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18) The Finishing Touches by Hester Browne (Chick-Lit, 416 pages)
Wonderful! Delightful! Charming! I enjoyed this just as much as I had her Little Lady Agency books. I had loads of fun reading how Betsy revitalized the school and trying to solve the mystery of her parentage at the same time. 4/5
19) The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie (Mystery, 297 pages)
This was the first Christie I've ever read, and overall, I liked it. My brain loved the story and the plot twists throughout that made me keep questioning my assumptions. Nicely done mystery. However, I was annoyed by John Hasting, who I thought was arrogant, impulsive, and useless... Too bad he was the narrator. I'll keep reading through the Poirot series and hope that Hastings becomes less tiresome. 3.5/5
20) Soulless by Gail Carriger (Steampunk Fantasy, 357 pages)
Amazingly quirky romantic steampunk fluff! This was a very fun read with some original musings on what makes the supernatural supernatural. Amusing characters, great descriptions, and a charming heroine with plenty of spunk. The only thing that I didn't like was the schizophrenic POV shifts, but easily ignored after a while in favor of the story. Kudos! 4/5
21) Walking Dead by C.E. Murphy (Urban Fantasy, 416 pages)
This is the fourth and latest book in Murphy's Walker Papers series, about a reluctant half-Native American, half-Irish shaman cop. I honestly would I probably liked this better if I had read this in larger chunks. Instead, I set this aside for days at a time, and had trouble remembering who characters were when they reappeared. Though the fact that I was able to put this book down and not think about it for days does say something about it, I guess.
This book was par for the course for this series. Fun and entertaining urban fantasy; nothing too special, but good commuting book. While I like the background characters more than Joanne, who honestly needs to be fleshed out a lot more, I appreciate that Murphy doesn't make Joanne into this all-powerful uberchick (like some other urban fantasy authors have down with their heroines) that save the day singlehandedly. 3.5/5
22) Parade of Shadows by Gloria Whelan (Young Adult/Historical Fiction, 304 pages)
This was a bit if a disappointment. I had expected more of an adventure/quest story given the description. Instead, I had a coming of age story -- which I have no objections to, per se. I've read another book by Whalen before and liked it. But I had a hard time getting into Parade of Shadows. I didn't like the narrator much, and found her to be childish, impractical, and whiny -- which, I guess, is what a teenager is, so I can't fault Whalen too much for that characterization. The narrative also dragged in spots. I think I might have enjoyed the book better if I had a better sense of what it was supposed to be. 3.5/5
23) The Lost Slayer by Christopher Golden (Media Tie-In/Fantasy, 573 pages)
A Buffy: the Vampire Slayer novelization. Christopher Golden is one of the better media tie-in authors out there. Good story, good grasp of the characters. But it seemed like I was getting hit over the head with the message of the book. 3.5/5
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Unwind by Neal Shusterman
( Has some spoilers since i really needed to talk this one out )
D. Gray-Man #16 by Katsura Hoshino
( Lenalee )
Bleach #29 by Tite Kubo
( bleach )Current Mood:  nauseated Current Music: Forensic Files |
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THE MARCH ISSUE IS UP!
TO GO THERE - CLICK THIS LINK...
FEATURED ARTICLES...
IT CAME FROM THE DRIVE-IN! The 1950's American International Horror Factory!
"LEMORA" - An Interview with DICK BLACKBURN writer / director of the 1970's Vampire cult favorite!
Chucky is coming back?! CHILD'S PLAY "Reboot" development news!
MAD MAX Vs. EVILDEAD'S ASH? Exclusive movie poster!
COMING SOON!
An advance look at March / April / May 2010 Theatrical FIlms
INCLUDING MOVIE RELEASES FOR THE NEXT MONTH...
Tim Burton's ALICE IN WONDERLAND
Can't make your payments? REPOMEN will steal your heart.
Nicolas Cage in SEASON OF THE WITCH
Legendary Girl Rockers THE RUNAWAYS playing March
Harryhausen remake - CLASH OF THE TITANS
Christina Ricci is dead, very naked, and maybe still alive in AFTER.LIFE
THE SCARY LIBRARY...
The Edward Lee Horror novel FLESH GOTHIC gets The Horror Drunx review!
VIDEO GAMING...
