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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2346 KP) rated The Bullet Catch (An Eli Marks Mystery #2) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Eli’s high school friend Jake is in town making a movie about a magician who dies during a performance of the dangerous bullet catch illusion. Only Jake thinks that someone is going to kill him when they film that scene, and he asks Eli, a magician, to help prevent that from happening. Meanwhile, Eli reconnects with his high school crush, Trish, as their reunion only to have Trish’s husband be murdered the next morning. Can Eli solve the crime?
With two mysteries happening at once, this book never slows down. Both stories feature some great twists along the way to a logical conclusion. The book is filled with outstanding characters as well, both returning and new. About the only thing that bothered me was Eli’s crippling fear of heights, which never seemed to bother him at home.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/09/book-review-bullet-catch-by-john.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
With two mysteries happening at once, this book never slows down. Both stories feature some great twists along the way to a logical conclusion. The book is filled with outstanding characters as well, both returning and new. About the only thing that bothered me was Eli’s crippling fear of heights, which never seemed to bother him at home.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/09/book-review-bullet-catch-by-john.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Sarah is running a sport equipment exchange in a local school gym. The night before, as she is about to leave, someone attacks her. Despite the attack, the event goes off without a hitch – until Sarah finds the dead body of the school superintendent. What is going on?
This is another fabulous, fast paced read in one of my favorite series. There are several different avenues that Sarah investigates along the way, and they all come together beautifully for the climax. Meanwhile, we get some development in several series threads and a very funny sub-plot. Sarah continues to grow as a character, and the rest of the cast, both new and returning, are fantastic. The writing makes me feel like I’ve visited Sarah’s corner of the world.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2018/02/book-review-i-know-what-you-bid-last.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
This is another fabulous, fast paced read in one of my favorite series. There are several different avenues that Sarah investigates along the way, and they all come together beautifully for the climax. Meanwhile, we get some development in several series threads and a very funny sub-plot. Sarah continues to grow as a character, and the rest of the cast, both new and returning, are fantastic. The writing makes me feel like I’ve visited Sarah’s corner of the world.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2018/02/book-review-i-know-what-you-bid-last.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
ClareR (5879 KP) rated She Was The Quiet One in Books
Jun 13, 2018
Boarding School drama
This is my second boarding school drama in under a month, and whilst I thought this was better than Tradition, I still found it hard going in parts. There's a lot of teenage angst which frankly, I am well past the need to experience (other than having to live the dream of being the mother to a hormonal teenaged boy). There were just so many FEELINGS and it all got a bit hard going towards the mid-way point. It was a great mystery though. I didn't guess the perpetrator until about 70% in to the story, so that's not a bad thing. Others might get to it earlier. I could have well done without the epilogue at the end though. It seemed really out of place, and not like the rest of the novel at all. I don't think it added anything to the story.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher.
Nicole Hadley (380 KP) rated Cutie's Big Adventures: Cutie Meets Mr. Lizard in Books
Jun 16, 2018
Cutie’s Big Adventures: Cutie Meets Mr. Lizard by Felicia Di John is a wonderful story.
Cutie is a sweet, curious and adventurous dog who lives in a house in the desert. Her mom Ava Rose is six years old and loves Cutie very much. She would like to play with her all day, but she must go to school. Cutie is never happy when her mom leaves her for school because that means she will be home all alone. So today, Cutie decides to go outdoors by herself to play. She explores the desert around her, makes a new friend, and finds that some animals eat strange things. She is having so much fun that she almost forgets to get back home before her mom arrives.
I read this book to my 1st, 3rd, and 5th grade students. They loved the book and begged for more stories of Cutie. The story was captivating and the pictures appeared to jump off the page.
Cutie is a sweet, curious and adventurous dog who lives in a house in the desert. Her mom Ava Rose is six years old and loves Cutie very much. She would like to play with her all day, but she must go to school. Cutie is never happy when her mom leaves her for school because that means she will be home all alone. So today, Cutie decides to go outdoors by herself to play. She explores the desert around her, makes a new friend, and finds that some animals eat strange things. She is having so much fun that she almost forgets to get back home before her mom arrives.
I read this book to my 1st, 3rd, and 5th grade students. They loved the book and begged for more stories of Cutie. The story was captivating and the pictures appeared to jump off the page.
Booksnthreads (19 KP) rated What Would She Do? 25 True Stories of Trailblazing Rebel Women in Books
Jun 4, 2018
My classroom library is somewhat lacking when it comes to non-fiction. I often have a difficult time finding non-fiction that is engaging for a middle school audience.
While I think that this will interest my students, as an adult reader, it's a bit lacking in depth.
I like the bite-sized chunks of information and the bold illustrations of each woman profiled in the book. The biographical information is just the right amount for this age group.
What I really objected to was the attempt to provide life advice from each woman. After each biography, the author imagines a modern real life question readers might have and then attempts to answer that question as the woman who was just profiled might. The whole thing feels incredibly contrived and, at times, not even loosely connected to the woman who was just profiled. I think I actually cringed with some of them because of how cliche and didactic they are.
While I think that this will interest my students, as an adult reader, it's a bit lacking in depth.
