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Caffeinated Fae (464 KP) rated The Travelling Cat Chronicles in Books
Aug 14, 2018
Characters (1 more)
Story
Simple and Beatuful
When I received an email about this book, I knew I had to read it. I took a chance and requested a copy and I was lucky enough to get a physical Advanced Reader Copy of this book. The cover is absolutely adorable and there's just something special about reading the physical book. I knew from the description that this book would be right up my alley and it was exactly as I expected. It was beautiful, simple, and heart wrenching at moments.
This book follows the cat Nana and his owner Satoru throughout their lives. The simplistic narrative just adds to the story. Nana is able to capture the moment without bogging it down with complexity. Each chapter brings new characters into the story that reminded me of my childhood. They were relatable and realistic. It's always refreshing to read realistic characters which is why this book resounded with me.
What I loved the most about this book is the simplistic nature. It reminded me of the simplicity of Parnassus on Wheels. It was beautiful in its simplicity. Even with the simplicity of the story, Hiro Arikawa was able to truly capture the moments in the stories and it made me feel for Satoru & Nana. I was an emotional wreck at moments. I was frustrated with Nana at times, heartbroken for him too. I am not ashamed to admit that I cried at moments. Honestly, if a book can evoke an emotional response in me, it means that the author did their job and did their job well.
If you're on the fence about this book, I highly suggest you read it.
This book follows the cat Nana and his owner Satoru throughout their lives. The simplistic narrative just adds to the story. Nana is able to capture the moment without bogging it down with complexity. Each chapter brings new characters into the story that reminded me of my childhood. They were relatable and realistic. It's always refreshing to read realistic characters which is why this book resounded with me.
What I loved the most about this book is the simplistic nature. It reminded me of the simplicity of Parnassus on Wheels. It was beautiful in its simplicity. Even with the simplicity of the story, Hiro Arikawa was able to truly capture the moments in the stories and it made me feel for Satoru & Nana. I was an emotional wreck at moments. I was frustrated with Nana at times, heartbroken for him too. I am not ashamed to admit that I cried at moments. Honestly, if a book can evoke an emotional response in me, it means that the author did their job and did their job well.
If you're on the fence about this book, I highly suggest you read it.
Eleanor (1463 KP) rated Along Came a Spider (Alex Cross, #1) in Books
Jul 1, 2019
Good start to Long Running Crime Series
7.5 for me, rounded up for an enjoyable audio experience.
I listened to the unabridged audio book of this narrated by Charles Turner who did a good job of reading this long crime thriller. I had a poor experience with my first Patterson but this was a good recovery for me.
This book introduces us to Alex Cross (there are A LOT of Cross books) and I think I can see why. Cross is a likeable cop and psychologist, dedicated both to his job and two children what he is raising motherless with the help of his no nonsense grandmother (Nana Moma.) He’s got a lot going on, although besides Cross and Nana the rest of the characters were fairly bland and oddly not a lot of time seemed to be spent working with his partner.
The book gets off to a nice quick paced start and really gets you motoring through it. Cross is redirected from a multiple murder investigation in a poor area of the city to assist in the case of the kidnapping of some rich kids which sets a feeling of tension. There is a theme throughout of white / black tension which despite this book been 25 years old still seems all too relevant.
I did find the book to stall somewhat in the middle; especially when it came to some dull courtroom antics. The ending picked up for me and I was left satisfied. Although there was a tad too much relationship stuff for my liking it wasn’t completely over the top.
Willing to carry on with this series and see where we go with Cross next.
I listened to the unabridged audio book of this narrated by Charles Turner who did a good job of reading this long crime thriller. I had a poor experience with my first Patterson but this was a good recovery for me.
This book introduces us to Alex Cross (there are A LOT of Cross books) and I think I can see why. Cross is a likeable cop and psychologist, dedicated both to his job and two children what he is raising motherless with the help of his no nonsense grandmother (Nana Moma.) He’s got a lot going on, although besides Cross and Nana the rest of the characters were fairly bland and oddly not a lot of time seemed to be spent working with his partner.
