Thursday 21 February 2013

Review: SHAKESPEARE'S TROLLOP

Shakespeare's Trollop by Charlaine Harris
Book 4 of the Lily Bard mysteries
Narrated by Julia Gibson
Genre: murder mystery
Format: hardback omnibus & audiobook

About Shakespeare's Trollop:
The Barnes & Noble Review
Welcome back to Shakespeare, a charming little place in rural Arkansas filled with eccentric characters, small-town secrets, and captivating criminal conundrums. For more than four years now, Lily Bard has made her home in Shakespeare, cleaning houses for a living and honing her fighting skills at the local karate dojo. It hasn't been easy for Lily to put her tragic past behind her, but after years of prickly isolation she's finally beginning to build some real relationships. She has a lover she adores and friends who are more than sparring partners.

Then one day, while walking down an unmarked road, an unexpected flash of bright red catches her eye, and Lily immediately senses that something is very wrong. Her worst fears come to pass when the flash of red turns out to be a car holding the naked remains of Deedra Dean, one of Lily's cleaning clients and a lifelong Shakespeare resident with a well-earned reputation for cheerful amateur promiscuity.
Source: Info in the About Shakespeare's Christmas was taken from GoodReads at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32513.Shakespeare_s_Christmas 14/05/2012.

Narrative Evaluation:
This being Book 4 in a series, I have said most of what I can say about this book in my reviews of the first three books. The same small town murder. And it is now starting to feel like same old, same old... The main saving grace of this book is Charlaine Harris' masterful story telling ability. So if you have become addicted to her books, this book is a good dose to feed your addiction. Elsewise, there is naught much different. So, what can I say about this book.... As soon as I read the title, I just knew that Deedra would play a prominent part in this book, and I was not wrong. Having said that, this book is not predictable though. The plot throws a loop which is a nice surprise! Another thing about this series is that, good thing that Charlaine Harris is such a good story teller, otherwise her books would never sell. What, with the cover arts quite dull-looking, would never trigger my book buying radar if I was browsing the book shelves in a bookshop. I think Ms. Harris really got shanked in the cover art department. And then, I thought I would get used to the narrator by now, this being Book 4 and many, many listening hours later. And I kind of did. However, Julia Gibson still sounds boring and monotonous to my ears though...

Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 5
Character development = 4
Story itself = 4
Ending = 4
World building = 4.5
Cover art = 1.5
Pace (audiobook) = N/A (approximately 7 hours of listening time)
Narrator = 2

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 cherries


Thank you to the RCT Library for letting me borrow this book!!

FTC Disclosure:
This audiobook was borrowed from the library. The hardback omnibus was purchased with private funds. No money received for this review.

Wednesday 20 February 2013

WW28: SHADOW WALKER

WW28 book offering: Shadow Walker by Allyson James

I dragged Maya down to the cafeteria and told her to explain what the hell she was talking about.

Our main protagonist is not only kick ass but nosey as hell...

About Shadow Walker:
Stormwalker Janet Begay returns home only to have the ground collapse beneath her - literally. After tumbling two hundred feet underground, Janet is rescued by her dragon boyfriend, Mick. But something dark touches Mick while in the sinkhole, and Janet might lose him forever unless she recruites the most unlikely of allies to stop the growing shadow.
Source: Info in the About Shadow Walker was taken from GoodReads at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9670016-shadow-walker on 19/12/12.

WW28
A chance to showcase your favourite!
  • First you grab our Wicked Wednesday pic.
  • Then you grab a book. Turn to page 28. Take the first sentence. And then you post it in your site with a link back to WW28.
  • Come back to Cherry Mischievous - WW28 and give us the url of your post (in a comment at a WW28 post) so that other WW28 readers can find your WW28 offering.

Saturday 16 February 2013

Review: BONES (Season 1) TV Series

BONES
Season 1
Starring Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz as the main protagonists. Created by Hart Hanson. A Fox TV channel series.
Genre: crime fiction
Format: DVD box set

About Bones:
Bones is an American crime comedy-drama television series that premiered on the Fox network in the United States on September 13, 2005. The show is based on forensic anthropology and forensic archaeology, with each episode focusing on an FBI case file concerning the mystery behind human remains brought by FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz) to the forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan (Emily Deschanel). The rest of the main cast includes Michaela Conlin, T. J. Thyne, Eric Millegan, Tamara Taylor, Jonathan Adams, and John Francis Daley.

Created by Hart Hanson, the series is very loosely based on the life and writings of novelist and forensic anthropologist Kathy Reichs, who also produces the show. Its title character, Temperance Brennan, is named after the protagonist of Reichs' crime novel series. Conversely, Dr. Brennan writes successful mystery novels based around a fictional (in the Bones universe) forensic anthropologist named Kathy Reichs. Bones is a joint production by Josephson Entertainment, Far Field Productions and 20th Century Fox Television.