I like the bite-sized chunks of information and the bold illustrations of each woman profiled in the book. The biographical information is just the right amount for this age group.
What I really objected to was the attempt to provide life advice from each woman. After each biography, the author imagines a modern real life question readers might have and then attempts to answer that question as the woman who was just profiled might. The whole thing feels incredibly contrived and, at times, not even loosely connected to the woman who was just profiled. I think I actually cringed with some of them because of how cliche and didactic they are.
Chrissie-ann (78 KP) rated 13 Reasons Why - Season 1 in TV
Jun 18, 2018
So many mixed reviews
I surround myself with mental health communities as I suffer myself and have seen so many mixed reviews for this show. But having had depression throughout my school years I think this was a raw and real problem with school kids these days. I think so much more awareness has come from this programme and it shows that things that could seem so small to others can have a huge impact on the people around us. I don't think it glorifies suicide as a lot of people have mentioned, it shows how real and how easily something can hurt somebody without anyone else knowing. The end episode, for me, was a huge trigger and I think a warning should have been put on that. I know that has changed for season 2 though.
I enjoyed watching this, it was hard to watch, raw and I went through so many emotions.
I enjoyed watching this, it was hard to watch, raw and I went through so many emotions.
Anna Steele (111 KP) rated Noteworthy in Books
Jun 28, 2018
Singing Sharp and Mending Broken Hearts
Riley Redgate is an up-and-coming author and recent graduate of Kenyon College. In her second novel, her main character goes to an arts school and has never been cast in a show. To keep herself on her toes with competition, she goes undercover and auditions for an all-male a capella group. She never expected it to go so far. It reminds me of the anime Oran High School Host Club, with Jordan being a scholarship kid masquerading in an all-male group. I wasn’t sure if a capella would stand as well on the page as it did on the silver screen, but Redgate’s prose throughout the novel sparked my imagination so much that I wasn’t worried about missing the actual notes. Striving for a sense of belonging in an artistic and scholastic setting really hits home with me, as an acting major in college.
*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review*
This is the first time I have read anything my Siobhan Vivien, so I didn’t quite no what to expect. This is told by multiple characters attending high school. Every year a list is created naming the ugliest and prettiest girls – no-one know who creates this list but it can be brutal and we see the impact that it has on our characters and how they deal with bullying. I didn’t really like this story there were too many perspectives and I felt that nothing really felt resolved at the end. What I did like was that it allowed us to see how it affects people and how they are treated when something so superficial is posted around high school – the characters are at an impressionable age and something like this can scar you for life.
I rated 2 out of 5 stars
This is the first time I have read anything my Siobhan Vivien, so I didn’t quite no what to expect. This is told by multiple characters attending high school. Every year a list is created naming the ugliest and prettiest girls – no-one know who creates this list but it can be brutal and we see the impact that it has on our characters and how they deal with bullying. I didn’t really like this story there were too many perspectives and I felt that nothing really felt resolved at the end. What I did like was that it allowed us to see how it affects people and how they are treated when something so superficial is posted around high school – the characters are at an impressionable age and something like this can scar you for life.
I rated 2 out of 5 stars
Lee (2222 KP) rated I Kill Giants (2017) in Movies
Oct 28, 2018
I KILL GIANTS is a movie I'd never heard of before until I stumbled across it on Netflix. Based on a graphic novel, I Kill Giants tells the story of Barbara, a young teen who lives with her older sister and brother. Barbara doesn't really have any friends, is bullied at school, is thought of as weird by everyone and is currently seeing the school psychologist (when she can be bothered). She also sets traps and bait in order to catch and kill giants, researching the different types of giants and preparing herself for when the time comes that she must protect the town from a really big one. If you've seen A MONSTER CALLS then this movie treads very similar ground to that and is also similar in style. I wasn't quite as emotional at the end of this movie as I was at the end of that one, but I did find it just as enjoyable
Lee (2222 KP) rated Slaughterhouse Rulez (2018) in Movies
Nov 2, 2018 (Updated Nov 2, 2018)
Absolutely awful
A fracking site close to a private school deep in the countryside causes a sinkhole to appear. From which, a bunch of subterranean creatures emerge and begin munching on the teachers and pupils. It's then up to a group of them to band together and do whatever it takes in order to save the school.
Slaughterhouse Rulez boasts an impressive cast, including Michael Sheen, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. Pegg and Frost are even credited as executive producers, so you'd be forgiven for expecting something along the lines of the brilliant three flavours Cornetto trilogy. Unfortunately, it comes nothing close, and I cannot believe those 3 had anything to do with this. The characters are mostly lazily written stereotypes and it's not at all funny. The creatures themselves have good potential, but due to poor editing they don't even come across as scary. It's just not very good at all. Such a disappointment.
Slaughterhouse Rulez boasts an impressive cast, including Michael Sheen, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. Pegg and Frost are even credited as executive producers, so you'd be forgiven for expecting something along the lines of the brilliant three flavours Cornetto trilogy. Unfortunately, it comes nothing close, and I cannot believe those 3 had anything to do with this. The characters are mostly lazily written stereotypes and it's not at all funny. The creatures themselves have good potential, but due to poor editing they don't even come across as scary. It's just not very good at all. Such a disappointment.