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LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012) in Movies
Sep 21, 2020
I will defend these pretentiously indie YA movies to my last breath; they're my bread and butter, cringe and all - and this one was forever used as the template for quite nearly every single one of these things from then on. The only reason most of this feels so basic, superficial, and emulative in comparison now is because of how many carbon copies of itself this spawned ("13 Reasons Why" is literally just this in *spades*, right down to the eerily similar lead performance). Of course I laugh heartily at lines like "Let's go be psychos together" and "I feel infinite" (wtf who talks like this lmfao) being delivered with a straight face and zero winking, but I'll once again defend how fake-deep this all is because have you ever fucking met a high schooler? They live in the most overexaggerated, toxic, self-absorbed, pointless milieus ever - so naturally this deliciously campy melodrama perfectly represents/exemplifies that. Sweetly and bitingly captures the essence of that time in our lives when we really thought high school mattered, and our worlds were so so small - but also has a nostalgic youthful energy headlong into the poignant transition towards adulthood. Very bittersweet, those last ten minutes are deliriously weird, bro. As somebody who loathed high school, I love this sillyass, weepy movie - it means every ounce of its cheese. Totally understand why people hate this.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2402 KP) rated I Sleep Around in Books
Jun 5, 2024
Honest Look at Van Life
In this memoir, authors Sue Ann Jaffarian talks about her decision to buy a camper van when she retired and hit the road full time. She discusses what lead to her decision and the steps she took to get ready for her new adventure before detailing what life was like that first year on the road. She talks about the joys (visiting beautiful places, making new friends) and the pitfalls (dangerously bad weather, problems with her van). She also talks about how her new life changed in 2020 as we were all trying to shelter in place.
As a fan turned friend, I have followed her journey from the time she first made the decision, and I was thrilled to read this book and get a good look at how she is adapting to his new life. The book is filled with practical advice and a realistic look at what life can be like. As I said, she covers the good and the bad, and I appreciated the balanced approach. Still, overall, she loves her new life, and that comes through. If anything, I wish we’d heard more about places she’s visited along the way, although the discussions we do get make me want to hit the road and see them for myself. If you want an honest look at the life of a full-time nomad, you’ll love this book.
As a fan turned friend, I have followed her journey from the time she first made the decision, and I was thrilled to read this book and get a good look at how she is adapting to his new life. The book is filled with practical advice and a realistic look at what life can be like. As I said, she covers the good and the bad, and I appreciated the balanced approach. Still, overall, she loves her new life, and that comes through. If anything, I wish we’d heard more about places she’s visited along the way, although the discussions we do get make me want to hit the road and see them for myself. If you want an honest look at the life of a full-time nomad, you’ll love this book.
Debbiereadsbook (1487 KP) rated Ravished by the Rhubarb (The Rhubarb Effect #3) in Books
Nov 25, 2024
Apollo doesn't like custard!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
I love reading weird stuff, and this series by Sayle and Brown hit the nail on the head every time!
Apollo thinks his mate rejected him, and tries to not be in Glass' company. But Glass did NOT reject Apollo, he was just overcome by meeting his mate. In an effort to get Apollo to talk to Glass, the pair are set up on camera duty, and Glass brings a bag of things. Turns out, the pride and or the bunch of rhubarb (which has a name but I can't remember it!) was sneaky and someone swapped the contents for some more adult toys!
What I am really enjoying about these books is that while they are a lot, and I mean A LOT of fun, there is some drama here too. In this book, Apollo thinks he can't have his mate, because he doesn't like custard. And, you really need to read the other books to get what I mean by "custard" :-p
There is a way round that, and the pride comes good with their ideas to see both Apollo and Glass happy. And they get VERY happy!
Red and Gordon are next and we might find out just who wants Red and more importantly, WHY!
4 absolute fun stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
I love reading weird stuff, and this series by Sayle and Brown hit the nail on the head every time!
Apollo thinks his mate rejected him, and tries to not be in Glass' company. But Glass did NOT reject Apollo, he was just overcome by meeting his mate. In an effort to get Apollo to talk to Glass, the pair are set up on camera duty, and Glass brings a bag of things. Turns out, the pride and or the bunch of rhubarb (which has a name but I can't remember it!) was sneaky and someone swapped the contents for some more adult toys!
