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Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated The Pyramid of Souls (Magickeepers, #2) in Books
Apr 27, 2018
Series Review:
I really enjoyed the Magickeeper series! It's written for ages 8-14, but even I got really into it and enjoyed it a lot.
The stories were both woven well, with plenty of mystery and suspense to keep you reading. Once I started to read, it was hard to put it down. I never knew what to expect and was always surprised. It was like walking through a fun-house: you never knew what was going to be around the corner.
My favorite characters had to be Nick and Isabella, followed closely by Isabella's pet tiger, Sascha. Sascha was just a really cool tiger. Vladimir, the hedgehog, was pretty cool, too. It was fun to watch Nick and Isabella together: they balanced each other well and would be fun people to be around. I wish they were real so we could hang out. Haley why would you want to hang out with thirteen-year-olds? Because they're magician thirteen-year-olds who can disappear and fly and look into crystal balls, and have more adventure in a day that I have in a month.
The writing was good and easy to read and easy to follow, but some of the structure was a little confusing at times. It didn't take away form the action and adventure, though.
I really liked the Russian culture incorporated into the stories. It wasn't overdone, but it was really fun to read the descriptions of the foods and the clothes and the decorations, and learn about some of the traditions. In the second book, The Pyramid of Souls, there was a lot of other cultures incorporated into it as well, because there were Magickeepers from Egypt and Nigeria and a Parisian clan, and Australians… so there were a lot of cool things that went on that we wouldn't normally think about—even in the world of magic.
I look forward to the next book in the Magickeeper series! The Eternal Hourglass came out in paperback on March 31, 2010 and The Pyramid of Souls was just published in hardback on May 1st, 2010.
Content/Recommendation: clean, and suitable for ages 8-16(-ish). I'm 18 and I enjoyed it, and parents would enjoy reading the books out loud to their kids as well!
I really enjoyed the Magickeeper series! It's written for ages 8-14, but even I got really into it and enjoyed it a lot.
The stories were both woven well, with plenty of mystery and suspense to keep you reading. Once I started to read, it was hard to put it down. I never knew what to expect and was always surprised. It was like walking through a fun-house: you never knew what was going to be around the corner.
My favorite characters had to be Nick and Isabella, followed closely by Isabella's pet tiger, Sascha. Sascha was just a really cool tiger. Vladimir, the hedgehog, was pretty cool, too. It was fun to watch Nick and Isabella together: they balanced each other well and would be fun people to be around. I wish they were real so we could hang out. Haley why would you want to hang out with thirteen-year-olds? Because they're magician thirteen-year-olds who can disappear and fly and look into crystal balls, and have more adventure in a day that I have in a month.
The writing was good and easy to read and easy to follow, but some of the structure was a little confusing at times. It didn't take away form the action and adventure, though.
I really liked the Russian culture incorporated into the stories. It wasn't overdone, but it was really fun to read the descriptions of the foods and the clothes and the decorations, and learn about some of the traditions. In the second book, The Pyramid of Souls, there was a lot of other cultures incorporated into it as well, because there were Magickeepers from Egypt and Nigeria and a Parisian clan, and Australians… so there were a lot of cool things that went on that we wouldn't normally think about—even in the world of magic.
I look forward to the next book in the Magickeeper series! The Eternal Hourglass came out in paperback on March 31, 2010 and The Pyramid of Souls was just published in hardback on May 1st, 2010.
Content/Recommendation: clean, and suitable for ages 8-16(-ish). I'm 18 and I enjoyed it, and parents would enjoy reading the books out loud to their kids as well!
Zuky the BookBum (15 KP) rated The Witches in Books
Mar 15, 2018
Also read my review here: http://bookbum.weebly.com/book-reviews/the-witches-by-roald-dahl
<b><i>The most important thing you should know about REAL WITCHES is this. Listen very carefully. Never forget what is coming next.
REAL WITCHES dress in ordinary clothes and look very much like ordinary women. They live in ordinary houses and they work in ORDINARY JOBS.
That is why they are so hard to catch.</b></i>
Truth be told, I never read this book as a child. I got about 40 pages in and it scared the living daylights out of me. Now, as an adult, I can still understand why. I can now also truly appreciate how terrifying it is! I mean, this book contains subjects such as a car accident killing our narrator's parents, adults murdering and eating their own children, children being led away by claw handed women, maids threatening to drown pets… it’s all so horrifying!
