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Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated Future Home of the Living God in Books
Mar 25, 2018
Minority Representation (1 more)
Interesting premise
NO ANSWERS (1 more)
No resolution
Well that was a waste of time. This book spends its entire length asking one real question. Will the main character's baby survive? There are a number of smaller questions - Will the baby be born normal? Why is evolution turning backwards, or sideways? What happened to the main character's father? What happened to her friend from the hospital? What happened to her husband? Does she ever find freedom?
THE BOOK ANSWERS NONE OF THESE QUESTIONS.
I am really frustrated with this book. Why did I bother reading it if it refuses to resolve any of its plotlines?
We're going to get a little bit into writing theory here. It has been a classic recommendation to have the climax of your book 2/3 of the way through the book, and have the last third be denouement. Wrap-up. Show us how the climax affected the characters and the world. John Green does this well - all his books follow a standard plot line. Character A is introduced. A meets B. B changes A's life. B leaves A's life. (Those last two are usually incorporated in the climax of the book.) A has to learn how to live without B in a world changed by B's existence in it. It's a little formulaic, but it works for Green, and his books are great. Some books do not do this so well. Wheel of Time had 5-6 pages of denouement after the series climax, and nothing was really revealed about how the events changed the world for the better. Future Home of the Living God had TWO. TWO PAGES AFTER THE CLIMAX. AND THEY ANSWER NOTHING. The main character talks about missing winter.
I finished the book and almost threw it across the room. I probably would have, except for two things: I was at a friend's house, and it was a library book. That's all that saved it from that fate. I have stacks of books I want to read, and I feel like I just wasted a few hours on this piece of crap.
The writing was actually pretty good, and the main character is an Ojibwe Indian, so there's minority representation, but the book as a whole was just CRAP. Wrap up your plotlines. Answer the questions you ask. (At least the ones having to do with your plot - you can leave unanswered philosophical questions, that's fine.)
Hard pass on this book.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com
THE BOOK ANSWERS NONE OF THESE QUESTIONS.
I am really frustrated with this book. Why did I bother reading it if it refuses to resolve any of its plotlines?
We're going to get a little bit into writing theory here. It has been a classic recommendation to have the climax of your book 2/3 of the way through the book, and have the last third be denouement. Wrap-up. Show us how the climax affected the characters and the world. John Green does this well - all his books follow a standard plot line. Character A is introduced. A meets B. B changes A's life. B leaves A's life. (Those last two are usually incorporated in the climax of the book.) A has to learn how to live without B in a world changed by B's existence in it. It's a little formulaic, but it works for Green, and his books are great. Some books do not do this so well. Wheel of Time had 5-6 pages of denouement after the series climax, and nothing was really revealed about how the events changed the world for the better. Future Home of the Living God had TWO. TWO PAGES AFTER THE CLIMAX. AND THEY ANSWER NOTHING. The main character talks about missing winter.
I finished the book and almost threw it across the room. I probably would have, except for two things: I was at a friend's house, and it was a library book. That's all that saved it from that fate. I have stacks of books I want to read, and I feel like I just wasted a few hours on this piece of crap.
The writing was actually pretty good, and the main character is an Ojibwe Indian, so there's minority representation, but the book as a whole was just CRAP. Wrap up your plotlines. Answer the questions you ask. (At least the ones having to do with your plot - you can leave unanswered philosophical questions, that's fine.)
Hard pass on this book.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Bad Words (2014) in Movies
Jun 19, 2019
Guy Trilby (Jason Bateman) is a man with some issues. At 40 he works away as a proofreader in his small Ohio community and has little going for himself in the way of friends, career, or a social life.
Guy decides to enter into spelling competitions using the loophole that since he never completed the 8th grade, he is still eligible to compete under the bylaws of competition.
Needless to say this does not make him a well-liked person especially when he dominates the competition and wins entry to compete in a nationally televised competition.
To say that the surly Triby is the worst nightmare come true for the competition would be an understatement but despite their best efforts to keep him out and place him at a disadvantage, Guy dominates the competition with a mix of psych out tactics, mind games, and a very well-defined knowledge of spelling.
A journalist named Jenny (Kathryn Hahn), attempts to get Guy to reveal his true reasons for entering the competition but despite the fact that her outlet is sponsoring guy and covering his expenses, he remains largely tight lipped about his reasons and continues to deploy all manner of underhanded tactics to get inside the heads of his much younger competition.
A young Indian prodigy named Chaitanya (Rohan Chad), starts to bond with Guy who despite his best efforts becomes fond of the boy and sees a kindred spirit in the child despite being forced to compete against one another.
