Wednesday, July 31, 2019

The Girl In Red

The Girl in Red

The Girl In Red came highly recommended to me and after finishing it I can see why. Such a powerful story packed into less than three hundred pages. I found this compulsively readable and devoured it in just a few sittings. It tells the tale of Red, the only survivor of her family after a Crisis has decimated the population and made the world a post apocalyptic nightmare. I of course am a fan of such stories, but looking at this book I would not have guessed it to be a post apocalyptic tale, so I'm glad several people told me to read this.

Red is alone and on her way to grandmother's house- and that's about all we get from a Little Red Riding Hood reimagining. The wicked wolf of course could be any number of things- the pandemic Cough that has claimed so many lives, the bands of lawless men ravaging the countryside, the military that is determined to round people up and send them to quarantine camps. Red has no intention of going to a camp, and I love how she questioned the wisdom of keeping an illness at bay by jamming people together. Funny that not more people questioned it. But, is it possible that there are other reasons for the military's actions? 

Red is also disabled- she has a prosthetic leg- but she doesn't consider herself disabled at all, and in fact is quite capable for her young age. She lost her family at the outset of her quest to get to get where she's going, and she's not going to let anyone stop her. I've read reviews where some people loved Red, and some people didn't care for her- for me, I thought she was intensely likable, and I could relate to her mindset about being prepared. She readily admits that her survival skills, such as they are, are mainly culled from the books and movies she's consumed, and who can't relate to being disgusted with characters who do all the wrong things in an apocalypse? Such as Never Split Up- why on earth would you ever do that? Red would like to know that too, and I smiled at all the times she recounted her informal rules of survival (in capital letters).  

The truth is Red is no superhero, she's just a twenty year old girl trying to make it though a savage land where the rules have all gone away. I really like how Henry makes us think about all the things we take for granted- the background hum of electricity that we only miss when the power goes out, or the noise of cars on a nearby street or the airplanes overhead. No Internet, no broadcasts... everything stops. And without civilization to keep people in check, society soon breaks down. It's a terrifying thought, and I thought Henry did a great job of bringing it to life. 

There's a touch of science fiction/ horror that also appears, and I loved it personally. This was such a fast paced read for me- it's divided between before and after her current situation, where she's on the road after having recently lot her brother. As the book progressed I got a little worried that there wasn't going to be enough time to resolve everything- there seemed to be too many questions I had and the pages were dwindling- but the author pulled it out and all my questions were answered just in time. Well done, and I loved the ending. 

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Dinotopia - Tree Town

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This is my first look at some of the iconic locations from Dinotopia. I'm going to focus on the original book first, but I can always look at some of the other books as well. For those unfamiliar with the book, Dinotopia is an island lost in time- discovered by a Victorian era explorer and his son by accident Over the course of time the Denisons range all over the vast island, encountering various cultures and terrain. And of course... dinosaurs. 

The thing is- the dinosaurs here are intelligent. Having developed into a species capable of using tools, they have allied with humans who have been shipwrecked on the island and have built a stable society together. The hallmarks of which are clean, orderly cities and productive settlements. And peace- other than the occasional rogue dino, cooperation and coexistence is the norm. This alone makes this a wonderful fantasy for young and young at heart alike. 

Since I enjoy some of the locations featured here, I thought I'd provide a closer look at some favorites. This time I'm looking at Tree Town, a settlement in the north of Dinotopia. Tree Town is an idyllic place, set within a great oak forest near Deep Lake. Brachiosaurus families stop by for treats and life is peaceful here.  


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I could totally get into Tree Town, I think. It looks homey and everyone chips in to keep the place up- it would require a lot of work, I imagine- but the thought of swinging high above the ground, feeding the dinosaurs, and enjoying the camaraderie with the other tree dwellers sounds great. At least for a while? Maybe like the Denisons from the book, I would wander all over the island for a time, getting a sense for what life is like in each place before settling down in, say, Waterfall City or somewhere. 

There are other settlements nearby and I think this would be a great area to explore, with the forest all around and the great plains to the north. Imagine living amongst the trees, eating together in the communal eating area, bonfires at night before climbing into your sleeping basket. I mean sure, there's be bugs and storms might be a problem, not to mention cold weather and maybe a little too much togetherness- but let's focus on the positives, right? At any rate- it would be an awesome place to visit.  

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Monday, July 29, 2019

Tuesday Tagline #151

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A tropical night...
A pleasure boat... 
A rendezvouse with Death 





  
 Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. Each week a new Top Ten list will be posted. Everyone is welcome to join. Link back so everyone can check out other bloggers' lists. It's a fun way to get to know fellow bloggers.

This week is Top Ten Freebie! So many choices... which way to go? I decided to go with shows I'm binging right now- or shows that I have binged and need someone else to binge, so I can talk about it, or just shows that I want to try. You know, eventually.    

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Black Spot is my fave show right now. Eerie and mysterious, set in a town in France where bad things happen, and there's something in the woods...


Travelers of course is a fave of mine. And even though they canceled it, there are two seasons of goodness to enjoy! 

