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The Anniversary
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Novelist J.B. Blackwood is on a cruise with her husband, Patrick, to celebrate their wedding...
Literary fiction
Rachel King (13 KP) rated The Uncoupling in Books
Feb 11, 2019
The story is told in a third-person narrative and divided into three parts. The first part focuses on the events leading up to the introduction of the play Lysistrata by the school's new drama teacher. The second part goes into detail about all of the different couples affected by the spell that the play casts over the town. The third part tells what happens in the night of the actual high-school production of the play and afterwards.
The spell of Lysistrata resembled a cold wind and only affected "women who were in some way connected sexually to men." No woman in the book was strong enough to resist the power of this mysterious wind, not even the ones newly in love and lust. Every woman affected imagined her own reasons for abstaining, and though all of the different reasons had a logical ring to them, only other women could relate. The men were simply left in the dark to react however he felt could change his twist in circumstances.
Early on, I felt that this book was a bit like a study of sex and the affects of sex -- or lack thereof -- on individuals and relationships. Even though the play Lysistrata was meant to be a catalyst for all of these private events, the high-school reenactment seemed to take a minor background role. The spell seemed to empower the women, though they did not act any happier with their new freedom and individuality. Many were just as baffled or depressed with the chastity as the men, but no couple was able to converse with each other about it, which I found strange and attributed to the effects of the spell. Ironically, because the issues of sex are such a private matter, very few couples shared their problems with anyone else in town, and so no one truly recognized the correlation between the abstinence of the females in town and the play Lysistrata. This irritated me to no end throughout the book.
On the night of the play, the spell is magically lifted by, quite appropriately, a warm wind when the men in the audience begin to protest the essence of the play itself and use that to try and win their women back. Throughout the whole book, the reader is lead to believe that this spell has no designer, that it has simply attached itself to the performance of the play from Lysistrata's origins in 411 B.C. Though I at first was suspicious of a certain person as casting the spell, I was also lulled into changing my mind about this. Without giving away the ending, I was quite surprised at the truth behind the spell's beginnings. There is much I could say about the thoughts that raced through my head while reading the last few pages and the conclusions that I drew from the revelation, but I will resist. I will say that the book is worth every page for its startling culmination.
The spell of Lysistrata resembled a cold wind and only affected "women who were in some way connected sexually to men." No woman in the book was strong enough to resist the power of this mysterious wind, not even the ones newly in love and lust. Every woman affected imagined her own reasons for abstaining, and though all of the different reasons had a logical ring to them, only other women could relate. The men were simply left in the dark to react however he felt could change his twist in circumstances.
Early on, I felt that this book was a bit like a study of sex and the affects of sex -- or lack thereof -- on individuals and relationships. Even though the play Lysistrata was meant to be a catalyst for all of these private events, the high-school reenactment seemed to take a minor background role. The spell seemed to empower the women, though they did not act any happier with their new freedom and individuality. Many were just as baffled or depressed with the chastity as the men, but no couple was able to converse with each other about it, which I found strange and attributed to the effects of the spell. Ironically, because the issues of sex are such a private matter, very few couples shared their problems with anyone else in town, and so no one truly recognized the correlation between the abstinence of the females in town and the play Lysistrata. This irritated me to no end throughout the book.
On the night of the play, the spell is magically lifted by, quite appropriately, a warm wind when the men in the audience begin to protest the essence of the play itself and use that to try and win their women back. Throughout the whole book, the reader is lead to believe that this spell has no designer, that it has simply attached itself to the performance of the play from Lysistrata's origins in 411 B.C. Though I at first was suspicious of a certain person as casting the spell, I was also lulled into changing my mind about this. Without giving away the ending, I was quite surprised at the truth behind the spell's beginnings. There is much I could say about the thoughts that raced through my head while reading the last few pages and the conclusions that I drew from the revelation, but I will resist. I will say that the book is worth every page for its startling culmination.
Nick Rhodes recommended Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols by The Sex Pistols in Music (curated)
Debbiereadsbook (1174 KP) rated Hers, Unbroken (Hers #2) in Books
Jul 21, 2018
I need more of this author!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
As head of the pet training centre, Holly knows exactly what that training involves. Chase deliberately gets himself caught to be taken to the training centre, because that is what he really wants! To be a sex slave. Holly though, wants to set him and all the other pets free. But Holly only has Chase for 48 hours before they come for him. Can they work together to get what they BOTH want??
This is book 2 in the Her series but you don't NEED to have read book one, Hers Untamed, for this one to make sense. However, personally, I think you SHOULD read it before this one. It will give you a better picture of the people of Silenia, and just what having a pet means to them. It will also give you a better picture of just how different Holly is from the rest of her people.
