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John Wayne's World: Transnational Masculinity in the Fifties
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In a film career that spanned five decades, John Wayne became a U.S. icon of heroic individualism...
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Tone Psychology: The Sensation of Successive Single Tones: Volume I
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Carl Stumpf (1848-1936) was a German philosopher and psychologist and a visionary and important...
Christine A. (965 KP) rated Cassandra Files: Genesis in Books
May 7, 2021
I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review. The opinions are entirely my own, and any quotes are taken from the ARC and may be different in the final published copy.
Rod Pennington's latest novel, Cassandra Files: Genesis, is a quick and enjoyable read.
A third-generation and well-respected Naval combat pilot, Lt. Cassandra Morse, is performing a test of a prototype fighter jet with her co-pilot grandfather when they are attacked. Missing for weeks after the accident, she has no memory of the lost time. Stranger still, she can see and talk with her grandfather, who died in the accident. No one believes her even when she begins having prophetic dreams. That is, no one believes her until her dreams come true, and her latest dream is the scariest yet.
While I enjoyed the story, I enjoyed Pennington's writing, use of strong women characters, and humor more. The story wraps everything up at the end, but he left room for a sequel too.
Some reviewers had a difficult time keeping track of the numerous characters involved. I do not think that should prevent readers from enjoying this book. It is worth taking the time to read, and since it is a quick read, it will not take much time. I think it is best described as a cozy for the fantasy genre.
Pennington is best known for The Fourth Awakening Series.
This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com.
Rod Pennington's latest novel, Cassandra Files: Genesis, is a quick and enjoyable read.
A third-generation and well-respected Naval combat pilot, Lt. Cassandra Morse, is performing a test of a prototype fighter jet with her co-pilot grandfather when they are attacked. Missing for weeks after the accident, she has no memory of the lost time. Stranger still, she can see and talk with her grandfather, who died in the accident. No one believes her even when she begins having prophetic dreams. That is, no one believes her until her dreams come true, and her latest dream is the scariest yet.
While I enjoyed the story, I enjoyed Pennington's writing, use of strong women characters, and humor more. The story wraps everything up at the end, but he left room for a sequel too.
Some reviewers had a difficult time keeping track of the numerous characters involved. I do not think that should prevent readers from enjoying this book. It is worth taking the time to read, and since it is a quick read, it will not take much time. I think it is best described as a cozy for the fantasy genre.
Pennington is best known for The Fourth Awakening Series.
This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com.
Take Your Breath Away
7.0
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A missing woman. A husband suspected. The truth will … Take Your Breath Away It’s always...
Bethr1986 (305 KP) rated Crystal Shard (Paladins of Crystal. #1) in Books
Aug 16, 2022
Crystal's life pretty much sucks - she was abandoned at birth, she feels a burden to her adoptive brother and his pregnant wife and, on top of that, she has just assaulted her boss! She wishes she could just be whisked away from it all until she is then she just wants to get home to her miserable life... until she goes on an adventure with a few rather handsome, extremely hot men, especially one who she would give anything to be with but he is betrothed to another, on this adventure can she find more than herself?
This is the first book in a new series by the author, a fantastically written story with some twists and turns. Talk about having some saucy dreams honestly I was blushing! Totally understandable though! The style Nicola has written in everything just flows and there's no confusion about what's happening, she makes it so easy to follow. I thoroughly enjoyed the storyline, the camaraderie between the group and the way they fit together is just like a jigsaw puzzle, they were meant to find each other. I've read other books by Nicola and I get so into her writing I get lost in the worlds she has created. She has got a fantastic style and has you captured with every written word it doesn't seem forced or let's put that bit in it fills a gap, I cannot give her enough praise.
I highly recommend this book and give Nicola.M.Cameran's other books a read. I can't wait to read the next one.