The imagery in this book is the stuff of nightmares. Grandma really doesn't hold back on the horror and gore in her stories, they are deliciously dark and disturbing. Honestly, one of the worst parts of this book, for me, is when we first encounter a witch from the narrator's eyes - <b><i>She was looking up at me and smiling in the most peculiar way… this woman’s lips went upwards and downwards, showing all her front teeth and gums. The gums were like raw meat.</b></i> Gah, horrifying!
<i>Fun fact:</i> This book terrified (and terrifies) me so much that I'm still affected by it today (no thanks to my mum!!) Each and every night I <i>still</i> tuck my thumbs into my fists, to stop the witches coming and taking them away, like they did with Grandma’s.
While I am still scared by this book, I can also now appreciate the comedic aspects of it too. Grandma is an absolute hoot! Some of the conversations between grandson and narrator are hilarious.
Why this book is for kids I'll never know, so as a children's book, it gets 2 stars, but in general terms I think this is one of the best horror novels I've ever and will ever read so it gets a full 5 out of 5 from me!
<b><i>The most important thing you should know about REAL WITCHES is this. Listen very carefully. Never forget what is coming next.
REAL WITCHES dress in ordinary clothes and look very much like ordinary women. They live in ordinary houses and they work in ORDINARY JOBS.
That is why they are so hard to catch.</b></i>
Truth be told, I never read this book as a child. I got about 40 pages in and it scared the living daylights out of me. Now, as an adult, I can still understand why. I can now also truly appreciate how terrifying it is! I mean, this book contains subjects such as a car accident killing our narrator's parents, adults murdering and eating their own children, children being led away by claw handed women, maids threatening to drown pets… it’s all so horrifying!
The imagery in this book is the stuff of nightmares. Grandma really doesn't hold back on the horror and gore in her stories, they are deliciously dark and disturbing. Honestly, one of the worst parts of this book, for me, is when we first encounter a witch from the narrator's eyes - <b><i>She was looking up at me and smiling in the most peculiar way… this woman’s lips went upwards and downwards, showing all her front teeth and gums. The gums were like raw meat.</b></i> Gah, horrifying!
<i>Fun fact:</i> This book terrified (and terrifies) me so much that I'm still affected by it today (no thanks to my mum!!) Each and every night I <i>still</i> tuck my thumbs into my fists, to stop the witches coming and taking them away, like they did with Grandma’s.
While I am still scared by this book, I can also now appreciate the comedic aspects of it too. Grandma is an absolute hoot! Some of the conversations between grandson and narrator are hilarious.
Why this book is for kids I'll never know, so as a children's book, it gets 2 stars, but in general terms I think this is one of the best horror novels I've ever and will ever read so it gets a full 5 out of 5 from me!
Asiza Tait (139 KP) rated The Testament of Gideon Mack in Books
Jun 16, 2019
Complex, interesting characters (2 more)
Thought provoking
Extremely well written
A Preacher’s Son
Contains spoilers, click to show
Gideon Mack is a preachers son who doesn’t believe in God, but decides to become a minister anyway.
His lack of belief can be easily explained by his narrow minded, strict, sad and unloving upbringing. The reason why he decides to become a minister anyway hints at his dark humour, which you see here and there throughout the book.
He marries a woman that he is not in love with, simply because he can’t have the woman he actually wants (that woman marries his best friend).
He comes across as a man who doesn’t actually know what he wants, will accept second best or will settle for what he thinks is ok...and then spend his life living in regret and unhappiness. Causing confusion and unhappiness to others in the process.
Where he didn’t believe in God at all...he does end up believing completely in the Devil. He falls into a treacherous river and is found 3 days later. He should be dead...but he isn’t. Depending on whether you believe in the supernatural or not, he was either fished out the first day by a smuggler or he was saved by the Devil and he bonded so well with the Devil he then spends a great deal of time and effort to be able to spend the rest of his life with him.
In order to leave with a clean slate he tells everyone what happened to him, including his sins...committing adultery with the very woman he is still in love with. He only confesses to this happening once, while helping him pack up his late wife’s clothes she takes pity on him and they sleep together. In actual fact, that summer they had a full blown affair as confirmed by the woman in question. Why lie? Perhaps he simply couldn’t see her as an adulterous woman as she is the epitome of perfection in his eyes, or it again displays his unique ability to lie to himself.
This book is a very detailed account of how a person can live a lie, how they can convince themselves completely into believing a lie, and then finally freeing themselves to believing what they genuinely believe is true...even though it could be complete codswallop. Who knows?
His lack of belief can be easily explained by his narrow minded, strict, sad and unloving upbringing. The reason why he decides to become a minister anyway hints at his dark humour, which you see here and there throughout the book.
