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Suswatibasu (1701 KP) rated The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao in Books
Oct 29, 2017 (Updated Oct 29, 2017)
Amusing, yet disappointing thanks to all the hype
For six months I've been saving this book mostly because of how much praise this book has received. Not only did this receive the National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction but also a Pulitzer Prize. And was it worth the awards? I personally don't think so.
Labelled 'a masterpiece' by critics, the book follows the life of Oscar de Leon, or as some know him as Oscar Wao, from the perspective of the people that know him. From the title you can expect something interesting happened to him to reduce his lifespan and this definitely is the case.
Through his friend Yunior and sister Lola's accounts, they delve into the history of the Dominican Republic where they were originally from before settling in New York. Fuku or a curse, plays a big role in this book, as the de Leon family believed they had faced many misfortunes over the generations and ghetto nerd Oscar was no exception. In between the chaos of murder and corruption, were several love stories that went awry.
And while some of it was interesting, and you need a good grasp of Spanish, the footnotes became irritating filling several half pages to explain the historical context. To be honest, apart from the grandmother La Inca, and sister Lola, most of the characters were unlikable - the idiotic things they'll do for love are astounding. The language was rich, but the structure seemed slightly convoluted, as if the writer had attempted to keep a scheme in place but it still leaked everywhere. While some of it is engaging, I'm really not sure how this won the Pulitzer.
Labelled 'a masterpiece' by critics, the book follows the life of Oscar de Leon, or as some know him as Oscar Wao, from the perspective of the people that know him. From the title you can expect something interesting happened to him to reduce his lifespan and this definitely is the case.
Through his friend Yunior and sister Lola's accounts, they delve into the history of the Dominican Republic where they were originally from before settling in New York. Fuku or a curse, plays a big role in this book, as the de Leon family believed they had faced many misfortunes over the generations and ghetto nerd Oscar was no exception. In between the chaos of murder and corruption, were several love stories that went awry.
And while some of it was interesting, and you need a good grasp of Spanish, the footnotes became irritating filling several half pages to explain the historical context. To be honest, apart from the grandmother La Inca, and sister Lola, most of the characters were unlikable - the idiotic things they'll do for love are astounding. The language was rich, but the structure seemed slightly convoluted, as if the writer had attempted to keep a scheme in place but it still leaked everywhere. While some of it is engaging, I'm really not sure how this won the Pulitzer.
Connor Sheffield (293 KP) rated Edgar Allan Poe Complete Tales and Poems in Books
May 15, 2017
A genius of the horror and macabre genre (2 more)
A true inspiration (personal opinion)
Tense and horrifying writing
Quoth the Raven, Nevermore
If you have read my reviews on the film 'The Raven' and the TV series 'The Following' the you have already read about how I adore Edgar Allan Poe and how he is my biggest inspiration in writing, especially of my Gothic Horror poems.
The poems he has written are chilling, enjoyable and indeed are works of a genius, that some at the time, maybe even still to this day, would call the writings of a mad man. The life of Poe is one filled with tragedy and bewilderment, and he has inspired so many writers across all mediums over the years, and is one of the most famous writers known to man. Almost everyone I have ever met knows, at the very least, the line of 'Quote the Raven, Nevermore' and this is just one of the staples that this man has left throughout history.
His short stories aren't all horror, same as his poems, but it has to be said that his Horror fiction is certainly his best. Though I have not yet read all of his short stories, or even half, the one's that I have read have given me a clear idea that whilst his work remains interesting to read, his horror is by far the most entertaining and thrilling.
Edgar Allan Poe will always remain my biggest inspiration for my writing, and I hope to one day have a collection of writings, that are just as loved as his.
The poems he has written are chilling, enjoyable and indeed are works of a genius, that some at the time, maybe even still to this day, would call the writings of a mad man. The life of Poe is one filled with tragedy and bewilderment, and he has inspired so many writers across all mediums over the years, and is one of the most famous writers known to man. Almost everyone I have ever met knows, at the very least, the line of 'Quote the Raven, Nevermore' and this is just one of the staples that this man has left throughout history.
His short stories aren't all horror, same as his poems, but it has to be said that his Horror fiction is certainly his best. Though I have not yet read all of his short stories, or even half, the one's that I have read have given me a clear idea that whilst his work remains interesting to read, his horror is by far the most entertaining and thrilling.