This is the first book in a new series by the author, a fantastically written story with some twists and turns. Talk about having some saucy dreams honestly I was blushing! Totally understandable though! The style Nicola has written in everything just flows and there's no confusion about what's happening, she makes it so easy to follow. I thoroughly enjoyed the storyline, the camaraderie between the group and the way they fit together is just like a jigsaw puzzle, they were meant to find each other. I've read other books by Nicola and I get so into her writing I get lost in the worlds she has created. She has got a fantastic style and has you captured with every written word it doesn't seem forced or let's put that bit in it fills a gap, I cannot give her enough praise.
I highly recommend this book and give Nicola.M.Cameran's other books a read. I can't wait to read the next one.
Night Reader Reviews (683 KP) rated The Boy Caught in the Starlight in Books
Feb 29, 2020
Honest Review for Free Copy of Book
The Boy Caught In The Starlight by Michael J H Taylor is a wonderful adventure where the heroes never go any farther than a cabin a little ways from home. This tale is expected to be the first in a series.
Jake lives with his mother who loves bragging about him a little too much. He is smothered by her overwhelming pressure to be perfect and longs for adventure. However, there really is not much in the lines of adventure for a young teenager these days. So being board Jake asks his mother if he can spend the weekend with his father, mostly for a change. Jake goes with his father to pick up an old Bubble Car that his father recently purchased from Professor Septimus Kneebone, self-proclaimed genius. It is this trip that sets Jake on the course for the dangerous adventure that he so longs for.
It turns out that the Bubble Car is no longer a car but a very special machine. This machine has the unique ability to show images of things past to those who know how to work it. Although no one can interact with the images in anyway they can show wondrous things, such as the location of treasure. As luck would have it a gang of thieves know about the machine and have been using it to find long lost treasurer to get rich. Yet what would such a gang do when they discover the Professor has decided to dismantle the machine forever.
This book was surprisingly unique. It offered multiple turns that I did not expect. The story brought me to many different theories along the way to discovering the truth. I hope the promised second book is just as entertaining as the first. What I did not like was that at first, I pegged this book to be much like back to the future. As it turns out I was wrong. This is a problem because the description of the book comes off differently. I just don’t want anyone to go into this book with the wrong expectations.
Young adults and children alike will enjoy this tale. Though a little on the long side for very young children a tale of adventure such as this would be good spread out over multiple days as a wonderful bedtime story. I rate this book 3 out of 4. I was very happy with this book. The slightly misleading description lost a rating point for me, but other than that I found no major complaint. I believe this book to be a good story for all who pick it up.
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Jake lives with his mother who loves bragging about him a little too much. He is smothered by her overwhelming pressure to be perfect and longs for adventure. However, there really is not much in the lines of adventure for a young teenager these days. So being board Jake asks his mother if he can spend the weekend with his father, mostly for a change. Jake goes with his father to pick up an old Bubble Car that his father recently purchased from Professor Septimus Kneebone, self-proclaimed genius. It is this trip that sets Jake on the course for the dangerous adventure that he so longs for.
It turns out that the Bubble Car is no longer a car but a very special machine. This machine has the unique ability to show images of things past to those who know how to work it. Although no one can interact with the images in anyway they can show wondrous things, such as the location of treasure. As luck would have it a gang of thieves know about the machine and have been using it to find long lost treasurer to get rich. Yet what would such a gang do when they discover the Professor has decided to dismantle the machine forever.
This book was surprisingly unique. It offered multiple turns that I did not expect. The story brought me to many different theories along the way to discovering the truth. I hope the promised second book is just as entertaining as the first. What I did not like was that at first, I pegged this book to be much like back to the future. As it turns out I was wrong. This is a problem because the description of the book comes off differently. I just don’t want anyone to go into this book with the wrong expectations.
Young adults and children alike will enjoy this tale. Though a little on the long side for very young children a tale of adventure such as this would be good spread out over multiple days as a wonderful bedtime story. I rate this book 3 out of 4. I was very happy with this book. The slightly misleading description lost a rating point for me, but other than that I found no major complaint. I believe this book to be a good story for all who pick it up.
