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Naomi Forrest (42 KP) rated What Lexie Did in Books
Jan 9, 2019
This book was a Christmas book from a friend and I thought it looked quite cute. The first couple of pages were really easy to fall in to and after that, the pace is just perfect.
I know little bits about Greek culture but this book really sucked me in to that way of life and made me a bit jealous! To have such a strong sense of family and heritage must be a truly amazing thing. I like that the relationship between Lexie and Eleni goes one step further and there is even deeper bond that seems both unbreakable and yet incredibly fragile at times. I'm not giving any spoilers but the beginning and ending tie together beautifully and though the ending isn't completely happy, it was satisfying.
Shevah infuses humour throughout the novel, leaning on a truly authentic 9 year old voice and Lexie's perceptions of her family, God and halloumi. The pages were so sweet as well, with doodles around the outside as if it was Lexie's diary we are reading.
On the face of it, this novel is funny and sweet and full of friendship and family yet it digs deeper. The story centres around honesty. Lexie 'snitches' on a new friend and is reprimanded by the adults, who preach telling the truth, and upsets her friends and siblings. When she doesn't tell on a different friend for something else, she is also punished. She is expected to tell the truth by the adults and told to lie by Eleni but when she does lie, it upsets Eleni and has huge consequences. I thought Shevah exploited the notions of deception and truth cleverly through Lexie, who reflects on adults preaching the importance of honesty while lying about things to, if we are quite truthful, manipulate children. It highlighted that the answer is not as black and white as we want it to be and I enjoyed having my perceptions challenged.
All in all, I found this to be a vibrant, contemporary and culturally novel that shows Shevah has researched and engaged with Greek-Cypriot family life to an extremely high standard. Novels such as this are the reason I love Chicken House and the books they publish; their novels and authors are original, cutting edge and excite and engage children. I can't wait to read more of Shevah's work in future and get my year 6's fired up about this.
All in all, I found this to be a vibrant, contemporary and culturally novel that shows Shevah has researched and engaged with Greek-Cypriot family life to an extremely high standard. Novels such as this are the reason I love Chicken House and the books they publish; their novels and authors are original, cutting edge and excite and engage children. I can't wait to read more of Shevah's work in future and get my year 6's fired up about this.
Becs (244 KP) rated The Book Thief in Books
Oct 2, 2019
I have no idea why I didn’t pick The Book Thief up sooner. It was honestly one of the best novels I’ve read so far this year. Scratch that, probably even one of the best novels I’ve read in my entire lifetime. Well, it might actually be a very close second to Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo haha.
One thing that I enjoyed while reading was the narrator of the story (death himself) and all the little bits that are thrown throughout the text like this:
***THE ONLY THING WORSE THAN A BOY WHO HATES YOU***
A boy who loves you.
The author takes such a serious and sad topic and throws in love, sarcasm, and happiness. This was such a well rounded, beautiful and classic novel that I just couldn’t put it down. I loved every second of it, even though at first I was a little skeptical. But that’s only because I was in such a sour mood and reading slump when I started The Book Thief.
If you’re looking for a fast read, don’t read this. This took time to read and to understand. To process all that was going on. Markus Zusak doesn’t write The Book Thief in a morbid way that most books about the Holocaust are written, but instead with humor and love and happiness. The good and the bad all intermingled together to create an amazing book that I will be recommending to everybody from now on.
I cried. I laughed. I got pissed. I was stricken with grief, with pain, and with love. I felt that I went through almost every emotion that my body has while reading The Book Thief. And I honestly wanted more.
I wanted more of Liesel’s story after being the only one to survive on Himmel Street. I wanted spin-offs of Rudy and Liesel developing a relationship as they became teenagers and giving me that love story with a tragic back story. I wanted so much more but at the same time, I was content and happy with how the novel ended. I wouldn’t have changed anything about The Book Thief and I will most definitely be rereading it very soon. This is a book that will be cherished for an eternity.
If you haven’t picked up The Book Thief yet, please drop what you’re doing and read it. It will most defiantly change your life.
“And it would show me, once again, that one opportunity leads directly to another, just as risk leads to more risk, life to more life, and death to more death.”
One thing that I enjoyed while reading was the narrator of the story (death himself) and all the little bits that are thrown throughout the text like this:
***THE ONLY THING WORSE THAN A BOY WHO HATES YOU***
A boy who loves you.
The author takes such a serious and sad topic and throws in love, sarcasm, and happiness. This was such a well rounded, beautiful and classic novel that I just couldn’t put it down. I loved every second of it, even though at first I was a little skeptical. But that’s only because I was in such a sour mood and reading slump when I started The Book Thief.