The series is currently airing its eighth season and has been renewed for a ninth season.
Source: Info in the About Bones was taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bones_%28TV_series%29 on 28/01/2013.

Show Trailer:

Show Links:
Official site
Bones TV series at Wikipedia
imdb
Bones on sky (UK)

My Thoughts:
The Season ended in a cliffhanger, of course, which is always a bummer for me. And sometimes it is quite obvious that they recycle their "dead body/bones" prop because the body/bones of a victim in one crime looked really the same to few other crimes in previous episodes, down to the cobwebby skin. Which brought the suspension of disbelief half a notch down in the rating scale. However it still does not detract me from being a fan of this show. Now why is that?? I am an urban fantasy geek, so to make me a fan of a crime fiction show it gotta have a little extra not only to reel my interest in but to keep it as well and this show obviously has that in spades! That something is obviously not in Sanctuary, Warehouse 13, Being Human and Falling Skies that these shows cannot reel me in, an urban fantasy geek. That their dvd box sets lay unfinished and I could barely get through the first season of these shows while I crave a crime fiction show?!? My urban fantasy self is just cringing! *sigh* You know, I also find it really ironic that for an urban fantasy girl, that I was never a fan of David Boreanaz as Angel but now I am as Special Agent Seeley Booth! I mean, that is just twisted man! On top of that, I don't even like the way Temperance "Bones" Brennan treated her brother! He did not choose thier parents for them now, did he? So why is he to blame for everything?! But Bones did redeem herself at the end of the season by apologizing in her own way. Plus Hodgins can be such an asshole. But then again I like the way he has to grovel and apologize to Angela afterwards. Perhaps that is one of the attraction of this show, that the characters are flawed just like the rest of us but endearing anyway. And I do like the romantic angle that this show seems to be veering towards. I like seeing the development of the relationship that they did not pursue to start off with but happens anyway. I know, me and my romantic heart!

Fans of the In Death series by JD Robb will like this show.

Empirical Evaluation:
Cinematography = 4.5
Script/Story Itself = 4
World building = 4.5
Attention To Detail = 3.5
Plot = 4
Acting = 5

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 cherries

Friday 8 February 2013

Romance Is In The Air International Giveaway

Romance Is In The Air Giveaway Hop: Win: $15 Amazon.com GC
Runs from the 8th to the 14th of February, 2013. Hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and Rachael Anderson.

Winner can use this amazon GC to buy herself/himself that romantic book or romance related purchase from amazon in accordance to the romance theme of this hop.

CymLowellI won this $15 GC (gift certificate) from Cym Lowell but I am from the UK. The GC therefore is not viably useful to me due to expensive mailing costs. The GC therefore would only pay for the shipping costs, nevermind the book. In view of this limitation, I am passing on this GC to a US amazon user to make the GC usable to the winner. Ends on February 14. Winner will be announced soon thereafter. Winner will also be sent an email notification in which winner has to reply within 72 hours to claim the prize or another winner will be picked. Fill in the rafflecopter below to enter. If rafflecopter does not load in your browser, leave your email address in the comment section and that will include you in the draw, however, you will not be able to take advantage of the optional entries offered in the rafflecopter. More entries means more chances of winning.
a Rafflecopter giveaway If you can't see the rafflecopter form, try going HERE.

Addition: Non-US are welcome so long as they understand the limitations of the GC, i.e., can only be used at amazon.com which would probably charge an arm and a leg for postage outside the US.

Monday 4 February 2013

Review: HAVEN Season 2 TV Series

HAVEN
Season 2
Starring Emily Rose, Lucas Bryant, and Eric Balfour. Directed by T.W. Peacocke. A SyFy TV channel series.
Genre: urban fantasy
Format: DVD box set

About HAVEN TV Series:
Syfy's one-hour drama series Haven, starring Emily Rose (Jericho, Brothers and Sisters) is based on the novella The Colorado Kid from renowned author Stephen King. The series follows the shrewd and confident FBI agent Audrey Parker (Rose) as she arrives in the small town of Haven, Maine on a routine case. Before long, her natural curiosity lands her in the epicenter of activity in this curious enclave, which turns out to be a longtime refuge for people that are affected by a range of supernatural afflictions. The truth about Audrey's mysterious past (which she can't fully remember) starts to come out as well.

As the townspeople's dormant abilities begin to express themselves, Audrey helps keep these forces at bay while discovering the many secrets of Haven — including one surrounding her own surprising connections to this extraordinary place.

