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starwarsluvr (236 KP) rated Magic-Scars (The Crown of Stones, #2) in Books
Jan 30, 2018
Wow, ok so what can I say about this... this was.. amazing. The writing flowed even better then the first book. The characters were even better. Everything was easier to follow in most places and the depth of the characters was even more amazing. The imagery of the scenes was beautiful. I felt as if I was a part of it and seeing the scenery and people and places with my own eyes. Ian goes through so many problems and trials to become who he needs to be again. I loved that he lost who he was for a while and then he had to refind himself. It added so much to this story to watch him go through so many feelings and ideas and thoughts. He had to work so hard and got through it all to become who he had to be. Ian is amazing and wonderful and such a special person/Shinree. I loved that this book has a bit of everything. It has mystery, sex, intrique, love, happiness, sadness, and so much action. I loved CL's use of magic in this written world.. I loved the feelings and the action. It was all so much fun to read and I cannot wait to see how this all ends in book 3.
ArecRain (8 KP) rated A Bride in the Bargain in Books
Jan 18, 2018
I couldnt help but fall in love with this one. With Gist, its hit or miss with me, and this one definitely hit. I love nothing than a good historical romance, and this is definitely a favorite.
I first fell in love with the characters. Determined and hardworking, Joe and Anna both have their own plans and try to use each other to accomplish them. However, Annas plans contradict Joes and they are thrown into quite.
I then fell in love with the world Gist conveyed through her talented writing. She has a way of taking you back into that time and making you part of that world.
Normally, I would find the plot interesting all, but Gist had me interested. I think it was because I was so caught up in Joe, Anna, and their problems that I forgot to be bored with a plot that normally wouldnt do anything for me. Instead, I found myself rooting for Anna and Joe not only as a couple but as people.
Gist always has to through a wrench into things to make them interesting. I could have kicked her for it this novel, but the fact that she gave me an ending I was happy with made it for it. Maybe.
I first fell in love with the characters. Determined and hardworking, Joe and Anna both have their own plans and try to use each other to accomplish them. However, Annas plans contradict Joes and they are thrown into quite.
I then fell in love with the world Gist conveyed through her talented writing. She has a way of taking you back into that time and making you part of that world.
Normally, I would find the plot interesting all, but Gist had me interested. I think it was because I was so caught up in Joe, Anna, and their problems that I forgot to be bored with a plot that normally wouldnt do anything for me. Instead, I found myself rooting for Anna and Joe not only as a couple but as people.
Gist always has to through a wrench into things to make them interesting. I could have kicked her for it this novel, but the fact that she gave me an ending I was happy with made it for it. Maybe.
ClareR (5879 KP) rated The Only Story in Books
Mar 7, 2018
A beautifully sad love story
"Would you rather love the more, and suffer the more; or love the less, and suffer the less? That is, I think, finally, the only really question."
This is a book to be savoured and to have time taken over it. It just seems so personal and private, and frankly, I felt nosey reading it. It illustrates a 19 year old boys great love - a 48 year old woman who he meets at a tennis club during his holidays from University. This love endures through disapproval of both families and many hardships before the end.
It was interesting that the book moved through the use of first person when the love was new and exciting, second person when the relationship began to encounter problems and third person at the end when he is more detached from his lover, Joan. Watching the slide of someone in to addiction and eventually, dementia, was a particularly sad part of the novel, with his personal guilt and inaction increasing the melancholy and sadness of the whole situation. At the end of this book, I finished the last page and found myself sitting and thinking about it for a while. It really is a very affecting book.
This is a book to be savoured and to have time taken over it. It just seems so personal and private, and frankly, I felt nosey reading it. It illustrates a 19 year old boys great love - a 48 year old woman who he meets at a tennis club during his holidays from University. This love endures through disapproval of both families and many hardships before the end.
It was interesting that the book moved through the use of first person when the love was new and exciting, second person when the relationship began to encounter problems and third person at the end when he is more detached from his lover, Joan. Watching the slide of someone in to addiction and eventually, dementia, was a particularly sad part of the novel, with his personal guilt and inaction increasing the melancholy and sadness of the whole situation. At the end of this book, I finished the last page and found myself sitting and thinking about it for a while. It really is a very affecting book.