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Justin Young recommended track Take This Waltz by Leonard Cohen in Back in the Motherland by Leonard Cohen in Music (curated)
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Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated Lock Every Door in Books
Aug 12, 2019
I had previously read Final Girls and The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager. I wasn't that impressed with those books, but I feel a loyalty to Riley Sager since I had read his previous books. When I heard about Lock Every Door by Riley Sager, the synopsis sounded interesting enough, so I decided to give it a try. I'm really glad I did because I feel that it's Sager's best book yet, and it was really good!
Jules has just lost her job and walked in on her boyfriend cheating on her. Almost penniless and practically homeless, when she comes across a wanted ad advertising a job for an apartment complex called the Bartholomew, a place for the very rich and wealthy, Jules jumps at the chance. The apartment is lush, and the pay is $1000 a week. Sure, there are some strange rules, but it's easy money. However, when apartment sitters start vanishing in the middle of the night, Jules feels as if something evil is going on at the Bartholomew. Jules decides to find out the truth despite putting herself in danger. Will she succeed or will she become another missing apartment sitter?
I really enjoyed the plot of Lock Every Door, and I found it fairly original. Riley Sager does a fantastic job at making this book feel as if something like this could happen in real life. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to hear about something like this in the news. Even though the action doesn't really take place until almost the end of the book, I still found myself grossly immersed in this book. I also was playing detective alongside Jules the whole time. I did figure out some of what was going on, but there were still some plot twists that I never predicted. The story flows very well and never feels rushed anywhere. At no point did this book lose my attention. I was heavily invested in finishing Lock Every Door as soon as possible. Every question I had was answered by the end of the book although there was one mystery that I would have liked to know more about, but even this mystery is touched upon at the end of the book.
I enjoyed reading about every character in Lock Every Door from even the minor characters to the major ones. Jules was a fantastic main character. She was fairly relatable. Actually, I would go as far as to say that she's the most relatable character in a book that I've read. I could sympathize with her financial struggles and her desperation when it came to making money. It was the same with the character of Ingrid. I could also relate to her struggle for money. My heart went out to all of the apartment sitters because I knew what they were feeling when it came to money. I felt like Nick was a bit predictable and cliched as the hunky neighbor, but he was still written well. Greta was my favorite character. She was definitely interesting, that's for sure! My favorite scenes always involved Greta.
Trigger warnings for Lock Every Door include profanity, sexual references (though not many and not graphic), violence (not graphic), death, kidnapping, murder, drinking, and some drug references.
All in all, Lock Every Door is a thrilling read that ticks all the right boxes to make it fantastic! With such a interesting plot and a fantastic cast of characters, this is one book not to miss. I would definitely recommend Lock Every Door by Riley Sager to those who crave a great mystery as well as those that love thrillers.
Jules has just lost her job and walked in on her boyfriend cheating on her. Almost penniless and practically homeless, when she comes across a wanted ad advertising a job for an apartment complex called the Bartholomew, a place for the very rich and wealthy, Jules jumps at the chance. The apartment is lush, and the pay is $1000 a week. Sure, there are some strange rules, but it's easy money. However, when apartment sitters start vanishing in the middle of the night, Jules feels as if something evil is going on at the Bartholomew. Jules decides to find out the truth despite putting herself in danger. Will she succeed or will she become another missing apartment sitter?
I really enjoyed the plot of Lock Every Door, and I found it fairly original. Riley Sager does a fantastic job at making this book feel as if something like this could happen in real life. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to hear about something like this in the news. Even though the action doesn't really take place until almost the end of the book, I still found myself grossly immersed in this book. I also was playing detective alongside Jules the whole time. I did figure out some of what was going on, but there were still some plot twists that I never predicted. The story flows very well and never feels rushed anywhere. At no point did this book lose my attention. I was heavily invested in finishing Lock Every Door as soon as possible. Every question I had was answered by the end of the book although there was one mystery that I would have liked to know more about, but even this mystery is touched upon at the end of the book.