Edgar Allan Poe will always remain my biggest inspiration for my writing, and I hope to one day have a collection of writings, that are just as loved as his.
Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream in Books
Apr 27, 2018
A while back in the beginning of the year, I was offered a copy of Radical for review. I didn't have time, I was loaded down with school, and I wanted fiction, not "God-books." But before I went to college, I was browsing the books in my book store, and saw Radical. I read the back and thought "why didn't I get this earlier?" So I bought it.
Yep, you read right. I, a broke college student, forked over fifteen hard-earned dollars and bought a book.
Probably the best fifteen dollars I've ever spent.
In a sentence: Radical will change your life. It's not a 'feel-good' kind of book, it's a 'dangit-now-i-feel-guilty' kind of book. Platt takes Jesus' commandment to His followers of going and making disciples and puts it in our world, in our day and age, at our level.
Which, as he will show you, is exactly the same as it was 2000 years ago—whether we like to believe that or not.
I don't think I can possibly go a day without thinking about the things I've learned from this skinny little book. I read through it very fast, I journaled and underlined in it, I've re-read sections, I've prayed about it.
Summarizing Radical and the effects it's had on my thinking would be pointless for me to do: it would be better for you to get a copy for yourself and read it, cover to cover. Trust me when I say there is no going back, there is not excuse. After reading this book, a question is posed: What is Jesus worth to you?
Recommendation: All ages
Yep, you read right. I, a broke college student, forked over fifteen hard-earned dollars and bought a book.
Probably the best fifteen dollars I've ever spent.
In a sentence: Radical will change your life. It's not a 'feel-good' kind of book, it's a 'dangit-now-i-feel-guilty' kind of book. Platt takes Jesus' commandment to His followers of going and making disciples and puts it in our world, in our day and age, at our level.
Which, as he will show you, is exactly the same as it was 2000 years ago—whether we like to believe that or not.
I don't think I can possibly go a day without thinking about the things I've learned from this skinny little book. I read through it very fast, I journaled and underlined in it, I've re-read sections, I've prayed about it.
Summarizing Radical and the effects it's had on my thinking would be pointless for me to do: it would be better for you to get a copy for yourself and read it, cover to cover. Trust me when I say there is no going back, there is not excuse. After reading this book, a question is posed: What is Jesus worth to you?
Recommendation: All ages
Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated The Diary of Pelly D in Books
Apr 27, 2018
I found this book while browsing at my local library. i tried reading it once, and it seemed so trivial and unimportant. i returned it and forgot about it.
a year later, i saw it again and thought "what every happened to Pelly D after she got kicked out of her holo-pool and lost her street-side friend?" so i borrowed it again and read it through in a few hours.
i got a lot more out of it the second time, i'll say that much right away.
this book has a lot of hidden messages in it, and it's not something you can really say in words, let alone out loud. so the author used this book to paint a picture of something. it's more than fiction, it's a statement. like Orwel's <i> 1984,</i> or Harper Lee's <i> To Kill a Mocking Bird </i>. it's main focus isn't Pelly D, it's actually judgment, prejudice, and politics.
but, it also has the lighthearted addition of a teenage girl who really couldn't give a rat's poo about anyone but herself.
i won't spoil it for anyone who hasn't read it, but i will recommend it. i'll also say this: the ending is good, but it doesn't wrap up the story like most books do. it's well written (aside from the missing letters, which is part of the futuristic style of speech and writing used in the book. example: "v" instead of "very" or "cd" instead of "could.") and the characters are very real.
take a step forward, go onward and upward, and plunge into a very deep book.
a year later, i saw it again and thought "what every happened to Pelly D after she got kicked out of her holo-pool and lost her street-side friend?" so i borrowed it again and read it through in a few hours.
i got a lot more out of it the second time, i'll say that much right away.
this book has a lot of hidden messages in it, and it's not something you can really say in words, let alone out loud. so the author used this book to paint a picture of something. it's more than fiction, it's a statement. like Orwel's <i> 1984,</i> or Harper Lee's <i> To Kill a Mocking Bird </i>. it's main focus isn't Pelly D, it's actually judgment, prejudice, and politics.
but, it also has the lighthearted addition of a teenage girl who really couldn't give a rat's poo about anyone but herself.
i won't spoil it for anyone who hasn't read it, but i will recommend it. i'll also say this: the ending is good, but it doesn't wrap up the story like most books do. it's well written (aside from the missing letters, which is part of the futuristic style of speech and writing used in the book. example: "v" instead of "very" or "cd" instead of "could.") and the characters are very real.
take a step forward, go onward and upward, and plunge into a very deep book.