When Holly White calls off her wedding, she returns to her family’s tree farm in Maine just in time for the annual Reindeer Games, which take place in the twelve days leading up to Christmas. However, the night before the games are set to start, Margaret comes in causing problems in her quest to keep the town exactly historically accurate. When Holly finds Margaret dead among the trees a few hours later, the police start looking a little too close to home. Can Holly clear her family and friends before Christmas?
If you are looking for a Christmas cozy, this one is perfect. Each page oozes Christmas cheer, and the games sound like a ton of fun. I’d love to visit and play myself. Unfortunately, I did feel this got in the way of the mystery at times, and Holly spent quite a bit to time reacting to events rather than actually investigating at other points. Still, it held together well overall, and we got a great climax. The characters are already sharp, and their relationships help add to the Christmas cheer.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/10/book-review-twelve-slays-of-christmas.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
If you are looking for a Christmas cozy, this one is perfect. Each page oozes Christmas cheer, and the games sound like a ton of fun. I’d love to visit and play myself. Unfortunately, I did feel this got in the way of the mystery at times, and Holly spent quite a bit to time reacting to events rather than actually investigating at other points. Still, it held together well overall, and we got a great climax. The characters are already sharp, and their relationships help add to the Christmas cheer.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/10/book-review-twelve-slays-of-christmas.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Invaders in TV
Mar 15, 2018 (Updated Mar 15, 2018)
One of the classic TV alien invasion shows; the theme tune and the various visual gimmicks (aliens with crooked little fingers who incinerate when killed) are quite well-remembered, along with (possibly) the fact that many of the episodes aren't actually any good.
Larry Cohen's original concept - a paranoid thriller with few overt SF elements - was rapidly abandoned, and Cohen himself had little involvement. The programme is really a victim of the time it was made: episodic storytelling means that the aliens come up with bizarrely different schemes on a weekly basis (weather control, infiltrating industry, man-eating butterflies), and there are nagging problems with the format - it is required that the aliens never just kill Vincent, and that he never manages to get evidence of their activity, either. Some would say that Roy Thinnes' intensely dour performance is not exactly what a show like this needs.
Still, there are some good individual episodes, and the iconography of the show does hang around in your head (it's clearly one of the shows that was a major influence on The X Files). It's a shame this kind of story has since been done to death as you could easily imagine a contemporary Invaders remake being really good (even though the 90s mini-series really wasn't).
Larry Cohen's original concept - a paranoid thriller with few overt SF elements - was rapidly abandoned, and Cohen himself had little involvement. The programme is really a victim of the time it was made: episodic storytelling means that the aliens come up with bizarrely different schemes on a weekly basis (weather control, infiltrating industry, man-eating butterflies), and there are nagging problems with the format - it is required that the aliens never just kill Vincent, and that he never manages to get evidence of their activity, either. Some would say that Roy Thinnes' intensely dour performance is not exactly what a show like this needs.
Still, there are some good individual episodes, and the iconography of the show does hang around in your head (it's clearly one of the shows that was a major influence on The X Files). It's a shame this kind of story has since been done to death as you could easily imagine a contemporary Invaders remake being really good (even though the 90s mini-series really wasn't).
Awix (3310 KP) rated Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975) in Movies
Mar 24, 2018 (Updated Mar 25, 2018)
Final movie in the first Godzilla series often gets some stick for supposedly killing off the original continuity, but is actually not that bad. Bacofoil-wearing aliens team up with mad scientist and his cyborg daughter to conquer the world; there are many opportunities for evil laughter at the planning meetings. The usual strategy of using giant monsters as invasion weapons is employed, despite it having utterly failed in at least five previous movies.