I enjoyed reading about every character in Lock Every Door from even the minor characters to the major ones. Jules was a fantastic main character. She was fairly relatable. Actually, I would go as far as to say that she's the most relatable character in a book that I've read. I could sympathize with her financial struggles and her desperation when it came to making money. It was the same with the character of Ingrid. I could also relate to her struggle for money. My heart went out to all of the apartment sitters because I knew what they were feeling when it came to money. I felt like Nick was a bit predictable and cliched as the hunky neighbor, but he was still written well. Greta was my favorite character. She was definitely interesting, that's for sure! My favorite scenes always involved Greta.
Trigger warnings for Lock Every Door include profanity, sexual references (though not many and not graphic), violence (not graphic), death, kidnapping, murder, drinking, and some drug references.
All in all, Lock Every Door is a thrilling read that ticks all the right boxes to make it fantastic! With such a interesting plot and a fantastic cast of characters, this is one book not to miss. I would definitely recommend Lock Every Door by Riley Sager to those who crave a great mystery as well as those that love thrillers.
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated The Uninvited in Books
Jun 7, 2018
(This review can also be found on my blog <a href="http://themisadventuresofatwentysomething.blogspot.co.uk">The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Something Year Old Girl</a>).
When I saw that Liz Jensen had written a new book, I knew I wanted to read it. I loved her book The Rapture and was hoping The Uninvited would be just as good. However, I was disappointed with this book.
Hesketh is a man who has Asperger's Syndrome. He is sent by his company to investigate cases of whistle blowers and sabotage within companies. When Hesketh goes to investigate his first case in Taiwan, he gets more than he bargained for. The supposed whistle blower seems to be talking non-sense. The next day, the whistle blower commits suicide. Soon, this is happening all over the world. Not only that, but it children all over the world are attacking adults. What's going on? Will Hesketh be able to find the answer before it's too late?
The title of The Uninvited suits the book. Like most of my reviews, I don't want to go into too much detail as to why the title fits because I don't want to give away any spoilers.
I found this particular cover to be a bit plain for my liking. The cover didn't catch my attention. (It was the synopsis that did). This cover doesn't really give too much away about what the story is going to be about. To me, the cover just looks like some spoilt child hiding in her room trying to spy on what's going on which has nothing to do with the actual story of the book!!
The world building is very believable. I could actually imagine everything written in the book happening as the author was writing about it. I had no qualms about the world building. The author brings this dystopian world to life beautifully and scarily so!
Unfortunately, the pacing was horrible in this book. I had to force myself to read it and finish it which is a shame because I really wanted to love The Uninvited. The story just went on too slowly for my liking. A lot of the time, I was contemplating giving up on this book, but I've read a lot of books that get better towards the end. However, this wasn't the case with this book. It never got any better. It was a slow read throughout.
The dialogue, to me, confused me. It featured a lot of science jargon that I didn't understand. I found myself completely lost through most of this book. The ending, especially, left me the most confused. I didn't understand why or how. I just felt it was never fully explained which left me feeling rather annoyed.
The characters just felt too one dimensional. I couldn't relate to any of them, and I didn't care what happened to them. The character of Hesketh just came across really annoying. Yes, I understand he has Asperger's but so does my son, and he's no where as annoying as Hesketh. (And I'm not just saying that because he's my son). Throughout the book, Hesketh repeats things to himself three times, and he's constantly talking about his origami. I realise that he has his little quirks, but I felt as if Hesketh's origami was being shoved down my throat. If I had to pick a favourite character, it was be Professor Whybray. He just had that lovely old man quality and came across feeling grandfatherly.
All in all, I think the idea of this story is a great one, but it was just poorly executed. The pacing was too slow, the characters were too dull, and the dialogue was just too confusing. Like I said, I really wanted to enjoy this book as Liz Jenson has written some wonderful books before this one.
I really wouldn't recommend this book, but if you'd like to give it a try, I'd say ages 16+ would be the best ages to try to enjoy it.
I'd give The Uninvited by Liz Jensen a 1.5 out of 5.
(A special thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review).
