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Book Divas (227 KP) rated Of Poseidon (The Syrena Legacy, #1) in Books
Dec 12, 2017
I use to ask myself what rock I'd been living under whenever I read a book that had come out two even three years ago but I've realized it wasn't a rock; I've just broadened my horizons, expanded my genres and sub genres and now delve into a bit of everything and I'm glad I have because I keep finding new and exciting authors and their books. I loved this fantastic book and the author's take on Poseidon and Triton. Beautifully written story with gorgeous characters and I simply had a hard time putting this book down.
Emma is enjoying her summer vacation with her best friend Chloe unaware that she will soon experience a devastating loss and learn a secret that will forever change her life and alter her perspective on reality. This author's creativity and underwater world building will quickly captivate you and enthrall you and I cannot wait for book two to arrive in the mail because my jaw completely unhinged with the cliff hanging ending. This is a MUST read.
Emma is enjoying her summer vacation with her best friend Chloe unaware that she will soon experience a devastating loss and learn a secret that will forever change her life and alter her perspective on reality. This author's creativity and underwater world building will quickly captivate you and enthrall you and I cannot wait for book two to arrive in the mail because my jaw completely unhinged with the cliff hanging ending. This is a MUST read.
Suswatibasu (1701 KP) rated Florence Foster Jenkins (2016) in Movies
Aug 15, 2017
Lighthearted at times, quite sad actually, but all a ball of fluff in the end
The story of Florence Foster Jenkins is ambivalent. On the one hand, it shows how money can buy anything, and the upper class privileges that allow anyone to get away with anything. At the same time, you feel sorry for FFJ because she's extremely ill, alone, and she sings terribly, because why the hell not? From being a piano prodigy to contracting syphilis on her wedding night by her ex-husband that destroyed her ability to play let alone hear the pitch of her own voice - so in the end you feel sympathy for her. After that, you witness the brilliant performance of Meryl Streep, who is actually a good singer in reality, having to sing in the most terrible tones possible. Hugh Grant, as per usual, is a sap because that's the only role he knows how to play. Overall, a bit of lighthearted fluff.
Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated The Breakout Novelist: Craft and Strategies for Career Fiction Writers in Books
Apr 27, 2018
Rating: 4.5
The Breakout Novelist is a fantastic handbook that should be on every writer's desk. It should be marked up, highlighted, paper-clipped, and sticky-noted (if that's a word. Let's pretend it is). There is so much great advice and information in here it would take weeks and multiple readings to really get it all: but it's not meant to be read through from start to finish. It's a handbook, workbook, dictionary type tool.
There are many categories such as plot, theme, characters, chapters on voice and hyper-reality, protagonists vs. heroes, and information about what to do when you've got your manuscript done and "ready." There are exercises questions, prompts, and examples carefully explained and outlined. It's easy to read and understand and doesn't feel like an instruction manual: it's fun and enjoyable and interesting to read.
I wholeheartedly recommend any serious writer—just starting or multi-published—to grab a copy of The Breakout Novelist.
check out my blog for an excerpt/guest post: http://haleymathiot.blogspot.com/2011/04/review-and-guest-post-breakout-novelist.html
The Breakout Novelist is a fantastic handbook that should be on every writer's desk. It should be marked up, highlighted, paper-clipped, and sticky-noted (if that's a word. Let's pretend it is). There is so much great advice and information in here it would take weeks and multiple readings to really get it all: but it's not meant to be read through from start to finish. It's a handbook, workbook, dictionary type tool.
There are many categories such as plot, theme, characters, chapters on voice and hyper-reality, protagonists vs. heroes, and information about what to do when you've got your manuscript done and "ready." There are exercises questions, prompts, and examples carefully explained and outlined. It's easy to read and understand and doesn't feel like an instruction manual: it's fun and enjoyable and interesting to read.
I wholeheartedly recommend any serious writer—just starting or multi-published—to grab a copy of The Breakout Novelist.
check out my blog for an excerpt/guest post: http://haleymathiot.blogspot.com/2011/04/review-and-guest-post-breakout-novelist.html
Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated Real Mermaids Don’t Wear Toe Rings (Real Mermaids, #1) in Books
Apr 27, 2018
Jade was positive she was just an average girl, until she fell asleep in her bath, inhaled some salt water, and sprouted a mermaid tail. Soon the truth comes out that her mom was a mermaid. But then how did her mom drown last summer? Jade works to come to terms with this new side of herself, maintain her close friendships without spilling her secret, attempt to keep her dignity around her adorable crush, and figure out the mystery behind her mother.
