S. Lee Spelbring's Blog, page 13
September 25, 2019
Age of Night: Books 1 – 3 by May Sage
Age of Night: Books 1-3 by May Sage
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
This is a three “book” set from a series that has many more “books”. I say “books” because these actually read are more like short stories from their length and word count. I like the plot ideas, the characters, and the genre, but I don’t like the resolutions.
The resolutions are rushed, glossed over, and to a certain point, a “miracle”. The first book ended very quickly, the build up was created over a few chapters, the ending took up a page. The second book had an outside source swoop in and save them in a page, the third book, we showed up afterwards.
I like the rest of the book, but the endings are far too rushed. The pacing isn’t constant. It bothers me as a reader, and as a writer. The story could be so much better!
September 23, 2019
[DVD] Movie Review – Inkheart
Based on the first book in Cornelia Funke’s Inkheart trilogy, this is a children’s movie staring Brendan Fraser (The Mummy), Andy Sirkis (Lord of the Rings), Eliza Bennett (Nanny McPhee), Helen Mirren (Red, Red 2), Paul Bettany (Avengers), and Jim Broadbent (Moulin Rouge).
As of watching this movie I have not read the books, but my library has them so I’ll seek them out at some point and then watch the movie again. But for now, this is the first time I’ve watched this movie.
I do enjoy Elinor and can relate to her (and her marvelous library!) very well. The idea that characters and people can be read into and out of books is also an interesting concept. I like how the characters separate, find each other, and separate again, each with their own story lines to complete.
I enjoyed all the actors in this movie, Helen Mirren is great, Andy Sirkis is an old friend from LotR, and Brendan Fraser is a good improbable hero (though I still think he’s a better hero in The Mummy trilogy). I also really love that characters from my favorite books appear to save the day.
September 18, 2019
Spark Joy by Marie Kondo
Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up by Marie Kondō
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I love this book as a companion to the first. First of all the practical knowledge here is just outstanding. She’s right, no one really teaches you how to fold clothes, no one really teaches you how to tidy or store items away properly. Marie Kondo does in this terrific book.
The attention to detail and simple diagrams she uses to explain her processes make everything easy to understand, and after a few false starts, even I picked them up fairly quickly. I must admit it is taking some time to implement some of these techniques but (maybe TMI?) my underwear drawer has never looked better!
I do recommend reading Marie Kondo’s books back to back. It will make more sense, flesh out some questions you may be having, and give you some tips and tricks to carry on tidying.
September 16, 2019
[Netflix] Movie Review – Oculus
I have watched this movie at least 3 times by this point. I watched it the first time, forgot I watched it, then watched it again, and now I’m watching for the third time. It still gets me even though this is the third time.
Staring Karen Gillan and Brenton Thwaites as a brother and sister who have survived a horrible family tragedy. They reunite as adults trying to sort out just exactly what went on in their childhood to cause the death of their parents.
An antique mirror is suggested as the source so the two set up an elaborate test. What follows is a psychological thriller that leaves me guessing (still) all the way up to the end.
I should also mention that by the time this post is up Oculus is no longer featured on Netflix, but you can get it on online streaming sites such as YouTube and Amazon.
September 11, 2019
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondō
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I’ve never been obsessed with tidying up or decluttering, but became interested when I found Marie Kondo’s book in the library and decided I was interested enough to read through them at least once.
It’s possible that this book will be going on the “books that changed my life” list. As a potential caveat, nothing in this book is really “new” and mostly just a rendition of common sense that no one put together quite like Marie did.
Case in point: if you have less stuff you have less stuff it clean, less stuff to tidy, and less stuff to store.
I do quite enjoy her idea of sparking joy with your possessions, keeping the things you love, and enjoying those things more often. I recommend this book whole-heartedly to everyone as I think it would change the way anyone would look at their possessions.
September 9, 2019
[Netflix] Movie Review – Ghostship
Yes, it’s true I like horror/thriller movies on the open waters. From JAWS to 47 Meters Down, I have liked them all. But now it’s time for something a little different. Ghostship.
An ocean liner mysteriously appears in waters off the coast and a salvage crew is hired to bring her in. Of course if everything went to plan the movie would be a little boring, so indeed it doesn’t go to plan.
