United Kingdom. She and her sister witnessed the destruction of their village by an oil company's thugs, and were hunted down to eliminate the witnesses. In a chance encounter on a Nigerian beach, she met Sarah and Andrew, a couple from London trying to save their marriage by going on an exotic holiday. The encounter changes the lives of all three of them, and when Little Bee makes it to the United Kingdom, they are the only people she knows. She arrives at their home on the day of Andrew's funeral, and Sarah takes her in.
The book switches between the viewpoints of Sarah and Little Bee, and it does suffer from that, a bit. I couldn't wait for Sarah's chapters to be done so I could get back to Little Bee. Her viewpoint - her voice - was enthralling. Some first-person views are just the person thinking to themselves, while some first-person views are the person talking to the reader. Sarah was the first type, and Little Bee the second. Reading her explanations of the differences between her old life and her new life, and how the girls from her village wouldn't understand things, was amazing. I was hooked within the first ten pages of the book, specifically her note about scars:
"I ask you right here please to agree with me that a scar is never ugly. That is what the scar makers want us to think. But you and I, we must make an agreement to defy them. We must see all scars as beauty. Okay? This will be our secret. Because take it from me, a scar does not form on the dying. A scar means, I survived."
The events Little Bee talks about having witnessed are horrifying. And she recognizes that. She could be bitter, she could be depressed, she could be insane, but she is not. She manages to have hope, and even joy. She sees other refugees around her commit suicide, and in fact always has a plan for how to kill herself "if the men come." Because the stories of refugees always begin with "the men came and they..." and she'd rather kill herself than let herself be taken. Despite this, she has hope for a future. Or perhaps she simply takes joy in the present.
The book is not a happy one. Like Sing, Unburied, Sing, it's an important book but not exactly an enjoyable one. There are enjoyable parts. But there are very hard parts, too. (I should note, here, a TRIGGER WARNING for a graphic description of rape, when Little Bee tells Sarah what happened to Little Bee's older sister.) It did not end the way I wanted it to, though it ended in an unexpected way. I suppose it was too much to hope for a Happy Ever After when the vast majority of refugees don't get one.
For all that there were very tough scenes to get through in this book, I'm still putting it on my Best of 2018 list. Little Bee's voice and viewpoint is amazing, the story is well researched, and the plot absorbing. This is a book I'd like to have on my shelf.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com
To honor World Refugee Day, today I'm going to talk about Little Bee. Little Bee is a Nigerian refugee in the United Kingdom. She and her sister witnessed the destruction of their village by an oil company's thugs, and were hunted down to eliminate the witnesses. In a chance encounter on a Nigerian beach, she met Sarah and Andrew, a couple from London trying to save their marriage by going on an exotic holiday. The encounter changes the lives of all three of them, and when Little Bee makes it to the United Kingdom, they are the only people she knows. She arrives at their home on the day of Andrew's funeral, and Sarah takes her in.
The book switches between the viewpoints of Sarah and Little Bee, and it does suffer from that, a bit. I couldn't wait for Sarah's chapters to be done so I could get back to Little Bee. Her viewpoint - her voice - was enthralling. Some first-person views are just the person thinking to themselves, while some first-person views are the person talking to the reader. Sarah was the first type, and Little Bee the second. Reading her explanations of the differences between her old life and her new life, and how the girls from her village wouldn't understand things, was amazing. I was hooked within the first ten pages of the book, specifically her note about scars:
"I ask you right here please to agree with me that a scar is never ugly. That is what the scar makers want us to think. But you and I, we must make an agreement to defy them. We must see all scars as beauty. Okay? This will be our secret. Because take it from me, a scar does not form on the dying. A scar means, I survived."
The events Little Bee talks about having witnessed are horrifying. And she recognizes that. She could be bitter, she could be depressed, she could be insane, but she is not. She manages to have hope, and even joy. She sees other refugees around her commit suicide, and in fact always has a plan for how to kill herself "if the men come." Because the stories of refugees always begin with "the men came and they..." and she'd rather kill herself than let herself be taken. Despite this, she has hope for a future. Or perhaps she simply takes joy in the present.
The book is not a happy one. Like Sing, Unburied, Sing, it's an important book but not exactly an enjoyable one. There are enjoyable parts. But there are very hard parts, too. (I should note, here, a TRIGGER WARNING for a graphic description of rape, when Little Bee tells Sarah what happened to Little Bee's older sister.) It did not end the way I wanted it to, though it ended in an unexpected way. I suppose it was too much to hope for a Happy Ever After when the vast majority of refugees don't get one.