Also, I said in my review for that book, I wanted Jax, the 'pet', to have a say, because he didn't. Chase DOES have a say here, and it does creep my star rating up a fraction but I still can't stretch to the full 5 stars.
And I think that's mostly because the rebellion happens almost overnight! One day, they all want to keep their pets under lock and key, and the next, everyone is free!! Felt really kinda rushed to me.
It's still a really great read, and I loved that Chase refuses to perform for anyone but Holly. Loved that she couldn't quite get her head round the fact he wanted to be a sex slave.
And I did read it in one sitting!
Are there more planned?? I hope so. Even with the rushed rebellion, I think these people have more to say.
4.5 stars, rounded up for the blog.
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
As head of the pet training centre, Holly knows exactly what that training involves. Chase deliberately gets himself caught to be taken to the training centre, because that is what he really wants! To be a sex slave. Holly though, wants to set him and all the other pets free. But Holly only has Chase for 48 hours before they come for him. Can they work together to get what they BOTH want??
This is book 2 in the Her series but you don't NEED to have read book one, Hers Untamed, for this one to make sense. However, personally, I think you SHOULD read it before this one. It will give you a better picture of the people of Silenia, and just what having a pet means to them. It will also give you a better picture of just how different Holly is from the rest of her people.
Also, I said in my review for that book, I wanted Jax, the 'pet', to have a say, because he didn't. Chase DOES have a say here, and it does creep my star rating up a fraction but I still can't stretch to the full 5 stars.
And I think that's mostly because the rebellion happens almost overnight! One day, they all want to keep their pets under lock and key, and the next, everyone is free!! Felt really kinda rushed to me.
It's still a really great read, and I loved that Chase refuses to perform for anyone but Holly. Loved that she couldn't quite get her head round the fact he wanted to be a sex slave.
And I did read it in one sitting!
Are there more planned?? I hope so. Even with the rushed rebellion, I think these people have more to say.
4.5 stars, rounded up for the blog.
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
LilyLovesIndie (123 KP) rated To Serve is Divine (The Divine Trilogy, #1) in Books
Nov 5, 2018
This book was read and reviewed as part of an Author Feature Week over on Lily Loves Indie. Here is a snippet of the review, but the whole thing can be viewed here - http://lilylovesindie.co.uk/?p=133
Well, where to start? I'm going to do my best to keep this brief (partly because I still have a few chapters of the next book to read and Jayden is calling me, and partly so that you can go one-click this and get reading yourself!) but I truly do have so many positive things to say about this book that it is going to be very difficult. If you've read my earlier reviews of Hargrave's writing you'll know that I absolutely love her style and ability to weave a story, and the same is true in this book.
I'll make a confession here, I usually avoid BDSM and erotica books because they really don't appeal to me and I have been known to label them with all sorts of names, but right now, in the blogoshpere and beyond, I'd like to rescind all those comments - Hargrave has most definitely opened my eyes to the fact that these books can be more plot than sex, and they can be wonderfully engaging reads, and that they are just as difficult to put down as 'normal' books. I opened the book and thought, 'here goes nothing', fully expecting to find it difficult to get in to, purely because of my own prior opinions, but it was so damn good to be proved wrong! I was hooked from the first page, drawn completely and irreversibly into the webs Hargrave weaves, wanting to find as much as possible about the characters, especially Erin/Catherine, and not even cringing when reading the sex scenes (which is a first for me!) but instead, I thoroughly enjoyed them. I guess what that garbled paragraph is trying to say is that I absolutely flipping LOVED this book!
Well, where to start? I'm going to do my best to keep this brief (partly because I still have a few chapters of the next book to read and Jayden is calling me, and partly so that you can go one-click this and get reading yourself!) but I truly do have so many positive things to say about this book that it is going to be very difficult. If you've read my earlier reviews of Hargrave's writing you'll know that I absolutely love her style and ability to weave a story, and the same is true in this book.
I'll make a confession here, I usually avoid BDSM and erotica books because they really don't appeal to me and I have been known to label them with all sorts of names, but right now, in the blogoshpere and beyond, I'd like to rescind all those comments - Hargrave has most definitely opened my eyes to the fact that these books can be more plot than sex, and they can be wonderfully engaging reads, and that they are just as difficult to put down as 'normal' books. I opened the book and thought, 'here goes nothing', fully expecting to find it difficult to get in to, purely because of my own prior opinions, but it was so damn good to be proved wrong! I was hooked from the first page, drawn completely and irreversibly into the webs Hargrave weaves, wanting to find as much as possible about the characters, especially Erin/Catherine, and not even cringing when reading the sex scenes (which is a first for me!) but instead, I thoroughly enjoyed them. I guess what that garbled paragraph is trying to say is that I absolutely flipping LOVED this book!
