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spooky_miss) wrote2010-09-21 05:19 pm
spooky_miss) wrote2010-09-21 05:19 pm
Books 72, 73 and 74 and Film 49
Book 72 - Sphinx by TS Learner
This is another book which I read some time ago, so again apologies for not a very good review! This is a book in the style of those which seem to have got popular recently (after Dan Brown, I assume) - search for ancient artefact / secret, find it, discover someone wanted to keep it hidden, be in danger for the rest of the book! But it is a good version of that. It starts with Isabella, an archaeologist, uncovering something on a dive in Egypt. This turns out to be an astrarium, something which can predict the date of someone's death. It turns out that Isabella had had the date of her death predicted to her previously, and it turns out it was this day, so she dies during the dive. Her husband Oliver then has the astrarium, and he soon discovers that it is more than it seems, and a lot of people are after it and it's knowledge. There is also a link to ancient Egyptian mythology, and some kinds of rituals, which was good. I enjoyed this as I like this genre of books, and its a bit different from the usual ones I read, as I mainly pick up books of this sort with some connection to religion. It possibly has a few historical innaccuracies - but to be honest that didn't bother me as I don't know enough about ancient Egypt! Although the story is quite detailed, its not as "light" a read as Dan Brown, for example, but its still good :) 7 / 10
Book 73 - The Skull Beneath The Skin by PD James
I love PD James! I have to resist reading lots of her books all at once, because although she has lots and lots, I want to make them last as long as possible. I love the way her stories are so english (as most of the crime I tend to read seems to be set in America), and they manage to be gripping and exciting without having to resort of being really gory or disgusting. This book is about a private investigator, Cordelia Gray, whoo is employed to keep an eye on an actress, Clarissa, over one weekend where she will be playing a part in a play on a friend's island. Clarissa has been recieving anonymous notes which she has been worrying about, so Cordelia is there to make sure she's ok, and try and find out who has been sending the notes. Over the course of the weekend Clarissa gets killed, and Cordelia then tries to find out who killed her, and why. Its a classic crime novel in that each of the people on the island at the time of her death has a reason to want to kill her, and the book goes through this in the course of Cordelia's investigations. As I said before, its very english and a bit old fashioned, but I really like that. 9 / 10
Book 74 - The Fifth Victim
This is a bit of a silly crime story, given away free with the Times. The main character is a woman called Genny, who has a sixth sense which means she has visions of events which will happen, and she starts having visions of a serial killer. During these visions she can almost "speak" to the killer, and she tries to do that to find out why he's killing. The book changes between the perspectives of Genny and the killer, and it turns out he's trying to do certain rituals, and kill people with certain characteristics, to try to gain some kind of sixth sense like Genny has. He kills four women, and then with the fifth one he kills her and eats her heart as he thinks it will give him the power that she has. It turns out that his ultimate aim is to kill Genny. Once again there are several people in the town who the killer could be, and it follows them in turn. Plus there is this police officer who is investigating the murder of his niece, who was killed in the same way that these women are being killed. Its a bit silly as it all seems to fit in so nicely and quickly, but its an ok read, entertaining for a little while! 5 / 10
Film 49 - Shaun of the Dead
I mainly watched this to make sure I had my costume for Bloodstock right - as I was going as Shaun, complete with cricket bat!
This film follows Shaun (Simon Pegg) an ordinary man who wakes up one morning and gradually starts to realise something weird is going on - there are lots of zombies around! He is also dealing with his girlfriend dumping him and his life which is really going nowhere, until this day! He gets together with a group of his friends and battles through the day, to get to the Winchester, their local pub, to try and sit it out until they're all gone. During this he has to kill his mum, and his best friend (Nick Frost) gets turned into a zombie. This film is totally fantastic, and my favourite film!! The first film from director Edgar Wright, it has so many little references to other films, and so many great quotable lines. The actors they've got to play Shaun, his friends and his family, are excellent comedy actors, and while the film is all funny, its not really crude or horrible, despite being about zombies. My favourite bit is when they're throwing the records at the zombie's head's to stop them coming towards them:
Shaun: Wait wait, what was that??
