• Favourites,  REVIEWS

    [REVIEW] “His Dark Materials” – My Favourite show of 2019.

    As you can imagine by the title this is going to be a review of my favourite TV series this year. I can’t describe how good this show is from the scenery, the actors, and the script. It was perfect. BBC TV show details: view here.

    The actors were perfect in their roles,

    Not only did we see lyra’s spirit and determination shine through with the young actress playing her. Her speech sounded exactly as how I read it all those years ago when it was first released in paperback.

    Mrs Coulter’s actress showed her hardness being crushed, her under-lying meanness and how vulnerable she was underneath her hard exterior. I can’t explain enough how amazing her outfits were and how put-together they looked. Also top marks for making her the fashionista of the series. I hope the catwalk outfits carry on throughout the next series (if there is one?)

    I must admit that the rest of the cast were superb in their acting too.

    One that really stood out to me was Billy Costa’s Mum, You really felt for her right from the first episode, when he disappeared, right up until when he was might have been found. I don’t want to spoil what happens but it was very emotional viewing. I shed a few tears watching his mum show the agony of loosing a child.

    The next thing I want to gush about is the way in which the Daemons have been created for the scenes with them in. I would have thought it would be hard to create them, however the CGI effects, and puppets did well in showing how the spirit animals following their real-life actors. The voice actors used for the Daemon’s suited the characters and really came to life. They all looked so life-like to the point where I started to wonder whether they were using real animals (they weren’t).

    I would say how good the storyline and script is however as many are aware this series is actually based on a set of 3 books that were adapted for the TV. I read the books so long ago that I had forgotten most of the storyline, but watching His Dark Materials reminded me how I still love reading stories like that and also how incredible the books really were to read, let alone this spectacular tv series.

    To sum up my review,

    I must give the cast and others behind the whole series a 5-star rating. Although there are some parts which may possibly scare young children, I recommend it as a show for all ages over the age of 10. It is interesting, funny, slightly darker than you think but, is still inspiring to watch and follow Lyra on her journey throughout the series. I am hoping that His Dark Materials will be continued for a second series to continue on with the storyline and a final third part too.

    I hope you see this review and decide to try this series on BBC IPlayer before it disappears. It is a great series that will make you laugh, cry and make you want to spur the characters on to the next episode. I believe there are only 6 episodes, which are one hour long each, in the series… but they are totally worth binge-watching.

    *It is a brilliant show that kept me on the edge of my seat;
    with me not knowing what would happen next!*
  • Books,  REVIEWS

    [REVIEW] Wicked – Gregory Maguire

    Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West

    All about Politics, Witches and Wizards.

    I want to say I am reviewing this book after not reading in ages! Now that I think of it, I really should do a re-read at the end of the year when I get some time out of my busy reading schedule.

    This book is my all-time favourite book and it’s pretty good if I may say so myself. On my first read, I dived right into and it took me about 3 days to finish it. I really loved it.

    It is basically the backstory of who the “Wicked Witch of the West” in “The Wizard of Oz” is; where she came from, how she became “wicked” and why the wizard doesn’t like her.

    WARNING:

    I personally read the book before seeing the musical and felt it was an added bonus to the book & a FANTASTIC SHOW but do not be under the illusion that if you do decide to choose to approach Wicked the other way you will get the same experience ..you WON’T

    If you are looking to read this book (and the rest of the series) before watching the musical on Broadway/west-end I would wholly recommend this. However, I must caution anyone who has watched the Musical – This book is a long and sometimes quite a hard read. Although it is interesting it’s NOT like the musical suggests; fun and easy.

  • Books

    Christmas Reads? 2017

    As you are probably already aware, by the date this was posted, that Christmas isn’t far away. This is the closest I get to being festive online and I am getting excited to have lots of fun with family and friends!

    I am doing my top 3 reads that I think you could read this Christmas (2017). As always it is your choice on what you read but I think these are some brilliant suggestions to get you in the Christmas mood…

    1. Harry Potter – JK Rowling – Yes, there are scenes where the characters are around at Christmas but it is not a festive book as such but when I read the books they made me feel awesome & festive!
    2. Little Women – Louisa May Alcott – This is a book I am currently reading. It is a classic & once again after watching the old film I understand there are scenes of Christmas but not Christmasy.
    3. A Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens – This is the classic tale of a business man in Victorian London who gets shown how to be festive. I’ve seen loads of film adaptations but never read the book.