Jessica - Where the Book Ends (15 KP) rated One to Keep (One to Hold, #2) in Books
Jan 30, 2019
Tia Louise has done it again! One To Keep is the perfect follow up of One To Hold, but it shows you things from another perspective; a man's. I loved this book, because although it did rehash some of the scenes from One To Hold it did show it from a different side.
The characters were very well developed in this book, and I felt like I really got a chance to know and understand Elaine and Patrick. They were great supporting characters, but Tia in her amazing storytelling abilities took Patrick and Elaine from supporting roles to main characters, and I instantly fell in love with them. We were also introduced to a couple new character, one I loved the other I loved to hate!
Kenny was a fabulous addition to this book, and I hope I get to see more of her. I loved her style and the way her personality played so well off of Patrick's. She's a very interesting character whom I wasn't expecting. She kind of just blindsided me with her awesomeness. Star/Toni was my love to hate character. I loved the way she came into the picture, but hated the torment she put Patrick through.
As per usual Tia Louise writing style, the characters and drama was hot, but the sex scenes were even hotter! I am so glad to have finally found an author that isn't afraid to get down to the nitty gritty and have a sex scene just be raw and call things what they really are.
Over all this book gets 4 stars and two thumbs up in my opinion! I can't wait to read more from Tia Louise! She is a great new writer that is really going to make a name for herself. I expect some great things in her future!
***This book was provided as an ARC in exchange for an honest review.***
The characters were very well developed in this book, and I felt like I really got a chance to know and understand Elaine and Patrick. They were great supporting characters, but Tia in her amazing storytelling abilities took Patrick and Elaine from supporting roles to main characters, and I instantly fell in love with them. We were also introduced to a couple new character, one I loved the other I loved to hate!
Kenny was a fabulous addition to this book, and I hope I get to see more of her. I loved her style and the way her personality played so well off of Patrick's. She's a very interesting character whom I wasn't expecting. She kind of just blindsided me with her awesomeness. Star/Toni was my love to hate character. I loved the way she came into the picture, but hated the torment she put Patrick through.
As per usual Tia Louise writing style, the characters and drama was hot, but the sex scenes were even hotter! I am so glad to have finally found an author that isn't afraid to get down to the nitty gritty and have a sex scene just be raw and call things what they really are.
Over all this book gets 4 stars and two thumbs up in my opinion! I can't wait to read more from Tia Louise! She is a great new writer that is really going to make a name for herself. I expect some great things in her future!
***This book was provided as an ARC in exchange for an honest review.***
Ivana A. | Diary of Difference (1171 KP) rated Wide Open in Books
Feb 3, 2020
View this and other reviews on my blog: www.diaryofdifference.com
<img src="http://amybodossian.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/book-template-2-600x600.jpg"/>;
Wide Open is one of the few books of this kind. I personally am not a huge fan of poetry and I don’t enjoy reading it too often, but sometimes a book comes and makes me wonder I act this way. Amy Bodossian truly wrote something beautiful and unique, and I look forward to reading more poems from her.
I have to say a huge thank you to Outside the Box Press, for letting me have a copy of this book in an exchange for an honest review.
Wide Open (Published by Outside the Box Press) contains poetry written about love and sex. Amy writes with so much emotion and oh, the feels! It can be very straightforward and harsh at times, and it can be warm and loving as well, and it is a perfect blend of feelings and emotions that make you see the art of love and sex in a completely different and unique way. In the book you can also see a lot of amazing illustrations made by Amy, which perfectly represent each poem.
I wouldn’t say I loved it, because I don’t easily love books, but I have to mention that this one did surprise me in a very pleasant way. It is incredibly open and very thorough, and I believe it deserves a place on your shelves as well. It makes your body shiver from her words in an unusual way, and it helps you realise to always keep your heart open – to new loves, to new experiences, to new adventures, to new opportunities!
<a href="https://diaryofdifference.com/">Blog</a>; | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/diaryofdifference/">Facebook</a>; | <a href="https://twitter.com/DiaryDifference">Twitter</a>; | <a href="http://innahcrazy.tumblr.com/">Tumblr</a>; | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/diaryofdifference/">Instagram</a>; | <a href="https://www.pinterest.co.uk/diaryofdifference/pins/">Pinterest</a>; |
<img src="http://amybodossian.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/book-template-2-600x600.jpg"/>;
Wide Open is one of the few books of this kind. I personally am not a huge fan of poetry and I don’t enjoy reading it too often, but sometimes a book comes and makes me wonder I act this way. Amy Bodossian truly wrote something beautiful and unique, and I look forward to reading more poems from her.