What I am really enjoying about these books is that while they are a lot, and I mean A LOT of fun, there is some drama here too. In this book, Apollo thinks he can't have his mate, because he doesn't like custard. And, you really need to read the other books to get what I mean by "custard" :-p
There is a way round that, and the pride comes good with their ideas to see both Apollo and Glass happy. And they get VERY happy!
Red and Gordon are next and we might find out just who wants Red and more importantly, WHY!
4 absolute fun stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
hike messenger
Social Networking and Utilities
App
Hike is a multi-layered messaging app chosen by more than 100 million users worldwide. Now express...
Piano with Songs
Music and Games
5.0
Rate It
App
Piano Free has the largest song catalog of any piano on the app store. With over 1,500 songs to...
LilyLovesIndie (123 KP) rated Songs from the Phenomenal Nothing in Books
Nov 5, 2018
IÕll be honest, I had never heard of this author or read the blurb when I signed up to this event, but I am so grateful that this particular opportunity came knocking on my door. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this story and have to thank the author, Steven Luna, for the chance to read and review his amazing writing. I have so much good to say about this book that IÕll waste no time in getting started, and I hope I donÕt repeat myself too much.
The first thing I absolutely adored about this book is how incredibly engaging and well written the plot was. In all honesty, TylerÕs struggles with his motherÕs death could have very easily become cliche and tiresome very quickly, but not once when reading this book did I feel bored or like I wasnÕt fully engaged with Tyler and his dilemma. Luna really pulls you right into his story quickly, leaving no time to Ôum and aahÕ over things, you just jump straight in and keep on going on what is a roller coaster of superbly written twists and turns. IÕve not read many books with this kind of subject matter, but I feel like I want to read more, and almost felt a little bereft when I finished the book as I so wanted there to be more to it! That is, perhaps, the only negative I have Ð I was gutted to find that the book had finished! It was just that good I didnÕt want it to ever end!
This is, in part, to how wonderful the characters are. Tyler, as the lead, is incredibly easy to invest emotionally in. HeÕs believable, much like the entire plot, and his emotions are so easy to understand, even if they do break your heart as you watch him, essentially, turn his rage and grief on himself and Tom. Xan and Chelsea, although minor characters, also leave a lasting impression, much like Trevor and Tom. This is a testament to Steven LunaÕs way of writing as it is very rare a minor character grabs my attention and thoughts much when I put the book down, but IÕve found myself not only thinking about Tyler, but also Tom and Xan quite a lot too.
Something else that really needs a mention is how emotionally charged this book is, but in all the right ways. I guess IÕd better explain exactly what I mean here, because I mean to give the highest praise to Steven Luna on this note. I love a book that not only engages my brain as IÕm reading, but also engages my heart, and ÔSongsÕ does this so completely that at times I truly wished I could reach into the kindle and make everything all right again for Tyler. Having recently experienced my own loss to cancer, this book really did touch a delicate part of my heart but in the best possible way. Steven Luna writes with such sincerity and honesty in this tale that I truly believed every word, my heart aching and my eyes moistening as I lived through TylerÕs sadness. ItÕs very hard for an author to make me cry, but within the first few pages that is exactly what was happening, and I wish to offer the highest praise for the style with which Luna manages this.
And so, IÕm going to wrap this up, partly because the superlatives are running out, and partly because I am literally dying to get onto reading some of his other writing. This book is, like the title suggests, truly phenomenal. It was difficult to put down, gripping from the first chapter and above all, a very believable and easy book to read. I cannot recommend this twisting tale highly enough, and I wish to take this opportunity to thank Steven Luna for opening my heart to a new range of emotions.