If you’re looking for a fast read, don’t read this. This took time to read and to understand. To process all that was going on. Markus Zusak doesn’t write The Book Thief in a morbid way that most books about the Holocaust are written, but instead with humor and love and happiness. The good and the bad all intermingled together to create an amazing book that I will be recommending to everybody from now on.
I cried. I laughed. I got pissed. I was stricken with grief, with pain, and with love. I felt that I went through almost every emotion that my body has while reading The Book Thief. And I honestly wanted more.
I wanted more of Liesel’s story after being the only one to survive on Himmel Street. I wanted spin-offs of Rudy and Liesel developing a relationship as they became teenagers and giving me that love story with a tragic back story. I wanted so much more but at the same time, I was content and happy with how the novel ended. I wouldn’t have changed anything about The Book Thief and I will most definitely be rereading it very soon. This is a book that will be cherished for an eternity.
If you haven’t picked up The Book Thief yet, please drop what you’re doing and read it. It will most defiantly change your life.
“And it would show me, once again, that one opportunity leads directly to another, just as risk leads to more risk, life to more life, and death to more death.”
American Star. Jackie Collins
6.0
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Sarah (7800 KP) rated Murder on the Orient Express (2017) in Movies
Nov 8, 2017
Dull and boring
I've never read the book or seen any previous adaptations, or indeed any other Poirot stories or any Agatha Christie novels at all. And all I can say is that I hope this film isn't a reflection on the rest of her work.
The film starts well, with a fun introduction to Poirot and Kenneth Branagh is probably the best thing about the film in general. He does a fantastic job as Poirot for the most part, very believable as a Belgian.
However before the murder even takes place, the film starts to dip and gets a little dull. The murder itself is presented in such an uninteresting way and the cinematography at times is a little bizarre. Some of the camera shots don't work and some seem ridiculously cheesy how they're staged. The questioning of the suspects does little to bring any tension or intrigue, and the star studded cast isn't given much to work with although some try their best to ham it up (Michelle Pfeiffer).
And then the finale/resolution itself is just completely bonkers. It might have been unexpected, but not in a good way. It was just very silly and not at all what I was hoping for from this film. Such a disappointment.
The film starts well, with a fun introduction to Poirot and Kenneth Branagh is probably the best thing about the film in general. He does a fantastic job as Poirot for the most part, very believable as a Belgian.
However before the murder even takes place, the film starts to dip and gets a little dull. The murder itself is presented in such an uninteresting way and the cinematography at times is a little bizarre. Some of the camera shots don't work and some seem ridiculously cheesy how they're staged. The questioning of the suspects does little to bring any tension or intrigue, and the star studded cast isn't given much to work with although some try their best to ham it up (Michelle Pfeiffer).
And then the finale/resolution itself is just completely bonkers. It might have been unexpected, but not in a good way. It was just very silly and not at all what I was hoping for from this film. Such a disappointment.
Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated Station Eleven in Books
Sep 6, 2017
Okay?
This was marketed as a dystopia, but it’s really more post-Apocalypse fiction. There’s a fine line between the two – and sometimes things can straddle it – but I wouldn’t call this a dystopia. So I’m a little disappointed there. Otherwise, it was good. I’m left not really sure how I should feel about it, though. I prefer books that make me feel a certain way – romances make me happy, non-fiction usually makes me feel smarter, like I’ve learned something, graphic novels make me nostalgic. I’m even okay with books like The Fault in Our Stars, or The Crown’s Game, that left me a weeping mess. Station Eleven just left me with an “…o-kay?” Like, what am I supposed to do with this? Unlike most dystopias, I don’t feel like it was a social commentary because it’s post-apocalyptic. (In this case, a virus swept through and killed about 99% of Earth’s population.) But at the same time, because it details events both before and after the apocalypse, I feel like it was trying to be?
See my full review at https://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com/2017/09/02/book-review-station-eleven/
See my full review at https://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com/2017/09/02/book-review-station-eleven/
Merissa (13600 KP) rated My Hurricane in Books
Sep 7, 2017
My Hurricane by J.A. Owenby
My Hurricane is the short story of what Walker's life was like before he met Lacey. When we first meet him, he is still with Brittany and certainly not the person we know from the other books. However, things happen which change him, and we as the reader are with him every step of the way.
I loved how he changed from Mr Fly High Party Boy into someone to be relied upon, not only by his family but also the school. Now, I've already read the three full-length novels in The Truth series, so knowing what I know now only makes my heart ache for Walker even more.
