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Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated The Book of Essie in Books
Dec 25, 2018
It's so hard to decide where to start with this book. First: it's amazing. Second: Content Warning. For a number of reasons. Rape. Incest. Gay Conversion Therapy. Suicide. Nothing extremely graphic; the most graphic concerns the conversion therapy, which is where the suicide occurs. That section was hard to read. A lot of sections were hard to read. But the book was SO GOOD. It's about Essie and Roarke's escape from all that, so ultimately it focuses on the future, and it's a hopeful, light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel kind of book. But daaaaang these topics.
I loved so many of the characters here. Essie and Roarke, Roarke's best friend Blake, Liberty, the reporter, her boyfriend and her camerawoman. They're all amazing. Essie's determination, Roarke's courage, Blake's understanding - every character has something to offer in this book. The way Liberty's history entwines with Essie's, so she knows where she's coming from and can offer advice from experience, and how Liberty flashes back to her childhood so the reader understands her conflicts - it's all just so amazing.
I identify pretty closely with a lot of this book myself; I was raised very conservative Christian, though at least not in a crazy cult like Liberty was. But the way Liberty talks about her boyfriend challenging her beliefs and waking her up from them hit very close to home. It was weird to see it on the page.
"I had been home as well, a painful few months during which I began to see my parents, our family, and our church as Mike might see them, as anyone who was not us would see them. I still loved my parents, very much, but I was also deeply ashamed. I began to wonder what would have happened if I'd seen it earlier....I decided that I would not go home again."
I was cheering for Essie as she broke free of her bigoted family. Every step of the way. And Roarke - oh, Roarke, who my heart broke for, who stepped up to the plate and loved Essie in his own way, and gave Essie what she needed. It helped that Essie offered him precisely what he needed, too, but I didn't expect how their relationship evolved.
I loved this book, start to finish. This is definitely one of my favorites of 2018.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.com
I loved so many of the characters here. Essie and Roarke, Roarke's best friend Blake, Liberty, the reporter, her boyfriend and her camerawoman. They're all amazing. Essie's determination, Roarke's courage, Blake's understanding - every character has something to offer in this book. The way Liberty's history entwines with Essie's, so she knows where she's coming from and can offer advice from experience, and how Liberty flashes back to her childhood so the reader understands her conflicts - it's all just so amazing.
I identify pretty closely with a lot of this book myself; I was raised very conservative Christian, though at least not in a crazy cult like Liberty was. But the way Liberty talks about her boyfriend challenging her beliefs and waking her up from them hit very close to home. It was weird to see it on the page.
"I had been home as well, a painful few months during which I began to see my parents, our family, and our church as Mike might see them, as anyone who was not us would see them. I still loved my parents, very much, but I was also deeply ashamed. I began to wonder what would have happened if I'd seen it earlier....I decided that I would not go home again."
I was cheering for Essie as she broke free of her bigoted family. Every step of the way. And Roarke - oh, Roarke, who my heart broke for, who stepped up to the plate and loved Essie in his own way, and gave Essie what she needed. It helped that Essie offered him precisely what he needed, too, but I didn't expect how their relationship evolved.
I loved this book, start to finish. This is definitely one of my favorites of 2018.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.com
Veronica Pena (690 KP) rated Thirteen Reasons Why in Books
Jan 6, 2020 (Updated Jan 31, 2020)
I first read this novel almost 7 years ago, I think. Maybe 8. Either way, it's been a decent amount of time since I last read this book and to be honest, I've been really nervous to revisit it. I know that there is a lot of controversy about it, and even more when it comes to the show, and ever since I first read the book, I've always been very protective of this story, these characters, this novel, all of it.
I find it incredibly amusing to read reviews of the show and the book of people that hate it and don't understand Hannah and think she just blamed everyone else and never took responsibility for her actions, and I partially understand. I can see why they think that but I think what makes this book so special and this story so special is how relatable it is. I think that unless you've been in Hannah's shoes, in her mindset, in that place than you can't understand. I think what people are most afraid to admit is that when someone dies by suicide, they do it for a culmination of reasons, and a lot of them are because of people - what they said, what they did or didn't do, what they say behind another person's back, etc. You hear stories in the news all the time about kids dying by suicide because they were bullied or because a bunch of people told them too, over and over and over again. People are mean and cruel and they do things that affect other people and it resonates. Each of the 13 people on her tapes all played a part. You can say she was blaming them or whatever you so please, but each of their actions created the circumstances for her to feel like she had nowhere else to go.