ARC received in return for an honest review as part of a blog tour on Lily Loves Indie - http://lilylovesindie.co.uk/?p=250
The first thing I absolutely adored about this book is how incredibly engaging and well written the plot was. In all honesty, TylerÕs struggles with his motherÕs death could have very easily become cliche and tiresome very quickly, but not once when reading this book did I feel bored or like I wasnÕt fully engaged with Tyler and his dilemma. Luna really pulls you right into his story quickly, leaving no time to Ôum and aahÕ over things, you just jump straight in and keep on going on what is a roller coaster of superbly written twists and turns. IÕve not read many books with this kind of subject matter, but I feel like I want to read more, and almost felt a little bereft when I finished the book as I so wanted there to be more to it! That is, perhaps, the only negative I have Ð I was gutted to find that the book had finished! It was just that good I didnÕt want it to ever end!
This is, in part, to how wonderful the characters are. Tyler, as the lead, is incredibly easy to invest emotionally in. HeÕs believable, much like the entire plot, and his emotions are so easy to understand, even if they do break your heart as you watch him, essentially, turn his rage and grief on himself and Tom. Xan and Chelsea, although minor characters, also leave a lasting impression, much like Trevor and Tom. This is a testament to Steven LunaÕs way of writing as it is very rare a minor character grabs my attention and thoughts much when I put the book down, but IÕve found myself not only thinking about Tyler, but also Tom and Xan quite a lot too.
Something else that really needs a mention is how emotionally charged this book is, but in all the right ways. I guess IÕd better explain exactly what I mean here, because I mean to give the highest praise to Steven Luna on this note. I love a book that not only engages my brain as IÕm reading, but also engages my heart, and ÔSongsÕ does this so completely that at times I truly wished I could reach into the kindle and make everything all right again for Tyler. Having recently experienced my own loss to cancer, this book really did touch a delicate part of my heart but in the best possible way. Steven Luna writes with such sincerity and honesty in this tale that I truly believed every word, my heart aching and my eyes moistening as I lived through TylerÕs sadness. ItÕs very hard for an author to make me cry, but within the first few pages that is exactly what was happening, and I wish to offer the highest praise for the style with which Luna manages this.
And so, IÕm going to wrap this up, partly because the superlatives are running out, and partly because I am literally dying to get onto reading some of his other writing. This book is, like the title suggests, truly phenomenal. It was difficult to put down, gripping from the first chapter and above all, a very believable and easy book to read. I cannot recommend this twisting tale highly enough, and I wish to take this opportunity to thank Steven Luna for opening my heart to a new range of emotions.
ARC received in return for an honest review as part of a blog tour on Lily Loves Indie - http://lilylovesindie.co.uk/?p=250
Naomi Forrest (42 KP) rated City of Ghosts in Books
Dec 31, 2018 (Updated Dec 31, 2018)
I haven't read any Victoria Schwab before though I do have another of her books to read and I know that she is extremely popular, particularly for fans of the young adult genre. This book piqued my interest as a middle grade ghost story so when I found it at a gorgeous second hand book store in Alnwick, Northumberland (you trade your old books in for new ones, it is amazing!), I snapped it up.
Cass is a brilliant protagonist....she's weird, she knows she's weird and she embraces her weird. We live in a world of fashion rules and being told that being different is wrong, even now in 2018. To be the generic carbon copy makes you popular. As Cass says:
'I know you're supposed to want to be one of the popular kids....It just seems like it would be exhausting...Smile, but not too wide. Laugh, but not too loud.'
From this quote alone, you just know that Schwab understands pre-teens and teens. She has been there. Cass is a brilliant character to empower the intended audience and show them it's good to be different. The other big character in the book is Cass's best friend, Jacob, who often has amusing little retorts to Cass and adds humour throughout the book. Oh yes, and he's dead! Apart from this interesting fact and also that he saved Cass's life, the bond between the two is like any other friendship and I get the feeling we will see more of these characters. It is hinted at in the story that Jacob remaining in the world of the living may create problems so it raises a lot of questions about what is coming. I was constantly questioning throughout the book, where did Jacob come from? Did he die saving Cass? Why has he not crossed over? How can he come through the veil? The writing just flows so easily and is told through Cass's eyes. I'm not always the biggest fan of present tense writing in novel's but the use of first person really put me into Cass's world and I had to know about the veil! (I was also a big Ghost Whisperer fan).
