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Here Come the Warm Jets
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"Warren's first book of poems is highly self-reflective, interestingly interrogative, and a lot of...
Hazel (1853 KP) rated Into the Dim (Into the Dim, #1) in Books
Dec 17, 2018
<i>This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Into The Dim</i> by Janet B. Taylor begins with an empty coffin. Fragile sixteen year old Hope is at her mother’s memorial service after her mother’s body was unrecovered after a horrific earthquake. Despite the opinion of her stepfather’s family, Hope is convinced that her mother is still alive. However she has not time to convince anyone before she is shipped off to the Scottish Highlands to spend time with her mother’s sister, Lady Lucinda Carlyle.
Hope finds herself at Christopher Manor, a forbidding ancient mansion that reminds her of <i>Hogwarts</i> (I love that <i>Harry Potter</i> is easily mentioned in many contemporary novels these days! There is also a <i>Doctor Who</i> reference in this book). Despite the old-fashioned setting, the inhabitants are the complete opposite. Firstly there is Phoebe, a bubbly blue-haired girl who is excited about Hope’s arrival at the manor. Phoebe’s brother, Collum, on the other hand, has a contrasting personality. Then there is Lu, who, despite her title, is younger than some may initially imagine her to be.
Through these new characters, Hope learns that her mother is indeed still alive, but trapped somewhere beyond all logic and reason. What is worse, Hope, who is practically scared of her own shadow, along with Phoebe and Collum are the only people who can rescue her. So begins their dangerous but exciting adventure.
<i>Into The Dim</i> is both a contemporary and historical novel, with the science fiction element of time travel thrown in. Time travel is nothing new in fiction, and Taylor’s idea is even based upon the scientist, Nikola Tesla’s discoveries. The storyline itself is a bit of fun with witty characters and humorous banter, yet there is so much more to it than that. Taylor has concocted enough research to help readers to learn something new. Firstly there is Tesla, as already mentioned, and then there is the knowledge and detail of twelfth century London, in particularly involving Eleanor of Aquitaine.
Although the main characters are in their late teens, younger teenagers can also enjoy<i> Into The Dim</i>. There is the occasional reference to mature content, but this is within the context of a historical period, in which younger readers should probably be aware of already from their school history lessons. If you love this book, look out for the sequel next year!
Into The Dim</i> by Janet B. Taylor begins with an empty coffin. Fragile sixteen year old Hope is at her mother’s memorial service after her mother’s body was unrecovered after a horrific earthquake. Despite the opinion of her stepfather’s family, Hope is convinced that her mother is still alive. However she has not time to convince anyone before she is shipped off to the Scottish Highlands to spend time with her mother’s sister, Lady Lucinda Carlyle.
Hope finds herself at Christopher Manor, a forbidding ancient mansion that reminds her of <i>Hogwarts</i> (I love that <i>Harry Potter</i> is easily mentioned in many contemporary novels these days! There is also a <i>Doctor Who</i> reference in this book). Despite the old-fashioned setting, the inhabitants are the complete opposite. Firstly there is Phoebe, a bubbly blue-haired girl who is excited about Hope’s arrival at the manor. Phoebe’s brother, Collum, on the other hand, has a contrasting personality. Then there is Lu, who, despite her title, is younger than some may initially imagine her to be.
Through these new characters, Hope learns that her mother is indeed still alive, but trapped somewhere beyond all logic and reason. What is worse, Hope, who is practically scared of her own shadow, along with Phoebe and Collum are the only people who can rescue her. So begins their dangerous but exciting adventure.
<i>Into The Dim</i> is both a contemporary and historical novel, with the science fiction element of time travel thrown in. Time travel is nothing new in fiction, and Taylor’s idea is even based upon the scientist, Nikola Tesla’s discoveries. The storyline itself is a bit of fun with witty characters and humorous banter, yet there is so much more to it than that. Taylor has concocted enough research to help readers to learn something new. Firstly there is Tesla, as already mentioned, and then there is the knowledge and detail of twelfth century London, in particularly involving Eleanor of Aquitaine.
Although the main characters are in their late teens, younger teenagers can also enjoy<i> Into The Dim</i>. There is the occasional reference to mature content, but this is within the context of a historical period, in which younger readers should probably be aware of already from their school history lessons. If you love this book, look out for the sequel next year!
Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated The Way You Make Me Feel in Books
Jan 23, 2020
<b><i>I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i></b>
I <em>loved</em> Maurene Goo's previous novel, <em>I Believe In A Thing Called Love</em>, so when I got an email from Netgalley, I jumped at the chance to read Goo's latest novel because I knew I wouldn't be disappointed with a cute contemporary novel. (I also jumped at the chance to be on the blog tour, because oh my goodness, cute books will be shoved at the world. #sorrynotsorry)
<em>The Way You Make Me Feel</em> does <em>not</em> disappoint in levels of cuteness. Goo's latest novel follows Clara, who is introduced as the class clown, committing pranks and causing mischief since early on in her high school career. She especially likes making life difficult for her classmate Rose, the person she got her in trouble in the first place. Clara takes her pranks too far one day and it results in an entire summer stuck with Rose.