The book gets off to a nice quick paced start and really gets you motoring through it. Cross is redirected from a multiple murder investigation in a poor area of the city to assist in the case of the kidnapping of some rich kids which sets a feeling of tension. There is a theme throughout of white / black tension which despite this book been 25 years old still seems all too relevant.
I did find the book to stall somewhat in the middle; especially when it came to some dull courtroom antics. The ending picked up for me and I was left satisfied. Although there was a tad too much relationship stuff for my liking it wasn’t completely over the top.
Willing to carry on with this series and see where we go with Cross next.
Blackout: Remembering the Things I Drank to Forget
Book
A raw, vivid and ultimately uplifting memoir of addiction and recovery from the Salon.com personal...
Joe Elliott recommended Obsessions by UFO in Music (curated)
ClareR (5879 KP) rated Mrs Death Misses Death in Books
Feb 15, 2021
This is such an original idea: Mrs Death. Death in this book is a black, working class woman. This turns on its head everything we’ve all grown up believing about Death, and I love this. Why shouldn’t Death be a woman? As it says in the book:
“For surely only she who bears it, she who gave you life, can be she who has the power to take it.”
Seems logical to me.
“And there is no human more invisible, more easily talked over, ignored, betrayed and easy to walk past than a woman; than a poor old black woman.”
The thought of walking past death on a daily basis and not realising that’s who you’re passing, is rather a disconcerting thought!
I liked the playful language, starting with the title and moving on through prose mixed with poetry, and parts were written in script form too. This wasn’t reading for the lazy: it kept me on my toes. The historical deaths seen from Death’s point of view were fascinating too.
I did find myself wishing that Mrs Death had found herself another ghost writer, because Wolf Willeford is clearly a vulnerable person with mental health issues - I did wonder if it was written to illustrate a form of psychosis.
Either way, I loved it and read it FAR too quickly. If this is Salena Godden’s first foray into prose, I will be looking out for what she writes next - and looking out for some of her poetry too, when I can get back in to a library!
Many thanks to the publisher for providing me with an e-copy of this book through NetGalley.
“For surely only she who bears it, she who gave you life, can be she who has the power to take it.”
Seems logical to me.
“And there is no human more invisible, more easily talked over, ignored, betrayed and easy to walk past than a woman; than a poor old black woman.”
The thought of walking past death on a daily basis and not realising that’s who you’re passing, is rather a disconcerting thought!
I liked the playful language, starting with the title and moving on through prose mixed with poetry, and parts were written in script form too. This wasn’t reading for the lazy: it kept me on my toes. The historical deaths seen from Death’s point of view were fascinating too.
I did find myself wishing that Mrs Death had found herself another ghost writer, because Wolf Willeford is clearly a vulnerable person with mental health issues - I did wonder if it was written to illustrate a form of psychosis.
Either way, I loved it and read it FAR too quickly. If this is Salena Godden’s first foray into prose, I will be looking out for what she writes next - and looking out for some of her poetry too, when I can get back in to a library!
Many thanks to the publisher for providing me with an e-copy of this book through NetGalley.
Kristina (502 KP) rated Hangman (Special X, #8) in Books
Dec 7, 2020
3.8 stars [Not a 4 because of the slow start. More than 3.5 because of how quickly I became interested once it picked up for me]
This book started out so slow for me, honestly. The storyline sounded interesting and I wanted to get as anti-Valentine's Day as I could, so I grabbed the closest book on my TBR list. I was reading what I assume was a 2000 paperback copy, so the print was really small and took some getting used to. For the first hundred pages or so, I found my attention straying. Somewhere between page 100 and page 171, I became involved. Finally, the mystery was getting juicy and the murders were getting more gruesome. I had so many different suspects - Justin, Ethan, Peter himself!, a juror from Peter's trial, a psychotic fanatic. Of course I won't give anything away. But the twists and turns are so unexpected, you can't help but scramble for people to be the face behind the mask. It may have taken me a while to get into, but once I did, I was hooked. I'm ashamed to say I almost put this aside to finish at a much later date or just not bother with at all, but because I'm stubborn, I stuck with it, and I'm glad I did. The only spoiler I will provide is this: I'm greatly disappointed that we don't discover who killed Anna, the little girl Peter was accused of murdering. It may not have been important to the overall moral of the story, or even the plot, but it would have been nice to see some kind of justice for that poor girl.