Gabriel Byrne (aka D’Artagnan), Julianna Margulies, and Desmond Harrington (of DEXTER fame) star in this little known horror flick. Karl Urban (the new Spock of Star Trek) is also on deck as part of the salvage crew under Byrne and Margulies. Harrington was the one who found the liner and hired the salvage crew.
Trouble follows their every move, from blowing up their tugboat, stranding them on the ship, and what follows afterwards. Which if you didn’t know, is a plot twist! I love a good plot twist. I also have a secret love of horror movies, even if they aren’t critically acclaimed, which this one isn’t. But I still like it.
September 2, 2019
[Netflix] Movie Review – 47 Meters Down
If I had to relate this movie to another it would be the JAWS franchise, though there is a twist with this one that makes it a little more fun to watch. Staring Mandy Moore (remember her?) and Claire Holdt, with Matthew Modine, this is a very scary underwater survival movie.
What started out as a Mexican vacation to soothe a messy breakup for Lisa (Moore) with her sister Kate (Holdt), goes ever so slightly wrong when the winch snaps during a fairly routine shark sighting dive. What follows are the boat captain’s (Modine) attempts to rescue the girls who are stranded 47 meters down.
As I have said there is twist at the end, and that’s part of why I’m liking this movie. It just doesn’t end like you think it does, and I love a good plot twist. Mandy Moore was also part of my school years, but as a singer not an actress, but she does really well in this movie.
August 31, 2019
The 5th Horseman by James Patterson
The 5th Horseman by James Patterson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I’m really starting to get into the Women’s Murder Club series now. I’ve read enough of the books to figure out how the interpersonal relationships work between the women (even the new one).
Some things about this particular book in the series:
1. I’m am super happy that so far the “kill off a women, replace her” theme has NOT been continued (yet). It’s a trope that would get very tiring, very quickly. However, I see how it made sense to the plot of the previous book.
2. I’m not sure if I like the two(three?) distinctly different crimes that did not overlap at all. One was introduced immediately, the other a little after. The immediate one finished roughly two-thirds through the book and the other one took over (and wasn’t completely settled until the epilogue).
3. Some part of me knew the prime suspect was just an asshole.
I’ll have to leave my thoughts there otherwise I’ll start spoiling the book, but I think you get the picture. I did really enjoy reading it, and stayed up one night trying to get to the bottom of the first crime. I’ll be reading more!
August 29, 2019
The Throw Back Thursday Three
This month’s Throwback Thursday is dedicated to Passive Income, something that my readers seem to be interested in as much as I am!
Passive Online Income is a form of income that is somewhat automated, usually having to do with the sale of data online. Once you do a bit of set up and initial content creation you sit back and watch the money roll in. Having said all that, none of these ideas will get you rich quick, more like provide some fun money each month if you do it right.
Some people can, and do make a living with passive income, but those people are the exception not the rule. With all that here are the three Passive Online Income ebooks I’ve read and reviewed:
Passive Income by G. D. Williams
I read this one back in 2017, the first time I delved into the idea of passive income. This is the one that started it all and gave me a whole slough of ideas to get started.
Passive Income Tutorial by Practical Psychology
I followed up in 2018 with this ebook which built on and verified the ideas from the previous ebook. I would say that this ebook and the previous one are very similar.
Passive Income Online by Robert C. Hawthorn
This is the most recent addition to my passive income education, and this one had some new ideas to add to the mix. It didn’t build on the previous two, it branched out into different internet territory.
The end result of reading through three different books is that if you are seriously interested in any subject, read multiple books from different authors until you find what you’re looking for or an idea that resonates with you. In the meantime…
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August 28, 2019
The Bullet Journal Method by Ryder Carroll
The Bullet Journal Method: Track the Past, Order the Present, Design the Future by Ryder Carroll
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
For some context, I have used a Bullet Journal since 2015. I have been wanting to read this book since it first came out. Originally, I tried to get the digital version from my library, but soon decided I needed to own the physical copy and I was not disappointed with this decision.
As someone who has been using a Bullet Journal I still found this book to be inspiring and informative. Omg, the information in this book was so insightful and presented in a way that could be understood even by the novice Bullet Journalist.
Ryder Carroll rehashes the basics of the Bullet Journal, adds in some planning basics, and they gets into making the Bullet Journal system your own. He addresses “the right way to Bullet Journal” which was an online argument between artistic Bullet Journal enthusiasts and the minimalists, and ended with some great FAQs.
I almost feel the need now to keep this book with my Bullet Journal just for reference.