Again, I love this book. I love these characters, I love this plot, I love how real it is. I love the show, I love everything about it. I'm sure there are people who disagree with me. I'm sure there are people who vehemently protest this novel and its corresponding series, but I think this is a book that I will forever love, reread, and protect.
In a lot of ways, I am Hannah Baker. I think everyone is a little bit.
I find it incredibly amusing to read reviews of the show and the book of people that hate it and don't understand Hannah and think she just blamed everyone else and never took responsibility for her actions, and I partially understand. I can see why they think that but I think what makes this book so special and this story so special is how relatable it is. I think that unless you've been in Hannah's shoes, in her mindset, in that place than you can't understand. I think what people are most afraid to admit is that when someone dies by suicide, they do it for a culmination of reasons, and a lot of them are because of people - what they said, what they did or didn't do, what they say behind another person's back, etc. You hear stories in the news all the time about kids dying by suicide because they were bullied or because a bunch of people told them too, over and over and over again. People are mean and cruel and they do things that affect other people and it resonates. Each of the 13 people on her tapes all played a part. You can say she was blaming them or whatever you so please, but each of their actions created the circumstances for her to feel like she had nowhere else to go.
Again, I love this book. I love these characters, I love this plot, I love how real it is. I love the show, I love everything about it. I'm sure there are people who disagree with me. I'm sure there are people who vehemently protest this novel and its corresponding series, but I think this is a book that I will forever love, reread, and protect.
In a lot of ways, I am Hannah Baker. I think everyone is a little bit.
Jesters_folly (230 KP) rated Kiss Me First in TV
Aug 1, 2019
Kiss me first is six part T.V. series form 2018 that is (loosely) based on a book of the same title by Lottie Moggach. Set in the near future the series follows Leila, a young woman living alone in the house she shared with her mother, who had recently died. Leila spends most of her time in the Virtual Reality world of Azana where she goes by the name Shadowfax. Whilst in Azana, Shadowfax meets another play known as Mania who introduces her to a group known as ‘Red Pill’. As Shadowfax begins to spend more time with red pill she starts to realise that events in the game are being mirrored in real life.
As we are introduced to the characters the first couple of episodes’ flip between the real world and the VR world of Azana but, as the series progresses the VR gives way to the real world, pulling you into the madness of the characters and making the games being played even more sinister.
Kiss me first is not a light hearted series and through the red pill members it tackles subjects like depression, suicide & euthanasia as well as the core theme of manipulation which also makes it quite a slow burn.
I said that Kiss Me First was based on a book of the same title and, after watching the series I went off and read the book and found it to be quite different but also the same, let me explain. The book has the main core characters but Red Pill is a chat room and there is no VR or other version of Azana. Shadowfax/Leila only meets/speaks to two of the group (Mania and Adrian) and one of those are dead for most of the novel. Most of the same subjects are still covered in the book but the book seems to have a bigger focus on suicide whereas the T.V. series spends more time on depression. The book also seems to be a search for purpose and the series a search for belonging and friendship and the changes made in the series seem to make the Leila/ Jonty relationship a bit forced and almost irrelevant. If you enjoyed the book the series is worth a shot but expect a lot of changes and a bit more of a techie element.
As we are introduced to the characters the first couple of episodes’ flip between the real world and the VR world of Azana but, as the series progresses the VR gives way to the real world, pulling you into the madness of the characters and making the games being played even more sinister.
Kiss me first is not a light hearted series and through the red pill members it tackles subjects like depression, suicide & euthanasia as well as the core theme of manipulation which also makes it quite a slow burn.
I said that Kiss Me First was based on a book of the same title and, after watching the series I went off and read the book and found it to be quite different but also the same, let me explain. The book has the main core characters but Red Pill is a chat room and there is no VR or other version of Azana. Shadowfax/Leila only meets/speaks to two of the group (Mania and Adrian) and one of those are dead for most of the novel. Most of the same subjects are still covered in the book but the book seems to have a bigger focus on suicide whereas the T.V. series spends more time on depression. The book also seems to be a search for purpose and the series a search for belonging and friendship and the changes made in the series seem to make the Leila/ Jonty relationship a bit forced and almost irrelevant. If you enjoyed the book the series is worth a shot but expect a lot of changes and a bit more of a techie element.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated The Suicide Squad (2021) in Movies
Aug 5, 2021
James Gunn returns with the sequel to 2016’s Suicide Squad. This time, the nefarious company woman Amanda Waller (Viola Davis), returns to Belle Reve to recruit the next iteration of Task Force X. Initially, we are introduced to the new recruits: Savant (Michael Rooker), Blackguard (Pete Davidson), Javelin (Flula Borg), Mongal (Mayling Ng), T.D.K. (Nathan Fillion) and The Weasel (Sean Gunn). We meet our favorites from the first film: Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Captain Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman), Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney). They have signed on to be dropped into a small island nation, Corto Maltese.
