Rating: 6/10

Writer: David N. Titcher

Synopsis: Doyle (writer and doctor) teams up with Houdini (magician) and Stratton (Scotland Yard constable) to investigate crimes with seemingly supernatural causes.

Review: Average is the only way to describe Houdini & Doyle objectively. It is by no means a terrible tv series, but it isn't particularly amazing either. The potential is there in the sense that the characters are well rounded, and its overall concept as well as each individual subplot is well placed. However, that potential falls flat.

The main characters that appear in this series are Arthur Conan Doyle, Harry Houdini, and Adelaide Stratton. First and foremost and as the title suggests are Houdini, an illusionist, and Doyle, a doctor. Considering the plot of the series and what the general public previously knew about these characters, one would assume that Doyle would rely on facts and data when investigating strange cases as opposed to falling for supernatural possibilities. After all, he was the mastermind behind Sherlock Holmes and it was him that thought of this reasoned and logical quote: "It is capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories instead of theories to suit facts". In contrast, one would also assume that Houdini would lean more towards supernatural explanations as opposed to more scientific ones. Contrary to these assumptions, it is the exact opposite in Houdini & Doyle. In theory, that seems...questionable and in effect, the concept is interesting. However, as mentioned previously, it falls flat and the characterization seemed forced at points. Had it been done in a different manner, it would have been more entertaining. For instance, if the dialogue did not have as much of Houdini shouting "SCIENCE" and had a little more subtlety, it might have seemed less obnoxious.

As for Adelaide Stratton, she grows with each episode and becomes more and more three dimensional. Watching her develop and mold into her character, hearing her voice what she stands for, and seeing the way she handles certain situations are all worthy of the viewers' time. Sometimes, it seems as if her characterization does not have a clear direction, but in the end and with her newly introduced backstory, things seem to be clearer.

One thing that should be mentioned is that Houdini & Doyle does not shy away from addressing problems and controversies that were present in the setting and are still present in modern day affairs. For example, there were entire episodes dedicated to equality between genders and racism. The way these episodes were executed should be appreciated, reason being it was straightforward and perfectly appropriate considering the setting and the intended audience.

I would recommend Houdini & Doyle for viewers who like snarky characters, relationships with heavy sarcasm, and 20th century dated settings.

Booming: loud, deep, and attention-grabbing

Dead: if a person's voice is dead, they sound emotionless and probably monotoned

Flat/monotoned: dull, lacking variation in tone, bored

Grating: irritating, unpleasant, raspy, annoying, etc.

High-pitched: shrill

Plummy: describes the way English people of the upper class talk and the word is typically used with derogatory connotations

Soft-spoken: speaking with a gentle or soft voice

Strident: loud and harsh; very similar to 'grating'

Thick: if your voice is 'thick with emotion', it is generally deeper and unclearer than normal

Tremulous: unsteady or shaky because of emotions

Quavering: if a person's voice is quavering, their voice is trembling (usually due to nervousness)

Summary from goodreads: Orphaned, penniless, Jacob Jankowski jumps a freight train in the dark, and in that instant, transforms his future. By morning, he's landed a job with the Flying Squadron of the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. By nightfall, he's in love. In an America made colourless by prohibition and the Depression, the circus is a refuge of sequins and sensuality. But behind the glamour lies a darker world, where both animals and men are dispensable. Where falling in love is the most dangerous act of all... 

Rating: 2/5 stars

*If you're expecting an abundance of elephants, prepare to be disappointed.

A novel about a circus during the Depression and Prohibition era? Seems interesting. 

Written in first person point of view and shifting between modern time and the past, Water for Elephants was disappointing, to say the least. It had a few things going for it. For one, the plot was interesting; or more appropriately, the plot had potential. It also had a lot of imagery, and the beginning was more than enough to draw the reader in. But that's where the strengths end. As for the weaknesses, there were too many to make the novel worth reading. The execution was poor, the characters were flat, it was unnecessarily explicit several too many times, etc.

The synopsis of this novel makes it seem like the story had a clear direction. The first chapter then solidifies the greatness that is to be expected. But really, it was messy and confusing. Not confusing in the sense where you don't understand what's happening, rather it was confusing in the sense where you don't understand why it's being narrated.