Excellently written, with no editing or grammatical errors to disrupt the reading flow, I found this book to be outstanding. Giving just enough for you to learn about Walker, whilst leaving you wanting more.
Get this novella, and then lose yourself in The Truth series. I can promise you won't regret it. Highly recommended by me.
* 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!
I loved how he changed from Mr Fly High Party Boy into someone to be relied upon, not only by his family but also the school. Now, I've already read the three full-length novels in The Truth series, so knowing what I know now only makes my heart ache for Walker even more.
Excellently written, with no editing or grammatical errors to disrupt the reading flow, I found this book to be outstanding. Giving just enough for you to learn about Walker, whilst leaving you wanting more.
Get this novella, and then lose yourself in The Truth series. I can promise you won't regret it. Highly recommended by me.
* 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!
Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated The Right Hand in Books
Apr 27, 2018
I started listening to The Right Hand with absolutely no idea what it was about, and within seconds I was entranced. Everything about this book was 5 stars or higher. The writing was right for the genre: descriptive and witty, but more focused on the point of the story than the writing itself. The pacing was perfect, the tone was awesome, and the characters were fabulous. I mean, a CIA spy who is so bad-ass and awesome at what he does that the organization doesn't even want to know how he gets his job done, only that he gets it done? How awesome is that? The plot never stopped moving, changing, turning. (And since I did listen to the audiobook, I will say, the reader did an excellent job!)
Sometimes I have long drawn out reviews and lots to say about books… and don't get me wrong, I have a lot to say about The Right Hand, but it all circles around one thing: If you like spy thrillers and adventure novels and don't mind a good murder or some bloodshed, go read this book now. This book is Exciting, entertaining, funny, emotional, and just downright awesomely cool.
Content/Recommendation: Mind language. Violence (not gruesome, but still bloody). Ages 16+
Sometimes I have long drawn out reviews and lots to say about books… and don't get me wrong, I have a lot to say about The Right Hand, but it all circles around one thing: If you like spy thrillers and adventure novels and don't mind a good murder or some bloodshed, go read this book now. This book is Exciting, entertaining, funny, emotional, and just downright awesomely cool.
Content/Recommendation: Mind language. Violence (not gruesome, but still bloody). Ages 16+
Charley (64 KP) rated A Secret History of Witches in Books
Feb 2, 2019
A whirlwind through time
If you are a lover of historical books and fantasy novels then you might like this. Set in a wide range of time periods, ending just after the second world war, this story follows the life of generations of Romani witches in their struggles to survive.
Even though it took me a while to get into the book (hence the 6 rating) it was really interesting following the lives and struggles of each orchire woman from when they first discover their gift until they have their own daughter to carry on the line. it is amazing to see the development of so many generations of women and you end up feeling part of their story as you watch, sometimes with horror, the trials that they go through just for having the gift of magic.
It is a perfect story that shows how actions have consiquences and how much they were willing to fight for what they love.
I will not go into too much detail but surfice to say it gets more interesting the further you read and the last section of the book was by far the best.
It took me a long time to get into it however i persisted and it was totally worth it.
Even though it took me a while to get into the book (hence the 6 rating) it was really interesting following the lives and struggles of each orchire woman from when they first discover their gift until they have their own daughter to carry on the line. it is amazing to see the development of so many generations of women and you end up feeling part of their story as you watch, sometimes with horror, the trials that they go through just for having the gift of magic.
It is a perfect story that shows how actions have consiquences and how much they were willing to fight for what they love.
I will not go into too much detail but surfice to say it gets more interesting the further you read and the last section of the book was by far the best.
It took me a long time to get into it however i persisted and it was totally worth it.
Benedick Lewis (3001 KP) rated Marvel's Spider-Man in Video Games
Mar 10, 2019
Excellent combat system (5 more)
Changes it up a lot
You are Spider-Man
The story is incredible
Rewards you for being a fan but doesn’t alienate newcomers
References everywhere
Can be repetitive in places (1 more)
Could be considered short (15 hours gameplay)
One of the best games I have played in a while
Spider-Man PS4 is one of the best games I have played in a while. I was dubious getting it at first. It’s the first Spider-Man title I have bought and played all the way through. The game is designed so that while you start with a lot of Spidey’s powers initially, you build upon them to become, as the tagline says, greater. It treats the gamer with respect. You build upon your powers the way you want to progress and how you fight. The story is incredible and one of Spidey’s best (I’ve read a few graphic novels in my time about Spider-Man!). It mixes emotion with great story telling that builds to a very tense climax. Sure questions are left unanswered for a sequel but that raises two questions: how do they go on from there and if this game is great, how do they make it better?