This country, just taken over by a military coup has a lab with a 30-year secret weapon. Ms. Waller offers them years off each team member’s sentence to “Save the World”. Or, in this case, infiltrate Corto Maltese to find and destroy the project. Our hapless but highly skilled group lands and takes on heavy fire.
Meanwhile, we have Team B led by Bloodsport (Idris Elba), Peacemaker (John Cena), Ratcatcher 2 (Daniela Melchior), Polka Dot Man (David Dastmalchian), King Shark (The physical, John Economos with the voice of Sylvester Stallone). As the separate teams go forth and bond in violence, we find out more about their personal childhood traumas that made them the criminals they have become.
This sequel has James Gunn’s DNA all over the film. He raised the bar from the first film by providing bright, visual treats. The action is violent in a cartoonish manner that buffers the impact when one looks at the many ways one can dispatch a human. The story goes from sarcasm, dry wit, demented clown to the stooges’ physical hilarity. As we watch the Squad fight their way across the island, there are points where these characters are skilled killers despite the humor in their murderous madness.
I was laughing throughout the film, it certainly felt like a panacea for these challenging times. Pay attention, there are little moments of snappy comebacks that feel like they’re from old-school Mad Magazine. The pace runs steadily which helps the dissonance become more impactful. The Suicide Squad was not boring, it was very entertaining and such a campy ride. FYI: there are TWO after-credit scenes.
The Soundtrack is so very good from the first shot, to the after credit, shotsThis Summer Blockbuster certainly delivers the entertainment.
4.75 out of 5 Stars
This country, just taken over by a military coup has a lab with a 30-year secret weapon. Ms. Waller offers them years off each team member’s sentence to “Save the World”. Or, in this case, infiltrate Corto Maltese to find and destroy the project. Our hapless but highly skilled group lands and takes on heavy fire.
Meanwhile, we have Team B led by Bloodsport (Idris Elba), Peacemaker (John Cena), Ratcatcher 2 (Daniela Melchior), Polka Dot Man (David Dastmalchian), King Shark (The physical, John Economos with the voice of Sylvester Stallone). As the separate teams go forth and bond in violence, we find out more about their personal childhood traumas that made them the criminals they have become.
This sequel has James Gunn’s DNA all over the film. He raised the bar from the first film by providing bright, visual treats. The action is violent in a cartoonish manner that buffers the impact when one looks at the many ways one can dispatch a human. The story goes from sarcasm, dry wit, demented clown to the stooges’ physical hilarity. As we watch the Squad fight their way across the island, there are points where these characters are skilled killers despite the humor in their murderous madness.
I was laughing throughout the film, it certainly felt like a panacea for these challenging times. Pay attention, there are little moments of snappy comebacks that feel like they’re from old-school Mad Magazine. The pace runs steadily which helps the dissonance become more impactful. The Suicide Squad was not boring, it was very entertaining and such a campy ride. FYI: there are TWO after-credit scenes.
The Soundtrack is so very good from the first shot, to the after credit, shotsThis Summer Blockbuster certainly delivers the entertainment.
4.75 out of 5 Stars
Suswatibasu (1701 KP) rated The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson (2017) in Movies
Nov 12, 2017 (Updated Nov 12, 2017)
Tremendous and hugely tragic
David France’s finely wrought documentary seeks justice for a pivotal figure in queer history from the beginning of Stonewall, whose death was said to have never been investigated properly.
Marsha P. Johnson was many things: outspoken LGBT activist, downtown superstar, model muse to Andy Warhol. In 1992, her body was found in the Hudson River, with police classifying her death as a suicide. The documentary is almost a resurrection of this transgender icon, but also a vivid portrayal of the immense suffering the community has faced over decades, even until this day.
The movie methodically explores who might have had cause to kill her - the local mafia, who were heavily involved in then-still-underground gay bar scene? A violent john or a passing group of straight men bent on hate crime? One of the most important characters in this film alongside Johnson was Sylvia Riviera, and her own tragic life just reflects the dire situation people are left to deal with.
