Search
Search results
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated How Wendy Redbird Dancing Survived the Dark Ages of Nought in Books
Jun 7, 2018
(This review can be found on my blog <a href="http://themisadventuresofatwentysomething.blogspot.com/">The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Something Year Old Girl</a>).
When I came across this book on Goodreads, there was something about the blurb that made me want to read it, so when I got asked if I'd like to review it, I said yes instantly. While the first half of the book was a bit hit and miss, the second half really became interesting!
The title is a bit of a mouthful although interesting. I had a hard time remembering what the book was called due to the long name. Eventually, I memorized it, but I would still double check just to make sure I was right.
The cover might be a bit plain, but I think it suits this book perfectly! After the terrible incident that happens to Wendy, she kind of goes inside herself. I think this cover definitely captures that.
What bothered me a bit with the world building was I just felt like the school Wendy attended was racism central. I know that racism is a huge problem is some places, but it just felt a bit over the top in the beginning of the book. Luckily, about a third of the book in, the over the top racism thing stops, and the world building becomes more believable.
The pacing is fairly slow to begin with. However, about a little before halfway in, the pacing speeds up, and it quickly held my attention for the rest of the book. In fact, I couldn't put the book done after that! So if you start off a bit bored with the book, please do continue reading or you'll out miss out on a really good story.
The plot is interesting enough. It deals with racism, being an outcast, sexual abuse, and an emotionally distant mother as well as some other issues. I thought it was an original idea to use Michael Jackson as a teen girl's saint. I love the references to some artists of old.
The characters were written really well. Wendy, aside from her obsession with the king of pop, is just your average teenage girl. Her goal is to see Michael Jackson in concert in London. Wendy is definitely easy to relate to. Shaye comes across as being very cool and charismatic. He's instantly likable. I felt bad that I had ever liked him though after what he did to Wendy. My favorite character was Tanay though. I loved her attitude as well as her sass. She's super funny, yet she's a friend who's got your back. I think teenage girls will have an easy time relating to Wendy and/or Tanay.
The dialogue, for the most part, runs smoothly. However, at the beginning of the book, it does feel a little bit forced especially when it focuses on racism a little too heavily, at least I thought so. Some may get offended with the racism being used, but I didn't feel like the book itself was racist. I just felt that there was too much focus on how segregated Wendy's school is and how much racism (against all colors) there is in that school. Other than that, everything is smooth sailing. The character interactions feel normal, and the dialogue goes well with what a teen book should read like. There is some cussing in this book as well as some sexual situations, so I wouldn't recommend this book to younger teens.
Overall, How Wendy Redbird Dancing Survived the Dark Ages of Nought is a very intriguing book. The issues it deals with are issues that have plagued teens as well as adults for awhile. Hawks does a fantastic job of writing about this issues.
I'd recommend this book to those aged 16+ who want to read something a little more realistic than normal fiction with characters of whom are easy to relate to.
I'd give How Wendy Redbird Dancing Survived the Dark Ages of Nought by Lyn Fairchild Hawks a 3.75 out of 5.
(I received a free paperback of this book from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review).
When I came across this book on Goodreads, there was something about the blurb that made me want to read it, so when I got asked if I'd like to review it, I said yes instantly. While the first half of the book was a bit hit and miss, the second half really became interesting!
The title is a bit of a mouthful although interesting. I had a hard time remembering what the book was called due to the long name. Eventually, I memorized it, but I would still double check just to make sure I was right.
The cover might be a bit plain, but I think it suits this book perfectly! After the terrible incident that happens to Wendy, she kind of goes inside herself. I think this cover definitely captures that.
What bothered me a bit with the world building was I just felt like the school Wendy attended was racism central. I know that racism is a huge problem is some places, but it just felt a bit over the top in the beginning of the book. Luckily, about a third of the book in, the over the top racism thing stops, and the world building becomes more believable.
The pacing is fairly slow to begin with. However, about a little before halfway in, the pacing speeds up, and it quickly held my attention for the rest of the book. In fact, I couldn't put the book done after that! So if you start off a bit bored with the book, please do continue reading or you'll out miss out on a really good story.
