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NLT Bible by Olive Tree
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NLT Bible+ by Olive Tree is a must-have app for reading and studying God’s Holy Word. Take notes,...
Amplified Classic Bible
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Amplified Bible Classic by Olive Tree is a must-have app for reading and studying God’s Holy Word....
Bible Maps by Olive Tree
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Bible+ Maps by Olive Tree is a must-have app for reading and studying God’s Holy Word. Take notes,...
The Winter Mystery
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THE WINTER MYSTERY by Faith Martin Discover a new series of whodunits by million-selling author...
Contemporary Fiction Crime Mystery Whodunit
BookInspector (124 KP) rated Tin Man in Books
Sep 24, 2020
I would like to begin by saying, that I heard so much about this novel and I didn’t expect this book to be so tiny. It is only around 197 pages, but it has a really powerful punch to throw.
This novel carries a story of two friends, Ellis and Michael. They are the main characters in this book and the whole book was told from their perspectives. I shouldn’t forget Annie as well, even though she is kind of a silent character, she plays an integral part in the essence of this novel. All the characters are exceptionally crafted and incredibly complex. The whole novel got my brain working and imagination just flew free. I loved that author allowed the reader to paint the characters themselves, she allows you to know the story, but at the same time, there are so many details missing and so many questions left unanswered. I am not really sure whether I liked those gaps or not… because everything made so much sense. I found all the characters very likable and their internal relationship very amusing.
The narrative of this book was very confusing to me, it always keeps jumping between present and past, filling this book with romantic, but at the same time heartbreaking stories. I really enjoyed all the twists which author brought in, it made this book even more deeper and unexpected. I really liked the topics Sarah Winman was highlighting in this novel, such as homosexuality, friendship, HIV, family issues, loneliness etc. HIV hasn’t been discussed in the books for a while now, and I am great full for this reminder.
This was my first encounter with Sarah Winman’s writing, but there is no doubt that her writing style is very unique and absolutely masterful. The thing is, even though I admire her writing gift and I strongly believe she should be awarded for it, I am not a very big fan of it. Too many unanswered questions and I was not very satisfied with the closure of this book. Another thing what nagged me was the length of the chapters. Even though the book is not very long, the chapters were pretty long for my liking and it kind of dragged sometimes. So, to conclude, even though there were some things which were not for me, I truly think this book is a must-read, the characters and the plot are absolutely unique and very creative, and the prose is absolutely gorgeous and mentally challenging. Get it, read it, and I hope you will enjoy it! 🙂 (I know it is a confusing review and sometimes sentences contradict themselves, but that how this book made me feel… 🙂 )
This novel carries a story of two friends, Ellis and Michael. They are the main characters in this book and the whole book was told from their perspectives. I shouldn’t forget Annie as well, even though she is kind of a silent character, she plays an integral part in the essence of this novel. All the characters are exceptionally crafted and incredibly complex. The whole novel got my brain working and imagination just flew free. I loved that author allowed the reader to paint the characters themselves, she allows you to know the story, but at the same time, there are so many details missing and so many questions left unanswered. I am not really sure whether I liked those gaps or not… because everything made so much sense. I found all the characters very likable and their internal relationship very amusing.
The narrative of this book was very confusing to me, it always keeps jumping between present and past, filling this book with romantic, but at the same time heartbreaking stories. I really enjoyed all the twists which author brought in, it made this book even more deeper and unexpected. I really liked the topics Sarah Winman was highlighting in this novel, such as homosexuality, friendship, HIV, family issues, loneliness etc. HIV hasn’t been discussed in the books for a while now, and I am great full for this reminder.
This was my first encounter with Sarah Winman’s writing, but there is no doubt that her writing style is very unique and absolutely masterful. The thing is, even though I admire her writing gift and I strongly believe she should be awarded for it, I am not a very big fan of it. Too many unanswered questions and I was not very satisfied with the closure of this book. Another thing what nagged me was the length of the chapters. Even though the book is not very long, the chapters were pretty long for my liking and it kind of dragged sometimes. So, to conclude, even though there were some things which were not for me, I truly think this book is a must-read, the characters and the plot are absolutely unique and very creative, and the prose is absolutely gorgeous and mentally challenging. Get it, read it, and I hope you will enjoy it! 🙂 (I know it is a confusing review and sometimes sentences contradict themselves, but that how this book made me feel… 🙂 )
WolframAlpha
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Remember the Star Trek computer? It's finally happening--with Wolfram|Alpha. Building on 25 years of...