The impressive creative team behind Haven includes showrunner Scott Shepherd (Tru Calling, The Dead Zone) who is joined by E1 Entertainment's John Morayniss (Hung, Copper) Noreen Halpern (Hung, Copper), Laszlo Barna (The Bridge) and Michael Rosenberg (Hung, The Riches) as well as his partners, Executive Producers Lloyd Segan and Shawn Piller (The Dead Zone, Wildfire, Greek). The pilot was written by Sam Ernst (The Dead Zone) and Jim Dunn (The Dead Zone) who will also serve as executive producers on the series.
Source: Info in the About HAVEN TV Series was taken from http://www.syfy.com/haven/about on 16/01/2013.

Show Trailer:

Show Links:
Official site
Haven TV series at Wikipedia
imdb

My Thoughts:
Somewhere between the ending of Season 1 and the waiting for the dvd box set of Season 2 turned me into a die-hard fan of this series. And most of the episodes in Season 2 did live up to my expectations. What baffled me is episode 12. It ended in a big, whoopping cliffhanger yet episode 13 did not continue from episode 12. Instead episode 13 was a self-contained show which has it's own plot and involves a totally different problem (WTF!) and it wasn't a cliffhanger.. Only episode 12 was left hanging... It totally confused me! However I really like the way the show is veering towards a romantic angle between Audrey and Nathan. Go Team Nathan!! Another thing I appreciate about this show is that the acting is good! It reminds me that it is so not Sanctuary. Or maybe watching the bad acting in Sanctuary made me more appreciative of the good acting skills in this show. Either way, I love the actors in this series. By the way, Lucas Bryant is pinging my gaydar, does anybody know if he is gay or not?... Anyway, another thing positive about this show is the cinematography, it really looks professional on the screen! It brought the supernatural world of Haven to life. Beautiful!! If not for that episode 12, Season 2 would have garnered a 5 out of 5 rating...

And of course I just gotta share with you my favourite scenes, because somebody's... sappy, sappy, sappy...

Empirical Evaluation:
Cinematography = 4.5
Script/Story Itself = 4
Season Finale = 3
World building = 5
Attention To Detail = 4
Plot = 4
Acting = 4.5

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 cherries

Friday 1 February 2013

Book-To-Movies this February 2013

Great Movies To Look Forward To this Month:
WARM BODIES (2013) movie trailer:

About Warm Bodies (2013):
Warm Bodies is a 2013 American romantic zombie comedy film based on Isaac Marion's popular novel of the same name. Directed and written by Jonathan Levine, the film stars Nicholas Hoult and Teresa Palmer. This film focuses on the development of the relationship between Julie (a teenage girl) and R (a zombie) and how their romance sets in motion a sequence of events that might transform the entire lifeless world.
Source: Info in the About Warm Bodies (2013) was taken from http://bit.ly/OMVilB on 26/11/2012.

Starring Nicholas Hoult and Teresa Palmer. Directed by Jonathan Levine. Produced by Summit Entertainment.

Movie Link(s):
Official Site
imdb

Movie Release Date: 8 February 2013 (UK)

The book from which the movie was adopted from:

Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion
Book 1 of Warm Bodies series
Genre: urban fantasy | YA

About Warm Bodies:
A zombie who yearns for a better life ends up falling in love — with a human — in this astonishingly original debut novel.

R is a zombie. He has no memories, no identity, and no pulse, but he has dreams. He doesn’t enjoy killing people; he enjoys riding escalators and listening to Frank Sinatra. He is a little different from his fellow Dead.

Not just another zombie novel, Warm Bodies is funny, scary, and deeply moving.
Source: Info in the About Warm Bodies was taken from http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7619057-warm-bodies on 26/11/2012.

BEAUTIFUL CREATURES (2013) movie trailer:

About Beautiful Creatures (2013):
Ethan longs to escape his small Southern town. He meets a mysterious new girl, Lena. Together, they uncover dark secrets about their respective families, their history and their town.
Source: Info in the About Beautiful Creatures (2013) was taken from http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1559547 on 19/11/2012.

Starring Jeremy Irons, Alice Englert, Alden Ehrenreich, and Thomas Mann. Directed by Richard LaGravenese. Produced by Alcon Entertainment and Warner Bros. Entertainment.

Movie Link(s):
www.facebook.com/BeautifulCreaturesMovie
@RavenwoodManor
beautifulcreaturesmovie.tumblr.com
google+
imdb

Movie Release Date: 13 February 2013

The book from which the movie was adopted from:

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Book 1 of Caster Chronicles series
Genre: urban fantasy | YA

About Beautiful Creatures:
There were no surprises in Gatlin County.
We were pretty much the epicenter of the middle of nowhere.
At least, that's what I thought.
Turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong.
There was a curse.
There was a girl.
And in the end, there was a grave.


Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.
Source: Info in the About Beautiful Creatures was taken from http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6304335-beautiful-creatures on 19/11/2012.