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LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Love, Death & Robots - Season 1 in TV
Apr 9, 2020
The beauty of Love, Death and Robots is it's format. An eclectic collection of animated short films, some genuinely brilliant, with a handful of duds, truly gives something for everyone.
There are 18 films on show here, all with something different to offer.
Firstly there were 3 that failed to really resonate with me - Sucker of Souls, When the Yoghurt Took Over, and Alternate Histories. I found these three either slightly boring, or silly for the sake of being silly. There were 2 that sort of floated in the middle - The Dump, and Blind Spot, not bad by any means (none of the shorts are truly bad) but just were sort of there.
Leaving a grand total of 13 shorts that I thought were really really great.
A handful of these realistic CGI entries - namely, Sonnie's Edge, Three Robots, Beyond the Aquila Rift, Shape Shifters (one of the highlights for me), Helping Hand (reminded me of Gravity, in a great way), Lucky 13, and The Secret War.
These lot are lengthier offerings, and boast some good looking CGI animation, bordering on photo realism at times. The run time gives an opportunity for some decent fleshed out stories.
The Secret War in particular is nothing short of breath taking, and may well be my top pick of the whole season.
Elsewhere, we have more cartoony offerings - Suits, a loud animation that features farmers in mech suits fighting aliens. Zima Blue, a beautifully touching story of how a simple robot transcends existence itself - another highlight of the season. Fish Night, a short desert based drama bursting with colour. The animation of this one reminded me of A Scanner Darkly. Good Hunting, a collision of Ancient Chinese stories and a Bioshock style steampunk future. Hard to watch at times, but stunning also - easily would have been my top pick if The Secret War wasn't included.
Rounding it off we have The Witness, and animation that looks like a moving oil painting and reminded me of Mirror's Edge, and Ice Age, a fun short that's the only live action inclusion with CGI flourishes about a civilisation growing in a couple freezer.
It's an ambitious collection of shorts for sure, but like I said, there's something here for everyone. Even the ones that I liked the least are a 6/10 at worst. If you like sci-fi or animation in any shape or form, then check this series out.
There are 18 films on show here, all with something different to offer.
Firstly there were 3 that failed to really resonate with me - Sucker of Souls, When the Yoghurt Took Over, and Alternate Histories. I found these three either slightly boring, or silly for the sake of being silly. There were 2 that sort of floated in the middle - The Dump, and Blind Spot, not bad by any means (none of the shorts are truly bad) but just were sort of there.
Leaving a grand total of 13 shorts that I thought were really really great.
A handful of these realistic CGI entries - namely, Sonnie's Edge, Three Robots, Beyond the Aquila Rift, Shape Shifters (one of the highlights for me), Helping Hand (reminded me of Gravity, in a great way), Lucky 13, and The Secret War.
These lot are lengthier offerings, and boast some good looking CGI animation, bordering on photo realism at times. The run time gives an opportunity for some decent fleshed out stories.
The Secret War in particular is nothing short of breath taking, and may well be my top pick of the whole season.
Elsewhere, we have more cartoony offerings - Suits, a loud animation that features farmers in mech suits fighting aliens. Zima Blue, a beautifully touching story of how a simple robot transcends existence itself - another highlight of the season. Fish Night, a short desert based drama bursting with colour. The animation of this one reminded me of A Scanner Darkly. Good Hunting, a collision of Ancient Chinese stories and a Bioshock style steampunk future. Hard to watch at times, but stunning also - easily would have been my top pick if The Secret War wasn't included.
Rounding it off we have The Witness, and animation that looks like a moving oil painting and reminded me of Mirror's Edge, and Ice Age, a fun short that's the only live action inclusion with CGI flourishes about a civilisation growing in a couple freezer.
It's an ambitious collection of shorts for sure, but like I said, there's something here for everyone. Even the ones that I liked the least are a 6/10 at worst. If you like sci-fi or animation in any shape or form, then check this series out.
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Two From the Heart in Books
May 10, 2018
This book is divided into two short stories. The first is about Anne McWilliams. She lives on the beach in North Carolina, where she has lived for the past few years following a divorce from her husband. She is an old school photographer, so when a hurricane moves through and takes out half of her house that includes her darkroom, she is beyond devastated. Instead of dealing with the mess, she decides to travel the country and take new pictures and hear the stories of the people that go with those stories. How will this journey change the rest of her life?
