Unpopular opinion, obviously. But this is terrible. Preachy and self-righteous, wrapped up in a little soap opera.
Stanley is a violent drunk and selfUnpopular opinion, obviously. But this is terrible. Preachy and self-righteous, wrapped up in a little soap opera.
Stanley is a violent drunk and self-centered at the best of times.
Blanche is a pathological liar who goads Stanley any chance she gets and actively tries to separate Stanley and Stella to suit her own selfish purposes.
Stella is a ping-pong ball between two toxic, self-absorbed paddles.
Don't get me wrong, Stanley is a pig. But the premise of the story builds to a crescendo that leaves the reader pitying Blanche and absolving her of her own wrong doing. Was she wronged? Heck yes! Does that absolve her of her own wrong? No. Not by a longshot.
But the most important question to be asked... do you know about Napoleonic Law?
I'd rate this an R for cursing, violence, rape, alcohol use, and other adult themes.
In a quite sensible frame of mind, I found myself scrolling through the free Audible originals and, through a series of rabbit holes, arrived at ScarlIn a quite sensible frame of mind, I found myself scrolling through the free Audible originals and, through a series of rabbit holes, arrived at Scarlett Johansson's narration of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Time for some nonsense.
The narration was odd in that I didn't care for her normal voice, but when she voice acted for different characters, she did a phenomenal job.
Otherwise, nothing to report other than classic Alice.
How am I today years-old and just finding out Roald Dahl was an ace fighter pilot and spy in the World War? What a guy.
As with all Dahl's books, MatiHow am I today years-old and just finding out Roald Dahl was an ace fighter pilot and spy in the World War? What a guy.
As with all Dahl's books, Matilda is quirky and quippy. And Quentin Blake's art is just spot on in lending to the whimsy the book depicts.
While it's so over the top and extreme that it should practically be viewed as hilarious, for parents who take issue with adults being depicted as mean bullies, this book has plenty of that. But let's be real. Matilda's parents are, at least emotionally neglectful and even abusive. And the Trunchbull.... well. She makes Maleficent seem cuddly.
This may be for you if you're looking for: Gore. A modern feel to an old classic. Gore. An Epic. An easy bridge to old world mythology. Gore.
What is This may be for you if you're looking for: Gore. A modern feel to an old classic. Gore. An Epic. An easy bridge to old world mythology. Gore.
What is this, exactly? A graphic novel version of Beowulf, exactly. I read Tolkien's translation of this a couple years back and enjoyed it immensely. After reading someone else's rave for this version, I decided to give it a try.
Phenomenal. The artwork is bold. Be prepared for a lot of red. And dead. Some redemption. And a smidge of nudity, as old world myths are apt to do...but it's Beowulf. So anyone familiar with the subject material would likely go in expecting all of that. For anyone NOT familiar with the subject material, and wanting to read the story, but intimidated by the old world English, this may be the perfect first step for you.
I'd rate this an R for gore, violence, adult themes, gore, mild cursing, nudity, and gore.
This book was noticeably lacking in hippos, for which I am disappointed.
Going in, I expected this book to be a jewel that would require a lot of grinThis book was noticeably lacking in hippos, for which I am disappointed.
Going in, I expected this book to be a jewel that would require a lot of grind to get through, largely due to the old English and verbiage, but worth the work.
What I got was a grind with no grit. It wasn't life-changing. I didn't get the meat I wanted to chew on. It almost felt...jouvenile.
C.S. Lewis writes books that are difficult to get through because every paragraph contains something that makes me sit back, astounded, and have to digest. Or sit back annoyed, and have to decide if he makes a good point and I don't like it, or if I truly disagree (usually the first thing). Being such a classic, I thought this would be the same way. But underneath the old English, this almost had a sheltered, angsty, immature vibe. Case in point: woe is me! Wretched sinner am I for when I was a boy, I stole pears. Yes, stealing is stealing. Wrong is wrong. But I was looking for something different. Not woe-is-me-for-I-am-the-founder-and-creator-of-meth-dating-back-to-300AD different, but more like C.S. Lewis different. Yes, wretched sinner is you, and I, but do we need to expound on the pears as a point of proof? Maybe less of a need to validate the mantle of sinfulness at all if that's what you need to go with. Just a thought, Buddy Augustine. Not that it makes a difference since he's super dead.
I read a few books, but I won't be finishing all of Augustine's works. Kind of bummed, but the grind isn't worth this payoff.