For all that there were very tough scenes to get through in this book, I'm still putting it on my Best of 2018 list. Little Bee's voice and viewpoint is amazing, the story is well researched, and the plot absorbing. This is a book I'd like to have on my shelf.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com
Keiran Schofield (34 KP) rated The Really Nasty Horse Racing Game in Tabletop Games
Mar 6, 2019
Quick(Ish) (1 more)
Easy to set up
A game of blackmail and tickery
The really Nasy horse racing game sounds as though its name could be deceiving but actually that's exactly what it is, a nasty horse racing game.
Quite simply it's 6 races that you place bets on, the person with the most money at the end wins.
The twist come with the really nasty cards that each player gets issued.. if used tacticlly you can fall horses, object and issue a setwards inquiry to push your horse into 1st or simply call a false start.
All in all its a great game for all the family and I would highly recommend it. Just be warned this could be horse racings answer to monopoly.
Quite simply it's 6 races that you place bets on, the person with the most money at the end wins.
The twist come with the really nasty cards that each player gets issued.. if used tacticlly you can fall horses, object and issue a setwards inquiry to push your horse into 1st or simply call a false start.
All in all its a great game for all the family and I would highly recommend it. Just be warned this could be horse racings answer to monopoly.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2423 KP) rated If You Ever Want to Bring a Piano to the Beach, Don't! in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Magnolia is back, and this time, she’s decided to bring the piano on a family beach day. What could be better than that? Her mom is concerned that Magnolia will lose it, but that won’t be an issue. Or will it?
While this book has the same wacky fun that Elise used in her first picture book, I didn’t have the same reaction to it. I just couldn’t buy the craziness, maybe because I’m so familiar with pianos. However, I think the target audience will love it. The picture are wonderful, and the situations that Magnolia gets into are still absurd. Once again, the book is actually narrated in the second person.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/05/book-review-if-you-want-to-bring-piano.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
While this book has the same wacky fun that Elise used in her first picture book, I didn’t have the same reaction to it. I just couldn’t buy the craziness, maybe because I’m so familiar with pianos. However, I think the target audience will love it. The picture are wonderful, and the situations that Magnolia gets into are still absurd. Once again, the book is actually narrated in the second person.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/05/book-review-if-you-want-to-bring-piano.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Lindsay (1774 KP) rated The Accidental Guardian (High Sierra Sweethearts, #1) in Books
Aug 30, 2018
Are you a person would would like to see what an wagon trail is like. Learn about it some what. Well you get glimpses of it though the accidental guardian. You can see what it like to be a survivor of a wagon train.
We find out about Tracy Riley and some of his past. He has to protect not only woman but also two children. They are survivors of the wagon train. We seem to be following more of Deb's story rather then her little sister Gwen and the children. Though maybe in the second book we learn more about the children and Gwen story.
Deb is adventurous and Trace and seem interested in Tracy from the beginning. Trace put Deb in his bed that first night. Is there romance between them or not?
We find out about Tracy Riley and some of his past. He has to protect not only woman but also two children. They are survivors of the wagon train. We seem to be following more of Deb's story rather then her little sister Gwen and the children. Though maybe in the second book we learn more about the children and Gwen story.
Deb is adventurous and Trace and seem interested in Tracy from the beginning. Trace put Deb in his bed that first night. Is there romance between them or not?
Elli H Burton (1288 KP) rated A Christmas Carol (2009) in Movies
Nov 6, 2019 (Updated Nov 23, 2019)
Another re-telling of a classic
So I've seen MANY renditions of this wonderful Charles Dickins story, this one is one i actually really like. It doesn't deviate from the original story, although yes it is quite darker than other tellings. I don't see that as a negative though, it's a dark story it doesn't need to be lightened to shield the darkness of a classic.
When you see Jim Carrey is Ebenezer Scrooge you do question, Hmm, is that really the right person to play this iconic character? The answer is yes. Jim is usually typecast as the funny man but in this he's cast very well. I also like that it's digital 3D which i think is the first time A Christmas Carol has been done in such a way.
When you see Jim Carrey is Ebenezer Scrooge you do question, Hmm, is that really the right person to play this iconic character? The answer is yes. Jim is usually typecast as the funny man but in this he's cast very well. I also like that it's digital 3D which i think is the first time A Christmas Carol has been done in such a way.
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