In the second story, Tyler Bron is a millionaire, who, on paper, appears to have it all. But in reality, he has never had a life. Always focused on himself and getting to the top of his career field. He has no friends, only work colleagues who he really knows nothing about. So he hires a writer, Damian Crane to write a new life for him. But will Tyler be able to handle all that life has to offer?
This is a newer James Patterson novel released earlier this year. On my quest to read all of his stand alone books, I'm giving this on 3.5 stars. I enjoyed the stories and the one about Tyler was the most interesting to me. Each main character is at a point in their lives, where they need to make some changes in order to continue to live. I think that Tyler makes the most extreme change of all.
Even though James Patterson pumps out several books a year, he is still one of my favorites and I enjoy reading his books. I always know I can finish one of his books in 2-3 days and it will hold my attention.
In the second story, Tyler Bron is a millionaire, who, on paper, appears to have it all. But in reality, he has never had a life. Always focused on himself and getting to the top of his career field. He has no friends, only work colleagues who he really knows nothing about. So he hires a writer, Damian Crane to write a new life for him. But will Tyler be able to handle all that life has to offer?
This is a newer James Patterson novel released earlier this year. On my quest to read all of his stand alone books, I'm giving this on 3.5 stars. I enjoyed the stories and the one about Tyler was the most interesting to me. Each main character is at a point in their lives, where they need to make some changes in order to continue to live. I think that Tyler makes the most extreme change of all.
Even though James Patterson pumps out several books a year, he is still one of my favorites and I enjoy reading his books. I always know I can finish one of his books in 2-3 days and it will hold my attention.
Caffeinated Fae (464 KP) rated Everything Begins and Ends at the Kentucky Club in Books
Jul 12, 2018
Everything Begins and Ends at the Kentucky Club by Benjamin Alire Śenz was a recommended to me by a dear friend. It definitely was an experience.
This book is filled with short stories that take place at the Kentucky Club which is located in Júrez. Each story takes you through the life of someone that is experiences a hardship. The hardships are real, and the stories written between these pages can tug on your heart strings.
I will admit, I had a hard time relating to some of these stories. I found that a lot of the stories in this book were of situations that I had no experience with. I have never questioned my sexuality, nor have I had to deal with death or living in a rough part of town so I had a pretty hard time relating to the characters. With that said, it was fascinating to try to relate to the characters. I wanted to know what they were experiencing and I wanted to be able to relate in some way.
I also had a hard time reading this novel because of the writing. I'm not a huge fan of novels that constantly start their sentences with pronouns. When reading a book I tend to like when the author starts sentences with other words and not just "he, she, it, or the person's name." When I see this happen, I tend to become disconnected with the story.
Ultimately, I give this book 3 cups of coffee due to the fact that I wish that I felt more connected with the characters. It was a good book, but I found it hard to relate with the characters.
This book is filled with short stories that take place at the Kentucky Club which is located in Júrez. Each story takes you through the life of someone that is experiences a hardship. The hardships are real, and the stories written between these pages can tug on your heart strings.
I will admit, I had a hard time relating to some of these stories. I found that a lot of the stories in this book were of situations that I had no experience with. I have never questioned my sexuality, nor have I had to deal with death or living in a rough part of town so I had a pretty hard time relating to the characters. With that said, it was fascinating to try to relate to the characters. I wanted to know what they were experiencing and I wanted to be able to relate in some way.
I also had a hard time reading this novel because of the writing. I'm not a huge fan of novels that constantly start their sentences with pronouns. When reading a book I tend to like when the author starts sentences with other words and not just "he, she, it, or the person's name." When I see this happen, I tend to become disconnected with the story.
Ultimately, I give this book 3 cups of coffee due to the fact that I wish that I felt more connected with the characters. It was a good book, but I found it hard to relate with the characters.
Miguel Covarrubias (143 KP) rated Time and Again (Time, #1) in Books
Apr 30, 2019
I love time travel stories, and this one falls incredibly short for me. This was written for a 1970's audience with a 1960's mindset. It doesn't do much for 2010's sensibilities. The themes are very lacking in their strength. The ideas seem a little haphazardly put together. I didn't like the main character, the plot getting up to the time travel was quite boring, the time travel itself was a bit intriguing. The whole motivations for the entire book were a bit suspect at best.