This book also has one of my favourite things, a cute little map at the start. However, unlike the often fiction maps that enhance the story, this is Cassidy's map of Edinburgh, which is pretty awesome, especially as I know the places on it, living just an hour's train ride from the city. It shows the main places you would expect, as well as Blackwell's book shop (it is a good Blackwell's too, bigger than Newcastle!). I just love maps in books, I spend ages pouring over them and it really adds to the pictures in your mind.
Of course, being a ghost story, this novel is quite edgy for middle grade but absolutely age appropriate and Schwab is so skillful at pushing the tension right up before diffusing it at just the right point. I get scared even by some young adult ghost stories (no lie) and this one was borderline comfortable for me. The description perfectly set the scene and I truly felt like I was in a foggy graveyard in the dark, or underground in Mary King's Close. I love how Schwab drew on Scottish history and Scotland's love of ghost stories and seamlessly weaves them with the fiction of this ghost hunting American family. I think a lot of children who I come across and potentially across the country may have been to Edinburgh so it makes the story a little bit more accessible while the fantasy creates a boundary from it being too scary. Cass is also a big fan of Harry Potter and the frequent references throughout will really resonate with contemporary children who also love the series.
I loved this book and can't wait for what follows on. It is definitely an exciting addition to a class bookshelf for the ghost story lover but would be a gripping book to share with your class just for pleasure. Brimming with tension, spine tingling atmosphere and completely relevant to the modern day pre-teen, I recommend whole heartedly.
Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated The Ambrose Beacon (The Solas Prophecy, #1) in Books
Jan 23, 2020
Original Review posted at <a title="The Ambrose Beacon by Alena Gouveia" href="http://bookwyrming-thoughts.blogspot.com/2013/11/review-the-ambrose-beacon-by-alena-gouveia.html">Bookwyrming Thoughts<a/>
Note: Formatting is lost due to copy and paste, along with pictures and captions
<i><b>Disclaimer:</b> Review copy provided by author for review</i>
Let me blunt about The Ambrose Beacon: it was boring. It also became the third unfortunate book that lands into my DNF list and the first fantasy book oh wait. Not exactly the first... does the Caster Chronicles count as Fantasy, or does it count as Paranormal? If it counts as paranormal, then The Ambrose Beacon became the unfortunate first fantasy book I didn't finish.
So essentially, I give fair warning: I rated and reviewed it based on what I could manage to read so far. Which, I think I was being a bit lenient about, but I didn't throw the book against the wall, so it certainly didn't deserve a lower rating.
Now allow me to tell why I found it boring, and my general thoughts on it:
Larry and Jerry. They sound so similar (they rhyme as well), that I was befuddled and mistakenly read Jerry as Larry and vice-versa when it was really the other way around. They're best friends and one of them is the main character. How confusing can that get?
The characters don't seem to be in depth. While I get the why for Harper and Arianna, the other characters simply seem virtually pancake-like (no offense). Add to the fact that it suddenly switches POVs without some sort of sign. One minute it's Cole, the next? Dinah, Jerry, Harper, Vaughn, etc. >_<
Fairies. Probably one of my favorite things to read about, and it's not because they're sparkly and pretty and whatnot. But I was actually interested in Gouveia's take on fairies when the word was
mentioned in the earliest parts of the book.
Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be well written, nor realistic. I mean, doing magic in public. In front of human eyewitnesses. That doesn't sound like the typical faery to me that tries to not let the human world find out about them because then it's all, "IT'S THE APOCALYPSE. I must be seeing things," or maybe, "HOLY MONKEYS. FAIRIES EXIST" *rubs eyes to make sure it's not an illusion.* But the fairies here seem like a bounce off of Fantastic Four (even though I haven't watched the movie). More like superheroes than the sidhe.
The same thing is repeated, but in different variations. Oh hooray. Demons, demons and more demons. Same kind of demon, which isn't a problem for me, but the very fact that they tend to be doing the same thing over and over and over again throughout the entire book, which is the main reason why I stopped (I really did stop at exactly 50%). There's not a lot going on, although maybe if I had the time and gave the book further chances, there might be other things going on rather than "OMG, THERE'S A DEMON THAT WANTS MY HEAD ON A PLATTER. RUN." (or in the case here, it's fight to the death.)
