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Welcome to the show where each monster performs its own song! Which one is your favorite? Did you...
ClareR (6001 KP) rated The Hazel Wood in Books
Mar 3, 2018
After a rather slow start, this definitely picked up! However, I did rather like the slow build up - it really built up the main character, Alice. Alice and her mother, Ella, are pretty much ‘on the run’ from Ella’s mother, and some unseen ‘bad luck’. The bad luck is something that Alice could never imagine. I loved the parts in the Hazel Wood, and I’m intrigued to see how the second book in the series will potentially revisit The Hinterland.
I’m a sucker for grown up fairy tales (because I’m pretty sure all original fairy tales were at med at grown ups, and not children at all!) and this did it for me.
I’m a sucker for grown up fairy tales (because I’m pretty sure all original fairy tales were at med at grown ups, and not children at all!) and this did it for me.
Lindsay (1779 KP) rated A Plain and Simple Christmas: A Novella in Books
Feb 15, 2018
WAnna Mae McDonough is shunned by her family and the Amish community. She left her community to marry Kellen McDonough who is an Englisher and moved to Baltimore. She is know expecting her first child and is now long to reconnect with her family and with the approaching of the holidays.
Anna Mae reach out to her sister in law to make arrengments to come and visit her family for the holidays. Her sister in law talks to her husband David. Her husband tell her not to do this and agrees to take her and the children to visit Anna Mae and Kellen in the spring. Katherine goes against her husband wishes and plans this visit for Anna Mae.
Anna Mae reach out to her sister in law to make arrengments to come and visit her family for the holidays. Her sister in law talks to her husband David. Her husband tell her not to do this and agrees to take her and the children to visit Anna Mae and Kellen in the spring. Katherine goes against her husband wishes and plans this visit for Anna Mae.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970) in Movies
Feb 15, 2018 (Updated Feb 15, 2018)
Mmmm, Blood of Dracula
Superior Hammer horror movie. Victorian hypocrites looking for naughty kicks get mixed up with one of Dracula's disciples, inadvertently bring him back. Dracula is not grateful and uses their own children to get them.
Usual strong Hammer cast, polished production values, lush James Bernard score - topical (for the time) subtext about the generation gap, and the depiction of Dracula as an avenging angel of darkness is an interesting new twist on a character who seemed in danger of running out of things to do. Dracula was originally supposed to be reincarnated as Ralph Bates, but the distributors insisted they get Lee back, much against his will as usual.
Usual strong Hammer cast, polished production values, lush James Bernard score - topical (for the time) subtext about the generation gap, and the depiction of Dracula as an avenging angel of darkness is an interesting new twist on a character who seemed in danger of running out of things to do. Dracula was originally supposed to be reincarnated as Ralph Bates, but the distributors insisted they get Lee back, much against his will as usual.
Lindsay (1779 KP) rated A Plain and Simple Christmas: A Novella in Books
Aug 30, 2018
WAnna Mae McDonough is shunned by her family and the Amish community. She left her community to marry Kellen McDonough who is an Englisher and moved to Baltimore. She is know expecting her first child and is now long to reconnect with her family and with the approaching of the holidays.
Anna Mae reach out to her sister in law to make arrengments to come and visit her family for the holidays. Her sister in law talks to her husband David. Her husband tell her not to do this and agrees to take her and the children to visit Anna Mae and Kellen in the spring. Katherine goes against her husband wishes and plans this visit for Anna Mae.
Anna Mae reach out to her sister in law to make arrengments to come and visit her family for the holidays. Her sister in law talks to her husband David. Her husband tell her not to do this and agrees to take her and the children to visit Anna Mae and Kellen in the spring. Katherine goes against her husband wishes and plans this visit for Anna Mae.
The Not-So-Brave Knight
Kay Woodward and Yuliya Somina
Book
Horrible Histories meets Wimpy Kid in these funny stories mismatching characters with careers. The...
Brown_Flopsy (3 KP) rated Thirteen Reasons Why: (TV Tie-in) in Books
Feb 4, 2018
Contains spoilers, click to show
As a school librarian and in light of the recent Netflix adaptation of this book, I felt that I should read it.
