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The House of Hades (The Heroes of Olympus #4)
The House of Hades (The Heroes of Olympus #4)
Rick Riordan | 2013 | Young Adult (YA)
10
9.5 (12 Ratings)
Book Rating
Okay this book was without a doubt the best in the series to date! I absolutely cannot wait for the final book in the series...but I'm not looking forward to the idea that the coming novel may mean the last the literary world gets to hear from Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, & the rest of their friends. This book bounces back & forth between Percy & Annabeth's harrowing journey through Tartarus & the rest of the 7 as they venture through the ancient lands to try to find the Doors of Death on Earth. The book was in fifth gear from page one & didn't let up, even at the end so be prepared. Just like in the third book, the fourth one is left VERY much hanging. Riordan has turned himself into a master of suspense with his cliffhanger endings in this series! Kudos
  
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Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated Engleby in Books

Aug 20, 2017  
Engleby
Engleby
Sebastian Faulks | 2008 | Fiction & Poetry
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Disappointing new book from Sebastian Faulks
I usually admire author Sebastian Faulks, who is a literary hero, especially for his lyrical and beautiful prose so I was definitely disappointed with the plot of this story. No doubt, it is well written, but the protagonist is so odious that I wanted to stop reading this. He is a pretentious, arrogant snob, and as you'll read, he also has a fair few demons. And I understand why he has been written as such because you'll hate him even more in the end. But it's borderline between having to read to the end and just wanting it to stop. So I'm not completely convinced.

There is an element of exploring mental illness and what makes a psychopath, but it is covered up by the self-serving first person narrative. Very cringe-worthy indeed.
  
Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018)
Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018)
2018 | Drama
Slightly curious true-life tale of literary forger Lee Israel (McCarthy) and her accomplice Jack Hock (Grant). Somewhat unevenly pitched between cheerily amoral caper comedy and downbeat, naturalistic drama exploring big ideas about creativity and authenticity, but the story is well told and fairly involving.

I'm not entirely sure how the two stars have both managed to swing Oscar nominations, for this particular movie at least - it's not as if either of them is actually bad, but they're both essentially delivering variations on their standard performance (McCarthy: abrasive, acid-tongued loudmouth; Grant: pantomime dame). It's hard to shake the impression that McCarthy has managed to get herself Oscar nominated mainly for putting on a wig, but there is a long if somewhat ignoble tradition of the academy rewarding actresses for being brave enough to de-glam themselves on screen. So it goes.