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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated The Animators in Books
Feb 13, 2018
Sharon Kisses (yep, that's her real name) and Mel Vaught meet in college in upstate New York. Sharon is a reserved, talented girl from a rural Kentucky town. Mel is a out, tough, lesbian from Florida -- all bravado hiding a softer interior. The two form a fast friendship, bonding quickly over their art and their family histories: both come from dysfunctional families who have formed the girls into what they are today. Mel and Sharon pour this into their art, and they become talented animation partners, with their first movie showing a raw, truthful look at Mel's childhood and her mother, a rough woman who ended up in jail. The two are on the cusp of success -- tours, awards, artistic grants. But success comes with an edge: Mel starts drinking and turning to drugs, while Sharon doubts herself and her role in this brilliant duo. Suddenly, however, none of that matters when tragedy strikes the pair, and everything they've known changes in an instant.
This book is insane and amazing. I honestly had no idea what it was about when I started to read it; I surely had read the ARC blurb when I chose it, but had forgotten by the time I began, and the cover art seems to indicate a light-hearted tale about movies and animation. It is not. This is a powerful, gut-wrenching novel that will drag you into its story and characters and eventually spit you out, exhilarated and exhausted. There was so much about this novel I loved and related to: the fast friendship of two girls in college; an actual lead lesbian character (but whose lesbianism wasn't her only defining aspect - how refreshing); Sharon and her doubts and insecurities - the way she feels as if she's disappearing into herself in her thirties; the way Whitaker so easily captured growing up in a rural town (Sharon's Kentucky hometown)... I immediately identified with both characters, although Sharon is our protagonist, and the one telling us our story.
I won't lie to you: this book will make you feel uncomfortable. It's not a fun read, or really even a pleasant one. It's not a "feel good novel." It hurts--physically hurts--to read this book. Some of the novel is uneven, and it jumps around a bit. This is Whitaker's first novel, and I think she's only going to get more amazing as she goes, because you can look past this, and see so much power and force in this book. It's raw. It's the story of a friendship, and it's told so beautifully that you are completely drawn into Mel and Sharon's world. When you read this book, there is really nothing else going on in your life but this novel. Mel and Sharon are real, you love them, and you can see them in your mind. (I saw Mel as Kate McKinnon, despite the references to Lori Petty.) The storyline, for me, was unexpected, and, as I said, jumped a bit, but it worked. I had one issue with the end (a bit of a cliche about straight/lesbian friendship, but I won't go into it much, for spoiler reasons), but otherwise, found this novel to be energetic and forceful. It's dark, it's an ode to art and friendship and life, it's deep - I really have no words. It will take you to an exposed place inside of yourself, but you'll be glad it did.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley (thank you!) in return for an unbiased review; it is available everywhere as of 1/31/2017.
This book is insane and amazing. I honestly had no idea what it was about when I started to read it; I surely had read the ARC blurb when I chose it, but had forgotten by the time I began, and the cover art seems to indicate a light-hearted tale about movies and animation. It is not. This is a powerful, gut-wrenching novel that will drag you into its story and characters and eventually spit you out, exhilarated and exhausted. There was so much about this novel I loved and related to: the fast friendship of two girls in college; an actual lead lesbian character (but whose lesbianism wasn't her only defining aspect - how refreshing); Sharon and her doubts and insecurities - the way she feels as if she's disappearing into herself in her thirties; the way Whitaker so easily captured growing up in a rural town (Sharon's Kentucky hometown)... I immediately identified with both characters, although Sharon is our protagonist, and the one telling us our story.