Ed: erm..Blue Monday
Shaun: That was an original pressing!!
which would totally be my reaction if I ever had to throw records at zombies coming towards me! :D :D Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys good British films, British comedy, and film references. Don't be put off by the zombies - I don't like horror films and have never seen any zombie films before, but this is just about a normal day which happens to have zombies appear in it, so its not that scary at all...although Katie says it scares her a lot *because* its so normal and could so easily happen to us!! :) 10 / 10
Coming up next - a book containing one of my top 3 most hated characters, and another film by Edgar Wright! :)
This is another book which I read some time ago, so again apologies for not a very good review! This is a book in the style of those which seem to have got popular recently (after Dan Brown, I assume) - search for ancient artefact / secret, find it, discover someone wanted to keep it hidden, be in danger for the rest of the book! But it is a good version of that. It starts with Isabella, an archaeologist, uncovering something on a dive in Egypt. This turns out to be an astrarium, something which can predict the date of someone's death. It turns out that Isabella had had the date of her death predicted to her previously, and it turns out it was this day, so she dies during the dive. Her husband Oliver then has the astrarium, and he soon discovers that it is more than it seems, and a lot of people are after it and it's knowledge. There is also a link to ancient Egyptian mythology, and some kinds of rituals, which was good. I enjoyed this as I like this genre of books, and its a bit different from the usual ones I read, as I mainly pick up books of this sort with some connection to religion. It possibly has a few historical innaccuracies - but to be honest that didn't bother me as I don't know enough about ancient Egypt! Although the story is quite detailed, its not as "light" a read as Dan Brown, for example, but its still good :) 7 / 10
Book 73 - The Skull Beneath The Skin by PD James
I love PD James! I have to resist reading lots of her books all at once, because although she has lots and lots, I want to make them last as long as possible. I love the way her stories are so english (as most of the crime I tend to read seems to be set in America), and they manage to be gripping and exciting without having to resort of being really gory or disgusting. This book is about a private investigator, Cordelia Gray, whoo is employed to keep an eye on an actress, Clarissa, over one weekend where she will be playing a part in a play on a friend's island. Clarissa has been recieving anonymous notes which she has been worrying about, so Cordelia is there to make sure she's ok, and try and find out who has been sending the notes. Over the course of the weekend Clarissa gets killed, and Cordelia then tries to find out who killed her, and why. Its a classic crime novel in that each of the people on the island at the time of her death has a reason to want to kill her, and the book goes through this in the course of Cordelia's investigations. As I said before, its very english and a bit old fashioned, but I really like that. 9 / 10
Book 74 - The Fifth Victim
This is a bit of a silly crime story, given away free with the Times. The main character is a woman called Genny, who has a sixth sense which means she has visions of events which will happen, and she starts having visions of a serial killer. During these visions she can almost "speak" to the killer, and she tries to do that to find out why he's killing. The book changes between the perspectives of Genny and the killer, and it turns out he's trying to do certain rituals, and kill people with certain characteristics, to try to gain some kind of sixth sense like Genny has. He kills four women, and then with the fifth one he kills her and eats her heart as he thinks it will give him the power that she has. It turns out that his ultimate aim is to kill Genny. Once again there are several people in the town who the killer could be, and it follows them in turn. Plus there is this police officer who is investigating the murder of his niece, who was killed in the same way that these women are being killed. Its a bit silly as it all seems to fit in so nicely and quickly, but its an ok read, entertaining for a little while! 5 / 10
Film 49 - Shaun of the Dead
I mainly watched this to make sure I had my costume for Bloodstock right - as I was going as Shaun, complete with cricket bat!
This film follows Shaun (Simon Pegg) an ordinary man who wakes up one morning and gradually starts to realise something weird is going on - there are lots of zombies around! He is also dealing with his girlfriend dumping him and his life which is really going nowhere, until this day! He gets together with a group of his friends and battles through the day, to get to the Winchester, their local pub, to try and sit it out until they're all gone. During this he has to kill his mum, and his best friend (Nick Frost) gets turned into a zombie. This film is totally fantastic, and my favourite film!! The first film from director Edgar Wright, it has so many little references to other films, and so many great quotable lines. The actors they've got to play Shaun, his friends and his family, are excellent comedy actors, and while the film is all funny, its not really crude or horrible, despite being about zombies. My favourite bit is when they're throwing the records at the zombie's head's to stop them coming towards them:
Shaun: Wait wait, what was that??
Ed: erm..Blue Monday
Shaun: That was an original pressing!!
which would totally be my reaction if I ever had to throw records at zombies coming towards me! :D :D Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys good British films, British comedy, and film references. Don't be put off by the zombies - I don't like horror films and have never seen any zombie films before, but this is just about a normal day which happens to have zombies appear in it, so its not that scary at all...although Katie says it scares her a lot *because* its so normal and could so easily happen to us!! :) 10 / 10
Coming up next - a book containing one of my top 3 most hated characters, and another film by Edgar Wright! :)
no subject
i have a bunch of p. d. james books but i haven't read any yet. might have to move them higher on my to read list :)
and now i want to know who are your top 3 most hated characters!
(no subject)