This book started out so slow for me, honestly. The storyline sounded interesting and I wanted to get as anti-Valentine's Day as I could, so I grabbed the closest book on my TBR list. I was reading what I assume was a 2000 paperback copy, so the print was really small and took some getting used to. For the first hundred pages or so, I found my attention straying. Somewhere between page 100 and page 171, I became involved. Finally, the mystery was getting juicy and the murders were getting more gruesome. I had so many different suspects - Justin, Ethan, Peter himself!, a juror from Peter's trial, a psychotic fanatic. Of course I won't give anything away. But the twists and turns are so unexpected, you can't help but scramble for people to be the face behind the mask. It may have taken me a while to get into, but once I did, I was hooked. I'm ashamed to say I almost put this aside to finish at a much later date or just not bother with at all, but because I'm stubborn, I stuck with it, and I'm glad I did. The only spoiler I will provide is this: I'm greatly disappointed that we don't discover who killed Anna, the little girl Peter was accused of murdering. It may not have been important to the overall moral of the story, or even the plot, but it would have been nice to see some kind of justice for that poor girl.
Debbiereadsbook (1441 KP) rated A River of Crows in Books
Apr 18, 2023
Being kept on my toes here was a very good thing!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
Once in a rare while, I step out of my comfort zone and read something that isn't romance of any description. And once in an even rarer while, that step is a very good thing.
Because THIS surprised me, and I can't pinpoint why!
For a long time, I could not see where this was going, and the path it did take was very much how I did NOT see it going! Being kept on my toes here is a very VERY good thing!
What happened to Slaon's brother all those years ago is made perfectly clear, just not for a time, and something one of the minor characters said pinged my radar. Wrongly, as it turns out, but still.
I can't go into too much detail, because it would spoil this for you and I really don't want to do that!
I really enjoyed the way it all came together, both then and now. I liked hearing from all the important characters, even the bad guys, before, during and after.
I really enjoyed the way this was written, told in 1988 and 2008. Each time change is clearly headed, and titled with the person it is talking about.
This appears to be the author's second book. At some point I'd like to go back and read their first book. I shall certainly read MORE of this author in due course.
4 very VERY good stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
Once in a rare while, I step out of my comfort zone and read something that isn't romance of any description. And once in an even rarer while, that step is a very good thing.
Because THIS surprised me, and I can't pinpoint why!
For a long time, I could not see where this was going, and the path it did take was very much how I did NOT see it going! Being kept on my toes here is a very VERY good thing!
What happened to Slaon's brother all those years ago is made perfectly clear, just not for a time, and something one of the minor characters said pinged my radar. Wrongly, as it turns out, but still.
I can't go into too much detail, because it would spoil this for you and I really don't want to do that!
I really enjoyed the way it all came together, both then and now. I liked hearing from all the important characters, even the bad guys, before, during and after.
I really enjoyed the way this was written, told in 1988 and 2008. Each time change is clearly headed, and titled with the person it is talking about.
This appears to be the author's second book. At some point I'd like to go back and read their first book. I shall certainly read MORE of this author in due course.
4 very VERY good stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
Debbiereadsbook (1441 KP) rated Blaine's Beast in Books
Jan 8, 2023
Needed Rohan and Beast
Independent reviewer for GRR, I was gifted my copy of this book.
This is a retelling of a fairy tale, but please shove your knowledge of that fairy tale aside, cos this was brilliant! Bar one teeny tiny thing!
Blaine finds himself caught out in a storm, and then surrounded by wolves and then looked after by some lovely, if slightly odd, people. But nothing is as it seems and when Blaine finds out the truth, he vows to help fix things.
