A break from books???
15 July 2014
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: The Broke and the Bookish, Top Ten Tuesday, Tv and movies
Nah! Just a break for today’s post! The topic for discussion this week over at the Broke and Bookish is ‘other types of story’ – in other words tell us about your top movies or tv series. Well, I don’t really watch a lot of tv – but that’s simply because I’m disorganised and so I will forget to watch one week to the next! And, also, I don’t want to become tied to staying in every week on a certain day at a certain time because I have to catch the next in series. I do watch quite a lot of films though. In terms of series we usually buy a full box set and watch them in one long haul! I’m going for five tv series and five movies just to be fair and have picked things that I can watch over:
- The Sopranos – we bought the box set of this and watched it virtually night after night until we’d seen the lot. It was pretty amazing watching the family grow up in this way! I loved this series, so well made and such great characters and dialogue.
- Trueblood – okay, I can’t deny that there’s a bit of eye candy going on right here which definitely has a certain appeal! Eric – pwoah! Sorry, it had to be said.
- Dexter – I actually didn’t fancy this series when it first started. I sort of took umbrage at the thought of a serial killer who worked in the police. However, yes, I can admit when I’m wrong. I watched a couple of these, almost begrudgingly and then I was hooked. I’ve only watched up to the end of series 5 so should really watch the rest.
- Flight of the Conchords – this is another series that we bought the box set – I love Jemaine and Bret, probably not everyone’s cup of tea but had me in stitches.
- Breaking Bad – again, didn’t know what to expect of this and decided to give it a shot. It sort of reminds me a little of Dexter in that every episode you’re a little on edge – will they/won’t they come undone!
- The Shining – onto movies – how can you possibly narrow it down to such a small selection? Anyway, I only recently read the book and without doubt it’s better than the film. But even saying that I still think this is an excellent film. It scared the you know what out of me.
- Lord of the Rings – I had to go there – I’m having all three included as one. Brilliant book and great adaptations plus Aragorn.
- The Life of Brian – Monty Python, this is just one of those films that is totally quote worthy! So many good lines.
- Pan’s Labyrinth – this film is dark, creepy, brutal, harsh, scary and brilliant.
- Star Wars – the first three! And I do mean the first three – not the later three films that now are known as 1, 2 and 3!
That’s it for me. I know I could come up with a LOT more but 10 is it! Do you like any of these?? Which would you swap?
The Maze Runner by James Dashner, readalong week No.5
12 July 2014
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: James Dashner, Readalong week No.5, The Maze Runner
This is week 5 of our Maze Runner readalong. See below for details of schedule and other bloggers taking part. Only a few more chapters remain now!
Nicole
Do you think Thomas purposefully getting stung by a Griever was a smart idea or stupid? I don’t know whether I’d call it smart but I guess it was a way to find out what the others went through and maybe get some answers. It’s curious that Thomas’s experience has been different from the others – I wonder if he is more immune given his other mental abilities and if that is the case it would suggest that maybe he has more a grip of what the real answers are? He certainly still seems determined to leave the Maze unlike the others who have been through the changing.
Ashlee
Do you think Teresa was the only girl who went through the special training? Or why weren’t more females thrown into the Maze? It’s possible there are more. I think Thomas and Teresa’s mental abilities obviously single them out in some way.
Sam
In Chapter 44, Teresa suggests that she and Thomas were lovers or knew each other intimately before entering the Glade. Do you think the other boys knew each other before the Glade? Thomas reveals later in the section that they were all orphans raised for this experiment. Did they know each other growing up? Do you think those relationships survived the mind wipe? I think it’s possible that they all knew each other. That may be why they go through the Changing they recognise each other? It’s as though the changing eliminates some of the memory loss somehow – and maybe plants something else instead? I think it’s possible that Thomas and Teresa were in a relationship, it is possible however that the relationship was brother and sister – which could explain why they have the connection?
