Friday Finds

What great books did you hear about / discover this past week? Share with us your FRIDAY FINDS!

By following links to blogs taking part in various memes, I’ve heard about so many great books it would be impossible to list them all. I’m also a regular visitor to our local library and am always eagerly awaiting newly published books by my favourite authors. However, here are the ones that really stood out for me this week and for which I’ll be looking out on future book acquisition expeditions:

• Theodora Goss – The Thorn and the Blossom
• Adam Christopher – Empire State
• Nancy Bilyeau – The Crown
• Mette Ivie Hrrison – Mira, Mirror
• Barry Unsworth – The Quality of Mercy
• Paula Brackston – The Witch’s Daughter

They’ve all gone onto my wish list!

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A problem with commenting on other blogs…

I take part in a handful of book-related memes and part of the fun in that is visiting the other participating blogs, reading what is there, and leaving a friendly comment behind me. Unfortunately, of late, I’ve found I have a problem with many of the blogs hosted on Blogger.

The problem occurs when I try to leave a comment and am asked to enter a Captcha code. I enter the combination of letters and numbers as shown, but no matter how careful and precise I am, it tells me I have entered them incorrectly and then offers me a different combination. I then try again and get the same result. This means I cannot leave comments on these blogs, which saddens me because on many occasions these have been the blog posts on which I’ve most wanted to comment.

I have no idea why this problem has suddenly cropped up. It never used to happen – it’s only been over the course of the last week or so – but as approximately half the blogs that take part in these memes are Blogger blogs, and approximately two-thirds of these ask me for a Captcha code which then tells me I’m incorrectly entering the information, it means there are quite a lot of posts where I’ve been unable to comment.

So this is my open apology to the owners of these blogs – I desperately wanted to leave a comment on your excellent blog post, but I was unable.

I shall continue trying to find a solution to this problem, but at present I do not know what it is.

Has anyone else had this problem? Does anyone know the solution? If so, I’d love it if you would divulge the answer in the comments below!

ETA: I use OpenID when leaving comments on Blogger blogs, as I do not have a Google address. I mention this because several of the suggestions made in the comments are regarding using that…

It’s also happening on some Blogger blogs that DON’T use Captcha codes. I use the drop down menu provided on the “Comment as” bit and then hit “post” but it doesn’t do anything, even on blogs where I have regularly commented in the past. Sunny, yours is one of the blogs where this happens, so please don’t think I’m ignoring your blog – I’m not, I just can’t comment.

Booking Through Thursday – Writing Or Riveting?

Hosted by Booking Through Thursday

What’s more important: Good writing? Or a good story?
(Of course, a book should have BOTH, but…)

Of course, a really good book has both, but if I had to sacrifice one for the other, I’d take average writing with an exciting and absorbing plot over an exquisitely written slice of dullsville.

I’ve enjoyed many competently written books where the riveting story has rattled along and kept me on the edge of my seat, but no matter how beautiful the writing is, if there is little to know plot, or if there’s a good plot but drawn out in such a way as to make it drag, then I’m afraid I’m not going to finish it, and it becomes a waste of my time and money.

Of course I’d prefer a winning combination of both elements, what reader in their right mind wouldn’t? But given the choise of only one, that’s my answer.

Movie Review – Never Let Me Go (2010)

Film: Never Let Me Go
Released: 2010
Director: Mark Romanek
Stars: Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield, Keira Knightley

Synopsis:
As children, Ruth, Kathy and Tommy, spend their childhood at a seemingly idyllic English boarding school. As they grow into young adults, they find that they have to come to terms with the strength of the love they feel for each other, while preparing themselves for the haunting reality that awaits them.

What I thought of it:
Based on the novel of the same name by Kazuo Ishiguro, this film retains everything that made the book so hauntingly poignant, so infused with sadness, and so incredibly real. The performances by the three leads are all superb. Having never been a fan of Keira Knightly, I can honestly say I hope she chooses to work on more films of this ilk and explore characters with more depth than she previously has with such fare as the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, as her strengths lie here. However, the real shining stars here are Carey Mulligan and Andrew Garfield (the new Spider-Man, no less!) who run the gauntlet of emotions throughout, portraying the characters of Cathy and Tommy with such natural ability that it is hard to believe one is watching a film rather than their real lives unfolding.

If you watch this film, you will cry. Your heart will break for the children of Hailsham and the young adults they become who do not have a real chance to live, but it is worth it, I swear it is worth watching and aching for them. In the end, it is a beautiful piece of film-making that makes the very best of its stars and the source material, and it should have won many more awards than it did. It is incredibly thought provoking and will stay with you long after the final credits have finished rolling.

