All Consuming : JakeB

Consumed "District 9 [Blu-ray]"

nobody@allconsuming.net (JakeB) — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 09:09:52 GMT

District 9 [Blu-ray]

by Neill Blomkamp

WORTH IT!

Consumed "Fever Crumb (Mortal Engines Quartet Prequel)"

nobody@allconsuming.net (JakeB) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 20:13:11 GMT

Fever Crumb (Mortal Engines Quartet Prequel)

by Philip Reeve

WORTH IT!

Consumed "Let The Right One In"

nobody@allconsuming.net (JakeB) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 16:17:32 GMT

Let The Right One In

by Tomas Alfredson

WORTH IT!

Better than the book

nobody@allconsuming.net (JakeB) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 16:17:00 GMT

Let The Right One In

by Tomas Alfredson

I knew the film would be better than the book, and it was. The director took all the flab out out of the original (including several characters and a couple of plot arcs), and retained the most powerful elements. I loved the way that he hinted at some of the back stories with just an image or two. It was enough. The ending was perfectly shot. Great film.

Consumed "Star Trek"

nobody@allconsuming.net (JakeB) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 16:12:32 GMT

Star Trek

by J.J. Abrams

WORTH IT!

A review of "Blood Red, Snow White"

nobody@allconsuming.net (JakeB) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 10:35:04 GMT

Blood Red, Snow White

by Marcus Sedgwick

Marcus Sedgwick is a damn good writer, but I’m afraid that this book did very little for me.

It’s a strange little novel written simplistically in the style of a fairy tale, from 2 POVs – a masterclass in experimental technique.

So why didn’t I like it?
Firstly, the book has been mysteriously classed as a teenage read, yet there aren’t any references to teenagers in the story. I’m guessing that they did this because of narrative voice. Secondly, I’m not a fan of historical fiction unless it includes an element of fantasy. Thirdly, it just didn’t sit right with me. I found myself wishing that he’d either written a YA book, or written for adults – not created a halfbreed.

What I did like?
The fairy tale analogies, the story behind the book.

So – yes, I felt dissatisfied. This journey was Sedgwick’s baby, but it wasn’t mine. Saying that, I would like to try another novel by him and give him a fair chance.

Consumed "Blood Red, Snow White"

nobody@allconsuming.net (JakeB) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 10:35:04 GMT

Blood Red, Snow White

by Marcus Sedgwick

Consuming "How to Lead: What You Actually Need to Do to Manage, Lead and Succeed"

nobody@allconsuming.net (JakeB) — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 18:31:55 GMT

How to Lead: What You Actually Need to Do to Manage, Lead and Succeed

by Jo Owen

Consuming "The White Goddess"

nobody@allconsuming.net (JakeB) — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 15:47:34 GMT

The White Goddess

by Robert Graves

Consumed "Weird Science"

nobody@allconsuming.net (JakeB) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 10:17:24 GMT

Weird Science

WORTH IT!

Consumed "The Forest of Hands and Teeth"

nobody@allconsuming.net (JakeB) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 16:43:39 GMT

The Forest of Hands and Teeth

by Carrie Ryan

WORTH IT!

Consumed "How the Way We Talk Can Change the Way We Work: Seven Languages for Transformation"

nobody@allconsuming.net (JakeB) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 16:42:41 GMT

How the Way We Talk Can Change the Way We Work: Seven Languages for Transformation

by Robert Kegan

WORTH IT!

Consumed "Eat, Pray, Love"

nobody@allconsuming.net (JakeB) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:03:18 GMT

Eat, Pray, Love

by Elizabeth Gilbert

WORTH IT!

Almost too much God (rated 4 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (JakeB) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:03:17 GMT

Eat, Pray, Love

by Elizabeth Gilbert

But not quite. It was better than I expected. I enjoyed the earlier section where she finds her ‘faith’. I wasn’t so interested in her love story – too many ‘darlings’.

Consumed "Shiver"

nobody@allconsuming.net (JakeB) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 08:01:49 GMT

Shiver

by Maggie Stiefvater

Moments of Brilliance

nobody@allconsuming.net (JakeB) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 08:00:48 GMT

Shiver

by Maggie Stiefvater

I had high expectations for this YA novel and in some ways it didn’t disappoint. The writing was highly-tuned, and the premise was great. Unfortunately, I just didn’t ‘get’ the characters – especially Grace, which meant that the whole love story fell flat. I’ve been trying to work out why it didn’t satisfy me, and I think it was her lack of development. It felt as if she didn’t grow or learn – that she was fully-formed at the beginning and stayed that way.

The film rights have been optioned for this so it will be interesting to see how it will be translated for the camera. A good director could squeeze a masterpiece out of this one.

Consumed "Year of Wonders"

nobody@allconsuming.net (JakeB) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 16:51:38 GMT

Year of Wonders

by Geraldine Brooks

WORTH IT!

A review of "Catching Fire (The Second Book of the Hunger Games)"

nobody@allconsuming.net (JakeB) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 17:09:41 GMT

Catching Fire (The Second Book of the Hunger Games)

by Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games was excellent – I found Catching Fire even better – so good that I couldn’t wait to find out what happened on every single page and now I’m disappointed that I’ve finished it. The novel has everything – clean writing, rounded characters, love, fear, horror, meaning. If I could write something this satisfying, I would die happy.

Consumed "Catching Fire (The Second Book of the Hunger Games)"

nobody@allconsuming.net (JakeB) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 17:09:41 GMT

Catching Fire (The Second Book of the Hunger Games)

by Suzanne Collins

WORTH IT!

Consumed "Thirteen Reasons Why"

nobody@allconsuming.net (JakeB) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 17:52:26 GMT

Thirteen Reasons Why

by Jay Asher

Consumed "The Fountain (Widescreen Edition)"

nobody@allconsuming.net (JakeB) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 10:55:26 GMT

The Fountain (Widescreen Edition)

by Darren Aronofsky