Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick

Author: Anna Kendrick
Original title: Scrappy Little Nobody
Edition Language: English
Series: no
Genres: Nonfiction, Humor, Autobiography, Memoir
Format: Audio book
Read by: Anna Kendrick
Duration: 6h
Goodreads

Blurb:
A collection of humorous autobiographical essays by the Academy Award-nominated actress and star of Up in the Air and Pitch Perfect. Even before she made a name for herself on the silver screen starring in films like Pitch Perfect, Up in the Air, Twilight, and Into the Woods, Anna Kendrick was unusually small, weird, and “10 percent defiant.”

My thoughts:
      Scrappy little book about nothing. I do not like the book, and I had 3 moments when I wanted to DNF it, but since it is not that big I finished it. I did not find either anything interesting either about Anna herself or about the people around her. There were quite a lot of speculation and a lot of description of movie events, which were ok, not grasping but eatable. I found the part where she describes her adventures during High Society performing in New York City most interesting actually. The rest was kind of dull, not in the since it was not interesting what happened in her life but the writing was not that good.
      On the whole I had a feeling that this book was written for the sake of the book, I do not see any other purpose. It is not that informative about Anna herself (do not see much relation description with her parents or friend), nor about her career development and the effect every movie had on her (everything is described so vaguely and common), nor it has any educational value. What nagged me a lot is the attitude towards drugs (I count weed here too). Sometimes there was some kind of advises to the reader, and then something like "I was so happy he had a joint" comes out in the middle of nowhere. The usage of the f*** word combination and female organs are also were not so much in place. It just did not coincide with the whole picture of the book and set the teeth on edge. The reading of the book was also average, sometimes I felt so uneasy when she screamed to emphasize the line.
      Altogether, I guess it is a book to read for a teen who thinks about acting career, to see the obstacles and difficulties or for truly loyal fans of Anna Kendrick but for me it was a waste of time.

Rating: 

    2/5 

Sunday Post #3, February frost

The Sunday Post is hosted by The Caffeinated Book Reviewer.  It’s a chance to share news, a post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things received, and share news about what is coming up on the blog for the week ahead. To get in on the Sunday fun, see the rules here: Sunday Post Meme.


Last Week on the Blog
 The week: 06.02 - 12.02

• On Monday, 6th I published February 2017| most anticipated movies
• On Tuesday, 7th I published January 2017 Wrap up
• On Wednesday, 8th I published Top 5 Wednesday: Book Trends You're Tired Of
• On Thursday, 9th I reviewed TV Series Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
• On Friday, 10th I reviewed Stay Close by Harlan Coben

This Week on the Blog

The week: 13.02 - 19.02

• On Monday, 13th I review Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick
• On Tuesday, 14th I publish Top Ten Tuesday and Monthly Recommendation
• On Wednesday, 15th I review Resident Evil and La La Land movies
• On Thursday, 16th I review The Handmaid's Tale By Margaret Atwood
• On Friday, 17th I publish PopSugar Reading Challenge 2016 Pusle Check Up

New Comers on my Shelf

Inés of My Soul by Isabel Allende
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini 

Stay Close by Harlan Coben

Author: Harlan Coben 
Original title: Stay Close 
Pages: 416
Edition Language: English
Series: no 
Format: Paperback
Genres: Crime, Thriller, Mystery 
Goodreads

Blurb:
Megan is a suburban soccer mom. She’s got two kids, a perfect husband, a perfect house and a growing sense of dissatisfaction. Ray used to be a talented documentary photographer, but at age forty he finds himself in a dead-end job posing as a paparazzo pandering to celebrity-obsessed rich kids. Jack is a detective who can’t let go of a cold case - a local husband and father disappeared seventeen years ago. As the terrible consequences of long-ago events crash together in the present and threaten to ruin lives, they will come to the startling realization that they may not want to forget the past at all.

My thought: 
     This was a good serial killer mystery with several different past and current stories coming together. Three people all with a hidden past: Megan and Ray are both hiding from it; Broome, the detective, is trying to reveal the past to find peace. Megan, with the help of a friend, come to the point when she cannot run from the past anymore and wants to come clean, so she contacts Jack to give him her version of the murder 19 years ago. So from this point the plot develops really quickly. I was quite surprised that Broome, who could not meet any ends for 19 years, now so easily progresses in the investigation. There are also the strange couple of mob killers to spice up the plot, but does not fit too much, in my opinion. Frankly speaking, I was not impressed by the book, but at the same time I could not put it down. 

Rating:

    3/5 

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency

Name: Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
Year: 2016
Creator: Max Landis
Cast: Samuel Barnett, Elijah Wood, Hannah Marks
Genres: Comedy, Sci-Fi
Country: USA, UK
Language: English
Season: 1
Series: 8

You can call it captivating chaos with the English flavor.

        Dirk Gently is a holistic detective. His holistic method is opposite of deductive method of Sherlock Holmes. For Dirk details, fingerprints, etc. are of no importance. Why to search for details? There is no sense in them. It is better to relax and get involved in chain of events and the universe will bring you to the answers.
       I liked a lot the actors' performance. Elijah Wood (Todd Brotzman) plays so good. You easily believe what a loser he is and feel for his character. Samuel Barnett is, on the other hand, a charismatic loony detective and perfectly matches the character he is playing.
      The lesser characters are turned out to be uncommonly charismatic as well: the duo of holistic assassin Fiona Dourif and hacker Mpho Koaho is a wild combination of violence and madness.  You just cannot help liking them.
      The character of Todd’s sister played Hannah Marks, raises a lot of questions at the begging, though later on her role in the whole picture of events gets clear. There is a huge evolution of the mental deviant person, who leaves the comfort zone and tries to adapt the new reality. Amanda at the beginning and at the end of the season is two different personalities.
       The genres and themes of the series: comedy, action, fantasy, drama, thriller, detective are constantly entwining and that makes the movie so unique. You cannot tear yourself from the screen, while all the events, at the beginning, so accidental and unrelated, are joining at the end in one season grand finale.
       The constantly changing events and lines make it difficult to retell the story at all. For example, in the first episode a great among of events take place, which do not comply with common scenes. After 1st episode nothing is clear unless you follow the plot to the end when the whole picture is revealed to you.