Rating:

WWW Wednesday

WWW Wednesdays are hosted by MizB over at Should Be Reading.To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

* What are you currently reading?
* What did you recently finish reading?
* What do you think you’ll read next?

Movie Review – The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2011)

Film: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Released: 2011
Director: David Fincher
Stars: Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, Christopher Plummer, Stellan Skarsgard, Robin Wright, Joely Richardson, Steven Berkoff, Julian Sands

Synopsis:
This English-language adaptation of the Swedish novel by Stieg Larsson follows a disgraced journalist, Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig), as he investigates the disappearance of a wealthy patriarch’s niece from 40 years ago. He is aided by the pierced, tattooed, punk computer hacker named Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara). As they work together in the investigation, Blomkvist and Salander uncover immense corruption beyond anything they have ever imagined.

What I thought of it:
For once, I actually found the remake better than the original! (For the record, I watch and enjoy foreign language films on a semi-regular basis, so it wasn’t because it was a foreign film I disliked the original). This is far more cohesive and easier to follow, dwelling on things long enough so that their significance is established without overstaying their welcome and dragging things out. From the opening sequence (which is very Bond-esque in style, with women covered in dripping ink) this is a polished production which is more intense and watchable than its predecessor. The only problem I had was with the performance of the lead, Daniel Craig – every other cast member had a Swedish accent throughout, but he didn’t bother even trying, which I thought was a poor show and indicative of his limited ability. However, that’s my only quibble and I hope they will remake the other two films in the Millennium trilogy as I will certainly watch them.

My hubby’s review HERE.

Rating:

Movie Review – The Ghost Writer (2010)

Film: The Ghost Writer
Released: 2010
Director: Roman Polanski
Stars: Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, Olivia Williams, Kim Catrall

Synopsis:
An unremarkable ghost-writer has landed a lucrative contract to redact the memoirs of Adam Lang, the former UK Prime Minister. After dominating British politics for years, Lang has retired with his wife to the USA. He lives on an island, in luxurious, isolated premises complete with a security detail and a secretarial staff. Soon, Adam Lang gets embroiled in a major scandal with international ramifications that reveals how far he was ready to go in order to nurture UK’s “special relationship” with the USA. But before this controversy has started, before even he has closed the deal with the publisher, the ghost-writer gets unmistakable signs that the turgid draft he is tasked to put into shape inexplicably constitutes highly sensitive material.

What I thought of it:
I saw the trailer to this some time ago and thought it looked a fairly decent political thriller, despite my not being a fan of Ewan McGregor (I find him very average at best). What we actually got was a fairly predictable, if slightly garbled, pseudo-political thriller with a thin plot and sub-par performances. In fact, the best performance came from Kim Catrall, who we are so used to hearing with an American drawl that it was a surprise to find her upper class English accent was far better than Ewan McGregor’s average-Joe English (she was actually born in Liverpool and spent several years in her youth in the UK). Brosnan just seemed bored and appeared to be going through the motions for the paycheck, and Olivia Williams, playing the wife of the ex-prime minister, was blandly cold. We were also left with an unsatisfactorily unfinished end that felt like the production team simply ran out of time before they could wrap everything up neatly.

My hubby’s review HERE.

Rating:

Movie Review – Immortals (2011)

Film: Immortals
Released: 2011
Director: Tarsem Singh
Stars: Henry Cavill, Mickey Rourke, John Hurt, Stephen Dorff

Synopsis:
Eons after the Gods won their mythic struggle against the Titans, a new evil threatens the land. Mad with power, King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke) has declared war against humanity. Amassing a bloodthirsty army of soldiers disfigured by his own hand, Hyperion has scorched Greece in search of the legendary Epirus Bow, a weapon of unimaginable power forged in the heavens by Ares. Only he who possesses this bow can unleash the Titans, who have been imprisoned deep within the walls of Mount Tartaros since the dawn of time and thirst for revenge. In the king’s hands, the bow would rain destruction upon mankind and annihilate the Gods. But ancient law dictates the Gods must not intervene in man’s conflict. They remain powerless to stop Hyperion…until a peasant named Theseus (Henry Cavill) comes forth as their only hope. Secretly chosen by Zeus, Theseus must save his people from Hyperion and his hordes. Rallying a band of fellow outsiders-including visionary priestess Phaedra (Freida Pinto) and cunning slave Stavros (Stephen Dorff)-one hero will lead the uprising, or watch his homeland fall into ruin and his Gods vanish into legend.