Sultana
So there is some big bad disease in the outside world called the Flare that makes Alby so desperate to stay in the Maze he burns the maps and is down to chill out with the uber fun Grievers. How bad could this Flare disease be? Do you think Alby is overreacting, or is there something extra terrible about the Flare? What could it have done to the outside world to be so apocalyptic and awful that Alby wants to stay in the Maze? The flare definitely sounds like something world changing! At first I wondered if it was some sort of bio warfare gone horribly wrong? Or maybe a mass outbreak of some new bug strain. Perhaps Thomas and Teresa have been through the disease and survived which is why their minds are different?
Katherine
I never thought of any of these characters as particularly smart. Does it strike anyone else as not very believable that these guys are all so super elite that they were co-opted by Science? Particularly Thomas, whose head we’re actually inside and who supposedly designed the maze. Apart from Thomas and Teresa I’m not sure that any of the others were put into this experiment for their super smarts. I was sort of thinking they were put there as some form of social experiment just because they were orphans and so nobody to object about how they were being used? Thomas and Teresa obviously have this mental connection but other than that I wouldn’t say either of them come across as particularly smart at the moment!
Barbara
Why is Newt so negative to Thomas’s code breaking? There is no better option so why does Newt resist so much? I think Newt is a much more basic, down to earth, brass tacks type of character who prefers doing something as oppose to thinking about it or trying to come up with a different way of thinking.
Me
I’m curious about the words found in the maps and what they mean? FLOAT CATCH BLEED DEATH STIFF PUSH I tried thinking of all sorts of different concepts for these – are they anagrams – do you take the first letter of each word and see if that makes an alternative word, etc, etc. None of these ideas came up with anything else. The only other thing I could think of is that it refers to the disease (The Flare) – maybe the germs float, you catch the germs, you bleed. you die and go stiff – push? Don’t know – perhaps you come back as some sort of undead or zombie?
I’ll just have to read on and find out!
Schedule
Chapters 1-9 Read 27-April through 10-May. Submit Questions by 10-May. Post by 17-May Chapters 10-19 Read 11-May through 24-May. Submit Questions by 24-May. Post by 31-May Chapters 20-29 Read 25-May through 7-Jun. Submit Questions by 7-Jun. Post by 14-Jun Chapters 30-38 Read 8-June through 21-Jun. Submit questions by 21-Jun. Post by 28-Jun Chapters 39-51 Read 22-Jun through 5-Jul. Submit questions by 5-Jul. Post by 12-Jul Chapters 52-End Read 6-Jul through 19-Jul. Submit questions by 19 Jul. Post by 26 JulOther Participants to check out:
- Nicole @ Deep Thoughts && Rhyming Words
- Katherine @ Wrote Some Things
- Ashlee @ Life Faith Tea
- Sultana @ Heart of Sultana
- MovieGeek @ GeekedOutMovies
- Sam @ Taking on a World of Words
- Claudia @living on borrowed time
Fan Art Up..
Fan Art Up is a weekly feature hosted by Tabitha at Not Yet Read. Details here.
This week – I’ve read Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer and The Martian by Andy Weir my doodle is inspired by one of those books! This is only for fun – I’m not an artist at all but if you step over to Tabitha’s there are some lovely pieces to check out!
It’s tough up North..
10 July 2014
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Grim Company, Prince of Fools, The Fantasy Review Barn, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, The Seven Forges, The Wee Free Men, Tough Travelling
Every Thursday Nathan at The Fantasy Review Barn takes us travelling through the tropes of fantasy. I love this although I have to admit that the newest books are the ones that usually spring most readily to mind and LoTR seems to be making my list virtually every week! Without further ado this week we’re looking at:
‘NORTHERN BARBARIANS’
1. Brodar Kayne from Luke Scull’s Grim Company. Tough as old boots. Used to be ‘The Sword of the North’ but now seems to be on the run from his former master, accompanied by his trusty psycho friend The Wolf. He’s no longer a spring chicken but he can kick ass! An entertaining pair!
2. The Sa’ba Taalor from the Seven Forges by James A Moore- a race of people, largely forgotten who live amongst the huge mountain ranges of the north – The Seven Forges. The Empire of Fellein, always in search of more places to plant a flag or collect goodies send an expedition over the blasted lands of the North and this expedition returns with more than they ever anticipated. I’m not sure that I would call these Barbarians although I’m sure that the Empire thought little more of them than that until they had a rather rude awakening!
