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ClareR (5879 KP) rated Song of the Huntress in Books
Jun 25, 2024
Song of the Huntress was a really enjoyable listen, narrated well by Kristin Atherton. It felt like I was in 60AD with them: the descriptions of the land, the court, the battles and the Wild Hunt; the inner thoughts and motivations of Herla, Queen Æthelburg of Wessex and her husband King Ine were all described and narrated in such a way that I wanted to keep listening.
This had just the right amount of history, myth and magic for me - well, anything with those three things in is a winner, in my opinion!
With the resurgence of Greek Myth (yes, I’m a fan), it has been really heartening to see the odd Norse and Celtic myth and folklore book coming out. I enjoy a good retelling, and 5is is a good read. Yes, there are some seemingly modern themes: Æthelburg and Herla’s attraction and Ine’s asexuality in particular, but who’s to say these weren’t appropriate in 60AD? I’m sure homosexuality and asexuality have been a ‘thing’ for as long as there’s been humans (there probably is someone who could say - this is the internet, after all).
To me, as a listener/ reader, this just felt really genuine and well researched. I loved learning about the characters and their world.
Just as Sistersong left me eagerly awaiting Song of the Huntress, I’m really looking forward to whatever comes next from Lucy Holland.
This had just the right amount of history, myth and magic for me - well, anything with those three things in is a winner, in my opinion!
With the resurgence of Greek Myth (yes, I’m a fan), it has been really heartening to see the odd Norse and Celtic myth and folklore book coming out. I enjoy a good retelling, and 5is is a good read. Yes, there are some seemingly modern themes: Æthelburg and Herla’s attraction and Ine’s asexuality in particular, but who’s to say these weren’t appropriate in 60AD? I’m sure homosexuality and asexuality have been a ‘thing’ for as long as there’s been humans (there probably is someone who could say - this is the internet, after all).
To me, as a listener/ reader, this just felt really genuine and well researched. I loved learning about the characters and their world.
Just as Sistersong left me eagerly awaiting Song of the Huntress, I’m really looking forward to whatever comes next from Lucy Holland.
LucyB (47 KP) rated The Good People in Books
Jul 23, 2017
An engrossing exploration of rural Ireland and folklore.
The Good People gets off to a gripping start. A man is found dead and his wife (Nora) is left alone, with the burden of caring for her dead daughter's child, who happens to be heavily disabled.
From early on, the clash between ancient superstition and Catholic values is established. Nance, the local healing woman, is called upon for funeral 'keening' and resolving various medical problems. However, the village is divided - and people are starting to turn against her.
Nora hires a girl, Mary, to assist with looking after her grandson, who she can scarcely bear to be around. As time passes, Nora becomes convinced that the child is a 'changeling' and together with Nance, goes to drastic measures to expel the fairy from their lives.
I'd read Burial Rites a while back, so was familiar with Kent's style of writing, which is wonderfully authentic, well-paced and engrossing. However, The Good People felt quite different - almost like a theatrical script, with strong dialogue and excellent characterisation throughout.
It was also ambiguous, and throughout, I felt my sympathies flit from character to character. Although the book concluded with a murder, the nasty deed raised lots of questions - namely who exactly was to blame?
A very enjoyable read (I got through it in about three days, which shows how good it was) - I'd definitely recommend.
From early on, the clash between ancient superstition and Catholic values is established. Nance, the local healing woman, is called upon for funeral 'keening' and resolving various medical problems. However, the village is divided - and people are starting to turn against her.
Nora hires a girl, Mary, to assist with looking after her grandson, who she can scarcely bear to be around. As time passes, Nora becomes convinced that the child is a 'changeling' and together with Nance, goes to drastic measures to expel the fairy from their lives.
I'd read Burial Rites a while back, so was familiar with Kent's style of writing, which is wonderfully authentic, well-paced and engrossing. However, The Good People felt quite different - almost like a theatrical script, with strong dialogue and excellent characterisation throughout.
It was also ambiguous, and throughout, I felt my sympathies flit from character to character. Although the book concluded with a murder, the nasty deed raised lots of questions - namely who exactly was to blame?
A very enjoyable read (I got through it in about three days, which shows how good it was) - I'd definitely recommend.
Brian Fallon recommended track Johnny Appleseed by Joe Strummer / Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros in Global a Go-Go by Joe Strummer / Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros in Music (curated)
Anne (15117 KP) rated Into the Hourglass (The Evermore Chronicles, #2) in Books
Nov 4, 2019
This book had a lot of meat to it, a lot to digest and think about as the story continues. It flowed well with the transition from the first book, picking up right where it left off at the beginning.