When I saw that Liz Jensen had written a new book, I knew I wanted to read it. I loved her book The Rapture and was hoping The Uninvited would be just as good. However, I was disappointed with this book.
Hesketh is a man who has Asperger's Syndrome. He is sent by his company to investigate cases of whistle blowers and sabotage within companies. When Hesketh goes to investigate his first case in Taiwan, he gets more than he bargained for. The supposed whistle blower seems to be talking non-sense. The next day, the whistle blower commits suicide. Soon, this is happening all over the world. Not only that, but it children all over the world are attacking adults. What's going on? Will Hesketh be able to find the answer before it's too late?
The title of The Uninvited suits the book. Like most of my reviews, I don't want to go into too much detail as to why the title fits because I don't want to give away any spoilers.
I found this particular cover to be a bit plain for my liking. The cover didn't catch my attention. (It was the synopsis that did). This cover doesn't really give too much away about what the story is going to be about. To me, the cover just looks like some spoilt child hiding in her room trying to spy on what's going on which has nothing to do with the actual story of the book!!
The world building is very believable. I could actually imagine everything written in the book happening as the author was writing about it. I had no qualms about the world building. The author brings this dystopian world to life beautifully and scarily so!
Unfortunately, the pacing was horrible in this book. I had to force myself to read it and finish it which is a shame because I really wanted to love The Uninvited. The story just went on too slowly for my liking. A lot of the time, I was contemplating giving up on this book, but I've read a lot of books that get better towards the end. However, this wasn't the case with this book. It never got any better. It was a slow read throughout.
The dialogue, to me, confused me. It featured a lot of science jargon that I didn't understand. I found myself completely lost through most of this book. The ending, especially, left me the most confused. I didn't understand why or how. I just felt it was never fully explained which left me feeling rather annoyed.
The characters just felt too one dimensional. I couldn't relate to any of them, and I didn't care what happened to them. The character of Hesketh just came across really annoying. Yes, I understand he has Asperger's but so does my son, and he's no where as annoying as Hesketh. (And I'm not just saying that because he's my son). Throughout the book, Hesketh repeats things to himself three times, and he's constantly talking about his origami. I realise that he has his little quirks, but I felt as if Hesketh's origami was being shoved down my throat. If I had to pick a favourite character, it was be Professor Whybray. He just had that lovely old man quality and came across feeling grandfatherly.
All in all, I think the idea of this story is a great one, but it was just poorly executed. The pacing was too slow, the characters were too dull, and the dialogue was just too confusing. Like I said, I really wanted to enjoy this book as Liz Jenson has written some wonderful books before this one.
I really wouldn't recommend this book, but if you'd like to give it a try, I'd say ages 16+ would be the best ages to try to enjoy it.
I'd give The Uninvited by Liz Jensen a 1.5 out of 5.
(A special thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review).
Andy K (10823 KP) rated The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (2018) in Movies
Jul 1, 2019
25+ years in the making!
Up until its release, "The Man Who Killed Don Quixote" would have been at the top of any movie list featuring movies in development hell never to actually make it to the big screen. Those who are interested should read the lengthy details of the various derailed productions of the film including its original incarnation starring Johnny Depp and the late Jean Rochefort. The film chronicles can even be viewed on their own in the 2002 documentary film "Lost in La Mancha".
To say director Terry Gilliam has had a hard time getting some of his quirky films made, financed and released is an understatement for sure. Films like "Brazil", "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen" or "Tideland" had their difficulties making it to the big screen. How about having the main star of your film die in the middle of production? He had that issue as well during filming of "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" when Heath Ledger passed away. Thanks to the help of Johnny Depp, Collin Farrell and Jude Law stepping in, the film was able to be released eventually.
Over the years I had kept up with Gilliam's repeated attempts to get the film financed and made including another time where he had cast fellow Python vet Michael Palin in the lead or even Robert Duvall was attached at one point.
The movie itself is a marvel of tenacity for Gilliam and I am very glad he was finally able to make it.