What I thought of it:
The best way I can think to sum this up is that it’s like a cross between 300 and Troy, unfortunately there’s not much there to hold interest while watching. Yes, we have the class act that is John Hurt to add gravitas, newly lauded Rourke to kick butt, and Cavill’s rather lovely bared chest to act as eye candy (so sue me – he’s gorgeous and I liked him from the first moment I saw him in The Tudors), all wrapped up in Greek mythology. It should have been great. It should have been better than great – it should have been freakin’ awesome, and that’s what the trailers all seemed to promise. Unfortunately, the film itself fails to live up to that promise on an epic scale. A wafer-thin plot and minimal writing cannot be overcome even by the greatest acting, superb action sequences, or Henry Cavill’s particularly ogle-worthy chest.

My hubby’s review HERE.

Rating:

Movie Review – Anonymous (2011)

Film: Anonymous
Released: 2011
Director: Roland Emmerich
Stars: Rhys Ifans, David Thewlis, Vaness Redgrave, Joely Richardson, Sebastian Armesto, Rafe Spall, Derek Jacobi

Synopsis:
A political thriller advancing the theory that it was in fact Edward De Vere, Earl of Oxford who penned Shakespeare’s plays; set against the backdrop of the succession of Queen Elizabeth I, and the Essex Rebellion against her.

What I thought of it:
I loved that the younger Elizabeth was played by Redgrave’s daughter, Joely Richardson, making the transition between the two very plausible. Spall is also a pretty decent match for the busts and woodcuts we see of The Bard, and his annoying character, although he got on my nerves, fit with the concept that he was a bumbling, illiterate fool incapable of writing the most famous and oft-performed plays in the English language. For me, Rhys Ifans was the undoubted star of the show, closely followed by the superb Thewlis (it was wonderful seeing them perform together in this film!). All the younger versions of characters, where not played by the same actor in the “older” parts, were credible matches and performed well, and of course, Jacobi adds a touch of class to any project.

However, it was a little too long and not as exciting as the trailer would have you believe. It IS beautifully presented and has an all-star cast that gives brilliant performances, but it just falls a little short of hitting the mark.

My hubby’s review HERE.

Rating:

Movie Review – Tinker,Tailor, Soldier, Spy (2011)

Film: Tinker, Tailer, Soldier, Spy
Released: 2011
Director: Tomas Alfredson
Stars: Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, John Hurt, Tom Hardy, John Hurt, Ciarán Hinds, Kathy Burke, Benedict Cumberbatch

Synopsis:
In the early 1970s during the Cold War, the head of British Intelligence, Control, resigns after an operation in Budapest, Hungary goes badly wrong. It transpires that Control believed one of four senior figures in the service was in fact a Russian agent – a mole – and the Hungary operation was an attempt to identify which of them it was. Smiley had been forced into retirement by the departure of Control, but is asked by a senior government figure to investigate a story told to him by a rogue agent, Ricky Tarr, that there was a mole. Smiley considers that the failure of the Hungary operation and the continuing success of Operation Witchcraft (an apparent source of significant Soviet intelligence) confirms this, and takes up the task of finding him. Through the efforts of Peter Guillam, Smiley obtains information that eventually leads him to Jim Prideaux, the agent at the heart of the Hungary fiasco. He is then able to put together the pieces of the puzzle, which lead him to the identity of the mole and the true intent of Operation Witchcraft.

What I thought of it:
I don’t know if it was just that I was very tired, but I found this adaptation of John Le Carre’s famous cold war spy novel incredibly confusing. There’s absolutely no doubt that the cast is superb and they all gave phenomenal perfomances, but the plot seemed ot be all over the place with little coherance. I do, however, plan to watch the old TV series and read the book in the hope that I’ll have that “Aha!” moment where everything clicks into place and I ralise I dozed off during some crucial plot revelation that would have made the whole thing make some kind of sense. As it was, come the end of the film, my immediate thought was, “This is how thick people must feel when they watch CSI,” because I’m so used to being one step ahead with this kind of thing. Perhaps if I watch it again when I am not half asleep, I’ll get more out of it.

I can see there being a few Best Supporting Actor Oscar nominations for performances for this ensemble cast, but it will miss out on the bigger prizes like Best Film and Best Director.

My hubby’s review HERE.

Rating: