Reseña: Beauty Queens

+Reto Popsugar 2016: #12: Libro recomendado +

Beauty Queens 

by

 Libba Bray

396 pages

Published May 24th 2011 by Scholastic Press

ISBN: 0439895979 (ISBN13: 9780439895972)

Edition Language: English

When a plane crash strands thirteen teen beauty contestants on a mysterious island, they struggle to survive, to get along with one another, to combat the island's other diabolical occupants, and to learn their dance numbers in case they are rescued in time for the competition.

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

My bookshelves: teen-protagonist, contemporary-fiction, satirical, w_beauty-queens, adventure, parodia


Un avion que lleva candidatas a un concurso de belleza adolescente - Teen Dreamers - se estrella en una isla en medio de la nada, hay muertos y las reinas de belleza sobrevivientes ...

Me habian recomendado muchisimo este libro, pero no me gustó tanto como se supone que deberia. No es un mal libro, lejos de eso. Justamente lo estaba evitando esperando encontrarme en el ánimo correcto para disfrutarlo. Pero no pude conseguir la carcajada que me esperaba. Es una fuerte parodia y critica social contra el consumismo y lo que espera la sociedad de la imagen femenina, pasando por su forma de convertirnos en vender cualquier cosa, asi como la presion que se pone sobre las jovencitas y mujeres todos los dias por llegar a una imagen a una perfección a una imagen de lo que deberiamos ser que sólo existe en la cabeza con el poder suficiente para vendernos la pomada, y ¿lavarnos el cerebro?

El mensaje es entregado sin ninguna sutileza, con un humor caustico y hasta bizarro.

Reseña: This Time Together: Laughter and Reflection

+Reto Popsugar #28. Escrito por un comediante+

This Time Together: Laughter and Reflection 

by  

Carol Burnett

288 pages

Published April 6th 2010 by Crown Archetype (first published 2010)

ISBN: 0307461203 (ISBN13: 9780307461209)

Edition Language:English

BLURB: Carol Burnett is one of the most beloved and revered actresses and performers in America. The Carol Burnett Show was seen each week by millions of adoring fans and won twenty-five Emmys in its remarkable eleven-year run. Now, in This Time Together, Carol really lets her hair down and tells one funny or touching or memorable story after another – reading it feels like sitting down with an old friend who has wonderful tales to tell. 

My rating: 3 nostalgicas estrellas

I was lucky. I had the opportunity to watch old reruns of Carol Burnett 's show on tv. I don't remeber a particular thing about it, but my mom and I used to watch her, and have fond memories of her. I very much doubt that the new generations know her though. Pity. I still marvel how incredible talented were the old artists. They could act, sing, dance... amazing. To make people laugh is incredible hard. A lot of my friends are artists - musicians, dancers, but comedian? that's hard.

If you are looking for sob stories or juicy details personals details, this is not your book. It's more anecdotal than biographical. She talks about her early years, since Broadway to tv, movies, and many, many, artists, comedians, and singers, writters, and colleagues. And her friends, and some litle bits about her family and daughters.

For example, asking help from Eddie Foy Jr, dripping wet , wearing different galoshes.

Reseña: The Monarch of the Glen (American Gods #1.5)

The Monarch of the Glen (American Gods #1.5)

by  

Neil Gaiman

62 pages

Published (first published 2006)

Original Title:The Monarch of the Glen, an American Gods Novella

Edition Language:English

Series:American Gods #1.5, 

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Bookshelves,fantasia-urbana, here-be-monsters, myth-and-legends, novella

"I’m not a monster,” said Shadow.
“Aye, that’s what monsters always say,” said the little man.

Set about two years after American Gods.

Shadow is just traveling backpacking, knowing places, drifting I say. And in this story ends in the north coast of Scotland when some guy offer him a job as a bouncer for the weekend in some private party.

Well, I'm aware that Gaiman is hit or miss for many. This story , to me, despite the no so big surprises in the run, is really good. Manage to evoke that sensation of timelessness, to blur , relax , the bounds between realities. I mean, when you step in some old places is easy to wonder, to imagine, to awe.

You want to believe him.

He [...] imagined time as something that pooled and puddled, wondered if there were places where time hung heavy, places where it was heaped and held—cities, he thought, must be filled with time: all the places where people congregated, where they came and brought time with them.
And if that were true, Shadow mused, then there could be other places, where the people were thin on the ground, and the land waited, bitter and granite, and a thousand years was an eyeblink to the hills—a scudding of clouds, a wavering of rushes, and nothing more, in the places where time was as thin on the ground as the people . . .

Reseña: Curse on the Land (Soulwood #2)

Curse on the Land 

by  

Faith Hunter

328 pages

Published November 1st 2016 by Roc

ISBN:0451473329 (ISBN13: 9780451473325)

Edition Language: English

Series: Soulwood 

BLURB:

Before Nell Ingram met skinwalker Jane Yellowrock, she had no one to rely on, finding strength only in in her arcane connection to the dark woods around her. But now she has friends in the newly-formed PsyLED team to keep her grounded—even if being part of the agency responsible for policing paranormals presents dangers of its own...
After training at the PsyLED academy, Nell returns home to her woods to find the land feeling sick and restless. And that sickness is spreading. With the help of her team, under the leadership of agent Rick LaFleur, Nell tries to determine the cause. But nothing can prepare them for the evil that awaits: an entity that feeds on death itself. And it wants more..

