Rachel
The good:
- Full of action
- Good narrator for the audiobook version I listened to.
The Bad:
- The main character! UGH. Self centered entitled prick.
- The author clearly felt like not describing somethings, so just simply skipped them.
- Weak characters
- The main character
- The main character.
I HATED the main character. This book should be fun. Submarine hyjack, dinosaurs, tons of action.... Instead it was like pulling teeth. If the book were larger this would have been a dnf.
I listened to the audiobook version of this book, narrated by Martin Short
Before listening to this audiobook, I knew little about Martin Short. I knew he was a successful comedian, and had seen a few of his film roles. No, I had never seen his comedy sketches, stints on SNL, etc.
Being in my 20's, I missed many of Martin's references. I didn't know many of the famous people he talked about. That is not a flaw of the book, but rather a flaw in my pop culture knowledge. The book itself was just another book, but it is Martin Short's impressions that make the audiobook stand out. Honestly, I couldn't imagine why anyone would read the physical book instead of listening to the audiobook. The references I understood had me laughing aloud, and you could hear the love in Martin's voice for his friends and family.
Thank you for inviting us readers into your life Mr. Short.
This book/comic series was recommended to me by a friend for a reading challenge. It is utterly ridiculous, full of 80's “this is what the future will be like” references, and yet somehow still amusing.
At the time it was considered groundbreaking. One of Arthur's nights is reborn as a woman, yet still loves the woman of his past life (who was also reincarnated). While reading it, I was curious to know what the modern audience would think about that plotline.
I'd actually be interested in seeing this made into a cheesy tv show. It has plenty of action, ridiculous plotlines, but is still endearing.
The only downsides:
sometimes it was hard to keep track of whom was whom. It didn't age very well. The writer even admitted he was very unfamiliar with the Arthur legend before beginning this comic.
I listened to the audiobook version of this narrated by Simon Prebble.
When reading/listening to an older book, I find it imperative to think like the people of that day and age. Journey to the Center of the Earth was originally written in the mid 1800s. (for American audiences, this is around the same time as the American Civil War). No cell phones, no internet, no air planes, no cars. The brave went on adventures, the majority of people didn't travel farther than their own town, or surrounding towns.
Much of what Jules Verne writes about sounds ridiculous to modern audiences. We know that most of what he writes about is impossible. He fills the book with facts that are passible to readers of the 1800s. Everything has an explanation, which makes the story seem more realistic. If I were to have read this back then, I'd have given the book 4.5 - 5 stars. There were some slower parts, but for the most part, it was a fast paced, heart pounding adventure. (this could also be due to Simon Prebble's fantastic narration). Regardless of its age, it is still an exciting read, and an enjoyable adventure book. Simon Prebble did a fantastic job narrating this story, and I look forward to listening to him again. I am also curious and excited to read the rest of Jules Verne's Extraordinary Voyages series.
Harry Potter and the year he complained about nobody telling him anything, then shooting his mouth like an idiot.
Harry Potter and the moody teenage years.
Harry Potter and the year he messed up royally.
Harry Potter and the year reality hits.
Harry Potter and the year the series should have killed him off and made the series about Hermione.
Too harsh?....
Meh. Not bad. I listened to the audiobook version. Anna's voice works well in small spurts, but after awhile I wanted to say “can you at least try to sound happy”?? Everything comes off sarcastic or irritated at everything. I realize this is part of her personality, but I think I'll stick to her tweets instead of any further books from her.
After just over 200 pages, it's time to throw in the towel. I had so much hope for this book. In short, Alif the Unseen is about a hacker named Alif who gets into trouble with the government. While on the run he receives an ancient copy of One Thousand and One Nights, and meets a real life Jinni. It's part quest, part love story, part retelling, part love story, part hot mess. I was really into the plotline, but I couldn't get behind the cast of characters. Most of it seemed rather predictable, and the other pieces just made little sense. I read a summary of the second half and am glad to be throwing in the towel. Most of it made me roll my eyes.
I'd be interested to see this made into a teen tv series. The rest of the book is a hard pass
Fish Girl is about a seaside attraction ran by Neptune, god of the sea. He owns a 3 floor house with an aquarium that runs the height of the house. Inside it is a mermaid. One day a girl spots the mermaid, and they become friends. That is when the mermaid starts to piece everything together. Maybe people aren't who they claim to be and maybe there is more to the world than her little tank.
I thought this was a perfect little read. It only took about an hour and is full of delightful illustrations. For a graphic novel, I thought they writing was fine. If you're accustomed to regular novels, then yes, this might be disappointing. Having already read a number of disappointing graphic novels, I found this one rather complete.
Note: This is the first version (retelling, translation, etc) that I have read of One Thousand and One Nights. Before reading this I knew:
- It revolves around a woman named Shahrazad
- To escape death she tells a new story every night
- A lot of classic stories came from this.