NEW VIDEO GAMING RELEASES for March and April 2010
LEFT 4 DEAD 2 - The Horror Drunx review!
MASS EFFECT 2 - The Horror Drunx review!
TO GO THERE - CLICK THIS LINK...
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I'm looking for a copy of Flash Gordon the movie (not the recent tv series). I'm looking on Amazon.com but I think I'll end up going to the used Record store near my house. They also sell used dvds. I'd hate to buy it on Amazon because of tax. At any rate, I'll probably watch Running Man here in a moment (the one starring Arnold). Another movie I'm looking for is Red Sonja. Some of these older films are hard to find outside Amazon. Hollywood Video was going out of business, which was kind of a plus. |
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Mar. 20th, 2010 @ 06:21 pm
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Renegade's Magic - Robin Hobb
Nevare spent the majority of Forest Mage living on the edges of Gernian society, a man made outcast by his extreme obesity, an easy target for the raging impulses of the mob. That same rabble drove Nevare from the edges of Gernian society into the wilderness beyond, where he has no choice but to seek sanctuary with the Specks. This is the last thing he wants to do, as it was Speck magic that lay at the core of his misery. But Nevare is given little choice in the matter. Soldier's Boy, the portion of his soul originally stolen by the Tree Woman, reemerges and takes over Nevare's body. The remainder of the book follows Nevare as he rides in his own body, a sort of detached and desperate observer, as Soldier's Boy leads the Specks in war against the Gernians.
The odd melding of first person and third person omniscient that comes out of Nevare's situation makes for interesting reading in its own right. Fortunately, Hobb does not rely on a gimmick alone to carry the day. Nevare, in the previous books, had felt unsatisfying as a character, as if he were somehow incomplete. In this book, Nevare becomes truly three dimensional, while simultaneously being thoroughly split. It is Jeckyll and Hyde blended with Sybll in an utterly original fashion.
And what Hobb does to him through the course of the book is even more interesting, but that would spoil the surprises.
One thing I can say without unwelcome spoilers is that Hobb has achieved one virtually impossible task. She has created two completely believable, yet radically different, societies. It's a more difficult thing than one would expect. When an author creates multiple societies, they are either so similar as to be effectively indistinguishable or they are utterly different but one ends up being almost stereotypically exotic, to the point where it feels more than a little unreal. Hobb manages to create two societies that are at complete variance while simultaneously being complete and real and coherent in all of their details.
Finally, there is the manner in which Hobb deals with the moral dilemmas woven into the story. It would have been all too easy for her to default to an "evil colonialists / noble savages" systems with pat answers to every question, but Hobb never seems to take the easy route. There are no easy answers, no white hats or black hats. Hobb's world is refreshingly full of shades of gray.
All in all, it is a wonderfully well-written work with three-dimensional and challenging characters that does not shy away from difficult questions. Overall, a very satisfying read.
Books Read: 5 / 50
Pages Read: 2,720 / 15,000
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Hi! My name is Fiammetta, this is my first post here, I'm 18, and in my first year of college, and I don't think I read enough, so I'm going to try to read more this year.
1. Storm Front by Jim Butcher.
This is the first book in The Dresden Files, one of the many popular fantasy series I'm supposed to have read already. So I'm starting them, starting with this one. I liked it, I thought it was really interesting and it held my attention. I think I read the last half of it in one day (that was a couple of weeks ago, I admit. I should have a) posted about it when I finished it and b) read more since then. I haven't really, so... I fail. ^_^;)
The next one has a werewolf, or so the back cover says. This... makes me reluctant to read that one next, since werewolves aren't my thing. At all. But I'll try.Current Mood:  embarrassed |
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El león, la bruja, y el ropero, by C. S. Lewis (reread in a different language)
I figured it'd be easy to read one of my favorite books in the whole world in Spanish, but actually it was rather challenging. I will say that having the story so close to memorized really helped when I got stuck on a word though:). It was odd rereading this in a different language, because I noticed entirely different things. Also found myself flashing back to various scenes in the first two Narnia movies - they got a lot wrong, but some of the imagery they used was perfect.
(51/200)
Dying for Heaven, by Ariel Glucklich
I was going to write a scathing review of this, ripping the frequently-weak logic and false claims to being "scientific" to shreds. But then I really really liked the last chapter, about the theatricality of martyrdom, and I lost heart for expressing just how frustrated the previous chapters made me. I do enjoy reading books that make me think about why I don't like them, but I would rather this whole book had been as good as that last chapter.