I enjoyed every second of this story. I instantly liked Jade and her slight sarcasm. Although the events were, in reality, absolutely ridiculous, they worked in the context of the book, and it was easy to get lost in the story and believe in mermaids for a while. It was much more of an exciting and thrilling adventure than I originally imagined it to be. The twist at the end was perfectly wonderful! I read it twice I liked it so much. (*grins ecstatically*) I would recommend this book in a heartbeat.
Content/Recommendation: Clean, ages 10-16
I enjoyed every second of this story. I instantly liked Jade and her slight sarcasm. Although the events were, in reality, absolutely ridiculous, they worked in the context of the book, and it was easy to get lost in the story and believe in mermaids for a while. It was much more of an exciting and thrilling adventure than I originally imagined it to be. The twist at the end was perfectly wonderful! I read it twice I liked it so much. (*grins ecstatically*) I would recommend this book in a heartbeat.
Content/Recommendation: Clean, ages 10-16
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated The Innocent in Books
May 10, 2018
This is the first book I have read by Harlen Coben. I saw it the library and it looked pretty interesting. Matt Hunter is on his way back to college when the unthinkable happens, he gets in a fight and ends up killing a boy. The story picks up 9 years later. Matt is married to Olivia, he is working as a "paralegal" at his brother's law firm, and is about to be a father. Things couldn't be any better for him right now. Until one day after his wife leaves for a business trip, he gets a strange message from her on his cell phone. Its a picture of another man. The next message is even more startling. His wife in a blonde wig with this man. What does all this mean, why would his wife do this to him. The reality turns out to be a whole lot more than Matt could ever imagine. This book is chock full of twists and turns and strippers and cops and ex-cons and family. A good book I didn't want to put down.
Sam (74 KP) rated The Exact Opposite of Okay in Books
Mar 27, 2019
Absolutely hilarious!
Izzy is probably one of the best characters ever. She’s laugh-out-loud funny, mixes feminism and dry wit, and doesn’t let anything get her down. She is the kind of person everyone wishes that they could be.
I was giggling at this book from start to finish. I love that although Izzy ends up in some pretty bad situations, she never loses her sense of humour.
I love that the author does manage to be serious about the issues of slut-shaming and bullying while keeping the story educational. It shows the effects of slut-shaming on a teenager and how bullies can affect a person’s mental health while at the same time staying very light even though it is full of honesty.
The novel sticks by reality and nothing that happens is beyond what can happen in real life. It is painfully honest and truthful.
I absolutely loved this. It was brilliant and one of the best books I’ve read this year. You NEED to read it!
Izzy is probably one of the best characters ever. She’s laugh-out-loud funny, mixes feminism and dry wit, and doesn’t let anything get her down. She is the kind of person everyone wishes that they could be.
I was giggling at this book from start to finish. I love that although Izzy ends up in some pretty bad situations, she never loses her sense of humour.
I love that the author does manage to be serious about the issues of slut-shaming and bullying while keeping the story educational. It shows the effects of slut-shaming on a teenager and how bullies can affect a person’s mental health while at the same time staying very light even though it is full of honesty.
The novel sticks by reality and nothing that happens is beyond what can happen in real life. It is painfully honest and truthful.
I absolutely loved this. It was brilliant and one of the best books I’ve read this year. You NEED to read it!
Miguel Covarrubias (143 KP) rated The Magicians - Season 3 in TV
Apr 23, 2019
The Most Magical Season to Date
I've said multiple times that "The Magicians" by Lev Grossman are the grown up allegory for the current millennial existential drama we see played out around us every day. So many of us grew up with these fantastical stories that shaped our lives and we wanted so much to be "Magical". Season 3 finally grapples with these ideas that the previous 2 seasons only hinted at. We see the despair and coping with reality that the characters have put off for so long.