Chris Sawin (602 KP) rated Book of Blood (2008) in Movies
Jun 20, 2019
"The dead have highways. Highways that lead to intersections and intersections that spill into our world. And if you find yourself at one of those intersections, you should stop and you should listen because the dead have stories to tell."
Mary Florescu, writer, teacher, and overall expert of the paranormal, is still looking for the distinct evidence of supernatural occurences. A house catches her eye that has been on the market since the daughter of the couple living there before had been murdered. It's said the original homeowner was thrown against the wall by an invisible force so hard that shards of his broken bones pierced his lungs and he choked to death on his own blood. During each incident, the message, "Don't mock us," was found written in blood on the closet doors. Mary decides to move into the house to find proof of the supernatural, bringing an audio/video technician, Reg Fuller, to help document anything they find. A new student, Simon McNeal, transfers into Mary's class. He seems to have a special gift related to the paranormal and is brought into the house to help work with Mary and Reg on the project. Strange occurences seem to begin immediately and only get more violent as they occur. But as things progress, the relationship between Mary and Simon turns physical and suspicious evidence is found in Simon's bag that point to him being a fake. Is the house actually "haunted," or is Simon playing everyone for a fool?
I'm a fairly big fan of Clive Barker's work. I've loved the books and stories (Books of Blood Vol. 1-3, Mister B. Gone, The Hellbound Heart) of his that I've read and several of his films (Hellraiser, Midnight Meat Train) are some of the best the horror genre has to offer. Midnight Meat Train was probably the best horror film to come out of last year, so my expectations were high when I heard about this film and saw the trailer. This was one of my most anticipated horror films of the year even though it seemed to get the short end of the stick with its release much like what happened with Midnight Meat Train. I can tell you that Book of Blood is a good watch, but it may not be what you're expecting.
Book of Blood has its bloody moments, but it's not an all out gorefest. It's actually more of a supernatural thriller. The director, John Harrison, described the film as being more along the lines of films like The Others and The Orphanage. It relies more on mood and atmosphere rather than blood and guts splattering all over your face, which isn't a bad thing at all if done correctly. Book of Blood almost pulls that aspect of the film flawlessly. I say, "almost," because certain lines of dialogue ("I promise we will listen and I will tell your stories to the world.") and a few of the things that happened in the final act of the film (steel briefcase...it'll make sense when you see it) seem a bit cheesy, but may sit better with me on repeat viewings.
The film actually reminded me of Hellraiser quite a bit throughout the film. Other than Doug Bradley's brief cameo (if you blink, you'll probably miss him), the opening scene of when Reg and Mary go into the room where everything happened just reminds me of Frank staying in the attic in Hellraiser. Hellraiser is one of my favorite horror films, so the brief nod to the film (whether intentional or not) was very welcome to me.
My main concern with Book of Blood was how they were going to turn a short story that was originally just an introduction to the actual Books of Blood by Clive Barker into a full length film. The concern wound up being for nothing as Book of Blood met nearly all of my expectations and was extremely faithful to the original material while bringing in elements from another one of his stories called, "On Jerusalem Street." The story fleshes out nicely and the acting is good, for the most part. I think the perfectionist in me kept me from rating this any higher, but I'd definitely recommend it as it's a worthy addition to any avid horror movie enthusiast's collection.
Mary Florescu, writer, teacher, and overall expert of the paranormal, is still looking for the distinct evidence of supernatural occurences. A house catches her eye that has been on the market since the daughter of the couple living there before had been murdered. It's said the original homeowner was thrown against the wall by an invisible force so hard that shards of his broken bones pierced his lungs and he choked to death on his own blood. During each incident, the message, "Don't mock us," was found written in blood on the closet doors. Mary decides to move into the house to find proof of the supernatural, bringing an audio/video technician, Reg Fuller, to help document anything they find. A new student, Simon McNeal, transfers into Mary's class. He seems to have a special gift related to the paranormal and is brought into the house to help work with Mary and Reg on the project. Strange occurences seem to begin immediately and only get more violent as they occur. But as things progress, the relationship between Mary and Simon turns physical and suspicious evidence is found in Simon's bag that point to him being a fake. Is the house actually "haunted," or is Simon playing everyone for a fool?
