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Moving Pictures
Moving Pictures
Terry Pratchett | 2005 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (9 Ratings)
Book Rating
Discworld Industrial Revolution #1
<2021 update>

I hadn't realised that this book had the first appearance(s) of Ponder Stibbons, Arch-Chancellor Mustrum Ridcully alongside that of Gaspode the Wonder Dog! (well, maybe I knew the latter)

<original review>

Book #10 in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, which (for my money) stands alongside Soul Music as one of his best works, perhaps because these are the two books it is easiest to catch the many allusions in!

This is the one where Discworld discovers the magic of the Motion Picture, culminating in a not-quite-right scene of a giant lady carrying a screaming ape up a tall building (Ankh-Morpork's Tower of Art in the Unseen University), and is also, perhaps, the only book where CMOT Dibbler is actually a major character rather than an extra.
  
The City of Tears (The Burning Chambers #2)
The City of Tears (The Burning Chambers #2)
Kate Mosse | 2020 | Fiction & Poetry, History & Politics
9
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
A must read!
What a book! An amazing sequel to The Burning Chambers. The detail in the description is exactly what I have come to expect from Kate Mosse’s books and she did not disappoint with this one. I loved seeing Piet and Minou’s family grow. There was the same amount of suspense about whether and how things would work out for them all, and that suspense carried on right until the last chapter and even the last sentences. I cannot wait for the third instalment of this series and to find out more about what happens to they Reydon family and whether they can in fact live their lives in peace or whether trouble will always find them! A must read for anyone who is interested in historical fiction as it touches on some major events in history.
  
Champion
Champion
Marie Lu | 2013 | Fiction & Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
6
9.1 (8 Ratings)
Book Rating
Hmm, I dunno how I feel. I never really connected with this series when I started reading the second book a week or so ago. It had been too long since the first and my taste in books changes pretty regularly.

I wanted them to figure out the Republic/Colonies argument but at the same time I wasn't that bothered. I didn't even read it all, I skimmed a lot of it near the end. The only thing I truly felt passionate about was that Commander Jameson had to die and I read that bit in detail.

The other thing that kinda threw me a bit was when Day woke up near the end and didn't remember some things. I felt a little cheated. Ten years? Really?

Ugh. Not sure if I'll read other books by the author at this point.
  
The Killer in Me (Benoit and Dayne Mystery #1)
The Killer in Me (Benoit and Dayne Mystery #1)
Winter Austin | 2021 | Mystery
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
What a cracking start to what promises to be an intense series!
    

    The Killer in Me is easy to get in to and hard to put down. I put everything on hold to keep reading and I don't regret it. There's mystery, murder and surprises, which always gets my vote, not to mention corruption and long standing fueds. I'd love to say I guessed everything straight away but I didn't, I had suspicions though (changed my mind a few times too!)

It's good to see some strong female characters. Sheriff Elizabeth Benoit and Deputy Lila Dayne form a good relationship and both show strength when needed.
    This could possibly be read as a standalone but there are unanswered questions for Lila.

I'd class this as an adult read, one to have a cozy evening in with.
  
40x40

David McK (3623 KP) rated Horrible Histories: The Movie (2019) in Movies

Jan 14, 2020 (Updated Apr 7, 2024)  
Horrible Histories: The Movie (2019)
Horrible Histories: The Movie (2019)
2019 | Comedy, Family
Effectively a (roughly) 1.5 hour extended edition of one of the skits from the TV show, this - I feel - suffers a bit from the absence of the core cast from that series, although it does try to make up for it with a virtual plethora of famous faces from British TV: off the top of my head including Alexander Armstrong (from Pointless), Warwick Davis, Derek Jacob, Nick Frost and Lee Mack.

This is set in and around the time of Boudiccea's rebellion against Rome, and is clearly aimed (not surprisingly!) at the younger audience, leaving aside the more gory aspects of the time and introducing (just like the TV show) several song and dance numbers throughout its running - a running time that could have been cut, somewhat, if it wasn't so enamoured of toilet humour!
  
Unforgotten (Forgiven #2)
Unforgotten (Forgiven #2)
Garrett Leigh | 2021 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
UNFORGOTTEN is the second book in the Forgiven series, and this time, the focus is on the brothers - Luke's brother, Billy, and Mia's brother, Gus. They both had a moment in the past, and neither of them has forgotten about it. So what will happen when they start sharing a house and working together?

This is what I would call a high-angst book. There is not a page where there isn't some form of trouble, whether it's between Luke and Billy, Gus and Mia, Luke and Mia, or Billy and Gus! And, oh, for the love of god, will someone please explain how a conversation works to these people?

As with book one, I found this to be brilliantly written, but I was just unable to connect with the characters as I wanted to. Mia still annoys me. I can feel my teeth grinding whenever she is in a scene. I think there was only one where she behaved in a more compassionate way.

I feel this book was better than book one, but I still prefer other books by this author. If you are after a contemporary romance with high angst, then I can definitely recommend this book.

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
  
The Lightning Thief
The Lightning Thief
Rick Riordan | 2005 | Children, Fiction & Poetry
6
8.6 (100 Ratings)
Book Rating
I decided to read this partly because I had just seen the movie and partly because I heard that it was a good series for fans of the Harry Potter series. Well, in regards to the movie, it's appalling how much the producers changed the book's plot to make the movie. If they make a second movie, I likely will not be interested, as I much more prefer the book's plot. In regards to the book's similarities to Harry Potter, they are vast, but really, who wouldn't aim to write something as popular and complex as the Harry Potter series? J.K. Rowling owns a castle! So, on to the actual book.
Years ago I thought that writing a fantasy series that uses Greek mythology would be a great idea, so I was excited when I heard of the Percy Jackson series. I love the modernized spin on the various good and bad characters, bringing them to life in both creative and believeable ways, such as Ares on a Harley and "Mr." Charon wearing Italian suits. The "Gods" of mythology at times seemed more like immature teenagers or work-aholic parents, with as much flaws as any normal human, and I really appreciated that they were differentiated from The GOD early on, and their place in the known universe was explained in the context of Percy's world. I especially like the scene of Hephaestus' trap that Percy and Annabeth get caught in. How the "normal" humans explained away the activities of the mythological characters was probably the most creative of the whole text, and at times rather humorous. It actually makes me wonder how much of what I see everyday is only a cover for what is really happening in the spiritual realm.
The only element that really bugged me about the text was how Percy changed from this moody, victimized pre-teen to a rather mature young man with almost no transition - emotional or otherwise. It almost felt like Percy possessed two different personalities that shared the same body. While Percy often says that he did not want to be the son of Poseidon, I found evidence of inner termoil strangely absent throughout the text. I also felt that there were smaller issues that could have been more detailed and developed, such as the characters of Grover and Annabeth. I will be continuing the series with The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 2) in the near future.