Hell's Half Acre

My friend has written a YA sci-fi series and the first book has been released! I realized that I've been a bad friend by not talking about it more!!

I Am the Storm is a really great action-packed read. It's part small-team adventure and part thrilling escape!

Tash writes action and tension really well. It's hard to put the book down, because you're pulled into the story as soon as the action kicks off in the first chapter. It follows two perspectives - Sam, who's secretly a little TOO good with technology and who quickly finds himself on the government's radar and locked in a facility, and Serena, who's a junior officer in the rebellion and has been sent to figure out what's got the government in a tizzy.

BUT, before you think that those names give away some sort of romantic subplot - think again! Tash is queer themselves and knows people want more than a predictable cishet shoehorned romance plot. These teens have more important things on their mind! It doesn't mean that they don't love, but Tash's diverse cast, and realistic protagonist priorities, means that who they love isn't the focus of the story, nor predictably answered.

I Am the Storm is just the first book of a series - so the entire plot isn't going to be resolved at the end. But, don't fear! It's still a really satisfying concluding point! But even if you desperately want to find out what happens next - you don't have to wait long! The second book will be released really SOON (I think February? But I can't remember right now for certain, so don't quote me on that. I just know it's REALLY SOON.)

Last week I read Warm Bodies (the novel) by Isaac Marion... and tonight I went out and saw Warm Bodies (the film).

So, under the cut is a critique of the movie based on having read the book. At the bottom of this entry, I'll put a critique of the movie as though I hadn't ever read the book...

Overview of plot (of both novel and film): The story follows R the zombie, as he eats a man's brain and then falls in love with the dead man's ex-girlfriend, Julie - making the strange decision to keep her safe and alive. In the process of trying to form a meaningful connection with Julie, R ends up causing a chain reaction both in himself and the zombies around him...meanwhile, Julie's recovering from the loss of her ex-boyfriend, dealing with a distant tyrannical father who runs the walled-in human survivors, and trying to figure out what the heck is up with this strange zombie that isn't behaving like zombies usually do.

( Book vs. Movie (general non-specific spoilers) )


If you've never read the book....

The movie was really good! Entertaining and actiony. There's very little relationship building scenes between Julie and her father though to make the ending as meaningful as it appears to want to be, but that's really my only quibble. Other than that, it was a fine ZomRomCom, and exactly what I expected (before having read the book). Light-hearted, funny, entertaining, and filled with very good actors.

I also really like how Julie (Teresa Palmer) was betrayed as a hero in her own right. Although she had to be rescued a few times, it was balanced out by the number of times she herself had to come to the rescue of R, or her friends, or an entire community. Not only that, but she runs like a champ... I watched an interview with Nicholas Hoult (R) where he mentioned how she ran fast and it was hard for him to keep up while maintaining his "zombie run" and man, I can totally see that.

Also, fun fact: Nicholas decided that R shouldn't blink, and it's pretty amazing when you actually watch some scenes with that in mind... because he really doesn't blink. It's crazy.

Anyway, all in all, despite not being as deliciously wonderful as the book, I enjoyed the movie for what it was. :)

I would, however, recommend that you read the book - because it is DELICIOUSLY WONDERFUL, like eating someone's brains.

I've started working again. Same job I had before, sadly...which means that I get to research former abuse victims all day. It is both depressing and boring. The only two good things about it is 1)It pays well when it pays, and 2)I can work from home.

Gordon Walker

Yesterday, my sister came home around 3pm and asked if I wanted to watch a movie. So, I blew off work and watched Our Idiot Brother starring Paul Rudd. My sister and I both really like Paul Rudd, just so you know. The movie looked stupid, and it was a little, but it was also hilarious. The ending was especially fantastic.  

And guess who was in the movie?! Gordon Walker! Otherwise known as Sterling K. Brown. He played a parole officer. He was very good...it was funny seeing him in something where he wasn't trying to kill Sam.


Sherlock Holmes

Because my job is boring, I listen to podcasts and audiobooks while I do it. Today, I started listening to A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle....because I had never read it before.* And, also, because I'm super excited about Sherlock series 2 starting on January 1st. It's cool. I've only listened to the first chapter or so, but it's really interesting seeing how it was adapted for the TV series. There's some dialogue that is word for word from the text, while other dialogue is modified, while some is cut completely or new. 

It's cool to see what conversations from the 1800s can be transported to the present day without anyone batting an eye-lash.

I like the TV version of character of Sherlock better than the book so far - he's too arrogant and talkative in the book, which is saying something, because bbc's Sherlock is pretty damn arrogant and talkative as it is. I also like the TV version of John better too...John in the book is a little uptight - though, I suppose that's unfair, given that he is a Victorian gentleman. Again, I've only read the first bit of the story, so this could change - but so far John lacks that undercurrent of hardened soldier that Martin Freeman pulls off so brilliantly in the show. I REALLY like that dynamic to John. In the book (so far), he's all doctor-y, and "of all the unmitigated gall!"

*I'm supposed to be reading another book-book called Beatrice and Virgil for a bookclub thing, but I haven't even started it yet. I'm also supposed to be reading a book that a friend of mine just wrote and published, but I have only read until Chapter 4 and that was a week ago. I am a bad book reader, because I get distracted by books.

Sam's Plaid Shirts

I was doing up some pie charts of Sam's shirts, but I've run into a little methodology quandary...so, you might not see them for a day or so until I sort it out. Basically, I was trying to do charts by season of Sam's frequency of plaid...but the problem is how to count. I was counting how many plaid shirts he wore vs other types of shirts - but then it occurred to me that the way I was counting, if he wore plaid shirt A 3 times, and striped shirt B once, it would both count as once - because I simply didn't record how OFTEN Sam wears his shirts. I just counted whether they appeared in the season or not. 

So, my first option would be to count how often he wears each shirt - but my god, that would be too tedious even for me....and it would take far too long. So, now I'm thinking that I'll just count the shirts that he BUYS each season. So, it'll be a measure of "What sorts of shirts does Sam purchase most frequently?" Does that sound good?

You probably don't care.

Anyway..um, yeah, that's it for me.

Last night I finished the book Come Thou, Tortoise by Jessica Grant.

My mother had given it to me for my birthday, and I highly recommend it! I'm not sure how my mum was able to basically pick out the perfect book for me (without presumably reading it first) - but she did. It starts off a little slow, but, when it picks up, it is well worth it. It is a cleverly disguised book, because you think it's just a bit of light reading, and then when you find yourself at the end, you want to go back and read from the beginning... and you can, because the whole book will be new again.

It is also set in Newfoundland, which I miss a great deal. Also, there is a Lada in it that has to be jump started by pushing it down the road and popping the clutch. (I spent a good portion of my life pushing a Lada down the road.)

Also, a TORTOISE! One of my FAVOURITE animals!  I love turtles/tortoises so much, I got one tattooed on myself for safe keeping. Also, also...the tortoise reads Shakespeare! WHY DO I NOT HAVE A SHAKESPEARE READING TORTOISE?! "I find Shakespeare's use of exponents curious."

When I put down this book, I really felt like Jessica Grant wrote it just for me. It was THAT lovely.

But what's it about? Well, like all good stories, it's just a book about love, home, and how sometimes how something is all depends on how you look at it.

Thanks Mum! (She reads everything I post here except episode reviews, fanfiction, and flocked posts)