I have to say a huge thank you to Outside the Box Press, for letting me have a copy of this book in an exchange for an honest review.
Wide Open (Published by Outside the Box Press) contains poetry written about love and sex. Amy writes with so much emotion and oh, the feels! It can be very straightforward and harsh at times, and it can be warm and loving as well, and it is a perfect blend of feelings and emotions that make you see the art of love and sex in a completely different and unique way. In the book you can also see a lot of amazing illustrations made by Amy, which perfectly represent each poem.
I wouldn’t say I loved it, because I don’t easily love books, but I have to mention that this one did surprise me in a very pleasant way. It is incredibly open and very thorough, and I believe it deserves a place on your shelves as well. It makes your body shiver from her words in an unusual way, and it helps you realise to always keep your heart open – to new loves, to new experiences, to new adventures, to new opportunities!
<a href="https://diaryofdifference.com/">Blog</a>; | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/diaryofdifference/">Facebook</a>; | <a href="https://twitter.com/DiaryDifference">Twitter</a>; | <a href="http://innahcrazy.tumblr.com/">Tumblr</a>; | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/diaryofdifference/">Instagram</a>; | <a href="https://www.pinterest.co.uk/diaryofdifference/pins/">Pinterest</a>; |
Bodies of Desire and Bodies in Distress: The Golden Age of Italian Cult Cinema, 1970-1985
Book
In recent years, there has been an explosion of critical interest in the icons, genres and...
KyleQ (267 KP) rated Halloween (2007) in Movies
Jul 20, 2020
Intense and excessive
Before watching this I had become a fan of both House of 1,000 Corpses and The Devil's Rejects, so I did appreciate Rob Zombie as a filmmaker. But it still seemed like a strange idea to have him direct the remake of Halloween.
This remake is 2 hours long, it's mostly stretched to that length due to the scenes involving 10-year-old Michael.
Daeg Faerch plays the young Mikey, and does well, he's creepy and disturbing. Rob's wife Sheri Moon Zombie of course has a role, here as Mikey's mom, she's fine here as the role fits her well. The problem is everyone else, William Forsythe plays Mike's stepdad who happens to be a disgusting excuse for a human being, as is the bully played by Daryl Sabara. The movie then shifts to events at the asylum. Malcolm Mcdowell plays Dr. Sam Loomis. Mcdowell is a good actor, and he gives a pretty good performance here. But he still pales in comparison to the great Donald Pleasence. The movie than movies to 15-years later.
Scout Taylor Compton plays Laurie Strode, she does good, but I was disappointed that she was introduced making a sex joke. Rob couldn't even let the nerdy final girl be sweet and innocent. Needless to say, others are worse.
The movie has LOTS of profanity which honestly drags down any attempts at actually making characters likable. The sex and nudity have also been ramped up.
The violence is definitely brutal, but that's Zombie's style, I felt that Michael was quite terrifying here. Tyler Mane plays Michael, and his 7-foot tall stature is so intimidating.
Overall, Rob Zombie does a good job at developing the story of Michael Myers, and at making some really intense and brutal death scenes. But he does so at the expense of having likable characters and good dialog. I still like it, but I can understand why others wouldn't.
This remake is 2 hours long, it's mostly stretched to that length due to the scenes involving 10-year-old Michael.
Daeg Faerch plays the young Mikey, and does well, he's creepy and disturbing. Rob's wife Sheri Moon Zombie of course has a role, here as Mikey's mom, she's fine here as the role fits her well. The problem is everyone else, William Forsythe plays Mike's stepdad who happens to be a disgusting excuse for a human being, as is the bully played by Daryl Sabara. The movie then shifts to events at the asylum. Malcolm Mcdowell plays Dr. Sam Loomis. Mcdowell is a good actor, and he gives a pretty good performance here. But he still pales in comparison to the great Donald Pleasence. The movie than movies to 15-years later.
Scout Taylor Compton plays Laurie Strode, she does good, but I was disappointed that she was introduced making a sex joke. Rob couldn't even let the nerdy final girl be sweet and innocent. Needless to say, others are worse.
The movie has LOTS of profanity which honestly drags down any attempts at actually making characters likable. The sex and nudity have also been ramped up.
The violence is definitely brutal, but that's Zombie's style, I felt that Michael was quite terrifying here. Tyler Mane plays Michael, and his 7-foot tall stature is so intimidating.
Overall, Rob Zombie does a good job at developing the story of Michael Myers, and at making some really intense and brutal death scenes. But he does so at the expense of having likable characters and good dialog. I still like it, but I can understand why others wouldn't.
Queering Families: The Postmodern Partnerships of Cisgender Women and Transgender Men
Book
Ozzie and Harriet, move over. A new couple is moving into the neighborhood. In the postmodern era,...