I won't lie to you: this book will make you feel uncomfortable. It's not a fun read, or really even a pleasant one. It's not a "feel good novel." It hurts--physically hurts--to read this book. Some of the novel is uneven, and it jumps around a bit. This is Whitaker's first novel, and I think she's only going to get more amazing as she goes, because you can look past this, and see so much power and force in this book. It's raw. It's the story of a friendship, and it's told so beautifully that you are completely drawn into Mel and Sharon's world. When you read this book, there is really nothing else going on in your life but this novel. Mel and Sharon are real, you love them, and you can see them in your mind. (I saw Mel as Kate McKinnon, despite the references to Lori Petty.) The storyline, for me, was unexpected, and, as I said, jumped a bit, but it worked. I had one issue with the end (a bit of a cliche about straight/lesbian friendship, but I won't go into it much, for spoiler reasons), but otherwise, found this novel to be energetic and forceful. It's dark, it's an ode to art and friendship and life, it's deep - I really have no words. It will take you to an exposed place inside of yourself, but you'll be glad it did.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley (thank you!) in return for an unbiased review; it is available everywhere as of 1/31/2017.
Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated Uncommon Type: Some Stories in Books
Nov 14, 2017
Listen just for Tom Hanks' mellifluous voice
Tom Hanks turns out to be as authentically genuine a writer as can be. The stories in this book range from the hilarious to the deeply touching.
They move in period, location, and manner, but all demonstrate a joy in writing, a pleasure in communicating an intensely American sense of atmosphere, friendship, life and family that is every bit as smart and engaging as the man himself.
While the stories are witty, it is more so because of the man himself. They may not be Pulitzer material, but it truly is a pleasure to read his book while thinking about this imaginative man.
They move in period, location, and manner, but all demonstrate a joy in writing, a pleasure in communicating an intensely American sense of atmosphere, friendship, life and family that is every bit as smart and engaging as the man himself.
While the stories are witty, it is more so because of the man himself. They may not be Pulitzer material, but it truly is a pleasure to read his book while thinking about this imaginative man.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Little Monsters in Books
Apr 4, 2019 (Updated Apr 5, 2019)
This was an interesting read that kept me guessing the entire time. I give Thomas points for its twistiness, as it was an engrossing read. These were some very complicated high school kids. I couldn't help but think that that Kacey was a little too involved in wanting to find her friend and that the high school drama seemed incredibly intense, even for the purposes of a novel. Maybe I'm just naive, but these girls were in deep. There is nothing quite so dark, at times, as the friendship of teenage girls.
Overall, I enjoyed trying to piece things together in this story, even if some of the overly dramatic parts turned me off a bit.
Overall, I enjoyed trying to piece things together in this story, even if some of the overly dramatic parts turned me off a bit.
ArecRain (8 KP) rated Cipher (The Shadow Ravens, #1) in Books
Jan 18, 2018
I wanted this book to be so much better than it was because I liked the premise so much. I should have known better, however, since this has a very YA feel to it. It fit the syllabus that every YA uses to a T and I found myself disappointed.
Overall, I still enjoyed the book. I liked CIpher as a person and it was interesting reading from both Cipher's and Knightly's POV. I also liked the world the author created as well as the the fact that there was a female friendship.
However, I felt the book would have been much better had the author focused on the action rather than the romance.
Overall, I still enjoyed the book. I liked CIpher as a person and it was interesting reading from both Cipher's and Knightly's POV. I also liked the world the author created as well as the the fact that there was a female friendship.
However, I felt the book would have been much better had the author focused on the action rather than the romance.
Stormy (1 KP) rated Ferdinand (2017) in Movies
Jul 3, 2018
Fun. Cute.
Ferdinand is a classic children tale my grandma always read to me as a child. Seeing that tired into such a cute movie that my children really enjoy is AMAZING to me.
Ferdinand is a sweet gently bull who doesn't want to be like all the others. He wants to be a house pet, he doesn't want to fight. He wants to save his friends from an unimaginable fate.
Ferdinand journeys with his friends to save them all from the ultimate end. This movie is all about friendship, loyalty and I am very pleased that my children enjoy it.
I would recommend this to anyone for a family night with the kids curled up for movie night!
Ferdinand is a sweet gently bull who doesn't want to be like all the others. He wants to be a house pet, he doesn't want to fight. He wants to save his friends from an unimaginable fate.