- Bugs Bunny did an episode about this a long long time ago
That's it. How does it end? I don't know. What are the stories? Aladdin? Sinbad? Some other smaller ones?.... basically, I was in the dark.
I decided to read this as part of a group read here on Goodreads. It had high praise, so why not? It surprisingly wasn't that long either.
Let me start with the good.
- Lots of original stories.
- updated with some modern language
- writing style flowed nicely.
Now the problems.
- What happened to Shahrazad?... She starts the first few “chapters”, then disappears until the very very end. If she's telling a new part of the story every night, then shouldn't she appear a little more often.
- The ending... Um... So what DID happen to her? Again, this is my first time reading One Thousand and One Nights. Since the whole point is to escape death, I assume she survive. Was she happy? How long did all these stories take her? hello??
Basically, I enjoyed the story, but I felt let down. For someone who is unfamiliar with the original tale, this leaves too many unanswered questions. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone unless they were familiar with the original tale.
What a wonderful new story by Grace Lin. It is a little darker than her book When the Mountain Meets the Moon, but just as much fun. It is full of smaller folk/fairy tales intermixed with the larger story. This is a great book for middle schoolers, and another winner from Grace!
p.s. Some characters from her previous novel(s), make a guest appearance!
“I don't understand you,” said Alice, “It is dreadfully confusing.”
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass. Is a book of utter nonsense. It is completely ridiculous. That is why it has become such a classic. So many people will try to look for a deeper meaning in this story. Stop looking. Just sit back and enjoy the nonsene.
This was the oldest book on my “to-reads” shelf. I decided to start chipping away at my list from the beginning.
So how did the first one fare? It was alright... A historical fiction novel with a tinge of romance. Just what I like... except for the formulaic plotline.
Beautiful girl has great life. Something major happens. She loses everything (or close to it). Gets her prophecy told, finds a handsome man. Falls for him. Acts all tough and strong. Someone angers someone else. Girl gets in trouble. Guy must rescue her. You know the rest.
I don't mind a formulaic story if it's done right. This book was only so/so. The prophecy part ruined it. You already know things will turn out right in the end (do book prophecies lie? Not usually...). The characters were alright, but nothing special. I've read all their types before.
This book is great if you're in a historial romance binge (That's lighter on all the romance). Be warned, the ending is underwhelming, and doesn't give closure on some relatively main characters. The writer was obviously planning a sequel when writing this book. Problem is, the real sequel isn't about the characters with cliffhangers! It felt cheap. Like “ooh I'll leave a cliffhanger so I have to write a sequel.” Then writes a sequel that's 30 years later and NOT about those cliffhanger characters. In my mind I had to write my own closure. This will be the one and only book I read by Ms. Givens.
3.5 stars. Couldn't quite give it 4.
This is a collection of cute comics. Some had me chuckling, some just smiling, but the majority I flipped past without much thought. I don't really understand why this is a book. I've seen a number of these comics online. I feel they work better there. Granted, it's harder to make money online. A book is easier for money.
I think I would have enjoyed this more if there was a theme or order to the comics. Ex. Put all the reading/book comics together. Put the relationship ones together, etc. This just felt like random drawing all put together without much thought.
I guess, in other words... I feel like there could have been more thought put into the book. Doesn't need a lot, but even a message from the author would have been nice.
This wasn't a bad collection. It just wasn't my favorite. Many of the stories felt redundant, and many of the characters shared the same names across stories. That may be due to the source material, but it was confusing.
The writing style was alright... Do you recall stories that your mother or grandmother would tell you? Some phrases weren't actual sentences, and others had mysterious things/being/characters that just popped up out of nowhere? That's how this was written. It's more an oral recording that was transcribed instead of polished up stories written by an author.
All in all, a nice little collection, but I've read many of these stories in other places where they are slightly more polished.
Once I finally started, I could not put this book down. The Alchemist is the story of a boy named Santiago. He is content as his life as a shepherd until he meets a king that tells him to find and follow his personal legend. His legend was revealed to him once in a dream. One day he would travel to see the great pyramids in Egypt. There, in the sand, he will find a great treasure.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Many will find it preachy. Many will find it dull. Either they already have achieved their personal legends, they have tried and failed or they are too afraid to even start pursuing it.
A reader could look at this book and say “of course things will work out for him in the end. It's a story. Life isn't really like that.” I wholeheartedly disagree. Santiago has stopped and listened to the world. We often forget that there is a whole other world out there. One we need to stop and listen to. How many times have you stopped what you were doing and decided to just live in the moment? Listen to the waves crash. Feel the sun on your face. Breathe the scent of wind. Watched the bee collect honey for its hive.
The alchemist is more than a boy pursuing his legend. It's a reminder to enjoy the smaller things in life. It is to live in the moment, but never forget where you're headed. It's a reminder to keep going in the face of adversity. The worst that can happen is death. Would you rather die in pursuit of your goals and dreams, or would you rather die knowing you never even attempted them?