The Reading Pile #3 - Birthday Special

Gospel of Loki - Joanne M. Harris
You may have seen this book on a previous wishlist, well now I have it! I got this from my sister, because she knows how much of a huge fan of Joanne Harris I am. I am loving mythology stories at the moment, and Loki is the most awesome of the Norse Gods, so I can't wait to get into it.

A Game of Groans - George R.R. Washington
My sister's boyfriend got me this, and it sounds hilarious. 'A Parody of Slush and Soot', and a satire of The Game of Thrones, this book looks set to be a highly amusing read, and apparently the start of a series of little books on the subject.


What else did I get?


On the watching pile I have:

Help! I'm a Fish
A blast from the past into my childhood. I used to love the theme song to this and it was actually a pretty good little watch. Did you know that Alan Rickman voices the bad guy? I didn't but I do now!

Water for Elephants
Read the book and loved it, now for the film starring Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson. I really hope they've done the book justice.

Doctor Who - Series 4 and 5
The boyfriend and I have been watching the series ever since Christpher Eccleston stepped on to the TV screens. Now we're re-watching, and series 4 is by far my favourite; David Tennant works so well with Catherine Tate.

The Amazing Spiderman 2 - Film Review

Caution: Spoilers!

Peter Parker is loving his new life as Spiderman, and even though he promised her father he wouldn't, he is also loving going out with Gwen Stacey. But things don't stay peachy for long when an accident at Oscorp creates an electrically charged villain, intent on seeking the attention he has craved all his life. Peter thinks things are looking up when his friend Harry arrives back in town, but he is dying, and Peter refuses to let him have some of his healing Spider-blood. To make matters even more complex, he also finds out some new information about his parents, and why they left him.

A lot of people are saying that this film has too much plot going on and too many bad guys, but I completely disagree with that. The plots are easy enough to follow, and add a lot of interest into what will surely be a brilliant third film. The film-makers are really setting up for the Green Goblin showdown, but the fact that they featured Electro as the main bad guy was really good. Funnily enough, you really do feel for Electro, even when he turns on Spiderman, because we all know that all he wants is for people to notice him, and to need him - I'm sure we can all relate to that. On the Green Goblin note, the film is also gearing up to include a couple more villains; we can see the famous Doc-Oc claws at Oscorp, as well as a lovely pair of Vulture wings.

Peter Parker as a character continues to grow and change as he struggles with his guilt about the death of Gwen's father, his own parents abandonment of him and hiding his superpowers from an inquisitive Aunt May. Still, when he is Spiderman, he manages the quick, witty remarks that come with the outfit. The film surprisingly manages to combine wit with action and emotion, making it all very well-balanced.

The music in the film is never really something I get into unless it is a musical, however, here the music was used to great effect as a way to enhance Electro's role, particularly in the fight scene. Whenever the electricity strikes something, the music reflects that, and creates a song and rhythm for us. This is a really interesting technique that I'd like to see more of, and made the scenes a lot more memorable.

Now for the shocker. There is this one moment where your heart is utterly in your mouth, or possibly spilling out of it all over the floor. Comic book fans, you know what happens, but I really don't want to spoil this moment for anyone. I teared up, because it was the most heartbreaking but strangely, beautifully poignant thing. In a superhero movie, these moments hardly exist; it's all about the action, and the hero, but in that moment he didn't matter so much. 

I can't think of that many bad points; the acting was fair to pretty damn good (Jamie Foxx being just plain awesome as the slightly man villain), the plot was fast with no room for boredom and you can just tell that the third installment is going to be a jaw-dropper as every plot-line culminates. I just hope that this time Peter has someone to give him a hand

9.5 (I should note that the 0.5 is taken off because it could be considered slightly too full-on in terms of plot, and also because the Green Goblin story seemed rushed through) out of 10. 

Cover Reveal: Qualify - Vera Nazarian

Cover Reveal Time! This book sounds really intriguing, and not unlike The Testing, which admittedly I haven't read yet. However, this has got a bit of sci-fi thrown in and is therefore right up my street! Without further ado, here's the cover:

Qualify by Vera Nazarian 

(The Atlantis Grail #1)
Publication date: May 25th 2014
Genres: Dystopia, Science Fiction, Young Adult

Synopsis:

The year is 2047. An extinction-level asteroid is hurtling toward earth, and the descendants of ancient Atlantis have returned from the stars in their silver ships to offer humanity help.

But there’s a catch.

They can only take a tiny percent of the Earth’s population back to the colony planet Atlantis. And in order to be chosen, you must be a teen, you must be bright, talented, and athletic, and you must Qualify.

Sixteen-year-old Gwenevere Lark is determined not only to Qualify but to rescue her entire family.

Because there’s a loophole.

If you are good enough to Qualify, you are eligible to compete in the brutal games of the Atlantis Grail, which grants all winners the laurels, high tech luxuries, and full privileges of Atlantis Citizenship. And if you are in the Top Ten, then all your wildest wishes are granted… Such as curing your mother’s cancer.

