Book Review: The Diviners

The Diviners by Libba Bray 

It’s 1926 and, after a wild night at a party, Evie O’Neill has been shipped off to New York City to live with her uncle, who owns a creepy museum and has an obsession with the occult. Evie is hoping to hide her strange power of being able to “read” objects (part of got her sent NYC in the first place), but when a girl is found murdered, Evie is able to help in the investigation - an investigation that will uncover something even more evil that has been awakened. 

 First of all, I LOVED this book! Second, it seriously creeped me the heck out! It may be considered YA, but don’t let that fool you. It’s well written, and scary, and takes place in one of my favorite eras- The Roaring 20’s. 

I give it an A-. 

Also by Libba Bray is A Great and Terrible Beauty. 

Movie Review: Gone Girl

Holy. Moly.

David Fincher's film version of Gone Girl hit theaters this weekend, and since my book club read this book a few months ago (click here to see my review), we decided to go see it as a group.

And oh boy, did Fincher capture the book pretty much perfectly on film or what? There were some aspects that were even darker than the book (Desi's "offing" especially), and only a few differences and characters left out or downsized, probably because of time restraints (the movie is already over two and a half hours), but he pretty much got the twists and turn of the plot down pat. And, contrary to rumors that had been going around prior to release, the ending is pretty much the same as the book. I know many had their hearts set on a new conclusion... sorry guys.

The film stars Ben Affleck as Nick Dunne, and Rosamund Pike as his wife Amy, who move from New York to Nick's home town in Missouri after losing their jobs during the recession, and when Nick's mother becomes ill. On their fifth wedding anniversary, Amy goes missing, and Nick is blamed for her disappearance and suspected murder.

Affleck was perfect as the sometimes (or more-than-sometimes) unlikeable Nick, and Pike's "Amazing Amy" was just that. Spot on. Oscar worthy even. And Trent Reznor's score was perfectly haunting.

This film is rightly rated R for very strong violence, language, adult and sexual situations, and nudity. I would definitely recommend it only for VERY mature high schoolers (we're talking the oldest of the senior class here), possibly even college-age and up.

I give this one an A-.

Book Review: Twenties Girl

 

Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella

In Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella, Lara Lington begins to see the ghost of her Great Aunt Sadie after attending her funeral.  Sadie takes Lara on quite the adventure to find her missing necklace and Lara learns the importance of family along the way.

I love that Sophie Kinsella’s books are light, romantic, fluffy and enjoyable and they don’t take long to read.  This book doesn’t disappoint in all those areas and even throws in a little mystery as well. I found the book perfect for the beach or unwinding after a long day. It's by no means an amazing, life-changing piece of literature, but it's a fun bit of escapism.

I give this book a B.

If you liked this book, I highly recommend Sophie Kinsella’s Confessions of a Shopaholic series, which, in my opinion, is Kinsella's best work.

 

Book review: Gone Girl

 

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

I’d heard so much about this book, that when my book club decided to read it, I was pretty excited.

Gone Girl is the story of Nick and Amy Dunne, a seemingly happy couple that moves from Amy’s native N.Y.C. to Nick’s hometown of North Carthay, Missouri after they both lose their jobs in journalism. But when Amy goes missing on their 5th anniversary, Nick, of course, is the main suspect.

Being a fan of murder mysteries/true crime stories, I enjoyed the psychology of what could possibly have been “the perfect crime”. The length which the characters go to prove both guilt and innocence is fascinating, and keeps the story flowing well. However, although the characters are developed well, it was hard to find any character that was actually likable.

I recommend this one if you’re a fan of the mystery/suspense genre, and enjoy a good plot twist!
I give Gone Girl a B-.

The movie version, starring Ben Affleck, is supposed to be in theaters this October.

Book Review: The Forgotten Garden

 

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton

The Forgotten Garden is the story of Nell, a little girl found in a shipyard in Australia with no memory of how she got there. The dock master and his wife raise her as their own, but on her 21st birthday, Nell discovers that she isn’t biologically related to her family, and she suffers deeply from it. She leaves her family, and begins to search for clues to her past, and where she might have come from, and eventually her granddaughter, Cassandra, takes over solving the family mystery.

This was the type of book I would read again. If you like anything having to do with mysteries, romance, or historical fiction, The Forgotten Garden does not disappoint. The only issue I had with this book was that the dates jumped around from 1913 to 2005, and all over in between, which made getting into it difficult at first, but otherwise I could hardly put it down.

I give this book an “A”.

 If you liked this book, I recommend The House at Riverton by Kate Morton, and also The Secret Garden by Francis Hodgson Burnett, because of its many parallels to this book.

TV Review: Sherlock

 

 

 

Modern retellings based on the classic Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, starring a cute British guy with fun name, and a Hobbit? Yes Please!!

 

I. Am. Sherlocked.

 

Seriously, one of the best shows (if not the best show, since Breaking Bad is over, in my opinion) that is on TV right now, it's the perfect blend of mystery, comedy, drama, and even a little romance thrown in for good measure. Sherlock gets everything right.

 

Co-created and written mostly by the incomparable Steven Moffat (of Doctor Who fame), everything from the acting, to the music, to the intrigue, is pretty much perfect television.

 



Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes

 Benedict Cumberbatch (I just love saying his name. Especially when you say it like Sean Connery. Benedict. Cumberbatch. See, it's the best, huh?) plays the brilliant, yet socially inept, Sherlock Holmes. And he is perfection. This has been the year of Benedict Cumberbatch, as he was in at least four Oscar nominated films, plus some that weren't nominated, and he was excellent in everything. Seriously, the guy does not disappoint.

 

 

Martin Freeman as Dr. John Watson

Then there's Martin Freeman. I just love him as Sherlock's trusty sidekick Dr. John Watson, who tries his darnedest (and mostly fails) to keep Sherlock in line. And he was so fantastic at the end of season two I just wanted to hug this hobbitses.

My one peeve about this lovely little show is that the seasons are too dang short. Seriously! Each season is only three episodes. Granted, the episodes are about an hour and twenty minutes each, almost like movies, but still. I need more!

The first two season (or series, as the Brits say) are available on Netflix now, and the third should be there shortly, I presume, though it is for sure available on DVD now.

There are some adult elements to this show (especially when Irene Adler appears, as a sort of madame/dominatrix), so I recommend it for mature middle-school age and up.