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Copycat in Books
May 10, 2018
Traci Calloway Cole is about to release her 3rd book called <u>Copycat</u>, when she meets Simone Phillips. Simone is an aspiring writer herself and she loves Traci's books. After Traci agrees to read a few chapters of Simone's book and introduce her to a few people that could help get it published, Simone becomes obsessed. She wants to be just like Traci, but how far will her obsession grow?
This was a quick read for me. I have read a few books by Kimberla Lawson Roby and I have enjoyed them all. She is a great Christian Fiction author.
There are a few people in this world that I look up to and aspire to be, but I don't think would go to the same extremes that Simone goes through. She has quite the troubled past and has never truly discovered who she is as an individual. She already has so many positive things going on in her life. She has a decent job, a fiance and according to Traci, her book is going to be a hit. So why would she need to resort to the antics she pulls throughout this book? It makes her look weak and needy. Will she be able to see the error of her ways and turn things around before it's too late and everything she has worked for blows up in her face?
There are times where I felt sorry for Simone and other times I wanted to smack her and say, can't you see what you are doing is ridiculous and makes you look insane. Unfortunately the one person who told her this, she refused to listen to.
This was a quick read for me. I have read a few books by Kimberla Lawson Roby and I have enjoyed them all. She is a great Christian Fiction author.
There are a few people in this world that I look up to and aspire to be, but I don't think would go to the same extremes that Simone goes through. She has quite the troubled past and has never truly discovered who she is as an individual. She already has so many positive things going on in her life. She has a decent job, a fiance and according to Traci, her book is going to be a hit. So why would she need to resort to the antics she pulls throughout this book? It makes her look weak and needy. Will she be able to see the error of her ways and turn things around before it's too late and everything she has worked for blows up in her face?
There are times where I felt sorry for Simone and other times I wanted to smack her and say, can't you see what you are doing is ridiculous and makes you look insane. Unfortunately the one person who told her this, she refused to listen to.
Larry Eisner (2082 KP) rated The Fifth Estate (2013) in Movies
May 14, 2018
Excellent pacing, great acting.
The factual fiction genre (think this film and The Social Network), is intriguing in that it’s very interesting. Like biography but never intending to be so, teetering on expose but remaining filmic in structure and narrative... anyway, The 5th Estate (or the 5ifth estate...whatever) is about the rise of Wikileaks, its enigmatic founder, Julian Assange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and the line it walks between freedom of information and guerilla journalism.
As such, it’s quite entertaining to watch, and while Cumberbatch’s Assange is more Cumberbatch than Assange (tho props to the makeup team, because he rocks the look!) it’s told in a quite exciting “rise from nobody to someone to dangerous with power” that most of these films take.
The acting is solid. The dialogue is well written and the cinematography is spot-on. Hits the “internet persona” well without too much of the hacker tropes we all expect from Hollywood.
That said, the arc is too linear. It’s too smooth, and too Hollywood to be fully believable as the whole story, and too thin on character to be invested in the Assange character much. His ego is well represented but his depth is not. We don’t get much in terms of motivation, which isn’t sad as there’s a lot to mine that the film barely scratches.
Overall definitely worth a watch. But not one you’ll likely purchase to watch again.
As such, it’s quite entertaining to watch, and while Cumberbatch’s Assange is more Cumberbatch than Assange (tho props to the makeup team, because he rocks the look!) it’s told in a quite exciting “rise from nobody to someone to dangerous with power” that most of these films take.
The acting is solid. The dialogue is well written and the cinematography is spot-on. Hits the “internet persona” well without too much of the hacker tropes we all expect from Hollywood.