Death is what leads the title and drives the movie. But it's her life - vibrant, pioneering, and much too short - that gives Marsha her flamboyant, beautiful heart. A truly moving portrayal.
Marsha P. Johnson was many things: outspoken LGBT activist, downtown superstar, model muse to Andy Warhol. In 1992, her body was found in the Hudson River, with police classifying her death as a suicide. The documentary is almost a resurrection of this transgender icon, but also a vivid portrayal of the immense suffering the community has faced over decades, even until this day.
The movie methodically explores who might have had cause to kill her - the local mafia, who were heavily involved in then-still-underground gay bar scene? A violent john or a passing group of straight men bent on hate crime? One of the most important characters in this film alongside Johnson was Sylvia Riviera, and her own tragic life just reflects the dire situation people are left to deal with.
Death is what leads the title and drives the movie. But it's her life - vibrant, pioneering, and much too short - that gives Marsha her flamboyant, beautiful heart. A truly moving portrayal.
Alison Pink (7 KP) rated The Vices in Books
Jan 15, 2018
I won an ARC of this book from Goodreads First Reads giveaways.
The Vices is a story of the Vice family. A clinically depressed clan who also happen to be pathological liars, art forgers, smugglers, & extortionists. The main character in the book, Oliver Vice, is actually dead when the story is written. It's told from the point of view of his "best friend" a fellow college professor. The friend recounts the mysterious story of Oliver's death & then flashes back to occurances throughout their friendship.
In the end, all is not as it is originally presented. The family is a sham. At first the why of this story seems obvious...in the end there were parts I was right about & portions where I was completly off base. Those portions are what were able to let me rate this a 3. Nothing really happens in this book yet at the same time a family is torn to shreds without there really being a result...unless of course you view Oliver's death as suicide, then you could conceviably argue that the death stems from the lies his family maintained.
The Vices is a story of the Vice family. A clinically depressed clan who also happen to be pathological liars, art forgers, smugglers, & extortionists. The main character in the book, Oliver Vice, is actually dead when the story is written. It's told from the point of view of his "best friend" a fellow college professor. The friend recounts the mysterious story of Oliver's death & then flashes back to occurances throughout their friendship.
In the end, all is not as it is originally presented. The family is a sham. At first the why of this story seems obvious...in the end there were parts I was right about & portions where I was completly off base. Those portions are what were able to let me rate this a 3. Nothing really happens in this book yet at the same time a family is torn to shreds without there really being a result...unless of course you view Oliver's death as suicide, then you could conceviably argue that the death stems from the lies his family maintained.
Suswatibasu (1701 KP) rated Housekeeping: Faber Modern Classics in Books
Sep 7, 2017
Haunting imagery, tremendous classic American literature
There was something deeply unsettling yet moving about this book exploring abandonment, solitude and loss over the span of three generations of women in a family.
Ruth, who is our main narrator, is speaking about her childhood in which her sister Lucille and her were continually abandoned by one family or another. Eventually they end up with their deeply eccentric aunt Sylvie, and she seems completely incapable in many ways of being a responsible parent, but rather a sister instead. She leads a transcient life, having deserted her husband, jumping on trains to get from place to place. She's a spirited wanderer, and sees Ruth as an ally and her own sister, Helen, who killed herself at the start of the book.
Their solitary life of never mixing, but staying in the great outdoors both seems idyllic and claustrophobic. There are images of the lake where the children's mother committed suicide, that seem to draw the women to this area. The metaphors are cold and quiet hence it feels unnerving.
It's a classic American tale about real women, which makes this different to the old books talking only about marriage and fidelity.
Ruth, who is our main narrator, is speaking about her childhood in which her sister Lucille and her were continually abandoned by one family or another. Eventually they end up with their deeply eccentric aunt Sylvie, and she seems completely incapable in many ways of being a responsible parent, but rather a sister instead. She leads a transcient life, having deserted her husband, jumping on trains to get from place to place. She's a spirited wanderer, and sees Ruth as an ally and her own sister, Helen, who killed herself at the start of the book.
Their solitary life of never mixing, but staying in the great outdoors both seems idyllic and claustrophobic. There are images of the lake where the children's mother committed suicide, that seem to draw the women to this area. The metaphors are cold and quiet hence it feels unnerving.
It's a classic American tale about real women, which makes this different to the old books talking only about marriage and fidelity.