The plot is interesting enough. It deals with racism, being an outcast, sexual abuse, and an emotionally distant mother as well as some other issues. I thought it was an original idea to use Michael Jackson as a teen girl's saint. I love the references to some artists of old.
The characters were written really well. Wendy, aside from her obsession with the king of pop, is just your average teenage girl. Her goal is to see Michael Jackson in concert in London. Wendy is definitely easy to relate to. Shaye comes across as being very cool and charismatic. He's instantly likable. I felt bad that I had ever liked him though after what he did to Wendy. My favorite character was Tanay though. I loved her attitude as well as her sass. She's super funny, yet she's a friend who's got your back. I think teenage girls will have an easy time relating to Wendy and/or Tanay.
The dialogue, for the most part, runs smoothly. However, at the beginning of the book, it does feel a little bit forced especially when it focuses on racism a little too heavily, at least I thought so. Some may get offended with the racism being used, but I didn't feel like the book itself was racist. I just felt that there was too much focus on how segregated Wendy's school is and how much racism (against all colors) there is in that school. Other than that, everything is smooth sailing. The character interactions feel normal, and the dialogue goes well with what a teen book should read like. There is some cussing in this book as well as some sexual situations, so I wouldn't recommend this book to younger teens.
Overall, How Wendy Redbird Dancing Survived the Dark Ages of Nought is a very intriguing book. The issues it deals with are issues that have plagued teens as well as adults for awhile. Hawks does a fantastic job of writing about this issues.
I'd recommend this book to those aged 16+ who want to read something a little more realistic than normal fiction with characters of whom are easy to relate to.
I'd give How Wendy Redbird Dancing Survived the Dark Ages of Nought by Lyn Fairchild Hawks a 3.75 out of 5.
(I received a free paperback of this book from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review).
How I Escaped My Certain Fate: The Life and Deaths of a Stand-Up Comedian
Book
Experience how it feels to be the subject of a blasphemy prosecution! Find out why 'wool' is a funny...
I am Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, David Lagercrantz and Ruth Urbom
Book
I AM ZLATAN - the explosive, critically-acclaimed memoir of Manchester United star Zlatan...
Cryptofauna
6.0
Rate It
Book
Working as a janitor at an insane asylum in rural Idaho has Jim in the dumps. One night, his...
Black Urban Fiction
Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated Stone of Destiny in Books
Jan 23, 2020
A few confessions regarding Stone of Destiny:
~ I called this "Souls of Destiny" for quite a while. Good thing no one actually heard me say it...
~ Coincidently, I finished the prequel to Stone of Destiny, The Forgotten Ones, a few days before I got a tour invite. How could I not sign up? Oh, and no mind reading was involved. If that's the case, it's ALWAYS a coincidence. But I do love how some people think I have some sort of psychic ability and start asking about their future. *ominous voice crystal ball and all* "The future holds the unknown...."
Stone of Destiny starts right off from where The Forgotten Ones ended in fact, the last sentence in the previous book? It's the very first sentence in the sequel. If that's not starting straight off from where the last book ended, then please, feel free to correct me. But I'm pretty sure I'm in a sensible mindset.
To my delight, the pronunciation guide has been a tad bit updated. I say tad because Gaelic (Irish?) or any language really, but those with funny symbols like Chinese isn't as easy as the romantic languages is funny and there are a few terms that appear... yet they're not in the guide. One of them I was pretty much too lazy to redownload the first book just to check the pronunciation again. But hey, for those who weren't as fortunate as me aka, you recently read the book not too long ago so the terms are happily fresh in your brain and haven't read the Danaan trilogy for awhile, the pronunciation guide will be a big help!
Meanwhile, Ethan's acting strangely around Allison for awhile to which I'm not exactly happy about, but I'm sort of happy since it doesn't last too long. Plus, while Allison continues to play the "I'm going to avoid Ethan Magliaro forever" game, it's a lot less than it was back in book one even though Ethan pops out in almost every scene of the book. It's a nice change to see those pointy fences coming down to which I'm doing a happy dance. (What? Don't tell me you like pointy fences I'm sure you don't. Unless you like bleeding. Profoundly. Bad idea if you're a hemophiliac.)