He marries a woman that he is not in love with, simply because he can’t have the woman he actually wants (that woman marries his best friend).
He comes across as a man who doesn’t actually know what he wants, will accept second best or will settle for what he thinks is ok...and then spend his life living in regret and unhappiness. Causing confusion and unhappiness to others in the process.
Where he didn’t believe in God at all...he does end up believing completely in the Devil. He falls into a treacherous river and is found 3 days later. He should be dead...but he isn’t. Depending on whether you believe in the supernatural or not, he was either fished out the first day by a smuggler or he was saved by the Devil and he bonded so well with the Devil he then spends a great deal of time and effort to be able to spend the rest of his life with him.
In order to leave with a clean slate he tells everyone what happened to him, including his sins...committing adultery with the very woman he is still in love with. He only confesses to this happening once, while helping him pack up his late wife’s clothes she takes pity on him and they sleep together. In actual fact, that summer they had a full blown affair as confirmed by the woman in question. Why lie? Perhaps he simply couldn’t see her as an adulterous woman as she is the epitome of perfection in his eyes, or it again displays his unique ability to lie to himself.
This book is a very detailed account of how a person can live a lie, how they can convince themselves completely into believing a lie, and then finally freeing themselves to believing what they genuinely believe is true...even though it could be complete codswallop. Who knows?
JT (287 KP) rated Rabbit Hole (2010) in Movies
Mar 10, 2020
Anyone with children will surely feel the pain in this film which is disheartening right to the core. It’s emotionally draining with great central performances from Kidman and Eckhart.
Set eight months after the death of their son, Becca (Nicole Kidman) and Howie (Aaron Eckhart) are trying to come to terms with him not being in their lives anymore and both have a different way of dealing with it. Howie prefers to relive the past by watching videos on his phone late at night, while Becca wants to eradicate his memory altogether by giving away his clothes, removing his paintings from the fridge and cleaning his room so that all traces are gone.
The pair try to seek solace in counselling, talking with other couples who regale their grieving process. This doesn’t sit well with Becca but Howie tries to stick with it. He even becomes close, too close in fact, with one of the other wives when he realises that the bond he has with his own wife might be slipping away. Their cause is not helped by the fact that Becca’s slightly rebellious sister falls pregnant or that her Mum, Nat, is still hurting from the death of her own son, a drug user. This only angers Becca more when Nat compares the two.
The cause of the death is slowly discovered when Becca spots the culprit on a school bus and it is revealed that Jason (Miles Teller) was behind the wheel of the car. The pair engage in secret meetings, as if having some kind of affair but simply sit to talk and reflect on each others lives and the accident itself.
Pain never goes away, it’s something that is carried around with you forever, people seem to tread lightly around you, and life will never be the same again. It’s certainly a tear jerker, there are plenty of moments to choose from in this but for me the film is all about the acting of which there is much to enjoy.
Kidman is at her best and Eckhart who was hand picked by Kidman to be her leading man is sublime and yet explosive in a number of highly charged scenes. The ending shot is one of hope, amid the shattered pieces of their lives scattered all over the place you feel that they might have crossed the road to a happier future.
Set eight months after the death of their son, Becca (Nicole Kidman) and Howie (Aaron Eckhart) are trying to come to terms with him not being in their lives anymore and both have a different way of dealing with it. Howie prefers to relive the past by watching videos on his phone late at night, while Becca wants to eradicate his memory altogether by giving away his clothes, removing his paintings from the fridge and cleaning his room so that all traces are gone.
The pair try to seek solace in counselling, talking with other couples who regale their grieving process. This doesn’t sit well with Becca but Howie tries to stick with it. He even becomes close, too close in fact, with one of the other wives when he realises that the bond he has with his own wife might be slipping away. Their cause is not helped by the fact that Becca’s slightly rebellious sister falls pregnant or that her Mum, Nat, is still hurting from the death of her own son, a drug user. This only angers Becca more when Nat compares the two.
The cause of the death is slowly discovered when Becca spots the culprit on a school bus and it is revealed that Jason (Miles Teller) was behind the wheel of the car. The pair engage in secret meetings, as if having some kind of affair but simply sit to talk and reflect on each others lives and the accident itself.
Pain never goes away, it’s something that is carried around with you forever, people seem to tread lightly around you, and life will never be the same again. It’s certainly a tear jerker, there are plenty of moments to choose from in this but for me the film is all about the acting of which there is much to enjoy.