This final version of the film stars Adam Driver as troubled film director, Toby, and Jonathan Pryce as Don Quixote.
Toby is not thrilled about his current production and wanders back to the small Spanish town where he had met some of the locals and made a student film about Quixote 10 years earlier. He finds his "Quixote" living out a sideshow fantasy having lost his grip on reality thinking he is still Quixote today. Toby decides to launch an adventure with him through the Spanish countryside as his "Sancho Panza". Through their quests they encounter a multitude of interesting, wacky and outlandish characters who feed into the Quixote fantasy.
I have to say the film's look left me breathless. As with Gilliam's entire library of films, the production design, art direction and cinematography were astonishing really delving you into this larger than life world and helped move along some of the weaker elements.
Gilliam's goal with the screenplay was to adapt the classic Quixote story to be told under up to date circumstances and I'm not sure he completely succeeded. Some of the scenes and dialogue were boring and the movie's plot dragged at times. The mixing of world's was a little confusing and not sure the payoff entirely wrapped the story to conclusion.
Besides playing Kylo Wren, I am not sure Adam Driver will end up having a long career in film as I thought he was flat and not entertaining to watch as I am sure Depp would have been in the role. Jonathan Pryce was a joy to watch and every scene he was in he really stole the show.
It was fun to watch some elements from some of Gilliam's other work on display including the red knight from "The Fisher King", the sprawling landscapes from "Baron Munchausen" or "Time Bandits" and even the sideshow from "Parnassus".
Overall, I am glad I finally got to watch it as I am sure Gilliam was to finally film and release his long-awaited project. I guess I would say I was entertained, but felt like it fell short of being a true classic.
To say director Terry Gilliam has had a hard time getting some of his quirky films made, financed and released is an understatement for sure. Films like "Brazil", "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen" or "Tideland" had their difficulties making it to the big screen. How about having the main star of your film die in the middle of production? He had that issue as well during filming of "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" when Heath Ledger passed away. Thanks to the help of Johnny Depp, Collin Farrell and Jude Law stepping in, the film was able to be released eventually.
Over the years I had kept up with Gilliam's repeated attempts to get the film financed and made including another time where he had cast fellow Python vet Michael Palin in the lead or even Robert Duvall was attached at one point.
The movie itself is a marvel of tenacity for Gilliam and I am very glad he was finally able to make it.
This final version of the film stars Adam Driver as troubled film director, Toby, and Jonathan Pryce as Don Quixote.
Toby is not thrilled about his current production and wanders back to the small Spanish town where he had met some of the locals and made a student film about Quixote 10 years earlier. He finds his "Quixote" living out a sideshow fantasy having lost his grip on reality thinking he is still Quixote today. Toby decides to launch an adventure with him through the Spanish countryside as his "Sancho Panza". Through their quests they encounter a multitude of interesting, wacky and outlandish characters who feed into the Quixote fantasy.
I have to say the film's look left me breathless. As with Gilliam's entire library of films, the production design, art direction and cinematography were astonishing really delving you into this larger than life world and helped move along some of the weaker elements.
Gilliam's goal with the screenplay was to adapt the classic Quixote story to be told under up to date circumstances and I'm not sure he completely succeeded. Some of the scenes and dialogue were boring and the movie's plot dragged at times. The mixing of world's was a little confusing and not sure the payoff entirely wrapped the story to conclusion.
Besides playing Kylo Wren, I am not sure Adam Driver will end up having a long career in film as I thought he was flat and not entertaining to watch as I am sure Depp would have been in the role. Jonathan Pryce was a joy to watch and every scene he was in he really stole the show.
It was fun to watch some elements from some of Gilliam's other work on display including the red knight from "The Fisher King", the sprawling landscapes from "Baron Munchausen" or "Time Bandits" and even the sideshow from "Parnassus".
Overall, I am glad I finally got to watch it as I am sure Gilliam was to finally film and release his long-awaited project. I guess I would say I was entertained, but felt like it fell short of being a true classic.