Stone of Destiny focuses more on the characters in fact, a few new characters, particularly one that was mentioned back in The Forgotten Ones, make an appearance as well unraveling Aoife's plan/ritual/ceremony/whatchamacallit in Ireland. There's no particularly plot aside from continuing to add building blocks to book one, and while there's no fancy schmancy plot, it was definitely a delight to read Stone of Destiny and to go back to the world of Tir Na Nog. Thing is, Howard sort of has expectations of epic proportions to meet in the last book of the trilogy.
I'm kidding about epic proportions. That's probably reserved for someone like Stephen King, who I actually haven't read.
------------------
Review copy provided by the author for the blog tour
original rating: 4.5 out of 5
original review posted at <a href="http://bookwyrming-thoughts.blogspot.com/2014/08/blog-tour-stone-of-destiny-by-laura-howard-review-and-giveaway.html">Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
<a href="http://bookwyrming-thoughts.blogspot.com/"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cG5gfBqJVzk/VA5BIojjZ9I/AAAAAAAAD1g/7srLUfpAGEU/s1600/banner.png"; /></a>
~ I called this "Souls of Destiny" for quite a while. Good thing no one actually heard me say it...
~ Coincidently, I finished the prequel to Stone of Destiny, The Forgotten Ones, a few days before I got a tour invite. How could I not sign up? Oh, and no mind reading was involved. If that's the case, it's ALWAYS a coincidence. But I do love how some people think I have some sort of psychic ability and start asking about their future. *ominous voice crystal ball and all* "The future holds the unknown...."
Stone of Destiny starts right off from where The Forgotten Ones ended in fact, the last sentence in the previous book? It's the very first sentence in the sequel. If that's not starting straight off from where the last book ended, then please, feel free to correct me. But I'm pretty sure I'm in a sensible mindset.
To my delight, the pronunciation guide has been a tad bit updated. I say tad because Gaelic (Irish?) or any language really, but those with funny symbols like Chinese isn't as easy as the romantic languages is funny and there are a few terms that appear... yet they're not in the guide. One of them I was pretty much too lazy to redownload the first book just to check the pronunciation again. But hey, for those who weren't as fortunate as me aka, you recently read the book not too long ago so the terms are happily fresh in your brain and haven't read the Danaan trilogy for awhile, the pronunciation guide will be a big help!
Meanwhile, Ethan's acting strangely around Allison for awhile to which I'm not exactly happy about, but I'm sort of happy since it doesn't last too long. Plus, while Allison continues to play the "I'm going to avoid Ethan Magliaro forever" game, it's a lot less than it was back in book one even though Ethan pops out in almost every scene of the book. It's a nice change to see those pointy fences coming down to which I'm doing a happy dance. (What? Don't tell me you like pointy fences I'm sure you don't. Unless you like bleeding. Profoundly. Bad idea if you're a hemophiliac.)
Stone of Destiny focuses more on the characters in fact, a few new characters, particularly one that was mentioned back in The Forgotten Ones, make an appearance as well unraveling Aoife's plan/ritual/ceremony/whatchamacallit in Ireland. There's no particularly plot aside from continuing to add building blocks to book one, and while there's no fancy schmancy plot, it was definitely a delight to read Stone of Destiny and to go back to the world of Tir Na Nog. Thing is, Howard sort of has expectations of epic proportions to meet in the last book of the trilogy.
I'm kidding about epic proportions. That's probably reserved for someone like Stephen King, who I actually haven't read.
------------------
Review copy provided by the author for the blog tour
original rating: 4.5 out of 5
original review posted at <a href="http://bookwyrming-thoughts.blogspot.com/2014/08/blog-tour-stone-of-destiny-by-laura-howard-review-and-giveaway.html">Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
<a href="http://bookwyrming-thoughts.blogspot.com/"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cG5gfBqJVzk/VA5BIojjZ9I/AAAAAAAAD1g/7srLUfpAGEU/s1600/banner.png"; /></a>
Another Monster at the End of This Book with Elmo!
Book and Games
App
This is an animated storybook app, which will humorously help teach your child early reading and...