My rating: mmm... 3,5 ?

...though the church and I had parted ways, some things stay with a woman, like accent, hospitality, and a steady hand on the trigger.

Esta es la segunda entrega de una nueva serie, resultante de un spin-off de Jane Yellowrock. Nell Ingram es ex-miembro de un culto religioso de poligamia (God's Cloud), de donde 'escapó' a los doce años para casarse con un hombre con una mujer enferma. 

Una de las cosas interesantes de este personaje es su lucha por sacarse de encima muchos prejuicios y su lucha por 'modernizarse', aunque francamente espero que no sea demasiado. Pero, aparte de eso, Nell es reclutada por el servicio PsyLed, una agencia de seguridad nacional que investiga casos que involucran paranormales (vampiros, brujas, etc), debido a su don especial: ella puede 'comulgar' con la tierra y tiene una conexión muy especial con Soulwood el bosque donde su ubica su propiedad. Ni siquiera Nell sabe lo que es ella, y esta todavia conociendo sus limites y explorando sus poderes.

En este libro, Nell llega de regreso a Knoxville después del entrenamiento básico, como agente. Espera resolver un 'pequeño' problema en su tierra, algo que ocurrió en el libro anterior, pero se ve metida de lleno en una investigación en que debe emplear todo lo aprendido cuando un suceso paranormal en un estanque con gansos posiblemente radioctivos [estoy mirando a Jessica aqui, alzando las cejas], que resulta en algo tremendamente destructivo con consecuencias.

Reseña: Saga, Volumen 6 (issues 31-36)

Saga, Volume 6 (collected issues 31 a 36)

by 

Brian K. Vaughan  

Fiona Staples (Art)

152 pages

Published July 5th 2016 by Image Comics (first published June 29th 2016)

ISBN: 163215711X (ISBN13: 9781632157119)

Edition Language:English

URL: https://imagecomics.com/comics/releases/saga-vol.-6-tp

Series: Saga

SINOPSIS; After a dramatic time jump, the three-time Eisner Award winner for Best Continuing Series continues to evolve, as Hazel begins the most exciting adventure of her life: kindergarten. Meanwhile, her starcrossed family learns hard lessons of their own.

My rating: 2.75 soap-opera stars

Boring in parts, hope it improve the next volumen.

I've found that cultures offen clash for the same reasons that people do.
It's not because we're so different from each other...
...it's because we're all so goddamn alike.

Reseña: The Year of the Garden (Anna Wang 0,5)

+DigitalArc gently provided by Netgalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Editors in exchange for an honest review+

The Year of the Garden (Anna Wang 0,5)

by 

Andrea Cheng

 Patrice Barton (Illustrator)

128 pages

Expected publication: April 11th 2017 by HMH Books for Young Readers 

ISBN: 0544664442 (ISBN13: 9780544664449)

Edition Language:English

Series:Anna Wang 0.5

Interest level: 2nd–6th grade

 SINOPSIS:

When Anna is gifted a copy of The Secret Garden, it inspires her to follow her dreams—maybe she can plant ivy and purple crocuses and the birds will come.  Or maybe what grows from her dream of a garden is even better: friendship. And friendship, like a garden, often has a mind of its own.     

 In this prequel to Year of the Book, join Anna in a year of discovery, new beginnings, friendships, and growth. 

My rating: 3.5 seed stars

 My bookshelves:  children-protagonist, art-illustrated, for-kids

Note: Spoilers for The Secret Garden, and other minor spoilers for Sarah, Plain and Tall

Anna Wang is 8 y.o. and she moved with her family to other house.

New starts. New friendship. New things.

And the painful need to 'fit-in'.

For book-lovers and garden-lovers

Reseña: Extracted (The Lost Imperials #1)

+Digital copy gently provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review+

Extracted (The Lost Imperials #1)

by  

Sherry D. Ficklin & Tyler Jolley

323 pages

Published August 15th 2016 by Clean Teen Publishing (first published November 12th 2013)

Edition Language:English

Series: The Lost Imperials

Sinopsis:

The Tesla Institute is a premier academy that trains young time travelers called Rifters. Created by Nicola Tesla, the Institute seeks special individuals who can help preserve the time stream against those who try to alter it.

The Hollows is a rogue band of Rifters who tear through time with little care for the consequences. Armed with their own group of lost teens--their only desire to find Tesla and put an end to his corruption of the time stream.

Torn between them are Lex and Ember, two Rifters with no memories of their life before joining the time war.