That said, the arc is too linear. It’s too smooth, and too Hollywood to be fully believable as the whole story, and too thin on character to be invested in the Assange character much. His ego is well represented but his depth is not. We don’t get much in terms of motivation, which isn’t sad as there’s a lot to mine that the film barely scratches.
Overall definitely worth a watch. But not one you’ll likely purchase to watch again.
Acanthea Grimscythe (300 KP) rated Ghost Slayer in Books
May 15, 2018
It’s not very often that I encounter a book that perfectly fits the mould for young adult fiction, but Majanka Verstraete’s Ghost Slayer does just that. The book is a pleasant, quick read that kept me just interested enough for me to devour it in a few days. Also, I find that it would appropriate for teens, even though its main character is a twenty-one year old college student.
Kaelyn isn’t your average college ghost hunter. She’s a bit more of a Winchester sort, with less flash and more stab. Fortunately for her, she’s got a ghost to deal with in an old haunted house and the an old flame on her mind. As if that’s not enough, something’s wrong with her powers! It’s a pretty standard paranormal plot, largely feeding off cliché haunted house movie tropes – which I feel is a great beginning place for teenagers.
Character-wise, we see much of the same themes. I don’t want to go into spoilers, but we do encounter a damsel, or rather several, damsels in distress as well as a strong female lead character. So I guess there’s that. I feel that main character’s love interest could have been a little less stereotyped and a bit more fleshed out, too. He was a tad too generic.
Overall, I liked several elements of this book. I think it finished more strongly than it began and had a few excellent concepts at its closing. I look forward to possibly checking out the second book. A special thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy for the purpose of an unbiased review.
Kaelyn isn’t your average college ghost hunter. She’s a bit more of a Winchester sort, with less flash and more stab. Fortunately for her, she’s got a ghost to deal with in an old haunted house and the an old flame on her mind. As if that’s not enough, something’s wrong with her powers! It’s a pretty standard paranormal plot, largely feeding off cliché haunted house movie tropes – which I feel is a great beginning place for teenagers.
Character-wise, we see much of the same themes. I don’t want to go into spoilers, but we do encounter a damsel, or rather several, damsels in distress as well as a strong female lead character. So I guess there’s that. I feel that main character’s love interest could have been a little less stereotyped and a bit more fleshed out, too. He was a tad too generic.
Overall, I liked several elements of this book. I think it finished more strongly than it began and had a few excellent concepts at its closing. I look forward to possibly checking out the second book. A special thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy for the purpose of an unbiased review.
Rachel King (13 KP) rated Holy Guacamole in Books
Feb 11, 2019
This book blended many different styles of fiction literature all into one book. First, the foodie aspects are prominent, and many of the dishes described had me drooling. I would have loved this book if it was nothing more than a romance blended with gourmet cooking. But, then it grows to contain aspects of suspense, drama, mystery, and unpredictability. I really could not guess where the authors were going with each turn of the page, and it kept me riveted right to the end. Impressively, with as much as was involved in the plot, everything seemed to fit together reasonably well and still felt believable.
Bonnie Miller is the gourmet chef of the plot, but carries enough emotional baggage to scare away most people. Trace Domingo is an aspiring chef with an attraction to Bonnie that overrides anything she can throw at him, which leads to his being dragged along on a wild adventure to sort through Bonnie's baggage. Despite Bonnie's often-cold demeanor, I like how her character develops throughout the plot as she works through her issues. Trace is appropriately supportive and understanding, but his character does not change much from beginning to end.
I also found interesting much of the background information that was worked into the story to represent the local areas used in the plot, such as the food and the politics. The details about the orphanages was especially heart-wrenching, and I love what Bonnie does to contribute aid to them.
This book was both enjoyable and surprising, and I am glad that I was given the opportunity to read it.
Bonnie Miller is the gourmet chef of the plot, but carries enough emotional baggage to scare away most people. Trace Domingo is an aspiring chef with an attraction to Bonnie that overrides anything she can throw at him, which leads to his being dragged along on a wild adventure to sort through Bonnie's baggage. Despite Bonnie's often-cold demeanor, I like how her character develops throughout the plot as she works through her issues. Trace is appropriately supportive and understanding, but his character does not change much from beginning to end.