BookInspector (124 KP) rated The Marriage of Innis Wilkinson in Books
Nov 9, 2020
The protagonists of this story would be Margarette and Roy, but this novel is told from multiple perspectives, including Innis herself. Margarette and Roy belong to the families, that hate each other. Both of the families trying to outdo each other with better events and showing off, and Margarette has to endure all that competing behaviour. Innis is a character, who’s story is running in the background. Innis is an incredibly strange woman. Her story is revealed little by little, but it is very sweet and heartbreaking. I really liked all the main characters, they are very kind, sensitive and pleasant people. Margarette has patience made of steel, she does so much for both of the families, scared to offend them, I know I would have lost my patience in no time. 😀 😀
The book is set in a very small town called Coraloo, during a festival, and the whole vibe feels like Bruge (Belgium) for some reason. I imagine little shops down the little alleys, cobblestone everywhere… It just seems cosy, small and inviting. The narrative is quite slow and steady, the characters are sharing their thoughts about family, love, relationships, but it is quite funny at times when crazy family members join in. The topics discussed in this novel are family relationships, marriage preparations and stress, abandoned dreams, wish to be accepted and many more. This novel has some mystery elements, but the whole novel is more oriented towards romance and wedding.
I really liked the writing style of this book. It was very creative, and even though some of the things kept repeating, I could feel the love for everything through the characters. I am very happy that the author used her experience as a teacher in this novel, I think it was very well utilised. The chapters are medium length, and some of the information was a little repetitive, but I was quite curious to find out more about Innis, so the chapters didn’t feel draggy to me. The ending was very unexpected but left me very satisfied with the outcome.
So, to conclude, I really enjoyed this funny, heart-warming book, that is filled with unique and entertaining characters, as well as very soothing and “cuddly” plot. I think this book is perfect for these long and cold evenings, it feels like a hug.
The book is set in a very small town called Coraloo, during a festival, and the whole vibe feels like Bruge (Belgium) for some reason. I imagine little shops down the little alleys, cobblestone everywhere… It just seems cosy, small and inviting. The narrative is quite slow and steady, the characters are sharing their thoughts about family, love, relationships, but it is quite funny at times when crazy family members join in. The topics discussed in this novel are family relationships, marriage preparations and stress, abandoned dreams, wish to be accepted and many more. This novel has some mystery elements, but the whole novel is more oriented towards romance and wedding.
I really liked the writing style of this book. It was very creative, and even though some of the things kept repeating, I could feel the love for everything through the characters. I am very happy that the author used her experience as a teacher in this novel, I think it was very well utilised. The chapters are medium length, and some of the information was a little repetitive, but I was quite curious to find out more about Innis, so the chapters didn’t feel draggy to me. The ending was very unexpected but left me very satisfied with the outcome.
So, to conclude, I really enjoyed this funny, heart-warming book, that is filled with unique and entertaining characters, as well as very soothing and “cuddly” plot. I think this book is perfect for these long and cold evenings, it feels like a hug.
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated Max Attacks in Books
Jun 7, 2019
A Cute, Fun Story!
I admit that I was sucked in by the cover for Max...Attacks by Kathi Appelt. Then I read the synopsis, and I knew that I had to read this for myself and for my 4 year old son. We were both delighted and entertained throughout this cute story. In fact, my son wanted me to read this book again right after we were done reading it the first time!
The plot for Max...Attacks if very simplistic yet fun. It's an easy plot to understand for young children. Max is a cat how likes playing (attacking) everything in sight! It's basically just a day in a life of a cat that children (and adults) will definitely enjoy with plenty of humorous moments!
The rhyming in Max...Attacks is done superbly and in such a fun way that makes it easy to read and understand. My 4 year old loved the rhyming throughout this book as did I. The easy language and rhyming help this book to flow smoothly. Sentence structure is fantastic.
The titular character of Max is one that children (and adults) will fall in love with. He's easy to love, and he's funny without even trying to be. My son and I laughed over and over at Max's attacking adventures! We also the dog and even the goldfish in the book. Okay, we loved every character. It was hard not to. I believe Kathi Appelt captured a day in the life of a cat perfectly!
