Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn- Thriller for all!

Well perhaps not all... as this creepy thriller is not for the faint hearted!

However, it is Flynn's brilliant debut novel... therefore everyone MUST love it.

Addictive, dark, creepy and psychological!

If you like the gore and psychological thriller element of Gone Girl you will LOVE this! However if you hated the 'creepy' or 'sexual' bits of Gone Girl do.not.read.this.book.
(But maybe try Dark Places as that is brilliant too- just not as incestuous/creepy.)

Sharp Objects follows journalist Camille's journey pack to her home town where she has to report on two mysterious murders. However, Camille doesn't just delve into the stories she is reporting on, but has to face her dark past too.
P.S: The book contains a few sharp objects.

Sharp Objects is a complete page turner, I'd find myself cringing at about 20 pages of it at time, but was still glued to the bloody thing and had to find out ...

• what was going to happen next
• what went on in Camille's past
• who the murderer was
• why the WORDS!! (You'll see what I mean sorry for the teaser...
• when did this all happen (I didn't really wonder that, I just felt the urge to complete the A Level who/what/when/why structure- ever the faithful student.)

I'd be eating my cereal thinking 'I need to read Sharp Objects now!' If that's not a sign of a well-written 'who dunnit' I don't know what is. (I mean interrupting food time- shocking stuff.)

If your an over-reader like me you'll love the female characters and re-evaluation of feminism/female stereotypes. (If you read it and notice this stuff please message me so we can geek out about it!)

However I have to warn you-read with caution! This book will get under your skin stay with you long after you read it!

Over all a well-written and hauntingly addictive read! Highly recommend. 

Natural Collection Eyeliner Review

I always loved liquid eyeliner on everyone else but could never find one right for me! Everyone I tried either was too thick and made me look like a wannabe 14 year goth or only lasted about an hour at the most!

So I thought I'd give Boots natural collection liquid eye liner ago as it's only 1.99 so wouldn't burn a hole in my bank balance!

I have been so pleased with this product I've worn every day since buying it ! The pigmentation's great and it's easy to apply (can easily do thin or thick lines- the thicker lines take longer as the brush is pretty thin but I prefer thinner strokes anyway.) 

What I love about it the most is that it lasts all day! I apply it at 7.30 in the morning, it lasts all day at work and even when I go to the gym it stays put! Can't argue with that for 1.99!

I decided to do a test patch on my arm to prove how long the product lasts for.

Start of the day - (sorry about the blurry photo but you can see it lasts all day)

End of the day

If your looking for an eyeliner that's long lasting, easy to apply and won't break your bank balance this is the one for you!

Get your book fix with 'Thirteen Reasons Why'

Firstly sorry for the lack of posts (I know you've been on the edge of your seats ;) ) 

I read Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher after frantically searching the old inter-web for a book that will get me hooked and that I will read in one sitting. (It was one of them moods.) 

Thirteen Reasons Why kept popping up (even on goodreads a great site for bookworms needing a fix) and the plot intrigues me!

The story starts with the narrator Clay Jenson finding a package with 13 tapes on it... these tapes turn out to be from his ex-class mate Hannah Baker who recently committed suicide. Each tape reveals one (or several) reasons that led to Hannah's suicide. 

Asher uses Hannah and Clay's dual narration to capture Hannah's struggle towards her suicide. 

As you can imagine it's a slightly heavy read!

What the book does fantastically is remind us that you never know what’s going on in a person's head and how one careless (or horrifically cruel) incident can have terrible consequences.

I couldn't put the book down and had to find out what drove Hannah to her heartbreaking conclusion. What’s also great is it’s one of them books that you get a sense of achievement from reading and you feel you have a pure nugget of gold from reading it. (Am I the only one who gets this?)

But- on the down side it is not the best written book in the world and the story definitely does the talking over the style.

In saying this I would definitely recommend- I read it in two sittings which I think speaks for itself!

We're the Millers Film Review

This is the lighthearted feel good comedy of the year, filled with laughs from start to finish (and I mean deep in the belly, laugh out loud laughs), this is a must see summer flick!

In a nutshell the film follows a small time drug dealer David (Jason Sudeikis from Horrible Bosses), being forced to turn into a drug smuggler (‘there’s a difference’) to settle a debt. However, David quickly realises he will get across the boarder to Mexico easier if he enlists a fake family to help him. This includes Stripper Rose (Jennifer Aniston), a homeless girl Kacey (Emma Roberts) and his simple neighbor Kenny (Will Poulter).

Clearly things don’t run smoothly for the family and mishaps and plenty of comedy genius and slapstick occur.

Despite the fact that the film is filled with ‘stupid humor’, the film doesn’t lose its emotional ties with the audience. A good way to describe it is a more meaningful and believable version of Hangover 3!

Jennifer Aniston played her role as a stripper brilliant, but still presented the usual Jennifer we know and love. (Trust me you will not forget her roots!) And I’m not being funny but if you weren’t’ in love with her already you will be after you see her banging bod!! Sudeikis also played his role down to a treat, capturing the battle between selfishness and selflessness.

But the real star I have to say is Will Poulter. His scenes were pure comedy genius, you will never listen to TLC the same again!

I can’t wait for the DVD to come out and this will definitely be my go to hungover/ ill/ lazy DVD. (It’s up there with Forgetting Sarah Marshall.)

And whatever you do stay during the credits, as the last scene is the funniest part of the film!

If you enjoyed this blog and you are a gym dodger/cake consumer who wants to get fit fast please check out my sister blog http://healthylass.blogspot.co.uk/ 

Kick Ass 2 Review

So I finally went and saw Kick Ass 2 and I have to say it did not disappoint me! However I have had a little gander on the old inter-web to see what other people were thinking of the film and I was shocked to find the majority does not love the film!