Firstly, I don't think this book actively promotes suicide. I actually think it is the intention of the author to make us think about how our actions affect other people's lives. It is not about revenge. It is about changing your actions...making time to talk to that person you think may need someone to talk to....being kinder. Listening to the tapes makes Clay appreciate that a person's actions can influence another's life in ways you do not realise and that making an effort to really get to know someone else can help them be happier if they are struggling.
However, this is definitely not a book to be given to someone who is suffering from depression. This is not a self-help book. Hannah is in a cycle of self-destruction, a downward spiral she is not able to escape from. She has already made up her mind that she cannot carry on and I am not sure she can be diverted from her course in the end. Mr Porter tries to help her talk, but unintentionally confirms the decision she has already made. I have not suffered from depression myself, but am very aware of what this can lead to and I can see that the book could be read in a way which could offer suicide as an option to someone who is in a dark place.
If you are worried about whether to recommend this book, or allow a young person to read this, my advice would be that this is not a story for younger children - this is a dark and sometimes sexual story and does have a rape in it. I would not recommend this book for anyone under the age of 15/16, because of this.
In addition, be aware that this is not a story for someone who suffers from depression as it can be read in a way which seems to offer suicide as an acceptable option if you can see youself in the same place as Hannah finds herself, although this is not its intention. Be aware of who is reading this book. It is, however an interesting read and does open the discussion about suicide, just be careful about who you recommend this to and do talk about it with them both before and afterwards.
Having said all this, I did enjoy reading the book and don't believe that the author intends anything dark by it or suggests intentionally that suicide is a way to get revenge on others.
The Netflix series worries me far more than the book itself. This strings out the story in a way which seems to glamorise Hannah's tapes and the idea of revenge on those that caused her suffering to make it into a "teen drama full of angst". I would be very worried about letting youngsters watch this series.
The Netflix series is horrific. This oringinally had a certificate of 15, but this was been amended to 18. The tv show definitely does not leave you with the same feelings as the book and most certainly is not for children. The final episode even shows Hannah sitting in a bath and cutting into her veins with a razor blade. Please do not watch this if you liked the book. Jay Asher, you should be ashamed that you had anything to do with this!
Firstly, I don't think this book actively promotes suicide. I actually think it is the intention of the author to make us think about how our actions affect other people's lives. It is not about revenge. It is about changing your actions...making time to talk to that person you think may need someone to talk to....being kinder. Listening to the tapes makes Clay appreciate that a person's actions can influence another's life in ways you do not realise and that making an effort to really get to know someone else can help them be happier if they are struggling.
However, this is definitely not a book to be given to someone who is suffering from depression. This is not a self-help book. Hannah is in a cycle of self-destruction, a downward spiral she is not able to escape from. She has already made up her mind that she cannot carry on and I am not sure she can be diverted from her course in the end. Mr Porter tries to help her talk, but unintentionally confirms the decision she has already made. I have not suffered from depression myself, but am very aware of what this can lead to and I can see that the book could be read in a way which could offer suicide as an option to someone who is in a dark place.
If you are worried about whether to recommend this book, or allow a young person to read this, my advice would be that this is not a story for younger children - this is a dark and sometimes sexual story and does have a rape in it. I would not recommend this book for anyone under the age of 15/16, because of this.
In addition, be aware that this is not a story for someone who suffers from depression as it can be read in a way which seems to offer suicide as an acceptable option if you can see youself in the same place as Hannah finds herself, although this is not its intention. Be aware of who is reading this book. It is, however an interesting read and does open the discussion about suicide, just be careful about who you recommend this to and do talk about it with them both before and afterwards.
Having said all this, I did enjoy reading the book and don't believe that the author intends anything dark by it or suggests intentionally that suicide is a way to get revenge on others.
The Netflix series worries me far more than the book itself. This strings out the story in a way which seems to glamorise Hannah's tapes and the idea of revenge on those that caused her suffering to make it into a "teen drama full of angst". I would be very worried about letting youngsters watch this series.