I also found interesting much of the background information that was worked into the story to represent the local areas used in the plot, such as the food and the politics. The details about the orphanages was especially heart-wrenching, and I love what Bonnie does to contribute aid to them.
This book was both enjoyable and surprising, and I am glad that I was given the opportunity to read it.
Rachel King (13 KP) rated She Walks in Beauty in Books
Feb 11, 2019
I knew next to nothing about New York City's gilded age before reading this book, so this was both a history lesson and an eye-opener to the practices of that time period, expecially among the wealthy young women. I had no idea of the extent that corsets were damaging to the body and health of a woman, and it really explains much of the female behavior that has been epitomized in Hollywood's classic films, such as the common fainting spells. It shows that the "modern" world really has not changed very much in regards to the demands put on women to look and act a certain way to be regarded as attractive. The similarities between Hollywood and the Gilded Age are both remarkable and quite sad, from the encouragement of anorexia and the overindulgence of luxury to how the popularity of an individual can be solely determined by the words of the press.
I did enjoy following Clara's rise to fame and infamy, even if the glamour and mystery of it was stripped away, so to speak. The Christian themes of God loving you just as you are and having a purpose beyond the practices of "society" seemed muted and understated throughout the book, but rather than detracting from the plot, it only seemed to enhance it. While I have been under the impression that books that fall in this genre of Christian Fiction should focus mostly on some Christian theme, this particular book did not seem to. The focus seemed more on revealing the truth about what really happened in New York City's Gilded Age through the eyes of a debutante.
I did enjoy following Clara's rise to fame and infamy, even if the glamour and mystery of it was stripped away, so to speak. The Christian themes of God loving you just as you are and having a purpose beyond the practices of "society" seemed muted and understated throughout the book, but rather than detracting from the plot, it only seemed to enhance it. While I have been under the impression that books that fall in this genre of Christian Fiction should focus mostly on some Christian theme, this particular book did not seem to. The focus seemed more on revealing the truth about what really happened in New York City's Gilded Age through the eyes of a debutante.
graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated Sisi: Empress on Her Own: A Novel in Books
Feb 15, 2019
First of all, I'd definitely recommend reading The Accidental Empress, part one of Empress Elisabeth's life. I found it to be the better book of the two, although Sisi: Empress on Her Own is far from bad.
I commend the author in all the research she did as I think she did an astounding job bringing Sisi to life, showing both her strengths and weaknesses. Most everything was brought to life in a way that was easy to visualize. However, in this book I found there to be more telling than showing as far as politics go, which could be a tad boring, plus I felt there were redundancies here and there. I didn't notice any major anachronism other than one phrase that jolted me out of the book that I dearly hope is not in the final edition (<a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_time_no_see"; targeet="_blank">"Long time no see."</a> if interested). The author provides a thorough section where she notes what was taken from history, leaving me to conclude what must be fiction. I found the fictional parts to be either likely or at least not implausible, excepting a couple incidents in Rudolf's (Sisi's son) youth that felt odd. I won't even touch on Sisi as a person, she's too complex and confounding to decribe in few words, but I felt that Pataki did the best she could at humanizing her while remaining true to her historical record.
Sisi (and the aforementioned The Accidental Empress) are a worthwhile addition to the genre that show a royal family not much touched upon in historical ficiton.
I commend the author in all the research she did as I think she did an astounding job bringing Sisi to life, showing both her strengths and weaknesses. Most everything was brought to life in a way that was easy to visualize. However, in this book I found there to be more telling than showing as far as politics go, which could be a tad boring, plus I felt there were redundancies here and there. I didn't notice any major anachronism other than one phrase that jolted me out of the book that I dearly hope is not in the final edition (<a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_time_no_see"; targeet="_blank">"Long time no see."</a> if interested). The author provides a thorough section where she notes what was taken from history, leaving me to conclude what must be fiction. I found the fictional parts to be either likely or at least not implausible, excepting a couple incidents in Rudolf's (Sisi's son) youth that felt odd. I won't even touch on Sisi as a person, she's too complex and confounding to decribe in few words, but I felt that Pataki did the best she could at humanizing her while remaining true to her historical record.
Sisi (and the aforementioned The Accidental Empress) are a worthwhile addition to the genre that show a royal family not much touched upon in historical ficiton.