Original director Honda comes back and at least ensures this film has a degree of dignity and craft to it: pretty good monster suits and model work, but the back projection is terrible. There's slightly more focus on character than usual (particularly that of the tragic cyborg girl), which the film seems unsure how to handle. To be honest, one of the main problems is that it's not really about Godzilla any more - he just turns up to fight the bad guys at the end and everyone else takes him for granted. By no means the worst Godzilla movie even of the 1970s, but you can see why Toho decided to take a break. Best line (possibly in the whole of cinema): 'Please kill me - Mechagodzilla's brain is installed in my stomach!'
Original director Honda comes back and at least ensures this film has a degree of dignity and craft to it: pretty good monster suits and model work, but the back projection is terrible. There's slightly more focus on character than usual (particularly that of the tragic cyborg girl), which the film seems unsure how to handle. To be honest, one of the main problems is that it's not really about Godzilla any more - he just turns up to fight the bad guys at the end and everyone else takes him for granted. By no means the worst Godzilla movie even of the 1970s, but you can see why Toho decided to take a break. Best line (possibly in the whole of cinema): 'Please kill me - Mechagodzilla's brain is installed in my stomach!'
Awix (3310 KP) rated Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters (2017) in Movies
Feb 13, 2018 (Updated Mar 7, 2018)
Now, there's nothing wrong in principle with doing an animated Godzilla movie; most of the problems with this one arise from the fact it is largely unrecognisable as such.
Earth is abandoned due to excessive growth in the giant monster population; timey-wimey plot device means the survivors return twenty years later and find thousands of years have gone past and the place has reverted to a primeval state; the ecology is now distinctly Godzillaesque. Has their technology improved to the point where they can stand a chance against the Big G himself?
Reasonable, if somewhat convoluted premise is torpedoed by a persistent mood of nihilistic misery and absence of likeable human characters; Godzilla is largely absent, and mostly passive when he does appear. You want to see Godzilla demolishing Tokyo and fighting other monsters, not mooching about in a jungle, anyway. A good way of catching up on recent tropes in mainstream SF (this is just a nice way of saying the film is rather derivative), some interesting designs, but on the whole this is hard work to watch. English subtitles seem to have been written using Google Translate, which only adds to the essentially frustrating nature of the experience.
Earth is abandoned due to excessive growth in the giant monster population; timey-wimey plot device means the survivors return twenty years later and find thousands of years have gone past and the place has reverted to a primeval state; the ecology is now distinctly Godzillaesque. Has their technology improved to the point where they can stand a chance against the Big G himself?
Reasonable, if somewhat convoluted premise is torpedoed by a persistent mood of nihilistic misery and absence of likeable human characters; Godzilla is largely absent, and mostly passive when he does appear. You want to see Godzilla demolishing Tokyo and fighting other monsters, not mooching about in a jungle, anyway. A good way of catching up on recent tropes in mainstream SF (this is just a nice way of saying the film is rather derivative), some interesting designs, but on the whole this is hard work to watch. English subtitles seem to have been written using Google Translate, which only adds to the essentially frustrating nature of the experience.
Sarah (126 KP) rated The Martian (2015) in Movies
Jul 30, 2018
Brilliant Movie
I honestly didn't expect to enjoy this film half as much as I did. It wasn't my choice to watch and one I put off until we couldn't think of anything else to put on one night.
In fact, I actually loved it! I laughed, my heart was racing with fear and excitement, and I cried for the character played by Matt Damon and the struggles he faced.
The premise doesn't sound particularly thrilling, one man stranded alone on a planet, and yet seeing how he copes with the difficulties thrown at him and the problems that he and the team trying to get him home have to overcome make it an extremely watchable and enjoyable film.
I've watched this now a few times and, even though I know what's coming and how it ends, I still get the same feelings of apprehension and relief, and I've still cried at exactly the same points.
I normally shy away from giving a 10/10, as there's always something that can be improved, but (bearing in mind I haven't read the book of this one, so can't put the film into context in that regard), I don't think there's anything I would change about this.
In fact, I actually loved it! I laughed, my heart was racing with fear and excitement, and I cried for the character played by Matt Damon and the struggles he faced.
The premise doesn't sound particularly thrilling, one man stranded alone on a planet, and yet seeing how he copes with the difficulties thrown at him and the problems that he and the team trying to get him home have to overcome make it an extremely watchable and enjoyable film.