As the competition heats up, Guy and his new friend bond which causes Guy to question many aspects of his life all of which results in a funny yet poignant journey.
Jason Bateman is making his directorial debut with the film and does a solid job. While I had expected the film to play much more to the bawdy humor and Guy’s methods to undermine his younger foes, the film actually plays out more as a drama with comedy elements.
The film is not one that is going to light up the numbers at the box office and I would not be surprised if it is largely ignored in favor of the more glamorous films that are opening against it. That being said, the film is a solid and enjoyable story and I believe that when audiences discover it, likely on DVD and Netflix they will come to appreciate the film and the creative team behind it.
As it stands, a very good premise that at times struggles with its identity, but delivers when it counts.
http://sknr.net/2014/03/21/bad-words/
Guy decides to enter into spelling competitions using the loophole that since he never completed the 8th grade, he is still eligible to compete under the bylaws of competition.
Needless to say this does not make him a well-liked person especially when he dominates the competition and wins entry to compete in a nationally televised competition.
To say that the surly Triby is the worst nightmare come true for the competition would be an understatement but despite their best efforts to keep him out and place him at a disadvantage, Guy dominates the competition with a mix of psych out tactics, mind games, and a very well-defined knowledge of spelling.
A journalist named Jenny (Kathryn Hahn), attempts to get Guy to reveal his true reasons for entering the competition but despite the fact that her outlet is sponsoring guy and covering his expenses, he remains largely tight lipped about his reasons and continues to deploy all manner of underhanded tactics to get inside the heads of his much younger competition.
A young Indian prodigy named Chaitanya (Rohan Chad), starts to bond with Guy who despite his best efforts becomes fond of the boy and sees a kindred spirit in the child despite being forced to compete against one another.
As the competition heats up, Guy and his new friend bond which causes Guy to question many aspects of his life all of which results in a funny yet poignant journey.
Jason Bateman is making his directorial debut with the film and does a solid job. While I had expected the film to play much more to the bawdy humor and Guy’s methods to undermine his younger foes, the film actually plays out more as a drama with comedy elements.
The film is not one that is going to light up the numbers at the box office and I would not be surprised if it is largely ignored in favor of the more glamorous films that are opening against it. That being said, the film is a solid and enjoyable story and I believe that when audiences discover it, likely on DVD and Netflix they will come to appreciate the film and the creative team behind it.
As it stands, a very good premise that at times struggles with its identity, but delivers when it counts.
http://sknr.net/2014/03/21/bad-words/
Hazel (1853 KP) rated Hostage Three in Books
Dec 17, 2018
<i>I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.</i>
<i>Hostage Three</i> is the second literary thriller by Carnegie Shortlisted Nick Lake. I must admit that I was a little apprehensive about reading this book after having read Lake’s first literary thriller, <i>In Darkness</i>, which, although well written, was rather hard going and, at times, boring. However I really enjoyed <i>Hostage Three</i>. Maybe it helped having a narrator I could relate to more, or maybe it was because the narrative was not shared between two major different time periods as <i>In Darkness</i> was. Whatever the reason, it was good.
The narrative jumps straight in to something happening in 2008 on the coast of Eyl, Puntland, Somalia. Seventeen-year-old Amy Fields is on a yacht, there are pirates; it appears someone is about to be killed. End of part one. What has happened? What is going to happen? Begin part two, three and a half months earlier. From this moment on Amy narrates what has happened in the lead up to the initial insight given and what happened afterwards. The reader learns more about Amy, her father and his wife, Sarah, who Amy constantly refers to as ‘the stepmother’, which gives an indication of their tense relationship. Throughout the book there are also flashbacks to what happened to Amy’s real mother, a sufferer of severe OCD, and the events that caused Amy to become the rebellious teenager she is portrayed as at the beginning of the novel.
Amy and her family end up travelling the world on a private yacht only to get taken hostage by pirates in the Indian Ocean. To begin with it is clear that the Fields family and yacht crew are the goodies and the pirates the baddies, however Amy begins to develop a complicated, secret relationship with one of the pirates, Farouz. The reader discovers the pirates’ motives, well at least Farouz’s motives, behind the hostage situation. Things begin to look less black and white, less good versus bad. And everything, of course, becomes more complex once romance is thrown into the mix.
<i>Hostage Three</i> is well worth a read. Lake writes really well and keeps the reader engaged. It is as if Amy is talking to the reader the entire time. Once you get used to the unconventional use of punctuation (no speech marks) it will become fast paced and you will be torn between wanting to read it all in one go and wanting to slow down to prevent it from ending too soon!
