Search
Search results
Suswatibasu (1701 KP) rated Altered Carbon in TV
Mar 3, 2018 (Updated Mar 3, 2018)
Disappointing
There were a lot of aspects of this sci-fi thriller that I wanted to love, but the constant hyper-specialisation of women's bodies became irritating.
Similar to Blade Runner in terms of the setting, this dystopian series follows Takeshi Kovacs, after his downloaded self is put into a new body 250 years later, and he is forced to solve the murder of a man who has no memory of what happened to him in his last moments. In the future, humans have 'sleeves' and can officially never die but just get put back into a new body.
After a while, this just bordered on ridiculous (more so than your average sci-fi), and there are far too many storylines happening at the same time. I began tuning out after a while.
Similar to Blade Runner in terms of the setting, this dystopian series follows Takeshi Kovacs, after his downloaded self is put into a new body 250 years later, and he is forced to solve the murder of a man who has no memory of what happened to him in his last moments. In the future, humans have 'sleeves' and can officially never die but just get put back into a new body.
After a while, this just bordered on ridiculous (more so than your average sci-fi), and there are far too many storylines happening at the same time. I began tuning out after a while.
Suswatibasu (1701 KP) rated The Seven Deaths Of Evelyn Hardcastle in Books
Mar 28, 2018
Convoluted murder mystery
I would love to watch this as a TV series because as a book it seems rather all over the place. Following Aiden Bishop, who seems to be appear in a new host body every day in order to solve a Gosford Park-style murder, he's also stacked against competitors desperate to flee this entrapment.
The premise is fantastic - it's Inception mixed with Agatha Christie- but I feel the author Stuart Turton may have overstretched himself because by the end it's a tangle of a mess, and finishes rather abruptly, trying to tackle loose ends. I may be in the minority, but I found myself drifting away quite a bit, actually forgetting characters. There's far too many murders and body swapping, and I don't think it reached its potential.
The premise is fantastic - it's Inception mixed with Agatha Christie- but I feel the author Stuart Turton may have overstretched himself because by the end it's a tangle of a mess, and finishes rather abruptly, trying to tackle loose ends. I may be in the minority, but I found myself drifting away quite a bit, actually forgetting characters. There's far too many murders and body swapping, and I don't think it reached its potential.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2099 KP) rated Owls Well That Ends Well (Meg Langslow, #6) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
The large garage sale Meg and Michael are throwing to clean up their new home is drawing huge crowds. Sorry, the body in that trunk isn't included. The humor had me laughing the entire way through, and I thought this was the best mystery of the series. Very well done.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/03/book-review-owls-well-that-ends-well-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/03/book-review-owls-well-that-ends-well-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2099 KP) rated A Flicker of Doubt (Candlemaking Mystery #4) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
A quick kayak trip down the river behind his shop leads to Harrison finding the body of his ex-girlfriend. With the sheriff determined it was suicide, Harrison sets out to prove it was murder. As much as I love Harrison, the sub-plots took over the story and slowed the book down overall.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/02/book-review-flicker-of-doubt-by-tim.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/02/book-review-flicker-of-doubt-by-tim.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2099 KP) rated Not a Creature was Stirring in Books
Jan 24, 2019
Who was Enough of a Scrooge to Leave the Dead Body in Merry's Motorhome?
Merry is hoping to turn her Christmas crafting business into a full-time job, and as part of that plan, she's purchased a motorhome from her ex-step-daughter. The hope is she can use it as a mobile crafting studio and a place to show her stuff at some of the more popular craft shows. She's trying it out at the Christmas Holiday Bazaar, one of her favorite events of the year. However, when she's unloading her products, she finds the dead body of her ex-husband in one of the storage compartments. How did his dead body get into the RV?
With as much as I love Christmas, this book was a lot of fun. We got lots of talk about everything Christmas, even comparing characters to famous fictional Christmas characters. I did feel the book needed another polish to flesh a few things out, and I found Merry's concern for her ex-husband's family a little hard to believe considering how short her marriage had been. On the other hand, I loved the majority of the characters, and Merry's relationships with her own kids was fabulous. The plot was good with many twists and turns. I figured out a couple of things early, but I was left guessing about the rest of it until the end.