3. Yeine Darr from The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N K Jemisin. Yeine’s mother was once heir to the Amareri throne until she eloped with a man considered to be far below her status and was disinherited. At the start of the story Yeine’s mother has died and Yeine is called back to the city in the Sky. Against all odds, and not least because being half Darre she is considered a barbarian, she is named heir along with two others – and thus starts a political struggle with all kinds of deception and maneouvering.
4. Sven Broke Oar – from Mark Lawrence’s Prince of Fools. – a particularly nasty character. Ruler of the Hardassa Clan. His Black Fort really is based far up in the icy North.
5. The Nac Mac Feegles from Terry Pratchett’s Wee Free Men – I had to. They’re rum little buggers with fiery tempers and unquenchable thirsts (for anything even remotely alcoholic). Do not get on their wrong side.
‘OK, lads, this is what we’ll do. As soon as we see somethin’, we’ll attack it. Right?’
This caused a cheer.
‘Ach, ‘tis a good plan,’ said Daft Wullie
Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer
Woah, just finished reading Annihilation and, seeing as how I’m having a week of confessions I’ll continue in the same vein. What the hell just really happened! Yes, I own up that I’m a little bit puzzled – but, this isn’t in a bad way and frankly it’s clearly the intention of the author to leave a lot of things unspoken – whether that’s for this particular book or for future instalments – who knows. What I do know is that this is a dark, creepy, spooky, threatening and intensely psychological read. Strangely compelling and a bit surreal.
At the start of the story four women cross over the boundary into Area X. We learn very little about what the actual boundary ‘constitutes’ or Area X for that matter – is it some strange experiment zone that has gone horribly wrong, is it a different realm somehow? It’s all a bit vague and to be honest more creepy because of the lack of explanation. All we know is that four women have set up camp with the objective of taking back samples and observations – and more expressly being told not to be contaminated. This isn’t the first expedition and I dare say it won’t be the last but as the story goes forward we learn that not only are there unknown quantities to be found in Area X but also amongst these latest visitors. There are secrets that will be revealed not to mention that the authorities who organised this little foray into the unknown may have been a little less than honest with what they already know. Secrets and lies all around, on top of which I wouldn’t say the four members of this particular crew are chummy! There feels like an animosity between them – a little bit more of the why eventually being revealed.
This is only a short story and it gets off to a fairly immediate start. The narrative is related through one of the expedition members – the biologist – and the story stops here and there to give a bit more background about her. We don’t find out names – which all adds to the creepy feel – you almost feel like you can’t become attached and there’s a terrible sense of foreboding that something horrible is going to happen to each one of them. Then the author throws in background and past experiences from the biologist which makes you latch onto her with a profound sense of relief. It’s like the author has somehow made you flounder around and then thrown a lifeline. And, so you follow the story of the biologist, jumping back and forward on occasion as she casts her mind back in some form or revelation or self recrimination – and yet, rather than diluting the suspense of the novel this only serves to increase it.
I can’t really give a lot more away to be honest because it would be so easy to be all spoilery! This is a scary little number, I’d class it as horror although a true horror reader may think that it’s light on that aspect. I’m also not going to deny that it probably wouldn’t be for everyone. Not because it’s particularly horrific but more a rating of ‘hide behind a cushion’. It’s the whole creepiness of Area X really. Anything seems to go here – it’s like a Nightmare on Event Horizon. In fact it’s nothing like that – it’s just messed up! I will certainly be reading the next in the series. Yes, it’s not the kind of book that you come away saying ‘I enjoyed that’ – that statement would just be wrong! It scared me a little bit, in fact I was near the ending but didn’t finish as I was up alone so saved the remainder until the light of day! It intrigued me a lot! And, it gripped me. It was surreal in parts and I’m not really sure what is going on in this zone – I certainly hope it doesn’t spread any further and let’s say it’s safe to say I won’t be volunteering for a trip any time soon!