I thoroughly enjoyed this, I really did.
While, to me, it was very obvious who Rohan was, I liked that THAT fact wasn't dragged out for too long.
What surprised me was how things went down at the end. I was happily reading away, there was an ending of sorts and I was expecting that to be it. But I still had 25% to read! And then things happened and I loved being surprised!
It's steamy, and smexy and dark and gritty. It has a few sweeter moments too.
BUT!
And this is the only reason I can't stretch to 5 stars. It pains me, but its my review.
We ONLY get Blaine. And I wanted Rohan and Beast, I really did. I needed them to tell their story. And I don't get them. So, I was not very happy about that. I wanted in their head, you know? How they felt about Blaine arriving, then leaving, then things happening at the end. I needed that, and I don't get it.
so, 4 very good stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
This is a retelling of a fairy tale, but please shove your knowledge of that fairy tale aside, cos this was brilliant! Bar one teeny tiny thing!
Blaine finds himself caught out in a storm, and then surrounded by wolves and then looked after by some lovely, if slightly odd, people. But nothing is as it seems and when Blaine finds out the truth, he vows to help fix things.
I thoroughly enjoyed this, I really did.
While, to me, it was very obvious who Rohan was, I liked that THAT fact wasn't dragged out for too long.
What surprised me was how things went down at the end. I was happily reading away, there was an ending of sorts and I was expecting that to be it. But I still had 25% to read! And then things happened and I loved being surprised!
It's steamy, and smexy and dark and gritty. It has a few sweeter moments too.
BUT!
And this is the only reason I can't stretch to 5 stars. It pains me, but its my review.
We ONLY get Blaine. And I wanted Rohan and Beast, I really did. I needed them to tell their story. And I don't get them. So, I was not very happy about that. I wanted in their head, you know? How they felt about Blaine arriving, then leaving, then things happening at the end. I needed that, and I don't get it.
so, 4 very good stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
Gareth Michael Lewis (6 KP) rated Star Trek: Discovery in TV
Feb 26, 2018
Not the Star Trek we've come to know...
Contains spoilers, click to show
I did not have high hopes for this new series. I read every snippet of news about reshoots, cast changes, problems, etc. and I really could not see this new series living up to the ideals of all the Treks gone by. That said, I sat and watched it each week on Netflix and tried, really tried, to keep an open mind.
To begin, this series IS Star Trek. It has the ships. It has the Federation. It has the USS Enterprise (mentioned and seen). So why all the fuss?
Well, firstly, we have the Klingons. They look nothing like their predecessors in any other show. Alright, in The Original Series (TOS) they looked like fake-tanned, mustachioed humans and then they had forehead ridges in The Motion Picture and Next Generation (TNG) and we got over that quickly enough (they even explained why the ridgless Klingons existed in Star Trek Enterprise). Why the hostility towards the new Klingons in STD? Is it because they took an iconic villian and remade them for a more modern audience? Changing the appearance of ships, costumes and make-up along the way? Apparently so. But what series hasn't updated their villains as technology allows them to? Doctor Who's TARDIS has changed appearance more than once as have the Daleks. Didn't Battlestar Galactica face similar issues with the rebooted series? Of course. But we Trekkies can be an unforgiving bunch. Move past the updates to ships, uniforms and even aliens and judge the show on its own merits.
That leads us to the next bit.
Network executives seem to think that a more modern audience needs something edgier to keep them interested. So STD contains bloody violence, torture, f-words, naked Klingon sex (I did not need to see Klingon, armour-plated boobs) and is clearly made for an "adult" audience. My introduction to Star Trek was TNG, and I went back to TOS because I loved it. Then onto DS9 and Voyager. Even Enterprise, which played with established canon like a child in a sandpit, felt like something I'd let my kids watch. STD is like Game of Thrones in space, just with less incest. My kids will not be allowed to see this until they are much, much older.
The show itself is very pretty to look at, acted capably by almost everyone who has screentime and has characters I grew to genuinely like, but the writing was lazy. We were promised a Federation/Klingon war then somehow missed the whole thing by the final episode. The final episode itself seemed like an exercise in "how to end a season quickly and in the least satisfying way possible".