With as much as I love Christmas, this book was a lot of fun. We got lots of talk about everything Christmas, even comparing characters to famous fictional Christmas characters. I did feel the book needed another polish to flesh a few things out, and I found Merry's concern for her ex-husband's family a little hard to believe considering how short her marriage had been. On the other hand, I loved the majority of the characters, and Merry's relationships with her own kids was fabulous. The plot was good with many twists and turns. I figured out a couple of things early, but I was left guessing about the rest of it until the end.
Naomi Homfray (6 KP) rated 120 days of Sodom in Books
Oct 3, 2019
Not for the faint hearted 50 shades this is NOT
It's taken me a few years to read this book. It's Sadism at its best and vile
It's based around a group of adults who take a group of children to a castle and during said 120 days they slowly ingratiate said minors into a life of pure Sadism.
The adults have complex relationships between themselves let alone between the innocent children.
Every evening a story is told by an adult, usually an ex prostitute who shares her experiences with the group. Okay we are NOT talking the odd handcuff, 50 shades of boring stuff here, we are talking body fluids, eating shit, using every hole in the body in various ways with both sexes and varying ages.
This book is why Marquis De Sade is Sadism pure and simple.
It's based around a group of adults who take a group of children to a castle and during said 120 days they slowly ingratiate said minors into a life of pure Sadism.
The adults have complex relationships between themselves let alone between the innocent children.
Every evening a story is told by an adult, usually an ex prostitute who shares her experiences with the group. Okay we are NOT talking the odd handcuff, 50 shades of boring stuff here, we are talking body fluids, eating shit, using every hole in the body in various ways with both sexes and varying ages.
This book is why Marquis De Sade is Sadism pure and simple.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2099 KP) rated The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches (Flavia de Luce, #6) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Flavia’s mother has been found and her body is being returned to Bishop’s Lacey. Flavia is waiting with the rest of her family on the train station when the body arrives when a stranger comes up to her and gives her a cryptic message. Minutes later, he’s dead. What did his message mean? What does this have to do with Flavia’s mother?
As often in this series, the mystery takes a back seat to Flavia and her family. Still, the plot does answer some questions about the de Luce family and appears to wrap up a few long running plot threads. Fans will absolutely love this book however, because of the character study it gives us in grief. While the mystery is weak, it is a very strong book, especially if you know the characters.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/07/book-review-dead-in-their-vaulted.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
As often in this series, the mystery takes a back seat to Flavia and her family. Still, the plot does answer some questions about the de Luce family and appears to wrap up a few long running plot threads. Fans will absolutely love this book however, because of the character study it gives us in grief. While the mystery is weak, it is a very strong book, especially if you know the characters.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/07/book-review-dead-in-their-vaulted.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2099 KP) rated Cinderella Six Feet Under (Fairy Tale Fatal Mystery, #2) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Ophelia and Prue have traveled to Paris where they hope to reunite Prue with her mother. Instead, they find that Prue’s mother is missing and there is a dead body in Prue’s step-family’s home – a body wearing a ball gown and only one slipper. Then Gabriel shows up and insists that’s not the only tie in to Cinderella.
The combination of fairy tale with cozy mystery is successful once again. There are a couple of plot points that seem a bit rough, but for the most part the story is a fun, fast paces romp. I love the trio at the heart of the series, and the rest of the cast is just as sharp and fun. I already can’t wait to see where they go next.
NOTE: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2015/09/book-review-cinderella-six-feet-under.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
The combination of fairy tale with cozy mystery is successful once again. There are a couple of plot points that seem a bit rough, but for the most part the story is a fun, fast paces romp. I love the trio at the heart of the series, and the rest of the cast is just as sharp and fun. I already can’t wait to see where they go next.
NOTE: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2015/09/book-review-cinderella-six-feet-under.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2099 KP) rated Stay At Home Dead (Stay At Home Dad Mystery #1) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Deuce Winters finds himself a suspect in the death of his high school rival after the man's body is found in his minivan. I enjoyed the characters, especially Deuce and his wife. But I felt the mystery was pretty thin and was annoyed by the author's willful ignoring any sense of time.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/06/book-review-stay-at-home-dead-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/06/book-review-stay-at-home-dead-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2099 KP) rated Goody Goody Gunshots (A Candy Shop Mystery, #4) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
When Abby witnesses a murder, naturally she leaves to call the police. Only when they return, they can't find a body. Then Abby sees the victim around town. What's going on? This is the fourth in the series, and I thought it was the best one to date. The characters are strong and the plot kept me guessing until the end.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/04/book-review-goody-goody-gunshots-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/04/book-review-goody-goody-gunshots-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.