The illustrations for Max...Attacks were done beautifully yet simplistically. Penelope Dullaghan, the illustrator for this book, did an amazing job with the illustrations. They are vibrant, very colorful, and extremely fun to look at. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that the illustrations really helped to make Max...Attacks as great and as enjoyable as it is. The attention to detail in these illustrations is also spot on. Seriously, these illustrations are some of the cutest and most fun that I've seen in a children's picture book in awhile. If you're looking for a book that will hold even the most inattentive child's attention, Max...Attacks is the book you need!
All in all, Max...Attacks is an incredibly fun children's book to read as well as to look at. The amazing illustrations as well as the entertaining story will definitely thrill children and adults alike. I would definitely recommend Max...Attacks by Kathi Appelt to everyone no matter their age. If you are looking for books for a specific age group, I think this would appeal to children between the ages of 3 - 6 the most. Max...Attacks gets a solid 5 out of 5 stars from me and my son.
--
(A special thank you to Lone Star Book Blog Tours for providing me with an eBook of Max...Attacks by Kathi Appelt in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.)
The plot for Max...Attacks if very simplistic yet fun. It's an easy plot to understand for young children. Max is a cat how likes playing (attacking) everything in sight! It's basically just a day in a life of a cat that children (and adults) will definitely enjoy with plenty of humorous moments!
The rhyming in Max...Attacks is done superbly and in such a fun way that makes it easy to read and understand. My 4 year old loved the rhyming throughout this book as did I. The easy language and rhyming help this book to flow smoothly. Sentence structure is fantastic.
The titular character of Max is one that children (and adults) will fall in love with. He's easy to love, and he's funny without even trying to be. My son and I laughed over and over at Max's attacking adventures! We also the dog and even the goldfish in the book. Okay, we loved every character. It was hard not to. I believe Kathi Appelt captured a day in the life of a cat perfectly!
The illustrations for Max...Attacks were done beautifully yet simplistically. Penelope Dullaghan, the illustrator for this book, did an amazing job with the illustrations. They are vibrant, very colorful, and extremely fun to look at. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that the illustrations really helped to make Max...Attacks as great and as enjoyable as it is. The attention to detail in these illustrations is also spot on. Seriously, these illustrations are some of the cutest and most fun that I've seen in a children's picture book in awhile. If you're looking for a book that will hold even the most inattentive child's attention, Max...Attacks is the book you need!
All in all, Max...Attacks is an incredibly fun children's book to read as well as to look at. The amazing illustrations as well as the entertaining story will definitely thrill children and adults alike. I would definitely recommend Max...Attacks by Kathi Appelt to everyone no matter their age. If you are looking for books for a specific age group, I think this would appeal to children between the ages of 3 - 6 the most. Max...Attacks gets a solid 5 out of 5 stars from me and my son.
--
(A special thank you to Lone Star Book Blog Tours for providing me with an eBook of Max...Attacks by Kathi Appelt in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.)
BookInspector (124 KP) rated Turbulence (The Wanderer #1) in Books
Sep 24, 2020
This book is really different from what I would normally read, and I think it’s one of those “either you love it or hate it” books and it definitely should not be judged by its cover. (I think it doesn’t really represent the book and it looks very cold) I read it in one day because to me it was awesome. This book is a collection of twelve trips between different destinations and every story talks about his encounters with women. The main character is an archaeologist and this journey starts when he was 22 years old. He doesn’t have a name or an obvious background story, but the reader can get a lot of snippets of his life through the stories. Everything, from appearance, careers even destinations suggests this book to be somehow directly related to the author himself. Was it real encounters or fictional? That’s what left me very intrigued.
