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Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Private #1 Suspect (Private, #2) in Books
May 10, 2018
Private really has their work cut out for them this time. Two major cases that have very strong implications to the community. First, there are four dead and burned bodies that have been found on the beach. They carry a sign that says 'No Prisoners'. Days later there are more dead bodies, another sign, and promises that this is not the end. Then they have the case of the Harlows. A Hollywood couple who make great movies and do amazing philanthropy work all over the world. When they go missing without a trace, it's up to Private to find out why they were taken and where they could be.
Another interesting book by James Patterson. This is the third book for the Los Angeles Private offices series and the sixth book for the entire Private series. I think next I'm going to read Private Games that has to deal with the Olympics in London since the Olympics are going on right now.
For the first few chapters of this book, I wasn't sure what was going to happen or if I was going to continue to read the book. But after a while, the action got going and my attention was held. Let's start with the first case of dead bodies showing up on the beach. There is a group out there who is looking to get revenge, but for what? And who are these people. They want the city of Los Angeles to pay them big money or they will continue to kill people. One more person per day than the day before. How are they going to be stopped if they can't be found. When one of Private's own investigators gets seriously injured on the job, Jack, the head of Private is even more determined to find out who these people are.
For the Harlow's, on the surface they seem like your typical Hollywood couple, but they have some skeletons in their closet. Skeletons their closest team members do not want to let the whole world know about. So, when they ask that Private not involve the police or the FBI in this case, this make the situation even more difficult. When the skeletons come to the surface, it's easy to see why the Harlow's wouldn't want this getting out to the public.
Packed with adventure around every corner and a few funny bits along the way, this was a great Private book by James Patterson.
Another interesting book by James Patterson. This is the third book for the Los Angeles Private offices series and the sixth book for the entire Private series. I think next I'm going to read Private Games that has to deal with the Olympics in London since the Olympics are going on right now.
For the first few chapters of this book, I wasn't sure what was going to happen or if I was going to continue to read the book. But after a while, the action got going and my attention was held. Let's start with the first case of dead bodies showing up on the beach. There is a group out there who is looking to get revenge, but for what? And who are these people. They want the city of Los Angeles to pay them big money or they will continue to kill people. One more person per day than the day before. How are they going to be stopped if they can't be found. When one of Private's own investigators gets seriously injured on the job, Jack, the head of Private is even more determined to find out who these people are.
For the Harlow's, on the surface they seem like your typical Hollywood couple, but they have some skeletons in their closet. Skeletons their closest team members do not want to let the whole world know about. So, when they ask that Private not involve the police or the FBI in this case, this make the situation even more difficult. When the skeletons come to the surface, it's easy to see why the Harlow's wouldn't want this getting out to the public.
Packed with adventure around every corner and a few funny bits along the way, this was a great Private book by James Patterson.
Learning Julia
Book
Learn Julia language for data science and data analytics About This Book * Teach about how to set up...
Eleanor Luhar (47 KP) rated Anything That Isn't This in Books
Jun 24, 2019
Well this was a surprising read. Not just a typical YA dystopian novel, but a peculiar, artistic novel complete with illustrations throughout.
For some reason, I wasn't expecting the strange world that Priestley created in this book. The Grey is suffocating Frank, the Ministry controlling his every decision. Most people are okay with it, comfortable in the routine provided. But Frank wants more.
First, Frank is obsessed with a girl from his school. Even after they graduate, he is desperate to be with her - he believes they're 'fated'. But after a while, he realises that maybe she's not quite right for him.
This combines two typical YA romance plots - the "unpopular boy gets the cool girl" and also the "childhood friends become lovers" plot. I think it's a bit unusual to mix the two, but I didn't find anything spectacular about this aspect of the novel.
The whole book has a very strange abstract sort of feel to it; I was unsure at times whether to actually take what he was saying at face value or take it as a metaphor. There are loads of weird myths that are thrown around, many of which play a big role later in the book.
The friendship with Scape was interesting; it kind of just happened out of the blue and ended in a similar way. And Mr Vertex was a weird character - it was obvious there was something strange about him, and I felt he really added to the abstract feel created.
The book kind of felt grey, but not in a bad way - as in, I felt how Frank felt about his life. I was pretty shocked by how dark it got at the end, quite suddenly. The ending was a bit of a whirlwind, followed by a moment of calm. The calmness was nice, an interesting ending that left your imagination running wild.