One guy actually says that the film is: ‘A cancerous pretender promising something different but only offering up crass costumed zeroes’. Wow! (Here’s his review so I don’t get done for plagiarism http://thepopcornjunkie.com/2013/08/24/review-kick-ass-2/ … My English Literature degree has clearly been imprinted on my brain!)

So I may be on my own in liking this film (well me and my boyfriend may be alone in liking it), but I’m going to put forward why I don’t agree with the other reviewers floating about.

So before going into my rant I’ll briefly go over the plot… basically since Kick Ass was last about tonnes of masked ‘superheroes’ have appeared on the streets and Dave has come back to his ‘superhero’ ways and joins his new ‘heroes’.  However, Mindy is struggling to live a normal high school life and let go off hit Girl for good. Then Red Mist comes back into the picture as a new ‘super villain’  ‘The Mother Fucker’. Lots of fighting goes down.

So the main objection from the blogger-sphere is that the film is unoriginal and too gruesome. My counter-point to this is,

1.     It’s a sequel- therefore has to follow on from the previous film.

2.     If you don’t like violence/ gruesome stuff- don’t watch Kick Ass 2! There’s no excuse you’ve seen the first film with murder and people dying in giant microwaves!

I personally didn’t think the film was ‘un-original’, yes it didn’t have the shock factor of the first film, but that’s because the first film was completely original and nothing like any other film. (Apart from spoofing other superhero films.) Whereas this film is a SEQUEL so there’s going to be similarities with the first film. However I liked the way the film basically showed how the fucked up Kick Ass kids dealt with adolescents. (My personal favorite bit was the Union Jay section- mindless teenage girls will understand.)

I found it extremely funny and would def watch again. It’s got characters to love, super villains to love to hate and Jim Carey without the stupid faces. Class.

If you’re easily offended don’t watch this film, but if you can enjoy the lighter sides of the film and bare some violence then watch Kick Ass 2 as it won’t disappoint.

Gone Girl aka Literary chocolate (dark, addictive, mind blowing)

Firstly sorry for lack of blog-age, a life of unemployment is surprisingly taxing!

I jumped on the bandwagon and started reading Gillian Flynn’s ‘in’ book at the moment ‘Gone Girl’. And I have to say there’s a reason all eyes are on this book… it is Amazing! (And not just because of Amy.)

I won’t give away any spoilers or plot twists but basically the story is about a wife that goes missing (hence the title, admittedly not that creative ha) and the narrator alternates from Nick and Amy’s point of view (the husband and wife).

This book had me hooked from the word go (or more accurately ‘When’). It is extremely clever and full of plot twists along the away. You think you’ve worked it out then boom there’s a never layer to the onion. (Shrek reference.) I was constantly questioning everything in the book, never sure quite what was going on. (Love a bit of literary mind games in a thriller.) Aaaannnndd the best bit is there is a serious bit of modern feminism going on. (Hoorah for bra burners.) Flynn addresses some real issues and stereotypes … ‘Cool Girls’ beware the jigs up.

If you are looking for something that will have you hooked and you’ll probably read in two sittings. Read. This. Now!

Ohhh and it's going to be turned into a movie, so there's even more reason to read this NOW.

Summer Reading!

So as I have finally finished my English Literature Degree (hoorraaaahh) I can finally start the big pile of 'I will read these when my degree is finished' books! I'm going to post regular reviews on these books so if you're interested in widening your summer reading please follow by email. (Which boys and girls you should be because reading is cool.)

I'm going to kick things off with a few books I read during my degree (as the big pile takes time to read I'm afraid) but don't worry I wont be reviewing Dickens or anything (although he's great if you've got a spare year), but if you're interested in reading something other than 50 shades or Twilight these will be a good selection for you.
But here's a little list of some that I will be reviewing fairly soon (and there will be more to come)
The Hunger Games Trilogy- (may be very commerical but they are amazzzing.. literary crack)
'Benjamin Button'
White Queen- Phillipa Gregory
The Counterlife- Philip Roth
The New York Trilogy
The Things They Carried

A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan. (Forewarning: get ready for digressions.)

I personally love this book because it's made up with short stories that all inter-link in some form. You're probably thinking- wait short stories- why would I want to read them? But stop right there- I don't know where this short-story-ism began but short stories can be great and there are plenty of them out there. If you don't have a lot of free time then short stories are perfect and can be just as exciting and enthralling as a novel. Sometimes even more so as short stories tend to get to the point so you don't have two chapters of waffle about a handkerchief (The Hobbit I'm referring to you here.)

Right now off my short story rant back to the actual text! Goon Squad is primarily about the music business and how it has changed over time so from the 60s to the noughties. There's quite a bit of sex, drugs and rock and roll during the ride. This may seem like a light hearted affair but it does have a sad element as even for me (someone who doesn't know a lot about the music business) I found myself pining for the times when music was raw on records and not just mindless computer generated garbage.

I really enjoyed the chronology of the book as Egan doesn't stick to the usual linear affair. In an interview she states that she has done this on purpose and doesn't want the reader to read the stories in a different order. (At least on the first read.) Personally I find this form very exciting as your constantly building a picture of the different characters in your mind and once you think you have that character pinned down in a story blows that out of the window.

Despite that fact that Goon Squad uses a number of different characters, Egan's characterisation and ability to make the reader empathise with characters is brilliant!

Overall this book is a great read! I particularly love the flash forwards and flash backs throughout. Egan is able to portray so many lives and how time moves perfectly.

The only negative I can find is the PowerPoint presentation chapter... I have loathed them since every teacher at school insisted on using them and lost interest in that chapter.
But apart from that set back it's a great read and I recommend it! Apparently Sky is making a TV series of it so now would be a great time to read!

4/5