(52/200) |
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Following on from my last post Ive dug through my own film collection and added some ideas to the ones submitted and found the following:
(see comments section for state-by-state breakdown)Current Mood:  energetic Current Music: Chris Thomas - Hard Time Killing Floor Blues |
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Small Favour * by Jim Butcher 437 pages
It's getting to be really hard to say anything meaningful about these books without giving massive spoilers for the earlier parts of the series, so I'm not even going to try.
Suffice it to say that it's another splendidly frenetic chunk of Harry Dresden's exceptionally eventful life in which he has to cope with multiple people (and other things) who want him dead (or worse) and to stop Bad Things Happening to himself, his friends and the world at large.
Excellent. Looking forward very much to the next one.
(*that's how it's spelt on the cover of my copy)
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Poll #1540547 Rate it: The Hole (2001)
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 9  Have you seen this movie?
Trivia : The film premiered in the United Kingdom in April 2001. Dimension Films, which in October 2001 acquired the rights to distribute the film theatrically in the United States, never did so; it was instead released direct-to-video nearly two years later, by Dimension's then-fellow Disney subsidiary Buena Vista Distribution -- ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) derralf
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#18
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Mar. 20th, 2010 @ 07:19 am
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I finished an anthology by Allen Steele, yesterday, called Rude Astronauts, which was a collection of both essays and short stories. It wasn't fantasy, nor was it way-out SF, but based on the world as we know it. It was a pretty solid set of stories which reminded me in a way of Heinlein without being at all like his work. |
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I had been hunting EVERYWHERE for this movie: Before Night Falls. I had borrowed it and seen it last year and absolutely LOVED it, and I will post a more detailed mini-review once I re-watch it again, but lets us hear ur thoughts on this movie and the documentary:
1. Before Night Falls (2000)
2. Capturing the Friedmans (2003)
will keep you posted on what i thought of them, but definitely let me knwo what YOU think! ^.^ |
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Poll #1540424 Rate it: High Plains Drifter (1973)
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 6  Have you seen this movie?
Trivia : Universal Pictures wanted the film to be shot on the studio lot. Instead, Clint Eastwood had a whole town built in the desert near Mono Lake in the California Sierras -- derralf
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101: Bastard Tongues: by Derek Bickerton
Derek Bickerton is a linguist specializing in Creoles. His career took him from Africa to Guiana to Hawaii. His book outlines both the course of his career and how his research has grown and evolved over time. It was a fascinating read.
102: King & King by Linda de Haan
I saw this at the library and brought it home to read to my kids. The illustrations are similar in style to Elizabeth Kann's illustrations in the Pinkalicious series. The King & King ones are a little drabber which is a shame. The story though is a sweet one. It's nice that the Queen was so accepting of her son's choice.
103: Border Town: A Novel by Congwen Shen
I read this novel for the Women Unbound challenge. It's a short but lovely tale of a young woman and her grandfather. The grandfather is the ferryman for the village and he worries throughout the book that when he's gone his grand-daughter won't be provided for. He tries to convince her to marry but she stalls, unhappy with the choices offered. In the end his gift to her isn't a good marriage but self-reliance as she is able to take over his job with the full blessing of the village.
104: The Morning Star by Nick Bantock
This book concludes the Griffin and Sabbine series. Matthew Sedon and Isabella de Reims are poised to recreate Griffin and Sabine's journey if they can just follow the clues.
105: Ten Little Fish by Audrey and Bruce Wood
My son read this book to me. He loves the collaborations of the Woods (mother and son). This one is a counting book involving fish. The ending though is a little different. The illustrations are colorful and computer generated like the Alphabet series.
106: Killing Mr. Griffin by Lois Duncan
I've had this book on my shelves for years. I got it through BookCrossing when I was going through a Y.A. horror kick. This book didn't do it for me. It relies too heavily on the "kids these days" approach and of course on absent parents. Then there's the tidy solution that Mark the psychopath is able to push the other kids into doing his biding. I found the whole thing hard to swallow.
107: Muse and Reverie by Charles de Lint
How's this for backwards? I got the full review posted on my main blog before I wrote the minireview.