I didn't really enjoy this book at first but I did eventually get into it, and quite liked it. I definitely liked the unique feel it had, almost like Coraline. 3.5 stars.
For some reason, I wasn't expecting the strange world that Priestley created in this book. The Grey is suffocating Frank, the Ministry controlling his every decision. Most people are okay with it, comfortable in the routine provided. But Frank wants more.
First, Frank is obsessed with a girl from his school. Even after they graduate, he is desperate to be with her - he believes they're 'fated'. But after a while, he realises that maybe she's not quite right for him.
This combines two typical YA romance plots - the "unpopular boy gets the cool girl" and also the "childhood friends become lovers" plot. I think it's a bit unusual to mix the two, but I didn't find anything spectacular about this aspect of the novel.
The whole book has a very strange abstract sort of feel to it; I was unsure at times whether to actually take what he was saying at face value or take it as a metaphor. There are loads of weird myths that are thrown around, many of which play a big role later in the book.
The friendship with Scape was interesting; it kind of just happened out of the blue and ended in a similar way. And Mr Vertex was a weird character - it was obvious there was something strange about him, and I felt he really added to the abstract feel created.
The book kind of felt grey, but not in a bad way - as in, I felt how Frank felt about his life. I was pretty shocked by how dark it got at the end, quite suddenly. The ending was a bit of a whirlwind, followed by a moment of calm. The calmness was nice, an interesting ending that left your imagination running wild.
I didn't really enjoy this book at first but I did eventually get into it, and quite liked it. I definitely liked the unique feel it had, almost like Coraline. 3.5 stars.
In An Open Field by Nicholas Krgovich
Album Watch
This record could just as easily be called "In A Sunny South Pasadena Living Room" or "In A...
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ClareR (5642 KP) rated We Begin at the End in Books
Apr 17, 2020
We Begin at the End is described as a crime thriller, but it’s so much more than that.
At 15 years of age, Vincent King is sent to an adult prison for the murder of Sissie Radley. He doesn’t dispute this - he was driving the car, he didn’t realise he’d hit her, but he had hit her all the same. He goes to prison for 30 years, leaving his best friend Walk, and his girl friend Star Radley, Sissie’s sister, behind. Thirty years later, he’s released and returns to his hometown and his parents house.
In the meantime, Star has had two children: Duchess and Robin. Star clearly has problems with alcohol, and Duchess often has to look after her when she’s incapable of looking after herself. She also takes care of her younger brother, Robin s a mother would.
I don’t actually want to go in to too much detail, because there’s a lot of detail to go in to! Suffice it to say, that when I wasn’t reading this, I was thinking about it. It’s a beautifully written, melancholy story, and I became so attached to the main characters: not just the children, but also Walk, the Sheriff, and Vincent King himself. There are so many twists and turns. Just when you think you know what’s happening, something else comes along and changes everything. And the ending broke my heart! I spent the last Pigeonhole instalment blinking away the tears so that I could read it. If this book doesn’t win awards, then something is very wrong with the world! Wonderful, wonderful writing.
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole for serialising this book, and for Chris Whitaker for popping in now and again to answer questions. It has been one of my favourite Pigeonhole books.
At 15 years of age, Vincent King is sent to an adult prison for the murder of Sissie Radley. He doesn’t dispute this - he was driving the car, he didn’t realise he’d hit her, but he had hit her all the same. He goes to prison for 30 years, leaving his best friend Walk, and his girl friend Star Radley, Sissie’s sister, behind. Thirty years later, he’s released and returns to his hometown and his parents house.
In the meantime, Star has had two children: Duchess and Robin. Star clearly has problems with alcohol, and Duchess often has to look after her when she’s incapable of looking after herself. She also takes care of her younger brother, Robin s a mother would.
I don’t actually want to go in to too much detail, because there’s a lot of detail to go in to! Suffice it to say, that when I wasn’t reading this, I was thinking about it. It’s a beautifully written, melancholy story, and I became so attached to the main characters: not just the children, but also Walk, the Sheriff, and Vincent King himself. There are so many twists and turns. Just when you think you know what’s happening, something else comes along and changes everything. And the ending broke my heart! I spent the last Pigeonhole instalment blinking away the tears so that I could read it. If this book doesn’t win awards, then something is very wrong with the world! Wonderful, wonderful writing.
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole for serialising this book, and for Chris Whitaker for popping in now and again to answer questions. It has been one of my favourite Pigeonhole books.