Early on in the story, there was a murder, which makes it seem as if the rest of the novel narrates events that lead up to this cold blooded murder. However, when the reader finishes, they find that the story could have been told in a few pages, meaning about fifty percent of the scenes described was simply excess information. True, the glory of most novels is watching how a story unfolds and seeing how one event leads to another and watching the characters develop, so on and so forth. But these aspects rarely made an appearance in Water for Elephants. 

The characters could have been written better. With the exception of the main character, none of the characters really developed, and if they did, their development was unsatisfactory. Jacob went from being sad to being in love without much of a transition. As for Marlena, she was the most underdeveloped of them all. She was trying to be a strong, round character. But in reality, she was just a love interest. 

The best parts of Water for Elephants were the scenes written in modern time from the perspective of the old and bitter Jacob. Although these scenes were few, they came in all the right moments and there were just enough of them. With that being said, the characters were diverse and they all had unique personalities. In addition, as annoying as the characters were and as confusing as the execution was, the plot kept the reader hooked.

All in all, Water for Elephants is not a novel I would recommend. It may be a better read the second time around since the reader would understand it more, but in all honesty, with the way story played out, there really isn't much to motivate me to read it again (but that's my personal opinion). 

Chris Evans has an impressive filmography, to say the least. With his recognized talent, he's been in more than 35 movies (I think), so this post is probably going to be 'Part 1' of a series of Chris Evans movie reviews.
Disclaimer: I'm going to start with his older movies and work my way to his newer ones.

The Martian, a science fiction novel written by Andy Weir in shifting perspectives, keeps the reader laughing and on the edge of their seats with the intense plot and humorous narration. With half of the novel being written as a journal in first person point of view and the other half being written in third person point of view, the story was innovative and realistic, although there was room for improvement in regards to the characterization.

Summary from goodreads: Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he works all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of Mars livable for future generations. Yet he spends his life willingly, knowing that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better world for his children. But Darrow and his kind have been betrayed. Soon he discovers that humanity already reached the surface generations ago. Vast cities and sprawling parks spread across the planet. Darrow—and Reds like him—are nothing more than slaves to a decadent ruling class. Inspired by a longing for justice, and driven by the memory of lost love, Darrow sacrifices everything to infiltrate the legendary Institute, a proving ground for the dominant Gold caste, where the next generation of humanity's overlords struggle for power. He will be forced to compete for his life and the very future of civilization against the best and most brutal of Society's ruling class. There, he will stop at nothing to bring down his enemies... even if it means he has to become one of them to do so.

Rating: 4/5 stars

Red Rising was...interesting. With a rocky start, the book served to be an immensely entertaining sci-fi dystopian novel with a diverse cast and a decent amount of bloodshed (considering the plot).

The beginning of Red Rising certainly did not give the book the kick beginnings are supposed to give. It threw information about the difficult-to-grasp world the character was living in at the reader and it didn't really explain what most things were or how certain things worked. But with common sense and context clues as tools, the reader is more than capable of working out what's what.

Time and time again, there are great books with great plots and great scenery etc, etc. However, the characters in about eighty percents of these books are just...boring. Whatever the reason may be, whether it's because the character is static or predictable, the character just makes the read a disappointing one. Red Rising is not one of these books. As the reader delves deeper into the story, the plot gets more intense and more characters are introduced at a steady pace. Which is great, because just about every single one of the characters has an interesting storyline and a personality that keeps the reader hooked - even if the character wasn't likable or brought about destruction to other characters the reader was rooting for. That's probably because they were well written, and that's probably what made this book.

The plot and setting of the book were unique. Many compare it to The Hunger Games because it has some parallels: dystopian novel, teenagers put in a game to find the strongest, but that's where the similarities end. The story of Red Rising is fast paced. Something is always happening, but the deeper we go into the story, the more the overall plot and purpose is ignored. There are mentions here and there of what drives Darrow, the main character. But the mentions were few and far between, and they almost seemed like an afterthought.

Aside from the plot, there was an abundance of imagery. Sometimes, it was overwhelming since it took place on Mars, so there had to be a lot of imagination on the reader's part. But for the most part, the imagery was well placed and fully appreciated.

If Red Rising succeeded in anything, it was in thoroughly entertaining its readers. But it is not for the faint hearted. If you easily get attached and will cry buckets of tears for a character you loved and lost, then Red Rising is not the book for you. However, if you are a fan of sci-fi dystopian novels and appreciate character development and a well thought out plot, then this might be your cup of tea.