    Are you planning on reading any Christmasy books this year? What are they & are they traditional tales or modern classics? Tell me in the comments below.

     

    MERRY CHRISTMAS, ONE & ALL

  • Books,  REVIEWS

    [REVIEW] #ad Cold Feet: The Lost Years – Carmel Harrington

    35960041
    GIFTED*
    A trip down memory lane with the original cast!

    This book arrived nice & early with a press release explaining the publishing date, plus quite a bit of information on both the book and author. I then picked it up to read and here is my review…

    This book is centred around the lives of the original cast of Cold Feet. It is an easy read and is based on the time between the old first series 1-5 in the 90/00s and the beginning of series 6. The current series airing in 2017 on ITV (UK) is series 7.

    After reading a few paragraphs it is easy to slip back into the characters’ world in Manchester (UK). It shows light comedy and lots of relationship troubles as you expect from people that age.

    We get to have another fun look into the lives of David, Karen, Adam, Jenny & Pete. Also, it includes their friends, family, work partners and others. It, however, is set very close to Rachel’s death. She is brought up a lot which drops the tone sometimes but overall, it suits the storyline.

    This book is not only interesting it has good humour and suited for anyone over 15.

    Would you recommend this book? Yes, I would to anyone who enjoys the TV series. It’s a fun read!

    DISCLAIMER: I got this book from the Publisher “Hodder & Stoughton” for an honest review

  • Books,  REVIEWS

    [REVIEW] Girl, Interrupted – Susanna Kaysen

    One woman’s journey through Mental Health.

    Once I received this book I set about reading it. It only took me 2-3 days to finish this book because not only is it a short book but interesting.

    It is an autobiography; about the author, Susanna Kaysen’s few years spent within a mental institution (famous for housing Sylvia Plath) on a teenage girls wing.

    The reason I picked this book up was that I had already watched the film (with Angelina Jolie, Brit Murphy & Winona Ryder) which made me fascinated about how close to the book the film was.

    The film was brilliant, I wondered if the book was too? Yes, the book lived up to expectations and gave a more detailed account you are unable to get with a film.

    The first thing this short novel showed me is how honest the author is; we really get inside her head and she explains well what is going on around her and her emotions.

    The 1st person works well with the 3rd person throughout because we get the feeling that we are experiencing it with the people involved. As far as I know, the names have all been changed but each person has their own identity which makes you want to learn more about them.

    “Sometimes the only way to stay sane is to go a little bit crazy

    Would I recommend this book to a friend? Honestly, I would recommend this to anyone that has a keen interest in mental health. It is very thought-provoking and makes you question yourself at times!

  • Books,  REVIEWS

    [REVIEW] Harry Potter 1 (atPS) – J.K. Rowling

    A boy a cupboard …who becomes a wizard.

    Harry Potter is a book close to my heart. I remember reading this book while still in Primary school for the reading hour. It is still as exciting as it was all those years ago.

    We start at the beginning with a young boy being ignored and basically feeling unwanted by his adopted parents after his real ones perish.

    we are given a brief idea about how important this boy is to the world he was not able to be brought up in.

    It follows average peoples lives via his aunt and uncle with their son Dudley. The drama doesn’t really pick up until we get t the part where a parcel is delivered to Harry (Potter) and his aunt and uncle will not allow him to read it. This uncle and Aunt decide to run away from their house to a remote area and hide from these parcels.

    Hagrid turns up and he is a welcome surprise that makes everyone feel much better and happier. This is because he has rescued Harry Potter from the wretched family who didn’t really want him or care about him.

    The action picks after Harry was introduced to the wizarding world. As this is a re-read for me and since watching the film I had a good idea what was going to happen throughout the book.  I would say to all new readers to this book to stick by the mundane storyline until you get to Hogwarts (the magical school) and enjoy it.

    As many people before have said before I think that Peeves really should have been added to the film adaption. For all that don’t know he is a cheeky ghost that haunt Hogwarts castle.

    Towards the end, it becomes apparent that Harry and his house/class mates who he has befriended are intent on a journey and solving the mystery of what is on the third floor of Hogwarts that came from Gringotts – the wizarding bank.

    Personally, it was very interesting plot over all and I would say read this book – if not the whole series. I would recommend not watching the films before reading as it does ruin the story. Although the films  miss a lot, they have enough in for you to know what’s going on and you don’t want to know the storyline before reading the book.

    Harry Potter is a book for kids that adults can read and should. Enjoy!