I wanted to give this series a higher score, I really did. I moved it from 7 to 6 and back to 7 again and again until I stuck with 6 because, although it has moments of brilliance, these moments are telegraphed so far in advance of happening you just can't bring yourself to be surprised by any of it. Almost every plot twist is so obvious that the writers seem to be waiting for a pat on the back at how cleverly they revealed the twist to you rather than trying to genuinely amaze you. It had such potential, it really did. The opening credits are beautiful, the music perfect. The ships are great (I play Star Trek Online so updated ships don't faze me that much). The crew are awesome, with dynamics that shift wonderfully and made me want to see more. But... alas.
If you want to watch a Star Trek series that pushes sci-fi, political and societal boundaries then go back and watch TOS, TNG, DS9 or even Voyager. If you want to watch a "Star Trek" series that does all of that for a modern audience... watch The Orville.
To begin, this series IS Star Trek. It has the ships. It has the Federation. It has the USS Enterprise (mentioned and seen). So why all the fuss?
Well, firstly, we have the Klingons. They look nothing like their predecessors in any other show. Alright, in The Original Series (TOS) they looked like fake-tanned, mustachioed humans and then they had forehead ridges in The Motion Picture and Next Generation (TNG) and we got over that quickly enough (they even explained why the ridgless Klingons existed in Star Trek Enterprise). Why the hostility towards the new Klingons in STD? Is it because they took an iconic villian and remade them for a more modern audience? Changing the appearance of ships, costumes and make-up along the way? Apparently so. But what series hasn't updated their villains as technology allows them to? Doctor Who's TARDIS has changed appearance more than once as have the Daleks. Didn't Battlestar Galactica face similar issues with the rebooted series? Of course. But we Trekkies can be an unforgiving bunch. Move past the updates to ships, uniforms and even aliens and judge the show on its own merits.
That leads us to the next bit.
Network executives seem to think that a more modern audience needs something edgier to keep them interested. So STD contains bloody violence, torture, f-words, naked Klingon sex (I did not need to see Klingon, armour-plated boobs) and is clearly made for an "adult" audience. My introduction to Star Trek was TNG, and I went back to TOS because I loved it. Then onto DS9 and Voyager. Even Enterprise, which played with established canon like a child in a sandpit, felt like something I'd let my kids watch. STD is like Game of Thrones in space, just with less incest. My kids will not be allowed to see this until they are much, much older.
The show itself is very pretty to look at, acted capably by almost everyone who has screentime and has characters I grew to genuinely like, but the writing was lazy. We were promised a Federation/Klingon war then somehow missed the whole thing by the final episode. The final episode itself seemed like an exercise in "how to end a season quickly and in the least satisfying way possible".
I wanted to give this series a higher score, I really did. I moved it from 7 to 6 and back to 7 again and again until I stuck with 6 because, although it has moments of brilliance, these moments are telegraphed so far in advance of happening you just can't bring yourself to be surprised by any of it. Almost every plot twist is so obvious that the writers seem to be waiting for a pat on the back at how cleverly they revealed the twist to you rather than trying to genuinely amaze you. It had such potential, it really did. The opening credits are beautiful, the music perfect. The ships are great (I play Star Trek Online so updated ships don't faze me that much). The crew are awesome, with dynamics that shift wonderfully and made me want to see more. But... alas.
If you want to watch a Star Trek series that pushes sci-fi, political and societal boundaries then go back and watch TOS, TNG, DS9 or even Voyager. If you want to watch a "Star Trek" series that does all of that for a modern audience... watch The Orville.