I don’t normally like philosophical reads, but in this one, author disguised and blended in these parts very creatively. I do love to learn new things and facts, especially if it is related to history, and for me, all these parts were an absolute joy to read. I really loved different settings chosen for this novel as well, as I got a glimpse of different cultures and different countries. I really liked that author chose different story variations in this book, sometimes he used to get lucky with the women he met and sometimes he missed the chance or chose not to get involved. It was refreshing and very believable changes of course and I was very interested of what the next story will bring. My absolute favourite was the religious discussions. I think the author will make many Christians unhappy, but I loved all the supporting historical facts he mentioned in this book regarding religion. I don’t even have to mention any research for this book, the author has a PhD degree in history/archaeology so I trust all the information he provided. :)
The writing style of this novel is very poetic and absolutely beautiful. B. McLaren has an amazing way of portraying different topics and uniting them all in a wonderfully flowing story. I do have to throw in a disclaimer that there are some discussion and scenes regarding sex and alcohol, so this book is not suitable for young readers. The chapters were quite long for my liking, but they passed quite quickly because I used to get very absorbed in the story itself. I liked how the author decided to end this story and I think it rounded up this book well. So, to conclude, I had a great fun reading this funny, philosophical one man’s journey through life and his encounters with different women all over the world. I learned a lot, so if you like history, travelling and a little bit of philosophical discussion I think you will enjoy this book :)
I don’t normally like philosophical reads, but in this one, author disguised and blended in these parts very creatively. I do love to learn new things and facts, especially if it is related to history, and for me, all these parts were an absolute joy to read. I really loved different settings chosen for this novel as well, as I got a glimpse of different cultures and different countries. I really liked that author chose different story variations in this book, sometimes he used to get lucky with the women he met and sometimes he missed the chance or chose not to get involved. It was refreshing and very believable changes of course and I was very interested of what the next story will bring. My absolute favourite was the religious discussions. I think the author will make many Christians unhappy, but I loved all the supporting historical facts he mentioned in this book regarding religion. I don’t even have to mention any research for this book, the author has a PhD degree in history/archaeology so I trust all the information he provided. :)
The writing style of this novel is very poetic and absolutely beautiful. B. McLaren has an amazing way of portraying different topics and uniting them all in a wonderfully flowing story. I do have to throw in a disclaimer that there are some discussion and scenes regarding sex and alcohol, so this book is not suitable for young readers. The chapters were quite long for my liking, but they passed quite quickly because I used to get very absorbed in the story itself. I liked how the author decided to end this story and I think it rounded up this book well. So, to conclude, I had a great fun reading this funny, philosophical one man’s journey through life and his encounters with different women all over the world. I learned a lot, so if you like history, travelling and a little bit of philosophical discussion I think you will enjoy this book :)
Steph Freeman (26 KP) rated It (2017) in Movies
Jan 4, 2018
IT was unique from the book and previous miniseries while still maintaining the story line. (2 more)
The kids were funny, and the personalities were similar to those in the book.
Bill Skarsgård played on the fluidity of Pennywise without forcing too much comparison to Tim Curry
Most of the movie was spent wondering how they were going to finish within the time frame. (1 more)
Henry Bowers and crew were much less prominent than in the book, this might be corrected during flashbacks in the second movie.
Contains spoilers, click to show
As a die hard Stephen King fan this book entered my consciousness at 14, before the mini-series which is unusual for my age group. I've devoured all 1400 pages of the novel at least 5 times in the last 20 years, and always felt the mini-series was "good for it's time".
This movie has delivered on the promise for more in a way that was amazing and over the top. Bill Skarsgård clearly did his homework on both Pennywise from the novel and Tim Curry's terrifying rendition. I loved his ability to show the infinite being's vulnerability and desire to be included, while at the same time showing it's ferocity and anger.
The special effects delivered what the promotional material promised, and sucked me right into the world of Derry without a second thought. I loved the references to the shed burning down, the refrigerator where Bowers suffocated the dog, and the phenomenal rendition of the Neibolt street house.
If the next movie is anything like the first it's worth seeing opening night. I look forward to seeing the Loser's Club as adults.
This movie has delivered on the promise for more in a way that was amazing and over the top. Bill Skarsgård clearly did his homework on both Pennywise from the novel and Tim Curry's terrifying rendition. I loved his ability to show the infinite being's vulnerability and desire to be included, while at the same time showing it's ferocity and anger.
The special effects delivered what the promotional material promised, and sucked me right into the world of Derry without a second thought. I loved the references to the shed burning down, the refrigerator where Bowers suffocated the dog, and the phenomenal rendition of the Neibolt street house.
If the next movie is anything like the first it's worth seeing opening night. I look forward to seeing the Loser's Club as adults.