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A Jolly Good Fellow
A Jolly Good Fellow
Stephen V. Masse | 2007 | Thriller
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
A Jolly Good Fellow by Stephen V. Masse
Genre: Fiction, Comedy, sort of Crime Fiction but not really
Rating: 3.75/5

Summary: Duncan is driving to the kids house. He has a plan—he’s going to kidnap him. But then he sees the kid hitchhiking in the snow. What better way to kidnap someone that to pick him up off the road and offer him a ride? Duncan dresses up as Santa Clause and sits on the street ringing a bell all day. The funds go to the needy—needy as in him. Duncan wants revenge, and he wants the ransom money. But Duncan isn’t exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer… he has no idea how to do a proper kidnapping.

Thoughts: A JOLLY GOOD FELLOW was really cute. It made me laugh, it made me smile, it had its nerve-wracking moments. It’s right in between a 3/5 and a 4 on the scale for me. The reason why is this—the plot was awesome, very unique, original, and very cute, the characters were hilarious and enchanting, but it was a little slow through the first three quarters of the book. Not that it dragged, just that it felt like the last section was fast paced, and the rest was slower and more relaxed, and those two things didn’t go well together and didn’t transition well.

I laughed a lot while I read A JOLLY GOOD FELLOW. If I had to pick a category, I’d choose comedy. It was cute and funny and a little silly, but silly in a good fun-to-read way.

The characters’ dialogue was written so that you could hear their voices in your head when they spoke. I loved hearing their accents while I read, it gave a lot of life to them. Duncan and Gabriel were very animated. Gabriel (the kid) was so full of life and energy. He was also very real. He acted the way a normal kid his age would act, he wasn’t a “perfect” child, an unrealistic character.

Content: There were a few bad words scattered throughout the book, but not much. Duncan went to the triple-X rated movie one night, but nothing was described. All in all, this was a very clean book.
Recommendation: Ages 14+ to anyone who wants a good holiday laugh. I stayed up pretty late reading this one because I couldn’t put it down. I can’t wait for more from Stephen Masse.

*This book won the INDEPENDEND PUBLISHING BOOK AWARD*
**Thanks to Pump Up Your Book for my review copy!**
  
MB
Mozart's Blood
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I really enjoyed this book. It combines two of my favorite things. Mozart and Vampires. It was a different read for me and I enjoyed the different representation of vampires. It was not all seduction or all blood. I think the one thing that made this book fascinating to me is that I was very fortunate to see Don Giovanni performed and that helped me understand the book more and relate the book to the play. This was a good read that combines opera, vampires, and surviving life.

I would definitely recommend this book to individuals who enjoy opera (especially Don Giovanni) and vampires.
  
Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985)
Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985)
1985 | International, Drama
(0 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"A great film by Paul Schrader, best known for having penned a bunch of legendary screenplays for Martin Scorsese. The film revolves around Japanese writer Yukio Mishima, and jumps between the story of his life and dreamlike depictions of scenes from his books. It’s got a particularly good score by Philip Glass, who I usually find to be tedious, but this one is nice. Schrader’s use of color and set design during the book segments of the film are quite theatrical and feel closely related to Robert Wilson’s on Einstein on the Beach—although I don’t have any evidence to back that connection up. Great flick, though."

Source
  
Vikings: A History of the Viking Age
Vikings: A History of the Viking Age
Robert Carlson | 2015 | History & Politics
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This book provides a short introduction to the Vikings - showing they are much more than just horned helmets and pillaging. Giving you an idea of what day-to-day life might have been like, as well as hearing about the explorers and adventurers too, this history book gives you more of a well-rounded idea of the world of the Vikings. This in no way gives you all the information you may want, but for a brief introduction then I can definitely recommend it.

* I received this book from Hourly History in return for a fair and honest review. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Apr 22, 2016
  
Aven and Thor may just be my new favorite couple. Their story is one that is just so very sweet, they overcome obstacles and seem to understand each other in ways I hope everyone does with their spouse. Thor's brother Haakon is a great example of the prodigal son in a certain way. Haakon doesn’t always make good choices, but I will say he grew up well (Not giving anything away here). I believe that no matter what we do in life we can still change, ask forgiveness from those we have hurt and build life long relationships with those people. Joanna Bischof makes the idea that we can all be forgiven no matter what readily apparent and encouraged throughout the book either by main or secondary characters.
  
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1 (2010)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1 (2010)
2010 | Action, Drama, Family
A beginning to an end
The second to last Harry Potter book. We find Harry right after the Death of Dumbledore all distraught along with Hermione and Ron. They take it upon themselves to search for Horocruxtes which a the way Voldemort has made sure his life will live on and destroy them. They leave Hogwarts to begin their journey to only find out it will be much harder than originally believed now that Snape is in charge of the school and has everyone on the look out for enemy number 1.

The first half of this two parter shows us the acts they need to find all of the Horocuthcxtes and leading up to the finale of the battle between good and evil.