My rating: 2 of 5 stars
My bookshelves: adventure, netgalley, steam-punk, teen-protagonist, time-jumpers, time-travel, time-war

Even though I love the steampunk-art style, to tell the truth, I am not a big fan of steampunk novels. But, the 'time-travel' thing get my attention in this case.

“The time stream is a very unique organism. Every time that exists in the past, present, and future, and every event in it, has a unique frequency.”

This book contain many action scenes, between two groups. The goal? Ah, that's the problem: I have no clue. Basically, is a war between the Tesla Institute and the Hollows. A time war.

Through the eyes of two protagonist from either side: Ember (from Tesla), and Lex (from the Hollows), and their POVs, we follow this strange race between the groups.

Reseña: Wild Card (issue 1-6) Novela Grafica original Harry Dresden

+Digital copy gently provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review+

Wild Card (issues 1 to 6)

by  

Jim Butcher

Mark Powers, Carlos Gómez (Illustrator)

Hardcover, Signed Limited Edition, 144 pages

Published October 25th 2016 by Dynamite Entertainment

Jim Butcher's The Dresden Files saga continues in this original and in-continuity graphic novel, featuring a never-before-told story set after the bestselling novel White Night and graphic novel Down Town! A bizarre double murder draws the interest of Chicago's only wizard-for-hire. But as Harry Dresden begins his investigation, the clues lead to troubling conclusions about the possible perpetrator, and set him on a path that will place him in the middle of a conflict between the city's three most powerful factions -- a conflict that could engulf all of Chicago

My rating:  3.5 psychopathic stars

It was a pretty generic story , for Dresden. A big baddie, an almost war, and the usual suspects. But I can't determine the exact timing for this story among the novels.

Some entity is causing trouble in Chicago, and people blame each other.

We find working together again Harry and Thomas . Molly is there, too. And Murphy shows a bit of her past.
(Li'l Karrin+dad)

Reseña: The Promise Kitchen

+Digital copy gently providead by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review+

The Promise Kitchen 

by 

Peggy Lampman

382 pages

Expected publication: September 27th 2016 by Lake Union Publishing (first published June 25th 2015)

Original Title: Simmer and Smoke

ISBN:1503938840 (ISBN13: 9781503938847)

Literary Awards:IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards for Best First Book Fiction - Silver (2016)

SINOPSIS: 

Shelby Preston, a young single mother, is at a crossroads. She feels suffocated by her hardscrabble life in rural Georgia and dreams of becoming a professional chef. Lord knows her family could use a pot of something good. In Atlanta, Mallory Lakes is reeling from a bad breakup. The newspaper food columnist is also bracing for major changes at work that could put her job at risk. Determined to find the perfect recipe for how to reinvent herself, she gets involved in the growing farm-to-table movement. But an emotional setback threatens to derail everything she’s worked for. Shelby and Mallory couldn’t be more different. But through their shared passion for food, they form an unlikely friendship—a bond that just might be their salvation.

This heartwarming and lyrical tale reminds us that family isn’t necessarily whom you’re related to—it’s whom you invite to your table.

This is a new release of a previously published edition titled Simmer and Smoke; it contains twenty delightful recipes.

2.8 overcooked stars

As a child, at my aunt's, bored during the siesta, I use to read some old "Vanidades" -a fashion magazine-, where a catch-phrase get my attention: "Less is More"; meaning, before you leave your house dressed up look at you in the mirror and remove something. Well, this novel didn't follow that advise; instead, is like putting too many ingredients inside a pot. Prejudice, racism, classism, all themes that could be treated maybe with more finesse because are always in everyday background. Relationships, job problems, ethics... too many things are introduced in the mix.

Reseña: Undertow (SoulShares #7)

+Digital copy gently provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review +

Undertow (SoulShares #7)

by  

Rory Ni Coileain

 285 pages

Published July 19th 2016 by Riverdale Avenue Books

ASIN B01I62LA3E

Edition Language English

SINOPSIS:

Rhoann Callte, Rhoann Half-Royal, is an impossible Fae. As a shape-shifter, he carries the blood of Fae water elementals and has a once-in-a-generation healing gift. Which is his blessing, or his curse, depending on how you look at it – his gift is needed among the exiled Fae of the Demesne of Purgatory, and he’s coerced from his beloved solitude and sent on a one-way trip to the human world.
Vietnam veteran Mac McAllan has been through hell in the last few months, and not just because his new C-leg isn’t performing up to spec. He and his partner of 34 years, stocky bald muscle bear Lucien de Winter, were working at Purgatory when what the owner said was a gas explosion collapsed the building – and put Lucien into a coma back in August. Now it’s October, and an impossibly handsome stranger says he can heal Lucien. But there’s always a price…

2.5 aquatic stars

I chose this book at random, because reminded me nostalgically of other collections.

Not a bad story, but fail to get me emotionally involved.

Mac and Lucien have been through a lot in their years together; and when Lucien is injured after an explosion that left him comatose, Mac feel afraid and lost. He didn't know that they get entangled in an ancient war between fae and their enemies. But help is in the way.

Rhoann is solitary and is pushed in a strange world with other rules.