HIS Fantasy (HIS #8)
9.0
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From Romantic Suspense BEST-SELLING and AWARD-Winning Author • Can one man capture the heart of...
romance military dudes it had to end somewhere
*＊✿❀ Maki ❀✿＊* (7 KP) rated Heir of Fire in Books
May 3, 2018
In my head, this will always be "Throne of Glass: Sacrifice Edition". Dear lord.
Character development continues to abound in this book, and Celaena actually joins Chaol and Dorian in growing for the better. We even get a couple of sets of new characters to follow, including Manon, who is a wyvern riding Witch.
However, this book also suffered from Training Montage Syndrome (TMS). A good portion of the book is spent watching Celaena learn how to use her powers. And while I understand that it's an important piece of the story, the training portions were generally slow-paced, and made the book feel like it was never going to end.
<img src= "http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Yx5snM_uuuA/TdKW7fdvaHI/AAAAAAAACHA/_LxQWaVWjT8/s1600/Team-America-montage-001.jpg"; width="360" height="176"/>
I can be fair, though - that's a trap that a lot of fantasy books can fall into. I <i>still</i> haven't read [b:Inheritance|7664041|Inheritance (The Inheritance Cycle, #4)|Christopher Paolini|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1390886502s/7664041.jpg|10260587] because of how horrifically slow-paced [b:Brisingr|2248573|Brisingr (The Inheritance Cycle, #3)|Christopher Paolini|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1391443970s/2248573.jpg|3124969] was.
The worst part of the overwhelming focus on training was, to me, that the book didn't really <i>need</i> to cut back to Celaena's training so often. There were plenty of other things to focus on instead of watching other people watch Celaena play racquetball with fire.
I mean, Chaol and Aedion (Celaena's cousin) are searching for a way to restore magic to the land, while simultaneously working to gather together survivors of Adarlan's oppression to raise a rebellion, Dorian starts looking for a way to control his magic, Manon is introduced and needs time dedicated to her character...but nope! Celaena needs <i>another</i> scene where she gets into a fight with Rowan, and then she's rude to everybody.
Chaol is the main driving-force behind my continued interest in this series. The things that man has gone through, and done by the end of the book...and all for someone who gave up on him, because of a misunderstanding. I said it in my Crown of Midnight review, and I'll say it again - Celaena doesn't deserve him. >__>
I actually found myself really liking Dorian in this book, as well. Even if he is doomed to unbelievably and suddenly fall in love with random women at the drop of a hat.
Manon's sections of the story were pretty fun. The new point of view was interesting, although I kept picturing Manon training her wyvern as the Other Mother from Coraline inserted into the world of How to Train Your Dragon 2.
...I'll leave you to supply your own visuals.
The ending would have been heartbreaking, except it just got ridiculous after a while. There are only so many self-sacrifices that can be made before my brain starts going, "I'm Spartacus! No, I'M Spartacus!"
<img src= "http://img.over-blog-kiwi.com/0/86/53/69/20140315/ob_a59585_spartacus.gif"/>;
And the fruit of all of that self-sacrifice?
<spoiler>Chaol escapes the kingdom with his life, but is now a traitor to the Crown, which is kind of what Aedion had sacrificed himself to avoid in the first place. Meanwhile, both Aedion and Dorian are prisoners, and Dorian's love interest is dead.</spoiler>
These books are almost starting to frustrate me. They're <i>so</i> close to being great - but there's always something that disappoints me enough to stop me from being completely in love with this series. Ah, well. I suppose at least I still like them well enough.
Maybe the next one will be the one to completely win me over.
Character development continues to abound in this book, and Celaena actually joins Chaol and Dorian in growing for the better. We even get a couple of sets of new characters to follow, including Manon, who is a wyvern riding Witch.
However, this book also suffered from Training Montage Syndrome (TMS). A good portion of the book is spent watching Celaena learn how to use her powers. And while I understand that it's an important piece of the story, the training portions were generally slow-paced, and made the book feel like it was never going to end.
<img src= "http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Yx5snM_uuuA/TdKW7fdvaHI/AAAAAAAACHA/_LxQWaVWjT8/s1600/Team-America-montage-001.jpg"; width="360" height="176"/>
I can be fair, though - that's a trap that a lot of fantasy books can fall into. I <i>still</i> haven't read [b:Inheritance|7664041|Inheritance (The Inheritance Cycle, #4)|Christopher Paolini|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1390886502s/7664041.jpg|10260587] because of how horrifically slow-paced [b:Brisingr|2248573|Brisingr (The Inheritance Cycle, #3)|Christopher Paolini|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1391443970s/2248573.jpg|3124969] was.