Clara is an... interesting character. She was a little hard to like at first, but over the course of the novel, Clara grew on me. She is sassy, carefree and gets in trouble... A LOT. She's also a little rebellious.
I think my favorite part, however, is the <em>food</em>. Food is an important part of the story, and I think my mouth watered while reading the book. Clara's dad owns a food truck called KoBra, which takes Korean and Brazillian cuisine. Both Clara and Rose work the food truck during the summer, where they are forced to get along with each other. they eventually develop a friendship, and I enjoyed seeing them grow from enemies to friends. (This is probably when I started liking Clara a <em>lot</em> as a character. Maybe it's just me and my opinions.)
The side characters of <em>The Way You Make Me Feel</em> are my favorite characters - I love Hamlet (this is a wonderful name as much as the play is wonderful) and his grandparents, who are adorable and cute and funny, as much as I grew to love Clara, Rose and the rest of the characters.
If you're looking for a cute contemporary read that is bound to make you hungry, <em>The Way You Make Me Feel</em> is the perfect novel.
<a href="http://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/blog-tour-the-way-you-make-me-feel-by-maurene-goo-arc-review-playlist/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
I <em>loved</em> Maurene Goo's previous novel, <em>I Believe In A Thing Called Love</em>, so when I got an email from Netgalley, I jumped at the chance to read Goo's latest novel because I knew I wouldn't be disappointed with a cute contemporary novel. (I also jumped at the chance to be on the blog tour, because oh my goodness, cute books will be shoved at the world. #sorrynotsorry)
<em>The Way You Make Me Feel</em> does <em>not</em> disappoint in levels of cuteness. Goo's latest novel follows Clara, who is introduced as the class clown, committing pranks and causing mischief since early on in her high school career. She especially likes making life difficult for her classmate Rose, the person she got her in trouble in the first place. Clara takes her pranks too far one day and it results in an entire summer stuck with Rose.
Clara is an... interesting character. She was a little hard to like at first, but over the course of the novel, Clara grew on me. She is sassy, carefree and gets in trouble... A LOT. She's also a little rebellious.
I think my favorite part, however, is the <em>food</em>. Food is an important part of the story, and I think my mouth watered while reading the book. Clara's dad owns a food truck called KoBra, which takes Korean and Brazillian cuisine. Both Clara and Rose work the food truck during the summer, where they are forced to get along with each other. they eventually develop a friendship, and I enjoyed seeing them grow from enemies to friends. (This is probably when I started liking Clara a <em>lot</em> as a character. Maybe it's just me and my opinions.)
The side characters of <em>The Way You Make Me Feel</em> are my favorite characters - I love Hamlet (this is a wonderful name as much as the play is wonderful) and his grandparents, who are adorable and cute and funny, as much as I grew to love Clara, Rose and the rest of the characters.
If you're looking for a cute contemporary read that is bound to make you hungry, <em>The Way You Make Me Feel</em> is the perfect novel.
<a href="http://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/blog-tour-the-way-you-make-me-feel-by-maurene-goo-arc-review-playlist/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
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Suswatibasu (1701 KP) rated Our Brand is Crisis (2015) in Movies
Oct 30, 2017 (Updated Oct 30, 2017)
Would have been a decent film if it wasn't for the ending
Our Brand is Crisis is absolutely current for contemporary affairs given that it's a mix of House of Cards, The Ides of March, and real-life politics. The premise of the film looks completely realistic - a disgraced campaign manager discusses her role in manipulating election campaigns to sway the votes using 'crisis' rhetoric to engage the electorate. Sound familiar?
Sandra Bullock plays a brutal and a downright unlikable character but she's all about winning at any cost. In this case, after hiding away for several years following a public scandal, she's hired to back a dwindling presidential candidate in Bolivia. From dirty tricks such as spreading rumours, to even making her candidate appear emotional in a television chat show, she shows how fickle the election system is. All this down to fighting against an opposing campaign manager, played by Billy Bob Thornton, after he sabotaged another of her projects.
However, there's a reason why it hasn't received such great reviews. Right at the end of everything, she seems to gain a conscience which seemed completely uncharacteristic throughout. It changed it from a decently honest portrayal to a Hollywood film which was a real shame. It definitely had potential.
Sandra Bullock plays a brutal and a downright unlikable character but she's all about winning at any cost. In this case, after hiding away for several years following a public scandal, she's hired to back a dwindling presidential candidate in Bolivia. From dirty tricks such as spreading rumours, to even making her candidate appear emotional in a television chat show, she shows how fickle the election system is. All this down to fighting against an opposing campaign manager, played by Billy Bob Thornton, after he sabotaged another of her projects.
However, there's a reason why it hasn't received such great reviews. Right at the end of everything, she seems to gain a conscience which seemed completely uncharacteristic throughout. It changed it from a decently honest portrayal to a Hollywood film which was a real shame. It definitely had potential.
