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Ready Player One
Ready Player One
Ernest Cline | 2011 | Fiction & Poetry
10
8.9 (161 Ratings)
Book Rating
This was an incredibly fun and nostalgic read. Though I wasn't born in the 80's, I did (and still do) enjoy a great deal of the material discussed in this book. I listened on Audible and it was narrated by Wil Wheaton which significantly added to the enjoyment factor. I would absolutely recommend that anyone interested in this book listen to it aloud. Each character is clearly identifiable through the voice acting.

The biggest difficulty for me in this book was getting into the mindset of a teenage boy. There were chunks of time where I just didn't care about the main character and really wished someone else was giving their perspective. Given that this is my only complaint, it was a fantastic book and one I would certainly enjoy again another time.
  
The Immortalists
The Immortalists
Chloe Benjamin | 2018 | Fiction & Poetry
9
7.5 (10 Ratings)
Book Rating
Mystery (2 more)
Intrigue
Makes you question life
Is fate entirely inexorable?
The Gold siblings, having gone to see a fortune teller who tells them the date they will each die attempt to A.) Forget, B.) Live life to the fullest beforw the inevitable or C.) Find a way to change it.

This book made me think, hard about what my life is leading up to. It made me wonder if that niggling fear of death and my attempts to avoid it were all in vain. It also gave me an appreciation for how I have lived my life thus far. This novel is beautiful and heart rending while somehow, in the end, giving hope that while we may just be along for the ride, life can be beautiful and worth the heartbreak.
  
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Flynn (6 KP) rated Uhura's Song in Books

Sep 18, 2018  
Uhura's Song
Uhura's Song
Janet Kagan | 2018 | Fiction & Poetry
10
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
I've noticed there aren't many places where feline characters have background and depth in the Star Trek universe, but this book did a wonderful job of giving insight into a different culture. There was quite a lot of detail in the body language cues of the Sivoans; I especially enjoyed the fact that their tails were the main outlet of most emotions. I've also enjoyed when Uhura has her moments, when she is vital to the plot as in this book and [b:The Tears of the Singers|1560530|The Tears of the Singers|Melinda M. Snodgrass|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1185232470s/1560530.jpg|1553068] because of her voice. I also thoroughly enjoyed the character Tail-Kinker to-Ennien, for who doesn't enjoy that character that constantly baffles and confuses Spock?
  
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Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated The Front Runner (2018) in Movies

Jun 22, 2019 (Updated Sep 25, 2019)  
The Front Runner (2018)
The Front Runner (2018)
2018 | Biography, Drama
The Front Runner is a tricky one to sum up. We've got some excellent acting talent giving solid performances but *shrugs shoulders* it's just another average story. Perhaps it holds more weight with an American audience.

Much like Colette this one felt very long, but that feeling hit much earlier into the screening. I wasn't bored, but there was a lot of this film. I'm not even sure that taking anything out would improve my feelings about it.

I could honestly finish my review there, I made no notes at all. There was nothing that made this film stand out above anything else in this genre. It's a well made film about an average story, and that's its problem.

What you should do

It's a good film but it can definitely wait until it's streaming.
  
Mary Poppins Returns (2018)
Mary Poppins Returns (2018)
2018 | Family
It's arguable that Disney take a big risk in making a sequel to one of their most beloved movies (and the one that Walt Disney himself saw as their pinnacle), decades after the original, and with a different actor (Emily Blunt) taking on the role most associated with Julie Andrews.

And, while it's enjoyable enough, this doesn't really hold a candle to that original, despite Emily Blunt giving it her all (and, from what I remember, portraying a somewhat 'softer' Mary Poppins).

The structure is pretty similar to the first film, complete with a last-minute rush to the bank, with the film again focusing on the Banks family: the 2 children from the original now grown up, with worries and a family of their own providing the McGuffin that gets Mary Poppins to return.
  
The Night Country (The Hazel Wood #2)
The Night Country (The Hazel Wood #2)
Melissa Albert | 2019 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
8
7.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is probably even darker than the first book. I really like reworked fairy tales, and I think the characters in this series are more like the characters that the Brothers Grimm had in mind before they were told to rewrite them less scary (I still want to get my hands on the originals - they sound deliciously dark, like this book).

This is a great continuation of the first novel. It looks at how Alice and the other Hinterlanders settle in to life in New York, and Finch’s continuing adventures in The Hinterland. I can’t say much more than this without giving the story away, but needless to say, if you enjoyed the first book, you’ll love this one!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for my copy to read and honestly review!
  
Batman (1989)
Batman (1989)
1989 | Action
"Some days you just can't get rid of a bomb..."

Oh, wait, wrong Batman!

Completely and utterly tonally different than the Adam West incarnation, this version has Michael Keaton - at the time, a controversial casting choice of an actor known for more comedic roles - taking on the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman in a very Gothic setting: all high rises, smoke and corruption.

With Commissioner Gordon only given a token role, and changing elements of the Batman mythos in giving Jack Nicholson's Joker a pre-Joker identity (and in having him responsible for the murder of Bruce's parents), this Batman also does not seem at all concerned with his famous no-killing rule (or is it a guideline?). It's also definitely a product of its time, complete with songs by Prince woven into the narrative!