Afterthought: This book had a lot of "Don't cry like a girl" and "He screamed like a girl" or "He  giggled like a girl", so if you're not willing to overlook those lines, steer clear of Red Rising.

Summary from goodreads: I have two weeks. You'll shoot me at the end no matter what I do.
That's what you do to enemy agents. It's what we do to enemy agents. But I look at all the dark and twisted roads ahead and cooperation is the easy way out. Possibly the only way out for a girl caught red-handed doing dirty work like mine - and I will do anything, anything to avoid SS-Hauptsturmführer von Linden interrogating me again.
He has said that I can have as much paper as I need. All I have to do is cough up everything I can remember about the British War Effort. And I'm going to. But the story of how I came to be here starts with my friend Maddie. She is the pilot who flew me into France - an Allied Invasion of Two.
We are a sensational team.

Summary from goodreads: Soon after Gwenda moved into her new home, odd things started to happen. Despite her best efforts to modernise the house, she only succeeded in dredging up its past. Worse, she felt an irrational sense of terror every time she climbed the stairs... In fear, Gwenda turned to Miss Marple to exorcise her ghosts. Between them, they were to solve a 'perfect' crime committed many years before. 

Rating: 4/5 stars


Sleeping Murder has sealed my impression of Agatha Christie.

Agatha Christie is known for her mystery novels, and of her most famous novels is And Then There Were None. Personally, I believe Sleeping Murder should hold that title instead. If anything, Sleeping Murder is a satisfying read. It has a unique voice, thoroughly consistent characterization, just enough imagery, and a plot that will keep the reader engaged.

Firstly: the voice of the novel. The novel is written in a way so that it keeps the reader skeptical, but still leads them to draw their own deductions. The way this is done is interesting. Sleeping Murder is written in third person omniscient, meaning it follows all the characters in the story. So it follows Miss Marple, the renowned detective; Mr and Mrs Reed, the characters who brought a murder to Miss Marple's attention; and the side characters who play the roles of suspects and assistants. When the narrator is exposing Mr and Mrs. Reed's actions and thoughts, the prose is generally more straight forward. It clearly states who they think is guilty and why. However, when it comes to Miss Marple, the writing is more vague. The sections that narrate her thoughts are filled with ellipses galore and usually end with mini cliff hangers (in a sense). Because of the different ways Miss Marple and Mr and Mrs. Reed tackle the mystery, and because the reader reads both of their accounts, the reader ends up tackling the case in the same ways. They are, in a way, conditioned by the narrator to think the same way the characters think, which is why there is both skepticism (from Miss Marple) and rash deductions (from Mr and Mrs. Reed). With that being said, it should be noted that the writing style may not be to everyone's taste given that it's sometimes choppy.

As for the characterization, its consistency is something to be admired. The personalities are represented through both their speech and actions. Granted the fact that there is no development in regards to any of the characters, one has to keep in mind the fact that Sleeping Murder is a mystery novel, so the consistency of characterization is a more valuable asset than the development.

Sleeping Murder is not heavy with imagery. It does not go on to describe every little detail of the weather or the plants. Most of the imagery that is found in the story somehow contributes to the actual crime, making every detail in the novel significant to the case. If not for the purpose of assisting in the deduction of the crime, minimal imagery was given in order for the reader to have a general idea of what the scenes look like. But aside from that, Sleeping Murder does not spend time on things that are not essential to the plot.

All in all, Agatha Christie's Sleeping Murder is definitely a book I'd recommend if you are a fan mystery novels and looking for a short, satisfying read.

The Acts of King Arthur and his Noble Knights - by John Steinbeck

Synopsis from goodreads: Told in Kvothe's own voice, this is the tale of the magically gifted young man who grows to be the most notorious wizard his world has ever seen. 
The intimate narrative of his childhood in a troupe of traveling players, his years spent as a near-feral orphan in a crime-ridden city, his daringly brazen yet successful bid to enter a legendary school of magic, and his life as a fugitive after the murder of a king form a gripping coming-of-age story unrivaled in recent literature. 

Rating: 4.5/5

The Name of the Wind is nothing short of a legend in the making.