Rating: 

    5/5     

T5W February 8, Book Trends You're Tired Of

This weekly book meme officiated in November 2013. Every week there is a new topic and your list of 5 nominates will be based off this topic. For further information check out the Goodreads Page.

The theme this week is: Book Trends You're Tired Of

          This week was difficult for me as I do not collect features I do not like in the books. If I do not like the book it is usually not because one particular part was wrong or one character was lame, but I just start disliking the book as a whole. But still I was able to find some hate points in current trends))

1. Movie covers on the book. Really hate them. I do understand that you need to promote the movie, but is there not a more sophisticated way to do so? Especially if you hated the movie and love the book!

2. Stickers on the book covers, the ones you cannot remove, especially if the book has a gorgeous cover. Especially the ones that has no information value: “Now a major movie”, “Coming soon in the cinemas” and so on.

3. Series longer then 2 books. I know it is so good not to part with the characters you got in love with, but man..! waiting 3 years just to know what is going to happen... too hard for me. I prefer standalone books. At least the sequel will not ruin the impression of your favorite book.

4. Books based on one exceptional quality of one character. I understand there is always someone more capable than others, but what I mean here is that you are a really weak and initiative character and then all of the sudden some unique quality is discovered in you, and then everyone is expecting this character to be a hero but he/she is still crappy and initiative person with destiny/prophecy issues.

5. Instant love story lines. I get it in YA, but still this should not be so misused. It can be the whole range of feelings from hatred to sexual attraction, but the most frequent I come across in the books now is instant love.

January 2017 Wrap up

Read books:
read: 5  / listen: 2 / pages: 1169 / hours listened: 19h7m
1. Black Orchid by Neil Gaiman p. 176 - my review
2. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins 11h1m - my review
3. Don't Worry, Be Happy, или Живи проще by Brian Tracy (I was not able to find the English edition of this book) p. 96
4. Midnight Pirates by Ally Kennen p. 227 - my review
5. Stay Close by Harlan Coben p. 416 - my review
6. The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo by Amy Schumer 8h6m - my review
7. Lou-lan by Yasushi Inoue p. 254 - my review

Movie watched:
1. The Great Wall (2016) - my review
2. McFarland, USA (2015)
3. Death in Paradise S6 E1-4

Movie re-watched:
1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010)
2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)

Challenges overview:
Goodreads Reading Challenge: 7/50
Pages Read Challenge: 1169/12000
Audiobook Challenge: 2/15
Russian Literature: 0/30
World of Literature: 3/50
Booker Prize Project:
Classics Club: 0/50

February 2017| most anticipated movies

16 February 2017
Name: Silence 
Cast: Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver, Liam Neeson
Time: 181 min
Genres: Drama, History
Country: USA, Taiwan, Mexico
Language: English,  Japanese, Latin

The story of two Catholic missionaries (Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver) who face the ultimate test of faith when they travel to Japan in search of their missing mentor (Liam Neeson) - at a time when Catholicism was outlawed and their presence forbidden.

Name:  T2 Trainspotting
Cast: Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller
Time: 117 min
Genres: Drama
Country: UK
Language: English

A continuation of the Trainspotting saga reuniting the original characters.

Name: A Cure for Wellness 
Cast: Dane DeHaan, Jason Isaacs, Mia Goth
Time: 146 min
Genres: Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA, Germany
Language: English

An ambitious young executive is sent to retrieve his company's CEO from an idyllic but mysterious "wellness center" at a remote location in the Swiss Alps. He soon suspects that the spa's miraculous treatments are not what they seem. When he begins to unravel its terrifying secrets, his sanity is tested, as he finds himself diagnosed with the same curious illness that keeps all the guests here longing for the cure.

23 February 2017

Name: John Wick: Chapter 2
Cast:  Ruby Rose, Keanu Reeves, Bridget Moynahan  
Genres: Action, Crime, Thriller
Country: USA
Language: English 

The continuing adventures of former hitman, John Wick. After returning to the criminal underworld to repay a debt, John Wick discovers that a large bounty has been put on his life.

Name:  A Street Cat Named Bob
Cast:  Luke Treadaway, Bob the Cat, Ruta Gedmintas
Time: 103 min
Genres: Biography, Comedy, Drama
Country: UK
Language: English

Based on the international best selling book. The true feel good story of how James Bowen, a busker and recovering drug addict, had his life transformed when he met a stray ginger cat.

Name:  Bába z ledu aka Ice Mother
Cast:  Václav Neuzil, Alena Mihulová, Petra Spalková
Time: 106 min
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: Czech Republic, Slovakia, France
Language: Czech

After her husband's death, Hana lives on alone in the family villa. Her two sons visit her with their families, but these visits frequently end in quarrels. When Hana meets Brona, a hardy fellow, inured to winter swimming, a new world opens before her. Brona's team-mates absorb her into their team and Hana gradually learns to overcome her fear of icy water. Her relation with Brona grows into love.