108: The Essential Basho by Basho
Got it to read some of Basho's best haikus after we read about him in The Dragon of the Red Dawn (Magic Tree House #37) by Mary Pope Osborne (review coming).
109: Wildfire: A Novel by Sarah Micklem
Too much time spent on the journey and not enough time spent on the battle or anything else.
110: Is There a Monster Over There? by Sally O. Lee
Received this book for review. It's a lot like There's a Nightmare in My Closet by Mercer Mayer but with a female protagonist. Both of my children loved the book.
I have another twenty-five books to write minireviews for. Last week I had a bunch of library books due with no more renewals available. So I kept the TV off and read them instead at night. That bumped my weekly reading total up to sixteen Current Mood:  lethargic Current Music: Simon and Simon |
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I received this book through the LibraryThing Early Reviewer Program, and the algorithm undoubtedly chose me because I read many books that take place in my home region of Central California.
Gail McCarthy thinks she's going on a relaxing vacation with her husband and son. Leaving their home near Monterey, they drive across the San Joaquin Valley to the Sierra foothills to the ranch of her old friend and former boyfriend, Lonny. Upon arrival, things take a more sordid turn: Lonny is being arrested for the murder of his girlfriend and her brother. Instead of camping and swimming with her family, Gail sets out on an investigation to find out who really murdered the sales yard siblings, and she needs to move fast because the death toll is mounting.
Overall, I enjoyed this cozy horse mystery. It's obvious that the author knows horses and deeply loves the areas she writes about--which delights me since so few people write about the central part of the state. However, it's not a perfect book. It opens with a dream sequence that has little bearing on the story, and for some reason chapter 17 was in present tense when all the rest is in past. Those are the sort of niggling details a writer notices, especially after critiquing and editing much of the day. But you know what? Those are nitpicks. This was a fun book. It's under 200 pages and there's nothing deep about the mystery. You know the bad guy will get caught and Lonny will be freed, but it's an enjoyable ride up to that conclusion. Sometimes that's the sort of book you need to finish out the day.Current Mood: accomplished |
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Mar. 19th, 2010 @ 05:35 pm
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Book #16 -- Peter Cashorali, Fairy Tales: Traditional Stories Retold for Gay Men , 181 pages.
A delightful collection of retellings of classic fairy tales, in which the miller's son (or poor out-of-work fashion designer) *always* gets the prince, and the princess (if there are any) are only there for decoration.
Progress toward goals: 77/365 = 21.1%
Books: 16/100 = 16.0%
Pages: 4131/30000 = 13.8%
2010 Book List
cross-posted to ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif) 15000pages, 50bookchallenge, and gwynraven
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Cut and pasted from my blog, I bring you the next installment of my Oscars series.
I've been watching all the movies that won the Oscar for Best Picture. Next on my list was the 1990 winner, Dances with Wolves, directed by and starring Kevin Costner and also starring Mary McDonnell, Graham Greene, and Rodney A. Grant.
Dances with Wolves is an historical drama about a United States soldier who crosses cultural boundaries to connect with the native people of the then-unsettled Western U.S. plains. The film strives for as much authenticity as possible in the course of telling this tragic American tale.
The other nominees for Best Picture that year were Awakenings, Ghost, The Godfather III and Good Fellas. In addition to Best Picture, Dances with Wolves also won Best Cinematography, Best Director, Best Film Editing, Best Music (Original Score), Best Sound, and Best Writing (Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium - the novel by Michael Blake, who also wrote the screenplay).
( My thoughts on Dances with Wolves. )Current Mood:  thoughtful |
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Mar. 19th, 2010 @ 12:48 pm
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Book #15 -- O. R. Melling, The Chronicles of Faerie: The Book of Dreams , 698 pages.
This is the last book in the Chronicles of Faerie, and I think the most satisfying (as well as the longest). All of the characters from the previous three books, which are largely standalone, come together in this final installment to fight the last battle for the fate of both Earth and Faerie. But the book is far less about the battle than it is about personal identity, and the choices that make us who we are.
Progress toward goals: 77/365 = 21.1%
Books: 15/100 = 15.0%
Pages: 3950/30000 = 13.2%
2010 Book List
cross-posted to 15000pages, 50bookchallenge, and gwynraven
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