The worst part of the overwhelming focus on training was, to me, that the book didn't really <i>need</i> to cut back to Celaena's training so often. There were plenty of other things to focus on instead of watching other people watch Celaena play racquetball with fire.
I mean, Chaol and Aedion (Celaena's cousin) are searching for a way to restore magic to the land, while simultaneously working to gather together survivors of Adarlan's oppression to raise a rebellion, Dorian starts looking for a way to control his magic, Manon is introduced and needs time dedicated to her character...but nope! Celaena needs <i>another</i> scene where she gets into a fight with Rowan, and then she's rude to everybody.
Chaol is the main driving-force behind my continued interest in this series. The things that man has gone through, and done by the end of the book...and all for someone who gave up on him, because of a misunderstanding. I said it in my Crown of Midnight review, and I'll say it again - Celaena doesn't deserve him. >__>
I actually found myself really liking Dorian in this book, as well. Even if he is doomed to unbelievably and suddenly fall in love with random women at the drop of a hat.
Manon's sections of the story were pretty fun. The new point of view was interesting, although I kept picturing Manon training her wyvern as the Other Mother from Coraline inserted into the world of How to Train Your Dragon 2.
...I'll leave you to supply your own visuals.
The ending would have been heartbreaking, except it just got ridiculous after a while. There are only so many self-sacrifices that can be made before my brain starts going, "I'm Spartacus! No, I'M Spartacus!"
<img src= "http://img.over-blog-kiwi.com/0/86/53/69/20140315/ob_a59585_spartacus.gif"/>;
And the fruit of all of that self-sacrifice?
<spoiler>Chaol escapes the kingdom with his life, but is now a traitor to the Crown, which is kind of what Aedion had sacrificed himself to avoid in the first place. Meanwhile, both Aedion and Dorian are prisoners, and Dorian's love interest is dead.</spoiler>
These books are almost starting to frustrate me. They're <i>so</i> close to being great - but there's always something that disappoints me enough to stop me from being completely in love with this series. Ah, well. I suppose at least I still like them well enough.
Maybe the next one will be the one to completely win me over.
Lee (2222 KP) rated Aquaman (2018) in Movies
Dec 14, 2018
A very enjoyable DCEU movie!
Before I begin, I just wanted to describe my feelings on the state of the DCEU up until now and hopefully this will be a good indication as to whether or not you're going to agree with me when it comes to Aquaman. So, as I'm sure most people will agree, so far the whole thing has been a bit of a disaster. A rush to try and bottle what Marvel have spent the last 10 years crafting and achieving, with just a handful of below average and inconsistently toned movies. I liked Man of Steel, and I didn't mind Batman V Superman, although I do understand why many people were disappointed. I really enjoyed Wonder Woman, and I found a lot to like within Justice League too. But as for Suicide Squad, well that one was just a ridiculous mess. And with all the uncertainty around the future of Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck in their roles as Superman and Batman, it seems DC still have a long way to go in terms of laying solid foundations for some decent universe building to rival Marvel.
So that brings us to Aquaman, probably the only other character of interest from Justice League who has yet to get his own origin/standalone movie. We got glimpses in Justice League, tastes of the underwater water world, and brief appearances from Amber Heards character Mera, so it's good to be able to expand on what has the potential to be a really strong, interesting character. And under the direction of James Wan, hopefully another welcome deviation from the dark, dull earlier DC movies that received so much criticism.
As far as origin stories go, things get off to a strong start. Lighthouse keeper Thomas Curry finds Atlantean queen Atlanna (Nicole Kidman) washed up on the rocks one day and takes her in to care for her. They fall in love, eventually giving birth to Arthur. A few years later and it's clear that Atlanna cannot stay. She returns to Atlantis, promising that she'll return to him one day, leaving Thomas to raise Arthur. When we join Arthur again, it's one year following the events of the Justice League and the defeat of Steppenwolf. Taking care of a bunch of hi-tech pirates who have boarded a submarine, but still finding time to return home to dad for a few beers and a laugh with the locals. He's left the world of Atlantis behind him, having been banished for being a half breed, and feeling anger at the treatment his mother received for giving birth to him. It's not long though before things all start kicking off and he had to return to life under the sea. Half brother Orm (Patrick Wilson) is looking to wage war on the surface world in retaliation for all the destruction and pollution within the seas, and begins trying to gain support from the seven kingdoms. Meanwhile, one of the pirates Aquaman encountered earlier has got his hands on some Atlantean technology, becoming Black Manta and vowing to get his revenge. During an undersea meeting with Vulko, aid to Atlanna and the man responsible for training Arthur as a child, Arthur is urged to find the lost Trident of Atlan, a magic artifact that once belonged to Atlantis’ first ruler. By wielding the trident, Arthur can reclaim his rightful place as king, hopefully uniting the worlds of land and sea.