Ferdinand journeys with his friends to save them all from the ultimate end. This movie is all about friendship, loyalty and I am very pleased that my children enjoy it.
I would recommend this to anyone for a family night with the kids curled up for movie night!
Artemis86 (1 KP) rated Big Little Lies in Books
Aug 21, 2018
Lianne Moriaty is one of these rare but incredible authors that can suck you right into her books, to the point where you just don’t want to put it down, and this book is no exception.
It has friendship, hardship, love, sadness, and is beautifully written. It had me guessing about certain things, other parts I had an idea but wasn’t sure.
If you want to read this book (which I highly recommend) set aside a good chunk of time as once you start it you won’t want to put it down. I would say though I watched the TV series, and I didn’t think it was anything close to how amazing the book was.
It has friendship, hardship, love, sadness, and is beautifully written. It had me guessing about certain things, other parts I had an idea but wasn’t sure.
If you want to read this book (which I highly recommend) set aside a good chunk of time as once you start it you won’t want to put it down. I would say though I watched the TV series, and I didn’t think it was anything close to how amazing the book was.
Dianne Robbins (1738 KP) rated Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997) in Movies
Sep 19, 2018
Why didn't I watch this sooner???
If you're like me, your high school years were not perfect and you always felt a bit like a weirdo or an outsider. If so, you'll enjoy this movie. It's hard not to love these characters. They seem vapid at the start of the film but towards the end, you see their love for each other and the kindness in their hearts. Throughout the movie, you see their friendship and support of each other. It's a sweet movie. Being a child of the 80s, I love the 80s references. Janeane Garofalo's character is funny in a dark way. And, OMG, there's everything to love about Alan Cumming. I adore him.
Milleen (47 KP) rated Her Perfect Life in Books
Nov 14, 2018 (Updated Nov 14, 2018)
If you enjoy psychological drama, add this to your reading list. This happens to be Sam Hepburn's debut in this genre after much success writing young adult thrillers. This is an examination of how far someone would go to create a perfect life. Juliet, a single-mum struggling to pay her bills and earn a living and Gracie, television darling and star of her own 'Cooking with Gracie'. Their paths cross and the women strike up an unlikely friendship, but things are not quite as they seem. This is a gripping narrative that keeps you guessing right up to the last chapter. Hepburn has given the reader plenty to think about, this is a bestseller for good reason.
CKD (37 KP) rated Truly Madly Guilty in Books
Dec 7, 2018
This book centers around a group of 6 friends/neighbors in Australia. They all attend a barbecue at one of the neighbor's homes. There is an "accident" that occurs at the barbecue, but you do not find out what happens until about 3/4 of the way through the book. The chapters alternate between the day of the barbecue and weeks afterward but also provides the background on some of the characters.
The relationship between Erika and Clementine is difficult. When guilt gets thrown into the mix, it slowly fractures their friendship. Pack some patience when reading this book....it takes a while for the characters to develop and to get to the barbecue.
The relationship between Erika and Clementine is difficult. When guilt gets thrown into the mix, it slowly fractures their friendship. Pack some patience when reading this book....it takes a while for the characters to develop and to get to the barbecue.
Sarah (7800 KP) rated On A Beautiful Day in Books
Jan 21, 2019
A heartwarming story
I’ll be honest, this story had me from the get go simply from being set in my home city Manchester. It's so enjoyable to read a book set in a familiar surrounding, and I’m not sure I’ve ever read one set here before, and it made this book even more entertaining.
Story wise, it’s a bit fluffy and cheesy in parts, but it’s still a heartwarming tale of love and friendship, with a bit of humour and even sadness thrown in. All 4 of the main characters are well developed and easily relatable, and it’s one of those quick and easy well written books that you can’t help but find enjoyable.
Story wise, it’s a bit fluffy and cheesy in parts, but it’s still a heartwarming tale of love and friendship, with a bit of humour and even sadness thrown in. All 4 of the main characters are well developed and easily relatable, and it’s one of those quick and easy well written books that you can’t help but find enjoyable.