I've watched this now a few times and, even though I know what's coming and how it ends, I still get the same feelings of apprehension and relief, and I've still cried at exactly the same points.
I normally shy away from giving a 10/10, as there's always something that can be improved, but (bearing in mind I haven't read the book of this one, so can't put the film into context in that regard), I don't think there's anything I would change about this.
Lindsay (1760 KP) rated A Royal Christmas Wedding in Books
Aug 30, 2018
Book Review: A Royal Christmas Wedding by Rachel Hauch Book Title: A Royal Christmas Wedding Author: Rachel HauchGenres: Christmas, Romance,Series: Royal WeddingPublisher: ZondervanPublish Date: 2016-10-18 (240 Pages, Paperback)
Avery Truitt is someone who was going to college to be a professional volleyball player. 5 years before she meet Prince Colin when she was with her sister Susanna went to Cathedral City. What ever happen to Avery and Colin?
Susanna has invited both her sister and mother to Brington Kingdom for the Christmas season. Will their mother get over their father’s death? There appear someone brings Avery and Colin together at every turn. Will Colin father help or harm Colin? The old bell rings and who has pulled it and rung it?
People do not believe that god had pulled the 600 pound bell that started ringing and bring all people to the where the accident of Prince Michael died. I love that fact that there is a meaning and some true relationship trouble and Hauck shows that in each story in The Royal Wedding Series? She let the characters work it out their own problems. She does not rush them. Rachel Hauck does well with the plot and her writing is wonderful as well.
Avery Truitt is someone who was going to college to be a professional volleyball player. 5 years before she meet Prince Colin when she was with her sister Susanna went to Cathedral City. What ever happen to Avery and Colin?
Susanna has invited both her sister and mother to Brington Kingdom for the Christmas season. Will their mother get over their father’s death? There appear someone brings Avery and Colin together at every turn. Will Colin father help or harm Colin? The old bell rings and who has pulled it and rung it?
People do not believe that god had pulled the 600 pound bell that started ringing and bring all people to the where the accident of Prince Michael died. I love that fact that there is a meaning and some true relationship trouble and Hauck shows that in each story in The Royal Wedding Series? She let the characters work it out their own problems. She does not rush them. Rachel Hauck does well with the plot and her writing is wonderful as well.
Sarah (7800 KP) rated The House with a Clock in Its Walls (2018) in Movies
Oct 3, 2018
Could've been so much more
I knew relatively nothing about this film but having been impressed by the recent Goosebumps films (not the new sequel), I had fairly high expectations. Sadly it didn't live up to them.
For me this film seemed to be nothing new. I was bored for the most of this and there were only a few parts that I really enjoyed. A lot of the humour and banter between the characters seemed a little too ott and forced and made me cringe more than it made me smile. The effects were alright and there were some truly creepy scenes, just not enough. Cate Blanchett probably saved this, as even Jack Black couldn't bring back the magic he had with RL Stine. And the evil warlock wasn't particularly scary or threatening, and the whole ending was lacking any sort of menacing terror or suspense.
I also spent the entire film thinking the kid was the one from Room (Jacob Tremblay), and wondering why on earth his acting was so bad. The kid was one of the problems in this, I won't lie and his crying was particularly horrendous. And then when the credits rolled I realised it wasn't him after all...
For me this film seemed to be nothing new. I was bored for the most of this and there were only a few parts that I really enjoyed. A lot of the humour and banter between the characters seemed a little too ott and forced and made me cringe more than it made me smile. The effects were alright and there were some truly creepy scenes, just not enough. Cate Blanchett probably saved this, as even Jack Black couldn't bring back the magic he had with RL Stine. And the evil warlock wasn't particularly scary or threatening, and the whole ending was lacking any sort of menacing terror or suspense.
I also spent the entire film thinking the kid was the one from Room (Jacob Tremblay), and wondering why on earth his acting was so bad. The kid was one of the problems in this, I won't lie and his crying was particularly horrendous. And then when the credits rolled I realised it wasn't him after all...