There is a LOT going on here, and luckily for the most part, it all works relatively well. The quest for the trident is a bit like an Indiana Jones quest - Arthur and Mera have to undertake a trek across, and below, the Sahara desert, a trip to Sicily, a perilous boat trip and a journey to a hidden world deep within the ocean. The Black Manta storyline seems a bit unnecessary and annoying at times, although does provide some great action (and a setup for a sequel). The underwater scenes involving Atlantis and the other kingdoms are absolutely beautiful to look at, very detailed and imaginative, but these are the areas that unfortunately begin to let the movie down. Culminating in an epic underwater battle involving thousands of different creatures and weapons, the movie ends up as just another DCEU CGI overload.
Despite that, I actually had a lot of fun with this movie, and I particularly loved the action. Fluid, balletic fight scenes, with the viewpoint flowing above and around those involved, we follow a character as he powers through walls and roofs, pulling out to reveal and follow other characters in action, the direction of these scenes is extremely effective. Overall, this is definitely a strong step up for the DCEU and a worthy standalone movie. I just hope they can now keep this momentum going.
So that brings us to Aquaman, probably the only other character of interest from Justice League who has yet to get his own origin/standalone movie. We got glimpses in Justice League, tastes of the underwater water world, and brief appearances from Amber Heards character Mera, so it's good to be able to expand on what has the potential to be a really strong, interesting character. And under the direction of James Wan, hopefully another welcome deviation from the dark, dull earlier DC movies that received so much criticism.
As far as origin stories go, things get off to a strong start. Lighthouse keeper Thomas Curry finds Atlantean queen Atlanna (Nicole Kidman) washed up on the rocks one day and takes her in to care for her. They fall in love, eventually giving birth to Arthur. A few years later and it's clear that Atlanna cannot stay. She returns to Atlantis, promising that she'll return to him one day, leaving Thomas to raise Arthur. When we join Arthur again, it's one year following the events of the Justice League and the defeat of Steppenwolf. Taking care of a bunch of hi-tech pirates who have boarded a submarine, but still finding time to return home to dad for a few beers and a laugh with the locals. He's left the world of Atlantis behind him, having been banished for being a half breed, and feeling anger at the treatment his mother received for giving birth to him. It's not long though before things all start kicking off and he had to return to life under the sea. Half brother Orm (Patrick Wilson) is looking to wage war on the surface world in retaliation for all the destruction and pollution within the seas, and begins trying to gain support from the seven kingdoms. Meanwhile, one of the pirates Aquaman encountered earlier has got his hands on some Atlantean technology, becoming Black Manta and vowing to get his revenge. During an undersea meeting with Vulko, aid to Atlanna and the man responsible for training Arthur as a child, Arthur is urged to find the lost Trident of Atlan, a magic artifact that once belonged to Atlantis’ first ruler. By wielding the trident, Arthur can reclaim his rightful place as king, hopefully uniting the worlds of land and sea.
There is a LOT going on here, and luckily for the most part, it all works relatively well. The quest for the trident is a bit like an Indiana Jones quest - Arthur and Mera have to undertake a trek across, and below, the Sahara desert, a trip to Sicily, a perilous boat trip and a journey to a hidden world deep within the ocean. The Black Manta storyline seems a bit unnecessary and annoying at times, although does provide some great action (and a setup for a sequel). The underwater scenes involving Atlantis and the other kingdoms are absolutely beautiful to look at, very detailed and imaginative, but these are the areas that unfortunately begin to let the movie down. Culminating in an epic underwater battle involving thousands of different creatures and weapons, the movie ends up as just another DCEU CGI overload.
Despite that, I actually had a lot of fun with this movie, and I particularly loved the action. Fluid, balletic fight scenes, with the viewpoint flowing above and around those involved, we follow a character as he powers through walls and roofs, pulling out to reveal and follow other characters in action, the direction of these scenes is extremely effective. Overall, this is definitely a strong step up for the DCEU and a worthy standalone movie. I just hope they can now keep this momentum going.
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