Jaz Design

2/5

I’ve read a lot of DuMaurier books and loved them all. This one was somewhat different, and while it had her characteristic twists and turns, I just didn’t enjoy it like I have her other books. Julius is the story of a young boy, working his way from rags to riches, anyone who gets in his way or too close be damned. It’s short, and I felt there just wasn’t much to it. I wouldn’t recommend it, but I’d be interested to hear some differing opinions.

This book brought me back to what I was beginning to like about the series. Mystery, intrigue. This time it was Brennan herself in trouble instead of a friend or family member, and I don’t recall an “I wish this…” moment, which is good, because I for some reason found those annoying. I enjoyed her relationship with [name of dog] and it was interesting to learn more about her husband.

There are a lot of twists and turns, and this one is definitely worth a read if you like the series.

I wrote this way back when the movie came out… oops!

The day before the big move, The Dark Knight was released in the UK. The mister was desperate to see it and so was I to some extent. We headed to the cinema straight from work, and spent two solid hours staring at the big screen.

The hype about the Joker and Ledger’s performance was definitely right – he was great. But so was everyone else (except maybe the woman who played Rachel this time, not that Holmes was much better, but still).
I particularly liked the character of Harvey Dent, and it was interesting to see that element of the plot played out. There were some really funny moments, and some really awesome moments (note: Batmobile), but one thing stood out more than anything – and this isn’t anything against the film, I loved it – it was so freaking depressing! I imagine that’s the point, but for two hours we were bombarded with this deluge of angst, and I felt rather deflated afterwards. A lot of people I’ve spoken to have said the same.

That said, eat loads of sugar to get your happy up, and then go and see it. You must see this film. The adverts are not lying when they tell you that much! 5/5!

I love the Hitchcock version of Rebecca, and whilst it’s not 100% true to the book, I think it does it justice and makes for worthy watching. The BBC edition goes completely the other way and fails miserably. Film and book are completely different media and should be treated as such. The BBC version is basically the book put on screen (not adapted), which makes for long and dreary watching because it simply doesn’t work. The one change they did make was to add in a sexual relationship between Mrs Dewinter and Maxim – which in the book it’s pretty much made clear is nonexistent until they have their big revelation moment. This doesn’t really add anything to the film and detracts from the vein of Mrs Dewinter’s insecurity in the relationship and Maxim’s distance from her.

Its three hours long and definitely one to miss – try the book, it’s so much better. Or if you’re really not a book person, the Hitchcock adaptation.

2/5

My least favourite of her books so far, although I think that was just down to the subject matter really. Biker gang killings aren’t so mysterious as some of her other cases. Again, a family member is involved somehow and she has her usual “I wish I’d seen the signs…” or somesuchthing moment. It was an ok read, but like I say, probably my least favourite of what I’ve seen from Reichs.

4/5

Death Du Jour is the second in the “Bones” series by Kathy Reichs, this book picks up some while after the first book, Deja Dead. Phorensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan is again facing a killer who may be targeting someone close to her. Touching on the issue of “cults”, mass hysteria and ritualistic killing, Death Du Jour is another compelling read.

We begin to learn more about Brennan and her family, her relationship to the people she works with (including the agent who I assume is the series’ “Booth”), and we’re taken on many twists and turns to solve the mystery.

Being able to identify with the characters more and knowing the back story from the first book perhaps made it more enjoyable than the first. While with the first book I was unsure as to if I liked the story being told from Brennan’s perspective, by the time I’d finished this one I understood why it worked so well. It would be quite hard to relate to Brennan and the cases, I feel, if it weren’t given from her perspective. The fear, the calculation, all of it would be less “real” if it were being described by some obscure third person.

The only thing I was unsure of was how plausible the locations of the cult would be in relation to Brennan, but I suppose its fiction, anything can happen

I definitely enjoyed this one more than the first and am looking forward to reading the next book.

3.5/5

Well it’s no secret I love Bones. I thought I’d try the books. Picked this one up as a treat. Found the next one in a charity shop for cheaps. It’s not bad. The titles leave a lot to be desired, but the content is good. I was unsure about the first person stance but it works out alright. The only trouble I have is reading books like this and getting scared that every noise is someone come to kill me like in the book. I have no trouble with spooky films, books are a whole other kettle of fish.

It was a compelling read, kept me involved. It’s not the same as the show, although I guess some of the later ones might be. This is fair enough I guess, since the show is just based on the character in the books, not the books themselves. Worth a read if you like crime fiction

Thus begins my book binge!