I'm a fairly big fan of Clive Barker's work. I've loved the books and stories (Books of Blood Vol. 1-3, Mister B. Gone, The Hellbound Heart) of his that I've read and several of his films (Hellraiser, Midnight Meat Train) are some of the best the horror genre has to offer. Midnight Meat Train was probably the best horror film to come out of last year, so my expectations were high when I heard about this film and saw the trailer. This was one of my most anticipated horror films of the year even though it seemed to get the short end of the stick with its release much like what happened with Midnight Meat Train. I can tell you that Book of Blood is a good watch, but it may not be what you're expecting.
Book of Blood has its bloody moments, but it's not an all out gorefest. It's actually more of a supernatural thriller. The director, John Harrison, described the film as being more along the lines of films like The Others and The Orphanage. It relies more on mood and atmosphere rather than blood and guts splattering all over your face, which isn't a bad thing at all if done correctly. Book of Blood almost pulls that aspect of the film flawlessly. I say, "almost," because certain lines of dialogue ("I promise we will listen and I will tell your stories to the world.") and a few of the things that happened in the final act of the film (steel briefcase...it'll make sense when you see it) seem a bit cheesy, but may sit better with me on repeat viewings.
The film actually reminded me of Hellraiser quite a bit throughout the film. Other than Doug Bradley's brief cameo (if you blink, you'll probably miss him), the opening scene of when Reg and Mary go into the room where everything happened just reminds me of Frank staying in the attic in Hellraiser. Hellraiser is one of my favorite horror films, so the brief nod to the film (whether intentional or not) was very welcome to me.
My main concern with Book of Blood was how they were going to turn a short story that was originally just an introduction to the actual Books of Blood by Clive Barker into a full length film. The concern wound up being for nothing as Book of Blood met nearly all of my expectations and was extremely faithful to the original material while bringing in elements from another one of his stories called, "On Jerusalem Street." The story fleshes out nicely and the acting is good, for the most part. I think the perfectionist in me kept me from rating this any higher, but I'd definitely recommend it as it's a worthy addition to any avid horror movie enthusiast's collection.
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Lilyn G - Sci-Fi & Scary (91 KP) rated Earth Abides in Books
Jun 2, 2018
Truly a classic, and a must read.
Earth Abides is not an entertaining book. It is not perfect. It is a tad long-winded at some points, sometimes decidedly dated feeling, and has a serious lack of everything that generally entertains me. It is, at it’s base, a look at the post-apocalyptic world through one man’s eyes. It was first published in 1949, and according to Goodreads, currently has 55 editions. It is considered a sci-fi book, but there’s nothing science fiction about the book. A disease hits, wipes out most of the world’s population, and the few that survive are left to pick up the pieces. That’s it. But that’s not all there is to it. A lot happens, but it’s over the life of one man. There’s no grand battles, no good versus evil in the ruins of the old world, just the quiet puttering of one of the last embers of humanity as it strives to not die out completely. And yet it won’t let you alone until you finish it.
I think this book had to have made some waves when people first started reading in. Published in 1949 and it features an interracial union and espouses a life better without God in it? Yowzers.
I frequently disliked the main character. Isherwood Williams is the type of man that – while I might admire his mind – I would frequently want to thump. He’s full of himself. He’s so cynical about the ‘simplicity’ of the people around him. And, of course, he’s completely human, and there’s the rub. We look for a ‘hero’ in these types of books. Ish is no hero. He’s someone who had the ‘luck’ to survive the end of the world, and now he’s got to live in it. But the world changes – doesn’t it always? And Ish isn’t a King of old. He’s just the head of his Tribe.
Earth Abides feels timeless. I have read many post-apocalyptic books, and they’ve grown tiresome. I approached this book with some caution, because I was afraid of more of the same drivel that is wonderful the first few times you read it, and then swiftly approaches “Been there done that” with disturbing ease. I didn’t want to dislike this book because I was bone-weary of the sub-genre. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case. Because, for all the post-apocalyptic books I’ve read, I don’t think that I’ve ever read a novel like Earth Abides. It also feels the most real. This is how the world goes on; earth abides while humanity fumbles along.
I won’t deny that the main reason I’m making the connection between the two is because I just recently read it, but I could not help but think of McCammon’s Boy’s Life when I finished Earth Abides. I am not someone who self-describes as liking ‘literary fiction’. I’m happy with my genre jollies, thankyouverymuch. I’ll admit to even wrinkling my nose at the idea of reading ‘literature’. However, I think both Earth Abides and Boy’s Life are perfect examples of books that show the appeal of that type of book. They’re not 600 pages long and packed with five dollar words, yet they don’t fit into any particular genre, and they make you think far more than they entertain you.
Here are a few of my favorite quotes:
“If there is a God who made us and we did wrong before His eyes—as George says—at least we did wrong only because we were as God made us, and I do not think that He should set traps. Oh, you should know better than George! Let us not bring all that back into the world again—the angry God, the mean God—the one who does not tell us the rules of the game, and then strikes us when we break them. Let us not bring Him back.”
“Man has been growing more stupid for several thousand years; I myself shall waste no tears at his demise.”
“During ten thousand years his numbers have been on the upgrade in spite of wars, pestilences, and famines. This increase in population has become more and more rapid. Biologically, man has for too long a time been rolling an uninterrupted run of sevens.”
Earth Abides really does deserve it’s spot on the “Must Read” list folks. Its hard to talk about but easy to read. You’ll need some quiet to be able to really appreciate it. Take as long as you need to take with it. I actually walked away from it for a week or so because I have an attention span the length of a gnat, but was drawn back to it, and able to pick up right where I left off.
I think this book had to have made some waves when people first started reading in. Published in 1949 and it features an interracial union and espouses a life better without God in it? Yowzers.
I frequently disliked the main character. Isherwood Williams is the type of man that – while I might admire his mind – I would frequently want to thump. He’s full of himself. He’s so cynical about the ‘simplicity’ of the people around him. And, of course, he’s completely human, and there’s the rub. We look for a ‘hero’ in these types of books. Ish is no hero. He’s someone who had the ‘luck’ to survive the end of the world, and now he’s got to live in it. But the world changes – doesn’t it always? And Ish isn’t a King of old. He’s just the head of his Tribe.
Earth Abides feels timeless. I have read many post-apocalyptic books, and they’ve grown tiresome. I approached this book with some caution, because I was afraid of more of the same drivel that is wonderful the first few times you read it, and then swiftly approaches “Been there done that” with disturbing ease. I didn’t want to dislike this book because I was bone-weary of the sub-genre. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case. Because, for all the post-apocalyptic books I’ve read, I don’t think that I’ve ever read a novel like Earth Abides. It also feels the most real. This is how the world goes on; earth abides while humanity fumbles along.
I won’t deny that the main reason I’m making the connection between the two is because I just recently read it, but I could not help but think of McCammon’s Boy’s Life when I finished Earth Abides. I am not someone who self-describes as liking ‘literary fiction’. I’m happy with my genre jollies, thankyouverymuch. I’ll admit to even wrinkling my nose at the idea of reading ‘literature’. However, I think both Earth Abides and Boy’s Life are perfect examples of books that show the appeal of that type of book. They’re not 600 pages long and packed with five dollar words, yet they don’t fit into any particular genre, and they make you think far more than they entertain you.
Here are a few of my favorite quotes:
“If there is a God who made us and we did wrong before His eyes—as George says—at least we did wrong only because we were as God made us, and I do not think that He should set traps. Oh, you should know better than George! Let us not bring all that back into the world again—the angry God, the mean God—the one who does not tell us the rules of the game, and then strikes us when we break them. Let us not bring Him back.”
“Man has been growing more stupid for several thousand years; I myself shall waste no tears at his demise.”
“During ten thousand years his numbers have been on the upgrade in spite of wars, pestilences, and famines. This increase in population has become more and more rapid. Biologically, man has for too long a time been rolling an uninterrupted run of sevens.”
Earth Abides really does deserve it’s spot on the “Must Read” list folks. Its hard to talk about but easy to read. You’ll need some quiet to be able to really appreciate it. Take as long as you need to take with it. I actually walked away from it for a week or so because I have an attention span the length of a gnat, but was drawn back to it, and able to pick up right where I left off.