<i>Hostage Three</i> is the second literary thriller by Carnegie Shortlisted Nick Lake. I must admit that I was a little apprehensive about reading this book after having read Lake’s first literary thriller, <i>In Darkness</i>, which, although well written, was rather hard going and, at times, boring. However I really enjoyed <i>Hostage Three</i>. Maybe it helped having a narrator I could relate to more, or maybe it was because the narrative was not shared between two major different time periods as <i>In Darkness</i> was. Whatever the reason, it was good.
The narrative jumps straight in to something happening in 2008 on the coast of Eyl, Puntland, Somalia. Seventeen-year-old Amy Fields is on a yacht, there are pirates; it appears someone is about to be killed. End of part one. What has happened? What is going to happen? Begin part two, three and a half months earlier. From this moment on Amy narrates what has happened in the lead up to the initial insight given and what happened afterwards. The reader learns more about Amy, her father and his wife, Sarah, who Amy constantly refers to as ‘the stepmother’, which gives an indication of their tense relationship. Throughout the book there are also flashbacks to what happened to Amy’s real mother, a sufferer of severe OCD, and the events that caused Amy to become the rebellious teenager she is portrayed as at the beginning of the novel.
Amy and her family end up travelling the world on a private yacht only to get taken hostage by pirates in the Indian Ocean. To begin with it is clear that the Fields family and yacht crew are the goodies and the pirates the baddies, however Amy begins to develop a complicated, secret relationship with one of the pirates, Farouz. The reader discovers the pirates’ motives, well at least Farouz’s motives, behind the hostage situation. Things begin to look less black and white, less good versus bad. And everything, of course, becomes more complex once romance is thrown into the mix.
<i>Hostage Three</i> is well worth a read. Lake writes really well and keeps the reader engaged. It is as if Amy is talking to the reader the entire time. Once you get used to the unconventional use of punctuation (no speech marks) it will become fast paced and you will be torn between wanting to read it all in one go and wanting to slow down to prevent it from ending too soon!
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Aladdin (2019) in Movies
Jul 2, 2019
Guy Ritchie’s live action remake really was a hit for me. Not much of the story has changed which is fine. I went into this film excited but with a few weary doubts. I was for sure that nothing could compare to the 1992 two dimensional Genie I grew to adore. I then however convinced myself to treat the film as its own entity and not as a comparison. I mean come on, nothing can compare to a cartoon version of anything. You can animate just about anything but trying to flip the story to live-action and expecting the same results can be risky. In the remake it worked out well for the most part. Anytime Genie was his big blue self that’s when the CG that was used was extremely noticeable. I just have never been a fan of CG use on actors, it used to freak me out as a kid. I know it sounds strange but I quickly got over it and was able to really enjoy the film.
When the film was being discussed and or planned the stipulation at least for the two leads (Mena Massaud and Naomi Scott) was, they of course had to be of Indian or Middle Eastern descent, they had to be able to sing and dance and they had to be newcomers. I thought they were perfectly cast and had great chemistry. They also were both able to stand their ground and their performances certainly didn’t get lost playing along side Will Smith. Though he is incomparable to Robin Williams he did do an outstanding job at Genie and I think Williams would be proud of his rendition.
One of my favorite things Disney films have always delivered in any of their films has been the atmosphere and sets. The colors of Agraba are vibrant and inviting. You can almost smell the spices and feel the warm breeze flowing through the city. I am also pleased that Alan Mankin has returned to compose the music for the film. All songs have been kept the same with the addition of a few new songs so be sure to at least sing along with them.
In my honest opinion this live-action remake of Disney’s Aladdin has been my favorite of the live-action Disney remade films so far. It is a two hour nostalgic film filled wth laughs, action, lots of parkour and good life lessons. Money or power can’t always buy happiness.
When the film was being discussed and or planned the stipulation at least for the two leads (Mena Massaud and Naomi Scott) was, they of course had to be of Indian or Middle Eastern descent, they had to be able to sing and dance and they had to be newcomers. I thought they were perfectly cast and had great chemistry. They also were both able to stand their ground and their performances certainly didn’t get lost playing along side Will Smith. Though he is incomparable to Robin Williams he did do an outstanding job at Genie and I think Williams would be proud of his rendition.
One of my favorite things Disney films have always delivered in any of their films has been the atmosphere and sets. The colors of Agraba are vibrant and inviting. You can almost smell the spices and feel the warm breeze flowing through the city. I am also pleased that Alan Mankin has returned to compose the music for the film. All songs have been kept the same with the addition of a few new songs so be sure to at least sing along with them.
In my honest opinion this live-action remake of Disney’s Aladdin has been my favorite of the live-action Disney remade films so far. It is a two hour nostalgic film filled wth laughs, action, lots of parkour and good life lessons. Money or power can’t always buy happiness.
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