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Another Life just came out and I've watched two episodes of it so far. It's pretty good. Katee Sackhoff keeps it grounded, I think? 

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Stranger Things! I had some issues with season three but this show is still awesome. 

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The 100! No list would be complete without it. 

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Black Summer is a trip! A very fast moving zombie show- these zombies don't shuffle, they run after your ass! - and it's short too. Everything The Walking Dead isn't these days. 


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The Society I was surprised how good this show was. 


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Big Little Lies I'm still in the middle of this one but love this show. 


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Riverdale Yes, I know this show has gone OFF the rails, but I still consider it a guilty pleasure. Even though I still haven't finished season three yet! I really thought this show had potential in season one, and seasons two and three kinda lost me, but I still watch? Why do I do it???  

Sunday, July 28, 2019

Song Lyrics #9 - Bad Romance


This week I'm looking at Bad Romance by Lady Gaga. This song has such an amazing beat and the video is pretty awesome too. The lyrics aren't really anything special, but I did get some interesting insights into what she was going for when I wiki'd it.   

So what do you think?   



Lyrics

Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh! Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh!
Caught in a bad romance 
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh! Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh!
Caught in a bad romance 

Rah rah ah-ah-ah!
Ro ma ro ma ma
Gaga oh la la!
Want your bad romance 

Rah rah ah-ah-ah!
Ro ma ro ma ma 
Gaga ooh la la
Want your bad romance 

I want your ugly
I want your disease 
I want your everything
As long as it's free 
I want your love 
Love love love 
I want your love 

I want your drama
The touch of your hand 
I want your leather studded kiss in the sand 
I want your love 
Love love love I want your love Love love love I want your love 

You know that I want you
And you know that I need you 
I want it bad 
Your bad romance 

I want your love and 
I want your revenge 
You and me could write a bad romance
Oh oh oh oh oh
I want your love and 
All your lovers revenge
You and me could write a bad romance 

Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh! Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh!
Caught in a bad romance 

Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh! Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh!
Caught in a bad romance. 

Rah rah ah ah ah!
Ro mah ro mah mah
Gaga ooh la la
Want your bad romance 

I want your horror
I want your design 
Cause you're a criminal
As long as you're mine
I want your love 
Love love love 
I want your love

I want your psycho, your vertigo shtick
Want you in my rear window 
Baby you're sick, I want your love
Love love love I want your love Love love love I want your love 

You know that I want you 
And you know that I need you 
I want it bad, bad romance 

I want your love and 
I want your revenge 
You and me could write a bad romance 
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh!
I want your love and 
All your lovers revenge 
You and me could write a bad romance 

Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh! Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh!
Caught in a bad romance 

Rah rah ah ah ah
Ro mah ro mah mah
Gaga oh la la
Want your bad romance 

Walk walk fashion baby work it move that bitch crazy
Walk walk fashion baby work it move that bitch crazy
Walk walk fashion baby work it move that bitch crazy
Walk walk passion baby work it I'm a free bitch baby 

I want your love 
And I want your revenge 
I want your love 
I don't wanna be friends 

I don't wanna be friends, I don't wanna be friends 
I don't wanna be friends, I don't wanna be friends
Want your bad romance caught in a bad romance Want your bad romance 

I want your love and 
I want your revenge
You and me could write a bad romance
Oh-oh-oh-oh-ooh!
I want your love 
All your lovers revenge 
You and me could write a bad romance 

Oh-oh-oh-oh-ooh! Want your bad romance 
Caught in a bad romance 
Want your bad romance 
Oh-oh-oh-oh-ooh! Want your bad romance 
Caught in a bad romance 

Rah rah ah ah ah
Ro mah ro mah mah
Gaga ooh la la
Want your bad romance 

Friday, July 26, 2019

Sunday Post #308


The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer
Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews
It's Monday! What Are You Reading is hosted by Book Date 
  
I have to apologize to some of my readers for last weeks Sunday Post, I'm afraid. I posted some pulp covers, including the one below, and at least one commenter mentioned that they looked for the book. Which, given the title, I completely understand? I mean, who wouldn't want a copy of that gem? Just saying... 

In other news I finished Black Spot and there is a hole in my life now. Seriously- I love that show. So eerie and mysterious. I think it's one of my fave shows. I hope more people watch it so I can talk spoilers. Otherwise, the only other news is that we had a microburst (I'd never heard of that) blow through- I was up reading at about 2 am and heard a whooshing sound- I thought for a minute of a tornado. The cats were staring at the skylights. Then we just got a super intense storm- but the next day I found out at least one house had their roof ripped off.     
  
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Oh, remember the deer on the beach from a few weeks ago? It appeared again, this time to crash a proposal! You can see the story here 



The Girl in RedThe Christmas Card Crime and Other StoriesIn the Woods

Song of the week 


PULP COVER OF THE WEEK: 

I Dive for Treasure... and tentacles it seems

NEW ARRIVAL/ UPCOMING REVIEWS:

Someone We Know

BOOKISH LINKS