Suswatibasu (1701 KP) rated We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy in Books
Nov 16, 2017
An honest look at the Obama years
The simplest way to describe "We Were Eight Years in Power" is as a selection of Ta-Nehisi Coates' most influential pieces from The Atlantic, organised chronologically. The book is actually far more than that, establishing Coates as the pre-eminent black public intellectual of his generation.
Coates is one of the first to show up to discuss all three contemporary themes: the man, the community, national identity. He critiques respectability politics. He writes about mass incarceration. He writes about Michelle Obama and Chicago's South Side. He writes about how Barack Obama was exceptional, in many senses, and about the paradoxical limits of the first black president's power to address race and racism. He writes about the qualitative difference between white economic prospects and black economic prospects, thanks to discriminatory policies promulgated by the government even during progressive times, and about how, in his view, reparations would be the only way to redress the problem.
An air of resignation begins to bleed into Coates' writing even before his last essay, coming into the final years of the Obama administration. It is an eloquent eulogy to the struggles that African Americans are facing and increasingly fearing today.
Coates is one of the first to show up to discuss all three contemporary themes: the man, the community, national identity. He critiques respectability politics. He writes about mass incarceration. He writes about Michelle Obama and Chicago's South Side. He writes about how Barack Obama was exceptional, in many senses, and about the paradoxical limits of the first black president's power to address race and racism. He writes about the qualitative difference between white economic prospects and black economic prospects, thanks to discriminatory policies promulgated by the government even during progressive times, and about how, in his view, reparations would be the only way to redress the problem.
An air of resignation begins to bleed into Coates' writing even before his last essay, coming into the final years of the Obama administration. It is an eloquent eulogy to the struggles that African Americans are facing and increasingly fearing today.
Morgan Sheppard (926 KP) rated Call Me Michigan in Books
Jan 9, 2018
This is a second chance novel - Mason and Tyler were best friends in their younger years, although both of them wanted more, neither of them said anything. When Tyler left home under difficult circumstances, Mason got blinding drunk before chasing after her and giving her a drunken kiss. Now, this is not guaranteed to win anyone over, so unsurprisingly, Tyler leaves anyway. Fast forward a few years, and Tyler returns to take care of her family. Of course, the first person she sees is Mason, although he doesn't recognise her. Things are about to change for the pair of them.
This is a well written, fast moving and smoothly paced contemporary romance, showing character growth and not just with the two main characters. With getting to know each other again, things don't go exactly smoothly. However, things eventually work out for them, which is good because the situation is about to get a whole more complicated.
This is a story guaranteed to give you the warm fuzzies, at the same time as you laugh and cry with the characters and the situations they find themselves in. Definitely recommended by me.
* I was given this book in return for a review which has in no way affected my opinion. *
This is a well written, fast moving and smoothly paced contemporary romance, showing character growth and not just with the two main characters. With getting to know each other again, things don't go exactly smoothly. However, things eventually work out for them, which is good because the situation is about to get a whole more complicated.
This is a story guaranteed to give you the warm fuzzies, at the same time as you laugh and cry with the characters and the situations they find themselves in. Definitely recommended by me.
* I was given this book in return for a review which has in no way affected my opinion. *
Micky Barnard (542 KP) rated Beautiful Broken Things in Books
Feb 20, 2019
The fragility of teen friendships
This was a contemporary YA about friendships, there was no romance and it didn't need it. This friendship triangle was a subtle but delicate dance of power imbalance and loyalty. The pacing was steady as the story ebbed and flowed through drama (real not unnecessary) and steadier times.
Caddy was the protagonist and Rosie was her best friend but the story very much revolved around Suzanne, a 16 year old teen, abused and with significant psychological effects. I never understood the lack of police involvement in her past, but I was able to read past that issue. It was a powerful story, wings were spread, influences bad and good happened and the apple cart was well and truly knocked over.
This story built to a crescendo and for the last 10%, I felt like I'd been hit with a mallet. It was powerful reading and my heart had a few fissures that needed mending. I am so glad I am reading this at a time when there's a book two out, even though it has stood alone for a few years.
Sara Barnard writes from the young person's perspective so well. Her characters' feelings towards their parents and their parents' reactions are very real. I remain impressed.
Caddy was the protagonist and Rosie was her best friend but the story very much revolved around Suzanne, a 16 year old teen, abused and with significant psychological effects. I never understood the lack of police involvement in her past, but I was able to read past that issue. It was a powerful story, wings were spread, influences bad and good happened and the apple cart was well and truly knocked over.
This story built to a crescendo and for the last 10%, I felt like I'd been hit with a mallet. It was powerful reading and my heart had a few fissures that needed mending. I am so glad I am reading this at a time when there's a book two out, even though it has stood alone for a few years.
Sara Barnard writes from the young person's perspective so well. Her characters' feelings towards their parents and their parents' reactions are very real. I remain impressed.