Kidman is at her best and Eckhart who was hand picked by Kidman to be her leading man is sublime and yet explosive in a number of highly charged scenes. The ending shot is one of hope, amid the shattered pieces of their lives scattered all over the place you feel that they might have crossed the road to a happier future.
Baby games for 2 - 4 year olds
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- Educational games for toddlers and kids of 2 – 4 years old - Games for kids on sorting and...
H&E naturist
Lifestyle and Magazines & Newspapers
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H&E naturist is the leading monthly magazine aimed at all those who enjoy a clothes-free lifestyle....
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated House of Dracula (1945) in Movies
Jun 18, 2020
Get The Gang All Together: The Crossover II
House of Dracula- was a direct sequel to House of Frankenstein, and continued the theme of combining Universal's three most popular monsters: Frankenstein's monster (Glenn Strange), Count Dracula (John Carradine), and the Wolf Man (Lon Chaney Jr.).
The plot: This monster movie focuses on the iconic vampire, Count Dracula (John Carradine), and Lawrence Talbot (Lon Chaney), better known as the Wolf Man. Both beings of the night are tired of their supernatural afflictions, so they seek out Dr. Franz Edelmann (Onslow Stevens) for cures for their respective curses. While trying to aid the imposing creatures, Edelmann himself develops a transformative condition, adding to the many ghouls lurking around the foreboding landscape.
The working titles for the film were Dracula vs. the Wolf Man or The Wolf Man vs. Dracula.
Although Glenn Strange appears as the Monster in most of the film, footage of Chaney as the Monster from The Ghost of Frankenstein and Boris Karloff from Bride of Frankenstein was recycled; Karloff appears in a dream sequence, while Chaney, as well as his double Eddie Parker, are seen in footage in a fire scene.
Strange recounts that a scene with the Monster stuck in quicksand was particularly arduous for him. On top of three hours of getting into makeup, Strange spent the rest of the day buried in cold sand, including during the lunch break, and was so cold by midafternoon that he could barely feel his legs. Lon Chaney Jr. attempted to help Strange keep warm by passing him a bottle of scotch, with the result that Strange was so drunk that after getting out of costume and makeup, he had difficulty dressing himself in his street clothes. Chaney's drinking contributed to his reputation as being difficult to work with, and probably was the reason Universal let him go after the film was completed.
The film, which was the seventh Universal film to feature Frankenstein's monster, as well as the fourth with Count Dracula and the Wolf Man, was a commercial success, but was one of the last Universal movies featuring Frankenstein's monster, vampires, and werewolves, with the exception of the comedy Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948), in which all three appear.
Its a fun entertaing horror film starring the universal monsters.
The plot: This monster movie focuses on the iconic vampire, Count Dracula (John Carradine), and Lawrence Talbot (Lon Chaney), better known as the Wolf Man. Both beings of the night are tired of their supernatural afflictions, so they seek out Dr. Franz Edelmann (Onslow Stevens) for cures for their respective curses. While trying to aid the imposing creatures, Edelmann himself develops a transformative condition, adding to the many ghouls lurking around the foreboding landscape.
The working titles for the film were Dracula vs. the Wolf Man or The Wolf Man vs. Dracula.
Although Glenn Strange appears as the Monster in most of the film, footage of Chaney as the Monster from The Ghost of Frankenstein and Boris Karloff from Bride of Frankenstein was recycled; Karloff appears in a dream sequence, while Chaney, as well as his double Eddie Parker, are seen in footage in a fire scene.
Strange recounts that a scene with the Monster stuck in quicksand was particularly arduous for him. On top of three hours of getting into makeup, Strange spent the rest of the day buried in cold sand, including during the lunch break, and was so cold by midafternoon that he could barely feel his legs. Lon Chaney Jr. attempted to help Strange keep warm by passing him a bottle of scotch, with the result that Strange was so drunk that after getting out of costume and makeup, he had difficulty dressing himself in his street clothes. Chaney's drinking contributed to his reputation as being difficult to work with, and probably was the reason Universal let him go after the film was completed.
The film, which was the seventh Universal film to feature Frankenstein's monster, as well as the fourth with Count Dracula and the Wolf Man, was a commercial success, but was one of the last Universal movies featuring Frankenstein's monster, vampires, and werewolves, with the exception of the comedy Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948), in which all three appear.
Its a fun entertaing horror film starring the universal monsters.
My Town : Hotel
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How fun to pack your suitcase and go on a hotel adventure! With many rooms to explore, there are new...
Dumb Ways to Die
Games and Education
9.0
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You've seen the video - now the lives of those charmingly dumb characters are in your hands. Enjoy...