The Netflix series is horrific. This oringinally had a certificate of 15, but this was been amended to 18. The tv show definitely does not leave you with the same feelings as the book and most certainly is not for children. The final episode even shows Hannah sitting in a bath and cutting into her veins with a razor blade. Please do not watch this if you liked the book. Jay Asher, you should be ashamed that you had anything to do with this!
Gifted and Talented Pocketbook
Phil Hailstone and Barry Hymer
Book
Gifted and talented education is at a crossroads. Turn right and speed off down the motorway, only...
Feather Squadron: Academy - New Zealand
Medical and Education
App
This app contains a variety of fun games for children to play (ages 5 and up) and we measure their...
Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated Dread Nation in Books
Jul 24, 2018
So, as a general rule, I don't read zombie stories. Zombies are the one monster that will almost invariably give me nightmares. This book, however, had such hype built up around it that I decided to bend my rule.
I should not have.
Before I start in on this, let me say it's a good story. It's well-written, the plot is paced nicely, and it's entertaining. All that said, it's quite problematic in many ways. I knew some of this before I read it; there was a Twitter thread about some of the issues, namely that in the Author's Note she describes the Native American boarding schools (where the government forced Native American children to go, and tried to destroy their heritage and culture in the name of "civilizing" them) as "well-meaning." The Twitter thread does an excellent job of dissecting that passage, and it's worth reading.
There's also the incredibly unrealistic scene where Jane gets flogged eleven times, walks back to where she's staying, has a coherent conversation where she lays out a plan she has formed, and then puts a shirt on. That last part especially got me. Like, what? You're going to be in more pain than that! Being flogged barely seems to slow Jane down. She asks for laudanum - for her plan. Not to take for the pain.
I don't know. There's a lot about the book that set my teeth on edge. There's the absurd amount of racism, but the protagonist is a black woman and it's civil war era, so that's to be expected. And it's coming from characters, not from narration. Jane lies. A lot. So it's hard to trust that she's even a reliable narrator.
I guess it's okay. I didn't care for it. I found it really hard to get past the author's "well-meaning" comment about the Native American boarding schools. And the plot of "as soon as they're old enough, black children get sent to combat schools." Especially with what's going on lately with the jailing of migrant children, it feels tone-deaf, ignorant, and genocidal.
One good point was the oh-so-casual mention of bisexuality (a female friend taught her "everything she knows about kissing") but it was only two sentences and never mentioned again. Not nearly enough to make up for the rest of the book.
You can find all my review at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com
I should not have.
Before I start in on this, let me say it's a good story. It's well-written, the plot is paced nicely, and it's entertaining. All that said, it's quite problematic in many ways. I knew some of this before I read it; there was a Twitter thread about some of the issues, namely that in the Author's Note she describes the Native American boarding schools (where the government forced Native American children to go, and tried to destroy their heritage and culture in the name of "civilizing" them) as "well-meaning." The Twitter thread does an excellent job of dissecting that passage, and it's worth reading.
There's also the incredibly unrealistic scene where Jane gets flogged eleven times, walks back to where she's staying, has a coherent conversation where she lays out a plan she has formed, and then puts a shirt on. That last part especially got me. Like, what? You're going to be in more pain than that! Being flogged barely seems to slow Jane down. She asks for laudanum - for her plan. Not to take for the pain.
I don't know. There's a lot about the book that set my teeth on edge. There's the absurd amount of racism, but the protagonist is a black woman and it's civil war era, so that's to be expected. And it's coming from characters, not from narration. Jane lies. A lot. So it's hard to trust that she's even a reliable narrator.
I guess it's okay. I didn't care for it. I found it really hard to get past the author's "well-meaning" comment about the Native American boarding schools. And the plot of "as soon as they're old enough, black children get sent to combat schools." Especially with what's going on lately with the jailing of migrant children, it feels tone-deaf, ignorant, and genocidal.
One good point was the oh-so-casual mention of bisexuality (a female friend taught her "everything she knows about kissing") but it was only two sentences and never mentioned again. Not nearly enough to make up for the rest of the book.
You can find all my review at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com