There is only one problem.

Gwen Lark is known as a klutz and a nerd. While she’s a hotshot in classics, history, science, and languages, the closest she’s come to sports is a backyard pool and a skateboard.

This time she is in over her head, and in for a fight of her life, against impossible odds and world-class competition—including Logan Sangre, the most amazing guy in her class, the one she’s been crushing on, and who doesn't seem to know she exists.

Because every other teen on Earth has the same idea.

You Qualify or you die.


Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21845122-qualify

AUTHOR BIO:

VERA NAZARIAN is a two-time Nebula Award Nominee, award-winning artist, and member of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, a writer and reader with a penchant for moral fables and stories of intense wonder, true love, and intricacy. After many years in Los Angeles, Vera lives in a small town in Vermont, and uses her Armenian sense of humor and her Russian sense of suffering to bake conflicted pirozhki and make art.

Her official author website is www.veranazarian.com

Author links: 

http://www.veranazarian.com/

https://twitter.com/Norilana

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/186145.Vera_Nazarian

Wednesday Wishlist #5

This week the wishlist has been taken over by Norse mythology. It all started with Percy Jackson and his Greek mythology, but then I found out Joanne Harris had released a Norse YA, Runemarks, and I had to read it (it was great). So of course it goes without saying that there is a sequel;

Runelight - Joanne Harris
The second book to the awesome Runemarks. Harris has left a lot open for this book; there are plenty of threads dangling, and although I may have to pick up the first one again before I immerse myself by into that post-Ragnarok world, I have a feeling it won't be too difficult to get back into.

The Gospel of Loki - Joanne Harris
A more adult take on Norse mythology by this bestselling writer, taking on the voice of the trickster God, Loki and giving his account of everything that happened before, during and after the fall of Asgard. This is going to be a great read, because Loki is by far the most interesting and (probably) misunderstood of all the Norse Gods. I mean, have you seen him in the Marvel movies? He's brilliant (thank you Tom Hiddleston for playing him so well).

The Woken Gods - Gwenda Bond
Ok, so this book has more of a mixed mythology, but I'm pretty sure there must be some Norse in there with the mention of Trickster Gods. So all the Gods from ancient mythology have awakened and Kyra (yeah, I know, she has my name!) is right in the middle of it, in Washington D.C. where all the pantheons of the Gods have settled, and where a mysterious society lurks, keeping God-human relations in check. After encountering two trickster Gods and narrowly escaping, Kyra is forced to go on a quest to find a missing Egyptian relic that her father stole, even though she has no idea where it is. Sounds intriguing, but it has a lot of mixed reviews, so I'll have to find out for myself!

Have you read any of these books and what did you think of them?

Top Ten Tuesday #4 - Most Intimidating Books

Top Ten Tuesday is a Meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish where I will be picking from their top tens and attempting to reveal what my thinking is behind these choices.

Top Ten Most Intimidating Books:

The Lord of the Rings - J.R.R Tolkien
Have you seen the size of those books, and the style of the writing? This monster of a book took me three months to read, and even then I may have skim-read parts.

Les Miserables - Victor Hugo
A miserable story about miserable people, lasting over decades and detailing one man's life as he struggles to become a better person. In three parts, and none of them are particularly short.

War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
The most massive book I've ever seen, and the title really puts me off.

Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
Maybe it's the title its-self that is part of the unsettlingness, but this is also a pretty hefty book. It's on my to-read list though, so keep an eye out!

The Glass Books of the Dreameaters - GW Dahlquist
An 800-page steampunk adventure, written in a corresponding victorian style that hurts your head if you read it for too long. Clever too, and therefore oh-so scary to start.

The Luminaries - Eleanor Catton
Unsolved crimes and twisting plots, this book has me written all over it but, again, with its 800-or-so-pages, it won't be the quick reads I'm so used to.

The Iliad - Homer
Greek mythology all wrapped up into one sprawling epic poem. Yes, it will be interesting and it will be full of terms I probably won't understand, and so to tackle it is going to be a massive, but doable, feat.

Richard III - Shakespeare
Let's be honest, since when to plays truly appeal to anyone just wanting to read it for the sake of it? I'd much rather allow people to act it for me than having to read a script. As much as I love learning about history, reading a play-shaped history lesson is my idea of scary. Needless to say, unless this is made into a novel, I won't be trying it. I also have no doubt that I won't understand half of it.

Pillars of the Earth - Ken Follett
An immense read with plenty going on, and in terms of content, I think it will be pretty hard-going. Will it be worth it? I think so.

The Eye of the World - Robert Jordan
With a whopping 14 books, this is a massive series. It also happens to be a series that my boyfriend adores, and I'm terrified of disliking it. So far though, I've loved his recommendations, so fingers crossed for these.. when I eventually take up the challenge, that is.