Amazon Summary

The meticulously dismembered body of a woman is discovered in the grounds of an abandoned monastery. ‘Too decomposed for standard autopsy. Request antrhopologic expertise.’ Enter Dr Temperance Brennan, Director of Forensic Antrhopology for the province of Quebec, who has been researching recent disappearances in the city. Despite the deep cynicism of Detective Claudel who head the investigation, Brennan is convinced that a serial killer is at work. Her forensic expertise finally convinces Claudel, but only after the body count has risen…Tempe takes matters into her own hands, but her determined probing places those closest to her in mortal danger. Can Tempe make her crucial breakthrough before the killer strikes again?

4/5

I forgot to review this, I read it a week or two ago. It’s been on my bookshelf for about a year. Finally starting to get through them all. There’s a lot I’m really excited about reading, particularly some my uncle got me.

I picked this up in HMV pretty cheap, I think along with The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy: And Other Stories (which I did read at the time). It’s no secret I love Burton’s work (aside from the Batman films), so to read about it was pretty interesting. I love knowing the process, the reasons they did this that and the other, the subtle things (like for instance in Big Fish, how when Edward’s standing in all those daffodils, how they’re real and not CG). If I like a film I’ll buy the DVD that has the director’s commentary (which is why I was pretty pissed that the special edition of Sweeney Todd has no commentary, the featurette makes up for that, sort of, I guess).

That said I think this is obviously a book for people who like his work, who want to know a bit more, why he does this that and the other. Some of it’s pretty funny. The intro by Johnny Depp is good. It was interesting to see why their relationship works so well. There was also a lot of things I didn’t know, that he animated some of the Fox and the Hound for example. I guess I never realised how hard it is to get a film made.

Amazon Summary

Tim Burton is one of the great modern-day visionaries of cinema, a director who has fabricated his own deliciously nightmarish universe in movies as extraordinary as Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands and Mars Attacks! – not to mention his twisted take on the tales of Batman, Sleepy Hollow, and Planet of the Apes. Coinciding with the release of his re-imagining of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with long-time comrade Johnny Depp, this updated and fully illustrated new edition of the definitive Burton interview book casts light on Burton’s Burbank childhood, his early work at Disney, the recurrent themes and stunning designs of his movies, and the creative obsessions that fuel them. One of the best – selling books in the series, this brings his career right up to date Includes interviews on all of his most recent films, including the long awaited Charlie and the Chocolate Factory He never gives interviews, so this is the one opportunity film fans will have of hearing Tim Burton’s opinions on his work.

2/5

I don’t know where to start with this book. I’ve not read ‘The Rainbow’, nor have I ever read any other D. H. Lawrence books, so I had no expectations or frame of reference. I picked it up for £1.50 about three years ago and read about three pages while I was waiting at a train station. I picked it up a week or so ago to give it a proper try (trying to read up all the unread books on my shelf).

I don’t think I enjoyed it, however I was compelled to read the whole thing. A lot of the time I felt it was trying to tell me important things, but in such a roundabout and confusing way that I never quite grasped it. I felt like it would be a book I’d really enjoy if I had to analyse it for class or something and get other people’s opinions on it.

I understand it’s quite acclaimed and I’m sure there’s good reason why, but for a sleepy bedtime read it mostly went over my head. The biggest example I can think of is the sex scenes – if that’s what they were, we’re still not sure (the mister and I are immature and had a bit of a giggle trying to work out if that was in fact what was going on, although we’re fairly certain it probably was – “invisible fluid lightning”!)

If you’re a literature buff, read it, if you like romance stories, you’ll probably like it, but if you just want something to drift off to, there’s probably a better choice.

Amazon Summary

“Women in Love” is widely regarded as D. H. Lawrence’s greatest novel. The novel continues where: “The Rainbow” left off with the third generation of Brangwens: Ursula Brangwen, now a teacher at Beldover, a mining town in the Midlands, and her sister Gudrun, who has returned from art school in London. The focus of the novel is primarily on their relationships, Ursula’s with Rupert Birkin, a school inspector, though he gives that up, and Gudrun’s with Gerald Crich, an industrialist, and later with a sculptor, Loerke.

I read this one in full and it was pretty interesting stuff. Like ‘How to be a graphic designer without losing your soul’ it has lots of tips and things you can expect entering the design world. It has case studies and interviews and McCormack has some good life experience to share. Well worth picking up – I even considered buying it, but I’m terribly broke at the moment.

4/5