I felt that the books were good by themselves, but made better by the television show. The show was only ok on its own, but season 3 starts to make headway on being its own thing. Season 3 showed that they can survive without the books and even be great on their own.
I felt that the books were good by themselves, but made better by the television show. The show was only ok on its own, but season 3 starts to make headway on being its own thing. Season 3 showed that they can survive without the books and even be great on their own.
Joe Julians (221 KP) rated The Cloverfield Paradox (2018) in Movies
Feb 6, 2018
Solid performances (1 more)
Great effects
The Cloverfield link (1 more)
Muddled story
Not a long review for this one as I can't think of too much to say about it. There's a great movie here somewhere, the first half in particular sets up a solid space adventure that looks to really focus on the intriguing alternate reality concept it presents. But this ends up becoming muddled and not overly interesting. The cast are fne and the script has moments of greatness, but a lot of this is just a bit dull and not as gripping as it could have been.
As for the Cloverfield part, well it seems that this was never meant to have a connection at all. It seems all too apparent that all the links to the franchise were included later through reshoots and as such, it's all a muddled mess by the time the credits roll. It's a sometimes good space movie, but a pretty shoddy Cloverfield movie. Marketing wise though, the release of this was genuius. It's just a shame that hype vanishes once the movie concludes.
As for the Cloverfield part, well it seems that this was never meant to have a connection at all. It seems all too apparent that all the links to the franchise were included later through reshoots and as such, it's all a muddled mess by the time the credits roll. It's a sometimes good space movie, but a pretty shoddy Cloverfield movie. Marketing wise though, the release of this was genuius. It's just a shame that hype vanishes once the movie concludes.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Annihilation (2018) in Movies
Mar 17, 2018 (Updated Mar 17, 2018)
Visually striking, cerebral SF-horror movie, notable for being released via Netflix rather than cinemas in most of the world. Ex-soldier-turned-biologist Natalie Portman joins a mission into a mysterious zone where the laws of reality seem to be breaking down.
You can kind of see why Paramount got cold feet and requested changes to the ending in particular, for it is weird and wilfully enigmatic (rather beautiful too, of course), but then the whole movie spurns the obvious elements of outlandish splatter the premise suggests in favour of a weird and unsettling atmosphere (the director has suggested it was inspired by H.P. Lovecraft as much as the stated source novel). Kind of derivative, but not necessarily in a bad way; probably a bit too chilly and intellectual for its own good. Obviously the work of the same director as Ex Machina; one day Garland will figure out how to make an SF movie that doesn't just play with ideas in a rather sterile way, and then he may produce something really exceptional.
You can kind of see why Paramount got cold feet and requested changes to the ending in particular, for it is weird and wilfully enigmatic (rather beautiful too, of course), but then the whole movie spurns the obvious elements of outlandish splatter the premise suggests in favour of a weird and unsettling atmosphere (the director has suggested it was inspired by H.P. Lovecraft as much as the stated source novel). Kind of derivative, but not necessarily in a bad way; probably a bit too chilly and intellectual for its own good. Obviously the work of the same director as Ex Machina; one day Garland will figure out how to make an SF movie that doesn't just play with ideas in a rather sterile way, and then he may produce something really exceptional.
Lou Grande (148 KP) rated Gracefully Grayson in Books
May 27, 2018
I have to say, this book was much better than I was expecting. I'm always wary going into a book about trans issues not written by trans people. But Grayson's story was treated thoughtfully and with respect. (Such a stereotypical name, though!) However, I'm disappointed that this story focused so much on violence and social resistance to trans people. While that can often be the reality for some of us, this book is intended for young readers, and I'm concerned that this could be scary for them. On the other hand, cisgendered kids who pick this one up might be more empathetic towards trans people in general. (But would cisgender kids be inspired to pick GRACEFULLY GRAYSON up if they've already formed negative opinions on trans issues? I don't know; I'm thankfully not a parent.)
Another thing: did this story really have to coalesce in a bathroom? It felt lazy. Where we pee is not the only political issue we face, and it's obvious the author knows this. I don't know. This book left me with mixed feelings.
Another thing: did this story really have to coalesce in a bathroom? It felt lazy. Where we pee is not the only political issue we face, and it's obvious the author knows this. I don't know. This book left me with mixed feelings.