The voice actors do an excellent job, but the sound editing is pretty rough. The sound would go in spurts where I could barely hear the speakers and tThe voice actors do an excellent job, but the sound editing is pretty rough. The sound would go in spurts where I could barely hear the speakers and then blast out my eardrums so turning the volume up and down was not helpful.
I'd rate this an R for sexual content, very minor swearing, and other adult content....more
I've always wanted to read Arabian Nights in its entirety, but it's a WHOPPER of a book.
Audible used a full cast to retell select stories from the clI've always wanted to read Arabian Nights in its entirety, but it's a WHOPPER of a book.
Audible used a full cast to retell select stories from the classic and broke it down into several volumes.
While I greatly enjoyed this, I do not recommend to younger listeners as some of the stories contain very adult scenes between lovers that actually surprised me a bit.
My only other complaint is the sound balance. Audible has historically struggled to maintain good sound balance with multi-cast member originals and this is no exception. In order to hear, I had to often turn up the speakers and then one cast member would blast my eardrums out so I'd lower the volume only to struggle hearing again.
But if you are curious about the Arabian Nights but hesitate to fully commit diving into the tome, this is a great option.
I'd rate this a PG-13 for the sexual scenes, blood and gore, and other intense scenes that might be bothersome to young viewers....more
If I had read this as a teenager, I could see this being a very compelling book. That said, as an adult, the themes still had weight and the length waIf I had read this as a teenager, I could see this being a very compelling book. That said, as an adult, the themes still had weight and the length was short enough to keep my focus and still tell a bit of a story... actually, it almost read like an elongated Aesop's Fable now that I think of it.
Miss Marple is adorable, and Agatha Christie's snark is at its finest in this book. Fun read. I sniggered more than once at the author's dry humor comMiss Marple is adorable, and Agatha Christie's snark is at its finest in this book. Fun read. I sniggered more than once at the author's dry humor coming through her characters.
One of my reading goals is to read the Top 100 list of children's classics posted by the New York Public Library. After hearing Shel Silverstein passeOne of my reading goals is to read the Top 100 list of children's classics posted by the New York Public Library. After hearing Shel Silverstein passed away, I figured this was a good time to grab The Giving Tree and Where The Sidewalk Ends from the library.
Honestly, I can't decide on the moral of this story because I think it could go two ways.
One moral could be to set healthy boundaries so codependency doesn't destroy us and enable bad behavior from someone we love. A valuable lesson.
The other could be a bit more controversial in this day of the "cut off anything that doesn't serve you" mentality. The tree gives and gives selflessly until both the boy and the tree are at the end of their lives. And while one can argue that it was all giving on the tree's part, there's something to be said about giving until it hurts in a pure agape gesture of love. And some relationships, such as parents to children, may result in one side never fully appreciating the sacrifices being made for them. And the parents give anyway.
When I first heard that Guillermo del Torro is not only working on a live action version of Pinocchio, but also said it's the pinnacle of his career aWhen I first heard that Guillermo del Torro is not only working on a live action version of Pinocchio, but also said it's the pinnacle of his career and the story he's always wanted to do, I went, "What the heck?" Something definitely got lost in translation for Disney's version, and I knew I had to read the book.
What on earth did I just read?? This book has it all. Some scenes make you scratch your head at the randomness and 100% brought to mind Lewis Caroll's style in Alice in Wonderland. Like rabbits showing up carrying a coffin for the not-dead Pinocchio.
Some scenes make you cringe and a little uncomfortable with the horror of them (ok, there's where del Torro comes into all this). Like Pinocchio being hung via hangman's noose from a tree.
And some scenes- actually many scenes- made me belly laugh out loud. Like the author casually acknowledging his own massive plot hole when Pinocchio, who is illiterate, a well established fact up to that point, somehow makes out the writing on a tombstone. I leave it to you to imagine how the puppet felt when, somehow or another, he managed to spell out these words. Or the serpent who literally dies laughing. The random, frantic pace of the book left me wondering what new, bizarre thing would pop up paragraph to paragraph.
In the midst of it all, Pinocchio is, at its heart, an analogy for moral behavior and consequences of ignoring wise counsel. Sometimes on the nose (pun intended because...Pinocchio's nose), but always pertinent, the reader shakes their head everytime Pinocchio gets himself into another ridiculous and entertaining pickle because of choices he was warned against.
I would rate this book a PG-13. Good book to read to kids if the reader can also lean heavily into the silliness so little kids don't have the absolute bejeebers scared out of them....more
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