Theres a lot more development of the story, characters, whats going on - you learn and understand quite a bit more as Everley continues her harrowing journey to reach her goals. Her goals and wishes seem to shift some in this part of the story as well and it brings others goals and stories more to light some.
Things get way more intense here in this book and it left me feeling a lot - so many emotions that Im not sure what to do with them.
There are so many nods and spins and retellings on fairytale/ folklore stories/ stories I remember from my childhood etc, its fun and wild.
Even though this part of the series ended on a happy note, I have conflicting emotions about leaving this part of the story behind and Im sad about parts of it too. Im having a slight book hangover here and Im nervous about what happens next when the end of this series comes out.
If you havent read the first in this series, Before the Broken Star then you need to get on that before you read this and get ready for some awesomeness mixed with all the emotions. You dont want to miss this continuing adventure.
Theres a lot more development of the story, characters, whats going on - you learn and understand quite a bit more as Everley continues her harrowing journey to reach her goals. Her goals and wishes seem to shift some in this part of the story as well and it brings others goals and stories more to light some.
Things get way more intense here in this book and it left me feeling a lot - so many emotions that Im not sure what to do with them.
There are so many nods and spins and retellings on fairytale/ folklore stories/ stories I remember from my childhood etc, its fun and wild.
Even though this part of the series ended on a happy note, I have conflicting emotions about leaving this part of the story behind and Im sad about parts of it too. Im having a slight book hangover here and Im nervous about what happens next when the end of this series comes out.
If you havent read the first in this series, Before the Broken Star then you need to get on that before you read this and get ready for some awesomeness mixed with all the emotions. You dont want to miss this continuing adventure.
Jesters_folly (230 KP) rated Mr. Vampire (1985) in Movies
Jul 24, 2020
Contains spoilers, click to show
When a 20 year old corpse is exhumed for a re burial Master Gau and his two students find that the body hasn't rotted. When the corpse re animates as a vampire the trio have to protect the vampires family and find a way to stop the monster.
Mr vampire is a Chinese horror/comedy and a breakthrough 'Jiangshi' (Rotting Copse) movie due it's mixing of slapstick comedy, kung-fu, Chinese folklore and western vampire myth and has a number of sequels.
The humour is very slapstick, with people getting hit with furniture or getting their head stuck in prison cell bars and the horror level is quite low and most of the effects are quite cheesy.
The Kung-Fu aspect makes the fight scenes entertaining and both the vampire and the ghost have to be dealt with slightly differently..
The image of the living corpse, be it vampire or zombie, being controlled by a yellow paper talisman stuck to it's head is though to have come from Mr Vampire and has been used in many subsequent Jiangshi film as well as many other shows, including the recent Netflix show 'Kingdom' where we see a scene of villagers selling the talismans when the zombies are threatening their village.
Mr Vampire manages to pull off Horror comedy in a way that is watchable by almost anyone. The film has a 15 (UK) rating and does contain vampires and ghosts but neither are overly frighting, partly due to the effects of the time.
Mr vampire is a Chinese horror/comedy and a breakthrough 'Jiangshi' (Rotting Copse) movie due it's mixing of slapstick comedy, kung-fu, Chinese folklore and western vampire myth and has a number of sequels.
The humour is very slapstick, with people getting hit with furniture or getting their head stuck in prison cell bars and the horror level is quite low and most of the effects are quite cheesy.
The Kung-Fu aspect makes the fight scenes entertaining and both the vampire and the ghost have to be dealt with slightly differently..
The image of the living corpse, be it vampire or zombie, being controlled by a yellow paper talisman stuck to it's head is though to have come from Mr Vampire and has been used in many subsequent Jiangshi film as well as many other shows, including the recent Netflix show 'Kingdom' where we see a scene of villagers selling the talismans when the zombies are threatening their village.
Mr Vampire manages to pull off Horror comedy in a way that is watchable by almost anyone. The film has a 15 (UK) rating and does contain vampires and ghosts but neither are overly frighting, partly due to the effects of the time.
LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated Lesson of the Evil (2012) in Movies
Nov 15, 2021
*Big band music playing loudly in the background*
Takashi Miike's 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵 - which, yes, is every bit as messy and overstuffed as that sounds; though I fear that if this were leaner you could miss out on the finer details like the weird German folklore stuff or the fleshy gun with the talking eyeball. The third act here is better than anything in even 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘗𝘴𝘺𝘤𝘩𝘰, probably the greatest thing Miike has ever done - just as demented, tasteless, and perfectly staged as reported plus it lasts around a solid, uninterrupted 45 minutes. Simultaneously fun and hard to watch in the sense that you can't believe that not only are they actually going for this, but they're going for it *hard* (given the director, I'd expect no less). I'm confident in saying this has the most straight-up brutal use of the shotgun in film history that I've seen. Hideaki Ito is flawless as this fucked-up closet psychopath who just bleeds raw antihero charisma, this kind of character can tire so easily but him and Miike sell it in full - partly because (and this is one of the things I love most about Miike) there's zero pretension to be found here. The precise type of ethically repugnantly, formally playful, feverish trashy thrills you'd expect out of this are exactly what you get - no clichéd moral handwringing or bullshit pulled punches you see in a lot of Western cinema for this genre. This is the real shit, another bonafide cult classic from one of the masters. Plus it's generally bizarre as hell, too.
Takashi Miike's 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵 - which, yes, is every bit as messy and overstuffed as that sounds; though I fear that if this were leaner you could miss out on the finer details like the weird German folklore stuff or the fleshy gun with the talking eyeball. The third act here is better than anything in even 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘗𝘴𝘺𝘤𝘩𝘰, probably the greatest thing Miike has ever done - just as demented, tasteless, and perfectly staged as reported plus it lasts around a solid, uninterrupted 45 minutes. Simultaneously fun and hard to watch in the sense that you can't believe that not only are they actually going for this, but they're going for it *hard* (given the director, I'd expect no less). I'm confident in saying this has the most straight-up brutal use of the shotgun in film history that I've seen. Hideaki Ito is flawless as this fucked-up closet psychopath who just bleeds raw antihero charisma, this kind of character can tire so easily but him and Miike sell it in full - partly because (and this is one of the things I love most about Miike) there's zero pretension to be found here. The precise type of ethically repugnantly, formally playful, feverish trashy thrills you'd expect out of this are exactly what you get - no clichéd moral handwringing or bullshit pulled punches you see in a lot of Western cinema for this genre. This is the real shit, another bonafide cult classic from one of the masters. Plus it's generally bizarre as hell, too.
Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated The Nix in Books
Dec 4, 2017
Glorious, extravagant, epic family saga
It's hardly surprising Meryl Streep has bought the rights to this debut novel by Nathan Hill, which explores relations amongst several generations of a family.
It spans nearly fifty years, with flashbacks to student protests during 1968, from the present day, and the travails of an academic, struggling to engage with lazy and disaffected students, and playing ‘Elfscape’, an online role-playing game that works along the lines of World of Warcraft. The narrative perspective moves around quite a bit in the first few chapters, but a strong theme quickly emerges.
Samuel Andresen-Anderson is the principal protagonist, and is a genuinely empathetic character. Far from perfect, he is beset with irritations, ranging from the cheating and ignorance of many of his students to the family upheaval suffered during his childhood, which still troubles him more than twenty years later.
Behind all this is the story of Faye, Samuel’s mother, who walked out on her family more than twenty years earlier, and who is catapulted into the public consciousness following a sudden impulsive act. This offered Hill the opportunity for some acute observations about the motives and actions of the student rebels from the late 1960s, while also exposing the hypocrisies of the establishment and the cruelties of some of the police during those troubles. In between, the author even delves into Norwegian folklore.
The writing is fine – clear and accessible - and Hill manages the complex storylines admirably. Moving backwards and forwards between the late 1960s, late 1980s and 2011, the plot never flags. This was a long novel, but very entertaining throughout.
It spans nearly fifty years, with flashbacks to student protests during 1968, from the present day, and the travails of an academic, struggling to engage with lazy and disaffected students, and playing ‘Elfscape’, an online role-playing game that works along the lines of World of Warcraft. The narrative perspective moves around quite a bit in the first few chapters, but a strong theme quickly emerges.
Samuel Andresen-Anderson is the principal protagonist, and is a genuinely empathetic character. Far from perfect, he is beset with irritations, ranging from the cheating and ignorance of many of his students to the family upheaval suffered during his childhood, which still troubles him more than twenty years later.
Behind all this is the story of Faye, Samuel’s mother, who walked out on her family more than twenty years earlier, and who is catapulted into the public consciousness following a sudden impulsive act. This offered Hill the opportunity for some acute observations about the motives and actions of the student rebels from the late 1960s, while also exposing the hypocrisies of the establishment and the cruelties of some of the police during those troubles. In between, the author even delves into Norwegian folklore.
The writing is fine – clear and accessible - and Hill manages the complex storylines admirably. Moving backwards and forwards between the late 1960s, late 1980s and 2011, the plot never flags. This was a long novel, but very entertaining throughout.
Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated Xander and the Lost Island of Monsters (Momotaro, #1) 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 think I've grown out of reading middle grade books now. I find that a little sad - the first book in Dilloways Momotaro series isn't even a bad book, aside from the fact I kept expecting a Percy Jackson vibe (which, in a way, it kind of does).
Xander and the Lost Island of Monsters - if we're going down the Percy Jackson vibe (I'm pretty sure the synopsis makes the comparison .) - is basically Japanese folklore set in modern day, with plenty of Japanese mythological creatures making an appearance. Unfortunately, Xander definitely resembles a Japanese version of Percy Jackson - blue eyes, black hair, twelve years old, and the only difference? Xander has a bit of silver streak in his hair (oh wait ) and he's mixed (Asian and Irish).
It's no wonder I expected a lot of humor out of Dilloway's book (comparisons = high expectations). The first Momotaro book does have the occasional funny moment, but it just isn't as funny as I hoped it would be. (That might just be the fact I'm nineteen.)
Xander and the Lost Island of Monsters is set in a comic book like format with illustrations featured throughout the book, and it will definitely appeal more to younger audiences than the older ones. (And hopefully, it'll be more funny to them than to me.)
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/arc-review-xander-and-lost-island-of-monsters-by-margaret-dilloway/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
I think I've grown out of reading middle grade books now. I find that a little sad - the first book in Dilloways Momotaro series isn't even a bad book, aside from the fact I kept expecting a Percy Jackson vibe (which, in a way, it kind of does).
Xander and the Lost Island of Monsters - if we're going down the Percy Jackson vibe (I'm pretty sure the synopsis makes the comparison .) - is basically Japanese folklore set in modern day, with plenty of Japanese mythological creatures making an appearance. Unfortunately, Xander definitely resembles a Japanese version of Percy Jackson - blue eyes, black hair, twelve years old, and the only difference? Xander has a bit of silver streak in his hair (oh wait ) and he's mixed (Asian and Irish).
It's no wonder I expected a lot of humor out of Dilloway's book (comparisons = high expectations). The first Momotaro book does have the occasional funny moment, but it just isn't as funny as I hoped it would be. (That might just be the fact I'm nineteen.)
Xander and the Lost Island of Monsters is set in a comic book like format with illustrations featured throughout the book, and it will definitely appeal more to younger audiences than the older ones. (And hopefully, it'll be more funny to them than to me.)
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/arc-review-xander-and-lost-island-of-monsters-by-margaret-dilloway/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
Jonathan Rhys Meyers recommended Ivan The Terrible: Part I (1944) in Movies (curated)
Hazel (2934 KP) rated The Last Girl To Die in Books
Aug 29, 2022
I have read one of Helen Field's books from the DI Callanach series (One For Sorrow) and it was absolutely brilliant so I thought I'd be on to a winner with The Last Girl to Die and whilst it's not as good as One For Sorrow, it's still a great read. This is a standalone so no worries about missing out on anything.
Sadie is a private investigator from Canada hired by Adriana's family to find her and it doesn't take her long to locate her body. She is a bit of a maverick and makes some questionable decisions which only serves to stir up the local constabulary and community in her quest to find out who the killer is. All is definitely not what it seems and soon Sadie has a list of suspects as long as her arm and at risk of becoming a target herself.
Helen Fields uses all manner of skills to immerse you into this story from myths, legends and folklore to her vivid descriptions of the Island of Mull, well fleshed our characters and a pace that moves along well and whilst I felt some of the situations Sadie put herself into as being a tad dubious, it did work with her character.
The Last Girl to Die is full of tension and unease which ramps up towards an ending I wasn't expecting at all ... I love it when that happens ... and I would recommend to others who enjoy dark mysteries that keep you guessing.
Thank you to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for enabling me to read The Last Girl to Die and share my thoughts.
Sadie is a private investigator from Canada hired by Adriana's family to find her and it doesn't take her long to locate her body. She is a bit of a maverick and makes some questionable decisions which only serves to stir up the local constabulary and community in her quest to find out who the killer is. All is definitely not what it seems and soon Sadie has a list of suspects as long as her arm and at risk of becoming a target herself.
Helen Fields uses all manner of skills to immerse you into this story from myths, legends and folklore to her vivid descriptions of the Island of Mull, well fleshed our characters and a pace that moves along well and whilst I felt some of the situations Sadie put herself into as being a tad dubious, it did work with her character.
The Last Girl to Die is full of tension and unease which ramps up towards an ending I wasn't expecting at all ... I love it when that happens ... and I would recommend to others who enjoy dark mysteries that keep you guessing.
Thank you to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for enabling me to read The Last Girl to Die and share my thoughts.