disappointing

Book Review – The Best Things by Mel Giedroyc

books, reviews

Rating: 2 out of 5.

A lot of people that I like seem to be writing books these days and it’s worrying. Worrying because I’m inevitably going to break my book buying ban. Also worrying because I can’t be sure that it will be worth it. Just because somebody is funny doesn’t mean that they can write a good book. Likewise, just because somebody can write a good film or TV script doesn’t mean it will translate into a novel. Not all writing requires the same skills and it’s not as easy as it seems. So, I normally buy these books and then put off reading them. I just don’t want to risk them being bad. This week I decided to be brave and finally tackle one of the books on my TBR. This one is written by the comedian, presenter and all-around nice person Mel Giedroyc.

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Book Review – Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano

books, reviews

Rating: 3 out of 5.

It feels as though this book has sat on my shelf for ages, so I decided to give it a go. I don’t often cry when I’m reading which I think is a shame. So I was ready for this to make me cry. Very ready. Surely a book about a plane crash would be the perfect book for that? I was sure that I’d race through this book when I started it on January 10th. I didn’t finish it until January 16th. It’s been ages that a book has taken a week to get through. Admittedly, I did read a couple more in that time but that still seems like a pretty long for a book this short. So, what went wrong?

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Book Review – Burn by Patrick Ness

books, reviews

Rating: 2 out of 5.

How long to do you struggle with a book before deciding to give up on it? When I was younger, I used to percevier with books I didn’t enjoy just so I could feel like I’d achieved something. Although, that was back during the days when it would take me around a month to finish a single book. Now, my time is so precious that I can’t waste my time on books I don’t like. Although, there are times when I go back into that mindset. I get so far and just think “I might as well get all the way through.” This was one of those times. It took me around a week to get this finished and it wasn’t even that long a book. It’s one that I’ve had on my TBR for a while and one that I was quite excited about. So, what went wrong?

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Book Review – The Case of the Missing Marquess by Nancy Springer

books, reviews

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.

My final read of last month was something that I’d been intrigued by since watching the Netflix adaptation. However, I wasn’t exactly desperate to read it. The major reason that I actually decided to read it was because I need an E to complete my reading challenge. Officially, it’s not even an E title but I’m giving myself a pass on this one. Obviously, I’m a big fan of Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous detective, so I was a little worried about reading this. I’d been burnt by Anthony Horowitz’s The House of Silk before. It just didn’t pass the vibe check and didn’t get the character right. At least Nancy Springer isn’t writing an actual Holmes mystery.

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Book Review – Early Riser by Jasper Fforde

books, reviews

Rating: 3 out of 5.

I’ve had this book for a while now and never even attempted to pick it up. It’s the first book by Jasper Fforde that I’ve tried to read but I know of him. By which I mean I’ve heard of his Thursday Next series but never bothered to read them. They just sounded a bit too whimsical for my liking. In reality, I’d probably enjoy them but I just haven’t had the inclination. This sounded too good to ignore and I always prefer a standalone to a series. It sort of sounded like Snowpiercer and was released during the time when I was still fully obsessed with that film. So, I bought it and, last month, I finally decided to read it. Mostly because I’m pretty short of E book titles.

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Book Review – Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney

books, reviews

Rating: 3 out of 5.

The second book that I read on my holiday was another of my September pre-orders and one of the most anticipated novels of this year. I’ve only ever read Normal People but I really loved it. It was an absolute 5 star read, so I was looking forward to seeing what she came up with next. I always intended to read Conversations With Friends before I read Sally Rooney’s third book but just never got round to it. Still, I thought this sounded really interesting and I think Rooney is one of the most interesting and exciting writers around. Although, I’ve read a few Millennial writers, so it was always possible that my opinion of her had changed slightly.

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Book Review – Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam

books, reviews

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Holiday is over and it’s back down to Earth with a bump. Not only am I straight back to work but I’ve got some blogging to catch up on. I’m going to try and review as many books as possible this week, which sounds good in theory. However, it’s been a while since I’ve read some of them. Well, it’s been over a week with this one. Thankfully, we discussed it at book club on Wednesday. That should give me a bit of a chance to remember what I think about it.

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TBT Review – Hancock (2008)

films, reviews, TBT

Rating: 3 out of 5.

When I first head about this film I thought it sounded shit. That’s mostly because a friend of mine described it to me and he didn’t do a very good job. It didn’t help that I just associated Will Smith with bad films thanks to the likes of Hitch. So, I didn’t want to watch it. Cut to a few years later and another friend telling me to watch it. This time, I trusted his opinion and gave it a shot. I didn’t hate it but I can’t pretend that it’s a film I’ve thought a lot about since. Until it appeared on my Netflix home screen the other day. Then I got the sudden urge to watch it again. As it’s been a while since my last TBT, I decided it was worth going back to it. Maybe it would make more of an impression this time?

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Book Review – The Water Cure by Sophie Mackintosh

books, reviews

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.

Like many others, I first became interested in this book when it was longlisted for the Booker Prize in 2018. It sounded like an interesting story and I’m always intrigued by feminist dystopian fiction. I never actually bought it though because, as is always the case, I had far too much to read first. I then got a copy in a book subscription box that I used to get. It wasn’t a great subscription all round but this was definitely a highlight. The book has spent the last year or so on my shelf waiting to be read. Why did I decide to read it now? I wanted the excuse to experiment with water in some photos. I’ve had worse reasons for picking up a book but this isn’t exactly my finest hour. I was still interested but I’d also heard mixed things about Sophie Mackintosh’s debut novel. I guess that I had to find out for myself.

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Tuesday Review – Cruella (2021)

films, reviews

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.

I’m yet to be convinced by Disney’s plan to remake all of its animated film as live-action. At best, they can be described as fine. At worst, they’re pointless. The best by far is The Jungle Book because it was only slightly concerned with the original film. I guess Maleficent worked pretty well but I wonder how much that had to do with Angelina Jolie rather than the actual film. So, I wasn’t exactly hyped when it was announced that Cruella DeVil, first seen in 1961’s One Hundred and One Dalmatians, was getting an origin story. Or that she was going to be played by Emma Stone. Don’t get me wrong, I love Emma Stone but she’s no Glenn Close. The 1996 remake did many things wrong but casting Close as the villain was a genius stroke. I didn’t see how Stone would be able to compete and that was before I heard her dodgy accent.

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