The Craggus (360 KP) rated Shazam! (2019) in Movies
Apr 6, 2019 (Updated Apr 6, 2019)
The Shazam! (2019) movie is the Billy Batson of the DCEU
The movie comes properly into focus when it becomes clear that thematically, the movie itself is echoing Billy Batson’s character arc. Just as SHAZAM derives his power from the wisdom of Solomon, the strength of Hercules, the stamina of Atlas; the energy bolts of Zeus, the courage of Achilles and the speed of Mercury, so “Shazam!” inherits potent traits from its forebears. Like “Man Of Steel”, it’s perhaps a little too fond of fight scenes featuring flying people being flung through skyscrapers. Like “Aquaman”, it suffers the curse of a conspicuously ropey special effects moment. Like “Suicide Squad”, it’s trying a little too hard with its soundtrack choices and like “Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice” it relies too heavily on YouTube clips for exposition. And just as Billy Batson has to battle his own mean-spirited, selfish and angsty urges to become the hero Shazam is meant to be, so too does “Shazam!” push back against the DCEU grimdark tropes to forge a bright new pathway to fun, adventure and a hopeful tone without sacrificing the superhero action...
FULL REVIEW: http://bit.ly/CraggusShazam
FULL REVIEW: http://bit.ly/CraggusShazam
Billie Wichkan (118 KP) rated Eighteen Below (Fabian Risk, #3) in Books
May 22, 2019
ON A HOT SUMMER'S DAY.
A car speeds through the streets of Helsingborg. When it reaches the harbour, the driver keeps going, straight into the cold, dark sea.
A BODY IN THE WATER.
But it is not a suicide. The autopsy reveals that this man has been dead for some time. He was murdered two months ago, and his body has been deep frozen.
TURNS EVERTHING COLDER.
As more bodies are discovered, Fabian Risk must hunt a killer with a mission: to preserve his victims, and create the perfect death...
This is a very good action thriller that involves a puzzling story-line and creepy villains.
While it seems that there are 2 completely different, unlinked cases going on in this book, you get the impression that is not the case at all; but how they're linked is what keeps you guessing.
Very action-packed indeed and the more so the further you read. I greatly enjoyed it.
The writing and plot are superb.
If you love Jo Nesbo- this is for you.
Recommend reading!!
Thanks to Head of Zeus and Netgalley for this ARC.
A car speeds through the streets of Helsingborg. When it reaches the harbour, the driver keeps going, straight into the cold, dark sea.
A BODY IN THE WATER.
But it is not a suicide. The autopsy reveals that this man has been dead for some time. He was murdered two months ago, and his body has been deep frozen.
TURNS EVERTHING COLDER.
As more bodies are discovered, Fabian Risk must hunt a killer with a mission: to preserve his victims, and create the perfect death...
This is a very good action thriller that involves a puzzling story-line and creepy villains.
While it seems that there are 2 completely different, unlinked cases going on in this book, you get the impression that is not the case at all; but how they're linked is what keeps you guessing.
Very action-packed indeed and the more so the further you read. I greatly enjoyed it.
The writing and plot are superb.
If you love Jo Nesbo- this is for you.
Recommend reading!!
Thanks to Head of Zeus and Netgalley for this ARC.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2204 KP) rated Pop Goes the Murder (Popcorn Shop Mystery #2) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
While Rebecca has tried to distance herself from her ex-husband, famed TV chef Antoine, she can’t turn him away when he comes to town to do a segment on her popcorn shop POPS. However, Rebecca’s meeting with Antoine’s assistant Melanie turns into a shock when she finds the woman electrocuted in her bathtub. When the police go from suicide to murder, Rebecca thinks they’ve picked the wrong suspect. Can she find the right one?
I enjoyed the first book in this series, and I was delighted with this one as well. Several of the characters I liked in the first weren’t around much here, but the characters we did see again or meet for the first time or than made up for it. The plot was strong, with plenty of suspects to choose from. I did figure things out a bit early, but that wasn’t an issue since I was having so much fun.
NOTE: I received a copy of this book.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/01/book-review-pop-goes-murder-by-kristi.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
I enjoyed the first book in this series, and I was delighted with this one as well. Several of the characters I liked in the first weren’t around much here, but the characters we did see again or meet for the first time or than made up for it. The plot was strong, with plenty of suspects to choose from. I did figure things out a bit early, but that wasn’t an issue since I was having so much fun.
NOTE: I received a copy of this book.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/01/book-review-pop-goes-murder-by-kristi.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.