It was enjoyable which is why I gave it 3 stars. It, by far, is not the worst time travel novel I've ever read, but it certainly isn't the best. It's clearly middle of the road.
It was enjoyable which is why I gave it 3 stars. It, by far, is not the worst time travel novel I've ever read, but it certainly isn't the best. It's clearly middle of the road.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2163 KP) rated Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle (Mrs. Piggle Wiggle, #1) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Meet Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle. All the kids love hanging out at her house since she serves tea and cookies and is lots of fun. And the parents love her, too, because she has cures that will get kids to take baths or stop being selfish or fighting or not putting toys away….
This book is filled with fun short stories as the kids quickly realize why they wouldn't want to have their own way all the time. These cures are a bit more realistic than some in later books, so I love the later books better. Still, this is a fun introduction to a charming character.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/09/book-review-mrs-piggle-wiggle-by-betty.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
This book is filled with fun short stories as the kids quickly realize why they wouldn't want to have their own way all the time. These cures are a bit more realistic than some in later books, so I love the later books better. Still, this is a fun introduction to a charming character.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/09/book-review-mrs-piggle-wiggle-by-betty.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
David McK (3369 KP) rated The Young Hornblower Omnibus in Books
Jan 30, 2019
Released to tie in with the ITV series of the same name a few years back (hence the cover photo), this omnibus edition consists of the following:
Mr Midshipman Hornblower
Lieutenant Hornblower
Hornblower and the Hotspur
While the second two are novels in their own right (with an over-reaching plot structure), it has to be said that the first (also the one the TV series seems to be based on) reads more like a series of short stories, a sense heightened by the fact that each chapter has its own distinct heading. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me in the least if that was originally the case, and they have all just been collected here under that umbrella heading of Mr Midshipman Hornblower!
Mr Midshipman Hornblower
Lieutenant Hornblower
Hornblower and the Hotspur
While the second two are novels in their own right (with an over-reaching plot structure), it has to be said that the first (also the one the TV series seems to be based on) reads more like a series of short stories, a sense heightened by the fact that each chapter has its own distinct heading. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me in the least if that was originally the case, and they have all just been collected here under that umbrella heading of Mr Midshipman Hornblower!
not enough for me
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book
Ten maids to Master Marius tell their story, identified only by the job and the colour of their underwear.
This was an easy read, erotic flash fiction, 49 pages. It didn't do very much for me, though, and I found 9 stories almost identical. The tenth is different in the the Maid is in control, rather than Marius but there was still the reference to her colour underwear, and what she felt about the other maids.
It was reasonably well written, and delivers what it claims to be: short erotic fiction.
It just wasn't ENOUGH for me, but I did finish it.
3 stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Ten maids to Master Marius tell their story, identified only by the job and the colour of their underwear.
This was an easy read, erotic flash fiction, 49 pages. It didn't do very much for me, though, and I found 9 stories almost identical. The tenth is different in the the Maid is in control, rather than Marius but there was still the reference to her colour underwear, and what she felt about the other maids.
It was reasonably well written, and delivers what it claims to be: short erotic fiction.
It just wasn't ENOUGH for me, but I did finish it.
3 stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
David McK (3369 KP) rated The Last Wish in Books
Aug 4, 2019
Recently, I heard that Netflix were producing a series based on these novels, starring (the current) Superman himself, Henry Cavill.
I was also aware of the held-in-great-esteem computer game of the same name (or, rather, The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt), even though I'd never actually played it.
When I watched the Netflix teaser trailer, I decided to give the original tales a go.
Translated from Polish into English, this is actually a collection of short stories rather than a full-blown novel in its own right, introducing - or so I've heard - some of the key players in the later full-blown saga, aside from Geralt of Rivia himself.
I think I'll be working my way through more of these!
I was also aware of the held-in-great-esteem computer game of the same name (or, rather, The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt), even though I'd never actually played it.
When I watched the Netflix teaser trailer, I decided to give the original tales a go.
Translated from Polish into English, this is actually a collection of short stories rather than a full-blown novel in its own right, introducing - or so I've heard - some of the key players in the later full-blown saga, aside from Geralt of Rivia himself.
I think I'll be working my way through more of these!
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