Chris Sawin (602 KP) rated Where the Wild Things Are (2009) in Movies
Jun 22, 2019
Max is a boy who possesses something that fades away for most as they grow older and that's a young child's incredible imagination. His only dilemma is that he doesn't really have any friends of his own. He builds an igloo out of snow and tries to share it with his older sister, Claire, who seems more interested in hanging out with her friends. Max's mom embraces Max's imagination and even asks him to tell her stories, but everything falls apart when Max tries to save his mom a seat in the fort he just built that would save them from hot lava while she's on a date. Things quickly spiral out of control and Max winds up running away. He finds a boat by the water and takes it out into the sea. As he explores the open water, he becomes astray while he succumbs to the relentless weather and crashing waves of the ocean. That is until he stumbles upon an island where an incandescent glow of a small fire catches his eye. He finds that the island is inhabited by large, hairy, horned creatures. He's discovered where the wild things are and he will be their king.
This film is nothing short of amazing. As the film progressed, I found myself looking back on the memories of having the book read to me as a child. The film manages to capture the magic contained in the book and elaborate on it. The movie really made you feel like you were looking at the world through Max's eyes. It was almost like watching a world within a world. I found myself overcome with emotion by the time those credits showed up on the big screen. That's a special experience in itself.
Just about every aspect of the film is enjoyable. They really did a fantastic job stretching a ten sentence story into an hour and a half film. The writing is fairly superb as the pacing really flows once the ball gets rolling and the dialogue seems like it's straight out of the mind of a young boy. Max Records couldn't fit the Max role more perfectly. His range of emotion and the way he's able to have that look of innocence in his eyes is spectacular. Every action that Max made just felt so heartfelt.
The wild things are what really steal the show. The way they were pulled off just makes them look so realistic. Jim Henson's Creature Shop did a really phenomenal job on them. Despite the wild things being unhappy the majority of the film, it's really just a joy to watch them walk, move, talk, or smile.
As extravagant and imaginative as the film is, it did seem to have one flaw. The beginning of the film seemed to drag a bit. Everything leading up to Max finding the wild things just seemed to last a little too long. I realize they did all that they could with the source material and their efforts are extraordinary given how short that material is, but from a film critic's standpoint the beginning of the film dragged slightly.
Where the Wild Things Are is one of the most heartwarming and whimsical experiences at the theater I've ever had the pleasure of sitting through. If you read the book when you were younger, then this film will really hit home. You won't want it to end. You'll want King Max and the wild things to continue sleeping in a pile, having wild rumpuses, engaging in wars, building those glorious forts, and having Max stay there forever. I highly recommend seeing this wonderful film.
This film is nothing short of amazing. As the film progressed, I found myself looking back on the memories of having the book read to me as a child. The film manages to capture the magic contained in the book and elaborate on it. The movie really made you feel like you were looking at the world through Max's eyes. It was almost like watching a world within a world. I found myself overcome with emotion by the time those credits showed up on the big screen. That's a special experience in itself.
Just about every aspect of the film is enjoyable. They really did a fantastic job stretching a ten sentence story into an hour and a half film. The writing is fairly superb as the pacing really flows once the ball gets rolling and the dialogue seems like it's straight out of the mind of a young boy. Max Records couldn't fit the Max role more perfectly. His range of emotion and the way he's able to have that look of innocence in his eyes is spectacular. Every action that Max made just felt so heartfelt.
The wild things are what really steal the show. The way they were pulled off just makes them look so realistic. Jim Henson's Creature Shop did a really phenomenal job on them. Despite the wild things being unhappy the majority of the film, it's really just a joy to watch them walk, move, talk, or smile.
As extravagant and imaginative as the film is, it did seem to have one flaw. The beginning of the film seemed to drag a bit. Everything leading up to Max finding the wild things just seemed to last a little too long. I realize they did all that they could with the source material and their efforts are extraordinary given how short that material is, but from a film critic's standpoint the beginning of the film dragged slightly.
Where the Wild Things Are is one of the most heartwarming and whimsical experiences at the theater I've ever had the pleasure of sitting through. If you read the book when you were younger, then this film will really hit home. You won't want it to end. You'll want King Max and the wild things to continue sleeping in a pile, having wild rumpuses, engaging in wars, building those glorious forts, and having Max stay there forever. I highly recommend seeing this wonderful film.