Generally I like fantasy. I love the creative worlds and character and creatures made up that gives me a free ticket to travel okay, that applies to any book really without having to move a single inch, and the very fact that you can't exactly buy a plane ticket to the area in the first place. Someone tell me if we can really buy a plane ticket to the Faery Realms if you so disagree on that fact. Of course... I wouldn't exactly try and mess with fairies in the first place.
I tried liking the story. I thought first thought it was because of reading The Jungle, which is dreadfully boring, and it may have influenced my thoughts on this one. Then I read Allegiant for awhile and came back to it. It didn't work out well either (and Allegiant didn't bore me).
So simply put, The Ambrose Beacon is not really my cup of tea.
*eats a biscuit and avoids unsweetened tea*
I really hate giving bad reviews. Especially DNFs.
Note: Formatting is lost due to copy and paste, along with pictures and captions
<i><b>Disclaimer:</b> Review copy provided by author for review</i>
Let me blunt about The Ambrose Beacon: it was boring. It also became the third unfortunate book that lands into my DNF list and the first fantasy book oh wait. Not exactly the first... does the Caster Chronicles count as Fantasy, or does it count as Paranormal? If it counts as paranormal, then The Ambrose Beacon became the unfortunate first fantasy book I didn't finish.
So essentially, I give fair warning: I rated and reviewed it based on what I could manage to read so far. Which, I think I was being a bit lenient about, but I didn't throw the book against the wall, so it certainly didn't deserve a lower rating.
Now allow me to tell why I found it boring, and my general thoughts on it:
Larry and Jerry. They sound so similar (they rhyme as well), that I was befuddled and mistakenly read Jerry as Larry and vice-versa when it was really the other way around. They're best friends and one of them is the main character. How confusing can that get?
The characters don't seem to be in depth. While I get the why for Harper and Arianna, the other characters simply seem virtually pancake-like (no offense). Add to the fact that it suddenly switches POVs without some sort of sign. One minute it's Cole, the next? Dinah, Jerry, Harper, Vaughn, etc. >_<
Fairies. Probably one of my favorite things to read about, and it's not because they're sparkly and pretty and whatnot. But I was actually interested in Gouveia's take on fairies when the word was
mentioned in the earliest parts of the book.
Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be well written, nor realistic. I mean, doing magic in public. In front of human eyewitnesses. That doesn't sound like the typical faery to me that tries to not let the human world find out about them because then it's all, "IT'S THE APOCALYPSE. I must be seeing things," or maybe, "HOLY MONKEYS. FAIRIES EXIST" *rubs eyes to make sure it's not an illusion.* But the fairies here seem like a bounce off of Fantastic Four (even though I haven't watched the movie). More like superheroes than the sidhe.
The same thing is repeated, but in different variations. Oh hooray. Demons, demons and more demons. Same kind of demon, which isn't a problem for me, but the very fact that they tend to be doing the same thing over and over and over again throughout the entire book, which is the main reason why I stopped (I really did stop at exactly 50%). There's not a lot going on, although maybe if I had the time and gave the book further chances, there might be other things going on rather than "OMG, THERE'S A DEMON THAT WANTS MY HEAD ON A PLATTER. RUN." (or in the case here, it's fight to the death.)
Generally I like fantasy. I love the creative worlds and character and creatures made up that gives me a free ticket to travel okay, that applies to any book really without having to move a single inch, and the very fact that you can't exactly buy a plane ticket to the area in the first place. Someone tell me if we can really buy a plane ticket to the Faery Realms if you so disagree on that fact. Of course... I wouldn't exactly try and mess with fairies in the first place.
I tried liking the story. I thought first thought it was because of reading The Jungle, which is dreadfully boring, and it may have influenced my thoughts on this one. Then I read Allegiant for awhile and came back to it. It didn't work out well either (and Allegiant didn't bore me).
So simply put, The Ambrose Beacon is not really my cup of tea.
*eats a biscuit and avoids unsweetened tea*
I really hate giving bad reviews. Especially DNFs.